The First Church of Divine Science, also called The Church of the Healing Christ, was founded in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, in 1906. Affiliated with the

Divine Science The Church of Divine Science is a religious movement within the wider New Thought movement. The group was formalized in San Francisco in the 1880s under Malinda Cramer. "In March 1888 Cramer and her husband Frank chartered the 'Home College of S ...

denomination of the

New Thought The New Thought movement (also Higher Thought) is a spiritual movement that coalesced in the United States in the early 19th century. New Thought was seen by its adherents as succeeding "ancient thought", accumulated wisdom and philosophy from ...

movement, the church has been home to many notable ministers and attendees, including

Emmet Fox Emmet Fox (30 July 1886 – 13 August 1951) was an Irish New Thought spiritual leader of the early 20th century, primarily through years of the Great Depression, until his death in 1951. Fox's large Divine Science church services were held in Ne ...

History

Dr.

W. John Murray W. may refer to: * SoHo (Australian TV channel) (previously W.), an Australian pay television channel * ''W.'' (film), a 2008 American biographical drama film based on the life of George W. Bush * "W.", the fifth track from Codeine's 1992 EP ''Bar ...

founded his congregation as The Church of the Healing Christ in 1906. After Divine Science co-founder

Nona Brooks Nona Lovell Brooks (March 22, 1861 – March 14, 1945), described as a "prophet of modern mystical Christianity", was a leader in the New Thought movement and a founder of the Church of Divine Science. Biography Brooks was born on March 22, 1861 ...

was invited to serve as a guest preacher there in 1917, she allowed Murray to rename his group the First Church of Divine Science. However, it was Emmett Fox who popularized the church. During this time the church was a member of the

League for the Larger Life The League for the Larger Life, founded in 1916, was an early New Thought organization based in New York City, New York, with a chapter in Washington, D.C. A locally-focused organization, several of its members were influential across the United St ...

. In 1931, Fox began preaching at the First Church. Almost immediately the congregation grew, and as the numbers of attendees grew the church had to find larger venues. Originally held at the

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, the church moved to the

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at the behest of its president,

John M. Bowman John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

. Growing further because of Fox's popularity, the church moved to

Hotel Astor Hotel Astor was a hotel on Times Square in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Built in 1905 and expanded in 1909–1910 for the Astor family, the hotel occupied a site bounded by Broadway, Shubert Alley, and 44th and 45th Str ...

, then to

the Hippodrome The Hippodrome, formerly known as the McElroy Auditorium, is a 5,155 permanent seat multipurpose arena located in Waterloo, Iowa. The auditorium was built in 1919 and renovated in 1936, when the roof was raised, floor was excavated and additio ...

. With as many as 6,000 people regular attendees weekly, on special occasions such as Easter the number reached 8,000.Veneter, M. (2004) ''The Religious Thought of Emmet Fox in the Context of the New Thought Movement''. University of South Africa. p 32.

References

Christian organizations established in 1906 Churches in Manhattan Divine Science New Thought churches 1906 establishments in New York City {{NewThought-stub