Christian Spiritual Alliance, Church of the (CSA)

In spite of its name, the Church of the Christian Spiritual Alliance (CSA) was a Hindu organization with teachings derived from Swami Paramahansa Yogananda. However, the organization was originally founded in 1962 by H. Edwin O'Neal, formerly a Baptist; his wife, Lois O'Neal, a Religious Scientist; and William Arnold Lynn, all of whom embraced a form of metaphysical Christianity. O'Neal took over Orion, an older metaphysical publication founded by Ural Murphy, and made it a CSA periodical.

In the late 1960s O'Neal was joined by Roy Eugene Davis, a former minister with the Self-Realization Fellowship in Phoenix, Arizona, who left that group to found the independent New Life World-Wide. Davis contributed his periodical, Truth Journal, and his national speaking tours brought many new members to CSA. In 1977 O'Neal resigned as chairman of the board and president of the CSA Press and turned the organization over to Davis. Soon after, all hint of metaphysical Christianity was dropped in favor of the kriya yoga teachings advocated by Davis.

By the early 1990s the church had centers across the United States and Canada and had expanded to Germany, Ghana, and South Africa. The headquarters complex in Lakemont, Georgia, included facilities of the CSA Press, the Center for Spiritual Awareness, an educational arm, and the Shrine of All Faiths and Sacred Initiation Temple. Last known address: P.O. Box 7, Lakemont, GA 30552-0001.

Sources:

Davis, Roy Eugene. An Easy Guide to Meditation. Lakemont, Ga.: CSA Press, 1978.

——. God Has Given Us Every Good Thing. Lakemont, Ga.: CSA Press, 1986.

——. The Teachings of the Masters of Perfection. Lakemont, Ga.: CSA Press, 1979.

——. The Way of the Initiate. St. Petersburg, Fla.: New Life World-Wide, 1968.