People, Ideas, and Movements That Shaped New Thought
Emma Curtis Hopkins (1849–1925) was the organizational and theological founder of the New Thought movement, a spiritual teacher who ordained or instructed every major New Thought leader. Her synthesis of divine healing, metaphysical idealism, and feminism shaped the movement’s core teachings and institutions.
Explore how the New Thought movement developed the concept of the subconscious mind, from Phineas Quimby’s early insights to the institutional teachings of Unity, Divine Science, and Religious Science. This article traces the idea’s origins, key popularizers, and its lasting influence on modern self-help culture.
James A. Edgerton, poet, political activist, and fifteen-year president of the International New Thought Alliance, shaped the institutional growth of the New Thought movement in the early twentieth century. His leadership, literary works, and political engagement bridged metaphysical spirituality and social reform.
Helen Wilmans (1831–1907) transformed herself from a downtrodden farm wife into a wealthy author, publisher, and healer, becoming a leading voice in the New Thought movement. Her life and writings championed mental science, female independence, and the power of thought to overcome poverty and sorrow.
Ernest Holmes (1887–1960) founded Religious Science, a New Thought movement centered on the Science of Mind. His 1926 book and 1927 magazine launched a global spiritual philosophy blending science, religion, and positive thinking, influencing modern self-help culture.
Explore the origins, teachings, and lasting influence of Religious Science, the New Thought movement founded by Ernest Holmes in 1926 with his seminal work The Science of Mind. Trace its evolution from a philosophical system to an institutionalized denomination and its impact on modern self-help culture.
Explore how the New Thought movement of the 19th century—with its emphasis on mental healing, idealism, and personal transformation—became a foundational influence on the New Age movement of the late 20th century, shaping its practices, institutions, and worldview.
After Ernest Holmes’s death in 1960, the Religious Science movement split into two major organizations—the United Church of Religious Science and Religious Science International—before reuniting in 2011 as Centers for Spiritual Living. This article traces that evolution, examining the institutional growth, internal tensions, and eventual merger that shaped the movement’s modern identity.
This article traces the New Thought movement’s rise in 19th-century America, its key figures and institutions, and its profound impact on the psychology of religion—from William James’s ‘healthy-mindedness’ to its lasting influence on modern self-help culture.
Explore how the New Thought movement, born in the 1830s, evolved through mind cure, divine healing, and mental science into the modern New Age spirituality of the 20th century, shaping today’s self-help and holistic wellness culture.