Nona Brooks: The Cofounder of Divine Science

Introduction

Nona Lovell Brooks (March 22, 1861 – March 14, 1945) stands as a pivotal figure in the history of the New Thought movement, a religious and philosophical current that emphasized the power of the mind in shaping reality and the immanence of the divine. As a cofounder of Divine Science, Brooks transformed a personal healing experience into a structured church that would influence countless seekers of spiritual truth. Described as a “prophet of modern mystical Christianity,” she devoted her life to teaching that God’s omnipresence is a healing reality accessible to all. This article traces her journey from a young woman in Kentucky to the leader of a movement that bridged metaphysical Christianity and practical spirituality.

Historical Context

The New Thought movement emerged in the late nineteenth century as a response to the intellectual and spiritual ferment of the era. Its roots lay in Transcendentalism, particularly the ideas of Ralph Waldo Emerson, who emphasized the divine spark within every individual. The movement also drew on mesmerism, Swedenborgianism, and the mind-cure traditions that flourished in New England. Most directly, New Thought grew out of the work of Phineas Quimby, a healer who developed a system of mental healing that he called “Christian Science.” His student, Mary Baker Eddy, later founded the Church of Christ, Scientist, while another student, Emma Curtis Hopkins, taught an independent form of metaphysical Christianity that became a seedbed for New Thought. By the 1880s, a loose network of healers, teachers, and writers were exploring the connection between consciousness, health, and the divine. This was the milieu into which Nona Brooks stepped when she encountered Kate Bingham’s classes in Pueblo, Colorado, and it was this environment that shaped the development of Divine Science.

Main Narrative

Early Life and Education

Nona Brooks was born on March 22, 1861, in Louisville, Kentucky, the youngest daughter of Chauncey and Lavinia Brooks. Her family moved to Charleston, West Virginia, to escape the Civil War, where she grew up in a strongly religious Presbyterian home. As a child, she experienced a profound sense of being enveloped by a supernatural light, an event that foreshadowed her later spiritual work. After her father’s salt-mining business collapsed, the family relocated to Pueblo, Colorado, where her father entered metal mining. He died shortly after, when Brooks was nineteen. In 1890, Brooks enrolled at the Pueblo Normal School to become a teacher, followed by a year at Wellesley College. Her education, however, was interrupted by a persistent sore throat that would not heal, setting the stage for her transformative encounter with New Thought metaphysics.

Healing and the Discovery of Divine Science

In 1887, Brooks was living in Pueblo with her sister Althea Small. Her sore throat had resisted medical treatment. Her sister Althea suggested she attend classes offered by Kate Bingham, an independent teacher of Christian Science. Bingham had been healed in Chicago by Mabel MacCoy, a student of Emma Curtis Hopkins. During one of Bingham’s classes, Brooks was particularly struck by the discussion of the omnipresence of God. As she grasped this concept, she experienced an immediate healing of her throat. That evening, she reported being filled with light. This healing became the cornerstone of her spiritual journey. Along with her sisters Althea Small and Fannie James, Brooks began to study and teach the principles of divine healing and mental science. The three sisters developed a teaching that emphasized God’s presence as the only reality and the source of all health.

Founding the Church of Divine Science

The Brooks sisters initially worked independently in Denver, but they soon connected with Malinda Cramer of San Francisco, who had independently begun using the name “Divine Science.” In 1898, Brooks was ordained as a minister, and in 1899 she became the pastor of the first Divine Science church in Denver, a position she held for decades. The church grew rapidly, and Brooks also became president of the Divine Science College, an educational institution that trained practitioners and teachers. Under her leadership, Divine Science became a structured denomination within the New Thought movement, distinct from Christian Science and Unity. Brooks’s ministry emphasized the healing power of God’s love and the practical application of spiritual principles to daily life.

Key Teachings and Writings

Brooks’s theological framework rested on the omnipresence of God. She taught that since God is everywhere, all reality is inherently good and whole, and illness or lack is an illusion of the human mind. Healing, therefore, comes from aligning one’s consciousness with the divine reality. She authored several works, including The Divine Science Textbook, Short Lessons in Divine Science, and articles such as “Why I am a Divine Scientist” and “The Early History of Divine Science.” Her writings were practical and accessible, intended to guide readers toward spiritual understanding and healing. Brooks also contributed to the periodical Divine Science and Truth, which she helped found.

Relationships and Influence

Brooks maintained close ties with other New Thought leaders. She was influenced by Emma Curtis Hopkins, whom she likely met through Bingham’s lineage. Her collaboration with Malinda Cramer was crucial in uniting the two strands of Divine Science. Brooks also participated in the broader New Thought movement’s efforts to organize, which culminated in the International New Thought Alliance. Her work paralleled that of Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, founders of Unity, and Ernest Holmes, who later developed Religious Science. Brooks’s emphasis on divine healing and the immanence of God resonated with the wider metaphysical community, and she became a respected elder and teacher.

Why It Matters in New Thought History

Nona Brooks’s significance lies in her role as a bridge between the informal mind-cure movements of the late nineteenth century and the institutionalized New Thought denominations of the twentieth. By establishing a church, a college, and a periodical, she gave Divine Science a lasting organizational structure that survives to this day. Her teachings on the omnipresence of God as a healing reality influenced not only her own denomination but also the broader New Thought movement’s emphasis on affirmative prayer and spiritual practice. Brooks’s life demonstrates the central role of women in the founding and leadership of New Thought groups, a pattern seen with Mary Baker Eddy, Emma Curtis Hopkins, and Malinda Cramer. Her healing experience and subsequent ministry provided a model for how personal transformation could become the basis for a public spiritual movement. For students of New Thought history, Brooks exemplifies the movement’s core conviction that spiritual understanding can produce tangible, physical results.

Primary Sources

• The Divine Science Textbook by Nona Lovell Brooks (undated, early 20th century) – A foundational text outlining the principles of Divine Science.
• Short Lessons in Divine Science by Nona Lovell Brooks – A concise instructional work for students.
• “The Early History of Divine Science” by Nona Lovell Brooks – An autobiographical account of the movement’s origins.
• “Why I am a Divine Scientist” by Nona Lovell Brooks – A personal testimony of her beliefs.
• Divine Science and Truth (periodical, 1898 onward) – The movement’s primary publication, edited by Brooks and others.
• Representative Women of Colorado (1914) – Contains a biographical sketch and portrait of Brooks.