The beginnings of A Program in Wonders can be traced back again to the effort between two individuals, Helen Schucman and William Thetford, equally of whom were prominent psychologists and researchers. The course’s inception happened in early 1960s when Schucman, who was a medical and study psychiatrist at Columbia University’s School of Physicians and Surgeons, started to have some internal dictations. She described these dictations as acim via an interior style that recognized it self as Jesus Christ. Schucman originally resisted these activities, but with Thetford’s support, she began transcribing the communications she received.
Over a period of eight years, Schucman transcribed what would become A Program in Wonders, amounting to three quantities: the Text, the Workbook for Pupils, and the Handbook for Teachers. The Text sits out the theoretical base of the class, elaborating on the core ideas and principles. The Workbook for Pupils includes 365 classes, one for every single time of the year, developed to steer the audience via a day-to-day exercise of using the course’s teachings. The Handbook for Teachers gives further advice on how best to understand and train the maxims of A Program in Wonders to others.
One of the central subjects of A Program in Wonders is the notion of forgiveness. The class shows that true forgiveness is the key to internal peace and awareness to one’s divine nature. According to its teachings, forgiveness is not simply a moral or honest exercise but a fundamental change in perception. It involves making go of judgments, grievances, and the understanding of sin, and instead, viewing the entire world and oneself through the contact of love and acceptance. A Program in Wonders emphasizes that true forgiveness leads to the recognition that people are all interconnected and that divorce from one another can be an illusion.