Do You Know the “Daily Word” from the Unity School of Christianity – Part 2

What Does Unity Believe?
In the first installment of this two part series we studied the leadership and history of the Unity School of Christianity (Unity or New Thought). Unity is a Mind Science movement that was started by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore in the late 19th century. Now, more than a century later, it still has hundreds of local churches and thousands of followers around the world. As we indicated, many people not formally associated with the Unity church are influenced by its publications, especially its bi-weekly devotional magazine, Daily Word.

Unity presents itself as a path for spiritual living. It’s primary statement of faith says, “Unity is a positive, practical, progressive approach to Christianity based on the teachings of Jesus and the power of prayer.” But as Bible believing Christians we must ask, “Does Unity’s teachings conform to the Bible?” In this installment we will look at the specific statements of Unity on the essential elements of theology and evaluate them from a biblical perspective. (Note: All quoted sections are from www.unity.org, 2011). We will also consider some basic principles for witnessing to Unity adherents.

God
“God is Spirit, the loving source of all that is. God is the one power, all good, everywhere present, all wisdom. God is divine energy, continually creating, expressing and sustaining all creation. In God, we live and move and have our being. In Unity, some other ways we speak of God are Life, Light, Love, Substance, Principle, Law, and Universal Mind.”

Biblical Response – God is the Eternal, Infinite Creator of all that exists (Deut. 6:4; Isa. 43:10; 44:6-8). He is a personal being who exists eternally in Three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19; I Cor. 8:6; 12:4-6; 2 Cor. 1:21-22; 13:14; 1 Pet. 1:2). The Unity concept of deity is basically a form of impersonal pantheism that is similar in many ways to that taught in Hinduism and other metaphysical groups such as Christian Science and Religious Science.

Jesus
“Yes, Unity teaches that the spirit of God lived in Jesus, just as it lives in every person. Every person has the potential to express the perfection of Christ as Jesus did, by being more Christlike in everyday life.”

“We believe that Jesus expressed his divine potential and sought to show humankind how to express ours as well. We see Jesus as a master teacher of universal truths and as our Way-Shower. In Unity, we use the term ‘Christ’ to mean the divinity in humankind. Jesus is the great example of the Christ in expression.”

Biblical Response – There is no distinction that can be made between Jesus the man and Christ, His divine office (Messiah). He did not receive his Messiahship, but rather claimed that title from eternity past (see Isa. 9:6; Matt. 1:16-18; 2:4; Luke 2:11). He was the unique, “One and Only Son from the Father,” the Second Person of the Eternal Trinity (see John 1:1-14; 5:17-18; 8:56-59; 10:30-33; Col. 1:15-20; 2:9). He was not just an example or “Way-Shower,” but was Himself “The Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6) and the only one who can offer salvation (Acts 4:12). Jesus died on the cross as the atonement for humanity’s sin and rose again physically to claim God’s victory over death (see Luke 24:36-43; John 2:18-22; 1 Cor. 15:1-8).

The Nature of Humankind
“We are each individual, eternal expressions of God. Our essential nature is divine and therefore inherently good. Our purpose is to express our divine potential as realized and demonstrated by Jesus and other master teachers. The more we awaken to our divine nature, the more fully God expresses in and through our lives.”

Biblical Response – Though all people are created in the image of God (morally responsible, reasonable, and self-aware – see Gen. 1:26-27), they are not “individual, eternal expressions of God.” All people (except Christ) are sinners by nature (see Matt. 15:18-19; Mark 7:21-23; Rom. 3:23; 5:12; 6:23). It is a result of humanity’s willful disobedience to God and His will. Sin alienates people from God and produces suffering, disease, and death (see Gen. 3; Rom. 5:12-23).

The Bible
“Unity co-founders, Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, studied the Bible as history and allegory, and interpreted it as a metaphysical representation of humankind’s evolutionary journey toward spiritual awakening. In addition, Unity recognizes that the Bible is a complex collection of writings compiled over many centuries. We honor the writings as reflecting the understanding and inspiration of the writers at the time they were written. The Bible continues to be a valuable spiritual resource for us.”

Biblical Response – The Bible (Old and New Testaments) is the unique, revealed, and inspired Word of God. It is the sole authority for faith and practice for Christians (see 2 Tim. 3:15-17; 2 Pet. 1:19-21). Unity’s position is basically a denial of the uniquely inspired nature of the Bible. The Fillmore’s allegorical and metaphysical interpretations violate basic hermeneutical principles for sound biblical interpretation.

Prayer and Meditation
“Affirmative prayer is the highest form of creative thought. It includes the release of counterproductive, negative thoughts, as well as holding in mind statements of spiritual truth. Through meditation, we experience the presence of God. Prayer and meditation heighten our awareness and thereby transform our lives.”

Actually, Unity’s practice of prayer is not speaking to a personal God at all. It is more a self-affirmation of one’s own divinity and self-worth. In other words, it is basically telling yourself to think positively about who and what you are (divine). For instance, in public prayers Unity ministers don’t address God so much as they address the audience to think about their divine nature.

Consider this example of an “Affirmative” from the Unity website: unity.org. Note that the words are positive and good in themselves, but they never address God Himself.

“Harmony”
I am an agent of harmony with the world.
I am one with the presence of God.
I work with others in harmony and cooperation.
I give thanks for everyone of my relationships.
In harmony of mind and purpose, our difference fall away.
I open my heart to love and I am blessed with peace, joy, and harmony.

Biblical Response – The Bible teaches that prayer is not just affirmative meditation, but is actual verbal communication with the Living God. Jesus prayed often to His Father in Heaven and taught His disciples to do the same, as did Paul, James, and other early church leaders (see Matt. 6:5-13; 14:23; Luke 6:11:1-4; John 17; 1 Thess. 5:17; James 5:13-16).

Salvation
Salvation in Unity is expressed in the “5 Basic Unity Principles”:
1. There is only one Presence and one Power active as the universe and as my life, God the Good.
2. Our essence is of God; therefore, we are inherently good. This God essence, called the Christ, was fully expressed in Jesus.
3. We are co-creators with God, creating reality through thoughts held in mind.
4. Through prayer and meditation, we align our heart-mind with God. Denials and affirmations are tools we use.
5. Through thoughts, words, and actions, we live the Truth we know.

Thus, Unity does not teach that people are essentially sinful and in need of a sacrificial atonement for their sin. For them, the purpose of salvation is to realize, as did Jesus and other enlightened spiritual teachers, a person’s innate deity and the potential he or she has for attaining “atonement” (or “at-one-ment” – as they understand that term) with the divine. This realization comes through affirmation and meditation.

Biblical Response – The Bible teaches that Jesus’ death was a sacrifice for our sin. Salvation comes by first confessing and repenting of (turning from) our sins (see Rom 3:23; 6:23; Acts 3:19). We then receive God’s grace through putting our faith in the unique person of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, and in what He did by his atoning death and resurrection (see John 1:12; Rom. 4:4-5; Eph. 2:8-10; Titus 3:5).

Life After Death
Unity apparently has no official position on life after death, saying only that the dead have “transitioned” to the next state of being. Heaven and hell are described as only positive or negative states of mind in this life. Nonetheless, the Fillmores, as do many Unity adherents today, believed in a vague form of reincarnation. They usually assert that a person will be reincarnated numerous times so they can advance further in their spiritual evolution toward oneness with the divine. Reincarnation has no basis in biblical teaching. In fact, the Bible clearly states that we have only one life then judgment (Heb. 9:27: “And just as it is appointed for people to die once – and after this, judgment” HCSB).

Biblical Response – The Bible teaches that at death all true believers in Christ will experience a conscious relationship with Him while awaiting the bodily resurrection from the dead when Jesus returns and ushers in the Kingdom of God. (see Matt. 16:24-27; 22:32; Mark 13; Luke 16:22-23; 23:43; John 5:28-29; 11:26; 14:2,3 ; Acts 1:11; 1 Cor. 5:8; 12:2-4; Phil. 1:23-24; 1 Thess. 4:14- 5:10; 5:1-11; 2 Pet. 2:9).

All people will ultimately face the final judgment of God. Righteous people, saved by their faith in Jesus Christ, will enjoy eternal life in heaven, but the wicked lost will suffer eternal punishment in hell (see Matt. 18:8-9; 25:31-46; Mark 9:43-48; 2 Thess. 1:9).

Witnessing to People in Unity
1. Have a clear understanding of the essentials of biblical Christianity. Especially important are the following doctrines: the nature of God (the Trinity); the person, nature, and work of Jesus Christ; the way of salvation; and life after death.

2. Learn the basic teachings of Unity and understand how they differ from those of biblical Christianity.

3. Build personal relationships with those involved in the Unity movement or those who study Unity materials. Determine their level of personal involvement. Many people who are not formally members of Unity churches read and study Unity literature, especially Daily Word. Some are even members of mainline and evangelical Christian churches.

4. Affirm the inspiration and reliability of the Bible as your only source of spiritual authority. Tell your Unity friend that you cannot recognize other religious texts or teachers as equal to the Bible, and that any spiritual teaching must conform to it. If they do not recognize the authority of the Bible you may need to show evidence why you believe it is true.

5. Define all terms carefully. Unity uses many biblical terms but often has non-literal, allegorical, or metaphysical meanings for them. Be ready to explain to your Unity friend why you believe the Bible should be interpreted using sound principles of hermeneutics. That means, in most cases it should be interpreted literally except where it obviously uses allegory or symbolism. (see: What’s So Special About the Bible? Part 2: The Bible’s Meaning for Today)

6. Focus on the essential issues of God, Christ, salvation, and life after death. Do not get sidetracked discussing secondary issues or denominational distinctives.

7. Clearly share the biblical way of salvation and seek to lead your friend to a personal relationship with Christ.

© 2018 Tal Davis