And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation” (Mk. 16:15).

What is Unity's “good news”? As I neared the end of three years of study at Unity Institute®, this question hovered in my mind. We teach that there are many paths to God, all valid, yet many of our beliefs set us apart from more orthodox or traditional approaches to God and to religion.

The world around us, indeed many faith traditions, teach of a God of anger, of judgment, requiring sacrifice. The gospel of Unity teaches One Presence, One Power, God the Good.

Many faith traditions teach that humankind is broken, sinful, fallen short of the glory of God. The gospel of Unity teaches the Divine within. Christ in you, the hope of glory!

If we look to the world, to the Internet or television for our cues, we may be overwhelmed by images of challenges, suffering, of powerlessness. The gospel of Unity teaches that our thoughts and prayers are creative! The beloved Unity minister and author Eric Butterworth was famous for saying “You can change your life by altering your thoughts.”

As I mulled over these thoughts, my mind went back to my first experience in a Unity Center. I realized that as important as these teachings have become to me; it was the environment created by these teachings that first made an impact on me. It had been two decades since I last set foot in a church, having rejected the concept of a God of judgment. Upon entering Unity of Panama City, I was enveloped in love, acceptance, hugs and the feeling that anything was possible. While I couldn't wrap my mind around everything I heard that day, every fiber of my being shouted, Yes, yes, I am home!

In the absence of judgment, I found the gospel of a God of absolute Good, everywhere present. Unity author Ellen Debenport, in her book The Five Principles, calls this “God for grownups … One that meets us where we are and welcomes our questioning, growing, changing and doubting … God is understood as best we can, and we need a growing, malleable image of God that expands with each spiritual insight we glean.”

In the absence of brokenness, I found the gospel that I am inherently good, not fallen but spiraling upward! Recently Bishop John Shelby Spong said, “One of the things I like about Unity is that Unity doesn't wallow in the medieval pit of original sin.”

In the absence of hopelessness, I found the gospel of creative thought. What we think and what we believe … we get to experience. My friend Rev. Robyn Reiter says, “The Universe is just a big mirror. It takes what we give it, magnifies it and gives it right back to us.”

The gospel of Unity says that every person is created with sacred worth. We are fond of saying, “Whoever you are, wherever you are on your spiritual journey, you are welcome here.”  This for me is the power in Unity spiritual community; even when we can't see it for ourselves, there is someone there to love us, to support us on the journey, to share the good news.