Michael Beckwith
Encyclopedia
Michael Beckwith is a New Thought
minister, author, and founder of the Agape International Spiritual Center
in Culver City, California
, a New Thought
church
with a congregation estimated in excess of 8,000 members. Beckwith was ordained in Religious Science
in 1985.
, cofounder of the Association for Global New Thought
, and the co-chair of the Season for Nonviolence
along with Arun Gandhi.
In 1986, he founded the Agape International Spiritual Center
, a transdenominational community which today counts a membership of 9,000 individuals who study and practice New Thought–Ancient Wisdom. Agape's outreach programs feed the homeless, serve incarcerated individuals and their families, advocate the preservation of the planet's environmental resources, and globally build and support orphanages whose children have survived the ravages of war and AIDS.
Beckwith was one of the featured teachers in The Secret movie and the bestselling book by the same name that followed "The Secret" movie.
Beckwith teaches meditation, affirmative prayer
, and speaks at conferences and seminars. He is the originator of the Life Visioning Process, a technique purporting to offer its practitioners a method for putting a stop to being a passive tourist in one's life. He is author of Spiritual Liberation, which won the Gold Medal Nautilus Book Award,; Inspirations of the Heart, which was a Nautilus Book Award finalist; Forty Day Mind Fast Soul Feast; A Manifesto of Peace; and Living from the Overflow. In 2011 Beckwith released TranscenDance, a collection of remixed lectures set to electronic dance music
by Stephen Bray
and John Potoker. Michael Beckwith is also a vegan.
on CNN
, and The Oprah Winfrey Show
.
Beckwith has participated with the Dalai Lama and other New Thought ministers, such as Mary Manin Morrissey
, in The Synthesis Dialogues. Beckwith also appeared in Dalai Lama Renaissance
, a feature length documentary about the Dalai Lama, narrated by Harrison Ford
.
In January 2009, Beckwith appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Larry King live and a live webinar with Oprah Winfrey presenting his book, "Spiritual Liberation" and DVD of the same name.
New Thought
New Thought promotes the ideas that "Infinite Intelligence" or "God" is ubiquitous, spirit is the totality of real things, true human selfhood is divine, divine thought is a force for good, sickness originates in the mind, and "right thinking" has a healing effect.Although New Thought is neither...
minister, author, and founder of the Agape International Spiritual Center
Agape International Spiritual Center
Agape International Spiritual Center is a transdenominational congregation in Culver City, California. Founded in 1986 by Michael Bernard Beckwith, it currently has approximately 9,000 members who follow its New Thought spirituality. Beckwith leads the congregation along with his wife, Ricki...
in Culver City, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, a New Thought
New Thought
New Thought promotes the ideas that "Infinite Intelligence" or "God" is ubiquitous, spirit is the totality of real things, true human selfhood is divine, divine thought is a force for good, sickness originates in the mind, and "right thinking" has a healing effect.Although New Thought is neither...
church
Church Body
A local church is a Christian religious organization that meets in a particular location. Many are formally organized, with constitutions and by-laws, maintain offices, are served by pastors or lay leaders, and, in nations where this is permissible, often seek seek non-profit corporate status...
with a congregation estimated in excess of 8,000 members. Beckwith was ordained in Religious Science
Religious Science
Religious Science, also known as Science of Mind, was established in 1927 by Ernest Holmes and is a spiritual, philosophical and metaphysical religious movement within the New Thought movement. In general, the term "Science of Mind" applies to the teachings, while the term "Religious Science"...
in 1985.
Career
Michael Bernard Beckwith is founder of the Agape International Spiritual CenterAgape International Spiritual Center
Agape International Spiritual Center is a transdenominational congregation in Culver City, California. Founded in 1986 by Michael Bernard Beckwith, it currently has approximately 9,000 members who follow its New Thought spirituality. Beckwith leads the congregation along with his wife, Ricki...
, cofounder of the Association for Global New Thought
Association for Global New Thought
The Association for Global New Thought, or AGNT, is an organization of ministers, lay people, heads of other New Thought organizations, and people of all faiths dedicated to "conscious co-creation"...
, and the co-chair of the Season for Nonviolence
Season for Nonviolence
Season for Nonviolence was established by Arun Gandhi as a yearly event celebrating the philosophies and lives of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. Today, he co-chairs the Season along with Rev. Michael Bernard Beckwith of the Agape International Spiritual Center...
along with Arun Gandhi.
In 1986, he founded the Agape International Spiritual Center
Agape International Spiritual Center
Agape International Spiritual Center is a transdenominational congregation in Culver City, California. Founded in 1986 by Michael Bernard Beckwith, it currently has approximately 9,000 members who follow its New Thought spirituality. Beckwith leads the congregation along with his wife, Ricki...
, a transdenominational community which today counts a membership of 9,000 individuals who study and practice New Thought–Ancient Wisdom. Agape's outreach programs feed the homeless, serve incarcerated individuals and their families, advocate the preservation of the planet's environmental resources, and globally build and support orphanages whose children have survived the ravages of war and AIDS.
Beckwith was one of the featured teachers in The Secret movie and the bestselling book by the same name that followed "The Secret" movie.
Beckwith teaches meditation, affirmative prayer
Affirmative prayer
Affirmative prayer is a form of prayer or a metaphysical technique that is focused on a positive outcome rather than a negative situation. For example, a person who is experiencing some form of illness would focus the prayer on the desired state of perfect health and affirm this desired intention...
, and speaks at conferences and seminars. He is the originator of the Life Visioning Process, a technique purporting to offer its practitioners a method for putting a stop to being a passive tourist in one's life. He is author of Spiritual Liberation, which won the Gold Medal Nautilus Book Award,; Inspirations of the Heart, which was a Nautilus Book Award finalist; Forty Day Mind Fast Soul Feast; A Manifesto of Peace; and Living from the Overflow. In 2011 Beckwith released TranscenDance, a collection of remixed lectures set to electronic dance music
Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
by Stephen Bray
Stephen Bray
Stephen Bray is an American songwriter, drummer, and record producer from Detroit. Bray is best known for his collaboration with Madonna.Bray began studying music through private instruction in Detroit, and continued his education at Berklee College of Music in Boston.Bray owns and operates Saturn...
and John Potoker. Michael Beckwith is also a vegan.
Media appearances
Beckwith is a leader in the New Thought Movement, and was featured in the documentary The Secret. Beckwith has been a frequent guest on Larry King LiveLarry King Live
Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, and The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
.
Beckwith has participated with the Dalai Lama and other New Thought ministers, such as Mary Manin Morrissey
Mary Manin Morrissey
Mary Manin Morrissey is a New Thought minister from Oregon, U.S.A. She was a founding minister of Living Enrichment Center in the 1970s. By the mid-1990s, the church's congregation was variously estimated at numbering between 2,000 and 5,000, making it the biggest New Thought church in the state...
, in The Synthesis Dialogues. Beckwith also appeared in Dalai Lama Renaissance
Dalai Lama Renaissance
Dalai Lama Renaissance is a feature length documentary film, produced and directed by Khashyar Darvich, and narrated by actor Harrison Ford. The film documents the Dalai Lama's meeting with the self-titled "Synthesis" group, made up of 40 Western "renaissance" thinkers who hope to use the meeting...
, a feature length documentary about the Dalai Lama, narrated by Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford is an American film actor and producer. He is famous for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Ford is also known for his roles as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, John Book in Witness and Jack Ryan in...
.
In January 2009, Beckwith appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Larry King live and a live webinar with Oprah Winfrey presenting his book, "Spiritual Liberation" and DVD of the same name.
See also
- Divine ScienceDivine ScienceThe Church of Divine Science is a religious movement within the wider New Thought movement. The group was founded originally in San Francisco in the 1880s under Malinda Cramer...
- Jewish ScienceJewish ScienceJewish Science is a Judaic spiritual movement comparable with the New Thought Movement. Many of its members also attend services at conventional synagogues....
- New ThoughtNew ThoughtNew Thought promotes the ideas that "Infinite Intelligence" or "God" is ubiquitous, spirit is the totality of real things, true human selfhood is divine, divine thought is a force for good, sickness originates in the mind, and "right thinking" has a healing effect.Although New Thought is neither...
- Religious ScienceReligious ScienceReligious Science, also known as Science of Mind, was established in 1927 by Ernest Holmes and is a spiritual, philosophical and metaphysical religious movement within the New Thought movement. In general, the term "Science of Mind" applies to the teachings, while the term "Religious Science"...
- Unity ChurchUnity ChurchUnity, known informally as Unity Church, is a religious movement within the wider New Thought movement and is best known to many through its Daily Word devotional publication...
External links
- Video of Michael Beckwith with the Dalai Lama during filming of the documentary "Dalai Lama Renaissance"
- Michael Beckwith biography at Lightstreamers.com
- Beckwith biography at EnlightenNext
- http://www.enlightennext.org/magazine/bios/michael-beckwith.asp
- Agape Spiritual Center
- Agape Media International