Prosperity Pioneers of New Thought

Chapter1

THE EVOLUTION OF THE PROSPERITY CONSCIOUSNESS
 

Introduction

As we enter the 21st century, there is a new emerging worldview that is based on the New Thought teachings of the Universal Concepts of Prosperity and Abundance. This new paradigm of consciousness can be traced back to the 1800’s and the Transcendentalists of Cambridge, Massachusetts, as well as the mental healings of Phineas Quimby and  Mary Baker Eddy, founder of the influential Christian Science movement, Divine Science, and other movements that followed them.  The clearest compilation of these core metaphysical teachings that evolved into “New Thought”, however, I believe are best expressed by Ernest Holmes as the Science of Mind philosophy. I also believe that this powerful demonstration of Spirit that is now unfolding is a natural consequence that has evolved from the deeply seated urge for humankind to be more and know more, in its continual quest to grow.  We are constantly evolving to new and more expansive paradigms, thinking more globally and universally today than we have ever done before.  The emerging prosperity movement is at the heart of this process.

The overall focus of this paper is twofold. First, I will explore the significant historical and cultural developments that have led up to the current evolving prosperity consciousness, particularly as it is demonstrated in the courageous teachings of the early pioneers of the New Thought Movement, and more specifically as it is expressed through the teachings of Science of Mind and its founder, Dr. Ernest Holmes. Secondly, I will examine how these New Thought teachings, as expressed by contemporary leaders of the prosperity movement, are having a global impact on contemporary cultures particularly through the influential mega-multimedia of today.

In discussing the early prosperity pioneers, I will focus primary attention on the writings and the core influences of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Thomas Troward followed by the developmental teaching of spiritual mystics like Emma Curtis Hopkins, Myrtle and Charles Fillmore, and Dr. Ernest Holmes. Then I will explore how these early pioneers’ philosophies and teachings evolved and influenced today’s contemporary prosperity thinkers, teachers, and writers such as Catherine Ponder, John Randolph Price, Eric Butterworth, Dr. Maria Nemeth, Edwene Gaines, Terry Cole Whittaker, Wayne Dyer, Oprah Winfrey and more. In addition, I will also be looking at the emergence of prosperity concepts as they are presently being reflected in the cultural development of the three Science of Mind church movements (i.e., United Church of Religious Science, Religious Science International, and Affiliated New Thought Network) as compared to the New Thought movement (Divine Science and Unity) as a whole that has provided the impetus for the primary prosperity teaching of today.

    In the foreword to Holmes The Science of Mind Jean Houston (1938,1997: xxi) notes what she sees as the essence of Holmes’ teachings:

The core of each human being is the “Original Creative Genius of the Universe.” We are, therefore, the lensing of Godstuff on Earth, the focalization of Eternity in time.  Consciously or unconsciously we direct the flow of Universal Mind into form. In homier terms, “the cosmic engine is started but man guides it in his own life.” This grants us tremendous power and with it the innate responsibility to make or break our world through the extraordinary working power of our minds.

      As Holmes (1926, 1997: 25) also notes in beginning of The Science of Mind,

We see abundance in the Universe. … The Divine Plan is one of Freedom; bondage is not God-ordained. Freedom is the birthright of every living soul.  All instinctively feel this. The Truth points to freedom, under Law. Thus the inherent nature of man is forever seeking to express itself in terms of freedom.

      These universal principles of prosperity and abundance are core truths that have been part of my subjective awareness throughout my life – even before I formally learned the principles of the Science of Mind.  Knowing that I had the ability to manifest abundance in whatever I pursued was a motivation for me to overcome any obstacles that were placed before me. I have always strived to seek a Higher Truth and to be and do more than what I was told I could be. These truths have guided me in my experience of prosperity and abundance in many ways over the years. However, my level of comprehension and demonstration of these principles has been in direct proportion to and affected by the race-suggestion culturally demonstrated in the given time, place and community in which I lived. Some regions and relationships were more open to a prosperous and abundant way of thinking than others but they were all part of my process of becoming and being the person that I am today. I believe that by looking at the history and culture of the pioneers of prosperity particularly as manifested in the New Thought Movement, we can gain insight into how we may more fully embody these principles in all aspects of our lives today.  This is my intent.

Early Philosophers Opened the Way for a Legacy of Prosperous Thought

      If we go back in time, we can see key principles of prosperous thought early on in the teachings of Greek philosophers.  Socrates (470-399 B.C.), for example, wanted to teach people how to think, instead of what to think. Socrates said, “Character is a matter of growth, and all I hope to do is to make you think for yourselves”.  Socrates taught, that everything necessary to a good life will come around to us if we stop projecting the negativity in our environment. The only demands we have the right to make are upon ourselves to produce a better nature. It is through the writings of Plato that we have come to know Socrates today.  Plato said,” There is no profit where no pleasure is taken”. He was saying that life is for pleasure, and if not, then why live? (Spirits in Rebellion, Braden, 1963). These are all basic premises of the birthing of a prosperity consciousness as we know it today.

      Historically in the United States, a popular and immediately available piece of prosperity literature that can be examined has been the Bible. However, the words of Jesus have been written, rewritten and interpreted in many different ways to support the cultural beliefs and race thought dominant at any given time. Nonetheless, as has been revealed through a number of recently discovered historical accounts such as the Gnostic Gospels, the basic Truths about prosperity and abundance have been available for all to determine their own personal meanings if they chose to do so. For the most part, however, throughout the history of Western Civilization, actual opportunities to explore and embody the concepts of prosperity and abundance were limited by the race thought of the times and each individual’s thinking.

      The eight hundred years from the fall of the Roman Empire in the fifth century, to the mid-thirteenth century were known as the Dark Ages because there was a darkness in the land, in thought and spirituality, as the out-picturing of a superstitious and authoritarian power structure dominated by the Roman Catholic Church. Nothing was to be questioned as fear and rigidity of religious thought were controlled by the theology of a church that suppressed any independent thinking. Only those who were in positions of power within the religious hierarchy had access to the written texts that they then interpreted for the populace for their own benefit.  They were thus able to control people’s thinking by restricting access to the written word. One can also argue that the race thought of the time that emerged as a result of these factors was the belief that those who controlled the wealth and power were by definition, corrupt, greedy and concerned only with furthering their own interests. This limiting belief about the association of material prosperity with individual self interest as something that inhibits one’s spiritual growth and awareness has been carried down into present time as part of the race thought expressed through organized religions particularly in the Fundamental Christian tradition.
      Despite the dominance of authoritarian religious institutions during this period, there were some notable exceptions. With the invention of the printing press, free thought started to emerge again and lightened up the Dark Ages both within and outside the Church. One of these free thinkers was the Dominican priest and scholar, Meister Ekhart.  Ekhart was not only known for his scholarly writings; he was also considered to be a mystic. By definition, a mystic is a person who sees beyond what the world says is so. He saw beyond the theology of the day to a true purity of Spirit. He saw the Oneness of all life with a God of our own individual understanding. He is quoted as having said, “Why do you look without for that which is within.” (Spirits in Rebellion, Braden, 1963). Rather than looking to an external authority to direct one’s life (as Church doctrine dictated), he argued that we all must find the answers within ourselves. This corresponds to the same principles that Socrates had advocated centuries earlier – the key to our freedom is to look within for our source and supply. One of the basic perceptions of prosperity consciousness that has evolved from this is that we all have the freedom to be, do and have anything that we desire based on our limited or unlimited thinking in the moment.  We all determine how we experience reality.
      Several other important free thinkers, took great risks in their day to not go with the norm of popular thought, and played key roles in the evolution of prosperity consciousness.  Benedict de Spinoza (1632-1677) said if what we believe to be true is indeed true, it will bring us peace of mind and success in all our affairs. The only thing we really have to offer people is our inspiration, our belief in the possibilities that we can manifest. The key principle being expressed here is his focus on the importance of belief and right thinking. What we believe to be true, we manifest as our reality. Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) likewise emphasized the importance of a positive mental attitude.  He stated that we lift ourselves up out of ordinary experience by raising our minds to extraordinary ideas and learning how to put them into practice. According to Kant, the four great questions in life are:  “Who am I?;” “What am I?;” “What can I do?;” and “What can I know? Each of these questions focuses on our relationship to the world around us as reflected in the knowing of ourselves within and how we then best utilize that information for the benefit of ourselves and others.

Prosperity and the American Dream

      Some of the critical questions introduced by Kant as noted above also point to the importance of the relationship between the individual and the cultural context within which they develop their sense of identity. It is for this reason that we need to examine the unique circumstances that America provided immigrants and how their perception of America is related to the emergence of prosperity consciousness. America has been and continues to be seen as a land of opportunity where anyone, no matter what their socio-economic or cultural background might be, can succeed beyond their wildest dreams. The United States with its rich cultural diversity provides a fertile ground of potentiality where individuals are not constrained to follow the ways of their ancestors and can become anything they want to be. From this perspective, it may be argued that the American Dream is a prosperity concept in itself. The words inscribed on the Statue of Liberty calling all the poor, hungry, tired and weak to come to America so that they may achieve all that they desire, and have a good life bears witness to this thinking. When we consider the millions of immigrants that have crossed our shores within the past 150 plus years we can see how significant prosperity consciousness in mass can be.

By the turn of the 20th century, our country and the world itself were rich with possibility. It was a time of new inventions that changed the nation and eventually the world forever. It all began with perception of the possibility of a more prosperous life. Thus began the advent of a national prosperity consciousness that was to be developed over and over again in the coming century based on a legacy of Universal Truths.
 

CHAPTER II
THE NEW THOUGHT CONTRIBUTIONS OF
EMERSON AND TROWARD

The Contributions of Emerson

      While it is beyond the scope of this paper to delineate all of the tremendous contributions that Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) made to the development of the New Thought Movement, it is critical to note his major points regarding prosperity consciousness.  Emerson was considered the Prophet of Greater Possibility. He was devoted to advancing individual freedoms and their expression throughout his life. The period from the mid to late 1800’s when he was most revered was a time of major social unrest and change. Moreover, as a Transcendentalist, he was at the forefront of spiritual change in this country. Emerson felt that the real power is within us, along with the authority to draw on it. It is our right as it is also our obligation to exercise that right.  We suffer when we do not do it and flourish when we do. “Society is in conspiracy against the individual; therefore, we must be nonconformists.” Quoting Emerson, “Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.“ “It is our goal not to see things as the way they are in society, but the way they could and should be.” These are basic prosperity principles. Our ultimate success depends on us. Emerson ‘s legacy through his well-lived life and his exceptional body of written work, demonstrated how to live a life well lived.

      He knew his highest truth was that God was within him, and he lived his life accordingly. His life and work was one of the major contributors to what prosperity and New Thought has evolved to today.  A few of the key concepts Emerson made to the Metaphysical movement, to New Thought and to Religious Science include the following points.
 

1. Cause and Effect, all effects or demonstrations have a cause or an original thought behind them. What is of paramount importance is the spirit behind the thought in which the effect or action takes place.  In other words, we reap what we sow. As Gellard points out (2001:90) “At the level where we truly live, justice is instant and entire. The murderer dies in spirit the instant his victim dies in life. The gun backfires automatically.”
2. We are all connected; we are all one. As Emerson said, our aim is to integrate our being across all the distracting forces of life. The ultimate integrity, the true reality, then is always unity with the Divine.
3. We all have within us a Divine Urge to be and do more.  Gellard (2001:88) summarizes this point by Emerson as follows “once the individual knows what his genius is, however, once called upon to act, prompt and open obedience to that call is crucial.” “Power ceases in the instant of repose; it resides in the moment of transition from a past to a new state….   In those rare moments when we leap to a new circle of knowing and being.” “The ‘new state’ has to be a new level of consciousness.”  “It is an energy and not an influence. We experience it; we don’t wield it.” Another way of saying this is that all great personal transformations can only begin from within and at times our losses nurture our capacity for compassion and understanding as we grow in spirit.

      Emerson was very much in alignment with the concepts and philosophies of’ Thoreau. A great proponent of Thoreau, he incorporated many of Thoreau’s ideas into his own writings and personal philosophies. He used Thoreau’s concept of ”To be awake is to be alive.” This was threaded throughout many of his essays.

The Contributions of Judge Thomas Troward

      Just as noted above regarding the contributions of Emerson, it is also beyond the scope of this paper to fully document all of the many significant contributions that Thomas Troward made to the New Thought Movement. Although born of English parents, the fact that Troward was born in Punjab, India where he spent most of his adult life, had an important impact on the nature of his contributions to the New Thought Movement. He was exceedingly well versed in diverse spiritual and religious teachings and studied all the great spiritual writings of the world. They included the Koran, Hindu scriptures, and books on Raji Yoga as well as studies in original Hebrew that provided the foundation for his book Bible Mystery and Bible Meaning. Some of the most important key concepts that Troward articulated were:
 

1. Unity. God is all there is and manifests itself into creation, including human beings. The Creative power in the universal is the same creative power in the individual.
2. Involution and Evolution. The process of involution is the passing of Spirit into form. The process of evolution is the passing of form back into Spirit. The original creative process of Spirit becoming form is the process of God involving Itself in creation, involution. The process of creation coming to the realization that it is Spirit in an on way is the process of evolution, evolving back into the consciousness of Spirit. Evolution proceeds simply and automatically up to the point of the individual person.
3. The Personal Factor. The Personal Factor is the participation of the self-conscious individual in the evolutionary process. This begins unconsciously at first, but becomes conscious when individuals discover and realize that they are intimately connected with the universal power of God.
4. Reciprocity. There is a Reciprocal Relationship between Spirit and individuals. As individuals open up to the universal, Spirit seems to pour itself into the individual, resulting in expanded individualization of consciousness.
5. The Will of God. Will is the consciously and orderly announcement of purpose to the subconscious mind. Will focuses spiritual energy for a particular purpose. There is a universal will of God for growth and for good. But there is no individual will of God for us. We must use the Personal Factor to put our individualized will into action.
6. Divine Distributors. “The universal can only work on the plane of the particular through the individual.” .. We are not the creators of divine power, we are distributors. (Sanner, 2003)

      Troward’s philosophical approach to metaphysics was the foundational work Ernest Holmes used to develop his technique for Mind healing, or as he called it, spiritual mind treatment.  This is what Holmes considered as an effective method of affirmative healing prayer. Troward’s statements in defense of the Law of Growth stated, “if any idea is placed in subjective mind, it will grow and develop at that moment immediately by itself.” No previous ideas can stand in the way. “Principle is never bound by Precedent.” You never have to allow your history to hold you back, in fact it can’t once it is set into Mind.

      It is these basic principles formulated by Thomas Troward that set the stage for the further development and implementation of a more focused prosperity consciousness and teachings by the major contemporary New Thought pioneers of prosperity, especially Ernest Holmes.

CHAPTER III
THE APPLICATION OF PROSPEROUS THOUGHT IN HEALING

      One cannot look at the manifestation of prosperity consciousness in the 20th century in America without exploring the way in which it evolved as mind directed healings expressed initially through the work of Phineas T. Quimby and his students. Herein lies the importance of looking at the contributions of Mary Baker Eddy, Emma Curtis Hopkins, Myrtle and Charles Fillmore and Ernest Holmes, each of whose work focused on healing but also laid the foundation for current prosperity consciousness.
       The application of prosperous mental practices as a healing tool dates back to the Old Testament in the Bible and was utilized by Mary Baker Eddy in the development of Christian Science. Mrs. Eddy was preceded in thought and vision by her healer and teacher, Phineas T. Quimby. Quimby was a unique individual who utilized the mind-directional techniques of Mesmer, which later became hypnosis and hypnotherapy. How did the work of Mesmer evolve in the two different directions of New Thought spirituality and hypnotherapy? What can we see as the main differences between these two approaches and why did they go their separate ways?
       Originally, Quimby used a trance medium to effect healing.  Eventually, however, he revised his mind healing techniques to work directly with his patients, instructing them to basically heal themselves by a change in perception and a more positive attitude about their condition. By keeping all thoughts about the condition needing to be healed in a healthy state of mind and wellness, the patient was instructed to visualize in the present tense a state of immediate wellness. This mind healing focus helped his patients essentially heal themselves. 
      In contrast to the direct mental healing approach of Quimby, the approach used by hypnotists and hypnotherapists relies more on the direction of the facilitator guiding and controlling the mind of the client. The process  does not necessarily focus on the present tense.

Mind Healing Becomes Spiritual
 

      It was not until Mary Baker Eddy herself, by way of a personal vision, used and revised Quimby’s original mind healing techniques and combined them with Biblical Christian scriptures that the science of mind healing and Christianity were united and emerged as a spiritual practice and later as an organized religion. When Mrs. Eddy initially found Quimby, she was desperate. She had a serious accident that left her incapacitated and in great pain. Her condition was considered hopeless at the time.  After several “treatments” with Quimby and his mental healing practices, she emerged whole and well. She was so inspired by this life changing experience that she decided to study with Quimby to learn his mind healing techniques in order to help other people experience these amazing healing technique.

      According to Christian Science history, Eddy received a vision to combine this mind healing technique she had learned from Quimby, with Christian principles and the Bible to create a new work called Christian Science.

      As we have noted previously, the late 1800’s was a time in history when there was significant social turmoil and change. Medicine and science were still in their infancy and life expectancy was relatively short. People were clinging to the familiar ideologies that created a sense of peace and serenity at any cost. A key resource in this regard was the Christian Bible and all of its many interpretations. Christian Science was no exception and provided a successful alternative to the inadequacies of the Western medical profession.

      This time in our nation’s history, was fresh ground for these new spiritual Mind Healing techniques to evolve and become a specific, individually interpretive work of spiritual and religious philosophy. Because of the power of the healing demonstrations that Quimby ‘s clients such as Mary Baker Eddy were actually experiencing, Mental Healing became popular and provided the fertile ground for the birth of Christian Science. 

      Mary Baker Eddy confined her teachings to her own visions of Christian Mental Healing. However, many of her students were unwilling to stop at just her limited vision, they wanted to incorporate other great religious and spiritual teachings into their own personal spiritual practices and consciousnesses. These student spiritual seekers went out beyond the strict Christian Science doctrine of Mrs. Eddy, to create great and successful bodies of religious and spiritual healing works themselves, but they were largely based on her Christian Science philosophy.

      Each of these exceptional students was an integral part of the evolving New Thought movement. When Spirit wants to birth an idea through the human experience through the Divine urge, there is nothing that can stop its creation. Such was the case with one of Mrs. Eddy’s brightest students, Emma Curtis Hopkins. It was Hopkins in the late 1800s and early 1900s who coined the phrase “New Thought” after conflicts that arose regarding the use of the Christian Science name. There needed to be a New Thought, and there was.

The Mystic Emerges

      Emma Curtis Hopkins was known as a person who refused to acknowledge conflicts lest she put more power in them and kept them alive. Throughout her life she just stayed in Truth and Principle. Hopkins’ solution was to change the name of her teaching philosophy rather than become immersed in the sometimes contentious, different approaches that were characteristic of the times. As Harley notes (2001:25), “the religio-cultural ethos of the 1880’s was fertile territory for the “divine missions” of the mind-cure prophets, none of whom had captured the exclusive corner on Truth.”  Many of Hopkins’ basic Biblical and Christian healing philosophies that she termed “New Thought” were anchored on the lessons she received directly from Mary Baker Eddy.

 Mary Baker Eddy’s attention, however, was much more narrowly focused on the relationship of religion and health. She was much more authoritarian and rigid with her teachings, allowing for no real evolution of consciousness past hers.

 Hopkins eventually became much more open to a broader metaphysical consciousness that incorporated the unlimited potential in the mystical teachings of many popular religious traditions and spiritual philosophies. Mary Baker Eddy’s contribution was not only as Emma Curtis Hopkins’ mentor and teacher providing her with a solid grounding in mental healing, but more importantly as the stimulus by her continued adversarial stance to anyone who was opposed to her rigid authoritarian approach to be more innovative.  In this way, Eddy was responsible for launching the successful teaching career of Hopkins which in turn directly influenced the work of Myrtle and Charles Fillmore and Ernest Holmes.

CHAPTER IV
PROSPERITY EMERGES IN NEW THOUGHT

      Emma Curtis Hopkins was the first editor of the Christian Science Journal, a position she was given by Mary Baker Eddy herself because of her talent as both a writer and editor.  As noted previously, in contrast to the more free thinking Hopkins, Eddy, who was a generation older than Hopkins, was considered very unbending and restrictive in her beliefs about free thought particularly when it came to exploring spiritual beliefs other than those manifested in the Bible. Eddy’s stance, in this regard, might be compared to the authoritarian stance taken by the Church during the Dark Ages. In fact, the rigidity of her beliefs drove several of her best students away from the Christian Science Church.

      As Emma Curtis Hopkins began to expand her spiritual studies to include Eastern spirituality and Transcendentalism, Mrs. Eddy became infuriated that her sole vision was violated, and wasn’t enough for Hopkins, she discharged her most highly prized student instantly. As Harley notes (2002:23) “As Hopkins evolved, grew, and expanded the parameters of her developing system, a separation from Eddy had to occur in order to preserve the integrity central to them both. Eddy chose to hasten the inevitable break with Hopkins out of her own sense of insecurity.”  By pushing Hopkins out of the formal Christian Science movement, Eddy, in effect, motivated Hopkins’ divine urge to be more and do more as a teacher and mystic.  Hopkins continued to evolve her own spiritual development and her teachings. Hopkins, however, was deeply hurt by this action from her revered teacher and mentor but never spoke negatively of her throughout her life and career. Hopkins always held Mrs. Eddy in the highest regard. But she also needed to answer her own higher calling and become more than she thought she could be. As she pursued her expanded studies, she opened a practitioner practice as well as teaching her own version of Christian Mental Healing. As she followed her inner guidance she experienced a true prosperity in all areas of her life. After a relatively short time on her own (about 14 months) she launched her classes which quickly increased in size. It is reported that she taught over 10,000 people in her lifetime.

      Emma Curtis Hopkins was considered the Teacher of teachers. She became the primary teacher for many students who like herself with Mary Baker Eddy earlier, continued on to start many of their own significant spiritual works through the country and the world. Two of the most important students Hopkins mentored and taught were Myrtle and Charles Fillmore, the founders of successful Unity Church Movement. They were ordained by Hopkins in 1891 in Chicago. Their work was very similar to Mrs. Hopkins’ teachings while maintaining the Biblically based healing philosophy of Christian Science.

      The Fillmores were very instrumental in specifically utilizing and raising consciousness about the prosperity principles in the successful building of their Unity Church movement. This principle proved to be extremely visible today, as  they are the largest branch of the New Thought Movement. Charles Fillmore is said to have always believed in the principles of prosperity and abundance and that God would always provide for them. They had that focused faith in Truth and it created great prosperity for them personally and for the Unity movement which prospers to this day.

      Toward the end of her life in the mid 1920s, Mrs. Hopkins was the mystical guide and teacher of Ernest Holmes, the founder of the Science of Mind, the Church of Religious Science.  Holmes said of Hopkins, “ Emma Curtis Hopkins was an illumined soul, she had a transcendence about her, you could really see it”. As Holmes had stated, as noted by Neal Vahle in his book, Open At The Top, The Life of Ernest Holmes, (1993), “Emma Curtis Hopkins always followed her inner guidance each step along her path to enlightenment. No matter how unconventional her life may have seemed to others, she always lived her truth. From her standpoint this was the only way a true mystic could live.

      Of all the religious, sociological, and cultural movements that would spring up over America during the late 1800s, early 1900s, none has so subtly and deeply permeated the American culture as the New Thought movement. One of the clearest representatives of the universal principles of New Thought teaching is expressed in Holmes’ Science of Mind. As Jean Houston (1938, 1997:xxi) so aptly put it in her foreword, this book “is perhaps one of the most potent and influential books of the twentieth century… Its words have inspired countless millions, seeded the growth of spiritually innovative churches and philosophies.  In precise and powerful prose it lays out the blueprint for the remaking of the mind and the reenactment of the world.” It was not so much Holmes’ specific prosperity teaching that were so valuable but rather his overall grasp of universal Truths that led to the development of practical tools for implementing prosperity consciousness by the next generation of thinkers, writers and teachers today. Often, the human experience is fraught with challenges that appear insurmountable at the time of occurrence. Then, something happens that lifts the veil of uncertainty and despair and shines through as a Personal Truth and direction for one’s life. Such was the New Thought Movement and the revelation of a new prosperity consciousness into the 21st century.

CHAPTER V
PROSPERITY TEACHERS AND WRITERS OF TODAY

Catherine Ponder – The Contemporary Birth Mother of Prosperity
 

      Of all the prosperity thinkers and leaders of today, Catherine Ponder, a very accomplished and celebrated Unity minister, has been the most prolific contributor of the twentieth century prosperity writers. She has been the birthmother of prosperity for many other writers, speakers, and teachers of this Universal Principle.  She opened up the consciousness for others to move past the fundamental Bible teachings that are the basis of the Unity Movement and provided a fertile ground from which Terry Cole Whitaker, John Randolph Price, Eric Butterworth, Edwene Gaines, Stuart Wilde, and many others were able to expand on in their teaching of practical applications of prosperity principles for today’s world.

      It is important to note that the Unity Movement has been at the forefront of prosperity consciousness-raising in this and the last century. One of the best examples of this is reflected in the way in which the Charles Fillmore established their initial flow of prosperity from the donation of a single penny for a building fund for their first church. When this took place, they were running out of room in their home for all the people who wanted to attend their Bible classes in their living room. A member of their group offered Charles Fillmore a penny, which was worth a lot more in the late 1800s, to start the process. It is also stated that Charles and his son, who eventually took over the directorship of the church after Charles and Myrtle Fillmore made their transitions, continued to run the massive Unity church strictly on the faith that all the debts would be paid on time God would provide, and that there would always be enough to share and spare for everyone. The rest is New Thought history.  To date, Unity has the largest of the New Thought movement churches and is still based largely on the principles of prosperity.  It is a basic law that works if worked, and can work for any  person when applied faithfully while maintaining a prosperous focus until the goals are met.
      Today, Ponder considers her life a love story as she has related in her book, A Prosperity Love Story, Rags to Enrichment, (2003). She started writing her first book, The Dynamic Laws of Prosperity while living in one room with her young son in 1958. She started teaching prosperity classes with an average of 50 people in attendance. In this first book she explains how her life progressed through many changes and how she learned to follow the flow of prosperity regardless of her circumstances. Even if there were unexpected challenges, she learned that the prosperous flow of life continues unabated. Many of the things in her life that appeared to stand in the way of her prosperity were washed away.

      In her search for answers to her life’s obstructions, she studied the lives of famous successful people, sought out success formulas mystically given in the Bible, and started her studies in the New Thought philosophy. She discovered her personal formulas to prosperity piece by piece by reading and researching the early writers of prosperous thinking like the prolific and influential author and metaphysician Emmett Fox, who wrote The Golden Key, The Sermon On the Mount, and more. Basing his work on the Focus on God as our source and supply.

      As a legal secretary, and a young widow with a child to support, Ponder eventually became a Unity minister.  Her learning and teaching of prosperity principles continued from Alabama to Texas where she founded two churches and wrote almost a dozen books, all of which were carried out through her focus on and faith in the power of prosperity in her life. Today, she heads up a global ministry that is in all 50 states and many foreign countries.  She still continues a full work and writing schedule from her home in Palm Desert, California, and has received an honorary doctorate, a listing in Who’s Who, and a position in the Social Register. Her life has been her message. She has walked her talk and has been a teacher of many New Thought ministers who have continued her prosperous legacy.

Terry Cole Whittaker
 

      Terry Cole Whittaker when she started her televised ministry with 50 people in the audience was considered by some to be a maverick minister of the United Church of Religious Science. Her willingness to step beyond the limited thinking of the few, and be, do, and have all that she wanted was a great success story in it’s demonstration of prosperity principles. Her much publicized television ministry, within a few years, grew her congregation to 8,000 in California with an additional international television ministry that extended to millions. She sustained this ministry for over six years winning an Emmy award in the process. The television show was broadcast from San Diego, California every week and, like Catherine Ponder, did more to launch Religious Science and New Thought into the 21st Century than any other medium has before or since.  She reached the most amount of people in the shortest amount of time and delivered an impactful message of prosperity to millions that still is being felt today. She has authored several books, her most quoted and successful being What You Think of Me is None of My Business. Others include How to Have More in a Have Not World, and Every Saint has a Past, Every Sinner has a Future. Her tapes and CD sales along with her workshops are still a consistent demonstration of prosperous thinking and are in great demand.

       Whittaker is a former Mrs. America runner-up, a singer, a dynamic motivational speaker, a television producer, business consultant, and a counselor to celebrities and global leaders, best-selling authors, artists, and politicians worldwide.  She has been considered the single most influential trailblazer of her time because of the reach of her popular television show for six years and the millions of people she has influenced and continues to influence to this day.
Today, Whittaker divides her time between the United States and India where she is deeply involved in the development of a major educational and health care project known as JIVA. She continues to lecture around the world, writing articles and books, researching sacred scriptures, and developing and distributing teaching materials in audio, video, CD, books and booklets.

 
Other Prominent Contemporary Teachers of Prosperity
 

      In addition to the contributions of Ponder and Whittaker, we must also mention the critical importance of a number of other individuals. Joseph Murphy, (1966) with his book Your Infinite Power to Be Rich is one of the earlier contemporaries.  Also among these is Eric Butterworth, a Unity minister, who wrote hundreds of articles and made a particularly noteworthy contribution with his formidable text Spiritual Economics (2001). The focus of his teaching was to work with the flow of life instead of against it, to develop a prosperous attitude about money, health, and love, and to create abundance through the power of giving while maintaining one’s inner focus on affluence.

      Another outstanding leader in the prosperity movement is Edwene Gaines, yet another Unity minister.  Gaines has made a 100% commitment to the transformation of the abundance consciousness of Planet Earth. She opens the way for participants of her workshops and classes to find their Divine purpose, worthiness, and to learn about the importance of tithing and giving as well as setting clear-cut goals in their lives. All of her successful workshops are based on love offerings only and she guarantees that each event will change your life if you are teachable. She is about to celebrate the publication of her first book this year.  Edwene still continues a very active teaching ministry throughout the world.

      Others that should also be noted include John Randolph Price whose successful Forty Day Abundance book has helped millions achieve a higher quality of life through prosperity consciousness.  Mark Victor Hansen and Jack Canfield are other very successful writers. Their Chicken Soup for the Soul series has broken all book sales records and fulfilled the prosperity goals that they set for themselves in the early 1980’s. Mark was always focusing on prosperity and abundance in his earlier works in New Thought.  Both Mark Victor Hansen and Jack Canfield evolved from the same exciting and motivating point in time when the Huntington Beach Church of Religious Science was the focal point for launching many famous motivational speakers. Mark was strongly influenced by his friend and mentor, the senior minister at the Huntington Beach Church, Dr. Peggy Bassett, who herself built the church from fifty to over three-thousand members. The popular and seemingly endless Chicken Soup for the Soul books series has been Mark and Jack’s definitive demonstration of the principles of prosperity in their lives.
 

      The 1980’s were a time in New Thought history when the concept of prosperity although appealing to many, still provoked the ideas of only money and therefore greed. The broader concept of prosperity really didn’t experience a resurgence until recently with the introduction of financial gurus who integrated the Universal Principles with sound financial advice. They turned the old concept of money as the only form of prosperity into a broader idea that has evolved into a general public awareness of prosperity as an unlimited concept of abundance that includes the fulfillment of all of our heart’s desires.
The legacy continues today in the workshops and writings of individuals who have focused particular attention on the importance of the concept of healing the limiting beliefs about money that block the flow of prosperity and abundance in all areas of our lives. Professional financial planner Suzie Ohrman bases her successful books and television appearances on the principles of prosperity, as does therapist and author, Maria Nemeth whose popular book, The Energy of Money (1997) has done much to help people uncover the hidden false beliefs, patterns, and habits that underlie and sometimes subvert their everyday use of money and personal resources.

      Lynne Twist, a global activist and successful fundraiser who has raised millions for the Hunger Project and other causes emphasizes the importance of understanding and eliminating the myths and mindset of scarcity as the primary cause of all the world problems, hunger most specifically. This is most clearly articulated in her groundbreaking book, The Soul of Money (2003). 

      The multimedia has provided a new resurgence of abundant writers, speakers and TV show hosts who influence millions everyday to the possibility of fulfilling their full potentials.  Wayne Dyer, a contemporary of the prosperity writers and speakers of the 70’s and 80’s, (Who was also influenced by Dr. Peggy Bassett), today enjoys an enormous popularity through his books and appearances on Public TV. The possibility thinking from Ernest Holmes via Norman Vincent Peale, which was then passed on to Dr. Robert Schuller, a traditional Christian minister shows how well the principles of prosperity work.  By evolving the fundamentalist Christian movement into a similar approach and message away from the gloom and doom, in turn, clearly demonstrates there is no separation of God and Universal Principles, Truth is really Truth.

      But today, the most consistently influential personality in support of the Universal Principles is television host, producer, director, and global big sister to humankind, mega-millionaire Oprah Winfrey. Her demonstrations of Truth and prosperity are a light for the world to follow.
My own success in implementing these prosperity principles manifested first in the Prosperity Club of Southern California, and now with the Laguna Beach Church of Religious Science, continues to unfold. The achievements of the participants in the club and the congregants in the church over the past few years have clearly shown the tremendous potential of these prosperity concepts as a singular focus for an ongoing study of which I will continue at a later date.  It is most evident to me that what we can conceive and believe we can achieve. Anything is Possible. And so it is.
 

 
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