Fillmore Wings Beliefs

Welcome!

I am often asked, What did Charles and Myrtle Fillmore believe and teach? It can be difficult to answer because Charles Fillmore wrote many books and Myrtle Fillmore wrote many letters.

There are, however, two documents in which their beliefs were laid out in a concise form and were consistently published for over six decades: The Correspondence School Lessons, published from 1910 into the 1970s and the Statement of Faith, published from 1921 until 1982. They define what the Fillmores believed–and never regretted proclaiming–and what they demanded their ministers teach.

This volume contains six of the 18 Correspondence School Lessons addressing what is known in Christianity as theology and in philosophy as metaphysics. It is supplemented by the Statement of Faith–given when the Fillmores needed to establish clarity about their teachings in response to criticism from both fundamentalists and liberals.

Besides learning what the Fillmores believed, students of this volume can expect increased clarity in our mental perceptions, a deeper understanding of people and everyday events, and a more focused life purpose.

Rev. Mark Hicks, Publisher and General Editor, Fillmore Wings

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Table of Contents

• Welcome
• Introduction to Fillmore Wings Beliefs
• Trinity of Trinities
• Fillmore Statement of Faith
• Lesson 7. The True Character of God
• Lesson 8. Christ, The Only Begotten
• Lesson 9. Man, Image and Likeness
• Lesson 10. The Formative Power of Thought
• Lesson 11. Affirmations and Denials
• Lesson 12. The Word

Introduction to Fillmore Wings Beliefs

In 1910, twenty years after their founding of Unity, the Fillmores found themselves in midst of a great disagreement between Christian liberals and Christian Fundamentalists. Orthodox Christian beliefs were losing ground to the effects of science and rationalism. Science had challenged belief in God’s revelation with scientific and historical explanations. Rationalism had challenged belief in God’s active participation in human affairs with logic and principle.

The Liberals and Fundamentalists responded differently. Fundamentalists resorted to teaching the infallibility of the Bible and it’s authority over modern discoveries. Christian liberals embraced what modernity had to say and recognized their new understandings as simply new revelations of Truth. To truly understand this context in which Unity found it’s most rapid growth and the issues it addressed, I recommend William Hordern’s A Layman’s Guide to Protestant Theology, 2nd edition, chapters 1-4.

At almost the same time, around 1910, the Fillmores published the twelve chapters of their first book, Christian Healing, and they published the twelve lessons of the Correspondence School program. The chapter titles of the book are identical to the lesson titles of the correspondence program. The Fillmores were not to publish another book of their own authorship (or any authorship except Emilie Cady) for another 20 years. These documents should be considered the same work, one focused on a general audience and the other on the training of teachers and ministers.

These works should also be considered the Fillmore response to their critics–Liberal and Fundamentalist alike. Their response is an extremely systematic explanation of God’s active participation in human affairs that is congruent with scientific discovery and historical truth.

The Fillmore response has not been well received by traditional Christians. One reason is that we have not communicated the Fillmore message in ways traditional Christians can understand. We need to do better. We can do that as we read these lessons. Here’s how.

As you read The True Nature of God, consider its Theology. Christian Theology is the systematic study of an all knowing, all powerful, and everywhere present God as a Trinity of three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Fillmores not only affirm the Trinity but actually provide an explanation of the Trinity that can be comprehended by modern people. More important, they also show how modern people can perceive God as an everpresent reality, active in our life, in a personal way.

As you read Christ, the Only Begotten of God, consider its Christology. Christology is Christian theology relating to Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity. The Fillmores affirmed central claim of the faith – that Jesus rose from the dead – and they even go further, devoting their life and their movement to demonstrating that human beings, rooted in God, have the capacity, like Jesus, to overcome death. To the Fillmores, Jesus is not the essence of God, but God’s perfect essence in humanity.

As you read Man, the Image and Likeness of God, consider its Pneumatology. Pneumatology is Christian theology relating to the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. The Fillmores affirm the Trinity of God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – and assert the existence of an inner “trinity of man” – Spirit, soul and body. Like the Holy Spirit, which is God in expression, we are also to be God in expression, through Spirit, as soul and body. They declared that we are not depraved or separated from God, but, through Spirit, are God’s beloved creation in expression.

As you read The Formative Power of Thought, consider its Spirituality. Spirituality is the lived experience of one’s faith. While the Christian church has much to say that is descriptive of our lived experience, the Fillmores, through their “trinity of mind,” offer an explanation of our lived experience. Their trinity of mind is essentially a Fillmore “theory of mind.” At last, Christianity has a framework to pursue true scientific study of faith experience.

As you read Affirmations and Denials, consider its Soteriology. Soteriology is Christian theology relating to how human beings find salvation. That we are transformed by the renewal of our mind is accepted by all Christians. But the Christian church has never come to consensus on how we are saved. Rejecting vicarious atonement, the Fillmores teach salvation as unity of mind and body guided by Spirit. For them, denials and affirmations are spiritual practices that save not only the human soul from sin, but also the human body from addictions and disease, and the human race from hatred and war.

As you read The Word, consider its Eschatology and the goodness of all expression. Eschatology is Christian theology focused on the future and destiny of humanity. To the Fillmores, just as the Word was at the beginning, the Word is our future and destiny. Human beings, made in the image and likeness of God, are empowered to “have whatever we say.” The Fillmore understanding of Eschatology rests not in God, but in humanity.

Become conversant with Charles and Myrtle Fillmore’s beliefs and how they relate to these traditional Christian beliefs. Become an advocate for the Fillmores. Start a study group. Engage with those who are looking for a better way. Give the world Fillmore Wings.

–Rev. Mark Hicks, General Editor

Trinity of Trinities

The following “Trinity of Trinities” graphic shows numerous metaphysical components and how they are related.

On the left is the Trinity of God, God-Mind creating and expressing Divine Ideas. God, the principle behind these Divine Ideas, is absolute Good. Since these Ideas have no being, their creation and expression is never-ending, made new each moment according to God’s will and desire for our perfect Good. This is God’s pleasure and providence.

In the center is the Trinity of Man, the manifestation of God’s perfect Idea of humanity as Divine beings composed of Spirit, soul, and body. This is also never-ending, a process of involution, God’s involvement in our spiritual beingness, giving rise to human evolution, perfect harmony, and elegant solutions to every activity, event, or situation. We are one with God in Spirit.

On the right is the Trinity of Mind, the inner working of the human Spirit and soul. This inner working is also never-ending and constantly evolving through the human thinking process. The trinity of mind explains how the will and desire of God-Mind reaches the conscious and subconscious phases of our thinking through a phase of mind known in Transcendentalism as intuition and in metaphysics as the superconscious phase.

We sometime confuse the “Being of man” in the center and the “Consciousness of man” on the right. God’s design for human being is the unity of Spirit, soul, and body. God’s design for human consciousness is the alignment of the conscious and subconscious phases of mind toward spiritual understanding from superconscious mind.

God has given human beings freedom to accept or reject spiritual revelations from Spirit. We have the option to judge, not by Spirit, but “according to appearances.” Sin is the decision to make judgements of good and evil by appearances instead of by spiritual understanding or any of our God-given powers. If we persist, the soul will eventually lose awareness of Spirit and the body will die.

Fillmore Statement of Faith

It was in April 1921 that Charles Fillmore made the daring decision to publish a Statement of Faith. He did so “in response to many requests for our attitude toward certain tenets of the Christian religion.” To counter misperceptions about Unity, Charles Fillmore’s 32 statements of faith declared that “we do believe all that is taught by the church” and that “we believe all the doctrines of the Christian church, spiritually interpreted.”

What is important here is that Charles Fillmore recognized the threat of being misperceived and therefore he took bold steps to address questions about Unity’s beliefs. His Statement of Faith placed Unity squarely in the Christian camp and unambiguously explained Unity’s unique interpretation of the tenants of the Christian faith.

Go to www.truthunity.net/statement-of-faith for more information about the Statement of Faith.
Go to www.truthunity.net/neteler-sof for the best commentary available today about the Statement of Faith, courtesy of Rev. Greg W. Neteler.

We now refer to this statement as the Fillmore Statement of Faith because Unity ceased publication of the Statement of Faith in 1982.

Fillmore Statement of Faith

Extracted from Unity Magazine, April 1921

1. We believe in God, the one and only omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent Spirit-Mind.
2. We believe in Christ, the Son of God, in whom is imaged the Ideal Creation, with perfect Man on the throne of dominion.
3. We believe in Christ Jesus, the Son of God made manifest in Jesus of Nazareth; who overcame death, and who is now with us in his perfect body as the Way-shower in regeneration for all men.
4. We believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, whose law of love is perpetually establishing the Divine Plan in man and in the universe.
5. We believe in the supremacy and the eternity of the Good, as the one and only reality of man and of all things visible and invisible.
6. We believe in the twelve Disciples, the twelve Powers of Man, going forth into mind and body with authority to teach, preach, heal, and wholly save man and the world from sin, sickness, and death.
7. We believe that “God is Spirit,” as taught by Jesus, and that all of his Spirit is with us at all times, supplying every need.
8. We believe that Divine Intelligence is present in every atom of man and matter, and that the “more abundant life” promised by Jesus is flooding the world and quickening the minds and bodies of men everywhere.
9. We believe that the original “authority and dominion” given to man was over his own thoughts, emotions, feelings, passions, and that in the lawful exercise of this authority he will harmonize all discords within and without, and restore the kingdom of God in the earth.
10. We believe in the creative power of thoughts and words, that they do accomplish that whereunto they are sent, and that all men are held accountable for their lightest words.
11. We believe that, through indulgence in sense consciousness, men fell into the belief in the reality of matter and material conditions. We believe that the “kingdom of God” can be attained, here and now, by overcoming the world, the flesh, and the devil, through Jesus Christ.
12. We believe in the atonement that Jesus reestablished between God and man, and that through him we can regain our original estate as Sons of God.
13. We believe that the prayer of faith shall save the sick, resurrect the body from “trespasses and sins,” and finally overcome the last enemy, death.
14. We believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is alive and in the world today. We believe that the “more abundant life” promised by Jesus, is poured into the race stream as a vitalizing energy, and when accepted in faith, purifies the life-flow in our bodies and makes us immune to all diseased thoughts and germs.
15. We believe that sense consciousness may be “lifted up,” as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,” and all men be again restored to paradise through faith, understanding, and practice of the Divine Law, as taught and demonstrated by Jesus Christ. “And I, if I be raised on high from the earth, will draw All to myself.” (Emphatic Diaglott.)
16. We believe that the Holy Mother, the Divine Feminine, is now being restored to her righteousness, and that she will reign equal with Jehovah in the heavens and the earth.
17. We believe that we live, move, and have our being in God-Mind; also that God-Mind lives, moves, and has being in us, to the degree of our consciousness.
18. We believe that the body of man is the highest formed manifestation of Creative Mind, and that it is capable of unlimited capacity in expressing that Mind. “Know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit?”
19. We believe that through conscious union with Jesus in the regeneration, man can transform his body and make it perpetually healthy, therefore immortal, and that he can attain eternal life in this way and in no other way.
20. We believe that the “blood” of Jesus represents the consciousness of eternal life; that the “body” of Jesus represents the consciousness of incorruptible substance. We believe that these are original elements in Being and that they can be appropriated by all who through faith and understanding attain the Christ standard of spirituality.
21. We believe that spirit, soul, body, are a unit, and that any separation of these three is transgression of the Divine Law. We believe that the death which came into the world through the Adamic man was death of the body, and that the restoration of the lost Eden is already begun, in the demonstration over the death of the body, as shown in the resurrection, by Jesus.
22. We believe that the separation of spirit, soul, body, caused by death, is overcome by rebirth of the same spirit and soul in another body here on earth. We believe the repeated incarnations of man to be a merciful provision of our loving Father for the final restoration of the whole race to a deathless estate through Christ.
23. We believe that the kingdom of heaven or harmony is within man, and that through man the law and order existing in Divine Mind are to be established in the earth—symbolized in the book of Revelation as the New Jerusalem descending out of the heavens upon the earth.
24. We believe that the “second coming” of Jesus is now being fulfilled; that his spirit is flashing from the east even unto the west, and that all men will feel its quickening.
25. We believe that the Great Commandment given by Jesus in Matthew, is the foundation of the law of life to be established in the earth between men.
26. We believe that Jehovah God is incarnate in Jesus Christ, and that all men may attain the same perfection by living the righteous life.
27. We believe that the Word of God is the thought of God expressed in creative ideas and that these ideas are the primal attributes of all enduring entities in the universe, visible and invisible. The Logos of the first chapter of the Gospel of John is the God Idea or Christ that produced Jesus, the perfect Man. We believe that the Scriptures are the testimonials of men who have apprehended the Divine Logos, but that their testimony should not be taken as final.
28. We believe that all life is sacred and that man should not kill nor be a party to the killing of animals for food; also that cruelty, war, and wanton destruction of human life will continue as long as men kill animals for food.
29. We believe that the misuse of the generative function is responsible for the majority of human ills. Therefore, we believe that purity and control of sex are essential to health and the final overcoming of death.
30. We believe in the final resurrection of the body through Christ. We believe that we do free our minds and resurrect our bodies by true thoughts and words, and that this resurrection being carried forward daily, will ultimate in a final purification of the body from all earthly errors. Through this process, we shall be raised to the consciousness of continuous health and eternal life here and now.
31. We believe all the doctrines of the Christian church, spiritually interpreted.
32. Almighty Father-Mother, we thank thee for this vision of thy omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence, in us and in all that we think and do, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen!