Engaging with the core texts of Christian Science—the Bible and the writings of Mary Baker Eddy—is a key feature in the lives of its adherents. Prior to the advent of computers on a mass scale, Christian Scientists used print concordances to aid their exploration of these and other related materials. But the digital age offered new ways to access this content, and the church was keen to make it publicly available. In the 1980s, Dr. Tom Fuller and his colleagues at The Christian Science Publishing Society began developing a computer-based study resource, which they would eventually name Concord. While the concept was brand new in many ways, Mother Church officials had foreseen its possibility as far back as the early 1970s. This month we explore the living history and importance of the Concord program, including how its developers are still breaking new ground today. Fuller shares his firsthand story of Concord’s creation, from its beginnings as a 27-disc software program. He’s joined in conversation by Jen McLaughlin, the Publisher’s Agent for the writings of Mary Baker Eddy. Her department manages Concord’s ongoing existence as a cloud-based service.
Access more on this topic:
- From the Collections: The Concord story
- https://concord.christianscience.com/
- Jennifer McLaughlin and Jason Hunsberger, “Concord and its role in study,” The Christian Science Journal, July 2018
Dr. Tom Fuller worked at The Mother Church from 1986 to 1989, as General Publications Manager and, later, Publishing Manager under the Publisher’s Agent. Among other projects he managed the original development of the Concord software program. Before his time at the church, he served for eight years as the Christian Science Minister to Armed Services Personnel in Norfolk, Virginia. He holds a doctorate in artificial intelligence from Washington University in St. Louis. Fuller taught math and computer science for three decades at Principia College in Elsah, Illinois, serving for a year as its acting president. He has written several articles for the Christian Science Sentinel and The Christian Science Journal. He loves the outdoors and has photographed over 500 bird species.
Jennifer McLaughlin is a Christian Science teacher and practitioner in Boston, where she also works for The Mother Church as the Publisher’s Agent for Mary Baker Eddy’s writings. In this role, she oversees the publication and distribution of the Bible and Eddy’s writings in all formats and languages, on behalf of the Christian Science Board of Directors. Previously she held three other publishing and marketing-related jobs at the church. She holds a B.S. degree in Environmental Science, and earned her M.B.A. from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, while her husband was stationed there as a reporter for The Christian Science Monitor.
Collage images: Staff photos. Photos of Tom Fuller and Jen McLaughlin used by permission.
