A Christian Science Resource Tool

Terms of Service

Last Updated: February 8, 2024

Terms of Service for Concord

Welcome to Concord, available at concord.christianscience.com, including its language variations CONCORD (German), CONCORD (French), CONCORD (Portuguese), and CONCORD (Spanish) (collectively the "Service"), a website and Internet-delivered service of The First Church of Christ, Scientist ("TFCCS," or "We," "Us," "Our"), offering online Christian Science study resources.

Each language variation of Concord, (CONCORD Deutsch (German), CONCORD Français (French), CONCORD Português (Portuguese), and CONCORD Español (Spanish)) includes as its Content only the authorized translation of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy specific to that language; any information in these Terms that pertains to hymns or other books does not apply to the Service in those languages. By using the Service, You agree to these Terms of Service (“Terms”) and the Privacy Policy incorporated into these Terms by reference.

Certain capitalized words in the Terms have the following meaning:

  • "You" or "Your" means the person or entity using the Service.
  • "Content" means information, text, translations, software, audio, music, photographs, graphics, video, other materials, and the compilation of such materials, that We make available through the Service.
  • "Your Data" means information, recent searches, images, data, text, messages or other materials made available, collected, or stored by You as a user of the Service, other than Content, Registration Information, Payment Information, Customer Service Communications, or Audit Logs and Aggregate Data information (as described in the Privacy Policy).

We reserve the right to change the Terms at any time. If We make any material changes to the Terms, We will post the updated Terms here and notify You by e-mail or by means of a notice on the Service. Please check this page periodically for changes. Your continued use of the Service following the posting of changes to the Terms will mean You accept those changes.

1. THE SERVICE
We provide You with a variety of materials and features through the Service. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, any new materials or features that augment or enhance the current Service shall be subject to the Terms. The Service is provided "AS-IS," and We assume no responsibility for the timeliness of, deletion of, mis-delivery of, or failure to store Your Data or any user communications or personalization settings.

You are responsible for obtaining access to the Internet and the Service and that access may involve third party fees (such as Internet service provider or airtime charges). You are responsible for those fees. In addition, You must provide and are responsible for all equipment necessary to access the Service.

2. OUR PROPRIETARY RIGHTS IN SERVICE
The Content as well as the Service that delivers the Content, and the Concord software program, is the property of TFCCS or its suppliers and protected by copyright law in the United States and in other countries, and may also be protected by database, privacy, trademark, and other applicable laws. All rights not expressly granted through the Terms are reserved.

3. USE OF THE SERVICE
You are permitted to view, digitally copy, print, and, if You are a subscriber, listen to, Content from this Service for Your personal, non-commercial use only. Please note that "personal use" only includes sharing Content in the following limited ways:

    • Share screenshots and / or brief quotes with attribution from the Content in print and digital copies (including via email, text, web posting and social media), provided You:
      • Include the citation and / or attribution to the author.
      • Ensure that such sharing respects the rights of copyright owners. For example, sharing hymn words or music bearing copyright notices may require permission from copyright owners, unless such sharing falls under fair use or similar copyright limitations in Your country. You should note that obtaining permission, particularly for hymns, is handled on a case-by-case basis and is highly dependent upon the circumstances of Your sharing. If you have questions about Your use and how to obtain permission, please contact us at permissions@csps.com for further assistance.
    • Readers at Christian Science branch churches may opt to export their Wednesday readings from Concord in English, preserving the Concord logo, "printed from" information, and copyright notice, for the purpose of sharing or distributing those readings via email to their membership or posting on their church’s website.
      • Readers at Christian Science branch churches using Concord in French, German, Portuguese, or Spanish should be aware that these language translations of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures are copyrighted by the Christian Science Board of Directors. Therefore, Readers may only share excerpts of Science and Health from the Concord program that include the attribution and copyright notice. You may not import or combine other content with excerpts copied from Concord for sharing with others.

You may not, except as otherwise permitted in these Terms:

      • Access the Service by any means other than through the authorized interface that is provided by Us to You.
      • Modify, reproduce, or distribute any Content without the express written permission of TFCCS.
      • Publicly display Content, such as posting images or extensive quotes on social media without the express written permission of copyright owners.
      • Publicly perform Content, such as performing musical compositions or sound recordings without the express written permission of copyright owners.
      • Use or provide access to any portion of the Service or its Content (including providing Your account name or password) for any public or commercial purposes.
      • Use the Service to publicly produce, share, or display print or electronic copies of the Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lessons, copyrighted by The Christian Science Publishing Society ("CSPS," an activity of TFCCS).
      • Use the Service to engage in fraudulent or illegal activities.

To request permission to use Content from the Service that is clearly owned by third parties (such as copyrighted hymns), please contact the copyright owners directly.

To request permission to use Content from the Service that is not clearly owned by third parties, please email: permissions@csps.com.

Guest Access
We provide limited, free, unregistered access to the Service via a Guest Access function. Guest Access is a fully functional version of the Service except for three limitations:

      1. Hymnal Content is unavailable due to copyright limitations.
      2. Your Data collected during Guest Access is deleted after one hour of inactivity.
      3. Guest Access users are automatically opted-in to the collection of Aggregate Data (see our Privacy Policy).

Guest Access is only provided to users without accounts who are coming to Concord from one of four places: a link in an article on jsh.christianscience.com, a link from the Christian Science Quarterly® Bible Lessons—Digital Edition (English only), a "Concord link" sent from within Concord, or via sharing a list from within Concord. All other users of the Service are required to subscribe or to register for a free account, when made available by Us, prior to gaining access to Concord.

Institutional Use. Christian Science Reading Rooms and institutions such as care facilities, camps, and schools may subscribe to the Service. Reading Rooms and institutions should be aware that the Service is not built for concurrent use of a single account by multiple users. Although an account may be accessed from multiple devices, only one device can be logged into the account at a time. The institution may pay for individual accounts for employees or staff members as needed, however there is no group billing feature.

4. TRADEMARKS
The design of the Cross and Crown, the Mary Baker Eddy signature, Concord, and the Concord logo are either common law trademarks, service marks, or registered trademarks of The Christian Science Board of Directors in the United States and in other countries.

The Concord Book Logo is a trademark of The Christian Science Board of Directors and is registered in the United States. Other trademarks, logos, and images on the Site are property of TFCCS or its suppliers and may not be used without obtaining written permission.

5. YOUR REGISTRATION OBLIGATIONS
To sign up for an account, You are required to provide Personal Data through a registration process. Except where a free account is offered, You will need to use a credit card to subscribe to the Service. By registering, You represent that You:

      • Are at least 16 years old. If the registration is for a person under the age of 18, please see the section below on users under the age of 18.
      • Are not barred from receiving services under the laws of the United States or other applicable jurisdiction.
      • Will provide true, accurate, current and complete information about Yourself when registering ("Registration Data").
      • Will maintain and promptly update the Registration Data to keep it true, accurate, current and complete.

We may terminate Your account if You provide false information.

Users under the age of 18
Children under the age of 16 may register or subscribe on their own behalf with consent from a parent or guardian. TFCCS does not knowingly collect and process Personal Data from children under the age of 16 without such consent. To assist with this, We ask all registrants whether they are under 16 years old, and acquire consent accordingly from parents or guardians to collect and process their Personal Data. If it is learned that Personal Data has been collected from a registrant younger than 16 without parental consent, that information will be deleted from Our database as quickly as practical or the child's parent or guardian will be contacted to obtain consent. If You are a parent and have questions about such information, email Us at concord@csps.com or call +1-617-450-2700.

Children between the ages of 16 and 18 may register or subscribe on their own behalf or be given gift subscriptions without the express consent of parents or guardians. However, parents or guardians may request the termination of such registrations or subscriptions at any time. (See Section 8 for gift terms.)

6. MEMBER ACCOUNT, PASSWORD, AND SECURITY
Registration, or creating an account by establishing a username and password, allows you to store Your Data (your lists and notes), to exercise options for Aggregate data collection, and to have access to all the Content in the Service. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of Your username and password and are fully responsible for all activities that occur under Your account. You must (a) immediately notify Us of any unauthorized use of Your account or any other breach of security, and (b) ensure that on any device accessible by multiple users You exit from Your account at the end of each session. We are not liable for any loss, damage or disclosure arising from Your failure to comply with this Section.

7. PRIVACY POLICY; USE OF PERSONAL DATA
Collection and use of Registration Data and certain other information about You is subject to our Privacy Policy. You agree to the transfer of this information to the United States and/or other countries for storage, processing, and use by Us, Our affiliates, and Our service providers. The Privacy Policy is hereby incorporated into these Terms by reference.

8. FEES AND SUBSCRIPTION TERMS
Except for certain versions of Concord, the Service is available as a monthly or annually-paid subscription. View the current pricing information. With the exception of gift subscriptions, which are subject to the terms below, You agree to pay to TFCCS all fees for subscriptions purchased on or through the Service under Your account at the then-current rates for such subscriptions (including any applicable taxes). For any change in fees for a subscription purchased under Your account, We will send You a notice of such change at least 30 days in advance (via a message on or through the Service or email).

Once it has started, Your subscription continues until You cancel it, and Your credit card will be charged automatically on or about the same date each month or annually depending upon Your selected subscription term. All customers will be charged the applicable subscription fees in United States Dollars.

If You need to update your subscription, please use the in-application subscription update tools available under Your account link.

You may cancel Your monthly or annually-paid subscription any time, and Your access to the Service will stop immediately and Your account will be refunded the prorated remaining balance of Your paid subscription.

If You experience issues updating Your subscription, please contact Us at concord@csps.com or call US +1-617-450-2700.

Gift Subscriptions (English only)
You may give (or receive) a one-year Concord subscription (see Concord subscription page for how to purchase a gift - page in English only).

Recipients will receive a notification of the gift by email that shows the gift subscription information and the date of purchase. To redeem the gift subscription, recipients should follow the prompts in that email to activate their subscriptions, either by creating a new account or by signing in to their existing Concord account. Gift subscriptions begin as soon as they are redeemed.

If a recipient already has an existing subscription, the one year duration of the gift subscription will supersede their existing subscription for the duration of that year. Following the conclusion of the gift subscription, the original paid subscription will automatically resume.

Note: Gift subscriptions have no cash value and cannot be redeemed for cash by the recipient at any time.

Gift subscriptions purchased before November 10, 2022 do not expire. However, gift subscriptions purchased on or after November 10, 2022 that are unredeemed after one year are subject to cancellation and refund by Us to the purchaser.

Gift subscriptions can only be redeemed once. Once the gift is redeemed, the recipient may cancel the gift subscription or close their account at any time, but no refund is available. The recipient may cancel their Concord gift subscription using the in-application subscription management tools, available under their account profile. For assistance, email concord@csps.com

30-day Free Trial
For certain versions of Concord, when You register for the Service, You will be automatically enrolled in a 30-day free trial. We do not collect Your credit card information during this trial. You may subscribe at any time during the 30-day trial. However, at the end of the 30-day trial You will be notified that Your trial has ended, and you will be required to subscribe if You wish to continue to use all the features available to subscribers. If You choose not to subscribe after the trial ends, Your account will still exist, but in a read-only mode for a period of twelve months, after which time the account, including Your Data, may be deleted. In this mode You will be able to search and read, but not modify, Your lists.

9. OWNERSHIP AND USE OF YOUR DATA
We do not claim ownership of Your Data. The Service does not contain publicly accessible areas where You can share Your Data. While We provide reasonable security for Your Data, the Service may not be used for storage of sensitive or regulated data. We may access, preserve, and disclose Your account information and Your Data, if required to do so by law or in a good faith belief that such access, preservation, or disclosure is reasonably necessary to:

      • Comply with a legal process.
      • Enforce the Terms.
      • Respond to claims that Your Data violates the rights of third parties.
      • Respond to Your requests for customer service.
      • Protect Our (or Our users or the public’s) rights, property, or personal safety.

The technical processing and transmission of the Service, including Your Data, may involve (a) transmissions over various networks; and (b) changes to conform and adapt to technical requirements of connecting networks or devices.

The Service and software embodied within the Service may include security components that permit digital materials to be protected, and use of these materials is subject to usage rules set by Us and/or content providers who provide Content to the Service. You may not attempt to override or circumvent any of the usage rules embedded into the Service.

10. INTERSTATE NATURE OF COMMUNICATIONS ON NETWORK
When You register with Us, You acknowledge that in using the Service to send electronic data, You will be causing data to be sent through Our and Our supplier's computer networks, portions of which may be located in various locations in or outside the United States. As a result of the nature of electronic communications, even communications that seem to be intrastate in nature can result in the interstate or international transmission of data regardless of where You are physically located at the time of transmission. Accordingly, by agreeing to these Terms, You acknowledge that use of the Service may result in interstate or international data transmissions.

11. INTERNATIONAL USE
You must comply with all local rules and applicable laws regarding online conduct and the transmission of acceptable content.

12. INDEMNITY
You agree to indemnify, defend (at Our election) and hold harmless TFCCS, its affiliated entities, successors, companies, contractors, officers, directors, trustees, employees, agents, representatives, service providers, and/or assigns and its third-party suppliers, licensors, licensees and partners, from and against any and all actions, claims, losses, liabilities, demands, costs, expenses (including reasonable outside attorneys’ fees and legal costs) and damages ("Losses"), arising out of Your use or misuse of the Service, any breach or alleged breach by You of these Terms, any breach or alleged breach of the copyright, trademark, proprietary or other rights of third-parties by You, or any breach of the representations, warranties, and covenants made by You under these Terms. TFCCS reserves the right, at Your expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter for which You are required to indemnify TFCCS, and You agree to cooperate with TFCCS in the defense of these claims. TFCCS shall not settle an action You have agreed to indemnify without Your prior consent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed.

13. GENERAL PRACTICES REGARDING USE AND STORAGE
You acknowledge that We may establish general practices and limits concerning use of the Service, including without limitation the maximum number of days that Your Data uploaded to the Service will be retained, the maximum number and size of postings that may be made through an account on the Service, and the maximum number of times (and the maximum duration for which) You may access the Service in a given period of time. We have no responsibility or liability for the deletion or failure to store any of Your Data maintained or transmitted by the Service. We may modify these general practices and limits from time to time.

14. MODIFICATIONS TO SERVICE
The Service may be periodically updated with new features, improvements, and fixes, and We will notify You of significant changes through a communication or in the Service itself. We reserve the right to modify or cease providing, temporarily or permanently, the Service (or any part thereof), and We shall not be liable to You or to any third party for such modification of the Service.

15. CANCELLATION, SUSPENSION, AND TERMINATION

CANCELLATION
Upon cancellation of a paid subscription, We may at our discretion return to You prorated subscription fees.

If You cancel Your paid subscription to the Service, Your Data will not automatically be deleted from the Service. An account with a canceled subscription will be in a read-only mode, where You may be able to access, but not modify, Your Data. This will enable You to export Your Data out of the Service.

For canceled accounts and unpaid accounts, We will store Your Data for twelve months from the time You last logged into your account. If You do not log into your account for twelve months, We may delete Your Data at Our discretion without notice.

At any time, You may delete Your Data by using the Delete Account function in the Service. Be aware that using the Delete Account function is permanent and your Registration Data and Your Data cannot be recovered.

SUSPENSION
We may, under certain circumstances and without prior notice, immediately suspend the Service or any part thereof, Your account, and/or access to the Service. We will make reasonable effort to notify You that We will be suspending or have suspended Your account or the Service.

In such event, We will make reasonable efforts to give You access to Your Data so that You may copy or remove it.

TERMINATION FOR CAUSE
We may, under certain circumstances and without prior notice, immediately terminate the Service or any part thereof, Your account, any associated registration information, and/or access to the Service, and delete Your Data. Causes for such termination shall include, but not be limited to: (a) breaches or violations of these Terms or other incorporated agreements or guidelines, or (b) compliance with court orders or enforcement actions by government agencies. All terminations for cause shall be made in Our sole discretion and may include barring further use of the Service. We shall not be liable to You or any third-party for any suspension or termination of Your account, or access to the Service or deletion of Your Data.

16. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES
a. YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK. THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS. WE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

b. WE MAKE NO WARRANTY THAT (i) THE SERVICE WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS, (ii) THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, TIMELY, SECURE, OR ERROR-FREE, (iii) THE RESULTS THAT MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE USE OF THE SERVICE WILL BE ACCURATE OR RELIABLE, (iv) THE QUALITY OF ANY PRODUCTS, SERVICES, INFORMATION, OR OTHER MATERIAL PURCHASED OR OBTAINED BY YOU THROUGH THE SERVICE WILL MEET YOUR EXPECTATIONS, AND (v) ANY ERRORS IN THE SOFTWARE WILL BE CORRECTED.

c. ANY INTERACTION WITH MATERIALS OBTAINED THROUGH USE OF THE SERVICE IS DONE AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION AND RISK AND YOU WILL BE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE TO YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM OR LOSS OF DATA THAT RESULTS FROM DOWNLOADING OR ACCESSING ANY SUCH MATERIAL.

d. NO ADVICE OR INFORMATION, WHETHER ORAL OR WRITTEN, OBTAINED BY YOU FROM US OR THROUGH OR FROM THE SERVICE SHALL CREATE ANY WARRANTY NOT EXPRESSLY STATED IN THESE TERMS.

17. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
WE SHALL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, GOODWILL, USE, DATA OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES (EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES), RESULTING FROM: (i) THE USE OR THE INABILITY TO USE THE SERVICE; (ii) THE COST OF PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS AND SERVICES RESULTING FROM ANY GOODS, DATA, INFORMATION OR SERVICES PURCHASED OR OBTAINED OR MESSAGES RECEIVED OR TRANSACTIONS ENTERED INTO THROUGH OR FROM THE SERVICE; (iii) UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO OR ALTERATION OF YOUR TRANSMISSIONS OR DATA; (iv) STATEMENTS OR CONDUCT OF ANY THIRD PARTY ON THE SERVICE; OR (v) ANY OTHER MATTER RELATING TO THE SERVICE SUBJECT TO AND NOTWITHSTANDING THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT SHALL WE BE LIABLE TO YOU IN THE AGGREGATE FOR MORE THAN $100.

18. EXCLUSIONS AND LIMITATIONS
SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF CERTAIN WARRANTIES OR THE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES. ACCORDINGLY, SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

19. NO THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARIES
Except as otherwise expressly provided in these Terms, there shall be no third party beneficiaries to these Terms.

20. NOTICE
We may provide You with notices, including those regarding changes to these Terms, by either email, or postings on the Service.

Any notice You desire to send to Us may be sent by email to concord@csps.com.

21. GENERAL INFORMATION
a. Entire Agreement. These Terms constitute the entire agreement between You and Us and govern Your use of the Service, superseding any prior agreements between You and Us with respect to the Service. You also may be subject to additional terms and conditions that may apply when You use or purchase certain other services, affiliate services, third-party content, or third-party software.

b. Choice of Law and Forum. These Terms and the relationship between You and Us shall be exclusively governed by the laws of the United States and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts without regard to their conflict of law provisions. Your exclusive forum for bringing any claim or cause of action against Us is the courts located in the City of Boston, Massachusetts U.S.A. You hereby accept and submit to the personal and exclusive jurisdiction of such courts in any proceeding or action. With respect to any such proceeding or action brought in such courts, You hereby irrevocably waive, to the fullest extent permitted by law: (a) any objection You may have now or in the future to such jurisdiction or venue, and (b) any claim that such action or proceeding has been brought in an inconvenient forum. Nothing limits Our right to commence and prosecute any legal or equitable action or proceeding before any court of competent jurisdiction to obtain injunctive or any other form of relief. Furthermore, You and We agree that each may bring claims against the other only in Your individual or Our entity’s capacity and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class or representative action. Further, You and We agree that, in any action arising from or relating to the Service or TFCCS, the action will be tried before a judge, and You and We expressly waive the right to have any such claim in connection with such action heard by a jury.

c. Waiver and Severability of Terms. Our failure to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. If any provision of these Terms is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, the parties nevertheless agree that the court should endeavor to give effect to the parties' intentions as reflected in the provision, and the other provisions of these Terms remain in full force and effect.

d. No Right of Survivorship and Non-Transferability. Your account is non-transferable and any rights to Your account, Your Data, or other information within Your account terminate upon Your death. Upon receipt of a copy of a death certificate, Your account may be terminated and all contents therein permanently deleted.

e. Statute of Limitations. Regardless of any statute or law to the contrary, any claim or cause of action arising out of or related to use of the Service or these Terms must be filed within one (1) year after such claim or cause of action arose or be forever barred.

f. No Personal Liability. No director, officer, trustee, employee or agent of TFCCS or its affiliates shall be personally liable for the performance of or failure to perform any provision of this Agreement.

The section titles in these Terms are for convenience only and have no legal or contractual effect.

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