Charles Fillmore

Charles Fillmore was an innovative, highly practical thinker and a pioneer in metaphysical thought at a time when most religious thought in America was entirely orthodox. He was a lifelong advocate of the open, inquiring mind, and he took pride in keeping abreast of the latest scientific and educational theories, which in his adulthood included the then-new concepts of quantum mechanics. His encouragement to be open to new ideas is perhaps best captured in his writing that "what you think today may not be the measure of your thought tomorrow." He was highly focused on encouraging living, evolutionary, metaphysical principles and concepts with respect to life and spirituality. He is most widely known as a co-founder of Unity Church.

Related Topics:
Quantum mechanics - Unity Church

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He was born August 22, 1854 on an Indian reservation near St. Cloud, Minnesota. His father was a Chippewa trader there. Myrtle Fillmore was born in Pagetown, Ohio on October 6, 1845. They met in Texas. He was a railroad freight clerk suffering from tuberculosis. She was a school teacher, also in fragile health. They married, had three sons, and they roamed the west seeking a cure for Charles' illness.

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In 1884 the Fillmores came to Kansas City. They invested what little money they had in real estate. And they lost it. Myrtle developed tuberculosis herself and sought a spiritual solution to her ailment with great success. Charles initially was resistant to a cause-effect basis to Myrte's healing, but was convinced after seeing similar success in his own health by applying the same methods. It was then they decided that spiritual work would be their future. Together they launched the Modern Thought Publishing Company in 1889, and the Unity School of Christianity in 1914.

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Unity leaned heavily on their printed pieces. They sold them at a voluntary, "love offering" cost. They started a magazine called Modern Thought, and Unity Magazine was launched in 1889. By 1906 Unity had its own publishing plant. Their preaching, printing and broadcasting were combined with their Unity Inn's vegetarian meals. It was also from here that Silent Unity was broadcast on their radio station, and the magazines Wee Wisdom for kiddies and Daily Word for adults were published.

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In 1929 Unity moved to what eventually became over 1300 rolling acres at Lee's Summit, Missouri. They named it Unity Village in the 1950s, and the name remains today. It became their world headquarters, with a landmark Unity Tower. A fountain, crossed by the Bridge of Faith, runs lengthwise of the manicured grounds.

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Eighty-six year old Myrtle Fillmore died October 6, 1931. Charles Fillmore remained active at Unity until his death at age 93 on July 5, 1948. The ashes of both founders were reportedly scattered from the Bridge of Faith into the flowing waters below.

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