The beginnings of A Course in Wonders may be traced back to the relationship between two persons, Helen Schucman and Bill Thetford, both of whom were outstanding psychologists and researchers. The course's inception occurred in the early 1960s when Schucman, who was simply a clinical and study psychiatrist at Columbia University's University of Physicians and Surgeons, began to have a series of inner dictations. She defined these dictations as coming from an interior style that determined itself as Jesus Christ. Schucman originally resisted these experiences, but with Thetford's support, she started transcribing the messages she received.

Over an amount of eight decades, Schucman transcribed what can become A Program in Miracles, amounting to three sizes: the Text, the Workbook for Pupils, and the Manual for Teachers. The Text sits out the theoretical base of the course, elaborating on the key jesus gospel of love  and principles. The Book for Pupils contains 365 lessons, one for each day of the season, made to guide the reader through a day-to-day exercise of using the course's teachings. The Handbook for Teachers offers more guidance on the best way to understand and train the maxims of A Class in Miracles to others.

One of the key themes of A Class in Wonders is the notion of forgiveness. The program teaches that correct forgiveness is the main element to internal peace and awareness to one's heavenly nature. Based on its teachings, forgiveness is not simply a ethical or moral practice but a basic change in perception. It involves letting move of judgments, grievances, and the belief of sin, and alternatively, viewing the planet and oneself through the lens of love and acceptance. A Course in Wonders highlights that correct forgiveness results in the recognition that we are typical interconnected and that separation from one another is definitely an illusion.

Still another substantial part of A Course in Wonders is its metaphysical foundation. The program gift suggestions a dualistic see of fact, unique involving the ego, which shows separation, concern, and illusions, and the Sacred Spirit, which symbolizes love, reality, and religious guidance. It suggests that the ego is the foundation of suffering and conflict, while the Holy Nature provides a pathway to healing and awakening. The goal of the class is to simply help people transcend the ego's limited perception and arrange with the Holy Spirit's guidance.