Hello Friends and fellow Licensed Unity Teachers,

Those of us who are Licensed Unity Teachers have taken a course known as Background of New Thought. Do you know that Eric Butterworth once taught a course, eleven hours in length, that is nearly identical to the SEE course? Do you know that the class was recorded and is available in multimedia format?

What is a multimedia format? As the graphic shows, it's Text + Audio + Graphic Images + Links. Here is how that came to be ...

Several years ago Tom Thorpe mentioned to me that Eric Butterworth's Antecedents of New Thought was a fantastic foundation for introducing New Thought to Unity students. So I got the tapes, converted them to digital format, segmented each lecture into 2-3 minute clips and placed them out on TruthUnity. These talks have been popular, but not as popular as they deserve.

So late last year (December 2016), I spent $616 to have transcripts made of these audio tapes, Antecedents of New Thought. The text of these talks have been inserted into each lecture, with audio clips inserted into the text. So you can now "listen and read" at the same time as Eric teaches.

In addition to that, I inserted images and links from Wikipedia into the text. So it's audio + text + graphic images + links. That makes for workable multi-media content package if you are wanting to study The Background of New Thought — content created by Unity's best-known author and highly regarded intellectual. The audio and the text provide what you need to know about New Thought, and the graphics and the links will carry you as deep as you wish to dive into the material.

That's great if you are a self-learner. What if you want to get SEE credit? You'll need a teacher. I teach locally in Austin, but this content by Eric Butterworth is too valuable to not be developed by a variety of LUTs and ministers who teach SEE classes.

One of the values I've have established for TruthUnity is "being organic." What that means in a digital age is that TruthUnity "is in creative alignment with other ministries who share the same vision and mission."

So, Licensed Teachers and ministers, please consider using this material in your next class. Send me comments on what works and what is missing. The audio files are downloadable and the text can be copy/pasted. If you are willing to share your lesson plans and handouts, I'll find a place to post them.

Let's be organic,

In these talks, Eric Butterworth reveals what he believes to be the most important sources of New Thought. They are, in a sense, his defense of New Thought as a historic and relevant religion. They also contain many surprising insights that are not well known today:

• The tie of Akhenaten to the Hebrews and Jesus (clip 10)
• How psychology has swung between mind cure and spirituality (clips 27 and 31)
• That Transcendentalism had a stronger influence on New Thought than Quimby (clip 38)
• Eric's personal confession as a sports fan (clip 65)
• Quimby as a "scientist of Transcendentalism" (clip 73)
• Eric's meditation on "Divine Love, flowing through me ..." (clip 94)
• New Thought is not religious, but spiritual" (clip 95)
• The strengths and weaknesses of Unity" (clips 129-131)

If you like these lectures, be sure to check out these other resources:

• Phil White's series on Background of New Thought
• Eric's series on Great Teachers
• My own SEE class/book on Background of New Thought