Who is the grand poohbah of New Thought and what is their playbook?
Who's the leader and what's their bible?
In other words, why should I listen to them?
Who is the grand poohbah of New Thought and what is their playbook? It's not a hierarchical movement, and there is no "grand poobah." it is a very open movement that stresses self-discovery of the Divine. I'm not sure what you mean by a "playbook." We walk our individual paths together.
It's not about hierarchies or playbooks. It's about doing the work individually in one's own consciousness to become a fuller revealer of Divine Truth.
Who's the leader and what's their bible?
This sounds like the last question rephrased. There is no "leader." it's a very open, decentralized movement. Each o the New Thought denominations has its own particular ledership cadre, but they are chosen by representatives of the membership. What it the New Thought bible? The movement is Western and Christain based, so extensive use is made of the Christian Bible. However, it is not exclusive. All of the religious wisdom of the world comes together in New Thought. Dr. Ernest Holmes, the founder of one of the New Thought denominations, Religious Scinece (Science of Mind), called it "an unusually persistent attempt to think correctly." He also told us that thought produces material conditions. That is an essential New Thought principle.
To add to the previous answer:
Below are many of the authors that have either influenced or are influencing New Thought.
Alan Anderson, Michael Beckwith, Nona Brooks, Emilie Cady, Deepak Chopra, Annetta, Julius & Horatio Dresser, Meister Eckhart, Mary Baker Eddy, Frederick Eikrenkoetter, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Warren Felt Evans, Charles & Myrtle Fillmore, Matthew Fox, Ernest Holmes, Fenwicke Holmes, Emma Curtis Hopkins, Joseph Murphy, Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, Muata Rasuli, Don Miguel Ruiz, Erwin Seale, Florence Scovel Shinn, Emanuel Swedenborg, Masaharu Taniguchi, Ishmael Tetteh, Eckhart Tolle, Thomas Troward, Iyanla Vanzant, Neale Donald Walsch, William W. Walter
Some New Thought Organizations
(THIS IS NOT A COMPLETE LISTING!)
Directories:
Affiliated New Thought Network
http://www.newthought.org Association of Unity Churches
http://www.unity.org Divine Science
http://www.angelfire.com/il/divinescience Divine Science Federation International
http://dsfederation.tripod.com/page10.html Global Religious Science Ministries
http://grsm.net/ministries.htm International New Thought Alliance
http://websyte.com/alan/grmemb.htm New Thought Network
http://www.newthought.net/churchdirectory.htm Religious Science International
http://www.rsintl.org/rsimember.htm United Church of Religious Science
http://www.religiousscience.org United Divine Science Ministries International
http://www.uniteddivinescience.org