"A look at Unity Church"....
Unity Church, like The Love Church, is a New Thought Church. While Unity Church is a church "denomination" in its own right, it welcomes people of all faiths and backgrounds. Unity Church beliefs include that we are all "children" of God and, being created by and from God, we are heir to all that we require to live good lives here on earth. This is consistent with the beliefs of The Love Church, although we are not affiliated with the Unity Church.
Unity Church, an "old" "new" church. What we now know as The Unity Movement had a shaky start because of the frail health of its founders: Charles and Myrtle Fillmore. In the late 1880s, Charles had tuberculosis and Myrtle also suffered poor health. They had tried their hand at various enterprises but, in 1884, the couple arrived in Kansas City, MO. Investing in real estate, they lost everything. It was then that Spirit moved in their hearts and they founded Modern Thought Publishing Company in 1889. Later, in 1914, they opened the Unity School of Christianity.
Mr. and Mrs. Fillmore depended a great deal on their printed materials, which they sold only for "love offerings." In those early days, they began publishing a magazine called Modern Thought, and Unity Magazine was opened in 1889.
The Unity movement endured and grew and by the early 1900's, Unity owned and operated their own publishing plant. They preached, published, and they also entered the new medium of radio broadcasting. But, even that wasn't enough for the health-conscious Fillmores, who also operated Unity Inn, which became famous for vegetarian meals.
Today, Unity is a world-wide movement that believes in Christianity as was taught and exemplified by Jesus Christ. But, they add interpretation based on our experience in modern times.
Unity doesn't preach dogma; its members aren't required to believe in a speficic creed. And, participation in Unity is open to all, regardless of church background. This is also true with The Love Church Worldwide which, although not directly affiliated with Unity, does still trace its New Thought heritage to the Filmores. This would be similar to Methodists considering John Wesley to be their sect's founder, or John Calvin the founder of the Presbyterian Church.
Unity Church beliefs include that God is the Divine Mind, creator of all, including we humans. Thus, we are all brothers and sisters, all One in God. While Unity places importance on Christ's death on the cross, it tends to place greater empathis on His life and teachings. More at www.unity.org
-Pastor Tom
