Editing Elizabeth Clare Prophet (section)

===Teachings===
The dogma of The Summit Lighthouse included a doctrine called the Path of Personal Christhood, or the way of the soul's one-on-one relationship with God through Christ consciousness. Prophet believed she shared the gift of the word, both written and spoken. She claimed to be in constant communion with God.

''The Science of the Spoken Word'', as Elizabeth and Mark taught it, was thought to be a gift of sound combined with meditation, prayer and visualization.{{sfn|Prophet|1972|p=1}} They believed that a Divine Gift (The Ascension) of union with God was possible.{{sfn|Prophet|1991|p=9}}

====Preparation for nuclear holocaust====
In 1987, Prophet predicted a first strike by the Soviet Union if America did not implement a missile defense program. She began to admonish her followers to move to Montana and build nuclear fallout shelters for the impending nuclear holocaust.<ref>SU Press dictations</ref><ref name="legacy"/>  Adherents started construction of what was called the largest bomb shelter in the U.S.<ref name=Harnett-Failed-June-2024/> at the church compound in [[Corwin Springs, Montana]]<ref name="egan">{{cite news|last1=Egan|first1=Timothy|title=Guru's Bomb Shelter Hits Legal Snag|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/24/us/guru-s-bomb-shelter-hits-legal-snag.html|access-date=May 31, 2017|work=The New York Times|date=April 24, 1990}}</ref> on land purchased from magazine publisher [[Malcolm Forbes]].<ref name="LA"/> Church members not on the staff built private shelters nearby. 

Starting on 15 March 1990, over three days, "hundreds" of followers waited for a nuclear attack in various bomb shelters,<ref name=Harnett-Failed-June-2024>{{cite magazine | title=The Prophet Who Failed |first=Emily |last=Harnett |magazine=Harper's|date=June 2024 |page=50 |url=https://harpers.org/archive/2024/06/the-prophet-who-wasnt-after-the-apocalypse-that-failed-emily-harnett/ |access-date=30 July 2024 }}</ref> communicating with each other by radio. Insiders, however, spread the word that the event might be the real thing. No one knew for sure, and many children believed this could be the end of life as they knew it.<ref name="egan"/> When no nuclear bombs exploded the event was compared to another  unsuccessful prediction of the end of the world, [[The Great Disappointment]] of 1844.<ref name=Harnett-Failed-June-2024/> 

====Post-disappointment====
Many left the church following this disappointment, but many stayed.<ref name=Harnett-Failed-June-2024-52-58>{{cite magazine | title=The Prophet Who Failed |first=Emily |last=Harnett |magazine=Harper's|date=June 2024 |page=52, 58 |url=https://harpers.org/archive/2024/06/the-prophet-who-wasnt-after-the-apocalypse-that-failed-emily-harnett/ |access-date=30 July 2024 }}</ref> The Prophet's focus took a gradual turn away from nuclear prepping and toward community outreach. Around this same time, the nearly-completed construction was halted by court order when large amounts of stored diesel fuel leaked and contaminated the area.<ref name="egan"/>

As of 2024 the church is headquartered in Montana and has "teaching centers" around the world.<ref name=Harnett-Failed-June-2024-51>{{cite magazine |title=The Prophet Who Failed |first=Emily |last=Harnett |magazine=Harper's|date=June 2024 |page=51 |url=https://harpers.org/archive/2024/06/the-prophet-who-wasnt-after-the-apocalypse-that-failed-emily-harnett/ |access-date=30 July 2024 }}</ref>