This question was posed in a Facebook group: “What would you say are the main differences between Christian Science and other New Thought teachings?”
I love questions like this – questions that lead me to think in a deeper way about my way of life.
Here was my response:
Okay. Hold on. First, I’ve got to find out what “New Thought” means. 🙂
The Encyclopedia of Chicago says: “New Thought, a mental healing cult closely related to Christian Science, first emerged in the 1870s. Its leaders promised that thought could shape reality, and that if one meditated upon a goal, that goal—be it health, spiritual enlightenment, or wealth—would be reached.” (http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/886.html)
Mary Baker Eddy, the discoverer of Christian Science, does talk about the power of our thoughts on our experience (“Hold thought steadfastly to the enduring, the good, and the true, and you will bring these into your experience proportionably to their occupation of your thoughts…”) – but, I think – for me, anyway – the goal in Christian Science is a little different than the goal in “New Thought.”
Although Christian Science has sometimes been viewed as a “prosperity gospel” by people outside of it, that’s not what Christian Science is, for me. For me, Christian Science isn’t all about the “end product” – it’s not about if you meditate the right way you’ll get this this, or if you have enough faith you’ll get that – it’s more about how to live my life in every moment – not for what I’ll get at the end – but to recognize the reality of the universe and God – to recognize the good that is already here, everywhere, always – and to recognize my place in that. So it’s an active knowing and being and doing. It’s actively applying what I know and understand about Love and Truth (God) to bring me into my at-one-ment with Love and Truth.
I’m not using my mortal mind to change my situation – I’m endeavoring to draw close to the one Mind – to the thoughts of Mind Itself. Mary Baker Eddy defines “angels” as “God’s thoughts passing to man…” and I believe that’s where the healing, transforming power comes from – it comes from the thoughts of God, not from the thoughts of mortal minds.
-Karen Molenaar Terrell
Adventures of the Madcap Christian Scientist 
Perhaps a private study of your own may be useful, starting with “Ursula N Gestefeld’s statement of Christian Science” from 1888. You can read it from archive.org if you like. You may also peruse the CS Journal’s response to her about it in the archives.
That is, not to change your perception of Christian Science, but you may gain a greater understanding of New Thought by starting at the beginning with your background by reading Ursula. Yes, there are Theosophical quotes too, but my impression was to attract that crowd as well back then. It didn’t change my mind spiritually, but I found that I love Ursula and her articulate style of writing. I thought everyone spoke like Bronson Alcott back then, but not so! I was amazed – she and I could hold a modern conversation today.
This will take you back to the 1880’s, and also know why she was a contributor to Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s Woman’s Bible. I love her as well.
Just sayin – one is the porter at the door of their own thought – and thanks to the internet archives, one need not be afraid of what was once villainized, banned or shunned. My opinion of that or other scholars is not important – just yours.
Quickie additional thought – what Ursula wrote initially back then was not what one would be considered New Thought today – it evolved into something different than her original “statement”, which was more aligned, but different than orthodox CS for sure.
But she brought up a *critical* point back then: if one is to consider themselves a scientist, and not just a religionist, one must progress forward and not be satisfied with “final revelation”. Even hers. That is to say (my Alan Watts speaking) if this were so, then the internet today would be us tapping out messages like this one to each other with morse-code keys. Still listening to victrolas and wax cylinders, and steam engines.
We may stand on the shoulders of giants and founders, but if we stop there, then we are not scientists at all. The Truth will be found in your own laboratory of consciousness that goes far beyond metaphysical pills.