Jan. 21–27, 2008 “Change your thought to change your world” originally appeared in the May 2007 Journal and was titled: “Wouldn’t it be cool if…”
On Saturday, February 10, a sunny winter day in New Haven, Connecticut, the Christian Science Organization at Yale University hosted an intimate and thought-provoking regional “Global Awareness” conference for members of Christian Science Organizations (CSOs) at college and university campuses from New England. The Journal asked Yale student Inge Schmidt, an organizer of the conference and the CSO contact for the university, to share how the conference began and the events of the day.
Last September, I sat with two of my fellow members of the Christian Science Organization at Yale. We had met in the Reading Room of our local Christian Science branch church where we hold our weekly meetings, and I tossed out an idea: “Wouldn’t it be cool if we did some sort of regional CSO meeting? Bring everyone together and spend the day praying about a topic that’s important not only to campuses but to the whole world?”
We realized that such a conference could lay the groundwork for the upcoming lecture we had planned for the New Haven campus and community titled “ReWrite the News: Change Your Thought to Change Your World.” We agreed that we could spend a day—the regional CSO conference itself—really praying about an important world issue, and then the lecture would be a tangible way we could give our prayers to the community.
I had just come back from the Christian Science Spiritual Activism Summit at CedarS Camp in Missouri, and I was charged up. Everyone had left the Summit filled with incredible energy and enthusiasm, and I wanted to see that energy continue. I wanted my CSO members who hadn’t been at CedarS to feel the same movement in thought and vigor I had felt that weekend.
At this point I had come to realize that CSO activity wasn’t only about supporting me anymore, though it continues to do that, but it was about looking outward and healing the community. Fortunately, I had two other CSO members who were able to imagine a big idea along with me, to envision an event that would combine the energy of the Summit with our mission of praying for the community.
On Saturday, February 10, 2007, five months after that initial conversation, “Raise the Standard of Liberty: New England CSO Global Awareness Conference” took place in the New Haven Christian Science Reading Room. We were twenty college students (from Yale, Harvard, Bennington, Amherst, Mount Holyoke, Middlebury, School for International Training, Plymouth State University, and Wesleyan), along with two young college alumni, a young Christian Science practitioner from New York City, two representatives from TMCYouth, and a staff editor of the Journal. We were also fortunate to have two speakers/facilitators join us for the day-long conference: Dave Stevens, a Christian Science teacher and lecturer from California, and Christa Case, the European news editor for The Christian Science Monitor.
Many of us were lifelong Christian Scientists, and several of us were new to Christian Science. But we shared a common goal. Throughout the world, we face the claims of inequality and social injustice on a daily basis. And many of us are committed to organizations, academic programs, and careers that seek solutions for these human problems. That Saturday, however, we came together to share a different kind of solution—a spiritual solution—and to discover how we could join together in prayer for our world.
In Science and Health, Mary Baker Eddy wrote, “Citizens of the world, accept the ‘glorious liberty of the children of God,’ and be free! This is your divine right” (p. 227). Alongside this paragraph, the marginal heading says, “Standard of liberty.” This quote and the idea of raising the standard of liberty became our themes for the day. Christa Case opened the conference by reminding us that prayer is an effective tool for solving world problems, and that our great privilege and duty to the world is to follow Jesus’ two great commandments: 1) to love God, and 2) to love your neighbor as yourself.
Among the many helpful thoughts Christa shared was how she prayed for the release of Monitor freelancer Jill Carroll after she was kidnapped in Iraq last year. Dave Stevens also gave a specific example when he told how he prayed after his daughter was stalked by a gang member with a gun. The basis of his talk was the following statement by Mrs. Eddy: “The foundation of mortal discord is a false sense of man’s origin” (Science and Health, p. 262), and he added that what Christian Science has to offer the world is an understanding of humanity’s true, divine origin. He also reminded us that our divine heritage or genealogy—our true DNA—is really our “Divine Nature Acknowledged.”
In the afternoon, we had two group discussions. In one, we considered what it means to be citizens of the world and how a higher concept of citizenship affects the way we think about world problems, such as the conflict between Israel and Palestine. In the other, we considered what divine rights are and what privileges and opportunities they afford us. We challenged these metaphysical ideas about our spiritual nature with genuine questions about how we can make our prayers active on a day-to-day basis and see tangible evidence of what we talk and think about. Christa Case led a fascinating discussion on how to read the Monitor—not just to get the news, but how it helps us pray for the world. She reminded us of something Mary Baker Eddy wrote: “Error found out is two-thirds destroyed, and the last third pierces itself, for the remainder only stimulates and gives scope to higher demonstration (Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, p. 355). Christa brought out that if error discovered is two-thirds destroyed, then the Monitor was there to do two-thirds of our work! The paper calls our attention to problems in the world, but it also shows us where solutions are being found. We concluded our day with a discussion of the Church Manual’s provision for CSOs (see p. 73), and the significance of our participation in both CSOs and church.
Before we left the formal schedule completely and moved on to dinner, we went around the room and shared gratitude and inspiration from the day. Again and again, people shared a similar sentiment—deep gratitude for the opportunity to come together as a group of young Christian Scientists willing to do something for the world, and for the support of one another. As people from the New Haven community walked by our Reading Room’s storefront, we could see them peering in the windows, looking in at a group of 25 young people engaged in earnest discussion and prayer.
Looking back over the day, as we mingled around the Reading Room over lunch and dinner and breaks, gathered on the floor for a serious metaphysical discussion, and worked together to clean up and put the Reading Room back in order, there was no doubt. Our prayers were seen and felt—by each other, and we expect, by the whole community.
Catherine Hellman: The topics we focused on at the conference are near and dear to my heart. Being able to talk about global issues from a spiritual perspective gave me more direction and clarity when praying about them and as I explore what I want to do as a career. At one point, Dave Stevens read a passage from Science and Health where Mrs. Eddy talks about keeping the perfect model of man in the forefront of our thought at all times (see p. 407). At school I’ve been studying all the human attempts to make change in the world, attempts that seem to have hit-or-miss results. When Dave read that passage, I realized that by starting from the perfect model, in other words, by seeing all of humanity as complete, pure, and supplied for, the attempts for change will not be just attempts—they will be actions inspired by divine Love, blessing everyone. This concept gave me a whole new perspective on change and is making me really think about what part I want and need to play in that change.
Catherine Hellman is a graduate student at the School for International Training in Vermont. Her coursework focuses on intercultural service, leadership, and management.
Peter Grigorakakis: It was an amazing event. It gave me a genuine feeling of hope that not only do future generations care about world issues, but that there’s a way of getting to the bottom of issues—beyond what we’re told every day from the media—by having that spirit of love for each other.
College senior Peter Grigorakakis studies humanities and economics at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire.
Carolyn Sass: The theme of the conference was fabulous, and it was a great opportunity to hear what other Christian Scientists are thinking about. I love what Dave Stevens read to us from Science and Health: “The foundation of mortal discord is a false sense of man’s origin. To begin rightly is to end rightly” (p. 262). And I also continue to think about his comment that Christian Science isn’t a tool to figure out what’s wrong in the world, but its purpose is to help us get a better grip on what’s right—what’s spiritually right and accurate. In academics and in the general public, problems are framed in human ways—whether political, sociological, or economic—and therefore the solutions are often limited.
I love that Christian Science doesn’t even go there—to material reasoning. It focuses thought on starting with what’s spiritually true, or what’s divinely real. This doesn’t mean that we turn a blind eye to current events and human suffering, but rather that we continue to see the truth of our spiritual origin and pray from the standpoint that we’re all reflections of God, even in the face of hugely challenging events. That’s our job as Christian Scientists. This approach fosters much more peace and the ability to find common ground than an approach that focuses on trying to dig through the human problems. And I think that’s beginning “rightly” when we’re praying to resolve world issues.
Carolyn Sass graduates this year from Mt. Holyoke College in Massachusetts with a degree in politics and studio art.
Elias Bruegmann: I was particularly grateful for the thoughts people shared about praying for the Middle East. While the human situation seems unsolvable, the spiritual truth is that we can never misapprehend our relationship with God or fail to love our neighbor. Acknowledging these facts in conscientious prayer can and will make a difference in the world. I also enjoyed sharing ideas about the Monitor’s role as a tool for prayer about the world. I especially appreciated discussing what CSOs can be doing on campus.
Elias Bruegmann is a PhD student in economics at Harvard University in Massachusetts.
TCSJ
