The Secret, the enormously popular book and film, tells people to focus their thoughts on their goals and desires and to withhold thought or attention from unwanted outcomes. The author, Rhonda Byrne, and the handful of self-described metaphysicians, philosophers, writers and New Age thinkers whose work she references, describe this “law of attraction” as ordering up what you want from the universe. The emphasis is on material desires, and the premise is that Byrne and her colleagues are revealing ancient wisdom that has been suppressed from popular distribution.

The phenomenon presents the opportunity to explore lesser-known strands of American religious history, including the New Thought tradition, which began in the 19^th century and is alive today among Unity churches, churches and groups allied with the Universal Foundation for Better Living and, to a certain extent, in Christian Science. It is also richly represented by self-help writers and lecturers, from Shakti Gawain to Wayne Dyer. Mainstream religions are responding to The Secret’s popularity with sermons that differentiate New Thought principles from the tenets of the faith.

Why it matters

All religions explain humans’ relationship to the universe, and most embrace a supernatural power that controls human destiny. Books such as The Secret raise the question: What’s the difference between religion and New Age or self-help philosophies?

Angles for reporters

• The law of attraction – the idea that thoughts are made manifest in the material realm – has origins in early Hindu thought, which proposed, Raschke explains, the “mind alone” theory: that the mind is the only reality; all else is illusion. Such traditions of spiritual discipline, however, are not materialistic, unlike The Secret, which adapts the notion to American concerns with material acquisition.
• The 19^th-century Theosophists and their leader, Madame Helena Blavatsky, are direct ancestors of the positive-thinking New Thought movement, of which The Secret is a part, says Dell deChant, associate chairman of the religious studies department at the University of South Florida. He says America is a cauldron for the development of new religious and spiritual traditions from old sources because of our strong emphasis on freedom of religion.
• The success of The Secret brings to the forefront other books and videos on positive thinking, New Thought and the law of attraction. Two examples, now among the top 15 audio best sellers, are The Secret: Universal Mind Meditation by Kelly Howell and Ask and It Is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires by Jerry and Esther Hicks, longtime writers and teachers of material similar to The Secret. Esther Hicks channels a spirit called Abraham. Noted thinkers in this genre also include Napoleon Hill (who wrote, with Arthur Pell, Think and Grow Rich, reissued by Tarcher Publishing, 2005); Norman Vincent Peale (The Power of Positive Thinking, reissued by Ballantine Books, 1996); Church of Christ, Scientist founder Mary Baker Eddy (Science and Health With Key to the Scriptures, IndyPublish.com, 2002); Theosophical Society founder Helena Blavatsky (see a Web site devoted to her); and 18^th-century mystic Emanuel Swedenborg.
• Many scholars consider The Secret and the law of attraction to be representative of New Age philosophies. Other scholars of New Age say that tradition includes belief in the occult and paranormal, which is not part of New Thought, The Secret’s direct predecessor.
• The Universal Foundation for Better Living is an alliance of churches built on the New Thought Movement established by the Rev. Johnnie Colemon (founder of Christ Universal Temple in Chicago) in 1974. It promotes what it calls practical Christianity, in which Jesus is seen as a Way-shower, experiences are seen as a reflection of beliefs, the key to happiness is right thinking and right action, and that rather than primarily helping the needy, the emphasis should be on teaching them to release their divine potential. Find churches and study groups associated with the foundation in states around the country.
• Unity church (distinctly different from Unitarianism) has some 900 churches and study groups and claims more than 2 million adherents in 15 nations. Unity’s five principles include one stating that thinking affects our reality. Search for Unity churches by city or state at the site of the Association of Unity Churches International or see Web sites of Unity Church regions.
• Soka Gakkai International is the organization of Nichiren Buddhism, whose tradition includes chanting (“Nam-myoho-renge-kyo”) with the aim of attaining, for example, good health, financial stability, noble character and family harmony.

Jump to background

National sources

• Leigh Eric Schmidt is a religion professor at Princeton University, where he is chairman of the religion department. Among books he has written is Restless Souls: The Making of American Spirituality from Emerson to Oprah (HarperSanFrancisco, 2005). The book connects Americans’ interest in mysticism and spirituality with political liberalism. His expertise also includes American religious history, with particular focus on Protestantism, ritual, consumer culture and spiritual practices. Contact 609-258-5285, leschmid@princeton.edu.
• J. Gordon Melton directs the Institute for the Study of American Religion in Santa Barbara, Calif. He has written about New Religious Movements and about Christian Science. He co-wrote Perspectives on the New Age (State University of New York Press, 1994) and has written on New Thought Movements. Contact 805-961-0141, jgordon@linkline.com.
• Wade Clark Roof is professor of religion and society at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he directs the Walter H. Capps Center for the Study of Ethics, Religion and Public Life. His interests include American religious trends and the sociology of religion. He is the author of Spiritual Marketplace: Baby Boomers and the Remaking of American Religion (Princeton University Press, 2001), in which he explores baby boomers’ interest in spirituality over religion. Contact 805-893-3564, wcroof@religion.ucsb.edu.
• Kathryn Lofton is an assistant professor in religious studies and American studies at Indiana University at Bloomington. She has written about the religious content of Oprah Winfrey’s media empire and is knowledgeable about American religion and materialism. Contact 812-855-2495, loftonk@indiana.edu.
• Catherine L. Albanese is professor and chairwoman of religious studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Among her areas of expertise are religion and American culture and metaphysical religion in the United States. She is particularly interested in how people combine various religions in the U.S. She calls the metaphysical movement a “third force” in American religious tradition, along with denominationalism and evangelicalism. Albanese wrote A Republic of Mind & Spirit: A Cultural History of American Metaphysical Religion (Yale University Press, 2006). Contact 805-893-7136, albanese@religion.ucsb.edu.
• James Trapp is CEO of the Association of Unity Churches, based in Lee’s Summit, Mo. Unity claims about 100,000 members in some 700 churches. Contact 816-524-7414.
• Dell deChant is an instructor and associate chairman of the religious studies department at the University of South Florida in Tampa. He has written numerous entries on New Thought and New Age movements for various encyclopedias of religion. Contact 813-974-0576, ddechant@cas.usf.edu.
• Douglas R. Groothuis is a philosophy professor at Denver Seminary and an expert in Christian apologetics, the defense of Christian ideas and faith. He wrote Unmasking the New Age (InterVarsity Press, 1986) and Confronting the New Age (InterVarsity Press, 1988) and contributed to The History of Science and Religion in the Western Tradition: An Encyclopedia (Routledge, 2000). He can discuss the New Age worldview. Contact 303-762-6895, Doug.Groothuis@denverseminary.edu.
• Carl A. Raschke is professor of religious studies at the University of Denver. He is particularly interested in postmodernism, popular culture and religion. He wrote The Interruption of Eternity (Nelson-Hall, 1980), a reference on the origins of the New Age movement. He is co-founder and senior editor of The Journal for Cultural and Religious Theory. Contact 303-871-3206, craschke@du.edu.
• Roger E. Olson is a theology professor at Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary in Waco, Texas. His expertise is in historical theology, and he has written about Christianity in the context of New Age religions and postmodernism. He co-chairs the American Academy of Religion’s Evangelical Theology Group. Contact 254-710-3755, Roger_Olson@baylor.edu.
• Michael Bernard Beckwith is minister of the 8,000-member Agape International Spiritual Center in Culver City, Calif. He is one of the spiritual leaders featured in The Secret, and the Agape Center is part of the New Thought tradition. Contact 310-348-1250.
• Blaine Mays is president of the International New Thought Alliance, which holds, among other things, that mental states are manifested in daily experience. He can describe the New Thought movement and discuss whether the blockbuster success of The Secret has created demand for New Thought churches and spiritual centers. Contact 480-830-2461.

Background

• The Broadband download Web site for the film version of The Secret, available for $4.95, proclaims “A New Era for Mankind.” The film’s trailer can be seen free at the same site.
• Simon & Schuster’s Web site for The Secret says the publishing house has ordered a second printing of 2 million copies of the runaway best seller, which brings the total in print to 3.75 million copies.
• Barnes and Noble has 23 book club message boards devoted to aspects of The Secret.

ARTICLES

• “Unlocking the mind’s power,” a Feb. 16, 2007, Chicago Tribune article about Chicago’s Center for Spiritual Living, describes the spiritual dimensions of a New Thought church in the tradition of The Secret.
• “Everybody Loves Secrets,” a March 14, 2007, article at Catholic Online, urges pastors and religious educators to use The Secret’s popularity as a teaching moment.
• In “The Hubris of ‘The Secret,’” an undated Beliefnet article, the author, a cancer survivor, questions the book’s premise that one’s life is the result of one’s thoughts. Other Beliefnet articles on The Secret include “10 Steps to Unlocking ‘The Secret’” and Therese J. Borchard’s Feb. 21, 2007, column, “Hardly a Secret.”
• USA Today’s undated “Secret History of ‘The Secret’” explores the history of American movements devoted to positive thought, including the Unity Church.

Regional sources

IN THE NORTHEAST

• Glenn W. Shuck is assistant professor of religion at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. His areas of expertise include evangelicalism in North America and New Religious Movements. He edited (with Jeffrey R. Kripal) On the Edge of the Future: Esalen and the Evolution of American Culture (Indiana University Press, 2005). Contact 413-597-2338, glenn.w.shuck@williams.edu.
• Carol MacPherson Kauffman is assistant clinical professor of psychology at Harvard University Medical School. She founded Positive Psychology Coaches, which helps clients by focusing on their strengths rather than their weaknesses and stresses research-based measurement and exercises. Kauffman is an adherent of the new field of positive psychology and the scientific study of happiness. She says that it’s probably not possible to attract things with thought but that by being open to positive experiences, people notice and emphasize them. She can discuss research in the field. Contact 781-646-3600, carol@positivepsychologycoaches.com.
• Steve Carty Cordry is minister of Unity Church of God in Somerville, Mass., on Cape Cod. Contact 617-623-1212, steve.cartycordry@verizon.net.

IN THE EAST

• Eric Michael Mazur is associate professor and chairman of the department of religion at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Religion and Popular Culture. He edited (with Kate McCarthy) God in the Details: American Religion in Popular Culture (Routledge, 2000). Contact 570-577-3525, mazur@bucknell.edu.
• Beryl Satter is associate professor of history at Rutgers University. She can discuss the development of New Thought philosophy and religion in the United States. She wrote Each Mind a Kingdom: American Women, Sexual Purity and the New Thought Movement, 1875-1920 (University of California Press, 1999). Contact 973-353-5410 ext. 36, berylsatter@mindspring.com.
• The Rev. Joyce E. Anderson is minister at the New York Center of Truth in Brooklyn, a New Thought church affiliated with the Universal Foundation for Better Living. Contact 718-940-8700.

IN THE SOUTHEAST

• Henry S. Levinson is a professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He wrote The Religious Investigations of William James (University of North Carolina Press, 1981) and is an expert on 19^th-century American transcendentalist thinkers. Contact 336-334-5762, hslevins@uncg.edu.
• The Rev. Temple Hayes is pastoral care minister of First Unity Church in St. Petersburg, Fla. Contact 727-527-2222, reverendtemple@firstunity.org.
• Phillip Charles Lucas is a professor of religious studies at Stetson University in DeLand, Fla. He is an authority on new and minority religions. Among books he has edited are (with Thomas Robbins) New Religious Movements in the 21st Century: Legal, Political and Social Challenges in Global Perspective (Routledge, 2004) and The Future of New and Minority Religions in the Twenty-First Century: Religious Freedom Under Global Siege (Routledge, 2004). Contact 386-822-8894, plucas@stetson.edu.
• Amanda Porterfield, historian of American religion, is a religion professor at Florida State University in Tallahassee. She is particularly interested in the interplay of religion and culture and has written about Mary Baker Eddy. Contact 850-644-5433, aporterf@mailer.fsu.edu.
• Stuart E. Knee is a history professor at the College of Charleston in Charleston, S.C. He wrote Christian Science in the Age of Mary Baker Eddy (Greenwood Press, 1994). Contact 843-792-5938,knees@cofc.edu.

IN THE SOUTH

• Catherine Wessinger, professor of religious studies at Loyola University in New Orleans, has written widely on Theosophy, millennialism, New Religious Movements and New Age religions. Contact 504-865-3182, wessing@loyno.edu.
• Phyllis Nelson is the teacher and director of Christ’s Jewels of Truth, a Nashville study group affiliated with the Universal Foundation for Better Living. Contact 617-847-9790.
• Tommie Novick-Lunsford is a minister of the Universal Foundation for Better Living who leads the Christ Delta study group in Indianola, Miss. Contact 662-887-1955.

IN THE MIDWEST

• Ruth A. Tucker is an independent scholar of religion based in Grand Rapids, Mich. She has taught courses on world religions, cults and New Age for 30 years, most recently at Calvin Theological Seminary. The Secret is typical of the think-yourself-healthy, think-yourself-rich genre, she says. Not all positive thinking is problematic, Tucker says, but she finds The Secret’s lack of compassion for the difficulties of others particularly troublesome. Tucker wrote Another Gospel: Cults, Alternative Religions and the New Age Movement (Zondervan, 2004). Contact 616-647-1030, tuckerworst@comcast.net.
• Philip K. Goff is an associate professor of religious studies at Indiana University in Indianapolis, where he directs the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture. He co-edited (with Paul Harvey) Themes in Religion and American Culture (University of North Carolina Press, 2004) and (also with Harvey) The Columbia Documentary History of Religion in America Since 1945 (Columbia University Press, 2005). Contact 317-274-8410, pgoff@iupui.edu.
• Mark Anthony Lord is minister of the Center for Spiritual Living in Chicago, which is in the tradition of the New Thought movement. Lord has studied with Michael Bernard Beckwith, one of the figures featured in The Secret. Lord says that using spiritual power for material gain is only one aspect of the faith, which turns to a variety of sources for inspiration, including the Bible, Marianne Williamson, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Deepak Chopra. Contact 773-248-5683.
• Johnnie Colemon is founder and minister of Christ Universal Temple in Chicago. A former Unity minister, she founded the Universal Foundation for Better Living, an association of New Thought churches and study groups, in 1974. Contact her at the church, 773-568-2282, or at the Johnnie Colemon Institute, 773-568-1770.
• James R. Lewis is a religious-studies expert in the philosophy department at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in Stevens Point, Wis. He has written widely on New Age religion, including (with J. Gordon Melton) Perspectives on the New Age (State University of New York Press, 1994). He edited The Encyclopedic Sourcebook of New Age Religions (Prometheus Books, 2004). Contact 715-346-3803, jlewis@uwsp.edu.
• Robert M. Fowler chairs the religion department at Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio. He is a member of the Journal of Religion and Popular Culture editorial board. His focus is on unconventional U.S. religions. Contact 440-826-2900 ext. 2173, rfowler@bw.edu.
• John A. Saliba teaches world religions and other liberal arts topics at the University of Detroit-Mercy and is an authority on the relationship between Christianity and New Age religions. He participated in a lengthy Vatican study of New Religious Movements, and he wrote the scholarly book Understanding New Religious Movements (AltaMira Press, 2003) and Christian Responses to the New Age Movement: A Critical Assessment (Cassell, 1999). He has not read The Secret but is familiar with its context in American religious history. Contact 313-993-1088, salibaja@udmercy.edu.
• William Michael Ashcraft is an associate professor of philosophy and religion at Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo. He has written about New Religious Movements. Contact 660-785-7531, washcraf@truman.edu.
• John K. Simmons is professor and chairman of the department of religious studies at Western Illinois University in Macomb. He has written about metaphysics, the Unity Church and Christian Science. Contact 309-298-1057, J-Simmons@wiu.edu.

IN THE SOUTHWEST

• Paul Harvey is a professor of American history at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs. He co-edited (with Philip K. Goff) Themes in Religion and American Culture (University of North Carolina Press, 2004) and (also with Goff) The Columbia Documentary History of Religion in America Since 1945 (Columbia University Press, 2005). Contact 719-262-4078, pharvey@uccs.edu.
• Jerry Park is an assistant professor of the sociology of religion at Baylor University in Waco. His specialty is in racial, ethnic and religious identity. Ask about his research into religious consumption – he delivered a paper, “What Would Jesus Buy: American Religious Consumption in the 21st Century,” to the 2006 conference on the Scientific Study of Religion – and how it pertains to the popularity of New Age media products. Contact 254-710-3150, Jerry_Park@baylor.edu.
• The Rev. Jeffrey H. Mahan is professor of ministry, media and culture at Iliff School of Theology in Denver. He is co-editor (with Bruce David Forbes) of Religion and Popular Culture in America (University of California Press, 2005). Mahan is a past chairman of the American Academy of Religion’s Religion and Popular Culture Group and is on the editorial board of the Journal of Religion and Popular Culture. He is ordained in the United Methodist Church. Mahan has not read The Secret, but he can comment more generally about New Age religion in the United States. Contact 303-765-3183, jmahan@iliff.edu.
• David Grandy is an associate professor in philosophy at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He says The Secret is quintessential New Age, a simple, old idea newly and successfully repackaged and marketed. The law of attraction is not itself without merit, Grandy says, but it does not guarantee material wealth or fame. Contact 801-422-5749, david_grandy@byu.edu.
• Hillary Warren is assistant professor of communications at Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio. She is writing a book about religion and media. Contact 614-823-3377, HWarren@otterbein.edu.

IN THE WEST/NORTHWEST

• Della Reese Lett (aka the singer/actress Della Reese) is the minister of the Understanding Principles of Better Living Church in West Hollywood, Calif. The church, which calls its message one of practical Christianity, offers to teach worshippers not what to think but how to think. It is part of the Universal Foundation for Better Living association of New Thought Christian churches. Contact 310-641-7991, UPchurch@upchurch.org.
• Sarah M. Pike is an associate professor of religious studies at California State University, Chico. Her interests are in the areas of popular culture and the relationship between religion and the issues of identity, ethnicity and culture. She has written about New Age religion and the Burning Man festival. She is writing a textbook on New Age and neo-pagan religions for Columbia University Press. Contact 530-898-6341, spike@csuchico.edu.
• Susanna Morrill is an assistant professor of religious studies at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Ore. She wrote entries on Mary Baker Eddy and Christian Science for the Encyclopedia of American Religion and Politics (Facts on File, 2003).Contact 503-768-7481, smorrill@lclark.edu.
• Rennie B. Schoepflin is a history professor at California State University, Los Angeles. He is interested in the historical interplay among science, health and religion. He has studied religious healers, including Christian Science healers, and can talk about the Christian Science view of the power of thought. Contact 323-343-2020, rschoep@calstatela.edu.
• Colleen McDannell is Sterling McMurrin Professor of Religious Studies and a professor of history at the University of Utah. She wrote Material Christianity: Religion and Popular Culture in America (Yale University Press, 1995). Contact 581-4748, Colleen.mcD@utah.edu.
• The Secret’s spiritual underpinnings may be new to many, but they have a long history in the U.S. and origins – however distant and faint – in ancient Eastern religions. The belief that thinking creates reality, which is the basic notion of The Secret, has been preached by such varied American philosophical and religious leaders as Norman Vincent Peale and Christian Science founder Mary Baker Eddy, says Carl Raschke, religious studies professor at the University of Denver, who suggests that positive thinking is a secular American religion, an extension of our pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps frontier ethos.