Outreach no. 212

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MARCUS BACH founder no 212
THE LETTER
dear friend of the fellowship
often when we have ideas on the back burners of our mind they appear synchronistically on
the front pages of tomorrows newspapers and usually they are expressed more fluently than
we could have reported them
such was the case when I1 was working on this current issue of OUTREACH the fourth and
final installment of our brief series on modern metaphysics
OUTREACH
the newsletter of
7 5e7teul& wdipidfar T
my storyline was a ffoolllloowwup
on
up
last months thesis that catholic and protestant expressions of faith had always felt a certain
sense of security in their prescribed messages and missions there were times when they assumed
they had a monopoly on faith and a decidedly firm foundation sufficient at least not to fear
disruption
then I1 ppiicckkeed up a copy of the LA times 51985 to discover a front page analysis by times
religious writer russell chandler titled catholicism beset with uUnncceerrttaaiinniittyy these were his
introductory lines
for most of their history in america roman catholics
have looked to the old world for roots to the pope for
unquestioned authority and to their priests to run the
parishes
today few of the faithful take it for granted that
father knows best
the slogan roma lloaccuuttaa causa finita rome has spoken
that settles the matter has in the minds of many been
relaxed to rome has spoken now well see what we
think about the matter
the article must be read in its entirety to realize that it bears ssuuccccinicntclytolyn on what these OUT-REACH
lessons for the past four months have been attempting to convey the metamorphosis in
institutionalized rreeltliiggliloonn is not only part of our changing times historically but a manifestation
of the social impact of metaphysical thought which has risen from a cultic status to an accepted
part of the institutionalized expression of religion on church street USA that is why this
series has been of utmost importance and significantly on target in the light of our time how it
all happened is summed up in the available lesson space of OUTREACH no 212 lets turn to it
now under the title MODERN metaphysics ON THE MARCH
yours for the fellowship
UTREA
we
pickedup afront
aboutthe
dup
succinct lyon
sabat
no 212 page 2
THE LESSON
MODERN metaphysics ON THE MARCH
part four
1
having accepted his offer to take me to lunch I1 had every reason to believe my host had some-thing
on his mind the rev L L dunnington was a practical man so it was no surprise when
during the ssoouuppssaallaaddssaannddwwiicchh routine he said you know marc metaphysics is definitely
something more than mental magic
the time was the early 1950s six years after the
enactment of the bill of rights and a new breed of
students had headed for college classrooms in search of
an education no less than to churches and monasteries
for something tangible in the way of a spiritual quest
dunningtons impressive first methodist church and
student center adjoined the campus of the state univer-sity
of iowa but he wasnt attracting gGlIss or young
people and he knew it he also knew that the young
men who had been in the service who had rubbed
shoulders and exchanged shell fire with the enemy
included not only christians but buddhists shinto and
taoist believers who had shared the same courage and
fear felt the same sense of futility about war knew the
same loneliness and were all equally human and spiritual
no matter what the label of their faith
dunnington had read some of my books in which I1 made a case for what were then the emerging
truth groups usually referred to by established churches as cults and sects most ministers
and priests gave metaphysics no more credence than that it involved the maneuvering of mind to
effect prosperity health happiness and other material benefits they compared it to the
motivational techniques of a napoleon hill an earl nightingale a clement stone or a dale
carnegie all popular at the time
what happened to dr dunnington however was in it-self
magical he went with me on several of my research
trips a visit to unity headquarters in kansas city a
journey to religious science and mMeennttaallpphhyyssiiccss in los
angeles and an investigation of a ffaarroouutt mail order
religion psych ilana based in moscow idaho
to repeat he was a practical man and he went further than I1 might have gone had I1 been in
his place he introduced metaphysical theories and techniques in his parish despite a bishops
warning and several threatening letters from parishioners one choir member an excellent so-prano
resigned from both the choir and the church
eq bually
wasin
psychiana
icsisttiicc
page 3 no 212
but by now crowds were overflowing first methodists
two sunday morning and evening services and students
were filling the wesleyan center dunnington and his
staff had introduced prosperity banks affirmation cards
and an onward going program built around pastoral
psychology
soon dunnington wrote a book HANDLES OF POWER
in which he paid his respect and his debt to modern
truth movements which were forging ahead under
many banners NEW THOUGHT associated
BODIES OF RELIGIOUS SCIENCE UNITY
more significant was the fact that HANDLES OF
POWER was published by methodisms respected house
abingdon cokesbury it did so well with the dunnington
opus that they requested he do a follow up with a new
manuscript titled MORE HANDLES OF POWER this
was followed by THE INNER SPLENDOR and the
POWER TO BECOME
it was a typical case of modern metaphysics on the march with a most significant foreshadowing
and warning as we shall see in a moment
2
meantime something was happening up and down the metaphysical frontage road which ran
alongside dddeeennnooommmininianatitaoitnoianolainsltiaisclt church street USA the frontage byway was beginning to junc-tion
with the sectarian freeways and occasionally cut over into their fast lanes
in kansas city the unity movement was doing phenomenally well not only in getting new
members without eevvaannggeelliizziinngg but in being welcomed into traditionally religious homes by way
of its excellent meditative manual DAILY WORD SILENT UNITY a telephone ccaallllinservice
for
in
physical
service
mental and spiritual help was patronized by christians of all faiths no less than
nnoonncchhrriissttiiaannss who were standing in the need of prayer
in boston christian science which had ebbed and flowed since its founders death in 1910 was
experiencing a rebirth interest in the psychosomatic breakthrough helped trigger a rireneivnevsetsitgigaattiioonn
of mary baker eddys principles of healing even nuclear physicists cast an eye on her statement
of being as if to determine what is matter and where is mind
in los angeles religious science was receiving international recognition its basic text SCIENCE
OF MIND published by dodd mead in 1938 was in its 25th printing by 1957 ernest holmes
and brother fenwicke were inexhaustible writers and unsinkable champions of the metaphysical
approach
but equally important in the traffic on these frontage
roads were the metaphysically oriented lleeccttuurreeplatform
specialists
platform
they had little or no interest in building
centers or founding churches they were in essence
power3his
d eeltteerrmm i ne is
ic
no 212 page 4
dsipspiririittss in rebellion a constructive rebellion creating
their own access roads into the denominational network
of institutionalized faiths
from a current perspective it is obvious that the power
of their words and works helped shape the destiny of
spiritual thought in america while these inspired men
and women are too numerous to mention a few names
will suggest the names of many
emmet fox ralph waldo trine thomas tbTorrrowowwaaarrrddd
emma curtis hopkins james edgerton brother mandus
don blanding joel goldsmith krishnamurti
and where was dr dunnington in all of this we kept in touch by way of a weekly luncheon
whenever I1 was on campus and he was in town his church was booming he shared with me the
fact that he sent one of this books to the soprano who had left his church in a huff he sent it
with a sincere and apologetic note asking her to accept the book MORE HANDLES OF POWER
as a lets be friends despite our differences and in the hope for spiritual understanding he
told me he fully expected to hear from her he did she wrote to tell him she had thrown the
book into the trash can without reading it
3
meanwhile back on the denominational freeways with their ssttrraaiigghhttaawwaayy stretches their clover-leaf
off ramps their interchanges uunnddeerrppaasssseess overpasses and constant repair work ahead an
added phenomenon was the gradual appearance of foreign imports at least traditional religion
was beginning to recognize that metaphysical ideology foreign though it might be was
apparently here to stay
if any further evidence was needed it came with a bang from within institutionalized religion
itself it crested in the 60s significantly cceooxeixsitsitningg with the ccoouunntteerrccuullttuurree revolution campus
and church were suddenly in an intellectual and spiritual transition stretching from berkeley to
boston and from minneapolis to miami
As far as our story is concerned suffice it to deal with
the incredible promulgation of metaphysical thinking
and pastoral psychiatry from three specific and well
established sources traditional protestantism judaism
and catholicism in each case the impact came as in the
case of dunnington by way of a man and a book only
this time the experiment was not merely a local incon-spicuous
venture it was launched in each case on a
national and international scale
the three channels for this tthhoorroouugghhggooiinngg endorsement
of the search for truth were
an american protestant minister a jewish rabbi a
catholic priest
asincereand
gGuuilddeeposts
page 5 no 212
none of these men so far as I1 know ever referred to himself as a truth student nor would any
of them necessarily have appreciated the aaappppppeeellllaaatttiiioonnn rarely if ever did they refer to new
thought movements nor did they criticize or condone endorse or oppose modern metaphysics
as it was expounded by leaders in this field yet it was through their impressive mmiinniisstteerriieess that
such movements as unity religious science christian science and international new thought
groups were made known to millions who might never have taken note of them or investigated
them had it not been for this ecumenical trio
it was also due to the influence and impact of peale liebman and sheen that avant garde preach-ers
like dunnington felt a support and a certain exoneration for their early endorsement of the
metaphysical approach
lets take a profile look at the minister the rabbi and the priest who had little if any direct
communication with one another and see how they helped popularize a new and practical
approach to religion throughout the USA no less than beyond the boundaries of america
NORMAN VINCENT PEALE
dr peale is usually referred to as a minister in the
reformed church of america but that is only be-cause
of his close relationship with fifth avenues
marble collegiate church his ordination was in
the methodist episcopal denomination
there is also a current impression that he came
ffuullllbblloowwnn into the ranks of truth students with
his bbeessttsseelllleerr POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING
in 1951 truth is he had been on the humanistic
path for some time ooffffaannddoonn since his ordina-tion
in 1922 it is safe to say that his early ministry
already showed signs of searching for techniques
that fit the need for coping with the culture of his
time
the continuity of his books tells the story in 1938 he came up with THE ART OF LIVING in
1940 he collaborated with smiley blanton on THE ART OF REAL HAPPINESS his GUIDE TO
CONFIDENT LIVING appeared in the news in 1948 as a forerunner to his smash hit four years
later THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING
I1 might mention as an aside that as I1 write this profile on the appealing works of dr peale
within reach on my study shelf is an attractive hardcover book one of the early selections of
dr peale for his 22iinn11 volumes published by guildeposts it contained TRY GIVING YOUR-SELF
AWAY by david dunn and my WILL TO BELIEVE of this particular publication dr
peale said here indeed are the keys to turn your life into the glorious adventure god intended
Page
no 212 page 6
the peale adventure in metaphysical traffic is significant because of our references to the front-age
road and its merger with the traditional church street USA in peale we see represented
both the test and the possibility that the orthodoxy of a denomination as traditional as metho-dism
and as old as the reformed churches of the reformation can live comfortably productively
and spiritually justified with the humanism and esotericism of modern metaphysics the question
is and the warning comes is it working can it work without watering down both traditionalism
and metaphysics
in light of what we call success the experiment has surely proved its worth in terms of its
impact on spirituality in the wide reach of time it is even today too early to tell
JOSHUA LOTH LIEBMAN
if pastor peales tour de force was THE
POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING then
rabbi liebmans outstanding presentation
in the book world was PEACE OF MIND
it far outshines any treatise in the field of
spiritual psychology or pastoral psychology
when judged by its intellectual depth and
persuasiveness of a personal position
the book was precisely what the meta-physical
movement needed though it was
by no means written for that reason or
with an apology for metaphysics in mind
yet as an impressive sketch in current
biography 1946 points out PEACE OF
MIND by the young radio preacher and
rabbi of temple israel in boston is an
attempt to solve the ordinary individuals
inner conflicts by means of a union of the techniques of the hitherto antagonistic spheres of
psychology and religion this of course is what metaphysicians were dealing with though
hardly in the depth and knowledge of traditional medieval philosophy as interpreted by jewish
scholars and aristotelian schools of thought
the depth and breadth of liebmans spiritual grasp is attested to by the fact that he was the first
rabbi ever to have been a faculty member in a christian theological seminary andover newton
it is interesting however that prior to this time rabbis had been instructors in the school of
religion at the university of iowa
PEACE OF MIND was originally presented by rabbi liebman as a series of lectures titled
dynamic psychology and living religion under the auspices of the charles W eliot founda-tion
of the jewish institute of religion
lliigghhttoonf
page 7 no 212
FULTON J SHEEN
he was for a time a TV celebrity as were dr
peale and rabbi liebman and his fame went for-ward
on the wings of a book nostalgically titled
PEACE OF SOUL
in the light of THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINK-ING
and PEACE OF MIND PEACE OF SOUL
emerged from a universal pool of consciousness
the quest for peace and power was in the air
willing to be captured by those attuned to its wave-length
but lets remember that sheens book
preceded by several vyeeaarrss the publication of those
of his two contemporaries
at the height of his success as an advocate of a
practical workable americanized faith father
sheen was an archbishop but even as a bishop and
previously a monsignor he was one of the impor-tant
exponents of the truth approach whether
he ever recognized his role as an evangelist for metaphysics is beyond the scope of my research
he became along with peale and liebman a consignor ie one who gives or leaves to others a
legacy
I1 best remember fulton J sheen as a TV star and I1 often watched him against my will his
melodrraammiicc gestures bothered me his oodvvreearrmdraamtiaztiaztaitoionn and generalizations annoyed me but
the phenomenon of a roman catholic spokesman making a case for the joy and hope and
prosperity of life here and now was mesmeric that life is worth living fully and with exhilaeration
despite or because of the man of sorrows and the gloom of suffering and death compelled me to
watch and wonder about the future of an unchanging mother church in a changing world
this provocative thought included reflections of the
trio and made clear the fact that while our resume has
held to the continuity of history and the metamorphosis
of spiritual thought in our western culture it was in
actuality an insight into the journey of your soul and
mine and an inquiry as to what religion is all about
was dunnington right when after years in the methodist
ministry he wondered if in metaphysics too many
people were interested only in the loaves and fishes of
life here and now while in traditional religion the basic
appeal was mainly concerned with some sort of security
about life in the hereafter
fultonjsheen
41
no 212 page8d
perhaps one of our favorite metaphysical poets provided a most prophetic and insightful point
of view when she said
all roads that lead to god are good
what matters it your faith or mine
both center at the goal divine
of loves eternal brotherhood
A thousand creeds have come and gone
but what is that to you and me
creeds are but branches of a tree
the root of love lives on and on
though branch by branch prove withered wood
the fruit is warm with precious wine
so keep your faith and leave me mine
all roads that lead to god are good
ella wheeler wilcox
surely the network of freeways provides endless lanes and choices and ample time for thought
THE LEARNING
what we started four issues ago was an attempt to trace the historic background of modern
metaphysics OUTREACH no 209 the first in this series dealt with poets of the 17th and
18th centuries how they confronted their relationship with god and the world how they
struggled with the paradox that the greater the hope the greater the grief if hope is lost and
other equally perplexing conflicts of body mind and soul in the quest for truth
in OUTREACH no 210 we considered the same basic inquiry as it was asked and answered by
american poets and other literary figures in the late 1800s and early 1900 period this long step
brought us closer to the emerging metaphysical movement in the USA we introduced a number
of poets of the time particularly ella wheeler wilcox and the hitherto unreported influence of
her life and thought metaphysics during this period lost a great deal of its agonizing over life and
became insightfully aware that we shape our destinies by the thoughts we tthhiinnk and by the type
of god we worship
in OUTREACH no 211 we suggested the analogy of the institutionalized historic christian
church as representing a highway of faith a highway that became a freeway with numerous
lanes the new and rising metaphysical groups however were consciously developing a frontage
road and foreshadowing great changes all along church street USA
now in OUTREACH no 212 we see how metaphysical techniques began to be emphasized
often inadvertently by ministers in traditional christianity and jjuuddiiaassmm these were feeder
lanes often overlooked both by history and ourselves to repeat while all of this may indeed
have been a journey in
time the entire study is in fact the voyage of your soul and mine as we
grow in spirit and in truth
page 8
k
ppaaggee9d9 no 212
peale attracted his readers to MODERN metaphysics because he agreed with its basic premise
we do not have to be failures we were not born to fail we were born to succeed the secret of
so doing is to drop the negatives and the excuses get going with a ggoodddiriedrerierececccttteteeedddd program adopt
a policy of giving believe in hard work plus consistent application of the positive principle and
any person can become what he wants to be he will reach his goal if he wants to badly enough
it was in the writing of myrtle fillmore that I1 first became aware of the important life force
concept this is based on the principle that we were not created and endowed with vital life only
to have it at once start to decline the truth is that we can constantly be in a rrceerceraeattiivvee process
through which the powerful life force is ever renewing vitality I1 have observed that those who
practice this fabulous secret of energy and vitality thinking keep vibrant power going despite all
of these enemies of wweellllbbeeiinngg which tend to deplete strength
THE POSITIVE THINKING PRINCIPLE TODAY
norman vincent peale
liebmans PEACE OF MIND challenged new thought readers to investigate whether
MODERN metaphysics truly held the answer to the spiritual quest
am I1 being unorthodox when I1 suggest that it is in the mighty confluence of dynamic psychology
and prophetic religion that modern man is most likely to find peace of mind
will I1 be called a revolutionary if I1 suggest that religion for all its wonderful achievements has
been responsible for many morbid consciences infinite confusions and painful distortions in the
psychic life of people
religion to this day confuses symptoms with causes and is too easily satisfied with surface cures
furthermore religion in the western world remains on the child level perhaps the majority of
men and women are happy with that kind of child religion because they themselves are immature
it is my belief however that a better society is going to require mature individuals and in order
to achieve that maturity religion itself must become mature
PEACE OF MIND
joshua loth liebman
sheens POWER OF SOUL strongly questioned whether MODERN metaphysics could possibly
fulfill a constructive mission without the doctrinal landmarks of mother church and christs
sSaannctciftyiifnyg grace
one thing is certain the modern soul is not going to find peace so long as he is locked up
inside himself mulling around in the issccuumm and sediment of his unconscious mind a prey of the
unconscious forces whose nature and existence he glorifies
it is interesting that freud who thought such a sseellffcceenntteerreedd solution the right one took as the
motto for one of his earlier works if I1 cannot bend the gods on high I1 will set all hell in an
uproar his is not the answer in dethroning the conscious values of the world one does indeed
set hell in an uproar and end in neuroses worse confounded
the true answer is that man must be released from his inner prison help must come from
without and it must be not merely human help but divine nothing short of a divine invasion
which restores man to ethical reality can make man happy when he is alone and in the dark
PEACE OF SOUL
fulton J sheen
godd
MOD ERN
theiscum
gilt
ing
d
I1 said ive
got to work on my page
I1 replied whats that frank sleepily inquired and luckily for me fell sound
asleep before I1 had to answer
but I1 stayed awake and realized that maybe that was why I1 was having a hard time coming up
with something for this month did I1 even know what metaphysics was let alone modern meta-physics
sure I1 had used the word for years I1 was brought up in what is called a metaphysically
oriented church but I1 had found that although I1 might not know exactly what metaphysics
meant most other people didnt either and because they were too polite to ask I1 never had to
explain
when 1I got to the office this morning I1 went straight to the funk and wWaaggnnaallllss STANDARD
encyclopedic dictionary its definition of metaphysics is 1 the branch of philosophy
that investigates principles of reality transcending those of any particular science traditionally
including cosmology the general philosophy of the universe considered as a totality of parts
and phenomena subject to laws and ontology the branch of metaphysics dealing with the
pphhiillooaoorljiccaall theory of reality 2 ailil speculative philosophy
that really jjiidder t help me much so I1 browsed along the bookshelves in the back of our office
and spied a copy of AN encyclopedia OF RELIGION this book carries seven definitions of
metaphysics but their general consensus is the philosophical theory of reality as distinguished
from the normative sciences theory of ideals and epistemology theory of knowledge the
science of being as being the theory of first principles and causes especially of the good
now these are all I1 am sure quite acceptable explanations of metaphysics but they dont come
close to my vague unformed hhaarrddttooppuuttininttoowwoorrddss idea of metaphysics for me 1I think it has
always meant trying to get beyond the actual written or spoken word to find a deeper more
meaningful interpretation this it seems to me is what marc does so well in OUTREACH what
sheen peale and liebman did so beautifully and what so many of your letters express each
month
we are always happy to hear from you but it would be especially fun this month if you would
share your definitions of metaphysics
in the spirit of FSU
6u yzs
all rights reserved
no part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher
while copies of OUTREACH will be sent to anyone upon request your tax deductible contributions are invited additional
copies for use by organizations study groups etc are available write to fellowship FOR SPIRITUAL understanding
PO box 816 palos verdes estates california 90274 phone 213 33773322666699
ablliittttllee
no 212 page 10
paging lisa
this months issue of OUTREACH prompted me to a good deal of thought and not a little
procrastination
when frank and I1 returned from a boston vacation a week ago marc had his portion of the
newsletter ready and waiting it is an excellent issue from its exciting title modern metaphysics
on the march to the tthhoouugghhttpprroovvookkiinngg excerpts from the pens of peale sheen and liebman
what could I1 possibly add that would be interesting to our FSU family
so I1 kept putting it off as long as I1 possibly could last night just as we were going to sleep
frank asked what does your day look like tomorrow im going to the office
oh what did marc write about this month modern metaphysics
on the march
e
FS U
au ys