Terry Cole-Whittaker was a New Thought author and minister who founded Terry Cole-Whittaker Ministries, which later became Adventures In Enlightenment, which ran tours to exotic locations around the world that doubled as spiritual retreats.
After winning the Mrs. California pageant and finishing third in the Mrs. America pageant in 1968, Cole-Whittaker became a motivational speaker and then obtained a doctorate in Divinity. In 1975, she was ordained as a minister in the United Church of Religious Science, and in 1977 took over a small congregation in La Jolla, California, that grew from 50 members to more than 8,000. She launched a television program in 1979 and founded her own ministry three years later.
Cole-Whittaker’s teachings were rooted in New Thought and influenced by Ernest Holmes’s Religious Science. She emphasized the power of positive thinking and prosperity as a right granted to humans by God, a theology she called “Pro$perity: Your Divine Right.” This philosophy attracted a large following among well-to-do individuals including some celebrities, but also drew criticism for its focus on material wealth.
Terry Cole-Whittaker Ministries raised $6 million in its second full year in existence but was nearly $1 million in debt by the end of 1985. This led Cole-Whittaker to end production of her TV show and to announce to her congregation that she was leaving active ministry. She next created Adventures In Enlightenment, which focused on a more individualized, experiential approach to spiritual growth during trips to sites such as Machu Picchu and the Himalayas. Cole-Whittaker later established an ashram and library in India.
Key Sources:
Acuna, A. (1986, February 28). Cole-Whittaker Tours: Ex-Preacher takes off on “Spiritual” adventures. Los Angeles Times.
Enroth, R. (1984, September 21). A Self-Styled evangelist stretches God’s truth. Christianity Today.
Time. (1985, April 22). Religion: Abrupt exit: The Rev. Terry Cole-Whittaker.
Warren, J. (1985, April 8). Terry Cole-Whittaker says goodby to her congregation. Los Angeles Times.
Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religious Movements 