Eric Butterworth Biography Quotes 14 Report mistakes

Early Life
Eric Butterworth (1916-2003) was born in Canada, commonly cited as Winnipeg, Manitoba, and spent much of his youth in the American Midwest. He came of age during a period when interest in practical approaches to spirituality and religion was growing across North America. Drawn to the Unity movement and its emphases on affirmative prayer and personal transformation, he pursued ministerial training and biblical study with a seriousness that would mark his entire career. The Unity founders, Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, were formative influences on his thinking, and their guidance by way of study and tradition helped orient his life toward service as a teacher and minister.

Formation as a Minister
By the mid-20th century Butterworth stepped into public ministry, balancing the roles of pastor, educator, and lecturer. He preferred to describe his work as practical Christianity, a way of understanding faith through daily application rather than dogma. He taught that spiritual growth begins with the discovery of the divine potential within each person and that the teachings of Jesus point not to extraordinary exceptions but to possibilities within all people. While he honored inherited doctrine, he encouraged thoughtful questioning, clear language, and a commitment to living the principles one professes.

New York Years
Butterworth became widely known in New York City, where he led the Unity Center of Practical Christianity, often referred to as the Unity Center of New York City. His Sunday talks, delivered for years at Lincoln Center, drew large and loyal audiences of seekers, professionals, artists, and families. The setting underscored his conviction that spiritual ideas belong in the cultural mainstream. Week after week he addressed practical themes such as work, money, relationships, purpose, and healing, always returning to the core message that transformation proceeds from within. He was also a consistent presence on area radio, extending his reach to listeners who might never enter a church.

Books and Ideas
Butterworth wrote a series of accessible books that condensed complex theology into plain speech. Discover the Power Within You became a cornerstone of his legacy, read by generations who valued its clear interpretation of the Gospels and its invitation to a deeper inner life. Spiritual Economics explored the ethics and consciousness of prosperity, linking generosity and creativity with practical finance. The Universe Is Calling and In the Flow of Life developed his themes of prayer, guidance, and alignment with a larger order. Across these works he urged readers to move from belief into practice, to test ideas in daily life, and to claim responsibility for their own growth.

Colleagues, Influences, and Audience
Butterworth's ministry was rooted in the Unity tradition shaped by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore and carried forward by generations of ministers and writers. He often engaged the broader conversation that included voices from scripture, philosophy, and other New Thought teachers. His audiences included people from diverse backgrounds, among them public figures who later spoke appreciatively of his work. Maya Angelou, for example, contributed a foreword to an edition of one of his books, and Oprah Winfrey publicly praised Discover the Power Within You, crediting it with deepening her understanding of practical spirituality. Within Unity circles, he was recognized as a peer among respected leaders and writers, and he moved comfortably in gatherings where ministers, editors, and lay teachers collaborated to shape curricula, periodicals, and lecture series.

Method and Message
As a speaker, Butterworth combined scholarship with a teacher's knack for clarity. He returned repeatedly to a handful of themes: that prayer is not pleading but aligning with reality; that prosperity is the natural outflow of creativity and service; that forgiveness releases energy for growth; and that community is built by individuals taking responsibility for their consciousness. He prized consistency, encouraging his listeners to keep spiritual journals, to practice affirmative prayer, and to read scripture as a living guide rather than a closed book. He saw the church not as a retreat from life but as a workshop for it.

Public Ministry and Media
Beyond his weekly talks, Butterworth traveled widely for seminars and retreats, recorded lectures that circulated on audio, and worked with publishers to bring his message to print. His steady presence on New York radio put his ideas in conversation with the everyday commute, the office lunch hour, and the quiet of late evenings at home. Editors, producers, and staff at the Unity Center formed a dedicated circle around him, organizing events, preparing transcripts, and ensuring that audio and print materials reached a growing audience.

Later Years
Butterworth remained active late into his life, continuing to write, revise, and speak. He mentored newer generations of teachers by example, demonstrating how to hold a large stage without theatrics and how to keep attention focused on ideas rather than personality. Even as public tastes shifted, his balance of practicality and depth continued to resonate with readers and attendees seeking a mature spiritual path.

Legacy
Eric Butterworth died in 2003, leaving a body of work that continues to find new readers and hearers. His books remain in print, his talks circulate in recordings, and the community he led in New York continues under subsequent leadership. His influence is visible in churches and study groups that use his texts, in individuals who trace a career or life change to a particular chapter or broadcast, and in a broader cultural conversation that treats spirituality as a learned, lived discipline. In the long arc of the Unity movement and modern spirituality, he is remembered as a careful thinker, a compassionate pastor, and a gifted educator who invited thousands to discover the power within them.

Our collection contains 14 quotes who is written by Eric, under the main topics: Motivational - Wisdom - Overcoming Obstacles - Live in the Moment - Deep.