New Thought is a diverse movement whose practitioners have only one thing in common: a belief in the power of the mind to bring health, wealth, and fulfillment. In this comprehensive history of New Thought, John Haller traces its roots from the earliest influences to the mind-cure speculations of the late nineteenth century, and shows how its initial emphasis on healing disease morphed into a vision of the mind's ability to bring us whatever we desire. Authors like Dale Carnegie, Norman Vincent Peale, and, more recently, Rhonda Byrne are eagerly read and embraced by millions of people who remain unaware that these writers are merely repeating ideas introduced decades before. The History of New Thought demonstrates the broad and lasting impact that this movement has had on American culture.

In this book, Glenn R. Mosley chronicles the history of the movement, including biographical sketches and the philosophies of pioneers and influential leaders linked to the movement's development and growth. These include Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, the founders of Unity; Ernest Holmes, founder of the Science of Mind; Mary Baker Eddy, founder of the Church of Christ Science; Ralph Waldo Trine, philosopher, mystic, teacher, and early mentor of New Thought; Joel Goldsmith, founder of The Infinite Way, among others.

Beryl Satter examines New Thought in all its complexity, presenting along the way a captivating cast of characters. In lively and accessible prose, she introduces the people, the institutions, the texts, and the ideas that comprised the New Thought movement.

This book introduces New Thought, a more-than-a-century-old movement dedicated to the healing of body, pocketbook and interpersonal relationships through persistent positive thinking and the acceptance of one's indwelling divinity. It will be an eye-opener for the millions of people who are drawn to New Thought but have not yet named it.

This book describes how the origins of the New Thought movement, the uniquely American spiritual philosophy that developed at the turn of the 20th century, can be found in the oldest philosophical systems of humanity, and how it is closely connected with the revival of Transcendentalism which occurred in America about 1800 to 1825. The text of this new edition has been edited into gender neutral language in recognition of the author's desire to bring the insights of New Thought to all people. Gender neutral language is a subtle but important way to promote equality, and equality is at the core of Atkinson's thinking. It also includes the author's "Working Creed", a summary of both his personal beliefs and the New Thought system in general. This new, gender neutral edition brings Atkinson's insights to a new generation of readers in need of his timeless insights. William Walker Atkinson (1862-1932) was a lawyer, businessman, publisher, and prolific author writing under his own name and various pen names. After suffering a mental and physical breakdown, and financial disaster, he found renewal in the New Thought movement that took the American spiritual landscape by storm in the late 1800's. Atkinson regained his mental and physical health as well as his material prosperity after embracing this philosophy. William Walker Atkinson contributed immeasurably to the development of New Thought through his many books and articles and other activities.

Beyond Christianity draws on rich ethnographic work in a Religious Science church in Oakland, California, to illuminate the ways a group of African Americans has adapted a religion typically thought of as white to fit their needs and circumstances. This predominantly African American congregation is an anomalous phenomenon for both Religious Science and African American religious studies. It stands at the intersection of New Thought doctrine, characterized by personal empowerment teachings,and a culturally familiar liturgical style reminiscent of Black Pentecostals and Black Spiritualists. This group challenges oversimplified concepts of the Black church experience and broadens the concept of Black religion outside the boundaries of Christianity—raising questions about what it means to be an African American congregation, and about the nature of blackness itself. Beyond Christianity adds a new dimension to the scholarship on Black religion.

From the millions-strong audiences of Oprah and The Secret to the mass-media ministries of evangelical figures like Joel Osteen and T. D. Jakes, to the motivational bestsellers and New Age seminars to the twelve-step programs and support groups of the recovery movement and to the rise of positive psychology and stress-reduction therapies, this idea--to think positively--is metaphysics morphed into mass belief. This is the biography of that belief. No one has yet written a serious and broad-ranging treatment and history of the positive-thinking movement. Until now. For all its influence across popular culture, religion, politics, and medicine, this psycho-spiritual movement remains a maligned and misunderstood force in modern life. Its roots are unseen and its long-range impact is unacknowledged. It is often considered a cotton-candy theology for New Agers and self-help junkies. In response, One Simple Idea corrects several historical misconceptions about the positive-thinking movement and introduces us to a number of colorful and dramatic personalities, including Napoleon Hill and Norman Vincent Peale, whose books and influence have touched the lives of tens of millions across the world.

A society with no grasp of its history is like a person without a memory. This is particularly true of the history of ideas. This book is an ideal introduction to the thinkers who have shaped Christian history and the culture of much of the world. Writing in a lively, accessible style, Jonathan Hill takes us on an enlightening journey from the first to the twenty first centuries. He shows us the key Christian thinkers through the ages - ranging from Irenaeus, Origen, Augustine and Aquinas through to Luther, Wesley, Kierkegaard and Barth - placing them in their historical context and assessing their contribution to the development of Christianity.

Emma Curtis Hopkins led a life of extraordinary diversity and achievement. Here at last is a study that salutes her remarkable life as it explores the route by which she melded spiritual healing, metaphysical idealism, and exotic philosophies into multiple careers of unsurpassed dynamic. As a charismatic teacher, Hopkins instructed or ordained every prominent New Thought leader who founded a major denomination of the movement's churches. Her considerable talents as a mystic and noted author reached fruition with the publication of High Mysticism in 1923. Furthermore, her ideas on healing and prosperity took root in both secular and religious organizations, touching millions around the globe to this day. The long-forgotten Hopkins is now given her due in a book that allows her to triumph in the roles she so ably mastered in life: mentor and mystic, healer and feminist, missionary and biblical prophet, writer and editor.

The purpose of this book is to indicate the Natural Principles governing the relation between Mental Action and Material Conditions, and thus to afford readers an intelligible starting-point for the practical study of the subject of Mental Science. Contents: Spirit and Matter. The Higher Mode of Intelligence Controls the Lower The Unity of the Spirit Subjective and Objective Mind Further Considerations Regarding Subjective and Objective Mind The Law of Growth Receptivity. Reciprocal Action of the Universal and Individual Minds Causes and Conditions Intuition Healing The Will In Touch With Subconscious Mind The Body The Soul The Spirit