New Thought is a spiritual philosophy with a diversified following of individuals who come from a wide variety of religious backgrounds and now find spiritual nourishment and comfort from organizations such as Unity, Science of Mind, Religious Science, and Divine Science. Regardless of the name on the building or label on the door, what ties them all together is the predominant belief in one God Universal Mind, creative intelligence, omnipresent a principle (not a being), an impersonal force that manifests itself personally, perfectly, and equally within all. For anyone at the doorsteps of New Thought seeking a personal, loving, joyful, spiritual life that resonates truth without judgment, the answers to many of their initial questions are within The New Thought Christian, a brief over-view of the key beliefs and topics that form the basis of New Thought.

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.

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.

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.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From one of the world’s most influential spiritual thinkers, a long-awaited book exploring what it means that Jesus was called “Christ,” and how this forgotten truth can restore hope and meaning to our lives. “Anyone who strives to put their faith into action will find encouragement and inspiration in the pages of this book.”—Melinda Gates In his decades as a globally recognized teacher, Richard Rohr has helped millions realize what is at stake in matters of faith and spirituality. Yet Rohr has never written on the most perennially talked about topic in Christianity: Jesus. Most know who Jesus was, but who was Christ? Is the word simply Jesus’s last name? Too often, Rohr writes, our understandings have been limited by culture, religious debate, and the human tendency to put ourselves at the center. Drawing on scripture, history, and spiritual practice, Rohr articulates a transformative view of Jesus Christ as a portrait of God’s constant, unfolding work in the world. “God loves things by becoming them,” he writes, and Jesus’s life was meant to declare that humanity has never been separate from God—except by its own negative choice. When we recover this fundamental truth, faith becomes less about proving Jesus was God, and more about learning to recognize the Creator’s presence all around us, and in everyone we meet. Thought-provoking, practical, and full of deep hope and vision, The Universal Christ is a landmark book from one of our most beloved spiritual writers, and an invitation to contemplate how God liberates and loves all that is.

The New Age movement has returned with full force in our culture taking the West and its churches by storm.All across North America, Christian churches have unknowingly encouraged occult beliefs and practices far removed from what the Bible teaches. This unfortunate reality is intrinsically linked to the popularity increase of New Age spirituality in the twenty-first century, and we've been so influenced by its integration into our society that we have become blind to recognizing, and preventing, the effects of this mainstream, pop-culture heresy, even within the walls of God's house.In this imperative and timely book, former New-Agers Josh Peck and Steven Bancarz reveal:· What perverse dealings the authors personally witnessed from their experiences deep within the New Age Movement· Which real and dangerous supernatural force lurks behind the New Age· Facts that reveal how the occult has worked its way into modern, evangelical churches· Connections between New Ageism, fallen angels, extraterrestrials, and the Nephilim· Solid, historical associations between the New Age Movement and Satanism· What false-Christ and false-gospel doctrines are being pushed by New Age teachers· How the central deity of the New Age is a thinly veiled version of Leviathan, the ancient personification of chaos· How quantum physics is being manipulated to promote the New Age agenda· How to reach friends and family lost in the New Age movement· Warning signs and influences of the occult in your life and home, and what to do if you are under spiritual attackOur lives, our relationships, our world, and our churches all depend on our willingness to take action against the deceit of New Age spirituality. The first step toward prevention is knowledge. Now is the time to be informed.

In this study of Christian Science and the culture in which it arose, Amy B. Voorhees emphasizes Mary Baker Eddy's foundational religious text, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. Assessing the experiences of everyday adherents after Science and Health's appearance in 1875, Voorhees shows how Christian Science developed a dialogue with both mainstream and alternative Christian theologies. Viewing God's benevolent allness as able to heal human afflictions through prayer, Christian Science emerged as an anti-mesmeric, restorationist form of Christianity that interpreted the Bible and approached emerging modern medicine on its own terms. Voorhees traces a surprising story of religious origins, cultural conversations, and controversies. She contextualizes Christian Science within a wide swath of cultural and religious movements, showing how Eddy and her followers interacted regularly with Baptists, Methodists, Congregationalists, Catholics, Jews, New Thought adherents, agnostics, and Theosophists. Influences flowed in both directions, but Voorhees argues that Christian Science was distinct not only organizationally, as scholars have long viewed it, but also theologically, a singular expression of Christianity engaging modernity with an innovative, healing rationale.

In Friends in High Places, historical theologian Tom Shepherd takes you journeying through time to meet your long-lost relatives of the Western religious heritage. Mystics like Pseudo-Dionysius, John Scotus Erigena, Meister Eckhart and the first Quaker, George Fox. Deep thinkers like Philo Judaeus, Origen of Alexandria and pagan martyr Hypatia. Sunny optimists like Pelagius, who lost his argument with St. Augustine over the goodness of humanity only after the fall of Rome rattled the ancient world and made positive thinking seem positively naïve. Shepherd introduces an impressive entourage of mystics and metaphysical thinkers--to include Ralph Waldo Emerson, Mary Baker Eddy, Emma Curtis Hopkins, Paul Tillich, and Teilhard de Chardin--and gives the reader a taste of their writings. Just a sampler, not a full course meal. You'll find such delight in these brief profiles, you'll come away refreshed and ready to tackle life in the modern world.

The Book That Launched a Movement The first installment of Brian D. McLaren's trilogy recounts a lively and intimate conversation between fictional characters Pastor Dan Poole and his daughter's high-school science teacher, Neil Oliver. They reflect together about faith, doubt, reason, mission, leadership, and spiritual practice in the emerging postmodern world. A New Kind of Christian offers a tale of hope and spiritual renewal for those who thought they had to give up on faith, God, and church.

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.