DELIGHTS 1981

DELIGHTS Rev. L. H. TAFEL 1981

NEW CHURCH LIFE
Vol. CI     January, 1981          No. 1      (Reprinted from New Church Life-February 1883.)

     Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth. Serve the LORD with gladness: came before His faces with singing.-Psalm c.

     Delight is the all of life with every angel in heaven, with every man on earth, and the all of life with every spirit in hell. All delight is of love and springs from its free activity, but it is of one nature in heaven and of the opposite nature in hell. In heaven delight springs from good and its truth, but in hell from evil and its false. Delights in heaven are varied according to the different varieties of good and truth, but in hell according to the varieties of evil and the false. As there are no two spirits who are in the same good and truth, so there are no two spirits in the same kind and degree of delight, and as there is a continued progress in good and truth, so there is a continual variation and progression of delights, so that to all eternity there will never be a return of states or of delights altogether the same. The will is not moved to anything except by delight, for the will is nothing but the affection and the effect of some love, and thus of some delight, for there is always something desirable, pleasant, or delightful which causes man to will; and since it is the will that causes man to think, there is not the least of thought but what springs from the inflowing delight of the will; and as there is nothing of affection and thought, so there is also nothing of the consequent speech and action but finds its cause in some delight.
     The reason of this is that the Lord through His influx and presence actuates everything in the soul and mind of angel, spirit, and man. But as the Lord is Peace Itself, He is also all of blessedness and happiness and all of what is delightful, gladsome, and pleasant thence.

Just as all of the activity of life flows from the Lord alone, so also all delight flows from His influx of love and wisdom. Not only does all the delight with the good spring from this influx, but even the wicked derive all their delight from the inflow of good and truth from the Lord. They indeed pervert the good into evil and the truth into the false, but the delight nevertheless remains, perverted indeed into evil delight, but yet without this evil delight they would have neither will nor sensation nor life.
     Since delights are in their first origin Divine, it is a gross error to think that we ought not to enjoy any delights here if we would enter heaven. Heaven is a state of unending delights, and the best way to prepare for heaven is not by living in self-elected misery, but by rightly enjoying the delights mercifully granted us by our heavenly Father, rejecting delights which are perverted and therefore infernal in their nature, and rising continually to such as are more interior and heavenly, and enjoying also the pleasures of the senses with a thankful upward look to the LORD, thus making even external pleasures the receptacles open for the reception of heavenly delights and the means of consociation with angels and of conjunction with the Lord.
     A man who would aspire to enter heaven need not therefore to reject delights, nor the pleasures arising from honors and fame in the Commonwealth, nor the pleasures of conjugial love nor of friendship, nor the pleasures of music nor the delight in beauty of any kind, nor those arising from fragrance or sweetness, for all such external and corporeal delights with the good are derived from interior affections and, lastly, from the Lord. When these delights are open even to the Lord then their sweetness immeasurably exceeds the delight as perceived by the merely sensual man.
     Whatever man does with delight comes from the man himself, for it proceeds from his love, and love is the real interior life with man. The Lord is not pleased with worship or with obedience that is merely external or compulsory. He desires to be worshiped and obeyed with delight, for then worship and obedience come from the heart, and thus from the whole man, therefore we are so frequently exhorted in the Word to "make a joyful noise unto the Lord, to serve Him with gladness, and to sing aloud to His name." And yet there is perhaps no exhortation and command in the Sacred Scriptures which is more frequently forgotten, even with such as are commonly regarded as obedient, God-fearing men.
     One reason, perhaps, which leads many to neglect this exhortation is because they do not see how they can influence their heart so as to love and to take delight in that which seems opposed to the desires of the natural man. They think that when they shall have become regenerate all these things will, as it were, come of themselves, but that until this is the case they can do nothing to follow this injunction.

But our text is directed to all and especially to the natural man, for we read: "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth." Thus it is not only the heavenly minded in their interior mind, which in the Word is called Heaven, who are to praise the Lord with gladness, but the naturally minded, or man as to his natural mind, which in the Word is called "Earth." Many a one thinks, "I will leave such joy to others who have more reason for it, or to others who are in a more heavenly state; I cannot elevate myself from my anxieties and cares." Every man in such a state views his own cares and troubles as a high mountain, while those of others (because he knows little of them) seem to him to be few and insignificant. And yet everyone who considers his case a little more rationally will soon see that the load of care and anxiety that he shoulders every morning is in great part, if not altogether an uncalled-for and needless burden, for the Lord saith: "Take no thought for the morrow for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof;" and again, "Cast thy burden on the Lord and He will sustain thee. He will never suffer the just to be moved." It is usually not the care for today, but the care for the morrow that causes anxiety and trouble; not so much the doubt whether our strength and our means suffice for the morrow. If we will only trust in the Lord, cast our burdens upon Him, our mind will be relieved of its weary load, and we will then be able with heart and voice "to make a joyful noise unto the Lord."
If man will only take to heart the truth that the Lord in His indefatigable love and all-seeing wisdom guides his every footstep, so that nothing either in the spiritual or the natural life of man happens by accident, but everything is ordered by the fatherly love of the Lord, and if rightly used will contribute to his regeneration and thus to his eternal welfare-if man will take to heart these truths, he can easily put to night his enemies that oppress and harass him, and emerge from his dark and cloudy state into the serene sunshine of his Father's presence and joyfully glorify the Lord.
There are some, indeed, who know these truths, but yet do not act in accordance with them. They do not see how matters can go right without someone's having care and anxiety about them, and if others do not bear the anxiety they think they ought to do it. They cannot see that all that is required of man is to do his part, his duty, fully, and then to leave the rest to "itself," as they would say, but, more truly, to leave it to the Lord. They do not see that it is of no good to anyone, least of all to themselves, to take upon themselves this burden of anxiety. The Lord saith to them as to all: "Cast thy burden on the Lord and He will sustain thee." If man can gain this victory over his natural loves and cupidities which cause his anxieties, he will emerge again into the trusting, peaceful state of his childhood, and can then thankfully and confidingly "make a joyful noise unto the Lord, serve Him with gladness, and come before His faces with singing."

The Lord, or Jehovah, to whom he then makes a joyful noise is the Divine Love, the presence of which he sees and acknowledges in everything of his life. In so far as man sees the omnipresence of the Divine Love he will also take part in the Lord's love toward all, and in serving and administering to the necessities of the neighbor he looks up through him to the Lord and cooperates with Him, and he does so thankfully and gladly from the acknowledgment of His infinite love and mercy. Then he not only "makes a joyful noise unto the Lord," but he also "serves the Lord with gladness and comes before His faces with singing." The faces of the Lord signify love, mercy, peace, and all good, for He can never look at anyone but with mercy and love, nor can He ever avert His face, for His mercy is everlasting and unchangeable: it is man who, when he is in evil, averts himself from the Lord. We come before His faces with singing when we acknowledge humbly and thankfully His unending love and mercy.
Man, however, far more frequently turns to the Lord with a downcast, sorrowful face, than in gladness. For when all is going well, man too often ascribes it to his own wisdom, or is careless and forgetful, loath to acknowledge that he owes everything to the Lord. Far more frequently is it the case that man turns to the Lord when misfortune threatens or has overtaken him. Then, indeed, man remembers the Lord and comes to Him, not, however, with gladness and thanksgiving, but with sorrow and lamentation. Because we are so apt to forget the Lord, or to come to Him in a merely half-hearted and mechanical way, so long as everything goes well with us externally, therefore, no doubt, it is so frequently permitted by the Lord that misfortune should overtake us, so that we may thereby turn to Him and provide for our eternal welfare. It is also owing to our forgetfulness of the Lord, when surrounded by joy and happiness, that our states of happiness are so short-lived and so imperfect. Every joy and delight, in order to be living and lasting, must have within it the presence of the Lord. Man must look up through it to the Giver and Cause. Then it will have life and strength, and will also endure. But in so far as in our joys we forget the Lord, they are of necessity merely external, and therefore also short-lived; in so far as man thanks the Lord for all His goodness and mercy, he is apt to be contented, and therefore happy; but if he ascribes his good fortune to himself, he will evermore be dissatisfied, continually striving for more, and will be ungrateful, and even forgetful, of the many things granted him by the Lord.
If we would live in contentment and peace, we should never forget to come day by day "before His faces with singing," thankfully acknowledging His mercy and our unworthiness to receive His many gracious gifts. As we thus come before His faces, the heart and soul expand and open to the Lord, and He can flow in and impart new life and new strength.

The Lord can infuse into man internal joy and peace, which will add new life and luster to his happiness, and at the same time form remains with him to comfort him in trouble and to strengthen him in trials and temptations.
     Man's acknowledgment of the Lord and his conjunction with Him on the Sabbath is ever in exact proportion with his faithfulness during the week in doing his work and in bravely shunning evil as sin against God. In proportion as man shuns evil the Lord can elevate him toward Himself and All him with His life; in the same proportion, also, will man feel and acknowledge the ever-present Divine Love and delight in thanking and glorifying the Lord. In proportion as man delights in thanksgiving, in the same proportion will the Lord be pleased with man's glorification.
     Everyone knows how the human father delights in the happiness of his children, and how the lover delights in the happiness of his beloved; and yet all such happiness in the heavens and on the earths springs from the Lord alone, and is but a feeble and imperfect reflex of the infinite joy of the Lord over the happiness and delight of His children; over the happiness of the Church, which is the bride, the Lamb's Wife. The unselfish, Divine Love of the Lord finds its chief satisfaction and joy in the happiness, delight, and peace of His beloved Church and in conj unction therewith, whereby He ran give to her ever greater love, wisdom, and peace. In order that He may fill the thankful heart with His overflowing love and light and life, the Lord exhorts His Church:

     Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth.
     Serve the Lord with gladness:
     Come before His faces with singing.
REV. RICHARD TEED 1981

REV. RICHARD TEED Rev. DOUGLAS M. TAYLOR 1981

We have news from Australia that Rev. Richard Teed died there in October at the age of 92. Editor of Australia's New Age for 30 years and author of the book The Sermon on the Mount, Mr. Teed was widely known by New Church people around the world.

REPORT OF THE GENERAL CHURCH EXTENSION COMMITTEE TO THE TWENTY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY CHAIRMAN'S REPORT 1981

     At the last General Assembly in June of 1976, we were treated to a most inspiring report by the then chairman, the Rev. B. David Holm. That was the first report of the Extension Committee to a General Assembly. Previously, as a Committee of the Council of the clergy, we had been reporting annually to that body. But since 1974, when the Committee was released by the Council of the Clergy in order to become a Committee of the General Church, it has been appropriate for us to report to the General Assembly. Mr. Holm's report produced reactions of pleasant surprise that so much was being done. We are confident that this second report will cause a similar response.

     OUR PHILOSOPHY

     Before outlining what has been accomplished since the last Assembly, something should be said about our basic philosophy. We work from the definition of evangelization given in the Writings, namely, that it is "annunciation concerning the Lord, His Advent, and concerning the things that are from Him, which belong to salvation and eternal life" (AC 9925). Notice the emphasis on announcing, proclaiming, informing, advertising. That is the essential idea in evangelization-a form of instruction. The Arcana number already quoted goes on to say that the work of the Church consists of two things: worship and evangelization. All forms of instruction are forms of evangelization, but the responsibility of the Extension Committee is external evangelization-instructing those outside the Church about the things of the Lord.
     One of our most important tasks at the moment is to educate the people of the General Church in the doctrine concerning evangelization-that it is a use commanded by the Lord, an essential use and responsibility of the Church as a whole. Many passages could be quoted to that effect, but let this one suffice:

Because it has been granted to me (Swedenborg) to be in the spiritual world and in the natural world at the same time, and thus to see each world and each sun, I am obliged by my conscience to manifest these things; for what is the use of knowing, unless what is known to one is also known to others! Without this, what is knowing but collecting and storing up riches in a casket, and only looking at them occasionally and counting them over, without any thought of use from them! Spiritual avarice is nothing else (Influx 18).

From that and similar teachings in the Writings we conclude that evangelization is not merely a hobby for a few interested individuals; it is as much a use of the Church organization as are the other forms of instruction. There are still pockets of passive resistance to evangelization. There are still those in the Church who think that the Church is ours-not the Lord's. They really think it is our glorious Church.
     We also still find those within the Church who associate evangelization with "conversion", hard-sell pressure and compulsion, excusing themselves from involvement on the ground that they are not the "pushy" type, that they simply could not ram anything down people's throats-as if that were the essence of evangelization. Others again feel that "in the Lord's good time" He will establish His Church-as if He never worked through human agencies, as if it were quite in order for us to "hang down our hands and wait for influx." Human cooperation with the Lord is well recognized as a necessity in the matter of personal reformation, and in New Church education. But human cooperation with the Lord in external evangelization is for some reason not so readily acknowledged as necessary.
     Our aim, then, is to extend the Lord's Kingdom. That is why we are called the Extension Committee. We do not have as our primary aim the extension of the membership of the Church. We are not out to get more scalps! We have no doubt that our efforts will result in an increase in membership In fact, that has happened already. But it will be a result or effect of the end and the means combined. The end in view is the spread of the Lord's kingdom; the means to attaining that end are appropriate ways of presenting the teachings in an interesting, arresting fashion; the effect is new members. But note that it is an effect; it is not an end in itself. It is not our primary aim. If we made "getting new members" our primary aim, the Lord's kingdom might well be trampled underfoot and forgotten.
     This attitude does not come naturally. Our natural man is opposed to it. But the education of our members in this attitude and philosophy is one of the primary tasks of the Extension Committee

     THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE COMMITTEE

     In his report Mr. Holm concluded that "before long a full-time chairman would be necessary, for the work of the Committee is rapidly increasing, although in another sense our work has barely begun" New Church Life, September 1976, p. 390).
     Fourteen months after that statement was made, the present chairman took office, while retaining part-time the position of Assistant Dean in Bryn Athyn.

     The reason for this change was that the work of the Extension Committee had indeed grown to the point where Mr. Holm could not give it the necessary time-because of his other duties. (When Mr. Holm admits that he is too busy, you had better believe it! He had so many hats, that he did not have enough heads to wear them all!) So, reluctantly, he withdrew from the chairmanship of the Committee, though we were delighted that he was willing to continue as a member of the new Committee. The present members are: The Revs. Messrs. B. David Holm, Arne Bau Madsen, Harold C. Cranch, Allison Nicholson, Thomas Kline, Donald Rose; Messrs. Leon Rhodes, Sanfrid Odhner, Edward Cranch, and Dick Brickman, Jr. Since September, 1978, have been full time as Director of Evangelization and, ex-officio, Chairman of the Extension Committee.
     One of my first acts as fulltime Director was to write, at the request of Bishop King, a full-scale report on what we are doing, and what we hope to accomplish. This was a very valuable exercise for the whole Committee, as it involved us in serious thinking about our plans and how to initiate them. The report was duplicated and sent to all members of the Joint Council.

     THE WORK OF THE COMMITTEE

     The work of the Committee consists of: exploring: educating; co-ordinating; advising; analyzing; and by doing all this, we hope, inspiring.
     We explore the doctrine to gain more and deeper insights into what the Lord requires us to do. We educate by communicating this information to our people, and by offering training programs to make them more effective messengers of the Lord. We co-ordinate as much as possible the activities of the local Epsilon Societies, mainly by keeping them informed about the activities of other Epsilon societies. We are a kind of central clearing-house for news of evangelization efforts that we know about. We advise on the basis of experiences-good and bad-thus avoiding the same old pit-falls. We analyze whatever results are reported to us, so that we may learn from experience what is practical and what is not.
     Examples of these things will be seen in what follows now about our achievements since the last Assembly.

     CONTINUING ACTIVITIES

     We have continued with the program initiated and expanded by Mr. Holm to place books of the Writings in commercial bookstores. An example of this is the work of the Bryn Athyn Epsilon Society, under the subcommittee headed by Mrs. Robert Klein. They now have New Church literature in 35 bookstores, including some in downtown Philadelphia. In San Diego there are 22 bookstores carrying our literature-mainly due to the effort of Mr. Eugene Barry.

There has been a steady increase in the number of inquiries as a result of these books in bookstores, which are wonderful planes of influx through which the Lord can work.
     We have continued to use the professional expertise of advertising men in the Church in the composition of advertisements for newspapers. Gradually it is being recognized that not everyone can write an effective advertisement, so there is a very heartening trend towards appealing to the committee for help.
     Our publication, the Missionary Memo has continued to disseminate news of evangelization activities throughout the Church. Frequently a news item in it inspires someone elsewhere in the Church to try the same experiment there. We have been greatly encouraged by the response to this publication, which now comes out 6 times a year. For example, one reader commented: "I wanted to let you know how much I like it. I hadn't realized how much I would appreciate news of the goings o, by you and your Committee Further, each bit of news gives not only success stories but suggestions of what can be done. It's interesting how the reports can lift the spirit, as well as educate."
     So, if you wish to be kept abreast of developments in evangelization in the General Church write to the Committee and have your name put on its mailing list.
     Another publication that has proved useful is called KAINA meaning "New Things," which is devoted to the needs of new members of the Church. This is ably edited by Mr. Leon Rhodes.
     Under Mr. Holm the Committee developed and circulated a questionnaire sent routinely to newly-baptized adults. This was later refined and improved by Mr. Hugh Gyllenhaal, Bryn Athyn business consultant, who also analyzed the replies of 34 new members, producing a most valuable report of his findings. This has been published, and is available at a price of $1.00.
     Since the last report the situation, in Ghana has clarified. We have learned that there is indeed a great interest in Ghana, especially in collateral literature. It has taken some time to determine lust who are the reliable and sincere receivers of the Heavenly Doctrines in that country.
     We were greatly helped by the reports from Ghana of Mr. Jeremy Simons, who joined the Peace Corps and was assigned to Togo, a country bordering on Ghana. In fact, his help was invaluable, and is the chief cause of our increasing confidence in our dealings with those who wish to spread the Writings in that country. As a result of a second, though shorter, visit last summer by Mr. Simons, a Ghanaian student has been attending the Academy during the Past academic year. We will continue to do what we can to help the spread of the Church there, although the chaotic economic situation makes it difficult.
     We must mention one activity that was not continued. We experimented in Portland, Maine, with the weekly radio broadcast of a full Cathedral service.

Although we did get some responses, we concluded that the money and effort would be better spent in a program specifically aimed at the general public. The Cathedral sermons were composed for a New Church audience. It became increasingly difficult to find suitable services each week.

NEW ACTIVITIES

Radio Spots: The Committee has added the production of radio spots to its advertising program. Two series of one-minute radio spots were used in Philadelphia, with encouraging results. Several of those who responded are now on our sermon-mailing list, and two of them signed up for an Inquirers' Class.

Glenview: Mention of radio broadcasting reminds us of what is probably the most exciting development since the last Assembly-the first New Church radio station in the world, operated by the Mid Western Academy in Glenview. The Rev. Harold Cranch has been devoting half his time to evangelization work in Glenview. (His report may be seen below.)

Toronto: Mr. Cranch has been devoting half his time to evangelization in Glenview. But the Toronto Society-a former pastorate of Mr. Cranch-decided to go one better. It decided to employ a man full-time. The Rev. Allison Nicholson moved there out of theological school last September, and has already gathered an impressive list of contacts from his various activities. This is a most- significant step forward; it is likely to become the pattern in the future for us to have someone working full-time in each society trying to reach the public. (Mr. Nicholson's report on his work and future plans may be seen below.)

Libraries: The Committee has also turned its attention to having more of the Writings available in public libraries. The impetus for this has come from the Bryn Athyn Epsilon Society, where a sub committee on this project headed by Mrs. George Lindsay, has used head-work to save leg work. They have found several short-cuts that increase efficiency. The results have been quite startling. At last count the Writings were in 259 libraries in 16 counties in Pennsylvania. Other societies-notably Detroit-have begun a similar project.

Blind and Handicapped: We now have a sub-committee, chaired by Mr. Leon Rhodes in Bryn Athyn, mailing out tapes of or about the Writings to 27 blind or physically-handicapped inquirers. They responded to advertisements we placed in various communications sent to the blind throughout this country. The Sound Recording Committee has been very helpful in providing suitable tapes.

Speakers' Bureau: Under the chairmanship of Mr. Robert Heinrichs of Bryn Athyn, there is now a Speakers' Bureau publicizing the availability of certain speakers prepared to give talks to interested groups on a variety of subjects-all with some relation to the Church. We now speak to an average of 4 or 5 groups a month. In Bryn Athyn the speakers are Mr. Ariel Gunther, Mr. Carl Gunther, Mr. Leon Rhodes and myself, with Mrs. Robert Klein beginning to give talks on Helen Keller. Others who to our knowledge have given talks in various places are the Revs. Messrs. Donald Rose, Kurt Nemitz, David Simons, Alfred Acton and Messrs. Jack Rose and Kurt Simons. One particularly interesting development is that I have been invited to speak to religion classes at two college campuses, being invited back twice in one case and three times in the other. The opportunity to answer the questions of these lively young people is most exhilarating.

Sermon-Mailing Program: There is now a sermon mailing program which sends monthly sermons to 288 people in various parts of the United States and Canada. These sermons are for the most part specially written introductory sermons. Local societies have sent us lists of names, and there are also individual efforts being conducted by the local societies. This is a most important means of regular instruction, one recipient noting that after receiving the sermons for a year, she has now gone back to the earlier ones, finding much more in them than she did at first.

Project Grows: You can well imagine that, as the vista of projects needing to be undertaken has expanded in the last few years, we have been frustrated by our rate of progress. In fact, I have of ten said: "Everything I touch these days turns to work!" To rectify this situation we have adopted the Project Group or Task Force method. This was introduced at the suggestion and under the guidance of the late Hugh Gyllenhaal. We now have on file reports from 7 project groups-on Finding Seekers, Preparing a Handbook for Laymen, Reaching the Neighborhood, Media Advertising, Assimilation of New Members, Answering Questions About the Church, and Evaluating Our Evangelistic Literature.

Training Program: The last two reports indicated crucial areas needing immediate development. We have therefore focussed first on developing a training program on Answering Questions About the Church-a matter of importance to every member. After all, which one of us has not at some time been called upon to answer a question about the Church! Yet we have discovered in the Church a lack of confidence in this matter. Now we know the Church is a Greater Man, lust as heaven is the greatest Man (Maximus Home). But what kind of man is the General Church of the New Jerusalem! We fear that he is a man who goes around talking to himself-a man startled when someone outside of himself addresses a question to him, a man who continues to talk to himself even while looking the other fellow straight in the eye-in the pathetic belief that he is communicating with him!

     The Committee therefore did not need much convincing that a training course was needed. Again, Hugh Gyllenhaal's help was invaluable. This course was based on the landmark article by the Rev. Robert Junge, Towards A Philosophy of Missionary Work in New Church Life for October, 1965.
     The sudden transition of Hugh Gyllenhaal was a great loss to our work. He had lust completed the material for the final session a week before his sudden transition to the spiritual world on March 14th, 1979. The Extension Committee wishes to acknowledge its great indebtedness to him, and its gratitude for his willing, cheerful help-the extent of which will not be fully known for many years yet.
     This training course involving role-plays has been given to several groups in various places: first, to a group of 5 college students as a non-credit course; then over a six-week period to two separate groups of some 20 members of the Bryn Athyn Church; next, to a group of 16 West Coast people at Mariposa, California-a concentrated, one-day workshop-or work out! This concentrated version has been given to the graduating theological students, and last year was repeated for the benefit of pastors and laymen visiting Bryn Athyn for the Academy Commencement Exercises. The one-day version has been taken to Bath, Maine; Sheldon, Connecticut; Caryndale, Ontario; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Our hope is that it may be exported to other societies in the Church. In the meantime we are planning to put the course on tape-including some "model" role-plays, and eventually hope to have it videotaped.
     We have great hopes for this program. It makes it possible for new members of the Church to become involved without fear and to improve his performance in answering questions.

Literature Committee: As the result of the report on our literature, we have formed a standing-committee to develop suitable pieces of literature for our members to hand to their interested friends and acquaintances. Our object is to produce a series of graded pieces of literature (from leaflets to pamphlets to booklets to books) to provide a series of stepping-stones on various subjects-leading to a relevant book of the Writings. This is a huge undertaking, but we are well on the way to producing our first series-on "The Spiritual Sense of the Word." Probably, no great rate of progress will be achieved until we have the services of paid professional writers in the Church.

Assimilation: We have recently formed a committee of new and old members who have produced a report on the best way to assimilate new members of the Church, so that they find a home (that is, a use) in the Church organization and feel welcome.

This report will be sent in the Fall to all pastors, who (we hope) will appoint a standing committee in their society to keep under constant review the needs of new members of the Church.

Theological School Course: Since the last Assembly, the Chairman has twice taught a Course on Evangelization to the first and second year classes of the Theological School. It is very gratifying indeed to have this opportunity to be in contact with future priests of the Church, to discuss our philosophy and approach to evangelization, and to give them a course of training on how to talk about the Church to those who know little or nothing about it. There are now 8 newly-ordained priests in the field who have had this training.

Phone Listings: We have begun a national campaign to have a Listing in all phone directories in principal cities-under the heading of Swedenborg Information Service. In addition, we are encouraging local pastors to make sure that they have a similar listing in all directories in their areas.

Free Publicity: There are many opportunities for publicizing the Church free-of charge-by newspaper reports and even articles, letters to the editor, and radio and television interviews A prime mover in this work is the Rev. Kurt Nemitz, whose brochure on this we hope to publish soon.
     The most exciting break-through in this respect took place in Detroit, where the Rev. Walter Orthwein was invited by the editor of a local newspaper with a large circulation to write a weekly column on religion. It took many months before readers began to communicate with him about the excellence of his column, which has continued for over a year now. We hope that this most encouraging development will be duplicated in other societies.

Encouraging Signs: The Committee is very pleased with the gradual increase in local publicity obtained by pastors-free of charge. Other encouraging signs of growing interest in evangelization in the local societies include: an increase in the number of inquirers classes actually operating; efforts to produce a brochure about the local church for distribution throughout the neighborhood-modeled on the one done by Mr. George Woodard in Bryn Athyn; and efforts to introduce or upgrade a program to distribute books to bookstores and libraries.

     CONCLUSION

     To sum up: A great deal has been accomplished since the last Assembly, but we are impressed with how much yet remains to be done. We are essentially only in the "tooling up" stage, but we have the feeling that by the next Assembly, we will have an even more exciting story to tell. As more and more people become involved in this use of the Church, we will be able to show that the General Church is entering more and more into the Divinely commanded use of cooperating with the Lord in extending the invitation given in the Writings:

"An invitation to the whole Christian world to enter this Church; and an exhortation to worthily receive the Lord, who has Himself foretold that He would come into the world for the sake of this Church and to it" (Coronis LV).
REV. DOUGLAS M. TAYLOR,
Chairman
GLENVIEW MISSIONARY PROGRAM 1981

GLENVIEW MISSIONARY PROGRAM Rev. HAROLD C. CRANCH 1981

     The Glenview missionary work has been underway for just over a three-year period. The mainstay has been advertising the Writings, the follow-up by mail, and the development of a sermon list. In 1977 we had less than 50 people on that list from all sources. We now have nearly five times that number. In addition there are 458 new readers of the Writings receiving our general mailings. A sample sermon is mailed to them every three or four months providing an opportunity to join those on the sermon list. The sample lesson on the life after death has been the most successful-about 45 signed up after receiving 19.
     I have met and talked with about 40 of those on this list, of whom at least 20 have attended some church services. One name on the list usually represents an entire family, so our "by mail" congregation is a minimum of 243, and could represent 700 people. At a memorial service in Wisconsin after the death of one of our readers, I met 65 members of the family and distributed about 60 books at the request of his widow. Many have purchased books to give to interested friends, and from them we have added other names to our basic list. Quite a few have contributed money to rewards the work, and they have purchased over $2500 worth of the Writings and collateral works.
     I have received many doctrinal questions from our readers, including some on reincarnation, astrology, spiritual healing, the meeting of partners and family after death, the new morality, communication with spirits, and similar subjects. Some of the responses have been very full and can be made into brief pamphlets to be used later to answer new readers troubled by these same subjects.

     Twelve lectures have been given, one using the films Swedenborg, the Man Who Had to Know, The Water of Life, and Animals of the Bible. For one book review in Homewood, 24 copies of Heaven and Hell were placed on their library shelves. These were in constant use for a six week period before that review. I also lectured to the community college group of 85 plus guests, giving a one-hour talk on the life after death, then a one-hour seminary discussion on our basic doctrines, followed by a social hour which was used primarily for small group discussion. As a result, several came to church meetings, and one person has become a quite regular attender. Books and pamphlets were sold or given away at these lectures, and many have requested follow-up literature, and some signed up for the sermons. Basic doctrines classes have been given from the beginning. They have been well-attended. Some wanted to review our basic concepts. Others wanted to learn how to talk to newcomers, and the rest were new. All have attended church. Four have been baptized, one more has asked for baptism, and two others are nearly ready. A regular introductory class of this sort is of vital importance to any missionary effort.
     During the four-year period we have had good newspaper coverage. There have been four major articles and several small ones on the lectures and on our radio station.
     The first New Church radio station was dedicated in a very successful public ceremony in April of 1979, and our doctrine has been aired from that time on. Two services every Sunday, and Conversations on Religion eight times during each week, making ten formal presentations. In addition, there have been short topics when these were called for. For instance, I believe ours was the only official public New Church greeting of the Pope, acknowledging the value of his work. Short doctrinal talks will open and close each broadcast day.
     The station is building up an audience, and has been well received in many quarters. Very recently 22,000 pieces of mail were sent out in Glenview, followed up by a team of our members who call upon selected residents to give them further news about the station, to get their reactions, and to And their church affiliation. A questionnaire had been enclosed in the mailing, and by recent count, 141 had been returned, nearly 15 percent had heard our church services and/or Conversations on Religion. Several wrote very complimentary things about them. These programs are much appreciated by our sick and elderly people, and provide a church in the home to help meet their religious needs.
     Special missionary services held every two months have been successful in bringing visitors from the sermon mailing list, from advertisements, from posters placed in stores, and most fully by personal invitation using form letters that have been provided. Most sign the Guest Book which allows an opportunity to invite them to other activities.

Most stay to chat with our members and to enjoy a cup of coffee after the service.
     Book displays on Sunday mornings have proven an excellent means to acquaint our members with new publications and expose newcomers to the introductory literature. In addition, books have been placed in book stores, similar advertising programs are either being done or proposed for other groups and circles in the Midwest.
     To get more personal involvement we have organized a minor assembly weekend on June 28, 29 for our newcomers and sermon readers. Numbers are not great, but we have reservations of new people from as far away as Ohio and Minneapolis, and from a 60-mile radius of Chicago. In future mailings we will include a newsletter of the activities of our sermon group, together with questions and answers.
     Gaining new members by missionary work is a comparatively slow process. I have found that it takes an average of five years for a completely new person to learn about the Church, study it, accept it, and then see the necessity to be baptized. That means some people join in a year or two, while others will take up to eight years. However, we are now beginning to see some of the fruits of the work that has been done. It's the work of the whole Society, not just of a few people. There have been 12 adult baptisms in the last three years, and a number of other people are nearly ready for baptism. With some, it is the result of the Basic Doctrines class, with others, the warmth of the reception they received when they visited our church. As a matter of fact, there is never a single cause. To my mind, none of this work would have been successful unless the society as a whole had developed the sphere of welcome and of interest in our visitors. Thus it is by everyone doing their part that conversion takes place, but we must remember that, most important of all, we do no more than introduce people to the doctrines and to our worship. It is the Lord Himself who brings the change of state when conditions make this possible.
     And now a word as to the future. All of the above uses are ongoing, and provision has been made so they will continue. The Epsilon Society is now headed by the chairman, Mr. Dick Brickman, and the letter-writing, mailing and sermon distributions are managed by the secretary, Nancy Lee. Religious material for the radio has been prepared by Mr. Buss, Mr. Brian Keith, and Mr. Clark Echols. The travel work has been planned so efficiently that my absence will scarcely be noted, and our various ministers will continue the mailing, the radio, and the publication work that I have done. If we get a capable layman to administer the various programs, there should be a real development in these uses. A great deal of my time was devoted to pastoral uses which had little to do with Church extension. A good businessman dedicating his full time to Church development can coordinate the religious programming on the radio, the sermon mailings, contributes to the success of and the missionary Sundays so that each one the others, and advertising and press releases can further all three.

Lectures, and attendant publicity and book store coverage and displays can further all of these uses, He can also rent and prepare halls, see that displays are complete, write press releases and publicity, design and place posters, and direct door-to-door canvassing. This should mean that his work will be far more effective than anything a minister can do, for his energies will not be directed into other channels, and he can devote all of his time, effort, and planning to promoting the material prepared by the various ministers. And so I see my move as a means not only to serve the Church in Boston, but inadvertently as a means to further develop the missionary and growth program of the Immanuel Church.
OLIVET MISSIONARY PROGRAM 1981

OLIVET MISSIONARY PROGRAM Rev. ALISON NICHOLSON 1981

     I'm happy to report to this General Assembly that the missionary program in Toronto was born in September this past year, and that both it and its mother, the Olivet Church, are doing fine. The program was able to get off to a good start due primarily to the fine pre-natal care prior to my arrival.
     Toronto was fortunate in having a long succession of pastors and lay people who were dedicated not only to the principles, but also to many of the practices of missionary work. Our first tasks, therefore, were directed to reviewing these past efforts and compiling a list of all prior contacts that the Epsilon Society and its successor, called Information Swedenborg, had made by means of advertising efforts dating back to 1961. A list of 89 names of those who had answered advertisements over this period resulted from this review. This group of 89 names formed the nucleus of our first contact effort.
     In conjunction with this review, we immediately placed advertisements in the two leading newspapers for the books HEAVEN AND HELL and THE ESSENTIAL SWEDENBORG.

We established a file of missionary type sermons obtained from Mr. Taylor in Bryn Athyn and Mr. Cranch in Glenview; and a follow-up system which borrowed heavily from these two sources was also developed.
     Our basic program has been to advertise the work Heaven and Hell, using for the most part two advertisements; the one reads, "You've read the Bible; what have you read of Swedenborg!" The other ad asks the question, "What happens immediately after death!" Our response averages about 20 to the ad, "What happens immediately after death!" and about 9 to the other.
     To those who respond to our advertisements, we simply mail the book promised, along with a pamphlet by Helen Keller, How I Would Help the World. Four weeks later, we initiate our first follow-up with the sermon, Who is Jesus?, accompanied by an introductory letter explaining the sermon mailing program. Enclosed is a stamped, self-addressed envelope with a list of seven paperbacks printed on its fly, and a tear-off with boxes to check. Box one says, "I would like to receive the monthly sermons without charge." Box two states, "I would also like to receive free the book, The Spiritual Life and Word of God." Box three says, "I do not wish to receive any further mailings." One month later a second sermon, More to the Bible Than Meets the Eye, is sent, along with a second letter, to those who did not reply to our first follow-up attempt. This second letter says, "Although we haven't heard from you, we are taking the liberty of sending you another sermon"; and again we enclose a tear-off to be mailed back to us. If there is no reply to this second letter, we continue to send sermons for a total of six months. With the sixth sermon we enclose a note saying, "We hope you are enjoying the sermons, and we would like to continue this service, but only if you want to receive them." If there is no response to this third request, the name is removed from our list. Our results to date have been that approximately 25% say yes and loin the sermon mailing list; 22% say no immediately; and 53% do not answer and are dropped after six months.
     Our sermon-mailing list is presently at 71, and our general mailing list is 211. We have worked with a total of 302 persons thus far in the program.
     In January, we began holding Inquirer's classes twice a month. No attempt was made to notify our sermon mailing list of these classes, as it was felt that it was too early in the program and that such a move would be regarded as too aggressive and would be counter-productive. Average attendance at these Inquirer's Classes was twelve, made up largely of those who had married into the church or come into it as adults. There were, however, two bonafide newcomers.
     In February we began a bookstore project and presently have the Writings in four bookstores. In April we began a personal contact project in which members of the society submitted the names of 86 acquaintances that they wished to be introduced to the teaching of the New Church.

All were mailed a copy of Heaven and Hell, along with a letter of introduction and explanation of our program and intentions Just one week ago, the first follow-up of this program was mailed, which was the introductory sermon, Who is Jesus?, along with a letter explaining the sermon mailing program. It is too early to tell what the results of this acquaintance contact effort will be.
     Let me quickly cover our plans for the coming year:

     A.      First, we plan to increase our advertising with the goal of ten contacts per week. This should increase our sermon list to over 200 in the next year.
     B.      We plan to expand our bookstore project to 50 bookstores.
     C.      Our personal contact program will contact by telephone, mail, and/or house calls, at least 250 homes in a one mile radius of the church.
     D.      We would like to open a Swedenborg Book Center located in a nearby shopping center.
     E.      Quarterly missionary services will begin in the fall.
     F.      Two Inquirer's Classes will be started in the fall, with one consisting strictly of newcomers from the sermon mailing list.
     G.      There will be a personal contact, by telephone and visit, where appropriate, with all those on the sermon mailing list who reside in metropolitan Toronto, inviting them to attend our September Inquirer's Class as well as to attend worship services.

     Our Missionary Program consists broadly of three phases through which we attempt to bring newcomers into the church. These are: First, the contact phase in which by means of advertising or personal contact we strive to appeal to those who seek to know the purpose of man's creation. Next, we encourage those who respond to our advertising to participate in the educational phase by means of the sermon mailings and Inquirer's Classes. In these sermons and classes, we try to show the purpose of life as revealed in the Heavenly Doctrines. Finally, we attempt to assimilate these newcomers by stimulating the desire that is latent in most regenerating men, which is the desire to affiliate oneself with others who have a common goal.
     Our program in Toronto has progressed to Phase two. We have over one hundred and eighty-three people in the educational phase. Shortly, we will begin our efforts to assimilate our first group Of course. we can only speculate as to what the results will be; but why shouldn't we succeed? In phase one we found no great difficulty in contacting people who were genuinely searching for truth. In phase two we found that almost one-fourth of those contacted accepted, in some degree, the teachings of the Writings. We would be unduly pessimistic, I believe, if we felt that phase three, the attempt to bring them into the church, will not be equally successful.

I'd like to end this brief report by leaving with you this personal observation and opinion. I don't believe that there has ever been any serious doubt in our minds that we could find or contact people who are seeking to know the true purposes of life and to live it. I don't think we've ever doubted that some of those we contacted would see the truth and beauty of the Writings. I do think, however, there has been serious doubt in the minds of many of us that those who find the Writings through our evangelization program may fail to see the advantage of joining and affiliating themselves with the various societies of our church. It's one thing to see the Divine truths of the Writings, and it's quite another to see these truths manifested in the life and organization of societies of the church.
As these newcomers make their first tentative approach to the organized church, they will be looking for living examples of the truths of the Writings manifested in the ultimates of our society life: in its stand and approach to the manifest evils and disorders in the world today. If we cannot show these newcomers a living example of a church that finds real joy in the worship of the Lord that offers hope, comfort, and encouragement to its members, then we will succeed only in establishing isolated readers of the Writings, but not in promoting the numerical growth of the organized church.
APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION TO THE ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH COLLEGE 1981

APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION TO THE ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH COLLEGE 1981

Requests for application forms for admission to the Academy College for 1981-82 should be addressed to Dean Robert W. Gladish, The Academy of the New Church College, Box 278, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009. Completed application forms and accompanying transcripts and recommendations should be submitted by March 15, 1981.
It should also be noted that the College operates on a three-term year and that applications for entrance to the Winter and Spring terms of any academic year can be processed, provided that they are received by Dean Gladish at least three weeks prior to the beginning of the new term.

ATLANTA CHURCH BUILDING 1981

ATLANTA CHURCH BUILDING Rev. THOMAS L. KLINE 1981

     For seven years, the Atlanta congregation held its Sunday worship services in the community room of a local bank. Except for minor discomforts, such as cleaning up from Saturday night fraternity parties and bar mitzvahs, this rented room served us well. As our congregation began to grow, it soon became apparent that we would need larger and more permanent facilities to perform our many uses.
     Two years ago, our congregation formed a building committee, and we began the hard work of finding a building which could be used as a church. We pursued every option, from converting a house into a church to building a church on our own. Our studies were made even more difficult by the fact that our needs were constantly changing-our congregation was growing at an amazing rate.
     The Lord finally led us to our present church building. It is a beautiful brick church on the main street of Chamblee, a suburb of Atlanta central to our congregation. The church was built by a Methodist congregation over twenty years ago and is situated in the center of a busy shopping area. The sanctuary seats over 150 people and has ample space for offices, classrooms and a library. In addition to the main building, there is a new school-wing with enough classroom and office space for a day school.
     It is easy to see the special uses the Lord has led our congregation to perform. The fact that the church has unusually high visibility points to the uses of evangelization. We hope to begin an extensive evangelization program and have already begun preparation for a bookstore. The fact that the building came equipped with a school points to the uses of New Church education. For many years, our congregation has had an afternoon school for its children. As this afternoon school continues to grow, we hope it will become the foundation for a future New Church day school. And of course the fact that the building came with such a large and beautiful sanctuary points to growth in the uses of worship.
     Our congregation has been recognized as a society of the General Church. It is our hope that this marks the beginning of a New Church center in the Southeast.
     REV. THOMAS L. KLINE

[Two photos of Atlanta Church.]

ATLANTA CHURCH DEDICATION 1981

ATLANTA CHURCH DEDICATION TERRY WARLEY 1981

     For the people of Atlanta, the weekend of September 20, 21 began after church on August third, w hen we carried our copy of the Word, candles, liturgies, and Sunday School materials out of "the bank." As we loaded our cars with the things we had used in worship services for the past seven years, we remembered the many special events we had held in our rented community room, our "church." But we also remembered having to clean up after other renters whose Saturday night parties had left the room in a shambles. We were glad to leave . . . no one turned back. Our whole congregation drove to our new building and unloaded our cars knowing that by next Sunday the papers would be signed, and we would be worshiping in our own building.
     Our own building! On that first Sunday, many of us did not feel it was our own. At first we felt strange or unfamiliar there. But we made it our own by working hard on it. Our work boss, Chris Carter, and our pastor, Tom Kline, had long lists of things that needed to be done, and they made sure that as many people as possible turned out to paint the steeple, scrub pews, repaint ceilings, tar the roof, hang curtains, fix school tables, clean rugs, wash bathrooms, mow grass, trim shrubs, build signs, remove railing, hang pictures, organize supplies, construct the chancel backdrop, and build stairs. Members of the congregation donated an organ, brass candlesticks, a set of the Writings, liturgies, nursery furnishings, and all kinds of supplies. Each week more people felt it was their church.
     While all this was going on, a dedication committee was planning to accommodate, feed, and entertain a rapidly lengthening list of visitors who were coming to attend the dedication ceremony.
     Everything came together on September 20, an unseasonably hot Saturday. The church was clean; the steeple was white; the chancel, with its Sun of Heaven wall hanging and brass candlesticks, was shining; behind the church a large yellow and white canopy shaded long serving tables which were being set for lunch; the Sunday School rooms and nurseries were cheerfully decorated; the parking lot was filling up with cars from Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania. Airplanes were unloading additional guests from Bryn Athyn, Detroit, and even New Mexico.
     The dedication weekend got underway with a luncheon at the church followed by a worship service in the sanctuary. The children then went to their Sunday School rooms where visiting ministers Lou Synnestvedt and John Odhner taught them about Jacob and Esau.

The adults stayed in the sanctuary to hear pastor Kline tell the history of the building. When he concluded his remarks, he introduced Bishop King who spoke about the three essentials of a church: worship, instruction, and social life (meaning usefulness). He encouraged us to think about our new building in terms of how it would help us in carrying out these essentials.
     On Saturday evening the adults met at a restaurant for a festive banquet. Tom Kline began the program with a toast to the church and a word of thanks to the dedication committee (Stephanie Kunz-banquet, Nina Kline-luncheon, and Charis Dike-lodging and canopy rental). He then introduced Glenn Alden, pastor of the Miami Circle, who gave us a well-researched lesson in the history of the church in Atlanta. Many of us were surprised to find out that there had been New Churchmen in Atlanta for one hundred years and that, once in the early 1900's, a group had even owned a church building. We were not as surprised to find out about the beginning of the modern history of the church in Atlanta-the Crockett and Barnitz families meeting regularly for services in the 1920's and 1930's. At the banquet there were many relatives of the Crockett family who remember how Mrs. Crockett had passed on the religion taught to her by her own mother, Mrs. Frost. In the 1940's and 1950's the church was carried on by the Wheelers (Mrs. Wheeler had been a Crockett) and Dalys. Finally in the 1960's three other families moved to Atlanta and the group began a building fund. When several more families settled in Atlanta in the early 1970's and weekly taped services were begun, the Bishop located a pastor here. With that, growth accelerated rapidly. Glenn ended his speech to allow the pastor himself to quote the amazing growth statistics:

     1974                               1980
average attendance: 28                average attendance: 51
adults: 33                         adults: 56
children: 14                     children: 39

          present annual growth rate: 28%

     Tom Kline wound up his statistics with the comment that three families will join our group in September and that he was now taking applications for October. Amid the chuckling, at least one couple was overheard to ask for an application blank.
     Tom then introduced Lou Synnestvedt, the new pastor of our sister circle in Americus, Georgia. Lou told us of his impressions of Americus and of his joy at being given a chance to practice spontaneous prayer at the Church of the Open Door. He told us about the form of worship in Americus and about the plans he and his congregation have for reaching out to others in their community.

     Thinking about new beginnings in Americus, we were easily drawn by our next speaker to consider that being small in size, a group could still be large in love. The speaker was John Odhner, new pastor in Lake Helen, Florida. He sang songs from Hans Christian Anderson tales and also reminded us of the stories of David and Goliath and Jonathan and his armor bearer to illustrate his theme of the power of a small group gathered together in the Lord's name.
     Bishop King summed up the evening and the group sang "The Lord God Jesus Christ Doth Reign." Then we left the restaurant and went to Tom and Sarah Wheeler's home for a reception. We had a chance to renew friendships with the many visitors who had come for the dedication
     The dedication itself was next morning during church. A total of 188 attended the service which began with special music played by Lachlan Pitcairn and our organist, Stephen Rose. During the first hymn, the children took gifts to the chancel. In addition to their wrapped gifts, many families had brought large ferns which they placed all along the long windowsills at the sides of the room. Pastor Kline gave a children's talk about the things in a vineyard: hedges, a wine press, and a watch tower. He told the children to build these things in their minds to protect, and then extract juice from their grapes of good. As an interlude, Stephen Rose and Marianne Dunlap sang a duet. Robert Leeper, our secretary, carried a large new copy of the Word up to the chancel and presented it along with a key to Bishop King, who then dedicated the building to the worship of the Lord Jesus Christ and placed the new copy of the Word on the altar. During the next hymn, the 53 younger children walked to their classrooms to finish their study of Jacob and Esau. Bishop King gave a sermon to the adults. Continuing the theme of the vineyard, he told us that the fermentation process which purifies and elevates grape juice is like the temptation process that we undergo to strengthen and purify our loves. Bishop King and Pastor Kline administered the Holy Supper to the congregation, and the service ended.
     Everyone then walked out through the Sunday School wing to the back of the church where Nina Kline and her helpers had laid out another luncheon buffet. People ate lunch under the canopy or returned to the air conditioned class rooms. Those who stayed outside observed yellow jackets dive-bombing the punch bowl, Kamakazi style-no return.
     After lunch all the children gathered around to help the ministers open the church's presents. Then it was "good bye" to the visitors and "clean up and recap" time for the tired but happy congregation. The question we all asked each other. . . "What did they think of the church?"
     The next day the four Southeastern ministers met with Bishop King, and the members of the congregation went back to their homes, jobs, and schools.

Tom promised us all an extended break, but in the very next breath said, "Oh, there is jut one more thing . . ." So, to you people who took home applications for October, please return them as soon as you can-we need reinforcements.
HELEN AND TEACHER 1981

HELEN AND TEACHER NANCY LAUFFER HEILMAN 1981

     HELEN AND TEACHER. By Joseph P. Lash. Delacorte Press/Seymour Lawrence, New York, 1980. Cloth, pp. 786. Price, $17.95.

     Commissioned for the Radcliffe Biography Series, Joseph P. Lash has strenuously researched and written in vibrantly dramatic style Helen and Teacher: The Story of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan Macy. Including excerpts from letters and writings, a large collection of photographs, and a useful index, Lash organized his presentation chronologically to develop his exposition of the relationship between Helen and her teacher. New Church readers may find his investigations of "Swedenborgianism" inadequate and his endorsement of Helen's credibility in committing herself to Swedenborg's Writings deficient.
     Lash devotes the most exhilarating part of the book to the exploration of the symbiotic partnership of Helen and Anne, whom she always called "Teacher," selecting information in order to answer his question: "Was Helen's dependency on Teacher on balance a strengthening relationship!" The evidence shows that not only did Anne give Helen most constant and remarkably perceptive guidance, but that she prepared her well for her eventual independence from Teacher.
     Teacher invoked a principle that "most people live in a very restricted sphere of their potential capabilities," of which deaf-blindness is only one special case. She determined early in Helen's life that the child required precise and consistent instruction, methods for which she evolved during continuous attendance to her. In the course of Helen's formal education, with which Teacher assisted her, at the Perkins Institution and the Gilman School, disputes arose about Anne's qualifications to control Helen's studies. Gilman advised Mrs. Keller that "Miss Sullivan has boasted . . . that she has complete power over Helen," and requested that Teacher be dismissed.

But Teacher was sensitive about the ambitions of schoolmasters likely to use Helen's success as an advertisement for the quality of their institutions. Despite her own ambitions to be recognized as Helen's educator, she was justified in the suspicion that those she contested would be only temporarily responsible for limited aspects of Helen's care. She deemed only herself capable of the necessary endurance. As an adult Helen reflected, "She could not simplify herself or restrain her ambition (I prefer to call it love of perfection) or circumscribe her dream-nurtured plans for me." Mrs. Keller retained Teacher, agreeing with Mark Twain's affectionate statement to Helen: "You are a wonderful creature, you and your other half together-Miss Sullivan, I mean, for it took the two of you to make a complete and perfect whole."
Admittedly there were disadvantages to unilateral decisions about Helen's education She was deficient in science, mathematics, and fine arts because Teacher feared her own limitations in those subjects. But her goal was to show the world a deaf-blind young woman, attractive, well-mannered, and able to communicate with charm and intelligence thoughts and feelings similar to those in the sighted world. Accused of pressing Helen too strenuously toward her admission to Radcliffe. Teacher nevertheless was willing to abuse her own poor eyesight in order that Helen might gain the experience and credentials which a Radcliffe education provided. Teacher's "skill in presenting material, her instinct in striking out the inessential, her feeling . . . for just the turn of thought" needed was instrumental in helping Helen through college and later in producing her published manuscripts. Indeed Helen depended on "the fire of Teacher's mind through which [she] had so vividly experienced the light, the music, and the glory of life . . ." Although criticism continued that Helen was merely an accomplished imitator of Teacher, writing from "hearsay knowledge" of "vicarious sensations," Helen was vindicated by 1938, when the Journal brought agreement that Helen Keller was "an informed woman who kept up a lively interest in current affairs and books, formed her own, often arresting opinions, a woman who was self-willed, positive and determined to run her own life . . . ."
Teacher used incessantly the manual techniques she had developed for communication with Helen. When on an occasion, anger incited her to tie Helen's hands behind her back, she was quickly repentant Encouraging others to learn manual spelling, she arranged Helen's vacations with them to diversify Helen's experience and to recoup her own energies. Although she participated in denying Helen marriage to John Fagan, Anne arranged her own marriage to John Macy, one that did not survive the needs of Helen for Anne's attention, partly as insurance for Helen after her own death Love, the "sights and sounds" of the beauty of the world, education, communication and insight were legacies from Teacher.

In addition, the core of the "unanalyzable kinship," as John Macy described it, is revealed in Helen's statement: "The more we talked, the less we thought alike, except in our desire of good and our intense longing for intelligence as a universal attribute of mankind." The power of their relationship becomes more evident by contrast in the book after Teacher's death. The pace slows and despite the exciting experiences of travel, the vivacious drama of the bilateral challenge the two women provided for each other is missing in descriptions of Helen's companionship with Polly Thomson.
Through her work Helen Keller sought to show that the blind were not children but "human beings of varied intelligence and many interests and aspirations." She connected the plight of the blind with that of the poor, the "people." When she was twenty-nine years old, Helen constructed "another bridge to the external world," Lash wrote, joining the Socialist Party because "the struggle of the working class had the throb of life in it, a vividness and reality that her life usually lacked." She pursued eradicating slums in Schenectady, supported election of Socialist officials, donated earnings to striking workers, living in a state of "high passion and constant advocacy. Interested in individual rights, she envisioned suffrage as an efficient path to Socialism. Lash called her a "saint . . . scattering anathemas," and offered his analysis:

She needed to see the world as a contrast between Good and Evil. Her imagination [was] cut off by blindness and deafness from many of the signals that brute experience sends most of us counseling caution, compromise, grayness instead of black and white . . . .

Curiously Lash withheld from Helen a source of credibility, her fellowship of mind with eminent literary artists who, at the time, also espoused the ideals of Socialism, later to become disappointed by the Soviet reality. Miss Keller abandoned politics in 1924 in order to protect her fund-raising efforts for the blind.
During her supposed aberrations, notables, the wealthy who had supported her household and her work, continued "to treat her as the miracle of courtesy and intelligence that she also was," a statement which holds for Lash as well, even as he finds in her religion an area in which to challenge her rationality. The structure of the book, with its isolated comments on religion, tends to obscure the author's slant; his editorializing links by choice of words Helen's sentimentalities" in connection with socialism and religion. Lash declares that "the attraction for Helen of Swedenborgianism . . . was its imaginative and dramatic presentation of morality as a clash between God and the devil." He also suggests that as a consequence of being deaf and blind, she reacted to a "world full of signals suggesting shadow, ambiguity and uncertainty [which she] could not experience" by adopting her religion.

Taking a selection from her diary (written when she was fourteen years old), Lash notes a "juvenile tone influenced by her Swedenborgian readings." From a later diary, he has selected a passage which "suggests a childlikeness and naivete that is startling even for those Victorian times," connecting it with her Victorian frame of mind regarding socialism, a cause for which he reports she sought support by invoking the name of Jesus.
     The coverage of the socialistic involvement is more thorough than that of her religious affiliation Most of Lash's exposition of John Hitz describes his contribution to Helen's education, and although a quote from Teacher attributes to Hitz "imagination and ideality, practical wisdom and a reflection of peace and happiness shining clearly," Lash assures the reader that Anne had no interest in Swedenborgianism. One of the few relevant statements from Helen declares that Hitz was "most anxious for me to be independent in my religious views," although he feared her being misled by the speculations of various philosophers. A great problem with his investigation is that Lash has failed to give further samples of Hitz's correspondence pertaining to religion or to state whether such papers are extant.
     The discussion of the writing and publication of My Religion is lengthy and somewhat positive, but again Lash drops a measure of disdain by denoting an overeager attitude of New Churchmen: "A shiver of anticipation went through the officials of the New Church," when Helen agreed to discuss the book. Since Teacher, who considered Swedenborg's teachings "gifted madness," had no interest in the project, an editorial secretary, "not very satisfactory," was found by someone in the Church. He states that Helen was dissatisfied with the construction of the book, "her little book, which became a standard text of the New Church."
     If the smatterings on religion in the book itself give a subliminally unfavorable impression, the epilogue, entitled "Helen's Religion," further reduces the importance of the New Church. Ignoring that her creed, "the convictions and life-deep sentiments which are woven in the warp and woof of my life," as Helen said, merited integration into her story as extensively as did her education, political stance, and work, Lash effects an unbalanced view of her religious pursuit by structural choice as well as by content.
     Teacher had planned to avoid influencing Helen in spiritual matters, but because she refused to deny answers to Helen's persistent questions, she contacted the Rev. Philips Brooks at Trinity Church, Boston. Lash presents extensive quotes from Mr. Brooks' letters and responses from Helen crediting him with teaching her that God is love. In answer to her queries about what heaven is like, what a spirit is like, he could give no specific conclusions. Helen discovered from Hitz that Swedenborg answered questions which Brooks could not. Yet Lash diminishes Helen's attachment to the Writings by unexplained selection from her letters: "I was not conscious of any difference between what Mr. Brooks taught me and what I read in Swedenborg."

Allotting considerable text to the correspondence between Helen and Sister Mary Joseph, who said, "She speaks of our Divine Lord as if she were a Unitarian," Lash inserts his own opinion that if Helen, the "Miracle," had become a Catholic, "she seemed destined for a saint's career." Indeed he has assigned space to expound the views of both Brooks and Sister Mary in a 3:1 ratio over that given Hitz, and his treatment of Hitz's contribution is partly refutation.
But Helen is permitted the ultimate refutation of the other religious creeds, speaking out clearly in the book for her choice: "It is important to me that I should not be misinterpreted in my religion . . . . Since I was sixteen years old, I have been a strong believer in the doctrines of Emanuel Swedenborg." Even though, in respect for her zest and strength in pursuits which interest him, Lash inclines to indulge Helen's religious position, he has not failed to recognize her enduring attachment to the Writings. Without discriminating favorably for the New Church, he gives such admiring and vivid portrayal of her personality and endeavor, opining that "Few women of the Twentieth Century have achieved more," that through the pages of this otherwise worthy volume, Miss Keller adequately validates her own commitment.
DISTRICT AND MINISTERIAL CHANGES 1981

DISTRICT AND MINISTERIAL CHANGES LOUIS B. KING 1981

     As of November 27, 1980, California has been recognized as a separate District of the General Church of the New Jerusalem. This District comprises the San Diego Circle, the Los Angeles Society and the San Francisco Circle.
     As of November 27, 1980, the Reverend Cedric King has been appointed Acting Pastor of the San Diego Circle.
     LOUIS B. KING,
          Bishop
ATTENTION CAMPERS! 1981

ATTENTION CAMPERS! Rev. KURT P. NEMITZ 1981

Always thought you'd like to experience the famed beauties of the coast of Maine-"The Vacation State"-for yourself! Do you think it would be especially nice to do this at a campsite with other New Church families from Canada and the United States! Well, the New Church Society in Bath, Maine is arranging such a camping opportunity this August. Watch for details in the February issue of this magazine.
REV KURT P. NEMITZ

DREAMS, VISIONS AND SLEEP-Part VII 1981

DREAMS, VISIONS AND SLEEP-Part VII Rev. FREDERICK L. SCHNARR 1981

     The Representation, State, and Uses of Sleep

     The Writings do not present a systematic exposition on the subject of sleep. There are many references relating thereto, but they are given in conjunction with a countless variety of doctrines, or of: experiences recorded by Swedenborg of the life of the spiritual world. However, in thinking of how to present the teachings on this subject in some organized form, we came upon the different representations of the word 'sleep' that are used in the Scriptures. We noted that these representations all fall under three categories, and that the separate scattered references all seemed to find a place under one of: these categories. This is how we determined on the following order in discussing this subject of sleep.
     If we were to look up all the references to sleep in the Old and New Testaments, we would find that they relate to three different matters. First we would find expressions which refer to the security and the safety of sleep, to the angelic and Divine protection which surrounds man when he is asleep. With this idea of sleep we will find accompanying words speaking of peace, happiness, and tranquility. This is the first subject of sleep. Secondly, we will find expressions which speak of the obscurity, and even death, of sleep. In this association we will find words which speak of danger, deep darkness, forests, and pits. This is the second subject of sleep. And finally, we will. And phrases which hint of the ordering or covering-over of sleep. References to this third subject of sleep are not as numerous as the first two, but still they are definitely in a separate class.
     Now let us regard the three subjects in detail, and the various teachings that are associated with each.
     That the Lord desires, and works, that man should sleep in safety and security, is taught in many places in the Scriptures and in the Writings. In the Scriptures we read:
     "Who will show us good? Jehovah, lift Thou up the light of Thy faces upon us. Thou givest joy in my heart more than at the time when their grain and new wine are increased. In peace I at the same time lie down and sleep; for Thou alone, O Jehovah, dost make me to dwell securely." (Psalm 4:6-8)

     And again: "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it; except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He giveth His beloved sleep." (Psalm 127:1-2)
     In the Writings we are taught that, "The Lord guards man with most especial care during his sleep." (AC 959)
     Why is it necessary for the Lord to so guard man? What dangers are there in the dark watches of the night, besides the dangers resident in the natural world from outside of man, which could harm him? The dangers of the physical world of nature, of calamity, of sickness and disease,-the dangers of crime, robbery, rape, and murder,-all of these the Lord cannot protect man from as he sleeps, without interfering with the natural freedom of man. Wherein then is the safety and security of the Lord's protection while man sleeps!
     Here is where the Writings tell of another world; a world thronged with multitudes of angels, spirits, and devils. Man's spiritual companions are all around him; and their affections flow into his memory and excite delight for the things that are concordant therein. Good spirits and angels excite delights of peace, and happiness, and incline man to all that is just and right, and of Divine order. They seek thus to nourish and protect man, that he may become the image of the Lord's desire and purpose. But then there are as well evil spirits, and devils, who bring delights seething with the spheres of hell-spheres boiling with the rage and delight of destruction, of murder, rapine, and brutality-spheres steeped in lustful pleasures and passions of filth and adultery. When the conscious mind of man is in the slumber of sleep, and unable to control the influxes from the spiritual world that pour into the memory, then is when the Lord stands beside his bed, and as a shepherd, drives off the wild beasts of evil that would tear him apart and completely abuse and destroy his spiritual life. In the Scriptures, we not only read of the shepherding work done by the Lord in protecting man's spiritual life during sleep, but we read of the enemies that would attack. "I will lay me down and sleep; and I will awake; for Jehovah sustaineth me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of the people that have set themselves against me round about." (Psalm 3:5, 6) And again: "I will raise up over them one shepherd, Who shall feed them, My servant David; He shall be to them for a shepherd: then I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil wild beast to cease out of the land, that they may dwell trustingly in the wilderness and sleep in the forests; they shall be no more a prey to the nations, and the wild beast of the earth shall not devour them, but they shall dwell trustingly, and none shall make afraid." (Ezekiel 34:23, 25, 28) (See AC 3696; AE 650:52)
     The Lord guards man during sleep through the presence of good spirits and angels.

The good spirits and angels immediately present with him apparently are not the ones that serve in this office. And conversely, the bad spirits and devils immediately present with him are not the ones that strive to plague him in sleep. Such associates also seem to be asleep when man is asleep. (SD 778, 3232, 3406, 4029) All the inhabitants of the spiritual world, from the highest angel to the lowest devil, sleep. And their sleep performs for them many of the same uses it performs for us. (But more of that later). Swedenborg experienced some rather amusing incidents when he awakened in the world of spirits and found his good spirit associates fast asleep. (SD 4284) At certain times this can apparently happen with all men, that they are awake and their associates in the spiritual world are asleep. We are not given the reason for this. But we are taught that the associates sleep at the same time as we do, also have dreams which in turn have an effect upon the states of our sleep, and more indirectly, upon our dreams. (See AR 153:10; CL 19; SD 427, 778, 3618, 3855)
     The Writings tell us that there are special spirits in the world of spirits, who live near the entrances of heaven, who not only have the work of inspiring heavenly dreams into man, but also of watching over him while he sleeps lest he should be infested by evil spirits. Of these spirits we read:

They perform this duty with the greatest delight, so that there is rivalry among them as to who shall be present, and they love to affect the man with the enjoyable and delightful things which they see in his affection and genius. They who have become angelic spirits are from those who in the life of the body had delighted and had loved in every way and with the utmost pains, to make the life of others delightful. When the hearing is opened sufficiently far, there is heard from them, as from a distance, a sweetly modulated sound as it were of singing. They said that they do not know whence such things, and representatives so beautiful and pleasant, come to them in a moment; but it was said that it was from heaven. They belong to the province of the cerebellum; for, as I have been informed, the cerebullum is awake in time of sleep, when the cerebrum sleeps. (AC 1077)

     In another passage Swedenborg speaks of these angelic spirits directing his respiration 'gently and sweetly' while he was asleep, and it is indicated that they perform the same function for all men. His respiration while awake is under the control of other angelic spirits, governed of course by man's own will. (AC 3893)
     How great is the Lord's protection of men during sleep may be seen in many passages which tell of the efforts made by evil spirits to infest and destroy man. We read:

Evil spirits most vehemently desire and burn to infest and attack man when he is sleeping, but man is then especially guarded by the Lord, for love does not sleep. The spirits who infest are miserably punished . . . Sirens, who are interior enchantresses, are they who are especially insidious in the night time, and they try to insinuate themselves into a man's interior thoughts and affections, but are as often driven away by the Lord by means of angels, and are at last deterred by the severest punishments.

They have also spoken with others in the night time, exactly as if they spoke from me, and as it were with my speech, so like that it could not be distinguished, pouring in filthy things, and persuading false ones. I was once in a very sweet sleep, in which I had nothing but soft repose. When I awoke, some good spirits began to chide me for having (as they said) infested them so atrociously that they supposed they were in hell-throwing the blame upon me. I answered them that I knew nothing whatever about the matter, but had been sleeping most quietly, so that by no possibility could I have been troublesome to them. Astonished at this, they at last had a perception that it had been done by the magic arts of sirens. The like was also shown afterwards, in order that I might know the quality of the crew of sirens. They are chiefly of the female sex, who in the life of the body had studied to allure male companions to themselves by interior artifices; insinuating themselves by things, captivating their lower minds in every possible way, entering into each one's affections and delights, but with an evil end, especially that of exercising command. (AC 1983)

In another passage Swedenborg describes the punishment given to those who strive to influence and destroy man in his sleep. A group of such evil spirits had ambushed Swedenborg in his sleep, and had caused him to have a sad dream. Upon awakening in the spiritual world in their presence, Swedenborg noted the following:

Punishing spirits were present-at which I wondered-and miserably punished the spirits who had ambushed me in my sleep. They induced on them as it were bodies-visible ones-and bodily senses, and thus tortured them by violent collisions of the parts to and fro, with pains induced by resistance. The punishers would have killed them if they could, so that they used the most extreme violence. Those guilty were for the most part sirens. The punishment lasted a long time, and extended around me to many troops, and to my astonishment all those who had ambushed me were found, though they wanted to hide themselves. Being sirens, they tried with many arts to elude the penalty, but could not. Now they sought to withdraw into interior nature, now to induce the belief that they were others, now to transfer the punishment to others by a transference of ideas, now they counterfeited infants who would thus be tortured, now good spirits, now angels, besides making use of many other artifices, but all in vain. I was surprised that they should be so grievously punished, but perceived that the crime is enormous from the necessity of man's being able to sleep in safety, without which the human race would perish; so that it is of necessity that there should be so great a penalty. I perceived that the same takes place around other men whom they attempt to assail insidiously in their sleep, although the men know nothing about it. (AC 959)

(We would note in regard to the punishing spirits mentioned in this passage, that angels never perform such punishments, but other evil spirits who find delight therein. The Lord permits this only because it helps to keep them in something of order, which otherwise would be impossible.) (See SD 3859, 3855, 3406)

     From many such passages as the above and from the experience of our own periods of troubled sleep, bad dreams, and nightmares, it is obvious that when the Writings teach of the Lord and His angels guarding over our sleep, they are not implying that the Lord can keep us in sleep from all the foul influences of the hells. Obviously this is not so. What is meant is that the Lord sets bounds to limit the extent of hell's influence upon man in sleep. He makes certain that evil spirits can ill no way destroy or interfere with man's spiritual freedom. He assures that the interior ordering of the mind by the Lord in sleep, and the vivification and refreshment of the mind and body therefrom, are not disturbed.
     Besides this, the Lord does of course constantly work through His angels to ward off every possible influence that strives to infect and destroy man from hell. But here the Lord must work with regard for the freedom of all the spirits, angels, and devils, that are associated generally or particularly with man. Because of this freedom He must allow certain things to occur-such as the incidents described above. What the Lord is able to do for man at any one time, depends upon many things-he physical state of man, his mental state, the content of his memory, and his state of regeneration, or degeneration; and besides all of this, there are the states of his spiritual companions as well. (See LJ p. 132)
     There are many ways the Lord controls and moderates the lusts of hell which would ravage man in his slumber. We have already noted two; the over-all guardianship of certain angelic spirits; the dire punishments upon evil spirits to instill fear in them so that they will either cease or moderate their efforts. Another means of protection the Lord employs is made clear in connection with the teaching we previously mentioned, that man's immediate associate spirits, both good and bad, sleep when he sleeps. We read:

     I was overcome with sleep in the afternoon, and with a quiet sleep. When I awoke there were many around me asleep, even spirits who wished to lay snares for me: these also overcome with sleep were fast asleep: so with all who came up with the purpose to injure me. When they awoke, they said that they had been asleep, and fled away one after another; one said that he had not wished to sleep; it was perceived that he wished to injure me. Hence I spoke with spirits saying that the Lord alone watches over all, even His enemies, and does them good.
     Hence, it was granted me to know that evil spirits are compelled to sleep with man, and so cause that man may sleep: yea, soundly although surrounded with evil spirits. Otherwise, should they also lay snares for man, as they desire to do to everyone, they would then perceive, if not asleep, that they were spirits separated from man. That this may not happen, spirits ought to sleep . . . When they do not know other than that they are man, they then do not injure: this would be to injure themselves; but when man sleeps, and they are awake, they can know it. (SD 3231-2)

     At first glance this passage would seem to indicate that all spirits who endeavor to trouble man in his sleep are also lulled into sleep themselves, with the result that man is protected. Indeed, this does seem to be the general occurrence, particularly with man's immediate evil companions. That this passage is not to be understood as a blanket statement, however, is made clear from our previous instruction, and many other countless references. It is a common means used to defend and protect man, but there are many exceptions.
     Finally, a more unusual means is mentioned whereby the Lord protects man in sleep. We are taught that as a rule evil spirits do not know that they are associated with men; still less do they know where men are to be found. If they did know these things, they would instantly set about his destruction. However, sometimes they do find out, as we read in the following; "When, by chance, they happen upon them while they are asleep, (men that are asleep, that is,) then there seems to be, as it were, a sound of shouting outside them; and it appears as if someone falls down close to his (the sleeper's) bed, and, as it were, goes under the bed, and there remains. Man then supposes that it is something or other, either an illusion or a vision; but this is from that source. This has happened to me, several times, while I was asleep." (SD 4693m) The indications are that this rather unusual means of warning man through a loud voice, takes place when man is in a state mid-way between sleeping and waking. Indeed it would seem that it is in such a state that his presence in the spiritual world is particularly evident. Perhaps you have experienced, as I have a number of times when falling asleep for a brief time, hearing a loud voice in your ear, or hearing someone speak your name in a thunderous voice. In any case, it is startling enough to bring man awake, and in this manner to remove him from the infestations of evil spirits.
     Because man's conscious life is, as it were, obscured and removed from the realm of light and activity during sleep, this state is often used in the Word to represent what is obscure or what is purely natural and not at the same time spiritual, or what is in the darkness of falsity and ignorance because not in the light and intelligence of heavenly truths. (AC 5209) In the Psalms we read: "Consider and hear me, O Lord my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved." (13:3, 4) Here we see a prayer to the Lord to preserve man from spiritual damnation, and its accompanying states of: naturalism and darkness. 'Death' in the Word refers to the death of everything in man that is from the Lord; everything of good and truth. To 'sleep the sleep of death' is to be a devil, spiritually dead, and in the confusion and obscurity of falsities.

     Usually, however, when sleep is used to refer to a state of obscurity, ignorance, and the darkness of naturalism, the Word is speaking of something from which the Lord is drawing man forth.

     All men before regeneration are in something of a sleeping state as to their spiritual life-they are in ignorance, obscurity, and the doubts and confusions of naturalistic thought. That this is so the Lord warns, for example, in the parable of the tares where the enemy sows tares among the good wheat while the house-holder sleeps; meaning that the hells can work their influence when man is in states of ignorance, obscurity and falsity. (AE 374:15) That in such states the Lord is seemingly absent from man is taught in the story of how the Lord slept in the boat while the disciples battled the storm and thought they would be drowned. When such a state is passed the Lord is seen to be present after all, and the seas of trouble and temptation are stilled. (AE 514:22) That man must feel fully responsible for states of ignorance, obscurity, and naturalism, is plainly taught over and over again; otherwise he would make no effort to release himself from them, and it is only when he makes such an effort that he gives the Lord the freedom to remove them for him. This is why we are warned: "Be ye awake, for ye know not when the Lord of the house cometh, at evening, or at midnight, or at cock-crowing; lest, coming suddenly He find you sleeping. What I say unto you I say unto all, Be awake." (AE 187:2) This of course also refers to looking for the Lord in His Second Coming; unless men seek the Lord all the time, and prepare themselves as best they can, they cannot expect to recognize the presence of the Lord in spiritual truths. Finally, both in the last judgment of a church, and in each man's own last judgment, there is as it were a rising out of sleep, out of what is natural, obscure, and false. You recall after the passion of the Lord on the cross, it is written, "the tombs were opened and many bodies of those that slept came out of their tombs, went into the holy city, and appeared to many." (AE 659:15) Here is a picture of the salvation of those that had been held in such states of ignorance and falsity for hundreds of years, finally being released and prepared for heaven. And something similar does of course happen with each man after death. He puts off all natural things; his understanding receives a new instruction and enlightenment in truths, and his new will is given new delights entirely unimagined. The sleeping states of natural life pass away into the wakefulness of spiritual life.
     We have included this representation of the usage of sleep because it helps to clarify this term as it is used in Scripture, and in this sense gives a more complete background for understanding the subject. We may not see right away how it helps to define the state of sleep, but it does, in that it removes an area of possible misunderstanding Also, there are teachings from the Writings which relate intimately to the subject of sleep, but they are too intricate and complex for consideration in this series.

The third and final representation of sleep in the Word refers to the secret working of the Lord in ordering the things of man's mind. It is through the new order which the Lord brings to man's mind in every sleep, especially to the things of the memory, that man awakes refreshed. A change of state has taken place from the time he went to sleep through the work of ordering done by the Lord; the troubles and problems of the night are seen in new perspective in the morning-not because it is morning, but because through a secret ordering of the contents of the mind the Lord has given a new life to man-a new enlightenment of those truths that are present, a new sight of uses, and a new delight in performing them. (AC 842; TCR 52) In the story of the Lord causing a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and then making a woman from the rib of Adam, we see a picture of the secret ordering done by the Lord in forming the marriage of good and truth in each man; and the marriage of conjugial love between man and woman. (CL 194) In this sense sleep signifies the state of rest of man's natural life. All those many natural sensations, scientifics, and experiences, etc., which form his natural life, rest when he goes to sleep. If these things are to receive and clothe spiritual loves and affections, spiritual thoughts and ideas, they must undergo a marvelous ordering and relating-and this work, which is complex beyond our imagination, can only be done when man, and his self love and natural life, are as it were, out of the way-then the Lord has freedom to do that which is eternally necessary to develop the life and delight of man. (AC 9216)
It is of the Lord's Divine order that man should have regular sleep, each day on earth and each day in heaven, that He may order the mind, and thereby refresh it with new enlightenment and new happiness. The Lord does indeed give sleep to His beloved, that in it He may work the miracle of a new creation, and thus assure that the states of an angel to all eternity shall never become stale or boring, but always be filled with ever new and wondrous things. Nothing gives a clearer picture of how the Lord stands by our bed and watches over us in our sleep, than the description of the cycle of states in the life of heaven, for there in sleep we can fully see the Lord is present. We are taught that angels have their highest love and dearest perception in the morning when they go forward from their homes to perform the uses of their callings. When this state wanes they turn to recreational activities, sports, games, working around the homes, and playing with children. In their evening states they have social functions, classes, concerts, plays, and many other similar activities in endless variety. After their evening states, during the intimate states of love between married partners, the fullness of the day is brought together in the ultimates of life. Turning away from self to each other in the close of their day, the Lord is able to draw close, and in the sweet sleep that follows, He reorders and recreates them so that with the new morning, a wonderful new delight is born from the new enlightenment and the new activity of a new state. (DW XII:5; AC 7218, 8108, 8750:2, 8211)

This concludes the series by Mr. Schnarr that was begun in the July issue.
FREDERICK EMANUEL DOERING TRUST 1981

FREDERICK EMANUEL DOERING TRUST 1981

     Application for assistance from the above Fund to enable male Canadian students to attend The Academy of the New Church at Bryn Athyn, Pa., U.S.A., for the school year 1981-82 should be received by one of the pastors listed below as many as possible.

     Before filling their applications, students should first obtain their acceptance by the Academy immediately, as dormitory space is limited.

     Any of the pastors listed below will be happy to give any further information or help that may be necessary.

Rev. Geoffrey S. Childs      Rev. Christopher R. J. Smith
2 Lorraine Gdns.               16 Bannockburn Rd., R. R. 2
Islington, Ont. M98 424      Kitchener, Ont. N26 3W5

Rev. William H. Clifford
1536 94th Ave.
Dawson Creek,
B.C. VIG 1H7
MR. MILTON L. HONEMANN 1981

MR. MILTON L. HONEMANN 1981

We have learned that Mr. Milton L. Honemann, whose history of the Baltimore, Maryland, Society appeared in the November, 1980, issue of New Church Life, passed into the spiritual world on January 6, 1981. Bishop King delivered the memorial address in Baltimore.

ANNUAL COUNCIL MEETINGS COUNCIL OF THE CLERGY MEETINGS 1981

     (Continued from the December issue)

     The Fourth Session (continued) Rev. Frank Rose reported on a list of projects either already undertaken by volunteers from the council or in need of being undertaken. A pamphlet for adult newcomers on baptism was soon to be printed. A paper was now available for ministers' files defending the Writings against the charge of anti-semitism. A set of readings from the Writings related to the arrival of a new baby had been compiled. We have need of a pamphlet on Confirmation. One man said he would be working on this. We need to have more of the Memorable Relations rendered in words understandable by children. Four men said they would work on this. It was hoped that other needs mentioned would receive attention in the future.

     The Fifth Session. Rev. Daniel Heinrichs read his paper, "The Establishment of Conjugial Love in and by the New Church." [Since we hope to print this paper in the future, we are shortening the summary here. Ed.]
     From the time of the Golden Age conjugial love has suffered a steady decline, and yet it can be revived. "Conjugial love will be raised up anew by the Lord after His (second] Advent, such as it was with the ancients" (CL 81e). The effort to establish this love in the Church should be one of our highest priorities.
     The organized New Church has existed on earth for almost two hundred years. It has been hoped that conjugial love will become evermore prevalent within the Church. Has this been the case! We have seen disorder and unhappiness in marriage. As in the world around us, we find many using the modern shiboleths of male chauvenism and sexism. The state of the conjugial has not advanced as we had hoped. Why is this! The priesthood has not been effective in presenting the doctrine of conjugial love to our members, old and young. We have taught the ideal, but we have not been teaching the means of achieving that ideal with either clarity or regularity.
     Women are custodians of conjugial love, but this does not mean that they have the major responsibility in the establishment and preservation of conjugial love. We must give greater emphasis to the masculine role in marriage. "The male is born into the affection of knowing, understanding, and of growing wise." (CL 33, 90).

How many people think of masculinity in these terms! How many of our youths think that this is the primary distinctive masculine quality!
     We should cultivate in our boys the love of knowing: in our youths the love of understanding: and in our men the love of growing wise. We must teach that it is truly masculine to love truth-to seek and pursue it. Both within and outside of the church we find co-educational classes in elementary school. All too often boys seem to be turned off to learning. The girls excel. Is this a reason why relatively few of our young men are excited about knowing and understanding truth and becoming wise! What would happen if we separated the girls from the start and gave the boys male teachers!
     In a recent book, The Brain: The Last Frontier, by Richard M. Restale, a neurologist, scientific data emerges on differences in the way male and female brains function. Girls are far more oriented toward the auditory mode of learning. They are more proficient at fine motor skills and differ in their approaches to gaining knowledge about the world. They ask questions and take advantage of the experience of others. Boys, on the other hand, show an early superiority in visual acuity. They are more clumsy and do poorly in fine motor performances, but do better in gross total body movements. Boys are more curious than girls and are better than girls in special concepts. The male brain learns by manipulating its environment, but there is little opportunity our boys to do this in classrooms. The male brain is primarily visual, while classroom instruction demands attentive listening. The elementary school classroom is geared to skills that come naturally to girls but develop very slowly in boys. Most girls like school, and boys dislike it.
     If we separated girls and boys at the elementary school level and put men teachers in charge of the boys, we would gradually develop a truly distinctive New Church system of education, which would result in more feminine women and more masculine men. If our boys and youths were given a more compatible, affirmative and exciting introduction to formal education, then as adults they would more readily progress from the affection of knowing and understanding to the affection of growing wise. This would improve prospects for marriage of love truly conjugial within the Church.
     Considerable discussion of this paper then followed. A number of men felt that Mr. Heinrichs was on the right track. The question of how to make men more masculine was discussed. Is perhaps the priesthood inadvertently taking over the male role by not welcoming men's doctrinal ideas? Laymen used to give doctrinal papers. One man felt that boys and girls should be separated from fourth grade on.

The world does affect the state of the conjugial in the New Church. But we shouldn't be too pessimistic. The world is probably not worse than in Swedenborg's time. It's just more obvious today. The use of men's study and discussion groups was also mentioned. Men of the Church should discuss how to raise sons. Perhaps part of the problem is that we have stressed the goals of conjugial love but not the means. Goals are easy, for they are of the understanding, while means are harder, for they are of the will. Just what kind of wisdom is a man to have! It is more than the study of doctrine. It is also moral wisdom, and wisdom is said to be the shunning of adultery. We also need a new religion curriculum in our schools. Groupings will do no good unless we have a good curriculum.
     Mr. Heinrichs remarked in closing that he felt that the problems in our marriages in the Church are more the fault of the men than of the women. When women do not find masculine objectivity in men, they become competitive with men.
     The Sixth Session Rev. Erik Sandstrom Sr. gave a resume of his paper, "The Additamentum," which had been circulated before the meetings. "The Human Essence was only a something that was added (mode additamentum) to His Divine Essence that was from eternity" (AC 1461e). This number furnished the topic of the paper. Mr. Sandstrom, from other passages, drew certain conclusions concerning this aspect of the Lord's Divine Human.
     It is clear from these teachings: 1. That the Additamentum is the Divine Natural which the Lord put on in the world; 2. That this Divine Natural is in itself infinite and uncreate; 3. That nevertheless at a certain point in history, 1980 years ago, it was "born" in a new and special way; 4. That "the Lord from eternity, or the Divine Celestial-Spiritual-and Natural from eternity, or again "that Divine Human which is from eternity," was ever present with men, but prior to the incarnation only mediately through the angelic heaven; 5. That through the Human Essence which was born in time, and which was "only something added," the Lord became immediately present with men; 6. That this immediate presence, coming about, as was the case, in and through the Lord's Natural, was a presence with men's natural; and 7. That this presence consisted in the Lord's Additamentum (the Divine Natural, the Only-begotten who is in the bosom of the Father) setting forth the Divine in the Human to view before the natural mind of men. This presence consisted in the Lord our God becoming the visible God.
     The underlying theme in the passages quoted above is the same. We are not to think, for example, that the statement that the Divine Natural which the Lord assumed while in the world is infinite and uncreate, is in conflict with the teaching that the Son of God, i.e. this same Divine Natural, was born in time. This underlying theme can be stated in many ways. The following may be one: The Lord God from eternity revealed Himself to men and angels in a new way, when in the fullness of time it became necessary to do so in order to save them.

     Mr. Sandstrom then made the following conclusions upon which he based his paper.

a.      The "Divine Celestial," "Divine Spiritual," and "Divine Natural" are so named relative to the reception with men and angels.
b.      Of all the five major church dispensations that have been made in the world, the New Church alone is said to worship one Visible God; and this for the reason that the Lord in His Divine Natural is now visible to the natural mind of man.
c.      The "Divine Human" therefore means the Lord as visible.
d.      The Lord's Divine Human, thus His Divine Body, was not only conceived but also born of Jehovah: thus it was in no sense derived from Mary.
e.      Nothing whatever from matter was "added" to the Lord; thus the "Additamentum" must be understood in a different context.
f.      The Lord's coming into the world involved no change within the Lord Himself, i.e. in the Divine Substance.
g.      The purpose in the Lord's temptation battles, therefore in His union with the Divine within Himself, or His glorification, was His conjunction with the human race.
h.      There is no salvation without freedom; but freedom involves understanding, and understanding involves seeing the Lord.
i.      The Lord from love by means of wisdom accommodates His operation to the states and needs of men; thus the mode and timing of His two advents were determined by those states and needs.
j.      What applies to the Lord, applies to the Word.
k.      Because the Lord made Himself visible in the natural, therefore His operation become visible also: the whole Trinity which is in the Lord, is now visible.
l.      There is a Divine sequence or trilogy: Glorification-Revelation-Salvation.

     Mr. Sandstrom concluded his paper by saying, "So the Lord changed nothing within Himself by coming into the world. But He changed His whole approach to angels and men. "The Human Essence was only an additamentum to His Divine Essence that was from eternity." (AC 1461e) Only that: yet without it no salvation, nor the survival of the human race."
     There was considerable discussion of this important doctrinal treatment concerning the Lord's presence with men and angels. One man reminded those present that there are two sets of parallel passages. One set states that the Lord cast off everything from Mary.

The other set states that the Lord glorified the assumed Human. The first set relate to form, for the Lord put off all finite form taken from Mary. The other set of passages refer to substance, for the substance of the Human was glorified. Another member felt that Mr. Sandstrom had not gone far enough. He felt that the additimentum as the New Word (New Testament and Writings) not as to the letter but as to the spirit. Thus it is an addition to the Word-not to the Divine Substance. The thought was also expressed that in the Mary human forms of apparent truths were taken on from which the Lord fought against the hells as He was victorious.
Mr. Sandstrom, in summing up stressed his opinion that the Lord did not make the Divine Human from the maternal human. The Lord did not glorify matter. The only change was that the spirit of Holiness ended and the Holy Spirit began. The maternal human was taken on only to reveal the Divine to men.
VISITORS TO CHURCH SOCIETIES 1981

VISITORS TO CHURCH SOCIETIES 1981

     Visitors to Bryn Athyn, Glenview, Kitchener, London, Pittsburgh, or Toronto, who are in need of hospitality accommodations are cordially urged to contact in advance the appropriate Hospitality Committee head listed below:

Bryn Athyn, Penna.                               Glenview, Illinois
Mrs. James L. Pendleton                              Mrs. Philip Horigan
815 Fettersmill Rd.                               50 Park Dr.
Bryn Athyn, PA 19009                              Glenview, IL 60025
Phone: (215) 947-1810                              Phone: (312) 729-5644
Kindly call at least two weeks in advance if possible.
                                                  London, England
                                              Mrs. Nancy Dawson
Kitchener Ont., Canada                              28 Parklands Rd.
Mrs. Warren Stewart                              Streatham, London, SW 16
69 Evenstone Ave.                               Phone: 01-769-7922
Kitchener,
Ont. N2G 3W5                                        Toronto, Ont., Canada
                                              Mrs. Sydney Parker
Pittsburgh, Penna.                                   30 Royaleigh Ave.
Mrs. Paul M. Schoenberger                              Weston, Ont. M9P 2J5
7433 Pen Hur St.                                   Phone: (416) 241-3704
Pittsburgh, PA 15208
Phone: (412) 371-3056

NEW CHURCH LIFE EDITORIAL PAGES 1981

NEW CHURCH LIFE EDITORIAL PAGES Editor 1981

     THE FUTURE CONNECTION

     You try to make sense of the things that happen in the country, in the church, and in the world. You try to see some order in the things that happen in your own life. Does it add up? Does it fit together! Yes, it does, but there is a connection you are missing, and this is what prevents you and me from seeing a sense-a meaningful order in what is going on in and around us. We could call this connection "the future connection."
     We have in mind a reference in the Writings to "a connection between things past and things future that are known only to the Lord." (DP 252) Take as an example the outbreak of war somewhere in the world. What kind of Providence is that? The same passage says that in a conflict a person "favors one side more than another, and that which he favors he is able to confirm by reasons." We say, "Why, of course that side should win." We do not have the advantage of foresight. Years hence we might look on today's events with a totally different perspective.

     When angels spoke wisely about the ways of Providence, they affirmed that all things are marvelously organized, "but not according to such an order as man proposes to himself, because things to come are both foreseen and provided." (AC 6486)
     As you go into a new year try anew to get comfortable with the fact that you do not know the future. Angels do not know it either, but they are more secure with that reality than are you and I. It is actually a joy not knowing the future when you trust that the Lord does know. There is a connection between what has happened, what is happening, and what is going to happen. You cannot see it. The Lord can.
     What has thus far been said about a connection applies not only to events in our lives. It applies to the states that we pass through from day to day. In the past forty-eight hours have you not passed through various different states? You might only be able to label them in the most general terms-joy, depression, apathy. What do the Writings teach about the states which we categorize only in the vaguest way!

     The Writings say that it is typical for a person to reflect little or not at all upon the states of thought and affection in daily life. "The reason why he does not reflect on these changes is that he believes that all things in him in general and particular follow in natural order, and that there is nothing higher which directs them, although the fact is this, that all things in general and particular are arranged by means of the spirits and angels with him, and that hence come all states and changes of states, and that thus they are directed by the Lord towards ends to eternity, which ends the Lord alone knows." (AC 2796)
     We are all limited in our ability to take in this truth, and in the degree of light and comfort we have in acknowledging that there is a directing from above; there is a connection; it is known to the Lord.

     SERMONS IN NEW CHURCH LIFE

     The idea was to publish at this time the same sermon that appeared in the January issue of 1881. Alas, there was no sermon in that issue of 100 years ago. The custom of having a sermon in each issue did not take hold for a few years. The first issue of NEW CHURCH LIFE did at least mention a sermon if only to comment that it "was, in itself good, and was delivered in a way that could not fail to move one's good affections."
     The earliest sermon we found was one by the Rev. Richard deCharms in 1882 on the subject of marriage. This one was much longer than the one we have chosen to print in this issue. We would share a portion of it. The preacher addresses himself to the question of why people are interested in weddings. Why does the news of an intended wedding spread so quickly! Why, for that matter, do readers of NEW CHURCH LIFE often turn first to the back pages to read of marriages and other announcements!
     We need not ascribe this merely to an idle curiosity. Are there not good reasons for a special interest in this subject! By the way, Swedenborg once observed in heaven that people were hurrying to attend a discourse. Why the hurry! The subject was conjugial love "and discourse on that subject attracts by a certain secret power . . ." (CL 316)
     The sermon put it this way: "When a marriage is afoot, who is not anxious to know something, if not all about it! What curiosity, what solicitude does it not excite! Though its very importance makes the parties most intimately concerned, frequently desirous to keep it a profound secret, how hard it is to effect this, and how often does the projected match become the common talk for miles around!

A sort of instinct or common perception, leads people to suspect, pry out and proclaim any such projects, in spite of all efforts to conceal them. And how much rejoicing, how much congratulation is there in the event!
     "Can this common feeling of interest in marriage as a project, and this common consent to honor it as an event, be traced to any other cause than a common perception that it is a thing of much moment, arising from deep springs in our natures and having important influence on our destiny!" (NEW CHURCH LIFE 1882, p. 7)
     As this sermon was published a number of years after the death of Richard de Charms, we imagine it was first preached well over 120 years ago. Letters to the editor in later issues indicated that readers welcomed the appearance of sermons in the journal, and over the years they have appeared with steady regularity. The sermon on delight in the present issue echoes one of the themes of our last General Assembly but in words spoken a century ago.
     It is our editorial good fortune to have an increasing number of ministers in the General Church and an opportunity in issues yet to come to publish sermons by a rich variety of different ministers.

     APPEARANCE OF NEW CHURCH LIFE

     As this journal begins its second century, the place of publication has changed from Lancaster to Bryn Athyn. Concurrent with the change from Lancaster Press to the General Church Press, we are changing our external appearance. Here briefly are the changes that have taken place in the past.
     Beginning in 1881 NEW CHURCH LIFE consisted of a set of sixteen pages unbound. It was about a foot tall and 8H inches wide. The title appeared on the upper left-hand side of the front page, as was illustrated with an enlarged facsimile on page 329 of our July issue last year.
     Twenty years later came the metamorphosis. The LIFE became "LIFE as we know it." The cover in 1900 was similar to covers of recent years, the color being a greyish green. By 1921 the color was blue and remained so until 1937. It switched to a golden yellow in 1938 and then to the familiar green in 1952.
     Besides color there were two less obvious alterations. One was the change in 1924 to our present size (a reduction of only half an inch), the other was the change in 1932 in the way the cover was affixed. Prior to that date, the covers were glued on, making the edges square rather than as we see them now with stitched covers.

     The policy of the magazine has not changed at any time. It has continued to be "devoted to the teachings revealed through Emanuel Swedenborg." One of those teachings is that internals are far more important than externals.

     COVER DESIGN

     The cover design was by Mr. Richard Cook. We are indebted to a number of people for helping in the transitions being made as we go into our 101st year.
"INNOCENCE VS. THE PREVENTION OF OFFSPRING" 1981

"INNOCENCE VS. THE PREVENTION OF OFFSPRING" JOHN L. ODHNER 1981

     COMMUNICATIONS
Dear Editor:

     I am delighted to see that Stephen Cole's article, "Innocence Vs. the Prevention of Offspring" (NCL August 1980, p. 356), has elicited some response. A lively discussion of such a timely subject is very useful, especially when each different viewpoint comes from a conscience formed from genuine study and reflection on the Word (as Mr. Cole suggests, p. 363).
     I would like to see similar discussion on the subject of spiritual offspring. We can think of spiritual offspring as being the various kinds of mutual love that are born from conjugial love (cf. AC 2738, 2739). But there are many other kinds of spiritual offspring. Apocalypse Explained 1002 divides the "good that results from chastity in marriage" into three categories: "The good works of chastity concern the married couples themselves, or their children or their descendants, or heavenly societies." Perhaps these good works are three kinds of spiritual offspring.
     Can single people also have spiritual offspring? If they can, what is the difference between the spiritual offspring that results from marriage of two people into one, and the offspring of the marriage of will and understanding in one person!

The conjunction of charity and faith is like the marriage of a husband and wife. From the husband as a father, and from the wife as a mother, all natural offspring are born. Similarly, from charity as a father, and from faith as a mother, are born all spiritual offspring, which are the knowledges of good and truth. From this may be understood what is meant by the generation of spiritual families. In the Word also, in its spiritual sense, husband and father signify the good of charity, and wife and mother, the truth of faith. From this again it is evident that neither charity alone, nor faith alone, can produce good works, lust as neither a husband alone, nor a wife alone, can produce children. (TCR 377; cf. 306, 307)

When will and understanding are united, the offspring produced will not always be good:

If the will is not raised from the lower region into the higher, and there united with the understanding, it remains in the world. The understanding then flies upwards and downwards; but every nigh I it descends to the will beneath and there comes to rest, and their union, like that of husband and courtesan, produces ill-favoured offspring. (TCR 602)

If a husband and wife are not being regenerated, will their offspring on the mental level also be ill-favored?
     A better understanding of spiritual birth may lead us into a better understanding of spiritual conception, gestation, and labor (which in the order of creation was probably painless, but for the "woman clothed with the sun" it is described as torture). We could also ask what spiritual barrenness is, or what spiritual abortion is. We may even come to understand what spiritual birth control is, and debate whether the use of it is allowable.
     In the literal sense, the Word speaks of offspring thousands of times, as sons, daughters, children, infants, babes, etc. The word "children" occurs on the average more than once on every page of the Word. Each time, the spiritual sense is telling us something about spiritual offspring. How can we see more clearly that it is also talking about our lives!
     JOHN L. ODHNER,

     Lake Helen, Florida

     [An article on "spiritual offspring" will appear in the February issue.]
"INNOCENCE VS. THE PREVENTION OF OFFSPRING" 1981

"INNOCENCE VS. THE PREVENTION OF OFFSPRING" Rev. IAN A. ARNOLD 1981

From the Rev. Ian Arnold of Sydney, Australia we have received a letter of congratulations and good wishes. He also comments on the article by the Rev. Stephen Cole, Innocence Vs. The Prevention of Offspring.
Innocence, he points out, should not be thought of as ignorance and naivete but as a willingness to be led by the Lord. "I believe it is a willingness to be led by the Lord in the exercise of prudence which is the important thing where size of family, limitation of offspring, etc. is concerned.

"I cannot understand why anyone should feel called upon to uphold the current validity of W. F. Pendleton's seventh principle of the Academy which, as Mr. Cole rightly points out (page 358), was not intended to state an official position, nor to bind the future. Surely the Church must grow in its understanding and not remain locked in a position which represented thinking 100 or more years ago. And the fact that thinking changes and develops, or that the principle is substantially qualified in the minds of many, must not be taken to suggest, or be construed as implying, the success of the serpent."
REV. IAN A. ARNOLD,
West Pymble,
New South Wales, Australia
RECEPTION OF TRUTH BY AFRICANS 1981

RECEPTION OF TRUTH BY AFRICANS KENNETH B. BLAIR 1981

To the Editor:

     I was heartened and enthused by the Rev. Geoffrey Howard's recent article describing the latest "happenings" in Ghana.
     There are three passages in the Writings you may wish to share with the readers of NEW CHURCH LIFE on the subject of Africans:
     The Africans are more receptive of the Heavenly Doctrine than others in this earth, because they freely receive the doctrine concerning the Lord, and have it as if implanted in themselves that God will altogether appear as a man. They are in the faculty of receiving the truths of faith, and especially its goods, because they are of a celestial disposition.
     The African race can be in greater enlightenment than others on this earth, since they are such that they think more interiorly, and so receive truths and acknowledge them. Others, as the Europeans, think only exteriorly, and receive truths in the memory; nor do they see them interiorly from an intellectual light. (Last Judgment Posthumous 118, 119)
     Among the heathen in heaven the Africans are most beloved, for they receive the goods and truths of heaven more readily than others. (Heaven and Hell 326)
     As the Africans surpass all other Gentiles in interior judgment I have had conversation with them on matters of more profound inquiry and latterly about God, and the Lord the Redeemer, and about the inner and outer man. They were delighted with this conversation (True Christian Religion 837).
     The specific references to the reception of truth by Africans bears mentioning following the Rev. Howard's inspiring experience.
     KENNETH B. BLAIR,
          Fair Winds Manor,
          Sarver, Pennsylvania

Church News 1981

Church News Various 1981

     LOS ANGELES

     We have been very remiss in neglecting to report any of our activities in the Los Angeles area since our California Assembly in April of 1978. However, you may be assured that we are very much alive. We have regular Sunday morning services and Sunday School, except for one Sunday a month when we have an evening service instead. This is to permit our pastor, Rev. Simons, to travel to San Francisco on Saturday for a class that evening and a Sunday morning service for that group. During the past year, Rev. Cedric King has also done this once a month, coming up from San Diego. Since the shift from an evening service and Monday class which was the previous arrangement, the attendance of the San Francisco area has improved so greatly that they have been promised a resident minister of their own in the very near future.
     For a year the Los Angeles society carried on an interesting experiment after the regular church service. We would adjourn immediately following a slightly shortened service to an informal discussion led by one of our laymen who had done some preparation, and during this time the pastor took the Sunday School children. These discussions were very enjoyable, and we feel they have led to a better Feeling of communication and unity among us. We have discontinued this practice this year in favor of a more diversified and detailed Sunday School effort but hope to return to the discussions again sometime.
     Once a month we have a luncheon after the church service, at the church, and utilize this extended time and usually larger gathering to hold Board meetings. Our Board of Trustees, which handles our Financial affairs and makes minor decisions, has been ably led over the past three years, first by Gaylor Smith, then Bergen Junge, and presently Fred Fiedler. Fred has also
stimulated some good work parties including exterior painting of the building.
     The domestic affairs of the church have been aided by two fund raising ventures in the last two years, one in cooperation with the Hobbiton Fair put on by Carl and Pat Odhner and their marionette show, where we were the sole purveyors of food, and this year a bake sale in connection with a local benefit fair. Both of these ventures were a lot of work, the burden being most heavily carried by Creta Davidson and Shirley Jensen although many others helped. We may have to go back to a good old rummage sale another year! Greta, head of our Women's Guild, along with Rosemary Campbell, the Guild treasurer, and Shirley Jensen, secretary and also head of the chancel arrangements, also Madge Davis form the nucleus of a group of hard-working people who keep the practical affairs of the church running, and we should also include here Ruth Zuber who, besides ably supporting everything, is our organist. Gaylor Smith, our head usher, is another dependable member for whose services we are grateful.
     Our festival services usually average over fifty as people from all areas make a special effort to come to La Crescenta at these times. Christmas tableaux have been very successfully put on by Laurie and Ken Williams for two years and by Zoe Simons last year, with the happy and reverent cooperation of our older children. For two years we joined with our San Diego friends and also invited Convention friends to celebrate the 19th of June at a restaurant half-way between San Diego and Los Angeles. But we have also had special celebrations of our own, more specifically directed towards the children who receive gifts at this time.

One year we borrowed a live apple tree from a local nursery and decorated it with fresh fruit to represent the "tree of life" (Rev. 21), and this last year adults and children combined efforts to ultimate the crown of revelation" as described in AC 3350, by making a large golden crown decorated with multi-colored paper and gems in a collage, which we then hung over our luncheon banquet table.
     When Bill and lane Schroeder moved 300 miles away to Mariposa, for Bill's new job, they were sorely missed in our group; however, for three years in a row they have graciously welcomed our "adult retreat" weekend to their spacious home. Friends have come from both San Francisco and San Diego to join with some from Los Angeles for instruction and discussion. Last year Rev. Doug Taylor joined the retreat and conducted most useful sessions on evangelization.
     Four-day church camp for our children has been a special feature of every summer. One summer Carl and Pat Odhner taught the children the skill of marionette making, and they made and dressed the cast, and performed the story of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The last two summers we have held camp at the Campbell estate, where, under the direction of Kim Brewer, the children made many craft items, and learned water safety from Ginny (Norman) Campbell and had instruction in the story of Joseph from Rev. Simons and Rev. Cedric King. This last summer was especially notable for a beautiful panorama of the creation and Garden of Eden, which was the religious theme of the camp. Direction by Linda Scalbom made this panorama so outstanding that we have transferred it to the walls of our assembly room.
     The year 1979 was a time of some turmoil and indecision in our society as some members felt that another location might be more convenient for more of our far-flung group and that a slightly smaller church building would make us feel more comfortable and be easier to manage and maintain. A committee under the able leadership of John Davidson investigated the present market value of our property and the possibilities of another location which might be more central. Although our property has more than tripled in value, we came to the conclusion that we are as centrally located for our membership as it is possible to be in this broad area, and that it would cost us as much or more to acquire a smaller property of much less potential. This was all reported and discussed at our meeting with the Bishop during his episcopal visit in November 1979. It was also discussed with two members of the Development Committee of the General Church who met with us at a special meeting. We were advised that, while we know there is need for developmental funds throughout the General Church, we are not to feel pressured to repay the loan which was granted us to buy this building so long as we are maintaining and using it to the best of our ability. And so we have mentally taken a deep breath and re-dedicated ourselves to the work in this area, and are making particular efforts to reemphasize the Sunday School work with our children. A Sunday School teachers' group has been formed under the leadership of the pastor and Ray David, and this work is going forward with new inspiration. I am sure this was a source of great satisfaction to David Campbell who saw the beginning of this effort taking place just before he was so suddenly called to his uses in the spiritual world on August 17, 1980. David, together with his wife Rosemary, have been pillars of this society all their married life. Not only was David presently our treasurer and representative on the Board of Directors of the General Church, but he faithfully supported every aspect of our society life. It was his particular dream that we should have a New Church school for the Los Angeles Society. He is greatly missed among us, and our love and affection go out to Rosemary and to the rest of his family.

     The Lord appears to take away, but He also gives, and as if in answer to our prayers, three young couples have joined us within the last few months: Martin and Gabrielle Echols with two children, Bob and Andra Davis, and Bob and Mary Jane Stitt. There is also a young man, Brian Blair. who will be our new treasurer. As may be seen in THE HISTORY OF THE LOS ANGELES SOCIETY, a labor of love just completed by Eve Klippenstein and ready for publication, the Los Angeles Society has had many ups and downs, and we feel we are now on an upswing. Our contribution at the General Assembly included a resume of the many economic advantages of California, gathered by Bergen lunge, and beautiful pictures of the fabulous natural resources of this state, taken by Kerry Zuber and arranged by Kim and Howard Brewer. But to really appreciate California you must see it for yourselves. Come and visit us! Come and loin us!
     ZOE SIMONS

ANNUAL MEETINGS 1981

ANNUAL MEETINGS B. DAVID HOLM 1981

     Announcements

     General Church of the New Jerusalem
     The Annual meetings of the Council of the Clergy and the Board of Directors of the General Church have been scheduled to take place in the week of March 2-7, 1981, at Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania.
     B. DAVID HOLM,

     Secretary
PUBLIC WORSHIP AND DOCTRINAL CLASSES 1981

PUBLIC WORSHIP AND DOCTRINAL CLASSES 1981

     GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM

RIGHT REV. LOUIS B. KING, BISHOP
RIGHT REV. GEORGE DE CHARMS, BISHOP EMERITUS
RIGHT REV. WILLARD D. PENDLETON, BISHOP EMERITUS
REV. LORENTZ R. SONESON, SECRETARY OF THE CHURCH (UNINCORPORATED)
MR. STEPHEN PITCAIRN, SECRETARY OF THE CORPORATION
MR. L. E. GYLLENHAAL, TREASURER
Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania 19009, U. S. A.

     PUBLIC WORSHIP AND DOCTRINAL CLASSES

     The purpose of this Directory is to give information concerning the availability of Public Worship and Doctrinal Classes in General Church centers. Where the pastor is resident, his name and address is given; where not, the name of another person who can be contacted is given.

Code: "Sun 11:15; Class 1 3 Wed 8" means Divine Worship every Sunday at 11:15 a.m.; Doctrinal Class on first and third Wednesdays of every month at 8:00 p.m."

     AUSTRALIA

     SYDNEY, N.S.W.
Sun 11; Class bi-weekly Fri. Faster: Rev. Michael D. Gladish, 22 Dudley Street, Penshurst, N.S.W. 2222. Phone: 57 1589.

     BRAZIL

     RIO DE JANEIRO
Sun 11; monthly class. Minister: Rev. Andrew J. Heilman, Rua Ferreira de Sampaio 58. Apt. 101, Abolicao, Rio de Janeiro 20.000.

     CANADA

     British Columbia:

     DAWSON CREEK
Sun 11; Class Fri 8. Pastor: Rev. William H. Clifford, 1536 94th Ave., Dawson Creek, VIG 1H1. Phone: (604) 782-5997.

     VANCOUVER
Quarterly. Mr. Douglas Crompton, 21-7055 Blake St., Phone (604) 437-9136.

     Ontario:

     KITCHENER
Sun 11; Class Fri 8:30. Pastor: Rev. Christopher R. I. Smith, 16 Bannockburn Rd., R.R. 2, N2G 3W5. Phone: (519) 893-7460.

     OTTAWA
Bimonthly. Mr. and Mrs. Donald McMaster, 726 Edison Avenue, Apt. 33, Ottawa. Phone: (613) 729-6452.

     TORONTO
Sun 11; Class Wed 8. Pastor: Rev. Geoffrey S. Childs, 2 Lorraine Gardens, Islington, Ontario M9B 424. Phone: (416)231-4958.

     Quebec:

     MONTREAL
Bimonthly. Mr. Denis de Chazal, 17 Ballantyne Ave. So., Montreal West, Quebec H4X 281. Phone: (514)-489-9862.

     DENMARK

     COPENHAGEN
Sun 11; Class occasional. Mr. Jorgen Hauptmann, Strandvejen 22, Jyllinge, 4000 Roskilde. Phone: 03-389968.

     ENGLAND

     COLCHESTER
Sun 11; Class Wed. Faster: Rev. Patrick A. Rose, 43 Athelstan Rd., Colchester CO3 3TW, England. Phone: Colchester 5644.

     LETCHWORTH
Monthly. Mr. and Mrs. R. Evans, 111 Howard Drive, Letchworth, Herts. Phone Letchworth 4751.

     LONDON
Sun 11; weekly regional classes. Pastor: Rev. Erik E. Sandstrom. 135 Mantilla Rd., London SW17 8DX. Phone: 672- 6239.

     MANCHESTER
Monthly. Mrs. Neil Rowcliffe. 135 Bury Old Road, Heywood. Lancs. Phone: Heywood 68189.

     WEST COUNTRY
Monthly. Mrs. R. H. Griffith. Wyngarth Wootton Fitzpaine, Bridport DT6 6NF. Phone: Charmouth 614.

     FRANCE

     BOURGUINON-MEURSANGES
Minister: Rev. Alain Nicolier. 21200 Beaune, France. Phone: (80) 22.47.88.

     HOLLAND

     THE HAGUE
Quarterly. Mr. Daan Lupker, Wabserveen Straat 25, The Hague.

     NEW ZEALAND

     AUCKLAND
Occasional. Mrs. Marion Mills, 8 Duders Ave., Devonport, Auckland 9. Phone: 453-043.

     NORWAY

     Oslo
Sun 11:30, Class occasional. Mr. Eyvind C. Boyesen, Vetlandsveien 82A, Oslo 6. Phone: 26-1159.

     SCOTLAND

     EDINBURGH
Occasional. Mr. and Mrs. N. Laidlaw, 35 Swanspring Ave., Edinburg EH 10-6NA. Phone: 031-445-2377.

     GLASGOW
Occasional. Mrs. J. Clarkson, Hillview. Balmore, Nr. Torrance, Glasgow, Phone: Balmore 262.

     SOUTH AFRICA

     Natal:

     DURBAN
Sun 9:30, Class Wed. 8. Pastor: Rev. Geoffrey H. Howard, 30 Perth Rd., Westville.

     Transvaal:

     JOHANNESBURG Cc
4 Sun 3:30; Class 4 Sat 8:15. Mr. John N. Sharpe, 7 Rose Rd., Houghton, Johannesburg, Transvaal 2001, Phone: 011434162.

     Zululand:

     KENT MANOR
Secretary: Louisa Allais, 129 Anderson Road, Mandini, Zululand 4490.

     Mission in South Africa:
Superintendent-The Rev. Norman E. Riley, 42 Pitlochry Rd., Westville 3630, Natal.

     SWEDEN

     JONKOPING:
Sun., 10:45. Class frequently. Pastor: Rev. Bjorn A. H. Boyesen, Bruksater, Furusjo, 5-56600, Habo. Phone. 0392-20395.

     STOCKHOLM
Sun 11. Class biweekly, 7:30. Pastor Rev. Ragnar Boyesen. Aladdinsvagen 27, 161 38 Bromma. Phone: 48-99-22 and 26-79-85.

     UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

     Alabama:

     BIRMINGHAM
Monthly. Dr. R. B. Shepard, 4537 Dolly Ridge Road, Birmingham, AL 35243. Phone: (205) 967-3442.

     Arizona:

     PHOENIX
2 Sun 4. Mr. Hubert O. Rydstrom, 3680 E. Piccadilly Rd., Phoenix. AZ 85018 Phone: (602)955-2290.

     TUCSON
Sun 11. Pastor: Rev. Roy Franson, 8416 East Kenyon Dr., Tucson, AZ 85710. Phone: (602)296-1070.

     California:

     LOS ANGELES
Sun 11; weekly regional classes. Pastor: Rev. David R. Simons, 4615 Briggs Ave., La Crescenta, CA 91214. Phone: (213)248-3243.

     SAN DIEGO
Sun 11; Class Fri 7:30. Acting Pastor: Rev. Cedric King, 7911 County Way, San Diego, CA 92123.Phone: (714)268-0379.

     SAN FRANCISCO
Twice monthly. Sun 4; Class Mon 8, Mrs. Paul Cooper, 5744 Pontiac Dr., San Jose, CA 95123.

     Colorado:

     DENVER
Monthly occasional. Mr. James Andrews, 9722 Majestic Rd., Longmont, CO. 80501:

     Connecticut:

     HARTFORD
2 Sun 11:30; Class Sat before 2 Sun 8:00.

     SHELTON
4 Sun 11:00, Class 3 Thurs 8:00. Pastor: Rev. Christopher Bown. 145 Shadyside La., Milford, CT 06460. Phone: (203)877-1141.

     Delaware:

     WILMINGTON
2 Sun 11, Class 3 Wed 8. Mrs. Justin K. Hyatt, 417 Delaware Ave., McDaniel Crest, Wilmington, DE 19803. Phone: (302)478-4213.

     District of Columbia-see Maryland.

     Florida:

     LAKE HELEN
1, 3, 4, 5 Sun 11, 2 Sat 11; Class 1, 3, 4, 5 Sat 7, 2 Fri 7. Minister: Rev. John Odhner, P. O. Box 187. No. 8 Seminole St., Cassadaga, FL 32706. Phone: (904)228-2337.

     MIAMI
Sun 11; Class 1, 2, 4 Thu 8. Minister: Rev. Glenn G. Alden 211 N.W.150 St., Miami, FL 33168. Phone: (305)685-2253.

     Georgia:

     AMERICUS
Sun 11 Minister: Rev. Louis Synnestvedt, Rt. 3, Box 136. Americus, GA 31709. Phone: (912)924-9221

     ATLANTA
Sun 11. Class Thu even. Pastor: Rev. Thomas L. Kline, 3795 Montford Dr., Chamblee, GA 30341. Phone: (404)451-7111.

     Illinois:

     CHICAGO
Occasional. Pastor-in-charge: Rev. Brian Keith, 2712 Brassie Dr., Glenview, IL 60025. Phone: (312)724-7829.

     DECATUR
Every six wks. Mr. John Aymer, 380 Oak Lane, Decatur IL 62562. Phone: (217)875-3215.

     GLENVIEW
Sun 9:45 and 11; Class Fri 7. Pastor: Rev. Peter M. Buss, 73 Park Dr., Glenview, IL 60025. Phone: (312)724-0120.

     Idaho:

     FRUITLAND
(Idaho-Oregon border)-Sun 11, Class Fri. 7. Mr. Harold Rand, 1705 Whitley Dr., Fruitland. Phone: (208)452-3181W.

     Indiana:

     INDIANAPOLIS
Occasional. Ms. Rachel Ebert, 1404 N. Lebanon St., Lebanon, IN 46052. Phone: (317)482-6658.

     Louisiana:

     BATON ROUGE
Occasional. Mr. Henry B. Bruser, Jr., 1652 Ormandy Dr., Baton Rouge, LA 70808. Phone: (504)924-3089

     Maryland:

     BALTIMORE
Sun 11. Visiting Minister: Rev. Lawson M. Smith, 11721 Whittler Rd., Mitchellville, MD 20716. Phone: (301)262-2349

     MITCHELLVILLE
Sun; Class Fri 8:15. Pastor: Rev. Daniel W. Heinrichs, 3809 Enterprise Rd., Mitchellville, MD 20716. Phone: (301)262-4565

     Massachusetts:

     BOSTON
2 Sun 2. 140 Bowdoin St.; Class 2 Sat 6. Mr. Douglas Peterson, 124 Chalmers, Springfield, MA 01118. Phone: (413)783-2851.

     Michigan:

     DETROIT
Sun 11; Class Sat 8:30. Pastor: Rev. Walter E. Orthwein, 132 Kirk La., Troy, MI 48084. Phone: (313)689-6118.

     EAST LANSING
Monthly. Mr. Christopher Clark, 5853 Smithfield, East Lansing, MI 48823. Phone: (517)351-2880.

     Minnesota:

     ST. PAUL-MINNEAPOLIS
4 Sun 11; Class 4 Sat 8. Mrs. Tore Gram, 20185 Vine St., Excelsior, MN 55331. Phone: (612)474-9574.

     Missouri:

     COLUMBIA
Occasional. Mr. David Zeigler, 1616 B Norms Ct., Columbia, MO 65201. Phone: (314)442-0569.

     KANSAS CITY
Occasional. Mr. Glen Klippenstein, Glenkirk Farms, Maysville, MO 64469. Phone: 449-2167.

     New Jersey-New York:

     RIDGEWOOD, N.J.
1 and 3 Sun 11; Class Sat before 3 Sun 8:00, 3 Mon 8:00. Mrs. Edsall Elliott, 26 Fieldstone Dr., Whippany, NJ 07981. Phone: (201)887-0478.

     North Carolina:

     CHARLOTTE
Monthly. Sun 11; Class Sat even. Mr. Gordon Smith, 38 Newriver Trace, Clover, SC 29710. Phone: (803)831-2355.

     Ohio:

     CINCINNATI
2 4 Sun 11; Class 2 4 Sat 8:30. Pastor: Rev. Stephen D. Cole, 6431 Mayflower Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45237. Phone: (513) 631-1210.

     CLEVELAND
1 3 Sun 12:30; Class 1 3 Sat 8. Mr. Wm. B. Alden, 4142 Brecksville Rd., Richfield, OH 44286. Phone: (26) 659-4776.

     COLUMBUS
Monthly. Mr. Hubert Heinrichs, 8372 Todd Street Rd. Sunbury, OH 43074. Phone: (614)524-2738.

     Oklahoma:

     TULSA
Occasional. Mrs. Louise Tennis, 3546 S. Marion, Tulsa, OK 74135. Phone: (918) 742-8495.

     Oregon:

     PORTLAND
Quarterly. Mrs. W. D. Andrews, 2655 S.W. Upper Drive PI., Portland, OR 97201. Phone: (503) 227-4144. Oregon-Idaho Border.-See Idaho, Fruitland.

     Pennsylvania:

     BRYN ATHYN
Sun 9:45, 11, 8; Class Fri 8. Pastor: Rev. Kurt H. Asplundh, Box 277, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009. Phone: (215) 947-3665.

     ERIE
Monthly. Sun 11; Class Sat even. Mrs. Paul A. Murray, 5648 Zuck Rd., Erie, PA 16506. Phone: (814) 833-0962.

     KEMPTON
Sun 11, Pastor: Rev. Arne Bau-Madsen, Pox 527, Rt. 1, Lenhartsville, PA 19534. Phone: (215) 756-6139.

     PITTSBURGH
Sun 11; Class Fri 8. Pastor: Rev. Donald L. Rose, 7420 Ben Hur St., Pittsburgh, PA 15208. Phone: (412) 731-1061.

     South Carolina:- see North Carolina.

     South Dakota:

     ORAL-HOT SPRINGS
Pastor: Rev. Erik Sandstrom, RR 1, Box 101M, Hot Springs, SD 57747. Phone: (605)745-6714

     Texas:

     FORT WORTH
Occasional. Mrs. Charles E. Hogan, 7513 Evelyn La., Ft. Worth, TX 76118. Phone: (817) 284-0502.

     HOUSTON
Occasional. Mr. Bruce Coffin, Pamina Manor, Conroe, TX 77301. (713) 273-4989.

     Washington:

     SEATTLE
1, 3 Sunday 11:30. Minister: Rev. Junge, 14323-123rd NE, #C, Kirkland, WA 98033. Phone: (206) 821-0157.

     Wisconsin:

     MADISON
2 Sun 11. Class. Mrs. Charles Howell, 3912 Plymouth Circle, Madison, WI 53705. Phone: (608)-233-0209.
IN CELEBRATION OF THE BIRTHDAY OF EMANUEL SWEDENBORG 1981

IN CELEBRATION OF THE BIRTHDAY OF EMANUEL SWEDENBORG 1981

May we suggest the following books:
Swedenborg, Life and Teaching, by Trobridge

                                        Leather           $8.00
                                             Rexine           4.00
                                             Paper           1.45
Revelation Through the Ages, by Johnson                         .65
Introduction to the Word Explained, by Acton                     2.50
Swedenborg's Preparation, by Acton                              1.60
Letters and Memorials of Swedenborg, by Acton
                                        Two volume set      8.00
And for Children:
Life of Swedenborg, Illustrated, by Bogg                         .95
Swedenborg, the Scientist, by Dufty                              .40
The Happy Isles, by Sutton                                   3.35
     (Please odd extra for postage)

     GENERAL CHURCH          Hours: 9 to 12
BOOK CENTER               Monday thru Friday
BRYN ATHYN               Phone: 215 947 3921
PA. 19009

NOTES ON THIS ISSUE 1981

NOTES ON THIS ISSUE Editor 1981

NEW CHURCH LIFE
Vol. CI February, 1981 No. 2

     "What are spiritual offspring?" That was the question posed by young newcomers to the spiritual world (CL 44). You may gain a greater appreciation of what spiritual offspring actually are from an article in this issue. The writer, Rev. John L. Odhner, has not before written for this magazine apart from a letter last month introducing the same subject. Ordained last June, Mr. Odhner works in Florida.
     With new ministers becoming more plentiful it becomes more likely that our readers will be unacquainted with our authors. It has been requested that we identify them from time to time.
     The sermon by Rev. Kent Junge is his first in our pages. Ordained in 1979, he was assigned as minister of the Northwestern District of the United States.
     Rev. George Dole of the Convention is not a complete stranger to our pages. His translation of Heaven and Hell into modern English received considerable attention a few years ago. Although shortcomings of that translation have been noted, one young reader commented, "Why, this reads like a book you could just read" (NCL, 1976 p. 490). How many conversations have there been over the years on the subject of rendering the concepts of the Writings into faithful and easily readable English! The article by Dr. David Gladish (who lives on an island in Michigan) is a very positive contribution in this area, to say the least!
     We also welcome in this issue Dr. Dan Heilman (who practices medicine near Pittsburgh, PA) as he begins a discussion of the question of numerical growth in the years ahead. Dr. Heilman's wife, Nancy, wrote the book review in the January issue.
     Rev. Brian Keith responds in this issue to the question of using the name "Jesus." A relative newcomer to our pages (notable exception: 1979 p. 33), he is Assistant Pastor of the Immanuel Church, Glenview, and Principal of the Midwestern Academy.
     On page 114 we announce the recognition of a new society in the Church. For a reminder that such a recognition has been a rare thing in our history see the December issue (p. 598).

HOPE 1981

HOPE Rev. KENT JUNGE 1981

     "It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord" (Lam. 3:26).

     I

     We know that we really ought to trust the Lord. Yet, how often we seem to fall short of what the Heavenly Doctrines describe as a genuine trust in the Lord. "The desire of foreknowing the future," we are told, "is taken away from those who believe in the Divine Providence and there is given them a confidence that the Lord will appoint their lot" (DP 179).
     Who among us can claim to have such a calm, peaceful assurance! Even as we express a sincere conviction in the Lord's guidance, the future is ever on our minds. We still worry. We still make elaborate plans for the future. We lie awake nights wondering if an offhand remark we made will be taken wrongly. We anticipate wars and economic depressions. We take educated risks in our business and try to predict the outcome of human relationships. Even if we have resigned ourselves to our own path in life, the sight of offspring and friends embarking on the same path renews all the fears and misgivings we had before. Throughout our lives we wonder if the spiritual damage we have done to ourselves and to others is irreparable or whether a new insight will be provided to ensure our progress towards heavenly life. Our confidence in the Lord's providence is called into question again and again.
     Yet in all this there is not necessarily a wilful denial of the Lord. It would be unfair to suggest that in our concern for family and friends or our own spiritual destiny there is a total lack of trust in the Lord's guidance. The Lord takes into account our state of mind during these doubts and temptations. If at such times our despair is so great that we forget trust or even cry out against the Lord it is disregarded. In the Arcana Coelestia we read of what happens when men's thoughts turn against the Lord in their despair during temptation: ". . . those who are in despair, which is the last of temptation, think such things, and then they are as it were on a slope, or as it were sinking downward toward hell. But at this time such thought does no harm whatever, nor do the angels pay any attention to it, for every man's power is limited, and when the temptation arrives at the furthest limit of his power, the man cannot sustain anything more but sinks down" (AC 8165:2). We will always have doubts during temptation, and the Lord works through these doubts rather than accuse us for them.
     There must, then, be some middle ground. Surely we are not to suppose that a lack of complete and regenerate trust on the one hand condemns us to utter denial on the other hand.

The Lord has provided such a middle ground. It is called hope.
     "It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord."
     We may not be able to say with conviction that the Lord is at work in our usefulness, our families or our regeneration. But we are allowed to say, "I hope so." And there should be no shame in this. It is not an evasion of responsibility to rely on hope as a genuine step toward conviction. In the Psalms we may see how closely hope is allied with trust: "Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord, his God" (Ps. 146:5). "And now, Lord, what wait I for! My hope is in thee" (Ps. 39:9) ". . . Thou art He that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts" (Ps. 22:9). "I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in His Word do I hope" (Ps. 130:5). The truths and ideals which are presented throughout the Word are often accompanied with messages of hope lest we should despair in attaining those ideals.

     II

     Hope, however, is not just a half-way measure for those who have not yet been regenerated nor is it just a temporary relief for our doubts. It is an integral part of our regeneration. It is by means of hope that the Lord can keep us aware of His presence during temptation. It is through hope that we recognize Him and turn to Him for help during our lowest times. And finally it is through hope that the Lord gives us the freedom to turn to Him.
     There are innumerable ways in which the Lord is present with us. If it were not for life from the Lord flowing in through our souls we would cease to exist. Not only is life from the Lord, but we are constantly sustained in that life by His providence. Through the careful regulation of those things which affect our lives the Lord is never absent. We know that He stores up remains-affections for good and truth in us-which He protects at all times so that He can stay with us. We have learned that the Lord is present with us through His angels, perpetually establishing a balance in our lives, counteracting the evils which attack us. Finally, through the written Word, the knowledge of the Lord and His means for taking care of us is always available. The ways that the Lord is with us do not disappear during temptation. In fact, there is a sense in which, because of our need for Him, the Lord is closer than ever during our struggles with evil.
     Yet, what of all this do we remember during temptation? As often as not, when we are tempted, we do not feel like going to the Word and even when we do we don't always understand what is said.

That is part of the temptation. While we acknowledge the affections for good and truth which the Lord has stored up, they do not seem readily available. They lust seem stored up. And almost never, even in our best moments, are we consciously aware of the Lord's life flowing into our souls or the details of His providential guidance. Often, when we have reached the depth of despair, our only thought is, "I hope the Lord is with me." In this small phrase, though, we have remembered the Lord. The Lord has maintained a foothold in our consciousness. We read again from the Arcana Coelestia: "As regards temptations the case with them is . . . that the hells fight against man and the Lord for man; to every falsity which the hells inject there is an answer from the Divine. The falsities which are from the hells are injected and flow into the external or natural man; but the answer from the Divine flows into the internal or spiritual man. This (answer) . . . does not come to the man's perception so much as do the falsities . . . (but) in such a manner as scarcely comes to the perception other than as a hope and consequent consolation . . ." (AC 8159:3).

     III

     It is not by accident that we see the Lord during temptations as a small glimpse of hope rather than as a blinding flash of conviction. For not only does hope inspire us to turn to the Lord but it gives us the freedom to do so. Hope does not blare out at us demanding attention. There is no overwhelming commitment required of us by hope. Hope deals with possibilities. It does not force us to believe. Because it rises above much of our conscious thought, hope is immune to direct attacks on our will. This is why, when everything we love is under attack and what we truly believe is smothered in doubt, hope remains free. When we can no longer say "It must be," hope rises above our numbed conviction and says "Yes, but it could be," and we are revived.

     IV

     Hope is necessary even apart from temptation. It is man's great delight to be able to take what he loves and speculate on how to bring it into his life. This accounts for the delight we have in making plans. It is fun, at limes, to guess; to look into the future and imagine our dreams coming to fruition. Once again, hope enables us to do this. Without hope we would be convinced of what the future would bring. Our delight in anticipation would be lost. In our lesson today we read: ". . . If (man) knew the effect or result (of his love) from Divine prediction his reason would come to rest and with it his love; . . . It is the very delight of reason to see from love the effect in thought-not the effect in its attainment, but before it, that is, not in the present but in the future. Hence man has what is called hope, which increases and decreases in the reason as he looks forward to the event" (DP 178).

Hope is merely a small step in life. It is not enough simply to hope. In temptation we must also fight. In looking to the future we must also put our plans to work. Hope must lead to firm conviction. In the meantime, however, hope sustains us in our troubles, gives light to our plans for the future and inspires our prayers: "Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in Thee" (Ps. 33:22).

Lessons: Lam. 3:22-41Matt. 5:1-12, 10:22, 26-31DP 178 CHEERED BY HOPE 1981

CHEERED BY HOPE 1981

One who overcomes (in temptation) is indeed in doubt, but still, if he suffers himself to be cheered by hope, he stands fast in what is affirmative. A. C. 2338 CAMPERS! A MAINE COAST VACATION FOR YOU 1981

CAMPERS! A MAINE COAST VACATION FOR YOU 1981

     Treat yourself and your family this summer to the soul-satisfying peacefulness and unmatched beauty of the Maine coast-and to the company of other New Church campers from many places.
     Already, ocean-loving outdoors-people from both Canada and the United States have expressed enthusiastic interest in the family camp for New Church people being organized by the Society in Bath, Maine, for the last week in August, i. e., the 23rd to the 30th.
     Recreation and informal fellowship will be the theme. Only four hundred yards from the campsite there is a warm water lagoon (safe for children) and a one-and-a-half mile long white sandy beach with a good surf for the rugged individualist. And literally dozens of other unforgettable scenic spots lie within a few miles' radius of the camp.
     Relaxed mobility will be enhanced by the fact that each camping unit will be on its own, responsible for its own food and shelter (but toilets and hot showers will be available).
     For those who are interested, however, the camp director, Rev. Nemitz, will provide a few spiritually-oriented activities, including a class and project for the children, a campfire hymn-sing and evening prayer.
     If you are even just a bit interested at this early moment, drop us a card now and we will send you some exciting brochures.

Write:     Maine Coast New Church Camp
          Rev. Kurt P. Nemitz, Director
          887 Middle Street
          Bath, ME 04530

FUNCTION OF PRAYER 1981

FUNCTION OF PRAYER Rev. CHRISTOPHER R. J. SMITH 1981

     Address to the Fourth Canadian Assembly, October, 1978

     There is a God. And this God is one. He is a Man. He is our Creator. He is our Father. He is our Savior. He is our Friend, our Comforter and our Counselor. These are just words that I have spoken. They can move us deeply or they can leave us unaffected.
     When we are left untouched, or unaffected by statements of spiritual truth, it could be because we are experiencing difficulty in raising our attention to higher things. Or it may be that we are in something of a dry, wilderness state, or perhaps we are like a sheep that is lost, having wandered away from the Lord's pasture.
     But the Lord sees us wherever we are and is always gently calling for our attention. Please try for a moment to picture the scene on Mt. Horeb when Moses was caring for the flocks of Jethro. That was the occasion when Moses saw the burning bush and said, "I will turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt" (Ex. 3:3).
     The Lord was asking Moses to turn his attention to Him. From time to time, the Lord can also put something in our path to make us turn aside, to see and to reflect on His presence with us. Whatever this something is, it draws our attention. We come closer-we begin to examine it. Then as soon as we give our full attention to the matter, the Lord speaks. "Moses, Moses," He said, "Do not come near; put off your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground" (Ex. 3:4-5).
     When we hear the Lord call or feel our attention being drawn to Him, we are to humble ourselves. We are to rise above our purely earthly or sensual concerns and become aware of our spiritual life. Otherwise the Lord cannot approach any further. The communication is broken before it really begins.
     Moses humbled himself as far as he could at that moment. But he was not so humble that he had complete faith and trust in the Lord. He was still very concerned about his own well-being. He was able to argue and suggest that the Lord make other arrangements for finding someone to speak to Pharaoh! Nevertheless, the act of taking off his shoes was sufficient for Moses to come into the presence of the Lord so that communication could begin.
     When communication takes place between God and man, or rather, whenever a person talks to the Lord, hoping for some response, it is called prayer.

     My purpose in speaking on the subject of prayer is to review what is said about why and how we are to pray and then to remind ourselves of its tremendous use and power. With some of you the teachings I shall present may be fairly new and encouraging. Others may find that I am putting a different emphasis on their traditional idea and practice of prayer. And again some of you may hear nothing but general encouragement to continue doing what the Lord said when he told the disciples that "they ought always to pray and not lose heart" (Luke 18:1).

     WHAT IS PRAYER

     Generally speaking, prayer is thought of as words that are spoken by man to God. That is true enough. But the Writings make a statement that is sometimes overlooked. They say, "Prayer, regarded in itself, is speech (or talking) with God" (AC 2535). Notice that it does not say talking to or at God, but with Him. In other words, prayer is communication with the Lord. It is a discussion. The Lord is able to and does answer.
     Just as a child talks to his parent, so our praying to the Lord allows Him to give us counsel, to remove our doubts, and to give us encouragement. That is why He asks us to pray to Him, if only because it helps Him to regenerate us!
     If the person praying has some humility, if he has some degree of sincerity, if: the prayer shows concern for the welfare of oneself or for that of others, then the Lord hears that prayer.

     PRAYER ANSWERED

     This would logically lead us to ask, are our prayers answered! The Lord would not ask us to pray or to talk with Him if He did not respond in some way. "Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you" (Matt. 7:7). "When you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will forward you" (Matt. 6:6).
     Prayer gives the Lord access to our minds, so that He can enter and cleanse our loves and thoughts. And surely He takes full advantage of our willingness to turn to Him, which must come first. "It is common in all Divine worship, (we read) that man should first will, desire and pray, and the Lord then answer, inform, and do; otherwise man does not receive anything Divine" (AR 376).
     Provided that our prayer is sincere, that we "ask for nothing but what is good," (AE 325:8) then, as the Lord says, "Whatever you ask in My Name, I will do it" John 14:13; 15:7).

"Whatever any one asks not from self but from the Lord he receives" (AE 411:15).
     What the Lord does can include one or more of several specific things. He can give us truth (AR 956; AC 10299:3). He can clarify or increase our understanding of the matter we may be talking about-the answer to a problem may suddenly be revealed. And depending on our state and what we are praying about, the Lord can leave us with a feeling of "hope, consolation, or a certain inward joy" (AC 2535; DLW 335).
     Without fail, then, the Lord does answer our prayer every time, even if the answer is "No!" The answer, however, may not be heard because we are not listening. Or it may not be seen because we are looking in the wrong direction. Or it may not be noticed because we are expecting something else. It may have been answered, but in a way we had not looked for or expected. We may also have missed the answer simply for not keeping still to wait for the reply!

     THE LORD'S EXAMPLE

     In thinking about prayer, it would seem appropriate to look at the Lord and His ministry and teaching. Right after His baptism by John, the first thing you and I could have noticed as bystanders is that Jesus prayed. "Now when all the people were baptized and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him" (Luke 3: 21-22).
     By His baptism, Jesus showed what we understand for us is a commitment to live by the Ten Commandments and to regenerate. Then right after His baptism, the Lord prayed, which tells me that prayer is a vital part of the life of following Him and His example.
     After His praying, it is said that heaven was opened. Is not this the general purpose of prayer, to have heaven opened up for us to enter-to be conjoined with the Lord! Heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended.
     In this description of what happened immediately after the Lord's baptism, it seems to me that we are shown in a nutshell the place of prayer and its effect on our lives. We are to communicate with our Father, asking that the life of heaven be opened to us. He will hear us. He will respond.
     It is interesting to note also the Lord's first public action after the baptism. With a whip of cords He drove out the moneychangers and those who sold various animals in the temple, declaring, "It is written, 'My house shall be a house of prayer;' but you have made it a den of robbers" (Luke 19:46). The Lord did not say a house of sacrifice, nor a house of thanksgiving and praise, nor a house of holiness.

He repeated what is said in the Old Testament. The temple, the center of our worship, is to be a place of prayer, a place for conversation, discussion with our Father in the heavens.
     Reading the whole account of the Lord's public ministry, one cannot help but be impressed with the fact that the Lord Himself prayed. He would go "up on the mountain by Himself to pray" (Matt. 14:23). On occasion He prayed aloud in front of the crowds. Before feeding the five thousand, He looked up to heaven and gave thanks before distributing the five leaves and two fishes.
     While people were gathered around the tomb of Lazarus, watching to see what would happen after the Lord ordered the stone seal to be removed, "Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You hear Me always, but I have said this on account of the people standing by, that they may believe that You did send Me" (John 11: 41-42).
     Near the end of the Lord's ministry in Canaan, we are familiar with the Easter story. Just before the betrayal and trial, we are told of the Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane.

And He came out, and went, as was His custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed Him. And when He came to the place He said to them, 'Pray that you may not enter into temptation.' And He withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, 'Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.' And when He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow. And He said to them, 'Why do you sleep! Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation' (Luke 22:39-46).

     We are told that the Lord's life on earth, all that He said and did, was a pattern of the way that He regenerates each one of us. It was an example for us to follow. If the Lord pray ed, then so should we. In fact, the Lord requests and urges us to pray as a regular part of each day we live.

     PRAYER REQUESTED

     The Word has many direct statements saying that we are to pray, for one reason or another. For instance, in the Psalms we are asked to "pray for the peace of Jerusalem" (122:6). In the Gospels we are asked to "pray for those who persecute you" (Matt. 5:44). And "Pray . . . the Lord of harvest to send out labourers into His harvest" (Luke 10:2). In the Heavenly Doctrine it is written: "Saying prayers (is) necessary" (AC 7038).

We are told a person "must pray," a person "must pray to the Lord for help," if he is to refrain from sins, shun them and turn away from them (AE 803:2).

     AID TO REGENERATION

     Regeneration requires us to fully see and acknowledge that really we are nothing and that the Lord is everything. We can have nothing unless it is given to us by Him. This truth is completely contrary to the appearance that I am my own person and can manage quite well without the Lord.
     The acceptance of the truth that I am as dependent on the Lord as a branch on the vine requires a growing sense of humility. And that is one essential use of prayer. Certainly prayer can soften or humble our hearts and stiff necks, for he who prays is in a state of humility (AC 7391, 5957; DLW 335). And the way is then open for the Holy Spirit to come into our lives, for the Lord to draw near and give us the answer we are looking for.
     Much as a flower turns itself to the sun for its own benefit, when praying we turn our minds to the Lord, and we in turn are blessed. When we do turn our minds to prayer, we are actually giving something to the Lord! But how much more does the Lord give back!

     PERSONAL AND PUBLIC PRAYER TAKE: PRACTICE

     In a book called The Daily Study Bible, The Gospel of Mark by William Barclay, I think a very perceptive point is made: "Not to pray is to be guilty of the incredible folly of ignoring the possibility of adding God to our resources" (p. 41). But while we may see its use and may hear the Lord telling us to pray, we still may find it difficult to do.
     Oh yes, we can easily repeat the Lord's Prayer. But speaking our own words, whether in private thought or in public speaking, can seem easy until we try it. It may seem a simple thing for me to be speaking to you right now. But how often does the simple task of get ting up in front of a number of people to talk become very difficult! Our mind can go blank. We can mumble or forget to speak up or even ramble and fail to get to the point!
     It may be that we feel comfortable and free to pray only when we have gone into our room and shut the door. We may find difficulty, however, in using our own words. And we may find it almost impossible to pray aloud, in front of others, as is so often done in the Old and New Testaments, and as Swedenborg records in some of the memorable relations.

     Once when I was on a pastoral trip on the west coast, it was made very clear to me that for one reason or another I had great difficulty in talking to the Lord while others were listening. I was visiting a group of people for the first time who were very interested in the Writings. At the end of a delightful evening of discussion about the New Church and its teachings, I was suddenly asked to conclude the gathering with a prayer. A sense of panic came upon me. How could I pray aloud, on behalf of these people, without turning to the right page in my Liturgy and reading one of the numbered prayers there!
     It was that experience, coupled with attendance at many meetings of priests from various churches in Dawson Creek, that led me to believe that the prayers I gave during a service of worship were more like impersonal recitations of some other man's words. I came to feel that I myself was repeating a vain repetition! It seemed that I was offering the Lord second-hand speech. It also seemed to me that I did not really want to speak to the Lord, at least not directly. It struck me that I was actually trying to keep Him at a distance.
     The question nagged me, if prayer is talking to the Lord, why couldn't I do lust that, whether in private or in public? Why does the Lord require me to speak any differently to Him than I should to you right now?
     Certainly I do not have to be able to speak as eloquently as Solomon during his prayer at the dedication of the temple. Many were the times, for example, when Moses prayed aloud, and yet he told the Lord at the burning bush, "I am not eloquent, either heretofore or since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and of tongue" (Exod. 4:10).
     Gradually I became far more accepting of the impromptu or extemporaneous prayers that I heard among other Christians. And gradually I found that with practice it wasn't so hard to do myself. And I now believe that it is more in accord with what the Lord teaches me in how to pray.

     HOW TO PRAY

     What are some of the things that the Lord tells us about how to pray!
     Use your own words. Certainly the Lord's Prayer is the most holy prayer we can use. But is it to be the only prayer we are to say? Some have believed this, although I can find nothing that the Lord says to support such a belief. The Lord's Prayer is a Divine example of what we are to pray for. Moreover, I believe that we can say the Lord's Prayer too often. There is a danger that it can be a "vain repetition."

Our lips are speaking while our minds are thinking about something else. Such a prayer is "mere babbling!" (AC 1094)
     If "prayer, regarded in itself, is talking with God," (AC 2535) then we are invited to do just that! Use your own words. Speak your own thoughts.
Communicate. The Writings say that "prayer is nothing but communication" (AC 3285). That is why the Lord said during His sermon on the mount, when ye pray, "do not heap up empty phrases," (Matt. 6:7) for then there is no communication. It is like two people talking to each other with false flattery. We are to speak what is on our mind with honesty and sincerity. "Truth is what prays in a man" (AE 493) and allows communication to take place.
     We cannot have good communication if we stick to generalities and abstractions. This can be as unproductive as declaring to the Lord that I am a sinner. The Word informs me that I must be specific. What exactly did I do that makes me call myself a sinner! Good communication in prayer, then, will require getting down to details-mentioning specific feelings, problems, or matters that you want to talk about.
     Kneel. How important is it to kneel? When reading parts of the Old and New Testaments where someone is praying, including Jesus Himself, quite often the person praying is standing. But there are also examples of kneeling and even prostration. In the Garden of Gethsemane it is written that Jesus "knelt down and prayed," (Luke 22:41) and also that "He fell on His face and prayed" (Matt. 26:41).
     When appropriate, and when reasonably possible, it is preferable that one kneel or be completely prostrated, for this is "a bodily act that corresponds to humiliation of mind" (AC 6266). "What does the Lord require of you but . . . to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8) Therefore we should resist any idea of a "stiff neck."
     We are told that "all inward endeavors that are of the will, thus of the love or affections, consequently of the life, have outward acts or gestures corresponding to them" (AC 5323). That is why "humiliation of heart produces kneeling . . . (and) humiliation still greater and more internal produces prostration to the earth" (AC 4215:2, 5323).
     During the night when Swedenborg was first called by the Lord, he found himself prostrated. And he writes, "I held together my hands, and prayed, and then came forth a hand, which squeezed my hands hard" (Journal of Dreams 53). Later, Swedenborg was given to say that "external things of the body, that are of worship (include). . .saying prayers kneeling" (Charity 174).

     WHEN TO PRAY

     Begin of childhood. The Word says that "the things which man as a little child in its first age learns eagerly or believes (includes especially this) . . . that he ought to pray daily, and this with humility" (AC 5135:3).
     A child needs to pray daily not only for the good habit it will give him in his later years but also for the special communication it gives him with heaven at the time. "The prayers of infants have a much fuller hearing in heaven than the prayers of adults" (SD 2435). Their little minds are opened and the Lord flows in "for nothing has yet closed their ideas, as is the case with adults: no principles of falsity against the understanding of truth, and no life of evil against becoming wise" (AC 2291; HH 336).
     For the sake of his becoming wise in adult life, a child will be better prepared if he has learned how to pray and has cultivated the habit. He will have an external custom that will become an aid to his regeneration.
     "Every man from his infancy enters upon life from externals (the Writings say), learning to act morally and to speak intelligently. When he acquires some idea of heaven and the blessedness there, he begins to pray, to attend church and to perform the rites of worship" (TCR 568:2). Common experience testifies that an adult is more likely "to pray, to attend church and to perform the rites of worship" if these things had been a well-founded part of his childhood.
     Daily. "Piety (we read) consists . . . in devoting much time to prayer" (NJHD 124). If we are to spend "much time" in prayer, we can see why we read elsewhere in the Word that we are to "always" pray, (Luke 18:1) that we "ought to pray daily," (AC 5135:3) "morning and evening, also at dinners and suppers" (Charity 174). When we are living a life of charity, it is said that we are in fact "constantly praying, if not with the mouth yet with the heart" (AE 325:12).
     When necessary we should pray if only from a sense of duty, for "prayers to the Lord, if made from conscience, as a duty, are good"(SD 3126). It is right and good to pray even when we do not feel like it, but know that we should! The effort is to be made from our conscience.
     Doing Repentance. We pray, "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" (Matt. 6:13). We hope for salvation. And we can and should be confident that it will come (NJHD 115; TCR 344; AR 67, 553e, 839), provided that we do our part, including praying for it.
     When doing repentance, listen to the emphasis given to the need for prayer in these short passages:

Every man is so constituted as to be able, by the Lord's power, if he begs for it, to shun evils as of himself (Life 31e).
A man must act of himself but from the Lord's power, which he must petition for (Life 104e).
When he sees it and knows what sin is, he is able, if he implores the Lord's help, to cease willing it, to shun it, and afterwards to act against it (DP 278, 281:3).
The Divine Providence works in every man in a thousand ways. . .and its unceasing end is to purify him . . . Nothing is incumbent on man except to remove evils in the external man. All the rest the Lord provides if He is appealed to (DP 296e; Charity 203).
He who leads a life of faith does repentance daily; for he reflects upon the evils that are in him, acknowledges them, guards himself against them, and supplicates the Lord for aid (AC 8391).
Actual repentance is examining oneself, recognizing and acknowledging one's sins, praying to the Lord, and beginning a new life (TCR 528).
Confession ought to be made before the Lord God the Savior, followed by supplication for help and the power to resist evils (TCR 538; AE 936:2, 938:2).
He must pray to the Lord for help (AE 803:2).

     Consider the prayer given by Swedenborg at the time of his call: "And oh! Almighty Jesus Christ, that Thou, of Thy so great mercy, deignest to come to so great a sinner. Make me worthy of Thy grace. . . .Thou hast promised to take to grace all sinners; Thou canst do nothing else than keep Thy Word" (Journal of Dreams 53, 54). Swedenborg says that these words were put into his mouth. Who put them there but the Lord Himself!
     During distress or trouble. While suffering horrendous temptations in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Lord prayed. "Being in agony He prayed more earnestly; and His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down upon the ground" (Luke 22:44). Following the Lord's own example, we are to pray to Him during times of temptation.
     While we are to pray during temptation, that is not to be our only line of defense, otherwise the temptation will serve no use for our own salvation. So the Writings caution us: "They who are in temptations are wont to slack their hands and betake themselves solely to prayers, which they then ardently pour forth, not knowing that prayers will not avail, but they must fight against the falsities and evils which are being injected by the hells" (AC 8179:2).

     If we simply ask the Lord to take the temptation away, then the request is "little heard," for "the Lord does not heed prayers that are contrary to the end, which is salvation" (AC 8179:3). Our prayer is always to be qualified with the request that not our will but the Lord's be done.
     Sometimes we may not be sure of whether or not we are in a spiritual temptation, but we are sure when we feel distress and are sorely troubled! And we can pray about it. Consider the misery of Hannah as she continued childless. "She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord, and wept bitterly" (1 Kings 1:10). She poured out her soul. The Lord heard her and gave her a son, Samuel.
     How often did the Children of Israel beg to be delivered from a distressing punishment that was their own fault? On one occasion the "people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes; and when the Lord heard it, His anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them, and consumed some outlying parts of the camp. Then the people cried to Moses; and Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire abated" (Num. 11:1-2). A similar thing happened when the people said to Moses: "Pray to the Lord, that He take away the snakes from us" (Num. 21:7).
     Imagine the agony of King Hezekiah after reading the letter of Sennacherib, promising the massacre of those in Jerusalem. He could not defend himself. The situation seemed hopeless, but still he went to pray.
     "Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread (the letter) before the Lord, and said: 'O Lord the God of Israel, who art enthroned above the cherubim, Thou art the God, Thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; Thou hast made heaven and earth. Incline Thy ear, O Lord, and hear; open Thy eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. Of a truth, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone, therefore they were destroyed. So now, O Lord our God, save us, I beseech Thee, from his hand, that all kingdoms of the earth may know that Thou, O Lord, art God alone" (2 Kings 19:14-19).
     We hear a beautiful, moving plea of a man facing certain disaster. He asked the Lord for help. Isaiah the prophet brought a swift answer: "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Your prayer to Me about Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard" (2 Kings 19:20). That night the angel of the Lord decimated Sennacherib's army.

     Similar prayers for help in distress are found in the Book of Jonah, when Jonah had been swallowed by the fish, and also throughout the Book of Psalms.
     Reading the Word. Reading the Word should be a prayerful time. The Lord is speaking. He is telling us things that He would like us to know. We need to ensure that we are hearing or understanding properly requiring us to talk as well, asking the Lord exactly what He means and whether or not we have the right message.
     We are told that "the Word should be searched with devout prayer to the Lord for enlightenment" (AC 5432e; AR 956). We are to take notice that, "at this day, everyone who, while reading the Word, approaches the Lord alone, and prays to Him, is enlightened in the Word" (Doct. of the Lord 2e).

     WHAT TO PRAY FOR

     I have been speaking of the times and states in which we should pray, with mention of several specific things for which we should pray. Consider now some further specific things that should make up the content of our prayers.
     Direction. We need to ask the Lord about the direction of our lives. "Make me to know Thy ways, O Lord; teach me Thy paths. Lead me in Thy truth, and teach me, for Thou art the God of my salvation" (Ps. 25: 4-5).
     We are told that "it is because prudence is from God and not from man that the Christian in his devotions prays that God will lead his thoughts, counsels, and deeds; adding also, because from himself he cannot do this" (DP 191:2; SD 3527). In fact it is said that "whoever prays in his heart to God implores Him to lead him, because He is able" (DP 157:8).
     Soon after his call to be a revelator, Swedenborg wrote: "Lord Jesus Christ, lead me to and upon the way on which You would have me walk" (Intr. to Word Explained, p. 122).
     It is not just with long-term goals that we need to be given direction. We can profit by directly asking the Lord's help in immediate matters in which we do not know the way to go.
     When the servant of Abraham reached Haran, the city where he was to find a wife for Isaac, how was he to go about his immediate task! He began by praying. But before he had finished speaking to the Lord about his problem, the answer came as Rebekah walked into sight (Gen. 24:15).
     In the memorable relations we are occasionally told of people stopping their discussion to ask the Lord for immediate direction.

     New Church. We are to pray for the New Church. "Thy kingdom come." "He who knows anything of the Lord's coming, (we read) and of the New Heaven and New Church, thus of the Lord's kingdom, should pray that it may come" (AR 956).
     When a building is being consecrated for the worship of the Lord, "prayer must be offered that God may be present, and there unite Himself with the Church" (TCR 126).
     Spiritual health. We are to pray for our own spiritual health. "Give us this day our daily bread." A wise man is aware of the source of all that is good and knows what he should ask for. "To those who are in a life of love and charity it is given from the Lord what they are to ask, therefore they ask nothing but what is good," (AE 325:8) "for only heavenly and spiritual things" (AC 2535).
     Charity. We are to pray for strength to show charity toward others. "Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors." And the Lord says, "Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against any one . . . ." (Mark 11:25)
     If we should withhold forgiveness toward someone then our piety, our charity, our worship, is a mockery. Then we have not believed in the Lord and therefore our "prayers become in heaven like bad-smelling odors . . . ." (TCR 108) Without removing such a glaring evil, "prayer to God is not heard" (TCR 394:4; Jeremiah 7:16). "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me" (Ps. 66:18).
     Consider how Saul allowed himself to develop and express hatred toward David. Consistently he disobeyed the Lord. It is a tragic and pitiful scene when Saul calls up Samuel from the dead and says to him, "I am in great distress; for the Philistines are warring against me, and God has turned away from me and answers me no more" (1 Samuel 28:15).
     Because of the wickedness of the people, the Lord told Jeremiah: "Do not pray for this people, or lift up cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with Me, for I do not hear you" (Jer. 7:16).
     Prayer is useless and accomplishes nothing unless we first make a deliberate effort to abstain from thinking and doing evil, making the necessary effort to live by what the Lord teaches us. Then our life of charity is genuine, and our prayers, our adoration and worship of the Lord is acceptable to Him (AE 248e).

     CONCLUSION

     A general summary of all that is taught about prayer is given to us in this passage from the Heavenly Doctrine:

Let them pray in this manner: 'That the Lord may be with them continually, that He may uplift and turn His countenance to them, that He may teach, enlighten, and lead them, because of themselves they can do nothing that is good, and grant that they may live; that the devil may not seduce them and pour evils into their hearts, inasmuch as they know that if they are not led by the Lord, he leads them, and breathes into them evils of every kind, such as hatred, revenge, cunning, and deceit, as a serpent instils poison; for he is at hand, exciting and continually accusing, and when he meets with a heart turned away from God, he enters in and dwells there, and draws down the soul to hell. O Lord, deliver us' (AE 1148:4).

Further remarks on prayer will appear in the March issue. [Ed.]
WHY IS IT HARD TO READ SWEDENBORG? 1981

WHY IS IT HARD TO READ SWEDENBORG? Dr. DAVID GLADISH 1981

     I want to say at once that the translation of the Writings in the Standard Edition published by the Swedenborg Foundation is invaluable. Its literal faithfulness to the Latin is a godsend for scholars and especially for us who read Latin laboriously. And if you have no Latin at all, where else could you learn for yourself what Swedenborg said!
     Yet you often hear the complaint that the Writings are in "obsolete mid-Victorian English."
     They aren't, of course. The English we associate with the Writings does not resemble idiomatic English of any period in the history of the language. It hardly pretends to, and shouldn't. It's a unique style that marshals any English word or phrase that will give the best idea of how the original Latin expressed itself.
     This is precisely the translation's value for scholarship. At the same time, this is its greatest flaw in the eyes of your average reader. He puts it aside in exasperation or despair. He wants to read something like the instantaneous translations you hear in the UN or a summit conference. What he sees is something like an interlinear translation for foreign language students-only he's not interested in the foreign language.
     Two years ago I showed a volume of the Arcana to a college-educated engineer who loves the Bible. He gave it back with a sneer that "it's just gobbledegook." This means that he never found out what Swedenborg was saying. How could he evaluate the substance if he couldn't handle the form?

     A long time ago I remember a very loyal New Churchman confiding to a small group that he never read the Writings "because of all the footnotes." Now, footnotes are scarce as hen's teeth in the Writings, so he obviously had some other reason-like the fact that when the prose is stuffy and difficult you assume there must be lots of footnotes.
     A few years ago I gave an anonymous questionnaire to a gathering of twenty-six New Church people to find out what our reading habits really were. I'll cite a few of the more interesting results of the questionnaire.
     Only three of the twenty-six said they read Swedenborg every day.
     Another four read regularly, but not every day.
     That means that nineteen of the people evidently did not read regularly-though fifteen said they read occasionally.
     The general reading habits of the group were dramatically different. Twelve of the people said they read lots of books a year, and twelve said they could read a book in a week or less!
     Why should there be so many good readers-even in the General Church membership, let alone outside it-who don't turn their gift to reading Swedenborg?
     Ironically, Swedenborg's Latin prose is crisp, concise and utilitarian, compared to our most available translation of it. Divine Providence, for example, runs about 300 pages in Latin, with about 350 words to a page. In English it takes 364 Pages at 400 words to a page. The Latin original has about 105,000 words, while the translation takes more than 145,000 words-an increase approaching fifty percent! Why!
     Without claiming to be a Latinist, I have read enough Latin to notice that, for one thing, Latin has a more graceful way of handling the passive voice than English has, so that every time Swedenborg uses a passive, a close translation inevitably comes out relatively verbose.
     The English expression I am carried, for example, takes only one word in Latin-portor.
     Then there is the gerundive in Latin, which can say in two words like esse delendam something that it takes English four words to say-is to be destroyed. (Actually, to be to be destroyed!)
     Latin also has deponent verbs, which have the passive form even though their force is active. Latin just seems to have more of an affinity for the passive voice than English does.
     Latin can be beautifully concise and still use lots of passives. Concise English can use passives only occasionally. English lends itself to active constructions like "the Lord led them," while Latin lends itself to passive constructions-e. g., ducti sunt Domino. We only approximate the effect if we say "they were led by the Lord"-not a word-for-word translation by any means, mind you, but a six-word-for-three-word paraphrase.

     English pronouns and articles account for a lot of words that Latin gets along without. Take the first seven words of Divine Love and Wisdom 131:
     The turning of angels to the Lord. . . .
     The whole sentence in the Standard Translation is "The turning of angels to the Lord is such that at every turn of their bodies they look toward the Lord as the sun in front of them."
     In Latin this phrase takes only four words. "The turning" is one word, conversio. "Of angels" is one word, ad dominum. "To the Lord" is two words, ad dominum, instead of three. Nearly doubling the number of words in this phrase introduces one hurdle for the reader, and in this case a second hurdle intrudes in the form of a phrase which is not very idiomatic English. We would normally say something like, "The angels turn to the Lord in such a way that," etc.
     In addition to the matter of wordiness, there are many other types of Latin constructions that come into English as just plain awkward, again due to the different geniuses of the two languages. I'll give only one example by way of illustration. Divine Providence 19 begins:

     Quod id quod est in bono. . . .

Translated word for word this could come out "That that that is in good. . . ."
     The Standard Edition improves on this with "That which is in good. . . ." It simply ignores the opening conjunction that Swedenborg is so fond of using in his rubrics.
     Standard English today would probably go one or two steps further, avoiding the stilted that which and dealing somehow with the puzzling is in good-perhaps "What participates in good. . ." or "What belongs to good. . . ." Today we only use the phrase is in good to mean "is on good terms [with]."
     The whole sentence in the Standard Edition is "That which is in good and also in truth is something, but that which is in evil and also in falsity is not any thing." Then the next sentence refers us to number 11, where approximately the same idea is handled with "have relation to good and truth."
     I feel sure that all members of the Church are, like me, eager to have the textual work and the new translation of Swedenborg which is in preparation. But at present the best we have is the Standard Edition, and I, for one, feel that a good, crisp re-write of this translation would fill an urgent need.
     A set of examples should show how and why. The first is a number from the Writings in Latin. The second is the same number taken from the Standard Edition. The third is a re-write of the Standard Edition, using the Latin for consultation. Divine Providence 19 will serve. We already had a glimpse at it.

1. Quod id quod est in bono et simul vero sit aliquid, et quod id quod est in malot simulfalso non sit aliquid: quod id quod est in bone et simul vero sit aliquid, videatur supra n. 11, inde sequitur, quod malum et simul falsum non sit aliquid. Per non esse aliquid, intelligitur nihil potentiae illi esse, et nihil vitae spiritualis: illis, qui in male et simul false sunt, qui omnes sunt in inferno, est quidem potentia inter se, malus enim malefacere potest, et quoque mille modis malefacit, attamen non nisi quam ex male potest malefacere malls, sed ne hilum potest malefacere bonis, et si bonis malefacit, quod fit quandoque, est per conjunctionem cum eorum male; ex eo sunt tentationes, quae sunt infestationes a malis apud se, et inde pugnae, per quas boni liberari possunt a suis malis. Quoniam nihil potentiae est malis, ideouniversum infernumcoram Domino est non mode quemadmodum nihilum, sed est prorsus nihilum quoad potentiam; quod ita sit per multam experientiam confirmatum vidi. Sed hoc mirabile est, quod omnes mali credant se potentes, et quod omnes boni credant se non potentes; causa est, quiam alipropriae potentiae, et sic astutiae et malitiae, tribuunt omnia, et nihil Domino; at boni nihil tribuunt propriae prudentiae, sed omnia Domino, qui est Omnipotens. Quod malum et simul falsum non sint aliquid, est quoque quia illis nihil vitae spiritualis est; quae causa est, quod vita infernalium non dicatur vita sed mors, quare cum omne aliquid est vitae, non potest esse aliquid morti. [about 250 words]

2. That which is in good and also in truth is something; but that which is in evil and also in falsity is not any thing. It may be seen above (n. 11), that what is in good and also in truth is something; and from this it follows that what is in evil and also in falsity is not any thing. Not being any thing, means to have no power and no spiritual life. Those who are in evil and also in falsity, and all such are in hell, have indeed power with one another; for an evil person is able to do evil, and does it in a thousand ways. And yet only from evil is he able to do evil to the evil; and not in the least is he able to do evil to the good; and if, as is sometimes the case, he does evil to those who are good, it is by a conjunction with their evil. This is the source of temptations, which are infestations by the evil who are with men, and consequent combats by means of which the good can be freed from their evils. As the evil have no power, so before the Lord the entire hell is not only as nothing, but in respect to power is absolutely nothing, as I have seen proved by abundant experience. And yet, what is wonderful, the wicked all believe themselves to be powerful, while the good all believe themselves to be destitute of power. The reason is that the evil attribute all things to their own power, and thus to shrewdness and cunning, and attribute nothing to the Lord; while the good attribute nothing to their own prudence, but all things to the Lord who is Almighty. Evil and falsity together are nor any thing, for the reason that there is no spiritual life in them; and this is why the life of the infernals is not called life, but death; since, therefore, all that is any thing must be ascribed to life, nothing [that is real] can be ascribed to death. [about 350 words]

     3. What participates hi good and truth together is something, but what participates in evil and falsity together is nothing.
     Number 11, above, shows that what relates to good and truth together is something, so anything relating to evil and falsity together is nothing. Not to be anything, we understand, means to have no power and no spiritual life. The evil and the false, who are all in hell, do have power among themselves, for an evil person can-and does-do evil in a thousand ways. Still, he can only do evil from evil, and to the evil, but not at all to the good.
     If he sometimes does evil to the good, it is by making use of the evil in them. This results in temptations. The evil about them infests, and the consequent struggles can free the good from their evils.
     Because no power belongs to the evil, all of hell not only seems like nothing before the Lord but in fact is nothing, so far as power goes. I have seen abundant proof of this.
     But the astonishing thing is that all the wicked think they are powerful, while all the good think they are not, because the evil credit the Lord with nothing and give the credit for everything to their own power-shrewdness and cunning. The good attribute nothing to their own prudence but everything to the Lord, who is Almighty.
     There is another reason why evil and falsity combined are nothing: they have no spiritual life. This is why we call infernal life death, not life. Everything belongs to life, so nothing can belong to death. [about 270 words]

     Please observe that what you have lust read is not a new translation. And it is not the kind of paraphrase you find in The Reader's Bible or Good News for Modern Man. Instead, it is a re-write of a translation. In other words, it actually says what the translation says, but in an idiom that we are used to in our secular reading and conversation.
     If you grew up in a New Church community, as I did, you heard the "language of the Writings" from the cradle, day in and day out, in church, in school, and sometimes at home. Ever notice how readily we fall into it, say, when we get up to propose a toast! We've been talking with the others at our own table in perfectly normal English, but when we find ourselves on our feet, out it gushes: "Much has been said of that by which we are affected. . ." instead of lust plain, "You've heard a lot already about what we love. . ." We get so used to it in reverent contexts that the patois itself seems to shed a dim religious light.
     But does it really come from the Writings themselves! Does it really help us communicate better among ourselves? Does it really create a favorable impression in our missionary efforts?

SPIRITUAL OFFSPRING 1981

SPIRITUAL OFFSPRING Rev. JOHN L. ODHNER 1981

     Sometimes it seems unfair that the angels in heaven cannot have children. Instead, we are told, they have spiritual offspring. "From marriages in the heavens, although married couples live together much as they do on earth, there are born not children, but goods and truths in their place" (AE 1000). Goods and truths in place of children! What kind of picture does this present to our minds! Do we think of spiritual offspring the way many Christians think of spirits-that they are like a breath or a puff of wind or ether! Or is spiritual offspring some mental creation that we can hardly understand and not at all picture until we come into the other life!
     Our idea of spiritual offspring may be more clear if we think in terms of the relationship between the married couple and the rest of society. Several passages indicate that the love a husband and wife have for other people is a product of their love for each other.

     Mutual love, such as there is in heaven, is not like conjugial love. Conjugial love consists in desiring to be in the other's life as a one; but mutual love consists in wishing better to another than to one's self, as is the case with the love of parents toward their children, and as is the love of those who are in the love of doing what is good, not for their sake, but because this is a joy to them. Such angelic love is derived from conjugial love, and is born from it as a child from its parent (AC 2738, emphasis added; see also HH 385, CL 65).

     We have a whole chapter in Conjugial Love to tell us how love of offspring is born from conjugial love (CL 385-414). However, as the above passage indicates, a couple's love for their children is only one of the forms that mutual love can take. The off spring of a true marriage includes all loves that are heavenly and spiritual. "Conjugial love is the fundamental love of all loves, celestial, spiritual, and therefore natural . . . . Conjugial love then is as the parent and other loves as the offspring" (CL 65, emphasis added; see also AC 4277). Again, "From the marriage of good and truth in the heavens descend all loves, which are such as the love of parents toward their children, the love of brothers for one another, and the love for relatives, and so on, according to their degrees in their order "(AC 2739; cp 2738).
     One form of mutual love is a chaste love of members of the opposite sex. The whole Word teaches that we should love our neighbors, and our neighbors are both men and women. Yet if a love of the other sex is to be truly spiritual, it must be free from any allurement. So we are told that for friendships between men and women outside of marriage, "the conjunctions of minds and not at the same time of bodies, or the effort toward this conjunction alone is a spiritual and therefore a chaste love; and this love they alone have who are in love truly conjugial (CL 55:7, emphasis added).

     In general, these passages seem to indicate that a marriage which is spiritually productive will look not only inwards to the perfection of the marriage, but also outwards to loving and serving others. For instance, imagine the common case of the married man who has a woman colleague. She is his neighbor, and he should love her. Often this will be an occasion for an unchaste love to arise. But if the man is wise enough to flee from adultery, and if his wife lovingly nurtures and encourages that wisdom, then a chaste love can be born. Wisdom will be the father, love will be the mother, and the offspring will be a chaste love for his colleague-a love which (when truly chaste) can become sweeter than any other love except conjugial love (CL 55:3).
     There is also spiritual birth involved in raising children. In most ancient times, children loved their parents "not on account of their birth from them, but because of the instruction and wisdom received from them, which was a second birth, in itself spiritual, because it was the birth of their spirit" (DP 215). It is easy to see that even in a disordered world a child's ideas and attitudes are the offspring of his parents' relationship with each other.
     Of course, the mutual love which springs from a true marriage can take many different farms. A man who has worked for years on a book will often dedicate it to his wife. Why! Because she played a part in bringing forth the book which no one else could have filled. The husband begins with an idea, a dream, a hope. His wife takes that idea and nourishes it, carries it in her mind, and gives inspiration and encouragement in hard times. After the book is born, she may continue to work on perfecting it, improving it, proofreading it, just as a mother chastens and educates her children, and just as the angels from spiritual parental love care for their spiritual offspring (see CL 211).
     Any time a husband or wife accomplishes something good, and gratefully acknowledges, "I couldn't have done it without you!"-can't we say that that good thing has been born from their conjunction-a kind of spiritual offspring !
     "The wisdom that is in men from the Lord feels nothing more delightful than to propagate its truths; and the love of wisdom which is in wives from the Lord feels nothing more delightful than to receive them, as in the womb, and so to conceive, carry, and bring them forth (CL 115).

RESURRECTION SERVICE FOR MARGIT K. BOYESEN 1981

RESURRECTION SERVICE FOR MARGIT K. BOYESEN Rev. ALFRED ACTON 1981

The Lord is good to all and His tender mercy is over all His works. In His infinite wisdom He gently leads the paths of men, illustrating in His Word the life of heaven and its beauty so that we can find the freedom to enter into its joys. Infinite wisdom, revealed in the Word, outlines the path to heaven. Its spiritual and natural senses serve as the Lord's rod and staff which comfort us in times of trouble. In addition, the Lord constantly pours upon us the sphere of His love. We are constantly able to enter into the stream of this inflowing affection and so into the stream of His providence as we allow good loves to find expression in our lives. We learn from revelation that this love, coupled with wisdom drawn from the Word, makes us truly human, truly created in the image and likeness of God. And, wonderful to say, as wisdom from the Word is united to inflowing love in the life of use we come into the true peace of heaven with its inmost innocence. We read: "When first born, man is introduced into a state of innocence, in order that this may be a plane for all the succeeding states, and be the inmost in them; which state is signified in the Word by a 'suckling' . . . (then) as he advances further in age, he is introduced into a state of the affection of truth; this as signified by 'young men,' and the subsequent states are signified by 'men,' and finally by 'old men.' This last state, signified by 'old men,' is the state of wisdom in which is the innocence of infancy; thus the first state and the last are united; and man, when old, being again a little child, but wise, is introduced into the Lord's kingdom" (AC 3183). The innocence of wisdom attained by the humble acknowledgement that all things are from the Lord, by the union of truth with charity, is indeed a most precious gift from God; for such innocence, though it has experienced the pain of evil and the full force of falsity; though it is fully aware of our potential inhumanity to one another, still recognizes the Lord's mercy and love, and so rests content in the stream of His providence. Good affections flowing from the Lord lift up the individual into the beauty of innocence united with wisdom. Full trust is the result. We join with the psalmist in acknowledging the Lord's tender mercy: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want."
Today we gather to celebrate the resurrection of our dear friend, Margit Boyesen. We trust that she now enters into a life more perfect than anything we can experience here on earth. Of course, we recognize our temporal loss.

We mourn our present inability to share with Margit in the uses we hold dear. Our affection suffers the pain of loss; but we remember the Lord's words: "Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted." We know that those who hope and patiently wait for the Lord will find such comfort. Hope, of course, comes from a vision of future happiness, a vision plainly revealed in the pages of revelation. We know the world which Margit now enters. We know that in the Lord's good pleasure that world will also become ours. As we patiently wait for the Lord's leading we find comfort in this reality. Still we mourn. We shall miss our friend. We shall miss the sparkle in her eyes, the force of her devotion, the smile on her lips, the fairminded openness which was ready to speak clearly to different sides of an issue, but always from the firm foundation of truth made her own through life. To us the innocence which we saw in her face was that true innocence of wisdom which the Lord has described for us in His Word. We shall miss our friend. But at the same time we can rejoice for her. We can rejoice for her in the knowledge that the infirmity of age will become but a distant memory as she grows young in the full beauty of wisdom which is the spiritual reality of true femininity. We can rejoice in the knowledge that she is now among friends, both those she knew here on earth and new friends with whom she shares spiritual affinity. Indeed, we rejoice for her in the knowledge that among those she is now meeting is that perfect partner who will complete her life. The joy she had in describing the ideal of love truly conjugial to many young people in the church now becomes a reality for her. The priceless gift of love which the Lord grants to those who look to Him in their daily lives now opens before her.
Still further cause for joy in our knowledge of her spiritual awakening is the reality that heaven is a life of uses. Those things to which Margit dedicated her life on earth will continue to inspire her with happiness in heaven. Care for the development of young women into the true beauty of ideal femininity, concern and respect for each student entrusted to her, dedication to excellence in her field which necessarily involved the full application of revealed truth to subject matter; indeed these fundamental uses which we associate with our friend will continue in her new life, and, in fact, will increase, for Margit no longer suffers the pain of natural sickness, or the infirmity of age.
Our friend was born in Sweden nearly seventy-two years ago on the first day of the new year. She grew up in her native land, taking an active part in the life of the church, entering into the uses of the church young people's discussions.

In these discussions her love for revealed truth took form and grew. At length, after achieving success in a career in Sweden, she decided that the Lord was leading her to work with the young people of the church, and so she left her homeland to become a New Church educator. After training at the Academy, she began her career with young people as an eighth grade teacher. Students learned quickly to love and respect her. They could trust her instruction and feel her warmth. In time she undertook responsibilities in the Academy College as Dean of Women and teacher of Sociology where she developed a unique course for young New Church women. During this period Margit also taught in the Academy Girl's School, developing a course in Human Body which has inspired many, many young women with both the ideal of true femininity and an affection for the subject. This latter work continued even into the present academic year, although Margit herself suffered physical pain as she pursued her goals. Clearly such a career has touched the lives of many, many young people with the inspiration of her dedication and her devotion. Yet, although she had accomplished so much, the sphere about her was always one of humility. She presented to us a true model of feminine wisdom which was once described by angel wives in these words, "You (men) exult over us on account of your wisdom, but we do not exult over you on account of ours; and yet ours excels yours, in that it enters into your inclinations and affections, and sees, perceives, and feels them" (CL 208). Yes, we shall miss our friend. We shall miss her accomplishments. We shall miss her example. But we rejoice for her in her new life. The uses which she cherished continue both for her in the new world which she enters and for us in the world she has left. And with uses shared there comes a special peace, the peace of use which unites itself with the innocence of wisdom in the inmost heavens. Jesus said: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27). Amen.
ON THE COMING HOME OF HOSTAGES 1981

ON THE COMING HOME OF HOSTAGES 1981

A Scriptural phrase quoted strikingly in the Writings is, "They shall sit under their own vine and under their own fig-tree, none making them afraid" (A. E. 403:12). Certain verses seem to lend themselves especially to occasions of thankful rejoicing when people can come home. We are sometimes astonished at the amount of feeling stirred within us when someone can at last be "in his own city, in his own home" or can "set foot on the longed-for land" (T. C. R. 304). We would like to comment on this in the March issue.

SHALL WE GROW? 1981

SHALL WE GROW? J. DANIEL HEILMAN 1981

     At a recent annual meeting of the Pittsburgh Society, the pastor spoke of a goal, now seriously being considered, of doubling the membership of the General Church in a decade. Among the invited comments from the floor was one which seemed disarmingly simple. In capsule, the suggestion was that each existent member of the Church make it his goal to "bring in" one person in the next ten years. This goal would seem within grasp even to the least evangelic of our ranks. We might simply reexamine the question in 1990 and either congratulate ourselves or address our failure to achieve the goal, whichever the case.
     Most self-respecting growth-oriented endeavors would be more systematic in approach, be they business, political party, or church. At the risk of appearing mundane, I thought there may be some provocative value in a "speculative analysis" of our living church. If I seem too introspective, I can only assert that self-examination is a basic tenet of our belief.
     In essence we are speaking about the exposure of a set of ideas, their implantation and growth within a larger society than we may have traditionally considered. One approach that has been used is that of Mr. Hugh Gyllenhaal where, by use of a questionnaire, he samples the thoughts and feelings of newcomers to the Church.* I am sure this is a valuable tool in gaining insight into how our Church may appear to others and into the points of contact. One interesting finding in this very small sampling, done in 1977, was that the most frequent initial point of contact was with laity.
     * Questionnaire to New Church New Member s1977-designed by Hugh Gyllenhaal
     The enticing formula: 1 member + 1 newcomer/10 years = Church X 2110 years, however, is statistically unsound. We all now know there is an attrition rate comprised of those who leave this earth, and those who leave the Church. The first seems certain; the second has historic argument. It would not be fair-minded in at least a sampling sense to neglect asking those people who seem to lapse membership: "Why!" By questioning only those who join our Church, we are introducing a selection bias which may please us but which may limit our growth.

     THE GROWTH PROSPECT

     The ultimate question as to why we have not grown as a church may be restated more appropriately, "Why is it that we have grown at a rate which raises concern!" To explain our questioned growth as a reflection of the state of the world implies the ominous conclusion that we are powerless until "the world" becomes ready for the Church.

I suspect we would be better served by formulating less generalized conceptions of "the world" (society in general), and perceiving it rather as a marketplace for ideas. Some evangelistic religions grow at an astonishing pace in that marketplace, and there are certainly receptive people who are searching for more meaningful religions-witness the Gyllenhaal questionnaire.
     If we are to consider those receptive people as our potential growth pool, then it is logical to consider the elements along the chain of our influence, and the modes for positive interaction. First consider the Revelatory sources which carry the doctrinal substance of our beliefs-the Word and the Writings of Swedenborg. The truths of these revealed sources find their way into man's willful life through direct reading and contemplation and/or through the pastoral efforts of the ministry. These truths are fortified in an individual insofar as they would comprise his willing and acting being. The elements of our living church then would be (1) the truths themselves; (2) the Revelatory sources-their form, style, accessibility; (3) the ministry; and (4) our people, as they reflect a dynamic composite of our social ideas, our educational values, and the very personal feelings which come from the synthesis of workable rules of living from those truths. These all represent potential points of interaction with receptive people.

     THE NECESSITY OF EXPOSURE

     For what may seem a frivolous digression, I would like to comment on the plight of the blue whale, described by the NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC.* Their estimated number in 1976 was 13,000, a mere 6% of its pre-whaling count, and at that time there was general concern over its impending extinction. Notwithstanding the species' social tendencies, there remained the discomforting law that a finite number existed where the odds fail for successful reproduction. In other words, the meeting and mating of two reproductive individuals in the immensity of the sea would occur at a rate unable to keep pace with their attrition. Although I am not suggesting that humans, in our multi-dimensional world and with our extraordinary communicative skills, can be compared to whales in the sea, there is one valid parallel for the purposes of this paper. This has to do with exposure. I'm not so concerned with the downside limit for man to propagate a powerful set of ideas. The supreme example of Jesus Christ illustrates this. In terms of growth, however, the odds of touching a receptive being increase with the chances for interaction. This has distinct implications in terms of where New Church people live, work, become educated, and worship.
     * National Geographic Vol. 150, No. 6 December, 1976
     The well-spring of our efforts to grow, then, are the Writings.

I suspect that for most newcomers the appeal of the Writings is in their quality for clarification rather than the delineation of an entirely new substance for religious life or thought. Although there clearly are distinctive teachings in the Writings, the newcomer usually finds himself confronted with an explanation of the traditional Christian issues and concerns. Many people believe in an afterlife; nowhere is that afterlife described in detail like in the Writings. The holiness of marriage would be verbally confirmed by many Christians and non-Christians today, but the dynamics of the marriage relationship are uniquely spelled out in CONJUGIAL LOVE. We must not err in thinking that because the Writings elaborate and explain the Trinity to a full measure, people of other persuasions are necessarily believers in three separate Divine Beings.
     One quality of the Writings which I find important is their interpretive nature. I don't mean to imply that they are arbitrary or mystical in their message, but rather that they do not address every contingency of modern-day living in a 1-2-3 cookbook fashion. This seems consistent with our notion of: the individual nature of man's relationship with God, of the importance of an active inquiry into matters of the spirit, and it fits well with our concept of human freedom.
     I think it very wise on the part of our clergy to teach these revealed truths in a clear and direct fashion, yet respect the truth that the individual judgment of man is the Lord's province alone. There are no go-betweens. We have all witnessed the devastating effect on the authority of some churches that comes from an over-indulgent prescription of edicts and individual judgments. We know of the prominence of fear in some religions, but we also know that the rational mind cannot reach its fullest potential in that environment. I think our ministers are aware of these things and some have an exquisite sense of expressing our teachings in a welcoming tone, a tone that clearly instructs without judgment, a tone that inspires one to do better without feeling crushed about one's failings. These are strong attributes if we are talking about appealing to others.
     It was pointed out in the Gyllenhaal questionnaire that the initial point of contact for newcomers was with laity. This would seem reasonable in view of the numbers, and the chances for interaction. If we accept that each individual is an energetic sphere in the form of a person, with his multiple activities and appearances whose influence on others is dynamic (varying in strength and polarity), then we might influence people in any number of ways depending on the positivity of our message and the state of the recipient. We know that the higher motives-concern for others, and steadfast respect for truth-come from God; that deceit, pettiness, stubbornness, disregard for others emanate from man's natural tendencies. To transmit our church to the receptive world there must be exposure of enough of the worthy forces incorporate in walking, talking, working and living Swedenborgians to increase the chances of a harmonious interaction with receptive persons.

The story of the blue whale is recapitulated but instead of propagating swimming mammals, we have the chance to promulgate ideas. It seems counter-productive to believe that the rate-limiting step in this propagative process is the scarcity of receptive people, although this has not been studied. I feel there may be room for improvement in both the frequency and strength of our message-sending, as individuals and as New Churchmen. The frequency of dir interactions has to do with where and with whom we work, live and socialize. Each person must find his formula here. Although the Writings tell us of the momentary nature of our life on earth, relative to eternity, they also expand upon the significance of that moment.

(To be continued)
NEW CONCEPTION OF MARRIAGE: ANGEL-MAKING 1981

NEW CONCEPTION OF MARRIAGE: ANGEL-MAKING STEPHEN GLADISH 1981

     Let me sketch an analogy to describe marital communion and growth. Think of the married couple as living together inside a womb-an invisible spiritual womb, that is-a heavenly sphere full of the presence of the Lord and His angels. Opening themselves to the Lord, they can be fed and nurtured from the finest substances. The conception, development, and rebirth of a marriage can parallel those stages of a fetus, begun at a propitious and divinely arranged time in the course of a marriage. (See references at the end of this article.)
     The married pair is protected in this beginning by their home, as the fetus is protected by the chorion, or outer membrane. The inner fetal membrane, the amniotic sac, is their home in the mind. Here they live with the water, or applied truth, cushioning and nurturing them. At the end of their life together on earth, they hope to come down the birth canal to be reborn in their second life as one angel.
     From one man and one woman, as from a sperm and an ovum, they join together to become a living organism.

They begin to grow as one angel. The newly-formed cell cluster, protecting the soul in a sphere of its own, implants itself in the uterine lining for shelter and nourishment, like partners going to the Word for daily worship, open to each other and the Lord. Two partners can discover a renascent spiritual relationship, similar to that of a honeymoon, when they made a commitment to live more fully the life of regeneration together, to continually keep the Sabbath, to put the marriage and the Lord's presence with them before their separate and sometimes disjunctive selves. Of course, there will be times when they take the beauty of their marriage for granted, but this is all the more reason to be aware of the magnificence of their present states.
     In the spiritual womb, the couple grows from the head down, as the embryo grows in the physical womb. The head is the largest part, just as the understanding has the most important role in the beginning of the growth of a new angel. The couple takes the Lord's commandments and puts them in every least particular of their life, just as nourishment from the womb flows into every least cell of the embryo. And like the embryo, their spiritual DNA molecules have the double helix. Deep inside there are two strands twisted about each other, with pairs of chromosomes combined just right-building blocks working to produce a specific identifiable angel. They know instinctively and by training that they cannot combine their genetic heritage at random. They must arrange their spiritual genes (talents, geniuses, temperaments, temptations, and hereditary weaknesses) in the proper sequences. Only the Lord can really provide the miracle of rebirth, but they must work with Him. They must be aware of which genes should be masked, which should be balanced, and which should be expressed.
     Their work plan is strictly personal, and cannot be duplicated from someone else. "Conjugial love is of infinite variety, not being the same with one person as with another" (CL 5 7). They must work carefully and delicately in this womb, and from the Lord develop an immune system in every least particular of their being, teaching their spiritual body cells which foreign intruders must be resisted. They have to learn what can harm the marriage, and treat the marriage as carefully as the Lord provides for every fetus. They must teach their cells not to turn against themselves, and like a cancer, devour their own healthy cells. They must learn which cells in their marriage should create new cells, to take over as soon as they are needed but not before. Timing of each developmental step is crucial, and leads to the proper formation of the next stage.
     Nothing is complete in the embryo stage. In the beginning, the couple's heart appears very close to their mouth. In less than twenty-eight fetal days, this spiritual heart begins to beat. Arms and legs, brain and nervous system, backbone and face begin to develop, with their corresponding spiritual qualities.

The heart moves down to its proper place. They've just begun, but the promise of life is there. When they complete this period of development of details, they advance to the fetal stage. The correspondences are too numerous to list, but I invite the reader to make some discoveries on his or her own.
     Soon the liver and spleen produce blood cells, and the yolk sac next to them has done its part. Then the bone marrow takes over that precious production. The fetus begins to manage on its own. White blood cells begin to form in the lymph nodes and thymus. The heart begins its differentiation into ventricles, and blood vessels expand and push outward, creating a perfect network for their total nourishment-a life giving cycle of good and truth.
     Interaction between the brain and the skin leads to the miraculous formation of the eyes. They begin to see and perceive new things. Bone tissue begins with gristle, and is replaced gradually by bone. The outer ear folds out into an instrument of obedience, early in the fourth month (HH 96, 97).
     The couple must constantly change their surroundings, their amniotic fluid. Waste products have to be discharged to keep their living quarters pure. They must keep the necessary surrounding warmth, heat, and love at precise levels (HH 14). Substances have to exist in their surroundings for the future functioning of their spiritual lungs. Hair, fingernails, and tiny whorls on the fingertips form from minute blueprints. The fetus begins to work its mouth, grasp, and cling, preparing for a life of spiritual communication and conjunction outside the womb.
     Forty weeks-years of growth pass. The couple is full term. Development, temptations, trials and disease behind them, they begin their last hard journey down the birth canal. They anticipate the happy face of a pleased Heavenly Father waiting to greet them as they burst into new life as one angel. But what a different world they'll live in." What peace beyond all telling. What joy for them whose feet stand by the crystal river and walk the golden street."

References:

     "Two consorts are not called two, but one angel" (HH 372).
     "Their love grows every day into conjunction even so that they are no longer two, but as a one" (CL. 44:6).
     "The lives of both unite themselves; consequently their souls" (CL 482).
     "Seeds . . . can produce forms of uses, and then deliver them as from a womb"(DLW 310:2).
     "Those who are in love truly conjugial feel themselves a united man, and as one flesh" (CL 178).

ANNUAL COUNCIL MEETINGS (Concluded) 1981

ANNUAL COUNCIL MEETINGS (Concluded) B. DAVID HOLM 1981

     We here conclude the resume begun in the December issue.

     The Seventh Session. Rev. Donald Rose gave a resume of a prepared paper entitled "The Dead Churches File." The phrase, "the Old Church is dead" has not been well documented from passages in the Writings in publications and papers in the church. Although in very recent years five passages have been found which do speak of dead churches, astonishingly he could not find any of them referred to in any past doctrinal presentations, including The Words For the New Church. The passages are AC 2908, 2910, 2955, 3900, and TCR 23.
     Ideally studies should begin with the direct statements of the Writings. We tend to doubt the Divine Providence, or the working of the Lord when we consider "the religious condition of various peoples." (DP 254). But the Writings invite us to lift our minds to see the way that the Lord is active in different churches. An enlightened mind may see a "wonderful activity" of the Divine Providence among Catholics (DP 257e). The Writings emphasize the Providence in the fact that faith alone has not affected what is taught at the Holy Supper, nor has it stopped the teaching of the Ten Commandments to children. All this is "of the Divine Providence that the common people may not be led astray" (DP 256). Providence is "unceasingly working for the salvation of those with whom faith separate from charity has become a matter of religion" (DP 258). Certain Catholics believe the Catholic religious persuasion "and acknowledge it indeed because they were brought up in it . . . and still do good from a sincere heart and likewise turn their eyes to the Lord." After death these reject falsity and receive truth. "On which account also there are many heavenly societies of them in the spiritual world" (AR 786). "There are many heavenly societies formed from them in the spiritual world" (DP 257:4).
     What is the function or use of a previous church! We know that a use is performed by the reading of the Old Testament by the Jews. A number of passages in the Writings present to us a picture of the arrangement of churches in the spiritual world, as it were in concentric circles (LJ Cont. 14, 20, 48 etc. TCR 268). We are told that all who have "some sort of religion, worship one God, and live aright" may be thought of as parts of one man. "Those Christians among whom the Word is read constitute the breast. They are the center of all, and round about them are the Roman Catholics; around these again are Mohammedans. . . .After these come the Africans, while the nations and peoples of Asia and the Indies form the outermost circumference" (S.S. 105). Consider what is said of the use performed throughout the world by Christians who read the Word, (See DP 256).

Among the questions the speaker wondered about was how we are to understand the teaching that the Last Judgment was not effected upon those ill the center (LJ Cont. 17, 20, 22). Exactly what kind of new light came after the Last Judgment (LJ Cont. 30), and what is meant by the saying that alter the Last Judgment, although the same doctrines will be taught, there will be a dissimilar internal! (LJ 73)
     In considering such questions, he was struck with the Scriptural saying that "one shall be taken, and the other left" and the meaning that two in the same doctrine would be entirely different. Read A.E. 810 on this. Two may make the same statements and yet disagree. Recall the two Protestant clergyman interviewed after death. Although seeming to be of the same church, they were entirely different (TCR 391). Some people may seem to be in trinitarian doctrine, when yet they really adore the Lord alone, for "the Lord applies the minds of these to Himself" (AC 2329e). Of some it is said, "the Lord's Divine Human is in their hearts" (AC 4724:4). The Writings show that when people are in charity, the Lord works through things which in themselves are not true (AC 1832:3).
     In calling attention to certain passages, he did not claim to be able to answer the questions. He especially wanted to emphasize the need for the New Church as a distinct church regardless of what takes place with Gentiles or other churches. He recommended the reading of The New Church and Modern Christianity by G. de Charms. The concluding page of this book speaks of the New Church working as a separate organization with a vital destiny. "It will do so in no spirit of narrowness, nor with any sense of superiority over others, but solely from a desire to be true to what the Lord teaches."
     There was a lively discussion of this paper. The first man to comment said that the downfall of every church is a sense of superiority. The falsification of the Word is what is dead. There is real falsity. The good of all religions are saved from good not from falsity. The next man expressed appreciation of the speaker's stress on the fact that what the Writings say about the former Christian Church can also be said about us. Another member pointed out that the Writings are certainly not "soft" on the falsified Christian doctrine of three gods, the vicarious atonement or faith alone. One man said that "dead" in regard to the Old Church is probably a bad word. Their falsities of doctrine are dead, but good Christians are not dead. Next it was said that the Christian Church can no longer be the Church Specific, although good Christians can be of the church universal. The Last Judgment was upon a fallen church. Faith alone and love of dominion kill any church. Christian Orthodoxy is dead. Still another member said that we must look from what is human to other humans. We must ask ourselves of others, "What is your life!"

We shouldn't attack people of other churches, but build on what we have in common. The next man thanked Mr. Rose for reminding us that the Divine Providence is working in other churches. Mr. Rose had not said that the doctrines of the Old Church are all right, but rather that the Lord is working in the Old Church. Then it was said that in Invitation 25 orthodoxy of the Christian Church is "corrupt matter." Next it was said that while we certainly must get rid of any Moravian spirit, still the New Jerusalem did descend and has taken the place of the former church.
     In thanking those who commented Mr. Rose said he would welcome any passages with a bearing on the questions he raised.
     After this subject was concluded it was agreed to extend the session long enough to hear Mr. Frank Rose on the subject of "The Earth is the Lord's" (Psalm 24:1).
     In his talk he pointed out that the Lord reminded the leaders of the Church that it was His church, not theirs. The "earth" referred to the land of Canaan, and the "world" includes all countries and peoples. The Lord's Church is universal, and especially (in specie) where the Word is and where the Lord is worshiped on the basis of the Word. We cannot identify any organization as the "Church specific" since there are people within human organizations that are not part of the Lord's Kingdom, and there are many who worship the Lord and live a good life who do not belong to any church.
     The Church is based on the Word. We must be careful to distinguish between teachings directly given in the Word and our interpretations and deductions. Because the Lord does not spell out in detail forms of government or forms of worship for the use of the New Church, we will never have the "right" form of either, and there will always be a tendency for us to supply details not given by revelation.
     We need to return again and again to the acknowledgment that the Church is the Lord's. He establishes it in His own way through those who turn to Him in love and innocence.
     There was time for a few comments on this paper. One man agreed that the church specific is not restricted merely to those of the New Church, but he stated that there are many "right" things about our church government, such as the concept that the Writings are the sole authority in the General Church. Another man thanked Mr. Rose for the emphasis on the church being the Lord's and not ours. We must not have a proprietary attitude about the New Church. The last man to speak said that it is well known that the General Church is not identical to the church specific. It is known that our ritual, education, and church government are not perfect. There is a constant effort to improve all of these things so that they will be more in accord with the Writings.

     The Eighth Session. The third paper of the program committee was given by Rev. Christopher Bown. His subject was the gradual insinuation of a true love of marriage by means of a regard for what is eternal. The paper was delivered from notes, and will not be summarized here, but we hope to print it in the future.
     This paper was very favorably received. There were many expressions of thanks, appreciation being expressed for the tracing of the developing conjugial through the stories of the patriarchs. Even in the "horror stories" of the Word the Lord's mercy shines through. Even such rough stories are good for children. Not only do the children like them, but by means of them we can protect our children from disorder. The assaults of the hells against the conjugial are constant. Some men commented on the pastoral quality of this paper which will be a help in marriage counseling. Another expressed appreciation that in the paper the letter of the Word had been used so effectively. The last man to speak suggested that we change the term "conjugial love" to something more readily understood if we hope to spread the church. Mr. Bown then thanked the members for their comments and, in summing up, stressed the fact that the establishment of the New Church is really the establishment of conjugial love. The head of the Program Committee, Mr. Heinrichs, was thanked for arranging the presentation of this theme. This was the final paper and the final session of an outstanding set of meetings, hosted by Carmel Church Society of Kitchener.
     B. DAVID HOLM,
          Secretary
FREDERICK EMANUEL DOERING TRUST 1981

FREDERICK EMANUEL DOERING TRUST 1981

     Applications for assistance from the above Fund to enable male Canadian students to attend The Academy of the New Church at Bryn Athyn, Pa., U.S.A., for the school year 1981-82 should be received by one of the pastors listed below as early ns possible.
     Before filling their applications, students should first obtain their acceptance by the Academy immediately, as dormitory space is limited.
     Any of the pastors listed below will be happy to give any further information or help that may be necessary.

The Rev. Geoffrey S. Childs
2 Lorraine Gdns.
Islington, Ont. M9B 424

The Rev. Christopher R. J. Smith
16 Bannockburn Road, R.R. 2
Kitchener, Ontario N2G 3W5

The Rev. William H. Clifford
1536 94th Ave.
Dawson Creek, B.C. VIG 1H1

REVIEW 1981

REVIEW Rev. GEORGE F. DOLE 1981

DE TELLURIBUS IN UNIVERSO cum parallelismis ex operibus ejusdem auctoris. Arcana Coelestia and Diarium Spirituale. Latin edition edited by Lisa Hyatt. The Academy of the New Church Press, Bryn Athyn, PA 1980. pp. 253. Price. Paper, $10.00.

     The third edition of De Telluribus puts in parallel columns material from the Spiritual Diary, Arcana Coelestia, and the 1758 publication of De Telluribus, which last sets the criteria for sequence and inclusion of material (early material which has no parallel in De Telluribus is appended). By typography and notations, the reader's attention is drawn to differences in these distinct texts. The Preface should be read with care, since the textual relationships are complex, and the editor's apparatus is therefore not self-explanatory.
     For the present reviewer (who has surveyed the whole cursorily and examined small sections with care), the primary value of this massive labor of love is that it provides an abundance of data toward identifying Swedenborg's part in the process of revelation. In A.C. 10453, in explanation of "And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables," we find that this verse ". . . involves a secret not yet known. The secret is that the sense of the letter of the Word would have been different if the Word had been written among a different people, or if that people had not been such as it was (A.C. 10453:3, J. F. Potts' translation)."
     Faced as we are with the revelation of the Second Coming, it may be important that we discern as truly as possible between the "tablets" and the "writing." It is, I believe, a mistake to think that by minimizing Swedenborg's part in the process, we somehow exalt the Writings: it is surely a mistake to minimize the Lord's part. If we are then to discern as truly as possible, we should base our discernment on the preponderance of the evidence rather than on favorite isolated instances.
     With this publication of De Telluribus, the evidence readily accessible to the Latinist takes a quantum leap. The third Latin edition of the Arcana helps document the light revision of that work between first draft and printed page, but it does not include material from the first draft which Swedenborg crossed out. The present edition of De Telluribus both starts earlier and pursues farther-from inclination to publish, to publication, to revised publication; and it includes Diary material which Swedenborg later omitted.
     As to the "inclination to publish," this is suggested in the Diary in two ways. First, it is written in Latin (unlike the Journal of Dreams), which Swedenborg used in preference to Swedish for communication with the world at large. Second, one finds phrases such as "It would be prolix to recount my experiences (S.D. 153, cf. S.D. 169, A.C. 1395, 1486, 1552, H. H. 157)" and ". . . which, with the consent of God-Messiah, I will write about later (S.D. 165, cf. H.H. 40, 161)."

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While it may be possible to regard these as a diarist's reminders to himself, the frequent occurrence of similar phrases in the published works as addresses to the reader strongly suggests that Swedenborg was envisioning some readership when he wrote them in S.D.
     He did not, however, publish the Diary. Rather, he drew on it, with the help of an index, in the work he did for publication; and he subjected it to considerable revision as he did so. It is this process of revision which the present work amply documents.
     The value of the edition is enhanced by the fact that normalization of punctuation and capitalization has been kept to a minimum. This disinclination to "steady the ark" brings the reader appreciably closer to the primary data than is the case with most available Latin editions.
     In summary, the third edition of De Telluribus should, by virtue of its inclusiveness and its fidelity, be a resource of considerable value to an unfortunately small number of people.
     REV GEORGE F. DOLE
REVIEW 1981

REVIEW DOUGLAS TAYLOR 1981

     A History of Thy New Church in Australia 1832-1980
     Publisher not given; paperback 204 pages.

     Mr. Ivan Robinson, a life-long member of the New Church society in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, has produced a very readable and intensely interesting history of the New Church in Australia. It begins with the arrival of Mr. Thomas Morse from England in 1832-the first known New Churchman in Australia and the father of the Rev. Richard Morse, founder of the Hurstville society of the General Church in Sydney.
     Mr. Robinson traces the growth of each society of the Church in Australia, beginning with Adelaide, South Australia, where in 1844 New Church worship first began on the Australian continent. In chronological order he tells how societies were established in Melbourne, Victoria; Brisbane, Queensland; Sydney, New South Wales; and Perth, Western Australia, which cities are the capitals of their respective states. In connection with the story of the Sydney society, he gives a most ample and generous treatment of the formation of the one General Church society in Australia-known as the Hurstville society although located in Penshurst, a suburb of Sydney.

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     After bringing us up to date with each of these societies in turn, Mr. Robinson then takes us back to February, 1881, when these widely separated societies banded together to form "an Australia-wide organization of the New Church, distinct from, or embracing, the four quite separate and independent state (Colonial) societies then in existence." This was achieved under the inspiration of the Rev. J. J. Thornton, who came to Australia from England in 1878. As Mr. Robinson says, "He must be regarded as the founder of what is now . . . the New Church in Australia, known for convenience as The Association" (page 166). The Association is rather loosely known as "the Australian Conference," mainly because its earliest members were all immigrants from England, it has always used the Conference Liturgy, and, with the exception of two Convention ministers and one General Church-trained minister, all the ministers came from the Conference in England. However, this association of individual societies prefers to be known by its official title. It was in commemoration of the centenary of this Association, being held near Melbourne last month, that Mr. Robinson has devoted his few years of retirement to writing the book under review.
     It is indeed a fitting memorial, one for which present and future historians-as well as general readers-will gladly acknowledge their debt of gratitude to Mr. Robinson. His painstaking research has unearthed a wealth of detail, enabling us to picture vividly in our imaginations a panorama of scenes from the past. There is an abundance of detail, as when we are told that one of the organists of the Melbourne society "had to be asked not to play so loudly" (page 51). Yet he mercifully refrains from detail when appropriate, as when he says of a certain lay preacher in the Sydney society that "His services tended to informality, and were thought slipshod by some. His doctrinal position seems to have been open to challenge in one or two particulars" (page 108).
     The ups and downs of the societies and of the Association as a whole make fascinating history. We need to see it all against the background of the early days. For, remember, the New Church in Australia grew up with Australia! Whereas in America, there were several well-established cities by the time the New Church was introduced, Australia was only 44 years old when the first New Churchman arrived. The difficulty of establishing the New Church in the Christian world is, as we all know, considerable-at any time.

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But when to this we add as a backdrop the struggles and obstacles of pioneering days, we cannot but wonder that the early pioneers of the New Church in Australia did not quietly give up in resigned despair! We read, for example, of Adelaide in 1844 that "during the rainy season the city of Adelaide was a kind of Dismal Swamp on a small scale. The footpaths were unpaved, and often ankle-deep in mud." There was only one hymn book, so the lines were read two at a time, and then the two lines sung, to the accompaniment of a cello.
     But the two ever-present problems were the complete absence of even one trained minister, and the lack of a suitable church building. The heart-breaking struggles to raise the funds for providing for these two needs certainly should make us at this day feel full of gratitude. What a sin to take either for granted! It was not until 1875 that the first trained Conference minister arrived in Australia.
     Sometimes there was dissension in a society as to which was the greater need-a minister or a building. Generally speaking, they seemed to have opted for a building-probably because that was more easily obtainable than the services of a minister from England. But this history shows that all societies in Australia have eventually managed to acquire both. The summit of success was the year 1970, when all five societies had a minister, and there were three retired ministers. But this highly desirable situation was not to last. Today there are only three active ministers.
     But there were other matters of dissension. At one time controversy raged over the question of wine versus grape juice in the Holy Supper; over the whole Temperance Movement, which threatened to split societies; over the propriety of lay leadership and the need for priestly guidance; over the doctrinal integrity of some of the lay preachers; and, above all, over the question of whether the Writings were indeed as much the Word as the Old and New Testaments. This issue produced the most exciting, dramatic and historic Conference of the Association-in 1905, which resulted in the resignation of Mr. Richard Morse and eleven other members of the Sydney society and the eventual foundation of a General Church society in Australia.
     Mr. Robinson makes a valiant effort to be fair in recounting the events of that time, and the subsequent history of the Hurstville society. He succeeds admirably, and readers of New Church Life will thoroughly enjoy his fair-minded comments, especially this sympathetic and understanding summary of the situation in 1936, when "Mr. Morse retired, having served as leader and minister, somewhat in the tradition of the leaders of Australian New Church societies, for over 30 years.

103

From the trauma and shock of separation from the Sydney society, where his heart had been, from a small beginning and early disappointment, he now saw his 'New Society' firmly and securely established, with property, a church and now a fully-trained and full-time minister" (page 139). He concludes the chapter with these words: "The Hurstville Society of the General Church, soundly-based as it has been since its inception on the study of and devotion to the Doctrines, is today not only a living but a vigorous and growing New Church enclave; its influence widely- spread throughout the Australian continent and extending across the Tasman Sea to New Zealand" (page 149).
     It would be impossible for any New Churchman to read this work without having his feelings greatly stirred: by the devotion and clear-sightedness of a few outstanding leaders; by the tenacity and determination of a few loyal members to rise above obstacles that we today might well think insurmountable; by the frustrations and disappointments expressed in annual reports of "growing indifference and irregular attendance"; by accounts of heated arguments over relatively external matters; by the upsurge of a society after a period of being in the doldrums; by the manifest willingness of the Association in recent years to examine itself and consider new approaches; by forward-looking plans for the future.
     One other thing that emerges from this examination of the past is the extraordinarily long pastorates of some of the ministers-over thirty years in some cases. There are instances where a minister seems to have suffered by staying too long. But what could be done! What machinery existed for bringing about a change of pastorates! We cannot change the past, though we can learn from it. Perhaps this trend is being reversed at the present time; perhaps it will not exist in the future.
     As a kind of Appendix, there are some very helpful biographies of the leading characters in the story, a valuable chronology of the main events, and a table of membership and attendances. From the latter we learn that in 1881 the total membership of the Association was 290. In 1979 it was 210.
     It is inevitable with a work of this kind that some errors of fact will creep in. It is to Mr. Robinson's credit that there seem to be so few in this work. But for the sake of future historians we should point out that the Conference in 1905 was held in Melbourne, not Adelaide (page 170); that, according to the great grandson of the Mr. de Chazal mentioned as a leading figure in the Mauritian New Church, he was Edmund, not Edward as stated; that Mr. Robinson must have been misinformed about the "inactive business committee" of the Hurstville society that the Rev. Michael D. Gladish needed to "revive" in 1974.

104

The present reviewer, as chairman of that committee, knows very well that it was active! One assessment might also be questioned-that the "particular penchant" of the Rev. W. Cairns Henderson "was perhaps for order and organization." This was indeed a very strong point with him, but should we not recognize that even more outstanding than this was his considerable ability as a student of the Writings! His scholarly potential was surely evident even in his Hurstville days.
     One name that is surprisingly omitted in the story of the Melbourne society is that of W. R. Horner. His many scholarly articles in The New Age, organ of the Association, the fact that he was its publisher for many years, and the publisher of the Rev. Richard Teed's Sermon on the Mount, and that he has many descendants active in the Church would seem to fit the criteria for inclusion set forth in the author's preface. He is indeed mentioned in connection with the Perth society, but surely he was not an insignificant member of the Melbourne society and of the Association.

     The above-mentioned matters should not in any way detract from the great value of Mr. Robinson's work. He is to be congratulated most heartily for his painstaking research, his fairness and his obvious desire to write a real history. What we have here is a most valuable document for the scholars and historians of the Church, and a lively account of an appealing story, one that is bound to touch the hearts and minds not only of those familiar with the New Church in Australia but New Churchmen everywhere.
          DOUGLAS TAYLOR
NO ONE IS PERFECT 1981

NO ONE IS PERFECT 1981

Man can never be so regenerated that he can in any way be said to be perfect; for there are things to be regenerated that are innumerable, nay, illimitable in number. . .Man knows nothing at all of this; but the Lord knows all things and every single thing, and provides for them every moment. If He were to pause even for an instant, all the progressions would be disturbed; for what is prior looks to what follows in a continuous series. . . . AC 5122:3

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EDITORIAL 1981

EDITORIAL Editor 1981

     PREPARED FOR THE UNKNOWN

     The college student who knows his chosen field of work can select courses which are designed to prepare him for it. One who does not know his future vocation seeks courses that may in a broad way fit him for what lies ahead. In high school and certainly in elementary school years the future occupation is not known. The things that take place in those early years of education are intended to ready the students for a life of use, although the educators do not know the particulars of that use.
     This is not an editorial about education, although one would comment here that educators who know and believe that the life of their students will extend far beyond the life of this world in a kingdom of uses have a special perspective in what it is to prepare for life. The subject of this editorial is the wonderful way in which the Lord is preparing us for a future we cannot see. We may say "educating" us. Consider that tremendous statement that in heaven young couples are "continually educated for their marriage under the Lord's auspices, neither the boy nor the girl knowing it" (CL 229).
     In a January editorial under the heading THE FUTURE CONNECTION we alluded to the teaching that the particulars of the states through which we pass are directed by the Lord towards ends which He alone sees (AC 2796). There is "a connection between things past and things future that are known only to the Lord" (DP 252). Let us begin here to consider the matter of a preparation going on in our lives for something specific which we do not know.
     Emanuel Swedenborg had no idea in his youth or even in his early manhood that ahead of him lay an unprecedented adventure and a unique opportunity for service. But he could reflect on this in his older years. "It has pleased the Lord to prepare me from my earliest youth. . . .

     EMBRYOS IN THE WOMB

     Some attempts have been made to learn from the development of the embryo principles of education. One example is a study presented to the Educational Council by Rev. A. Acton in 1975. (See "Human Development" in New Philosophy, January-March, 1976.) As more becomes known about the embryo we may gain important insights. The subject lends itself to useful analogies. (In the present issue one writer attempts such an analogy with the state of a marriage.)

106

But it takes little knowledge or imagination to get the point of the passage with which we conclude this subject for now. It is easy to reflect on the implication of this passage in the Arcana as we consider that we are being prepared for what we do not as yet know.
"That the Lord's Providence is infinite, and regards what is eternal, may be seen from the formation of embryos in the womb, where lineaments are continually projected toward those which are to come, so that one lineament is always a plane for another, and this without any error, until the embryo is formed; and after it has been born, one thing is prepared successively toward another and for another, in order that a perfect man may come forth, and at last such a man as to be capable of receiving heaven. If all the details are thus provided during man's conception, birth, and growth, how much more must this be the case with regard to the spiritual life" (AC 6491).
MERGING THE SECONDARY SCHOOLS 1981

MERGING THE SECONDARY SCHOOLS Thomas E. Waddell 1981

     COMMUNICATIONS
Dear Editor:

     It was ironic to note, in the November 1980 issue of New Church Life, that Bishop Pendleton's defense of our separate Secondary Schools was followed immediately by Rev. Howard's report on the enthusiastic reception of the Writings by people of Ghana. Possibly a copy of this issue should be set aside for future New Church historians.
     More to the point, however, is my concern over the proposal to merge the Secondary Schools of the Academy. At the risk of being thrashed about the head and shoulders with a purse, I must agree emphatically with the view expressed by Bishop Pendleton. The fact that such a proposal would even carry weight enough to warrant his comment in New Church Life means to me our educational "ship" is once again in danger from the "waters of the world." I felt our "ship" was very seaworthy as it had successfully ridden out the tempestuous seas of the late 60's and early 70's but now it appears vulnerable to going aground on the more subtle evils of modern mores.
     Bishop Pendleton's remarks imply that the impetus to merge has roots in alleged deficiencies in the Girls School. If such problems do exist, as well they could, they should be so addressed. The mere addition of male students to classrooms cannot possibly solve the problems which gave rise to the proposal and in fact allows for the introduction of spheres other than those pertinent to the learning processes which at best would be of a distractive nature and could inhibit the free exchange of ideas, etc.

107

The next step in this direction, along which we have been preceded by other educational systems, could be coed dorms. Ridiculous as it may seem now, future Church members affected by changing worldly values may deem segregated dorms to constitute "an unnatural environment" and the practice of which is based solely on "derived doctrines."
     Much of the problem with "distinctiveness of the female mind" is a lack of knowledge as to its various aspects. Women now have more time to think, are better educated and are demanding avenues into which they can better apply mental activity. The only paths readily observable to females at present are those established by their male counterparts. I therefore feel there is a need for persons of the Church with the education, intelligence and knowledge to exert a concentrated effort to better identify the distinctive characteristics of the female mind, its development, education, role in marriage thought, areas of superiority, expertise and to a level modern times demand. If this goal was satisfactorily met, women should have no desire to have anything to do with "male education" and in fact view it with distaste. Possibly we, as a Church, have not adequately met this goal as the need has not been as apparent heretofore.
     In a marriage, for example, the distinctive natures of mate and female minds are recognized and dealt with daily. The teachings of the Writings on the subject provide the only means available in attempts to create "one angel" from these two distinctive minds. We therefore know that distinctiveness exists, not only from the Writings but also from everyday experience and we therefore have the means to better define the role of the female mind in life.
     As an alumnus and a parent of at least five future Academy students and as a member of the Church with concern for the education of all New Church young people, I view the proposal to merge the Secondary Schools as a direct assault on the teaching of distinctiveness as to sex as well as having a detrimental effect on educational potential. The lack of an understanding or feeling for distinctiveness by young people, if only from the external example of segregated classrooms, also weakens the institution of marriage which is clearly under heavy pressure at this day.
     I also feel that people living in "protected" New Church communities many times "lose sight of the forest for the trees." We isolated families living in the "deserts" of the world and who view the "forest" from afar put very high values on each "tree" and are concerned when any "tree" is in jeopardy. In this context I view the proposal to merge the Secondary Schools as a "clearing project" to create a little "desert" atmosphere in a beautiful forest.
     Thomas E. Waddell,
          Pima, Arizona

108

USING THE NAME JESUS 1981

USING THE NAME JESUS Brian Keith 1981

Dear Editor:

     The editorial in the December Life concerning the use of the name "Jesus" raises an important point. We could certainly gain a fuller appreciation of all the facets of God through a more complete use of the names He has chosen in revealing Himself. Especially in the New Church do we have the teachings to enter with a deeper understanding into the meaning of this name. As "Jesus" means Jehovah saves, so it can reflect to us His infinite mercy, His love for the salvation of us all. When we employ the name, we can see the Divinity within the Lord and be reminded that He had a Divine soul unlike any other. Those of us who fondly recall childhood songs using the name "Jesus," such as "Jesus Loves Me," would welcome a greater usage of the affectional nature of this name.
     The name "Jesus" is rather interesting in that it is a Greek form of the Hebrew Joshua. It was a common name at that time, for it brought to mind all the glories of Joshua conquering the inhabitants of the land of Canaan. This is fitting, for the power we have to combat against the enemies of our spiritual life comes from the Divine good of the Lord. The fact that this name is sometimes found in all capitals is a rather peculiar enlightenment of the King James translators, unshared by other translators or the original Greek (and is perhaps another reason for us to be cautious in our use of the King James translation).
     As Bishop de Charms suggests, the absence of the name "Jesus" from common usage in the General Church is most probably a protection against profanation. It is frequently used in swearing, and is also associated with some undesirable religious cults. And yet, what an opportunity is before us! Because we know what the name can mean, we have the privilege of being affected with its genuine sense. For us it can be a common ground with other Christians, providing us with a way of expanding their concept of God. I should hope that through our family and educational structures we can come to appreciate all His names, and treat them with the holiness they are meant to have.
     Brian Keith,
          Glenview, Illinois
REGULAR USE OF THE NAME OF GOD 1981

REGULAR USE OF THE NAME OF GOD 1981

The name of God, being itself holy, must be used constantly in the holy offices of the Church, as in prayers, hymns, and in every act of worship; and also in preaching, and in writing on ecclesiastical subjects (T. C. R. 297).

109

CHURCH CAMP-OUT 1981

CHURCH CAMP-OUT A. BATTIG 1981

     The General Church of the New Jerusalem (New Church) held an annual family camp weekend at the Puskwaskau Campsite August 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, 1980. Sixty members of Dawson Creek and Crooked Creek societies were present to listen to services and doctrinal classes presented by Bishop King of Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, USA and Rev. William Clifford of Dawson Creek, Canada.
     Charles Ebert, the educational development officer, also gave information and answered questions about New Church schools and colleges, particularly the high school and college at Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania. The general study was based on the story of Joseph's being sold into slavery in Egypt, his imprisonment and his return to favor in order to help people. From this we learn about the Lord's permission of evil and how he bends this evil to provide the best possible good.
     There was Sunday School and a treasure hunt for the children, the treasure being the Ten Commandments written on stones, with each child also receiving a candy bag.
     Everyone enjoyed the pancake breakfast and pork barbecues and the chance to socialize with each other.
     All enquiries will be welcomed by the Rev. William Clifford, 1536 94th Avenue, Dawson Creek, B. C., Canada VIG 1H1.
     A. BATTIG
APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION TO THE ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH BOYS SCHOOL AND GIRLS SCHOOL 1981

APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION TO THE ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH BOYS SCHOOL AND GIRLS SCHOOL 1981

Requests should be made before March 15, 1981, for application forms for admission of new students to the Academy Secondary Schools in the fall of 1981. Letters should be addressed to Miss Morna Hyatt, Principal of the Girls School, or the Rev. George D. McCurdy, Principal of the Boys School, at The Academy of the New Church, Box 278, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania 19009. Letters should include the student's name, parents' address, the class the student will be entering, the name and address of the school he or she is now attending, and whether the student will be day or dormitory.
Completed application forms and accompanying material should be received by the Academy by April 30, 1981.
APPLYING TRUTH TO THE LIFE OF OTHERS 1981

APPLYING TRUTH TO THE LIFE OF OTHERS 1981

"In his first age . . . man believes himself to be good when he is acquainted with many things from the Word, and can apply some of them, not to his own life, but to the life of others. AC 3603:3

110

ANNUAL COUNCIL OF THE CLERGY MEETINGS 1981

     (March 2nd-6th, 1981)

Monday, March 2nd
     10:00 a.m.      Headmasters' Meeting (Pitcairn Hall)
     11:00 a.m.      Heads of Academy Schools join Headmasters
     2:30 p.m.      Worship Service (Nave of Cathedral)
     3:00 p.m.      Opening Session, the Council of the Clergy
     5:00 p.m.      Social Hour (Cairncrest)

Tuesday, March 3rd
     8:30 a.m.      General Church Translation Committee (Council Chamber)
     8:30 a.m.      General Church Publication Committee (Cairncrest)
     9:45 a.m.      Refreshments (Choir Hall)
     10:00 a.m.      Session II, the Council of the Clergy
     10:00 a.m.      Activities for the ministers' wives
     12:30 p.m.      Luncheon in the Undercroft
     3:00 p.m.      Session III, the Council of the Clergy
     7:30 p.m.      Professional Development Workshop (Cathedral Council Chamber)

Wednesday, March 4th
     8:30 a.m.      General Church Sunday School Committee (Cairncrest)
     9:45 a.m.      Refreshments (Choir Hall)
     10:00 a.m.      Session IV, the Council of the Clergy
     12:30 p.m.      Luncheon in the Undercroft
     2:00 p.m.      Electives (Cathedral)
     3:00 p.m.      Session V, the Council of the Clergy
     6:45 p.m.      Social Supper for Ministers (the Rt. Rev. and Mrs. Louis B. King)

Thursday, March 5th
     8:30 a.m.      Pastors' Meeting (Pitcairn Hall)
     9:45 a.m.      Refreshments (Choir Hall)
     10:00 a.m.      Session VI, the Council of the Clergy
     10:00 a.m.      Activities for ministers' wives
     12:30 p.m.      Luncheon in the Undercroft
     2:00 p.m.      Electives (Cathedral)
     3:00 p.m.      Session VII, the Council of the Clergy
     3:30 p.m.      Theta Alpha Tea for ministers' wives (Mrs. Robert Pitcairn)
     5:30 p.m.      Holy Supper for ministers and their wives (Cathedral Chapel)
     8:00 p.m.      Consistory at Bishop King's home

Friday, March 6th
     8:30 a.m.      Traveling Ministers' Meeting (Cairncrest)
     9:45 a.m.      Refreshments (Choir Hall)
     10:00 a.m.      Session VII, the Council of the Clergy
     2:30 p.m.      Board of Directors (Pitcairn Hall)
     5:15 p.m.      General Church Corporation (Pendleton Hall)
     6:30 p.m.      Bryn Athyn Society's Social for ministers (Assembly Hall)
     7:15 p.m.      Friday Supper (Assembly Hall)
     8:00 p.m.      General Church Evening
     9:00 p.m.      Civic and Social Club Gathering

Saturday, March 7th
     10:00 a.m.      Joint Council (Cathedral Council Chamber)

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Church News 1981

Church News Various 1981

     KITCHENER, ONTARIO

     A year ago, in the fall of 1979, when the plight of the Vietnamese refugees was in the forefront of many people's thoughts, Ed and Eileen Hendricks sparked an interest in what we could do to help. From this came a group of sponsors for a Vietnamese family. Representatives of other sponsoring groups talked to us and prepared us somewhat for what we might expect. Shortly before Christmas we were informed that a family or four boys, ages 14 to 23, were in need of a home. It was agreed to accept them, and a small apartment in Caryndale was offered for their use.
     The boys became very much the "family" of their landlady, Jan Lermitte, and daughter Elizabeth. The youngest entered high school and the three young men enrolled in English classes. They soon learned to use our limited bus service and became acquainted with many Caryndale motorists who picked them up on the last stage of their way home. There were many involved with transporting them and accompanying them to their appointments. They were kind, considerate, gentle young men who were anxious to please. Occasionally we saw their friendly faces at Church affairs. Later on they obtained part-time jobs and in August of this year when they felt they could support themselves they moved to the city. Although many of us did not become closely acquainted with the boys, it was rewarding and heartwarming experience for all who became involved.
     The year of 1980 got off to a fine start when we saw the New Year in at a Winter Wonderland dance enjoyed by young and old. In February we had the opportunity to see the film "What you are now is what you were then." In the interest of consolidating some of the events on our full calendar, this was held following a joint Theta Alpha and Women's Guild meeting and the men were invited. Many of us saw in an amusing way how our early years and the economics of the times probably shaped us into what we have become.
     Swedenborg's birthday was observed by the school children on January 31st when they gathered with their teachers and parents of the 8th graders for a banquet. There were speeches followed by a performance of folk dances by the younger grades. The evening concluded with games and square dances-a fun time for all.
     The Sons treated the ladies to a super meal and entertainment in March, as well as an inspiring address from Stephen Gladish: "The Parent as Career Counsellor." Theta Alpha had a successful rummage sale in April. The 7th and 8th grade pupils of the Olivet and Carmel Church grade schools made their bi-annual trip to Ottawa on a very beautiful weekend in May.
     Our young people are an active group. This year they undertook the annual Family Fun Night most successfully. In February they entertained the Toronto young people for the weekend with a fine program of classes, winter sports, indoor games and a dance. Their expertise in taking care of accommodation, food and entertainment augurs well for the future hosting and hostessing in our society.
     In April Rev. Douglas Taylor gave us an inspiring Friday class on what to do and what not to say when answering questions of potential newcomers to our Church. An all-day course was given the next day to a smaller group.
     Behind the scenes of all our regular activities were the organizational meetings for the big event of the year-hosting the Council of the Clergy meetings-not to mention Assembly preparations.

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The latter is a subject by itself and will not be covered here. When our late spring finally permitted, the fine-grooming of the church grounds in time for the lovely May wedding of Lynn Niall and Mark Allan gave pleasure to all of us.
     Most of the ministers and their wives arrived late on Saturday, June 7th. Sunday morning the exciting atmosphere of friends greeting each other pervaded our church building. A children's service was held at 9:30 a.m. and approximately 150 adults congregated for the 11 a.m. service. The special music provided by our talented musicians contributed greatly to a truly thrilling experience.
     After lunch in their hosts' homes, the ministers held their first session. Extremely unpleasant weather necessitated the late afternoon picnic barbecue be held indoors. The committee rallied to this challenge and served a bountiful meal in the Assembly Hall. The baseball game followed, Clergy vs. Laymen, of course. Never has such a motley array of protection from the elements graced the field or spectators. The inclement weather continued throughout their visit but our guests rallied to it admirably. A ladies tea was held on Monday afternoon at the home of Dian Kubert. The ministers met for morning, afternoon and evening sessions while their wives met together two mornings. It was a delightful experience for all of us to have these guests among us and many of us made new friends. Wednesday, when the Assembly opened, the weather began to improve and from then on we had some lovely June days.
     After all the excitement was over, we observed June 19th with a service followed by cake and punch served on the lawn. Our 8th grade graduates were presented with a copy of Heaven and Hell. Several of our young people and staff left for Maple Leaf Academy. The 4th to 8th grade girls went to Lake Conestoga for a weekend camping trip sponsored by Theta Alpha. The girls helped to offset expenses by having a bake sale. The last social event of the seas on was our annual Dominion Day picnic, held on the church grounds, which began with the flag-raising and children's parade of gaily decorated bicycles and go-carts, followed by races and contests for all ages, a picnic supper and a men's baseball game.
     It may be of interest that four new homes have been constructed in Caryndale in the last year making a total of 55. Our assistant pastor, Rev. Mark Carlson, and family will be moving into a home of their own in October.
     PHYLLIS SCHNARR

     ST. PAUL-MINNEAPOLIS

     Minnesota: St. Paul-Minneapolis-Sun 11; Class 4 Sat 8. Mrs. Tore Gram 20185 Vine St., Excelsior, MN. 55331. Phone (612) 474 9574.
     That short listing in the New Church Life does not tell the whole story of our circle here in the north land. We have been an active circle since September 15, 1941, when, under the direction of Bishop Acton the organization was established. Mr. and Mrs. Paul Carpenter were the first New Church couple in the area and our circle owes its beginnings to them and the Robert Coulters, the Boker family and our only remaining elder stateswoman, Barbara Zick. The complete history can be found in New Church Life, August 1948.
     We have had many highs and lows, as we depend on a group of families called "transient." In other words, with so many large, excellent company headquarters in the cities, we have many couples move in and out as they advance in their work. Our present circle has a list of 23 adults, 5 young people under 21, 14 children under 16 and 6 inactive members. On our special occasions we have 35 to 40 people at the service.

113

As we have been meeting in homes this dogs make for a close circle in many ways.
     This winter we have elected to hold two services a month. This will consist of a weekend with class on Saturday evening followed by church on Sunday. The next weekend would be a complete Sunday service followed by a lunch, children's class, and an adult class in the afternoon.
     We are at present actively looking for a building we can put to use as a church, meeting rooms, with an apartment upstairs for a pastor's family or income property. We are rather spread out and a church service or class involves an hour's ride for at least one family depending whose turn it is to have the event. So a building half-way is our goal for our New Church. The need for a building to call our church is becoming very important for our children and practical for the adults.
     We have had a very pleasant year under the guidance of our present pastor, Brian Keith. Two weddings highlighted the year, both of them offered by the Tore Gram family. Lisa was married in a local "borrowed" church. Tana's service was held in the north woods of Wisconsin. Two babies were baptized, always a special joy in a small circle. One of our older members from the "way-back" passed away this spring, Lloyd Johnson. Though he and Jessie had retired to Arizona, they rejoined us for 6 months a year and he will be greatly missed.
     We hope that more people looking for a new outlook on life but with a church nearby will think seriously about our area. Being a big fish in a small pond does have great advantages. As an all-year-round nature and sport center, there is nowhere better in the sphere of the church than this garden spot. The growing season is short but such a glorious time with a lake or river around every bend in the road. The winters are a brisk adventure, but that provides many opportunities for more outdoor life, and everyone joins in. The recent issue of National Geographic has an article with all our advantages graphically displayed. So if we have made you curious, please check that reference out too.
     Our progress has been slow over the years but there has always been a strong, faithful band of members who have kept going no matter how large or small our group or what the affections for our acting pastor might be. There are few of the older ministers who have not visited us at one time or another.
     They have all found an active, affirmative, affectionate circle here in St. Paul-Minneapolis. Come join us!
     PAULA F. WILLE,
          Hudson, Wisconsin

     COLCHESTER

     Since the 1979 British Assembly, Colchester has seen numerous events-weddings, special weekends and fund-raising events.
     Four of our beloved members have gone forward to new and higher uses in the spiritual world during 1980-Mrs. Alan Gill, Mr. Kenneth Pryke, Mrs. Harold Wyncoll, and Mrs. Frederick Shepherd. We miss them, but remember them with much affection.
     Our two weddings took place in 1979. On August 11th Bill Sawyer and Sylvia (Waters) Parisot were married on a lovely warm summer afternoon and a month later on September 8th, Gillian Bowyer and Stephen Pales had their wedding day. Sylvia and Bill received a cheque and Gill and Stephen had a shower of gifts from members and friends to mark these happy beginnings of new states.
     Mr. Norman Motum who for 70 years had assisted in the vestry, helping to robe our own pastor and visiting bishops and ministers to the Colchester pulpit, retired from this noteworthy use in October 1979. Such long and useful service can only be recorded with much gratitude and love.
     Instead of meeting at Purley Chase in March 1980, the Young Marrieds and their children plus young adults decided Colchester was a more readily accessible venue and under the guidance of our three ministers, it turned out a happy uplifting weekend.

114

The food was prepared and cooked at the church by Mrs. Sean Evans (Ruth Berridge) and helpers. There were classes and discussions, walks, social time, Sunday service with a talk for the children.
     Many Colchester members and young people were involved in the London young people's weekend in October 1979, and the Hill End Weekend Camp in Oxfordshire in April 1980 plus Hengrave Hall, Suffolk, Adult Study weekend in June 1980. Only one Colchester member, Miss Janina Szymbra represented us at the General Assembly in Canada this year, but has shared her experiences with us.
     In the Autumn of 1974 our pastor inaugurated harvest suppers. This involved all members and their children and was a meal provided and enjoyed by all for all. We hope to repeat it in 1980.
     We had a November fair last year, commencing with fireworks and a bonfire in the school playground and then indoors for eight competitions, a surprise dip bran tub and a cafe "Le Fecheur" (the fisherman), a decorated corner with fishing nets, seaweed and crabs and waiter-served refreshments.
     In July 1980 we used the playground again to eat al fresco' during an early evening barbecue at which Mr. Rose was chief cook. This followed on from the British Academy Annual meeting and was followed afterwards with games and dancing.
     Our school continues to flourish under Mr. Rose, Miss Hilda Waters and Mr. Peter Sherry. Some of the mothers of the students give help in the afternoon classes and others sit in during the teachers' lunch break.
     We continue to give the children of the society their own socials three times a year and our Theta Alpha makes an annual money gift to the school. They also subscribe to an award for the most helpful all-round girl student at the British Academy Summer School.
     A group of house-bound mothers in the society have found a new interest in getting together once in two weeks for a coffee morning with a difference. We center our talk around practical topics of life viewed in the light of the teachings of the Writings. These meetings have proved very stimulating and we would welcome any lady member who would care to join us.
     RUTH M. GREENWOLD
NEW SOCIETY 1981

NEW SOCIETY LOUIS B. KING 1981

     The General Church Circle in San Diego, California has been officially recognized as the San Diego Society of the General Church of the New Jerusalem, as of January 1, 1981.
     As of January 1, 1981, the Reverend Cedric King became the first Pastor of the San Diego Society, in response to a call from that Society.
     LOUIS B. KING,
          Bishop

115

ORDINATION 1981

Announcements
King-At San Diego, California, November 27, 1980, the Rev. Cedric King into the Second Degree of the Priesthood, the Rt. Rev. Louis B. King officiating.
APOLOGY 1981

APOLOGY 1981

We are well aware that some sections of this and the previous issue are difficult to read because of insufficient space between words. Please bear with us as we struggle to correct this problem.
CLERGY MEETINGS FIFTY YEARS AGO 1981

CLERGY MEETINGS FIFTY YEARS AGO 1981

When the clergy meetings were held in 1931 there were twenty-one ministers in attendance. This year three times that number are expected.

117

AVAILABLE CASSETTE TAPES 1981

     Here are some Sound Recording tapes not yet listed in the current catalogue or supplement of the General Church Sound Recording Committee in Bryn Athyn.

     Charter Day Programs
40Sm53-1      Warriors for the Lord (Church Service) Rev. C. R. J. Smith
40 CBD-80      Charter Day Banquet-GLENCAIRN-PAST GLORY, FUTURE CHALLENGE
44A872-1      Theta Alpha program The Girl's School Rev. A, Acton

     Radio Programs with Kurt and Kathy Simons
56 1980-2      March 2, 1980 The Sophus Taton Show on WQBK Albany, N. Y.
56 1980-3      March 28, 1980 Contact WGY Schenectady N. Y.

     Theta Alpha Programs
44 TA80-1      Teaching at Kempton School Yorvar Synnestvedt
44 B1980      How We Came Into the New Church Rev. Bill Burke

     Tapes of the sessions of the 1980 General Assembly are also available.
ACADEMY SUMMER PROGRAM IN RELIGION 1981

ACADEMY SUMMER PROGRAM IN RELIGION 1981

The Academy College is sponsoring a two-week summer session involving an intensive study of specific topics in religion. Courses will be given in "The New Testament," "Conjugial Love," and "The Doctrine of the Lord," and they will be taught by instructors on the Academy College staff. The classes will meet five days a week, three hours a day from June 8 to June 19, 1981, and they will carry two (2) academic credits apiece. Participants will be limited to taking one course for credit, but they may audit an additional course if they wish to do so.
These courses are open to adults of college age and up. The cost for the two-week session will be $120.00. Applications must be made by April 20th, 1981. Our offering of these courses does depend, of course, upon sufficient enrollment. If you wish to enroll or want further information about the specific descriptions of the course or about living accommodations, please write Dean Robert Gladish, Academy College, Box 278, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

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U.S.A./CANADA NEW CHURCH MINISTERS OTHER THAN BRYN ATHYN 1981

Rev. Glenn G. Alden 305-685-2253 (home)           Rev. Brian W. Keith     312-724-7829 (home)
211 N.W. 150th St., Miami, FL 33168                 2712 Brassie Dr., Glenview, 1L 60025
305-688-6762 (office)

Rev. Kenneth J. Alden 313-280-0267                Rev. Cedric King 714-268-0379 (home)
131 W. Maple, Apt. 105A. Clawson. MI 48017     7911 Canary Way, San Diego,
                                                            CA 92123 714-278-6137 (office)

Rev. Mark E. Alden 312-729-2452                Rev. Thomas L. Kline 404-451-7111(home)
73A Park Drive, Glenview, 11 60025           3795 Montford Drive
                                                            Chamblee, GA 30341           404-452-0518 (office)

Rev. Arne Bau-Madsen 1-756-6942                     Rev. Robert D. McMaster      416-625-7762 (home)
Box 527, Rr. 1. Lenhartsville, PA 19534                #56-1370 Silver Spear, Mississauga
     1-756-6140 (school)                         Ont., CANADA L4Y 2X2

Rev. Christopher D. Bown 203-877-1141 (home)     Rev. Kurt P. Nemitz 207-442-7552 (home)
145 Shadyside Lane, Milford. CT 06460               887 Middle St., Bath, ME 04530

Rev. Peter M. Buss 312-724-0120 (home)               Rev. Allison L. Nicholson 416-231-0639 (home)
73 Park Drive, Glenview, IL 60025                    170 Martin Grove Rd., Islington. Ont.
312-724-0057 (church) 312-724-1080 (MANC)          CANADA M9B4L1

Rev. Mark R. Carlson 519-893-7085(home)               Rev. John Odhner 904-228-2337
16 Srafford Lane, R.R. 2, Kitchener           #8 Seminole Sr., Box 187
Ont., CANADA NZG3W5                              Cassadaga, FL 32706

Rev. Eric H. Carswell 412-244-0265 (home)          Rev. Walter E. Orthwein 313-689-6118 (home)
510 Lloyd St. Pittsburgh. PA 15208               132 Kirk Lane, Troy, MI 48084
412-731-7421 (office)                                   313-689-0500 (church)

Rev. Geoffrey S. Childs 416-231-4958 (home)     Rev. Donald L. Rose 412-731-1061 (home)
2 Lorraine Gardens, islingron                     7420 Ben Hur St., Pittsburgh, PA 15208
Ont. CANADA M9B424                              416-233-7287 (church)

Rev. William H. Clifford 604-782-3997 (home)      Rev. Erik Sandstrom 605-745-6714 (home)
1536 94th Avenue, Dawson Creek                          R.R. 1. Box 101-M
B.C., CANADA VIG1HI                                   Hot Springs, SD 57747
604-782-8035 (office)

Rev. Stephen D. Cole 513-631-1210 (home)           Rev. David R. Simons 213-248-3243 (home)
6431 Mayflower Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45237               4615 Briggs Ave.
                                                            La Crescenta. CA 91214 213-249-9163 (office)

Rev. Harold C. Cranch 617-523-4575 (church)
140 Bowdoin St. Apt. 1802, Boston, MA 02108

119

Rev. J. Clark Echols 312-7294397 (home)           Rev. Christopher R. J. Smith 519-893-6754 (home)
2700 Park Lane, Glenview, IL 60025                16 Bannockburn Rd. . R.R. 2
                                                                 Kitchener 519-893-7460 (office)
                                                  Ont., CANADA N2G 3W5

Rev. Roy Frason 602-296-1070 (home)               Rev. Lawson M. Smith 301-262-2349 (home)
8416 East Kenvon Drive, Tucson
AZ 85710 602-327-3701 (office)                         11721 Whittler Rd., Mitchellville, MD 20716

Rev. Daniel W. Heinrichs 301-262-4565 (home)     Rev. Louis D. Synnestvedt 912-924-9221
3809 Enterprise Rd., Mitchellville, MD 20716      Rt. 3, Box 136, Americus, GA 31709
301-390-6282 (office)

Rev. Kent Junge 206-821-0157 (home)
14323 C 123rd N.E., Kirkland, WA 98033

     GENERAL CHURCH MINISTERS OVERSEAS

Rev. Born A. H. Boyesen                         Rev. Geoffrey H. Howard
Bruksater, Furusjo                               30 Perch Road
S-566 00. Habo, SWEDEN                              Westville 3630, Natal
                                                       REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA

Rev. Ragnar Boyesen                          Rev. Ottar T. Larsen
Aladdinsvagen 27                               183 Norbury Crescent, Norbury
161 38 Bromma, SWEDEN                    London, SW16 4JX, ENGLAND

Rev. Jose L. de Figueiredo                         Rev. Alain Niolier
Rua Des. Isidro 155                     Bourguignon-Meursanges
Apt. 102. Tijuca                                   21200 Beaune, FRANCE
Rio de Janeiro, 20521 RJ, BRAZIL

Rev. Michael D. Gladish                         Rev. Norman E. Riley
22 Dudley Street                         42 Pitlochry Road
Penshurst, N.S.W                               Westville 3630, Natal
2222 AUSTRALIA                              REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA

Rev. Andrew J. Heilman                         Rev. Patrick A. Rose
Rua Ferreira de Sampaio 58                     43 Athestan Road
Apt. 101, Abolifao                              Colchester C03 3TW
Rio de Janeiro,. 20.750 R.J.                         ENGLAND
BRAZIL

Rev. Erik E. Sandstrom
135 Mantilla Road
London, SW17 8DX
ENGLAND

     In the January issue we have listed the information on societies and circles. We have found that the information most frequently sought is the phone numbers and addresses o pastors, and this is what we are supplying this month. To the list should be added the Bryn Athyn Pastor, Rev. Kurt H. Asplundh, whose home phone number is (215) W17-3665 (Office: 6225).

120

GENERAL CHURCH PASTORAL PAMPHLETS 1981

     The General Church Publications Committee has been producing a line of pamphlets dealing with various subjects of interest and importance to every New Churchman. They are designed to guide and instruct the reader in the various aspects of New Church Life.

     BAPTISM                                                                  $ .50
COURTSHIP, CONSENT, BETROTHAL                                         .35
A HANDBOOK OF GENERAL INFORMATION OF THE GENERAL CHURCH
     OF THE NEW JERUSALEM                               .60
THE HOLY SUPPER                                         .50
MARITAL SEPARATION                                        .50
MARRIAGE COVENANT                                        .50
OUR CUSTOMS AT WEDDINGS                                   .35
OUR FUNERAL CUSTOMS                                        .50
A STATEMENT OF THE ORDER AND ORGANIZATION OF THE
     GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM                    no charge
WHAT THE WRITINGS TESTIFY CONCERNING THEMSELVES           .60
COMPLETE SET                                             4.25
Postage in U. S. A.                                    .60

GENERAL CHURCH BOOK CENTER
BRYN ATHYN, PA 19009
Hours: 8 to 12, Monday thru Friday
Phone: 215-947-3920

121

NOTES ON THIS ISSUE 1981

NOTES ON THIS ISSUE Editor 1981

NEW CHURCH LIFE
Vol. CI March, 1981 No. 3

122

     What do angels actually do? This is a subject that has long interested New Church people. Nothing could be clearer to us than that a life of useful activity is central to heavenly happiness.
     Moreover, we have direct teaching on angelic uses, a notable example being the chapter in Heaven and Hell on employments. But this revelation does not end our curiosity, for having answers awakens more questions. When one of the elective sessions at the Assembly last June was advertised as dealing with the question of what angels do it attracted an eager crowd. The speaker, Rev. Erik E. Sandstrom, has agreed to have his remarks on the subject serialized. We are spreading it over three issues to let the flavor last in this outstanding treatment of a subject of wide interest. The writer is completing his ninth year as pastor of the London society, a position once held by his father after whom he is named.
     The sermon "Loving One Another" is the first sermon this magazine has published by Rev. Mark Carlson, although a number of other things by him have been published since his ordination in 1973. He is presently Assistant Pastor of the Carmel Church in Kitchener.
     If you like something that is not good for you, can you learn to dislike it? See the short piece by Rev. Willard Heinrichs, an instructor of religion at the Academy.
     Reincarnation is the subject of IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES. See page 150 for perspectives on this from two magazines.
     A last minute change in this issue caused unfortunate delay, but it did enable us to begin the study "The Education of Girls and Boys" that was presented this month by the President of the Academy, Rev. Alfred Acton II.
     Note: Official announcements of some ministerial changes will appear next month, including the call of Rev. Michael Gladish from Australia to Los Angeles, Rev. Glenn Alden from Florida to Connecticut and Rev. Erik Sandstrom from London to Australia.

123

LOVING ONE ANOTHER 1981

LOVING ONE ANOTHER Rev. MARK CARLSON 1981

     This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you (John 15:12).

     The fifteenth chapter of John is a continuation of the conversation the Lord had with His disciples on His last night of life on earth. If there had been any doubt in the disciples as to what the essential message of their Teacher was, there could be no longer. Repeatedly He told them that they must learn to love each other as He had loved them. He was about to demonstrate the extent of His love for them, and for all mankind, by voluntarily accepting the physical and spiritual torture of the cross. "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."
     When the Lord spoke to His disciples about the love He wished them to have for one another, He was speaking of the same love which the Writings call "mutual love," that love which is the source of all happiness (AC 537). If such love is the very basis of angelic existence, we may know that it is also the focal point of attack from the hells. There are many barriers which stand in the way of our experience of such love for one another.
     Love is the very substance of our life; it is the motivator in everything we do, and that from which we interpret everything that happens to us. Thus the Writings tell us that love is our very life (DLW 1). Since love is so all-important to us spiritually, it should come as no surprise to us that love is so difficult to handle. Most of us know from experience that the issue of giving love to others and receiving love from others is one of the more difficult issues of our life. Not only is it difficult to show love for others without embarrassment or self-consciousness, it is often even more difficult to allow ourselves to feel love for others, lest we risk rejection or expose vulnerability. Love is that which makes; it is the very being of our life; it is that which we long to receive and express daily, yet it is that which we fear the most.
     What is this mutual love which the Lord invites us to experience for one another? It is like the free gift of love which all parents receive toward their children (AC 2738). This love is said to be a derivative or off-shoot from conjugial love. But mutual love for children is preserved in parents even when they do not receive a true marriage love for their partner.

124

This preservation, we are told, is to protect the survival of mankind. The essential quality of mutual love may be discerned from this love of parents for children. The quality of that love is that it finds joy in serving the welfare of children with no thought of a return to self. Most parents know from experience that they would rather be hurt themselves than witness their children being hurt; most parents would willingly give up their natural life in order to save their children if that were required. It is this kind of selfless love that the Lord wishes us to experience for others beyond our children.
     The essential quality of mutual love is, therefore, that it must be unconditional. It must be a love which contains no thought or expectation of a return to self. The Lord's love for us is similarly unconditional-no matter what we do with our life His love for us remains; He does not give or withhold His love depending upon our performance. Likewise, genuine love for others cannot be dependent upon performance. This is especially true of the love between married partners. If love is given as a reward for performance, it is not love. If it is withheld as a punishment for wrongdoing, it is not love. If it is given with the condition that it must be returned, it is not love. If it is threatened by feelings of vulnerability, it is not love. If it is seen as a sign of weakness, it is not love. If it is used to control others, it is not love.
     Paul described this love in the following words: "Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (I Cor. 13:4-7).
     Perhaps our greatest barrier to the experience of mutual love is in not allowing our love for others to be unconditional. We are so accustomed to operating with others in terms of trade and barter, that we can easily slip into the idea that our most valuable possession, our love, is also up for auction to the highest bidder. Our love is so much a part of us that we innately guard and protect it, and are continually tempted to bestow it upon only those we feel we can trust-and often the stakes seem so high that we trust no one. The temptation is to feel that a love that goes forth from us and is not returned somehow diminishes us that part of us is lost. But the truth is that a love which goes forth without condition of return is that very activity which conjoins us with the Divine loving.

125

Because our love is similar to His love when it is unconditional, the Lord may then flow into us with more of His love, and we are continually renewed and refreshed, while conditional love, which awaits a return, withdraws, turns in upon itself, withers, and at last dies in the ashes of selfishness. "For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors the same?" (Matt. 5:46)
     A cruel falsity appears to have crept its way into the thinking of some in regard to mutual love. Mutual love is a term which describes a human relationship that always looks to the good in another and seeks to promote that good (AC 3875:5).
     On the one hand we are taught that everyone in the universe is the neighbor who is to be loved, and that we are to love others according to the good that is in them from the Lord, whether or not we are privileged with the sight of that good. On the other hand, we are instructed to be careful in how we show our love for others in order that our love may truly benefit them(AC 3419:3, 3820:2, 6708; TCR 407: Ch. 79). We are not invited to be discriminate with love itself. While it is true that there are varying degrees of the neighbor and consequently various loves of the neighbor according to varieties of good, nevertheless, we are not to allow this orderly variety of loves to justify the notion of conditional love. We are not to withhold love from another who has wronged us, or who has momentarily slipped in their battle with our hereditary nature. We are to continue to wish well to all men regardless of their present condition or past failures. "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say unto you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. . . ." (Matt. 5:43, 44) And we should remember that all too often we are witness to the battles others have lost, but seldom are we privileged to know their victories. So it is that the angels seek to overlook the faults in others, look for the good, and put a good interpretation on what appears to be evil and false (AC 1979). We may know there is something that is lovable in each of us, even with the lowest devil in hell. If this were not true, how could the Lord continue to love those in hell?
     "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love" (John 15:10, 11). We abide in the Lord's love by keeping His commandments, and His new commandment is that we should love one another as He loved us. That means that our love for one another should strive to be free, unconditional, looking for the good, overlooking the bad, and always aware of what is necessary for our love to be of real benefit to others.

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It is only in the sphere of unconditional love that we can be free to grow in spirit, leaving behind us that which is not good. Thus it is our responsibility to help the Lord provide a sphere of unconditional love in the church in which all of us may thrive and grow in love and wisdom.
     If the love and service we give to others is conditional, for whatever reason, it does not feel like love to them; rather it feels like manipulation-it feels as if we are trying to get what we want from them. In the sphere of manipulation, the hells thrive; neither the one loving nor the one being loved is benefitted. Those who feel loved conditionally make little effort to change the disorderly things in their life because if such a change is a condition of love, then they know that love is fickle, cannot be trusted, and may be withdrawn again if they make a mistake. Conditional love is not worth working for because it is too painful. We would rather never experience the joy of being loved if there is the possibility that it may be withdrawn.
     Thus the Lord's love for all mankind is unconditional. Unconditional love is the only kind of love He is capable of giving, and He knows that unconditional love is the only kind of love that empowers us to work for better things. He tells us that we must lay down our life for our friends, just as He gave up His natural life for us. And that means that in loving our neighbor, we must lay down what we want for him and from him. If we cannot put aside our desires, our aspirations, our wants, our needs, in loving others, then our love will be conditional-it will be a love with ulterior motives; our life will be very active in it, and the Lord's love will not be able to flow through us into others (AC 1594). If we are unable to put aside our conditions for loving, others will feel that we have not given up our life in loving them, and we will feel it too. And so the Lord invites us to love as He loves.
     The truth is that conditional love is not really love at all, but simply the appearance of love. It is the kind of love that is incapable of feeling the joy of another as joy in oneself (DLW 47). And because such love is really motivated by the love of self, it can never be fulfilled. Conditional love can never experience the joy of growth and love in another. When the one we love conditionally begins to fulfill our conditions and expectations, we do not take that change as a free gift of love, but as that which we had always expected-part of an unwritten contract. It means nothing to us and generates no new love. When one condition of love is met, conditional love often finds other new conditions to goad the loved one on to new and greater fulfillment of self.

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Thus conditional love is a subtle and powerful trap used by the hells to drag us away from the pure, warm light of unconditional love. "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:14).
The Lord tells us that we are no longer His servants, but His friends, because we now know everything that He is doing for us and why He is doing it. We are not His servants because we do not have to fulfill certain duties to please Him and be loved by Him. If we return His love by giving it to others, we find happiness, and in our happiness the Lord is joyful. But if we do not return His love, still He will love us. For He is our true Friend. He will stand by us and love us through good times and through bad; He will not leave us comfortless in times of trouble and distress. And like any other friend who observes our pain and suffering, the Lord will suffer with us, always waiting, patiently waiting, for us to return to Him for aid. He is our Friend, our Way, our Truth, and our Life. And He is all of this for us unconditionally. Amen.

Lessons: Samuel 18:1-5, John 15:1-17, AC 5365:4
NEWS FROM DETROIT 1981

NEWS FROM DETROIT 1981

     The following is a fresh addition to the News which appears on page 160.
     We are happy to report the engagement of Jack Elder and Karen Childs, and of Harvey Caldwell and Roslyn Taylor.
     This year Mr. Orthwein is presenting a course on "The Moral Virtues" for the 9th and 10th grade religion classes. Mr. Orthwein feels that this is a subject which leads into many interesting areas for discussion. The booklet The Uses of the Moral Virtues by Rev. Fred Schnarr, and the book The Moral Life by Dr. H. Lj. Odhner are being used in this study.
     Our celebration of Christmas was particularly beautiful this year. Mr. Orthwein spoke on "The Virgin Birth," bringing out many new thoughts on the subject. For the first time the tableaux were held in our school auditorium. The children presented their gifts to the church as part of the tableaux program, offering them to the infant Lord as the wise men did. The Children's Festival Service on Christmas Eve is always very special. The children delight in the lovely gifts which are presented to them from the church.
     Two groups of carolers spread the Christmas spirit to each of the families of the society. One group of eight young adults spent much time in preparation; and they wore old-fashioned garments and red bonnets and top hats.

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"COSMOS" 1981

"COSMOS" MARJORIE ROSE SONESON 1981

     "Cosmos" is the title of a thirteen part series run this winter on public television. It is a thrilling example of what can be done with creative ideas, excellent graphics and a charismatic master of ceremonies. The director-producer-star, Dr. Carl Sagan has written a book of the same name, that has been on the best seller list for months.
     The word "cosmos" has the opposite meaning to "chaos." The American Heritage Dictionary's first definition is:
     "The universe regarded as an orderly, harmonious whole."
     Dr. Sagan's series was considered so significant that each segment was broadcast at least three times in the Philadelphia area, at different times of the week. Watching the show was more than a pastime. It was an experience.
     In the light of the Writings, however, the script had one deeply disturbing flaw. The overall theme was creation, yet the writers openly denied that there was a Creator of the cosmos.
     The first chapter in True Christian Religion is "God the Creator." Under six sub-headings a detailed description of creation unfolds. The last section, numbers 75 to 80, is called "Creation of the Universe." It is easy and fascinating to read. These numbers include five Memorable Relations, actual accounts of conversations that took place in the spiritual world. There is an uncanny echo in the "Cosmos" script, as if its writers were under the spell of some spirits quoted in T. C. R.
     In number 77, one exclaims:
     "O that we might be permitted to talk with the angels of heaven! We would completely and fully demonstrate that what they call God . . . unless nature is meant by it, is a mere word." Swedenborg's eyewitness report continues, explaining that their wish was granted. They were invited to discuss Nature vs. God with two angels. Crying out in a furious voice, one said:
     "'You are called wise because you acknowledge God. But O how simple you are! Who has ever seen God? Who understands what God is? Who can comprehend that God rules, or is able to rule, the universe and each and all things in it? Who but the multitude and the rabble profess what they do not see nor understand? What is more obvious than that nature is the all-in-all? Who with his eye has ever seen anything but nature? Who with his ear has ever heard anything but nature?

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Who with his nostrils has ever smelt anything but nature? Who with his tongue has ever tasted anything but nature? Who by any touch of hand or body has ever felt anything but nature? Are not our bodily senses the witnesses of what is true? And much more in the same strain."
     A subtle irony is exposed by studying these passages while under the charm of the "Cosmos" television show. Much of its subject matter involves things that none of us has actually seen, heard, smelled, tasted or touched: Quasars, black holes, landscapes of remote planets. One of Dr. Sagan's objectives was to "popularize" the mysteries of science. He often implied that viewers should "take his word for it." He is a master teacher, and his message came through, laced with emotion and awe. He appears to be a classic example of a nature-worshiper.
     Swedenborgians have sent him their literature, and written personal letters to him. He is not impressed.
     At the conclusion of True Christian Religion, number 77, one of the angels comments:
     "We have looked down upon those celebrated for learning on the earth, and we have found six hundred out of a thousand in favor of nature, and the rest in favor of God. And those in favor of God were so not from any understanding of the matter, but only because they had heard that nature is from God, and had often talked about it."
     Using their own criterion it is tempting to challenge the producers of "Cosmos" on their own terms. Millions of people enjoyed the "Cosmos" programs. They are a creative revelation. But how would Dr. Sagan respond to a letter that said:
     "I believe in 'Cosmos' but I don't believe in you. I have never seen you."
     Fifteen words in Divine Love and Wisdom, number 43, speak to this debate with simplicity and great power:
     "Thought from the eye closes the understanding, but thought from the understanding opens the eye."
DISMISSING THE SUBJECT OF ETERNAL LIFE 1981

DISMISSING THE SUBJECT OF ETERNAL LIFE 1981

Some people say, "We see the world, but the other life we do not see; perhaps it exists and perhaps not." Such people put away all these subjects for even at the first look they at heart reject them. AC 4585:3

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SHALL WE GROW? 1981

SHALL WE GROW? J. DANIEL HEILMAN 1981

     (Continued from the February issue)

     THE EDUCATIONAL CHALLENGE

     We have traditionally stressed New Church education, and treatises have been written defining its goals. I would suggest that we are faced with the dual purpose of providing an education which competes well with non-parochial or "private" systems, in curriculum and in student performance, and which also adds the perspective of the teachings of the Church. To elaborate, I think it very important for our educators to be cognizant of the horizontal qualities of our system at each level, compared with other systems, and also the vertical aspects, relative to the educational needs of each young man and woman. The viability of our educational system will depend upon how well we produce an educational "product" competitive by the educational standards of the day, yet with the added dimension of providing the stabilizing effect of our purposes within the context of the Church. Although many would debate the equivalence of education with career development, there certainly is some relationship between the two, and we must be very good at assisting our young people in finding careers and exploring various avenues to those goals. The effort of the Sons in career development exemplifies this most important awareness, as do our high school guidance programs. Because it seems obvious that our students are not all aimed toward teaching within our school systems, or attending theological school, our junior college program should be seen as a positive step fitted into an educational program for individuals. This suggests a complete registry of Academy students, their educational histories, our credit reference with various colleges and particularly a survey of college programs around the country in which our students have been successful.
     This registry could be computerized and used by students to gain first-hand information about specific colleges and universities. It could also serve as a powerful tool in career guidance, using telephone-based interviewing of alumni by Academy students.
     A New Church background takes on special meaning when one is confronted with other value systems. One arena where we become so exposed is within educational systems at many levels-high school, college, graduate school, as well as later in our jobs and communities.

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There may be much to gain through a mixture of educational experiences: an exposure to several approaches to a single subject or thought. We may be best served by encouraging an open approach to fundamental questions. If one system is more cohesive or satisfactory, it would be expected to "win" in the free marketplace of ideas. I assume that to grow we must mix in society; a non-parochial school may more closely represent a microcosm of that society than one where fundamental questions are answered in a more uniform fashion. The comparative experience is a synthetic one which is fundamentally important. It is one antidote to prejudice, and prejudice is one of the antitheses of education. Here lies a challenge for us-to grow, we must maintain a sound curriculum in the arts and sciences and fulfill what we perceive as worthy goals of New Church education, yet we must remain open-minded, perhaps even encourage our students to pursue, according to their prescribed needs, courses in alternative schools and colleges.

     OUR ATTITUDES TOWARD OTHERS

     Our attitudes toward other people come from a composite set of influences-what we got from our homes in early life, our education later, and ultimately our life in society. I believe we in the Church are really not much different from the rest of society, and any strong feeling to the contrary may deter growth. We are made up of people of differing politics, color, geography, talents and attitudes about many things. We sometimes feel distraught about the apparent decay in personal accountability in Western society, about the erosion of the work ethic, about the creeping hedonism in a material and leisure-rich country. It is important to realize that many people outside the Church are also concerned about these trends. It is equally important to recognize the outstanding technical scientific and artistic achievements of our society, and the basic resiliency of our people.
     In a recent essay entitled "Mankind's Better Moments,"* Barbara Tuchman says, "Whole philosophies have evolved over the question whether the human species is predominantly good or evil. I only know that it is mixed, that you cannot separate good from bad, that wisdom, courage, and benevolence exist alongside vainglory, cruelty, and corruption." Though we might feel ourselves challenged by such statements, the business of judging individuals is complex. As assuredly we are to judge the legality and morality of certain acts, we are certainly told that the rendering of spiritual judgments is not our province.

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To assume such a position counters our belief. For the purposes of our outlook and our growth, we need a balanced picture of humanity, accepting people on their individual merits.
     * The American Scholar, Autumn 1980
     I work with men who, in and out of the field of medicine, are humanitarian in their values, yet who speak sparsely of their personal religious beliefs. I've discovered that people from differing religious backgrounds can work together embracing a cohesive work philosophy. More, I have learned a great deal from my partners about the practice of medicine such as making decisions, communication, accommodation, and' work. Their care and concern for the individual patients we see confirms for me that I am in the company of good spirits. I consider myself fortunate in this circumstance and have learned that the capacity for one individual to benefit another runs deeper perhaps than his "formal" educational or religious background.
     On a less personal level, I suspect that we in the Church feel a certain encroachment on our value system by the movie industry, magazines, TV, and pop music. The prime motive here, however, is economic rather than idealogic. In a recent TIME MAGAZINE article it was reported that a church-based group developed a "blacklist" of TV shows and proposed a boycott of the products advertised by the sponsors of those shows. One of the proponents stated, "We are not trying to say you have to follow our moral judgment. What we are saying is that we don't like this material, and we have no obligation to pay for it."
     In a society where we are sometimes appalled at the license taken in the name of free press, we sometimes find constructive avenues for redress. In this case it's within the context of the free market system.
     There are individuals and groups who are as concerned as we are about values in our life and society, and they cross many stratas within that society.
     I have often wondered why it is that our Church is traditionally seen as mystic, or as cultist, by many people, and indeed it is described this way in many reference works. Swedenborg's dramatic transition from the world of science and government to one of spiritual enlightenment undoubtedly accounts for some of this. I suspect that some of it may relate to the "blue whale situation"-that our numbers are few, and that traditionally much of our educational and social exposure has been inward. In reality, our religion is perhaps the least mystical around, possessed of the most rationally developed doctrinal base, the most thoroughly explained sacraments of worship, the most rigorously trained clergy that one might imagine.

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We have also been described as a sect, which seems more accurate by definition: ". . . a body of persons who follow a teacher or leader, or are united by philosophical or religious tenets."*
     * The lexicon Webster Dictionary
     It is valuable to transpose position and imagine what our religion might look like to others. We know that the Writings have touched more people than have ever been registered as members of the General Church. This is not to be impugned, for it is difficult to see how an enthusiastic reader of Swedenborg could be anything but a potential diffusing source for our teachings. It would be interesting to locate these people and question them.
     Returning to the theme of how we might appear to others, we must make value judgments such that we are neither too defensive of our beliefs nor inclined to artificially alter them to accommodate more "popular" beliefs. I would like to discuss two examples of what I feel are interpretive functions which deserve reappraisal. The first is our view of male and female. The second is what may be a restrictive attitude about science in modern times.

     MALE AND FEMALE ROLES

     I think we draw an inference about male and female roles, and characteristics based on the correspondential relationship between men and women in the conjugial. That there are differences between male and female is obvious. The differences even exceed the obvious, as described in Richard Restak's The Brain, The Last Frontier.* He here cites data suggesting innate differences in perception between male and female infants. If we flip the coin and ask, "What are male functions and what are female functions in society?" the answers are not easily constructed from a knowledge of the physical and perceptual differences. In the Academy Journal Literary Number 1978-1979,** Jane Williams-Hogan traces the history of sex roles in society as influenced by the socio-economic changes of the last 300 years. The final section on New Church perspective on the matter seems to call for a re-examination of the distinctions between male and female with an eye toward what is to a large extent cultural tradition versus what is compatible with twentieth century life. It is suggested that this may be done without detracting one iota from the intrinsic validity of the dynamically powerful spiritual distinction between men and women in marriage.
     * The Brain, The Last Frontier, Richard Restak, M. d., Warner Books, pp. 223-229
     ** The Academy Journal Literary Number 1978-1979, "Sex Rose: A Review and Appraisal," Jane K. Williams-Hogan
     There are certainly many factors which tend to muddy the waters when we attempt to define what job, position, role, or perhaps even parenting function "properly" belongs to a man or to a woman.

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One of these is the biologic variability which God has created in mankind, as with all of the natural kingdom. On most devised scales designed to separate males from females, there exists a variation around the mean. There are variations in muscle-to-fat ratios, estrogen and testosterone levels, running speed and jumping height, mathematical and verbal skills, and more importantly there is occasional cross-over into opposite gender territory. There are even variations in chromosomal identification patterns for sex so that in addition to XX (female) and XY (male) there are a few XXX's (who are not super-females as one might expect) and a few XO's. Admittedly, although these latter instances represent failures in chromosomal separation and produce profound problems for the individual, it is fair to say there is substantial variation on the scale of "maleness" and "femaleness." This is certainly no plea for unisex but rather a comment on a widespread biologic law-variability, and it fits well with our belief in individuality.
     We all know men who seem to operate strongly in the perceptive and affective fields and women who have developed their cognitive skills to meet life's goals. I suggest they are no less men or women for it. Although there are qualitative differences between the male and female mind, do not most positions administrative and professional call for the input of each? From a democratic point of view women comprise at least half of most groups. Is it appropriate to reexamine this area of sex differences in relation to the present day? Are we simply "old-fashioned" or have we been too restrictive in our interpretations?

     ATTITUDES TOWARD SCIENCE

     Another area which I feel deserves comment is that of our attitude toward science. I have no data to compare with society's attitudes in general, but because of our teachings, we may be liable to develop certain misconceptions. In truth, we in the Church are in an excellent position to have some special insights into science-its function and its limitations. I suspect if Swedenborg were alive today he would be aglow with enthusiasm over the exciting discoveries in science since the 17th century. The call of this scientific genius to a higher use in no way suggests he forsook the studies of the natural world, but rather he responded to an entreaty to chart the laws of the spiritual world. His disciplined mind and command of the science of the day may have qualified him for this task.

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     We in the Church understand clearly the limits of science. We know it is a method, an organized attempt by man to understand the world around him. It is suitable for study of the natural world. It is inadequate for application to any subject outside the physical world. There seems to be an ocean of unknown even within the natural, and that ocean seems to expand as our grounded base of knowledge expands. There are those scientists who feel that the great questions regarding man will be discovered through science and ultimately be recorded as the "laws of nature." The only purpose will be seen in the operation of these laws, and much speculation will be put forth in armchair conjectures on how things might have been had conditions been different. There is another group of scientists who are equally enthralled about the mechanisms operating in the natural world-protein synthesis through the transcription of the genetic code, the generation of electromagnetic radiation through the quantum changes in energy states of elementary particles, of the gravitational forces responsible for the braided F ring of Saturn. For these men, however, science is a tool, with limits, and their mind-set admits to an extra-scientific existence and government. They see man as more than an evolutionary event along a chain of chemical and biological combinations and developments. They see man's mind (and soul) as something special.
     These two types of scientists vary greatly in their basic beliefs, but I submit this difference has little bearing on their scientific endeavor, if we define science as the organized study of the physical world. (We see this in any group of people. One football player says, "God gave me the body and the gifts," and another says, "I'm the greatest!") We must be careful not to reduce the importance of the scientific method, or of the rather well-established body of scientific truth because of the tendency of some scientists to imply that all knowledge is knowable through the proper execution of the scientific method. We must not seek non-scientific solutions to problems which deal with physical and biological systems; or at least in our recognition of the limitations of science, we must not reject its total value because of its incompleteness.
     We sometimes are bewildered by the inexactitudes and the seeming capriciousness of scientific knowledge. This matter was recently addressed by Philip Morrison, professor of physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, given as part of the Carnegie Institute Learning Museum Program "Becoming Human."*

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Dr. Morrison pointed out that although philosophers have been dazzled by the replacements of viewpoint in science: Copernicus replaced Galileo; Einstein replaced Newton; Darwin replaced Cuvier and Lamarck, and so on; that in fact it can be held that these changes of viewpoint are minor compared to the cumulative recognition of the structure of our physical world-findings that have not and never will be displaced by those that follow. He also went on to make a very convincing statement of the value of science, carefully stating its specific and limited value as a method for studying the physical universe.
     * A Talk delivered at the Carnegie Lecture Hall, Nov. 21, 1980 by Dr. Philip Morrison
     Our Church teaches some specifics which bear on these questions. We are taught that there is a spiritual environment which affects man. Any system which purports to fully understand man, for instance through a study of his genes (e. g. sociobiology) or through his observable environment (e. g. the behavioristic branches of psychology), we know to be incomplete.
     Another specific teaching is that of the correspondential relationship between things natural and things spiritual. Perhaps the bridge between what we accept as basic natural laws (e. g. gravitation and thermodynamics) and the Operation supplying their respective forces are those very correspondences. Perhaps the natural laws are the "How's" and the correspondences are the "Why's."
     I have commented on two subjects which might be influenced by our traditional attitudes. I realize that we in the New Church are individuals with differing attitudes and interpretations on many subjects. It would be pretty dull if there were no room for discussion. There are other subjects worthy of open examination, such as the possibly pejorative sense which may be construed from our scholarly characterizations of the ancient churches, to the possibly retarding effect on appreciating the opposite sex intellectually by separating boys and girls in high school classrooms.
     In summary then, I feel that the goal and prospect of our Church doubling in a decade can be realized. To do so, however, implies not only asking the question, "What must we do?" but more completely, "What must we do that we haven't done?" I think that although concrete steps can be taken to attract receptive people to our church services or our social functions, to more fully realize our goals we must review the process of our living Church in all its elements. These include the Revelatory sources-the Word and the Writings, and the intrinsic power of their message, the quality and dedication of our pastorate, the challenges ahead for our educational systems to continue to teach competitively with other systems, and to preserve our own distinctive teachings in a sphere of not only tolerance for but perhaps cooperation with other systems.

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Finally, we must know that our greatest strength is in the individual members who, as purveyors of our teachings and our interpretive attitudes, have the capacity to radiate those values, and influence many people in the course of our daily lives.
PRAYER FOR OTHERS 1981

PRAYER FOR OTHERS Rev. CHRISTOPHER R. J. SMITH 1981

     (Continued from the February issue)

     There is one particular subject of prayer that is often debated. This is prayer for others. Should we pray for some other individual or even a group of people? If you have doubts about this consider the following episodes.
     When the Lord told Abimelech to return Sarah to Abraham, He said, "And now restore the man's wife, for he is a prophet and will pray for you" (Gen. 20:7).
     When Miriam was struck with leprosy, Moses pleaded for her: "O God, heal her now, I pray" (Num. 12:13). Moses often prayed to the Lord, asking Him to save the people in spite of their backsliding, saying, "Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people" (Num. 14: 19).
     Soon after Saul was made the first king of Israel, the people said to Samuel: "Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die; for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king." Samuel answered: "Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you" (1 Sam. 12:19, 23).

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     When in captivity in Babylon, the people were told by the Lord through the prophet Jeremiah: "Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare" (Jer. 29:7).
     In the Sermon on the Mount the Lord says, "Pray for those who persecute you," and after the Holy Supper Jesus spoke to the Father about the disciples and said, "I am praying for them" (John 17:9).
     Writing a letter to the Thessalonians, Paul said, "We give thanks to God always for you all, constantly mentioning you in our prayers" (Thessalonians 1:2). Paul also urged prayer to be made "for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life"(l Tim. 2:1-4). When Peter was imprisoned by Herod, we find that "earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church." Then after his miraculous deliverance by an angel, he went to the house of Mary "where many were gathered together and were praying" (Acts 12:5, 12).
     In what is believed to be the earliest writing of the Christian Church James the Just wrote a general letter to other Christians. He asked: "Is any among you sick? (Then) let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him . . . Pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects" (James 5:14, 16).
     Prayer for others is most familiar to us in the General Church when a minister officiates at a baptism, confirmation, marriage or resurrection service. In the confirmation service, for example, a prayer frequently used begins: "Bless, O Lord, this Thy servant who has made his confession before Thee this day. Defend him by the power of Thy Word. Fill him with the love of Thy truth. . ."
     Some of the prayers in our Liturgy are prayers for people in positions of responsibility. For example: "We pray Thee O Lord, for our civil rulers; may their counsels be directed in Thy wisdom. . ."(Prayer no. 53 on page 262). In the previous Liturgy one prayer began as follows: "We pray Thee, O Lord, to look down in mercy upon all who are afflicted in mind or in body; give them patience in suffering, endurance in temptation, firmness of purpose and strength of will, that all their trials and distresses may be overruled in Thy Divine Mercy for their eternal good. . ."(p. 254).
     In a sermon delivered last year in Bryn Athyn Rev. Alfred Acton said, "We should pray for the compassion and talent to be of service to another. Such prayer can be answered, even when it articulates the needs of another and requests the ability to meet those needs. Such prayer is valid and will be heard by the Lord."

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     In conclusion we would quote from the outstanding sermon by Rev. Roy Franson that appeared in New Church Life in February, 1980. "Strictly speaking there is no specific form of prayer that we may term prayers of intercession. For there is intercession in all love. . .He who loves or feels compassion continually intercedes, even as a husband-not vocally perhaps-continually wishes that his wife be well received by others. In other words, the element of intercession is present in all love (See AC 8573).
     "In our imperfect and unregenerate states we may strongly feel that someone we love is given a greater share of hardships and sorrows than he deserves, and therefore pray to the Lord that he might be delivered. And, as indicated above, there is absolutely nothing wrong in going to the Lord in prayer with everything that weighs on our mind. Yet, Solomon, best known for his wisdom, was Divinely inspired to teach us that prayers, however sincere and humble, often partake of hopes and desires that are contrary to Divine ends. . .
     "It is this humble acknowledgment that makes prayers meaningful and powerful in our struggles in life. It is in this spirit that we can go to the Lord in prayer, talking with Him about our needs, all our hopes and all our desires. For it is through a continued life of prayer that we can gradually learn what to pray for and what not to pray for. Prayers will forever be important to our spiritual peace and happiness."
WHAT DO ANGELS TALK ABOUT? 1981

WHAT DO ANGELS TALK ABOUT? 1981

At the present day most of those who believe in a life after death also believe that in heaven their thoughts will be nothing but devotions, and their words nothing but prayers; and that all these together with the expressions of the face and the actions of the body, will be nothing but glorification of God, thus their houses will be houses of worship or sacred chapels, and they themselves will all be priests of God. But I can affirm that the holy things of the church do not occupy the minds or homes of men there any more than in the world where God is worshiped, although worship there is purer and more interior; while the various matters pertaining to civil prudence and to rational learning are to be found there in their excellence. TCR 695 (Compare AC 5249:2.)

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EDUCATION OF GIRLS AND BOYS 1981

EDUCATION OF GIRLS AND BOYS Rev. ALFRED ACTON 1981

     A Study Presented to the 1981 Council of the Clergy

     The subject before us is the education of boys and girls. All education is merely the development of the means whereby some end can be achieved. Therefore, before turning to a discussion of appropriate modes of education for boys and girls, or the appropriate responsibilities of adult men and women who participate in this process, we need to begin with a discussion of ends, or goals.
     What are the educational goals we seek for the young men and women of the church? Are they the same? Or different? Obviously we hope all our efforts at education will enhance the life of the individual being educated. We educate because we believe that we have a responsibility to pass on to the youth of the church the wisdom and values of the past in such a way that they will benefit from this wisdom in their own approach to the Lord. Our first goal is that those entrusted to our care will eventually, when they enter into their own freedom, choose the life of heaven and its happiness. We trust that instruction in the light of the Lord's Word will enhance this goal, and that our students by such instruction will come into a special light which in turn will lead them to the good of life.
     The term "instruction" as used in the Writings describes the work of teaching which seeks to instill knowledges into the understanding, while the term "education" is used to describe "upbringing" or an appeal to both the will and understanding. In our day many educators are mere instructors because they have-in some cases by law, in others by a bent imbued in the faith alone culture from which they come-abdicated the responsibility to educate. In the New Word both education and instruction are described. Unfortunately we often miss the important duality of these terms. Education properly refers to upbringing and as such is a primary duty of parents (See D. Wis xi 5; TCR 431) which every New Church educator must mark well, else he or she may unwittingly usurp parental prerogatives. Parents are the primary educators of the church. Although teachers reinforce values instilled in the home, their primary domain is instruction. Because of this duality it is imperative that the school serve as an extension of the home.

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In matters of upbringing or "education," such as rules and regulations that embody the values of the home, the school must bow to the wisdom of parents with, of course, a mutual trust between both that the Word of the Lord will guide them. Where questions of values are primary, the school must make every effort to understand the homes of the church and try to follow their lead, rather than establish rules of conduct from personal preference.
     In my opinion, such a relationship in this area at the Academy needs more attention than it is at present receiving. Communication between home and school needs to be broadened by better use of parents councils and the like so that the values of the church are indeed reflected in the regulations of the school.
     On the other hand, instruction in matters of truth is the use of the priesthood in particular and of teachers and parents in general. We read: "The Divine Virtue and Operation, which are meant by the 'sending of the Holy Spirit' are, with the clergy especially, enlightenment and instruction" TCR 146). "Teachers" denote those who instruct (AC 9272:7). But, of course, this domain, although it requires the special skills of professional teachers, is not simply the domain of teachers. Parents play an important role in instruction as well. "From childhood to early youth, communication is opened with the interior natural by learning what is becoming, what the civil laws require, and what is honorable, both by instructions from parents and teachers, and by studies" (AC 5126:3; cf. 3762:2).
     I shall speak later of the responsibilities of parents in the education of girls as differentiated from boys as indicated in Conjugial Love 174 and 176, but for now, recognize that instruction is the role of both parents and teachers with the clergy having a primary enlightenment in matters of truth.
     For this reason we bow to the leadership of the clergy in matters of instruction.
     Of course, there was a time when every father was the priest of his own household. At that time both boys and girls were educated and instructed in the home by both parents. The setting was simple, with real equality between the sexes as each person sought to use his or her unique talents for service, not dominion. We read, "Dignities in the earliest times were such only as were accorded by children to parents; they were dignities of love, full of respect and veneration, not on account of their birth from them but because of the instruction and wisdom received from them, which was the second birth, in itself spiritual, because it was the birth of their spirit" (DP 215).

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As we consider this area of instruction it is well to note just who is instructing our youth today. At a recent meeting of the Middle States Association (Dec. 11, 1980) the keynote speaker, Dr. Ernest L. Boyer, reported that a survey of adolescents in the 1970's showed students learned most from parents, second most from peers, and third most from teachers. Other factors were listed down to T.V., in eighth place. A repeat of the survey today shows that adolescents learn most from their peers, second most from parents, third most from T.V. and fourth most from teachers. In other words, in today's adolescent culture the first and third most influential forces contributing to their learning are informal and usually uninformed. Parents and teachers, recognizing this reality, have all the more reason to make sure there is no division between them as to concepts of education and instruction.
Before progressing to an outline of goals, I wish to say a few more things about instruction in general. As noted, instruction is of the understanding. It is the teaching of truth in all its varied forms. The understanding is continuous. Bits and pieces of knowledge are gradually built up in the understanding until enough pieces are acquired to make a man learned. But the affections playing on the understanding are not continuous. They are discrete. So in the process of learning, knowledges can become matters of intelligence and at length matters of wisdom. The distinction between these levels of the understanding is in the source, in the affection, not in the knowledges themselves. For example, Christian Wolff was accounted a most learned man, but when that learning was put to the test of certain spirits from Mercury he had nothing to say. He had no intelligence, let alone wisdom (See EU 38). The same can be true for us if we have no spiritual love coloring our thoughts. Unless we have living faith we are not intelligent, and unless we have-genuine love we are not wise. We read: "There is no wisdom which is not from love, thus also from the Lord; nor any intelligence except from faith, thus also from the Lord; and that there is no good except from love, thus from the Lord; and no truth except from faith, thus from the Lord" (AC 112). When we speak of wisdom and the special light men have in growing wise we must remember this distinction. The wisdom comes from the love, but because the understanding is continuous, once wisdom or enlightenment is achieved it can be transmitted by knowledges through instruction. Knowledges can be learned by both men and women, although the love of growing wise is uniquely masculine.

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Both men and women also come into intelligence from faith, although the form of their intelligence appears differently. No wonder angel wives, who taught Swedenborg matters of wisdom which they learned from the knowledges their husbands taught them, were indignant at the thought they had no wisdom (See CL 208 et al).
Let us return to our educational goals which will be achieved through the process of instruction and through the general sphere we provide as regards the things we value most. One of these goals is to instill conscience, which in turn is dependent upon remains. The new will of man comes from the understanding which has in it a storehouse of remains which have become conscience. All remains come from without via sensations. They are a product of the environment and are implanted from birth to the end of life on earth (See AC 1906 et al). Remains enter according to the state of the child and so differ with each individual, but nevertheless, they begin with external sensations. Although the angels with the child moderate the quality of the remains, the sphere provided by parents and teachers gives the ultimates on which inflowing angelic love can rest. We must, as educators, have a concern for the entire sphere we provide for children so that the quality of these remains and the reality of genuine conscience can be attained. This sphere should differ for girls and boys since their state changes at different rates and in different ways (See CL 187). For example, the brains of girls and boys grow at different rates, with a sudden dramatic spurt for girls at age eleven to twice that of boys of that age, with boys at age fifteen achieving a spurt in nearly the opposite ratio. (See "Latest Brain Research Offer Lessons in Learning," Judith Brody Saks, The Executive Educator, Oct. 1979, page 28.) This different growth pattern, coupled with puberty, accentuates the need for special accommodation to these tender states. The young girl at this state needs concerned care because of her flowering womanhood which she can easily abuse, even as the boy needs masculine concern lest he abuse his new power. Of course, both need to see the powers by contrast, of which we shall speak later.

(To be continued)

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WHAT DO ANGELS DO? 1981

WHAT DO ANGELS DO? Rev. ERIK E. SANDSTROM 1981

     (Part I)

     INTRODUCTION

     The teachings that heaven is a kingdom of uses are so well known that we are constantly questioning what we will be doing there ourselves one day. The favorite question is, "What will a grave-digger do in heaven?" The question focuses on a problem: how to understand angelic uses in comparison with human uses.
     The answer is given in Heaven and Hell. We read: "in heaven everyone comes into his own occupation . . . . He comes into the employment or occupation corresponding to his use in much the same conditions of life as when he was in the world . . . . Yet there is this difference, that he then comes into an interior delight, because into spiritual life . . . and therefore (it is) more receptive of heavenly blessedness" (HH 394).
     Now this may or may not help someone who on earth hates his job. The question is, what kind of love are you working from? The motive is important, since man's job, profession, employment or office is intimately correlated with his regeneration. We read, "Everyone may be regenerated, each person depending on his state; for the simple and the learned are regenerated differently, as are those engaged in different pursuits and those who fill different offices . . . yet everyone, depending on his state, may be regenerated and saved" (TCR 580).
     It is clear, then, that the work we do here on earth is a function of our regeneration, of our ruling love and of our heavenly use. For if our ruling love is good, then that love will find an employment in heaven which corresponds to the use of our occupation here on earth. As a ready formula, therefore, we may, to the question "What will I be doing in heaven?" give the answer, "Something similar, but better and more enjoyable."

     WHAT ARE ANGELIC USES?

     There are so many angelic functions, services and occupations that there are relatively few on earth by comparison (HH 393). There are countless angelic uses which mediate other uses, minister to other functions and are subservient, coordinated and subordinated to other uses (HH 392).

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In other words, no angel does his work in isolation, but contributes an essential part to a grand total. The total use of each angelic society comes from the cumulative contributions of all its members. The total use is then subordinated to Divine Order. Every angel has dignity and honor depending on his contribution to the total use; but every angel gives the dignity to the Lord, to Whom alone it belongs (HH 389). They do this because they delight in doing their work. They labor from a love of seeing the use done. Thus they perform the use for the sake of the use itself. This, on earth, is perhaps best exemplified by the pride of service or workmanship provided. In heaven, no one ever advertises that pride. No angel would be so rash as to hang up a sign saying, "We serve you better." An angel would just go ahead and serve you better. But here on earth such a pride of service may actually stimulate the motive to become better in one's service, and to live up to one's advertisement.
     Angels, differently from men, do not have to work harder in order to earn more, to buy a better home, furniture, or pay for a holiday. "All necessities of life are provided gratuitously" (HH 393). And angels do not need a holiday, since every day provides its own ample time for exhilarating and decorous entertainments, sports and recreations. The enjoyment of uses in fact carries the angel along as an ocean current propels a ship to its destination. He feels eternal peace in his work and in his recreation, and this is called "eternal rest from labor" (CL 207).
     Do angelic uses seem so remote from our reality that they seem impossible? Perhaps. But every time we have felt that sudden surge of energy in our work, we have experienced some of that same eternal peace and rest from labor. When we are industrious, are we tired? Bored? Frustrated? No. And that is a sample of heavenly peace. That is the rest from labor angels enjoy. We have all felt it, and perhaps we even hope to feel that enlightened sense of purpose and expertise all the time at our work. Such is the angelic joy when at work.
     But what are angelic uses?
     We read in answer: "There are many forms of service; there are Church affairs, there are civil affairs, and there are domestic affairs . . . (dealing with) dwellings and homes of angels; (there are uses dealing with) marriages in heaven; all of which show that in every heavenly society there are many employments and services" (HH 388).
     Furthermore, there are administrations in heaven; there are ministries and functions, businesses, higher and lower courts of justice; there are also mechanical arts in heaven (CL 207).

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So we need not despair of finding our joy in heaven.
     The uses of angels divide among the beneficiaries. Who are they? Some people suppose that angels just do good works to each other. But no, angels do not do uses just to each other; they do them for newcomers in the world of spirits and for men on earth. Men on earth and newcomers into the world of spirits can be called the "raw material" of angelic uses, and the angelic spirits just arrived from the world of spirits into heaven can be called the "finished end products" of angelic uses. For the "purpose of creation is a heaven from the human race." All angels were once men. Their use is to bring more men to heaven, as they were brought to heaven; for this is the Lord's use of creation and redemption. The angels enter into the Lord's use.
     Thus some angels take care of children who have died, and teach and train them in keeping with their disposition and background in the world (HH 391). Other angels teach the simple good people of Christian background, yet others lead the peoples of all nations towards their own heavens. Other angels perform the specific use of defending newcomers against evil spirits, while others attend those who are being vastated. Some angels even attend spirits in hell, to restrain them from tormenting each other beyond the prescribed limits-the 'prison wardens' in the spiritual world.
     We see from these examples that all angels meet newly arrived spirits, and thus come in contact also with the minds of men on earth. All angelic uses are received by men on earth. There are no angelic uses which do not result in an influx which is not only received by us, but which also influences our work.

     (To be continued)
WHAT DO ANGELS TALK ABOUT? 1981

WHAT DO ANGELS TALK ABOUT? 1981

Angels talk with each other just as men do in the world, and on various subjects, as on domestic matters, and matters of the civil state, and of moral and spiritual life. And there is no difference except that their talk is more intelligent than that of men, because it is from interior thought. I have been permitted to associate with them frequently, and to talk with them as friend with friend, and sometimes as stranger with stranger; and as I was then in a state like theirs I knew no otherwise than that I was talking with men on earth. HH 234 (Compare AC 5249:2.)

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IN WHAT WAY PRINCIPLES SUBDUE AFFECTIONS 1981

IN WHAT WAY PRINCIPLES SUBDUE AFFECTIONS Rev. WILLARD L. D. HEINRICHS 1981

     A TALK

     BASED ON SPIRITUAL DIARY MINOR 4610-4614.

     If evils are to be removed they must first be seen. It has been noted that often the most sinister evil loves within us only come to light if we are prepared to carefully scrutinize the trends in our thought, noting especially the direction that our thoughts take when we are alone by ourselves. Then we need to ask ourselves, did I end by thinking from evil, or did I end by thinking from good?
     Now although we may wish otherwise, the mere seeing of evil does not remove evil. How then shall we subdue and remove those selfish and worldly lusts which, with their base delights, seek to defile and destroy our spiritual life? When first we contemplate this task, we are wont to regard it as impossible of accomplishment. The contending parties in our natural conscious mind seem to be hopelessly ill-matched. On the one hand we have our ingrained natural will with its powerful lusts and convincing delights. On the other hand, all we see is knowledge, knowledge from the Word, teaching that what we love and enjoy is wrong. Now it is true that knowledge alone cannot meet the challenge of our corrupted will. But if we decide that we shall make of that Divine knowledge a principle of life altogether to be observed and done, then a most amazing thing happens. Our willingness to acknowledge the Lord's truth in the direction of our life enables the Lord to fill that truth with power-the power to subdue our evil loves and change the delights of our natural man. Principles of truth, we are assured, can subdue affections. Swedenborg reports that when he was in an affection of evil, and principles of truth were insinuated within, then those delights began to cease (SD min 4610).
     Why do principles of truth have this power? If we reflect for a moment we will realize that Divine truths are nothing else than the expressions of the Divine will of the Divine love seeking to redeem and save us from spiritual destruction. If we determine to wholeheartedly accept Divine truths as principles of life, we open ourselves to the leading of the Divine will and we receive into ourselves the Divine love. Something of that Will and Love begins to become in us a new will and love, offsetting our native will and its lusts. So it is that principles are able to subdue the affections and delights of evil.
     In confirmation of this teaching we are furnished with the following practical illustration.

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"How strongly principles operate may be evident merely from this: if any one believes that the food in which he has delighted is injurious to him, he then, by virtue of that principle, abstains from that food, and, at length, turns away from it in dislike-if he only adopt that persuasion, or be in it from some physician whom he supposes to know." The passage continues, "it is thus in many other cases: so that principles subdue affections. Hence it may be evident of how great importance it is to be acquainted with the knowledges of truth, and to believe that what is here stated is true" (SD min 4613).
     Now common experience tells us that man by nature is impatient. When we determine to take a certain course of action, consciously or unconsciously, we anticipate early results and a perceptible reward. If these are not forthcoming, we are inclined to lose hope and give up in despair. Now if we heed the Divinely wise physician, and from principles of truth abstain from that which is injurious to our spiritual health, what expectations should we have? Let us note with care how the Lord responds to such a query.
     "When anyone possesses, and accepts, and believes principles of truth, or truths of faith, then although their operation, so long as he lives in the body, is insensible, yet still the Lord infuses blessing therein, which, if he does not perceive it in the life of the body, yet he does in the other life: and then (the state is) better still, when he has put restraint upon his natural disposition, and begins to shun, and hold in aversion, evil delights. But time is needed; for this cannot take place in a moment. Much time is needed to change delights in this manner; for they belong to the life derived from childhood" (SD min 4614).
     In short, principles will subdue evil affections but not immediately and perhaps not too perceptibly in this life. Therefore let us not despair. Let us hear instead what the Lord promises to those in the Church who persevere in their spiritual struggles. "Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life."
SINKING INTO WORLDLY THINGS ONLY 1981

SINKING INTO WORLDLY THINGS ONLY 1981

It has sometimes happened that I was earnestly thinking about worldly things, and about such things as give great concern to most people, namely about possessions, the acquirement of riches, about pleasures, and the like. At these times I noticed that I was sinking down into what is sensuous; and that in proportion as my thought was immersed in such things, I was removed from the company of the angels. AC 6210

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FRIENDS OF NEW CHURCH ART 1981

     Advance Notice of Art Shows

     The New Church Friends of Art plan to sponsor other art shows: one in 1982, two years after the last Assembly, and one at the next Assembly in 1984. The adult show will have the same requirements as the show at the General Assembly in Guelph in that they should relate to some aspect of the Writings. A quotation from the Writings related to the idea of the art form is desirable as we wish to sponsor a distinct New Church art development by living New Church artists. There will be purchased prizes or a prize. The winner(s) will receive the prize and their work will be a gift to the General Church. It was not the idea that the artist donate work to the Church since some cannot afford to do so. However, if an artist so wishes and requests this to be done, the committee may act as the representative in the transaction thus securing a charitable deduction for the donor. If there are no buyers for work displayed at the shows, the work(s) should be returned to the owner(s). Artists will have the right to exhibit work marked not for sale providing they qualify for the show requirements; otherwise all work will be assumed to be for sale at a quoted price established by the artist.
     Two junior shows (age 18 or under) are planned: one in 1982 and another in conjunction with the Assembly in 1984. We would like a representative at all Church schools to encourage exhibitors and would like to contact all who are interested. This work must fall into one of two categories:

     1. A Poster (22" x 28")
     2. A two-dimensional picture not larger than 12" x 18"

     General information for entries to junior shows:

Each entrant may submit one piece in each category.
Each piece should be accompanied by a quotation from the Writings, but the quote may or may not be on the piece itself.
Posters should be on poster board, 22" x 28"
Pictures should be mounted or matted.
Labels and entry forms will be included in the show notice and must be filled out and attached to the upper right hand corner of the back of each piece.
Prizes or ribbons will be given at the discretion of the judges.

     We need new members who are interested in New Church art. They need not be artists, but can be sponsors of art. The membership expenses are $15 annually, used primarily for purchasing prizes. Contributions, less or more, are most welcome.
     For additional information contact:

Helen L. Lee                         Karen J. Luce
1015 Jefferson Heights Road      or           917 Ramsey Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15235                    Pittsburgh, PA 15221

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IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES 1981

     In January both The Messenger and Lifeline had articles about reincarnation. From different writers in The Messenger we excerpt the following:
     "To me, as a Swedenborgian, the greatest weakness of the theory of reincarnation lies in its making the Divine-if, indeed, a Divine Being is postulated at all-a thoroughly selfish Entity, eventually drawing all souls into itself, obliterating all distinction between God and man. What would be the use of the trials and temptations of any earthly existence under such a regime-if the final goal is Nirvana, or the complete loss of human identity and the sense of 'otherness' from God? The true God needs others than Himself to love and to be loved by! In Swedenborg's theology, one earth life is all that is necessary, for after death there is constant growth in love and wisdom, and in all that makes for the happiness of the heavenly life. It is sensuous (sensuous as opposed to sensual) thinking to assume that the joys and pains of this life are rewards or punishments for a previous life on earth!"
     "Regarding personal identity, Swedenborg clearly stressed the uniqueness of each one. I am these basic tendencies and qualities, and I will be through the whole of creation. So I'd be inclined to say that outwardly Swedenborg did not support reincarnation but as inwardly understood, he did. Both are true. Outwardly I am this unique person, but my real nature drifts toward the One Life that reincarnates through the whole of time . . . I would not wish to denigrate another doctrine that contains real truth and usefulness."
     Lifeline has a thoughtful presentation by Rev. Ian Johnson. Here are some of his comments.
     "If a Newchurchman is asked, 'What do you think about reincarnation?' the answer is quite likely to be, 'it's all a big mistake,' or even 'a load of nonsense!' I fear I've said as much myself on occasions. This is a great pity, I am now suggesting-for several reasons: Firstly, some people have a deep emotional need to believe in reincarnation, or something like it, and we certainly won't help them by dismissing it lightly. We should try to understand their need, and to show sympathetically how there may be a better answer to it. Secondly, our Lord has allowed this idea to dominate the religion of many millions of Asians for thousands of years, and is now letting it spread in our part of the world. He must surely see some value in it!
     "It is clear New Church teaching that people of all religions find their home in Heaven, if they have followed their religion sincerely and lovingly.

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The Lord is happy to lead them by the religious ideas they know. (See Divine Providence 254).
     "It is easy enough to believe that the Lord leads people through religions that teach reincarnation-most notably Hinduism and Buddhism. But could it be that He is now letting this belief invade traditionally Christian countries to counteract certain tendencies in modern Christianity, to help the change-over to the true Christianity of His new age? I think we can see several ways in which this might be so. . . .
     "Too many European Christians seem to think that, if they attend church faithfully and keep the law in their safe little corner of the world, then the Lord will welcome them to a cosy little Heaven, to be shared with all their friends and relatives in a nice European way. We in the New Church can very easily build up such a picture of our eternal life. To any of us with such a picture of Heaven, the real Heaven will come as a big shock! It's overflowing with Chinese, Africans, Indians. . .
     "Jesus warned us, of course; 'People will come from east to west, and from south to north, and sit at table in the kingdom of God. And behold some are last who will be first. . .
     "An essential part of heavenly happiness is ceasing to care about the 'boundaries' between myself and other people, rejoicing rather in how much I share with people of all races, all historical times, all planets, all cultures, all characters. The idea of reincarnation is one way in which mankind has tried to express this heavenly insight. As such let us respect it."
     There are at least a dozen passages in the Writings with some bearing on the subject of reincarnation, and we would like to take up this matter in a later issue.
     One of the features of Additions to the Swedenborg Concordance published last year by General Church Press is that it gives references to such subjects as reincarnation.
DEJA VU EXPERIENCE 1981

DEJA VU EXPERIENCE 1981

Two or three times Swedenborg was permitted to have the experience of a spirit's memory flowing into his memory. This gave him a strange sensation. "I supposed," he testified, "that I had thought things before which I had not thought." AC 2478

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EDITORIAL PAGES 1981

EDITORIAL PAGES Rev. DONALD L. ROSE 1981

     NEW CHURCH LIFE

     WHEN THEY COME HOME

     Why were many moved so profoundly when those who had been held hostage were set free and brought home? The outpouring of feeling seemed too powerful to be attributed only to vicarious relief. Something deep in us seems to have been touched. We would suggest three aspects of what may be represented to us in such homecoming.

     1.      There is within a human being a kind of homing instinct which is not manifest in this world. We see it in birds and animals, and we know that it exists with angels (DLW 134). In the spiritual world people experience "a certain longing" (AR 611; compare HH 519), and this longing finds satisfaction when they recognize a home as their own.
     We each have a native land in the context of eternity. The love of country in the natural world is inwardly related to a love of the Lord's kingdom (AC 6821). Consider the following teaching: "Man becomes an inhabitant of the spiritual world because that is his real dwelling place and, as it is called, his native land, for there he is to live to eternity after he has lived some years in the natural world" (AE 1094:2).
     2.      The picture of someone glad to be home has a pleasant and powerful representation. Just being home is not the point. The total contentment at being there is what affects us. When a man can think of nothing he wants more than to be with his wife and family, he is portraying for us an image of conjugial love. "When a man together with his wife, whom he loves most tenderly, and with his children, lives content in the Lord" there is a picture of conjugial love (AC 5051). (The same scene in another passage makes it a humble home with few possessions and yet a full contentment of mind. See SD 2614.)
     3.      The inmost delight that can be known is what is called "peace." Real peace is something beyond common human experience (HH 284). However, there are certain human experiences which we may compare with it. It may be compared with what is experienced after war when one can be "safe in his own city and home and living in his own fields and garden." The prophet spoke naturally of heavenly peace in saying, "They shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig-tree. . . ."

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Peace, although ineffable, may be compared "with the state of mind experienced by those who, after storms and dangers on the sea, reach a port and set foot on the longed-for land" (TCR 304). When men do set foot on a longed-for land, our hearts may be lifted to higher things and to such words as those of the Psalm which says, "This is my rest forever; here will I dwell; for I have longed for it."

     JUST AS IF IT KNEW

     When you observe what takes place when a seed is planted in the earth, you get the impression that the seed knows what to anticipate, and how to proceed. "Out of a little seed cast into the ground there goes forth a root, and by means of the root a stem, and branches, leaves, flowers, and fruits in succession, even to new seeds; just as if the seed knew the order of succession, or the process by which it is to renew itself" (DLW 351). The knowledge is not in the seed, nor is it reasonable to assert that the knowledge comes from the sun up in the sky (Ibid.).
     The seed and the sun are ignorant and unaware, but oh what a knowledge is being dramatized for us, and it helps us as we walk our way not knowing what the future holds in store nor sensing the operation of Providence in our lives. The Writings invite us: "Watch a fruit tree. Does it not first have birth as a slender shoot from a small seed . . .? The same thing occurs with every shrub, and with every herb of the field. In these do not each and all things go forth regularly and wonderfully from end to end in accordance with the laws of its order? Why not likewise the primary end, which is a heaven from the human race?. . .This comparison has been made to show that when there is so regular a progression of the Divine Providence in the growth and regeneration of trees, there must needs be a regular progression in the reformation and regeneration of men, who are of much more value than trees" (DP 332).
     In February under the title "Prepared for the Unknown" we noted that each stage in the development of the embryo is a plane for a stage yet to come. If all these details are provided in such a knowing way in early physical development, "how much more" must this be the case in the matter of our spiritual life.
     A delightful example is the "education" for their future marriage of a boy and girl before they meet. This education goes on without either of them knowing it (CL 229).
     Moreover, it is in connection with a most charming story of boy meeting girl that the Writings tell us about the way the affection of one state is present in a state yet to come.

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The affection of the little school girl is present in the affection of the woman ripe for marriage. When Rebekah appeared in answer to the prayerful search for a wife for Isaac we are apprized of her family origins (Genesis 24: 15). The origin of an affection is what is signified, and we are told that "in every affection there is the person's whole life that has been acquired from infancy even to the time of life when he is in the affection" (AC 3078).

In connection with yet another such meeting we have the teaching that the things received in infancy are present in a later state. The coming of Rachel onto the scene when Jacob first sees her (Genesis 29:9) is associated with the following teaching. "As he advances in years, this good which in infancy had been insinuated into him by the Lord is drawn toward the interiors, and is there kept by the Lord, in order that it may temper the states of life which he afterwards puts on" (AC 3793). The meetings which occur "as if by fate" are in reality of the Divine Providence.
Does the bee know that the winter is coming? Does it consider that preparation is needed? To ascribe such "knowing" to a bee is absurd (TCR 335:3), but it seems to know (DLW 355). In all of nature a seeming knowing is a proof of the Lord's wisdom (DLW 356). The bird seems to know many things, but "such things are from the influx of Divine Wisdom into the outmosts of nature" (DLW 353). If this occurs in nature, how much more must it do so in the lives of those who are of more value than many sparrows!
KNEELING BEFORE THE SERVICE 1981

KNEELING BEFORE THE SERVICE LEON S. RHODES 1981

     COMMUNICATIONS
Dear Editor:

     Many older members will remember that it was once the custom for most New Church people to kneel briefly in prayer as they entered the church for a service of worship. Perhaps because of some similarity to the Catholic genuflexion, the custom is now all but gone. But perhaps it was of value, perhaps we could renew something of this simple act.
     Most of us would admit that if we are honest we tend to enter the church building with other thoughts on our mind, we notice friends or neighbors, perhaps what they are wearing or something totally unrelated to the service. It is true that in the New Church there is to be no external without its internal, but how many would agree that it would be simple and natural to begin to develop the habit of a deliberate moment of silent prayer as preparation for the service?

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If we would be self-conscious kneeling, we need but bow our heads or close our eyes, or even direct our attention to the altar. It might or might not be noticed by those around us. If not, nothing has been lost, and if noticed, may it not be true that there is a profound privilege in sharing our opportunities to gather in an assembly of worship? Our children would likely notice that we are indicating a change in sphere, and there is great power in the ultimates of the simple act which represents our readiness to allow the Lord to teach and guide us.
     As an aid, it might be helpful to use the familiar phrase which such an act represents: "I come into Thy house. . . ." for we have come here to be in the presence of the Lord; ". . . in the multitude of Thy mercy. . . ."-a feeling of gratitude that we can join with friends and neighbors in worship; "in Thy fear will I worship. . ."-a putting aside of worldly thoughts, and directing our minds to the Lord's teachings, "toward the temple of Thy holiness."
     LEON S. RHODES,
          Bryn Athyn, PA
EASIER TO READ 1981

EASIER TO READ FRANK S. ROSE 1981

Dear Editor,

     David Gladish's article in the February New Church Life raises a question that is of vital interest to the Church. There is room for many opinions when it comes to the "impossible art" of translation. From my experience in pastoral work, and more recently as a teacher in the Academy High School and College, I have grown increasingly interested in looking to greater simplicity and readability. Many of the concepts in the Writings are simpler than the English translations would suggest. The Latin of the Writings is relatively direct and uncomplicated. It is exciting to think of versions of the Writings which would be written in the kind of English that people use in their ordinary speech. This would be very valuable for young people, and for people new to the Writings. In addition to these groups, many people who have been reading the Writings for years might find more readable versions delightful to use.
     FRANK S. ROSE,
          Bryn Athyn, PA

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BLINDING YOU WITH SCIENCE 1981

BLINDING YOU WITH SCIENCE FRED ELPHICK 1981

     By the time I finished reading James Brush's article in your October issue, my face was wreathed in smiles. I find it difficult to describe how cheerful it made me. The thought of LTP (Lunar Transient Phenomena) occurring at more than ninety separate sites in such a mysterious fashion filled me with glee, for this is a subject close to my heart. This prompts me to share some snippets collected from the Encyclopaedia of Ignorance (Editors R. Duncan and M. Weston-Smith, Pergamon Press, 1977) which confirm what Mr. Brush says about the attitudes of scientists.

     BUT WHAT ABOUT FEATHERS?

     Otto R. Frisch ("Why") notes that while teleological explanations (in terms of purpose e. g. claws to kill, wings to fly) are not accepted in physics, the majority of biologists agree that natural selection can account for purposeful design. Some, he admits, find it hard to imagine how the eye or brain could so develop. He appears to agree that this is stretching our credulity.
     "But what about feathers? Even if a very unlikely mutation caused a reptile to have offspring with feathers instead of scales, what good would that do, without muscles to move them and a brain rebuilt to control those muscles?" (We nod our answer.) "We can only guess. But let me mention the electric eel. . ." Here, he attempts to show that even a feeble electric organ helps with navigation in muddy waters. By now we too are in obscurity.
     He ends with a declaration of faith: "Much about the theory of evolution is still unknown; but I have no doubt that natural selection provides the justification for teleological answers." (emphasis added)
     We must press on, agreeing with E. Tomlin ("Fallacies of Evolutionary Theory," p. 228) that "The truth is that evolution was an hypothesis which hardened into dogma before it had been thoroughly analyzed," only pausing to note that such things as the body's immune system, function of blood groups, sleep and dozens more are still totally inexplicable by science.
     When we think of "the earths in the starry heaven," we should know what W. H. McCrea ("Origin of Earth, Moon and Planets") says. ". . . planets like ours associated with any other star like our sun would be utterly undetectable by any available means." There is a thought-provoking fact about our own solar system: were all the material of the solar system spread evenly through the volume of a sphere having a radius the distance of Neptune, the density would be less than a good terrestrial vacuum!

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     BUT WHAT ABOUT THE BRAIN?

     R. W. Sperry ("Problems Outstanding in the Evolution of Brain Function") states the problem with considerable power. (I paraphrase): We have to skip the beginning steps in the evolution of the human brain and pick up the story at the latter half of the age of hydrogen gas, bypassing the question of how the whole business began. Also, we skip quickly the problems of how electrons and protons were used to build bigger and better atoms, how atoms made molecules, how molecules compounded into replicating molecular complexes and eventually . . . the living cell. "It has always seemed improbable that even a whole brain cell has what it takes to sense, to perceive, to feel, or to think on its own."
     So much for ignorance and improbability. May I close with an example that shows even seeing is not believing. Let me test you.
     Would you believe that there are mirrors in the eyes of certain creatures? Yes, there are. They are convex in the middle, concave at the edges and wonderfully made, using multi-layered materials similar to those in modern TV cameras. The scallop thought of it first!
     What is fascinating is the fact that because such a thing was considered impossible, it was not discovered even though the eye had been examined under the microscope and the scientist had seen his own eye reflected in it! (Scientific American, 12/78)
     As Mr. Brush points out, scientists already believe that life on certain planets is impossible. We have reason to believe the opposite.
     FRED ELPHICK,
          London, England
LITERAL TEACHING ABOUT MEN ON THE MOON 1981

LITERAL TEACHING ABOUT MEN ON THE MOON CHRIS O. HORNER 1981

In a letter entitled "Thinking About Moon-Dwellers" Dr. Norman Berridge of England called attention to passages about literal statements in the Word within which there is a higher meaning. He asked whether this may be applied to some sayings about men on the moon (August issue p. 372). Now a correspondent from Australia warns against the concept of an internal sense in the Writings. From his letter we present the following.

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     "All the testaments are revelations from the Lord-the Lord speaking to mankind -and therefore they are the Word of God. The Writings are avowedly a revelation of the internal sense of the Scriptures-not the pure internal sense but an accommodation to man's rational principle in his natural worldly environment; they are an explanation, an exegesis of the literal sense of the Scriptures. Is this too to be an enigma, hiding the very thing which the Lord designed to disclose? It can be expanded and infilled, but there is no inner correspondential sense that man is required to seek after in order to find the real truth. There may indeed be deeper senses on those planes where the angels dwell, but for man to apply his puny, undeveloped intellect to such things-never.
     "If I explain to an acquaintance that the revelation of the Second Advent reveals the internal sense of the Scriptures, and if I then give him a book of the Writings, am I to say to him, 'If there's anything in that which you don't understand, don't worry, because Swedenborg doesn't mean what he says'?
     "For myself, I believe in the integrity of all direct statements in the Writings; neither can I conceive of their having any abstruse or cryptic meaning. I come across a statement such as this: 'That there are inhabitants in the Moon is well known to spirits and angels, for they converse with them; so likewise in the moons or satellites around the planet Jupiter, and around the planet Saturn. They who have not seen them and spoken to them still have no doubt but that there are human beings in these moons; for they likewise are planetary orbs, and where there is an orb there is man, for man is the end for the sake of which a planetary orb exists, and nothing has been made by the Supreme Creator without an end. . . .The angels also say that an earth cannot subsist apart from the human race, because the Divine provides all things on an earth for the sake of man' (AC 9237). Is this to be accepted literally?
     "Or take this from EU 3. 'He who believes as everyone ought to believe that the Divine created the universe for no other end than the existence of the human race and of a heaven from it (for the human race is the seminary of heaven) cannot but believe that where there is an earth there are human beings' (Italics added).
     "Is there not anything of literal import in these teachings? If there is anything of literal truth in any part, why not in all? Are we to adopt the eclectic's oh so easy pattern and accept and reject as it suits us? Swedenborg was no mystic, nor was he commissioned by the ford to write in riddles and cryptograms, but in that way which could be absorbed by man's rational principle.

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Any scientific data revealed in the Writings were not intended for the benefit or enlightenment of natural science, but for the illustration and explanation of true doctrinal principles.
     "The whole matter is one of how we are to reconcile empirically derived data to truth that is Divinely revealed. Is the former necessarily conclusive? May I quote from an earlier article? 'How reliable are empirically derived data? How can it be proved scientifically that there is no human life on the Moon, without taking it apart, bit by bit, like a large Dutch cheese! If it is within the Divine purpose that men from our Earth should discover and have contact with the inhabitants of the Moon, then we shall have proved in an empirical fashion a Divinely revealed spiritual law; but if it is not within the Lord's purpose, and He can see no use being served by such scientific evidence becoming available, then our astronauts will encounter insuperable barriers in trying to accomplish such an end. To me, the New Churchman has full rational proof, and what need has he for anything further? (New Church Life, 1976 p. 73)
     "The understanding of the Writings is not merely an intellectual exercise, but calls also for the use of a will derived from the affection of good (See AC 8694.); neither are the inner secrets of its teachings reserved for an ultra sophisticated intelligentsia endowed with a perceptive faculty derived from much study according to the learning of the world, which has been denied to the uncultured and the simple!
     "Of course there are men on the Moon. Let us not be 'blinded by science.' God bless Mrs. Davidson for retaining her faith in the authenticity of Divine revelation. (See New Church Life, 1980 p. 167.) The good doctor, her husband, would do well to accept her as his mentor in that sphere for which his academic training has so obviously ill equipped him! I have my own ideas regarding the concealment of the men on the Moon which to me are satisfactory and rational. I may be a simpleton; I may be naive, but I'm sure that if the truths of the Second Advent were approached with more naivet?, the progress of the New Church would be more rapid."
     CHRIS O. HORNER,
          Dungowan, N. S. W. 2340,
          Australia.

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Church News 1981

Church News FREDA M. BRADIN 1981

     DETROIT, MICHIGAN

     The episcopal visit of Bishop Louis B. King, on the weekend of November 15-16, climaxed a full and interesting schedule of church activities for the Detroit society since September.
     At the Labor Day picnic we bid our ten young people who would be attending the Academy schools an affectionate goodbye. Soon after they left, the younger children, twenty-four of them this year, resumed classes at the church school. By the middle of September the adults were back to their regular scheduled classes of religious instruction as well as other church-related activities.
     Our pastor, Rev. Walter Orthwein, is presenting a series of doctrinal classes on the nature and use of ritual. In these classes we will study about how distinctive our ritual is and what spiritual significance it has. Mr. Orthwein believes that the more we understand how the ritual developed and the purpose behind it, the more we should benefit from our services of worship. The attendance at these classes has been good.
     Occasionally our new assistant to the pastor, Rev. Kenneth Alden, gives a doctrinal class. His first two classes treated of "Concepts" and "Adult Development." Mr. Alden travels to other parts of Michigan as well as to Ohio, administering to the needs of New Church people in those areas. He also assists Mr. Orthwein with the teaching of religion in the school and heads the physical education program as well.
     Rev. Douglas Taylor visited our society during the weekend of October 10-12. Mr. Taylor conducted an Evangelization Workshop at the church on Saturday morning. The class the preceding evening was in preparation for the workshop. There was a good turnout for the class on Friday evening, and about fourteen people took part in the workshop on Saturday morning. Many new and useful aspects were brought out of how we might approach those who are not of the church about religious matters.
     Bishop King arrived on Saturday, November 15. In the afternoon he led a meeting of the Joint Council. In the evening there was a society supper and doctrinal class. At the class Bishop King spoke to us on the three essentials of the Church. These essentials are the Lord (or Love), the Word, and use. An interesting discussion followed. Bishop King preached at the service of Divine Worship on Sunday morning. We are delighted to learn that the visits of the Bishop will now be more frequent than in the past.
     Several adult groups meet for religious classes of one kind or another. The Arcana class has resumed meeting again this year. The class meets twice a month in the homes of those men and women who attend. The Women's Study Group meets at the church building every other week. They continue to enjoy the tapes of Bishop de Charms on Growth of the Mind. They are now studying the eleventh year, with Biblical parallels from the story of the twelve Judges. The Inquirers' Class meets each Saturday morning. Four people attend this class. The Young Adult group has met twice this year. They take turns choosing subjects to be discussed. About eight people take part.
     There has been a lovely sphere added to our service of Divine Worship this past year or two. We now have chancel girls. The younger girls can look forward to taking part in this use when they become old enough.

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     The Women's Guild continues to serve the society in endless ways. They made over $800 this fall from a rummage sale, bake sale, and Hand and Eye Show. This money will be used for church uses. One of these uses is making or purchasing over sixty Christmas gifts which will be given to the children at the Christmas Festival Service on Christmas Eve.
     The Detroit Property Development Committee continues to move ahead with Phase I. As with any project of this dimension, unforeseen problems arise which take time to work out. However, the prospect of living in such a naturally beautiful area in the near future with other New Churchmen is enough to sustain us. How thankful we are for our hard-working, dedicated committee.
     We might add here that the Detroit society is made up of dedicated people. Everyone is performing uses for the church of one kind or another. Several of our organists are mothers who help with the school work and in the religion program on Sunday, as well as with the work of the Guild. We have work parties every so often to paint and repair the church building inside and out. Our church school can function smoothly because of the efforts extended by many people. Although physical effort is needed, one senses the delight which is felt in the serving of these uses.
     May we extend wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year to the readers of New Church Life.
     FREDA M. BRADIN
VISITORS TO CHURCH SOCIETIES 1981

VISITORS TO CHURCH SOCIETIES 1981

Visitors to Bryn Athyn, Glenview, Kitchener, London, Pittsburgh, or Toronto, who are in need of hospitality accommodations are cordially urged to contact in advance the appropriate Hospitality Committee head listed below:

Bryn Athyn, Penna.
Mrs. James L. Pendleton
815 Fettersmill Rd.
Bryn Athyn, PA 19009
Phone: (215) 947-1810

Kindly call at least two weeks in advance if possible.

Kitchener, Ont., Canada
Mrs. Warren Stewart
69 Evenstone Ave.
Kitchener,
Ont. N2G 3W5

Pittsburgh. Penna.
Mrs. Paul M. Schoenberger
7433 Pen Hur St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15208
Phone: (412) 371-3056

Detroit, Michigan
Mrs. Garry Childs
2140 East Square Lake Rd.
Troy, MI 48098
Phone: (313) 879-9914

Glenview, Illinois
Mrs. Philip Horigan
50 Park Dr.
Glenview, IL 60025
Phone: (312) 729-5644

London, England
Mrs. Nancy Dawson
28 Parklands Rd.
Streatham, London, SW 16
Phone: 01-769-7922

Toronto, Ont., Canada
Mrs. Sydney Parker
30 Royaleigh Ave.
Weston, Ont. M9P 215
Phone: (416) 241-3704

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Announcements 1981

In addition to his duties as Editor of New Church Life the Rev. Donald L. Rose has been appointed Assistant to the Principal of the Bryn Athyn Church Elementary School, effective July 1, 1981.

The Rev. William Burke has been appointed Assistant to the Pastor of the Bryn Athyn Church, effective July 1, 1981.
ORDINATIONS 1981

ORDINATIONS 1981

     Carswell-At Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, February 22, 1981, the Rev. Eric H. Carswell into the second degree of the priesthood, the Rt. Rev. Louis B. King officiating.

     McMaster-At Toronto, Ontario, Canada, February 15, 1981, the Rev. Robert D. McMaster into the second degree of the priesthood, the Rt. Rev. Louis B. King officiating.

     Nicholson-At Toronto, Ontario, Canada, February 15, 1981, the Rev. Allison L. Nicholson into the second degree of the priesthood, the Rt. Rev. Louis B. King officiating.

     Smith-At Mitchellville, Maryland, February 1, 1981, the Rev. Lawson M. Smith into the second degree of the priesthood, the Rt. Rev. Louis B. King officiating.
ANNUAL MEETING 1981

ANNUAL MEETING 1981

\

     THE SWEDENBORG SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATION

     The eighty-fourth Annual Meeting of the Swedenborg Scientific Association will be held on Monday evening May 4, 1981 at 8:00 pm in the Auditorium of Pendleton Hall, Bryn Athyn, PA. A short business meeting for the purpose of electing a President and members of the Board of Directors is scheduled to precede the address.
     Miss Linda Simonetti has been invited to speak on the subject of Correspondences in Embryology, a subject which she has pursued since studying the human form at the Academy College in Bryn Athyn. Miss Simonetti earned her Associate in Arts degree at the Academy College and is presently working toward her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration at the Parsons School of Design in New York City.
     Members and friends of the Association, interested parties, and students of the Academy College and Theological School are most cordially invited to attend.

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ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH PRESS 1981

     Spirits and Men

     Some Essays on the Influence of Spirits upon Men, as Described in the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg
     By Hugo Lj. Odhner

     This book explores the relationship between spirits and men in a great variety of subjects, such as: "The Knowledge of the After-Life," "The Danger of Open Communication," "Influx and Persuasion," "Dreams," "Influx and Disease," "Mental Causes of Illness" and "Spiritual Sources of Health." $3.85 postpaid

GENERAL CHURCH                         Hours: 8:30 to 12:00
BOOK CENTER                                   Monday thru Friday
BRYN ATHYN                                   Phone: 215 947-3920
PA 19009

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NOTES ON THIS ISSUE 1981

NOTES ON THIS ISSUE Editor 1981

NEW CHURCH LIFE
Vol. CI April, 1981 No. 4

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     Our authors this month are known throughout the church. The theme is one of upliftment. Bishop King in the resurrection address writes of "the all-pitying, all-loving heavenly Father, who never allows one unnecessary pang. . ." "Each hour, yea each minute, millions of new inhabitants press into that limitless world. . ."
     Bishop de Charms writes: "We propose to consider what does and what does not change in the life after death." We continue the series on what the angels are actually doing. Leon Rhodes writes of pain or rather the absence of pain in a kind of anesthetic phenomenon which tells us "something about the Lord's desire to minimize our suffering, but there is much more!"

     How much are you like the "Thomas" of the Gospel story? In the sermon by Rev. Peter Buss we read: "There are countless people in this and every other generation who are like Thomas, and there is that in every single person which prompts him or her along similar lines."
     Rev. Bruce Rogers invites us to consider: "Even in the New Church, it is not always easy for us to assess the accuracy of our understanding, or even at times to tell where our ideas are coming from."
     Notice among the baptisms this month the names Aklaku and Garna. On the morning of March 1st Bishop King baptized these two gentlemen from Ghana in a service which was followed by spontaneous singing. Appropriately two letters speak of the reception of truth by Africans. The letter in January to which they refer harks back to the stirring report last November by Rev. Geoffrey Howard on his visit to Ghana.

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THOMAS 1981

THOMAS Rev. PETER M. BUSS 1981

     AN EASTER SERMON

     Then saith He to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold My hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into My side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto Him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed: Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. John 20:27-29
Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself: handle Me and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see Me have. Luke 24:39

     Amid the wondrous events of Easter time there is the account of doubting Thomas, a story which must surely touch responsive chords in each one of us. The disciples had seen the Lord led meekly away by the soldiers of the high priest. Whether they saw or not, they knew that He had been tried and crucified, and it seemed that all their hopes, all the uplifting and thrilling things they had expected to happen, were doomed. Jesus of Nazareth was no more; the prophet of Galilee was dead, and buried in a sepulchre. They had not understood His teaching about rising again, nor about a heavenly kingdom, and so they assumed that the evil had triumphed. Then came women who said that the sepulcher was empty, and Peter and john confirmed it. Yet still they feared, and assembled behind locked doors, lest the Jews wreak their anger on them. Thomas was not there the first time the Lord appeared in a closed room and showed to His disciples that He had indeed risen triumphant over death. It was a human failing to refuse their testimony, and to say that only the evidence of his own eyes and hands would suffice. Yet it merited a rebuke from the Lord: "Reach hither thy finger, and behold My hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into My side: and be not faithless, but believing."
     In the internal sense, the story of Thomas underlines the wonder of the Lord's glorification, and the manner in which He thereafter could be conjoined with all men. Thomas's significance in the internal sense is not specifically given in the Writings, but several things together make it fairly certain. Firstly, the whole tenor of this account is concerned with faith. Secondly, the word Thomas means a twin, as also does the Greek, Didymus, by which he is also called. Twins in the Word represent both good and truth, or faith and love; and Thomas here, because of the sequence in which he appears, would seem to represent a type of faith.

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Finally, one passage (HH 461) speaks of Thomas as being connected with those who are sensuous. From these three things, we would conclude that he represents sensuous faith.
     We are also told that the disciples were chosen because they were like the things which they represented. Thomas's attitude, that he would not believe unless the evidence of his own senses proved the truth of the Lord's resurrection, very well mirrors the spirit of sensuous faith, for it is desirous of having things shown to it, and unwilling to accept any other kind of testimony. Doubtless, when the other disciples spoke to Thomas, their words must have been compelling. With eyes full of wonder and excitement, they must have told him all that happened, what the Lord said to them, and how He looked. When he proved doubtful, they may also have recalled the earlier sayings of the Lord, in which they had not put trust themselves at first that He should rise from the dead. But nothing would suffice. "Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe." The sensuous man says, "Show me. Let me see for myself, and then only will I believe."
     There are countless people in this and every other generation who are like Thomas, and there is that in every single person which prompts him or her along similar lines. These people have not had the opportunity to see the Lord risen from the dead, and standing before them with the print of the nails in His hands, and the wound of the spear in His side. Yet they want that kind of assurance before they believe, and they feel doubt of all the things which they have heard. They are the doubters, like Thomas, the people whose faith is uncertain. They may be negative, and have no real faith, saying in their hearts that they will wait for the physical, sensual assurance before committing themselves. Or they may be men who are willing to believe, or are somewhat committed to a faith, yet waver, vacillate-not between faith and doubt, but between faith and the promptings of the sensuous.
     To those who are negative in spirit, the Lord can never come. They are not of His disciples, because secretly they have already hardened their hearts against Him. They might say that they would believe if they were shown in a sensuous, physical way the truth of religion, but they would not (AC 2588). They are negative not because of the absence of testimony but because that is the way they feel.

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     But there are many sensuous people who can be led to heaven. They are external people who live very shallow lives and may appear to do many wrong things; but there is in them a spirit which is affirmative to the Lord. They are of His disciples, as Thomas was, and they show their affirmation in various, maybe curious, ways. Thomas was a disciple. He was a sensuous man, one given to doubt and obviously earthy attitudes. But he loved the Lord very much. When the Lord set His face to go to Jerusalem, where the leaders of the Jews were known to be plotting His death, it was Thomas who said to his fellow-disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him" (John 11:16). And when the Lord showed Himself to Thomas after the moment of doubt, Thomas made the most comprehensive confession of the Divine Human which the gospels record. "Thomas answered and said unto Him, My Lord, and my God."
     Who are these sensuous people, who are potentially of the Lord's church and His heaven, who are represented by Thomas? Fundamentally a sensuous person is one who lives in and for this world, and finds his delights in the things that belong to life on earth alone. He may be a simple man, doing an unrewarding job. He may be a college professor of philosophy or a nuclear scientist. it is not a matter of intelligence; it is a matter of where his delights lie. If they are solely concerned with life in this world, they are sensuous, and so is he. The test is whether eternal or temporal values are his.
     Now a highly intelligent man who is sensuous covers over his desires with all sorts of sublimations, all manner of coatings, so that they seem more refined than they really are. In order to get a picture of a potentially good sensuous man, therefore, let us talk generally about the sort of attitudes such a man might have if he is of moderate education, living in our civilization.
     He would be a man of strong feelings, probably on most subjects, and a man of strong loyalties too. He would be capable of great warmth and would be easily touched by those whom he loved; but he could also give in to anger towards them as well, and say, perhaps even do, things to them in anger which he would regret. He would tend to form friendships in his own circles, and look down on members of other races, other nationalities, political parties, even social strata. He would thus be subject to the mass prejudices, and easily swayed by events, rather than by quiet logic. His opinions might be formed on his own experience, and he would be loath to relinquish them because someone else has had the opposite experiences. He would be a man who worked fairly hard at his job, but made no pretense at preferring work to his vacation and free time. He would do his duty by his wife and family, would know that he was attracted to other women, but remain faithful.

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He would spend time with his children, but perhaps not get to know them very well.
     Each one of us knows many people who fit this description, or parts of it, and probably we will recognize a lot of ourselves in it too. Each part of the description emphasizes the temporal, the power of experience, and physical or imaginative influences over rational, and charity intelligent thought. Each one points to a distinction between duty and charity.
     And a sensuous person, even if he is well-disposed, stands very close to hell. His feelings are from the earth, and they are prone to temptation, and many times will come when he is tempted, greatly tempted, to seek a delight which is wrong. Then, because of his nature, he is in danger of being swept away into evil, of giving himself up to it, and using a wealth of confused arguments to justify himself. The sensuous man is more in danger than any other, because his delights so easily turn to excess.
     In resisting these temptations the sensuous man has to employ the only guard against evil-faith, conviction in the power of the Lord. But he does doubt the power of the Lord to save, and is tempted to feel that he would like more assurance than he presently has. After all, he is being tempted to give in to an evil that is very delightful. He needs to trust the Lord, and feel that choosing the Lord's way really is better.
     Perhaps in the terms of the New Church, such a person might be one who wonders if the Writings themselves can be trusted completely. He knows that they forbid certain things, and when powerfully tempted, he is doubtful. He lacks the saving faith in the Lord which he needs desperately. Without that faith there is no real reason why he should not yield, and yield he will, for sensuous evils are so very strong.
     The message of the internal sense of our text is that the Lord can speak even to such men. It is true that in their concentration on external and worldly things they stand close to the door of hell. It is true that in thinking about themselves and their delights, and seeking them first, they often hurt people when they ought not to do so. Viewed from the strict law of truth, they have done far more bad, selfish, earthy things than they have ever done heavenly things. Yet through His glorification, the Lord can be present with them, and have contact with them. Through taking on a body and a human, and glorifying it, the Lord made it possible for Him to be present, even with sensuous people such as those represented by Thomas.

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They are lowly in thought and feeling: earthbound, almost! But He can talk to them, and he can make them feel His presence. "Reach hither thy finger, and behold My hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into My side." This is an invitation, and a promise, to the sensuous man. From his own standpoint, from his minimal power to good, let him learn of the Lord in His glorified Human, and he will find points of contact. He will sense from the Word which teaches about the Lord Jesus Christ that here indeed is his Lord, and his God.
     The miracle of the glorification is not a simple one, and the manner in which He established communion with even sensuous people is a subject too deep for a sermon easily to cover. Suffice it to say that in the pages of the Word which tell of the Lord on earth there is a great deal that speaks directly and forcefully to the sensuous man who is of tender faith. And as he listens, so the Lord Jesus Christ, in His glorified Human, illumines from within those truths, and causes the sensuous man to be reassured, and to feel more strongly his faith and his certainty that the way of life that the Lord has shown is right, and the powerful emotions to which the hells dispose him are not truly productive of happiness.
     For the Lord came to save every single human who could be saved. He knew that there were countless millions of people who would rise very little above a sensuous faith, and who, without His coming, would fall prey to the hells. But through His coming He made a pathway to heaven for them, and now we are told that every day hordes of people from this earth are being admitted into the lowest reaches of heaven, where are the sensuous-people who otherwise would have been evil. But because the Lord glorified His Human, and rose on Easter morning as God and Lord, they could reach forth and touch Him, if they willed. It is this presence with all who are willing to listen and be moved that He signified when He gave the more universal invitation to all the disciples-"Handle Me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see Me have."
     Conjunction is now possible: for He the Lord is present in the flesh (the Divine Love) and the bones (the Divine Truth) of His Human-present throughout creation.
     Of course, sensuous faith by itself is not enough to save a man, for it will not be strong enough in the face of infernal cunning. This is what the Lord meant when He said, "Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." (Blessed means receiving the joy of heaven, or being saved.)

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But through His glorification, the Lord has opened a path for people who are sensuous to ascend upwards to a saving faith. Thomas is not condemned for his unbelief. He is shown the truth that the Lord lives forevermore, and then told to have more faith in the future. So he is strengthened. And this the Lord does to each of us, leading through His glorified Human even our most sensuous states towards the blessedness of true confidence in Him.

LESSONS: John 20:1-29; AC 1676 NOT LIKE THOMAS 1981

NOT LIKE THOMAS 1981

They are blessed who do not, like Thomas, see the Lord with their eyes and yet believe in His existence, for this is seen in the light of truth from the Word. Doctrine of Faith 10 AS THE TREE FALLS, SO WILL IT LIE 1981

AS THE TREE FALLS, SO WILL IT LIE Rev. GEORGE DE CHARMS 1981

     A STUDY

     The idea that whatever a person may be at the time of his death he will continue to be without change to eternity poses a series of philosophic questions. It is obvious that if there is life after death there must be growth, development, progress. Only death itself is static. How then can we understand the well-known statement that "As the tree falls, so will it lie"? We propose to consider what does and what does not change in the life after death.

     MAN'S INDIVIDUALITY DOES NOT CHANGE

     As to his soul, man is an inmost vessel receptive of life from God. This vessel is a Divine creation, and it is utterly unique. No two such vessels can ever be alike to all eternity. Each one constitutes an individual human being. Infinite Divine love inflowing through this vessel is finited and limited by the form of the vessel according to the universal law that "influx is according to the form of reception."
     Man's soul is altogether above the plane of his consciousness. He has no perception of its quality, nor can he change it in the least. It makes him to be an individual, distinct and separate from every other human being. Such individuality is a Divine endowment. It is determined by the Lord's will to provide for a particular use in His eternal kingdom.

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No man knows, or can know, what that use is; but he is given power to choose how he will use this inflowing life, whether for the sake of the Lord and the neighbor, or for the sake of self and the world. His choice determines his "ruling love."

     NO ONE IS WILLING TO CHANGE HIS RULING LOVE AFTER DEATH

     In order that such a choice may be made, man must be born on earth, that is, into a world of fixed space and time and matter, a world that is independent of his ever-changing mental states. By paying attention to things fixed and constant, man is given leverage to determine the contents of his own mind. From the innumerable sense impressions that impinge upon him from his environment, he can freely choose what he will notice, hold in his mind, and seek to repeat with pleasure, and what he will allow to pass unnoticed, or will reject as painful and to be avoided. In this way everyone controls the contents of his own mind. This content becomes more and more the world in which he lives.
     Furthermore, everyone is held by the Lord in the midst between two opposite forces. No matter where he is born, or how he has been brought up, everyone is endowed from earliest childhood with an impulse to acknowledge God, and to feel delight in promoting the happiness of others. This prompting comes from heaven in all states of childlike innocence and willingness to be taught and led. At the same time, everyone is prompted by his hereditary nature to take delight in excelling over others, in dominating them, and in acquiring for himself the wealth of others. This delight in self-power and glory comes from the hells. Everyone is compelled to make a choice over and over again in the entire course of his adult life. It marks a parting of the ways, and no one can go in two different directions at the same time. Every time he chooses to go in one direction, he strengthens his will to make the same choice again. In course of time, these repeated choices establish what is called his "ruling love." When he comes into the other world he will continue to live according to this love. It cannot be changed because his will is made up, and he steadfastly refuses to change it. It will inevitably determine whether his eternal abode will be in heaven or in hell. The whole purpose of man's earthly life is that he may freely make this essential choice. This fundamental choice cannot fail to be made by anyone who has some idea of a God, and some idea of a Divine law that man is required to obey. By means of it the Lord is present with those of every religion, secretly to teach, to lead, and to protect and eventually to bring into heaven.

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     BUT WHAT OF THOSE WHO ARE TAKEN INTO THE SPIRITUAL WORLD BEFORE THEY HAVE MADE, OR HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE, SUCH A CHOICE?

     A rational choice is not possible before adult life is reached. Children are dependent upon parents and teachers in whom they have confidence for all their ideas of right and wrong. The acceptance of these adult opinions is enforced by rewards and punishments. For this reason all children are imbued from without with an historical faith and a religious conscience. if they die and pass into the spiritual world before adult age, they are necessarily deprived of the fixed environment of nature, by means of which, as we have pointed out, adults can change their state and determine the direction of their own life. How then can they develop rational judgment? They are all educated in heaven by angel teachers and masters. They respond willingly because they have confidence in the wisdom of those who teach. But how can they achieve a faith and a life of their own?
     We are told that all who die in infancy will go into the celestial heaven when they grow up; but if we rightly understand the teaching, those who die in childhood or in youth may become angels of the highest heaven, but they may also, by their own choice, come into either the spiritual or the natural heaven. This would seem to imply that they can make a rational choice of their own, quite independent of their angel teachers. How is this possible? An answer to this question is suggested by the revealed teaching that when those who have been raised in heaven attain to spiritual adult age, they are brought down, for a time, to live in the world of spirits. There they come into contact with both the evil and the good. Their hereditary tendencies are seized upon by the evil to tempt them. They are compelled therefore to make a decision as to whether they will yield in these temptations, or will persist in the heavenly delights instilled by the angels. It is implied, however, that the influence of their heavenly education will prove stronger. Nevertheless they will realize for the first time that they are evil at heart, and that they are perpetually being protected and held in good by the Divine mercy of the Lord alone.
     All who are in the world of spirits have been withdrawn from the fixed environment of the natural world, but they are still in contact with the Word, the other "foundation of truth." This foundation of truth, considered in itself, is eternally fixed and unchanging. But the church with any man is according to his understanding of the Word.

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All children and young people who have been raised in heaven have been imbued with a true understanding of the Word. Upon this their conscience is based. When therefore they are brought into the world of spirits, and are tempted by those there who are evil, they will from conscience reject whatever is contrary to the Word, and will freely confirm their faith by what the Lord Himself teaches them. Thus they will acquire an individual understanding of the Word, which comes to them by perception from within, from inflowing life through the soul. They will be freed from dependence upon the teaching of the angels, and will be taught and led by the Lord Himself. This is my present understanding of how those who die in infancy and childhood finally become spiritually adult in the other life.

WHAT OF THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN BORN AND RAISED ON EARTH UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF FALSE RELIGIONS?

These may in simple faith accept the teachings of men, supposing them to be the very Word of God. Such a mistaken idea of the Word may be perpetuated for centuries as it is transmitted from generation to generation. Thus "imaginary heavens" are formed on earth, and are transmitted into the world of spirits as men die and carry these beliefs with them. In all such churches there are good people and evil people; nor can anyone clearly distinguish the one from the other. All who have confidence in the wisdom of parents and teachers will sincerely believe that what they are taught is the very Word of God. They will live according to it from love to God, and from an inmost desire to do His will, and keep His law. But evil men will use these same teachings to exercise power over others, and to achieve their own selfish ambitions. In this way the simple in heart will be held in bondage. From this they can be delivered only by the Lord Who, at His Coming, reveals, for all who will to see, the true meaning of His Word. When he does so, a "Last Judgment" takes place in the world of spirits, and the good are separated from the evil. In this way the "imaginary heavens" are broken up, the good being instructed and prepared for heaven, while the evil cast themselves into hell. Such a judgment can take place quickly in the spiritual world, but on earth it may require many ages, because only by slow degrees can men be prepared to relinquish their false beliefs and freely accept the true teaching of the Word. Only as they do so can a New Church descend from heaven, and the Kingdom of God be established in the hearts of men.

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     We are told that all men are born natural, with the capacity to become either spiritual or celestial by means of regeneration. There are three degrees of life in the soul of every human being. These degrees correspond to the three heavens and to the three potential degrees of the human mind. The Word, as it descends from God to men, contains within itself three degrees of Divine Truth. One who understands the letter of the Word simply and lives according to it from conscience will open and form the spiritual-natural degree of the mind, and will come after death into the natural heaven. One who achieves an understanding of the spiritual degree of the Word and lives according to it will open and form the spiritual degree of the mind, and will come after death into the spiritual heaven. And one who enters into an understanding of the celestial sense of the Word and lives according to it opens and forms the celestial degree of the mind, and will come after death into the celestial heaven. One who deliberately rejects the understanding of the Word remains in the purely natural degree of the mind, and comes into hell after death.
     However, we are told that these interior degrees of the mind may be neither opened nor closed. By this we understand that they still may be opened after death. The opportunity to open them is never taken away except by man's own choice. By this we understand that the simple good in all religions who have been held bound by the evil can, at the time of the last judgment in the world of spirits, be instructed by the angels, and raised up, if they are willing, even into the celestial heaven. (In confirmation of this several illustrations are given in the Writings, as cited below.) These in effect have already determined their ruling love while on earth, but have not been able to open the corresponding degrees of the mind, because of their bondage to an historical faith. The way to heaven is never closed by the Lord but only by man's free choice, when he understands the truth and deliberately refuses to accept it. Anyone who has not rejected the truth of the Word in any of its three degrees will have the opportunity to accept it when presented by the angels after his death.

     WHAT OF THOSE WHO BELONG TO THE TRUE CHURCH OF THE LORD ON EARTH?

     We refer here specifically to those who have been confirmed in that faith at adult age, and have taken upon themselves the responsibility of living according to it. These are spiritually bound by their own choice to strive for a life of regeneration.

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They are already established in love to the Lord and charity toward the neighbor as the governing motive of their life. Yet they are still under the influence of strong hereditary tendencies to evil. The battle of regeneration has still to be fought and won. How far they succeed in this conflict will determine whether they open and form the spiritual-natural degree of the mind, the spiritual degree, or the celestial degree. This will depend upon how willing and able they are to enter more deeply into the understanding and life of the Word. This depends far more on the depth of their love than on their intellectual ability. There are both wise and simple in all the heavens, even in the highest. Not all are born with the capacity to become deep intellectual scholars-this because they are destined for supportive uses. But these supportive uses may be performed even in the celestial heaven. The nature of the use is determined by the form of the soul, on which man's individuality depends. No man can change this; but he may by means of it open and form any of the three degrees of the human mind. Experience seems to indicate that relatively few are created to achieve intellectual leadership in any profession or occupation, while many are born to perform supportive uses. There are always more followers than leaders. This is illustrated in the human body: the brain occupies far less space than the heart and lungs and other internal organs of the body, including muscles, ligaments, and bones. Yet all of these are essential to the performance of human uses. Without them the brain and nervous system could not function. It is all together, cooperating in perfect harmony, that makes a human being, capable of performing a use. Even the brain and the nerves need protective coverings, to enable them to perform their functions. The heart and lungs, liver and pancreas, the digestive organs-each of these must be enclosed in coverings that set them apart and enable them to perform their special functions. The whole body must be supported and strengthened by the bones. This illustrates how many supportive uses are necessary in order that the mind may exist, and grow, and act. All these uses must be provided in the Gorand Man of heaven, and individuals must be born, or created by the Lord to perform them. Each one finds the joy of his life in fulfilling the use for which he was Divinely intended, whether it be in the celestial heaven represented by the brain, in the spiritual heaven represented by the heart and lungs, or in the natural heaven represented by the arms and legs. Human beings are created to fill all these uses, and each one finds the eternal joy of heaven in fulfilling the use for which he is created. No one can really choose this use.

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It is a Divine endowment, a gift of God for his eternal happiness. To accept it and find his happiness in fulfilling it is what we understand to be meant by "being content in God," rather than trying vainly to become something for which he was not created.

REFERENCES:

Soul-TCR 8; Divine Wisdom 1114, DLW 432
Ruling Love AC 7081; HH 477; DP 17
Children in Heaven-I-III 342, 345
Imaginary Heavens-AE 391, 392
OUR PITYING FATHER 1981

OUR PITYING FATHER LEON S. RHODES 1981

     How often we hear it expressed that a merciful God would not permit so much suffering and pain. Man's life on earth, we know, is often anguished and full of torment, but should we not fix our minds on the countless ways in which the Lord eases our misery as far as it can be done without damage of greater concern? If we really consider the abundant evidence of the mercifulness with which our Father eases our pain, we will increase our recognition of Him as a pitying Father.
     As mortals we are, of course, vulnerable to countless injuries, and as a means of protecting us from destructive forces, the Lord allows us to know the sensation of pain. By means of the pain felt from blows, scratches, cold, burns and cuts, we acquire the ability to avoid injuries for much of our lives, and to seek some form of healing when our bodies have been damaged. Medical instances of children born without the warnings of the sense of touch clearly show that it would be no blessing to be denied the ability to feel pain. Even the numbed feelings of a stumbling alcoholic illustrate how precious is our sense of hurt. But we may go far beyond such examples.
     For the moment let us not include either the pain inflicted as a result of evil-such as the deliberate torture by an enemy-and let us also not yet include consideration of the mental pain that is so inextricable from most physical injury. If we consider the Lord's great mercy in easing our physical pain, we are awed by the defenses He has provided.
     It is almost universally true that even a severe injury often is associated with a "shock" that actually makes the injured person unaware of pain.

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How often we find that serious injury is not felt by the victim until afterwards. Recent reports tell of a man hauled by a lion to the pride where the young began to feed on him, yet he felt somehow unconcerned and quite fascinated watching them-but no pain. Countless people nearly frozen to death, or drowning or bleeding to death all agree that pain is surprisingly absent. Nearly everyone has had an injury which he did not really feel until later. Surely these tell us something about the Lord's desire to minimize our sufferings, but there is so much more!
     The experiences which have been attracting great attention over the past few years called "Near Death Experiences," or NDE, have great variety and yet much in common. But especially is it true that these people-in the maximum condition of injury or trauma-speak of a great feeling of comfort and peace, of absence from not only the pain but also the concern for danger. It would not be difficult to believe that the distinguishing characteristic of actually dying is the conscious release from suffering. This, we must keep in mind, is true even though in many such cases the victim was thrashing around, moaning or screaming.
     Should we overlook the profound mercy in the Lord's providing both the materials and the phenomenon of anesthesia? Think of what it means in terms of compassion that He has given man numerous ways in which pain can be eased or entirely blotted out by simple chemical substances or even a blow on the head! Could modern medicine succeed without the abundant forms of suppressing our natural instincts to combat injury? Even in ages past, mankind had managed to find forms of anesthesia, and who would deny that many escape pain by silver needles, hypnotism or non-medical means?
     In connection with this, we should give credence to the probability that much of the animal kingdom does not actually experience "pain" as we know it. There are gentle and kind people who cringe at the idea of animal suffering-and, truly, man should never willingly inflict suffering on any animal-whether the handsome trout that rose to his lure, the beef cattle or Thanksgiving turkey, or even the shrimp, clam and oyster. If we pause to think about it we will soon realize that throughout the animal kingdom ALL animals are destined to either die by a violent death or, even worse, to waste away when unable to care for themselves. May it not be true that their Creator has provided them with instincts that serve to protect them from accident or their enemies, but that they do not actually know the suffering we imagine them to feel?

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There is an abundance of evidence that this is so, and a merciful God does not intend that twenty thousand krill writhe in anguish when engulfed in the whale's mouth, or even the myriad tiny, invisible creatures under our foot who are crushed as we take a Sunday stroll. Some Far Eastern cults make much of their concern for helpless creatures, but how can they cut off the damages to microscopic living creatures in their lungs each time they breathe?
     We might do well to accept the idea that the Lord actually restrains suffering far more than we realize, and that His Love protects all things from any hurt which is actually harmful to their use. Since all things are destined to "die" and with the exception of man himself, the death of each creature is a means whereby OTHER creatures are sustained-we would greatly demean the Wisdom of God to accuse Him of cruelties which exist only in our own sensibilities!
     But let us now consider mental pain and anguish. Again, we would set aside the suffering that arises from man's evils and cruelty. All of us will die, some young, some old, and in many different circumstances. And in all but the rarest cases, we will have loved ones who will be saddened, will suffer. It is also true that there is suffering for loved ones who, in turn, are in pain not only of physical injury or sickness, but of economic loss or a job they don't like. We think of very great suffering, but was there ever greater misery than the young football player whose new girl friend invited her father to the big homecoming game in which he dropped the pass that would have won the game? He didn't drop it because it was out of his reach. It was right in his hands and no defender within yards. And he had been invited out to dinner afterwards! Now, that's suffering!
     The point is not as absurd as it seems, for, indeed, mental anguish is very real-yet, as we know, it is a part of the process whereby we develop and learn. It is involved in our regeneration, and, like the physical sensation which protects us by reflexive jerking away from harm, the mental pain of shame or "loss of honor, wealth or gain" is absolutely essential to our moral life.
     And let us consider carefully whether any experience, however painful, did not prove beneficial, if we allowed it to do so. Do we remember being scolded or being fired? Do we recall struggling with difficult problems or decisions? At any moment in our life could we actually say that the misery we protested was of no value? Was the suffering of the Iranian hostages in recent months completely useless, or can we not humbly agree that the Lord mercifully turns every misfortune to our good if we will but permit?

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WHAT DO ANGELS DO? 1981

WHAT DO ANGELS DO? Rev. ERIK E. SANDSTROM 1981

     (Part II)

     HOW DO ANGELS DO THEIR USES?

     Before we see how the angelic uses inflow and affect our work here on earth, let us consider "What Do Angels Do?" We now know their "job descriptions," or the outline of what they do; but do we know how they carry out their work? If we could observe an angel at work, how would we describe it?
     As with the gravedigger in heaven, we have trouble imagining the external surroundings, the manual skills or coordination of movements, and so forth, required for a specific angelic use. Is the angel swinging a pick-axe or a sword when he works? Does he just sit at a desk, and chase evil spirits away by typing a letter?
     Do the Heavenly Doctrines provide any help here?
     Yes and no. We are told that the countless functions, offices, etc., in heaven are spiritual, and even though they may be described, it cannot be done comprehensibly! (Char 142) Angelic uses do indeed appear "in part like those done in the world," we read, "yet they are spiritual uses that cannot be described in natural language" (AE 1226). In fact, when Swedenborg tried to describe how the angels actually carried out their uses, he found that it did not even fall into the ideas of natural thought! (ibid.) In short, we read: "How the spiritual work cannot be described to the natural, nor can it be described to the spiritual how the celestial angels work" (De Verbo 10).
     Astonishing! Our imagination races furiously to picture how an angel does his work. Perhaps our hero Superman provides some idea, flying hither and yon to help people out, but if we were to imitate him we might end up either in hospital or the insane asylum for thanks!
     No, angels are the experts in angelic uses. Yet if we are being regenerated, we too possess the knowledge, the know-how, of performing our use in a spiritual manner. Only the crass, gross limitations of our mundane bodies prevent us from the spontaneous flow of spiritual movements which bring to effect our own unique heavenly use. Once we come into that use after death, we will no doubt realize that that is what we have in fact been doing on earth too. But here, nature imposes its own movement, skill and coordination of limbs, eye and brains.

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     In heaven, there are other movements and skills, etc., which correspond to our earthly work, but which defy description (cf HH 485-490).

     THE SOURCE OF ANGELIC USES

     Now that we know-or do not know-how angels perform their uses, we ask, What is the source of their uses?
     As we said, the Lord is the Source of Divine order in all angelic uses. Therefore, the employments of the angels are in fact the employment of the Lord Himself through the angels (HH 391). The Lord acts indirectly through heaven, and thereby He provides the functions and offices of the angels.
     Does this mean that the Lord could do His work without angelic help? Yes, it does. We read: "The Lord acts indirectly through heaven, not because He needs their aid, but in order that angels thereby may have functions and offices, and consequently life and happiness in uses" (AC 8719).
     The Lord can do everything without any angel's help. How on earth-or how in heaven-can any angel help the Lord? Everything an angel has that makes him an angel came from the Lord. How can an angel help? The Lord does not need any angel's aid. For an angel to presume he could aid the Lord would be as monstrous as it was for Uzzah to steady the ark. The thought that one could help the Lord can only spring from proprium. Therefore, the only way that angels can serve the Lord is to carry out His Will and Wisdom by entering into the uses that come from the Lord. The Lord grants such employments for the sake of eternal happiness, yet He does not need any angel. That is what is meant by Divine Mercy. Men are saved from pure mercy, because the Lord has no need of us. But His Divine Love is such that it wills to create others outside of Himself, wills to make one with them, and to render them happy to eternity from itself (TCR 43). The Lord has created us from pure mercy, and grants us eternal happiness by our being conjoined with Him.
     The angels realize their own unworthiness before the Lord. Every person has to acknowledge that same total unworthiness before he can become an angel of heaven. But once an angel, he does not dwell on it. Angels consequently spring in the very height of their vigor to the uses for which they were created, and serve the Lord as though their eternal life depended on it-which in a way it does.
     Thus the angels have no worries. Their acknowledgment of unworthiness was but the basis for eternal happiness. Based on that acknowledgment they receive heavenly peace, and a rest from labor, that is the absence of fatigue, irritation, frustration, self-pity and undue hope for promotion, or any other earth-bound gremlins.

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     THEY DO USES TO MEN

     And so the angelic uses are received by men. Not only is man's conscious life the beneficiary, but even his organic make-up keeps functioning as a result of the Divine influx through all the heavens. For the heavenly societies in their uses correspond to the functions of the organs and tissues of the whole human constitution. In fact those heavenly uses pre-exist the organic forms which appear one after another in the foetus as it grows to maturity, ready for birth (cf AC 4223). For example, the use of perceiving what is good and true is ultimated in the created facial organ of the nose; the use of obedience and of hearkening to the Lord is ultimated in the creation of the human ear, and so forth. Our bodies are therefore the last result of the angelic uses as they were Divinely intended from creation. Therefore all uses pre-exist in the Lord.
     Apart from the human constitution, the angelic uses also inflow into man's conscious and unconscious mental life. Angels from each society, we read, are sent to men to watch over them, to lead them away from evil affections and thoughts, and to inspire them with good affections and thoughts, in so far as they can be received in freedom. By these means, angels "direct the deeds of man by removing as far as possible his evil intentions. Angels with man dwell as it were in his affections. They are near to man just in the degree in which he is in good from truth, and they are distant from man as the life is distant from good" (HH 391).
     Again we wonder what exactly the angels are doing. How do the angels perform this use of directing man's deeds? There is no answer. Angels perform their use in a spiritual manner, which cannot be described. But we do know that the angelic joy consists in active labor and in practical services, and in seeing good accomplished (HH 535). So although we have little idea of how the angels perform their uses, we know that they are being active and practical. In other words, they would be unlikely to be sitting at desks signing papers!

     (To be continued)

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MILTON HONEMANN 1981

MILTON HONEMANN Rev. LOUIS B. KING 1981

     A MEMORIAL ADDRESS

     It is midafternoon in winter as we gather here in the Hillside Chapel to lift our hearts and direct our thoughts to the spiritual world, into which our much-loved and fellow New Churchman, Milton Honemann, is this moment awakening.
     It is early morning and springtime there, the dawn of a new day and a new, exciting life for Milton-a life he has known existed and to which he eagerly looked forward, though his entrance there was immediately preceded by a severe and burdensome illness.
     Notwithstanding what now seems like the abruptness of his going, Milton's religion prepared him for the experiences he is now undergoing. For the best preparation for transition from one world to the next is not, as some suppose, a pre-knowledge of the time of one's going, but an accurate understanding and conviction of how and why this transition takes place. To foreknow the time of a person's death would be to invite his deliberate and indirect resistance to the Lord's will. But to trust in the Lord's Divine judgment in this matter is to free the will and the understanding for full participation in the issues of daily life, in which an individual may deliberately and indirectly cooperate with the Lord's will and thereby prepare most adequately for the unknown day of his death, whenever or however it inevitably comes.
     Milton was raised in the New Church, his father, an ardent New Churchman, setting the example of regular attendance at church services, and taking responsibility for carrying out the uses of the church. Milton was born in Baltimore on December 11, 1917, and as the oldest child in a New Church home early learned to love the church and the vital and priority place it held in his family life.
     In World War II Milton served as a Captain in the Paratroopers in Europe, and, because of his devoted service to his country in time of war, will have his body interred with honor in Arlington Memorial Cemetery.
     In 1953 Milton married Catherine Blake, who shared with him twenty-eight years of married life, a wonderful relationship strengthened and made joyful through the teachings of the church he loved to the day of his death.
     We say, "the day of his death," from the appearance only. For to take a single breath is to live, and to live at all is to live forever. What appears to be the death of the person is merely the laying aside of the body.

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The person himself, the human mind or spirit, after a scant three-days' rest, during which the miracle of resurrection is accomplished by the Lord, awakens into full and conscious human life in a world the reality of which we cannot begin to comprehend.
     Milton, and the church in his heart, did not come to an end with the laying aside of his earthly body. On the contrary, he is up and vigorously alive and, to eternity, will continue to love and appreciate the rational and logical teachings of his church, for it is now his privilege and delight to witness, firsthand, the living reality and fulfillment of those heavenly doctrines.
     Truly, the Lord Jesus Christ is the One and Only God of heaven and earth. And He creates each finite individual into His own image and likeness, thus endowing man with life as-of-himself-with rationality and freedom of choice. Furthermore, each individual so created, with his first breath of life, becomes immortal-potentially an angel of heaven or a devil of hell. In the exercise of his God-given rationality he can be instructed by Divine Revelation and come to know and understand the way of life which leads to heaven; and by his conscientious exercise of free will he can reject what is disorderly, evil and false, that the Lord may prepare him for life eternal.
     Upon reflection Milton will be able to see, from the superior enlightenment in which he now is, how infinitely wise is the Lord in leading each individual through "the valley of the shadow of death," that where He is, there man may be also. With unimaginable wisdom and patience the Lord's Divine Providence, in a thousand unnoticed ways, leads each person across the face of this complicated, natural life, providing all conditions of order, truth and happiness-permitting all those conditions of sickness, sorrow, discouragement and apparent tragedy which can in some way, unknown perhaps at the time, accrue some eventual benefit for the eternal welfare and happiness of the individual.
     In times of unexpected illness and violent death the earthbound mind is prone to cry out against the unmerciful and arbitrary actions of what it believes to be an angry or unjust God. But the spiritual-minded, set free by Divine Revelation from the limitations of natural thinking, silently smiles and, with patience and courage, remembers that the omnipotent, omniscient and awesome God is also the all-merciful, all-pitying, all-loving heavenly Father, Who never allows one unnecessary pang, but provides without exception that all is done in mercy from love for the sake of man's eternal peace and happiness. "if I take the wings of the morning," declares the Psalmist, "and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall Thy hand lead me and Thy right hand hold me"(Psalm 139:9-10)

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     Milton Honemann believed this with all his heart. It was a continual source of inspiration and sustenance in his everyday life. And now he stands in the presence of the Lord, somewhere in that blessed land of the spirit, surrounded by the sphere of the Lord's Divine Providence, in full possession of every human faculty and external sense which causes a man to be a man. For the active life of the spiritual world is more intense and sensitive by far than the dim and distant life he had enjoyed while in his material body.
     On this third day after he has laid aside his earthly body, Milton Honemann is renewing acquaintance with loved ones who preceded him into that spiritual world. And again and again, in the days and hours which lie immediately ahead, he will experience a living proof of what he had believed-that the kingdom of heaven is the kingdom of uses wherein angels find the delight of their life in performing good and useful services to their fellow men, from a spontaneous desire to do the Lord's will and from a sincere desire to achieve the happiness of their many and valued spiritual associates.
     The perfection of heaven, he will soon confirm through living experience, rests in the fact that each day new ways of serving one's fellow men are learned by the inhabitants there from the Lord. And each hour, yea each minute, millions of new inhabitants press into that limitless world from this and other inhabited earths in our endless universe. And what is so beautiful, no two individuals are exactly alike, never have been, never will be. So the effect which each individual is created to have upon his fellow man is unique, adding something distinctively new to further and enrich the happiness of heaven.

      While on earth, preparing for eternal life, each individual is in freedom to act according to his own best judgment-whether he will be motivated by the lust for honor, reputation and material gain, or by a sincere desire to do the Lord's will by responding to the needs of the neighbor, without concern for recompense. And as this vital decision is made over and over again, so are angels and devils freely and irrevocably made-so is character developed and the spiritual body fashioned.
     An individual's happiness here and hereafter is entirely dependent upon the use he performs. And his usefulness, at all times, can be measured by the degree to which he uses the Divine gift of life and the wisdom of experience to affect his fellows for good-that they may enjoy happiness from their relationship with him.

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And a man enters into the interior of fullest degree of his usefulness when, after death, he is finally reunited with his marriage partner to form a full and complete image and likeness of his Creator. "He who made them at the beginning made them male and female, [in the likeness of God] and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave unto his wife; and they two shall be one flesh. Wherefore they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder" (Matt. 19:4-6). In heaven husband and wife dwell together in the sacred state of conjugial love. The effect they have on one another in their mutual love to the Lord and the neighbor inmostly constitutes the heavenly happiness, and qualifies their usefulness to the whole of the heavens.
Thus we think of a man this afternoon, one whose effect upon others has been as various as it has been profound. And, as in all human relationships, our love for him is in direct proportion to his effect upon us for good. And we ask, what was it that endeared him to us? Was it his modesty? Was it his affirmative enthusiasm and sincere kindness as a friend? His humor? Was it generosity in placing a good interpretation upon the words and actions of others? Was it a husband's gentle and uncompromising faith in the sanctity and eternity of marriage? A brother's affectionate companionship? Or a son's affection and respect for his parents? Was it his love of the church and devotion to its uses? Who can forget the fact that Milton served as president of this society for ten years-that he superintended the Sunday School, teaching classes of doctrine to adults and young people alike, when the Sunday School numbered sixty people. And who will soon forget the keen interest and careful oversight he provided during the building of this Hillside Chapel, and the joy he shared with so many at its dedication in 1959? And when, from lack of priestly leadership, the congregation floundered and was unable to have the sacraments of the church on a regular basis, Milton received ordination as a lay minister in 1974. From that moment he faithfully, sincerely and conscientiously held this society together, never ceasing to seek for it regular ministrations of a resident pastor. Milton loved to teach the truths of the Lord's Second Coming and lead thereby to the good life. He was a student of the doctrines, delighting in the discussion of eternal truths and their living application to life.
As he loved and delighted in the study and discussion of doctrine, so he loved the organized church-this society-working for the day when his dream would become a reality, when the church would be rededicated to the spiritual uses for which it was originally built, and the congregation might enjoy once again a pastor, a strong church affiliation and hope for future growth.

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Milton dedicated his life to this dream, and it is our privilege and challenge to culminate it. In this we share a profound responsibility.
     Let each one of us who respected and loved Milton Honemann make answer in his own heart as to why our friend was so much loved and will be so much missed.
     But let this universal truth be heard: There is no greater service that any man can extend to his neighbor in this day and age than the unabashed and outspoken adherence to absolute principles of revealed Divine truth. To believe something so sincerely and to live according to it so obviously is, indeed, a precious gift from the Lord given through man to men.
     May the Lord keep us ever near to those whom we love and admire, through whom He would inspire and lead us to Himself. And let us deliberately turn our thoughts often to these loved ones in the other world that the effect they have had upon us in the past may grow in strength and beauty, rather than diminish. So from time to time will we gain momentary respite from the oppressive inertia of matter, the stifling limitations of space, the burdensome confines of time, the incessant discouragement of self-consciousness-that we may stand momentarily strong-immortal spirits at the gates of eternal life-gazing upon a new world teeming with hopes and possibilities and unfathomable experiences of delight and inner joy.
     But it is there, in that spiritual world so distant from our natural eyes and physical touch, yet so near to our hearts and reflective thoughts, that we must leave our loved ones and return to our apartment houses of time and space until, in the Lord's good pleasure, our preparation for eternal life is complete and we may join them again. to stand before our Lord and heavenly Father Who alone will show us the path of life, and in Whose presence is fullness of joy-at Whose right hand are pleasures forever more. Amen.
AGAINST BLIND ACCEPTANCE 1981

AGAINST BLIND ACCEPTANCE Rev. N. BRUCE ROGERS 1981

The quality of a church arises from its understanding of the Word (SS 76). The reason is that everything of the church is formed according to that understanding (SS 77). All its faith, all its love, is shaped by that understanding and takes its quality from it.

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The quality of a church as a church, therefore, cannot exceed the quality of its understanding of the Word. It is a noble church if it is in genuine truths, an ignoble church if in truths that are not genuine, and a destroyed church if it is in truths falsified (ibid.).
     It is not always easy, however, for those who make up a church to assess their understanding of the Word. Even in the New Church, it is not always easy for us to assess the accuracy of our understanding, or even at times to tell where our ideas are coming from. One reason is that before regeneration, we are all in a state of obscurity in regard to spiritual truths, and in that obscurity we can mistake falsities for truths and adopt them as such (AC 8013:2). Moreover, it is only natural in the case of many to incline to accept as true the teachings of the church in which they have been brought up simply because they are the teachings of the church in which they have been brought up (AC 6047:3); and when they have confirmed themselves in these teachings, they cling to them as true and as being proper interpretations of the Word, even in cases when they are not really true and are not really proper interpretations of the Word (AC 1366).
     Still another reason why it can be difficult for us to assess our understanding of truth or even to tell where our ideas of truth are coming from, is that we are all, of ourselves, inclined to merely natural delights and worldly values. It is also therefore only natural for us either to bend truths to make these delights and values allowable and defensible, in which case we falsify the truths, or else to adopt falsities in the place of truths, and by confirming them convince ourselves that they really are truths and from the Word or in agreement with the Word. In either case, whether we falsify truths or adopt falsities in the place of truths, we render ourselves unable to tell the difference between truths and falsities; and to the extent that we nevertheless cling to the church, we believe that we are in a faith formed from the Word, even though it be a faith that is of quite another character and formed from quite another origin (cf. AC 5096: 1, 2; 7627; 7778:4; 8148:2; 9367).
     Because of all this, the Heavenly Doctrines warn us against forming our faith from any other source than the Word, and they warn us against uncritical acceptance of ideas that may be at variance with the truth. Specifically, they warn us against a faith of authority, and they warn us against a faith from self.
     By a faith of authority, the Writings mean a faith that is founded not on the plain teachings of Divine revelation but on the authority of someone else's say-so (AC 8078:3, 4).

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Of course, this is the kind of faith with which everyone begins. Everyone begins, in childhood and youth, by believing what he does on the authority of his teachers and masters (AC 10225:1, 4). No one prior to adult age has the internal sight or accumulation of experience to do anything else. Moreover, it is only through such a faith of authority that the unregenerate can be led and prepared to receive the Lord by living a life in accordance with doctrine (TCR 359, AC 8013:2, cf. TCR 344).
     Eventually, however, this state of faith must be outgrown. If faith is to become an internal thing, eventually we must come to believe, not on the authority of someone else's assertions but from a personal sight of what the Word itself teaches-which includes the Heavenly Doctrines. We are told, "The spiritual have faith in other truths besides those which have been impressed on them from infancy (AC 2832). "They who have a real affection for truth abide in the doctrinal things of the church until they arrive at an age when they begin to think for themselves, [and] then they search the Scriptures and supplicate the Lord for enlightenment" (AC 8993:4). Thus they pass from a state of instruction and mere memory knowledge into a state of intelligence and discrimination, because they think no longer from the authority of others but from their own personal understanding and comprehension (AC 10225:1, 4, 5).
     "For [the doctrinal things of the church] are not true because the heads of the church have said so and their followers confirm it" (AC 6047:2). The Word must be searched, and examination must be made, to see whether the things one has been told are true (AC 6047:2, 8078:3, 4, 8993:4). Otherwise, if one simply accepts what another says and embraces it without examination, his thought concerning it becomes a matter of mere persuasion (Faith 11), and his faith in it no more than a blind faith (Faith 1). Indeed, what anyone believes, not from the sight of his own understanding but on the authority of someone else's claims, is not really his own belief, but the belief of another which he has, as it were, only borrowed (AC 10124:3).
     And it may be false (AC 8013:2, 10124:3). Even though buttressed with reasoning and argument, what is asserted only on the authority of merely human understanding may yet be false, for "'what is false can be confirmed just as well as what is true, and sometimes better" (Faith 11, also DP 3 18:2). As a consequence, if people do not think for themselves and come to understand for themselves, they can be led to believe almost anything, given enough persuasion. As the Doctrines observe, "Shut men's eyes and stop up their ears, that is, contrive that they do not exercise thought from any understanding, and then say whatever you please to persons on whom some idea of eternal life has been impressed, and they will believe it"(Faith 46, cf. also 47, 48).

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Such persons-people who believe simply because men of reputation and authority have said something is so, without further examination-are likened in the spiritual world to cattle (DP 168:5) and to magpies (TCR 42), who think as a crab walks, with the sight following the tail (CL 295).
     Worse than a faith of authority, however, is a faith from self. At least a faith of authority can be held in innocence, and what is then believed may accord with the Word. And a faith of authority is an initial step by which a genuine faith from the Word may be introduced (TCR 359, AC 8013:2). But never is this the case with faith from self.
     By a faith from self we mean a faith that draws its ideas of spiritual truth from its own personal, human view of things, rather than from the Word, and which establishes its concepts of right and wrong according to its own wishful thinking. Such a faith is inevitably riddled with falsities, because human reason of itself is entangled in deceptive appearances (AC 2516:2), and it serves a human heart that is inclined to error from its birth (AC 215). To arrogate to ourselves the right to determine what is spiritually and morally true or permissible, therefore, is to form a faith that is utterly untrustworthy (AC 1072). Even at its best, human rationality was never created to be the source of truth, but rather its receptacle (AC 2516:2, 2519, 2520:2, 2538:2). For even at its best, there always clings to the rational that which is merely human, and this merely human quality makes it liable to mistake and error (AC 2516:2, 2520:3, 4, 2538:2). Who, indeed, would claim otherwise?
     More serious, however, is the fact that human rationality is subject to the promptings of personal desires and worldly concerns. When these enter into the thought, as they so often do, they then lead reason astray, and falsities are taken as truths, or truths are bent and twisted in order to defend what is false (AC 241, 2045, 8993:3, SS 60, DP 168:4). If faith is formed from this origin, it is thus blinded to truth (ibid.), and in its blindness the smallest objection can prevail over a thousand truths (AC 215). Faith so formed is unaware of this blindness, because whatever favors its loves and wishes it thinks it sees in light (AC 215); and reason is employed to find arguments and confirmations to support its desired conclusions (AC 2045, cf. 2832). This is another characteristic of faith from self. Not only is it entangled in deceptive appearances and so liable to mistake and error (AC 2516:2), but to the extent that self and the concerns of this world are in it, its effort is not to find the truth but to confirm what it pleases, though it imagines it has discovered wisdom (cf. SS 91).

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And if in this state one is led to study the Word, one cannot help but be blind to anything that contradicts. Either the truth is not seen, or it is interpreted to agree with what one wants the truth to be, so that the truth is falsified (AC 9382:2, SS 60).
     Faith from self, or the arrogation to self of the right to determine from one's own reason and experience what is spiritually and morally good and true, has consequently been the cause of the downfall of every church that has hitherto existed in the world (AC 231, cf Faith 49). This is what is represented in Genesis by eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (CL 444, AC 207, 208, Core. 29:3). Every church has fallen when the ideas of men have been substituted for the teachings of the Word, and men have become the arbiters of what is right and wrong (cf. Isa. 5:20,21, 29:9-24, 47:8-14, Matt. 15: 1-9, Mark 7:1-13, AC 215, Faith 49, AR 594ff., AE 239). Faith of authority and faith from self have this in common, that they are founded on a belief in men and the assertions of human reason, rather than on a belief in the Lord and the teachings of His Word.
     On the other hand, while warning therefore against a faith of authority and faith from self, the Heavenly Doctrines do not at the same time teach an uncritical acceptance of the literal statements of the Word (AC 2520:5, 9025:2-4, 10582:3, SS 52, 77, 91, 96). For many things said in the literal sense of the Word are not literally true, or they reflect only a partial truth which must be understood if a right idea is to be formed (AC 2533:2, 9025:2-4, SS 51). The Word must be interpreted, and doctrine drawn from it, and doctrine must then become the lamp in whose light the Word is viewed (AC 9025, SS 51, 52, 54). When this has been done, moreover, it is right that the literal meaning yield to doctrinal interpretation, if there is a conflict, or if the literal meaning is otherwise unintelligible (AC 9025:2-4, 9382:2, SS 54). All this the Writings also teach.
     The question is: how de we do this drawing of doctrine by which to interpret the Word without so infecting the process with our own preconceptions and prejudices that we fall into faith from self! And how do we profit from the doctrine drawn by others without falling into a faith of authority?
     In the first place, the Word must be approached affirmatively (AC 2588:2). To approach the Word affirmatively is to be as willing to believe it as we are the things of human reason and experience; in fact, true affirmation is more willing to believe the Word in matters that affect spiritual and moral faith and life (AC 2516:2, 2538:2, 2541, 2568:2, 2588:2).

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Doctrine must then be drawn from the literal statements of the Word rightly collated and compared (AC 7233:3).
     This must be done from the literal sense, and not from what one imagines some hidden meaning to be, because in the literal meaning the truth is expressed in fixed statements that are not subject to the alterations and modifications of human preferences (SS 53). Moreover, the basic truths out of which a man's spiritual and moral faith and life ought to be formed are there plainly presented (SS 55). They are not plainly presented in any human imagination of what one guesses the internal intent might be, because this can be distorted by personal predilections and the errors of human conjecture (SS 56, Verbo 58).
     Doctrine must also be drawn from the literal sense of the Word in a state of enlightenment from the Lord (SS 57). Enlightenment, and the consequent state of instruction, are dependent both upon one's breadth and depth of knowledge of what the Word teaches, and upon the motivation with which one approaches the Word (TCR 155, AC 1188, 7233, 9382:2). Especially does it depend upon the motivation (AC 8078:4, 9382:2, SS 58). "Enlightenment is from the Lord alone," we read, "and exists with those who love truths because they are truths and make them of use for life. With others there is no enlightenment in the Word." (SS 57). Those who draw doctrine from the Word, therefore, must do so for the sake of knowing what the truth is, and not for the sake of confirming what they wish to see confirmed (SS 60, 91). They must be willing to subordinate what is of self and the world to what is from the Lord (AC 2516:2, 2538:2, 2541, 2588:2). Earthly concerns must be set aside (AC 241, SS 59). Even the temporal wishes and desires of others must be for the time ignored (AC 8148:2, 9367, SS 52). And most of all, personal ends must be rejected (AC 1188, 7778:4, 8148:2, 8993:3, 9297:3, 9364, 9365, 9367, 9369, 9382:2, SS 52, 60, 61:3). Otherwise one is blinded rather than enlightened by his study of the Word (AC 9382:2).
     When doctrine has been drawn from the Word, moreover, it must then be tested by further study to see if it in fact accords with what the Word really teaches (SS 53, 54, AC 6047:2, SS 59). Other passages, other statements bearing on the subject must be examined, to discover whether the whole truth has been found, or only a partial truth, or perhaps no truth at all. This investigation must be made not only by those who draw doctrine, but also by others, for doctrine is not true just because those who draw it say so (AC 6047:2).

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The Word must be searched, and investigation must be made, to see whether the doctrine delivered by those who draw it is in agreement with the Word (AC 6047:2, 8993:3,4, SS 59). This, too, must be done in a state of enlightenment, free from earthly concerns and personal ends, simply out of a desire to know what the truth is, for only those who so approach the Word are able to discern what accords and what does not (AC 8013:2, 8993:3, 4, SS 59, 91). What accords may then be accepted, on the authority of the Word; but what does not accord must be rejected (SS 59, AC 6047:2, 3). If this is done from a love of good and a willingness to obey what the Word teaches, the doctrine of the church is thus continually winnowed and purified, and the good of the church thereby strengthened.

     Finally, a word with regard to those who are unable either to draw doctrine or to investigate the doctrine of others. For there are those in the church who try to live according to truths, yet who, being taken up with the business of the world, lack the time and energy necessary for a proper study of doctrine (SS 59). How do they guard themselves from error?
     The Writings answer that such people can learn from those who do draw doctrine and from those who then investigate it (SS 59). But there are cautions. One should never believe according to the persuasiveness of the speaker, or his degree of authority in the church, but according to what one does know of what the Word teaches (cf. AC 1366, 3394:3, 6047:2, 3, SS 52, Faith 1, 11, 46-48).
     One should believe in simplicity of heart-not according to personal convenience, nor according to worldly advantage, nor according to personal desire for personal reasons-but from a willingness to believe what the Lord has revealed (AC 1072:2, 1188, 2045, 2588:2, SS 52). Be suspicious of innovative doctrines and novel interpretations (AC 1188, 1241, Faith 2, 4, AE 239, AC 7298:2). Do not confirm or let oneself be persuaded of something until it can be shown to be the genuine doctrine of Divine revelation, and is so seen by self and by others (AC 2516:2, 3394:3, 6047:2, 3, 6610, 7298:2, 8148:2, 10124:3, HH 482, SS 92, 93, 97, Faith 3, 5, 8, 9, 11, DP 317, 318, TCR 339).
     Above all, be particularly wary in matters that touch the life, where human proprium is especially desirous to have things its way (AC 8148:2, 9382:2, SS 52, 60, 96, DP 144). For merely intellectual error does not condemn (AC 2531:2, 3385, TCR 756, SS 92, 97, DP 318:9-11); but error confirmed in life from the will is hurtful, and it can condemn (AC 1366, 5096, SS 92, 93, 96, 97, DP 318:9-11).

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EDUCATION OF GIRLS AND BOYS 1981

EDUCATION OF GIRLS AND BOYS Rev. ALFRED ACTON 1981

     (Continued from the March issue.)

     So far we have listed but two very mediate goals for our education. Instruction in knowledges with the hope that faith will be adjoined to them, making intelligence possible, and later, love which will infill them giving wisdom; and the education of the individual so that remains can be implanted and conscience formed with the hope that a new will can be freely chosen on the basis provided. Education will set the understanding and the will free so that angelic life can become a reality. Of course, this process looks to heaven and the development of the conjugial. In the church our most cherished love is that love freshly restored to mankind through the New Word, that love which is one with love to the Lord, which we call "love truly conjugial." This love provides for angels the inmost joy of their lives, and it can do so for men on earth as well. Our education of boys and girls must have this eternal goal as an end, and we must be willing to do all in our power to preserve and protect it. The sphere of the school must look to enhancing this end, even as the instruction we give must lead to full understanding of its angelic nature. We cannot allow our educational goals to ever lose sight of this most important end. But, of course, between the very mediate ends of instruction and education which prepares an individual to become an angel, and the ideal of love truly conjugial which makes two people into one angelic unit capable of loving the Lord in the fullest sense of that word, there are other goals-goals which look to individual love to the Lord, and individual love to the neighbor. No one can ignore love to the neighbor in all its degrees, if he seeks to enter inmostly into love to the Lord in the life of love truly conjugial. A conjugial couple that does not seek to perform uses to the neighbor cannot, in fact, love the Lord at all. The one springs from the other as moonlight is reflected from the sunlight.
     We know that there are four expressions of love to the neighbor. The first is "to act justly and faithfully in the office, business, and employment in which a person is engaged" (TCR 422). Accordingly, we must set as an educational goal the reality of such actions. We must provide the knowledges necessary for the performance of such offices, businesses and employments as are of real benefit to mankind. (This goal covers most of our work in the classroom.) In this context, of course, we must recognize that both men and women must love their neighbor and so try to set educational objectives which will provide necessary tools for such performance.

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I shall speak further of this later, but here note this illustration. While the single teacher cannot enjoy the inmost richness of love truly conjugial, he or she can practice an individual love to the Lord, with its attendant joy through the just and faithful expression of love to the neighbor in the act of teaching young students. Such expression of love is an important goal for our education. It can provide real happiness for people on earth even if single. Indeed, certain monks and nuns, who are on the outskirts of heaven, find the fulness of their heavenly life in such performance. There are single people in heaven who are apparently happy, although their joy is not as great as those who are happily married (See CL 54:5, 155:3). Note here that the conjugial provides the very inmost of angelic happiness and so is inmost to our educational goals, but other goals must also be a part of our process. Love to the Lord can be expressed on an albeit lesser level by an individual whose love and wisdom can be united in a celestial state which will lead him to performing acts of charity to the neighbor. I think we sometimes overlook this important second level of love in our effort to extol the inmost ideal of love truly conjugial.
     Our next level of educational objectives is the next level of expressing love to the neighbor. We read: "The benefactions of charity are giving to the poor and relieving the needy, but with prudence" (TCR 425). We need to provide opportunities in our educational setting for learning how to give, as well as experience in it. Athletics and social life help in this experience.
     Following this educational goal is another: "there are duties of charity, some public, some domestic, and some private" (TCR 429). Training in the performance of these duties is necessary, including that training which will especially enhance the conjugial relationship of husband and wife described as the duties "of the husband toward the wife, and the wife toward the husband, of fathers and mothers toward their children, and of children towards their fathers and mothers. . ." (See also CL 385-414).
     And finally, as a last expression of love to the neighbor we must educate our students to be able to practice the "diversions of charity such as dinners, suppers, and social gatherings" (TCR 433). In this last field 1 think we sometimes confuse our students by placing so much emphasis on the conjugial relationships of husband and wife that they do not readily develop the social skills of men and women which should not look to the conjugial.

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In summing up these goals, we educate to have our students learn how to perform simultaneously in a wide variety of roles: inmostly the role of wife or husband; second, the role found in one's office, business or employment; thirdly, the role of an individual who will acknowledge his obligations to the public good, the domestic good, and his own private good; and finally, the role of an individual who can enter into the diversions of charity in a full recognition of the proper value of recreation. All these roles exist in an individual at once, and so we must educate for them all. Fortunately there is but one real good which is God, and so the harmony of these varied roles can follow from that highest source. The picture we see here is one individual who will have a variety of modes of expressing that love which he or she receives from the Lord. Although we recognize that the wife or husband role is the most intimate and deepest expression of that love and reflects the basic functions of their forms, nevertheless there are other roles which must also be practiced and for which education in its varied forms must provide. I can be husband, master or servant, son-in-law, father-in-law, cousin, nephew, and just plain friend all at once. Although the inmost of my expression of love to the Lord will come as husband, I cannot ignore my other roles and, in fact, should receive education and instruction in them if I am to perform them aright. The picture becomes still broader when I recognize that the neighbor whom I love does not just come in single person form. All the degrees of the neighbor-from self through family, to community, to country, to the human race, the church, the angelic heavens and the Lord-require of me different roles with different love for me to express. In this context it seems very clear that although the conjugial is my inmost form of expression of love, there are many others of a lesser nature which I must perform. I would hardly expect to express the conjugial in my relationship to the country, as I sought to practice my duty of voting; but nevertheless, the person voting would still be me, a man, with my very real masculine viewpoint.
To sum up this discussion of goals: our educational objectives are varied. They have as their inmost the development of and respect for the conjugial, but in addition we hope to educate in such a way that all the varied aspects of love to the neighbor can be expressed, for in both love to the Lord and love to the neighbor are found the happiness of heaven. We teach people to enter into careers, as well as to enter into the happiness of marriage and the responsibilities of parenthood.

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Finally, note this set of statistics which has impact on the education of both boys and girls. In 1974-75, 45% of the women in the United States were employed in a career. That figure today is at 52% and rising annually. The median age in our country is now 30 years. Over the past decade there has been a 24% increase in the number of people over 65, which implies a new need to learn how to use leisure. The proportion of traditional nuclear families (husband. wife, and at least one child) dropped from 50% to 42% of the total families over the decade of the 1970's, and it is projected that by 1990 only about 28% of all U.S households will consist of married couples with children. The need for us to educate people as regards spiritual offspring, as well as natural ones, seems real. Finally. economists forecast that the average family wanting to own its own home needs an income in excess of $30,000, which will force families to become two-income families if they seek such goals. (Statistics in part from Jan. 9, 1981 PSBA "information Legislative Service" report, Vol. XIX, No. 2.) These statistics, to me, imply that we must have very real special concern for the careers of both the boys and girls in our care, even as we continue to educate for the ideals we all hold so dear. Of course, if we do not believe women should have careers and that their place is in the home, period, we must so teach and face the pressures of economic woes. If our position were that clear, we would be able to ease some of the Academy's economic pressures, as we would have to dismiss all women teachers. I do not advocate such a position and believe that there are careers open to women. But more on this later.

(To be continued)
RECEPTION OF TRUTH BY AFRICANS 1981

RECEPTION OF TRUTH BY AFRICANS STANFORD G. LEHNE 1981

     COMMUNICATIONS

Dear Editor:

     I have been concerned for many years that people who are not members of the General Church would judge the General Church as racist because of the lack of black Americans with African origins in its membership.
     Kenneth B. Blair's communication in the January New Church Life substantiates to everyone that Emanuel Swedenborg believed that the African race would be most receptive to and understanding of his revelations from the Lord.
     STANFORD G. LEHNE,
          Birmingham, Michigan

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RECEPTION OF THE WRITINGS 1981

RECEPTION OF THE WRITINGS Dr. JOHN H. ROACH 1981

Dear Sir:

     By way of introduction it needs to be said that I am not a member of any Swedenborgian church. I am a Methodist preacher. However, I have studied the doctrines of Swedenborg religiously for the last several years, and I accept them without reservations, because they are in accord with the Holy Word.
     With reference to the article "innocence vs. the Prevention of Offspring" in New Church Life (August 1980) by the Rev. Stephen D. Cole, my personal thanks and appreciation are extended to him for such an eloquent, provocative presentation on a subject which is so controversial in today's society. After having read his article, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he had done a marvelous job of delineating the profound truths of the Holy Word, and of Swedenborg's writings correctly. This is only to say that I agree with him 100% in his interpretations and would like in a later letter to elaborate on this.
     When I noticed in New Church Life contrasting views, as for example on the subject of "prudence," it came as a surprise. It struck me as somewhat odd that even among Swedenborgians there exists diversities of opinion. I had been laboring for many years under the assumption that those who acknowledge themselves as Swedenborgians were in unity as to their perception of these doctrines. It causes one to wonder if in fact Swedenborg's doctrines are truly genuinely revealed by the Lord to mankind if those who identify themselves as Swedenborgians, like all other Christian communions, simply do not interpret alike the Holy Word. In this case they do not all comprehend alike the breadth of Swedenborg's pneumatology.*
     * Pneumatology" has to do with the study of what is spiritual.
     Now I note in a letter in your January issue from Mr. Kenneth Blair under the title, "The Reception of Truth by Africans." This letter quotes three passages from Swedenborg's writings relative to the hearty reception of the Heavenly Doctrines by the Africans-that they are more receptive to these doctrines than any other ethnic group on this earth. Without equivocation, I certainly have no problem registering an identification with those three passages as written by Swedenborg, for I myself am of African descent, and I have always accepted Swedenborg's writings in totality from the inception. Frankly, I've had no problem interpreting them, and his peculiar writing style has never been a hindrance to my perception of his works.

200

     I also accept his writings because I discovered that his pneumatology is based on the essential nature of the human soul, and is an outgrowth from known laws of man's mental and moral constitution. I discovered that these laws upon which his pneumatology is based are the laws of God, eternal and unchangeable just like God Himself. Therefore, Swedenborg's pneumatology is not only in accord with Holy Scripture, but is in accord with sound reason, true science, sound philosophy, history, human experience, and as forestated, the essential nature of the human soul.
     Swedenborg's writings are synonymous with the Bible; that is, one cannot read his writings with preconceived ideas and confirmations of human opinions, expecting to extract the true meaning of his thought; for the writings of Swedenborg, just like the Holy Word, must be either accepted or rejected on their own merits; to do less is to flirt with human liberty, and to change or interpret his writings erroneously to suit one's own fancy.
     As mentioned above, I would like to continue in a later letter with attention to the subject of "prudence."
     DR. JOHN H. ROACH,
          Louisville, Kentucky
NAME OF THE LORD 1981

NAME OF THE LORD BORGHILD BERNE 1981

Dear Editor:

     In response to your invitation to consider the editorial "Call His Name Jesus" I want to say: We must think it is in the Divine Providence that we shall "call His Name Lord," which in Norwegian is "Herren." We in Norway live in a predominant Lutheran environment. The name "Jesus" seems very often to involve the idea of an appendix to the one only God. The name "Herren," or "Lord," which involves all names, is so comforting for the New Church person, and it is understood when you speak with ordinary people who are not members of the New Church.
     The three persons in the Godhead is so confusing and is so dominant in most of the sermons of the clergy. The name "Lord" or "Herren" is the great defender against all the errors of the Old Church.
     BORGHILD BERNER,
          Stavanger, Norway

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EDITORIAL PAGES 1981

EDITORIAL PAGES Rev. DONALD L. ROSE 1981

     NEW CHURCH LIFE
     AN OPEN DECLARATION OF LOVE

     The Writings point to a phrase which openly expresses a love for the entire human race. It is this: "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me" (John 12:32).
     The Lord did not often openly state Who He was or what His thoughts were. Nor did He openly show how strong His love was. It is said at the end of John 2 that "Jesus did not commit Himself unto them." When He spoke to Philip about the need for food, He did not speak openly of His real intentions, although "He Himself knew what He would do" (John 6:6).
     Then there is the matter of His identity. It was not always manifest Who He claimed to be. Pilate said with fear and awe, "Whence art Thou? But Jesus gave him no answer" (John 19:9). People demanded, "Who art Thou?" "Who makest Thou Thyself?" (John 8:53). "If Thou be the Christ, tell us plainly" (John 10:24).
     We would not overemphasize the hiding of His identity, for He answered them, "I told you, and ye believed not." A few verses later He clearly says, "I and My Father are one." Their immediate impulse to stone Him for this shows something of the reason for a seeming unwillingness to reveal it too clearly.
     He asked the disciples, "Who do men say that I am?" It was evident from their answer that people did not know Who He was. The disciples themselves had previously wondered, saying, "What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?" (Matt. 8:27). Others had said, "Who is this that forgiveth sins also?" (Luke 7:49).
     Was His intense love for all mankind openly declared? Twice it is recorded that Jesus wept. On the one occasion those who saw His tears were struck at the sight and exclaimed at the love which the tears portrayed. "Behold how He loved him!" (John 11:33).
     The other occasion of weeping was on Palm Sunday. It would appear that the multitudes were quite unaware of the tears and unaware of the love which the tears expressed. For though Jerusalem rang with Hosannas it was a city unaware. It knew not the things which belonged to its peace.

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"And when He was come near, He beheld the city, and wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes"(Luke 19:42). His love for Jerusalem was so profound. "Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem . . . how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings. . . ." (Matt. 23:37).
     Hidden love and hidden tears bring to mind the Joseph story. Joseph did not want his brothers to know his identity or his love. "And Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother: and he sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there. And he washed his face, and went out, and refrained himself. . . ." (Gen. 43:30).
     Another time it is said that the brothers knew not that Joseph understood them. "And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them." The Writings relate this to the occasion of the weeping of Jesus on Palm Sunday. "Jerusalem, over which Jesus wept, or which He pitied and for which He grieved, was not only the city Jerusalem, but also the church. . .For pity and grief He wept" (AC 5480). These were hidden tears. How different it is when love is openly expressed, as when Joseph could not refrain himself but "wept aloud," and even the Egyptians heard (Gen. 45:2).
     What we have in the Writings is a revelation of the Lord's identity, of His thoughts while in the world, and to an eminent degree we have a revelation of the greatness of His love. "The Lord's life was love towards the whole human race, and was indeed so great, and of such a quality, as to be nothing but pure love" (AC 1690). "Love such as the Lord had transcends all understanding" (AC 2077). The Lord had in view the drawing of all mankind to Himself, and this is what is openly said in the words before us. "The Lord had in view the conjunction of Himself with the human race. This was His end, and this His love, which was such that the salvation of the human race, as beheld in the union of Himself with His Father, was to Him the inmost joy." This is "openly said in the words, 'when I shall be lifted up, I will draw all after Me.'" (AC 2034:4).

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     THE SCRIPTURES IN LANGUAGES THROUGHOUT THE EARTH

     The Writings speak of the provision that the Word should be written here on earth "and when written be afterward published throughout the whole earth."
     Of all the great causes on this earth, that of translating and spreading the Scriptures is one of the most vital. When the first book of the Writings was being published, Swedenborg gave explicit instructions that any financial proceeds should go to that cause. The money was to go to an organization which was a precursor of the British and Foreign Bible Society, which was founded in 1804.
     The printer of the Arcana Coelestia advertised to the public that the anonymous writer had given a handsome sum for the printing "and when he had done this he gave express orders that all the money that should arise in the sale of this large work should be given towards the charge of the propagation of the gospel." (This was in 1750.)
     One of the bewildering characteristics of the population of this "whole earth" is the multiplicity of its languages. Accordingly he who would publish the Word "throughout the whole earth" must contend with the necessity of translating it into many, many tongues. One rejoices in the great progress that has been made in the spread of the Scriptures, through the generous contributions of people, who, like Swedenborg, have regarded this as a work of high importance.
     The American Bible Society, founded twelve years after the British and Foreign Bible Society, has issued this year a report of impressive achievement. The complete Bible has now been translated into 275 languages. If that seems a high figure you will be astonished at the figures we will mention in a moment.
     The Bible Societies (there are several national societies in the world) are dedicated to a common goal. They share the laudable characteristic of being interconfessional organizations whose sole purpose is "the translation, publication, and distribution of the Holy Scriptures without doctrinal note or comment and without profit."
     Languages in which the New Testament appears now number almost 500! And, remarkably, it can be said this year that at least one book of the Bible is now rendered into 1,710 languages! Look at the globe and think of seventeen hundred languages. Where are they used?

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     The greatest number are in Africa, where parts of the Bible are now translated into 499 tongues. We read of languages in Nigeria such as Ezaa, Ikwo and Izi in which the gospels can now be read. In Asia the number is 434 and in Latin America 283. In Europe the figure is 179, and who could begin to name them? In North America there are 62.
     The Writings allude to the distant goal of missionaries to bring the Word to "all who dwell on the earth" (DP 254; see also 257). It was of the Divine Providence that Europeans should travel to "many parts of the habitable globe," their commerce extending over the world. "And everywhere the Word is read by them, or there is teaching from the Word." This has a vital influence on the world beyond our believing (DP 256).
     "A knowledge of religion does not come to a man from himself, but through another who has either learned it himself from the Word or by tradition from others who have learned it. . . ." (DP 254). As we consider this great cause, it is natural for us to think also of the translation of the Writings. But that is another story.
CHURCH NEWS 1981

CHURCH NEWS Various 1981

     LONDON

     There has been a long time lapse since the last report from London, not, as you may think, because we lead a quiet life here; rather, the reverse. Our monthly schedule shows us to be a busy congregation, and if you find yourself in London, and telephone Mrs. Nancy Dawson, 769 7922 (if you are outside London, dial 01 in front), she will tell you what is on that week. Several friends from abroad have spent time with us since the last report. If you were one of them, Greetings! We were really pleased to see you.
     Our various groups continue to meet in and around London, mostly evenings, but a small group meets monthly in homes on a Wednesday morning to hear a paper from our pastor, the Rev. Erik E. Sandstrom. This group has read and discussed the little work Charity. Thursday doctrinal classes at Swedenborg House (S.H.) in the heart of London are attended by the faithful few, but their number is being augmented by some of our older young people who now attend. These young people have also begun to meet at S.H. once a month where one of them gives a short address on a secular subject, and they then discuss this in the light of their knowledge of the New Church doctrines. Mr. Sandstrom is there to give assistance if needed. Three groups who live on the outskirts meet in homes once a month (North London, Chadwell Heath, and Guildford). These are well attended and bring forth many points of view and some lively argument. In January some of the congregation put on a play written by Mrs. Roy Warwick, based on Dickens' "Scrooge." We had for six Sundays rehearsed in the afternoon, and Mrs. Warwick and Roy (who played the name part) worked exceedingly hard.

205

It was acclaimed to be very good by those who saw it, and we were pleased that some of our friends from a nearby Conference society were in the audience. Our Women's Guild joined some of the Conference ladies at an open evening at Swedenborg House in the spring when we had a forum, questions answered by two ministers and two lay persons-a most enjoyable evening. We were pleased to find how united in thought we are to the people in Conference.
     The previous year it had been decided to enlarge our school area by knocking down a wall. How pleasing that for its first formal use there was a wedding feast. Our young friend Elsa Bruell married Richard Stroh, and we were delighted that the bridegroom's father, the Rev. Kenneth Stroh, was here to perform the ceremony. He was doubly welcome, because he was our pastor for several years in the 50's. We were a little saddened when Elsa and Richard left to make their home in the U.S.A., but we gained Claire and Hew Homber who have settled in London.
     We also welcomed the Rev. and Mrs. Ottar Larsen to London. Mr. Larsen is Britain's "open road" pastor and travels to the isolated, but Alison, his wife, and their two young sons are frequently in church in London. Alison, in fact, suggested we have an auction to raise money for the beautification of our church. She organized it, so one evening saw about fifty people in the new school room bidding for things other people no longer needed. It was great fun and raised a goodly sum, some of which has been used to purchase paint, and the young people gather when time permits and redecorate the downstairs area. We have a new caretaker downstairs, too, a Mr. Bernard Schofield, an artist and writer, who has worked hard to re-establish the garden, and by July 4, when we have a mini-assembly, it should be a picture. Talking of gardens, a new feature for the society is "The Garden Party"-so far two, one in the spring at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Norman Turner, where the whole congregation gathered on a beautiful day for lunch, sports, and sociability. These parties are part of our missionary effort as we are asked to bring along interested friends. During the afternoon, Mr. Sandstrom gives a very brief talk. The second party was at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Reg Law, and we see two ladies who came to that party in church occasionally.
     Once a year we pack an overnight bag and journey to a beautiful old house in East Anglia, Hengrave Hall, where we enjoy two days imbibing spiritual and natural food. All the pastors in Britain are usually there, and everyone agrees it is a most worthwhile experience. Our own minister, Mr. Sandstrom, has other journeys to make; he visits Holland several times a year. He has learned the Dutch language to be able to be of more use to our European neighbors. In his absence we have on occasions had the Rev. Ottar Larsen preach to us; we much appreciate this, though our lay reader services are well attended. So, too, are the open house evenings given by Mr. and Mrs. Sandstrom. Lynn-Del, with her young family, manages to feed up to sixty people in style, and look pretty and unflurried.
     Towards Christmas we were very pleased to meet the Rev. Erik Sandstrom, Sr., who paid a fleeting visit to London. He is another of our past ministers. How good it is to see old friends. Our Christmas celebration was as powerful as usual. Lots of well-loved carols, a most lovely meal prepared by the Women's Guild, and the tableaux, beautifully staged by Mrs. Nancy Dawson, will live in our memories forever.
     Now in the New Year the young people have organized the Swedenborg birthday celebration with a buffet lunch, papers, and toasts, and a party for the very young.

206

We all have dates in our diaries until September, so please look us up if you pass this way.
     OLIVE SHARP

     WASHINGTON, D. C.

     Perhaps the most exciting news to come out of the Washington society in 1980 is that there are now two new homes in Acton Park. We welcome the Stewart Smiths and the Phil Zubers, who are the first two families to move into our church community since 1974.
     Although the growth within the Acton Park community is very slow, this is not the case in the areas surrounding it. Housing developments are springing up at a tremendous rate in every direction. This is perhaps a mixed blessing, as on the one hand all the lovely farmlands and wood lots are disappearing, and on the other, such growth provides tremendous opportunities for evangelization, as well as housing possibilities for some of our members. Along with this growth, however, has come a threat to our own development in the form of a proposed cloverleaf high way interchange within a stone's throw of the church. This directly threatens some of the church property, as well as the pastor's home, and would also affect several other Acton Park homes, in terms of right-of-way and access. There is a great deal of local opposition to this proposal, and we are hoping it will be defeated.
     Meanwhile, our society uses are carried on. Our membership and participation in those uses continues to increase steadily. We did lose several young families who moved away during the year, and we also lost one of our older members, Mr. Gerald Nelson, who passed away in September. There is always something of emptiness when people leave us, and we have especially missed Gerry's cheerful, affectionate presence. Fortunately, we have also gained a number of new people, including many young people and some families with children. As a result, we have a large, vital and active group of young members, which bodes well for the future of the society.
     To meet some of the special needs of this growing society, a Young People's Group, led by Rev. Lawson Smith, is meeting bi-weekly. Recently, a women's group, as yet unnamed, was also formed, to give the women a forum for exchanging ideas, and supporting each other in their various church uses.
     Another group that is becoming more and more a part of the society is the group of teenagers. They are a close, friendly group, and it has been a pleasure to watch them growing up into such nice young people. We are proud of them, and appreciate their affirmative and cheerful participation in church and school activities.
     Our school celebrated its tenth year last June, and saw its first graduate to have gone all the way through the school from first to tenth grade. In June, too, this little school accomplished a remarkable feat. It presented to the society a performance of Gilbert and Sullivan's "Pirates of Penzance," slightly abbreviated, but with wonderful success and obvious delight!
     The school has twenty-three students this year in grades one through ten, with four full-time teachers and four part-time volunteers. Currently our faculty is working to coordinate their various courses more closely with each other, at their regular monthly faculty study sessions and at periodic in-service day sessions. This was in part inspired by the joint in-service days held in Bryn Athyn in October with several church schools, including ours, participating. Such efforts to unify and improve our curriculum are certainly essential to the development of New Church education.

207

     Another highlight of the year's activities was our annual bazaar, which, although it was held in November, was really an Oktoberfest, and featured German food, shop signs, and dancing. It was a delightful evening, as well as a successful fund raiser. The traditional Thanksgiving dinner-dance was, as always, a much enjoyed occasion. Decorated by some of our young people, its theme was "Over the Rainbow," complete with a "yellow brick road."
     Our most recent special occasion was the ordination into the pastoral degree of our assistant to the pastor, Rev. Lawson Smith. This took place in February, during Bishop King's visit to the society. The whole weekend was festive and inspiring, with instruction focusing on the uses of the priesthood, a joint council meeting with the Bishop, and an open house for all to enjoy. We wish Lawson well as he enters even more fully into his priestly functions, and as he continues to assist our pastor, Rev. Dan Heinrichs, in the many uses of the Washington society.
     MARY S. COOPER

     HURSTVILLE, AUSTRALIA

     1980 was a quietly useful and busy year which exploded into great activity around Christmas time and January 1981, when the Australian New Church Convocation was held, attracting interstate and overseas visitors.
     An interesting series of doctrinal classes during the past few months was that on Moses and Aaron, Joshua, Samuel, Saul, David and Solomon. The pastor has also been providing classes on the Arcana, mostly in private homes, covering one chapter a month. At the 1980 19th June celebration there was a noticeably happy sphere. It is interesting to speculate on whether that was partly due to its being held in our own Richard Morse Room rather than in a hired hall. Toastmastered by the pastor there were three addresseses on the Beauty, the Strength, and the Use of the Church, topics which offered plenty of scope for the speakers, Norman Heldon, John Sandow and Mary Smuts respectively.
     The Christmas tableaux were unusual, in that there were scenes showing the prophecies of the Lord's Advent, as well as the traditional ones of Joseph and Mary, the Child Jesus, the shepherds and the wise men. They were supervised by Doreen Keal who was assisted by a team of willing workers, providing music, props and dress. We have a very fine camel by the way, which is almost real. There was a very good attendance, and carol singing was most enjoyable, especially a group's rendering of the 24th Psalm.
     Pleasant relations continue with the Association of the New Church in Australia. The Rev. John Teed and the Rev. Ian Arnold have each given a doctrinal class in Hurstville and these were very good and much appreciated. The Rev. Michael Gladish replied with a talk in Sydney on "The Year of the Child." This was printed in the Association's New Age. Young people of both societies meet sometimes for instruction and social life. Recently they visited the temple of the B'Hai faith and had discussion afterwards. The young married couples fraternized also at a dinner at the home of Graham and Lisbeth St. Quentin of the Sydney society. Now there has been the keenly awaited Convocation in Victoria, the Southern State, a gathering to celebrate one hundred years of the New Church in Australia. There were thirty-nine General Church people attending including children, among two hundred. It was a great occasion, over ten days, of worship, talks and social life. By all accounts it was a great success. From Bryn Athyn came the Rev. Douglas Taylor, Christine and son Stephen, also Ralph and Linda Klein.

208

At present writing these two families are in Sydney to spend a couple of weeks with the Hurstville society. At a welcoming party Mr. Taylor, who is a former pastor at Hurstville, was asked to describe a typical day in his work as Director of Evangelization.
     Now this is news. He was asked what proportion of new members came from outside the church joining as adults. He replied, "Now, when we boil down the new members-er, that is to say,-" But it was too late, the secret was out-THOSE POOR PEOPLE!
     Doug and Christine were delighted with the beautification of the church building and gardens, which had been an objective when he was pastor. The gardens were looking refreshed after recent summer rain; there is a correspondence in that which you may easily work out.
     On Saturday January 31st the Rev. Taylor conducted his Evangelical Workshop. He used ten groups of three people each comprising a seeker, a helper and an observer, who changed places in different exercises. The emphasis was on "helping" people towards the New Church, not persuading. It was a testing time, but all agreed it was good experience and at times good fun.
     It is nice that with faster air travel there are more and more New Church people going to other countries. We have been happy to see also Mrs. Doris Flood and Miss Elisabeth Bartle from New Zealand, Miss Sheila Hendricks, Mrs. Hiebert and son Ken from Canada and Mrs. Kay Lockhart from Bryn Athyn. I am sure that as the church grows there will still be that special bond of affection that makes instant friends among New Church people.
     NORMAN HELDON

     AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND

     The happy event of a visit from the Rev. Doug Taylor, his wife Christine and Stephen brought us back a flood of memories and reminiscences. Their visit was all too short, as they were en route to Australia for Christmas, and then to the world New Church Convocation in Melbourne.
     Arrangements were made for Rev. Taylor to meet the public, an occasion where anyone interested in the Writings could discuss them personally with him.
     Possibly owing to the nearness of the summer holiday season, only one man turned up. However, he responded to the personal atmosphere, as he had experienced traumatic spiritual temptations, even to becoming an atheist, but was now seeking. On the Sunday, the Taylors joined the group of the Conference Church at the nativity representation. In the evening Rev. Taylor conducted a service in a private home, as our means do not run to a church building. There were twelve members and friends present.
     In 1978 when Bishop Louis King visited, he was pleased that a spirit of good will existed between the groups in Auckland. Rev. Gladish, when he comes to Auckland usually preaches in the Conference church. At the same time he often makes a useful foray into one of the other NZ cities. Both he and the Rev. John Sutton often put copies of the Writings in bookshops down the country.
     We had been looking forward with pleasurable anticipation to a brief stop-over visit from Bishop King on his way home from the Convocation. But this was not to be, and our sympathies went out to him on account of his indisposition.
     In the meantime we look forward to a visit from Rev. Gladish in June.
          MARIE BARTLE

209

ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL, COLLEGE, AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS CALENDAR FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR 1981-1982 1981

     ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTH SCHOOL YEAR

     1981

Sept.     8 Tues.      Dormitory students arrive
                         (Secondary School students before 7:30 p.m.)
                     Registration: Secondary School local students
     9 Wed.      Faculty Meetings
                Registration: Secondary School dormitory students
                         All Theological School and College students
                     Evening: College Orientation for all new students
     10 Thurs.      Fall Term begins in all schools following Opening Exercises.
                1:00 p.m.: All student workers report to respective supervisors or to Benade Hall Auditorium (See notice in dormitories and schools for assignments and locations)
     11 Fri.      Evening: Secondary Schools' Program
     12 Sat.      Evening: College Social Program

Oct.      9 Fri.      Charter Day
                     11:00 a.m. Charter Day Service (Cathedral)
                     9:00 p.m. President's Reception (Field House)
     10 Sat.           2:30 p.m. Annual Meeting of ANC Corporation (Pitcairn Hall)
                         7:00 p.m. Charter Day Banquet (Field House)

Nov.      18-20 Wed.-Fri.     College Registration for Winter term
     25 Wed.      Fall term ends and Thanksgiving Recess begins in all schools after exams and scheduled student work*
     29 Sun.      Secondary School Dormitory students return by 8:00 p.m.
     30 Mon.      Winter Term begins in Secondary schools

Dec.      6 Sun.      College dormitory students return
          7 Mon.      Winter term begins in College
     18 Fri.      Christmas recess begins for all schools after completion of regularly scheduled classes and scheduled student work*

     1982

Jan.      3 Sun.      Dormitory students return (Secondary Schools by 8:00 p.m.)
     4 Mon.      Classes resume in all schools

Feb.      15 Mon.      President's Birthday Holiday

Mar.      3-5 Wed.-Fri. Registration for Spring term
     11 Thur.      College Winter term ends*
     12 Fri.      Secondary Schools Winter Term ends Spring Recess begins for secondary schools after scheduled exams and student work*
     15 Mon.      1982-1983 Preliminary Secondary Schools Applications due
     21 Sun.      Dormitory students return (Secondary Schools by 8:00 p.m)
     22 Mon.      Spring term begins in all schools

Apr.      9 Fri.      Good Friday Holiday

May      7 Fri.      Joint Meeting of Faculty and Corporation 7:45 p.m. (Assembly Hall)
     8 Sat.      Semi-Annual Meeting of Academy Corporation (Pitcairn Hall)
     31 Mon.      Memorial Day Holiday

June      10 Thurs.      Theological School/College Spring term ends
                     Secondary Schools Spring Term ends
     11 Fri.      President's Reception 8:30 p.m. (Field House)

     12 Sat.      Commencement 9:30 a.m. (Field House)

     * See Catalog or Handbook for holiday regulations

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Saul, David and Solomon 1981

     Announcements

The parable of three kings
By Hugo Lj. Odhner

     The story of the three kings of Israel is told beautifully and simply, and interwoven with the account is its relationship to man's regeneration-the opening of the spiritual mind-and to the formation of the church.

     This book will delight the mature New Church man, but it will also be of particular value to young people who are struggling to replace their childhood faith in the literal Word with an adult concept which embraces both the letter end spirit.

$4.60 postpaid U.S.A.

GENERAL CHURCH BOOK CENTER
BRYN ATHYN, PA. 19009
Hours: 8 to 12 Monday thru Friday
PHONE: 215-947-3920

212

NOTES ON THIS ISSUE 1981

NOTES ON THIS ISSUE Editor 1981

NEW CHURCH LIFE
Vol. CI May, 1981 No. 5

214

     When suffering the anxieties of temptation, what are the inner forces of combat whereby we can resist? A remarkable passage in the Writings says that they are the hope and trust in which the Lord keeps us. This passage is the text of the sermon by Rev. George McCurdy, who is now Acting Principal of the Boys School of the Academy.
     In a paper presented to the Council of the Clergy Rev. Daniel Heinrichs, pastor of the Washington society, said that "we as a priesthood have not been as effective in presenting the doctrine of conjugial love to our members, old and young, as we should have been." This paper, summarized in January, appears in full this month.
     We have not published the bibliography of Rev. Alfred Acton's study, but we would note that it indicates a wealth of research. One of the findings to which Mr. Acton refers is that grouping students by ability had no observable value in their education (see page 221).
     With eleven occupational examples Rev. Erik E. Sandstrom attempts to show the use that corresponds to a worldly employment.
     "Today we are faced with a growing tendency to regard variety and distinctions as in some way 'unfair' or 'undemocratic.'" Rev. Martin Pryke observes that this tendency affects us within the church (p. 256).
     "Now to our big news and big challenge-a New Church school in San Diego!" The first ever west of the Mississippi (See p. 242).
     On page 261 Rev. Eric Carswell mentions exciting "possibilities" in the matter of rendering the Writings into readable English.
     "Man's thinking always changes, but truth never does" (Dr. John Roach, p. 263).

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HOPE AND TRUST-THE FORCES WITHIN TO RESIST EVIL 1981

HOPE AND TRUST-THE FORCES WITHIN TO RESIST EVIL Rev. GEORGE MCCURDY 1981

     Temptations produce ". . . interior anxieties and griefs, and as it were damnations; for the man is then let into the state of his evils, consequently among evil spirits, who accuse him, and thus torment the conscience; nevertheless the angels defend him, that is, the Lord through angels, for the Lord keeps man in hope and trust, which are the forces of combat from within whereby he resists." AC 6097:2
     Hope, trust, and power are important ingredients necessary for man to do battle against the forces of evil and their attendant disorders. All men trust in something even if it's only the ongoing course of nature. We have learned from early childhood to trust in our parents, our guardians, and then later we trust friends and eventually we trust a wife or a husband. Life would be insufferable if we feared every step we took. Experience has taught us to trust that the sun will rise tomorrow and that the revolving year will bring the seasons in their turn, and we trust that each evening will bring us the moon and stars.
     The Writings teach us that the Lord provides us with many examples of constants so that inconstant things may come into existence (DP 190). Without these constants we would be hesitant to explore and handle the infinite variety of things not constant. The Lord has also provided us with an inner constant-our soul, that soul called the human internal. This inmost is eternal. The soul is the plane, or receptacle, nearest to the Lord into which His Divine life flows and from which He disposes all things into order. Nothing can destroy the eternity of our soul.
     To bring this inmost into order requires our cooperation. We need to ". . . trust and have confidence in the Lord, that of pure mercy He will teach . . . the way, and lead to . . . heaven" (AE 810:4).
     As we are well aware, each day provides us with a myriad choices. It is not always clear what choice or decision is best for our spiritual well-being. Things inconstant, such as man's finite natural thinking, distract us by offering substitute goals of what constitutes the good life, whereas the Divine Constant, the Word, repeatedly reminds us to choose that which is good for our souls. The Word offers us many examples of the folly and sadness of men when they overemphasize non-eternal goals. The Arcana gives us an example of this: ". . . the angels vest wisdom in such things as man thinks worthless and holds in aversion, and man vests wisdom in such things as the angels care nothing about. . ." (AC 5648:2).

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     Our chief adversaries or distracters are the hells. Again, from the Arcana, we are taught, ". . . evil spirits know how to conjure up illusions of many kinds . . . and if they cannot deceive . . . they nevertheless thereby endeavor to persuade . . . that nothing is real, but that all things are ideal, even those [things] which are in heaven" (AC 4623e).
     Illusions of many kinds-how well we know them. The hells burn to destroy our trust in the Lord's Providence. They would love to convince us that the appearance that evil is greater than good is true. They offer to us the examples that we see all about us: the suffering of people-innocent victims-plundered and left vulnerable, and then in their subtlety the voices of hell mock and say, How could a God permit this to exist? "How doth God know? and is there any knowledge in the most High?" Psalm 73:11
     Human errors, lack of judgment, have their rippled effect on everyone. Trust and confidence placed in the wrong people can bring about abuses. Vows and promises of fidelity have been forsaken, and broken marriages end the dream of love truly conjugial, and once again the hells come and mock saying, "The conjugial is only an ideal. It is not real."
     Doctrine, in the printed expositional style of the Writings, appears dry and impractical. To draw from their wellspring is not easy. We must persist in disciplining our minds, refining the tools of truth and wisdom. The hells enter to convince us that such a study is beyond our scope and is not really worth the time nor the effort. They would love us to see in the Word only the topics that are depressing. They call our attention to the fact that often the Word speaks about wars, feeling guilt, and using self-compulsion, and they say to us, The Lord is a hard task master; life can be more fun than this; turn your back on such topics. This leads to a great sense of guilt. To what end do the hells offer these delusions? To remove our trust and hope in what is real and constant. They desire to rob us of our power. Only the Lord, the Writings teach us, has true' power, but He seeks to give power to those who need it to see and find what is real and what is lasting.
     The hells strive to gain power from those who are willing to give it to them because in reality they have none. Their existence, we are taught, is nothing but illusions, phantasies, living lies, dwelling in that which is not real but imagined. Is it any wonder that the Writings try to portray for us the realness that exists in hell? Their world is a world gone to ruin from neglect and misuse.

217

Their abodes are miserable caves, shanties, half-wrecked cities. Their surroundings are bogs, quicksands, rocky deserts, floods, volcanic eruptions. Their existence is open hostility toward each other, seeking to be elevated as gods. They spend time in caves counting what looks like gold, but in reality is nothing but earth and dust. Those in hell who count themselves as being the wisest are busily employed writing on paper their wisdom and as fast as they write it disappears. In contrast, we are taught that out of the Lord perpetually flows certain creative spheres. There is "the sphere of the preservation of the created universe; there is the sphere of the protection of good and truth against evil and falsity; there is the sphere of reformation and regeneration; there is the sphere of innocence and peace; the sphere of mercy and grace; besides more. But the universal of all is the conjugial sphere. . ." (CL 222).
     When the lies and illusions of the hells come, we need to hold tight to the truth of Divine constants. They are real and carry with them hope and trust-which, we are taught, are the forces of combat from within whereby we resist evil. Thus we read in the fourteenth chapter of Matthew of an event in the lives of the disciples. The Lord sent them ahead in a ship while He remained to pray. They were in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves, for the winds were contrary. Suddenly the disciples saw the Lord walking toward them, walking on the water. They became troubled and cried out in fear and the Lord spoke to them saying: "Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid."
     Peter answered Him saying, "Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come unto Thee on the water." And He said, "Come." And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried, "Lord, save me."
     In its literal sense this passage is awe-inspiring. It is even more powerful when we view the spiritual sense, for the disciples represent each one of us; they represent all those who are instructed by the Lord and seek to live according to the truths of His Word. The ship that they were in represents doctrine or knowledges of what is good and true from the Word. The sea upon which the ship floated represents thoughts which are natural, worldly, and sometimes evil. The storm that arose and tossed their vessel to and fro because of the contrary winds represents worldly thoughts and ambitions out of control threatening to swallow up the doctrinal light of heaven. The contrary wind, we are also taught, represents the unseen influences from hell that try to frighten and confuse us. And it's at this point that the Lord comes and offers His words of trust and hope: "Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid."

218

     Peter represents faith, the truth of good that is desirous to be one with the Lord. While Peter remained in the ship he had a semblance of confidence and he represents doctrinal faith-knowing the doctrines. But when he stepped out of the boat he became an example of doctrinal knowledge being put to test as a practical faith. There is a definite difference between doctrinal faith and practical faith. Practical faith, for a time, was able to walk on the water of natural and worldly thoughts. But when Peter, or the practical faith, saw the wind boisterous he was afraid and began to sink, crying, "Lord, save me."
     Once again our theme of hope, trust, and power comes back into view. For the literal sense beautifully assures us that the Lord will not allow us to fail when trying to apply His doctrinal principles. The literal sense of the Word shows the immediacy of it. It doesn't say that the Lord waited some time. It doesn't say an hour later, or a day later; rather the literal sense shows "immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him. . ." The Lord wants us to have assurance, trust and confidence in Him.
     We do err in judgments. We do err in doctrinal application. We are vulnerable to the wind-tossed world of inconstants, but we do have a Lord who loves us. He never sleeps nor is His arm too short to save us. He knows in advance what evil draws near, and He anticipates and provides the means to overcome their villainous plans.
     When the hells torment our conscience and accuse us of all sorts of grievous transgressions, angels defend us-that is, the Lord through angels-and He keeps us "in hope and trust, which are the forces of combat from within whereby we resist."
     "And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught him. . . ." In closing, may we once again hear the literal sense of the 46th Psalm:

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though
the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the
mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God,
the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved:
God shall help her, and that right early. . .
Be still, and know that I am God. . ." Amen.

     LESSONS: Psalm 46, Matthew 14:22-33, AC 6097

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EDUCATION OF GIRLS AND BOYS 1981

EDUCATION OF GIRLS AND BOYS Rev. ALFRED ACTON 1981

     (Concluded)

     Having stated the goals, what are the means? Specifically, how should we group our students most effectively to educate and instruct them? Should our educational system continue in its present form or should changes in that form be made? Last year this council heard a presentation advocating single sex education in our elementary schools. Is such advocacy valid? If not, is such education valid in either our secondary schools or at the college level?
     The question of single sex education or coeducational offerings is not a matter of simple doctrine. There is no passage in the Word which says classes must be for girls only, or for boys only, or coeducational. It is true that the "faith alone" culture of Swedenborg's day had established a role for women which for the most part did not allow them to enter into schools, instead providing tutors in the home for the upper classes and no education for the lower ones. Also, that culture provided similar class-conscious education for boys-tutors to age ten, or thereabouts, then formal schooling, then a grand tour, and finally entrance into one's proper station which may or may not have implied work as we use that term. Middle class Protestant cultures did provide basic educational opportunities for boys with a primary goal of literacy for religious reasons; but apprenticeship and agriculture, which involved the bulk of the individuals, was on-the-job training with both sexes involved. Men and women participated together in these tasks, each giving of their talents for the good of both. I don't think any of us advocates the class-conscious faith alone education of Swedenborg's day, especially when the Writings condemn it by comparing it to mothers combing the hair of their children until the blood ran from their scalps (See AC 2125). Some of us, however, do believe that the form of this education was somewhat ideal. It is in some measure practiced in heaven. (See CL 261, HH 391 et al.) I believe that kind of reasoning ignores the fact that the only children being educated in heaven were of the cultural period just described. Suffering from a heredity, genius, and environment peculiar to the period, angels, like men, accommodated their education to these factors. I believe it would be different today, just as I believe there are cars in heaven.

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We know that children of the Most Ancient Church were educated differently (See DP 215) and perhaps we could say that model is superior to the one of the 18th century; but such focus on the letter of the New Word to me kills the real spirit which that Word is striving to convey, a spirit which looks to a unique development for every individual entrusted to educators according to their genius and environment, ever changing in application to the realities of the world, but never changing as to ideals. In fact, individualization must be our starting point if we look to any grouping. Just one passage will suffice to make this point clear. ". . . although the doctrine of faith is in itself Divine, and therefore above all human and even angelic comprehension, it has nevertheless been dictated in the Word according to man's comprehension, in a rational manner. The case herein is the same as it is with a parent who is teaching his little boys and girls: when he is teaching he sets forth everything in accordance with their genius, although he himself thinks from what is more interior or higher; otherwise it would be teaching without their learning, or like casting seed upon a rock" (AC 2533:2). (Note this passage implies coeducation.) In other words, whatever groupings we may seek in the educational process, the individual being educated must have our primary concern. If we are going to set up a coeducational school it must be of clear benefit to all those individuals we seek to educate. So, too, if we seek a single sex school. Obviously we must know the individuals before we try to establish our forms.
If the genius differs, should mixing happen? The passage cited is speaking of genius primarily in relation to age, and notes that we must accommodate to different ages in different ways. But does that mean everyone must be the same age in a class? Unless we want as many different grades as we have different students, it clearly doesn't. Do we want a homogeneous grouping with everyone in the class being of about the same ability and about the same age? People of different races are said to have different genius (SD 55 18). Should we set our classes according to race? Obviously boys and girls are different; should they therefore be separated? We must know our goals for each individual in a group before we can answer any of these questions.
Difference can bring better understanding of variety as long as that difference is present in a spirit of harmony, and the teaching can be accommodated to all individuals present. The one-room school-house, which used the older students to help the younger, put together a variety of ages in harmony, and learning took place.

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A variety of different racial and cultural backgrounds can also be present in harmony, and learning can be enhanced.
     Indeed, a thorough study of homogeneous and heterogeneous ability grouping done by Dominick Esposito, Teachers College, Columbia University (published in the Review of Educational Research, Vol. 43, No. 2) found that grouping students by ability had "no consistent positive value for helping students generally, or particular groups of students, to achieve more scholastically or to experience more effective learning conditions. . . . Homogeneous ability grouping on affective development [was] essentially unfavorable. Whatever the practice does to build or inflate the self-esteem of children of high ability groups is counterbalanced by evidence of unfavorable effects of stigmatizing those placed in average and below average groups as inferior and incapable of learning " (page 173). From this empirical finding and with very little evidence in the Word as regards positive effects of groupings by genius I believe we cannot make a case for such groups.
     But boys and girls are far different than just their genius. We know from doctrine that men and women differ as to soul, mind, and body. They have been created complementary entities, able of conjunction on each of these planes. Their very souls can be welded as one in the inmost reception of love. The wife absorbs the seed of the husband into her body, and if a state of love exists, this seed, so accepted, unites their souls (See CL 172). There are with husbands and wives similitudes interior and exterior, remote and close, which conjoin the things of their minds (See CL 227-8). Also, as regards things of their minds, men and women have different offices or duties which they are uniquely capable of performing which when mutual aid is present bring about conjunction of minds (See CL 176) and there is not a single cell of the body of a male which is not masculine and the reverse with the female. Still further we learn that the states of life with men and women are constantly changing, and that "these changes are of one kind with men and of another with women since men from creation are forms of knowledge, intelligence and wisdom, [and] women are forms of the love of these things with men" (CL 187).
     Finally, it is shown that these varied changes are to be treated differently by fathers and mothers. We read: "The main office which confederates and consociates the souls and lives of two partners, and gathers them into one, is their common concern in the upbringing of their children. In this the offices of the husband and those of the wife are distinct, and at the same time conjoint. They are distinct because the charge of suckling and of raising the infants of both sexes, and also of the instruction of girls up to the age when they may be addressed by men and associate with them, is an office proper to the wife, while the charge of the instruction of boys from childhood to puberty and from then until they become their own masters is an office proper to the husband" (Ct, 176).

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The passage is quite familiar and its educational implications real, but before considering the latter let us clarify some of the things here said. First, infancy is elsewhere defined as up to about age five (See AC 10225). That usage seems to be the usage of this passage, as it specifically said that boys are under fathers' care from infancy, through childhood, to puberty which commences about age ten. (See CL 446 and TCR 443.)
[AC 2280 implies infancy up to age ten. It states, "The good of infancy exists from the man's infancy up to the tenth year of his age." Note the good of infancy is not infancy itself in that it extends from infancy to age ten, infancy proper ending at age five. What the good of infancy seems to be is the good of celestial remains. Children from birth are assigned guardian angels (See TCR 677) who instill remains. They apparently begin with celestial angels, travel to spiritual angels and at length enter into their own natural state. I would suggest that the celestial angels are with infants up to age five. These angels, however, are of two kinds, celestial-celestial angels who are with the child before he becomes verbal, and celestial-spiritual angels who are with him until he is ready to become social-at age five. At this point spiritual-celestial angels take over, continuing the celestial good of infancy but from a spiritual focus; then at age ten, when the child dramatically begins to think from self (TCR 443), the spiritual-spiritual angels take over until he enters into his own natural. There seems to be no real conflict. Infancy ends about age five.]
Further note that the passage CL 176 does not say either father or mother does the instructing of either son or daughter. The mother has the charge . . . of the instruction of daughters from birth to marriageable age (18 in Swedenborg's society, but 15 in heaven-See CL 411,444). Some have suggested that this passage teaches that the mother must undertake the instruction of the daughter in the home. I do not think this is a fair reading of the passage. In Swedenborg's day, which seems to be being described, the mother did not undertake the instruction of her daughter; instead a governess, or a male dancing master for that matter, was employed under the charge of the mother, the father having the general charge of the son. Neither was the sole instructor and, in fact, mothers at times employed men to aid in the task. What I think the passage does clearly say is that the mother must have the primary concern for the quality of the education which her daughter receives.

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The organizational implications of this fact are that parents must have a real input into the nature and quality of the educational programs being offered up to marriageable age, fathers in the case of boys and mothers in the case of girls. Teachers cannot claim professional superiority over parents, but must hear their concerns and then strive to offer professional expertise in giving those concerns form. I believe we have abused this passage greatly by suggesting that it means the teachers are the mothers or the fathers referred to. They aren't and never will be. Rather they are under the charge of parents and must be responsive to them. But, granting that our curriculum and rules must be responsive to parents, still, does not the passage imply separate schools for boys and girls-schools where fathers can have their influence and schools where mothers can have theirs? Also, doesn't this passage imply that separation should begin at kindergarten-age five? I doubt seriously that it does. But it does seem to imply that mothers, and by extension females, must have a real role in the instruction of girls, and the reverse for boys. Shortly I shall review the secular literature on this subject, but first a word on the nature of the instruction, and its goals for boys and girls.
Most of us accept the fact that men should be instructed in things of both rational and moral wisdom which incorporate the spectrum of the liberal arts curriculum. We also accept the general objective for boys' education as the full spectrum of goals outlined earlier. Men need to be husbands; they do forensic things which are employments, and offices and businesses; they will need to exercise the benefactions and duties of charity; and they will need to be out and about socially. Those are the objectives of elementary, secondary and college education for men. But what about women? They are different. They will be wives first, and, as some imply, if they fail in that endeavor, then, as something of a permission, they will need to enter into careers and lesser forms of expression of love to the neighbor. Because we are not educating girls for careers, our primary concern is to train them to be good wives and mothers. Liberal arts will provide them with intellectual similitudes so that they will be able to complement their husbands. Similitudes of education (upbringing) are cited as conjunctive links in the minds of conjugial partners (See CL 227). Bishop W. D. Pendleton, in chapter ten of his revised edition of Foundations of New Church Education, outlines this general thesis under the title "Education for Feminine Uses." In an earlier address to this council I suggested that the term "feminine uses" is not a proper term, being nowhere used in the New Word. I implied at that time that to speak of the uses of the masculine and the uses of the feminine abused both the masculine and the feminine whose uses were conjunctive, not separate.

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While men do have loves which their wisdom can put to use, and women do have wisdom which can bring their love into use, the general thesis is that men need the love of women, as women need the wisdom of men, if lasting uses are to result. Use conjoins love and wisdom and so is a term reserved for that conjunction. (See "Masculine and Feminine Uses,"-unpublished-Alfred Acton.)
Although we continue as a clergy to abuse the term and so confuse the laity as regards the reality of use, which I think is unfortunate, I am not upset with our clearly teaching that men and women do different things. They do. This distinction is described by the term "office" and another term, "function." ("Function" almost exclusively is confined to a material form such as the function of the human body, or the function of the heart, while "office" applies to things being done by people or groups of people.) In that earlier paper I noted that there are offices which are neither masculine nor feminine, such as the office of a single angelic society or the offices of honorable life. (See HH 387, TCR 443.) But in specific there are offices proper to men and those proper to women.
In Conjugial Love 174 we are told that it would take too much time to list these offices, but in an earlier reference a clue is given to their genera and species. Conjugial Love 91, noting the essential difference between men and women from her application, after stating that it is to things done with the hands, adds "also to various offices which are called domestic and which adjoin themselves to men, which as said above are called forensic" (CL 91). Those forensic offices are said to partake of the understanding (CL 90), and elsewhere it is made clear that issues of understanding are issues of judgment. On the other hand, issues of will are called matters of justice. I think if we wish to categorize the offices proper to men and the offices proper to women we must begin with the words "justice" and "judgment." Women, from their innate love which excels that of men, can attain a quality of justice beyond that of men, while men, on their part, from the light into which they can ascend, can attain judgment which women cannot (See AC 112). So, offices which predominate in justice, which in fact make the spiritual affairs of people beautiful, are feminine offices, while offices primarily involved in judgment are masculine. I believe such distinct offices are extant in all the varied activities or careers of our world. I believe, for example, in the teaching profession there are offices proper to men and offices proper to women, responsibilities where men should lead and responsibilities where women should lead. But, in general, because in all the organizations of men, as in all created things, there is a desire to emulate the conjugial, these offices should be considered as complementary.

225

We should not foster separatism in the general emulation of the conjugial any more than we foster separations in marriage. Of course, in the past, women have not been in these fields as they are now, so we have not been able to see the variety of these offices which are proper to them, for they have been performed by men; but that does not mean they do not exist. A widower will perform the offices of his wife in his home, by necessity. So, also, I believe our culture, dominated by faith alone, has given men the unfortunate task of performing the offices of women in the varied employments of the world. It is interesting in this context that in a recent meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a Johns Hopkins researcher named Elizabeth Fee stated, "Society thinks of science as a male activity, not only because most scientists have been men but also because the characteristics of science-rational behavior and objectivity-are linked to men." She added that she thought bringing more women into science could humanize it by forcing scientists to take responsibility for the social uses of their research ("Equal Opportunity in Higher Education," Jan. 12, 1981, page 11). To me it is interesting that this woman saw bringing issues of justice into a field of cold judgment as her feminine contribution to the field. I think women have a perception in this matter which experience will guide.
Men and women should do different things in their careers. They perform different offices. But that does not mean that women must remain solely at home. Although some members of this council believe women can't teach the subject of philosophy, and I suppose other subjects of rational wisdom as well, I believe they can, and in that practice they are not entering into matters of masculine offices. The fact that the Lord called prophetesses as well as prophets to be teachers of truth (He never called a priestess, although there were many examples of such in the ancient world) to me makes it clear that women can teach truth. Add to this the fact that angel wives taught Swedenborg many things of rational wisdom which they had heard from their husbands, and so taught us as well, (See CL 207 et al), and I find very little reason to think women cannot teach this kind of truth, Miss Beekman aside. What a woman teacher can't do is to enter into the judgment of rational wisdom which implies its development and original sight. Going into that light for the first time is a matter for men. Women can, however, conjoin their heat to that light once it is described. Women have written textbooks on philosophy which are quite good. (One has been used often at the Academy.) But writing books of philosophy, as Conjugial Love 175 points out, is a masculine endeavor.

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     What about women administrators? The job description of the principal of the Girls School clearly outlines issues of judgment and more clearly outlines responsibilities of a forensic nature. Should a woman be principal of our Girls School or any school in the Academy? Can she undertake the offices of a man? We have long felt that widows must undertake the offices of their husbands in raising their children. But we have never suggested that widowhood is a state to be sought after. We would not willingly make a widow, if a husband was handy. Should we have a woman principal when a man is handy? Would a man principal destroy the sphere of the school by introducing masculinity? In terms of administration, do we want all feminine or all masculine influence? It is very clear that the masculine is harsh and aggressive, while the feminine is gentle and yielding. Are these not meant to be complementary? Do we really want to separate the adult men and women responsible for the education of our children? Mother and father ought not to be separated. Should men and women at work be so isolated? I think not. I think that where matters of justice and judgment need the balance of one another in decision-making, both the masculine and the feminine must give of their distinctive viewpoints. I think this is the model of the home and should be our organizational model.
     At the Academy, a series of steps has led to a very real separation as to men and women on our Boys School and Girls School faculties. In 1969 we adopted core faculties which separated the college and secondary schools. Discussion at that time centered on the need for these two levels to be separate. Very little thought was given to the implications of this separation on the Girls and Boys Schools' faculties. In 1976 we separated our departments so that each school had its own responsibility for curriculum development under the leadership of its own principal. Very little thought was given to the kinds of things we were asking the already separated men and women of the secondary schools to do. Were we asking women to take on the offices of men unfairly? Or the reverse? I believe that we must look at each specific task we are asking men and women on our faculties to do and then try to make appropriate structural forms to strengthen the schools by asking men to perform offices proper to men, and women those proper to women. Further, I believe we must look to a better balance of the masculine and feminine in our administration.
     One recent example will suffice. Man by his nature is aggressive and harsh. Little boys will throw stones. A mother recently called me with the following complaint. The family alarm clock had not worked in her son's room.

227

The same thing had happened to her daughter twice in past years. Each of those two times she had written a note explaining the temperamental alarm. The women administrators of the Girls School had sympathized with her plight, recognized the parent's responsible attitude and excused the daughter. A similar note taken to the Boys School administrators resulted in five hours' detention. Had the boy remained home sick the whole day and then brought a note stating sickness, he would not have been punished. One response to me illustrates justice, the other judgment. I think we need a balance in these two areas. I think more administrative teamwork and more faculty teamwork between the two schools is needed. I think by the very nature of men and women we should not seek organizational structures which separate them. They complement each other in the conjugial; and in other organizational structures there should be an emulation of this complement. However, just as heart and lungs in a single body have their own separate as well as complementary functions, so we must preserve the separate actions of men and women lest one seek dominion over the other.
Of course, Conjugial Love 175 does say that women can perform the offices of men. What it says is that they can perform them, but will lack proper judgment in that performance. The next sentence is important: "Therefore, in matters of judgment, women who have been initiated into the offices of men are constrained to consult men; and then, if they are in the employment of their own right, they choose from their counsels what favors their own love"(CL 175). Note that the counsels come from men in the plural, not just one; and that women make the choice. In our world today almost all women are initiated into some of the offices of men. Voting, for example, requires judgment, although justice is the goal. Women, before voting, should listen to the counsels of men, in the plural, and then cast their ballot.
Perhaps we should simply recognize that women are performing the offices of men and provide for them enough input from enough men so that they can choose wisely to effect justice. I think the reverse should apply to men. All too often I have seen a board of the church dabble in matters that are clearly the offices of women, with harmful results. If women are capable of administering the many budgets, evaluations, and public appearances required for principals, I can't see how they can't perform on the relatively secure territory of our boards. I don't see how you can have it both ways. Either the Academy should give up the thought of women administrators, or women should enter into the decision-making responsibilities of our church. As I have stated, I believe the latter is what should happen.

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There are feminine offices in the world of work. Like the garments to which they correspond, they will change in style and application but will remain essentially cut for the feminine form. The woman will look feminine wearing them. They will remain domestic in nature, requiring the reality of justice or making things spiritually beautiful. There are also offices proper to the man in the home which are forensic in nature, requiring judgment.
It is interesting in reflecting on the essential differences between men and women how closely the research of the world reflects the statements of the Writings. The form of the masculine is the truth of good. The masculine has the Love of growing wise and so seeks truth as an end to that good. In this quest the man will develop truth for its own sake. He will investigate many, many avenues and develop many, many truths. The feminine, on the other hand, is the good of truth. She will be quite happy to take but one truth developed by the masculine and bring good from it. Each of these forms is lacking in and of itself. The masculine love of growing wise needs to be replaced by a feminine love which will give productivity to his wisdom-a love which the husband needs and loves; and the feminine needs masculine wisdom in order to be productive-wisdom which the wife loves. Use conjoins. This spiritual need for productivity is exactly reflected in the way men and women create naturally. The man, from his soul, produced thousands and thousands of different seeds, each capable of new life. His concern is in the making of seeds. He gives these seeds to his wife. She, on her part, has produced but one ovum which selects but one of the myriad seeds and then develops it into a new life form. A single truth from the husband produces the good of new use through the wife's love, even as the husband, from a different good, had produced abundant truth. The correspondence is complete. The masculine and feminine are completely different as to soul, mind and body, but they are in fact conjunctive.
Time does not permit me to go into a lengthy review of the secular literature which supports these differences between men and women. Some literature speaks of difference in brain function (See Restak). Other literature focuses on that same point with real confirmation of what the Writings say about the hemispheres of the brain. (See "Latest Brain Research Offer Lessons in Learning," Saks, page 4.) But perhaps the most exhaustive study of the differences between the sexes was done by two ladies at Stanford University, one who chairs the psychology department-Eleanor E. Maccoby, and another who works with her-Carol N. Jacklin.

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Their book, The Psychology of Sex Differences, published in 1974, stands as the most definitive work in the field to date. In their study they state things that are proven as myths concerning sex differences, things that are proven facts, and things that are still in question. First the myths. "Girls are more 'social' than boys. Girls are more suggestible than boys. Girls have lower self-esteem than boys. Girls lack motivation to achieve. Girls are better at rote learning and simple repetitive tasks. Boys are better at high-level tasks that require them to inhibit previously learned responses. Boys are more 'analytic' than girls. (Although it is proven that boys are superior on problems that require visual discrimination or manipulation of objects set in a larger context.) Girls are more affected by heredity, boys by environment. And, girls are 'auditory, boys 'visual.' Real differences are the following: Males are more aggressive than females. (This difference is linked to the male sex hormone and exists in many lower forms of life as well.) Girls have greater verbal ability than boys. Boys excel in visual-space ability. Boys excel in mathematical ability."
Granting these differences, which is better, coeducation or single sex education? In the course of this study I read twenty-five articles in various journals, as well as four books, one in five volumes, on the subject by various authors, not to mention a three-volume assemblage of articles on the subject by New Church authors. I have no intention at this time of exposing you to all that literature. Nevertheless, I believe the study of secular material was important to this question in that I know from doctrine we are speaking here of a matter of application of truth to life, and therefore we must know what life attests, not simply our own narrow experience but the weight of present scientific evidence. The weight of that literature is overwhelming and to me clearly confirms what doctrine teaches. From kindergarten through about grade six, coeducation works against boys and shows little impact on girls, while from grades six and up the reverse is found. Education in the primary grades is fashioned by women and has the dominance of women which works against little boys. Segregated classes at this level give the boys advantages. I believe in the church, with our priest-headmasters, we offset some of the negative impacts of coeducation at this level by presenting a clear male figure for the boys in a close working relationship. Headmasters should foster this relationship by being present in the younger grades of their schools.
One interesting study contrasted the poor reading skills of boys in the United States with better reading skills for boys in Germany.

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There are more male teachers in younger grades in Germany, but that was not sufficient cause to account for the difference. The fact seems to be that our culture sees reading as a girl thing to do, and so boys resist learning it. In other words, it's more the overall role and the general interaction of teachers, boys, and girls, as well as parents and society, that contributes to this poor performance.
     In another study it was noted that poor reading for boys in America is also directly attributable to the fact that boys can't pay attention for as long a time as girls in primary grades. There are real differences. They just don't sit still which is a part of their general aggressiveness. Also, single female teachers are threatened by this aggressiveness and take it out on the boys, albeit unconsciously, by looking for it in boys and excusing it in girls. They put in less instruction time on the boys in a coed class than they do on the girls, although they spend a good deal more discipline time on the boys. Male teachers avoid some of this unconscious set of expectations and so enhance the boys' learning environment. When women teach boys by themselves they can't spend more time on the girls, so the boys are also winners. A similar study in high school mathematics had similar, though reversed, responses. In that study girls in coed classes averaged 43.9% on standardized tests in math after three years of secondary school study, while girls in the single sex class with the same teacher scored 54.7%. The boys in the mixed class scored 56.4%. Unfortunately the boys in the all boy class had a change of teachers mid-way in the experiment, so it is not known whether their grades were the result of a poorer teacher or of the all boy class. In any event, they did worse, but their scores have not been released. in general, however, the studies indicate that boys in coed classes do about as well as in single sex classes at the secondary and college levels.
     Obviously I have given you but a few of the many examples of the literature recommending single sex education. Of course it should be noted that any education is only as good as its objectives. Single sex education in Mohammedan countries seeks to provide women the necessary knowledge to serve in a harem. Very little learning happens. On the other hand, elite British single sex schools produce some of the most outstanding students in the world.
     In looking for positive statements about coeducation I found the best to have been written by members of the Academy faculty. In 1969, one of four small group reports discussing papers by the Rev. Dan Pendleton, speaking in favor of male teachers in the Girls School, and Miss Margit Boyesen, advocating more respect for and appreciation of the truly feminine in the coeducational environment of the college, summed up its thoughts on coeducation in the secondary schools this way:

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     "The following reasons were mentioned in the discussion for feeling that a relatively high proportion of mixed classes would be useful:

1.      This would allow for practice in recognizing similitudes.
2.      This would give a basis for eventual choice broader than just contact at social events.
3.      This would better provide for an elevation of the rational of the feminine, and for something of the sphere of conjugial love for the masculine.
4.      There would be more general contact which is less tense and date-oriented.
5.      It would provide natural contacts for those boys and girls who do not have many dates.
6.      Similitudes are more likely to develop from similar education.
7.      Even 'steadies' would be given a wider range for comparison.
8.      Many of our girls do not seem to have a concept of themselves as 'women' and perhaps will only develop in the presence of the masculine, even as the boys may need extended association with the girls to learn to become 'gentlemen.'

     "As regards the faculty: men or women should be called on to teach any kind of group as particular abilities and needs indicate."

     Note that the reasons cited by this group are almost entirely social or educational rather than instructional. I agree with these reasons and believe that, although the dominant influence and sphere in our two secondary schools should remain with the women in the Girls School and with the men in the Boys School, a greater freedom for socializing rather than courting should be sought. Nevertheless, there is far too much evidence in favor of separate schools to consider their abandonment. At the very least we must say the evidence gives real cause for doubt and so delay.

     Although we have problems in hearing from parents and truly following their indications, as well as in the faculty and administration interaction as already discussed, to abandon separate schools will in my opinion simply add to the problems we must face.

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To sum up: the education of girls and boys is benefited academically by separation of the sexes in many areas, mathematics in particular. But the socializing effect of coeducation cannot be minimized. As far as our secondary schools are concerned I advocate the retention of our Girls School/Boys School structure, with real study of parent-faculty interaction, of student interaction socially, and faculty and administrative interaction structurally. The secondary schools must define their goals in such a way that parents can have a real charge over the education of their children.

[Mr. Acton's extensive bibliography for this study will be provided on request.]
WHAT DO ANGELS DO? 1981

WHAT DO ANGELS DO? Rev. ERIK E. SANDSTROM 1981

     (Concluded)

     And how are we affected by angelic uses? In more ways than can possibly be thought of. In fact our whole life is an outcome, an end result, which although stemming from our own ability to act from freedom in accordance with reason-yet depends largely on the angels' work. We read, "All things are disposed by means of spirits and angels with man, all his states and changes of states come from this, and are thus directed by the Lord to the ends which the Lord alone foresees . . . All states, even to the least particular, come from this source" (AC 2796).
     But let us not call "foul play" on this work. For the end which the Lord foresees, and towards which he is directing our lives, is our use in heaven. To this end He gives angels their employments and uses. And so aware are the angels of this use, that they know that they are with men (A 5862), even though they cannot see into our world or see the people they are with.

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And we can say the same we know that angels are with us, yet we cannot see them or their world either! Men and angels are therefore equally aware of each others' existence and presence. Yet who can complain? All of our life has taken place under the same circumstances of spiritual freedom as we now find ourselves in. The influence of the angels is not noticeable now, nor has it ever been in the past (cf AC 6209). We have never felt as though something in us were compelling our mind to something. No, we have acted as though from ourselves. Even the knowledge that angelic uses inspire us to do our own use and that they dispose our changes of states does not adversely influence our own behavior. Rather we are encouraged by knowing that we have angelic companions to spur us on in the good work that we love to do. Angels do the job perfectly, where we fall down and drop short. Our angelically prompted motto could therefore be, "See it through; see that use accomplished."
     One passage in the Doctrines (I have almost torn my set apart trying to find it again) even states that if the influx from angelic uses into human uses were to cease, man would not know what to do (AC-?). Apathy is therefore a consequence of some stoppage in the reception of the angelic influx, or of the Lord's influx through heaven. And the simplest solution for apathy is to rouse oneself from it.

     HOW TO DO OUR USE

     Knowing all this, we now ask, How do we do our use here on earth?
     There is the often-repeated teaching, to carry out one's duty with diligence and to the best of one's ability, with sincerity and faithfulness. This is to love the use for the sake of the use itself. Such a love makes the motive heavenly.
     But the questions arise:

1.      How do we know from which motive we work?
2.      Can we discover what heavenly use corresponds to our present employment?
3.      Can we improve our own work from the knowledge of the angelic use inflowing into our own use or work on earth?

     1. Our motives, like our states of regeneration, cannot be known for certain. We have only indications. If two people do the same job, one may be working from the love of self, and the other from the love of use, and we would not be able to tell them apart. "Man cannot distinguish between [the love of self and the love of use].

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But the Lord can" (CL 266). But there is an indication, namely, if man perceives a delight from a use separated from self, he may know that he is in a genuine affection (AC 3796:3).
     In order to separate the use from self, selfish motives need to be shunned. Man is, as we saw before, regenerated and saved in the pursuits of his office and employment (TCR 580). Therefore the doctrines also give the universal remedy for salvation in one's occupation: "Shun evils as sins against the Lord, and carry out the duties of your work honestly, justly and faithfully" (cf Char. 158).
     Every use is genuine only when evil is shunned. And every work has its own particular evils that need shunning. A priest has to shun the evil of contempt for others in comparison with himself. A governor or boss has to shun the evil of dominion over others. Officials of lower ranks must shun the evil love of reputation, honor and gain. Judges and law officials must shun the evil of self-intelligence. Those in military or police forces must shun the evil of being angry without a cause. And so forth.
     Thus every individual can bring a good motive to bear in his or her present worldly employment. Nor need he worry unduly about the motives of becoming a success or of feeling pride in one's own accomplishments, so long as they do not destroy his love of use. For the love of self and of the world were by creation heavenly loves. We read, "They are loves of the natural man which are serviceable to spiritual loves . . . From these loves [the love of self and the world], man seeks the welfare of his body, desires food, clothing, habitation, is solicitous for the welfare of his family, and of securing employment for the sake of use, even in the interest of being obeyed and being honored according to the dignity of the affairs he administers; he seeks to find delight and refreshment in worldly enjoyment; yet all of these for the sake of the end, which must be use. For through these things a man is in a state to serve the Lord and the neighbor" (DLW 396).
     This passage makes it clear that someone who serves a heavenly use on earth, that is who works from a regenerate motive, can take no harm from material success or such occasional enjoyments of the world as he chooses, as long as they are orderly and do not become the main loves. A love of use keeps these things in proper perspective, and never allows them to dominate.
     A simple test to see whether the love of self or the love of use predominates in us is to see our ability to separate ourselves from the honor of our use. The honor and dignity belong to the office or use, not to the person who performs it (HD 316).

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If our work were to be praised without our name being associated with the praise, how quickly would we claim the merit? And if our work were criticized, how would our protest sound? Would not a good man separate his use from himself, and keep silence when his work was praised, being thankful to the Lord when praised; and would he not keep silence when criticized, feeling shame when fairly criticized? When unfairly criticized, would he not react calmly? A selfish man, on the other hand, would be more likely to speak up to claim merit for praise or to react with anger to any criticism, whether justified or not.

     2. Can we discover the angelic use corresponding to our earthly employment?
     First, a use is not just a portion of the job man does. A use is man's total output of good loves, wherever and however they express themselves. Our job or work may thus be only a small portion of our total use. Our use is the total impact we have on all we have dealings with. What is the nature of your impact on others? Find that out and you may receive a fair indication of your spiritual character, and thus of your heavenly use.
     Let us take two examples of angelic and human uses: the angel whose use it is to attend those being raised from the dead, and a train-driver. What could the angel who attends those being resuscitated have been doing when he was a man on earth? And what is the train-driver going to do in heaven?
     Let us start with the train-driver: his job is to convey a train from place to place, with passengers and goods intact. His use, however, may be the love to see the consequences of travel brought to fruition for his passengers. Thus in heaven the same use could well be the subservient use of ensuring the accomplishment of other angelic uses. For a train-driver by his work allows people to carry out their uses in greater freedom, by getting them where they have to go!
     In heaven, of course, there is no need for trains, so the train-driver has to do something similar, but with the same outcome of allowing other uses to be fulfilled by means of his own subservient use. What could such an active labour and practical service be like in heaven? Perhaps he attends groups of newcomers through various states in the world of spirits, ensuring that the Lord's work of raising them into heaven goes according to schedule, thus according to Divine order, yet ensuring at the same time the spiritual freedom of each newcomer. Such work would be much more rewarding than just going back and forth between depots.

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There would be the same demand for handling complex situations with skill and coordination. Alas we cannot describe the how of it any further.
     And the angel who attends those being raised from death? What could his use or work on earth have been?
     Surely when someone is being resuscitated, he is most vulnerable. It is the same as during sleep. People are most carefully protected during such vulnerable states, and yet during such states people have the greatest docility, can most easily be led heavenward.
     What examples can be found of people who protect us when we are most vulnerable? The night-guards and the police are examples.
     Also teachers looking after children, nurses looking after invalids or the handicapped. There are any number of examples of earthly employments which could incorporate the love of protecting people when they are vulnerable, yet in the Lord's hands. Some people in such employments may in the other life find their use in attending those being raised from the dead, if they have become celestial. So, yes, we can discover what is the use of our earthly employment. We simply have to remove in our minds, step by step, all the external material paraphernalia and tools of our work, until we get down to the basic customer-service we provide. "What is the final outcome of my service or product in terms of spiritual values?" That is the question.
     A priest may answer, I help ensure that the Divine is seen to be present in all the experiences of people's lives.
     A teacher may answer, I try to order all knowledge in conformity with and in ultimation of the Lord's Divine Truth.
     A doctor or nurse may answer, I help reduce external states of disorder into correspondence, and I promote in externals freedom to obey internal states of order from the Lord.
     A lawyer may answer, I allow every aspect of people's lives and motives to be seen in the light of Divine order.
     A businessman or manager may answer, I help my neighbor to act from freedom according to reason, and to subordinate all human weaknesses under the government of Divine Providence, for the greater needs of the Lord's kingdom.
     An engineer may answer, I allow all kinds of uses to be brought to fruition by helpful intermediation.
     A farmer may answer, I serve to bring external things into a state of health and vigor to bring about the nourishment of the soul with goods and truths from the Lord.
     A soldier may reply, I help to protect and defend all in the Lord's kingdom in their correct and free performance of uses from the Lord.

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     A policeman may reply, I serve to ensure the freedom of speech and action, thus of understanding and will, in all just and fair events in the Lord's kingdom. The same applies to a judge.
     A fireman may reply, I protect the lowest ultimates of use in the Lord's kingdom from the destructiveness of anger, and help to remove the fire of self-love.
     And finally, in the most popular job in the whole world, the housewife may answer, I help serve the Creator of the universe in maintaining every state of good and truth whatever that is seen to come from the Lord.
     Such could be our heavenly job descriptions. But as to how each of these uses will be carried out in heaven it is impossible to describe. The external way we do a use here on earth is no doubt different from the external way it is seen to be done in heaven. Yet the heavenly employment corresponds to the earthly use. So it will come as no surprise to us when we finally take up our heavenly use; nor will the active labor and practical service we then provide seem strange to us. Rather, we imagine that we will take to them as ducks to water.

     3. Finally, can we improve on our work here on earth, from the knowledge of angelic uses inflowing?
     We can most certainly be encouraged by the fact that there is no useful employment on earth on which the angels are not already expert. Angels know how to do every use with such expertise that it would make our head spin. Yet our expertise would have angelic overtones if we have in us some or all of the spiritual qualities so far mentioned: the will to carry out one's duty honestly, faithfully and sincerely; the love of seeing the use accomplished; the will to shun evils belonging to or threatening one's work; the will to forego the honor and accept the blame for mistakes; the acknowledgment that the honor belongs to the use and its correct performance.
     A "New Church Work Ethic" would certainly contain many of these elements. And strange to say, love to the Lord is present in the sincere performance of one's use, even though the Lord may not even be thought of at the time (See AC 5 130). There is, for example, the case of the businessman who had been so busy on earth carrying out an honest business that he had no time to acknowledge truth more interiorly. He went to heaven as a surprise (See Faith 30).
     So what do angels do? They do the Lord's work of saving men. We are the raw material. And we are saved as we serve our uses, by the angels' inspiration from the Lord.

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IS THE DEVIL'S PILLOW SOFT? 1981

IS THE DEVIL'S PILLOW SOFT? Rev. JOHN L. ODHNER 1981

     How would you like to be useful for the rest of eternity? That's an important question to ask yourself, because it's a fact of life that you are going to be useful. Everyone in heaven is useful. We're told that "no idler is tolerated there, no lazy vagabond, no slothful boaster claiming credit for the zeal and vigor of other people. But everyone must be active, skillful, attentive, and diligent in his office or business" (D. Love XII).
     Now if you love to be lazy, you might think that you are better off in hell. But the fact is that everyone in hell is useful too. "No idle person is tolerated even in hell. The people there are in workhouses and under a judge who gives the prisoners chores to do every day. The ones who do not do them get neither food nor clothing-they stand naked and hungry. That's how they are forced to work there" (AE 1194:2). So whether you end up in heaven or in hell, you will be doing useful things.
     This might make us wonder, "What's the difference between heaven and hell?" One difference is in the kinds of jobs they have. "Even people in hell must perform a use, but the uses they perform are the most vile" (AC 1097).

     Perhaps a more important difference is in the motive behind their actions. "The difference is that in hell uses are done from fear, but in heaven from love and fear does not give joy, but love does" (AE 1194:2). The angels find delight in being useful. The devils do not. That's what makes heaven heaven, and hell hell.
     Once there was a man who wanted to know what heaven and hell were like. An angel appeared to him and told him, "Inquire and learn what delight is, and you'll know."
     He asked some wise spirits, and they told him, "Delight is everything of life to everyone in heaven and to everyone in hell. . . . The heavens are in the delight of doing what is good, but the hells are in the delight of doing what is evil" (TCR 570).
     Sometimes we may underplay the importance of delight. As we go about our daily routines, it's easy to see our actions clearly and our motives obscurely. We might feel satisfied with ourselves for accomplishing useful tasks, and forget that our goal should be more than just getting things done. Our goal should be to take delight in doing useful things.
     Probably the one thing more than anything else that makes usefulness seem undelightful is laziness.

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Loving to be lazy is just the opposite of loving to be useful. A person who loves to be lazy might do many useful things, but they won't make him happy. All he wants is to be idle, so anything useful will always be a loathsome, tedious chore to him. With an eternity of uses ahead of him, his future is not too promising.
     Once there were some new spirits who were disappointed to find that people had jobs in heaven. They were looking forward to eternal rest from their labors. Someone asked them, "Did you think eternal rest meant eternal idleness, when you would be always sitting or lying down, calling for things to delight your mind and please your body?"
     "Something like that," they said, smiling pleasantly.
     "But," he replied, "what do pleasures and delights have to do with idleness? Idleness makes a man weak, sluggish, numb, and drowsy. These are death, not life-much less eternal life. Eternal rest is in some pursuit or job that arouses, quickens, and delights the mind. It's use that makes an angel an angel. The delight of use carries him along as a favorable current carries a ship, giving him eternal peace. This is the meaning of eternal rest from labors" (TCR 694 paraphrased).
     Actually, idleness does more than just make you weak and drowsy. "People who love ease more than use," Swedenborg notes, "collect evils in their spirit" (SD 5839). "Idleness is like a sponge that soaks up all kinds of dirty water" (SD 6072). The devil comes right in, because there's nothing to keep those evils away. "Only the love of use repels them." That, he explains, is why idleness is the devil's pillow. (Ibid.) He even states that "idleness is the root of all evil, because an idle mind is spread out to various evils and falsities, while in work it is focused on one thing" (SD 6088).
     Some people love to be useful. Some would rather be lazy, but do useful things anyway, out of necessity, greed, or craving for respect. Since most people end up doing useful things, actions mean less than motives to our spiritual growth. And how do we see our motives? Not so much in our actions as in our delights. We need to ask ourselves, "What do I enjoy? Do I find my greatest delight in use, or in idleness?" It's only by taking a look at our delights that we can know whether we are performing uses from a love of uses, or from a love of self. The Lord tells us, "If anyone wants to know the ends that are within him, let him simply pay attention to the delight he perceives in himself from the praise and glory of self, and to the delight he perceives from use separate from self. If he perceives this latter delight, he is in genuine affection" (AC 3796:3).

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SAN DIEGO SOCIETY 1981

SAN DIEGO SOCIETY ROSE P. DOERING 1981

[Photo of the San Diego Church]

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     San Diego, the newest society of the General Church, is a society of promise and growth. We have had many firsts for our society this year.
     One of the highlights of the year was our Thanksgiving service and celebration. Bishop and Mrs. King came to celebrate this occasion with us. During the service our pastor, Cedric King, was ordained by his father, Bishop King, into the second degree of the ministry. It was a very touching aspect of the service, and we felt the pride of Bishop and Mrs. King. Then the Rev. Roy Franson and Rev. Cedric King assisted the Bishop in the administration of the Holy Supper. This was a first for Cedric. A delicious turkey dinner followed with speeches and toasts. Bishop King informed us that San Diego is now a part of the new California district and not tied in with the southwest district. This announcement pleased many people. Many of our New Church friends from Los Angeles, Orange County, San Francisco and Tucson attended the affair.
     On Saturday, Dec. 20, we had the Christmas tableaux service and a buffet supper. The following Sunday we had a family festival Christmas service. Everyone enjoyed the spirit of Christmas-especially the children.
     A special meeting was held in January when we voted to become a New Church society. At the same meeting, we voted to accept the nomination, by the Bishop, of the Rev. Cedric King to be our pastor. We are so fortunate to have Cedric at our helm leading us in worship and with his wife Sue, guiding us in our many church uses.
     Our pastor also appointed his first pastor's council. The members will advise the pastor on essential policy matters.
     Another first was a young people's party at the home of the Bob Larssons. It was a great idea for the young people to get together. However, we have had many fun socials, especially by the older members.
     Our pastor also had his first house dedication, at the home of the Roger Doerings in Santee. A few friends attended the affair. Beautiful as well as balmy was the weather, making the Doering Jacuzzi very popular. Only Cara Glenn, Cedric King, and Bob Larsson braved the pool at 62 degrees.
     We have had births, baptisms and some sickness. The women's group plans and prepares a dinner after church once a month. The children have a class followed by a supper every Friday before the doctrinal class.

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     Many visitors have come to San Diego to enjoy our glorious weather. It is always a pleasure to us to see our New Church friends. The Norman Reuters were here for almost two months and they are always a delight.
     The women's group had a successful rummage sale last September. Now a garage sale is in the planning stage for the summer and a Christmas bazaar is planned for November.
     The New Church summer camp will be held for the first time in San Diego at the Tom Oliver's. It will run from Thursday through Sunday for Southern California children.
     Wow to our big news and big challenge-a New Church school in San Diego! It will be the first New Church school ever to be established west of the Mississippi. The school, starting in September of 1981, will have grades from kindergarten through third grade and instruction for older children. Cara Glenn and Fred Schnarr were in San Diego to study the feasibility of a school. Their report must have been positive because we have just learned that the General Church Development Committee approved our society's plans to open a New Church day school in San Diego by September, 1981. Cedric King will be our first headmaster and Cara Glenn our first teacher. Cara charmed us all and showed us her love and understanding of children. These exciting developments have been made possible in large part by an educational trust fund set up by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Coulter to further the uses of New Church education in California.
     We are thankful for all our blessings and opportunities, and we hope that our enthusiasm is tempered with humility and mature decisions.
     ROSE P. DOERING
ESTABLISHMENT OF CONJUGIAL LOVE IN AND BY THE NEW CHURCH 1981

ESTABLISHMENT OF CONJUGIAL LOVE IN AND BY THE NEW CHURCH Rev. DANIEL W. HEINRICHS 1981

A Study Presented to the 1980 Council of the Clergy

Conjugial love is said to be "the fundamental love of all the loves of heaven and the church" (CL 65). It is called "the precious treasure of human life, and the repository of the Christian religion" (CL 457).

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Its use is said to surpass all other uses and for this reason "all the states of blessedness, satisfaction, delight, gratification and pleasure that could ever be conferred on man by the Lord Creator are gathered into this love" (CL 68).
     But we are told "this love is so rare at this day that its quality is not known and scarcely that it exists" (CL 58, 59).
     In the spiritual world Swedenborg was taken on visits to those who had lived in the gold, silver, copper and iron ages. The purpose of these visits was to acquaint him with the nature of their marriages and the quality of the conjugial in their marriages. He discovered that through the ages the quality of this love suffered a steady decline; from the celestial quality which had existed with the most ancients, this love had finally become merely sensual. The angel guide who accompanied Swedenborg on his tour said: "I am fed with the hope that this love will be revived again by the Lord: for it can be revived" (CL 78:3). But, there is more than a hope that it can be revived; we are given positive assurance: "Conjugial love will be raised up anew by the Lord after His [second] advent, such as it was with ancients" (CL 81:e-Emphasis mine).
     On another occasion when Swedenborg was meditating on conjugial love an angel appeared to him with a parchment in his hand saying: "I saw that you were meditating on conjugial love. In this parchment there are arcana of wisdom on that subject not hitherto made known in the world. They are now disclosed, because it is of importance . . . But I predict that none will appropriate that love to themselves but those who are received by the Lord into the New Church, which is the New Jerusalem." Saying this the angel let down the unrolled parchment, and a certain angelic spirit took it up, laid it on a table in a room, closed the door, handed the key to Swedenborg and said: "Write" (CL 43). There is no doubt in my mind that the product of this command was the book Conjugial Love.
     These teachings make it clear that the Lord has revealed the doctrine of conjugial love and established the New Church in order that this love may be restored upon earth. And because this love is the fundamental of all celestial, spiritual and natural loves (CL 65); because conjugial love and religion are inseparably conjoined (CL 80); because this love and the states of the church in man are in one seat and in mutual and continual embrace (CL 238), the effort to establish this love in the church should be one of our highest priorities as priests of the New Church.
     What has happened in regard to the quality of the conjugial on earth in the two hundred years that have elapsed since the Lord revealed these wonderful truths concerning marriage?

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I submit that the situation has not improved in the least, but in fact has deteriorated still further. Certainly all the disorders and perversions which are practiced today were in existence then-they are not new. But what is different is this: back then they were done secretly; they were neither openly tolerated nor approved by society. They were regarded as evils, and those who were known to practice them generally suffered public censure and ostracism.
     That is not the case today. The disorders and perversions which have attacked and subverted conjugial love through the ages have now come out of the closet into the open. It is difficult to open a daily newspaper or a magazine without our eyes and sensibilities being assaulted by something that is either sexually suggestive or blatantly perverse. The newscasters on radio and television have no hesitation in speaking openly of such topics as homosexuality and prostitution. Modern popular songs have gone far beyond the realm of the suggestive; their lyrics are replete with open references to sexual activity. The television shows and the movies are becoming steadily and rapidly more explicit in their portrayal of sexual conduct.
     The news stands, book stores and drug stores have pornographic magazines on display at the cashiers' counters; X-rated movie theaters are springing up all over our cities. The fact is that at the present day we cannot avoid exposure to these disorders even if we try; nor can our children and youths. What effect is all this having on modern society? A recent study indicates that one-third of all females and nearly half of all males are sexually active before they reach the age of sixteen (Readers Digest, June, 1980, p. 153: "The Troubling Truth About Teenagers and Sex," Kathleen Fury). Among the causes cited for this deplorable state of affairs are the deterioration of family life, the powerful impact of the communications media and its amplification of the peer culture effect on teenagers.
     Another very disturbing trend in modern society is the rapidly increasing divorce rate and the proliferating causes for which divorces are granted. Not only does this undermine the holiness and permanence of the marriage relationship, but it begets another generation of problems. For example, the indications are that young people from single parent families that result from divorce tend to become sexually active earlier than their peers. All of these things I have mentioned reflect a deterioration-in fact, a rapid deterioration-in regard to the conjugial, at least in the western world.

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But this is not the worst of the picture. More serious than this is the growing confusion in the world in regard to the distinction between the sexes and the resultant relationships.

     The evil of homosexuality is becoming more and more prevalent. I call it an evil, and it was so regarded by all right-thinking people not so long ago. Then modern intellectuals, sociologists and psychologists began to speak of it as an emotional disorder. Those days are rapidly coming to a close-now many of our legislators, judges, the news media and innumerable gay-rights groups are calling it an alternate life style. There is strong pressure from many directions to recognize homosexual relationships as a legitimate alternative to marriage. The transition in thought in regard to this subject has taken place in a stunningly short span of time.
     This is just one aspect of the confusion in regard to the relationship between the sexes. There is another one, and that has to do with the nature of the masculine and the feminine and their proper place and roles in relation to each other and society. Again, there is a broadly-based effort in modern society to project women into every occupational area formerly reserved for men. There is an assumption, on the part of many, that the only difference between men and women is biological-all other differences are induced by education, environment and culture. There is a multitude of organizations and individuals who are militant in their effort and desire to eradicate in society every distinction based upon gender. This is the climate of western civilization in regard to the conjugial. It presents, I believe, the greatest threat to the establishment of conjugial love in society at the present day.
     And what of the New Church? The organized New Church has existed on earth for almost two hundred years. The doctrine of conjugial love has been known and taught within the church from the beginning. Within the church it has been regarded as one of the most beautiful and precious truths which the Lord has revealed in His Second Advent. In accordance with the teaching that the offspring born of parents who are in love truly conjugial will inherit an inclination to love wisdom and the things it teaches (CL 202), it has been the hope and expectation of the church that the existence of marriages of conjugial love will become ever more prevalent within the church; that there will be an ever-increasing approach to the ideal which the Writings lay before us.
     Has this been the case? External evidence would seem to indicate that this is not the case at the present time. What do we see in regard to the state of the conjugial in the organized church today?

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     As in the world around us, we see an ever-increasing divorce rate. As in the world around us, the incidence of pre-marital sexual relations is on the rise. As in the world around us, we find young people raised in the New Church living together before marriage, and seeking to justify such arrangements by the Writings themselves. And as in the world around us, we find many, both old and young, throwing around the modern shibboleths of male chauvinism and sexism. In short, we see the same confusion, and many of the disorders that exist in the world around us in regard to marriage and the relations between the sexes, exhibited within the New Church. There may be some of you who will disagree with me, but it is my judgment, based on the evidence I see, that the state of the conjugial in the church has not advanced as we had hoped and expected, but that, in fact, the people of the church have tended rather to be influenced by the trends in the world around us.
     What are the reasons for this? I think we would all agree that the modern media of communication are major factors, and have had a powerful impact not only on our youth but on adults as well. We must also recognize that our hereditary inclinations to evil respond to the stimulation provided through those media. But is that the whole reason? I think there is another cause as well, and that is that we, as a priesthood, have not been as effective in presenting the doctrine of conjugial love to our members, old and young, as we should have been. I am generalizing when I say this, but I feel we have been teaching the ideal with relative clarity and regularity, but we have not been teaching the means of achieving that ideal with either the same clarity or regularity.
     There is a passage in Conjugial Love which has arrested my attention many times and caused me to reflect. We read: "I have heard from the angels that a wife becomes more and more a wife as her husband becomes more and more a husband, but not the reverse. Because it rarely if ever fails that a chaste wife loves her husband, but the husband fails to love in return, and fails for the reason that there is no elevation of wisdom, which alone receives the wife's love" (CL 200).
     In Conjugial Love it is repeatedly emphasized that conjugial love can exist only where there is wisdom. Note the following teachings: "Conjugial love is peculiar to man . . . because in man is the faculty for growing wise with which this love makes one" (CL 96-Emphasis mine).

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"Love truly conjugial is with those only who earnestly desire wisdom and therefore progress in wisdom more and more . . . For wisdom and this love are inseparable companions" (CL 98-Emphasis mine). "The more intelligent and wise a man becomes the more he becomes internal or spiritual, and the more perfect becomes the form of his mind, and that form receives conjugial love" (CL 95). The male, we are told, "is an affection of knowing, of understanding, and becoming wise; the affection of knowing in boyhood, the affection of understanding in youth and early manhood; and the affection of becoming wise. . .from manhood, even to old age" (CL 90). "Man is born corporeal, and as the mind next above the body is opened he becomes rational; and as this rational is purified, and . . . emptied of . . . fallacies that flow in by the bodily senses, and of the concupiscences that flow in from the allurements of the flesh . . . the rational is opened, and this is done by wisdom alone. And when the interiors of the rational mind are opened the man becomes a form of wisdom: and this is the receptacle of love truly conjugial" (CL 102-Emphasis mine).
     In marriages which aspire to the conjugial, the church "is first implanted in the man and through the man in the wife, because the man receives its truth in his understanding, and the wife from the man. If the contrary it is not according to order. This, however, does occur; but with men who are not lovers of wisdom, and therefore are not of the church" (CL 125).
     These teachings make it clear that conjugial love, the church and wisdom are inseparable. Conjugial love and the state of the church develop step by step together, and wisdom is the only means by which either can be established and develop to fruition.
     It has been frequently emphasized in the New Church that women are the custodians of conjugial love. This is true in the sense that conjugial love inflows immediately into the female sex and is communicated to men by them. An inference has been drawn from this teaching that women have the major responsibility in the preservation and establishment of conjugial love in the marriage relationship and in the church in general. I believe this emphasis has been misplaced, and has, in fact, obscured the essential truth of the matter.

     Marriages of love truly conjugial can exist only where the husband is a form of wisdom for this alone receives conjugial love (See CL 200). According to the passage it rarely if ever fails that a chaste wife loves her husband, but the failure arises-the failure of attaining a marriage of love truly conjugial-because husbands frequently fail to grow wise.
     The sphere of conjugial love is received directly by the female sex (See CL 223, 225). With them there is an innate desire to conjoin themselves with one of the opposite sex.

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With men there is no such innate inclination to one of the opposite sex. In fact, from heredity they are in the lust of variety (See CL 296). There is only one thing that renders a man receptive to conjugial love and that is wisdom-genuine wisdom formed from the goods and truths of the church (See CL 161).
I am convinced that we must give greater emphasis in the church to the masculine role in providing for marriages of love truly conjugial. What is the truly masculine characteristic? Is it not the love of growing wise? "The male is born into the affection of knowing, understanding, and of growing wise" (CL 33, 90; see also CL 130). How many people in the church think of masculinity in these terms, and, more particularly, how many of our youths think that the primary distinctive masculine quality is the love of knowing, understanding, and growing wise? I am not suggesting that this truth is not known in the church-it is. But, I believe that with many it is only a memory knowledge; the implications of this teaching are not perceived. The Rev. Erik Sandstrom points out in his study The Feminine Mind that the masculine ability to raise the understanding above the rational will "is for the purpose of exploring, collecting and analyzing truth; men are explorers" (Theta Alpha Journal, Fall 1973, p. 12). I think it is fair to say that if things were according to order in the church, we would find the men of the church playing a leading role in the study and exploration of doctrine. On an average there should be at least as many men at doctrinal class and church as women. This is seldom the case. As in the declining church around us, we usually find at our gatherings for worship and instruction a preponderance of women. Here, too, we seem to be strongly influenced by the decadent age in which we live-an age which thinks that religion is essentially for sentimental women and ignorant children, not for masculine men.
If we wish to provide for an increasing possibility of marriages of love truly conjugial in the church, we should cultivate and encourage in our boys the love of knowing; in our youths the love of understanding; and in our men the love of growing wise. We must instruct our boys, youths and men that it is truly masculine to love truth-to seek and pursue it. We must strive to raise up in the church men who are lovers of wisdom. In marriage, if the man is not in the affection of growing wise there can be no love truly conjugial between husband and wife. The wife may receive the influx of the conjugial from the Lord. She may long to be conjoined with her husband by the appropriation of his wisdom, but if he has none she has nothing to appropriate to herself, and he has not that within himself to receive the conjugial from the Lord through his wife nor his wife's love.

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     Now, I am not saying that these things are not being taught in the church. I know that they are. However, I do not think there has been a sufficiently strong emphasis in the church on this aspect of preparation for conjugial love in marriage-there has not been a strong enough identification between masculine wisdom and conjugial love. But I think there is a deeper cause for our lack of success in raising up a greater proportion of men who are in the affection of growing wise. That cause lies, I believe, in our educational system-our educational system both within the church and outside of the church.
     It has been our custom in the New Church schools to have coeducational classes throughout the elementary school and then separate the girls from the boys when they reach the age of puberty. In the public schools coeducation is generally practiced from kindergarten right through college. In recent years I have become increasingly skeptical about our practice and that of the public schools. I have been thinking along the lines that the ideal time to initiate separate education for boys and girls is in the primary grades and on through the elementary school years. What started me thinking along these lines was the problem I have been speaking about. Why are relatively few of our young men excited about knowing and understanding truth and becoming wise?
     As a principal and teacher it appeared to me that more often than not it was the girls who appeared to be achieving and excelling in areas where we should expect boys to excel. It is boys who are said to be in the affection of knowing and youths in the affection of understanding. Yet all too often they seem to be turned off from learning, becoming either apathetic or troublesome. Then it occurred to me-our elementary education system is dominated by females. We most frequently have female teachers in the elementary school and coeducation-and the girls excel.
     I began to speculate: What would happen if we separated the boys from the girls right from the start and gave the boys a predominance of male teachers and the girls female teachers? If the minds of boys, from an early age, had an essentially masculine influence, if they could identify early and strongly with the masculine sex, might this not affect the outcome? Note what is said in Conjugial Love concerning the responsibility for instruction in regard to boys and girls.

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"The education of infants of both sexes, and also of the instruction of girls up to the age when they become marriageable and associate with men is a duty peculiar to the wife. But the case of the instruction of boys, after childhood up to puberty, and from that until they become their own masters is a duty proper to the husband" (176-Emphasis mine). Is not this passage suggestive of what I am speaking about?
     The Brain: The Last Frontier, by Richard M. Restak, M. D. was recently published. Dr. Restak is a neurologist, and his book is about the recent findings of the relatively new science of psycho biology. I have found much in this book that is confirmatory of what the Writings teach concerning the mind and its relation to the brain and also about the differences between the sexes. In this part of my paper 1 shall make extensive references to this book. One of the things that emerges strongly from this book is the fact that there is hard scientific data that shows that there are distinct differences in the way male and female brains function. (See page 202.) And the differences in the way they function give strong support to my thesis that we ought to have separate and distinctive educational systems for boys and girls.
     Their findings show that girls are far more oriented toward the auditory mode of learning; they are more sensitive to sounds and tones (p. 198). "Since they are . . . better equipped in the auditory mode they can pick up significant information from the tones of voice and intensity of expression" (p. 199). "Female infants also speak sooner, possess larger vocabularies and rarely demonstrate speech defects. Stuttering, for instance, occurs almost exclusively among boys" (p. 199). "Females are also more proficient at fine motor performance. Rapid sequential movements are carried out more quickly and more efficiently by girls than boys" (p. 198). "Girls differ in their approaches to gaining knowledge about the world. They tend to favor a 'communicative mode': asking others, taking advantage of other people's experiences, sparing themselves the need to personally encounter all the objects in their environment. For this reason, girls tend to conform by relying more on social cues" (p. 199).
     On the other hand, boys "show an early superiority in visual acuity, which compensates to some extent for their lowered auditory capacities. (Note the relation of sight to understanding and hearing to will.) Boys are also more clumsy, performing poorly in fine motor performance but doing better in gross total body movements, particularly those requiring fast reaction times. Their attentional mechanisms are also different. Non-social stimuli compete equally with social stimuli" (p. 199).

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In other words a boy is just as likely to watch a bird outside the window as to listen to what the teacher is saying, without purposely being rude.
     Incidentally, it is interesting to note that "tests involving girls old enough to cooperate, showed increased skin sensitivity, particularly in the fingertips, which possess a lower threshold for touch identification" (p. 198). (In this connection recall what angel wives said about how they perceive the states of their husbands' love through their fingers.)
     "When it comes to personality characteristics, males and females tend to show some surprising differences. In four studies on curiosity, three found males to be more curious" (p. 202). Another study "found boys more curious, especially in regard to exploring their environment . . . males are better at manipulating three-dimensional space" (p. 200). "When boys are involved in tasks employing spatial concepts. . . he right hemisphere is activated consistently . . . . Girls, in contrast, . . . . use their left hemisphere for both visual-spatial processing and verbal tasks" (p. 200). This is said to have a kind of "log jamming" effect which makes them less efficient in such activities than boys.
     In discussing "hyperactive or learning disabled" children, Dr. Restak says: "The evidence for sex differences here is staggering: over 95 percent of hyperactives are males. And why should this be surprising in the light of the sex differences in brain function that we've just discussed?
     "The male brain learns by manipulating its environment, yet the typical student is forced to sit still for long hours in the classroom. The male brain is primarily visual, while classroom instruction demands attentive listening. Boys are clumsy in fine hand co- ordination, yet are forced at an early age to express themselves in writing. Finally, there is little opportunity in most schools, other than during recess periods, for gross motor movements or rapid muscular responses. In essence, the classrooms in most of our nation's primary grades are geared to skills that come naturally to girls but develop very slowly in boys. The results shouldn't be surprising: a 'learning disabled' child who is frequently 'hyperactive.' (Emphasis mine).
     "'He can't sit still, can't write legibly, is always trying to take things apart, won't follow instructions, is loud, and, oh yes, terribly clumsy,' is a typical teacher description of male hyperactivity. We now have the opportunity, based on emerging evidence of sex differences in brain functioning, to restructure the elementary grades so that boys find their initial educational contacts less stressful" (p. 205).

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     It is a fact that most elementary school girls like school and the boys dislike it. I believe it is because we have a female-oriented elementary education system. For the first part of their educational experience boys are forced to compete with girls in a system that is oriented toward the feminine mode of learning. To a large extent they compete unsuccessfully, with the result a long-term effect-that they have negative attitudes and feelings toward the whole learning process.
     Note the following observation: "High activity, independence, competitiveness and lack of fear or anxiety are correlated with intellectual achievement in give; while in boys the correlation is with timidity, anxiety, lack of overt aggression, and lower activity level" (p. 202 Emphasis mine). In other words, to achieve scholastic success at the elementary school level, a boy is likely to project the image of a sissy-hardly an inspiring prospect for most boys.
     It is my thesis that if we separated the boys from the girls at the elementary school level, and put men teachers in charge of the boys and women teachers in charge of the girls, we would gradually develop a truly distinctive New Church system of education in which both boys and girls would progress in academic achievement in modes suited to their sex. And the progress would be accompanied with evident satisfaction and delight along the way.
     As our colleague Erik Sandstrom points out so eloquently and clearly in his paper The Feminine Mind, and his article Women Priests', the masculine love of truth expresses itself as an affection for searching, exploring, discovering, collecting and analyzing truth. It is bold and adventuresome. The feminine love of truth is an affection for that truth which the male has discovered with a view to its use to society. (See also CL 218.)
     I believe a system of education such as I am suggesting would eventually result in more feminine women and more masculine men truly feminine and truly masculine. I believe further that our boys and youths, given a more compatible, affirmative and exciting introduction to formal education, would, as adults, more readily progress from the affection of knowing and understanding to the affection of growing wise. This, in turn, would result in significantly improved prospects for marriages of love truly conjugial within the church.
     I do not believe that this is the whole answer to the problem by any means. It is merely one suggestion that I believe, if followed, would contribute toward a solution to the problem that faces the church-the problem of a lack of significant progress in establishing the conjugial in the church and thereby in the world.

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MINISTERIAL PLACEMENTS 1981

MINISTERIAL PLACEMENTS LOUIS B. KING 1981

     The following ministerial placements have been effected.

     The Rev. Erik E. Sandstrom-Hurstville, Australia, effective September 1, 1981
     The Rev. Michael D. Gladish-Los Angeles, California, effective September 1, 1981
     The Rev. Glenn G. Alden-Connecticut Circle, effective September 1, 1981
     The Rev. Thomas L. Kline-Bryn Athyn, effective September 1, 1981 (Assistant Pastor)
     The Rev. Christopher D. Bown-Atlanta, Georgia, effective September 1, 1981
     Candidate Wendel Barnett-San Francisco, California, effective September 1, 1981 (pending completion of theological training and ordination)
     The Rev. Ragnar Boyesen-Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, effective August 1, 1982
     The Rev. Kenneth O. Stroh-Pittsburgh (Interim Pastor) July 1, 1981, through July 31, 1982
     The Rev. Robert McMaster-Michael Church, London, effective September 1, 1981
     The Rev. David Simons-Baltimore, Maryland, effective September 1, 1981.
     LOUIS B. KING,
          BISHOP
SOUTH AFRICAN ASSEMBLY 1981

SOUTH AFRICAN ASSEMBLY LOUIS B. KING 1981

     All members and friends of the General Church are cordially invited to attend the tenth South African Assembly of the General Church of the New Jerusalem to be held in Westville, Natal, South Africa, on August 12th through the 16th, 1981. The Right Reverend Louis B. King, Bishop, will be presiding.
     LOUIS B. KING,
          BISHOP
GROUP IN NEW MEXICO 1981

GROUP IN NEW MEXICO 1981

Lay services are conducted every two weeks in the Albuquerque group. Rev. Roy Franson visits the group every two months. Average attendance exceeds 20. For information phone the secretary, Dr. Andrew Doering (505) 897-3623. (For our latest news from Albuquerque, see last October's issue on page 481.)

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IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES 1981

     In the January issue of Lifeline Rev. W. A. Grimshaw makes a striking personal statement about his coming to regard the Writings as the Word. Here is part of his statement, which he entitles "Does It Matter?"
     "Does it matter when some people see the Writings as 'the New Word'? Does it matter that others see them in a different way?
     "The question of the Divinity of the Writings is as old as the Writings themselves!
     "For me they are the 'New Word.' I am glad they are! They are the fulfillment of both the Old and New Testaments. They are the 'Lord speaking to us.' No one comes lightly to such a belief, but the opposite must also be true.
     "To be prepared actually to acknowledge the 'New Word' comes only with struggle, confusion and much searching. All sorts of questions, doubts and denials flood the mind. . . .
     "Why are the Writings, for me, the New Word? Quite simply because they are the Lord speaking, and what the Lord speaks must be the Word. There are a million other reasons which all confirm the simple truth.
     "Yes, it matters to me. But I can't influence whether it matters to you! For some reason I need to see things that way! Well, yes, it could be false, but in the Lord's good time all will be revealed.
     "Why am I writing this? Because I feel that there is a Paradise of God in the idea that the Writings are the New Word. There are wonders to be found once you have stepped through the gate. There are trees of beauty and flowers in abundance. . . ."

     * * * * *

     In the February issue of Missionary Memo Rev. Douglas Taylor tells the story of his meeting a man on a flight from Philadelphia to Detroit. The conversation turned to religion (somehow). The man had never heard of the New Church. When the plane landed they exchanged addresses. Some months later Mr. Taylor wrote to him enclosing two sermons for him to read.
     The man wrote back in part as follows:

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Dear Doug:
     I am delighted that you remembered me and that you have given me an opportunity to read your sermons. I think they could change my life.
     I think they would be the most informative pamphlets on Redemption and on the Trinity available anywhere. These are the two areas of Christian theology that have always had me thoroughly confused and mystified.
     As I think I told you during our flight, I've never known whether I should be directing my prayers to Jesus or to God. Your fascinating explanation of the Trinity is the most enlightening literature I've ever read on the subject. In a few pages you have set out and justified conclusions that a full-time student of the Bible could probably never reach in a lifetime.
     I believe [your sermons] have rekindled my interest in an awareness of God, Christ and my future-on earth and after. Editor's Note: Subscriptions to the Missionary Memo are available on request from the General Church Extension Committee, Cairncrest, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
DISTINCTIONS OR AN AMORPHOUS BLOB 1981

DISTINCTIONS OR AN AMORPHOUS BLOB Rev. MARTIN PRYKE 1981

We are familiar with the teaching in the Writings that in God infinite things are distinctly one. This is not an easy concept for us to grasp but it shows, on the one hand, that the enormous variety of creation has its origin in God, and on the other hand, that finite lines cannot be drawn in the infinite.
We know further that from infinite things in God come an indefinite variety in creation-both spiritual and natural. No two least things are identical. Yet this variety works together in perfect harmony except when man has interfered. It is from this variety working in harmony that perfection comes. We can see this most clearly in the human body where no two smallest parts are identical and yet the whole is organized into tissue and organs in such a perfect harmony that the smallest parts work together as a one.

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The same is true of man's spirit and so it is also true that no two men are identical.
     Yet today we are faced with a growing tendency to regard variety and distinctions as in some way "unfair" or "undemocratic." This tendency which we see in the world around us undoubtedly affects us within the church too, although in fact it is a concept not in agreement with the teachings of the Writings. Let us note two obvious examples in today's society.
     Much attention has been given to the reluctance to accept a difference between the sexes. We know that in fact the two sexes are different, by no means identical, and yet equal in the sense that they are of equal importance and mutually supportive. Yet even when we acknowledge intellectually the difference, there seems to be a reluctance to accept the consequences of that difference. For example there is a reluctance to recognize that if the sexes are different, the uses which they perform will be different, and if boys and girls are different, the way in which they can best be educated will be different.
     In another area we find a similar denial, or reluctance, to admit a difference between ages. It seems that the young want to be old and the old want to be young. The vigor of youth is one thing; the experience of age is quite another. But we are hesitant to admit that these differences exist, as is evidenced in a dislike for treating older people with respect and addressing them as adults. Yet if we talk to everybody in the same informal way, what modes are left to express either respect or camaraderie, or to distinguish between a slight acquaintance or a loved one? Undue formality may sometimes be a detriment to communication, but some recognition of differences is a basis for a respect for uses.
     Of course, there are certain factors common to all men. We are all created in the image of God with free will and rationality. We are all equal in the sight of God in the sense that He favors none above another (a point which we cannot remember too often in our human relationships). We all have free will to choose between good and evil-this can be denied no man. We are all salvable. Our human nature and dignity reside in these things and not in our more specific individual characteristics, or in the external circumstances of our lives. Yet within this common framework there are numerous and delightful varieties which provide for the perfection of the human race.

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     This all, of course, is seen in its most perfect form in the grand man of heaven. The two kingdoms of heaven are essentially different, each performing its own use. No two heavens, no two societies are alike. Each angel is different as each tiny part of the body is different. The perfection of heaven comes from this variety, and so as the numbers in heaven are increased so is its perfection.
     Of course, the perfection of heaven would not be possible if there were not harmony among the varieties. This harmony comes from two things. First there must be a common looking to the Lord-all looking to one source of good and truth. Secondly, each individual cares for others before himself-which is the love of the neighbor.
     We must also note that such perfection would be impossible without communication. Again, the example in the human body is clear. The various parts, the smallest and the greatest, can work together only when there is communication between them. They are clearly distinguished one from another by membranes, yet they are all "in touch" with one another. And so it is in the grand man of heaven: no angel is like another; there is no question about the distinction between them but they communicate in such a way that they work together in harmony for the welfare of all. We might ask ourselves, in passing, whether we in the church communicate sufficiently with those who are different from ourselves, or do we cut ourselves off from them?
     We should not, then, be afraid of variety; rather should we work to preserve it. But there must also be harmony, which requires careful communication, and at the outset mutual respect so that later it may become mutual love. God's creatures are not identical; they do not constitute one vast amorphous blob. They are distinct and different-a difference to be put to use to establish, in harmony, a single perfected form-the kingdom of God.
ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH 1981

ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH 1981

     The Annual Joint Meeting of the Faculty and Corporation of the Academy will be held at 7:45 p.m. on Friday, May 15th, 1981, in the Assembly Hall, Bryn Athyn, PA.
     The program for the evening will consist of administrative reports from the Chancellor, the President, and the heads of the four schools.
     All friends of the Academy are cordially invited to attend.

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EDITORIAL PAGES 1981

EDITORIAL PAGES Editor 1981

     NEW CHURCH LIFE
     CREATION VS. EVOLUTION-THE VOTES COME IN

     Although a subscriber for some years to the weekly magazine Science News, I cannot recall seeing so many letters on a given subject as have appeared recently concerning creation and evolution. In the issue of January 31st the letter section is expanded to include a number of excellent communications. One gets the impression that this is a quality selection from a big bag of mail.
     How many "votes" were for creation and how many against? We do not know. There are intriguing passages in the Writings about counting those for and against. For example, out of an assembly of some hundreds, all but ten were found to be indifferent on the sanctity of marriage (CL 478). Out of a thousand from the Christian world there were not found a hundred who believed adulteries to be sins (CL 500). (See also Divine Providence 250:4 on the percentage of the ambitious who are "loves of God.")
     Among those "celebrated for learning" six hundred were found in favor of nature "and the rest in favor of God" (CL 415:5). A multitude of the self-intelligent looked with utter contempt on "those who acknowledge the creation of the universe by God" (CL 380).

     The following selection from five of the letters in Science News (Jan. 31, pages 67 and 75) is not a scientific count. It is one editor's choice.

Letter No. 1 "We had better do something to counter this anti-scientific movement, or we may discover that attacking evolution is just the beginning. What would you think of an astronomy text giving equal validity to the theory that the earth is the center of the solar system? . . . We should not underestimate the power of these biblical literalists. While we are dismissing the Flat Earth Society it may be sobering in the light of the above to recall that the Bible mentions the 'four corners of the Earth.' Ridiculous? Who would have guessed that some half a century after the Scopes trial evolution would still have to be taught as a 'theory' on an equal footing with special creation?"

259

Letter No. 2 "I was thoroughly amused by the paranoid fears of creationism damaging science education . . . One man says, 'there are over 100 million fossils that have been identified and age-dated and despite this evidence evolution is still questioned.' This is the equivalent of a creationist saying there have been billions of people believing the universe was created by God throughout the ages yet scientists will not believe. There are irrefutable facts in both statements, yet neither conclusion is justifiable scientifically. The human organism is almost infinitely complex as any person studying its mechanisms will testify; to merely say a mechanism of random mutations has resulted in mankind and to close discussions on the validity of that concept is madness.
"I implore science to rise to the challenge of creationism. Let the issue be openly debated and resolved scientifically, especially in the schools. Let us not teach religion as science, or conversely, science as religion."

Letter No. 3 "There is no scientist who will make a greater fool of himself than one who fails to investigate both sides of a point in dispute. If he continues with a blind faith in what he has been taught and refuses to objectively consider a new viewpoint or observation, and if he is not at all times ready and willing to reject that which is shown to be false, even if these be concepts he holds himself, such a person has no right to call himself a scientist in the traditional high sense of the term. Almost without exception, our formal education and our subsequent continuous informal education has presented the Theory of Evolution as fact. This theory is extended to presume that matter-energy itself formed everything by chance, eventually resulting in human personality. Yet, how many of us have objectively considered the observations purported to support the alternative view that a Personality existed first and created lower forms of existence, i.e. our universe and we simple beings who inhabit it? Immediately we emotionally reject this view, shouting, 'Religion,' but rejecting an entire alternative body of scientific logic because we do not wish to accept that we might be responsible to that Person who is the ultimate Cause; is this not also the exercise of a religious conviction of its own kind?

260

The possibility of a Personal Cause does not in itself require constructing a human-satisfying system of religion and rituals . . . So, fellow scientists, take a closer and objective look at the fossil record (not at the artist's conceptions used in museums and texts) for transition forms between creatures, not mistaking changes in species as a proof of transmutation; calculate the probability of forming DNA by chance and consider the requirements that must be met before the chance could be effective; list the auxiliary hypotheses required to prop up the Theory of Evolution and then see if the claim is justified that it is the less metaphysical theory; re-examine all the facts to see if they really do support the theory."

Letter No. 4 "To state 'evolution' is beyond question and no longer 'theory' is as dogmatic as the early church which attempted to silence Galileo's findings that the world was not the center of the universe. AAAS now plans a dogmatic attack to 'combat creationism and the teaching of religion as a science.' The pot would now deny the kettle by employing 'Madison Avenue' tactics designed to force agreement that 'evolution' is Q.E.D., that the re-examination door is shut, that creationists are, by AAAS fiat, beyond the pale of reason.
     "I submit that evolution remains a logical theory based on beautifully documented facts. I am equally certain that the origin of the species came about through amazing order. I am also certain it is possible that the theory Charles Darwin propounded explaining the series of collected organized fact may be in error. Declarations by AAAS that man should no longer be permitted to doubt that evolution is fact appall!
     "Scientists, above any group, have an obligation to encourage inquiry, be the last to set up holy cows that are beyond question, and certainly the last to 'combat' freedom to disagree with expressed thought. . .
     "A principle of creationism hard to deny is that all things originated from a Creator. Scientists are free to postulate that all things, living and dead, came from nothing. I do not 'combat' that right."

261

Letter No. 5 "As a member of the scientific community (and of AAAS) I found your report very interesting. It would appear that the primary difference between the evolutionists and the creationists is that the creationists have stated their assumptions.
     "As one definition of religion, my Webster's states, 'any specific system of belief.' With the intolerant attitude taken by evolutionists at that meeting, how long will it be until evolution (or even science itself) is recognized as a religion and banned from our schools?"

     Apropos to this discussion readers are reminded of the letter by Mr. Fred Elphick in the April issue and the article by Marjorie Soneson in the March issue. Especially let there be reflection on the exhortation given in three works of the Writings. "Let one confirm himself in favor of God; there is no lack of material." (See the final sentence in DLW 357, CL, 421 and TCR 12.)
     D. L. R.
SENSE OF THE WRITINGS 1981

SENSE OF THE WRITINGS ERIC H. CARSWELL 1981

     COMMUNICATIONS

Dear Editor:

     In reading over David Gladish's rewriting of Divine Providence 19, (NCL 1981, p. 83), I find myself excited by the possibilities it presents. The substance of the Writings is challenging enough, particularly to someone with a background in traditional Christian doctrine, without having the form distracting the reader's attention unnecessarily. As Dr. Gladish observes, the Latin of the Writings is quite different from the translations that we are used to. He describes the Latin as "crisp, concise and utilitarian." On this score our present translations often do a poor job.
     The qualities that make a good translation of Divine revelation are by no means a simple subject. The numerous articles and letters on the subject in NEW CHURCH LIFE during 1978 and 1979 make this fact undeniable. Most people I have heard from have found Dr. Gladish's sample of rewriting to be refreshingly clear and actually better able to convey unpretentiously the sense of the passage. Since it is the sense of the words of revelation that convey the Lord's power to lead us to heaven (AE 1086:5, 6), Dr. Gladish's sample rewrite appears to be both legitimate and desirable.

262

While it is important that we try to maintain the Divine style (SS 3) presented in the original language of revelation, I would be inclined to say that some translators have been so concerned about throwing the baby out with the bath water that we have an oppressive amount of dirty water clouding our English editions of the Writings.
ERIC H. CARSWELL
ON PRUDENCE 1981

ON PRUDENCE Dr. JOHN H. ROACH 1981

Dear Sir,

     With reference to the December 1980 issue of NEW CHURCH LIFE page 593, I noticed a letter to the editor from Mr. Glenn G. Alden in which he takes issue with Mr. Cole on "prudence."
     Mr. Alden quotes Mr. Cole as stating, "There are no passages in the Writings that teach that human prudence should enter into this realm" (meaning the prevention of offspring, p. 361 August issue). Let me hasten to add that in the January issue 1981 Mr. Ian Arnold states in the same issue, "I believe it is a willingness to be led by the Lord in the exercise of prudence which is the important thing where size of family, limitation of offspring, etc., is concerned."
     To verify that prudence does enter into this realm Mr. Alden refers to Divine Providence paragraph 210. "If man from his own prudence did not dispose all things pertaining to his own function and life he could not be led and disposed from the Divine Providence; for he would be like one standing with his hands hanging down . . . awaiting influx. He would thus divest himself of the human, which he has from the perception and sensation that he lives, thinks, wills, speaks, and acts, as from himself; and at the same time he would divest himself of his two faculties, liberty and rationality, by which he is distinguished from the beasts."
     Mr. Arnold writes, "I cannot understand why anyone should feel called upon to uphold the current validity of W. F. Pendleton's seventh principle of the Academy which, as Mr. Cole rightly points out, was not intended to state an official position, nor to bind the future. Surely the church must grow in its understanding and not remain locked in a position which represented the thinking 100 or more years ago. And the fact that thinking changes and develops, or that the principle is substantially qualified in the minds of many, must not be taken to suggest, or be construed as implying, the success of the serpent."

263

     Mr. Arnold needs to be reminded that genuine truth is not shackled with time or space barriers. It far transcends all earthbound limitations. If it did not, then why, after two hundred years are we still recognizing the validity of Swedenborg's writings, or God's Holy Word for that matter? Truth is conclusive; it does not rest in idle seclusion while time marches on, to be picked over at will and used at random; it rather asserts itself in confident audacity. It does not scan the universe to gain the approval of the skeptical masses, nor does it engage in theological, philosophical, and scientific speculation of hypothetical argument to substantiate the validity of its existence. Truth is no respecter of persons, places, or things; it does not ease the guilty conscience, appease the evils of society, or uphold the injustices of some and favor the justices of others. It forges ahead victoriously, regardless and irrespective of those who would impede its advancement.
     As to Mr. Arnold's statement relative to the fact that "thinking changes and develops," this is more rightly said than is admitted, for man's thinking always changes, but truth never does; God never changes (Malachi 3:6).
     As to whether Divine Providence 210 refers to the prevention of offspring, let it be noted that Swedenborg devotes this entire chapter to a discussion of the activity of Divine Providence and the removal of self-love. Swedenborg asserts that there is no such thing as man's own prudence; that all prudence comes from God (191). He states that man is granted the appearance of prudence that he may choose between good and evil. Those who follow their own human prudence alone do not desire to be led by the Lord (208).
     Divine Providence 210 says that man can be led by Providence in the affairs of his life when he is granted the appearance of prudence. In actuality it is the Lord leading man to the good of life. The Lord leads a man to do His Will-not to do man's will.
     God's will is that we keep His commandments, and in keeping them we will not prevent the birth of innocent offspring, for this is His means to form an angelic heaven from the human race-His will.
     Even if paragraph 210 did apply to the prevention of offspring by human prudence, it must be remembered that the appearance of prudence is not synonymous with human discretion, because all prudence comes from God.
     Human prudence, then, is not ours; it only appears that way; it is from God. A man is granted the appearance of human prudence that he may be led by the Lord to do His Will.
     DR. JOHN H. ROACH,
          Louisville, Kentucky

264

MINISTERS' WIVES' ACTIVITIES DURING COUNCIL OF THE CLERGY WEEK 1981

MINISTERS' WIVES' ACTIVITIES DURING COUNCIL OF THE CLERGY WEEK Mrs. LORENTZ SONESON 1981

     March 2 to 6th, 1981

     As the size of the General Church clergy increases, so does the number of ministers' wives. Thanks to the hospitality of the late Mrs. Morley Rich (Stella Coffin), for the past few years wives gathered at her home for discussions and social enjoyment, while their husbands met in the council chamber.
     This year, feeling the loss of her leadership, several Bryn Athyn wives met in January to plan an interesting program for visiting colleagues. On Monday afternoon, the first day of the meetings, local wives brought delicious hors d'oeuvres and canapes to Cairncrest. These were enjoyed by over sixty clergymen in a social hour following their first session.
     Tuesday morning a trip was organized to the Henry Francis duPont Winterthur museum. This remarkable place contains the best collection of American decorative arts (representing the years from 1640 to 1840) in the world. They shared lunch at the museum restaurant, and particularly relished the chance to visit during the trip.
     Wednesday morning the Sunday school committee meeting featured the wife of Rev. Bruce Rogers (Kit Rydstrom), who teaches kindergarten in the Bryn Athyn elementary school. She gave a very inspirational talk, profusely illustrated with religious art done by her students. This is now an "open" committee so the message could be enjoyed by a large number of people. Theta Alpha provided refreshments and some outstanding displays of their various programs for training children in the letter of the Word.
     That evening, while the clergy was honored at a dinner in the lovely home of Bishop and Mrs. Louis King (Freya Synnestvedt) their spouses gathered for an elegant potluck feast at Mrs. Kurt Asplundh's (Martha Lindsay). Growth has been so rapid that name tags were distributed. A bingo game was played using the wives' names instead of numbers.
     During the meal, the guests were asked to fill in given and maiden names of wives on a roster of the current clergy. The winner, Mrs. Erik Sandstrom (Bernice Stroh), listed 126 names, and received a gift subscription to New Church Home for a person of her choice. A hundred questions of special interest to the group were put in a basket. Using a three-minute egg timer, they took turns answering a question, having the option to throw their questions back and taking another one if they wished. Before everyone had a turn the men arrived, so the remaining questions will be used another year.
     Mrs. George McCurdy (Lois Walton) invited the ladies to her home for brunch the next morning. In spite of a freak blizzard, her living room overflowed. The discussion, led by Mrs. Frank Rose (Louise Barry), centered on ways to strengthen marriage in the church. That afternoon Theta Alpha sponsored a tea at the spacious home of Mrs. Boyd Asplundh (Myra Johns). The Bryn Athyn women provided another tableful of special refreshments which were enjoyed while three ministers wives gave talks about their husbands' work. Mrs. Patrick Rose (Dinah Lee) told about Colchester, England, Mrs. Arne Bau-Madsen (Emily Pitcairn) about Kempton, Pennsylvania, and Mrs. Mark Carlson (Kristin Odhner) about Caryndale, Ontario, Canada.

265

     On Friday morning a smaller group gathered for goodbyes and more exchange of ideas. It was decided to begin a newsletter to be called "Helpmeet" (Genesis 2:18 and 20) similar to "Peripatetic Priest" which circulates among the traveling ministers.
     Friday evening the society of Bryn Athyn officially greeted the clergy couples at a gathering in the Assembly Hall before Friday supper. After the General Church program the Civic and Social Club held an open house, rounding out an exciting week. The wives wished to share as much as they could with those who couldn't attend, so a list was passed around of those who stayed at home, and someone signed an agreement to write a personal letter to each one. The departing ladies left in a glow from the warmth and generosity shown to them, determined to come back whenever possible.
     MRS. LORENTZ SONESON, (MARJORIE ROSE)
VISITORS TO CHURCH SOCIETIES 1981

VISITORS TO CHURCH SOCIETIES 1981

Visitors to Bryn Athyn, Detroit, Glenview, Kitchener, London, Pittsburgh, San Diego or Toronto, who are in need of hospitality accommodations are cordially urged to contact in advance the appropriate Hospitality Committee head listed below:

Toronto, Ont., Canada
Mrs. Sydney Parker
30 Royaleigh Ave.
Weston, Ont. M9P 255
Phone: (416) 241-3704

Detroit, Michigan
Mrs. Garry Childs
2140 East Square Lake Rd.
Troy, MI 48098
Phone: (313) 879-9914

Kitchener, Ont., Canada
Mrs. Warren Stewart
69 Evenstone Ave.
Kitchener, Ont. N2G 3W5
Phone: (519) 893-6558

Pittsburgh, Penna.
Mrs. Paul M. Schoenberger
7433 Pen Hur St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15208
Phone: (412) 371-3056

Glenview, Illinois
Mrs. Philip Horigan
50 Park Dr.
Glenview, IL 60025
Phone: (312) 729-5644

London, England
Mrs. Geoffrey P. Dawson
28 Parklands Rd.
Streatham, London, SW 16
Phone: 01-769-7922

San Diego. California
Mrs. Helen L. Brown
2810 Wilbee Court
San Diego, CA 92123

Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania
Mrs. James L. Pendleton
815 Fettersmill Rd.
Bryn Athyn, PA 19009
Phone: (215) 947-1810

Kindly call at least two weeks in advance if possible.

266

ORDINATION 1981

Announcements
Heilman-At Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, March 8, 1981, the Rev. Andrew James Heilman into the second degree of the priesthood, the Rt. Rev. Louis B. King officiating.
U.S.A./CANADA NEW CHURCH MINISTERS OTHER THAN BRYN ATHYN 1981

U.S.A./CANADA NEW CHURCH MINISTERS OTHER THAN BRYN ATHYN 1981

NOTE: For the sake of brevity, in this list we are leaving our middle initials and ore not repeating the title "Rev." on every line, with the understanding that this omission will be noted.

Glenn Alden 211 N.W. 150th St., Miami, FL 33168 (305) 685-2253
Kenneth Alden 131 W. Maple, Apt. 105A, Clawson, MI 48017 (313) 280-0267
Mark Alden 73A Park Drive, Glenview, IL 60025 (312) 729-2452
Arne Bau-Madsen Box 527, Rt. 1, Lenhartsville, PA 19534 (215) 756-6942
Christopher Bown 145 Shadyside Lane, Milford, CT 06460 (203) 877-1141
Peter Buss 73 Park Drive, Glenview, IL 60025 (312) 724-0120
Mark Carlson 16 Stafford Lane, R.R. 2, Kitchener Ont., CANADA N2G 3W5 (519) 893-7085
Eric Carswell 510 Lloyd St., Pittsburgh. PA 15208 (412) 244-0265
Geoffrey Childs 2 Lorraine Gardens, Islington Ont., CANADA M9B 424 (416) 231-4958
William Clifford 1536 94th Avenue, Dawson Creek B.C., CANADA V1G 1H1 (604) 782-3997
Stephen Cole 6431 Mayflower Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45237 (513)631-1210
Harold Cranch 140 Bowdoin St., Apt. 1502, Boston, MA 02108 (617) 523-4575
Clark Echols 2700 Park Lane, Glenview, IL 60025 (312) 729-4397
Roy Franson 8416 East Kenyon Drive, Tucson, AZ 85710 (602) 296-1070
Daniel Heinrichs 3809 Enterprise Rd., Mitchellville, MD 20716 (301) 262-4565
Kent Junge 14323 C 123rd N.E., Kirkland, WA 98033 (206) 821-0157
Brian Keith 2712 Brassie Dr., Glenview, IL 60025 (312) 724-7829
Cedric King 7911 Canary Way, San Diego, CA 92123 (714) 268-0379
Thomas Kline 3795 Montford Drive, Chamblee, GA 30341 (404) 451-7111
Robert McMaster #56-1370 Silver Spear, Mississauga Ont., CANADA L4Y 2X2 (416) 625-7762
Kurt Nemitz 887 Middle St., Bath, ME 04530 (207) 442-7552
Allison Nicholson 170 Martin Grove Rd., Islington, Ont. CANADA M9B 4L1 (416) 231-0639
John Odhner Box 153, Lake Helen, FL 32744 (904) 228-2337
Walter Orthwein 132 Kirk Lane. Troy, MI 48084 (3 13) 689-61 18
Donald Rose 7420 Ben Hur St., Pittsburgh, PA 15208 (412) 731-1061
Erik Sandstrom R.R. 1, Box 101-M Hot Springs, SD 57747 (605) 745-6714
David Simons 4615 Briggs Ave., La Crescenta, CA 91214(213)248-3243
Christopher Smith 16 Bannockburn Rd., R.R. 2. Kitchener Ont., CANADA N2G 3W5 (519) 893-6754
Lawson Smith 11721 Whittler Rd., Mitchellville, MD 20716 (301) 262-2349
Louis Synnestvedt Rt 3. Box 136, Americus, GA 31709 (9 12) 924-9221

GENERAL CHURCH MINISTERS OVERSEAS

Bjorn Boyesen Bruksater, Furusjo S-566 00, Habo, SWEDEN
Ragnar Boyesen Aladdinsvagen 27 161 38 Bromma, SWEDEN
Jose de Figueiredo Rua Des. Isidro 155 Apt. 202, Tijuca Rio de Janeiro, 20521RJ, BRAZIL
Michael Gladish 22 Dudley Street Penshurst, N.S.W 2222 AUSTRALIA
Andrew Heilman Rua Ferreira de Sampaio 58 Apt. 101, Abolicao Rio de Janeiro. 20.750 R. J. BRAZIL
Geoffrey Howard 30 Perth Road Westville 3630, Natal REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
Ottar Larsen 183 Norbury Crescent, Norbury London. SW16 4JX ENGLAND
Alain Nicolier Bourguignon-Meursanges 21200 Beaune. FRANCE
Norman Riley 42 Pitlochry Road Westville 3630, Natal REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
Patrick Rose 43 Athelstan Road Colchester C03 3TW ENGLAND
Erik Sandstrom 135 Mantilla Road London, SW17 8DX ENGLAND

268

FAMILY WORSHIP 1981

     Order of Service for Groups Without Musical Accompaniment
Compiled by the Rev. Clark Echols

     This twenty-page pamphlet is designed for groups who worship together without musical accompaniment. Psalms and recitations have been selected to enhance a sphere of holiness and to provide participation in the service. Included are an order for family worship, four general offices, a Holy Supper service, twelve "invitations to Worship" quoted from the Writings, and suggestions to the leader.

Price $1.00 plus postage

General Church           Hours: 8:30 to 12
Book Center               Monday thru Friday
Bryn Athyn               Phone: 215 947 3920
PA 19009

269

NOTES ON THIS ISSUE 1981

NOTES ON THIS ISSUE Editor 1981

NEW CHURCH LIFE
Vol. CI June, 1981 No. 6

270

     "The externals of the church are like garments which may be changed, we are told, but if we did not have them it would be "as if the walls and ceiling of a temple were taken away, and its sanctuary and altar and pulpit should thus stand unsheltered. . ." (TCR 55; Compare AE 1088). The externals of the church need care. The article "A House of God" is written by a man who has completed fifteen years of service as Curator of the Bryn Athyn Cathedral. As part of his work Mr. Linguist has conversed with many hundreds of visitors to the cathedral. This experience has led him to produce some reflective and sensitive comments for New Church readers. We refer in particular to his articles, "Initial Contact" (NCL, 1975, pp. 110, 229) and "Conversation" (1977 p. 7), and currently to the piece entitled "Simple in Heart" in the May-June issue of New Church Home.
     As we think of our own stewardship this month, we would note the teaching that "all stewardship belongs to the external of the church; as the administration of rituals, and of many things that pertain to the place of worship and to the church itself, that is, to the House of Jehovah or of the Lord" (AC 1795).
     Although "Warriors for the Lord" was written for Charter Day, we find it appropriate as we celebrate New Church Day.
     We are presenting a tribute by Rev. J. Durban Odhner to the late Lennart Alfelt, and we would also recommend the reading of a tribute in the May-June issue of New Church Home which calls attention to the use of The New Philosophy.
     "To think in an individual sense, the Church is in but a few states of our life." It is inactive in a great part of our life, and "we should pray that the Church may come. . ." This is the focus of the sermon by Rev. Kurt H. Asplundh, "A Desire for the New Church."
     We are indebted to Mr. Michael Pitcairn for the photographs on pages 295, 296 and to Mr. Kent Cooper for those on pages 297 and 298.
     Announcement: The Bryn Athyn Boys' Club summer camp begins on August 1st. For information contact Mr. Daniel B. McQueen, Box 341, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
     Ministerial placement: Rev. Mark Alden will take up work in Miami, Florida, effective September 1, 1981.

271

DESIRE FOR THE NEW CHURCH 1981

DESIRE FOR THE NEW CHURCH Rev. KURT H. ASPLUNDH 1981

     The final chapter of The Apocalypse, in its closing verses, offers an invitation: "Come!" "The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come!"(Revelation 22:17).

     These words express a desire; a deep and urgent longing for the coming of the Lord and His New Church. We should pray that the Church may come, the Writings declare. We should pray that it may come both into our own heart and into the world, by Providential means, until it is established in fullness among all the nations of the earth.
     And the Lord's reply is, "Surely I come quickly." The meaning of these words has no relation to time, but to inevitability, to certainty. To come "quickly" signifies that the Lord will certainly come (AR 944). This is the answer to our prayer. There is the promise of certainty that the New Church will come wherever there is a desire for it.
     But what is the reality? It is plain that the Church has not been widely received in the world. The New Church is few in numbers. We may wonder why this is so when so much of what the Writings teach is clear, beautiful, and appealing to the rational mind. We observe the slow growth of the Church with discouragement or concern. But we may better understand the reason for this slow growth if we reflect on our own acceptance of the Church and measure its growth within ourselves. Is it not true that the doctrine of the Church makes but slow progress in our own lives?
     If the New Church is to grow in our lives we must learn to love its truth and "esteem it above every good of the world" (AE 444:10). This is illustrated in the parable which teaches that the kingdom of heaven is "like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it" (Matt. 13:45, 46). The pearl he discovered was precious to him above every other possession. To obtain it, he was willing to sell everything he had.
     The essential spiritual affection of truth is this "pearl of great price." How much are we willing to give up in order to obtain it? To "sell what we have" is to rid ourselves of self-love, replacing it instead with a love of truth. Do we love the good and truth of the Church "above every good of the world"? Are we willing to give up those things we now value and treasure in our lives if the truth of the Church requires it?

272

Such a love of the truth itself is what is described by the eagerness of the merchantman to possess the pearl of great price (AE 444:10).
     To love truth itself and to esteem it above every good of the world is no mere abstraction. It has very ultimate and practical applications. It means living according to the truth, sacrificing perhaps, the things of life which may have seemed good to us. It means being honest with ourselves; not allowing ourselves to contemplate or dream about ourselves with vain imaginings, grandiose visions, or with selfish pity. It means shunning the insidious delight of savoring our secret sins and the tendency to relate and exaggerate our deeds and misdeeds shamelessly in the company of those we seek to impress. It means prohibiting ourselves from escaping responsibility by deceptive reasonings or weak excuses.
     Loving the truth and esteeming it above every good of the world means this, and much more. In a positive sense it means the eagerness to learn the truth and to give the time and effort that such learning requires even though it may mean giving up some good which the world offers, something of time, of social pleasure, and perhaps of social esteem among friends who do not share this love.
     Loving the truth does not mean of course, imposing it upon others inappropriately, or where unsolicited. Yet we should speak out for the truth when the occasion demands and refuse to follow a multitude to say or do evil.
     Remember how the Lord's disciples questioned certain of the Lord's teachings and called them "hard sayings"? Many of the Jews turned away because they could not accept these doctrines. So, too, there are hard sayings in the Heavenly Doctrine which may cause New Churchmen to hesitate, and perhaps turn away from their acceptance. The truth often demands of us new attitudes and principles which we receive with difficulty because we have long held contrary attitudes and principles. For this reason the doctrine of the New Church is not easily received. It is not because it is not understood, or not known, but because we have accepted things which oppose it. So the Church grows slowly within us. Should we expect its external growth to be otherwise?
     All of this is vividly portrayed in the account of the Woman clothed with the sun, who cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. The Woman signifies the New Church, the Bride and Wife of the Lamb. The Man Child whom she delivered signifies the doctrine of the New Church. To have a hard birth signifies the resistance to the Heavenly Doctrine.

273

     There was also pictured the great dragon who sought to destroy the Child when it was born. Failing that, the dragon sought to persecute the Woman.
     Note that the dragon is a winged serpent, combining the creeping of a serpent with an ability to fly. This gives the dragon in the Word an unusual signification. Birds, which fly, signify knowledges. So, too, those here signified by the dragon have knowledges. Like the dragon with wings to fly, they have the knowledges to raise themselves from the earth, but failing to use those knowledges they remain in the signification of a serpent that creeps with its belly to the ground. This describes the man who remains natural and sensual in attitude in spite of spiritual knowledge.
     Spiritually understood then, "the great red dragon signifies all who are merely natural and sensual from the love of self, and yet have more or less knowledge from the Word . . . and think to be saved by knowledge alone apart from life" (AE 714).
     Often, New Churchmen apply the teachings concerning the dragon exclusively to the former Christian Church with its dogmas of salvation by faith alone, failing to realize that these teachings apply just as fully to attitudes in each one of us.
     The dragon mounted an attack on the Woman and her Child. This signifies an attack on the New Church. What is the source of this attack? We do not have to look in the doctrinal tenets of the former Christian Church to see opposition to the doctrine of the New Church. We can find it in ourselves. And is not this our real point of combat? The place that matters to us? Consider the following from the Apocalypse Explained. What is it saying to us as individuals?

     The sensual who are meant by the 'dragon' are those who do not see anything from the light of heaven, but only from the light of the world, and who from that light alone, when excited by the fire of the love of self and pride therefrom are able to talk about Divine things, and to reason keenly and readily about them; but yet they are unable to see whether these things be truths or not, calling that truth which they have imbibed from childhood from a master or preacher, and then from doctrine, and which they have afterwards confirmed by some passages of the Word not interiorly understood. Because they see nothing from the light of heaven they do not see truths, but in place of them falsities, which they call truths . . . . These being such, love no other than a bodily or worldly life; and as the pleasures and lusts of that life have their seat in the natural man, the interiors of such are filthy and crowded with evils of every kind, which close up every way for the influx of the light and heat of heaven; consequently they are inwardly devils and satans, however much they may appear to be spiritual and to be Christians by their talk . . . . (AE 714:6).

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     How often do we think of truths "imbibed from childhood"? How often do we tend to confirm these things in ourselves and close our minds to any interior understanding of the Word?
     Because the doctrine of the New Church was brought forth by the Lord to save us from the deceptions of self-love and evil, the hells oppose it. The attacks of the dragon are subtle. They are internal threats to the Church. They play upon the human evils of pride, love of the world, laziness, lust, love of self, and others. These loves are the weapons of the dragon. If these can be insinuated into man, and excited in him, they will effectively close off reception of the Heavenly Doctrine.
     Can we not see from this why the Church grows slowly, and why the Woman was carried away for a time and times and half a time? While the combat continues between hereditary loves and inclinations and the teachings of the Heavenly Doctrine, the Church can be only with a few. To think in an individual sense, the Church is in but a few states of our life. It is withdrawn, or inactive, in a great part of our life.
     Our desire should be that the Lord will come into our lives, more fully shaping them into His image and likeness. "Let him that heareth say, Come." We who know of the Church should pray that it may come.
     "The Lord is present with every man, urging and pressing to be received," we read. His first coming, which is called the dawn, is when man receives Him, which he does, we are told, "when he acknowledges Him as his God, Creator, Redeemer, and Savior. From this time, man's understanding begins to be enlightened in spiritual things, and to advance into a more and more interior wisdom; and as he receives this wisdom from the Lord, he advances through morning into day, and this day lasts with him into old age, even to death; and after death he passes into heaven to the Lord Himself; and there, although he died an old man, he is restored to the morning of his life, and the rudiments of wisdom implanted in him in the natural world grow to eternity" (TCR 766).
     Let us seek to cast out of ourselves all that stands in the way of our reception of the Lord; and let us stand in patience and with a sure hope for the establishment of the Church among many. For in answer to the invitation to come, the Lord has said, "Surely I come quickly." The answer to our prayer is certain. "Even so, come, Lord Jesus." Amen.

     LESSONS: Revelation 12:1-8, 13, 14. Apocalypse Explained 714:2, 3.

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WARRIORS FOR THE LORD 1981

WARRIORS FOR THE LORD Rev. CHRISTOPHER R. J. SMITH 1981

     Charter Day Address

     The New Church is a militant church. Wherever it exists there also exists a battle against the enemy of good and truth.
     The Academy of the New Church was founded to serve this New Church-to be a tool in the Lord's hands for the building of His church on earth. If the New Church is militant, so then the Academy is also to be militant.
     The Academy is, in fact, a military school, founded to prepare warriors for the Lord. Is this true? Do you members of the student body, the faculty, the Academy Corporation, the alumni, who have come to this service of rededication to the Lord, do you believe that you are warriors for Him even if only in training?
     When a student leaves after attending several years at the Academy, surely he will have seen a vision of the New Church, the promise of heaven descending to earth. And surely he will have been inspired with the desire to serve the Lord-to be a warrior against whatever is an obstacle to the descent and growth of the New Church.

     While at the Academy, this student will have been encouraged to travel the same course that the Israelites took as they were led to the promised land. He will begin as something of a slave. But, hopefully, he will emerge with the knowledge and ability to use fighting truth, to be able to cut the bonds of slavery to evil and falsity in all its forms. Hopefully, he will emerge as Joshua, fighting truth, ready for the conquest of Canaan.
     But what is required to become ready? What was required before the people of Israel became warriors for the Lord?
     The first enemy the Israelites had to face and conquer was the most substantial of all and the least expected. They had to be faced with the truth in the saying: "We have seen the enemy, Sir, and the enemy is us!"
     The Israelites had allowed themselves to be made into slaves. Then when freedom was offered, they were their own worst enemy. From the crossing of the Sea of Reeds to the final entrance into the land of Canaan, forty years later, their weak knees, stiff neck, and unwilling spirit was the chief obstacle to their receiving the Lord's blessing. Even later, after the initial conquest of the land, we are given much confirmation of what the Lord warned when He taught that a man's foes are those of his own household.

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     The time of slavery in Egypt was a prelude to the Israelites becoming fighters for their freedom, and even during that time, before their departure, they came to see something of the enemy in their own household.
     How does this time of slavery reflect itself in the life of the Academy student? He is, in a sense, a slave to classroom schedules, homework assignments, rules and regulations, deadlines of many sorts-all necessary, however, for the process of education. That is why the Lord Himself spent time in Egypt after the flight from Bethlehem. "Out of Egypt I called my son."
     At the very start of school life, a battle has to be waged against any resistance one may feel to change this slavery into real freedom. It would be so much easier, for instance, to take the easy way by dropping out of school, dropping out, perhaps, to get a job with high wages and little responsibility, and then enjoy life.
     This freedom is wonderful at first and can be compared to being tied with loose, silk bonds. But it is not long before these bonds become chafing steel cords, and one lives with constant feelings of regret. By dropping out of school, one does not leave slavery but rather remains a slave.
     We are given a picture of this resistance to change slavery into real freedom when Moses showed his reluctance at the burning bush. But finally he accepted the Lord's bidding and turned to the task of being His instrument in leading the Israelites out of Egypt.
     It is, we see, a necessary process. But it is a process that can be made with varying degrees of effort, depending on the willingness to follow the course.
     There are those graduating classes that the Academy faculty remembers with affection because of their affirmative and willing spirit. But there are also, it seems, classes that are remembered with little, if any, delight because of their prevailing negative spirit. And very likely from such classes there will be individuals who will look back to their time at the Academy with a sense of regret-regret for wasting the opportunity given, regret for not seeing how precious was the time, the very short time, that they had at the Academy, and failing to take full advantage of it.
     Those individuals may still be faced with the necessity to leave Egypt and to travel the road that goes through the wilderness. In a very real sense, however, that road can be largely and successfully completed by the time a student has spent several productive years at the Academy and is ready, or almost ready, to take an active place in the kingdom of uses on this earth.

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     How do we see the wilderness journey reflected in the life of the Academy student? One characteristic of the forty years wandering in the wilderness is the constant state of grumbling and discontent the Israelites had with their lot. It is not hard to see this state reflected in the Academy's student body!
     While in the wilderness, the stay in Egypt is a thing of the past, and the people are being taught daily to put their complete trust in the Lord-to believe in the Lord and His leadership. All the while they are also being molded into a fighting force that the Lord will use in giving them the land of Canaan.
     In their marches, in their camp around the tabernacle, in their instruction on the tabernacle ritual and the law given through Moses, and in their defense against attacking invaders, the Israelites slowly learned the discipline and skill to become warriors for the Lord.
     Is this not seen as the Academy student advances to higher education?
     If a student has been well educated, well guided, well counseled, surely he will have a fairly good idea of where he is headed, what he wants to accomplish with his life, and how. Like the Israelites who were given a report of the land flowing with milk and honey-a land that the Lord wished to give them right after their deliverance from Egypt-a young man may have a clear vision of where he wants to go, but without the training as yet.
     His training so that he may enter his chosen vocation will be as the forty years in the wilderness. And, as in the wilderness wandering, at times the training will be tedious, apparently unproductive, and the goal may seem to be far away and uncertain.
     Trouble, difficulties, disturbing times will come to both the student body and the faculty, just as it did to the tribes and to the leaders as they were prepared for their graduation from the wilderness.
     "A man's foes will be those of his own household." The faculty has to expect hellish influence that will try to create an unwilling and negative spirit amongst themselves. Challenge to authority and leadership, and also competition, conceit, pride, and arrogance, are all tools that are skillfully manipulated in the hands of hell to sow destruction wherever possible.
     "A man's foes will be those of his own household." With the student, he is so often his own worst enemy-unwilling to take responsibility for his actions, for his backsliding; unwilling to curb his rebellious spirit.

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Like the Israelites in the wilderness who looked back to the flesh pots of Egypt, he looks back and longs for a return to the imaginary heaven of his past in which life seemed so simple and satisfying.
     But in spite of any unwillingness on our part, the Lord leads every minute, day and night. The pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire were present right to the time Canaan was entered. And when that time came, the people had lost their stiff neck, their rebellious spirit, their weak knees. They were now a fighting force, warriors for the Lord.
     The goal of the Academy is no less. The Academy aspires to help our young people to see the spiritual Canaan, to spy out the land and see how it can be found and conquered on this earth, and then to prepare for it. If the preparation has had proper cooperation on the part of the student himself, then, after his time at the Academy, it can truly be said that he is a warrior for the Lord.
     When our young men and women then begin to contribute to the life of the country, it is the Lord's work that they are to do. They are to do their part in conquering the land of Canaan-in bringing heave n d own to earth. For this, they will need to draw heavily on the fighting truth they have learned in their previous education. They will need to be like Joshua. The representation of this leader of the Israelites as he led the conquest of the land was fighting truth (AC 8595).
     This truth is to do combat wherever resistance to heaven is found. At times it will be with oneself, as when the Israelites had to purge their own camp. After crossing the Jordan, their first defeat was because of the enemy being in their own household. The sin of Achan had to be discovered and purged before Ai could be taken. On another occasion Joshua foolishly allowed himself to be deceived by the Gibeonites.
     As the conquest of the land proceeded, we see, in fact, a stop being put to some of the horrendous practices of the Canaanites, such as human sacrifice and sexual prostitution in the name of religion.
     The conquest required the Israelites to fight their own faults as well as the evils of the land. In this we see the twofold aspect of the life of charity in any individual. He has to first shun evil in himself and then to do what will bring good to society.
     When the evil in self and in one's environment has been met and overcome, the conquering arm of fighting truth will take another form. It will become truth that ministers and serves, while at the same time reviewing and taking notice of what goes on, recalling the ability to fight if it should be needed (AC 10557). For while a true warrior for the Lord works to find peace and keep it, he is always ready to fight for it if need be.

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In times of peace, and especially in times when fighting truth is called for, the Lord asks us to act as a true warrior for Him. He asks us to rehearse well in our ears the words He has spoken and then to let Him build a fighting spirit in us, giving us an "ardent zeal for truth and good" (AC 8595).
"Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve Him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River, and in Egypt, and serve the Lord, and if you be unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:14-15).
NEW CHURCH EDUCATION: OUR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES 1981

NEW CHURCH EDUCATION: OUR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES Rev. Frederick L. Schnarr 1981

     A panel address by Rev. Frederick L. Schnarr to the 1980 General Assembly. The previous speakers have spoken to you about the reasons from doctrine why the General Church from its inception has believed in, and supported, a formal system of New Church education.
     In the brief time that remains, I would like to examine with you the situation of New Church education in the General Church: that we may see something of the relationship between our beliefs and our practices; that we may know and reflect upon our problems; that we may be encouraged and rejoice in our accomplishments; and that whatever we do in meeting the challenges and needs of the future, we do with a sense of unity and the strength of common dedication.
     In reflecting on the life and state of New Church education as it is with us, I have come up with a list of ten positives and ten negatives that will perhaps help us to see our strengths and weaknesses. There are many points that could be added to each list, but I have tried to select ones that are of general concern to the whole church.
     Because our strengths are more important than our weaknesses, let's look at our strengths first.

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Strengths

     1. Wherever there are new or developing societies, there is a desire for New Church education. In the past fifteen years, the Midwest Academy has come into existence; a school of ten grades has grown up in Washington; new schools are under development in Detroit and Kempton; a new school is being planned for the near future in Atlanta; and the feasibility of future schools is being considered in other areas.

     2. There is a strong desire and effort of our people to continue to develop and sustain our schools whatever the economic situation, and whatever the sacrifice and cost.

     3. There is a capable, dedicated, and courageous group of teachers, desirous of maintaining and further developing both the theory and the practice of distinctive New Church education.

     4. A severe decrease in school enrollment, following the national trend in Canada and U. S. A., is beginning to turn around in some areas (Bryn Athyn and Detroit).

     5. New families joining the church have a desire to have their children attend New Church schools. There are more such families all the time. Obviously this is an area of great promise, and indicates the need for the great uses of education and extension to develop together hand in hand.

     6. Some of these students who have had the advantage and privilege of New Church education evidence a dedication to the doctrine of the New Church, and a leadership and ability in the doctrines, that speaks well for the future of the church. These students would be the very first to acknowledge the gifts they have received through the benefit of New Church education.

     7. A General Church Schools Committee has been formed to act as a center for inter-school communications, and to provide support in a variety of uses.

     8. An effort is being made to have the educational sphere of the General Church and the Academy touch-and perhaps strengthen and inspire the life of our societies that have schools. This is being done by occasional visits of the Educational Council meetings, as was done last year in Glenview.

     9. An effort is being made to provide careers for senior General Church teachers through the combined efforts of the Academy's education division and the Bryn Athyn elementary school.

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The hope is to provide senior teachers some freedom to do much-needed curricular study and leadership, as well as to teach and assist in administration.

     10. An effort is being made to provide communication, development, refreshment, and stimulation for teachers, through study seminars, and through periodic combined in-service-day sessions. Detroit, Kitchener, and Toronto have been experimenting with such in-service-days with much success, and Bryn Athyn, Kempton, Pittsburgh and Washington are undertaking a similar exciting experiment this fall. Some members of the Educational Council are trying a two-week seminar in Bryn Athyn in the summer of 1981, which also holds great promise.

     These then are some of the positive and affirmative signs that the belief and work in the value of New Church education begun by the General Church so many years ago is not only very much alive, but still filled with delightful challenges, requiring the work of many dedicated and creative minds.

Weaknesses

     Our problems with New Church education are perhaps more familiar to us, since problems have a way of attracting our attention. In brushing over them more quickly, I do not mean to imply they are not real; on the contrary, they deserve our attention and reflection.

     1. There is a danger that we become apathetic about New Church education when we fail to examine the doctrines from which it is drawn. Each generation must confirm itself anew in this vision, and advance the understanding and form of it another step.

     2. New Church education is not a system and structure someone once created, that can be turned on and exist in some robotine manner forever. Its interior life and distinctiveness must constantly be created anew. As is true of all worthwhile things in life, what is not constantly creative becomes stagnant. Hence the need for curricular study and scholarship, and the evident support of the church therein.

     3. The cost of sustaining and operating our schools in difficult economic times is a severe drain on the church's resources.

     4. Teachers' salaries are hardly adequate to the times, although they equal the salaries of some other school systems. This is especially true of those who are heads of households.

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     5. Falling school enrollment in some areas is severe, and raises obvious questions about the future of some of our schools.

     6. More attention needs to be given to the careers of senior teachers. Teacher 'burn out' is a national problem in Canada and U.S.A., especially for middle-aged male teachers. The General Church now employs fifteen or more male teachers-a big change from twenty years ago when there were only a few.

     7. There is a need for still greater communication among schools, and much greater communication among headmasters and head teachers.

     8. There is need for a greater support system for new schools faced with countless developmental problems.

     9. Unusual student problems seem to be on the increase and require special expertise and assistance.

     10. We witness the apparent loss of some of our students from the church, even when they have been through New Church schools. We then, perhaps, begin to think, "is all this effort and expense worth it?"

     The last is a serious problem that has touched all of us. Surely there are no simple answers, the reasons being many and various. While we must make a general judgment as to the effect of our work, let us be extremely careful how we judge the value of our work.
     As to religious life, the work and effect of New Church education cannot be judged, and should not be judged, by the apparent life of the students that pass through our schools. The real point of assessing our strengths and weaknesses is not to determine our purpose. Our purpose is determined from the implication of the doctrines given for the life of the New Church. The fact that we do not always seem to succeed does not negate the purpose, or even the means provided from that purpose. We only examine our apparent strengths and weaknesses to assure that we have the best possible means of supporting our purpose; to assure that what we believe from doctrine to be true will be provided for by the strength of sufficient means.
     Although we have such problems and weaknesses, we have so very much to be thankful for in the existence and life of our schools. There is, in our schools, a pasture filled with innocent states, feeding from the tree of life; innocent states that are a heritage so precious that they surely deserve the protection of wise and able shepherds, and the support and care of an affirmative and dedicated church.

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SECRETARY'S REPORT 1981

SECRETARY'S REPORT STEPHEN PITCAIRN 1981

     GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM CORPORATION REPORTS

SECRETARY'S REPORT

     For the year ending December 31, 1980

     MEMBERSHIP

     During the year 1980 the number of persons comprising the membership of the Corporation increased to 472. The changes in membership consisted of:

     15 New Members:

Crehore, Charles A.           Keal, Ian K.
deMaine, James B.           Lynch, Charles R.
Glenn, David B.               Moss, Dale C.
Grant, Geoffrey L.           Odhner, Dewey
Heldon, Murray F.           Orchard, Basil C. L.
Hill, Richard E.               Schrock, W. Roger M.
Horner, Brian L.               Smith, Philip S. G.
Kahle, M. Rudolf

     10 Deaths of Members:

Campbell, David H.           Lindsay, Samuel S., Jr.
de Charms, Charles           Nelson, Gerald F.
Glenn, Edmund P.           Nelson, Hubert S.
Hasen, John S.               Odhner, Ormond
Lindsay, George E., Jr.      Sellner, Harold E.

     DIRECTORS

     The by-laws of the Corporation provide for election of thirty directors, ten of whom are elected each year for terms of three years. The board presently consists of twenty-nine directors. At the 1980 annual meeting, ten directors were elected for terms expiring in 1983.

     The present directors, with the dates that their terms expire, are as follows:
1981 Asplundh, E. Boyd                1983 Bruser, Henry B., Jr.
1983 Asplundh, Edward K.           1981 Buick, William W.
1982 Asplundh, Robert H.           1982 Childs, Alan D.
1981 Bellinger, Walter H.           1981 Cooper, Geoffrey
1982 Bradin, Robert W.                1981 Cooper, George M.
1983 Brickman, Theodore W., Jr.      1981 Fuller, Kent B.

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1982 Gyllenhaal, Leonard E.           1982 Pitcairn, Garth
1983 Horigan, W. Lee               1983 Pitcairn, Stephen
1982 Hyatt, Wynne S.               1982 Rose, John W.
1983 Junge, James F.               1982 Scott, Ivan R.
1983 King, Louis B.               1981 Simons, S. Brian
1981 Mayer, Paul C. P.                1981 Smith, Gordon B.
1983 Parker, Richard               1982 Synnestvedt, Ralph, Jr.
1983 Pendleton, Kirk P.               1982 Walter, Robert E.
1983 Waters, Philip A.

     Lifetime honorary members of the board:

deCharms, George
Pendleton, Willard D.

     OFFICERS

     The Corporation has five officers, each of whom is elected yearly for a term of one year. Those elected at the board meeting of March 21, 1980 were:

President                         King, Louis B.
Vice President                    Pendleton, Willard D.
Secretary                         Pitcairn, Stephen
Treasurer                         Gyllenhaal, Leonard E.
Controller                     Fuller, Bruce A.

     CORPORATION MEETINGS

     The 1980 annual Corporation meeting was held at Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, on March 21, this being the only Corporation meeting held during the year. The president, Bishop King, presided, and there were 45 members in attendance. Reports were received from the nominating committee, the treasurer, the secretary, and the election for directors was held.
     Mr. David Campbell suggested that membership in the Corporation be opened to women and he recommended that the by-laws be so amended. After discussion, the president was asked to appoint a committee to study the proposed by-law change and report their recommendations at the next annual meeting.

     BOARD MEETINGS

     The board of directors held four meetings during 1980, the president presiding at all of them. The average attendance of directors was 20 with a maximum of 24 and a minimum of 18.

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     The regular board of directors meeting and the organization meeting of the board were held in March, followed later in the year by board meetings in May and October.
     One of the first items of business during the year was the establishment of a missionary fund. Bishop King said that there were many people who had expressed interest in supporting missionary work and would be more affirmative to contributing if a separate missionary fund were established. The missionary fund would also enable planning for the future in the missionary area without being tied to budget adjustments.
     The need for improving the accounting system and reporting ability was emphasized by the treasurer. He said it was necessary to plan for a modern computer system of accounting which would eliminate the present hours of manual work. The firm of Arthur Young and Company was asked to make a proposal to do an in-depth study of the present accounting system and develop and implement a new computer accounting system. This would include improved systems and procedures for financial reports for local societies and circles on a uniform accounting basis. The study was approved and is now in process.
     The maintenance of the buildings and grounds of the Academy, General Church and the Bryn Athyn Church has presented many problems in the past. In order to improve efficiency and quality of work at a reduced cost, a plan to centralize maintenance and operations of all buildings and grounds of the General Church, Bryn Athyn Church and the Academy, including the Cathedral, Cairncrest and Glencairn, was developed by the Academy. Mr. Kent Hyatt accepted the position of Director of Centralized Maintenance under the Academy on June 1, 1980. The General Church will contract with the centralized maintenance organization for maintenance of all grounds and maintenance and operation of all buildings.
     During the year the trustees of the Bryn Athyn Church determined that if they continued to participate in the Bryn Athyn Church Home (BACH), other uses of more importance might be harmed. The board of directors approved a financial plan whereby the General Church would acquire BACH from the Bryn Athyn Church society and change the name to Cairnwood Village, Inc. Cairnwood Village is located on the Academy campus and the General Church will enter into a long-term lease arrangement with the Academy. The directors of Cairnwood Village, Inc., will be appointed by the Finance and Development Committee of the General Church and report to that committee.

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Construction of the home started in late fall and occupancy is expected in November, 1981.
     The Finance and Development Committee continued to be very active considering both on-going and new developments. Mr. Gyllenhaal and other committee members reported the following activities to the board of directors.

     1.      The dedication of the new church building in Atlanta. The financing for the building was made possible through a $200,000 loan from the Development Fund.
     2.      In Americus, Georgia, the Finance Committee arranged to take over a $32,000 mortgage on their church complex.
     3.      In the South Ohio circle an addition to the church building for eventual use as a school was commenced. The project involved an expenditure of $165,000. The circle will fund $65,000 and the Development Fund will grant a $100,000 loan.
     4.      A loan of $200,000 was completed to the Detroit society under the long-range plan for their church development.
     5.      A loan was granted to the Los Angeles society in the amount of $8,000 to replace the roof on the church building.
     6.      An offer of a donation of seven acres of property in Ft. Myers, Florida, from Egmont Vrooman was accepted with appreciation.

     Mr. Robert Bradin, a director from the Detroit society, gave an interesting slide presentation showing the progress of the Detroit society development and the Almont New Church Assembly.
     The board meeting held in October was a joint meeting with the directors from the Academy scheduled to hear the report of the Joint Pension Planning Committee made by the chairman, George Woodard. The report covered revised pension and medical plans, including the proposed employee benefits. The firm of Towers, Perrin, Forster and Crosby was retained to provide actuarial evaluation of the pension plans and recommend appropriate improvements. The committee's recommendations were approved and Mr. Woodard and his committee were commended on the excellent presentation representing many hours of diligent work.
     Mr. Theodore Brickman reported as chairman of the Salary Committee, on the proceedings of the treasurers' meeting held in Glenview in March. The recommended salary increases for the teachers' and ministers' minimum salary plans were approved. Earlier in the year, the board approved a special lump sum payment made in December, 1979. This payment was made possible by an improvement in contributions over the budget and a special one-time increase in the payout of the New Church Investment Fund.

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     The 1980 budget and two revisions were approved during the year. In his budget comments, Mr. Gyllenhaal said that he was gratified to report that five societies with schools, one circle with a school, two societies without schools, and five districts were now self-supporting.
     Many other smaller financial matters were discussed during the year with the necessary action being taken.
     Respectfully submitted,
          STEPHEN PITCAIRN,
               Secretary
TREASURER'S REPORT 1981

TREASURER'S REPORT L. E. Gyllenhaal 1981

     We are pleased to report that 1980 was another successful year financially for the General Church.
     A review of the balance sheet shows an increase in assets for the year of $1,384,898. The largest part of this growth came from gifts to capital, including the following:

Glencairn Foundation                $ 200,000
Cairncrest Foundation                160,000
Pitcairn Families                         250,800
Estate of Nathan Pitcairn               376,400
William Penn Foundation               10,000
                              $997,200

     A total of $322,640 of the above amount was designated for construction of the Cairnwood Village Retirement Home which is being financed through the General Church Development Fund.
     Operating revenues increased by $55,117, or 5.3%, last year to over one million dollars for the first time: 62% of this came from investments while contributions of $354,452 accounted for 34% of the total. Actually there was a disappointing drop of 138 fewer donors in 1980, but fortunately the remaining 593 who contributed surpassed last year's record by $1,264, according to the following pattern:

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                         1980                1979
Category               No.      Amount      No.      Amount
$1-$99                351      $8,688      475     $11,645
$100-$499                159      26,990      171     29,621
$500-$999                24      15,645      19     11,407
Total                534      51,323      665     52,673
$1,000-$4,999           42      93,200      47     97,587
$5,000 and over           17      167,982      19     160,981
Gorand Total           593      $312,505      731     $311,241

     Operating expenditures were substantially lower than anticipated, increasing by only $44,399, or 5%, over the previous year. The principal factor in this improvement was increased support on the local level. In spite of the 10% increase in salary costs, last year fourteen societies and circles were fully self-supporting, and General Church assistance required the expenditure of only $248,453 which was a new low of only 26% of the budget, compared to nearly 50% just a few years ago.
     As a result it was possible to transfer $60,000 to the Development Fund as planned, $35,000 to Pastoral Moving Reserve, (which is necessary for the extensive moving that is anticipated in 1981), leaving $25,654 for other important uses.
     Once again the General Church Development Fund played a significant role in last year's accomplishments. Through contributions, investment income, and General Fund transfers, the Fund received revenues of over $354,000. During the same period, loans of over $684,000 were made to Atlanta, Detroit, Glenview, and Americus, Georgia, and grants of over $55,000 were made in Canada. As mentioned above the Fund also processed substantial sums of money for Cairnwood Village.
     Finally, in conclusion, may we take this opportunity to thank all of the many people who make it possible for the General Church to successfully perform its many uses.
     L. E. Gyllenhaal,
          Treasurer
     Bruce Fuller,
          Controller

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     GENERAL CHURCH CORPORATION

     Balance Sheet

     December 31, 1980 and 1979

Assets                         Expendable      Nonexpendable      Total
                         Funds           Funds           1980           1979

     Cash                $731.515      $78,910      $810,425      $648,676
Accounts receivable          256,709     -          256,709      98,667
Inventory                     70,951      -           70,951      60,765
Prepaid expenses               9,844          -           9,844          13,165
Loans to societies and employees 806,341     -          806,341      518,335
Investments                    4,063,212      8,378,127      12,441,339      11,713,221
Land, buildings, and equipment,
     net of accumulated
     depreciation               192,849     -          192,849      150,731
Other assets               2,563      -           2,563      2,563
Total assets               $6,133,984      $8,457,037      $14,591,021     $3,206,123

Liabilities and fund balances

Accounts payable           $71,600      $ -           $71,600      $57,410
Agency funds               100,488      -           100,488      78,415
Total liabilities               $172,088      $ -           $172,088      $135,825

     Fund balances:
Unrestricted-
available for current operations      1,014,828      -      1,014,828      954,897
Restricted-
available for current operations      205,229     -     205,229      149,464
Restricted
designated for specific purposes      4,741,839      -      4,741,839      3,789,540
Endowment                              -           8,457,037      8,457,037      8,176,397
Total fund balances                    5,961,896      8,457,037      14,418 933      13,070,298
Total fund balances and liabilities $6,133,984      $8,457,037      $14,591,021      $13,206,123

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     GENERAL CHURCH CORPORATION

     Statement of General Fund Revenues, Expenditures, and Other Changes

     Years ended December 31, 1980 and 1979

Revenues                          1980                     1979
Gifts and Grants
Regular                     $312,505                $311,241
Special                     41,947     $354,452      37,573      $348,814
Investment Income                         639,385                    584,268
Printing and Publishing                9,592                    10,226
Other Income                         27,124                    35,299
Total Revenues                         $1,030,553           $978,607

Expenditures
Pastoral and Educational Services
Salary Support                $209,138                $202,251
Travel and Office           39,315                    38,517
South African Mission           38,345      $286,798      47,311      $288,079

Facilities                              65,912                    53,616

Services and Information
New Church Life                41,378                    31,752
Printing and Publishing      30,413                    29,982
Moving                    10,222                    29,821
Travel to Meetings           28,957               9,983
Translation                39,389                    42,771
Miscellaneous                17,597      167,956      16,886      161,195

Administration
Episcopal Office                66,468                    58,989
Secretary's Office           16,761                    15,573
Financial and Corporate Affairs 77,441      160,670      66,093      140,655

Employee Benefits
Pension Plan                62,131                    55,518
Health Plan                56,371                    46,497
Investment Savings           47,681                    43,191
Social Security                22,374                    21,512
Deferred Compensation           6,989                    11,421
Workmen's Compensation      6,291      201,837      3,102      181,241

Church Extension                         46,739                    45,039
Other Expenditures                    7,704                    23,392

     Total Expenditures                    $937,616                $893,217

Transfers (to) Development Fund               $(60,000)                $(60,000)
Transfer from Clergy Travel Fund          18,717               9,983
Transfer (to) from Reserve for Moving     (35,000)                (10,000)
Transfer (to) Other Fund               (12,000)               (24,000)
Net Increase from Operations               $4,654                $1,373

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HOUSE OF GOD 1981

HOUSE OF GOD RICHARD LINQUIST 1981

     Have you noticed the spiritual quality of our cathedral's Gothic tower? Though made of granite and limestone there is something supranatural about it. It's as if a heavenly message is delivered to us through this sermon in stone. Maybe we can hear it if we stand, in silence, at the bottom of the hill below the cathedral. As heaven seems to open, revealing its glory and joy at the birth of a child, so, now, we witness the miracle of new life. Somehow sunlight softens and yet sharply defines grey stone against an intense blue sky. Surely we have never seen the cathedral in this mood before and we may wonder if we are in heaven or on earth. Shining in the beauty of innocence atop a gentle hill, the vision simply makes us feel good inside. We may even sense the presence of an angelic choir. Maybe its happy harmonies arise from affection for the words written in stone around the central tower: "To Jesus Christ be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Behold He cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see Him. He is Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. Who is and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty" (Rev. 1:6-8).
     Works of art contain the power to touch our souls, and religious art contacts those affections we have for the Lord. Do we feel the presence of His Love in the softness of sunlit stone and His Wisdom in its hardness? Further, we may even see His Divine Human working the miracle of conjugial love in the stone image of the tower. See its obvious but illusive beauty, like a wife rising toward heaven. Indeed, she is unseen by natural eyes, but can we feel her spirit move through the stone and break free of gravity's pull in the upward and outward flowing pinnacles? How noble they are above the earth, like a wife smiling just beyond the grasp of intellectual definition by her husband. Yet he would understand her love, and as he reaches with stony strength for her ascending beauty, he is formed into a loving husband by the gentle influence of her affections. Thus the sides of the tower narrow as they rise, and, as it were, lose the cold ways and weight of truth unsoftened by the warm hand of feminine love.
     Stone, we know, corresponds to truth, yet neither is seen without light. Invisible natural light reveals stone and heaven's light shines on our minds as we read the Word, revealing its correspondence to truth. The cathedral's tower then reminds us not so much of stone as it does of truth and light.

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And it seems to this layman that light is the playground of conjugial love. ". . . for men were created to receive from the Lord, light, that is, wisdom, and women were created to receive from the Lord, heat, that is, the love of the wisdom of the man" (CL 137). I see them innocently sharing joys there in the tower. It is a rare sight. For unlike its architectural ancestors, the aged "Notre Dames" of Europe, here, in Bryn Athyn, we feel close to youth, to the eternal spring of conjugial love.
     This is a true house of God and in more than one sense. "Mention is made of the 'house of God' in many passages of the Word, and in the external sense, or according to the letter, it signifies a consecrated building where there is holy worship; but in the internal sense it signifies the church; and in a more universal sense, heaven; and in the most universal sense, the Lord's universal kingdom; in the highest sense, however, it signifies the Lord Himself as to the Divine Human" (AC 3720).
     Perhaps we can find Him on these various levels as we continue this study. To understand our only cathedral and its architecture, especially as it could be developed in New Church homes and churches, we would lift our eyes to heaven. For heaven is its birthplace. "Such is the architecture of heaven that you would say that there the art is in its very essence, and no wonder, because the art itself is from heaven" (HH 185). Also: "Here, therefore, is architecture in its perfection, from which are derived all the rules of that art in the world" (TCR 740).
     Was our cathedral born in the new heaven? A knowledge of correspondences and an association with influx from that heaven may have influenced the architect's mind as he made his decisions. Raymond Pitcairn's sensitivity to color and line may have had such an origin. For there is something here in this arrangement of stone, wood, metal and glass that appears discretely different from the buildings of the former churches.
     Its happy sphere seems to breathe from a new love of the Lord as it inspires peace and hope into the weary and confused minds of many visitors from those former churches. While serving as the cathedral curator for the past fifteen years, I have been very close to its sphere as it produces a varied affectional tone of reaction in the mind of each visitor. I have tried to conduct their feelings about this great work of art toward a respect for its use as His house of worship. Eight hundred tours have been given to educational, cultural and religious groups, plus thousands of more informal tours. Now, however, if you are interested, I would like to give a very special tour, just to New Church people.

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Let's begin by taking an imaginary stroll on a smooth granite path surrounded by a sea of seeds sending green life towards the sun. Here on the east side the sun outlines marks on that rough stone. Hebrew letters are formed there for the last words of this sentence from Psalm 118: "The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner." What have others rejected that has become the cornerstone of church and minds? We can find the answer in this statement: "Since every truth of doctrine derived from the Word is founded upon the acknowledgment of the Lord, therefore the Lord is called 'the stone of Israel' (Gen. xlix:24); also 'the cornerstone which the builders rejected' (Matt. xxi: 42 . . . .)" (AR 915). Acknowledging the Lord as He has now revealed Himself gives us the opportunity to see His creation, including the natural elements in His house of worship, in a new light. Let us step back in awe and become aware of the obvious . . . His house is made of stone. What mental pictures are formed when we think of stone? We may recall a memory of Moses descending from a mountain with the tables of stone. ". . .the tables of stone, on which were written the commands of the Law, or the Ten Words, signified holy truths; and therefore they were of stone. . .for the commands themselves are nothing but truths of faith" (AC 1298). And are not the truths of our faith the heavenly senses within those commandments which are preached within this stone building? Just as we hear a man's spoken words and consider their meaning, now we can view this architectural image of the Man's Word and think of its inner meanings. In the Arcana Coelestia 3720 it is revealed that Swedenborg had the experience of seeing things this way. In the other life, ". . . . when a wooden house was seen, there was instantly presented an idea of good; but when a house of stone was seen, there was presented an idea of truth. . ."
But here on earth we are now standing on the east lawn in front of the choir hall group. A modest tower, rising curves of roof lines and gentle bends of walls present an image of peaceful humility. Like the sight of a woman's hands folded together after a busy day, we sense love at rest but not asleep. It is time to reflect on the day of our life. Do we hear someone humming and a few words. . ."mmmm. .mmm 'the Prince of Peace' mmmm. . ."? And what are those sounds? Yes, that's it, those are the clear voices of old friends, no longer in this world, who are preparing for a service of worship. Other sounds are the cheerful notes of two hundred wine glasses clinking in affection for the promise of conjugial love in the misty eyes of a new wife and her husband. Could it really be that these memories are awakened into life by our merely looking at curving lines of granite?

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     "The signification of foursquare, as denoting that which is just, originates in the representatives in the other life; goods there are exhibited as round, and the goods of the external man, which are called just, are exhibited as foursquare, but things true and correct are exhibited there as linear and triangular" (AC 9717). In the heavenly home of our earth's architecture, goods are exhibited as round and truths as triangular and linear. The bending lines of the choir hall section remind us of goods and truths, which at the moment are pleasant affections for past experiences.
     Let us walk to the center of the east patio's lawn and contemplate the shapes of the three towers before us. Each area is a blend of bending lines, that is, a marriage of good and truth reflecting His Love and Wisdom. To the right, the simplicity of the choir area seems to represent Him as He dwells in the minds of those in the natural heaven where the love of humble obedience rules. To the left, the bold, angular lines of the Romanesque style are gentled by Gothic curves as the Ezekiel tower presents an image of those affections for truth which reign in the spiritual heaven. Directly in front of us, the majestic central tower surely represents the celestial heaven.
     Yet to receive the inner message of this religious art it is best to enjoy its smaller beauties, just as one might read the words of this article, which one stage at a time reveal deeper realities to see and feel. So let us descend from the heights of speculative thought, descend a few steps and enjoy the maidenly smiles of dewy-faced tulips and innocent white lilies. Affections for truth seem present before us in variation of white, pink, red, and yellow colors. Over there, framed by the Gothic arch below the Ezekiel tower, we see the wild cherry tree set against the mists of mid-morning. The conjugial love tree it was called in past years when two stems seemed to join like the dreams of a bachelor and young lady. Do you remember that sight?
     Before we slip through that arch we might look up to the left. Just below the roof line is a row of faces cut in stone, which represent various racial types within the Lord's universal kingdom. They remind us that in the Word, in the most universal sense, the "house of God" represents His universal kingdom.
     Now as we emerge from the arch below the Ezekiel tower, to the right we observe various spiral patterns of the rail leading to the bishop's vestry. Another rail of shadow on granite lies just behind it, prompting us to think of the shadows of use which the Lord via the sun of heaven casts on others through us.

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[4 pages of photos of the Bryn Athyn Cathedral]

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Our use to our associates, i. e. the effect that a New Churchman has on them, is beyond the understanding of the unreflective. But whether simple or wise we all might consider what posture to assume which best allows heaven's light to define our place in His human creation. Perhaps just getting up off our hands and knees of historical faith and standing erect as unique individuals in His church is the best way to serve Him. Let the shadows fall where He wills.
Moving on, we ascend six steps to the seventh level which is the south terrace. Before us the golden bronze of the south door invites us to enter. Its warm metal on our hand gives us the impression that someone has shaken our hand in welcome. We start to go inside but hesitate and glance back at the Ezekiel tower. Reaching for the sun like a muscular, adolescent arm, its power is not hidden. Commitment to truth pours forth from sturdy base to stone roof. Its strong Romanesque style almost persuades an observer that its symbolic aura of commitment to the weighty power of truth is not affectional. Yet, there in the sunlight, it seems as refined, graceful and as full of love as the central tower. Gothic arches soften its severity. A half circle around a stained glass window brings thoughts of love, just as it might if this tower were seen in heaven. Yet we could be tempted to see failure to mature, as it stands, without pinnacles, below the celestial central tower. To have less than admiration for its form and less than adoration for its symbolism, however, is for the observer to fail. There is architectural genius at work here as well as symbolic power, as, in its own way, this tower transcends the pull of gravity and hell. Seen from our position by the south door, its triangular top, symbolic of what is true, has sides which seem to rise and pull themselves up, like pinnacles, beyond the earth's grasp. This surprising slope speaks of freedom, the freedom to love. So in the center of the triangle we find the perfection of a circular opening which enhances our concept of love.

As a tower is like a king over its environs so we may see here the dominion of love such as it exists in the spiritual heaven. Stone carvings of creatures envisioned by Ezekiel with wings and faces of man, lion, ox and eagle adorn the crown of this tower. Their meaning appears to this layman to be revealed in a general statement regarding visions by John as well as Ezekiel. Apocalypse Explained 278 states: "By the lion was represented the power of Divine truth; by the calf, the Divine good as to protection; by the man, the Divine wisdom; and by the eagle, the Divine intelligence. These four are included in the Divine providence of the Lord as to the guardianship of the higher heavens, that they may not be approached except by the good of love and charity."

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     Thoughts of love descend earthward as we again become aware of heat on our hand as we touch the warm bronze of the south door. All metals have a "natural sphere" (CL 171) and the copper element in this metal corresponds to the natural good such as it exists in the lowest heaven (TCR 609). We know that wood corresponds to good (AE 1145) and, as we enter the church, the grainy appearance of rows of oak pews may give us a feeling for sensual good (Ibid.). "Since wood signifies good, therefore also, among most ancient peoples, who were in the good of love, temples were constructed of wood, which were not called temples, but houses of God. . . ." (Ibid.). Here in Bryn Athyn we find a happy marriage of wood floors, ceilings, pews and stone walls, floors and columns reminding us of good and truth, i. e. His Love and Wisdom . . . His Divine Human.
     Let us see if we can get closer to Him as we walk to the west end or back of the church. The smooth, unmarked, natural surface of the aisle floor attracts our attention, and now raising our head and eyes, we look eastward, and instantly ascend from earth to heaven. In the distance, before us, is an open display of the cathedral's spirituality. Hallowed in a delicate blue color, the sanctuary, the holy of holies, presents the Word, atop a golden altar, to our view. We may recall John's experience: "And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks one like unto the Son of man. . ."(Rev. 1:12, 13). There, in the distance, the Word, representing the Son of Man, surrounded by the candlesticks, presents a scene which is framed by a Gothic arch. Widening as it rises, it causes us to sense that lines of truth are gently led away from rigidity by the attractive curve of good. Together they ascend to a point where the sides of the arch, seeking union, bend toward each other. They meet at the top point of the arch, like two hands in prayer with the tips of the fingers touching. A celestial blue colors the sanctuary as wave lengths of mostly red and blue filter through stained glass. Above glass images of the twelve apostles is a facial image of the Lord looking directly at us.
     What a miracle it is that rays of light coming through a hardened mixture of sand, metallic oxides and other materials of the earth can awaken our affections. For to experience the sanctuary is to stop thinking and simply feel; it is to let the hand of love touch us through non-human agency. Surely this is one more example of His omnipresence as even the natural fire of the sun, sending light through colored glass, is able to attract the spiritual fires of His Love within us. Indeed, the very color of fire, seen in red glass, bears witness to the love between the Creator and His human creation.

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"The reason why red signifies the good of life, is because all good is of love and love itself is celestial and spiritual fire. . ." (AC 3300). A person gets rather close to this fiery core of life when looking at the sanctuary.
We may even feel lifted up into heaven itself, the birthplace of architecture. His Heat and Light is received differently by the unique form of each mind there, a fact which is seen in variations of color. ". . .for all colors which appear in heaven are modifications of heavenly light and flame. . .For heavenly light is real, and in itself it is Divine Truth which proceeds from the Divine Good of the Lord; wherefore the modifications of this light and flame are variegations of truth and good, thus of intelligence and wisdom" (AC 9467). To the extent that colors in heaven derive from red they relate to the good of love and in the degree that they derive from white they relate to the truth of faith (Ibid.). Thus the heat of love and light of faith in our minds may similarly find mirrors of themselves in the variety of colors in the sanctuary. Its striated ruby seems to tell of His Love and Wisdom together, dwelling in regenerating minds. Delightful variations of hues seem to show red heat of love, lightened, here and there, by what we might define as the white light of truth. Also the bluish halo around the Word in the sanctuary seems to promise what can be in us, i. e., the celestial love of truth. "This good prevails in the inmost heaven, and in the middle or second heaven it presents a crimson and a bluish purple color; good itself presents a crimson and the truth which flows from it a bluish purple color" (AC 9466).
Many of you may remember standing here at the west end of the central aisle on your wedding day. The curator probably stood by you as he does now on this imaginary tour. One could almost see angels from the New Church heaven smiling in the eyes of the bride and groom. A borrowed state of conjugial love seemed to attend the scene with handmaidens of hope, peace and joy. As it did then so it does now; the path of life, the rising floor of rebirth lies before us. Let us walk up it toward the Lord, in His sanctuary. Ascending its twelve inch slope to the first step of the outer chancel, we symbolically progress from infancy to the first stage of spiritual maturity. Before us are three steps representing stages of entrance into the natural heaven within our minds. Repentance from life's evil habits, reformation of thoughts and regeneration of affections elevate us onto the outer chancel of the natural heaven. Ahead are three more steps to awaken us into the spiritual heaven. Beyond are three steps of birth into the celestial heaven, above which is the Lord, as the Word on the golden altar.

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There He is, seeing all and providing for every step of our long journey. Such love is almost beyond our comprehension yet we reach up for understanding and think of the stone eagles, unseen above, on each corner of the tower. Their keen vision would see in all directions and remind us that He is omnipresent for the purpose of providing for all our needs. And we, on this special tour of His house, turn in humility toward the west window. The history of man's relationship to Him as well as our personal history can be seen there. Five churches, represented by Adam, Noah, Aaron, John and the woman clothed with the sun, there picture our own potential progress from the external innocence of infancy to the internal innocence of wisdom. The heads of four of the figures ark turned by historical failure and our personal preparation for true humility. Some of us may see the woman with her purity of natural, spiritual and celestial affections for truth which cause her to face straight ahead. The Lord, within His New Church, stands innocent before us.
We may feel drawn away from things of time and space and closing our eyes halfway, the figures on the west window fade. Only sparkling colors remain of blue, green, white, red and gold which bring a flow of affections for goods and truths into our minds. This religious art is successful in its use. And we turn to kneel at the communion rail. With eyes now closed to this world, in humility, we think of the sun behind the stained glass and the sun behind our minds. Heat and light, Divine Love radiating Divine Wisdom . . . that is what everything is about. No more clouds . . . the message of this sermon in stone is clear and simple. He loves us.
CATHEDRAL AND THE PUBLIC 1981

CATHEDRAL AND THE PUBLIC LEON S. RHODES 1981

The extraordinary beauty of the Cathedral has attracted thousands of visitors over the years. The remarkable story of its construction and the many unique features have powerfully affected both students and casual tourists. The Bryn Athyn Epsilon Society has been taking advantage of this renowned attraction as a means of introducing visitors to the even more striking beauty of the truths which inspired this house of worship.

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     In a careful program, a devoted team of dedicated volunteers has welcomed many thousands of visitors over the past five years-sometimes in busloads or large touring groups; at other times an individual or couple enchanted by the meanings of stained glass windows, carvings and symbols.
     Although there are specific instances in which the Cathedral as an attraction has introduced people who thereafter joined the church, it would be impossible to say that this program of guided tours is a productive missionary effort. Yet the men and women who welcome visitors from April to November on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays are aware of a subtle but real work of creating a strong impression which may bear fruit in important ways.
     Frequently visitors are curious or enthused enough to buy books of the Writings or other church literature, as well as to take postcards and pamphlets which introduce them to the New Church as a distinctive New Christianity. A small "Welcome" pamphlet with introductory ideas and an address or telephone numbers is placed in a box near the north entrance, and more than fifteen thousand have been taken by visitors who came when the building was not open for inspection. Its value may be represented in the fact that thus far there seems to have been only one single copy which was discarded on the grounds!
     The Epsilon members have added programs of various kinds, including the celebration of the Helen Keller centenary, special evening services for newcomers and at least one regular Sunday morning service widely advertised in the surrounding communities, in handouts and radio broadcasts. They hold a monthly social gathering, "Second Sunday" after the morning service to greet and serve light refreshments to friends and visitors.
     Numerous organizations have learned of programs offered by the New Word Speakers Bureau-lectures and slide shows for clubs, schools, and retirement homes at which the teachings of the church are blended with presentation of its architectural features.
     As a result of such work, there are certainly tens of thousands of people who listen attentively and with appreciation when they hear of the Swedenborgians or of Bryn Athyn. The truths of the New Church find receptive minds today as the result of these past and continuing efforts.
     LEON S. RHODES
MAN IS A TEMPLE 1981

MAN IS A TEMPLE 1981

"Man is a temple of God . . . As a temple of God man's end, intention and purpose are salvation and eternal life" (TCR 374).

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KEYS OF THE KINGDOM 1981

KEYS OF THE KINGDOM Rev. CLAYTON PRIESTNAL 1981

     The hymns and prayers of men, the learned works of theologians and the warning words of divines are all concerned with man's becoming an angel. The grandeur of the cathedral, the simple beauty of the wayside chapel are as nothing unless from the inspiration of their symmetry and the use made of their sanctuaries man is led onward and upward toward that state which is variously called the celestial life, the kingdom of God, the mansions of heaven. There is hardly a need to stress the importance of the subject of angelhood, or to arouse an interest in it, for man is only too aware of the fact that his span of life on earth is fleeting and uncertain. And all during his rapidly passing allotment of years there is a growing hope in the truth of the scriptural message of life eternal. Man hopes that somehow, somewhere, he will find the key to the kingdom. This innate longing is expressed by the great English poet, John Milton:

     Yet some there be that by due steps aspire
     To lay their Just hands on that golden key
     That opes the palace of eternity. . .

     The questing soul may be assured there is a key to open the portals of eternity and the Lord has made it available to all. "The key" has long since passed into everyday language as a symbol of knowledge, of truth. One speaks of the key to success, the key to the mystery, the key to a mathematical problem, the key to human behavior, the key to a person's heart, etc. In each instance this is a figurative way of signifying knowledge of some kind. The Lord put this question to Peter, "Whom do men say that I am?" It was upon the truth of the disciple's reply that the Christian church was to be built: "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." The knowledge of the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ is indeed the key to the true Christian faith. Thus Peter was symbolically given the keys to the kingdom.
     Spiritual truth drawn from the Sacred Scripture is the golden key which opens wide the gates of the heavenly life. Just as the discovery and understanding of cosmic laws are opening up the endless expanse of the stratosphere to man's exploration, so the divine laws of the Scripture give man vast realms of the spirit to explore and to conquer. The space scientist of today spends arduous hours of study to master the intricate composition of matter and the atmospheres; his eye peers through a powerful telescope focused on some remote orb pursuing its silent and predestined course across the heavens; the chemist in this laboratory analyzes both living specimens and inorganic matter to unlock the secrets of natural laws.

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And were it not for the selfless dedication of these servants of science through the ages, the world would still be in the darkness of ignorance and blindly led by superstition. Truth is the lodestar of the scholar and the scientist and it must be the guiding light of the spiritual wayfarer.
It should be a matter of deep concern that so many people recognize and willingly accept the disciplines of the natural world but remain quite indifferent, even antagonistic, to the training needed in the areas of spiritual development. No man would venture into atomic research without long preparatory study; but for some illogical reason the same man feels that he can function adequately and effectively as a spiritual being without a knowledge of the laws governing the activities of the soul. The fact is that in all degrees of life, both the natural and spiritual, one must know before he can do. The key to the kingdom the Lord gives to all. Knowledge of truth is available to every man; even the wicked can read the Scripture and lift his mind up into the light of heavenly truth. There is no withholding of the means of salvation from the evildoer: "He maketh His sun to shine on the good and on the evil: and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust." But the difference between an angel and a denizen of hell does not lie in the amount of knowledge each possesses but the use he has made of it. The memory can be filled with knowledge about God, His providence and His kingdom, yet the possession of such information alone does not make man repentant and changed. "If thou wouldest enter into life, keep the Commandments."
Theologians can talk to doomsday with all of the eloquence at their command about man's being saved by a sovereign act of God, by freely-given grace, apart from man's response to heavenly influx, but if this were so, all would receive salvation. Our Heavenly Father's desire is that each and every person shall become an angel. "It is not the will of your Father which is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish." These words from the Gospel carry with them a moving and profound truth. Although God is omnipotent and rules over all things, it is unthinkable that He would intrude within the bounds of man's free will. The Lord uses all the persuasion possible for a Being of infinite love, but under no circumstance does He require a person to accept the blessedness of angelhood against his will.

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     The very heart of the lesson of the Lord's giving the keys of the kingdom is found in the words "whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. " This is the formula by which man is transformed from an unregenerate being into a glorious angel.
     It should be clear to the student of the Scripture that by "earth" is meant the natural mind with its unregenerate states, and by "heaven" is signified the spiritual degrees of the mind, that part of man which is open and receptive to the heavenly life. Through the door of the natural mind worldly allurements and sensual pleasures enter in to corrupt the soul. When this outer gate is closed, when through temptation and triumph these spiritually corroding influences are turned away and not permitted to enter, then man can use the key to open the portals of heaven. The person who observes closely the development of the spiritual life, both in himself and in others, will see that as the outer door is closed upon the evils of the world, the inner door of heaven is opened from above.
     The key to the kingdom is given to man both to bind and to loose. This is a very graphic way of describing a most important act in that wonderful spiritual transformation which turns a wilful, self-centered man into an angel. To bind on earth is to subdue and permanently constrain the evil passions of the natural, unregenerate mind. This is done by bringing them under the rule and authority of divine truth. Until selfish desires are subjugated, they control the spirit and keep all good purposes and desires helplessly imprisoned. To loose on earth is to set free these suppressed heavenly thoughts and affections and give them the freedom to serve mankind and the Lord's kingdom.
     The sole purpose of this earthly life is to bind and to loose. No man can enter into the joys and blessedness of angelhood unless he has developed within himself the capacity to resist evil and becomes willing to serve his fellow man with love in his heart. The Scriptural verse just quoted declares that all of the self-centered impulses a person has overcome and bound with unbreakable chains will be forever bound in heaven. "Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven." And all those qualities of love, mercy and justice which man sets free here on earth shall also be free in heaven. "Whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

     To bind and to loose was the very thing which the Lord accomplished while He was in the world. He assumed a humanity of flesh and blood and a mind in which dwelt all of man's inherited tendencies toward evil and falsity, so that He could "bind and loose" for all time and thus effect the redemption of the human race.

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Even with the Lord this was a work which could only be done on the plane of ultimates, the earthly life. Spiritual reformation has permanence and perfection only insofar as it is achieved in all degrees of the spirit, from the lowest to the highest. The Lord accomplished this completely and thus it is said that He alone has the key of hell and of death; He it is that opens and who shuts "and no man can open." (See Rev. 3:7)
The key to heaven is placed in the hand of all men for the Lord has made available the laws of the spiritual life for mankind to study and to practice in daily living. If one is looking for a door to life eternal which can be opened without a key, he is doomed to search in vain. Man does not undergo that necessary metamorphosis which distinguishes the angelic life from that of the hells in some sudden, miraculous way. One of the dearest and most insistent doctrines of the New Church is that there is no salvation by divine mercy apart from means. A man cannot wish himself into the gardens and palaces of heaven; he should not expect the Giver of Life to bestow unearned blessings on him if he has knowingly allowed opportunities for spiritual growth to pass by.
The importance of spiritual knowledge as the means of opening up the door to the mansions of heaven is emphasized by the Lord in His reproof of the lawyers. The occasion is recorded in the 12th chapter of the gospel according to Luke. The lawyers, the interpreters of Jewish law, were for the most part Pharisees. To them the Lord uttered this denunciation, "Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in, ye hindered." Is this not a warning to all to be doubly careful not to destroy the affection of truth in others, not to discourage or to hinder them in their search for and exploration of spiritual knowledge? For by so doing one takes from them the key to the kingdom which was solemnly placed in their hands by their Heavenly Father.
MAN IS LIKE A TEMPLE 1981

MAN IS LIKE A TEMPLE 1981

"Every man on his part ought to draw near to God; and as far as man does draw near, God on His part enters into him. It is the same as with a temple, which first must be built, and this is done by the hands of men; afterwards it must be dedicated; and finally prayer must be made for God to be present and there unite Himself with the church" (TCR 126).

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IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES 1981

     The January-March issue of New-Church Magazine is particularly interesting. Mr. Gordon Jacobs outlines some plans for preparing a comprehensive index to several New Church periodicals. He is undertaking this in sensible steps. Says he, "In the 1961 to 1980 General and Doctrinal index, I hope to cover all issues during that period of New-Church Magazine, The New-Church Herald, Lifeline, The New-Church Messenger, New Church Life, Studia Swedenborgiana plus possibly New Philosophy" (p. 27).
     The issue features a sermon on the story of Samson by Bishop Louis B. King (p. 1). It includes also an unusual and interesting address by Dr. Peter Gardiner to the Swedenborg Society entitled "Seeing." This man who has studied disorders of eyesight for forty years gives some engaging observations. For example:
     "I first realized how untranslatable the experience of sight is when a blind boy of five asked me if he could have some sight. He was disappointed but completely satisfied when I told him that I had not brought any with me-as if sight were a package which some people had given to them, and others not" (p. 22).
     When you see an article by Rev. Brian Kingslake you must be prepared not to be bored. His title is "The Church Is People." He starts by reminding us that the "Church" is not a building. We say we "go to Church" and "come home from Church" as if the Church were in a certain spot rather than within the lives of men and women.
     In one paragraph he says: "I was speaking recently with a New-Church lady, active in her society, and asked her whether she personally received help in her spiritual problems from attending Church services. She seemed quite surprised by my question, and declared that she had no problems! I asked her why, then, did she attend Church? She said it was to worship the Lord, and to hear 'interesting explanations of difficult passages in the Word.' She added as an after-thought that it was to meet her New-Church friends. Her idea seemed to be that all New-Church people were automatically good, kind, and respectable folk, whereas you never knew where you were with outsiders! I thought of the Pharisee and the publican in our Lord's parable. Actually, when I got to know this lady better, I found she was seething with problems. She and her husband were no longer on speaking terms, and she was having trouble with her children; she was consumed with resentment against people and situations; she was snobbish and jealous, tied up in her own dignity and self-importance, anti-negro, anti-hippies, anti-Jews, anti-Roman Catholic-anti-everybody outside her own little circle.

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To her, the New Church was a haven of respectability where everything unpleasant could be pushed under the mat. 'New-Church members commit no sins and have no problems'"(p. 8).
     Later he says, "it will be seen from what I have been saying that the conventional Sunday worship service is a comparatively unimportant element in the normal activities of the Church. It has value, of course, in so far as it brings us into a loving relationship with our Creator and Saviour, and includes the administration of the Sacraments; but it is harmful if it provides for the self-righteous Phariseeism of the 'Church-going man,' giving him an entirely false sense of satisfaction.
     "How about Doctrinal Classes? These are valuable in so far as they give us the instruments of regeneration and spiritual growth, but harmful if they foster a sense of pride in our superior understanding of the Scriptures, and the idea that we can be saved by Doctrine Alone-which, of course, is a form of Salvation by Faith Alone, the great killer of Churches."
     A thoughtful article by Rev. Alan Gorange on Women's Liberation rounds out a particularly pleasing issue of our British contemporary.
IN ONE EAR AND OUT THE OTHER 1981

IN ONE EAR AND OUT THE OTHER 1981

Before self-examination "what the preacher says is a mere sound going in at the left ear and out the right." But afterwards it is "received by both ears, is communicated to the heart, and from a pagan the person becomes a Christian" (TCR 525).
REVIEW 1981

REVIEW LISA HYATT 1981

A Lexicon to the Latin Text of the Theological Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1771), edited by John Chadwick, published by the Swedenborg Society, London, 1975-[Unfinished].

This review is by way of announcement of the appearance of Part III D-Futurus (1978) and Part IV G-Korus (1980).

[A provisional list of addenda for the first four parts has been drawn up. Copies of this are available, but a full supplement will be published when the lexicon is completed].

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For a history and description of this lexicon I refer the reader to an article by Dr. Chadwick himself in the July 1975 NCL (p. 312), and for a discussion of the need for such a lexicon to a review by the Rev. Alfred Acton II in the December 1975 NCL (p. 564).
     Chadwick's lexicon of Swedenborg's Latin is a well-designed, thorough, and accurate work. I consult it constantly in my work on Swedenborg's manuscripts, but its usefulness will probably be as great for a person with little expertise in Latin who nevertheless wishes to read the Writings in the original language.
     In the first place, the very fact that it is restricted to Swedenborg's own vocabulary is helpful. A large percentage of a classical dictionary is useless to a reader of the Writings, and many of the specialized words he seeks do not appear there. His use of a Swedenborg lexicon will be much more efficient because he will find only words that Swedenborg used, and he will not spend time looking in vain for non-classical words. More importantly, he will not be misled by extraneous definitions. He will not attempt, for instance, to think of Horreo as "to bristle" or "to be rough," but as "to feel horror" or "to cause horror."
     In addition, though, Chadwick has arranged his information to be as accessible as possible. On a mundane level, he has included alternate spellings. Swedenborg was not completely consistent in his orthography, nor were his editors, so it is important to be able to find both Delitium and Delicium, Amoenus and Amaenus, even Coelum and Caelum. Chadwick has also cross-referenced some inflections, such as Egi, the perfect form of Ago. At a more significant level, he has included illustrative quotations for most of his definitions, a practice especially valuable in the case of rarely-occurring words and usages, where chances are that the very passage the reader is investigating will be the passage used for illustration. And finally, Chadwick has included the constructions that accompany a word and the idioms in which it is used. These are rarely the same from one language to another, and pose some of the greatest obstacles for any reader.
     Given the fact that the Writings as originally composed have a clearer and simpler style than many of our current English translations, I believe that anyone who wishes to read them in Latin should receive as much encouragement as possible. I am grateful for the existence of such a valuable aid as Chadwick's lexicon of Swedenborg's Latin.
     LISA HYATT

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EDITORIAL PAGES 1981

EDITORIAL PAGES Editor 1981

     NEW CHURCH LIFE
     A "TEMPLUM" OR CHURCH BUILDING

     In the spiritual world Swedenborg saw the New Church represented by a beautiful church building (TCR 508). In Latin there is one word for a church building (templum) and another word for a church (ecclesia). We do not get in Latin the ambiguity that can arise in English. It is often better to avoid the English word "temple" in translation, as it tends to convey the idea of an oriental structure. In the heavens, just as they have houses so also do they have church buildings in which there is preaching (HH 221).
     That chapter in Heaven and Hell about worship shows that "going to church and hearing preaching" is not the essential of Divine worship. Viewed inwardly the life of a person who goes frequently to church may be a pathetic sight indeed (see DP 121). A hypocrite may be in the templum, but he is still not truly of the ecclesia.
     Anything external relating to worship, be it a gesture of ritual or the furnishing of a church building, can be subject to suspicion. A hypocrite can "for pretense make long prayer" (Matt. 23:14). A house of God, intended as a house of prayer, can become in the hands of the greedy a den of thieves. When human beings start thinking along the lines that externals just might be insincere, they begin to wonder whether perhaps we ought to do away with externals pertaining to worship. As if in anticipation of this kind of thinking, the Writings assure us that people ought to be in externals of worship, and they point out that these externals can excite internal things and can provide the external setting for internal things to flow in (AC 1618).
     There are many Protestants who will not assume the kneeling posture because it has become in their minds so suspect as hypocritical genuflection. There are Christians who admit that the Bible would seem to commend kneeling, but strong feelings they have had about the Roman Catholic Church make it hard for them to feel right about doing it.
     Some months ago I sat in a Quaker meeting. The walls were bare. There was nothing of ornament, nor was there music. There was no sermon, for that would seem too contrived and unspontaneous. Not even a formal reading of Scripture was to be heard, although any member of the congregation could read something if the spirit moved him to do so. The silence was really peaceful and appealing. I enjoyed the service, but it illustrated to me that one cannot escape external forms.

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The absence of ritual was itself a ritual. When on occasion the silence was broken by a spontaneous remark, which ideally would have been the inspiration of the moment, there was always room for the thought that the remark had been rehearsed the night before. When people gather to worship they cannot avoid externals.
     Some people have a prejudice against any kind of church building. They feel sincere when kneeling in a forest or a meadow. It is hard for them to put their hearts into praises while they feel the heels of their Sunday shoes against a stone church floor. But even bare feet against the sod will not appeal to some who have a prejudice against any kind of external worship, no matter how austere or rustic or natural. They realize that a rustic setting can be as insincere as a plush or ornate external.
     In quite a separate category are those who have contempt for religion itself. They think of the church (ecclesia) "as an assembly of simple, credulous, and weak-minded people" (TCR 14), and they look with disdain at services or church buildings (templa). One who denies the Divine Providence may be likened to "one who sees a magnificent church building, and hears a preacher enlightened in Divine things, and at home declares that he has seen nothing but a house of stone, and has heard nothing but articulate sound" (DP 189).
     If we were compelled to say what type of church building is "best" we might be obliged to say that it is the type constructed of wood and "without magnificence." For the highest angels have such buildings, which they do not call churches (templa) but "houses of God" (HH 223). But our tastes for buildings do not necessarily indicate whether we are of a spiritual or celestial nature! Our feelings about buildings are probably much affected by what we knew in childhood, what we associate with good memories of sincere worship.
     There are magnificent churches in heaven, the stones of which correspond to truth (HH 223). When angels fashion something beautiful in honor of the Lord, they rejoice from their very hearts (AC 552). In the spiritual heaven "art is in its own art, especially that of architecture" (AE 831:6). And so upon earth the construction of churches is a great joy to an architect, as it is a joy to those who delight in the effects of his art.
     While the building of cathedrals may be something for which these days we have neither the resources nor the patience, we will continue the effort to fashion suitable externals for worship. Since the men of old set stone upon stone to make altars; since early carvers in wood sought to decorate with apt religious symbols; since men hearkened to God in erecting tent, tabernacle and temple, a truly human endeavor has continued to be the employment of the materials of creation to make something beautiful for the use of worship.

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"How marvelous it is that insignificant insects like the bees should supply wax for the candles by which churches and palaces are made brilliant" (DLW 356).
D. L. R.
PRAYER 1981

PRAYER Rev. ANDREW J. HEILMAN 1981

     COMMUNICATIONS
Dear Editor:

     I read with interest the doctrinal study concerning prayer in the February issue of NEW CHURCH LIFE. Its Organization and support from the letter of the Word and the Writings was informative and enlightening, especially on pages 94 through 79, and for this I thank the author. However, in the middle of the article, in the sections "Personal and public prayer bake practice," and "How to pray," the same doctrinal support from the Sacred Scriptures and the Heavenly Doctrines did not appear present. Indeed, some of what is said in these sections seems to contradict the clear teaching concerning prayer in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 6:5-15), and also avoids the teachings in the Heavenly Doctrines about the origin of true prayer and the Divine nature of the Lord's Prayer.
     In the Arcana Coelestia, no. 10299, we are taught that "the confessions, adorations, and prayers which are from man are not those which are heard and received by the Lord, but they must be from the Lord Himself with the man." This of course primarily refers to the state of the mind of the man, that he must be in a state of charity and faith when praying, withdrawn from his own evil loves. But how do we come into such a state? How is our mind opened and elevated to the Lord as it is meant to be in a genuine state of prayer? (AC 2535, 6476) and how can we know that we are in such a state, so as to pray from what is the Lord's and not our own? Is there any way we can be sure that the speech of our mouth and the meditation of our heart will be acceptable in the Lord's sight? This is of general concern for all of us in our private prayers, but it is of particular importance to ministers, who pray to the Lord in public worship representing the congregation.
     In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord teaches us not to be like hypocrites, who love to pray standing in synagogues and on street corners. Instead, the Lord tells us to go into our innermost room, and after we have shut the door, pray to our Father Who is in secret.

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Our private prayers to the Lord, the meditations of our heart, are not to be public spectacles, if they are to be acceptable in the Lord's sight. Therefore it would follow that impromptu, extemporaneous or spontaneous prayers, which should be direct manifestations of the meditations of our heart, should not be part of public worship. We are not to be as the hypocrites, the scribes and pharisees of the fallen church who do all their works to be seen by men (Matt 23:5). And the author himself indicates in his article (p. 72) that spontaneous or extemporaneous prayer in public worship has come to us from the fallen church.
Nevertheless, the meditation of our heart is to be present and find expression in the speech of our mouth in public worship, or else the words which we speak would be "mere babbling" as the author correctly pointed out (p. 73, AC 1094). But this does not mean that we are therefore to "use our own words." For if we are to truly "talk with God," we need to speak from what is His and not from what is "our own." For this reason the Lord said in the Sermon on the Mount, "When you pray, do not use vain repetitions like the gentiles, for they think they will be heard for their much speaking. Therefore, do not be like them, for your Father knows what things you need before you ask Him. Therefore, pray in this manner: Our Father, . . .", etc. (Matt. 6:7-13).
So that we may avoid the vain repetition of using our own words in listing off the help we need from the Lord, and thus the empty words which come from what is our own, the Lord has given us a prayer that even the universal heaven cannot contain (AC 6619). A brief reading in the Swedenborg Concordance under the heading "Lord's Prayer" will show that in this prayer is contained more variety, especially in its day-to-day use, than can possibly be imagined by the man saying it (AC 6476, h619, etc.). The words of the Lord's Prayer uplift our mind to heavenly things, so that the meditation of our heart, as well as the speech of our mouth, may be open to the Lord. The Lord's Prayer may be said so simply and tenderly that scarcely the literal sense is present, but yet it opens the interiors to the Lord (SD 3543, 5668). Indeed, too much concentration on the mere literal sense can tend to close the interiors (AC 6619, SD 1826, 2435). But when we say the Lord's Prayer daily, morning and evening (AC 6619, Char. 174), when we learn it by heart, our mind is freed from its mere literal sense and opened to heavenly influx which varies every time we pray with these words. The Lord's Prayer can never become a "vain repetition," although it may appear such to a man when he prays from what is his own, and closes his mind by worldly thoughts (AC 6619, SD 1826, 2435).

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     Now there are times in which we may wish to use a different prayer other than the Lord's Prayer given in the Sermon on the Mount. And the Lord has given us a vast variety of different prayers in His Word. Each one is capable of lifting and opening our mind to the Lord Himself. And when we use these prayers, we know with certainty that the words of our mouth will be acceptable in the Lord's sight, whether we are in public worship or in our innermost room. Our thought is then freed from having to choose words of an inspired nature, from the fear of "heaping up empty phrases" before the Lord Jesus.
     The greatest importance, however, in using the prayers given to us by the Lord in His Word is that in saying these prayers, not only do we speak to the Lord, but the Lord, with the very same words, speaks to us. In using prayers from the Word we do not "wait for an answer," for the answer is contained in the words of the prayer. There is a simultaneous communication between the Lord and mad. For, as the author pointed out so well, prayer is not talking to or at God, but with Him. And to speak with God, we need to speak from what is the Lord's and not from what is our own.
     A quick reading through the book of Psalms reveals prayer after prayer given to us by the Lord to meet every possible spiritual situation in which we may find ourselves, prayers which serve for both public worship and private conversation with our Lord. And the variety and life within each of these prayers is infinite and Divine, all-embracing and with a power to open our minds to the Lord Himself. "The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes" (Ps 19:7, 8).
     REV. ANDREW J. HEILMAN,
          Rio de Janeiro
MENTAL HEALTH SYMPOSIUM 1981

MENTAL HEALTH SYMPOSIUM POLLY M. SCHOENBERGER 1981

Dear Editor:

Regarding the Mental Health Symposium held recently in Bryn Athyn, I heard this comment: "Why a symposium on mental health? All you need to do is read the Writings." This struck me as interesting, possibly quite representative of a large proportion of the New Church population, and also worth addressing because of what I consider to be mistaken thinking both in regard specifically to the mental health symposia held in recent years, and more generally to the mental health profession and its accompanying literature.

316

     A statement like the one above seems to imply that attendees of these symposia are somehow not quite fulfilling their duties as New Church people, and that they might better spend their time reading the Writings independently. Perhaps I used to feel this way also, as I have never before participated in Laurel Academies, women's retreats, or previous symposia.
     But, delightedly, I discovered that the main reference material of the symposium was Divine Revelation. Repeatedly the discussion returned to the truths which we are trying to apply to our lives. Never was there the feeling that Redl, Piaget, and Freud were our sources for the symposium, and Revelation the source for the preacher Sunday morning!
     Certainly symposia of this sort will never appeal to everyone, but it seems reasonable to suggest that remarks like "Just read the Writings" could he counter-productive not only to the symposia participants (guilt feelings? defensive, argumentative reactions?) but also to the speakers (denying themselves the useful insights of the mental health professionals and their written material).
     Achieving good mental health seems far easier for some than for others, and statements suggesting that the Writings contain all the answers for coping with difficulties in our lives may effectively restrain meek individuals from seeking necessary help from qualified professionals. For those of us in between, events like the mental health symposium help us to understand and apply the Writings to our lives with the affectionate support of others who wish to communicate actively on various subjects and also to glean useful information from other literature besides the Writings. The symposia are not cathartic releases of human emotion and personal detail but, rather, are sensible, focused discussions of topics that some of us may think we understand fully from Revelation, but whose dimensions of understanding are increased by input from others.
     POLLY M. SCHOENBERGER,
          Pittsburgh, PA

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AREN'T MODERN TRANSLATIONS UNHOLY? 1981

AREN'T MODERN TRANSLATIONS UNHOLY? KURT P. NEMITZ 1981

Dear Editor:

     Many people are concerned about modern translations of Divine Revelation. No doubt a number of readers of NEW CHURCH LIFE felt like saying the following when they read Dr. David Gladish's plea for putting the Writings into the language of today. "Modern translations of the Writings and of the Old and New Testaments may in some ways be better than the familiar, older versions we have been using, but modern translations lose a lot of the Word's holiness, don't they?"
     Modern language seems unholy; there seems to be something sacred about the old language itself. As Dr. Gladish observes, "We get so used to the 'language of the Writings' in reverent contexts that the patois itself seems to shed a dim religious light." Indeed, for some sincere souls it seems that this quasi light dims in the degree that the same Divine truth is expressed in terms current and clear. Like the children we all once were, don't we still tend to equate long words and sentences with intelligence and wisdom, obscurity with profundity-and holiness with antiquity?
     But there must be more to holiness than old, hard-to-understand language. While at times the Lord does purposely blind the eye to the spiritual meaning of His words-as He did with the multitudes by speaking parables, He always intends that the ear clearly hears the literal meaning of His words. This Divine endeavor is repeatedly stressed in His new revelation. "In its descent," we read in the Arcana, "the Word clothed itself with forms adapted to the apprehension of the three heavens, and at last with a form adapted to the apprehension of man, which is the literal sense" (AC 6221e). "The literal sense has been accommodated to the apprehension of the natural man" (AC 3009; see also 4002, 9025.1, 10324, 10440, SS 40).

     And so the Lord Himself, as He walked through Juda and Galilee bringing His commandments anew to men, spoke to the multitudes flocking around Him in their own, everyday language. His Divine words were phrased in the local Aramaic He and Galilean fishermen and farmers had grown up speaking to one another. No translator accompanied Him.
     But our Lord Jesus could have spoken differently. He was obviously conversant also in Latin and Greek, as His talks with the Roman centurion, Pontius Pilate and the Syrophoenician woman attest. Furthermore, as a 'Son of the synagogue' He was most certainly fluent as well in the language of His maternal ancestors, the venerated Hebrew of the Scriptures.

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Yet the record of His dialogues shows that when speaking to those who came to hear their Messiah, the Lord did not resort to the impressive remote style and vocabulary of classic Hebrew. Even when directly citing the Law and the Prophets He transposed their message into the contemporary dialect of His listeners, nevertheless perfectly retaining, needless to say, their essential literal content. The Lord ever spoke this way: His very last words, on the cross, "Elo-ee, Elo-ee, lamah, sabachthanee," were uttered in the language of those around Him. Jesus' obvious intent was to make Himself understood.
     And yet, although His language was common, His words had an uncommon effect on His hearers. "No man ever spoke like this," was the amazed comment of the officers sent by the chief priests and Pharisees to seize Him (John 7:46). Undoubtedly it was the Divine holiness in Jesus' words that made these men feel powerless before Him.
     This helps us to realize that holiness has another origin than the words or forms of language themselves used in revelation. After all, holiness-as experienced by man-is a spiritual feeling; and what is essentially spiritual must have a spiritual origin. This is in fact the Lord's explicit teaching. Regarding the holiness one feels when reverently reading the Word we read, "The holiness present with and acting upon a person at the time when he is thinking about the things in the literal sense of the Word come from the inflow of heavenly and spiritual thoughts such as those with the angels" (AC 3735:2). Holiness comes from heavenly thought, not from an ancient beauty of earthly language.
     Does it not follow from this that the primary goal of every translation of the Word should be to render the literal sense into terms that as clearly and completely as possible reproduce the actual meaning of the original? For, as explained in chapter six of the Doctrine of the Sacred Scripture, the literal meaning of the Word, clearly understood, is the basis for thought about its spiritual content-and for association with the angels and conjunction with the Lord. When the literal sense of the Word is clearly understood by the reverent reader, the Word's Divine holiness will descend into him.
     KURT P. NEMITZ,
          Bath, Maine

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ON THE PASSING OF LENNART ALFELT 1981

ON THE PASSING OF LENNART ALFELT Rev. J. DURBAN ODHNER 1981

     Human thoughts and feelings will occupy this space today; which, though "outward" perhaps, compared with doctrinals, encompassing, surpass them in vitality, as flesh does the skeleton.
     Not in the least doubting the Lord's Wisdom nor the Love and Mercy of His providence in His unutterably wonderful works-of creating humankind, of raising and guiding them from birth onward, of forming His kingdom on earth and therefrom in the earthwardly hidden, eternal Heavens-we can in natural blindness still not hold back our grief at the departure from this time and place of a person whom we have learned to perceive as indispensable, both as an agent of genuine usefulness and as a true and loving friend.
     But mark this: "loving" is one of those words that through use, misuse, overuse and abuse corrodes, like "dear." Lennart was and is carus and kar, being a form of charitas. A much more-saying word is caring-and that is the word we've just been groping for. His caring for his family, friends, Church and work, and the concomitant carefulness with which he treated them all, are the monument his life in this world erected as a sign-post for others, pointing the way to the Lord's kingdom; but as a silent, stern reminder to those who, while thinking that they love, do not cave enough. His care and concern in all his dealings was not heavy; it resembled worry only as a sigh resembles a cry.
     Here we are especially mindful of Lennart's role in the work of the General Church Translation Committee. Over the last five years he has aided in many important ways in researching specific questions connected with the editing of the new Latin text of Experientiae Spirituales (formerly Diarium Spirituale). One of the questions his research helped to settle was the new title. And his being a Swede, by itself, would have contributed little to the correct deciphering of Swedish passages without his additional ability to read 18th century Swedish script. He will be sorely missed.
     But I would like to try to say, from a personal viewpoint, in what sense Lennart is nevertheless not lost to us-a verity beautifully expressed by Bishop de Charms at "Rhodesend" the evening after the memorial service on March 16th. I would have liked to say these things on that occasion when so many of his family and close friends were gathered together, but-hampered by an unexplainable wordlessness-I did not do so.

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The most essential help I have received from Lennart is not the data itself, in the unearthing of which he was so adept. It was something deeper, conveyed spiritually in the process of working together on specific matters. By seemingly small suggestions in numerous details of editing-both Translation Committee work and other projects-he helped me to remove subtle elements of self, such as continually endeavor to creep into everything we do, say or write. This is what I mean in relating "caring" to "carefulness." One unnecessary or wrong word can be a tool of hell, destructive of the good or use intended. In really caring about truth, we must be ever so careful, and this fact of course we know. We "know" it to death. That's why there's no end to learning it anew each day: for every step forward of self means a step backward of the love of the neighbor embodied in charitas, or real caring.
This kind of helping is of the spirit; and I neither feel nor fear the loss of it through Lennart's passing, for his spirit lives in the world that is within me.
TO THE NEW COUPLE: A WISH FOR YOUR HAPPINESS 1981

TO THE NEW COUPLE: A WISH FOR YOUR HAPPINESS FRED ODHNER 1981

     Your decision to marry is a very important event: not only to yourselves, but to us all. We are delighted at your having found each other and at the trust and confidence shining in your happy glances. We are excited, with you, at the thought of the adventure which lies before you. We share and support your hope for a happy life together which may transcend the bounds of time and space.
     The ideal of marriage is sometimes likened to a pearl-a very special creation with a smooth, lustrous surface made even more beautiful by the soft glow of light reflected from its deeper aspects. The surface of your pearl would be that which appears most obvious to us: your home-that vital unit of society. It reassures us to foresee your home as a durable center of usefulness, hospitality, and devotion-a source of blessing to its members and its neighbors.
     Sustaining such a home, less directly seen but glowing from within, is the image of the married pair: a husband and wife standing together in humility, trust, and mutual dedication to duty. Without steady, loving strength from this couple, the home we envision cannot be.
     Deepest within the luminous sphere of the pearl, however, and unseen by the observer, is a perverse little element around which, somehow, such a gem must be built.

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This dull, gritty, multi-sided nucleus pictures the selfish interests and delusions of one individual-the yearning for self-gratification even at the expense of others, and for self-realization by one's own willful definition.
     Here there may seem to be a flaw in our allegory. If the pearl we describe is marriage, would it not be built around two grains of sand? No. The paradox is that each individual must make-and remake everyday-a lonely commitment for which responsibility cannot be shared: a commitment to live in the protective order of the married state, to devote one's self to the conjugal, domestic, and public uses which that marriage is intended to perform and to seek the growth and productivity of that marriage, against all disillusionment and competing fantasy, as the most important goal of one's life.
     From the perspective of that self-centered little granule, such a long term commitment may sometimes appear to shut out, perhaps forever, the alluring glare of personal pleasure and ambition. Little temptations toss the opalescent cradle of a potential marriage, and it is easy to go astray. But outside, the world's shifting, drifting standards, washed back and forth in the currents of deluded reasoning, will never allow the pearl to grow.
     Inside, apparently alone, that single grain of sand has no beauty of its own. It never will. Yet if, in spite of the pulling and pushing of its environment, it persists in the protective discipline of this matrix, the fractious faces of self-interest can be overlaid, layer by patient layer, with a smooth bonding substance. This covering is not from self. It consists of borrowed habits born of deliberate practice: repeated acts of kindness to one's partner; constructive, loyal friendship; honest efforts to communicate; worshipping together and studying God's Word; deference to truth; trustworthy thoughts; steady application to common uses. Although it is not apparent in the relative obscurity of unrelenting daily responsibility, the warm light of the Creator quietly begins to give life and profound beauty to the growing sphere which gradually surrounds the couple.
     To sell all that we have for that one pearl of great price is to acknowledge the Lord and to reject what is of one's own love in order to receive life from Him (Matt. 13; AE 840, 1044). Marriage truly requires the total, innocent commitment of each individual. Its progressive realization in a husband and wife is the Lord's doing and His most wonderful gift.
     The pearl we wish to see growing from your decision today is exceedingly precious to all of us. Lovingly, we add our prayers to yours that in your union the Lord's will may be done.

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BRITISH ASSEMBLY 1981

Announcements

The 60th British Assembly of the General Church of the New Jerusalem will be held in London, England, on Saturday, July 4 and Sunday, July 5, 1981, the Rt. Rev. Louis B. King presiding. All members and friends of the General Church are cordially invited to attend.
OHIO DISTRICT ASSEMBLY 1981

OHIO DISTRICT ASSEMBLY 1981

The sixth Ohio District Assembly of the General Church of the New Jerusalem will be held September 25th-27th, 1981, in the Cincinnati area, the Right Reverend Louis B. King, Bishop, presiding. All members and friends of the General Church are cordially invited to attend. For information please contact Mr. Donald P. Gladish, 4805 Drake Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45243.
EDUCATIONAL COUNCIL 1981

EDUCATIONAL COUNCIL LOUIS B. KING 1981

     The General Church Educational Council will hold its 1981 meetings in Bryn Athyn, PA, August 17-20. These meetings will be preceded by a two-week summer seminar in which some 50-60 teachers will participate. Both the seminar and the Educational Council will focus on the Human Body, the Human Form, and the Gorand Man.
     This year marks the 100th anniversary of elementary education in the General Church, and we are planning to celebrate with a closing banquet and program at which the Rt. Rev. George de Charms will be our guest speaker. The community and all guests will be invited to attend this event.
     For housing or additional information, please communicate with Rev. Frederick L. Schnarr.
     LOUIS B. KING,
          Bishop

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CITY OF GOD 1981

     Conversations on the Doctrines of the New Church

     By

     KARL R. ALDEN

     An informal explanation of doctrine designed to help the layman introduce the Church to his friends.

     "City of God" leads the reader carefully through the central doctrines of the New Church, using Mr. Alden's many years of experience in explaining the Church to newcomers. It anticipates the questions of those not familiar with the Writings, and presents the beliefs of the Church in an effectively simple, conversational manner in which each doctrinal point is based upon scriptural passages.

     This book's simple direct approach is also excellent for young people.

     Price $3.40 postpaid

     GENERAL CHURCH BOOK CENTER
Bryn Athyn, PA 19009          Hours: 8:30 to 12
                         Monday thru Friday
                         Phone: 215 947-3920

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NOTES ON THIS ISSUE 1981

NOTES ON THIS ISSUE Editor 1981

NEW CHURCH LIFE
Vol. CI July, 1981 No. 7

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     If asked when we next plan to do extensive, reflective reading, many of us answer that we will do so in the summer time. For summer reading we find in this issue a recently completed philosophic study by Professor Edward F. Allen. The title of the study is twenty-six words long, but the subject could be expressed in the single word "ORDER."
     Rev. Daniel Goodenough's sermon notes that we tend to blame government. We blame it "for its inability to eliminate the unfairness that often seems inherent in the externals of life. . . . It is not difficult to see why in practice it is a challenge to love and honor institutions that bring us face to face with human problems, limitations, and follies that we would prefer to be unaware of."
     Another kind of challenge emerges in the presentation on "growing pains." Rev. Allison Nicholson was ordained in 1979. The focus of his work in the Toronto Society is evangelization. His article provokes a not-so-gentle examination, but he concludes, "self-examination does not mean that everything examined will be modified . . . . It means that everything must be looked at from the broadest possible perspective in the light of the Writings. . ." (page 351).
     In this issue we invoke one man's plea for the touch of those who seem able to inspire good emotions. Did that writer have in mind the likes of the late Rev. Karl R. Alden whose violin stirred hearts as well as toes? The personal reminiscence about his work reveals a side of New Church life little known by most New Church people.

     1981-1982 School Calendar

     Readers are reminded that the calendar for the coming school year is in the April issue (page 209).

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USES TO THE COMMONWEALTH 1981

USES TO THE COMMONWEALTH Rev. DANIEL GOODENOUGH 1981

     Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee (Exodus 20:12).

     Thus teaches the Fourth Commandment. The Heavenly Doctrines explain that in the spiritual and celestial senses our father is God in His glorified Divine Human, the risen Lord Jesus Christ, and our mother is the Lord's church, or the spiritual communion of those who receive the Lord on earth (TCR 306-308). But like the rest of the Decalogue, the Fourth Commandment is to be observed also in the natural sense (AC 9349). Through changes in culture and through the ups and downs of family life, we are told by the Lord to find ways of honoring our parents, literally and externally. Applications to life will differ among us, but everyone, if you look and think, can see how to follow this commandment in your own personal circumstances.
     But what especially matters to us at this time of year is that the natural sense of the Fourth Commandment, which is altogether to be observed and done, includes honoring our civil leaders and our country. "In the widest sense", we read, the Fourth Commandment "means that men should love their country, since it nourishes and protects them; and therefore their country is called their fatherland. . . . parents also must pay honor to their country, and to their king and magistrates, and teach their children to do the same" (TCR 305).
     It is easy to acknowledge intellectually that we should so live, but historical and practical circumstances offer a number of obstacles. In the twentieth century we are likely to think of government when we talk of our country, and by its very nature government holds many negative connotations. The Writings beautifully picture the Most Ancient peoples as living simply, without formalized governmental structure. In fact governments arose only in the course of time, as the loves of ruling and of riches from the mere delights of those loves became active among men; "and because there arose at that time enmity and hostility against those who would not submit to be ruled, tribes, families, and households from necessity banded themselves together into communities," and organized governments. "Then also they began to protect themselves by towers, earthworks and walls" (DP 215:3). Thus from the beginning governments have served the necessary but somewhat negative use of self-defense.

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"And as the laws of charity and conscience, which had been written on hearts, ceased to operate, it became necessary to enact laws to restrain acts of violence, in which laws, honors and riches were the rewards, and being deprived of these were the penalties. When the state [of man] was thus changed, heaven removed itself from man, and this more and more, even to the present age. . ." (AC 8118:3). Many passages in the Heavenly Doctrines reinforce the concept of the civil state as the necessary protector from open evil and violence, and as the maintainer of external order and justice, through careful adherence to civil law (AC 10791 ff).
Government's primary purpose is to deal with problems that have arisen because of the growth of evils among humans. Most new governments are formed as a response to some perceived evil, though sometimes new government brings greater problems of its own. Examination of the past history and present operation of governments does not inspire us with confidence in the goodness of our fellow man, but rather reminds us of human failings. It is easy to understand the unpopularity of governments. In maintaining order they unavoidably thwart the desires of many people, and their very operation continually reminds us that human beings are too selfish to live without formal government. Though many civil leaders and workers in government are sincere and dedicated, everybody can tell you what he doesn't like about government and imagines he knows what reforms should be undertaken. We tend to take for granted the uses that government accomplishes, but blame it for its inability to eliminate the unfairness that often seems inherent in the externals of life-an unfairness that really derives from the self-concern of the human ego. It is not difficult to see why in practice it is a challenge to love and honor institutions that bring us face to face with human problems, limitations, and follies that we would prefer to be unaware of. The fact that there is so much disagreement about specifically what governments should decide and do simply compounds the problem. The complaining element in human nature seldom comes forth more forcefully than when government is being discussed.
The Heavenly Doctrine responds plainly, however, that we should honor our government and its civil leaders by respecting their office. The royalty we should love is basically not the person of men but the law itself which is the essence of government. The laws of justice make the head of true government, while the political or constitutional laws make the body, and the economic laws are as garments which may be changed according to need (TCR 55). Royalty does not inhere in the person of rulers, but consists in the office of administering justly according to a country's laws (AC 10801).

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This office we should honor and love, by ourselves living by the civil law. The Writings' concept of the royalty gives us the means by which we may honor our rulers even when we disagree with them, and we may pray that the time will come when a genuine understanding of the royalty will produce new structures of ruling that will acknowledge the Divine origin of all genuine government. Understood properly, governing is a Divine function because "all justice is Divine" (AC 10803).
Living in justice by the law of the land is basic to honoring our fatherland. Yet when the Heavenly Doctrines speak of one's fatherland, they mean something far deeper and richer than the royalty and organized government. Because of our culture and history, we are today likely to identify our country with its government rather more closely than we really should-as if love of country means primarily a love of what the organized state has been able to accomplish throughout our history and what our government stands for now. In fact the Writings show that the country or fatherland is really much broader than this. The word frequently used to describe it is the commonwealth, or respublica in Latin-literally the public thing or matter. Respublica often means republic in the narrow sense of a government in which the sovereignty belongs to the people rather than to a king or oligarchy, but the Writings customarily use the word in a broader sense of a commonwealth, however it is ruled. In this sense the country consists not just of the operation of government, but of all the good contributed by its citizens. It is in this sense that our country is said to nourish us as a parent nurtures its child (TCR 305). For in a man's country "he was born, it has nourished him and still nourishes him, and it continues to protect him, as it has always done" (TCR 414; cf. AC 6821). Essentially it is not government but the common good that makes a country.
Some may urge, of course, that in introducing the concept of a commonwealth the Writings are merely using an eighteenth century notion that is now long outdated. But as is usual with the charge that the Writings simply use old-fashioned words and ideas, this interpretation is born of ignorance. The concept of a commonwealth is indeed a very old idea, but as with many other terms used in the Writings, an entirely new internal content is put into it. At some length the Writings explain the nature of heavenly society as constituted of the common uses performed by its members, even as the human body consists not primarily of unusually organized chemicals but of the uses performed by its many parts.

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And similarly a true earthly society is a commonwealth made up of the uses of its members. When the Writings are held to be out of date or not accommodated to our present needs, what is really happening is that our present-day thought patterns are alien to the light they offer us. If we insist that our inherited and acquired understandings of life are correct, and adequate to judge the value of ideas in Divine revelation, the Word of God cannot teach us. We may spend a lifetime hunting for solutions to society's and our own problems, but the Lord can show us His answers only if we approach His Word with a real willingness to give up the ideas and even the thought patterns we have learned to cherish as our own.
     To honor the fatherland, then, let us learn to think of it as a commonwealth, an ordered collection of uses. To love one's country means to love the common good (See TCR 414). Though fundamentally this idea of country is spiritual, the Writings show that it involves actual works of use in a very down-to-earth sense. Conjugial Love 130 defines wisdom of life as shunning evils because they are hurtful to the soul, the commonwealth and the body, and doing goods because they benefit the soul, the commonwealth and the body. Life is not separated into lock-tight compartments as imagined by faith alone, but is a unity in which the commonwealth that nourishes us in turn lives and moves from our works of body and soul.
     The teaching of the Writings about the uses of the commonwealth are rich, but perhaps no more succinct than in the Doctrine of Charity 130. The common good consists in eight things, we are told, and note that while the first four are spiritual, moral and educational, the last four are directly economic. We read:

     That in the society or kingdom, I. There shall be what is Divine among them. II. That there shall be justice among them. III. That there be morality among them. IV. That there be industriousness, knowledge and uprightness among them. V. That there be the necessaries of life. VI. That there be the necessaries for occupations. VII. That there be the necessaries for protection. VIII. That there be a sufficiency of wealth, because from this are those three necessaries.

     Later passages in this series explain that the quality of the common or general good depends ore how individuals perform uses in society, but also that the individual goods of use subsist from the common good (Charity 131-133).

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So the minute particle within a human cell both lives from the nourishment common to the whole body, and also contributes its tiny but unique use to the body's good. Man is not born for the sake of himself, but for the sake of others, that he may do good to them (TCR 406, etc.) The Writings show also how various worldly employments individually contribute to the common good. Think for a moment: Just where would you be today if it were not for myriads of cooperative uses brought forth by the people of our commonwealth?
     Faced with this formidable doctrine we are apt to be discouraged at the puniness of our own efforts. Yet to honor our civil parent we must love the common good, and if we love we must act, produce, contribute. Man is not born for himself alone, but to bring the Divine among men, and justice and morality, and also industriousness, knowledge, uprightness; to produce the necessaries for life, occupations, and protection, and a sufficiency of wealth. We can probably do at least something for all of these at various times in our lives. Nor should we shy away from the worldly, economic character of the second half of the list; if stomach or liver or even bone marrow fails, heart and lungs and all else die. Life on this earth can never be purely spiritual, and the common good, like our own good, requires that we provide the natural materials that sustain life. In this world uses die without physical labor and material substance. May our longing for the other world's immediate creation not turn us away from the dusty, sometimes boring ultimations that are needed for the fulfillment of use where we now live.
     Of course, uses cannot be evaluated by finances alone. Really the economic wealth of a nation is the sum total of the material goods and services it produces. Though we find it convenient to measure worldly good in currency, essentially it should be measured by its value to others. However we contribute to our country's welfare, this common wealth of uses must be produced.
     Because our history and cultural heritage lead us to identify our country with government, we may tend to imagine an unnaturally sharp dichotomy between public and private, as though what is public is good because it looks to the common good, while what is private is intrinsically narrow and selfish, because benefiting only a few. And too many people live this way. But if we will search the Word we can learn a higher civil ideal that breaks down the antagonism between public and private by appreciating the totality of the uses brought forth in a commonwealth. So-called private uses can and should contribute enormously to the common good of a nation.

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Over the generations the health and preservation of private enterprises depend on the willingness of those involved to see that they are responsible not only to themselves and private interests but also to the common good. It is a common fantasy of unregenerate men to believe "their private advantage is the common good," and that nothing is "for the common good but what is also to their own advantage. . ." (AC 1673:4; cf. DP 220:8). Mere lip-service to the common good, in both private enterprises and public service, is one of the easiest forms of faith alone. But if we will consciously direct our private and public uses to the common good of our society and country, the Lord will create of our works a genuine commonwealth of uses.
In many details and applications to life we will differ on how to implement our civil ideals, and that is probably healthy. But if we can share a vision of a true commonwealth our differences in political and economic opinion need not seriously divide, and we can cooperate in contributing towards our country's good. To do so, let us know from the Word the Lord's teachings about the true nature of the commonwealth; let us reflect purposefully upon the meaning of these doctrines, and let us make them our guide rather than our ideas from culture and history. A true commonwealth embodies the ideal presented at the beginning of the 33rd Psalm: "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord." He won't be our nation's God because we say we want this, or because of our history or our slogans, or even our prayers. He will be our God only if as a commonwealth we look to Him and make His uses the good of our country. Amen.

LESSONS: Joshua 23:2, 3, 6-14; Charity 126-136 (selections)
SWEDENBORG SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP BREAKS A THOUSAND 1981

SWEDENBORG SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP BREAKS A THOUSAND 1981

During the year of 1980 one hundred and fifteen members were enrolled in the Swedenborg Society. The 171st Annual Report states: "The Society now has for the first time more than a thousand members." There are actually 1,007. To keep the figure over a thousand the Society must continue to get new members. If you wish to join you can contact the Society at 20 Bloomsbury Way, London, or in America Mr. and Mrs. T. Redmile, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

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SUCCESSIVE AND SIMULTANEOUS 1981

SUCCESSIVE AND SIMULTANEOUS EDWARD F. ALLEN 1981

     IN THE LANGUAGE OF THE DOCTRINE OF SERIES AND DEGREES IN THE PHILOSOPHICAL WORKS AND THE DOCTRINE OF DISCRETE DEGREES IN THE WRITINGS

Foreword. The terms successive order and simultaneous order have an important place in the language of degrees both in the philosophical works and in the Writings. What are named discrete degrees in the Writings are called series and degrees in the philosophical works. The definition of series and degrees in the philosophical works in its beginning depends upon the subordination and coordination of things, but soon these two terms are equated to successively and simultaneously. Although the main purpose of this paper is to illustrate how successive and simultaneous give respective aspects to series and degrees or to discrete degrees, it will be closed by a usage of subordinate and coordinate in the Writings. In the Writings the terms paired with order become successive order and simultaneous order. Order also goes with both successive and simultaneous in the philosophical works as will be seen in a reference to The Principia (Clissold p.20).

The topics are treated according to the following arrangement:

1.      Order in the philosophical works.
2.      Order in the Writings.
3.      Successive and simultaneous in the philosophical works.
4.      Successive and simultaneous orders in the Writings.
5.      Application of successive order and simultaneous order to man, in the Writings.
6.      Application of successive order and simultaneous order to the Sacred Scriptures.
7.      Order and subordinate and coordinate in the Writings.
8.      Miscellaneous remarks about the language of degrees.
9.      The application of the language of degrees in the Writings and philosophical works compared.
10.      Successive and simultaneous introduced early in the philosophical works, and used freely in the Writings.

     1. Concerning the word order in the philosophical works. Order in the philosophical works is an alternate name for what is called the Doctrine of Series and Degrees. How this is so is described as follows:

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But the more anyone is perfected in judgment, and the better he discerns the distinctions of things, the more clearly will he perceive that there is an order in things, that there are degrees of order, and that it is by these alone he can progress, and this, step by step, from the lowest sphere to the highest, or the most outermost to the innermost. For as often as nature ascends away from external phenomena, or betakes herself, in words, she seems to have separated from us, and to have left us altogether in the dark as to what direction she has taken; we have need, therefore, of some science to serve as our guide in tracing out her steps-to arrange all things into series-to distinguish these series into degrees, and to contemplate the order of each thing in the order of them. The science which does this I call the Doctrine of Series and Degrees, or the Doctrine of Order; a science which it was necessary to premise to enable us to follow closely in the steps of nature; since to attempt without it to approach and visit her sublime abode would be to attempt to climb heaven by the tower of Babel; for the highest step must be approached by the intermediate. . . . (2 Econ 210).

The terms order and series are related as follows:

A series, therefore, is whatever contains substances, or what is the same, the forces of substances, thus disposed of flowing forth according to degrees: thus there are series of two, three, four, or more degrees. Accordingly as these series are mutually conjoined and communicate, so are they the series of an order. Properly speaking, these are series and orders of successive things. But there is also a series and order of simultaneous things, or of substances or forces of one and the same degree, as between a largest and least volume. . . . (2 Econ 222).

The or of the last sentence is the mutually exclusive or. Simultaneous things are according to degrees. Substances or forces of the same degree may vary continuously.
As can be seen in "An Introduction to Rational Psychology" (Econ Chapter VIII), where the doctrine of series and degrees is formally explained, the application is to substances, or more ambiguously, hence perhaps more inclusively, to things.

2. Concerning the word order in the Writings. In the supreme sense order is applied to God.

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. . . after the Lord's Human Essence had become united to His Divine Essence, and, at the same time, Jehovah, the Lord was then above that which is called perception, because He was above the order that is in the heavens and thence on the earth. Jehovah is the source of order; hence it may be said that Jehovah is Order itself, for He from Himself governs order; not, as is supposed, in the universal only, but also in the most minute particulars, for the universal comes from these. To speak of the universal, and to separate particulars from it, would be nothing else than to speak of a whole in which are no parts, thus to speak of something in which is nothing (A.C. 1919:4)

Now since the Divine proceeding is Himself, and the Divine Providence is the primary thing that proceeds, it follows that to act contrary to the laws of His Divine Providence is to act contrary to Himself. It may also be said that the Lord is Providence, as it is said that God is Order, for the Divine Providence is the Divine Order primarily with regard to the salvation of men; and as there is no order without laws, for laws constitute order and every law derives from order that it also is order, it follows that God is Order. He is also the law of His own Order. . . (D.P. 331:2).

Thus order is an alternate term for Divine Proceeding and Providence. God operates by a descending series of degrees. Within this Divine order man receives certain gifts from God:

It is of Divine Order that man should act from freedom according to reason, since to act from freedom according to reason is to act from oneself. Nevertheless these two faculties, freedom and reason, are not man's own, but are the Lord's within him. . . (Life 101).

Order as it applies to the relation of the soul of man to his body is described in these words:

For the soul is a spiritual substance, and therefore purer, prior and interior; but the body is material, and therefore grosser, posterior, and exterior; and it is according to order that the purer should flow into the grosser, the prior into the exterior, thus what is spiritual into what is material, and not the contrary. Consequently, it is according to order for the thinking mind to flow into the sight according to the state induced on the eyes of the objects before them. . . (Inf. 1).

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Italics are added to bring forward that "according to order," a phrase often used, is according to a descending series which is according to: the operation of the Lord, of influx, and of the soul.

3. Successive and simultaneous in the philosophical works. The formal application of successive and simultaneous to the description of the Doctrine of Series and Degrees appears in "An Introduction to Rational Psychology." Yet these terms have already been used to explain the operation of the soul in her kingdom in the chapter "On the Formation of the Chick in the Egg, etc." (I Econ Chapter III). The application of the terms subordinate and coordinate appear in the same place.
The title of this chapter "the Chick, etc. . ." scarcely suggests that it is devoted to an essay on purpose. Yet purpose is manifest in effects in the visible world. Malpighi, the anatomist, described in great detail the formation of the chick in the egg, at the end of every few hours early, and of a day or so later, during the incubation period. Swedenborg, using successive appearances of the organs of the body, made philosophical inductions. Also he made inductions on what was contained within each appearance simultaneously, describing resulting states of the formation up to the time of each appearance. [In doing so Swedenborg is recognized as one of the important founders of epigenesis. See Howard Bernhardt Adelmann, Marcello Malpighi, 5 vols. quarto 1966, who quotes many pages bilingually: in Latin from Oeconomia Regni Animalis, published by Swedenborg in 1740, and English from Clissold's translation, The Economy of the Animal Kingdom. See Francis Joseph Cole, Early Theories of Sexual Generation for credit given Swedenborg on the theory of epigenesis. Webster gives epigenesis as, "the theory of generation holding that the germ or embryo is created entirely anew." Epigenesis was in opposition to the preformation theory, that the little animal (homunculus) appears within the seed. This form grows in the womb into the animal (man) that is born.]
Swedenborg's description is of the soul as the formative substance. The soul determines each successive stage so that the state of each organ at each stage looks to the use it is to perform as formed in the completed organism at birth. From time to time analogies in the human foetus are added to the evidence from Malpighi's descriptions of the forms in the chick in the egg. Although this is a remarkable essay on purpose, our concern here is with the appearance of terms later used in the description of the doctrine of order. Swedenborg begins his induction as follows:

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In the formation of the embryo in the womb, or the chick in the egg, all things are carried on most distinctly. And the several members are produced successively, or one after another: so that there is no effigy of the greatest in the least, and in the germ no type of future body-no type which is simply expanded; for whatever coexists [simultaneously?] must become extant successively (I Econ 247).

The philosophy of ends as purpose is expressed:

All things thus produced successively are fashioned in anticipation of, and according to, the use they are afterwards to perform. (ibid.)

. . . one member organ is never formed for its own use, unless at the same time for the general use of all its fellows. . . (251).

Subordinate and coordinate are terms that insure the triadic relation of end, cause, and effect, between three successive degrees, or in other words "as first cause, second cause, and third cause,":

Since then all things are thus most nicely subordinated and coordinated, it follows that the spirituous fluid (as the soul) is the first cause; the purer blood, the second cause; and the red blood, the third cause, as the effect of the former causes (ibid 271).

Subordinate, coordinate, and successive appear several times. Simultaneous appears more rarely, yet its idea is evident in other words. Simultaneous is implied in use, for all pre-existent causes or means in a series that ends in use are simultaneous in the use, or as may be said "concur in the effect." Coexist is a synonym for coordinate, or what exist together simultaneously. An important rule is written:

For whatever coexists must become extant successively (250).

What is simultaneous is the end product of a successive series. The two pairs of terms subordinate and coordinate and successive and simultaneous become essential descriptive terms of order or series of degrees, as the study of the formation of the chick in the egg is pursued. Let us pass on to the beginning of the formal description of the Doctrine of Series and Degrees or of Order. In doing so we are armed with examples of the doctrine applied to the formation of the chick. As an essay on purpose, "the Chick, etc." requires many words of the language of degrees.

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Further the expression of purpose is the expression of ends. The principle of end, cause, and effect has a long history in philosophy. Significantly, the whole philosophy of Swedenborg depends upon end, cause, and effect as an important aspect of series and degrees. The end governs the cause and the effect. This illustrates how Swedenborg's philosophy is guided by ends. So much is this so that the doctrine of series and degrees may be called a philosophy of ends. Every triplicate series begins with an end, and progresses from thence to cause and then effect. If the series has more than three terms, each new cause becomes an end looking to the next two terms.
The introduction of successive and simultaneous in the description of the doctrine of order in "An Introduction to Rational Psychology" deserves this long excerpt:

By the doctrine of series and degrees we mean that doctrine which teaches the mode observed by nature in the subordination and coordination of things, and which in acting she has prescribed for herself: This doctrine constitutes a principal part of the natural sciences; for everywhere in nature there is order, and everywhere the rules of order. It is a doctrine which expounds the nature of the veriest form itself, without which nothing which is predicable of anything can occur. If the form of which we may be treating be the veriest form itself, and things be regarded as the subject matter, in this case the subject matter joined to the form perfects the science; thus, for instance, in the anatomy of the animal body, everything we meet with is a subject matter of science, while notwithstanding if the veriest form of the whole and of every part be not known, the science is not perfected. The most perfect order in the mundane system is that which reigns in the animal kingdom; so perfect, indeed, that it may be considered as the living exemplar of all other things in the world which observe any order. Consequently the doctrine of series and degrees ought to teach not only in what manner things are successively subordinated and coordinated, and in what manner they coexist simultaneously in subordination and coordination, but also in what manner they are successively and simultaneously determined according to the order thus impressed, that they may produce actions, in which may be causes, between which actions and causes there may be a connection, so that a judgment may be formed respecting causes from the order in which they exist.

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Series are what successively and simultaneously comprise things subordinate and coordinate. Subordination indeed and coordination properly have respect to order in causes, of which also they are commonly predicated; but whereas there is nothing in the animal kingdom which does not, in some way, act as a cause, it is all the same whether we call the several things in this kingdom successive and coexisting or simultaneous, or whether we call them subordinate and coordinate. When the things themselves are subordinate and coordinate, and thereby distinct from other things, their whole complex, in such case, is called a series, which, to the end that it may co-exist, must exist successively, for nothing in nature can become what it is at once, or simultaneously: since nature, without degrees and moments, whether time, velocity, succession, or determination, and consequently with a complex and series of things, is not nature (l Econ 581).

The headings of numbers 581-587 respectively are:

By the doctrine of series and degrees we mean that doctrine which teaches the mode observed by nature in the subordination and coordination of things, and which in acting she has prescribed for herself . . . Series are what successively and simultaneously comprise things subordinate and coordinate. . .But degrees are distinct progressions, such as when we find one thing is subordinated under another, and when one thing is coordinated in juxtaposition with another: in this sense there are degrees of determination and degrees of composition . . . In the mundane system there are several series, both universal and less universal . . . each of which contains under it several series proper and essential to itself, while each of these again contains series of its own . . . so that there is nothing in the visible world which is not a series and in a series . . . Consequently, the science of natural things depends on a distinct notion of series and degrees, and of their subordination and coordination.

4. Successive order and simultaneous order in the Writings. Part III of Divine Love and Wisdom (173-280) introduced by numbers 167-172 on ends in Part II, is devoted to describing and applying the doctrine of discrete and continuous degrees. As noted, applications are now extended beyond series in "the visible world" (l Econ 580, 586) to series in the spiritual world, that is, to interior degrees of the mind, and degrees of heaven and hell. Series in the "visible world," are extended to series in the spiritual world.

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As a part of the general description and application of the doctrine of degrees, we find this introduction to successive order and simultaneous order:

There is successive order and simultaneous order. The successive order of these degrees is from highest to lowest, or from top to bottom. The angelic heavens are in this order. There the third heaven is the highest, the second is the middle, and the first is the lowest. Such is their relative situation. In like successive order are the states of love and wisdom with the angels there, also states of heat and light and of the spiritual atmospheres. In like order are all the perfections of forms and forces there. When degrees of height, that is, discrete degrees, are in successive order, then they may be compared to a column divided into three stages through which ascent and descent are made. In its upper story are things most perfect and most beautiful; in the middle one, things less perfect and beautiful; in the lowest, things still less perfect and beautiful. Simultaneous order, however, which consists of like degrees, has another appearance. In it the highest things of successive order which are, as was said above, the most perfect and the most beautiful are in the inmost, the lower things in the middle, and the lowest on the circumference. They are as if in a solid composed of these three degrees, in the middle or center of which are the finest parts, round about this are parts less fine, and in the extremes which constitute the circumference are the parts composed of these and which are therefore grosser. It is like the column mentioned just above subsiding into a plane, the highest part of which forms the inmost, the middle forms the middle and the lowest the outermost.

Since the highest of successive order becomes the inmost of simultaneous order, and the lowest becomes the outermost, so in the Word by higher is signified inner, and by lower is signified outer. Similarly by upwards and downwards, also by high and deep (DLW 205).

There should be no doubt that simultaneous order as well as successive order refer to discrete degrees, for

In every outermost there are discrete degrees in simultaneous order. . . (207).

5. An application of successive order and simultaneous order to man in the Writings. An application of successive order and simultaneous order appears in the Arcana Coelestia where the subject treated:

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. . . is the gathering or coming forth of spiritual good, which is "Israel," in the goods and truths of the natural, which are his "sons" or the tribes named after them. . . (AC 6451).

It is proper to our subject to quote at length:

In man there is what is inmost, there are interior things under the inmost, and there are exterior things. All these are most exactly distinct; they succeed in order, thus from the inmost down to the outermost; according to the order in which they succeed, they also flow in; hence it is that life flows through the inmost into the interiors, and through the interiors into the exteriors, thus according to the order in which they succeed; and it does not rest except in the ultimate of order, where it stops. And as the interior things flow in according to order down to the ultimate, and there stop, it is evident that the interior things are together in the ultimate, but in this order: the inmost, which has flowed in, holds the center, the interior things which are under the inmost encompass the center; and the exterior things make the circumference; and this not only in general, but also in every detail. The former order is called "successive order," and the latter "simultaneous order;" and this latter order originates from the former; for in every case the simultaneous has its origin in the successive, and when it has thus originated it exists so. As all the interiors are together in the ultimate, therefore the appearance is as if life were in the ultimate, that is, in the body; when yet it is in the interiors, nor yet there, but in the highest, that is, in the Lord, from Whom is the all of life. Hence also it is that life in the exteriors is obscure compared with life in the interiors; for in the exteriors the life is general, coming forth from the influx of many, nay of innumerable things from the interiors, which appear together and in general(AC 6451:2).

6. Application of successive and of simultaneous order to the doctrine of the Sacred Scripture. Number 205 from The Divine Love and Wisdom (Cf. above) is repeated as to its essentials in The Doctrine of the Sacred Scripture 38. Immediately there follows:

Apply this now to the Word. The celestial, the spiritual and the natural proceed from the Lord in successive order, and in the ultimate or last form they are in simultaneous order; thus, then, the celestial and the spiritual senses of the Word are simultaneously in its natural sense.

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When this is understood it may be seen how the natural sense of the Word, which is the sense of the letter, is the basis, the containant and the support of its spiritual and celestial senses; and also how the Divine Good and Divine Truth are in the sense of the letter of the Word in their fulness, their sanctity and their power.

7. Order and Subordinate and Coordinate in the Writings. At the outset of the definition of the Doctrine of Series and Degrees or of Order in The Economy it is written,

. . . it is all the same whether we call the several things in this kingdom successive and coexistive or simultaneous, or whether we call them subordinate and coordinate. . .(l Econ 582).

Since the pairs of terms successive and simultaneous and subordinate and coordinate join hands as terms of the doctrine or order in the quotation above from "An Introduction to Rational Psychology," it is proper to offer an example when the two are brought together in the Writings, although successive and simultaneous in the space metaphor of DLW 205 appears in TCR 395 to be quoted in a different wording.

The heading of a section (394-402) in the True Christian Religion is

THERE ARE THREE UNIVERSAL LOVES-THE LOVE OF HEAVEN, THE LOVE OF THE WORLD, AND THE LOVE OF SELF.

Order as a name for discrete degrees appears in the following:

These three loves are in every man from creation, and therefore from birth, and they perfect him when kept in their proper order, but destroy him when not so regulated. . .

The human mind is like a house of three stories which communicate with one another by stairways; angels of heaven dwell in the highest of these stories, in the middle, men of the world, and in the lowest, evil spirits (genii). When these three loves are rightly subordinated, a man can ascend and descend at pleasure. When he ascends to the highest story, he is in the company with angels as an angel; when from this he goes down to the middle story he is there in company with men as a man-angel; and when he descends from this still lower he is in company with evil spirits as a man of the world, and there he instructs, reproves and subdues. (395:1, 2).

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Compare this with:

When degrees of highest, that is, discrete degrees, are in successive order, then they may be compared to a column divided into three stages through which ascent and descent are made (DLW 205).

That which is subordinated in this way is also coordinated, that is, subordinate and coordinate are two aspects of discrete degrees:

When these three loves are duly subordinated they are so coordinated that the highest love, the love of heaven, is inwardly within the second, the love of the world, and through this, within the third or lowest, the love of self; and the love which is within directs at its pleasure that which is without. Therefore, if the love of heaven is inwardly within the love of the world, and through this within the love of self, the man performs uses in the exercise of each of these loves, from the God of heaven. These three loves are in their operation like will, understanding, and action; for the will enters by influx into the understanding, and there provides itself with means by which it proceeds to action. However, more will be seen concerning this in the following article, where it will be shown that these three loves, when they are rightly subordinated, perfect a man, but pervert and destroy him when they are not (TCR 395:2).

8. Miscellaneous remarks about the language of degrees. Successive order and simultaneous order are only a part of the very extensive language of degrees, yet a very important part. These two expressions as well as the rest of the language of degrees are means of pointing to distinctive philosophy in Swedenborg's philosophical works and to important parts of the new and distinctive revelation in the Writings.
To see how from successive and simultaneous we may be introduced to other language of the doctrine of degrees, the number following DLW 205 is:

As the highest of successive order becomes the innermost of simultaneous order, and the lowest becomes the outermost, so in the Word "higher" signifies inner, and "lower" signifies outer. "Upwards" and "downwards," and "high" and "deep" have a like meaning. (D.L.W. 206 quotes in Latin and Ager trans., not in Sw. Soc. ed. 1969.)

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The terms in quotation marks are added to other terms appearing in earlier references above; for example, it is according to order as well as purer, prior, interior, grosser, posterior, exterior, the flowing of what is spiritual into what is natural, which is expressed elsewhere by influx. There are other examples which taken collectively with these show how extensive is the language of degrees, affecting almost if not everything that is taught in the Writings. How much does the word order for example bring with it when it is thought while reading it: "this, that is order, may mean the doctrine of discrete degrees." This is not surprising if together with things said above about order we also think:

THERE ARE DEGREES OF BOTH KINDS (DISCRETE AND CONTINUOUS) IN THE GREATEST AND THE LEAST OF ALL CREATED THINGS. (Heading over DLW 222.)

Order is especially affective, but each of the other terms brings forward some aspect of series and degrees.
Let us also call to mind some of the groupings of words that contribute distinctive aspects to the philosophy of degrees. There are of course degrees, series, as well as order, essential to our discussion so far. A principal group are substances, forms, correspondences, representations, modifications, use, influx-as when degrees of substance, degrees of form, etc. are used. The three successive pairs of heart and lungs, will and understanding, love and wisdom, form a series related by correspondences.

Consider how "for the sake or" (propter) refers to discrete degrees. It is commonplace to say that a healthy body is for the sake of its action. But the following statement is not commonplace: Healthy body and action are a degree apart; therefore, "A healthy body is for the sake of performing useful action," is a relation according to degrees. Love, wisdom and use is a series resulting when the principle of end, cause, and effect is applied to what is Divine and to what appears in man in lower degrees as a gift from the Lord. Anatomical terms become words in the philosophy of degrees as illustrated by degrees of bloods, of fibers, and of substances of the brains. Formation of man as a receptacle is described by a descending series from God; creation takes place in an ascending series back to man's conjunction with God when man is regenerating. Influx of love and wisdom as Divine Proceeding is by degrees to the mind of man where it meets what has ascended by degrees from the world. Each is received there according to the state of the mind. Descending series and ascending series produce much language of degrees.

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Descending and ascending are sometimes referred to as a ladder. An example is: from sensation to imagination, thence thought, etc. is called ladder of psychology (2 Econ 315). There are the circles: the circle of formation and creation in The Infinite and Final Cause of Creation, the circle of life and regeneration in the Writings (AC 10057), the circle from what is sensed in the world through the imagination, thought, conclusion, will and act in the world is called a circle of things (AC 3869:2); and "There is in all things of the human mind this circle of love to thoughts and from thoughts to love from love, a circle which may be called a circle of life" (DP 29). Each example gives meaning to a whole suggested by circle that begins and ends in the same place, connected in its circuit by intermediate ends, called means or causes; each contributes to the language of degrees.
There are many pairs of expressions distinctive to series taken from the language of space and time. This is the only source of language possible to man while he is in the world. Examples are: superior, inferior; higher, lower; interiors, exteriors; prior, posterior. Other examples are: the series of natural, spiritual and celestial applied to many things: truth and states of man, for example. The series of four degrees of universal, singular, particular, general is important, although often there is reference to only two of its terms, that is, universal with singular or particular with general. Names of numbers, of animals, proper names of men and women, as also man and woman, names of cities, countries, and rivers all take on distinctive places in series as effects by correspondences.
So much are the parts of the body used in relating the series of end, cause and effect in the philosophical works that sometimes they are erroneously referred to as anatomical works. Simultaneous order applies to motor fibers in every muscle, and the fibers in every nerve, in every seed and in every fruit, in every metal and stone (DLW 207). Although there is reference in the Writings to these things so abundantly treated in the philosophical works, I am not aware that there is any explicit credit given the philosophical works. Swedenborg in the Writings writes as seer and revelator, not as philosopher.

9. The application of the language of degrees in the philosophical works and the Writings can be compared, because the philosophy of degrees applies to everything.

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In The Economy:

. . . there is nothing in the visible world which is not a series and in a series (I Econ 586).

And in The Divine Love and Wisdom:

That the greatest and the least of all things consist of discrete and continuous degrees (DLW 222).

     The words discrete . . . degrees in the latter quotation and series in the former refer to the same thing as far as discrete degrees are concerned. The doctrine of discrete and continuous degrees is well known to readers of the Writings. The language of Swedenborg's philosophical works is not as well known. As I have noted, what later in the Writings is named doctrine of discrete and continuous degrees is in those works called the doctrine of series and degrees, or alternately the doctrine of order. It is also referred to as the philosophy of degrees, or as in the quotation above simply series.
     Both of these kinds of degrees are distinguished from, and not to be confused with, continuous degrees. That there are discrete degrees of love, of wisdom, of good, of truth, etc. and many other things is what is distinctive. This is not the same as more or less of love, more or less of wisdom, more or less of good or truth etc. Degrees of more or less are well known elsewhere than in Swedenborg, in examples such as: more or less light, more or less sound, more or less heavy, etc. Such is the meaning of continuous degrees, and does not require much description either in philosophy or revelation. But the difference between light and sound is according to discrete degrees. There is no way by increasing or decreasing sound that light will result, nor by increasing or decreasing light that sound will result. They travel in different atmospheres, sound in the air, and light in the ether.
     To emphasize, the words of the two quotations above, namely, the one from The Economy of the Animal Kingdom (586) and the other from The Divine Love and Wisdom (222) are different but refer to the same doctrine. Yet according to the respective wordings, there is one important difference in applications of the doctrine in the philosophical works and the Writings. Note the words there is nothing in the visible world in the first quotation and in all things in the second. All things includes much more than what is in the visible world. The philosophical works are about the natural world, that is things in the visible world, so the doctrine of series and degrees is first known because of things in the world.

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Swedenborg, the philosopher, among many things, describes degrees of bloods, of muscle fibers, of things of sense: of light, sound, and things smelled, tasted, touched. In the Writings, applications not only are to these things but are extended to include interior degrees of the mind, degrees of heaven and hell and to all other spiritual things. Insofar as the natural truths of the philosophical works are foundation for spiritual truths in the Writings, the spiritual truths include the natural truths, that is are more encompassing by virtue of their added spiritual content.

10. Successive and simultaneous introduced early in the philosophical works and used freely in the Writings. The main purpose of this paper is to show how successive and simultaneous are important in the language of the philosophy of degrees, not to represent a complete study of them. I suspect that a chronological study of their appearance throughout the works of Swedenborg would make an interesting study. Examples appear as early as in the preface and first chapter of The Principia (xcvi, pp. 20, 31, 33 Clissold). Their usage in the philosophy of degrees should not be confused with common usage with reference to time-although the latter usage is not excluded. Spiritual states, for example, occur successively according to degrees and may refer also to occurrence successively in time. The description of the formation of the series of finites, series of actions, and series of atmospheres may be regarded as a time sequence (cosmogony), or as a description of the universe (cosmology). Successive and simultaneous apply in both cases.
Although in The Principia the doctrine of series and degrees has not yet been given, the series of finites, the series of action, and the series of atmosphere are each formed successively. Further, every posterior form contains within it all prior forms, simultaneously.
I have used care to refer to the single terms successive and simultaneous in the philosophical works, but to the double terms successive order and simultaneous order in the Writings. This should not be regarded as mutually exclusive. It is only what we find for the most part. Consider this use of successive order for example from The Principia:

The connexion between ends and means forms the very life and essence of nature. For nothing can originate from itself; it must originate from some other thing: hence there must be a certain contiguity and connexion in the existence of natural things, that is, all things, in regard to their existence, must follow each other in successive order (p. 20).

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     Recalling the remarks about time above, there maybe an appearance that it is sufficient to regard this statement from The Principia as applying only in time. But in Swedenborg's philosophy ends and means in the quotation are the first two terms of the series end, cause, and effect. End, cause, and effect is a basic principle to all applications of series of degrees in both the philosophical works and the Writings.
     It should be added that the language of degrees is sufficiently rich to permit frequent changes of wording for the same idea, because series and degrees apply to everything (l Econ 586; DLW 222), and particulars that illustrate are innumerable. Consider how, for example, containant means the same as what is included simultaneously. Following the formal description of successive order and simultaneous order (DLW 205-208), the next heading (of DLW 209-216) we read,

THE ULTIMATE DEGREE IS THE COMPLEX, CONTAINANT AND BASE OF PRIOR DEGREES.

This is in agreement with "the highest of successive order becomes the inmost of simultaneous order. . ." (DLW 206).
     The following from Heaven and Hell, number 58, illustrates what is simultaneous and successive as to the ideas, yet without use of these words:

Finally it should be said that he who has heaven in himself has it not only in the largest or most general things pertaining to him but also in every least or particular thing, and that these things repeat in an image the greatest.

What is of heaven in himself and as well in the largest and least is so simultaneously. What is repeated as an image in the greatest is according to degrees, and is successively so.
MINISTERIAL PLACEMENTS 1981

MINISTERIAL PLACEMENTS 1981

Rev. Grant H. Odhner-Glenview, Illinois, effective September 1, 1981.
Rev. Arthur W. Schnarr-Toronto, Ontario, Canada, effective September 1, 1981.

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GROWING PAINS OF OUR MISSIONARY OUTLOOK 1981

GROWING PAINS OF OUR MISSIONARY OUTLOOK Rev. ALLISON NICHOLSON 1981

     Challenges for the World, Changes for the Church

     Our small size and lack of growth has led many in the past to speculate that perhaps the world wasn't ready for the Church of the New Jerusalem. Almost lost among these speculative pervaders of mankind's spiritual indifference were a few faint voices who irreverently suggested that some of the cause for our lack of growth might lie in our unwillingness to make our church ready for the world.
     Most of our members, however, sought a second opinion concerning the cause of our spiritual ills and were told that perhaps the problems did not lie simply in the world's indifference, or necessarily in the church's lack of missionary zeal, but that the cause most likely stemmed from the spiritual world where the preparations for the church's descent were not yet complete.
     Fortified with this spiritual prognosis, the church prepared itself to cope with the long-term consequences of an illness over which it apparently had little control. It prepared to stoically endure its years of spiritual invalidism by withdrawing into a comfortable pattern of isolation which its advocates called "distinctiveness" and its critics called "being different." The world went its way and we went ours, and neither was much concerned with the other.
     Our isolation, however, wasn't always as comfortable as we would have liked it to be. First there was the ever-present threat of embarrassment when we were questioned by outsiders as to what church we belonged to, especially when it came to explaining why we were so small and unknown. Then there was the nagging feeling of uncertainty which some had as to whether our children were really the Gentiles that the Lord had told us to evangelize. This doubt was not allayed by the chronic failure of many of our youth to join the church after it had labored so hard to evangelize them. Still our church persevered, under the constant reassurance of its leaders that the religious education of its children (which other churches regarded as duties to one's own) was an act of charity. In fact, New Church education was called "That highest charity in which priests and laymen join hand in hand."
     If we can be said to have suffered from spiritual near-sightedness in discerning the "signs of the times," the same cannot be said for our natural ability to read the "face of the sky."

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In the demographic forecasts of our future birthrate, we clearly saw the need for a wider definition of who constitutes the Gentiles, that is if our schools were to have any children and if we were to survive as a viable church organization. And so we began to turn our attention to missionary work.

     But wait, some will say, should this be our reason for doing missionary work? Isn't this being led by the external necessities of the world instead of by internal principles from the Word? Perhaps that is so, but isn't that the way the Lord has to begin with everyone as well as with every church organization? Doesn't repentance and reformation begin from enlightened self interest, that is from our desire to escape the punishments of hell?
     The development of an organization's spiritual life is little different from that of its members. If our individual regeneration begins from self-centered purposes, why should we expect to find an entirely different pattern in the life of the organized church? The reason for our entry into the field of missionary work is not nearly as important as the genuine love of the neighbor to which this work can eventually lead us. The Lord asks us only to trust in Him and obey. If we do, He will purify the motives in our hearts and give us a love which we may not have known before.
     The Lord, however, cannot change our heart if we say that we have looked within and found our motives to be pure. Jesus said, "Ye say, We see; therefore your sins remain" (John 9:41). Hypocrisy and deceit are far more destructive of spiritual life than are admitted impure motives. We may pretend for the sake of decorum, but let us not try to conceal from ourselves our reasons for awakening to the need for missionary work after a century of slumber. Let us admit our neglect and pray to the Lord for His forgiveness, guidance and strength.
     In addition to the need for us to examine our motives for evangelization, there is also a need for us to examine our practices as a church. Missionary work will spread a knowledge of the Writings, and in doing so it will bring an increasing number of newcomers to us. But if our church organization is to grow numerically as well, we must be able to retain a fair portion of those whom the Heavenly Doctrines attract. Keeping those that our missionary program attracts will likely prove to be a much greater challenge than was getting them interested in the Writings.
     Spreading the Writings to the world is the first concern of a missionary program, for this is the spreading of the Lord's spiritual church.

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Building up the organized church is the second concern of such a program, for this is strengthening the foundation on which the spiritual church must rest. If we merely spread the spiritual church without strengthening the foundation, our efforts will have little permanency. It is for this reason that we must take a new and penetrating look at all facets of our organization, not merely to make it more attractive to newcomers, but to see if we are really meeting the needs of our members as well.
For example, do our worship services meet the needs of the various states of our congregation: our youth, young adults, middle-aged and the elderly? Do our services provide joy, hope, and an uplifting experience for those who attend? Many have expressed the opinion that they do not. How should we counter those who say that we have made solemnity synonymous with sanctity and accuse us of creating a sphere of worship that borders on the funereal? Others say that most of our sermons are didactic discourses on abstract concepts that leave one feeling up in the air, but not necessarily elevated. Our prayers have been called powerless and our music depressing. How should we respond to such criticism? Do we need to change or should we wait until the dissatisfaction reaches the level of a consensus, or else fades away?
Self-examination is as necessary in the life of our church as it is for us as individuals. As an organization we must be willing to re-examine all of the concepts and practices which have come to make up our organization. Self-examination does not mean that everything examined will be modified or changed. It means that everything must be looked at from the broadest possible perspective in the light of the Writings and the objectives which we establish.
ZEAL AND INDUSTRY 1981

ZEAL AND INDUSTRY 1981

. . . The Lord called together the twelve apostles, and sent them forth throughout the whole spiritual world, just as He had formerly sent them into ah the natural world, with the command to preach this gospel . . . . They are now executing this command with great zeal and industry. True Christian Religion 108

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REPORT OF THE EXTENSION COMMITTEE 1981

REPORT OF THE EXTENSION COMMITTEE Rev. DOUGLAS TAYLOR 1981

     ANNUAL REPORTS OF THE GENERAL CHURCH

     REPORT OF THE EXTENSION COMMITTEE

     Because a comprehensive report of the work of evangelization was presented at the General Assembly in June of 1980 and published in NEW CHURCH LIFE for January of this year, this report will be much briefer than usual.
     In general, it can be said that the developmental programs described in that report have been continued and others have been added.
     The main developments include the formation of some more project groups, made up of volunteers living in the Bryn Athyn area. One group is patiently reading through sermons and other material with a view to selecting 24 sermons ranging from introductory to more advanced difficulty and covering the major doctrines of the church. The purpose of this is to select finally a series of sermons or other literature that can be mailed once a month to the people on our existing sermon mailing list, which we are striving to enlarge.
     The second group is investigating the publishing business and all related facets of it. From this we hope to gather valuable information to improve our placement of books in bookstores, and also to learn more of the techniques of publicity.
     A third group is aiming at producing some "model" tapes on answering questions about the church. At the present time this is still at the script-writing stage, but looks very promising.
     The committee deeply appreciates the contribution of these volunteer helpers, whose enthusiasm for their task is infectious.
     The standing committee on literature is about to go to press with its first production-a series of pieces of literature of increasing difficulty on one specific subject. In this case it is the spiritual sense of the Word. As soon as our new budget is in operation, we shall begin producing this material, which is designed primarily to meet the needs of our members when they wish to give something appropriate to a friend who has inquired about the church. Eventually, we are looking to the time when all subjects will be covered in this way. But at least we have made a beginning.
     The training course on answering questions about the church continues to be given a good reception wherever it is presented. Since the assembly there have been all-day sessions in Detroit, Atlanta, Lake Helen and Miami. To judge by the comments of those who have participated, this course achieves its goal-to increase the confidence of our members in answering the inevitable questions directed to them by friends and acquaintances.

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One grateful participant even described it as "a great attitude-changer."
     The Committee continues to watch with increasing interest the situation in Ghana, where there seems to be a most unusual appetite for the Heavenly Doctrine. The reports of the Rev. Geoffrey Howard and Candidate Jeremy Simons, who recently visited Ghana (see NEW CHURCH LIFE, November 1980, page 499) have done much to increase not only our understanding of the possibilities in that country, but our eagerness to be of help.
     Probably the greatest step forward was the formation of a special evangelization fund. All members of the church were contacted and invited to contribute to this fund, with a view to building up some capital to provide a regular income for the manifold forms of use that evangelization takes on. The number of small contributors to this fund is most encouraging.
     The Missionary Memo-the bi-monthly newsletter of the Committee-continues to be a very useful forum for the discussion of aims and methods of spreading the Lord's Kingdom more widely. It comes out in February, April, June, August, October, and December. The June issue was mailed, as an experiment, to every member of the Church. As a result, we received several new subscriptions and quite a few donations.
     The morale of the Committee is high as a result of increasing evidence that we are on the right track, that what we are aiming to do not only will produce results but is beginning to do so. We look forward with great anticipation to the next year of our developing usefulness.
     Respectfully submitted,
          REV. DOUGLAS TAYLOR,
               Director of Evangelization
REPORT OF THE TRANSLATION COMMITTEE 1981

REPORT OF THE TRANSLATION COMMITTEE Rev. (REV.) N. BRUCE ROGERS 1981

In the past year the Translation Committee pressed forward projects already in hand. The most important of these continued to be the preparation of a new edition of Diarium Spirituale, henceforth to be titled more properly, Experientiae Spirituales. Dr. J. Durban Odhner and Miss Lisa Hyatt spent the majority of their time throughout the year engaged in this work, and the first volumes are very near to being ready for publication.

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In addition, 1980 saw the publication of the committee's first production, De Telluribus in Universe in three versions, and several other projects were advanced during the summer months.
     Experientiae Spirituales (formerly Diarium Spirituale). Dr. J. Durban Odhner continued as editor of this work, with Miss Lisa Hyatt as his consultant. During the summer, Dr. Odhner was also given the assistance of Mr. Jonathan Rose, who made a thorough review of several items relating to the proposed first volume and Swedenborg's Index. These included checking all references to the Index in the material excerpted from Explicatio in Verbum Veteris Testamenti (The Word Explained), identification of actual Biblical quotations in this material, numbering the entries in the Index for future reference, and study of Dr. Odhner's preface for final accuracy.
     Thanks to the steady progress made by Dr. Odhner and Miss Hyatt in what can be tedious work, the first of the seven proposed volumes of Experientiae Spirituales is now just about ready for publication. It awaits only the resolution of certain questions of presentation to be discussed by the Translation Committee in the near future. This first volume will contain primarily material extracted from Explicatio in Verbum Veteris Testamenti (The Word Explained), as indicated by Swedenborg's Index to Experientiae Spirituales, but also a reconstruction of the missing numbers 1-148 made from the Index, the "Bath Fragment" (considered to be part of the missing numbers 28 and 29), and three statements from the beginning of Swedenborg's Bible Index of Isaiah and Jeremiah. It will include as well both Dr. Odhner's preface to the work as a whole, and his preface to this first volume. Much of this material has been circulated for preview to representatives of sister organizations of the church, and the editor is grateful for the observations and comments he has received, most notably from reviewers of the Swedenborg Society in England.
     We are also happy to report that the proposed second volume of Experientiae Spirituales is likewise almost ready for publication, owing to the fact that the initial editing of this material was actually completed first. This volume will contain numbers 149-1789, and is now undergoing final editorial revision. It is expected to be ready for publication immediately following publication of the first volume.
     Finally, we are able to report that the proposed third volume, to contain numbers 1790-3427, has already gone through the initial stage of editing, and will enter the stage of final revision some time in the coming year.

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     Preparation of a new Latin edition of Experientiae Spirituales, formerly known as Diarium Spirituale (as J. F. I. Tafel titled it), has been an immense undertaking, posing problems too numerous to explain here, some of which were also unexpected. Progress has accordingly been slower than some might have hoped for. Small problems sometimes lead far afield, as, for example, the necessity to identify handwriting other than Swedenborg's appearing in the manuscript. (Samples of the handwriting of A. Nordenskjold, Chastanier, Sibly, Wadstrom and others have had to be obtained, which are now under study.) On the other hand, solutions to these problems will have extended benefit for future work, and we anticipate an accelerated rate of progress as the work advances. Many of the general problems have been solved. It remains to be seen how many new problems may crop up.
     De Verbo. A new Latin edition of De Scriptura Sacra sur Verbo Domini has been completed by the undersigned, with the expert help of Dr. Odhner and Miss Hyatt, for whose thoughtful suggestions and comments the editor is grateful. The editor has also prepared a preface in both Latin and English, which still needs final revision.
     In addition, the editor has begun an English translation of the new edition. The aim is to provide a version in English that is at once faithful to the meaning of the original language and at the same time readily intelligible to the modern reader. To assist him in this, the editor/translator has called on the volunteer help of several readers, some expert in Latin, some expert in English, and some without special expertise. The results have already proven worthwhile. There is no doubt that the final version will be signally superior due to the benefit of the comments and criticisms received.
     It is expected that this work will be ready for preview and publication once the English translation has been finished and the prefaces completed and revised.
     De Ultimo Judicio post mortem auctoris editum. A new Latin edition of this posthumous work (The Last Judgment) was almost completed, under the continuing editorship of Mr. Prescott A. Rogers, with Mr. B. Erickson Odhner acting as consultant. As reported last year, the key to the proper pagination of the manuscript was only recently discovered, and this in turn will require a modification in the traditional order of some of the material. Still to be decided is whether this work will be published jointly with De Verbo (see above), as they are both found in the same codex. If they are published jointly, the publication date may be postponed until De Ultimo Judicio is ready in both Latin and English versions.

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     The Old and New Testaments in Latin according to the Writings. This project was described in last year's report. Briefly, the goal is to complete a compilation of Scriptural passages as they are quoted in the Writings, with variants duly noted, to serve as an aid for future translators of the Old and New Testaments and for other New Church students of the Word.
     During the past summer, this work was carried on again by Mr. Timothy Rose and also by Mr. Richard Goerwitz. So far, the Writings' quotations from the Apocalypse, Matthew and Mark have been finally verified and organized. The same process has been begun for quotations from Luke and John. When this collection has been completed, we will have a fully annotated version of the inspired books of the New Testament in Latin according to the Writings, except for those verses which the Writings do not quote. It is a question whether in a final publication of this material we will omit those verses or supply them from some other source, such as from the Biblia Sacra of Sebastian Schmidt, the Latin translation most often used by Swedenborg. There are arguments pro and con.
     Coronis, and Invitation to the New Church. Mr. B. Erikson Odhner spent a little time reviewing and reworking some of the Coronis material. Other than that, however, the project remains as it has since the summer of 1978, in its preliminary stages, due to the lack of an available editor.
     Parallel Passages to Spiritual Diary Numbers. This past summer Miss Marcia Smith finished the first draft of a list of these passages, which is now far more complete than any of its predecessors. Much of the work has also undergone final revision and is ready for publication. The present thought is to include it in an appendix volume to the new edition of Experientiae Spirituales being prepared by Dr. Odhner (see above). It may be, however, that in the meantime we will be able to find a temporary form of publication to make the list available before then.
     Parallel passages to numbers in other works of the Writings. Originally we planned only to develop a list of parallel passages to numbers in the Spiritual Diary, to assist in preparing a new Latin edition of that work. We have since begun to realize a broader value of such a cross-referencing system, however, and so have begun an expansion of the project to other works. Accordingly, in the summer months Miss Smith continued her study into The Last Judgment, Continuation of The Last Judgment, and The Last Judgment (Posthumous), and has developed a list of parallel passages for those works as well.

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In addition, Miss Linda Simonetti began a similar list for Arcana Coelestia, starting with volume I. Eventually we hope to develop a complete list for all the works of the Writings.
     "Translator's Corner." Last spring Mr. Lennart Alfelt, editor of The New Philosophy, agreed to include a "Translator's Corner" as a special feature in that journal, in which New Church linguists might find a public forum for exchanges of observations and ideas that bear on the work of editing and translating the Writings and Sacred Scriptures. Edited by Dr. J. Durban Odhner, this forum has been greeted with enthusiasm, and it is our hope that it will serve as a permanent record of the discoveries and insights of our laborers in this field. We need not only to share our knowledge, but to accumulate it, so that those who come later may benefit from those who have gone before. So far it has made an excellent start in this direction.
     Swedenborg Lexicon. We are pleased to report further that the Translation Committee has been able to provide the assistance of Mr. Jonathan Rose to Dr. John Chadwick of England, to advance Dr. Chadwick's efforts in producing his Lexicon to the Latin Text of the Theological Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg. This is a major undertaking, under the sponsorship of The Swedenborg Society, and the Church is fortunate to have a man of Dr. Chadwick's experience and abilities engaged in such painstaking and time-consuming work. Mr. Rose is helping to relieve Dr. Chadwick of some of the necessary but tedious verification of first draft material, in order to speed the final result.
     Conclusion. It has been my pleasure to serve another year as Chairman of the Translation Committee. We have put together a team that is making real progress, as this report may testify. May our contributions serve the Church, as contributions of others have served and continue to serve. Through our cooperative efforts, may we add our efforts and talents to what we judge to be a renewal of linguistic scholarship in the Church, that what the Lord has revealed may be accurately presented and His Word be made a sure foundation of all our faith and love.
     Respectfully submitted,
          (REV.) N. BRUCE ROGERS,
               Chairman

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REPORT OF THE PUBLICATION COMMITTEE 1981

REPORT OF THE PUBLICATION COMMITTEE LORENTZ R. SONESON 1981

     The book Additions to the Concordance by the Rev. Donald L. Rose was seen through the General Church Press in 1980, and made available to the church through various book centers. This 105-page compilation of references not included in the original Potts Concordance is attractively bound in a cover similar to the original six volumes (1,000 copies first edition).
     The pamphlet entitled How I Would Help the World written by Helen Keller was reproduced and is now available to the public. Future publications being considered are: An Heritage of the Lord-Selected Readings concerning Infancy by the Rev. Robert S. Junge; a revision of Order and Organization of the General Church; a Biography of Swedenborg by Leon Rhodes; and a booklet of Children's Talks by General Church ministers. A translation of the Doctrine of Faith submitted by Dr. David Gladish offering more readable English is also being considered by the committee.
     Replenishing inventories of books and pamphlets for the General Church Book Center is considered as the need arises.
     The Publication Committee continues to invite authors to submit manuscripts for both young and old that would serve the General Church at large.
     Respectfully submitted,
          LORENTZ R. SONESON,
               Chairman
REPORT OF THE RELIGION LESSONS 1981

REPORT OF THE RELIGION LESSONS LORENTZ R. SONESON 1981

The work of education is ongoing and often thankless. This is no less true with the General Church Religion Lessons program, a service offered to our isolated children through a correspondence course in the study of the Word. Counselors and teachers, all volunteers, continue contact by mail with our scattered children, nearly 500 enrollment. Recognizing that it is something less than what our church schools can offer in the religious curriculum, these dedicated women, using our available course material, keep a warm and friendly contact with these potential New Church men and women throughout the world.
The director meets monthly with the chairman and vice-chairman of the Religion Lessons Committee (Mrs. Leon Rhodes and Mrs. Dan McQueen), the current president of Theta Alpha International (Mrs. Edward Asplundh), the festival lessons head (Mrs. Leonard Gyllenhaal), the coordinator of the pre-school program(Mrs. Boyd Asplundh), the chairman of the General Church Music Committee involved with cassette tapes for little children (Mrs. Douglas Taylor) and the coordinating creche figure head (Mrs. Lawrence Glenn), where progress on these various activities is discussed.

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These dedicated ladies carry on a rich heritage of the Theta Alpha, so conscious of educating children in the church in the letter of the Word, no matter where they live. The church in general, and isolated parents in particular, owe a deep debt of gratitude to these conscientious volunteers.
     This correspondence school continues to meet the needs of adults in isolation who receive only occasional doctrinal instruction, through courses in The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine, Heaven and Hell, Divine Love and Wisdom, "The Doctrine of God," and "The Doctrine of the Spiritual World." Isolated adults are encouraged to enroll in this program by writing to the director.

Cassette Tapes for Little Children

     Additional tapes are being prepared for little children and distributed through the Religion Lessons program by its head, Mrs. Douglas Taylor. Parents of pre-school children are encouraged to write for these tapes, especially those that teach simple songs based on stories from the Word.

New Church Home

     This monthly publication, addressed especially to isolated New Church families, provides children's talks, doctrine for the young and articles addressed to the parents in its pages. Recent featured series include interviews of parents in isolation and those with special interest and experience in the great work of religious training in the home.
     A recent survey taken of readers of New Church Home indicated strong support for this publication, both in form and content, which was gratifying to the staff. Skyrocketing printing costs, however, dictate bi-monthly issues for the balance of the 1980-1981 volume, and possible increase in subscription rates next fall.
     Theta Alpha International continues to sponsor the "Explorer" insert, which features articles, poetry and drawings for and from the children. We are grateful to its editor, Mrs. Stephen Maxwell, for her four issues this past fall, and are sorry to report her resignation due to moving. We welcome Mrs. William Fehon, her replacement as editor.

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     We continue to encourage New Church parents not yet subscribing to this publication to do so by writing to the editor.

Visual Education

     An inventory of 35 mm slides continues to circulate to pastors in the field, isolated parents, Sunday School teachers and local Bryn Athyn religion teachers. We call to your attention especially those fine slides that can be used to illustrate the festival occasions. The following statistics describe our circulation for the last three years:


                               1978           1979           1980
Slide sets                         62           82           38
Total slides                     1,412      2,377      766
Number of borrowers                24           39           16

Sunday School

     This committee, originally limited to members of the Council of the Clergy, but now open to laymen, continues to offer a wide inventory of resource material and supplies to various church centers. Mrs. Boyd Asplundh, an active volunteer on this committee, and acting secretary, is primarily responsible for this great service available to Sunday School heads. She and her numerous volunteers keep in contact through monthly newsletters that include samples of new material and teaching aids, making it a fine corollary to the Religion Lessons program. Pastors and Sunday School teachers have discovered the wide range of material available to them through Myra Asplundh's resource center here at Cairncrest. Those active in this field are encouraged to submit their projects to her so that they can be shared with others in this important work.

Conclusion

     Though the many volunteers who offer their countless hours and varied talents to the above programs ask nothing in return other than active utilization of their efforts, the church at large should be cognizant of their contribution. Their love of the church, plus a feminine perception of the need for developing an affection for the Word with our young, is ultimated through these varied uses being offered by the General Church. We acknowledge our debt to them and thank them publicly through this report from its director.
     Respectfully submitted,
          LORENTZ R. SONESON,
               Director

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REPORT OF THE SOUND RECORDING COMMITTEE 1981

REPORT OF THE SOUND RECORDING COMMITTEE DOUGLAS M. TAYLOR 1981

     The office bearers of the committee remain the same as last year: Mr. E. Boyd Asplundh, Secretary; Miss Elizabeth Hayes, Treasurer; and Mr. Norwin Synnestvedt as Vice-Chairman. The latter gentleman has one advantage over the other office bearers: his work is such that he is sometimes off-duty in the daytime, resulting in the actual accomplishment of many projects that needed doing.
     A new activity mentioned briefly at the close of last year's report was the improvement of the sound system in the Cathedral by the Cathedral Sound Committee, of which some members of our committee were invited to be members. This has taken considerable time, expertise, energy, and devotion to duty. We are quite confident that the results will eventually be satisfactory to all. At the time of writing, the public address system has been considerably improved, but there are still technical problems to be overcome as far as the recording of services is concerned. However, we have every confidence that these too will be solved in the near future.
     At our annual meeting on October 29, 1980, our treasurer reported that at that date our net worth had increased by $2,229.03 to $32,502.29. Our income increased marginally by $357.16-mainly from an increase in the income derived from sales of recordings. Surprisingly, our expenses decreased by $441.61, so that our profit for the year was $2,229.03, an increase of $1,789.88 over last year.
     This is not, of course, a matter for complacency. It is very encouraging that we have come out on the right side of the ledger, though there were times during the year when this did not seem possible! We make no charge for borrowing tapes, being completely dependent on the financial contributions of users and special contributors. Again in the past year these contributions were down by about $600 in both categories. We can only hope that we will be allowed to continue supporting the work of the church, and that cutbacks will not be necessary.
     We depend upon our volunteers-not only those who volunteer to contribute financially, but those who volunteer to contribute a great deal of skill, time, energy, and plain hard work. Without the help of these volunteers throughout the church, we simply could not do what we have been doing for the church for over thirty years. We also owe a considerable debt of gratitude to our office secretary, Mrs. Joseph McDonough.
     Respectfully submitted,
          DOUGLAS M. TAYLOR,
               Chairman

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REPORT OF THE EDITOR OF NEW CHURCH LIFE 1981

REPORT OF THE EDITOR OF NEW CHURCH LIFE Rev. DONALD L. ROSE 1981

     Although I began to write the editorials with the August issue, I did not do anywhere near half the editorial work for NEW CHURCH LIFE in 1980. The work fell to Rev. Morley D. Rich, and to this was added the work of teaching me the procedures that the work entails.
     In the autumn I sent out a letter to members of the clergy asking that ways be considered to promote more reading of this journal and asking to be informed of potential lay writers that I might contact. At the same time I reported that we seemed to have an abundance of copy.
     I can now report that the abundance of material to which I referred months ago is now even greater. We have a fine lot of copy on hand. This is as it should be. Now the editor does not have to beg for material. He may simply remind you that quality items are always in demand. Short things seem to be much appreciated by our readers. I know that it is hard work making something short. But it seems worth it.
     During the later part of the year we devoted some time to the change from Lancaster Press to General Church Press. At the same time we had a change of cover which we hope was welcome to many and not too traumatic for others.

                         No.      Pages
                              1980      1979
Articles                    308      295
Sermons                    66      66
Reports                    58      52
Communications               30      26
Announcements               37      33
Church News                    25      24
Editorials                    47      38
Reviews                    0      8
Directories                    9      10
Memorials                    14      4
Miscellaneous               4      24
Totals                     598      580

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Contributors, Number of:
Priests               42      36
Laity
Men                    18      12
Women                    6      2
Totals               66      50

Circulation:

     The total circulation as of December 3 1, 1980 was 1,797. Of these 1,094 were paid subscriptions and 355 were gift subscriptions. 348 were sent free to clergy and libraries.
     Respectfully submitted,
          REV. DONALD L. ROSE,
               Editor
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE FOR REVISION OF THE KING JAMES VERSION OF THE WORD 1981

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE FOR REVISION OF THE KING JAMES VERSION OF THE WORD Rev. (REV.) N. BRUCE ROGERS 1981

As reported in NEW CHURCH LIFE in April, 1980, (p. 181) for a number of years there has been a growing dissatisfaction with some of the inaccuracies and difficult readings of the King James Version of the Word, which has been the standard translation used in the General Church. In response to a call from the Council of the Clergy, therefore, Bishop King appointed an ad hoc committee in April, 1979, to determine what steps should be taken in providing copies of the Word for the church in the future. This committee in turn recommended the formation of a permanent committee to undertake a revision of the King James Version. The result is the present committee, appointed in November, 1979, and consisting of the Rev. Messrs. Alfred Acton, Stephen D. Cole, B. David Holm, Martin Pryke, N. Bruce Rogers, Frederick L. Schnarr, Lorentz R. Soneson, and Mr. Prescott A. Rogers.
The committee met first in February, 1980, and then several more times during the rest of the year. Inevitably our primary attention was taken up with questions of procedure. It had already been agreed as a condition of appointment that every proposed change would have to be agreed on by every member of the committee. The reason for this condition was to protect against unnecessary or unwanted changes.

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The end in view is to change what ought to be changed, without disturbing the church, and without simply exchanging one unhappy reading for another. The right of veto thus granted to each member of the committee, however, led to some protracted discussions of detail with little fruitful outcome.
     In addition, the committee had difficulty arriving at a common sight as to whether we should proceed through the Word chapter by chapter, or whether we should adopt a list of words needing change and then make the changes wherever the words appear, and if the latter, where that list should come from or how it should be developed. On top of all this were questions of recording changes for the sake of future reference, to avoid duplication of effort or the omission of items that ought to have been considered. All of these were serious and important questions, and it took time to work out their resolution.
     As a result, the work of the committee has proceeded slowly. We report this without apology or any sense of frustration, however, because toward the end of the year we were able to come to a consensus on a method of procedure acceptable to all, which almost certainly would not have been possible apart from our lengthy exchange of ideas and the unsuccessful attempts that we experimented with.
     The method we have adopted calls for the chairman to act as principal reviser. It is his duty to collect suggested changes, study them with respect to the original language and their rendering in the Writings, and circulate proposed changes to the other members of the committee. Each member then has the opportunity to affirm or reject proposed changes and to offer alternatives. Each member may also suggest to the chairman changes he would like to have proposed. Indeed, the chairman stands ready to receive suggested changes from anyone who may have changes to suggest. If a proposed revision is rejected, the chairman must then either make an alternative proposal, or withdraw the proposal altogether, or save it for a meeting of the committee for further discussion. The chairman must also report rejected proposals to the committee.
     One advantage of the method of procedure adopted is that it has obviated the need for frequent or even regular meetings. Most changes can be effected through written communication. This has required more time of the chairman, but less of the other members. A format has been devised by which proposed changes can be submitted to the committee that allows each member to respond easily, having to put in only the time necessary to check the chairman's research. Meeting time can now be reserved solely for items over which there is serious and real dispute.

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     Another advantage of the present method is that busy members can do the study required at times more convenient to themselves. To begin with, members sometimes found themselves compelled to consider items at meetings for which they had not been able to properly prepare themselves due to other, pressing commitments. Now, with a written format requiring straightforward, uncomplicated response, with a deadline allowing for at least a month's delay, members are more easily able to schedule time needed to consider proposed changes, and they can do this in a calm and reflective atmosphere in their own places of work.
     A final advantage of the present method is the fact that there is a written format. This makes the recording and implementation of approved changes easier and less subject to inadvertent error.
     In conclusion, we report that some changes have been approved. Singular personal pronouns referring to the Lord will be capitalized. Holy Ghost will be changed to Holy Spirit. In Luke 17:9, "trow" will now read "think." The word "corn" will no longer appear, but instead "grain," or some other more appropriate phrase or term. Archaic spelling will be modernized (e.g. "show" instead of "shew"). Old Testament personal names appearing in the New Testament will be given their Old Testament spelling (e.g. "Elijah" rather than "Elias"). And so on. This is but a sample of the changes that have been approved, and the kind of changes we look to make in the future.
     As before, the end in view remains to change what ought to be changed, without introducing such marked or noticeable changes as to disturb readers familiar with the King James Version, for which they have developed an understandable affection. If the work progresses slowly, then from this aspect it is probably just as well. On the other hand, the work must progress, that the Word may speak to men of today as clearly as it did to those who received it in its original languages. We look forward to this progress, we are committed to it, and we invite the help of all others who may have suggestions to offer. This is not our work only, but a work of the church for the church.
     Respectfully submitted,
          (REV.) N. BRUCE ROGERS,
               Chairman

366

REPORT OF THE SCHOOLS COMMITTEE 1981

REPORT OF THE SCHOOLS COMMITTEE FREDERICK L. SCHNARR 1981

     The Schools Committee is now completing its third year. Its membership consists of senior teachers and specialists from the General Church, as well as teachers from the Academy.
     The committee was formed to assist all the schools in the General Church, but with special concern for the needs of the new and developing schools: Detroit, Kempton, San Diego, and Washington.

     Much of the need is for advisory counsel on matters ranging from curricular questions to staff balance and teacher j ob descriptions. The committee, assisted at times by special advisors, has given the chairman invaluable counsel and assistance in matters relating to the Education Council, provision for summer seminars in conjunction with the Academy, and the development of joint school "in service" experiences.
     The church is fortunate indeed to have the support of such a dedicated group of teachers. Their assistance, while not always evident, has stimulated and greatly advanced the work of New Church education.
     Respectfully submitted,
          FREDERICK L. SCHNARR,
               Chairman

     Committee Members: Carol Buss, James Cooper, Donald Fitzpatrick, Marion Gyllenhaal, Yorvar Synnestvedt, Nancy Woodard. (Occasional advisor personnel: Charles Ebert, Bruce Glenn, Beth Johns, Gordon McClarren, Sylvia Parker, Barbara Synnestvedt).
ADDRESSES IN NEW CHURCH LIFE 1981

ADDRESSES IN NEW CHURCH LIFE 1981

This summer will see a number of ministerial address changes. We look forward in the autumn to a full address list. The present addresses of the General Church clergy appear on Page 267 of the May issue, but the list of societies and circles has not appeared since our January issue. It is too long now to fit on the cover, and more efficient ways of rendering it are being considered.

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"WHEN MR. ALDEN COMES" 1981

"WHEN MR. ALDEN COMES" LAVINA LEMKY SCOTT 1981

     "Now be careful how you plant those peas," my mother would say, not too close together, or they won't grow good, and they will be late putting on pods. We want to have fresh new peas by the time Mr. Alden comes in July, you know!"
     The chill rough winds of early May tossed the clouds like kites across the intense blue sky, and pulled at our kerchiefs, but my mother and my sister and I were out putting the garden in because the first hint of green was showing on the trees. The pussy willows had come and gone, and furry wild crocuses had been discovered hiding among last year's brown grass-like nests of purple Easter eggs; and bouquets of them had been picked by our childish hands with as much delight. And now the brave new baby leaves tried the chilly air, and it was gardening time.
     Later my mother and dad would be planning on painting the walls so the house would look fresh when Mr. Alden came-and many times I've heard Mother say, "Now, Ed, we'll need to get some cloth so I can sew new dresses for the girls and myself before Mr. Alden comes." And all through the early spring and summer, that was always the reason I had to weed and hoe the peas and the potatoes. . ."because Mr. Alden likes fresh green peas with white sauce, and we want to have some ready when he comes, and new potatoes too."
     Finally, the great day arrived! The walls were painted, the garden was weeded, and the dresses were sewn, and the whole family put on all our best clothes, and went to meet the train. As the steam train slowly pulled into the station, puffing and hissing, we were all studying the windows of each car to catch the first glimpse of him . . . "There he is!!" someone would cry as we spotted him, and the grown-ups, assorted aunts and uncles as well as my parents, and our little band of cousins and brothers and sisters would make our way down to where passengers were disembarking from his car . . . and then he was all ours for three full days!! It was like Christmas and county fair and birthdays and summer holidays all rolled into one fantastic celebration.
     All unnecessary work came to a halt, and all the cousins and aunts and uncles would gather at Gorandma Lemky's farm, about twelve miles east of Gorande Prairie. The grown-ups would sit around the table and talk all morning-or I guess it was mostly the men-because the women were always busy in the kitchen at the other end of the long room.

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Everyone seemed to be happy and having a good visit though, as "us kids" would pop in and out every once in a while to check on the progress of the dinner. In between that responsibility, and trying to keep our new clothes clean, our troop of cousins would explore the goose pond, and try to see if we could pet a gosling or two before the hissing parents would send us scurrying, or play hide-and-go-seek in the dusty chop granary, because there were a lot of good peek holes there to see someone coming. We never stayed away from the house long though, because our good clothes kept reminding us of how special this day was, and we were full of anticipation.
When Mr. Alden came, there were always chicken dinners, and Gorandma and Aunt Emily always made two colors of jello all on the same day, and they would give us kids a glass dish of it-both colors in one dish, and put a spoon of whipped cream on top and send us outside to eat it. You could stand in the sun and marvel at the glorious colors of it, as we would have marveled at a stained-glass window, had there been one anywhere to see.
Then in the afternoon, we'd have church in Gorandma's living room, with chairs all brought in and set in rows for the occasion and a bright bouquet of red and yellow poppies gracing a small square table covered with a white tablecloth. And on the table, beside a fallen red petal or two, Mr. Alden's well-polished gleaming violin, and his copy of the Word, bound in red. The sun shone brightly on the veranda to the south of the living room, and looking out you could imagine how hot the boards would have felt on bare feet. But today Daddy said I had to stay in and listen to Mr. Alden, and keep my shoes and sockies on. The living room walls were somehow made of dark varnished wood, and the afternoon sun created a warm hazy feeling in the room; a fitting background for the white altar cloth, and the startling white of Mr. Alden's robe, with its golden sash and beautiful blue velvet mantle. His robe was as white and full of light as the Lord's garments to our eyes. Mr. Alden would take the red Word and hold it in both hands, and read from it some story that would be vaguely familiar, and yet made very special by these unusual circumstances. And then he would carefully set the Word down, and take up his violin and we would sing "We shall gather by the river. . .", I suppose because no one knew very many hymns. I always wondered what river it would be and if we would get to go wading or swimming in it, and although we never did seem to get around to going, the idea seemed like a good one anyway. And then he would give a sermon explaining the story.

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I listened until his voice blended with the bees hanging around the screen at the open door behind him. . . and sometimes my mind would follow the bees right down to Aunt Emily's strawberry patch where she grew the biggest strawberries, and the cool, moist, sandy loam in the shade of the plants felt good to bare feet and hands as "us cousins" snitched a few berries. Or my thoughts would stray to the back porch where some of the other cousins who were allowed to stay outside were playing. I wondered what I was missing, and I thought it was somehow unfair that 1 should have to sit here when it was so nice outside.
But then one time I decided 'If I have to stay here anyway, I might as well listen to him and maybe it will be interesting.' And from then on I found I could understand most of what he said, and it was interesting. And then we would sing again, and the sun shone on the rich wood of his violin as he lovingly played it. And then when it was over, and I could join the cousins again, we skippity-hopped down the hill past the chicken pen and past the big woodshed with its cool breeze carrying odors of newly cut wood, down through the squeaky gate to the ice house on the north side of the hill. It was built right into the hill and the big thick door stood open, and there in the shade, Uncle Herb sat on a block of wood turning the ice-cream maker. When we inquired if it was done yet, he would send us for more salt, or tell us to get some more ice from the ice house. Entering the dark ice house was about as good as exploring the interior of an Egyptian tomb. We were mostly only allowed to enter the outer chamber and scratch away the shavings till we came to ice and then chip off some pieces, and take it to him. But once in a long while he gave us a quick glimpse of the inner chamber where they kept the cans of cream sitting on ice that had been put there in the winter. For all I knew, there were chambers and chambers going on far into the hill, because there was very little light penetrating there, and he always shooed us out before our eyes got accustomed to the darkness or we could look around for other doors. But it was one of the seven wonders of the world to go from winter's ice to scorching summer sun in ten steps or less. And it was pure alchemy how salt and ice could turn into such delicious ice cream, that was now ready! Us cousins wasted no time, but lined up in a row and they had real pointy cones to eat it in like you got in a restaurant, and you could have as many cones as you wanted when Mr. Alden came!!
They're calling us! They're calling the children! And we all ran up to the farmhouse and washed our hands in the porch under the thin stream of water from the green hand well pump.

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And then everyone assembled in the living room where a sheet had been hung on the darkest living room wall, and Mr. Alden showed us slides. And that was like our own private travelogue and picture show all to ourselves. As he showed us the pictures of the three Marys and Easter or other stories from the Word he talked and taught us in the most loving fatherly way, and it was very special. And then there were those other slides of different people, and different houses and buildings all of stone and very pretty of a place on the other side of the world called Bryn Athyn, and the people seemed to be in best clothes all the time. The tiny brown and white pictures of great architecture in the Books of Knowledge were nothing compared to these colored pictures of a cathedral the size of Gorandma's whole wall! And he had pictures that he had taken of us last year and the year before, and pictures of other places he visited, other farms, other people but all from the New Church.
     And then supper-another feast. And then I guess the adults had a doctrinal class, but we children could all go outside and play hide-and-go-seek or tag until we couldn't see any more . . . and when we came in the adults were still talking, only now they all stayed in one end of the big kitchen around the coal oil lamp that sat in the center of the table. Us cousins could play in the shadows in the living room and feel in the dark corners for some toy that we thought we'd seen there earlier, until being too tired to stand up anymore, we invented games that you could play on the floor with some little cast iron toys . . . or we fell asleep to the drone of the adults' voices in the next room. . .and then slept again in the back seat of the Essex on the way home.
     But then the next morning we'd be up again and travel with him to as many of the different homes as we could and there would be minor get-togethers with as many as could come.
     And then the day would come when his train would be leaving, and our new dresses had been washed and ironed and looked fresh again, and Mother had on her new hat, and we took him to the train station, and waited with him for the train. The only thing that helped ease the sadness of his leaving was the reminder that he would be back again next summer . . . and next summer . . . and the other day, he came again, as I helped one of our children with a Sunday school lesson as they were studying The City of God (Rev. Karl R. Alden's book). And so I would like to offer this

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"Tribute To Rev. Karl R. Alden"

Long, long ago, when I was a child
I knew a great and humble man-
So wise and gentle and kind.
And often sat within his reach
To hear him, with many stories, teach
Us truths of heaven and of earth.
Though he left this world
Now years ago to live
Upon that spiritual shore,
Today he spoke to me again
And I listened again to him once more.
As wise, as gentle and as kind as ever
The words of his book
Flowed on like a river
To carry the truths within men's reach
And touching both shores-join the breach
As mind reaches out in love to mind
Still as wise and as gentle and as kind.

     Between the years of 1943 and 1953 (and maybe even earlier) Rev. K. R. Alden made regular trips during the summer holidays to visit many isolated New Church people in the Canadian northwest. Accounts of his travels written by himself or others have been printed in old copies of NEW CHURCH LIFE. I feel this "child's eye" view of his visits may add another dimension to those accounts.

     * * * * *

     Editorial Note

     This month marks the birthday of the late Rev. Karl R. Alden. Many of the men who read the above article will remember him as their headmaster and religion teacher in high school days. Many will remember him as the man whose missionary zeal helped them in coming to an understanding of New Church teachings. A considerable number will remember him as grandfather, and four of these are now ministers of the General Church.

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EDITORIAL PAGES 1981

EDITORIAL PAGES Editor 1981

     NEW CHURCH LIFE
     A PLEA FOR THE EMOTIONAL

     The following words are from a back issue of NEW CHURCH LIFE. Don't spoil it for yourself by looking ahead at the name of the author. Just take it as it comes, and see what you think.
     "If we were in order, we could let the emotional people (if they, also, were in order) take charge of the Church, and they would lead us straight to heaven by the shortest way. But we are not in order. The sensual, until bruised by a certain Heel, still crawls upon its belly, eats dust, and looks downward. Even the plane of the interior sensual, the imagination, where genius dwells, is unreliable. Therefore we have to subject our emotions to the control of the rational. For the same reason a society is under the necessity of putting the control of things in the hands of those who, although less gifted, perhaps, are distinguished for faculties of sound judgment and conservative tendencies. But the talents of the artists, the musicians, the poets, the dancers, the actors, if used with discretion, are of the greatest use, for through these do we obtain the needed foretastes of heaven and its joys, brought right down to sensation, and thus affecting the heart.
     "How can the Church be established, without in some such way feeding the (originally) best part of us? What will our faith ever amount to, if it is held as a cold, rational proposition, addressed only to the left side of our head, where we do not really live, after all? It would be like the light of sun in winter; very clear and bright, perhaps, but quite unproductive. What we need to help such a state, and to cause thinking to become active, and to translate itself into uses of life, is the stirring of the heart in our worship, in our family life, in our society life, in our assemblies and feasts, by the powerful appeal of those same wielders of the wonder-working wand of the emotionally inspired. We need, in addition to the plain bread and water of solid instruction, the butter and milk and honey-not to mention the sparkling wine-of songs, new plays and representations.

373

Stories also, that touch the heart first, and drop their truths like little seeds into soil already loosened and warmed and moistened, as is the heart of us, and the flesh of us, only by an appeal to the right side of us."
     In this little piece, entitled "A Plea for a Spark of the Emotional" Rev. Homer Synnestvedt went on to ask why we did not have more to stir our feelings the way we did in the good old days.
     He was writing in the year 1915 (page 787) and thinking of the way things were "way back in the eighties." Well, here we are in the eighties once again, and the subject of the two aspects of life has not been exhausted. We are taught that the dispute over which is the firstborn of the church, faith or charity, is an ancient one (AC 3863). We are told, indeed, that it dates back to "most ancient times" (AC 2435). That is why there are stories in the Word contrasting Jacob and Esau or Peter and John.
     Once there were upon this earth two very close friends. They were good men, and both went to heaven, but one went to a heaven where love is emphasized, and the other to a heaven where faith is emphasized. In an extraordinary instance they each left their respective heaven for a conversation in neutral territory. The subject of the discussion may well have been a continuation of long talks they had enjoyed when living on earth. Swedenborg listened in on the friendly exchange of views. It was highly refined, not really expressible in earthly terms. But the general subject was "whether heaven in its essence is love, or whether it is wisdom" (AR 875).
     One can seem to "settle" the question with pat phrases, such as this: "Wisdom and faith are first in time. Love and charity are first in end and therefore may be called truly first." But you don't "end" discussions of grand subjects with pat phrases no matter how true the phrases may be.
     Good discussions can continue on and on for a reason totally different from the reason that nasty arguments go on and on. Arguments continue, because neither side budges an inch. Neither side listens to what the other is saying. And whenever they meet they simply reiterate their own points. Does not the "gnashing of teeth" relate to arguments that go on endlessly in the hells?
     A good discussion is totally different. In heaven an angel feels that he has something worthwhile to contribute to a conversation, but he values the views of others. "One should not bind another to confirm one's own truths, but should hear him and take his answers as they are in himself" (AC 9213:6). When angels explore a subject together the result is not that one binds another. The result is new enlightenment to both parties.

374

The Lord is the One Teacher, and He teaches us all when we pursue truth with humility and without rancor.
Well, we are not in heaven (nor in hell for that matter), and some of our discussions are down to earth. In his nostalgia for the good old days and his assessment of the needs of the complete person, Rev. Homer Synnestvedt made a plea for a spark of the emotional. He called attention to the need for "the stirring of the heart in our worship, in our family life, in our society life, in our assemblies and feasts." Let us discuss this question in the next couple of months, and if need be we can continue the conversation in the other world.
D. L. R.
CREATION VS. EVOLUTION 1981

CREATION VS. EVOLUTION GREGORY L. BAKER 1981

     COMMUNICATIONS
Dear Sir,

     I was interested and somewhat surprised to see the editorial page for the May 1981 issue filled with letters from Science News, on the Creation versus Evolution controversy. My difficulty is not with Science News, but in seeing exactly how this issue, as a debate, fits in with the purposes of NEW CHURCH LIFE. The controversy, as it is formulated in the popular literature, contains many features on the creationist side which are irrelevant to the teachings revealed through Emanuel Swedenborg
     My understanding is that the creation side of the argument is supported by Christian fundamentalists who accept the literal Biblical account of creation, as found in Genesis, as the authoritative historical and scientific statement of the creation process. Certainly New Church people would be concerned that creation by God really is the final cause of the universe and of life in it. Similarly we would also be distressed at the espousal of the evolutionary mechanism as being the only relevant feature in the development of living species.
     Yet the New Churchman has much more intellectual and philosophical space than the fundamentalist. He is not tied to the literal sequence of biological phenomenon described in Genesis, nor is he forced to believe that the world is only ten thousand years old as is implied by the chronology of the Old Testament.

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The New Churchman does know that the universe was created by God, that there is order in creation, that there is a correspondence between the spiritual and the natural, and that all of nature is created to serve the purpose of developing a heaven from the human race. Within this structure of belief there is still plenty of room to explore the many data and theories which modern science provides. Furthermore, the theory of evolution is not a monolithic intellectual structure. Scientists do not espouse it with equal vigor nor do they all draw from it the same philosophic conclusions.
     Scientific facts are to be a confirmation of revealed truth for those who wish to see confirmation. Yet human freedom is always preserved, and the connections we see between the Divine plan and the data of science are always tenuous and somewhat in the eye of the beholder. I hope that New Churchmen will examine the various aspects of the theory of evolution within the context of the Writings, but without the literalism of the fundamentalist viewpoint.
     GREGORY L. BAKER, Ph.D.,
          Huntingdon Valley, PA
IN DEFENSE OF SCIENCE 1981

IN DEFENSE OF SCIENCE JACQUES LEWALLE 1981

Dear Sir,

     It seems that a few words in the defense of science are called for, and I will take this opportunity to suggest new lines of discussion. After all, generalizations and caricatures make it difficult to be kinder on religion than on science.
     There are of course many sciences, some more sensitive than others to the biases of their proponents. At the core, they are descriptive, simply accumulating detailed knowledge. Developments that branch off from that stem are the organization of the data (more or less subjective and speculative) and the performance of uses.
     All technologies aim at the latter. Are the applications of sciences only of permission? I would be interested to learn about that. The answer may have a bearing on why it took so long re-inventing the freezer, when the mammoths had 'thought' of it so long ago (or was it with scallops and television?). At any rate, I did not expect useful achievements to be ridiculed in your pages.
     More sensitive is the issue of speculative theory, because it may feed back on the descriptive level (it is impossible to be objective in, say, psychology), and because it usually attempts to identify causes from their effects (but then, natural causes only).

376

Since 'up to Gen. XII there is nothing historical,' I do not see that we in the New Church have reason to side with the old-Christians in a fight against the theory of evolution; but I will leave the discussion of that point to someone more competent. In general, I would question weighing the typically atheistic formulation of the theories against their potential therapeutic or otherwise beneficial applications. Even if only an incomplete or upside-down substitute for reality, a theory provides an operational model, the only way we seem to have to make the natural world of service. Of course it should be presented as such by the scientists themselves, and we may regret that so few among them have that humility in the excitement of prospecting new facets of the world. But who will propose rational perspectives in which to put all that knowledge? If any church can, I would say it is ours. However, that calls for mutual respect for uses and competence. They were not always apparent in some of the letters you published, any more than in scientific publications. Is it that we all are ignorant?
JACQUES LEWALLE,
Columbus, Ohio
WHAT IS REAL LOVE? 1981

WHAT IS REAL LOVE? Rev. HORAND K. GUTFELDT 1981

     With the greatest interest I have read the sermon "Unconditional Love" in the March issue.
     I hope that you may find some use for thoughts that originated in much previous reflection upon this topic, and that were again stimulated by the excellent message in your publication. This area of ultimate goals for our lives-searching for Love or Agape in the fullest sense of impact of the teachings of our church-has always appeared central to me as a minister of the General Convention.
     Unconditional love, I believe strongly, can and must be the goal of our efforts, and the ultimate ideal for the quality of our hearts.

     However, and this question has often come to me: Are we tempted to confuse our will, our desire to love, with love itself! Is not real love (sometimes incorrectly translated "charity") something that is different in quality from the will to love, and are not the conditions for its growth and development indicated in a different way in our teachings?

377

Certainly, I agree wholeheartedly with Mark Carlson that striving for love, especially for unconditional love, is absolutely necessary for any Christian-there can be no Christianity, and specifically no New Church without this foundation" as it was said by the Lord: "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if (conditional) ye have love one to another" (John 13:35).
During my travels around the world, visiting New Churches and other groups, I came in contact with a few who specifically made love their avowed primary goal. Yet, in several instances, I felt that this love was slightly forced, making it appear "phony"-at least not always fully genuine. In thinking about this, it came to my mind that in our teachings (contrasting with other spiritual authors) we do not find frequent exhortations to continually "try harder" making efforts towards love. Instead, the directives are rather clearly geared toward overcoming unrecognized evil tendencies in ourselves (Doct. of Life 21-31; AE 939-949; TCR 520-566 et al). Through this the doors for the influx of love from God are opened, bringing about conjunction with Him (AC 2851). The will to love, as sincere as it may be, is a preparatory attitude, while real love in its genuine sense is a gift of God. It is, however, a gift which we are often unable to make our own. Subjectively seen, we come into a state where we are seized by love, when there is a right disposition to receive it. We are never able to manufacture it-our language emphasizes this in speaking about "falling in love." In the language of correspondences, we may note that love is generally represented by living things, animals and at times also by plants," all of which have to grow and develop from small beginnings. This points toward the conclusion that love as a disposition is a quality which has to grow in the soul. In that case, it will have to be more profound, more spontaneous and creative, and also of greater durability than states of conscious efforts.
It is therefore up to us to focus our efforts to prepare the ground for such a capacity to grow, if we search for Unconditional Love. However, the degree of its genuineness is in proportion to the depth of our acknowledgment that we cannot produce it by any direct or conscious effort of our will. We can never force ourselves to love, as hard as we may try-it will only be a surrogate! But, if we are not only aware, but become penetrated by the perception and acknowledgment that love is a gift of God-an internal and most precious gift-we gain the capacity to love so that we can truly forget ourselves. Only if humility is the frame that carries it can love be what it is meant to be. The will is the container of love, not its maker.

378

     There is a similarity to sleep: we can never produce sleep by any effort of our will, and the harder we try, the more we make it impossible. But we can eliminate the obstacles to sleep; we can turn off the light and the radio, we can close the doors and make ourselves receptive and relax-then sleep can come to us. Parallel to this, we are called upon to use our will to remove the obstacles to the influx of love from our souls by repentance, then love can grow upon the soil we have cleared.
     Because love is felt as our inmost being itself, it is difficult to attribute it fully to God, and our subconscious tendencies try to ornate our ego or proprium with it. While our efforts should be to search for unconditional love, which should be as free as possible from selfish interests and conditions, we have to accept the fact that growth of loves and affections is different from our will. In the published sermon it was well emphasized that we easily try to manipulate or to exert influence, which shows touches of the love of ruling.
     There are external and internal conditions for agape or true love to grow: externally, it depends upon information-we cannot love what we do not know; thus truth is a condition. But we also have to see the limitations of truth, that by itself it cannot produce love. It can pave the way and give a form and channel to love. But the internal or real substance of our soul is the complex of loves, which are called emotions and motivations in the textbooks of psychology. A basic internal and pervading benevolence, an immediate and spontaneous unconditional regard for others can only develop through regeneration and conjunction with God, especially with the Divine Human, or the image of Jesus. By prayerful quest in humility, this can grow in our hearts as a gift from God, and we can prepare its reception with the help of the Lord.
     In no other way can there be redemption, salvation or eternal happiness. It would be idolatry if we were to believe or imply that our own search or efforts were able to produce that quality, which is the most precious on earth. I am sorry to notice that this forming of idols is very common today in our civilization, and even in our churches. The most heinous idol that can be fashioned is the one of our own goodness and intelligence, which are present in the determinations of our own will.
     In concluding I want to emphasize that I am encouraged and delighted by Mark Carlson's treatment of the subject. My concern is only that a clear discrimination be maintained between our will or desire to love-and the true and genuinely humble love or agape itself, which becomes possible only by proper reception of the influx from the Lord.
     REV. HORAND K. GUTFELDT, Ph. D.,
          Berkeley, California

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1.      Webster's 7th new Collegiate Dictionary 1971, p. 140 lists a majority of other meanings than those implied in Swedenborg's use (alms, etc.)
2.      A. R. 9 17 ". . . the whole essence of that (New) Church is the good of love flowing in with light out of heaven from the Lord."
3.      Cf. the books by Worcester "Animals of the Bible" and "plants of the Bible."
EARTHS IN THE UNIVERSE 1981

EARTHS IN THE UNIVERSE LAUREL ODHNER 1981

Dear Editor,

     For months-or years, I think, really-I have been watching this argument going on in the pages of the LIFE between people who say Earths in the Universe must have an internal sense and you can't take it literally, and people who say you have to take it literally because the Writings don't have an internal sense.
     Has it occurred to anyone yet that both might be true? That, like the Gospels and the historical parts of the Old Testament, this might be a true, factual story that also has a spiritual and celestial sense?
     Chris Horner (March 1981, p. 158) says, "There may indeed be deeper senses on those planes where the angels dwell, but for man to apply his puny, undeveloped intellect to such things-never."
     What?! Why are we told about those internal levels of meaning if we are not to strive to see them? How are we to stretch and develop our puny intellects if we don't apply them to things beyond their reach? We are meant to be working on becoming angels now, not waiting for some mysterious transformation after death. What I have been taught is that the internal sense is certainly there in the Writings, just as in any other revelation direct from the Lord, and the difference between it and previous revelations is that there is nothing in the Writings that contradicts or hides the internal-so it should be most readily accessible, in the very "letter" of the Writings, for anyone who is spiritually ready to understand it.
     And on the other hand, haven't some of you out there, who have separated the actual data the spaceships sent back from the premature conclusions the "scientific" community drew from them, noticed how much more vividly realistic Swedenborg's descriptions of the planets begin to sound?

380

That our awkward pictures of gravity-laden people walking "as if swimming" on the surface of Jupiter suddenly became gloriously graceful when Jupiter turned out to be made of gasses and liquids? Did no one look at the photos of Mars and think of the passage about those who were sent out to live among the rocks? Scientific fact continually enriches and confirms spiritual truth. It is only pseudo-scientific theory prematurely announced as law that conflicts. Anyone who is gambling his religious faith on the bet that there are men on the moon had better learn to sift what he reads, gather the real information, and throw out the secular conclusions that have been drawn from it.
LAUREL ODHNER,
Philadelphia, PA
SWEDENBORG SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATION 1981

SWEDENBORG SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATION 1981

     The eighty-fourth annual meeting of the Swedenborg Scientific Association was held on Monday evening, May 4, 1981, in Pendleton Hall, Bryn Athyn, PA. Mr. Charles S. Cole, Jr. was re-elected president, Mr. Prescott A. Rogers, vice-president, Mrs. Michael P. Glenn, secretary, and Mr. E. Boyd Asplundh, treasurer.
     Professor Edward F. Allen presented a memorial tribute in recognition of the outstanding work of the late Lennart O. Alfelt as vice-president of the Swedenborg Scientific Association and editor of the New Philosophy.
     Members and friends were privileged to hear a most interesting and wonderfully illustrated address by Miss Linda Simonetti entitled The Human Form: Correspondences in Embryology. A brief synopsis follows:
     The Writings say that man's body is created in the human form, and that the process of gestation and birth corresponds to his regeneration. In her presentation, Miss Simonetti showed how the three germ layers of the early embryo-endoderm, ectoderm, and mesoderm-reflect the Divine Trinity in God and the three degrees of the human mind, based on the organs and systems which arise from them. The development of the heart illustrates many truths, especially in its relationship with the lungs and brain. The statement in Divine Love and Wisdom that "In the embryo the heart forms the lungs," and the unique way in which the cerebrum and cerebellum parallel the reciprocal conjunction of the lungs and heart, are both reflected in prenatal development.
     The complete text of this address will be published in a forthcoming issue of the New Philosophy.

381

CAMP LAVIGNE, AN INVITATION 1981

     ANNOUNCEMENTS

     The Bryn Athyn Boys' Club is having its boys' camp from August 1st to August 8th, 1981. Any New Church boy who has not had an opportunity to join the club and who has completed the 5th grade is welcome to attend. The oldest boys are those who have just completed the 8th grade. The cost will be $40 or possibly less, and this will include insurance.
     Contact Mr. Daniel B. McQueen, (Director), Box 341, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009
PLEA FOR USED NEW CHURCH COLLATERAL BOOKS 1981

PLEA FOR USED NEW CHURCH COLLATERAL BOOKS 1981

Several of our New Church collateral books are out of print and skyrocketing costs prohibit republishing them. Many New Church home libraries contain these books that are now unavailable to the next generation. Such classics of Life of the Lord, Invisible Police, Foundations of New Church Education, Unity in the Universe, etc. are simply out of print. You may have others to share as well.
The General Church Book Center, located at Cairncrest in Bryn Athyn, is willing to collect your used books, repair them if necessary, and make them available through our Book Center at nominal costs. Please go through your home library and consider recirculating them by sending them to Cairncrest-a wonderful way to serve the church, beat inflation and at little expense to yourself.

384

Divine Allegory 1981

     THE STORY OF THE PEOPLES AND LANDS OF SCRIPTURE AND THEIR SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE AS REVEALED IN THE WRITINGS OF EMANUEL SWEDENBORG
By
Hugo Ljungberg Odhner

     This work traces a continuous thread of spiritual teaching through the letter of the Word from "Beyond History," through the Ancient Church, Egyptian Bondage, the Conquest of Canaan, the Captivities of Israel and Judah, to the Scene of the Advent, the Land of the Gospel and the Allegory of Regeneration.

     150 pages     $5.35 postpaid

     GENERAL CHURCH BOOK CENTER
BRYN ATHYN, PA 19009

     Summer Hours:
9:00 to 12:00
Monday and Wednesday
Phone: (215) 947-3920

385

NOTES ON THIS ISSUE 1981

NOTES ON THIS ISSUE Editor 1981

NEW CHURCH LIFE
Vol. CI August, 1981 No. 8

386

     The article by Bishop King refers to "the order inscribed upon the universe by virtue of its creation out of the Divine love." The article by Bishop de Charms invites deep thought about creation's purpose. Readers may find a pleasing relationship between this profound study and the fine letter from Charlotte Gyllenhaal-Davis. (Next month there will be consideration specifically of the vegetable kingdom.)
     To return to Bishop King's article, readers should be alerted to its wide scope and immediate bearing on the life of the church. Moderately called "some reflections," it traces the history of the Academy and in its treatment of government touches on something going on frequently these days-the placement of ministers. How significant is a pastor's council? "How does ecclesiastical government work in a New Church society?"
     Who can fail to see his or her own life reflected in Bishop Pendleton's sermon? The issue is motivation. What impels us to carry on our uses? How true it is that "we are not consistent in our way" and that "in so much of what we do we do not find delight." The Divine story of Jacob and his caring for Laban's flock throws light on the inner world of our motives.
     True to life in the same vein is the more specific treatment of uses by Rev. David R. Simons. "We have to make a living; we have problems to solve . . . daily routines clutter up our lives, sap our ambition, and erode our spontaneity . . . . If we could only choose our own work in life; if we could select what talents we think we need; if we could but control the circumstances of our lives. . . ."
MINISTERIAL ANNOUNCEMENT 1981

MINISTERIAL ANNOUNCEMENT 1981

The Rev. Robert S. Junge, the Dean of the Theological School, will serve as pastor of the North Jersey-New York Circle, the candidates of the Theological School serving as the pastoral staff, for the church year of 1981-1982.
The Rev. Eric H. Carswell has been affirmed as Assistant Pastor of the Pittsburgh Society, effective May 8th, 1981.
MIDWESTERN ASSEMBLY 1981

MIDWESTERN ASSEMBLY Rev. LOUIS B. KING 1981

     All members and friends of the General Church of the New Jerusalem are cordially invited to attend the Midwestern District Assembly, to take place in Glenview, Illinois, at the Immanuel Church of the New Jerusalem, 74 Park Drive, from October 16 to 18, 1981. (Accommodations: See p. 432)
     THE RT. REV. LOUIS B. KING,
          Bishop of the General Church

387

FLOCKS OF LABAN 1981

FLOCKS OF LABAN Rev. WILLARD D. PENDLETON 1981

     A Sermon on Mediate Good

     "And Jacob saw the faces of Laban, and, behold, he was not at all with him as yesterday and the day before" (Genesis 31:2).

     Man's life on earth is a strange mixture of selfish and unselfish states. Like Laban, the Aramean, who befriended Jacob when he fled from the wrath of his brother Esau, we are not consistent in our way. In taking Jacob into his household, Laban seemed genuinely concerned for this dispossessed son of his sister Rebekah, but when Jacob prospered in the land of his adoption, Laban's kindness turned into envy and deceit. It was therefore not without cause that Jacob complained to his wives, saying, "Your father hath deceived me, and hath changed my reward ten ways, but God hath not suffered him to do evil to me" (Genesis 31:7).
     Disillusioning as it is, this is the way of Laban, that mediate good which serves as the means whereby man is regenerated. Had it not been for Laban, Jacob would not have succeeded in re-establishing himself as the heir of his father Isaac, but would have remained a fugitive upon the face of the earth, for it is by means of Laban, that is, by means of mediate goods, that man is introduced into genuine goods. Hence we read in the Arcana Coelestia: "When . . . man is being regenerated, he is kept by the Lord in a kind of mediate good. This good serves for introducing genuine goods and truths; but after these have been introduced, it is separated from them" (AC 4063). What is treated of here is the way in which man is held by the Lord in the way of good although he is not as yet in good. It is this merciful provision of providence that is treated of in the scriptural account of Jacob's servitude among the flocks of Laban.
     It will be recalled that Jacob, by whom is represented the natural man, had deprived his brother Esau, by whom is represented the spiritual man, of his birthright and blessing. By the spiritual man here is meant the good of first states; that is, the good of innocence into which all men are born. It is this good which is characteristic of infancy and, to a less degree, of childhood. But such is the nature of man that he cannot be held in the innocence of first states. As the love of self becomes active, the child more and more wills to be ruled by himself in order that he may enter without restrictions into the delights that are pleasing to self. The desire to be free from the bonds that are imposed upon us by others is the most urgent instinct of life; and the child soon learns that what is forbidden by those in authority can be acquired by means of subtlety and deceit.

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Thus in the life of every man the first intentional lie marks the beginning of man's recession from innocence. Like Jacob, therefore, who stole his brother's birthright and blessing, he who intentionally deceives another becomes, as it were, spiritually dispossessed.
     Forced to leave the land of his nativity, that is, the innocence of infancy and childhood, man becomes a spiritual wanderer upon the face of the earth. Yet the Lord is with man, even as He was with Jacob; though he is fallen, yet he may rise again. In leading Jacob to the land of Laban, his mother's brother, the Lord provides the way in which man may in time return to Him. Incapable as he is of doing good from any genuine affection for good, a man may yet learn to do good from conscience; that is, from truth. Thus as Jacob came to the well of Haran, he lifted up his eyes and beheld Rachel, the younger daughter of Laban, as she came to water the sheep. In beholding Rachel, Jacob, for the first time, was motivated by a love that was greater than his concern for himself. This love is described in the Writings as the affection of interior truth. Like Rachel, it is "beautiful and well-favored," and it inspires in the mind a devotion to spiritual ideals which give meaning and purpose to life.
     Once man is affected by the love of interior truth he acquires a new perspective of self. The reason for this is that it is by means of interior truths that man, for the first time, is able to see self in relation to use; that is, in relation to use which self is intended to perform. Unlike the child whose thoughts and affections are centered in himself, he who thinks from interior truths is capable of perceiving that if man is to be of use he must subordinate what is of self to the good of a use; and this not for the sake of self but for the sake of the use. Once motivated by this ideal, the evils of self-seeking become apparent. Thus when man is affected by delight in spiritual truths he wills to attain to the way of life they open to him. Here is that for which he is willing to labor without thought of recompense or reward. So it was that when Laban inquired of Jacob concerning his wages, Jacob answered him, saying, "I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter" (Genesis 29:18).
     In so much that men do they are activated by the thought of the reward that accrues to self through the doing of good. Yet we are taught in the Writings that "good itself becomes not good when reward for it is thought of, for then a selfish end instantly adjoins itself' (AC 3816). This, in a sense, is hard doctrine. It seems to establish an ideal of service of which few, if any, are capable.

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To be expected to work without any hope of reward or recognition seems to run counter to all human experience. It is this which has led many to say that there is no such thing as a purely unselfish motive. We must distinguish, however, between him who labors for the reward, and him to whom the reward is a subordinate interest. There is a world of difference between these two motivations. For whereas with him who labors for the sake of the reward the use he performs is of no consequence except as a means of reward, with him who labors for the sake of the use, the reward is, in all instances, a matter of secondary importance. Like the love of self, which it is, the love of reward is not necessarily evil, for like any other form of the love of self, the love of reward, when rightly subordinated to the love of use, perfects the man; but when not rightly subordinated it perverts and inverts him (TCR 403).
Thus when the Writings say that "good itself becomes not good when reward. . .is thought of," the reference is to the thought in which the love of reward is primary. Nowhere is this more apparent than in human relations; as for example, in the delight which men take in praise that is pleasing to self. There is nothing more rewarding to self than the recognition of self; but when it is not given, our natural reaction is to resent the seeming ingratitude of others. We have no difficulty, therefore, in understanding Jacob's resentment against Laban. Had he not contracted to serve seven years for Rachel, and "in the morning, behold it was Leah" (Genesis 29:25)?
In the life of regeneration, man is frequently disillusioned. It is the promise of the Writings that if we will but shun evils as sins and apply ourselves to those goods which are of use to the neighbor, the delight of use will be forthcoming. But in so much that we do we do not find delight but must labor from conscience. In this it seems that we have been deceived, in that what is done from conscience differs from that which is done from delight, in that what is done from conscience involves self-compulsion. Thus it is that in the service of Laban, that is, in laboring among those mediate goods whereby man is regenerated, our natural tendency is to feel that we have been deceived. For in seeking the delight which belongs to use we find that our reward is the good of conscience. Like Jacob, therefore, we remonstrate, saying, "What is this thou hast done unto me? Did not I serve thee for Rachel? Wherefore then hast thou beguiled me?" (Genesis 29:25) But in his own defense, Laban answered, saying, "it must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. Fulfill her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years" (Genesis 29:26, 27).

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To labor among the flocks of Laban, therefore, is to do from conscience what we cannot as yet do from a spiritual delight; that is, from the love of the use itself. Yet in laboring from conscience, man is not deprived of all delights, for in any worthwhile undertaking there are natural delights, such as the recognition that is conferred upon us by others and self-respect. These are the rewards of any work that is well done. What is more, they are the means which the Lord has provided whereby man may be led out of self into the life of use. Prior to regeneration, man is motivated by self. True, he is capable of entertaining high ideals; if he were not he could not be regenerated. Yet when man comes into temptation, as he inevitably does, he finds that his ideals lead him into conflict with self. In states of temptation, therefore, man's faith is tried and he becomes increasingly conscious of the evils that are inherent in self; that is, of his own selfishness. But there are evils which can be temporarily adjoined to good and those which cannot. It is important that we distinguish between them. The evils with which good cannot be commingled are those which are contrary to the love of God and the neighbor, such as hatred, cruelty, revenge, the contempt of others in comparison with self, and deceit. The evils with which good can be commingled, however, are said to be the desire to excel others in civil and moral life, and the simulation and cunning which have good as their end (AC 3993). To these may be added those mediate goods which men do for the sake of reward. For as the Writings state, "reward is of service," in that it is a means of service "with those who have not yet been initiated. . .[into] good" (AC 3816); that is to say, it is the means whereby man may be held in the way of good although in itself it is not good. Is it not the thought of reward and the fear of punishment that keeps the unregenerate man in order; and is not order basic to all good? Hence it is said that "it must needs be that . . . [man] is long kept in a kind of mediate good" (AC 4063).

As long as man labors from the thought of the reward which accrues to self through the doing of good to others, he cannot experience what the Writings mean by the delight of use. The reason for this is that when self is not rewarded he finds no delight in the use. Nevertheless, the promise of this delight is continually given, and he who wills to attain to it is not denied. But first man must come to terms with himself, and repeatedly do from conscience what he cannot do from delight.

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If he will do this, from time to time he experiences the delight that others find in the good that he does, and when this is the case he experiences what the Writings mean by the delight of use. For what is the delight of use but the delight that is to be found in serving as the means whereby good may be done to others? This is the true function and purpose of self; and that is why, before man can be of use, he must first subordinate what is of self to the good of use,
     The subordination of self to use, however, is a long and, at times, a difficult process. Man does not find the self-discipline easy that is required in any undertaking. That is because it does not come naturally to him. How much more is this true of the life of regeneration. As long as man is motivated by the thought of reward he is capable of requiring much of self in the performance of his responsibilities, but once he perceives that all that is pleasing to self must be ordered by use he suffers a loss of delight in the doing of what is good to the neighbor. Hence it is said in Scripture that "Jacob saw the faces of Laban, and, behold, he was not with him as yesterday and the day before" (Text).
     What is signified here is a change of state resulting from the perception that mediate goods, delightful as they may be to the natural man, are not in themselves good. For the face is said to signify what is interior, in that it is in the face that the affections of the mind are expressed. It is disillusioning, indeed, to realize that much of the good that men do is done primarily for the sake of self. But it is particularly disillusioning to realize that what applies to others may also apply to us. Man instinctively takes merit in the good that he does; yet the Writings insist that of himself man merits nothing. Thus in striking a bargain with Laban, Jacob chose for himself as a reward for his services that which Laban regarded as undesirable; namely, all the black among the sheep. By the black sheep, therefore, is signified that in which there is no merit; that is to say, no sense of self-merit in the good which we do. However, it was not Laban who prospered, but Jacob, for it is through the doing of good without thought of reward to one's self that man enters perceptibly into the delight of use.
     Yet it is to be noted that reward is of service to all who cannot as yet enter with a sense of fulfillment into the good of use. To a greater or lesser degree this is true of all men. It is only the angels of heaven who are fully capable of rising above self in the performance of use. Hence we are told that the angels are unwilling to hear anything about reward, particularly if the reward is a recognition of some good in them. "Nay," it is said, "they are utterly averse to the idea of reward for any good or good action" (AC 3816).

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The reason for this is that they know that all good is from the Lord, and although it is associated in our minds with the man who does good, it remains forever the Lord's (ibid.).
     The concept of use as presented in the Writings is an ideal. Yet when we reflect upon it, our natural tendency is to question whether any man can attain to that state of selflessness that it seems to require. Like the Psalmist, we say, "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it" (Psalm 139:6). But the Lord does not ask what is impossible of man. (If He did, who could be saved?) For as stated, the love of self is not necessarily evil. Indeed, it is a good love when submitted to the good of a use. We are not asked, therefore, to become selfless beings; that is, beings who are somehow mystically sanctified through the rejection of all that is delightful to self. On the contrary, man is to enjoy all those delights which are proper to self, yet in so doing it is essential that he look to what is good in self; that is, to the use which self may be to others.
     If in this, at times, we are not aware of any delight, this does not mean that such a delight does not exist, nor that we are incapable of it. Like Jacob, who served fourteen years for his two wives, and another six years for his possessions, we, too, must labor among the flocks of Laban; that is, among those mediate goods which the Lord has provided. While it is true that in much that we do we are motivated by the thought of self, we can, at the same time, be held by the Lord in the way of good if we do not act from hatred, cruelty, revenge, contempt of others in comparison with self, and deceit. In this let us not underestimate the power of the Divine love in leading man out of himself into the good of use. If we will but persist in the way that the Lord has opened to us through His Word, the time will come when we will no longer be dependent upon Laban in the doing of good. Like Jacob, we will be free to return to the house of our father; that is, to a state of spiritual innocence in which we are free to do good without thought of reward and without conflict with self. Amen.

     LESSONS: Genesis 29:16-30; Genesis 30:25-34, 43; Genesis 31:1-7; AC 4063:2, 3.

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SOME REFLECTIONS UPON GOVERNMENT IN NEW CHURCH EDUCATION 1981

SOME REFLECTIONS UPON GOVERNMENT IN NEW CHURCH EDUCATION Rev. LOUIS B. KING 1981

     As we approach the 19th of June the familiar words ring out, "The Lord God Jesus Christ doth reign, whose kingdom shall endure for ages of ages." The Lord God Jesus Christ reigns or governs in us by influx of His love into our conscience, according as that conscience is formed by truths from His Word from without. This is the government we seek in the church and in all New Church education.
     Such a unique kind of government comes only from the Lord out of His Word. The early receivers of the Writings as the Word saw clearly that ecclesiastical uses, involving all forms of worship and evangelization, required ecclesiastical government, if the ends and purposes of Divine love were to be achieved. Ecclesiastical government, represented and implemented by means of the office of the priesthood, was openly professed by such men as Hindmarsh, Samuel Noble, Richard de Charms and William Henry Benade. To these church fathers the Writings were undeniably acknowledged as the Word of the Lord in His second coming-the Divine authority and source of governing principles in all things of life.
     On November 25, 1859, W. H. Benade met in Pittsburgh with L. H. Tafel and R. L. Tafel and, "Resolved to found the Academy." In June, 1875, "A meeting was held in New York for the purpose of selecting a name, and the name 'Academy' was retained until some better suggestion might be offered." In 1876, the Academy of the New Church began to function as a separate educational corporation with the General Convention, under the leadership of William Henry Benade, General Pastor of the Pennsylvania Association of Convention. Benade's colleagues in the Academy movement, J. P. Stuart, J. R. Hibbard, F. M. Warren, John Pitcairn, W. C. Childs and Franklin Ballou declared to the world that the Writings are the Word of the Lord in His second advent, that they prescribe a trinal order of the priesthood to govern the ecclesiastical uses of the church, that there is to be order and subordination among the degrees of the priesthood, and that an informed and distinctively New Church laity necessitated an educational system, under the aegis of the church, extending from kindergarten through college.
     With the permission of central Convention, Bishop Benade established a theological school in the academy to train priests to effectively teach and preserve the integrity and purity of these doctrines.

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     Because the membership of Convention was not favorable toward ministrations by a trinal order of the priesthood, Bishop Benade, in 1883, again with the permission of General Convention, reorganized the Pennsylvania Association under the name of the General Church of Pennsylvania-still within the general organization of Convention. This newly organized church was to be administered by Bishop Benade, and a trinal order of the priesthood under his leadership was established.
     The newly formed General Church of Pennsylvania, with its Academy theological school, attracted much attention from local Convention societies throughout the world, extending its influence and authority beyond Pennsylvania. Understandably, tensions between Bishop Benade and the administration of General Convention mounted. And when, in 1888, without the consent of central Convention, Bishop Benade elevated W. E Pendleton to the third degree of the priesthood, future possibility of peaceful relationships between Benade and Convention reached a point of no return. In the fall of 1890, the General Church of Pennsylvania withdrew from the General Convention and reorganized in 1891 under the name of the General Church of the Advent of the Lord. At this point Benade declared the Academy an internal church, and the General Church of the Advent of the Lord an external church. These two churches, the internal and the external, became a separate movement under Benade's leadership.
     For fourteen years the Academy had functioned within the framework of Convention as a citadel of distinctiveness and an institution of higher New Church education, with the charter purpose of promulgating the Heavenly Doctrines that the New Jerusalem Church might be established. In 1890 it became a church in its own right.
     By 1897, due at least in part to physical and mental frailty, Bishop Benade's domineering tendencies and refusal to take counsel forced the priesthood of the Academy and the General Church of the Advent of the Lord to withdraw from his leadership. The priests who had left Bishop Benade formed a Council of the Clergy and asked W. F. Pendleton to serve as bishop of the new body, to be known as the General Church of the New Jerusalem. After the formation of the General Church of the New Jerusalem, the Academy of the New Church, still a separate educational institution with its charter, corporation and board of directors, was asked by the General Church Assembly to take over the uses of higher education in the General Church of the New Jerusalem. Today, the Academy serves the General Church in this essential role as its educational arm.

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     For fourteen years the Academy functioned within Convention, preceding the General Church of the New Jerusalem by twenty-one years. At first a school, then a church, and once again a school, the Academy has been affiliated with four distinct church bodies. First, the Pennsylvania Association of Convention, then the General Church of Pennsylvania which, like the Pennsylvania Association, was a part of General Convention. Then the General Church of the Advent was formed after the Academy had declared its independence from Convention. So the Academy survived the Pennsylvania Association, the General Church of Pennsylvania, the General Church of the Advent of the Lord, and now it continues as the educational arm of the General Church. Out of the Academy movement the governmental order and organization of the General Church has evolved.
     It is a wonderful concept of government which looks to the Lord for leadership by means of influx into a conscience formed by knowledges from the Word, the office of the priesthood serving to facilitate the passage of the Holy Spirit through the teaching of truth from the Word and leading thereby to the good of life.
     The Writings speak of ecclesiastical uses being governed by priests (NJHD 311-325). But what is government? Again, the Writings declare that Divine Providence, which is universal because it is in leasts, is the government of the Lord's Divine love by means of His Divine wisdom. Is not government essentially order; and is not order a structure within which love can work out or effect its ends and purposes?
     Infinite love, in its creative conatus to give of itself to others, stood forth in its first form or existere-the Word which was in the beginning-and, through a succession of compositions, separated by discrete degrees, brought into existence created substances at rest. The wonderful system of order brought into being by this creative descent of Divine love through successive formations of the one and only substance, reached its finite ultimate of order and then in a grand, cosmic upswing, continued its creative proceeding, forming successive organic kingdoms or vessels, culminating with the human organic-the enfleshed image and likeness of that very Word which was in the beginning, and out of which all things were made. So did man come into being, endowed with life as-of-himself. The order inscribed upon the universe by virtue of its creation out of the Divine love is the Divine natural truth through which the Divine love operates to preserve order and therefore govern all natural things.

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     But there must be a spiritual creation as well. The same Divine love, desiring to give of itself to man so that it may be intellectually perceived, clothed itself in appearances taken from the heavens and lastly from the mind of revelators to form the Word of God in written form. So do we have two foundations of truth, nature and revelation-two ultimates of order with which the work of New Church education is concerned. Natural truth is the successive order inscribed upon natural creation, which we observe and record as knowledges founded upon nature. Spiritual truth is the order contained in the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord and inscribed upon the pages of revelation. True government partakes of order; in fact, it is the preservation of order in life. So the Lord governs man from order, in order and for the sake of order.
     Priests are called governors over ecclesiastical uses simply because they are charged with the administration of Divine law. This they accomplish by teaching the truth of the Word and leading thereby to the good of life. When truth is so taught, it orders the mind to become a receptive vessel for the influx of Divine love. So is conscience stirred and the Lord Jesus Christ reigns or governs His kingdom within the mind of the man of the church.
     But how does ecclesiastical government work in a New Church society? It is our concept that the Lord governs by means of the Word, utilizing His office of the priesthood for the teaching of truth from the Word in the light of the doctrine of the church, so that influx of love and wisdom from within may stir the conscience to the good of life. In all government there must be the consent of those who are governed.
     As an organization, a society of the church calls its pastor. A need exists. The bishop consults with a committee elected by the society to counsel him in the nomination of a candidate for pastor. The society then affirms the selection by vote, thus giving consent to be governed.
     When the pastor becomes governor over the ecclesiastical affairs of the local church, he governs by teaching the truth and leading thereby to the good of life. From the enlightenment of his love for the salvation of souls; he perceives needs in his society. Careful response to these needs becomes the form of use to be performed in and by the membership of the society. Before proposing these uses, the pastor must take counsel. The pastor's council is a vital component of ecclesiastical government, for the counselors are appointed to act as a liaison between the pastor and the society, and to give counsel from experience and study of the Word, modified by careful deliberation with other council members.

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     Having received counsel, the pastor then proposes uses to the elected lay board responsible for the business and financial affairs of the society. The lay board is comprised of society members whose experience and business expertise fit them for this responsibility, and who love the uses of the church, give further counsel to the pastor, and then take the initiative in devising ways and means to implement the proposed uses, within the parameters of financial feasibility. If the lay board recommends that action on the proposals be taken, financial support is appropriated and the use goes forward. If the use is of such a nature that its importance requires further consideration by the society, then the matter is referred to a society meeting for deliberation and then action on the part of the congregation follows. In this way full consent is given.
     What we should note in this unique form of decision-making is that it provides an opportunity for the Lord to enter into those decisions in a very real way. For if the pastor, the pastor's council, the lay board and the society look to the government of the Lord through His Divine Providence, there will be essential unanimity. The Word will be used as the guide, charity the means, and the good of life as the end. Each individual participating in this shared decision will exercise his freedom and judgment from conscience, looking to one end and enjoying the Lord's leadership by influx.
     In the General Church as a whole the Bishop is the chief governor and General Pastor of the General Church. He counsels with the consistory, the council of the clergy and the joint council. Proposals are then taken to the board of directors for further counsel concerning business, financial and legal considerations. If the matter is of sufficient importance, the final decision is then made by the whole church in assembly. However, in most instances the board of directors acts on behalf of the General Assembly, giving the consent of the church to its governance. It should be noted that in the selection of an executive bishop, a local pastor (who serves as superintendent of the local school) or president of the Academy, consent to be governed in essential ecclesiastical uses is automatically given, making it unnecessary for final decisions in these matters to be referred to the general body, except in unusually important or sensitive cases. In every exercise of the decision-making process, however, the governor must take appropriate and full counsel, providing for the church as much information through instruction as is feasible.

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     In the New Church, then, true government is by influx from the Lord into a conscience formed by direct teachings from the Word. The office of the priesthood is divinely appointed to teach the truth of the Word and lead thereby to the good of life, that the Divine things of the Lord may be with men as if their very own. The office of the priesthood, together with its functions and delegated agencies, must become tools in the Lord's hands whereby He alone governs His church. Where human proprium obstructs this government, by imposing restraints upon the freedom of the church from without, government by afflux (involving separation from the church of those who disturb) becomes a necessary part of the priest's responsibility to preserve the order and freedom of the church. Priests and laymen alike have proprium.
     New Church education exists for the purpose of evangelizing the children of New Church parents. For the ends of New Church education are the ends of the church itself-the establishment of the Lord's kingdom in the individual human mind, that the Lord may reign or govern.
     A local school ideally becomes an extension of the ends and purposes of the New Church home and, therefore, comes under the governance of the pastor. It is the pastor's ultimate responsibility to preserve and work for the end and purpose of New Church education. Final decisions involving procurement of faculty, development of curriculum, structuring of the school's operation, determination of the student body and even day-today operation should rest primarily in his hands. In this way the common goal of establishing the kingdom of the Lord and the government of His love and wisdom in the life of the child may be achieved. Though final decision rests with the priest-governor, depending upon the size and nature of the school, much of this responsibility will be delegated and carried out by appropriately trained priests and laymen who form the staff of the school.
     It is important that the priest-headmaster give leadership from doctrine, that he take full counsel in all policy proposals and that he has the knowledgeable consent of those who will work with him and whom he will serve (teachers, administrators, board and parents). Each individual co-worker has his sphere of enlightenment according to his preparation, experience and love for the use he performs, and must have the freedom to consult the Word and his conscience therefrom in the performance of his use.

     But let us turn our attention to the Academy, to which, in a very real sense, we owe our unique form of ecclesiastical government.

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The Academy is unlike any other institution of learning, education and distinctiveness. Under its priestly leadership the corporation, board of directors, faculties, business office, administration and student body act and react in a harmony of distinct uses, looking to the singular use of the whole. The freedom of the whole is in direct proportion to the genuine freedom of the individual parts, while the individual parts are sustained in their freedom, inspiration and creativity by the use of the whole.
     Each area of use, with its appropriate organization and head, should be free to function without external pressure, enjoying the freedom to think and act from conscience according to reason based upon the guidance of the Lord in the Writings. The charter purpose of the Academy becomes the central purpose of all.
     If use is truly our goal, charity means, and the proprium our acknowledged obstacle, the use of the Academy will be promoted. Where conscience prompts from within, pressure from without is unnecessary. The uses of the Academy are the Lord's uses. He will govern its affairs if every officer, administrator, division or department head seeks guidance from the Lord's Word in promoting the charter purpose of the Academy, and this through the medium of his own particular use and responsibility. The greater the love of his own special function within the Academy as a part of the whole use, the greater will be his inspiration to promote the uses of others and an ordered relationship among all parts of the whole.
     When initiative is taken in one area of use, carefully respecting the uses of others so that one's own initiative does not pressure or obstruct the use of others, freedom, order and cooperation will result.
     Ecclesiastical government provides the greatest freedom and commensurate responsibility known to man. No less a form of governance is necessary if the kingdom of the Lord is to be established with men through men. To promote this supreme use through the lesser uses which are our immediate responsibility is the soul which weaves the structure and gives life to the Academy.

     Some Areas of Use and Responsibility

The Corporation of the Academy. As a legal entity the Corporation is the Academy and responsible for carrying out its charter purposes.
     In recognition of the Academy's relationship to the General Church as its educational arm, the Corporation recognizes the Bishop of the General Church as Chancellor of the Academy responsible for guiding the religious and educational policies of the institution, holding the highest office whereby ecclesiastical governance is effected in the Academy.

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     To the board of directors, elected by the corporation from its own membership, the corporation has delegated responsibility for the business, financial and legal affairs of the institution. When appropriate, the board of directors is to act on behalf of the organization in giving consent for the corporation in implementing religious, educational, business, financial and legal proposals brought to it for action.
     The corporation has provided also for the office of president, to serve as chief executive officer for the institution. In matters of religion and education, the president is responsible to the corporation through the office of chancellor. In matters of business, finance and legality the president is responsible to the corporation through the board of directors.
     To recognize the president's accountability in these essential ecclesiastical uses (religious and educational) and instrumental ecclesiastical uses (business, financial and legal), the selection of the president is effected by the chancellor nominating, after taking counsel from a committee of the board, elected by the board for that purpose, the board affirming the nomination by election.
     Finally, the corporation has the responsibility to keep current in its knowledge of how the chancellor, the board and the president are carrying out their respective areas of use which the corporation has delegated, so that the corporation may support with continuing consent the way in which the charter purpose of the Academy is being carried out. Such awareness also provides the corporation with the freedom to protect the charter purposes, by the orderly removal of ineffective personnel.
     Here we should note that the whole system of ecclesiastical government involves the freedom and enlightenment of individuals to perform this use within the framework of their defined responsibility. If a subordinate is not performing his use satisfactorily, his superior should not intrude himself into an area of use wherein he does not have enlightenment, but remove the ineffective worker and replace him with someone who has the training, experience and enlightenment to perform the use properly.

The Board of Directors of the Academy:

     Elects officers.
     Is responsible for financial, business and legal affairs of the institution.

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Grants degrees authorized by the charter. Confirms appointments of certain administrators in the schools.
     Provides lay counsel to the president and other officers, particularly bringing to their awareness constructive criticism originating in the societies and circles of the church.
     The board should feel responsible for knowing and understanding the distinctive use which the Academy schools provide for the whole church, including sufficient knowledge of all phases of its operation so that the strength and effectiveness of the Academy can be felt by the church at large through the board.

The Chancellor of the Academy. The Bishop of the General Church is Chancellor ex officio of the Academy.
     He presides at meetings of the corporation and board of directors. He appoints the dean of the theological school. He presides at meetings of the General Faculty (faculties of the Academy schools and the Bryn Athyn Church Elementary School). Places in nomination the candidate for the office of president, having consulted with a committee selected by the board for this purpose.
     In conjunction with the president and the board of directors, he is directly responsible to the corporation for carrying out the Academy charter purposes.

President of the Academy. The primary use of the president's office is to guide the interrelated religious, educational, social and operational functions of the Academy in accord with the doctrine and precepts of the New Church and, in so doing, to strive constantly for the distinctive development and growth of the institution.
     The president is recognized for all administrative and legal purposes as the chief executive officer of the Academy of the New Church (this includes both the corporation and the educational institution).
     However, the president shall follow general policy guidance of the chancellor in matters relating to the charter purposes of the Academy.
     The president shall report regularly to the board of directors all important executive decisions contemplated or concluded.
     Actions of the president relating to operating budgets, capital expenditures, appointments of heads of schools, department heads, and other administrators, and basic alteration of academic functions shall be subject to approval by the board.

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     Reporting directly to the president and named by him, with approval of the board, shall be the heads of schools, with exception of the dean of the theological school, who shall report directly to the chancellor.
     The treasurer, who is nominated and elected by the board, shall report directly to the president in all matters pertaining to his office excepting his fiduciary responsibility for the funds and properties of the institution, in which matters he shall report directly to the board.
     The president shall appoint all standing and special committees of the board and corporation excepting such committees as may be established to deal with the duties of the president's office, the nomination or removal of a president, or such other committees as the chancellor may desire to appoint, which committees shall be appointed by the chancellor.
     The president shall preside at meetings of the corporation and the board in the absence of the chancellor.

President's Council. The president's council is an advisory body to the president comprised of the heads of schools, divisions and departments, libraries, business office, and the pastor of the Bryn Athyn Church; etc.
     The president's council is concerned especially with inter-school policies.
     Any matter which any member of the council wishes to bring before the president for discussion is usually considered appropriate.

The Academy Faculty. The Academy faculty consists of all regularly employed members of the staff. Essentially, the Academy faculty is an advisory body to the president. Recommendations to the president's office related to any aspect of the work of the Academy may originate with the Academy faculty.

Heads of Schools. With the exception of the dean of the theological school, school heads are nominated by the president with the concurrence of the chancellor and confirmed by the board of directors.
     Each is responsible for the overall operation of his school. He is responsible for the development of curriculum within the school. He is responsible for maintenance of discipline and order in the school and he presides over all meetings of the faculty. He determines in conjunction with the faculty the courses to be offered and credits granted. He must establish with the faculty academic requirements for admission to the school, and must approve all admissions into the school.

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He recommends, to the faculty, students who have earned the right to be considered as candidates for certificates, diplomas or degrees. He presents for faculty approval the requirements of certificates.

Changes in Overall Structure or Policy of the Academy and its Schools

     Any change in the overall structure or policy of the Academy should be proposed by the president with the concurrence of the chancellor, having counseled fully with the heads of schools and faculties with regard to any decision affecting the exercise of their professional responsibilities, and having taken counsel from the board of directors and/or the corporation with regard to areas of their respective enlightenment. Then the board should reject or accept the proposal, the corporation itself having been fully informed in the matter.

     Conclusion

     When the Lord came into the world to save the human race, specifically the spiritual church, He put on a human body and human mind so that He might establish in and on the natural plane of human life that Divine doctrine which could save not only the spiritual church, but establish the crown of churches when that doctrine or Spirit of Truth could be revealed, at the time of the Lord's second coming. So the Lord brought down into His humanity that governing love for the salvation of the human race, uniting it with the ultimate of order drawn in from His Word and from nature, establishing His Divine spiritual kingdom, first in His own Humanity, and then, after the glorification of that humanity, causing His kingdom of Divine truth to proceed from that humanity to those in whom His kingdom would be established thereafter.

     The Lord said that He would come again as the "Spirit of Truth" in order that a right and full understanding of the order in His Word might be seen by men and used to order their minds to become receptive vessels. And He said that He would show us plainly of the Father, that is, the Divine love would no longer be invisible but able to be perceived as to its ends and purposes and thereby touch our hearts immediately, tenderly through influx into those forms established in the mind from His Word.
     And when this work was finished, namely, the revelation of His Divine Human, the Lord sent forth His disciples into the whole spiritual world to preach the gospel that the Lord God Jesus Christ doth reign-doth govern.

404

This is not a government by force from without (as takes place in hell), but a governance from within, leading by affection and according to a right understanding of the Word.
This unique concept of the Lord's government of and in His church was crystallized in the Academy movement and is now the heritage of the General Church. What a profound blessing it is to be part of an institution as large as the Academy, composed, like the human form itself, of interdependent uses, individually looking to the Lord for leadership in His Word. How wonderful is the order of angelic society which results when the use of the individual, in consort with the uses of others, makes possible the harmony and perfection of the whole; while the use of the individual is inspired and nurtured by the superior use of the whole. Indeed, the whole is greater, more perfect, than the sum of its parts, because when men are gathered together uses ascend and the Lord Himself is present reigning or governing
PROMOTION OF USES 1981

PROMOTION OF USES Rev. DAVID R. SIMONS 1981

The Writings teach that every individual man and woman is created for the sake of use. "Man is born [they say] not for the sake of himself, but for the sake of others" (TCR 406). "Man is born for no other end than that he may perform uses to the society in which he is and to the neighbor" (AC 1103). That we may live a life of use and in this way become a form of use to all eternity in the Gorand Man of heaven is the very purpose why each one of us was created. And to this end we have been endowed by the Lord with special talents, special gifts which enable us to serve others. Every individual possesses potential qualities which he is privileged to share with his neighbors. Each one of us has been formed with unique abilities which, if developed and entered into, provide us with opportunities to be true men. For to be a man, understood spiritually, means to perform uses (D. Love xiii). "Man is the complex of all uses, of all that are possible both in the spiritual and in the natural world. . . . This is true of man because he is a recipient of life from the Lord; for life which is from the Lord is the complex of all uses to infinity" (D. Love v).

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     Matched against what the Writings tell us, we have the experience of daily life where hard necessity has a way of bending ideals. We have to go to school; we have to make a living; we have problems to solve; people and things demand our attention and consume our energy; daily routines clutter up our lives, sap our ambition, and erode our spontaneity. Frustration is the devil's own way of catching at our heels to trip us into the mire of despair. Reluctantly, in spite of personal preference and want, we are forced to meet the necessities of life through hard work.
     The ideals of doctrine and the necessities of daily living seem worlds apart. They seem unrelated and at times they seem divisive. Ideals tend to make us think too much. We think we might be contented and satisfied with things as they are, if only we did not know so much! We long for the carefree states of primitive ignorance. We think our minds could be absorbed and satisfied by the necessities and pleasures of natural life if we were free from conscience. If we could only choose our own work in life; if we could select what talents we think we need; if we could but control the circumstances of our lives; then, we suppose, we might more readily accept the ideals of doctrine. High ideals appear more applicable to the other fellow who gets the proper breaks in life, but how many of us do? How can we apply the doctrine of use to our own lives when we are not sure what our use is? We often sincerely doubt that the work we have to do has any relation whatever to our eternal use in heaven.
     Fortunately for New Churchmen, the teachings of the Heavenly Doctrines are not as far away from such thinking as might be supposed. The Lord rules the world of hard necessity as well as the world of ideals, and He rules them for man's eternal good. The Lord comes to us in His Word and offers us help-direct and immediate help in facing the problems of daily life. He provides us with a sense of values which frees us from needless worry and doubt. He opens our eyes to what is eternally true so the frustrations of the moment can be seen as trivial and inconsequential. He warms our hearts in the midst of seeming adversity. He gives us the power and strength to go on when our difficulties seem insurmountable. But he can only provide this help if we learn to see things in His light, in the perspective of eternity. And He can only make this help felt insofar as we are willing to acquire those spiritual qualities of character which can grow when we make the effort to apply the ideals of religion to life.

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     We in the New Church sometimes get the impression that our natural occupations-being a housewife, a businessman, or a mechanic-are not our use. Our uses, we feel, are remote and perhaps unrelated to our everyday activities. We may even entertain the idea that our natural occupations are only incidental to the performance of uses. But is this what the Writings teach? Do the Writings speak of use as something apart from occupation? How closely are these two things-daily work and use-related?
     The overwhelming evidence of the Heavenly Doctrines, as we read them, teaches that occupation and use are inseparably linked together. Our natural occupations are an essential means whereby we become forms of use-spiritual forms of use to eternity. The day by day doing of work honestly, justly, and faithfully is the ordained way in which our minds are reformed and regenerated and thus opened to receive use from the Lord. In our daily occupations we are protected from wandering lusts which infest the idle. And in our daily work we can perform those essential acts of charity toward the neighbor which are the essence and ultimates of heaven.
     That use is directly related to occupation, to the very offices and employments of life, is clear from the following teachings of the Writings: "Use is to discharge one's office rightly, faithfully, sincerely, and justly" (D. Love xi). "Uses are everyone's, performing offices prudently according to the quality of each person" (AC 7038). "When a man sincerely, justly, and faithfully does the work that belongs to his office or employment, from affection and its delight, he is continually in the good of use" (Charity 158). And further from the same number: "Every man who looks to the Lord and shuns evils as sins, if he sincerely, justly, and faithfully does the work of his office and employment, becomes a form of charity. And the goods that he does are the goods of use which he does every day, and which when he is not doing, he thinks of doing. There is an interior affection which inwardly remains and desires it. . .Otherwise he cannot become a form, that is, a receptacle of charity." Loving the Lord and loving the neighbor means nothing more than being willing to perform uses for them; neither can these be loved otherwise than by the uses that belong to one's office. As we read: "A priest. . .loves the neighbor if he teaches and leads his hearers from a zeal for their salvation. Magistrates and officers love . . . the neighbor if they discharge their respective functions from a zeal for the common good; judges, if from zeal for justice; merchants from a zeal for sincerity; workmen, if from uprightness; servants, if from faithfulness, and so forth.

407

When with all these there is faithfulness, uprightness, sincerity, justice, and zeal, there is the love of use from the Lord" (D. Love xiii).
     There can be no mistake about it, the Writings, in so many words and repeatedly, teach that man's occupation is intimately bound up with his use. However, although occupation and use are closely related, they are not identical. In every definition of use above it is not the occupation involved which makes it a use, but the way in which it is done. It is the right performance, the sincere performance, the faithful performance, the just performance and the zealous performance of our work which make it truly a use. This distinction is an important one to recognize, for although more often than not the term use means what is accomplished by work, still occupations are only genuine uses in so far as they embody love to the Lord and love to the neighbor. The idea of use, like the idea of man, must have both a soul and a body. The spirit of sincerity, justice, faithfulness, and zeal is the soul, and offices and employments, the work men do, this is the body. As we read, "Use is . . . like a soul, because its form is like a body" (DLW 310).
     For those who find this distinction difficult to grasp, the Writings say the following, "With men this truth seems beyond comprehension, but it is not so with angels; yet it does not so far transcend the human understanding but that it may be seen as through a lattice, by those who wish to see. It does not [says Swedenborg] transcend my understanding, which is an enlightened rational understanding" (Love iv:e).
     When we understand the distinction between use as the soul and use as the body, then we can see what is meant by the further teaching that "uses viewed in themselves are spiritual, while the forms of uses. . .are natural" (Love iv). As also, "Uses regarded in themselves are immaterial, while the things necessary for use to become effects are material" (D. Wis. iii:2; SD 2512; DLW 46). As has been pointed out in the church before, the very term to 'perform,' which is so often used to describe the doing of uses, comes from the Latin 'per' meaning through and 'formo' meaning to form, that is, to perform uses means literally, to give them a form. Also, the dictionary definition of perform means to "finish, to complete" implying that there is that which is completed when we perform uses, that is, the spirit or soul of use becomes complete when it is given a form or external embodiment.
     The implications of the truth that it is not merely the occupation but the spirit in which it is done which makes it a genuine use are tremendous and far-reaching for the man of the New Church.

408

This truth tells us that no matter what our occupation may be, provided, of course, that it serves the neighbor for good; no matter how menial or how exalted it may be in the eyes of men, before the eyes of heaven the man who looks to the Lord, shuns evils as sins, and who does his work sincerely, justly, faithfully and with ambition, performs the highest uses of all. Here is an ideal which is eminently practical. Here is a teaching which touches the life. For who in the church cannot look to the Lord? Who cannot shun evils as sins? Who cannot strive to be sincere and ambitious in his work? Hard necessity may require a man to enter some particular occupation, it is true, yet it can never dictate how that work is going to be performed. Practical conditions in life may force us into work for which we have no innate love, but they can never take away our freedom to carry on this work to the best of our ability for the sake of the neighbor and the Lord. For despite the nature of the forms through which we must labor, it is still the spirit of the use which counts spiritually. In respect to the spirit we are perfectly free. Our freedom and our responsibility is to place use above self and thus to promote uses by doing them to the best of our ability from the religious principles of the church, that is, from the Lord.
     The Heavenly Doctrines hold out a special promise and a special hope for those who choose to perform uses for the sake of use. They teach that for all who do their work for the sake of the neighbor; for all who learn to live not for themselves alone but for others, the very work which may have been distasteful to them at first will become progressively more delightful. For the man who performs uses from the soul of use will be gifted from within with an affection of the use he performs-an affection which will cause him, even when he is not engaged in his work, to think about it from delight. "Hence it is [the teaching concludes] that [such a man] is perpetually in the good of use, from morning to evening, from year to year, from his earliest age to the end of his life" (Char 158).
     But are not men born to perform particular uses? How does this fit in with what necessity forces men to do?
     In what ways can we best promote our own uses and the uses of others?
     Are organizations necessary for the promotion of uses?
     These and other questions will be the subjects to be taken up in another article. We feel they have profound and practical implications for each one of us.

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DIVINE FUNCTION FOR WHICH THE NATURAL WORLD HAS BEEN CREATED 1981

DIVINE FUNCTION FOR WHICH THE NATURAL WORLD HAS BEEN CREATED Rev. GEORGE DE CHARMS 1981

     The thesis of this paper is that all things of nature, including all mechanical forces and inert substances, are irrevocably dead, and despite the appearance to the contrary, never become living. They are created to become not the embodiment but the clothing of living forms of use. Every embodiment of use is receptive of life, corresponds to life, and represents it. Mechanical forces and material substances do not. They serve only as a succenturiate aid. They are indeed within the sphere of Divine life. If it were not so they could have no existence. They are created by God for a purpose, and are perpetually animated as it were from below by the Divine will to perform their intended function. This is manifested by what the Writings call a conatus or endeavor to clothe living forms of use. It is most important to distinguish between a living body and the clothing which envelops it. The body is a form receptive of life; the clothing is not. The difference we will explain at length later.
     There is only one source of life, namely the Infinite God who is Life Itself. This life is Divine love, the love of a heaven from the human race. It contains within itself the Divine wisdom whereby to achieve its purpose, and indeed to create everything which may in any way conduce to the attainment of that purpose. Every such creation is called form of use. Use in its essence is Divine. It is the will of God, operating by Divine wisdom to provide for the formation and the eternal perfection of a heaven from the human race.
     Creation proceeds from primes to ultimates. The first of the Divine proceeding is the spiritual sun. It is Divine love, within which is Divine wisdom, focused or directed toward the production of a heaven from the human race. From this proceed three successive spiritual atmospheres in discrete degrees, so tempering the heat and light of heaven that it may be received and enjoyed by the minds of angels and men.
     The highest spiritual atmosphere is the abode of all celestial angels; the second spiritual atmosphere is the abode of all spiritual angels; and the third spiritual atmosphere is the abode of all natural angels. Though there is no specific statement in the Writings to that effect, we are disposed to believe that below the third spiritual atmosphere, there is a universal atmosphere, embracing the whole of the starry heaven, which serves as a limbus or border between the spiritual and natural worlds.

410

Being an intermediate, it partakes of the qualities of both worlds: viewed from above it is spiritual, and viewed from below it is natural. We conceive of it as the medium within which all natural suns are created. These suns are the source and origin of all material things, raised to incandescence by immense natural heat called fire. This heat is tempered by a series of discrete atmospheres, the first embracing a solar system of planets, the second extending for a considerable distance around each planet and called ether, and a third called air, constituting the life-supporting element in which all living creatures on the surface of a planet live. How these natural atmospheres are related to the findings of modern science with reference to outer space, we have no idea. But they provide a rational basis for the successive degrees of altitude binding the two worlds into a one, with God Himself at the center of all.
The fire of the natural sun is the source of all atomic energy, and thence of all the mechanical forces of nature. These are dead forces, moved, directed, and governed by living forces of the spiritual world, under the direct' control of the Divine Providence. Because this inner motivation is completely hidden from human sight and sense, they appear to be self-originating and self-moving, and for this reason present an image of life, and a representation of God. For this reason the invisible forces of nature are effects, not causes. No one looking at them from ideas of space, and time, and matter can possibly discover the presence of the Divine life within. This is a most important provision of the Creator in order that man may be free either to acknowledge God or to deny Him. The possibility of discovering God exists solely in the Word of which we shall speak presently.
The series of atmospheres, in their descent, cease at last in the inert substances and matters of which earths consist, and they are all immanently, although invisibly, present in all the mechanical forces of nature. Through them the Divine Creator governs minutely all these activities, causing them in mysterious ways to promote the eternal ends for the sake of which they were brought into being and are perpetually maintained. Because man is completely unaware of this governing Providence, he is created into the image of God, that is, into the appearance that he has life in himself, that his will is the only law, that whatever gives him pleasure and delight is good, and whatever affects him with pain or distress is evil. Because of this he is said to be born natural, and is imbued from birth with a tendency to evils of every kind. That this inevitable sense of self-life may be removed, God has revealed Himself and His constant presence with man by means of the Word.

411

     From most ancient times the Lord has spoken through the medium of an angel, as through a passive instrument. He has spoken in the spiritual world to men on earth whose spiritual eyes were opened, so that they could see, hear and understand. He has spoken in their own language, teaching them His love, His truth, His Divine law; and thus showing them the way to heaven. He has taught them how to worship Him, not only by prayers, songs of praise, and thanksgiving, but also by a life of use to the neighbor, finding joy in rendering them every benefit which opportunity offered. This is the source of all the life of religion which has existed among men from the very beginning of the human race. The acknowledgment and worship of the Lord as He reveals Himself in the Word brings man into conjunction with God. It enables the Lord to lift him out of the appearance of self-life into which he is born, and elevate him by degrees into the love and wisdom of the angels. Every created thing contributes to this end because it is a form of use which corresponds to and represents the things which constitute the Lord's heavenly kingdom. For this reason it is said that "nature is a theater representing the kingdom of heaven. . . ." Nature exists for no other end than to produce such forms, and to perpetuate them from one generation to another.
     In essence all such forms are Divine, celestial and spiritual, and therefore living; but they become visible and sensible only because they are clothed by dead substances drawn from the mineral kingdom.
     When we speak of dead substances as a clothing we do not refer merely to an outer skin enveloping a living body. Every organ and viscus of the body has its own clothing. Every artery and vein, even the most minute, has its clothing. Every nerve in the body and every nerve fibre in the brain has its own clothing. Every cell, both of the body and of the brain, has its own clothing. When the spirit or soul is withdrawn at death, this clothing is what remains as a corpse, in the complete outward form of the body. This successively disintegrates, and returns to its original elements, to be used again, in new ways, for the clothing of living forms of use. With all things of the vegetable and the animal kingdoms, the inflowing life, having achieved its purpose, also returns to the Divine Source from which it sprang. There it is by no means lost, but is diverted by the Divine will into new channels for the perpetuation of new uses. Life itself is eternal and unceasing, but its manifestations are forever changing, because needs are infinitely various and ever new.

412

For this very reason the dead forces and the inert substances of the mineral kingdom are perpetually being re-combined and re-ordered by inflowing life; but they never become living. They never enter into the spiritual world. Their characteristic qualities of time and space and mechanical motion are merely tools in the living hand of the Divine Creator, and whatever appears to be accomplished by a tool is not the work of the tool but of the hand that wields it.

REFERENCES

AE 1207. Why nature was created
DLW 310. Conatus to use in nature
Love viii. Minerals for use
HH 432. The body is dead
HH 108. Use of nature to clothe
AE 1218. Matter an over-garment
Docu 302(6). Emanations from minerals
DLW388. Body not form
DLW 302. Atmospheres cease in matter
DLW 5. Man not conceived of life

HH 106. Divine in nature
DLW 310. Conatus to use
DLW 315. Nat. atmospheres are dead
DLW 340. The spiritual drives the material
HH 104. Mineral kingdom is dead
SS 66. How metals are formed
DLW 370. Organs fixed by matters
DLW 307. Dead substances for clothing
DLW 165. Use of nature to fix
ANNUAL COUNCIL MEETINGS COUNCIL OF THE CLERGY 1981

ANNUAL COUNCIL MEETINGS COUNCIL OF THE CLERGY B. DAVID HOLM 1981

The 83rd annual meetings of the Council of the Clergy of the General Church were held March 2nd-6th, 1981, in the council hall of the Bryn Athyn Cathedral. They were opened by a service of worship conducted by Bishop Louis B. King in the nave of the cathedral.

413

     At these meetings there was a total of sixty-three men, two members of the episcopal degree, forty-eight in the pastoral degree, seven in the ministerial degree and the following six guests: Pastor Benjamin Garna, Rev. Alain Nicolier, and Candidates Wendel Barnett, William Burke, Grant Odhner and Arthur Schnarr.
     Bishop King opened the first session by welcoming all who attended-with a special welcome to Pastor Benjamin Garna, a receiver of the Heavenly Doctrines visiting from Ghana.
     Report of the Bishop. This broad report covered many of the issues and challenges meeting the General Church at the present time. Among the subjects taken up was the question of whether we should have separate education or co-ed education in the Academy's secondary schools. He mentioned that this was important because the question was facing the church and the Academy currently. He asked the council to give serious consideration to this when it was to be brought up later in the sessions.
     The bishop then took up the matter of women being admitted to the Corporation of the General Church. He reported that a committee had been formed to consider this proposal, and that certain recommendations had been made. One: That women be admitted to the corporation. Two. That women not be nominated to the board of directors until there is a further study from the Writings. Three: That the president's council be formed of both men and women to counsel the bishop concerning matters arising from the board of directors of the General Church. It was further suggested by the committee that any change in the nature of membership in the corporation be delayed until it can be considered by the next General Assembly.
     Next, the bishop proposed that the age requirement for membership in the General Church be changed from eighteen for women and twenty-one-for men to twenty for both sexes. He said that he would seek ratification for this from the General Assembly in 1984 if the council of the clergy is agreeable. He also proposed to change the waiting period for membership in the corporation of the General Church from five years to three years after joining the General Church unincorporated.
     The bishop then spoke of assistance for the episcopal office. He said that by the time of the General Assembly to be held in 1987 an executive assistant bishop of the General Church should be elected. He also spoke of the valuable assistance given him by the three bishop's representatives and felt that gradually their number would increase. He explained his concept of this office and what form it might develop into in the future.
     Concerning the statement of the order and organization of the General Church the bishop said there was an increasing need for a revised statement to be published-one which would reflect the changes in structure which had taken place since the time when his episcopacy had begun. He asked the members of the council to assist him in this task by giving suggestions.

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     The bishop also expressed the growing concern in the church, by both priests and laymen, over the increase in divorces and separations. "The church is in need of courageous stands made by our clergy and laity alike against disorders rampant in society. And yet our church also needs the courage and strength to be truly merciful."
     He also spoke appreciatively about the translation of the threefold Word being done in Sweden, England, Brazil, and Bryn Athyn. Some $50,000 a year is being spent on this.
     The bishop next explained the need of consolidating the business and financial uses of the Academy and the General Church. This is for the sake of simplification and efficiency.
     Bishop King closed his report by thanking the council for all they have done, and by reminding the members of the great use and delight which come in serving the priesthood. It was agreed that a full session be later devoted to the bishop's report.
     The next item of business was the report of the membership committee. After considerable discussion, the statement on membership was passed as circulated before the meetings. This statement provides for the consent of the executive bishop, the individual priest concerned, and the council of the clergy. After recognizing a man as a priest of the General Church, the bishop-with that man's consent-will place his name in nomination before the council at its next meeting. The council will then accept or reject the man as a member of the council of the clergy.
     The council then heard the report of the president of the Academy, Alfred Acton. His report was brief, and its main point was to present guidelines regarding the admission of students to the Academy. The minister in question should see to it that an unbaptized student has taken a correspondence course in the City of God (at least eight sessions). The parents of an unbaptized student should receive instruction as well. The same should be true of baptized students who are isolated.
     In the discussion that followed this report, it was pointed out that a pastor often cannot teach an isolated young person, and cannot force the parents of an unbaptized child to take classes. Nevertheless it was said that any student coming to the academy should come because he or she wants a New Church education. In closing this discussion, Mr. Acton stated that there will always be exceptions, but nevertheless his remarks should serve as a guideline.
     The second session-Discussion of the bishop's report. The first item discussed was the age of membership in the General Church. A number of men spoke to this point, and there was general support given to the proposed change to 20 years of age for both sexes.
     Concerning the bishop's representatives and assistance to the bishop in general, there was much discussion. The need for such assistance was clearly seen, but there was difference of opinion as to whether the bishop's representatives should have executive powers.

415

Some men felt we were ready for such a step, but others cautioned for delay until we are a larger organization. A number of members agreed that a further study of the three degrees of the priesthood is needed.
     As to membership in the council of the clergy, most men felt that it would be best for a candidate for the priesthood to be ordained in June and then wait until the next council of the clergy meetings before being granted membership in the council.
     The point on the revision of the Liturgy was next taken up. It was generally agreed that we need a new Liturgy. The need for more Scripture quotations and new songs of a lower pitch was discussed. Also the need for just one book-possibly loose leaf was raised. This new Liturgy could include children's hymns.
     The question of divorce and separation was discussed next. Many men entered into this discussion. It was generally agreed that this is a vital subject for the church today, perhaps even the most important issue facing us, for the distinctive New Church doctrine of conjugial love enters into all the doctrines of the New Church. It was agreed that some of our people are getting divorced for unwarranted reasons. Grounds for divorce are few. Thus some remarriages are adulterous. True mercy is in teaching the principles given in the Writings. The reasons for separation are many as taught in the Writings, but it was agreed that the real purpose of separation is reconciliation. We need far more counseling of couples before marriage and even before betrothal. We need to teach the doctrine of similitudes in a fuller way-also the doctrine of simulation. We need more practical pamphlets and even a book on marriage because our people are turning to the "authorities" in the world. Certainly the world has developed some techniques we can use.
     The third session-Program Committee. Rev. Alfred Acton reported that the subject for this year was the education of girls and boys-a current question in the church today. He requested that the paper by Bjorn Boyesen, "An Help Meet for Him," be considered as part of the program. The paper then delivered by Mr. Boyesen was, as he said, an attempt at analyzing the man-woman relationship in the church. He spoke of the conjunction of the masculine and feminine minds in the conjugial relationship, and he indicated that he felt there is this relationship between men and women in general. He stressed that woman's wisdom-that ability of a wife to enter into her husband's very affections or motivations and to modify these most prudently-is greatly needed in the church.
     Mr. Boyesen then traced the spiritual meaning of the story of Abraham and Sarah and their son, Isaac. His thesis was that the intellectual or rational faculty itself is represented by a woman (Sarah), but this should not surprise us, because the intellectual of the man is the inmost of the woman. Rationality is a product of vitalizing love (Abraham) with some intellectual affection (Sarah) while Isaac (the true rational) was the son of Sarah (the internal affection of truth).

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From this it would appear that the rational faculty, or the intellectual, as the mother of the true rational, is in its essence the feminine. This indicates that a woman's intelligence is barren as to abstract ideas until it is conjoined with the intelligence of men whose intelligence can be raised into abstract light. Is not this feminine the intuitive ability to recognize truth? Without this, a human being cannot become rational at all.
     This rational faculty has the ability to penetrate into the affections which give rise to the male's reasonings and modify these with great prudence. This is the special wisdom of a woman and a wife. The masculine then is in great need of the feminine. Truly she is "an help meet for him." Added to this is a desire in good women to put all of their intuitive perception of men's knowledge, understanding, and wisdom into the service of some heavenly use. "The rational (the masculine) consists in inwardly seeing and perceiving that good is good, and from this that truth is truth" (AC 6240:2), while women are to be in the affection of the goods and the truths themselves (AC 8994). In one sense feminine wisdom excels that of men because it penetrates into the very affections of men (CL 208:2).
     The speaker then went on to say that good women are quite capable of understanding the rational things their husbands may discover, and assenting to them from within. There is no warrant for believing that this kind of intuitive insight into rational things is any less reliable or rational than a man's insight which comes from step by step analysis. It is just of a different nature. The speaker concluded by applying his thesis to the life of the church and its councils and boards. He felt that the church has great need of feminine wisdom.
     This paper received a great deal of discussion, much of it centered on the different natures of the feminine and masculine minds and how this is to affect the life and government of the Church.
     The fourth session. Rev. Alfred Acton delivered his paper "The Education of Girls and Boys."
     As this paper has appeared in entirety recently, we will not summarize it here.
     During the afternoon following the fourth session five elective workshops on different topics were offered. These electives were quite well attended.
     Fifth session. The entire session was given over to discussion of Mr. Acton's paper. There were both those who favored separate education of girls and boys and those who favored coeducation. One man questioned the idea that New Church education is just an extension of the home. Some so-called "New Church homes" do not really reflect New Church ideals. He said that we don't really have separate education in the Academy's secondary schools. We have "conjunctive" education, for there are numerous coed courses. We must be supportive of the Girls School faculty. There will always be problems, but there are also solutions.

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     Another man asked where do women belong in careers or in the home? Should there be a woman principal of the Girls School? He referred to a series of passages in Conjugial Love (187-190). We must accommodate both to masculine and feminine minds. When there is a use in the interaction of minds girls and boys should be together. Yet we must remember that men's and women's minds are opened differently. The women on the faculty must have confidence that the leadership of the clergy is from doctrine. The secondary school's structure must come from the conjugial relationship. The "charge" or "care" of girls is with the women of the Girls School's faculty.
     Many men spoke to this question of separate schools. Questions were raised, such as, what is the Academy doing in the two schools that really can be called feminine and masculine education? A number urged us to go slowly in any changes of structure. Still another felt that girls need the influence of women because one sex cannot teach the other sex how to think. It was also said that we must strengthen our defenses against the principles of the world-especially the current confusion of the sexes. We should keep the two separate faculties and then meet together from time to time. There is also value in being taught by the opposite sex. For example, a boy's understanding needs to be touched by feminine love. Many of our people don't want us to accommodate to the world. But those classes which deal with things of moral wisdom should be taught co-educationally.
     Mr. Acton closed the discussion by stressing the need for cooperation and input from the parents of our young people.
     Sixth session. Bishop George de Charms gave a digest of his previously circulated paper on the Lord's resurrection body. He briefly traced the process of "life" in the three kingdoms, the vegetable, animal and human. Every living thing is a form of uses and lives solely from influx from God. There is no "life" within the chemicals themselves which clothe these forms of life. These chemicals are organized by the life inflowing from the different discrete degrees of the spiritual world. Thus the three kingdoms of nature are discretely different and differ as to form, for their uses differ.
     From this line of thought the bishop suggested that the Lord's natural body was different from all other bodies, for it was to serve a Divine use-the use of manifesting God to mankind. Thus He was conceived differently. He was the "Word made flesh," whose soul was Jehovah. His "flesh and blood" were totally unique so that they could be glorified. This body was a form of Divine use and not just a collection of chemicals. Yet when the disciples saw the resurrected Lord they inevitably thought the very material elements of His natural body had somehow been transmuted into the Divine or Infinite. Without this belief the early Christian Church could not have worshipped Jesus Christ as God. Such a belief has also existed in the New Church and is to be protected and never condemned. But there is another belief about the Lord's glorified body that we should not be afraid to consider.

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We are taught that "what was material was dissipated in the tomb" (Ath. 160 and 161) yet the Lord's body was created to be resurrected. Can this be said of dead chemicals drawn from the mineral kingdom which formed a clothing for the Lord's body? Is not something different meant by "body" here? Is it not the "ultimate sensuous" which with the Lord was different from that of mortal men? The bishop closed his digest by saying that nothing is more important in the New Church than an ever-increasing understanding of the glorification of the Lord.
     Many men expressed appreciation for this paper. There were those who felt that it was a useful step in transcending our childlike concepts and yet not totally casting them aside. Others spoke in agreement with Bishop de Charms' views that the appearance is that the Lord's material body rose, but in reality the mere matter was dissipated. Others, however, felt that the entire body, including its material substance, was glorified. Another view was that life on all levels was glorified, even the cell life of the body. When this cell life was glorified in the sepulchre the material substance or chemicals were dissipated. Another asked what was the vessel the Lord glorified? A number of men agreed that we should consider the glorification more often than we do in the council.
     The next item of business called for was a paper by B. David Holm entitled "The Internal and External Church." This paper had been mailed earlier and so Mr. Holm summarized it and drew certain conclusions. The Lord's universal church is both internal and external. The internal is its things of doctrine, of love, and of faith, while its externals involve the externals of worship and the things of government as well. Unless there is internal worship (a life of love, charity, and faith) within external worship (rituals, etc.) the externals are worthless. As a church we must keep asking ourselves where we are placing our stress. Those people who are merely in externals are not of the church at all. It seems that in the New Church we are asked to keep a real balance between internal and external things, for there is power in ultimates if there is an internal in them.
     Those of the external church are in exterior truths as are in the literal sense of the Word. They do good chiefly from obedience. On the other hand, those of the internal church are in truths from the internal sense of the Word and act more from the affection of charity. We all begin in the external church, yet the internal is to be the goal of the New Churchman, for in such internals lie genuine faith and charity. The charity of those of the external church is more of "good works" than of "love." Yet such people are "living" for they have internals in their externals. Internal good elevates external good to look to the Lord. In this way the external church is brought into correspondence with the internal church and the two are one. We must strive for such oneness or else the New Church will not become a full church. We have to have a balance of principle and practice.
     The external church is dependent upon the internal for purification and instruction, and also for receiving good thoughts about the Lord and the neighbor so that the works of charity may be genuine.

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As long as a person does good from truth, he is of the external church, but when he sees new truth from a state of good, he is of the internal church. But in both cases charity and conscience are essentials. Thus far more than a large amount of doctrinal knowledge is needed to be of the internal church.
     Those of the genuine external church are the simple who are in innocence, charity and mercy. They may even be childlike. They tend to have a simple conscience, because they know few truths from the internal sense of the Word. They are apt to make the externals of worship essential, yet they have internals within their worship. They are also more in a state of self-compulsion.
     These differences between those of the external church and those of the internal church seem to remain after death, for those of the internal church go to a higher heaven and those of the external to a lower heaven.
     While we can never judge ourselves or anyone else as being of the internal or external church, still these teachings have been given to the New Church for a reason. The New Church is to be an internal church. We are to have no external without an internal. The only purpose of externals in the New Church is to serve as a foundation for our love to the Lord and toward the neighbor. We must examine carefully, from time to time, our externals of worship, instruction, government and society life. Externals are a threat to the New Church. Only as we approach and worship the Lord in His Divine Human will the New Church have both genuine internals and genuine externals. Revealed truth can be applied and is practical. We must repeatedly ask ourselves, "Are we applying the Heavenly Doctrines to the worship, life and government of the church?"
     What are we doing for those of the external church? Are we meeting and feeding their simple states of "innocence, charity and mercy?" Or are we serving the "intelligent" at the expense of the "simple"? Our mission is clear. We are to strive to serve both the genuine internal church and the internal external church. What, then, is a "good" sermon or a "real" doctrinal class? We must remember that in the New Church, internals and externals are to be one. We are to be both an internal and external church.
     A number of members rose to discuss this paper. One man mentioned that the story of the altar of witness, in the letter of the Word, treats of the internal and external church. It was noted that little had been published on this subject in recent years. Another man stated that those of the external church desperately need the truth accommodated to their lives. We should strive for simplicity not shallowness. Several men warned that we must take care that these teachings do not mistakenly lead to splitting the church. Another man felt that we should all try to become "internal." Still another man referred to SS 57-59 and said those in enlightenment are internal, while those who are instructed and in obedience are external. We should remember that the Lord already has accommodated His truth.

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Some felt we could accommodate to both at once by using a clear story from the Word and good examples. One man noted that the internal church is of love. He referred to AC 1799:3 where it is said "doctrine does not itself make the external, still less the internal . . . but a life according to doctrinals." It was also said that if we get our externals in order and work from there, internals would be excited.
     Seventh session. Rev. Donald Rose was called upon to speak to his paper (previously circulated) entitled "Leading to the Lord." He began his brief remarks by stating that a real function of the priesthood is to lead to the Lord (C. 160). A layman may be a better teacher than a priest, but still a priest organizes doctrinal truth differently than a layman would. Why? Because a priestly love leads to the Lord. Is not a successful doctrinal class affected by a desire for the salvation of souls?
     The words of Scripture have power to lead to the Lord. If we use them rightly the thoughts of our listeners will not be as birds that find no place to rest. Mr. Rose spoke of a passage which teaches that angels acknowledge the Divine Human of the Lord, for "of this they can think, and this they can love." That passage ends with the Lord's invitation, "Come unto Me, and I will give you rest" (AC 10267). When we lead to the Lord our congregations do not feel as if they are left to gaze out into space or to stare out over the ocean with nothing to focus upon. He mentioned the teaching that conjunction with an invisible God "is like a conjunction of the eye's vision with the expanse of the universe, the limits of which a re invisible; it is also like vision in midocean, which reaches out into the air and upon the sea, and is lost." This is contrasted with conjunction with a Man "spreading forth his hands and inviting to his arms" (TCR 787).
     The passage most emphasized by Mr. Rose was no. 339 of True Christian Religion, a passage designated as being written in the presence of the Lord's apostles. This passage speaks of the circumstance when "the human mind fails to see its God." Faith in the Lord God the Savior is said to be different from this, because He "can be approached and seen in thought. Faith in Him is not indeterminate, but has an object from which and to which it proceeds and when once received is permanent, as when any one has seen an emperor or king, as often as the fact is recalled the image returns. That faith's sight is like one's seeing a bright cloud, and in the midst of it an angel who invites the man to him, so that he may be raised up into heaven."
     Mr. Rose distributed a "handout" sheet containing Old Testament imagery which lead to Gospel passages. All of these were connected with the Arcana Coelestia. He spoke of the phrase "the image returns" in the above passage and invited us to consider what things we are to do to live up to the statement that a priest "leads to the Lord."
     Again, a number of men spoke about this paper. All were agreed as to the great power of the letter of the Word, especially of the Gospel passages which tell of the Lord. We should recall the picture of the Lord in the Gospels time and time again, for we need a personal relationship with the Lord.

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Yet, it was warned, we must present the Lord as a Divine Human, not as a mere human. The Arcana is not cold or merely intellectual. It can lead to the Lord.
     The next paper considered was "The Representative Role of the Priest" by Rev. Stephen Cole. Mr. Cole made some brief remarks about the subject. He stressed that the priesthood still represents the Lord as Savior. But when does a priest represent the Lord? Just in worship when he is in his robes? Or whenever he is in his office? Or at all times whether he is functioning in his office or not? These questions bring up other questions such as, when should a priest wear priestly garments-just in worship, or also whenever he is functioning as a priest, or at all times?
     A lively discussion followed. One man stressed that a person represents a person, while an office represents an office. Do we really believe "once a priest, always a priest"? Some felt we need a badge to wear in public, even when not functioning as a priest. Others felt this was not necessary other than in worship and perhaps in doctrinal class. We cannot judge spiritual states of others so we cannot defrock a priest, but we can keep him from working in the uses of the church. Another man felt that priests are not "holy men." The function of the priesthood represents salvation. An individual priest represents the Lord while he is in his role as priest. But sometimes he is just a husband, father, and friend. He "puts off his garments." Others felt that we are priests at all times, for we can sully the office at any time by evil acts, for we are always on duty.
     Next, Rev. Andrew Heilman spoke to the subject of using the word "Lord" in place of the name Jehovah. His study on this subject had been previously circulated. In his remarks Mr. Heilman stressed the fact that in his study he had been convinced that when we read LORD in capital letters in the Word, it means "Jehovah" or "Yehowah" and we should so render it when we read or refer to the Old Testament usage of the name. In the New Testament, or when referring to it, we should use the word "Lord," or "Jesus," or "Jesus Christ." In the Writings, however, the word "Lord" is most commonly used, and we should abide by it. Mr. Heilman also read a brief passage from TCR 297 as to why the name "Jehovah" or "Yehowah" was rendered "Lord" in the New Testament. It was for the sake of the Jews. He concluded by saying that the names "Yehowah" and "Jesus" are very holy names. "Lord," on the other hand, is a title.
     Several men stated that they felt this was a very useful and complete study and that they agreed with it. Another man said that if we used "Yehowah" in the Old Testament to mean God the Father who "came down," it would help those coming into the church. One man, however, said that he had for six months used "Yehowah" in place of LORD in reading and referring to the Old Testament, and it had disturbed his people, so he dropped it. Another man felt that we would have to make the change gradually in using the name "Yehowah" or "Jehovah." The use of this name has one great advantage. It is never used as a swear word.

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It was also said that the name "Jesus" has been abused. "Jesus" means the Father or the Lord Himself. This name should be used more often than it is in the New Church. In his summation, Mr. Heilman said that in all probability the rendering of "Yehowah" as "Jehovah" was providential lest the holy name be profaned. He noted, however, that when "Yehowah" of the Old Testament was changed to "Lord" in the New, something was changed. What was it? He said he was not really sure.
     Eighth session. Rev. Kurt Nemitz spoke to the question "Shall We Call It Marriage Love?" A summation of his viewpoint had been previously distributed. Mr. Nemitz gave a convincing and brief presentation in which he used an overhead projector to show that in Swedenborg's own Latin-Swedish dictionary the Latin term "conjugialis" was rendered "marriage." Mr. Nemitz felt that it was a fairly well known Latin word at that day and not an obscure word which has been our traditional belief. He said that we should introduce the translation "marriage love" instead of "conjugial love" gradually in the church.
     In the lively discussion that followed, several men said that they were convinced that we should replace "conjugial love" with "married love." It was urged, however, that we proceed slowly with this lest we disturb the church. One man said that he had used the word "conjugial" for forty years and now felt he had used it incorrectly. Your "conjugial partner" is the person you're married to. Others felt that the translation "marriage love" would help our people realize that conjugial love was not something entirely idealistic or something far removed from everyday life. It is here and now-love of your married partner. Other men urged that we live with this idea for a while and not be hasty. Translators must be in freedom. For instance, "marital love" is not always a suitable translation of "conjugial love" and could be misleading. Also, how would you render "the conjugial" which is used in the Writings? Perhaps, because of our traditional translation, wt have taught about "conjugial love" as a grand ideal and not taught enough about marriage. One man opposed the whole concept and believed that "conjugialis" was a rare word, first used by Swedenborg in Rational Psychology. Who else in his day used it? Others also stressed that we must not obscure the ideal and make it merely ordinary. Several men felt that this was not only a translation problem, but also a doctrinal problem and a pastoral problem. Have we really taught regarding conjugial love in a way our people can apply to their lives?
     At the end of the session a few minutes were devoted to the subject of the familiar General Church seal or logo. The question was raised concerning possible improvement or change in this. A few ideas were mentioned for future consideration, and the general subject of what makes a design suitable was briefly discussed.
     The eighth and final session of the 1981 meetings closed with Bishop King saying that he felt the meetings were a success, for we had searched for a genuine application of truth together. He then gave the benediction.

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     General Church Evening. After Friday supper on March 6th a "General Church Evening" was introduced by Bishop King. He called upon the Rev. Peter Buss, the Rev. Geoffrey Howard and the Rev. Geoffrey Childs (the three Bishop's representatives) to briefly describe the work in their districts. Next we heard from the Rev. Lorentz Soneson who presented a "growth analysis" of the General Church. The evening ended with a financial growth analysis of the General Church by Mr. Leonard Gyllenhaal. All of these presentations were well received.
     B. DAVID HOLM,
          Secretary
JOINT COUNCIL 1981

JOINT COUNCIL L. R. SONESON 1981

     1. The 87th regular joint meeting of the council of the clergy and directors of the corporation of the General Church of the New Jerusalem was held in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania on Saturday morning, March 7th, 1981.
     2. Attendance:
     Seventy-six men attended (fifty-four clergy, sixteen lay members and six guests).
     3. The minutes of the 86th annual meeting were accepted as published in NEW CHURCH LIFE, December, 1980, pp. 570 ff.
     4. The report of the secretary of the General Church was accepted as it appeared in NEW CHURCH LIFE, November, 1980. pp. 517 ff.
     5. Bishop King then called on the Rev. David R. Simons to present a memorial resolution for Mr. David Campbell as follows:

     Few men have been better prepared or more fully qualified to respond to the Lord's call to His Kingdom of interior uses than David Harris Campbell. When we reflect on the range and quality of the uses to which David devoted his life, we can understand how well suited he is for eternal life: his devotion to his wife and family was exemplary; in his occupation as an aeronautical engineer he was outstanding, contributing his talents for our national defense; he was active in civil affairs, working to upgrade the quality of our public schools in California; but by far Dave's greatest commitment-as all members of the Los Angeles Society know well-was to the upbuilding and support of the Lord's New Church. He read with care the letter of the Word, but was particularly interested in the spiritual sense given in the Writings, being always ready to share his insights and convictions.

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He was a strong supporter of our ministers and the uses of the church, having a special interest in our Sunday School program-in passing the values of the church on to the children of the church. He pushed relentlessly for the establishment of a school from a conviction that this was the strongest base for growth. David was active on the board of the society, having held almost every office and having currently been treasurer. As a member of the board of the General Church he represented the interests and needs of the New Church in California and made his convictions felt.
     In a Church which teaches the need for matching love with intelligence-good and truth-David, to an uncommon degree, matched a warm, affectionate, humble nature with a keen intellect and high degree of self-discipline. In brief, he was a living advocate of all the New Church stands for-a useful New Churchman!

     6. The secretary of the council of the clergy report by the Rev. B. David Holm was accepted as published in NEW CHURCH LIFE, December, 1980, pp. 579 ff.
     7. The bishop called for greetings to which the Rev. Ragnar Boyesen responded with messages from the Stockholm society and the Copenhagen group with thanks to the General Church for their continued support.
     8. The treasurer's report was then called for and Mr. Gyllenhaal gave a verbal report, excerpts to follow:

     We are going through a change in the organization of the business and finance offices. Up until a few years ago the trend was to separate as much as possible the activities of the General Church and the Academy. The result was that we had a separate financial office for the General Church with a part-time treasurer who also served the Academy. Under him was a controller, whose staff handled the General Church payroll, finances, accounting, reporting, etc. as a single organization. At the same time the Academy had a similar organization, but entirely separate although in the clerical staff there was some overlapping of work. By recent actions of the boards of directors of the General Church and the Academy the trend has been reversed. The first such action was the formation of the Consolidated Maintenance Organization. This combined all of the maintenance operations in Bryn Athyn: the Academy, the General Church, the Cathedral, Bryn Athyn Church and Glencairn, under a new organization managed by Mr. Kent Hyatt who was employed by the Academy.
     Next, as you know, a great deal of time was spent last year revising our employee benefits plans, particularly the medical and pension plans.

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As of January 1, 1981, all of the benefits plans were consolidated under the General Church. During the year we worked on consolidating all the General Church and Academy financial operations of accounting, bookkeeping and financial reporting under a single computerized system, although the corporate accounts will still be separate. The combined salary and benefits program will be administered by Mr. Fuller, with whom you are all familiar. Any problems, or any communications you have in connection with salaries, pensions, medical, and other benefits should be addressed to Mr. Fuller.
     With the establishment of the Consolidated Maintenance Organization Mr. Bill Zeitz has been freed from a number of responsibilities he had for the Academy's maintenance and has been made available as business manager of the General Church as well as the Academy. The benefit to the General Church of the proposed new organization is that it allows us, being the smaller organization, to have a part-time treasurer, a part-time assistant treasurer, a part-time controller and a part-time business manager. Obviously, we couldn't have a full-time man in each of those positions. The assistant treasurer will be an assistant treasurer for both the General Church and the Academy. Mr. Henderson will be controller for both the General Church and the Academy; Mr. Zeitz will be the business manager for both the General Church and the Academy; and, Mr. Hyatt is the manager of maintenance for both the General Church and the Academy in Bryn Athyn.
     I might comment that this form of organization precludes the possibility of two separate treasurers, which has been the goal in the past.
     We were hurried yesterday at the board meeting and really didn't get time to point out some of the important things in this year's budget. I think it's useful for the ministers, many of whom are involved in the budget, to have a slight review. The following are a few of the comments:
     The first item of gifts and grants are direct contributions to the General Church itself, not including contributions to societies, districts, etc. We had a good year last year dollar-wise-the highest amount that was ever contributed to the General Church. Unfortunately we did lose about 75 contributors in the lower categories, but those who contributed contributed more, so that we had quite a substantial increase in contributions, more than we actually anticipated.

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We are budgeting a further increase next year of 4.6%, bringing our regular contributions up to $327,000.00. The New Church Investment Fund increased substantially in 1981 due to a change in the pay-out policy of the fund. The result is that we anticipate revenues in 1981 of well over $1,000,000.00. We are now for the first time in the 80's in the million dollar category in our revenues and budgets for operation.
     The expenditure pattern of the budget is based upon an anticipated 12 1/2% increase in salaries. It hasn't been approved yet, but will be the subject of the treasurers' meetings in Detroit on the 28th of this month. Not only is it a 12 1/2% increase, but we anticipate putting it into effect from now on with an anniversary date of July 1st. In other words, it will be two months in advance of our anniversary date in the past, September 1st. This, of course, affects the budget very substantially.
     In the area of General Church support of ministers' and teachers' salaries, and grants to societies and circles, we're assuming that the General Church is going to have to take up a substantial amount of the 12 1/2% increase. For 1980, in this category, we were down to 26% of the budget, from a previous high of 60% in 1975, and we've had that constant trend. This would, of course, reverse the trend. However, if we bring it back to 32% of the budget, it is still not cause for alarm.
     We have estimated, on the basis of information to date, that we will expend over $62,000.00 in moving expense-the highest by far in the history of the General Church. Here again, I would implore those ministers to take every opportunity you can to effect economies. It could well run much higher than that, so we ask for your cooperation in helping us keep costs within that range.
     NEW CHURCH LIFE shows a rather sizable increase which is, of course, due to the Rev. Donald Rose coming to Bryn Athyn and spending half of his time on NEW CHURCH LIFE.

     The Rev. Kurt Nemitz requested NEW CHURCH LIFE be distributed free to all members of the General Church and Mr. Gyllenhaal responded. He did not think that was realistic, because the income is only $8,800.00 a year while the cost is $46,000.00 to print and distribute. Mr. Gyllenhaal also pointed out that travel expenses have increased, not only for the episcopal office but for the treasurer's office. This covers trips to such places as South Africa and Australia and also to cover the expenses for the bishop's representatives traveling for meetings with the bishop.

     In employment benefits, you'll see a fairly large increase. This is due principally to the new health plan in the United States.

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This would have been more expensive even if we hadn't gone into a new plan. We were faced with perhaps a 30% increase in the old plan, so it's not a surprise to us; but it is a very substantial increase-$56,000.00 to $91,000.00. Total employee benefits are increasing to a very substantial sum-it's now 1/4 million dollars.

     Mr. Gyllenhaal was then asked whether there were health plans for those outside the United States and he said that there is one in every country now.
     Mr. Pryke then commented how grateful he was for the General Church plan for medical care, and Mr. Gyllenhaal expressed his thanks to Mrs. Gale Smith, who handles medical claims.
     Mr. Gyllenhaal was then asked regarding the missionary fund. His response was that in soliciting funds for this account, the hope was that a principal could be built up from which special projects could be underwritten. However, the funds solicited to date were quite small. Only $4,400.00 has been contributed to this use.
     Mr. Gyllenhaal was asked about the encouraging increase of self-supporting societies. He attributed it to the treasurers' meetings, the establishment of the development fund, the traveling of our bishop throughout the church, and to the bishop's representatives.
     The treasurer was asked with the "new wind in its sails" of NEW CHURCH LIFE, that perhaps this is the psychological time to raise the subscription rate of NEW CHURCH LIFE, perhaps to double. Mr. Gyllenhaal felt otherwise in that it would add additional pressure, especially to those overseas, who find the current subscription rate heavy enough. Also, the steady pressure by treasurers to support other church uses would be asking too much of our readership.
     The Rev. Bjorn Boyesen then expressed his thanks to the treasurer, Mr. Leonard E. Gyllenhaal, for the cooperation received from his office to the various ministers over these many years. This was followed by applause from the group.
     9. Bishop King then called for the salary committee report from Mr. Theodore W. Brickman, Jr. Mr. Brickman said that the salary committee will be meeting in Detroit on March 28th, with treasurers from various societies, to discuss changes in their program. They will make recommendations to the board of directors who meet in May. Mr. Brickman explained that, in addition to the annual meeting held in March or April, they are having interim meetings with treasurers in November/December, planning the following year's budget. He also pointed out that the salary committee is keenly conscious of the increase of inflation and that with the bottom line, none of them is really comfortable with the results.

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But they are dealing with the realities and the amount of money available to be expended on increased wages.

     I think that it's important that it be once again noted that beyond the salaries (even though that's what the salary committee is established to do) the appropriate results of having the treasurers together annually has had a strong effect on the increased contributions of societies. The opportunities for treasurers to understand the needs, and an opportunity for them to compare methods of contributions and techniques, coupled with the enthusiastic support of your pastors when you get back, have really made a substantial improvement in local society participation; and that's a part of the focus of our salary meetings.

     10. The bishop then called for a report of the development and finance committee, from Mr. Theodore W. Brickman, Jr., as follows.

     Yesterday we continued to have a strong active program by having the opportunity of hearing from San Diego and their exciting school. Although that isn't a development fund program in a sense, it was brought before our committee and we enjoyed having the opportunity of giving that our blessing.
     1980 was another strong, active year: The Development Program with the purchase of the church in Atlanta, and the continuing development of the Detroit community. We'll all have an opportunity to visit at the salary meeting, so any of you that are coming out there will get a full-scale tour of that. The planning process going on in Kitchener is continuing and we hope to see the final results of that this year with the providing of lands for the continued development of Caryndale and the separation of the additional lands to the General Church of Canada for future development of secondary schools. A large addition is going onto the facility in Cincinnati. In Glenview, the condominium-the first five-unit building of a planned nine buildings-is completed and I believe fully occupied. Close to that, Burnham Court, which is the street that the development committee has opened up there, is now filling up with new homes and has brought a number of young people back into the community. Both of those projects have really provided the results we are looking for. Believe it or not, Park Drive is about to be paved. For those who will miss the dust and the potholes, there was quite a bit of nostalgia brought out at the meeting to vote on it. Fortunately, the village, through Kent Fuller's genius, is putting up about 90% of the money and that will be done this year.

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     The loans outstanding at present are $1,133,000.00 and the fund balance at this point, or as of the end of December, was $1,606,000.00. Lots of activity.

     Mr. Brickman was then asked by the Rev. Douglas Taylor whether funds would be available through his committee to find full-time ministers in societies for exclusive extension work. Mr. Brickman said that such presentations would be welcomed by his committee, because it certainly falls under the concept of projects.
     Rev. Geoffrey Howard then requested expert advice from someone in the church regarding land development, which is a current project in the Durban society.
     11. The bishop then invited those attending to discuss reports that were distributed in printed form, including the report of the corporation Secretary, Mr. Stephen Pitcairn; the extension committee; the editor of NEW CHURCH LIFE: the orphanage committee and the publication committee. A question was raised whether Life of the Lord by Bishop de Charms was being considered for printing. It was announced by the chairman of the publication committee that this work, plus others, such as Unity in the Universe and Invisible Police will not be republished because of the expense involved. However, a program is being set up to solicit used copies from around the church to be resold through the General Church Book Center.
     Rev. Stephen Cole asked whether the publication committee was working with the translation committee regarding new translations of the Writings, specifically the manuscript submitted on the Doctrine of Faith by Dr. David Gladish. The chairman assured Mr. Cole that a copy of his draft was distributed to the chairman of the translation committee, plus three members, and that final publication will be after close liaison with that committee.
     12. The bishop called for discussion of the General Church Religion Lessons program. The Rev. Robert Junge emphasized the importance of revitalizing and re-working the lessons now available to our isolated families. He mentioned that only 50% of those eligible reach the Academy as students and every effort should be made, both financially and with manpower, to keep this vital use alive and interesting. In addition, he suggested that the audio-visual program be expanded to assist in this work.
     Rev. Douglas Taylor quoted from a recent article in New Church Home magazine. Because of skyrocketing printing expenses it was forced to go to a bi-monthly publication. He urged, because of the importance of this magazine, that this body reconsider and make it feasible to return to monthly publication.

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Rev. Erik Sandstrom rose to support its value, especially with the large number of authors now publishing in this magazine. He then stressed his concern that the General Church Religion Lessons program seek the aid of more women teachers in the rewriting of these lessons, especially for the primary grades. He felt that besides describing the stories from the Word, future revisions should include more application to the lives of the students, rather than continue with the somewhat dry approach in teaching the letter of the Word. He hoped that additional help could be made available to assist in the revision program of the religion lessons.
     Another comment was made by the Rev. David Simons, who was a former director of religion lessons. He pointed out that he revised the scholarly work done by the Rev. Frederick Gyllenhaal who wrote the children's talks along with the Rev. Karl Alden. Mr. Simons, with the help of several women, did exactly what Mr. Sandstrom was speaking of, namely, rewriting them with the assistance of teachers and mothers.
     13. The bishop then called for reactions to the sound recording committee's report, the translation committee's report, and the report on the revision of the King James version of the Old and New Testaments.
     Rev. Bjorn Boyesen, speaking on the subject to the translation committee, commended them on their publication of the Latin editions of the Writings recently off the press, and forthcoming. But he also expressed that the translation committee can do little to assist him in the translation of the Writings into Swedish, a project that he has been working on for a number of years. At the present time the work Divine Providence is in the hands of the printer and should be out this spring with 3,000 bound copies at a cost of $20,000.00. Also, the work Heaven and Hell is being translated into Swedish and should be available approximately within a year. Mr. Boyesen also expressed thanks to the numerous contributors for funding these Swedish translations, not only those in Scandinavia but those throughout the General Church who have given so generously.
     14. The secretary was then instructed to express thanks to the ladies who provided the refreshments for the joint council. There being no further business the meeting was adjourned.
     L. R. SONESON,
          Secretary

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EDITORIAL PAGES 1981

EDITORIAL PAGES Editor 1981

     NEW CHURCH LIFE
     EMOTION IN THE WORD

     Reading the Word does something for our minds. It teaches and enlightens. Does it do anything for our hearts?
     For the highest angels the Word is a heart matter. They are profoundly moved by the deepest contents of the Word, contents which go beyond the realm of mere mental ideas. From them these angels derive what may be called "lights of affections and perceptions."
     Vital to the New Church is the invitation to approach the Word with a sense of awe at its infinite contents. Enough of the wonder of the internal sense is revealed to provide a spirit of reverence towards the Word. Once in the other world people who doubted the inner glories of the Word were allowed actually to behold them. They were thoroughly amazed at the beauty and intricacy of what they saw (AC 1769-1771). In addition to this they experienced a deeply penetrating "efficacy," for the Word is both wisdom and love. One who reads the Word from the Lord has his heart filled with love as his understanding is filled with wisdom (SS 3).
     Can we know the affectionate content of the Word? So much of it is beyond understanding and certainly beyond articulation. Some of the stories of the Word are plainly of a highly emotional character. We do not read the twenty-seventh chapter of Genesis without emotion. There we read of the discovery that Esau had been tricked by his brother and his blessing taken away. It is said that Isaac "trembled very greatly," and Esau lifted up his voice and wept. "Bless me, even me also, O my father." As Swedenborg entered into the inner sense of this chapter a Gentile in the spiritual world was profoundly affected with its Divine contents. "He was so moved thereby that his emotion was perceived to be from an internal ground" (D Min 4697).
     In other stories the Writings call attention to "the emotion in the words" (AC 2546, 2548). In Genesis twenty-two as Abraham and Isaac draw near to the place of intended sacrifice Isaac says, "My father." And Abraham says, "Here am I, my son." The Writings say here, "The words are words of love," and they tell us that "when such come to the perception of the celestial angels . . . they form for themselves luminous ideas from the affections in the Word" (AC 2802).

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     Another passage says, "In every particular in the Word there are both affection and subject matter. The celestial angels perceive the Word such as it is in the internal sense as to the affection." In this case the example is the phrase in Genesis eighteen: "If, I pray, I have found grace in thine eyes." The ideas these angels form from such words "can scarcely be called ideas but rather so many lights of affections and perceptions, which follow in a continuous series, in accordance with the series of the affection of the things contained in the Word that is being read" (AC 2157).

     As a final example, take the story of Abraham as he pleads for Sodom. He feels concern and pity for the people of the city, and at the same time he feels deep humility before God. The words are:
     "And he said, Oh let not my Lord be angry, and I will speak." The New Church reader is aware that what is involved here is the concern the Lord felt for the human race when He was in the world. "This signifies anxiety concerning the state of the human race. This may be seen not so much from the words as from the affection that belongs to them. The internal sense of the Word contains within it two things, to wit, what is spiritual, and what is celestial. . . That which is celestial consists in there being solely perceived the affection that belongs to the actual things that are in the internal sense." The celestial angels "perceive at once from the affection alone what the letter involves when it is being read by man, and from it they form for themselves celestial ideas, and this with endless variety, and in an ineffable manner, in accordance with the onflowing harmony of the celestial things of love that are in the affection" (AC 2275).
     If we were not aware that the Word contains celestial and spiritual things we would not have a high degree of care for it. Indeed we are told at the beginning of the Arcana Coelestia that it is because of a lack of awareness of this these days that "the Old Testament is but little cared for" (AC 2).
     In last month's editorial we quoted a plea for a spark of the emotional. With reference to our services of worship an essential consideration is the emotion or affection that is in the Word itself.
     D. L. R.
Title Unspecified 1981

Title Unspecified 1981

MIDWESTERN AND CENTRAL WESTERN DISTRICT ASSEMBLY (see p. 386)
Accommodation: Contact Mrs. P. Horigan, 50 Park Drive, Glenview, ILL. 60025; Registration: Mr. Ben McQueen, 114 Park Drive.

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CREATION VS. EVOLUTION 1981

CREATION VS. EVOLUTION CHARLOTTE GYLLENHAAL-DAVIS 1981

     COMMUNICATIONS
Dear Editor:

     The editorial comments and quotations concerning "Creation vs. Evolution-the Votes Come In" (NCL, May, 1981 pp. 258-261) raise what at first appear to be interesting issues for the church. They imply that only "creationism" is compatible with belief in God; that subscribing to the outline of the world's history embodied in modern geology, astronomy and evolutionary theory necessarily means subscribing to atheism. I think that those implications are quite false.
     What is "creationism"? It is not simply the belief that God somehow created the universe. Its main thrust becomes apparent in the Statement of Beliefs of the Creation Research Society, one of creationism's main proponents. As quoted by Laurie R. Godfrey1 it begins: "The Bible is the written Word of God, and because we believe it to be inspired throughout, all of its assertions are historically and scientifically true . . . ." Because they believe that the first chapters of Genesis are literally true, creationists generally believe that all living and fossil species were simultaneously created by God ex nihilo about 10,000 years ago and were present together on the earth until the Noachian flood, which killed off all the fossil species. Their remains were then deposited by the flood waters in such a way that there appear to have been gradual changes in species through time. The major item in the creationist agenda is political: creationists are seeking to have their ideas taught in the public schools as science. They cite many scientific studies to give the impression that this is a genuine scientific theory, a kind of "underdog" science.
     Creationism is not science. It is an attempt to confirm the fundamentalist interpretation of the Bible. Creationists find facts and studies that can be used to support their position, ignore evidence that contradicts it, point to areas of rapid theoretical change in biology and other sciences as evidence that these fields are invalid2, and conclude that the only alternative to these fields is the Biblical creation story. Creationism proceeds by defining an unquestionable truth, and simply confirming it-an activity appropriate to the sphere of religion. Theirs is not, however, an interpretation that New Church people need feel compelled to accept, since the Writings tell us that the first chapters of Genesis were written in the style of the Ancient Church:

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". . . wrapped up in representative figures . . . arranged in the form of history" (AC 605). They caution us against limiting ourselves to only the literal sense.
     Science is a way of studying the natural world which attempts to account for the effects of subjective bias. Science proceeds by first assuming that we do not understand a natural phenomenon, and then proposing various conflicting models to explain the phenomenon. Scientists then attempt to disprove each of those models by conducting experiments which can be repeated by other scientists. Disproved models are discarded, and those that are not disproved gradually become the accepted explanation of the phenomenon-always, of course, subject to refutation in the future.
     The scientific community synthesizes currently accepted explanations into a coherent view of the world. From astronomy and physics we take the conclusion that the universe is about fifteen billion years old, and our solar system about five billion years old. From geology, chemistry and physics we derive the idea that the earth's fossils were deposited over millions of years by geological process observable even today. From biology we take the findings that some organisms are more complex than others, with complexity generally increasing through time; that all living things come from other living things; and that there are variations (sometimes substantial3) in the transmission of hereditary traits from generation to generation. These are synthesized into the familiar history of the world which we call "the theory of evolution."
     Creationists have made no serious effort to use the Biblical creation story-or even small parts of it-as a model to be disproved. Indeed, it makes little sense for them to do so, since they feel that the Bible has already factually explained the history of the world. It is thus purely deceptive to portray creationism as science in the public schools, or anywhere else. While we may applaud creationists for the strength of their religious beliefs, I believe that as New Church people (with a traditional concern for separation of church and state) we cannot support their political ventures4.
     As a New Church scientist, I find the evolutionary history useful and inspiring in helping me understand the natural world, and myself. As a follower of the Writings, I see the Lord as the Source of the matter and energy, the Author of the laws of randomness and order that interact to make up that history. I see evolution as compatible with the Writings-and I suspect that if the evolutionary history is ever conclusively disproved, which seems quite unlikely now, whatever scientifically derived theory replaces it will also be found compatible with the Writings by future students.

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I do not feel it is necessary to abandon the methods of science, either because evolution is not compatible with the literal sense of Genesis, or because some scientists do not believe in God.5
     The Writings, with their doctrine of the two foundations of truth and the single Source of truth, are a real treasure for our scientific age. Let's not waste our energy taking sides in the arguments of a fallen church with a scientific community badly in need of a rational concept of God. Let's devote ourselves instead to spreading the good news that the world can live comfortably with both science and religion-that there is finally a church on this earth that does not reject science, but both embraces its methods and frames its insights in a proper, spiritual context.
     CHARLOTTE GYLLENHAAL-DAVIS,
          Tuscaloosa, Alabama

     1. Godfrey, L. R. 1981. The flood of anti-evolutionism. Narural History 90(6): 4-10.

     2. Godfrey (ibid.) shows specifically how creationist literature misrepresents some of the most important recent additions to evolutionary theory as attacks on the theory in general.

     3. An hypothesis called the "punctuated equilibria" model is attracting the attention of many biologists. It states that the genetic formation of species occurs very rapidly, at times of environmental stress. This idea is also summarized in Godfrey (ibid.).

     4. Bills to institute the teaching of creationism as science have been introduced into all the state legislatures, and passed in Arkansas and Tennessee.

     5. See also J. D. Heilman's article "Shall We Grow?," NCL, March 1981, pp. 134-137 for a New Church affirmation of science.
ON PRUDENCE 1981

ON PRUDENCE BRUCE M. KEMMELL 1981

Dear Editor:

When I read the article on prevention of offspring by Rev. Stephen Cole, I was grieved. This was not due so much to the content of his position but to the apparent rigidity of attitude expressed. However, not yet being a member of the General Church, I felt it inappropriate of me to speak out. Besides, everyone is entitled to his opinion and is entitled to express it. I was relieved when Rev. Glenn Alden wrote a reply which I found to be reasoned and tolerant as well as consistent with the Word.

436

     Now I see the two recent letters of Dr. John Roach, who is also not a member of the General Church, appear in this magazine. As I read these letters I pick up a tone of insensitivity and intolerance probably not intended by the writer. From the first I quote, "It struck me as somewhat odd that even among Swedenborgians there exist diversities of opinion." Has not Dr. Roach read concerning the variety of uses which our Lord has created and about our spiritual freedom which we have in our Lord? From the second I quote, "(Truth) forges ahead victoriously, regardless and irrespective of those who would impede its advancement." I certainly hope I never step into the path of this type of truth. I am a sinner, and at times, probably most of the time, I stand in the path of our Lord's Truth. Therefore, I must also trust in His Mercy.
     In my first paragraph I stated that I was not yet a member of the General Church. Having fellowshipped with two Societies over significant time intervals and expecting to fellowship with a third, I have found a broad range of views within the General Church. Nevertheless, I believe all these views are consistent with a sincere acceptance of the literal Word and the Writings of Swedenborg. Thus, I feel that my own views, which are on a few points rather non-conformist, may come within the range of acceptable General Church outlook, and that at some future time I would enjoy establishing membership. However, what primarily makes the Church for me, and I believe this is consistent with the Heavenly Doctrine, is a sphere of love and reasonable acceptance as a human being. If I were to be held up by the General Church to the rigid standards of doctrinal clarity as expressed to me by Dr. Roach's attitude for example, I could not call such a church my home. I enjoy reading our Lord's revelation to the New Church by means of Emanuel Swedenborg, and its truths have become the very building stones of my faith. Perhaps, however, we should also occasionally read the clearer parts of Apostle Paul, such as the following:

Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant . . . . But now abide faith, hope, and love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

     May this love permeate the General Church and all who affiliate themselves with the New Jerusalem, including Dr. Roach.
     BRUCE M. KEMMELL,
          Gainsville, Florida

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FURTHER ON PRAYER 1981

FURTHER ON PRAYER Rev. MARK CARLSON 1981

Dear Editor:

     I would like to comment on Rev. Andrew Heilman's communication (June issue) to the study on prayer in the February issue.
     I am in firm agreement with Mr. Heilman's intention, which is to support the teaching of the Word that all true worship should be from the Lord Himself with man. The question is: how do we pray in our public and private worship in order to have some assurance that our prayers are from the Lord with us? Mr. Heilman feels that there is little doctrinal support for the section on "How to Pray" in the study by Rev. Christopher Smith. I do not find this to be the case. The entire study appears to me to be well documented. It is true, however, that Mr. Smith gives us no direct reference for his assertion that we are invited to use our own words in prayer. This invitation does appear to me to be implicit in everything that is said about prayer in the Writings. The Lord's prayer is, of course, a special case. On the contrary, I find no doctrinal support for the notion that all prayers should be restricted to words taken from the literal sense of the Word.
     Is Mr. Heilman addressing himself solely to the function of public prayers, or to all prayers public and private? I would agree that public prayers necessarily need to be of a different nature than one's own personal prayer. Certainly none of us would want to make our own private prayers a matter of public spectacle, nor did I sense that this was being advocated by Mr. Smith.
     Perhaps we ministers need to re-examine the function of prayer in a service of worship. And perhaps with further study we might be able to agree that prayers from the literal sense of the Word are the safest avenue of approach to the Lord in public worship. I am not sure that "safety" makes for good ritual or true worship. I have trouble with the notion that the Lord may consider our prayers wrong or somehow be offended by them. Such fear of wrong praying seems to be contrary to the Lord's words when He said, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath . . ." (Mark 2:27). I have difficulty seeing how the Lord's warning to be not as the hypocrites applies to the issue of whether or not we should use our own words in public prayer.
     Mr. Heilman implies that prayers from Scripture are also the most acceptable form of private prayer. Some questions which come to mind about this: Why did not the Lord follow this practice when He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane?

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How are we to pray for those who persecute us, as the Lord requests? Why did not Swedenborg follow this policy in the examples we are given of his prayers?
     The essential teaching of the Writings in regard to prayer is that prayer must be from the heart and proceed from the life of love and charity which is the true worship of God. It is the end in view which makes prayer acceptable to the Lord, not the words of the prayer (AE 325). The question does not seem to be what words we use, but what we are praying for and why.
     REV. MARK CARLSON,
          Kitchener, Canada
Church News 1981

Church News Various 1981

     BRYN ATHYN GRADUATIONS

     The valedictorian for the Theological School, Wendel Barnett, glanced back one hundred and four years to the first eight students enrolled in the Academy in preparation for the priesthood of the New Church. Because of "deficiencies" the first graduates were demoted in order to undertake further studies. Two of them finally graduated in 1880. Evidence of growth and development was reflected in the large gathering of students and teachers, parents and friends, and in the array of banners at the June 6th, 1981 commencement exercises at which one hundred and forty-one students achieved milestones in their New Church education.
     Robert Smith of Glenview, commencement speaker, looked to the Writings in expressing the truth that life calls for perpetual commencement, new beginnings and learning, and spoke of that special gift from Our Own Academy, "the sense of spiritual proportion" from which comes intelligence and the means of performing uses to the neighbor. The speaker's advice to the graduates (an inviolable tradition) was to become participant, rather than spectator and critic.
     Commencement festivities in Bryn Athyn extend far beyond the allotted two hours of ceremonies, and are highlighted by formal recognition of special accomplishments. The abundance of high caliber students naturally results in a total of awards that precludes full listing, but among the "with honors," "with distinction" and the Latinized equivalent, a number of special honors clamor for recognition. Both the Sons of the Academy award and the Theta Alpha award went to pairs of outstanding students, John King and Keith Pendleton of the Boys School, Kris Heinrichs and Sheila Smith of the Girls School.

439

At the Junior College level, Matthew Smith and Nina Cooper won these honors, with Candace Rose winner of the Theta Alpha award in the Senior College.
     Five valedictorians expressed the appreciation and ideals of their respective schools: Klara Shields for the Girls School, Noel Rhodes for the Boys School, Conrad Zecher for the Junior College and Jonathan Rose for the Senior College. Wendel Barnett, as noted, spoke for the four men graduating from the Theological School. He and his classmates, Grant Odhner, Arthur Schnarr and the Rev. William Burke, advanced thereby to the priesthood of the New Church.
     The ordination services for these four was the central focus of the service in the cathedral the following day, and Bishop King's sermon reviewed the progression of selections whereby the Lord approached mankind, from Melchizedek, king and priest of Salem, Aaron and his sons, the Levites, the twelve disciples and the "other seventy" and finally the twelve called together on June 19th, 1770, to proclaim the New Church throughout the heavens.

     Ideal weather again gave special warmth and brilliance to the gathering on the cathedral lawn following the service as the congregation expressed its joy and affection for their new ministers. Pastor Kurt Asplundh and Dean Robert Junge of the Theological School proposed and responded to the toasts, and Mr. Asplundh seized the opportunity to finally present to the Rev. Kenneth Stroh the gift (a "keyboard instrument" i.e., typewriter) and inscribed plaque in recognition of his many years of service in the pastoral office and director of the Bryn Athyn Church's musical activities. Mr. Stroh's choir, directed by Mark Bostock expressed affection and appreciation in a beautifully rendered, "The Lord Bless You and Keep You."
     Prologue to the Academy commencement, the Bryn Athyn Church Elementary School held its closing exercises earlier in the week as 20 girls and 14 boys received diplomas in the All Purpose Building. The address was given by the Rev. Robert Junge, father of a graduate, whose message was that change is life since that which does not change or progress can only be dead and worthless. He spoke of the nervousness that accompanies that great step from the elementary school into high school. The class valedictorian was Barrett Smith who reviewed highlights from the class experiences, particularly the eighth grade play. Honors went to Monica Baeckstrom, Tavis Junge, Dawn Reuter, Clay McQueen and Barrett Smith, and a "special classroom award" went to the entire class for its cooperation, affirmative attitude and class unity.
     The busy community schedule in Bryn Athyn as springtime brings the end of the school year included a wide variety of activities, far too many to mention, but it is in order to record the historic sermon on May 31st as the Rev. John Teed, President of the New Church in Australia, became the first non-General Church minister to preach from the cathedral pulpit. His ringing sermon was based on the account from Judges XII when the password "Shibboleth" was pronounced "Sibboleth' resulting in the death of the Ephraimites. The similar sound of the two words teaches the difference in representation, for Shibboleth means an ear of corn, something alive and bringing joy, whereas Sibboleth means a burden. If we feel our life of religion to be a burden it brings only spiritual death, whereas if it lives and brings joy it admits us to the promised land.

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     Not only the students-more than sixty in the cast-but also the entire audience would take umbrage if this report did not include mention of the truth exciting production of "The Music Man," the lively musical by Meredith Wilson, brought to enthusiastic life under the direction of Mary Lou Williamson. It may well be that the school years and graduation festivities will linger in student memories for many months, but "Seventy-six Trombones" will last for years.
     LEON RHODES.

     GRADUATES

     June 6, 1981

     BACHELOR OF THEOLOGY

Wendel Ryan Barnett
Grant Hugo Odhner
Arthur Willard Schnarr

     BACHELOR OF ARTS

David Wayne Ayers, cum laude
Andrew Malcom Thomas Dibb
Patricia Ann Field
Donald Kenneth Rogers, Jr.
Jonathan Searle Rose

     BACHELOR OF SCIENCE

Robert Albert Beiswenger
Suzanne Victoria Bernhardt, cum laude
Byron David Franson
Cedric Alexander Mark Lumsden
Michael Croft McDonough
Catherine Asplundh McQueen, cum laude
Barbara Childs Pendleton, cum laude
Shirley Candace Rose, cum laude**

     ASSOCIATE IN ARTS

Steven Gareth Asplundh
Jacqueline Marie Beirs
Mary Jane Cole
*Philip Andrew Cooper
*Heather Diene Cooper
*Nina Cooper***
*Richard Leonard Goerwitz III
*Dara Christine Grubb
*Elizabeth Waters Heinrichs
Ingrid Margareta Holm
*Duane Daryl Hyatt
Hillary Kent
Sharon Madeline Lee
Susan Ann Maciaczyk
Leigh Goodwin Martz
*Donald Gregory Rose
*Nicholas Todd Rose
Ivan Peter Schnarr
*Hilary Alfred Simons
*Matthew Blake Smith****
Matthew Whitney Synnestvedt
Jonathan Douglas Taylor
Jacqueline Lee Umberger
Walter Johan Weiss
Conrad Behrend Zecher

*With distinction
**Shirley Candace Rose received the Theta Alpha Senior College award
***Nina Cooper received the Theta Alpha Junior College award.
****Matthew Blake Smith received the Sons of the Academy award.

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     GIRLS SCHOOL

Elsa Ann Acton
Sharon Acton
*Jacqueline Alden
*Laura Ann Barger
*Jennifer Bochneak
Janet Carswell
Janine Alena Doering
Colleen Echols
Elizabeth Emily Echols
Aven Gunther
Wendy Katherine Gurney
Rene Elizabeth Heilman
*Kris Ellen Heinrichs**
Kerry Hunsaker
Leigh Hyatt
Bryn Junge
*Evelyn Sue Klein
Monica Ruth Lee
Virginia Louise McDonald
Gerda McQueen
Nancy Beth Needer
*Wendy Leigh Odhner
*Sharon Rachel Pitcairn
Abigail Roscoe
Naomi Elizabeth Scott
*Heidi Elizabeth Shields
Klara Katherine Shields
Crystal Lark Smith
*Jill Smith
Rachel Gwen Smith
*Sheila Earleen Smith**
Ann Synnestvedt
*Sarah Synnestvedt
Sonja Synnestvedt
Jackie Willis

*With honors
**Theta Alpha award

     BOYS SCHOOL

Grant Leslie Allen
Kenneth James Austin
Roy Karl Bedford
Steven Edward Bonser
William Glenn Blair
Scott William Brickman
*Charles MacFarlan Cole
Peter Phillip Coy
*Edmond Pendleton deChazal
David Alan Frost
David Robert Furry
G. Eric Genzlinger
*John Cairn King**
Daniel Bynon Leonard III
David Lindrooth
Andrew Scott Lindsay
*Michael Douglas Lowry
David Edward Merrell
Gregory James Niall
Glade Odhner
*Keith Pendleton**
Gary Glenn Pitcairn
Kean Pitcairn
David George Radcliffe
Noel Davis Rhodes
*Steven Kent Richter
John William Rienstra
Gordon Kenneth Rogers
Owen James Rose
David Christopher Roth
*Robert Carswell Simons
*Robert Glenn Synnestvedt
Geoffrey Scott Weaver
Wade Mitchell Welch
Mark Harold Wyncoll

     * With honors
     ** Sons of the Academy award

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ORDINATIONS 1981

     Announcements
     Barnett-At Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, June 7, 1981, the Rev. Wendel Ryan Barnett into the first degree of the priesthood, the Rt. Rev. Louis B. King officiating.

     Burke-At Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, June 7, 1981, the Rev. William Burke into the first degree of the priesthood, the Rt. Rev. Louis B. King officiating.

     Odhner-At Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, June 7, 1981, the Rev. Grant Hugo Odhner into the first degree of the priesthood, the Rt. Rev. Louis B. King officiating.

     Schnarr-At Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, June 7, 1981, the Rev. Arthur Willard Schnarr into the first degree of the priesthood, the Rt. Rev. Louis B. King officiating.
ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH 1981

ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH T. DUDLEY DAVIS 1981

     Each year the Academy Boys and Girls Schools invite 9th and 10th grade students from other areas to visit the Academy for a few days. These visits have been useful in interesting students in Academy education and preparing them for it.
     In order to facilitate planning for the visits we invite the students from different areas on a rotating basis. This fall (November 11-15) we invite students from Glenview and surrounding areas. In the spring of 1982 we will invite those from Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. In the fall of 1982 it will be students from Washington, New York, New England, New Jersey, and Southeastern United States and in the spring of 1983 Canada and Northeastern United States students.
     Those who wish to participate in one of these visits may contact me or their pastor for further information.
     In addition to these group visits, individual students, parents, and others are welcome to visit at any time. Just write or give me a call.
     T. DUDLEY DAVIS,
Director of Student Services,
Academy of the New Church
Boys and Girls Schools

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PUBLIC WORSHIP AND DOCTRINAL CLASSES 1981

GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
RIGHT REV. LOUIS B. KING, BISHOP
Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania 19009, U. S. A.

     PUBLIC WORSHIP AND DOCTRINAL CLASSES

     Public worship and doctrinal classes are provided either regularly or occasionally at the locations listed below. For details use the local phone number of the contact person mentioned or communicate with the Secretary of the General Church, Rev. L. R. Soneson, Cairncrest, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009, Phone (215) 9479660.

     AUSTRALIA

     SYDNEY, N.S.W.
Rev. Michael Gladish (Rev. Erik Sandstrom as of 9/1/81), 22 Dudley Street, Penshurst, N.S.W. 2222. Phone: 57-1589.

     BRAZIL

     RIO DE JANEIRO
Rev. Andrew Heilman, Rua Ferreira de Sampaio 58. Apt. 101, Abolicao, Rio de Janeiro 20.000.

     CANADA

     British Columbia:

     DAWSON CREEK
Rev, William Clifford, 1536 94th Ave., Dawson Creek, VIG 1HI. Phone: (604) 782-3997.

     VANCOUVER
Mr. Douglas Crompton, 21-7055 Blake St., VSS 3V5. Phone: (604) 437-9136.

     Ontnrio:

     KITCHENER
Rev. Christopher Smith, 16 Bannockburn Rd., R.R. 2, N2G 3W5. Phone: (519) 893-7460.

     OTTAWA
Mr. and Mrs. Donald McMaster, 726 Edison Avenue, Apt. 33, Ottawa, Ontario K2C 3P8. Phone: (613) 729-6452.

     TORONTO
Rev, Geoffrey Childs, 2 Lorraine Gardens, Islington, Ontario M9B 424. Phone: (416) 231-4958.

     Quebec:

     MONTREAL
Mr. Denis de Chazal, 17 Ballantyne Ave. So., Montreal West, Quebec H4X 281. Phone: (514) 489-9861.

     DENMARK

     COPENHAGEN
Mr. Jorgen Hauptmann, Strandvejen 22, Jyllinge, 4000 Roskilde. Phone: 03-389968.

     ENGLAND

     COLCHESTER
Rev. Patrick A. Rose, 43 Athelstan Rd., Colchester C03 3TW, England. Phone: Colchester 5644.

     LETCHWORTH
Mr. and Mrs. R. Evans, 111 Howard Drive, Letchworth, Herts. Phone: Letchworth 4751.

     LONDON
Rev. Erik E. Sandstrom (Rev. Robert McMaster as of 9/1/81), 135 Mantilla Rd., London SW17 8DX. Phone: 672-6239.

     MANCHESTER
Mrs. Neil Rowcliffe, 135 Bury Old Road, Heywood, Lanes. Phone: Heywood 68189.

     WEST COUNTRY
Mrs. R. Griffith, Wyngarth Wootton Fitzpaine, Bridport DT6 6NF. Phone: Charmouth 614.

     FRANCE

     BOURGUINON-MEURSANGES
Rev. Alain Nicolier, 21200 Beaune, France. Phone: (80) 22.47.88.

     HOLLAND

     THE HAGUE
Mr. Daan Lupker, Wabserveen Straat 25, The Hague.

     NEW ZEALAND

     AUCKLAND
Mrs. Marion Mills, 8 Duders Ave., Devonport, Auckland 9. Phone: 453-043.

     NORWAY

     OSLO
Mr. Eyvind Boyesen, Vetlandsveien 82A, Oslo 6. Phone: 26-1159.

     SCOTLAND

     EDINBURGH
Mr. and Mrs. N. Laidlaw, 35 Swanspring Ave., Edinburgh EH 10-6NA. Phone: 031-445-2377.

     GLASGOW
Mrs. J. Clarkson, Hillview, Balmore, Nr. Torrance, Glasgow. Phone: Balmore 262.

446

     SOUTH AFRICA

     Natal:

     DURBAN
Rev. Geoffrey Howard, 30 Perth Rd., Westville.

     Transvaal:

     JOHANNESBURG
Mr. D. S. Came, 110 8th St., Lindon 2195. Phone: 011-462982.

     Zululand:

     KENT MANOR
Louisa Allais, 129 Anderson Road, Mandini, Zululand 4490.

     Mission in South Africa:
Superintendent-The Rev. Norman E. Riley, 42 Pitlochry Rd., Westville 3630, Natal.

     SWEDEN

     JONKOPING
Rev. Bjorn Boyesen, Bruksater, Furusjo, 5-56600, Habo. Phone: 0392-20395.

     STOCKHOLM
Rev. Ragnar Boyesen. Aladdinsvagen 27, 161 38 Bromma. Phone: 48-99-22 and 26-79-85.

     UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

     Alabama:

     BIRMINGHAM
Dr. R. Shepard, 4537 Dolly Ridge Road, Birmingham, AL 35243. Phone: (205)967-3442.

     Arizona:

     PHOENIX
Mr. Hubert Rydstrom, 3640 E. Piccadilly Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85018. Phone: (602) 955-2290.

     TUCSON
Rev. Roy Franson, 8416 East Kenyon Dr., Tucson, AZ 85710. Phone: (602) 296-1070.

     California:

     LOS ANGELES
(Church) 5027 New York Ave., La Crescenta, CA 91214. Phone: (213) 249-9163. (Rev. Michael Gladish as of 9/1/81)

     SAN DIEGO
Rev. Cedric King, 7911 Canary Way, San Diego, CA 92123. Phone: (714) 268-0379.

     SAN FRANCISCO
Mrs. Paul Cooper, 5744 Pontiac Dr., San Jose, CA 95123.

     Colorado:

     DENVER
Mr. James Andrews, 9722 Majestic Rd., Longmont, CO 80501.

     Connecticut:

     HARTFORD

     SHELTON
Rev. Christopher Bown (Rev. Glenn Alden as of 9/1/81), 145 Shadyside La., CT 06460. Phone: (203) 877-1141.

     Delaware:

     WILMINGTON
Mrs. Justin Hyatt, 417 Delaware Ar, McDaniel Crest, Wilmington, DE 19801, Phone:(302) 478-4213.

     District of Columbia-see Maryland.

     Florida:

     LAKE HELEN
Rev. John Odhner, 413 Summit Ave., Helen, FL 32744. Phone: (904) 228-2337.

     MIAMI
Rev. Glenn Alden, 211 N.W. 150 St., FL 33168. Phone: (305) 685-2253. (Rev. Mark Alden as of 9/1/81)

     Georgia:

     AMERICUS
Rev. Louis Synnestvedt, Rt. 3, Box 136, Americus, GA 31709. Phone: (912) 924-9221.

     ATLANTA
Rev. Thomas Kline, 3795 Montford Chamblee, GA 30341. Phone: (404) 451-7111. (Rev. Christopher Bown as of 9/1/81)

     Idaho:

     FRUITLAND
(Idaho-Oregon border) Mr. Harold Road, 1705 Whitley Dr., Fruitland. Phone: (208) 452-3181.

     Illinois:

     CHICAGO
Rev. Brian Keith, 2712 Brassie Dr., Glenview, IL 60025. Phone: (312) 724-7829.

     DECATUR
Mr. John Aymer, 380 Oak Lane, Decatur, IL 62562. Phone: (217) 875-3215.

     GLENVIEW
Rev. Peter Buss, 73 Park Dr., Glenview, IL 60025. Phone: (312) 724-0120.

     Indiana:

     INDIANAPOLIS
Ms. Rachel Ebert, 1404 N. Lebanon St., Lebanon, 1N 46052. Phone: (317) 482-6658

     Louisiana:

     BATON ROUGE
Mr. Henry Bruser, Jr., 1652 Ormandy Dr, Baton Rouge, LA 70808. Phone: (504) 924-3089.

447

     Maryland:

     BALTIMORE
Rev. Lawson Smith, 11721 Whittler Rd., Mitchellville, MD 20716. Phone: (301) 262-2349. (Rev. David Simons as of 9/ 1/81)

     MITCHELLVILLE
Rev. Daniel Heinrichs, 3809 Enterprise Rd., Mitchellville, MD 20716. Phone: (301) 262-4565.

     Massachusetts:

     BOSTON
Mr. Douglas Peterson, 124 Chalmers, Springfield, MA 01118. Phone: (413) 783-2851.

     Michigan:

     DETROIT
Rev. Walter Orthwein, 132 Kirk La., Troy, MI 48084. Phone: (313) 689-6118.

     EAST LANSING
Mr. Christopher Clark, 5853 Smithfield, East Lansing, MI 48823. Phone: (517) 351-2880.

     Minnesota:

     ST. PAUL-MINNEAPOLIS
Mrs. Tore Gram, 20185 Vine St., Excelsior, MN 55331. Phone: (612) 474-9574.

     COLUMBIA
Mr. David Zeigler, 1616 B Norma Ct., Columbia, MO 65201. Phone: (314) 442-0569.

     KANSAS CITY
Mr. Glen Klippenstein, Glenkirk Farms, Maysville, MO 64469. Phone: 449-2167.

     New Jersey-New York:

     RIDGEWOOD, N.J.
Mrs. Edsall Elliott, 26 Fieldstone Dr., Whippany, NJ 07981. Phone: (201) 887-0478.

     North Carolina:

     CHARLOTTE
Mr. Gordon Smith, 38 Newriver Trace, Clover, sc 29710. Phone: (803) 831-2355.

     Ohio:

     CINCINNATI
Rev. Stephen Cole, 6431 Mayflower Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45237. Phone: (513) 631-1210.

     CLEVELAND
Mr. Alan Childs, 19680 Beachcliff Blvd., Rocky River, OH 44116. Phone: (216) 333- 4413.

     COLUMBUS
Mr. Hubert Heinrichs, 8372 Todd Street Rd., Sunbury, OH 43074. Phone: (614) 524-2738.

     Oklahoma:

     TULSA
Mrs. Louise Tennis, 3546 S. Marion, Tulsa, OK 74135. Phone: (918) 742-8495.

     Oregon:

     PORTLAND
Mrs. W. Andrews, 2655 S.W. Upper Drive Pl., Portland, OR 97201. Phone: (503) 227-4144.

     Oregon-Idaho Border.-See Idaho, Fruitland.

     Pennsylvania:

     BRYN ATHYN
Rev. Kurt Asplundh, Box 277, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009. Phone: (215) 947-3665.

     ERIE
Mrs. Paul Murray, 5648 Zuck Rd., Erie, PA 16506. Phone: (814) 833-0962.

     KEMPTON
Rev. Arne Bau-Madsen, Box 527, Rt. 1, Lenhartsville, PA 19534. Phone: (215)756-6139.

     PITTSBURGH
Rev. Kenneth Stroh, 7105 Reynolds St., Pittsburgh, PA 15208. Phone: (Church) (412) 731-7421.

     South Carolina:- see North Carolina.

     South Dakota:

     ORAL-HOT SPRINGS
Rev. Erik Sandstrom, RR 1, Box 101M, Hot Springs, SD 57747. Phone: (605) 745-6714

     Texas:

     FORT WORTH
Mrs. Charles Hogan, 7513 Evelyn La., Ft. Worth, TX 76118. Phone: (817) 284-0502.

     HOUSTON
Mr. Bruce Coffin, 3560 Tamina Manor, Conroe, TX 77301. Phone: (713) 273-4989.

     Washington:

     SEATTLE
Rev. Kent Junge, 14323-123rd NE, #C, Kirkland, WA 98033. Phone: (206) 821-0157.

     Wisconsin:

     MADISON
Mrs. Charles Howell, 3912 Plymouth Circle, Madison, WI 53705. Phone: (608) 233-0209.

448

GENERAL CHURCH BOOK CENTER 1981

     offers for sale

     SWEDENBORG'S SCIENTIFIC WORKS
The Animal Kingdom Two Volumes                         6.00
The Cerebrum-Volumes 1 and 2-set only                     14.50
Chemistry                                             5.50
Dock and Dam, New Method for Construction-paper           .15
Economy of the Animal Kingdom
-Two Volumes                                         6.00
-Each Volume                                         3.50
Fibre and Diseases of the Fibre, The                     7.50
Five Senses                                             5.50
Generation The Breasts the Periosteum                     4.00
Infinite and Final Cause of Creation, The                4.50
Letters and Memorials of E. Swedenborg, The-
-2 Volumes                                              8.00
volume 1-1769-1748                                   5.00
-Volume 2-1748-1772                                    4.00
Mechanical Inventions of E. Swedenborg-paper                6.00
Miscellaneous Observations                               4.25
Ontology-paper                                        2.25
Philosophers Note Book, A                               8.75
Principia-Volumes 1 and 2-set only                          11.75
Principles of Chemistry                               5.50
Prologue to Swedenborg's Animal Kingdom-paper                .25
Psychologica (Latin-English)                              5.00
Psychological Transactions                               5.00
Rational Psychology                                    3.50
Rational Psychology-Concordance                         3.50
Rational Psychology and Concordance-set                     6.00
Retardation of the Earth, The,-paper                     .15
Selected Sentences-paper                               1.00
Tremulation                                             2.75

General Church                     Please add postage
Book Center                         Hours: 8 to 12
Bryn Athyn                         Monday thru Friday
Pa. 19009                         Phone: 215 947-3920

449

NOTES ON THIS ISSUE 1981

NOTES ON THIS ISSUE Editor 1981

NEW CHURCH LIFE
Vol. CI September, 1981 No. 9

450

     In July we noted that four grandsons of the late Karl R. Alden are ministers in the General Church. One of them, Grant Odhner, is among four men whose declarations of faith and purpose appear in this issue. Another, Kenneth Alden (now assistant to the pastor in Detroit), was ordained in 1980. His sermon on bringing the church to "lost sheep" is his first in our pages, but readers may remember his outstanding article in 1977 (page 21) entitled, "A New Look at the Soul and Creation for a Specific Use."
     In July of 1979 the late Ormond Odhner editorially presented both sides of the question of whether we should continue to use the word "conjugial." One of those sides is further developed in a scholarly article in the present issue. (See page 422 of the August issue for discussion of a presentation to the Council of the Clergy on this subject.)
     An apt article for those who enter this month into another year in the field of education is the one that emphasizes the importance of affection in education. It sounds almost revolutionary in its thesis. (Just read the first sentence to see what I mean.) These teachings of the Writings, however, are easy for experienced educators to appreciate.

     GENERAL CHURCH ADDRESSES: See the back pages of the August issue.
MIDWESTERN AND CENTRAL WESTERN DISTRICT ASSEMBLY 1981

MIDWESTERN AND CENTRAL WESTERN DISTRICT ASSEMBLY Rev. LOUIS B. KING 1981

     An assembly for members and friends of the General Church of the New Jerusalem in the Midwestern and central western states of the United States will be held in Glenview, Illinois, October 16 through 18, 1981. The Right Reverend Louis B. King will preside.

     The tentative program includes: episcopal address Friday evening; address by the Rev. Brian Keith Saturday morning; discussion session Saturday afternoon; banquet Saturday night; children and adult services Sunday morning. A children's program is planned. Visitors please contact Mrs. Philip Horigan, 50 Park Drive, Glenview, IL 60025 for accommodation; and Mr. Ben McQueen, 114 Park Drive for registration.
     RT. REV. LOUIS B. KING

451

BRINGING THE CHURCH TO LOVED ONES 1981

BRINGING THE CHURCH TO LOVED ONES Rev. KENNETH J. ALDEN 1981

     These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye nor; but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Mart. 10:5, 6).

     It is not difficult for the imagery of this command of the Lord to stir the sympathies of our hearts, for the symbolism of the lost sheep evokes pictures of sheep separated from their flock and shepherd, bleating woefully and running frantically and blindly about, trying to find their way back. Our hearts easily apply this symbolism to a friend or relative who is close to us in some way, but who has not yet found his home in the church. The sympathies that an animal lover would feel for this lost, gentle animal are multiplied many times when one who loves the Lord and his neighbor sees his fellow man lost and unable to find his way home. What can a person do to help his children, friends, brothers and sisters or parents to see the truths that he has found to lead to everything that he regards as good in his life? What can a husband or wife do to give to his spouse that most precious pearl-the knowledge and acknowledgment of the Lord?
     When the Lord sent out his twelve disciples, He sent them with the command that they should not go into the way of the Gentiles, nor into any city of the Samaritans. Here is a clear case where the Lord spoke with the internal sense in mind, for the Lord Himself had conducted much of His ministry in "Galilee of the Gentiles," and had opened the well which sprang up to eternal life for the thirst of the Samaritan woman. In addition, He had commanded His disciples to "teach all nations" (Matt. 28: 19). The underlying reason why the Lord commanded them to avoid the Gentiles and Samaritans was because of their representation. When Gentiles are spoken of in a negative way, they represent those who are in evils (See AC 4169:2). Similarly, the Samaritans negatively represent the false doctrine of those who reject the Lord (see AE 223:20). The lost sheep of the house of Israel, in turn, represent those who are in the good of charity and in faith therefrom, wherever they may be, (ibid.)-whether within the church or not.
     In the light of the internal meaning of the Lord's command, its message is clear and sensible: The Lord sends His disciples not to those who reject the Lord because they love evil and falsity more, but to those who have some good of charity or faith in them.

452

These are the ones who have a desire to receive the Lord. They may be lost because they have not yet found the Lord, or because they have been distracted or led away for a time by various evils and falsities. But their endeavor is to do the Lord's will, not their own.
     In this sense, we cannot go to the Gentile or the Samaritan in someone we love, but must appeal rather to the lost sheep in him the good in him which is longing for fuller expression. If we identify people with their faults, failings, and false ideas, we will of necessity be approaching them as Gentiles and Samaritans. But if we see them as lost sheep-good people who have been plagued by Gentile and Samaritan states and who desire to be freed of those states and to multiply their good-then we can approach them according to the Lord's command.
     The message we are to bring to these good affections is clear: "And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 10:7). "The kingdom of heaven" suggests that our message should have as its end eternal happiness-the fulfillment of the longings of a person's good affections which will last forever, not that person's embrace of a church organization or of our circle of friends, even though we may feel that our church and friends are a worthy support of the truths about eternal happiness.
     The goods we are to do to those meant by lost sheep are described as follows: "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils. . . ." (Matt. 10:8). "The sick" are those who are in evil and who acknowledge that they are in themselves nothing but evil (see AC 4958e, 4956:2). "Lepers" are those who know the truth but have not yet acknowledged it due to the presence of falsities, and who yet have a desire to acknowledge the truth (see AC 6963:4, 9209:4, 9458:4, AE 600: 10). "Raising the dead" signifies regeneration (see AE g99: 11), and "casting out devils" means to deliver from falsities (see AE 586:6; cf AR 458e). It is clear that all these works are in reality done not by ourselves but by the Lord through the truths we teach, by the encouragement and support we give, and by the way we treat other people. For example, we can help people who acknowledge that they are in evil by helping them avoid situations where the evil they incline to would be too strong for them, or by helping them find ways of turning from their evil. We can help the person who is spiritually leprous by offering true ideas that can clear up misconceptions and disperse falsities, so he does not have that barrier to the acknowledgment of the truth.
     The Lord not only commands us to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, but He tells us how we must go: "Freely ye have received, freely give" (Matt. 10:8).

453

In the most perfect freedom, according to the laws of His Divine Providence, has the Lord given us all the religion, all the values, and all the goods and truths that we have. In sharing these with others, the same freedom must be given. Freedom is so important to a person's very life that the Lord allows people to dwell in the misery and frustration of hell rather than force them to love Him, to believe in Him, and to live as the angels do, for this would take away their freedom, and so their life. The Writings teach that whatever is from affection is free (AC 2877). What is done from compulsion is done from another person's will and so this does not remain as a part of his character when that other person's will no longer dominates. And so the Lord preserves in men the freedom not only of thinking but also of doing evil so far as external bonds (such as those of society) do not get in the way (see AC 9587, 8700:3).
As the perpetual care of the Lord has been for the preservation of our freedom in all that He has given us, so must our inmost concern for those we love be to preserve their freedom in all that we try to give them. Even if we imagine that they are plunging themselves into the deepest hell, a violation of their spiritual freedom will only further hinder the possibility of their reformation (see AC 2877, 9213:6). As hard as it may be for us to do, we must try to adopt the Lord's love which would rather see a person in hell, but free, than forced into heaven at the cost of his very life.
The way that we are told to preserve the freedom of those we love is described by the disciples' not possessing gold, silver or copper in their belts, nor any bag for their journey, nor two tunics, sandals or staff, for these things represent possessing goods and truths from oneself rather than from the Lord. Any good or truth that is from self will lead back to self, whereas those from the Lord lead to Him alone. Whenever we are prompted to bring the church to someone else because there is something in it for ourselves, we may be sure that we are taking some of the forbidden gold, silver, etc. with us. For example, when our motivation is to increase our respectability before our fellow church members by having all our family and relatives within the fold, our interest is in ourselves, not the freedom of those we would give the church to. When we demand that people see the truth our way, and run their lives according to the pattern that we have ad opted from our conscience, and do not give them the leeway to study the Word for themselves and form their own conscience, then we are leading to our freedom, not theirs (see AC 9213:6).

454

     This is not to say that we are to have no firm principles nor laws against certain forms of behavior. One tunic, one pair of sandals, and one staff were permitted by the Lord (see Mark 6:8, 9; AC 4677:8-9; 9942:12). These represent truths from the Lord which clothe and the power of that truth (ibid.). Having two of these things would have represented having truths and their power from self as well. The difference between taking one and taking two of these items-between standing by the truth, and violating another's freedom-may be best illustrated by an example from the Writings.
     The Writings, on the one hand, speak highly of freedom of speech and of the press, for this gives freedom of thought and does not suppress interior intellectual light (see TCR 807), but on the other hand they say that it is not a violation of internal freedom to compel someone by threats and punishments not to speak against the laws of the kingdom, the moralities of life, and the sanctities of the church, and that such compulsion ought to exist (see DP 129:2; 136:2). The key idea in these and other passages (e.g. NJHD 318, AC 9213:6, DP 136:4, 137) is that compelling, binding, or inciting another to act or think in a certain way is an infringement on his freedom, but compelling another not to speak or act in a certain way does not harm his internal freedom but is necessary for the preservation of others' freedom.
     The Lord's command to inquire who was worthy in any town or city they entered suggests a further need for discrimination in bringing the church to anyone whom we have supposed was a lost sheep. Discrimination is necessary because evil people and evil states will not receive anything of the Lord no matter how great our efforts are to bring them the goods and truths of the heavenly doctrine. Good people and good states are the ones we are to inquire after-ones who acknowledge the Lord and are willing to receive Him (see AE 365:8). The salutation of peace which was to be given to the houses they entered illustrates the good tidings respecting the Lord, heaven, heavenly joy, and eternal life which were to be given these lost sheep, for heaven has peace as one of its inmost things (see ibid., CL 394, HH 288).
     Perhaps the most difficult thing for anyone to accept who tries to bring the church to a loved one is the rejection of the Lord and the church by the loved one. When we see all of our states of real joy and peace coming from the Lord through our efforts to live according to the doctrine that we cherish, it is no easy thing to see a loved one reject that doctrine and the God from whom it comes-especially when we have tried to appeal to the lost sheep in him.

455

Not only is it a rejection of ourselves, for one's God and religion are at the very core of one's life, but even more it is a rejection of all that can make him eternally happy, if his rejection is internally what it appears to us to be. But such a rejection must be accepted according to the Lord's words: "If [the house] be not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet" (Matt. 10:13-14).
The peace returning to oneself represents the fact that if the heavenly peace that is taught and proclaimed is rejected, there can be no peace with the one who rejects it (see AE 365:8). The shaking of the dust from their feet represents the condition of damnation brought upon themselves by those who reject the goods and truths represented by the disciples (see AC 7418:2, 249e; AR 788e). The shaking off of the dust also represents the need for separation of oneself from the evils and falsities of such people, for these impure things tend to cling to the outward things of one's life and cause a disturbance (see AE 365:8, AC 3148, 1748:3).
No human being, of course, is able to judge the spiritual character of anyone-even someone very close to himself. Still, he can and must form some conclusions from that of which he can judge-a person's words and actions. Insofar as a loved one's words and actions betray no sign of good, innocent affections and no sign of a desire to be taught by the Lord, so far must one acknowledge that there may be little of the state of a lost sheep in that loved one. If there are few positive signs and many signs of rejection of the truths of revelation, then a spiritual shaking of the dust from one's feet is in order. This does not mean that we must regard another person as damned to hell, but it rather means that if we see many evils and falsities we must separate ourselves from these because they can cause a disturbance in our own lives. The Writings do not detail the forms that this disturbance takes other than to say that it disturbs the ultimates of our lives. One possible disturbance may be due to a useless waste of our energies and concerns on a person who is not ready to change his attitude of rejection. Another possible disturbance may come about from constant association with evil practices or false ideas so that we come to regard these as allowable or acceptable, if not good and true (see TCR 446). While we should always pray that we have simply overlooked the good in another person, or pray that the Lord will lead him again to Him, until we see realistic signs of that affirmative spirit, it can only be harmful for us not to make some sort of separation from that person and his evils, at least in our own minds.

456

Still, as with married partners who are in internal cold, external friendship and simulation of friendship may not only be permissible, but may be commendable.
Even when we find ourselves in a position where it seems that we must shake off the dust from our feet, we must never completely and finally regard the loved one without hope so long as we are in this world where internal character does not necessarily appear. If we truly love the Lord, our attitude will be similar to His: "Behold I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me" (Rev. 3:20). In times when a loved one's evils and falsities seem predominant, this knocking may take the form of censure according to these words: "If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him" (Luke 17:3). In addition, there is the possibility that rejection of the precious things we have tried to give a loved one has been due to a poor presentation of the truth on our part, or to previous attempts to bring with us gold, silver, copper, two tunics, and so forth, that is, to compel reception of the church from self. If we see good affections in another and new ways to present the truth, and if we are indeed trying to "do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again" (Luke 6:35), there is no harm in offering the truth again. It will not violate freedom if we see lost sheep to whom the truth can be offered, for if they are indeed trying to continue in the Lord's Word, the truth they come to know shall make them free (John 8:31-32).
To come to a general outline of how to bring the good news of the Lord's second advent to loved ones, and to potential loved ones whom we have not sought out or even met, is not difficult to do To make use of it will seem much more difficult because of the great deal of reflection and sensitivity it involves. People are complex individuals with many Gentile and Samaritan states as well as states of lost sheep of the house of Israel. Careful identification must be made of which states are which so that one's appeal does not bring out the states of falsity and evil, but gently approaches the lost sheep, and on that basis brings light upon the other states. For example, all the teachings given in the chapter of Conjugial Love on the use of apparent love and friendship in marriage can be useful in calming another person's evils and falsities and in bringing out good states with which there can be some common basis and which one can nourish. But in all our efforts, our hopes must not be to bring an individual into the church per se, but to love his freedom foremostly.

457

If this is loved, we will not be greatly harmed if he should choose to reject the Lord and the church. We will not have invested ourselves so heavily in that person that we cannot separate ourselves from him and be consoled that he is free. The application of the truths of the Word concerning lost sheep do not guarantee that all people will come into the church. They guarantee, rather, that they will be kept free-free to choose, if they are willing, the life of heavenly happiness and peace. The Lord's command and desire is for the truth and good of His kingdom to come only to those who are willing to receive it: "Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans, enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel . . . freely have ye received, freely give." Amen.

LESSONS: Gen. 18:16-33; Matt. 10:1-39; AE 365:8 EDUCATION: THE IMPORTANCE OF AFFECTION 1981

EDUCATION: THE IMPORTANCE OF AFFECTION Rev. N. BRUCE ROGERS 1981

It is a popular misconception among many people in the world today that education involves primarily the intellect. And this, it is believed, becomes the more true as the child becomes a youth, and the youth becomes an adult. But this is, to use the Writings' own word, an illusion (DLW 410). Love is always primary, and intellect its partner (DLW 403), and love harnesses the intellect to do its bidding (DLW 410, 411). It is love that determines what kind of partner the intellect will become-whether it will become no more than a servant to justify and defend its own ends and to connive with it in their attainment, or whether it will become the useful instrument it was Divinely intended to be, the means by which love discovers what is genuinely good and true so that it may rise above its own naturally limited nature.
The primacy of love in the education of the intellect is recognized in the old saying, "we see what we want to see."

458

Or as the Writings say, "such as is the affection or love, such is the thought" (AC 2689:4). One who is taken up with worldly delights, for example, or who is concerned with self to the exclusion of others, is blinded to anything that does not agree with these preset motivations (SS 60, cf. AC 3223). An especial enemy to the understanding of truth is the conceit that one already knows the answers (SS 91). Conceit makes it impossible to perceive answers other than the ones one has already preconceived, because the love of self is so bound up with them that it will not suffer its ideas to be challenged. Even study of truth in order to become great in the eyes of others, or to become rich, blinds the sight of the understanding to that truth, because the eyes of the mind are not really upon the truth but on the attainment of reputation or wealth, and whatever truth may have to say is made to yield to serve these ends (SS 61). Negative attitudes, too, affect the sight, because they are a matter of the love. One who is negative to truth will never be convinced of truth by any evidence so long as he remains negative to it, because at heart he denies it (AC 2588:2, 3). He will not be convinced because he is unwilling to be convinced, and he therefore remains in fact ignorant of truth to the degree of his unwillingness, no matter how clever he may seem to be in other respects (AC 2588:4, 9). Again, the reason is that love is primary in the education of the intellect, and the intellect sees what the love directs it to see.
But what about just plain knowledge, inculcated into the memory? Surely the intellect learns from this regardless of the affections of its love. That would seem to be the case, but here, too, the appearance is once more an illusion (DLW 410). In the first place, it is affection that activates the memory, and nothing enters the memory unless some affection or love introduces it (AC 3336:2). This is something every good teacher knows. From childhood even throughout adulthood, within his given capacities, everyone stores up knowledge in his memory "in greater or lesser abundance according to [his] affection for knowing" (Faith 26). What he wishes to know he takes pains learning; what he does not wish to know, he resists learning. More importantly, however, it is affection that retains knowledge in the memory (AC 3336:2). Whatever someone learns in one period of his life is later discarded unless there is adjoined to it some lasting affection to make it permanent (cf. AC 3336:3). Without affection, knowledge has no life (AC 3915:2) and is gradually put away and forgotten. The reason is again that love is primary, and whatever enters the intellect from the memory alone, apart from affection or love, the will regards as extraneous (Verbo 13).

459

Without any real interest or affection, therefore, the will does not cause the intellect to ruminate or reflect upon the things it has learned, and so the intellect fails to see the real point of them, and failing to see the real point of them, it gradually stops thinking about them and eventually puts them out of remembrance. Thus what is of the memory alone apart from love is gradually separated from the person, if not before, yet after death (ibid.).
Love, therefore, is primary in the education of the intellect, both in terms of its perception and sight, and in terms of its retention of essential knowledge. This is true in any field of study, but it is even more true in the study of spiritual things. By their very nature, spiritual things are less obvious and more elusive than natural things which are subject to physical evidence and testimony. Physical evidence and testimony can assault the affections and compel them, but not so the evidence and testimony of spiritual things. The careful cultivation of love and affection becomes, therefore, all the more important in a spiritual education of the intellect. This is one reason why in the world today perception and knowledge in natural things have outstripped perception and knowledge in spiritual things, because the proper loves and affections have not been cultivated, so that spiritual sight has been obscured and almost extinguished (AC 5937:2). Even when matters affecting the spirit are taken up, from a lack of affection for Divine revelation and the authority of the Word they are regarded by many mainly as matters of philosophic dispute, and discussions of religious questions rarely terminate in an affirmation of truth (TCR 333:2).
It is because of this that the General Church has established New Church education as one of its primary uses, and for the same reason New Church education focuses not only on instruction in knowledge but also on the development of affection. For as the Writings teach, all perception, enlightenment, and recognition of truth comes from affection, and depends on affection, and the quality of the perception will be in large part according to the quality of the affection (AC 3224, 5952, 6047:2, 10290:2; DLW 404:7; Verbo 13). If there is to be perception, then in the first place there must be affection, and if the perception is to be a perception of what is good and true, the affection must likewise be an affection for what is good and true (AC 3138, 5937:3, 6047:2, 6222:3, 8685e, 8694:2; SS 57, 58, 91; DLW 410; DP 35, 36). Of course, there must also be knowledge. As the Writings also teach, "knowledge of a thing must precede in order for there to be a perception of it" (AC 5649:3).

560

But as we have seen, even knowledge is not introduced into the mind apart from affection, still less is it retained apart from affection (AC 3336:2, Verbo 13). Affection makes a home for knowledge, and perception or spiritual sight is then born of a longing to see the truth in that knowledge, and of an open willingness therefore to accept that truth, despite what the mind might have preconceived or what the proprium might otherwise have wished for.
This is why the Heavenly Doctrines further declare that the Lord does not openly teach truths to anyone, but enlightens through good (AC 3463:2, 3528, 4925:2, 5952). Or to say the same thing, He does not impart a sight of truth through mere words, not even in the Writings, but grants that sight only to those who have an affection for seeing, out of a love for what is good and right. For only then is knowledge received, and only then is there the necessary willingness to see the truth in that knowledge. Without thinking more deeply on the matter, one might wish that it could be otherwise, that somehow the Lord could compel a sight of truth even in the absence of an affection for it. But to do so would be to attack human freedom. This in turn would lead either to knowing and deliberate rejection of the truth involving irrevocable damnation, or to the destruction of man's very humanity by reducing him to the condition of a kind of robot able to think only what it has been programmed by another to think.
So the Lord leaves man in spiritual freedom. Goods and truths are not forced upon him. He is left free to see what he wants to see, according to his willingness to see. New Church education exists to encourage a willingness to see what is genuinely good and right by providing an intellectual and affectional climate conducive to an affirmative attitude towards the Word and the things of religion. An affirmative attitude is essential if spiritual truth is to be seen and accepted (AC 2568:4, 5, 2588:2). As good cannot inflow into what is negative, nor even into what is full of doubt, until this becomes affirmative, so "an affirmative attitude is therefore, as it were the first abode of the good that flows in from the Lord" (AC 3913:5), by which may come enlightenment and confirmation (AC 2588:2-4). By an affirmative attitude is not meant a willingness to affirm blindly-the Writings speak against blind persuasion (HH 352; Faith 4; AE 239:1). Indeed, as the child grows into youth and adulthood, there is no real affirmation without some degree of comprehension (LJ 24, Faith 2). What is meant is a willingness to see, and more than this, a longing to see, from a desire to understand the truth, whatever the cost may be in then having to think and live accordingly.

461

This is the affection for truth by which anyone may be eventually enlightened to see truth in the Word, and to perceive those answers which the Writings have to offer.
     Finally, a word about our ability to affect others' attitudes, particularly the attitudes of children. Everyone is at first kept in an affirmative attitude by the Lord in childhood "while being for the first time imbued with goods and truths"(AC 2689:3). This suggests children of primary school age. Afterwards, however, in the succeeding age, we are told, and as they verge toward adulthood, this attitude can either be confirmed or can become negative (AC 2689:3). That parents and teachers have a role to play in the development of this attitude and the accompanying affections is indicated in several places in the Writings. This does not come as news to anyone, but what may be new is that this influence can affect children spiritually and internally, and not simply naturally or externally.
     It is the Doctrine of Faith, no. 26, which says that man from childhood stores up knowledges of truth and good in his memory in greater or lesser abundance according to his affection for knowing. What it says specifically is that he stores up these knowledges "in greater or lesser abundance according to such affection for knowing as may be inborn with him, and has in various ways been incited to increase." Is it not by his education that this incitement comes or fails to come?
     In contrasting the education of children in this world with the education of children in heaven, Swedenborg relates this experience. "I was in the street of a great city and saw little boys fighting with one another. A crowd gathered and looked on with much pleasure; and I was informed that the parents themselves urge on their little boys to such fights. The good spirits and angels who saw these things through my eyes were so averse to them that I perceived their horror, especially at the fact that the parents incite them to such things; and they said that thus in their earliest age [the parents] extinguish all the mutual love and all the innocence which little children receive from the Lord, and initiate them into hatred and revenge; consequently that they deliberately shut out their children from heaven, where there is nothing but mutual love." And Swedenborg adds, "Let parents therefore who Wish well to their children beware of such things" (AC 2309 = HH 344). It is strong language indeed to say that parents thus deliberately shut out their children from heaven.

462

     In Heaven and Hell, no. 391, there is a reference to certain societies in heaven whose use it is to teach and train "boys and girls that have acquired a good disposition from their education in the world, and in consequence have come into heaven." Are there boys and girls entering the other world who have not acquired such a good disposition from their education in the world, and are they therefore not so taught and trained in heaven with the others?
     Perhaps a partial answer is indicated in a passage in the Spiritual Diary (no. 347) which begins, "That only the little children of Mohammedans come into heaven immediately, but not so the boys and girls." The passage then goes on to say that "the boys and girls about ten years old, more or less, [are] taken up according to their education, capacity and nature. They are not immediately raised into heaven, but are transferred to their spirits, and thus are gradually perfected and raised up. . . ." And Swedenborg adds, "I also perceived that the reason why the boys and girls cannot be taken up so quickly is that they are firmly imbued with paganism."
     All these passages suggest that children are not spiritually independent, but that they are deeply affected by their education. Though the doctrine of freedom makes plain that no one can decide for another his spiritual destination in the final analysis, nevertheless internal attitudes can be influenced and affected early which do have spiritual consequences. The point of New Church education is to aid parents in minimizing harmful influences and providing beneficial ones. This involves much more than simply instruction in knowledge, though this too is important; it involves the development of attitudes, in acknowledgment of the primacy of love, that the affections may be as good as the knowledges are true.
CONCERNING THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM: ALL VEGETATION IS A SPIRITUAL CREATION 1981

CONCERNING THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM: ALL VEGETATION IS A SPIRITUAL CREATION Rev. GEORGE DE CHARMS 1981

It is universally recognized that with the growth of plants nature undergoes a remarkable change. Soils of various kinds, under the influence of heat from the sun, become combined with water mysteriously to produce roots, stems, leaves, branches, blossoms, and fruit. That this metamorphosis may take place, a highly complex chemical substance called DNA must first be present, producing what we call "life."

463

How living organisms first arose is very succinctly described in the recent publication by the National Geographic Society called "Our Universe" as follows:

     "Some 3.5 billion years ago, most scientists believe, bacteria and tiny plant-like organisms began to grow in the seas. Over millions of years some evolved into complex plants. They gradually developed a process called 'photosynthesis.' By this process plants containing a green substance called 'Chlorophyll' use sunlight to make their own food. They take in carbon dioxide and water and change them into sugar, which they use as energy. As a result of this process they give off oxygen, and produce water.
     These plants were so successful that they changed earth's atmosphere in an important way. The oxygen they gave off first reacted with iron dissolved in sea water, causing it to oxidize, or rust, and settle on the ocean floor. When most of the iron was used up, the surplus oxygen accumulated to such an extent that it started escaping into the atmosphere, forming part of the air we breathe today" (page 104).

     In this way it is supposed that the chemical elements of the mineral kingdom are transformed into living organisms. This theory is based on the supposition that all nature began out of nothing by a "big bang" or rather by innumerable big bangs scattered over untold billions of miles of outer space, each one producing a sun. From these suns arose planets, satellites and meteors, together with other astral bodies. However, the intense heat of a sun gradually cools, and in the course of time it totally ceases, producing a "black hole." Scientists have discovered these black holes in surrounding galaxies, and have identified them as dead suns. What happens in between the "big bang" and the "black hole" is due to the chance combination of the ninety some known elements in nature, all of which are revealed by the solar spectrograph as originating in the sun. Of these elements, in various combinations, vegetable organisms consist. Because all plants appear to grow spontaneously we call them living.
     We propose to demonstrate from the teaching of the Writings that this entire theory of creation is a fallacy, based on the appearances of physical sensation. We have already demonstrated on the same testimony that all things of the mineral kingdom are dead, and that they never can be transformed into living organisms. How does this apply to the creation of the vegetable kingdom?
     We need not stress the fundamental thesis on which the Heavenly Doctrine is based because it is so well known. Briefly stated it is that there is one only God who is Divinely Human, infinitely loving and infinitely wise. Divine love is Life Itself, and all life in the universe proceeds from Him.

464

It is the love of a heaven from the human race, and contains within itself the infinite wisdom to achieve that objective. Its first proceeding is the sun of heaven, from which spiritual heat called love, and spiritual light called wisdom, tempered by a succession of atmospheres, interpenetrates the entire universe from first to last. It produces and sustains perpetually whatever may be conducive to the achievement of a heaven from the human race, and whatever it produces is therefore called a use. Use in itself is Divine and spiritual. All uses combine to form a spiritual world, which is distinctly present within and above the entire natural world, which arises from the natural sun, and consists of mechanical forces and dead substances called matters. Both suns were created simultaneously; but the mineral kingdom was created first, before any living organism came into existence. As we have previously shown, the function and purpose of the mineral kingdom is to clothe spiritual organisms, fix them, and make them permanent. It serves, therefore, as a foundation, and a necessary aid to the formation of all living organisms; but it never becomes living.
     How then does vegetation come into being? Every plant begins from a seed, which is "an inmost vessel receptive of life from God." Inmostly it is a spiritual vessel, composed of spiritual substance which is love. It is a focusing of the Divine love or will, to create a specific form of use.
     When this takes place something discretely different from the chemicals of the earth comes into being. Every vegetable form, from the simplest to the most complex, is a Divine creation. It is indeed clothed and made permanent by material substances. Its form is continually reintegrated, and sustained by material food. Its ability to respond to the influx of Divine life depends upon the heat and the light of the natural sun, and to substances floating in the natural atmospheres. But regarded as to its real essence it is a use in form, consisting of spiritual substances. This use is what really creates it, and sustains it in being. Inflowing life makes it an organ exhibiting a certain image of God, a certain likeness of man, that is of love and wisdom, and a certain representation of heaven. This is what the Writings call its "use."
     The creation of such forms of use do indeed progress from the simplest to the most complex-from algae and mosses to plants and shrubs and finally to giant trees. But the motive power that governs them from least to greatest is the love, the will, the foresight and the wisdom of God. Because sensation is the ultimate expression of life, and because vegetable organisms have no conscious sensation, they are not said to live, but merely to grow.

465

To all appearance, growth takes place spontaneously, as if plants had life in themselves; in this is the image of God Who alone lives from Himself. Also, growth takes place by successive stages, each stage forming the basis for the next, with foresight as to what is next required, and in this is an image of God's wisdom. Every plant first sends forth a root, with branches, searching for nourishment from the soil. This root is compared in the Writings to a "heart." From this proceeds a stem and branches, with leaves reaching into the air for the heat and the light of the sun. From the branches are produced what the Writings compare to lungs, for the purification of the sap, which is compared to blood. Thus every plant reflects the image of the human form. Now examine the "body" of any plant, from the simplest moss to the most complex tree, and observe how utterly different it is from the chemical substances of which it is supposedly composed. There is no comparison between a root, a branch, a leaf, a flower, or a fruit and the material substances of the mineral kingdom. The one cannot possibly have "evolved" out of the other. When closely examined, the wonders of plant structure are awe-inspiring.
Every species of plant is individual, and perfectly distinct. It is reproduced from one generation to the next with minute accuracy. The texture of a stem, a branch, a leaf is characteristic of each species, and has nothing in common with the dead chemicals of which it is supposed to be composed. The petal of a rose, a lily, or any other flower is soft and velvety to the touch and beautiful to the eye. How different is the tendril of a vine from the trunk of a tree! The varieties of vegetable forms are innumerable, and the intricacies of each one, when closely examined, are beyond all imagination. What a transformation from anything found in the mineral kingdom! The body of any plant is a Divine creation. It is a miracle! Who can think of it as a mere conglomeration of chemicals? It is instead a marvelous form of use, or an instrument in the hand of God whereby to perform both a natural and a spiritual use.
The Writings state that there are not two sexes in plants, but only the masculine. This appears to be in direct contradiction to the undeniable evidence of botanical science. There must be the conjunction of both masculine and feminine elements to produce a productive seed. Much has been discovered since Swedenborg's day as to how pollen is distributed, through the air or carried by insects or birds or other means. Is it not true that the product of such conjunction of masculine and feminine elements is a fertile seed? Is it not true that such seed must be nurtured, in the air, in the water, or in the earth, in order to vegetate and grow?

466

Love must be conjoined with wisdom even in that "inmost vessel receptive of life" which is called a "seed." If this be the case, then it is still true, as the Writings state, that the earth, or the mineral kingdom, is the common mother, in which as in a womb growth must take place. I know that such an explanation is not acceptable to my scientific friends; but at least it does not deny the fundamental truth of the Writings.
     We are told that both vegetable and animal seeds originate in the third spiritual atmosphere, or the atmosphere in which the angels of the natural heaven live. Thence come forth all the appearances of lands, fields, gardens, and forests that delight the sight and sense of those angels. These appearances derive their forms from the memory and imagination of men who have lived on earth. Yet they are not mere projections of such memories.
     They are spiritual creations, produced by the spiritual light and heat of the spiritual sun. They are, however, not covered or clothed by substances and matters from the earth. For this reason they are not permanent. They are created in a moment, and dissipated in a moment. They reflect the spiritual state of the angel, and remain so long as that state is not changed. But as the state changes they disappear, although the memory of them remains. This may be illustrated by the fact that changes of state in the other world correspond to changes of place in the natural world.
     Let us suppose that a man on earth is standing in front of his house. He sees the front wall, the doors, the windows, and the roof, nothing else. Now suppose he walks around to the side of the house. At a certain point as he walks, the front of the house suddenly disappears, and what he sees instead is the side wall, the roof gable, and such windows or doors, etc., as then become visible. Yet he remembers what the front looked like, and in imagination puts the two sides together. The same may be said if he enters in through a door into the house. What had appeared outside disappears, yet the memory of them remains. He now sees the inside walls, the ceiling and floor, the furnishings, and his whole idea of the house is transformed in his imagination. No one ever saw a house. This is a composite of separate views put together in the imagination, as he traveled around it and in it, looking at it from different perspectives. We conceive that similar sudden disappearances occur in the spiritual world, not because of movements from place to place, but by changes of state. This may help us to understand some of the marvels related in the "Memorable Relations." It may also help us to understand how angels not only reproduce memories of earthly things, but also are taught by the Lord and progress in understanding and wisdom as their states change.

467

We are told, for instance, how one who had been a botanist during his life on earth found that he could not only look from a distance at the flowers in his heavenly garden; he could approach them, pick them in his hands, and examine them in detail, discovering thereby wonders he had never even imagined before. Such is the eternal use of the vegetative forms that delight our senses here on earth. The wonders that the teachings of the Writings unfold are inexhaustible, and no one has yet even begun to grasp what the future has in store for future New Church scholars. What I have here stated is perhaps sufficient to demonstrate that in the vegetable kingdom, minerals do not become living. They do not constitute the visible body of plants. What we see in them is not dead matter, but a living form of use, created by a God of infinite love and wisdom. They are created to help us see Him, as it were in an image, and so learn to know Him, to love Him, and to worship Him. I append a few of the many references to the Writings on which the statements herein made are based. Let everyone decide for himself how far my conclusions are legitimate, and how far he may adopt them as a basis for his own thought, or reject them in favor of a more accurate understanding of what the Writings are intended to reveal.

REFERENCES

TCR 63. God is omnipresent
AC 3648. Spiritual influx into seeds
AE 1203. The soul of plants
AC 5116. All growth by influx
AC 3610:5. Conatus in plants (DLW 62)
DLW 340. All forms of use spiritual
AC 3220. Vegetation in heaven
DLW 315. Nature contributes nothing to vegetation
DLW 310. Atmospheres terminate in matter
AC 1632. Vegetation lives from God
SD 1713. The Gorand Man
DLW 215. Living ultimate is use
DLW 60. Idea of Infinite and Eternal
DLW 346. Two forms of uses
AE 1207. Animals live, plants grow
TCR 585. Male sex in plants
AC 5704. Function of nat. sun
HH 104. Three kingdoms
DLW 3. Function of heat

468

IS IT TIME TO SAY "MARRIAGE LOVE"? 1981

IS IT TIME TO SAY "MARRIAGE LOVE"? Rev. KURT P. NEMITZ 1981

     A Transistor's Observations on the Meaning of Conjugialis

     One of the most precious jewels in the Divine treasure of faith and life opened by the Lord for His New Church is the heavenly doctrine concerning marriage. Everything about it is as dear as gold, even the words associated with it. One of these words that we in the English-speaking New Church have come to value especially is conjugial.
     But, alas, conjugial is, for many, a somewhat misleading term. Except to the very knowledgeable it does not convey the full meaning of the Latin word from which it was directly taken by an early translator of the doctrine. Those of us who have had a thorough instruction in the Heavenly Doctrine may think we understand what is meant by the unusual Latinism, conjugial, but most others do not. This is a regrettable reality that a number of priests at our recent Council of the Clergy meetings commented on. Those who are just beginning to read the Writings, one pastor lamented, run into an obstacle when they meet the word conjugial. Because conjugial is a term that does not exist outside the literature of the New Church, it is a foreign word to them. The fact is that to even somewhat understand what is meant by the Latinism, conjugial, one must have been associated with the New Church for quite a while.
     But certainly the Lord did not inspire Swedenborg to write and publish exclusively for such. Is revelation ever an exclusive message to the "saved"? Scarcely; and therefore the Lord's servant always used words that were familiar and would be readily understood by his readers. Ready intelligibility was his goal, as he directly states in the preface to a treatise about the Lord. "A revelation has been made by the Lord," he writes, "so that anyone who understands the Latin language may know" (De Dom., Preface).
     A revelation has been made by the Lord, as Swedenborg once explained to some inquisitive angels, about the Word and its spiritual sense, the life after death, the spiritual world, the Last Judgment, the Lord, and the New Church-and about marriage love (TCR 846, 847). The Latin word for marriage is conjugium, and so Swedenborg, careful linguist that he was, when writing about the things pertaining to marriage, used the Latin word conjugialis. According to the rules of Latin word formation, you see, conjugialis is simply the adjective formed from conjugium. This rule says: Drop the suffix-um, and add-alis. Thus conjugium-a noun meaning a "connection, union, marriage"-becomes conjugialis-an adjective meaning "belonging to marriage."

469

     Why then didn't early translators of the Writings simply say "marriage love" instead of "conjugial love"? Well, there is another Latin adjective that also means "belonging to marriage." In fact it is a word that looks very much like conjugialis, only one letter distinguishing them. This other word is the more commonly used conjugalis, which lacks the letter "i." In fact, many have believed that it is just the presence of the "i" in conjugialis that made Swedenborg choose this word over the more common conjugalis.
     This was the reasoning of the Rev. John Clowes, the man who in 1790 began the second English translation of the work we have ever since called Conjugial Love. "It is not an improbable conjecture," Clowes observed in his translator's preface, "that the author's (Swedenborg's) motive for preferring conjugiale to conjugale was the peculiar softness of the former term above the latter, arising from the insertion of the vowel i; in consequence whereof it is better adapted to express the pure and celestial affection which it is meant to denote. . . ."
     On the basis of this conjecture Clowes himself determined to take Swedenborg's usage of conjugialis directly over into his English translation, by rendering it simply as "conjugial"-a completely new term never before seen in the English language. Aware that he was doing something quite unconventional, Clowes felt obliged to plead that "the English reader's ear, howsoever it may at first be offended by a term to which it is unaccustomed, will soon become habituated to the use of it, and will by degrees give it the same preference, on account of its superior softness and expressiveness."
     We scarcely need observe that this hope became a reality. The new English term, conjugial, has become so familiar to the men and women of the New Church that to suggest it be replaced by another word would be like asking a wife to exchange her beloved wedding ring for another. Consequently it is most, most unfortunate that Rev. Clowes was doubly wrong in his assumptions about Swedenborg's reasons for using conjugialis and not conjugalis.
     Clowes's first mistake was in regard to what he supposed to be the "softer" sound of conjugialis. There is, you see, reason to believe that Swedenborg would actually have regarded conjugialis as having a somewhat harsher sound than conjugalis. The added i in the former word, you see, is pronounced in Latin as our long e in "bee," and this introduces a sound which, Swedenborg learned, the angels cannot utter, because to do so requires a constriction of the sound (See De Verbo 4:2).

470

This would seem to invalidate the hypothesis that Swedenborg used conjugialis rather than conjugalis on account of its supposedly softer, more heavenly sound.
     Clowes's second mistake, his unintentional error, was that he did not fully grasp the meaning that Swedenborg was expressing for the Lord through the word conjugialis-an essential meaning that could not be expressed by the nearly similar conjugal.
     Had Clowes had the opportunity to study Swedenborg's earlier works as we do today, he would have been better able to sense the fundamental meaning Swedenborg associated with and expressed through the word conjugialis. But before we examine some of these earliest usages to see what this meaning was, let us note that while conjugialis was not a very common word, it was nevertheless not at all a new or completely unknown word. Three Latin-Swedish dictionaries of Swedenborg's day, one of which we definitely know to have been in his own library, list conjugialis as an adjective meaning "pertaining to marriage" or "married." From this we can conclude that conjugialis was a word with which the educated reader of Swedenborg's day was acquainted.
     This must have been the case, for when Swedenborg first uses conjugialis, he treats it in no special way, but writes as if everyone knows what he means by it. This first usage scholars have been able to discover is in the work we have come to call Rational Psychology. There Swedenborg writes, "There are many kinds of affections pertaining to the conscious mind. These are called loves, such as venereal love, marriage love (amor conjugialis), the love of parents toward children . . . (Rat. Psych. 203). Here we note that conjugialis is spoken of by Swedenborg without any introduction whatsoever. He scarcely would have done this if he were actually introducing a new word to describe a radically new concept. This first usage of conjugialis indicates that his readers were well familiar with both the word and its intended meaning-marriage.
     Another early usage of conjugialis is the following in The Worship and Love of God. "They both awoke at the same time from a most sweet sleep in the marriage bed (conjugiali toro) which they shared" (WLG 112). Toro is the Latin word for bed. In these words just cited does Swedenborg possibly mean anything else by conjugialis than simply marriage?
     These early, pre-revelation uses of conjugialis are noteworthy, because we are all so accustomed to the traditional, Clowes rendering in the Heavenly Doctrines themselves that it is difficult for us to readily perceive the meaning actually intended by the author himself, namely, "marriage."

471

But even in the Heavenly Doctrines there are passages where the context leaves no doubt whatsoever that the intended meaning of conjugialis is simply "marriage." Consider, for example, the following.
     "Because the men of the Most Ancient Church in their own marriages represented the heavenly marriage, marriage love (amor conjugialis) was to them a kind of heaven. . ." (AC 162).
     Still more definitive are the many passages which explain that the marriage of good and truth (conjugium boni et veri gives rise to marriage love (amor conjugialis). A few of these passages are as follows.
     "Marriage love (amor conjugialis) takes its origin from the marriage (conjugium) of the Lord with heaven and with the Church, and consequently from the marriage of good and truth. . . . When good united with truth flows down into a lower sphere, it produces a union of minds; when into an even lower sphere it produces a marriage. Therefore the union of minds from good united with truth from the Lord is marriage love (amor conjugialis) itself" (De Conj. 112).
     "What genuine marriage love (genuinus amor conjugialis) is, and where it is from, few at this day know. . . . Marriage love draws its origin from the Divine marriage (conjugium) of good and truth" (AC 2728).
     In these passages conjugium and conjugialis stand out like two interlocking silhouettes. But then this is not surprising, since as has been pointed out, conjugialis is simply the adjective formed from conjugium, as Swedenborg well knew. After all, since marriage is such a central and frequent subject in the Heavenly Doctrines, one would rather expect to find in them an adjective derived from the word for marriage, designating things relating to this oft dealt with subject.
     That conjugialis is in fact the adjective derived from the word for marriage, conjugium, is affirmed by our fellow New Churchman Dr. John Chadwick, the noted Cambridge scholar and student of Swedenborg's Latin. He writes, in a letter to one of my colleagues, "Swedenborg presumably formed conjugialis from conjugium . . . . I have always suspected that he used conjugialis in order to emphasize its connexion with conjugium rather than conjunx." What Dr. Chadwick alludes to by his reference to conjunxis that the adjective derived from conjunx, which means "a married person," is conjugal, which has become a common English word.

472

But the root meaning of conjugal, "a married person," obviously made this word unusable for Swedenborg when his subject was specifically the marriage union itself and the things, the love, pertaining to it. When the subject was conjugium, the adjective demanded was conjugialis.
     This is why Swedenborg, even when speaking of the legal covenant, foedus, of marriage, referred to it as the foedus conjugialis (CL 277e).
     And this is why Swedenborg, when publishing a book for the Lord containing His Divine doctrine concerning marriage, entitled it, Deliciae Sapientiae de Amore Conjugiali, i.e., The Delights of Wisdom Concerning Marriage Love (not! . . . Concerning Conjugial Love). In titling this precious, divinely-given book Swedenborg was not thrusting before his erudite readership a new term, chosen for its "soft sound." To have done this would have been inconsistent with his custom and purposes. The doctrine he was given to transcribe for the Lord was in all ways new, but the language was always old, traditional. His title told his readers exactly what it was intended to, namely, that here was a book containing angelic wisdom about marriage. In fact, later, in AR 434, Swedenborg refers to this work expressly as "Angelic Wisdom Concerning Marriage" (Sapientia Angelica de Conjugio). Could there be any clearer indication that in English the title of this work should not be Conjugial Love (for who but a New Church reader knows what that means) but rather Marriage Love?
     The English-speaking reader, with the exception of us in the New Church who have been initiated into the secrets of an unintentionally recondite vocabulary, does not know the meaning of conjugial. It is a mysterious word to him. But this was not the case with Swedenborg's Latin-reading contemporaries. They knew what conjugialis meant; Swedenborg did not have to explain it as we must do today with a preface or footnote. And therefore Swedenborg could write, "What genuine marriage love (amor conjugialis) is and where it is from, few at this day know . . . , almost all believe it is inborn" (AC 2727). Certainly he could never have said, "almost all believe it (amor conjugialis) is inborn," unless all his readers knew what was meant by amor conjugialis, namely, the love belonging to marriage.
     This passage just cited is one of simply hundreds that read more intelligibly and intelligently if for "conjugial love" one substitutes the more literally correct expression, "marriage love."

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     *****

     What all this linguistic discussion comes down to is this. Although we have many tender and precious affections associated with it, when we speak of "conjugial love" instead of calling it "marriage love," we are introducing an obscurity that is not present in the Lord's New Revelation in its original form. For many people-for too many people, especially the young and other new disciples of His Heavenly Doctrine-we are unwittingly darkening the bright cloud of its literal sense. When the Lord is making known truths and principles that will enable men and women to prepare for and receive genuine marriage love, should not our translation of His teachings make this clear?
     Some may fear that our Church will lose her "distinctiveness" if the term conjugial love is gradually exchanged for marriage love. Yet, what is the actual source of distinctiveness-does it lie in abstruse terms or in living essences? "It is the spirit that gives life," as we well know. By speaking and writing of marriage love rather than conjugial love, the marriages of the church, I and many fellow priests feel, will be strengthened by a clearer realization of what the love in every marriage should be from the very beginning. And then, as marriages are strengthened, the church will certainly be strengthened, and will become more distinctively new. In this way that beautiful promise will be fulfilled-the promise that: "Marriage love will be raised up anew by the Lord after His [second] advent, such as it was with the ancients; for that love is of the Lord alone, and is with those who are made spiritual by Him through His Word" (CL 82:5).

     *****

     Note: The preparation of this study was greatly facilitated by the ready and very capable assistance of Mr. Lennart O. Alfelt, recently deceased Curator of the Swedenborgiana.

     Editor's Note: John Clowes, mentioned in the above article, was surely our greatest pioneer in the work of translating the Writings into English. An historic event was his publication of the first translation of True Christian Religion. To mark the 200th anniversary of this event we have invited Rev. Dennis Duckworth to write a special article on this great translator.

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EDITORIAL PAGES 1981

EDITORIAL PAGES Editor 1981

NEW CHURCH LIFE

     EDITORIAL PAGES

     DO YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND?

     DO YOU WANT TO BELIEVE?

     On more than one occasion the Lord surprisingly asked blind people what they wanted. It was evident to observers what the blind wanted, and it was certainly known to the Lord, and yet He put the question to them. What do you want? Do you want to see? (Matt. 20, Mark 10, Luke 18)
     Although it may seem "absurd," the Writings say, we understand as much as we want to. "In the measure of your willing you have the ability to understand, provided the aids called knowledges are present and are also opened, for these are like tools to the workman" (DP 96). This passage points out that when people say they can't understand, the reality may be that they do not want to. Elsewhere the Writings appeal to anyone who says or even thinks within himself that he cannot have faith: "Shun evils, and come to the Lord, and you will have as much as you desire" (Faith 12). (Remember those people in the spiritual world who were asked whether something told to them was true? They replied that they had not heard it. The matter was not left there. It was repeated loudly until they admitted, "We do not wish to hear" BE 115, AR 875, TCR 385).
     Freedom to understand is the Lord's gift. He has delivered man from spiritual captivity, so that now "from restored freedom he can better perceive interior things if he wants to perceive them" (LJ 74).
     In one instance the Lord introduced an idea with the phrase, "if you will receive it" or "if you are willing to accept it" (Matt. 11:14). We are struck with the way virtually the same phrase is used when an idea or concept is presented in the Writings. For example: "If you are willing to believe it, the Lord is the Word itself' (AC 10355). (See also AC 9410:5, 10400:3, 5398:2, TCR 163, DLW 353, AR 916, and especially DP 3.)
     The point is not that we are to turn off our minds or close our eyes and believe because we want to! On the contrary. We are asked for a willingness to have our eyes opened. When an angel is told something, he says, "What is this? believing when you do not see whether the thing is true? . . . Cause me to see it" (Faith 4).

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     Let us see this matter in application. Suppose that at a certain point it seems to you that life is unfair. Suppose that it seems to you that you have been forsaken. For the moment you are in a state of blindness with regard to the Divine Providence. You know well that information by itself is not going to take away that blindness. Are you ready-are you willing to see the truth of the matter? This is a key question.
     Take the truth that life is not in you but that it flows into you. This can be explained and illustrated, but there is the question of whether you are willing to see that it is so. This is dramatically illustrated in the spiritual world. There people are shown by vivid demonstrations that life is not in them. Some, although unable at the time to contradict what the demonstration shows, are unwilling to have the truth demonstrated any more (AC 6193).
     What are the implications of this in education? The teaching of the Writings on this is brought out powerfully in an article on education in the present issue. No one reading the teachings presented in that article can doubt the importance of affection or of emotion in education. (Well, perhaps one can doubt if one wants to.)
     We have to be careful how we use this doctrinal point. As educators shall we just blame the unwillingness of bur students if they do not learn? As missionaries shall we just blame the unwillingness of the world when we do not manage to spread the doctrines? Should a preacher whose sermon is not well received or is not understood put all the blame on the unwillingness of the congregation?
     Unwillingness is often a key factor to contend with, but surely we know that we have to try to appeal to affections. Did we choose a part of the Word that the young child could understand and which was adapted to his state? What a tremendous phrase for New Church educators is that phrase which concludes No. 26 of the Doctrine of Faith: ". . .according to such affection of knowing as may be inborn with him, and has in various ways been incited to an increase."
     When the Lord asked the blind what they wanted, was He not promoting an increase in the desire that they had?
     In our education, in our dissemination of the truth, in our services of worship we endeavor to set the conditions for good loves to become active and to take increase. May the Lord give us increasingly the wisdom to accomplish this. We trust that He will give that wisdom if we want it and seek it.
     D.L.R.

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GROWING PAINS OF MISSIONARY OUTLOOK 1981

GROWING PAINS OF MISSIONARY OUTLOOK V. CARMOND ODHNER 1981

     COMMUNICATIONS
     Dear Editor:

     As to your July 1981 issue (pp. 349-351), since Rev. Nicholson has recently been through theological school, from a course on church history he must have learned of the numerous missionary efforts that have taken place throughout the course of the church's past. A review of the Annals of the New Church, 1688 to 1850, will disclose those efforts.
     Rev. Nicholson seems to be centering his criticism on what was known as the "Academy movement"-see the eighth paragraph of his article where he speaks of "a century of slumber." But this movement, which led to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, has had its share of dedicated missionaries, people filled with a love of the Writings and a zeal for spreading them, people whose devoted efforts, including doctrinal development of the theory of missionary work, hardly deserve the wholesale condemnation stated in the article: "pervaders of mankind's spiritual indifference" (See Mr. Nicholson's first paragraph.); "the church's lack of missionary zeal"; "illness," "spiritual invalidism" (paragraph 3); "embarrassment," "nagging feelings of uncertainty," "chronic failure" (paragraph 4); "spiritual near-sightedness" (paragraph 5). I am surprised by Rev. Nicholson's article and glad that he did not criticize Swedenborg for not organizing a church. It seems to me that our missionary development, on the whole, has been an orderly sequence. Someone else can answer the other parts of the article.
     Let me quote from the Annals of the New Church, 1688 to 1850, under the year 1806 (America): "Mr. Hargrove completes an evangelistic journey through this state [Pennsylvania]. He visits the Hon. Josiah Espy at Bedford [later of Columbus, Ohio), where he baptizes between 30 and 40 persons . . . and travels thence to Greensburgh, where he visits Judge John Young [the Writings' supplier for Johnny Appleseed]. He proceeds next to Brownsville, where he baptizes nearly forty persons. . . . In all, 78 persons are baptized on this journey." In reviewing these Annals, I do not find early missionary efforts surpassing those efforts made after the formation of the Academy if the criterion is lasting effectiveness.
     Possibly efforts such as those by Joseph Espy, which were not nearly as significant as they first appeared, influenced men with the ideas' and means who were providentially led to establish the Academy, which has become part of the supporting framework of the General Church, with its education for the clergy and laymen.

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Could our theological school strive to be what it will be without our underlying educational system? The "distinctiveness" (paragraph 3) and the "chronic failure" (paragraph 4) are closely related; for while recent years in the Academy's existence have not appeared to return the "fruit" it might wish, it is, in my opinion, the heavy influence of the outside world upon many of the families of the church where the blame lies, not on the policies of the General Church. The Annals before the Academy's existence are replete with the names of people, dedicated people, whose descendants know nothing of the New Church.
     Yet, when viewed through the years, the General Church has not done badly numberwise. In 1902 its worldwide membership was 615; in 1980 it was 3658, a growth of 595%, or an average of 7.5% per year in 78 years. Perhaps the church's low growth rate in recent years is due to the state of the world. However, as a doctrinal basis, quality rather than quantity has ever been the General Church's aim, for we read:

     Genuine truth, which is to be the source of doctrine, is manifest in [See AC 10584:2] the sense of the letter of the Word only to those who are enlightened by the Lord. Enlightenment comes from the Lord alone and is granted to those who love truths because they are truths, and who apply them to the uses of life; with others, there is no enlightenment in the Word. Enlightenment comes from the Lord alone because the Lord is in all things of the Word. Enlightenment is granted to those who love truths because they are truths, and who apply them to the uses of life because they are in the Lord, and the Lord in them. For the Lord is His Own Divine Truth; and when this is loved because it is Divine Truth-and this is loved when it is applied to use-then the Lord is present in it with man. . . . (SS 57. See also HH 265e; AC 104; 202; 371; 2171; 5121:2, 3; 6047:2, 3; 7012:1; 7055:3; 7058:2; 7233:3; 7680; 7691; 9424:2.)
     Man is admitted interiorly into truths of faith and into goods of charity only so far as he can be kept in them until the end of his life (DP 221).

     As to SS 57, it is clear that the Writings are open to all ". . . those who love truths because they are truths, and who apply them to the uses of life. . ."* and that only the Lord knows the state, a state of freedom which the Lord guards so carefully that only those are admitted who can be ". . . kept in them until the end of. . ."* their lives in the world. Does not this teaching from Divine Providence have a direct bearing on the "numbers" the Lord gains from missionary work?

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"We" (paragraph 9) don't gain them in the church-the Lord in His Providence does. The Divine authority of the Writings is not forced on anyone. How we convert and keep members in the church has been a concern of the General Church for many years, a commitment whose augmentation is involved in the very work Mr. Nicholson is doing. The church knows that the Lord works through the earthly means of men. The above numbers speak of the spiritual church which is the foundation of the church (cf. paragraph 10). As to paragraphs 11 and 12, it is true that the doctrines must be searched for truly New Church worship, worship based upon the Writings themselves, which sincere new members will come to adore and see as the right approach if that worship is properly based.
     * Emphasis added
     Rev. Nicholson is an industrious laborer for the furtherance of the church. He has a right to complain, but I hope that he will moderate his views in the light of what our church's history has taught us.
     V. CARMOND ODHNER,
          Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania
GROWING PAINS OF MISSIONARY OUTLOOK 1981

GROWING PAINS OF MISSIONARY OUTLOOK Rev. DOUGLAS TAYLOR 1981

Dear Sir:

     It was very good to read in your July issue the thought-provoking article "Growing Pains of our Missionary Outlook" by the Rev. Allison Nicholson. Anything that reminds the church of its duty to make the Writings known to the world is very welcome.
     We can surely all agree with Mr. Nicholson that our slow numerical growth is not because the world is not ready for the New Church, but rather because we are not ready for the world. Of course, the world as a whole is never going to be ready for the New Church. It is only those in the world whom the Lord has prepared, those who "hunger and thirst after righteousness" who can be helped by the New Church. The New Evangel "should first be made known in the Christian world" (AC 3488:8). That is why the Coronis presents "an invitation to the whole Christian world to enter this church" (Cor. LV). Yet we are also taught that there will be few within the Christian Church who receive, and that the New Church will be established among the Gentiles (AC 3898, 2986:2, 3).
     So we are not to expect the whole Christian world to flock to the New Church-only the faithful remnant of the good in the Christian Church. How numerous these are and where they are is known to the Lord alone. But the whole task of evangelization is to identify such people, or allow them to identify themselves. And we have to be ready to receive them and welcome them if we aspire to angelhood, for "the angels desire nothing so much as to have new angel guests come to them" (HH 71).

479

     How are we to do this? No amount of changing the organization or the ritual will do this if we as individuals are not alert enough to recognize a newcomer and welcome him. What is needed is more a change in attitude among us rather than drastic revisions of the outward forms.
     Undoubtedly, improvements could be made in our worship services. Indeed, I for one have made several suggestions to the Worship and Ritual Committee. But these were made for the sake of having our ritual reflect more appropriately the doctrine, for "all worship is prescribed in doctrine and performed according to it" (AR 880, Lord 64). To change our external worship for the sake of the visitor who may or may not be prepared to join the church seems, to say the least, a very poor reason. It is hardly calculated to make our worship services a more appropriate vessel for receiving the sphere of heaven-which, after all, is the purpose of worship. This is not mere theory; we have sufficient evidence from New Church history to make us wary of altering our organization or ritual "merely to make it more attractive to newcomers." Mr. Nicholson does indeed see that this is not a sufficient reason, but raises the question of whether "we are really meeting the needs of our members as well."
     This is a difficult question. How are we to evaluate our worship services? Whenever I hear complaints about our services of worship, I wonder how broad is the survey on which they are based. Our conclusions are usually only impressions, a scientific survey being difficult because we never hear from those newcomers who attend once only. But who knows whether it was the service or the doctrine that offended them? Who knows whether they were really ready for the New Church?
     For what it is worth, my impression is that more people are helped and delighted by our worship services than are repelled by them-especially among newcomers. But I admit the difficulty of gaining a balanced view.
     Many of your readers will question Mr. Nicholson's reading of New Church history. They will wonder whether he really understands the original concept of "distinctiveness," and the historical reasons for it. While there may be some truth in the suggestion that some in the church have identified "distinctiveness" with isolation from the world, the original idea was to emphasize the separateness of the New Church from the Christian denominations lest it be regarded as just another Christian sect.

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This emphasis was badly needed at that particular time in New Church history. We can readily see that in Words for the New Church, where the pioneer spirit of those who had a splendid vision of a new civilization arising together with the New Church finds such hearty expression. Those readers who have devoted a lifetime to the cause of New Church education may feel hurt by Mr. Nicholson's apparent lack of appreciation for what has been accomplished by means of our schools. They may wonder what the New Church movement as a whole would be like without the Academy and the day schools. After all, we do have something now to bring people to-as a result of New Church education. And prior to the 60's it was reliably estimated that three out of four of our students joined the church. Some of the remainder, of course, are leading New Church lives even though they are not aiding the hand that so generously fed them.

Mr. Nicholson may not have intended to attack New Church education, but some readers will gather that impression from his remarks. What is particularly unfortunate is that whenever comparisons are made between education and evangelization, our people tend to infer that we are faced with an "either or" situation, that we have to make a choice between the two. Actually, we have no such choice. We have a responsibility to educate our own people and to evangelize the rest of the world. It would be disastrous if we ever felt that the church (or individual members) have to choose between these two responsibilities.
But if Mr. Nicholson's complaint is that New Church education has been exaggerated in importance, then we must seriously consider his point. Perhaps it is an exaggeration to say that New Church education is "that highest charity in which priests and laymen join hand in hand." It is certainly an act of charity; every man is to be neighbor to himself first in order to be neighbor to others (TCR 406). New Church history shows us the consequences of not taking care of one's own. But the highest form of charity is to consider the welfare of the Lord's kingdom and the Lord Himself (NJ HD 95). Bearing in mind that the human race would perish if the church specific were to fail, we do have a responsibility to the whole human race, which is a very high degree of the neighbor (Char. 287-289). To imply that we have considered our children the only Gentiles that the Lord has told us to evangelize, and that we at any time needed a "wider definition of who constitutes the Gentiles," is quite inaccurate. We have always included our children in this definition, but have not been limited to them.

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     It is likewise neither accurate nor fair to say that "we began to turn our attention to missionary work" only because we began to fear for our survival. There have always been those in the church sufficiently interested in evangelization to do something about it. But it was after the Rev. Harold Cranch's notable address in 1953 entitled "The Third Use of the Church" (NEW CHURCH LIFE 1953, pages 152-164) that the seeds were sown for an organized evangelization effort. Mr. Cranch did what had not been done as effectively before-assembling an impressive array of passages from the Writings commanding us to share the New Revelation. As the records abundantly testify, there was no thought of "the external necessities of the world." The Council of the Clergy acknowledged the duty to evangelize, not from expediency but from doctrine. That occasion was by no means the first time that the responsibility to evangelize had been discussed in the Council of the Clergy, but this time there was the feeling that it was now possible to begin doing something about it.
     Mr. Nicholson asks, "If our individual regeneration begins from self-centered purposes, why should we expect to find an entirely different pattern in the life of the organized church?" An important point is here overlooked: that there is a crucial difference between acting from self-centered purposes subconsciously and doing so knowingly. True, the Lord, in seeking to regenerate us individually, does have to begin with our merely natural loves-if that is all we have. We think we are acting from spiritual motives only to find in a later state of enlightenment that we were moved by "self-centered purposes." But having discovered the true situation, should we continue without any attempt at repentance and reformation? If "the development of an organization's spiritual life is little different from that of its members," then we should surely enter into evangelization from the highest motives of which we can conceive. We should do so because the Lord says we should. Knowing this, how could we justify lapsing back into a lesser motive, into so-called "enlightened self-interest"? "Remember Lot's wife"(Luke 17:32). If we are well aware that our principal aim is to spread the Lord's kingdom, and yet evangelize chiefly for the sake of swelling the numbers, how can we expect the Lord to bless our efforts? We may indeed gain the whole world in terms of numbers, but we will have lost our own soul. "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it" (Ps. 127:1). Our reason for evangelizing is therefore of prime importance.
     Mr. Nicholson makes very clear the distinction between spreading the knowledge of the Writings and getting new members.

482

He quite rightly says that "we must be able to retain a fair portion of those whom the Heavenly Doctrines attract." It is one thing for a person to accept the doctrines, and another altogether for him to accept (and be accepted by) the organization. The Extension Committee recently published a report on the assimilation of new members, to which many people who have become New Churchmen in adult life have contributed their viewpoints and experiences. This report has been sent to all pastors in the hope that its recommendations will be implemented throughout the church in the local societies.
     Finally, let us return a moment to the teaching mentioned briefly above that man should be neighbor to himself in order to be neighbor to others (TCR 406). That passage begins: "Man is born not for the sake of self but for the sake of others; that is, he is born not to live for himself alone but for others." The passage goes on to say that everyone should provide the necessaries of life for himself and his family not only for the present but also for the future. Otherwise, being in want of everything, he is in no position to exercise charity to the neighbor. It then adds: "But the end should be that he may thereby be in a state to serve his fellow citizens, society, his country, the church, and thus the Lord."
     It is the same with the church organization. It was not brought into existence for the sake of itself and its own members but for the sake of others outside of our circle. We should indeed provide for our own members and their children by means of New Church education. But the end should be that the church may thereby be in a state to serve society, the country, the Lord's kingdom, and thus the Lord. Let us never forget that in the statement of the purposes in the charter of the Academy the very first one reads: "The Academy of the New Church shall be for the purpose of propagating the Heavenly Doctrines of the New Jerusalem and establishing the New Church signified in the Apocalypse by the New Jerusalem."
     From the above remarks, it should be manifest that, while disagreeing in some respects with what Mr. Nicholson has said, I wholeheartedly applaud his general aim-to awaken the church as an organization and every individual member in it to our responsibility to make known the true things and good things of the New Revelation.
     REV. DOUGLAS TAYLOR,
          Director of Evangelization

483

CREATION VS. EVOLUTION 1981

CREATION VS. EVOLUTION ROBERT W. GLADISH 1981

Dear Sir:

     I find the editor's piece in the May LIFE "Creation vs. Evolution" puzzling and confusing. And J believe that most of the problem lies in his trying to speak to an important and complex issue by using "shorthand" terms that appeal to emotion rather than by using the sort of definitions that allow us to see significant distinctions. The concluding paragraph of the piece leaves one with no other conclusion than that if one confirms oneself in favor of God, one cannot believe in Darwinian concepts of evolution. But the only way that this can be a defensible argument is if evolution, by definition, assumes that change and development in forms must take place independent of a Creator. A great many scientists may take this position, it is true, but this is because they don't believe in God anyway, not because evolution leaves them with no alternative but to become atheists. As some of the letters which the editor cited note, there is nothing inherently "anti-Creator" in the Darwinian theory of evolution by natural selection.
     The principle of natural selection outlines an explanation for the way and timing in which forms evolve. When Darwin published Origin of Species, he was at pains in his final chapter to insist that he saw no reason why his explanation of evolutionary theory should be viewed in necessary conflict with religious belief. That was somewhat naive on Darwin's part, and probably disingenuous, too, for there was no way that a fundamentalist reader of Scripture in Darwin's day-or ours-could have much faith in a theory that had as its keystone the positing of enormous amounts of time needed to explain how forms underwent change. Since the central view of the fundamentalist was that creation occurred just as it was described in the opening pages of Genesis and that this took place some four thousand years ago, he would be in sharp opposition to anything which denied a special Divine creation by fiat of each living form on earth and which suggested a time-frame that was foreign to his concept of this creation.
     What Darwin was probably genuine about was that his theory of evolution did not deny the existence of a Creator or of the value of religion. What is important for New Churchmen to see, I think, is that the group that calls itself "Creationist" in this present argument should have no special hold on our allegiance. We may like them better than we do evolutionists because at least all the creationists believe in God, and lots of evolutionists don't.

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But this is not any respectable ground on which to consider the merits of a theory that purports to explain how living forms change.
     What might be of more benefit to the readers of LIFE is a discussion of those aspects of the theory of natural selection that do or do not, can or cannot, accord with principles about creation drawn from the Writings. I don't believe that the "them-us" sort of drawing up of battle lines is really likely to provide anyone with anything very serious to think about-only one more thing to get riled up about.
     I do not present myself as a scientist or an expert on evolution, but I have read and thought about the subject and have been impressed by the concept of natural selection-impressed enough to resist what I take to be assumptions about what a New Churchman is or is not going to believe in the matter, a sort of Swedenborgian "wool-hattism" that I regret to see being given currency in the pages of the LIFE.
     ROBERT W. GLADISH,
          Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania
CREATION VS. EVOLUTION 1981

CREATION VS. EVOLUTION ALICE FRITZ 1981

Dear Editor:

     The spate of letters on "creationism" and science has been fascinating. I was somewhat surprised to read the spirited discussions of the differences between the theories of science and the Bible-based beliefs of the fundamentalists. The surprise was at the interest, though of course I agree with the conclusions. Then I realized that this whole series of problems had been comfortably and permanently removed from possible dispute for me and my contemporaries almost half a century ago-at least for those of us who attended the Academy College then-but we are surrounded by those less privileged, even in the church.
     In the thirties the Scopes trial was recent and worrisome, and many people thought it necessary to define the adversary positions as between those who believed in a Creator called God, Who had created the world just as the story in Genesis sets it forth, and the Evil Evolutionists, who said we were descended from monkeys and that the whole system was accidental. Both positions were briskly demolished in our Biology I class by Dr. C. R. Pendleton, who had no patience with false notions.
     "Doc Charley" had studied theology before opting for science, and he had no doubts and tolerated none insofar as the Source was concerned.

485

But he firmly believed that the Lord had used a system of orderly progression in developing His kingdom on earth, and he was much interested in the methods used. When the subject of 'man is descended from monkeys' came up, he reminded us-and demonstrated with exhibits in his lab-that the human fetus in its development resembles animal forms-a fish, a tadpole, indeed a monkey-but we know it is human all the way, as were our ancestors, no matter what they looked like.
     Which brings us to the next subject of misplaced legislative activity-determining the time when life begins. Our fathers in the church had long been greatly exercised in pursuing the answer. They weren't really after the time that life begins, but discussed the initiation of human life, complete with soul. Some of them, Dr. Pendleton among them, were sure that the Writings indicate that the wonderful change comes with birth and the first breath. From this it was an easy step to the opinion that our primitive ancestors, and all of us before birth, were humanoids but not truly people until and whenever the Lord granted them and us immortality with the 'breath of life.'
     It doesn't matter that with maturity we have recognized that there are complexities, shades between the blacks and whites of our youthful ideas. Certitudes are fine for the young, and they can be the basis for a lifetime of thought when they are truths accepted rationally and not from faith alone. We were very sure about creation, but we were also convinced that no amount of discussion would prove any of the conclusions. As a result (just like a woman) I have never since then felt it necessary to give the subject any real attention, except for being interested in scientific discoveries.
     It seems to me that our nation's lawmakers, without even the enlightenment that we have, are very poorly equipped to grapple with philosophical theory, and it would be far better if they'd confine themselves to practical affairs where they have a chance at competence. There's plenty there that needs doing, and doing better.
     ALICE FRITZ,
          Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania
CREATION VS. EVOLUTION 1981

CREATION VS. EVOLUTION RICHARD G. SMITH 1981

Dear Mr. Rose:

Letters responsive to "Creation vs. Evolution" in the July issue of NEW CHURCH LIFE reflected isolation from the stimulating Science News article, Vol. 119, January 10, 1981. This report of the 147th annual meeting of the AAAS in Toronto lies behind the relative interest in this subject.

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Without this background, the published "Creation" letters of record in NEW CHURCH LIFE may appear of minor moment to General Church readers.
     The specific report stimulating the NEW CHURCH LIFE reprinting in May and further letters therein (July) urge response of the author of republished letter #4.
     The Science News report theme was the general apathy of scientists as a "community" in anti-evolution argument. Speakers issued a call to arms to assembled scientists to fight "anti-evolutionists." As expressed by scientist Porter Kier "many well educated people still question evolution." Kier censored the use of the word "theory" as in "theory of evolution," concluding that "Scientists . . . agree evolution is a fact and should be so labeled" (emphasis added).
     The point of interest to our NEW CHURCH LIFE editor (presumed, of course) was the fact that so many scientists took time and effort to disagree with what appeared to be an official position and purpose of AAAS to counter "Creationism."
     Recent letters question the interest of the General Church in the "Creation" doctrine inferring that "useful achievement was thereby ridiculed."
     Our thesis is that the doctrine of creation by Divine Love acting through Divine Wisdom is a matter of interest, and the recognition of issues in the natural world from which we cannot remain totally apart possesses some merit.
     One exposed to the order of science and the advent of the second coming cannot agree with Fundamentalists' simplified understanding of the work of the Creator. On the other hand such fortunate readers have the responsibility and the duty that awesomely accompanies that Divine Revelation to which they are privy to challenge that limitation of freedom of thought and establishment of fact by fiat. Scientists cannot by proclamation establish a theory as a fact through numbers, votes or the mass media. Scientific theories are open to further elucidation with further development of evidence, pro or con. Present day freedom has come about in great measure through the discipline of the scientific method.
     It is respectfully suggested that the present issue of "Creationism vs. Evolution" is not solely the concern of Fundamentalists vs. the AAAS. This argument, like many, when taken to the extreme of either view becomes obviously false. Just as freedom without responsibility is license and order without freedom is tyranny, so evolution without a Creator is derivative of something from nothing, and a Divine Creator without a Divine order of creation is an insanity.

487

RICHARD G. SMITH, (North Ohio Circle)

Editorial note: The reprinting of these letters was done without the knowledge that one of them was written by a New Church man. It is intriguing to learn that Mr. Smith was the author of the fourth letter.
PURPOSE IN EARTH'S CREATION 1981

PURPOSE IN EARTH'S CREATION AGNES R. NOAR 1981

Dear Sir:

     Swedenborg commences the Earths in the Universe by saying, "Everyone ought to believe that the Divine created the universe for no other end than that the human race may exist. . ." (EU 3). There is a most difficult but fascinating modern book which richly confirms this statement. It is David Attenborough's Life on Earth (Fontana Paperbacks).
     In the introduction it says that he "condenses thirty thousand million years of natural history into 300 pages . . . which compels vast omissions."
     Thirty thousand million years ago the earth was a whirling cloud of gases. Man did not appear on earth until one million years ago. His evolution was caused, says Attenborough, by a "change in direction." I read this to mean that Providence changed the trend of evolution deliberately in order that home sapiens could evolve.
     Before man did evolve there were animals on earth who could breathe the air and eat the foods which could have sustained men, so I believe there are, very probably, earths which are still at that stage, still becoming fit for man to live in.
     Mr. Attenborough confirms these statements by measuring the radioactivity (the geological clock) in the ancient rocks where fossils are embedded, and by laboratory experiments which imitate the chemical effects of centuries of interactions.
     His photographs are most convincing (and beautiful), and the overall conclusion we gain from his book is that the earth was, through millions of years, created by the Lord's intention, to supply a home for mankind.
     AGNES R. NOAR,
          Colchester, England

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SEPARATE EDUCATION? 1981

SEPARATE EDUCATION? BETH S. JOHNS 1981

Dear Editor:

     I have a few thoughts in response to Reverend Dan Heinrichs' fine paper in the May issue. His point about the need for better education of boys in developing a love of wisdom is well taken. Much of past education has catered to a girl's way of thinking and boys have been neglected or forced into situations unsuited to their needs. However, I disagree with his solution to the problem. I think separation of boys and girls in the elementary years could have some unfortunate consequences. Instead of separating, here are some suggestions already being used in many of our elementary schools. Perhaps these ideas need to be more generally understood and firmly supported throughout the church.

Different Methods

     A well-run modern classroom is full of stimulating materials that encourage all types of activity: learning centers, educational games, audio-visual equipment, computers, art supplies, and fine books and periodicals. Class time is varied-sometimes quiet, other times full of movement and interaction. Mixed throughout the day are one-to-one, small groups, and whole class instruction, as well as individual study. Boys can probe and search and compete; girls can talk and listen and apply. Each can enjoy and learn from the other.
     Any good teacher, man or woman, treats each child as an individual, and instinctively interacts with a girl as a female and a boy as a male. Therefore, the teacher will appeal to auditory or visual skills, gross or fine motor abilities, and special interests and affections. Different instruction, expectations, and results are a normal part of every activity. Requirements are varied and success possible. Each child feels accepted and can build confidence in an atmosphere of respect and trust. (Obviously this kind of education needs a lot of volunteer help, but some people are already filling this need, and there are ways to involve many more.)

Men Encouraged to Teach in Lower Grades

     As Mr. Heinrichs says, our young boys need much more leadership from men, especially boys whose fathers are missing or failing in their roles. We need to recruit young men for this job, and provide salaries and benefits that will make it attractive and practical for them to continue. These men should share teaching assignments with the women, providing the masculine qualities necessary for both boys and girls.

489

The presence of men in the building where young children are taught brings a feeling of strength and wholeness. We should get away from the macho attitude of some that teaching young children is not a respectable career for men.
     Separating boys and girls does not necessarily accomplish our goal-fostering an affection for growing wise. Rather, individual leading can bring true harmony from many varied points of view, which would be lacking in separate education. The old ways were not always best even for girls, though they responded well. Children love candy, but it has little food value. Traditional education often fed answers before questions were asked, which is about as good for you as candy. Girls love answers and boys love questions, but neither are much by themselves.
     Those of us raised in the earlier part of the past fifty years could have been better educated if we'd been led to use our minds more fully. The newer approaches genuinely apply those familiar New Church principles, the as-of-self and the power of ultimates. We, as a church, need to investigate thoroughly any methods that encourage both boys and girls to reach their full potential so they can eventually contribute to a true marriage.
     BETH S. JOHNS,
          Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania
REINCARNATION 1981

REINCARNATION JOHN KANE 1981

Dear Editor:

I read with interest in your March 1981 issue extracts from The Messenger and Lifeline concerning the doctrine of reincarnation, a doctrine that I myself believe to be a grave falsity and stumbling block to the reception of Divine Truth. That it is believed by millions of orientals certainly gives it no authenticity. The idea of reincarnation is not more than man's own attempt to rationalize in terms of this world's justice what he imagines spiritual equity should be. Reincarnation denies the Lord's Divine mercy without which no one could be saved from hell. Reincarnation might be described as do-it-yourself salvation and seems to find a place in most of the mixed up and, one might say, fashionable pseudo religions springing up in the west today. I know of a case where once the falsity of reincarnation had been laid to rest the person has made rapid progress in the acceptance of the Writings and their truths.

490

I believe that the New Church should do its utmost to dispose of the falsity of reincarnation.
     The regular appearance of the idea of reincarnation comes from a facet of human spiritual life in the life after death which is also manifest occasionally in this life. Swedenborg's "Deja vu" experiences mentioned in the same issue of NEW CHURCH LIFE are far from unique. Probably the most famous recorded and published case is the experience of two English school mistresses, specialists in French history, who were visiting the palace at Versailles at the beginning of the present century. As they strolled around the wonderful gardens, they passed people attired in the costumes of the reign of Louis XVI. They were even addressed by a gardener similarly dressed and they saw someone whom they took to be playing the part of Queen Marie Antoinette in the Petit Trianon, where that ill-fated queen, as has been well recorded, used to play at being a milk maid.
     Upon their return to their hotel the English women remarked to some others about the wonderful costume show put on for tourists at the palace only to be told that there existed nothing of the kind. It was then that they realized that they had had a remarkable psychic experience. They published their story which was naturally disbelieved by the majority, but others were not so quick to doubt the word of two highly respected educated women of Victorian probity. There have been many similar cases, more recently with the subject under hypnosis, all of which have led the subjects as well as others to believe that they had undergone previous incarnations that they had witnessed while living in the present day.
     The explanation is that in the other life we can at will, and apparently sometimes inadvertently as well, enter into the vivid memory experience of others in our spiritual society as if their memories were our own. As New Church people we know that we are already in spiritual societies in the other life; in fact we could not exist without it being so, and in the case of certain psychic people they can sometimes slip into the memories of others in their spiritual society to the extent that they believe that they really were these people in a previous life on earth, thus reinforcing the false doctrine of reincarnation.
     JOHN KANE,
          Las Palmas, Canary Islands

     P.S. I found the Rev. Mark Carlson's sermon "Loving One Another" in that same issue quite outstanding.

491

[Photo of William Burke, Wendel Barnett, Grant Odhner, Arthur Schnarr]
DECLARATIONS OF FAITH AND PURPOSE 1981

DECLARATIONS OF FAITH AND PURPOSE Various 1981

     I worship the Lord God Jesus Christ-the visible God within Whom is the invisible-the Divine Human, the Creator, Redeemer and Savior of the world. I believe the Lord to be the one and only God of heaven and earth, that He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
     I believe in the holiness of the threefold Word, including the inspired books of the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Writings. It is my further conviction that the Writings were written by the Lord through Emanuel Swedenborg, that they constitute His Second Advent, and that they provide the human race with a revelation concerning Himself which surpasses all revelations that have hitherto existed since the creation of the world.
     I believe the Christian religion itself is to shun evils as sins against the Lord, which is to perform actual repentance, and that by this means the Lord regenerates and saves those who would be of His church.
     I believe the purpose of the priesthood is to administer those things which relate to ecclesiastical affairs, to teach truths from the Word and thereby lead to the good of life, and thus to care for the salvation of souls.
     In this belief I present myself for inauguration into the priesthood of the New Church, with the prayer that my inclination and affection for doing good will continually grow as the Lord provides me with the strength to refrain from all evils that might prevent me from the just and faithful performance of this sacred office.
     WENDEL R. BARNETT

492

     I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the one and only God, Divinely loving, Divinely wise. From His Divine love He wills to save and bless all men. From His Divine wisdom He ever provides the means for this salvation and blessing-He "bowed the heavens and came down"; He subjugated the hells, which were destroying man's spiritual life; He freed us from captivity; He made His Human Divine, "that we might have life, and that we might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).
     I believe that the Lord came, as the "Word made flesh," and has come again; and that He now reveals Himself "with power and great glory" in His threefold Word, that "every eye may see Him," that all might believe on Him, and choose to return His great love.
     I believe that the Word alone reveals to us the nature of our Creator, Redeemer, and Savior, and the nature of His eternal purpose and laws. "The Word is the only doctrine that teaches how a man must live in the world in order to be happy to eternity" (AC 8939e). The Lord says of His Word, "These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full" (John 15:11).
     I believe that the Lord asks us in His Word to "love the Lord [our] God, with all [our] heart, with all [our] soul, with all [our] mind, and with all [our] strength;. . .and [to] love [our] neighbor as [ourselves]" (Mark 12:30). On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets (Matt. 22:40). To keep His commandments, both in letter and spirit, is to love the Lord and the neighbor; for the Lord says, "He that hath My commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me" (John 14:21).
     The Lord alone teaches and leads men to heaven; "for wisdom and might are His. . . . He giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge unto them that know understanding" (Dan. 2:21). I pray, in entering the work of the ministry, that the Lord will be able to use me in His work of saving men. O Lord, "let such as love Thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified" (Ps. 70:4).
     Grant H. ODHNER

     I believe the Lord Jesus Christ is the one and only God of heaven and earth, that His Human is Divine, and that He is the Creator, Redeemer, and Savior of all mankind. I believe that He loves all, desires to be conjoined as one with all, and that He desires to make all people happy to eternity.

493

     I believe the threefold Word-the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Heavenly Doctrines-is a Divine Revelation of God, of heaven, and the life of charity; and that this one Word is the only absolute authority for the life that leads to eternal conjunction with Him.
     I believe that man is free to live the life of charity according to the teachings of the Word. The life of charity is from the Lord, and in order to receive this life from Him a man is responsible for shunning evils because they are sins against Him.
     I believe the Lord has called me to the priesthood of His New Christian Church to serve Him by proclaiming the new gospel "that the Lord God Jesus Christ does reign."
     The goal of the priesthood is to lead men to the good of life, to the Word, and to conjunction with the Lord, in the church and in heaven. This is accomplished by teaching the Divine truths revealed in the threefold Word.
     I freely and humbly declare my desire to answer and fulfill this call, to shun evils because they are sins against the Lord, so that I may faithfully, sincerely, and justly perform the duties of the priestly office. I pray for the Lord's help that I may do this work with all my heart, with all my soul, and with all my mind, according to His will, remembering that "except the Lord build the [church], they labor in vain that build it" (Ps. 127:1).
     ARTHUR WILLARD SCHNARR JR.

     I believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the one God of heaven and earth, that in Him is a Divine Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
     I believe that the Lord is Divine as to His Human; that He is the Creator and Redeemer of men.
     I believe that the essentials of the church are to acknowledge the Lord's Divine Human and to love Him; that evils are to be shunned as sins against the Lord, and that this is done through repentance and a life of love enlightened from the Word.
     I believe that the Word of the Lord is God among men whereby we may see Him and love Him, that the way of life is given by means of the Word in the books of the Old and New Testaments and the crown of all revelation as given in the Heavenly Doctrine of the New Jerusalem. These three are the Word of the Lord in its fullness.
     I believe that the Word of the Heavenly Doctrine constitutes the Second Advent.

494

     I further believe that the church founded upon the Heavenly Doctrines has descended out of heaven and is among men and that it is the New Jerusalem.
     I believe that it is the final church and will grow in quality and quantity among men.
     I believe that its doctrines are given so that man may live in the natural life in divine order and at the laying aside of the natural body he may live eternally with the Lord in heaven in his spiritual body.
     In presenting myself for ordination into the priesthood of the New Church, I offer myself to the Lord and to this General Church body as an instrument for the purpose of the upbuilding of His True Christian Church. I now dedicate my life to this purpose, and will constantly pray that the Lord will grant me the strength, humility, and wisdom to serve to this end.
     WILLIAM HANSON BURKE

     The four declarations above were made by these men during their inauguration into the priesthood of the New Church at Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, June 7, 1981.
Church News 1981

Church News SUSAN S. HOLMES 1981

     GLENVIEW

     NEW CHURCH LIFE and its sermons, articles and news notes is welcomed as a source of common thought and friendship among the New Church readers. This report is indebted for local news to the Pork News and the annual report to the society.
     "The goods of use which individuals perform, from which the general good exists, are ministries, functions, offices and various employments. . . .Of these four the commonwealth or society consists" (Char. 134). In the Immanuel Church, with Rev. Peter Buss as our pastor, there are individuals and organizations to fulfill these uses.
     One of the earliest uses of this society was the Immanuel Church School. At the graduation this year, Mrs. Daniel Wright (Gertrude Hasen) received a long ovation for her twenty-five years as a teacher in New Church schools. This year Mr. Gordon McClarren was appointed principal of the school. The teachers, with their special talents, have brought out interesting presentations of the school's work. Instrumental singing groups, charts of the seventh grade's family trees, the weekly school Trib, the science fair, the band concert and eighth grade play were produced on a foundation of basic studies. The annual Pledgethon, run this year to clean the lake, was joined by Bishop King. The hour's jogging around the half mile lap of Park Drive, be it six laps or fourteen, was a test of determination. Let's hope there will be good swimming, as well as success for the many other projects undertaken.

495

     Although recently the numbers in the school have diminished, there are hopeful prospects of more pupils, with the ten or so young families who have made their homes nearby.
     The library carried on its routine uses and promoted the winning of useful furnishings for the school in collecting labels and holding a used book sale. Gifts were given to the library in memory of church members, including Mrs. Noel (Mildred) McQueen, Col. Jean Rydstrom, David Gladish and Mrs. Rose Kitzelman. Other friends who have gone on to their uses in the other world are Hubert Nelson, Howard Even, Mrs. Richard (Marguerite) fielding, Mrs. Robert (Anne) Clipper, Mrs. Jean Synnestvedt Smith, Theodore Farrington and Mrs. June Coffin Jostock. Some of these friends knew that their lifetime was limited, and their sphere of trust gave a new perspective to the true values of our lives.
     The extension programs, set up by Rev. Harold Cranch over the past several years, are being continued under the direction of Martin Klein. The first Sundays of the month, prepared with regard for guests, follow the church service with a social time and book room displays. Mrs. William (Annabelle) Junge and Mrs. David (Mickle) Odhner are in charge of the book room and held an open house when it was settled in its new quarters.
     The radio station, WMWA, to keep its time slot, set up an 84 hour a week schedule of fine music, local announcements, and the "Conversations on Religion" and church services, provided within a reasonable budget. Rev. Brian Keith, as principal of the Midwestern Academy, directs the religious content of the programs. The "Conversations" repeat periodically, with hopes of building reserves for greater choice in presenting a cohesive picture of the doctrines to our listeners. Introduction of short (10 seconds or under) religious references as "Thought for the day" suggestions are welcome. The early shift has been taken by adults and high school volunteers. At the MANCquet awards were given them. Dan Woodard and Anne Fuller are the announcers we hear most;
     A farewell party for the Cranches and the Ayes was held last fall in appreciation of their devoted work in getting the station started. Robert Coffin's perpetual wish to have a radio station here may have been an intangible element in its arrival.
     A more outward looking attitude has developed along with the extension work and the radio. We enjoy the sphere of the new members who have joined us, and when those who moved away return for visits we're happy to see them. Two golden wedding couples have received our good wishes-the LeRoi Morgans and the Charles Lindrooths.
     The remarkable activity of Park Dwellings, Inc., in relation to other church uses may be compared to a teenaged son who is as tall as or taller than his parents. This activity calls for new consideration, appreciation and support, for the cause of housing near the church. The first condominium of five units is completed and landscaped. It was seen by the society members before it was occupied. It fills the needs of small families or single people in urban style, and does credit to the planning and execution of the work.
     In the Starkey subdivision, Burnham Court was dedicated with the help of an honored guest, Crebert Burnham. Four homes are in the building stage or lived in-those of the Roger Phelps, the Donald McQueens, the Richard Nicholsons, and the John Donnellys.
     The real estate committee, now under the direction of Park Dwellings, Inc., saw to the moving of one of the oldest New Church homes across the road to a new foundation in the Park.

496

The home of the J. P. Coles and four generations following, it is now the home of the Richard Actons. This coordinated work to provide housing here makes us feel that the future of this society is in good hands.
     The emergency fund is low and inactive, but the sunshine committee of the Women's Guild keeps in touch, ready to get help for those in need, should there be no relative or neighbor at hand. The rummage sale supplied generous donations at give-away prices. The radio broadcasts are a welcome part of the day for shut-ins, as are visits from one of the ministers.
     A series of addresses on "Friendship" was given to the Guild and Theta Alpha meetings, which was followed by discussion at a retreat. The Theta Alpha banquet was addressed by Rev. Cedric King on "The Challenge of Marriage."
     Men's uses, such as that of the Park commissioner, the treasurer, or the buildings manager, are occasionally helped by women. What might seem to be women's uses such as the Sunday school and the Social Club have places where men contribute their talents.
     The many beautiful weddings held this year carried with them their social side as well. Succeeding Miss Susie Lee as leader of the Social Club are Mark Junge and his fiancee Miss Roxanne McQueen, who has been teaching here this year.
     The fire in Pendleton Hall, though quickly quenched, left a great deal of work to be done before its use and beauty were restored, much credit to the buildings manager Don Edmonds.
     Mr. Buss, our pastor, was sworn in as a citizen of the United States. We hope he won't lose that South African accent, nor forget the stories about the most efficient rain wizards of interior Africa. There are so many various parts to his pastorate here, besides being the bishop's representative in this district, that he can put into practice the motto of his new country, "E Pluribus Unum." The Arcana classes held on Wednesday mornings are a great treat. Thanks so much.
     Mrs. Buss-Lisa-designed a series of sketches of views in the Park, which are a pattern for a quilt to be embroidered and assembled by Theta Alpha.
     We hope Mrs. Doreen Buss will be back again, although Bryn Athyn holds many attractions for her.
     Sponsored by the Academy, the Mental Health Symposium was held here last fall, directed by Rev. Frank Rose and his wife Louise. The large attendance and many subjects from which to choose resulted in division into groups of twenty or so to discuss or take roles in acting out the chosen subject. Leaders of the groups skillfully brought attention to the important factors as they appeared, in order to find the answers or cures that would get us back to normal. Over the weekend we had chances to talk to those who had been in another group. Mrs. Audrey Grant was largely responsible for having the symposium held here.
     Another event sponsored by the Academy was the visit of the college, as they looked over our society as one in a number of New Church centers. Their charming presentation of "Fiddler on the Roof" was thoroughly enjoyable. Thanks to all of you!
     As a "Thought for the day," (10 seconds or under) may this quotation be acceptable: "Order among the parts, and quality of the parts, makes the general good more perfect, or more imperfect" (Char. 132).
     SUSAN S. HOLMES

497

CHARTER DAY 1981

1981

     Announcements

     All ex-students, members of the General Church, and friends of the Academy are invited to attend the 65th Charter Day exercises, to be held in Bryn Athyn, PA, Friday and Saturday, October 9th and 10th, 1981. The program: Friday, 11 a.m.-Cathedral service with an address by the Rev. Brian W. Keith; Friday, 9:00 p.m.-dance; Saturday, 7 p.m.-Banquet (Toastmaster, the Rev. Erik Sandstrom).

     CHARTER DAY BANQUET TICKETS

     In order to avoid confusion and embarrassment, those who will be guests in Bryn Athyn homes for the Charter Day weekend should order their banquet tickets in advance, by mail, unless they have made other specific arrangements with their hostesses.
     The date for the banquet is October 10th. The regular price is $6.75. For all students, including those not presently attending the Academy, the price is only $3.50. Checks should be made payable to the Academy of the New Church.
     Orders should be sent to the attention of Mrs. R. Frazier, The Academy of the New Church, P.O. Box 278, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009 before September 28th. Please mark clearly on the envelopes, "Banquet Tickets." Tickets will be carefully held at the switchboard in Benade Hall for pickup either by you or your hosts. No tickets can be sold at the door because of the need for advance arrangements with the caterer.

500

GENERAL CHURCH BOOK CENTER 1981

Talks for Family Worship
Apocalypse Parts 1 and 2, G. de Charms                     ea.      .75
Chapel Talks on Vital Subjects, Ormond Odhner                     2.00
Christmas Stories from the Word
     Collected by F. E. Gyllenhaal                          2.00
Earths in the Universe, Worship Talks, G. de Charms               .75
Family Worship for Little Children, Genesis, W. D. Pendleton      2.00
Leader of His People, Moses Worship Talks, H. C. Cranch           2.00
Lord's Prayer, Worship Talks, K. O. Stroh                         1.00
Moral Virtues, Worship Talks, G. de Charms                    .75
New Church and Some of Its Leading Doctrines                     2.00
Nineteenth of June Worship Talks                              .75
Prophets Parts 1 and 2, Talks by G. de Charms               ea.      .75
Prophets, Elijah, Elisha and Daniel; K. R. Alden                2.00
Psalms Parts 1 and 2, Talks by G. de Charms                ea.     .75
Selected Talks for Family Worship                              .75
Series on Leading Doctrine, Parts 1 and 2, G. de Charms      ea.      .75
Spiritual World, Worship Talks, G. de Charms                     2.00
Stories from the Word, Sigstedt                               2.00
Talks for Use in Family Worship                               2.00
Ten Commandments, Worship Talks, H. C. Cranch                     2.00
Ten Commandments, Worship Talks, E. Acton                     1.00
Worship Rituals and Minor Laws of Israel
     Talks on Ex., Lev., Numb., and Deut.; R. S. Junge           2.00
                                                  Plus postage

GENERAL CHURCH                         Hours: 8:30-12:00
BOOK CENTER                          Monday thru Friday
BRYN ATHYN                          Phone (215) 947-3920
PA 19009

501

NOTES ON THIS ISSUE 1981

NOTES ON THIS ISSUE Editor 1981

NEW CHURCH LIFE
Vol. CI October, 1981 No. 10

502

     There is a list of nineteen names on page 510. These people have tried to better define aspects of our outlook with respect to the growth of the church. Among their recommendations do you find possible applications for yourself and your circle? The presentation begins with a reference to a classic study on missionary work that appeared in this magazine 16 years ago. The author is Rev. Robert Junge whose sermon on spiritism is particularly apt as we consider John Clowes, a man who was clearly "led" at times (p. 532). The vision of "Divine Human" which this man experienced changed the course of his life and of the history of the New Church. The sermon emphasizes the reality of the spiritual world and shows that our inner association with spirits is the origin of our affections. But it carefully shows the dangers of spiritism. We have quoted the lesson from Heaven and Hell in full (p. 508).
     "Touch the soft and shining fur of a deer; feel the wings and feathers of a little bird" (p. 518). The article by Bishop de Charms is followed aptly by a review of the booklet Life in Animals and Plants. We highly recommend this booklet.
     Speaking of books, please notice the advertisement of The Swedenborg Epic (p. 548) which is mentioned in the edited report of the Swedenborg Society (p. 542). The paperback of True Christian Religion mentioned in our editorial may be obtained from the Swedenborg Foundation, 139 East 23rd St., New York, NY 10010 ($7.50 postage included). (We hope soon to review the fine booklet Uses recently issued by the Foundation.)
     To complete the address list in the August issue here are four cases in which the new minister has an address different from that of his predecessor.

LOS ANGELES Rev. M. D. Gladish                MIAMI Rev. M. E. Alden
2959 Mount Curve                         15101 N. W. Fifth Ave.
Altadena, CA 91001                         Miami, FL 33169

SAN FRANCISCO Rev. W. R. Barnett           BALTIMORE Rev. D. Simons
5351 Southbridge Pl.                         13213 E. Greenbank Rd.
San Jose, CA 95118                         Oliver Beach, MD 21220

Education Council announcement: See p. 516.

     Your attention is called to two special announcements on the inside covers.

503

SPIRITISM 1981

SPIRITISM Rev. ROBERT S. JUNGE 1981

     "And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them"(Isaiah 8:19-20).

     The doctrines tell us, "Few will believe . . . that there are any spirits; and this chiefly for the reason that at this day there is no faith, because no charity, and thus it is not believed that there is a hell, nor even that there is a heaven, nor consequently that there is any life after death" (AC 5849).
     But by this belief which the Writings say men do not have they mean far more than a wishful hope, far more than the faint aspiration that man lives on after death. Many would express such hopes. Many give superficial assent to at least the possibility of a life hereafter, but this cannot in truth be called belief, not in the sense the Writings mean. Any fair appraisal of our age must lead us to recognize that few so believe in a life hereafter that it really alters and patterns their daily lives here.
     This lack of belief comes about from lack of faith and lack of charity. These lacks lead to modern man's constant quest for sensual proof. The serpent, the most subtle of the beasts, still wants us to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The sensual part of man that crawls and eats the dust wants proof-proof to satisfy man's own intelligence.
     Yet the Lord God does not permit sensual proof, for it would compel. There was a time when they would not believe even though one returned from the dead. But in our day, if with the controls of careful scientific experiment such a thing were to happen, it would compel belief and destroy man's freedom. Still man foolishly does not recognize this and hopes someday that the life hereafter will be demonstrated or proven to him, beyond all shades of doubt. Sensual and worldly thought is a terribly powerful force. It can undermine a country's national purpose; it can destroy friendships in a most subtle way; it is capable of utterly crushing a marriage; indeed it can poison the very vitals of any human life.
     With some, the materialistic standards have become so strong that they can no longer even hope for life beyond four score years. Their youth becomes a time of merry enjoyments, their maturity a wistfully questioning period of disillusionment, their old age a dreaded and meaningless dwindling away.

504

They have nothing more to look for as their material aspects gradually succumb to the unfailing passage of time.
     Many others, however, recognize that unless there is something beyond death, life becomes meaningless and drifting. So they feel they must believe in something. Yet what visions do they conjure up? Because of the weakness of their spiritual understanding, sensual thought creates a materialistic resurrection at the last trumpet. Only by accepting some such literal return to this world do they feel that they can believe. Other non-Christian religions conjure up visions of physical pleasure, feasting and drinking, constant recreation, even hollow meaningless sexuality. Sensual thought stamps its impress, and yet because no such literal claims can be proved to the senses, a doubt is cast upon any concept of life hereafter whatsoever.
     Now it is easy for New Churchmen to visualize the beautiful descriptions given in the memorable relations. We picture houses, real people, trees, flowers, and cities. And we love doing so. Indeed we need such ultimate pictures. This is the view unfolded to our senses; it appeals to our imaginative power to visualize. Yet unless we understand the essential spiritual nature of that world and its laws, unless we reach up to the revealed Word, and see this wonderful world not just with our imaginations but with our rational minds, we too can have a doubt cast upon its existence. The spiritual world is not real because in our imaginations we can picture it even if the pictures are drawn from the Writings. The kingdom of heaven is real because the Lord has told us that this is so. From Divine revelation we understand the need for it, and also can grasp something of its order, even see something of the nature of its substance that exists eternally without time and space. Some erroneously say of such subjects that they are idle abstractions, but in reality unless the church has a growing knowledge of these rational truths and a growing interest in them, unless the church has a vision far deeper than mere descriptions, then the church is inviting the subtle serpent of sensuality into its midst. A literalistic picture of the spiritual world without a strong rational support can be torn down by the skeptic. But if we fix our thoughts upon the rational revelation given us, our faith and confidence in the life hereafter will be founded upon a rock.
     Now usually death strikes close to most men long before they themselves are called. For those without the Writings, with the death of a friend comes a certain sense of desperation and urgency.

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Deep within, man's spirit cries out that he must understand. He must know if all is well with his loved ones. If only he could see them or speak with them, to be reassured. But too often the only path man knows at such a time is to seek sensual proof. Then the tempter may speak within, "Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter."
     So it is that grief at a loss, the pain of separation, or sometimes resurgent curiosity concerning the occult, frequently drive men into the dark chambers of the spiritist. And many, once they have seen these "so-called proofs and demonstrations," cannot abandon the practice. Soon, their reason surrendered, they come under the powers of the messages proffered to them.
     But what does our text say? "When they shall say unto you, seek them that have familiar spirits, . . . should not a people seek unto their God? . . . to the law and to the testimony." And indeed the law of Moses is clear, "Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards to be defiled by them: I am Jehovah your God" (Lev. 19:31). The Writings also condemn the practice of seeking contact with spirits.
     Yet, curiously enough, Swedenborg is often misidentified with spiritism. Many spiritists confusedly consider him a great leader in the movement. Yet nothing is further from the truth.
     The New Church stands utterly opposed to spiritism and everything it represents (See HH 249). Particularly do we oppose its usual denial of the Lord's divinity and its destruction of man's rationality and with it his freedom.
     But when we shun the abuse, we must use care that we understand the doctrine in this regard. Almost all heresy is based upon some isolated truth that is drawn out, separated, and exaggerated until it is perverted. So too with spiritism.
     We must recognize that there are two worlds. In fact we read, "Man was so created that he might hold intercourse with spirits and angels and thus heaven and earth be conjoined. Such was the case in the Most Ancient Church, such in the Ancient, and in the Primitive also there was a perception of the Holy Spirit. . ." (SD 1587; cf. 110). The spiritual world is a divinely ordained reality. Men today are associated with spirits throughout their life in the world, even though not consciously associated. This association is the origin of man's affections. It is a rational explanation of his ability to make a choice concerning the delights which will rule his life. The reality of the spiritual world and its inhabitants is essential to an understanding of human states and human nature.

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To establish such belief, vision was given to the ancients and also to the prophets. But this was associated with the giving of Divine Revelation. Though the prophets saw visions, they only wrote what was dictated by a living voice. Such vision was not sought, but it came as a gift from the Divine.
     So too with Swedenborg; it was a gift which was never sought. Swedenborg was no different from the prophets, save that he was preserved in a normal rational state so that he might describe the wonders of heaven with Divine authority and by Divine authorization for ages to come. But these visions of the prophets and of Swedenborg are in a class all their own, and are to be called Divine visions. They have nothing to do with wizards that peep and that mutter. Yet they must never be denied.
     Many today consider spiritism all deception and fakery. No doubt much of it is. But as we condemn the practice of spiritism (for surely it is destructive of man's freedom), let us not at the same time deny all possibility of communication with spirits. The Writings make clear that such things are possible (DP 135). And for the modern who might scoff at such an admission, let him look to some of the recent experiments in parapsychology. We do not claim them as proof, nor do we agree with their theoretical conclusions which savor of materialism, making spiritual phenomena simply the result of more and more refined natural vibrations. But the experiments can serve to shake the skeptic and let him realize that there is something yet to be explained.
     The doctrines do not condemn spiritism by saying that it does not exist. Rather they state clearly that seeking communication places man in a position of yielding his rational to becoming the dupe of enthusiastic spirits. Such spirits can even impersonate those who are loved or for whom man's heart grieves, and achieve great power through such impersonation. The angels of heaven, however, do not seek such communication. Thus it is bound to be only with evil spirits. So strong is the Writings' condemnation of seeking familiar spirits.
     Also in the doctrine concerning association with spirits we find a logical explanation of some of the fantastic visions or delusions of an abstracted mind (DP 134). Physical disorders or natural mental disorders, as well as addiction to evil practices, invite the influx of disorderly spheres from the other world and can leave man in that horrible confusion between imagination and reality.
     Despite these disorders, the Writings indicate other states of communication. But notice that these states are not sought.

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The doctrines point out that people who lead solitary lives may occasionally hear spirits speaking to them, and without danger (SD 1752). Is not this a logical explanation for a phenomenon which comes to the lonely about which we have all heard? Perhaps even some of the vagaries of the senile have a similar explanation as their preparation for entrance into the other world grows more intense.
     Nor can we forget the clear statement of doctrine concerning another form of communication which is not sought: ". . . to speak with angels of heaven is granted only to those who are in truths from good, especially to those who are in the acknowledgment of the Lord and of the Divine in His Human, because this is the truth in which the heavens are. . ." (HH 250). Apparently those who are in a genuine acknowledgment of the Lord in His Divine Human would not have their freedom imperilled by such visions, because a belief in the other world is already a part of their life's conviction. Nor would they abuse the freedom of others through trying to persuade on the basis of such visions. And particularly, in no way would such unsought communication alter the essential doctrine that the conjunction of heaven with man is by means of the Word (HH 303).We read, "It is believed that man might be more enlightened and become more wise if he should have immediate revelation through speech with spirits and with angels, but the reverse is the case. Enlightenment by means of the Word is effected by an interior way, while enlightenment by immediate revelation is effected by an exterior way. . ." (Verbo 29). "Mediate revelation, which is effected through the Word, surpasses immediate revelation which is effected through spirits" (ibid.). "Moreover, no leave is given to any spirit, or even angel, to instruct any man on this earth in Divine truths, but the Lord Himself teaches everyone through the Word. . ." (ibid.).
     Any church is bound to be plagued by misconceptions of its teachings. But in correcting these, we must use great care that we do not discard nor discredit too much. The guide for all of us is clear: "Should not a people seek unto their God?" He has revealed the wonders of the life hereafter for all men to see in freedom. His servant Emanuel Swedenborg wrote from things heard and seen. And yet never from angel or spirit, but from the Lord alone. In the process of time, with patient study, we can increasingly know what heaven is like, not from the compulsion of sensual wizardry, but in the clear and free light of Divine truth. We will always find the answers to eternal life if we learn to seek not spirits but the law and the testimony. Amen.

     LESSONS: Isaiah 8:11-22; HH 249, 250 SEE NEXT PAGE

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     LESSON FROM THE WRITINGS

     But at the present day to talk with spirits is rarely granted because it is dangerous; for then the spirits know what otherwise they do not know, that that are with man; and evil spirits are such that they hold man in deadly hatred and desire nothing so much as to destroy him both soul and body, and this they do in the case of those who have so indulged themselves in fantasies as to have separated from themselves the enjoyments proper to the natural man. Some also who lead a solitary life sometimes hear spirits talking with them, and without danger; but that the spirits with them may not know that they are with man they are at intervals removed by the Lord; for most spirits are not aware that there is any other world than that in which they live, and therefore are unaware that there are men anywhere else; and this is why man is not permitted to speak with them in return. If he did they would know. Again, those who meditate much on religious subjects, and are so intent upon them as to see them as it were inwardly within themselves, begin to hear spirits speaking with them; for religious persuasions, whatever they are, when man dwells upon them by himself and does not adapt them to the various things of use in the world, penetrate to the interiors and rest there, and occupy the whole spirit of the man, and even enter into the spiritual world and act upon the spirits there. But such persons are visionaries and enthusiasts; and whatever spirit they hear they believe to be the Holy Spirit, when, in fact, such spirits are enthusiastic spirits. Such spirits see falsities as truths, and so seeing them the v induce not themselves only but also those they flow into to believe them. Such spirits, however, have been gradually removed, because they began to lure others into evil and to gain control over them. Enthusiastic spirits are distinguished from other spirits by their believing themselves to be the Holy Spirit, and believing what they say to be Divine. As man honors such spirits with Divine worship they do not attempt to harm him. I have sometimes talked with them, and the wicked things they infused into their worshipers were then disclosed. They dwell together toward the left, in a desert place.
     But to speak with the angels of heaven is granted only to those who are in truths from good, especially to those who are in the acknowledgment of the Lord and of the Divine in His Human, because this is the truth in which the heavens are. For, as it has been shown above, the Lord is the God of heaven (n. 2-6); it is the Divine of the Lord that makes heaven (n. 7-12); the Divine of the Lord in heaven is love to Him and charity toward the neighbor from Him (n. 13-19); the whole heaven in one complex reflects a single man; also every society of heaven; and every angel is in complete human form, and this from the Divine Human of the Lord (n. 59-86).

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All of which makes evident that only those whose interiors are opened by Divine truths, even to the Lord, are able to speak with the angels of heaven, since it is into these truths with man that the Lord flows, and when the Lord flows in, heaven also flows in. Divine truths open the interiors of man because man was so created as to be in respect to his internal man an image of heaven, and in respect to his external an image of the world (n. 57); and the internal man is opened only by means of Divine truth going forth from the Lord, because that is the light of heaven and the life of heaven (n. 126-140). Heaven and Hell 249, 250 ASSIMILATION OF NEW MEMBERS 1981

ASSIMILATION OF NEW MEMBERS 1981

     A PRESENTATION BY THE EXTENSION COMMITTEE

     Introduction

     In the spiritual world a salvable novitiate spirit goes through six preparatory stages. The seventh one is when he is assimilated into his society in heaven, which is to be his spiritual home to eternity.
     In this natural world an inquirer who eventually joins the church likewise goes through seven analogous stages. (See an article by Rev. Robert S. Junge, "Towards a Philosophy of Missionary Work," NEW CHURCH LIFE, October 1965, pp. 455-466). The seventh stage is baptism, entrance into the church organization and assimilation into it as a new member.
     It is unthinkable that in heaven the novitiate spirit would not be warmly welcomed and assimilated into his society, finding his eternal use there. We cannot imagine the members of that society resenting the addition of another member or lamenting the accompanying changes. On the contrary, we are taught that the angels desire nothing so much as to have new angel guests come among them, "for heaven gains in perfection by increase of numbers" (HH 71).

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     Since "when heaven is spoken of, the church is also meant, for the heaven of the Lord on earth is the church" (AC 10131e), it is clear that the church ought to welcome new members. It ought to be equally unthinkable in the church as in heaven that a new member would not be warmly welcomed and assimilated into the society of his residence, finding a form of use there.
     It is true, of course, that new members are not always "new angelic guests," but neither are old members of the organization necessarily fully regenerated. We are all, new and old alike, in the effort to be regenerated. Why else would we be in the church organization? We all need all the help and support we can get! We need each other-new and old.
     To study this matter of the assimilation of new members, the Extension Committee formed (in November, 1979) a Project Group. A list of those participating is as follows:

Marilyn Asplundh                          Laurie Klein
Henry and Joan Dunlap                    Ralph and Linda Klein
Fern Fell                               Stanley and Helen Kresz
Ruth Herder                              Gretchen Lindsay
Paul Herr                               Isy Nelson
Larry and Dorothy Himmelstein           Maxine Ritthaler
B. David Holin                              Bobbie Welch
Hyland Johns

The Aim of the Project Group

     Our aim was to present, in outline form, a summary of what needs to be done to make newcomers welcome, to help them find their place in their new New Church society or community, and to put them in touch with those who can answer their questions about doctrinal matters and society customs.
     As success is achieved in obtaining these objectives, we will be breaking down whatever barriers may seem to exist between those raised in the church and those who have come into it in adult life, and avoid any feeling that we have two groups of members in the church-old members and new members.
     The doctrinal basis for this is found in Exodus 12:49: "One law shall there be for the native, and for the sojourner that sojourneth in the midst of you." The Arcana explains this as follows: "That this signifies that he who on being instructed has received the truth and good of the church, and lives according to them, shall be as he who being already instructed is within the church, and lives a life in agreement with the precepts of faith and of charity, is evident from the signification of 'one law shall there be,' as being a similar right, thus that the one shall be as the other, and from the signification of 'the native,' as being one who has been born within the church, and is in its truth and good as to doctrine and as to life; and from the signification of 'the sojourner that sojourneth in the midst of you,' as being one who is being instructed in the truth and good of the church and receives them and lives according to them" (AC 8013).

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The Scope of this Project

     This is a General Church project with church-wide application.

     This report is not concerned with the implementation of the recommendations it contains. Such implementation will be the function of whatever committees may be appointed in our local societies. Naturally, we hope that such committees will be formed in every society. The Bryn Athyn society is definitely planning to do so.
     The ideas and suggestions in this report are organized under four headings: State of Mind of New Members; Needs of New Members; What We Are Doing Right; and, How We Can Improve.

State of Mind of New Members

     1.      A state of elation at having discovered the Writings-"At last, here are the answers I've been looking for. . . ."
     2.      A feeling of strangeness-"There seems to be so much to learn that's different-new customs, new practices, even new words for expressing new ideas. . .we don't know what's expected of us. . . ."
     3.      False image of New Church people-New Church people are regarded as being perfect. This can easily turn into disillusionment, so we should be aware of this characteristic.
     4.      Want to proceed slowly-Some are afraid of too much contact too fast, and wish to choose their own New Church friends.
     5.      No relatives in the church-This can be a "lost" or "lonely" feeling of not being related to anybody. It is seen that most members have many family relationships. (However, it can     be pointed out that a new member can choose his New Church friends.)
     6.      Old fears remain-Some new members have been viewing the church from "outside" for so long they do not easily give up former attitudes towards our church communities.

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     7.      Feeling of inferiority-some feel a lack of formal church education at the primary and secondary level. They feel they have missed the easy camaraderie they observe among older members, and are lacking in actual religious background.
     8.      Ignorance-New members would like to help, but often do not know where to turn, whom to ask, or what things need doing.

Needs of New Members:

     1.      To become involved in uses-This is the best way to become involved, and it is in accordance with the teaching concerning assimilation into heavenly societies. Each one finds his use by making an effort to become involved and to meet people. (To develop this type of involvement, invitations must be issued-the person needs to be invited. Newcomers are usually unwilling to push themselves forward.)
     2.      To be considered as various, and not all in one mold-There are all kinds of new members just as there are all kinds of old members. Some are assimilated easily, others not so easily. It is the same with those who have grown up in the church.
     3.      To be greeted and spoken to-Often happiness is given to a new member simply by being spoken to.
     4.      To talk about the Writings-New members are usually very excited about the Writings and love few things more than an opportunity to talk about them. It is quite a dampener to find an old member reluctant to discuss doctrine, and especially if a group seems unwilling to do so.
     5.      To have an "always available" contact (preferably a friend) in the church-It is an advantage if this person is well connected in the society and is able to give guidance as to customs, organizations, classes, contributions, news letters, how to find ministerial help with doctrinal and other problems, etc.
     6.      To be welcomed by own age group-Newcomers usually feel more at home with people of their own age group at first. Later, through these connections, they will find their way to meet those of other age groups.
     7.      To go at their own pace-It takes time to assimilate new ideas, new acquaintances, and a new organization. Only a fraction of what comes to our senses is really received. It takes time to absorb all the information that is given about organizations, customs, duties, etc.
     8.      To be invited to join organizations-New members appreciate being asked to join such organizations as the Women's Guild, Theta Alpha, or the Sons of the Academy.

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However, we should understand they may feel they are not ready to join, so it may be necessary for us to re-invite them later when they are ready for this.
     9.      More invitations into homes-Don't hold off an invitation just because you're not ready for a full-scale, formal-type "reception." Frequently a low-key, informal small-group gathering after an evening doctrinal class, or a casual "stop in for tea" meeting in your home is "just right" for a get-acquainted first meeting. The important thing to do is to get started without undue delay.
     10.      To keep learning in order to avoid superficiality.
     11.     To be accepted as an equal.
     12.     To be given simple affectional instruction, such as in the religion lessons. This would not apply to all, as it would seem like "talking down" in some cases. But if we have the idea of treating each new member as an individual, we will soon learn to identify the kind of approach that is needed.
     13.     Practice in learning hymns and social songs-A cassette tape should be ready later this year containing recordings of "Our Glorious Church," "Our Own Academy," and similar songs, to be accompanied by a printed sheet giving the words, score, and a description of how and when these are used in our gatherings.
     14.     To have a dictionary of terminology-We need working definitions of such terms as "ultimates," "remains," "proprium," etc.

What We Are Doing Right

     1.      New Church people seem comparatively good at introducing themselves and making new members welcome, especially at first. There is a continuing need, however, to "keep at it. . . ."
     2.      Private doctrinal classes are a great help in assimilating new members and in giving them opportunity to know more people.
     3.      How friendly greetings have helped newcomers has already been noted.
     4.      Those marrying into a New Church family find it easier to get to know people and become assimilated.
     5.      The baby sitting, when provided for the Sunday school and church in Bryn Athyn, is appreciated.
     6.      The general social life provided by the church is a help in assimilating new members.
     7.      The "welcome letters" sent out from the Bishop's office and (in Bryn Athyn) the Pastor's office are much appreciated. Even the routine mailings from the treasurer's office help to maintain contact.

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How We Could Improve

     Some of the conclusions under this heading are obvious from what is said under Needs. It seems too much to hope that any large society could have everybody friendly with everybody else. Social projects involving all members can be offered only occasionally, and it is marvelous that they succeed as well as they do. Smaller societies are able to do this as families much more frequently. Complete homogeneity is impossible and should not be expected.

     1.      We need to go beyond our own family. This is clearly indicated in the Writings, such as in AC 7367-7369, repeated in HH 556, HD 66-67, TCR 400 and 406.
     2.      We need to form a standing committee in each society that is constantly aware of newcomers, and does everything possible to steer them into assimilation, if desired. It would need to be sensitive to the individual needs of each newcomer and not try to categorize everyone in the same way.
     3.      We need to see clearly the difference between accepting the Writings and accepting the church organization. It often takes time to accept both.
     4.      We have to learn to accept responsibility for making new members feel at home, and to be consistent and keep up the contact.
     5.      We have to be willing to talk about the Writings where there is an obvious desire to do so.
     6.      We need to encourage an affirmative attitude toward voluntary sponsorship of newcomers. This involves keeping with "who's new in our group," and seeing to it that no newcomer is left without some friendly, available contact.
     7.      Try to see things through the eyes of a new member.
     8.      We need to avoid undue pressure, either in doctrinal instruction or in inviting people to join organizations or social groups.
     9.      We need to maintain an affirmative attitude even after a new member does not give us a warm reception. His state will probably change in due time.
     10.      We need to make a pamphlet or brochure similar to "Welcome to Bryn Athyn" available wherever possible-including a simple statement of a new member's financial obligations.
     11.      We need to find more areas in which to involve men. There are many fields available-this list is offered "for a starter": Ushers, Choir, Sound Recording, Boys' Club, Contributions, Maintenance, Set-ups for meetings, Plays, Tableaux, Musicals, Orchestra, Chauffeuring, and visiting shut-ins, the bedfast, hospitalized, etc.

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     12.      We need to provide appropriate ways to welcome new members at some community-wide function, such as Friday supper, a social celebration, or after church (with the knowledge and consent of those involved. . . .)
     13.      Encourage establishment of nursery/baby-watching facilities during church time so parents can both attend.
     14.      We need to spread the word on the great resources now available through the Religion Lessons Center at Cairncrest in Bryn Athyn.
     15.      We need to encourage all members to get to know their ministers (and their wives) and to realize that our ministers are always willing (even eager) to be of help in whatever way they can.
     16.      We need to promote discussion and experimenting with new ways and means of developing new types of group activities, such as the recent proposal from the Pittsburgh society regarding sports and games for all ages and both sexes.

The Special Needs of the Isolated

     Perhaps there is no better way to show the special needs of the isolated than to share with you the following letter from a "typical" isolated home, where the needs are pressing and acute:

     "There are some questions I have regarding the religious practice of a distant family. The religious traditions and customs of the New Church are most probably handed down through the family. As new members and distant ones, I feel the need for more guidance in developing this practice. There is a great deal more I should be doing to insure that our family grows in New Church environment and thought.
     "This need extends to the most mundane and commonplace things that you might take for granted. For example, we don't even know the blessings for our meals (we learned one from you when your family visited here). Are the blessings said in unison or by an individual? What are the accepted bedtime prayers for small children? Is there an accepted Sunday worship for a distant family? Are there unique New Church traditions for keeping the holidays that you might take for granted but would give an entirely new perspective to us!
     ". . . but more than just the internals are important in growing, and I want our son to have the shared experience of New Church children that he might be more a part of the church than I could ever be.

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It won't be easy in a town dominated by 'fundamentalist' Christians. How can I instill the idea of one God in our children when everyone around here has bumper stickers that read 'God cared enough to send his very best-Christ' or 'in case of rapture this car will be without a driver.' Oh, well.
"Please give these things some thought and we might be able to discuss them when we are together soon. As Rev. Taylor has some interest in evangelical matters you might pass this on to him. This must certainly come up with other families that develop an interest in the church and not everyone can move to Bryn Athyn. That can only be a dream for us now. My wife and I talk about moving there when we retire like others talk about going to Florida."

Conclusion

We anticipate the preparation of a set of work-sheets later this year listing all the needs of the isolated, the available "helps" already at hand, suggestions on how isolated members can most effectively use what is available, whom to write to for these materials. Your comments and suggestions are earnestly solicited on what needs of the isolated you feel are of the greatest importance in your area, and what suggestions you might offer that could make our upcoming package of the greatest use. May we hear from you? The address is: General Church Extension Committee, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009
MEMBERSHIP IN THE EDUCATION COUNCIL 1981

MEMBERSHIP IN THE EDUCATION COUNCIL Rev. FREDERICK L SCHNARR 1981

     We understand a number of members of the Education Council did not receive invitations and information about this summer's Seminar and Education Council meetings. An effort is being made to update our file which now includes over 350 addresses.
     If you are a member of the Education Council and are not on our list, or if you are uncertain about your status, etc., please contact my office.
     Sincerely,
          REV. FREDERICK L SCHNARR,
               Chairman, Education Council

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DIVINE USE OR FUNCTION OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM 1981

DIVINE USE OR FUNCTION OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM Rev. GEORGE DE CHARMS 1981

The use for the sake of which the entire animal kingdom has been created is to provide living representations of human affections and thoughts. The ultimate of life is physical sensation. Animals differ from vegetables primarily in the fact that they are endowed with organs of physical sensation. Vegetation grows under the silent direction and impulse of life, of which, however, it has no conscious sensation. The movements of plants appear to be so spontaneous and so purposeful that many have ascribed to them consciousness similar to that of animals and human beings. Scientists have discovered also that certain movements may be induced by artificial means, especially through the use of certain chemicals. Nevertheless, the actions of plants may be compared to the operations of the cerebellum in human beings, which secretly direct and control all the activities of the interior organs and viscera. Animals, on the other hand, are said to "live" because they enjoy sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, and these in some cases are far more acute than those of human beings. However, the creation of animals, like that of plants, began with the simplest and least perfect and progressed by ordered stages to those most complex and perfect.
Both vegetable and animal forms are alike in this: they are both produced from seeds, and they both draw their clothing from substances of the mineral kingdom. The seeds of both kingdoms are created in the third or ultimate spiritual atmosphere, which is the atmosphere in which natural angels live. The seeds of both are "inmost vessels receptive of life" and these vessels in their inmosts are composed of spiritual substances. Every seed may be compared to the focusing of the Divine will toward the production of a specific use. The "inmost vessel" into which and through which life inflows channels the influx with infinite wisdom to produce the form of use intended. Influx from all vegetable seeds, however, is said to operate into and through the "ether"; while influx from animal seeds operates into and through the medium of the first natural atmosphere, which centers in the natural sun and embraces the entire planetary system. As with the vegetable kingdom so with the animal: the chemical substances of the mineral kingdom, while they clothe the bodily form from inmosts to outmosts, do not thereby become living. They remain in the corpse when the body dies, returning to the earth whence they came; at the same time the life returns to its origin in the Creator.

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Nothing is actually lost. Every such form of use of which man becomes aware remains impressed upon the memory of the human mind, and becomes a means whereby all the wonders of the spiritual world come into being. This is the ultimate use for the sake of which animal forms have been created. The end product of animal life is new seed, by means of which the representative forms are reproduced from generation to generation and multiplied without limit. In this there is an image of God's infinity and of His eternal love and wisdom.
It is a grave mistake, therefore, to regard the "body" of an animal merely as a conglomeration of inert chemical substances. It is instead a living form of use. What evidence do we have that this is so? Consider: the untold varieties of animal life that exist on the earth, from microscopic insects to worms and serpents, to fish that live in the water and birds that fly in the air, to flocks of sheep and herds of cattle, to beasts of burden, and wild creatures of the forest-all of these and many, many more are clothed with substances of the mineral kingdom. In general it may be said that the same chemicals are present in all animal organisms; yet how very different the bodies are! Touch the soft and shining fur of a deer; feel the wings and feathers of a little bird; consider the wonders of a beehive and the making of honey; watch how animals know their own food and seek it out, how they care for their young and protect them-these and thousands of marvelous things displayed in the natural instincts of animals. How can anyone attribute these qualities to the chemicals of the earth? We see instead the love and wisdom of the Divine Creator, and the marvels of His Providence. We see in every animal a living form of use, marvelously constructed and ordered as to every least detail from inmost to outmost. This is the inner reality. The chemical elements are only clothing by which the form is fixed and rendered permanent, but they are by no means the thing itself. The "thing itself' is a form of inflowing life from God, displaying His love and wisdom. It is an instrument in His hand whereby to perform a natural use to men living on earth, and whereby to promote their preparation for a life in heaven. It may be said, by way of comparison, that the mineral substances of the earth are the alphabet of nature. Letters have no meaning until they are combined into words. When so combined they first represent an idea, a mental picture. The picture is not a property of the letters because very different letters can present the same picture in different languages. Words must be formed into sentences, sentences into paragraphs, and paragraphs into chapters, to extend the idea and thus "say" something intelligent.

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How different is a treatise from a jumbled mixture of letters! There is no comparison between them. The same is true of dead mineral elements. They acquire meaning as they are intelligently combined and ordered. Each such combination must be accomplished by inflowing life. The spiritual form through which life inflows, which is called a "seed," produces a vegetable or an animal form of use. This alone may be called the "body" of a living organism. To regard it as a haphazard collection of chemicals is to deprive it of all meaning. As soon as one departs beyond a mere catalogue of facts concerning the combination of chemicals and essays to explain how this happens, or why it happens, he departs from the realm of science, and enters that of philosophy. Only then does anyone really make "sense" out of his scientific observations. To do so is not a function of sense observation, but a function of the rational mind. The two are utterly distinct. No one really "understands" the bodies of vegetables or animals until he begins to perceive their use.
Animals, unlike vegetables, have a mind. They have a memory. They spontaneously recognize whatever is important to their life. They have natural affections similar to those of mankind. These are all governed by their instincts. But they have no faculty of reason. For this reason they cannot speak nor can they laugh. Their attention is focused upon everything connected with physical sensation, but beyond this they are aware of nothing. With them, therefore, when the body dies the mind also ceases to exist. They are created to perform many remarkable natural uses, uses which can never extend into the spiritual world. For this reason they do not live after death; this in spite of the fact that similar animals abound in heaven, in hell and in the world of spirits. But the explanation of this belongs to the consideration of the human kingdom.

REFERENCES

AE 1197-1212. Concerning the animal kingdom
AC 3747; HH 110; DLW 61. How animals are like men
AC 4760, 4776:4, 5850, 6323; DLW 134. Instinct in animals
AC 1902. Animals in the order of their life
AC 3646; HH 39; DLW 346. The souls of animals
DLW 340, 346; Wis. VIII:6; Love XXI; DLW 351. How animals are created

HH 104. Correspondence of animals
DLW 316. Animals are forms of use

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REVIEW 1981

REVIEW JONATHAN ROSE 1981

LIFE IN ANIMALS AND PLANTS, a translation of extracts from chapter 19 of the Apocalypse Explained by Emanuel Swedenborg, translated by John Chadwick, Swedenborg Society, London, 1981, paperback, 35 pages.

     I like this translation for a number of reasons, the foremost of which is that it is pleasant to read. The subject matter is not obscured by unusual word order or strange terminology. Swedenborg himself said in his preface to The Infinite, the Final Cause of Creation:

Here you see Philosophy reasoning about the Infinite and the soul, yet using the most familiar words and a humble style, that is, as if speaking without terms taken from philosophy's metaphysical storehouse; and this so that something unknown or lofty in the words will not hold the mind to thinking about the words themselves, or divert it from the subject matter. When a lofty topic is discussed, there must be an effort to avoid the least word that would create a hindrance; for this reason I wanted to present this most simply, and in no other way than the way people usually speak with friends.

     Swedenborg's Latin exhibits this simple style, and I am grateful to Dr. Chadwick for preserving it in this translation, rather than sacrificing simplicity to hold to the "tin word order. Dr. Chadwick's translation has a fluid relationship to the Latin, instead of a word-for-word equivalency, and yet its English style is not colloquial. This is an unusual and healthy combination.
     The subject matter of the treatise is another reason why I like it. It holds amazing truths about life and its origins. Here is a statement from no. 26 (AE 1207:2), that changed my thinking:

Nature and life are two quite distinct things. . . .

     I would also recommend this work for its introductory essay. In fewer than seven pages and with rare objectivity Dr. Chadwick presents a comprehensive statement of the underlying concepts in Swedenborg's works and points out where these concepts disagree with the modern perspective. The introductory essay renders this little book self-sufficient and ready for the scientific world.
     However, as a would-be translator, I enjoy Life in Animals and Plants mainly because it is one of those few translations that I do not mentally rearrange; I can just lie back and read.
     JONATHAN ROSE

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TWO STORIES OF CHRISTMAS 1981

TWO STORIES OF CHRISTMAS Rev. PETER M. Buss 1981

     This is the first of three articles.

(Because of the nature of the subject, I have not given references to the Writings in the body of the text. For those who would want to read the teachings of the New Word on the subject, however, statements with references are given at the end of each section.)

     There are two stories about the birth of the Lord. They are quite different, although Luke almost surely knew of the Matthew account when he wrote his gospel. It was in the Divine providence of the Lord that two such varied accounts should be written, which should harmonize so well, yet deal quite differently with the moment on which history turned. Without one, the story of Christmas would be woefully incomplete; together, they fill our need to know of His birth, and those who came to worship Him.
     We meld the stories together so well in our minds that the differences are easily missed. Here are a few.
     Matthew tells the story from Joseph's point of view. His genealogy traces Joseph's ancestry, and Mary herself is mentioned through Joseph. Joseph it is who "called His name Jesus." Luke tells the story through Mary. He seems to have talked with her or one of her close associates: how else would he know of her ponderings, or her visit to the long-dead Elisabeth? Hence his reference to those who were "eyewitnesses from the beginning." Remember also that Zacharias and Elisabeth were of Mary's family.
     There are other differences which are carefully observed. In the gospel of Luke, the angel was seen: by Zacharias, by Mary, seen with a host of heaven by the shepherds. In Matthew, Joseph saw the angel only in a dream. It happened four times: Joseph was told to marry Mary, for the Child was of the Holy Spirit; he was warned to flee to Egypt; he-was told to come back; and he was warned not to return to Judea but to go to Nazareth. The wise men too were warned in a dream not to return to Herod. None of them saw an angel while awake.
     Note what a force Herod was in the gospel of Matthew. He was troubled by the wise men, sought to kill the Lord, and when his attempt to trick the wise men failed, he wrought a terrible carnage on the babies of Bethlehem. None of this is told in Luke. Herod is simply mentioned at the beginning: "There was in the days of Herod the king a certain priest named Zacharias." No flight into Egypt, no danger, just the happy tale of His birth and upbringing.

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     There is another feature which we easily overlook. In Matthew, Joseph and the wise men were given commands. "Don't be afraid to take unto you Mary your wife." "Thou shalt call His name Jesus." "Flee into Egypt." "Arise, and take the young child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel; for they are dead who sought the young child's life." ". . . being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod. . ."
     The angels didn't give any orders in Luke. Gabriel told of an event which would happen to Zacharias. He didn't tell Zacharias to do anything, but the old priest went home and hoped that his prayer was indeed answered, and sought to have a child. Mary wasn't told to do anything, merely informed that she was to be blessed with the infant Lord. Without a command, she consented: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word." And the angel didn't tell the shepherds to go to Bethlehem; he simply told them the good tidings of great joy, and his friends filled their hearts with the song of heaven. Of course they went; with haste, and in freedom they went.
     Even the tone of the two stories is different. Luke tells of His birth, the quiet peace of that night, and the newborn Babe. By contrast, the wise men came some time afterwards, when He was in a house, and is called a "young child." They brought Him representative gifts. The story deals in events-a journey, a wicked king, a flight: it touches the understanding a little more than Luke does.

The Two Stories: Two Parts in All of Us

     Why two stories? Why such differences? Because they appeal to the different parts of us which are receptive to the Lord's birth, and the internal sense tells of how Jesus Christ is born into our wills and into our understandings. Joseph seems to represent the human understanding, and Mary that affection of truth which is the basis of our new will. So the story in Matthew tells how the Lord is born into the understanding, and Luke tells how He touches our hearts.
     Let's look at a few of the differences in the stories with this in mind. First, the angel appears in Luke, but is seen in a dream in Matthew. The angel who announced the birth represents an insight about truth from within. Such an insight is much more clouded when the understanding is dominant; when it touches the heart, it is much more clearly seen.
     Why was Joseph given commands, but Mary, Zacharias, and the shepherds merely told things, which in freedom they accepted?

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Truth that enters the understanding appears as a directive-do this, don't do that. The more it enters the will, however, the more the Lord is able to lead us in freedom. He speaks, tells us about the happiness of a good life, and we respond to the implied invitation. Note the implied invitation to the shepherds: "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord . . . . Ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." But they made the choice. "Let us now go, even unto Bethlehem."
     Herod had a lot to do with the story in Matthew, almost nothing in Luke. The understanding has the responsibility to see evil, and reject it. We ought to think about our selfishness, and our pride, and realize how they could kill what is from the Lord in us-the loves which are growing up in us. We need to be warned by insights from the Word, and try to understand the dangers that threaten the Lord in us, and escape to safety. The human understanding can know the danger of Herod-the love of self.
     Then why is Herod absent (or almost absent) from the story of Luke? It is in the Lord's amazing mercy that there are times with all of us when selfishness is just a distant memory. We know we're selfish, and battles lie ahead, and we're going to have to fight for the happiness we are seeing. But somehow there are moments when it is the joy of life we see, and it is this that we remember when the time comes to fight. Have you been in love, and felt only unselfish impulses toward the loved one? Or have you maybe sat with the Word itself in front of you, and felt in its pages the certainty of the Lord's love and of the heaven which He wants to give to you, just to you? Are there times when a friendship seems an unshakable source of joy to you, and you feel grateful to have this friend, and be able to help him or her if you're needed?
     Selfishness seems so far off. You're not being unrealistic. You know it'll come back. In the meantime you know something else: that there is a life beyond selfishness. There's a greater love that leaves self behind, and you have been allowed to feel it. Those are the moments when the Lord touches the will, and the best image of those times is Christmas night, in that stable in Bethlehem.
     So let us go on to the stories themselves. The one in Luke comes first, and it is also in two parts: John the Baptist, and then the Lord Himself.

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Luke's Story: John the Baptist

     "Behold I send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord: and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse" (Malachi 4:5, 6). With these words the voice of prophecy was stilled for 400 years, and when it spoke again, it was he whom Malachi has promised-the prophet like unto Elijah, announcing that the day of the Lord was here at last.
     John the Baptist was a herald. His purpose was to prepare the way for the Lord to be born and received on earth. In the internal sense, therefore, he represents that which prepares for the Lord's coming in us. What is it? It is the good of repentance: the good of youth. The story of John the Baptist tells of a young person's good: his trials, his problems. At the time of the Lord's Advent, the people were in evil; and a young person at the start of life is at best selfish, preoccupied with his own needs and wants and ambitions. John's story tells of a young person's first turning toward heaven. And just as the story of John is told in the shadow of the greatest event in history, so its internal sense must be seen in the light of the great joy which is to come, when the Lord is born in us.

The Promise of John

     "There was in the 'days of Herod the King." He, it was who governed Judea. He represents the dominion of self-love, with all its destructive potential. Herod is barely mentioned in Luke: to the ordinary man or woman in Judea he was a menacing presence seldom seen, but feared. He was a harsh ruler whose laws might hurt at any time.
     That's the way the love of self is in a normal, well-disposed young person. It's there. It governs, but it's not the focus of attention. We have ideals, hopes, wishes, and we don't consciously make them selfish. But selfishness rules. It might seem surprising that the Lord condescended to be born in a land ruled by an evil king; yet how much more wonderful that He cares to be born in countless millions of minds which are ruled b y a destructive self-love. He does; He lives in that same mind; and gently, so very gently, He takes command, and loves us far better than we can love ourselves.
     Zacharias was a priest in a dead church-a church which had made the Word of God of none effect through its tradition. A priest, being one who should teach truth and lead to good, represents the good of life, or one who is in good.

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Zacharias, a simple man, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless, represents the good a young person has on the threshold of adult life. For young people have a willingness to do what is right, as Zacharias had. The irony is that he served in a dead church, and so young people often serve the values of their environment. We learn ideas of goodness from others and from a confused and misguided world.
     We're taught to be kind to ourselves and our friends first. We learn an unspoken contempt of others who don't think the way we do. We are instinctively jealous of those more successful than we. We see others react with surliness or temper when they don't get what they want, or bad sportsmanship in an attempt to get what they want, and we think that's the way to behave. We allow ourselves to be subject to moodiness because "I don't feel up today." There are so many "values," or behavior patterns that are deeply at variance with the spirit of heaven, but which we grow up and espouse, and they make us doubtful that there is a genuine goodness. It would be nice if there were, but we have so many twisted motives, we doubt there is a true ideal.

     Zacharias and Elisabeth, that simple, righteous couple, had no child. They longed for one prayed for one when all hope seemed lost, but Elisabeth was barren, and they were now old.
     The good of our environment, like the good of a dead church, has no hope for the future. Where do the feelings lead which breed jealousy, moodiness, bad temper and contempt for others? If we have only natural feelings, and we think into the future and ask ourselves where they will lead us, what hope do we see? A purely natural life is a terrifying thing, if you see it against the background of seven or eight decades. It's a set of half-realized ambitions, lost illusions and disappointed dreams; a conglomeration of desires, some of which are experienced, and some not; a mixture of momentary happiness and frequent sorrow; and a lot of it is just plain boring. And given enough time, each happy feeling will come to an end.
     That's what we have to look forward to if there is no God, if there is nothing more than earthly kindness and worldly thoughtfulness. The rewards aren't very great. Life is barren, if you look into the future. "And they had no son, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years."
     But. . . .
     That's not the way things are. There is a God in heaven, and life isn't barren. While Zacharias was performing an act of worship-an act that was also his duty-an angel appeared. It hadn't happened for hundreds of years.

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He was terrified. The angel comforted him and showed that the secret of his heart was known, and he would have a son, a special boy who would turn many hearts to the Lord his God.
     Can you blame Zacharias for doubting? Picture the years slipping by in that quiet country village, month after month with hope slowly dwindling, though the wish was as strong as ever. The years had added to the disappointment, and gradually forged the conviction that his prayers had not been heard. And then an angel stood before him and said, "You'll have a son." Just like that. Now, when it seemed too late. Of course he doubted. He wanted it too much to believe immediately.
     The promise of John represents the first inkling we get as adults that there truly is an unselfish good and it can be ours. John, the good of repentance, the good of serving others, can be ours. I-I can sow the seed of such a love through my efforts. I can reject selfishness, and know ideal love. It is a great vision, and it comes to each one of us. As we have grown, we've believed in ideals, but our behavior has often seemed to contradict them. Our intellect has told us to act from charity, but there have been times when we've done just the opposite. We all feel the humiliation of sensing that our belief doesn't penetrate to our actions, and we doubt that we can be good. The hells whisper confirmation. "Of course unselfish love can't come to you. You're not a very nice person, you know."
     Yes, we do doubt that we can do the good of repentance. But the punishment of Zacharias is what persuades us. He was struck dumb.
     Dumbness, the inability to express our ideas: it represents the absence of any worthwhile speech if God can't give us ideal love. When we stop and reflect what life would be like without the Lord's love; if we think what is the purpose of all our striving, and our talking, and our theorizing; if behind it all there isn't the promise of what God can give us, then we realize we must overcome doubt. Unless we can hope for a true goodness, we might as well never speak!
     For nine months Zacharias was dumb; yet with each passing month, hope was growing stronger. Remember that he went home with hope and then Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months in case she lost the baby. All that time Zacharias was dumb-representing our awareness, as we try to live the life of repentance, of how meaningless any other kind of life is.
     We have that awareness! We say, "I will reject this evil because it's wrong." Then we keep telling ourselves that if we don't persevere, nothing else will matter in life.

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We strengthen our resolve by reflecting how pointless everything will be if we can't stand strong against this one evil. That sense of the spiritual "dumbness" of life unless we repent is a powerful spur to our attempts.

The Birth and Naming

     Then he is born, this special child with so great a mission. Yet John was only a herald. So also, the love of repentance, the enjoyment in serving others which comes to us when we repent, is not the true state of heaven. It's just a promise of the heaven which is to come once we are clean. "I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose; He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."
     The goodness which comes to us when we repent is a herald, yet it is a satisfying thing too. It is productive; it inspires us to work hard, and to meet the needs of others, and to know the contentment of doing so. As yet we don't do it in a very heavenly way. We are rather self-satisfied with the good we have done, critical of others who do things differently, very critical of those who we don't think are trying.
     Yet think how powerful is a young person's good, even though it is a mixed goodness. What is possibly the most important human use-the conception and raising of little children-is carried on when we are young and not terribly wise. Probably the uses involved in caring for little children are better performed by young people than by their more charitable parents. Why? I suspect that it is because of the strong and visible idealism that repentance brings. Children see their parents as human, fallible people who are trying; and seeing them trying to be good is a powerful, visible example.
     Maybe the difference between the love of a young person and the love of a regenerate one is indicated in the difference between the stories of-John the Baptist and John the disciple. They both represent the good of life, but the Baptist represents that good which the letter of the Word teaches, and the disciple, what the spirit reveals. John the Baptist's teachings were harsh and unyielding, even frightening; yet they contained the essentials of a good life. The disciple was led to write a gospel which declared the sovereignty of the Lord's love. "These things I command you, that ye love one another."
     Obedience and service were the message of John the Baptist. Love was the burden of the gospel of John, the disciple whom Jesus loved.

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     Now after eight days, the newborn baby was to be baptized, and everyone wanted to call him Zacharias after his father. Elisabeth, then Zacharias, both refused. "We won't name him. The angel named him. His name is John."
     This represents a struggle, and an important victory in our lives. You see, when we finally come to have the contentment which repentance brings (and contentment is the "good" of repentance), we're tempted to think, "I did it. I did it. Call this new birth after me. All the work was my own."
     If Zacharias had called the baby by his name, it would have been part of the Jewish church. He wouldn't have become the herald of the Christian church. However, he was called John, the name the angel gave, and so became a part of the new age.
     If we decide repentance comes only from our efforts, we are going to slip right back into selfishness, and fall an easy prey to the hells. Because it's nonsense: not one of us can repent by our own strength. True, John was born of man. Repentance is fathered by our determination to do what is right. But the good of repentance is a miracle: announced by an angel of God, and born when hope is low.
     John: the name represents a true goodness, and that comes only from God. We must call repentance by its true name, know where our new-found contentment comes from, and then it will fulfill its destiny.
     Zacharias didn't fail. He wrote: "His name is John." Then his tongue was loosed, and he spoke words of prophecy. We'll do that too. We think of ourselves as mundane, ordinary people; but when the spirit of contentment comes into our hearts, we will dream great dreams. We'll feel that heaven can be born in us, that one day we will know true love, and walk the lanes of heaven, and worship the God of heaven with a clear conscience. We can dream, our tongues are loosed, and we can speak of happiness to come. We can plan to be of use, and help bring happiness to others, and we can plan with the feeling that now, for us, eternity exists. We may be a part of the Lord's plan which ends in a home in heaven. Maybe now we can know the peace which comes when there is no evil love in us. "Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the Dayspring from on high hath visited us . . . to guide our feet into the way of peace."

NOTES:

1. Joseph's representation is not given in the New Testament. Joseph of the Old Testament represents the celestial of the spiritual, or the highest of the spiritual (AE 401:24).

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Also the Lord's spiritual church (AE 163; 295: 10; 316:23). It seems reasonable to assume that the same name, although in a much earlier state of regeneration, has a similar representation-the good of life from an understanding of truth. This also is the representation of a carpenter (Athanasian Creed 98).

2. Mary is said to represent the church (Canons: Redeemer IX:8). That which the Lord took from the mother which was human was the affection of interior truth (AC 4593).

3. John was the prophet sent to make ready the way of the Lord, and he did it by teaching external repentance (TCR 688, 689).

4. This preparation was essential if the Lord was to descend (TCR 691).

5. John's baptism represented the cleansing of the external man through repentance (TCR 690).

6. John's food and clothing represented the work of repentance through general truths (AC 7643; 9372:8).

7. Dumbness represents the inability to confess the Lord, from a state of falsity (AC 6988; AE 455:20). Dumbness therefore also represents ignorance of truth (AE 518:4) and a lack of intelligence (AE 587:8).

8. The truths of the infancy of a man's life are such as place himself in the first place (AC 3701). Man is also born into a natural goodness, which he inherits from parents and which has evil with it (AC 3518; for more on this good see AC 3469). Such good is exterior and therefore we might compare it to the good of a church which has outstripped its usefulness.
JOHN CLOWES AND THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION 1981

JOHN CLOWES AND THE TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION Rev. DENNIS DUCKWORTH 1981

This article is written in appreciation of the first translation into English of Swedenborg's Vera Christiana Religio by the Rev. John Clowes, M.A., of Manchester: The True Christian Religion, published two hundred years ago in 1781. Clowes wrote an autobiographical Memoir, but the most important biography is that of Theodore Compton, published in more than one edition in the latter part of the last century. This is a fine appreciation of a great man-ably, carefully, and lovingly composed; but it is plainly 'Victorian' in its views and assessments. One of the purposes of this essay will be to try to see John Clowes and the background events of his life from the point of view of our own late twentieth century.

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In many ways Clowes was a 'modern' man, and would have fit very well into the patterns and attitudes of modern life: it is the legend built up around him that makes him appear to us to be somewhat remote, old-fashioned, 'saintly,' and a little unreal.
     The Clowes family was connected with the prominent South Lancashire family of Byrom. John Byrom, Spectator essayist and composer of the famous hymn, "Christians, awake, salute the happy morn!", was a kinsman of Joseph, John Clowes' father. It was this Byrom's son, Edward, who caused St. John's Church, Deansgate, to be built in 1768/69, and who presented the living to his 'cousin,' John Clowes.
     At eighteen, in 1761, John had followed his elder brother, Richard, to Trinity College, Cambridge. He deplored the secularism of the university but enjoyed its amenities, both mental and physical. Athletics appealed to him, especially running and jumping. He made lasting friends, and graduated B.A., and then M.A. on being elected a Fellow of Trinity-a position involving the tutoring and guidance of undergraduates. A don for three years, he took Holy Orders, and was ordained by Dr. Terrick, Bishop of London. Neither the Memoir nor Compton mentions the date of the ordination: possibly 1766; it would be interesting to explore this.
     Two things are mentioned however: his breakdown in health at this time, and his personal sense of unfitness and even unsuitability for the life of the ministry. The health problem remained with him for the rest of his life: it took the form of recurrent depression and mental fatigue, alternating with exalted feeling and exquisite perceptiveness. It seems to have been a kind of epilepsy. His conviction of unfitness for a clerical calling sprang from his almost total unacquaintance with Christian theology and Sacred Scripture.
     St. John's Church was built in 1768 on the Camp Field near the Byrom mansion on the Manchester/Salford boundary. It was consecrated by Dr. Keene, Bishop of Chester, on 7th July the following year. John Clowes, now in his twenty-seventh year, came down from Cambridge to take charge, preaching his first sermon on 20th August. His depression was heavy upon him; but his disability was lifted and removed on reading the work Christian Perfection by William Law. This determined him to read and study other so-called 'mystical' writers, such as Thomas a Kempis, Francois Fenelon, and Jakob Boehme-a study that Clowes later regarded as the 'John the Baptist' period of his ministry.
     But the full sight of the 'Lamb of God' was soon to follow. Miss Byrom introduced her pastor to her friend and legal advisor, Richard Houghton, of Liverpool; and Houghton was a newly convinced and most ardent receiver of the Heavenly Doctrines of the New Church as revealed in the Latin Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg.

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Houghton advised Clowes to read Vera Christiana Religio, and the book was ordered and delivered. All summer it lay on his table at home, barely glanced at. But in October-this was now 1773-Clowes went to Wakefield in Yorkshire to visit John Smyth, a friend and pupil of the Cambridge days, and it was here, in the village of Heath, that Clowes experienced the supreme mystical event of his life-his vision of the Divine Human. This was not a personalized vision-that is to say, there was no figure or face-but it was as if a God-given glorious brightness persisted day and night. But most distinctively that brightness encompassed a phrase-the Latin words Divinum Humanum. Both the words and the brightness persisted, and in their persistence clamored for recognition. Where had Clowes seen such words before? Which Latin work contained them? Ah, he remembered: in the semi-neglected volume still lying on his study table. John hastened back to Manchester (and one would like to think, correspondentially, that he took horse and galloped all the way home across the Pennines), and at once took up the Vera Christiana Religio seriously. He was completely convinced by it. Here was the Lord Himself in His Divine Humanity. Here was 'He who baptizeth with the Holy Spirit and with fire.'
Two hundred years ago in 1781, John Clowes published The True Christian Religion, the first English translation of this work. The original manuscript is in the possession and care of the Library and Documents Committee of the General Conference of the New Church. The writing is in black ink on separate unnumbered sheets of paper, in size twelve-and-a-half by eight inches. The handwriting is uniform and distinctive, and it would seem almost certain that Clowes wrote with his pen against a ruler or straightedge. The manuscript Preface is included; and Clowes tells us that the translation took him two years to do, working straight from the Latin, and with no exemplar to follow. It is a fine attempt-not without slight blemishes and occasional misrepresentations, yet mainly sound. It has had a great influence, setting a standard for future translations, and benevolently imposing its own dignified style and vocabulary upon future English versions of the Writings of the New Church.
Clowes, of course, also acquired other works of Swedenborg in Latin, and in the course of the following twenty years translated and published the Arcana Coelestia, Conjugial Love, Earths in the Universe, and The Doctrine of Life-all pioneer works in English.

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How could the busy, popular, missionary-minded rector of a thriving Central-Manchester church find the time to give to such scholarship as all this translation demanded? The answer he himself gives is two-fold: he was helped by men, and he was helped by the angels. The help of men was in the form of amanuenses-scribes, stenographers, copyists; simply, friends devoted to their pastor, and able and willing to sit at his feet and transcribe his words. One such able amanuensis was Joseph Whittingham Salmon of Nantwich in Cheshire, a man of sterling worth, with a fine poetical command and a keen, perceptive understanding of New Church truths. Salmon's warm zeal and personal integrity contributed much to the growth and spread of the early New Church in England.
But the help of the angels was another matter. As at the time of the Lord's first advent, so also at the time of His second advent, angelic powers were used: as if the Lord, in the great work of establishing His church upon earth, did not eschew the seemingly miraculous. Swedenborg himself received Divine and angelic assistance, as is well known, and many examples could be cited. The early Fathers of the New Church seemed to be in touch with heaven: Hindmarsh, Proud, Noble, and Clowes were all clearly 'led' at times. John Clowes had a profound mystical sense, as was evident in his vision of the Divinum Humanum. He tells us that, although by nature he was a laborious scholar, in his work of translating the Arcana Coelestia the words simply flew from his pen; that, normally a plodding and conscientious composer of sermons, at this particular time he was able to preach clearly and effectively, without effort and almost without preparation. Heaven was with him, and his thoughts took wings. Indeed, he fully believed that all his work at this time-his pastoral visitation, his missionary tours, his public lectures, his private counseling-was heaven-based and heaven-blessed. His followers recognized this 'saintliness' in him, and in turn began to see for themselves something of that great spiritual world that lies within all nature. Clowes always had a great following, but it began to be evident that heaven was in that following too. Compton gives interesting accounts of 'supernatural' happenings in and around dusty Manchester in the wake of Clowes' activities (Life of Clowes, James Spiers, London, 1898: pp. 33-36).
The rectory next to the church was invaded by a host of questioners, hungry and thirsty for the truth. Mondays and Thursdays were set aside for meetings.

533

Groups were formed in Manchester and in nearby towns and villages. Clowes visited them as often as he could-once every six weeks being about average. These groups of so-called 'Six-weeks Folk' were the forerunners of some of our New Church societies still in existence today. The new doctrine of the true Christian religion was spreading; that which had been born in the study was now out in the world, vigorous and growing.
But John Clowes had his critics. The True Christian Religion, more than any other of the inspired Writings of Swedenborg, is a comprehensive and detailed statement of the whole of Christian theology, as its own sub-title clearly indicates. Clowes preached this theology from his pulpit at St. John's, and there were those-albeit few-who heard, wondered, and inwardly opposed. The pastor was reported to his supervising bishop for his 'heretical teaching.' Much of this story, with the relevant documentary evidence, is to be seen in the "New-Church Magazine," Nos. 680 and 681. Clowes was called for interview by the Bishop of Chester, Dr. Beilby Porteus-an interview in which both men showed their wisdom. The rector averred his 'Swedenborgian' beliefs; the Bishop heard him with patience and understanding: 'I see little wrong with your teaching; go home, but be careful.' This was the practical outcome of it all. Indeed, how could the true Christian religion, if faithfully and clearly expounded anywhere in the world, be seen to be wrong! Dr. Beilby Porteus became Bishop of London, and with others was instrumental in the Act of Parliament which eventually gave legal status and rights to dissenting religious bodies. It is said that he read the Writings.
The rector of St. John's was a 'non-separatist'-that is, a believer that the true Christian religion would begin to flow naturally and effectively through the channels of the orthodox Anglican Church. But in London, separation had already taken place, and the New Church existed there as a distinct denomination with distinctive practices. Clowes appealed for a non-separatist position; Robert Hindmarsh and his confederates in London replied by publishing their famous Reasons for Separating from the Old Church, etc.: In Answer to a Letter from the Friends at Manchester; by the Members of the New Jerusalem Church who assemble in Great East Cheap, London. Clowes had even traveled to London to try to persuade the New Church members in the capital not to separate, but to no avail. And from that time to this the problem of separation or non-separation has remained unsolved, in spite of much disputation and pleading for the one way or the other.

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Perhaps under Divine Providence this is as it should be: for it poses the vital and searching question of where the real church of the Lord lies. Does the true Christian religion lie in the organized church, where doctrine is clearly taught and received, and whose creeds and forms of worship are, so to speak, explicit? Or does not the Lord's New Church exist essentially with all good people in this new age of the Second Advent, as a new spirit within their hearts and lives? It is, of course, the distinction between the church specific and the church universal. Hindmarsh in London pressed for separation; Clowes in Manchester remained strictly non-separatist; both were needed. The perceptive historian will not condemn the fervent translator of The True Christian Religion for remaining an Anglican priest all his life, nor will he fail to concede to the developed and organized external New Church its rightful place in modern life.
In the middle and later periods of his busy life, John Clowes penned and published many works of New Church advocacy and defense. Dialogues of Sophron and Philadelphus, printed about the turn of the century, was on the theme of non-separation. Letters to a Member of Parliament, published about the same time, was a defense of the New Church against the calumnies of the Abbe Barruel in his History of Jacobinsim, in which the Abbe accused 'Swedenborgianism' of being the sinister influence behind the French Revolution. The theme of A Dialogue between a Churchman and a Methodist, 1802, is obvious from the title. Clowes was very fond of dialogue presentation, and made use of it in later life when writing books for children. But the rector and writer needed his recreation too, as will be seen.
Hawkstone-under-Redcastle, Shropshire, was the seat and estate of the ancient royalist family of Rowland Hill. (Hawkstone Park and the village of Weston lie on the A49 between Shrewsbury and Whitchurch.) The Hawkstone Meetings (1806-1824 and 1832-1865) formed a kind of 'sabbatical' and conference for the New Church non-separatists, John Clowes was the great inspirer of these midsummer meetings lasting two or three weeks, an inspiration which continued long after his death in 1831. The old English parkland was glorious, the Hawkstone Inn was celebrated for its hospitality, the assembled company of ladies and gentlemen was most congenial, and the chosen themes for contemplation and discussion (such as, redemption, Sacred Scripture, the Divine trinity, atonement, charity, faith, and good works) were vital and rewarding. The Hawkstone Reports are preserved entire, and are a witness to the value and graciousness of these annual assemblies.

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The sheer excellence of Hawkstone attracted many visitors to the meetings-even eminent separatists such as Joseph Proud and Samuel Noble; apparently without any loss of cordiality and friendly regard on either side. Here then was a pre-Victorian and early-Victorian event with a modern ring about it-a summer school, retreat, or seminar, not dissimilar in aim and character from the equivalents of our own times. So moved by the whole experience was Joseph Whittingham Salmon that, in 1817, he composed and published a long lyrical poem in the manner of Wordsworth: "On the Beauties of Hawkstone Park. A poem in celebration of the annual New Church meetings held in this place."
John Clowes was offered a bishopric by William Pitt, but declined to accept it, preferring simply to keep his Manchester pastorate. His influence in that city and throughout the whole of the North of England increased as the years passed by, and he was loved and revered as a holy man of God. He never married. He loved music, and he loved little children. He was fond of a game of chess. His health-always indifferent-deteriorated as he grew older. He had a droll humor, and was a very pleasant and entertaining companion. He saw the Lord's New Church as a great spiritual movement, affecting all men, and bringing the blessings of truth, faith, and peaceful love into the world. To him this was the true Christian religion-and who would dare to say that he was mistaken? He died on 28th May 1831, and his body was laid in the churchyard at St. John's. A memorial tablet placed in the church contains a fine eulogy, from which the following words are taken: "As a learned scholar, a finished gentleman, a luminous writer, an impressive preacher, a vigilant pastor, a spiritual moralist, and a practical Christian Divine, he gave real evidence that 'Godliness hath the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.'"
But what of The True Christian Religion? It is difficult to say what was Clowes' most lasting work: his rectorship at St. John's as a 'Manchester man'; his zeal and advocacy in forming groups and societies in the great circle of South Lancashire; or his pioneer work in translating the Writings of the New Church? He was the first to translate the Arcana Caelestia, that great fountain-head of New Church exegesis and doctrine, and the first to translate what has been called 'Swedenborg's magnum opus', The True Christian Religion. This latter ran into about eight editions, including one or two revisions, in the hundred-or-so years of its existence and use. America had its translation by T. C. Worcester in 1833, leading up to the handsome Rotch edition of 1896.

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At the beginning of the present century the Swedenborg Society published a new translation by Isaiah Tansley, and in 1936-following a revision by Frank Bayley the work appeared as No. 893 in the Dent's Everymans Library series. The most recent translation is that of W. C. Dick, Swedenborg Society 1950, published both in standard form and in two volumes paperback. Currently the work is being revised.
     All the works from Swedenborg's pen are eminent, but The True Christian Religion is eminent and satisfying in its own distinctive way. As a work of Christian theology it is doctrinal and even credal in its subject matter and treatment. It is wonderfully illustrative-rich in its examples from the world of nature, and rich in its memorabilia from the spiritual world. Not only Swedenborg the theologian is speaking, but Swedenborg the gardener and natural historian, and Swedenborg the seer. Here too we have the dearest references to the distinctive role and use of the Lord's New Church, in the section on "The Consummation of the Age": here is Swedenborg's clearest definition of his 'call' (No. 779); and here is the famous Memorandum (No. 791), like the seal and signature upon the work.
     What is the relevance of The True Christian Religion for the world of today? How does the doctrine it contains relate to modern conditions and standards of life? Does the phrase Divinum Humanum mean anything to twentieth century man, embroiled as he is in mundane concerns and competitive living? The answer is that The True Christian Religion is particularly relevant. More than anything else, this great work-first translated in Manchester two hundred years ago-is one of practical Christian ethics and morality. It shows the nature of the one God, seen as the Lord Jesus Christ in His Divine Humanity; it treats of the Sacred Scriptures as God's own revelation of truth for all men; and it delineates the life of charity and usefulness leading to human salvation. The True Christian Religion expounds its own straightforward title, and is a guide and practical handbook to a sound religious life. There is no other theological work so profound and comprehensive, so rational and immediately practical as this magnum opus from Swedenborg's pen. All the ills of modern life-from political adventurism to industrial strife, from violent anarchy to the exploitation of the masses-are traceable to man's rejection of God and God's laws.
     What the world so sorely needs is The True Christian Religion-not simply the book, of course, but the ideals and standards of genuine religion for which the book so eloquently pleads.

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EDITORIAL PAGES 1981

EDITORIAL PAGES Editor 1981

     NEW CHURCH LIFE
     TRUE CHRISTIAN RELIGION TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH

     I hope that many readers own or have access to the brilliant production entitled Towards a New Church University. This "Centennial Album" was published by the Academy in 1976. On page 10 there is a striking picture of John Clowes together with a picture of William Cookworthy and a nimble sketch by Sanfrid Odhner of the part these two men played in New Church history.
     Last October our editorial was on Cookworthy. This year we would mark an important anniversary by invoking the words of Clowes (the remarkable man treated of elsewhere in this issue).
     We characterized Cookworthy last year as "the first New Church translator." John Clowes, however, may be called the great pioneer of New Church translating. When he came on the scene (the year following Swedenborg's death) the few people who read the Writings read them for the most part in Latin. When he died, all of the Writings had been translated into English, and probably most of the reading of the Writings was in translations by John Clowes.
     We salute the Swedenborg Foundation for publishing in this historic year an attractive paperback of True Christian Religion. The book has existed for 210 years in Latin and for 200 years in English. The Foundation has done a reprint of the translation many of us have grown up with, one we find familiar and satisfying. (When one digs back seventy-five years for the reviews of this translation one finds that it was a bit too modern for some people's tastes at the turn of the century.)
     John Clowes, who spent eighteen years translating the Arcana Coelestia and who introduced the word "conjugial" into the English language in 1794, chose for his first translation True Christian Religion.

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You can sense the motivation of this man in reading the translator's preface which he penned 200 years ago, the conclusion of which we will quote presently. And you can understand why he chose this work to translate first when you consider the story.
     The book Vera Christiana Religio had changed the course of his life. He is said to have read the whole book virtually at a single sitting. The story of his coming to read it is deservedly one of the better known stories of New Church history. (The biographies of Swedenborg by Trobridge and Sigstedt are among the several places in which it is recounted.) Remember that the Latin volume was not a crumbling old one. Only months had passed since this book had been transported to England by sailing ship from the printers in Amsterdam. Clowes was one of the first people to read the new work and to find the message proclaimed by the disciples: "Dominus Deus Jesus Christus regnet, cujus Regnum erit in saecula saeculorum."
     In telling the story himself Clowes wrote, "The delight produced in my mind by the first perusal of the work entitled the Vera Christiana Religio, no language could fully express. In proceeding from the chapter [with which the work begins] on the Creator and on Creation, to the succeeding chapters on the Redeemer and on Redemption, on the Divine Trinity, on the Sacred Scriptures or Word of God, on the Decalogue, on Faith, on Charity, on Free-will, on Repentance, on Reformation and Regeneration, on Imputation, on Baptism, on the Holy Supper, on the Consummation of the Age and the Advent of the Lord, it seemed as if a continual blaze of new and re-creating light had been poured forth on my delighted understanding, opening it to the contemplation of the sublimest mysteries of wisdom, in a manner and degree, and with a force of satisfactory evidence, which I had never known before." (See Documents II p. 1168.)
     Could other people share what Clowes had found upon reading that book? Not if they did not read Latin. Availability of the Writings in English was a vital matter for the growth of the New Church. When in 1784 Robert Hindmarsh and his associates distributed cards telling of their reading meetings they had printed on the back of the cards a list of all the works that were available in English. There were only half a dozen. On the top of the list was: "True Christian Religion, containing the Universal Theology of the New Church. 2 vols., quarto, 14 shillings."
     Clowes had the ability and the resources to open the crowning work of the Writings for English-speaking people.

539

And he had the love! On this two hundredth anniversary let us take time to consider thoughtfully the final paragraph of his prefatory exhortation to the reader.
"Let him only read with an humble, sincere, and unprejudiced mind, hungering and thirsting after heavenly things, more than after the things of time and sense; let him put away from him the spirit of carnal wisdom and prudence, from which the things of God will be ever hid, and put on the spirit of a little child, to which alone they are revealed; let him be but candid enough to allow that God alone knows the times and the seasons when it is expedient to make His will further known unto men; let-him but examine and ponder seriously the variety of important matter presented to him in the following volumes, and mark the blessed effect it has a tendency to produce in his heart and life; then we have good reason to promise him he will be convinced by an evidence of Divine Truth in himself, infinitely surpassing that of any human testimony whatever, that the enlightened Author of the work before us, being himself first taught of God, was by Him commissioned in these latter days of sin and darkness to teach others; by preaching to them anew the everlasting gospel of repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the manifested JEHOVAH, and hereby to proclaim the Lord's Second Advent for the establishment of His Church, the New Jerusalem, here on earth. He will not therefore seek for, because he will not want, any other credentials of the authority of Baron Swedenborg's testimony than what the light and power of truth bring along with them; for herein he will discover an evidence of Divine commission and illumination far superior to that which the working of miracles, or the rising of one from the dead, could afford; and under the conviction of this evidence he will no longer ask why God suffered such things to be so long concealed; but being made sensible of their excellence, and perceiving their inexpressible value in his own mind, he will be thankful to God continually that they are now further revealed, and will labor to shew himself worthy of them, by suffering them so to influence his life and conversation, that by their doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness, the man of God may be more thoroughly furnished unto every good work.
"That such may be the blessed effect of the following pages is the hearty prayer of THE TRANSLATOR."

540

WORD "CONJUGIAL" 1981

WORD "CONJUGIAL" Mrs. G. P. DAWSON 1981

     COMMUNICATIONS
Dear Editor:

     In the September issue of NEW CHURCH LIFE an article by Rev. K. P. Nemitz refers once again to the term "conjugial" and to its usage in the New Church. It is a subject of great interest here at the Swedenborg Society.
     May I take the liberty, therefore, of enclosing a copy of a letter on this subject which was written 26th November, 1979, and sent to the then acting editor of the LIFE? The original letter may have gone astray in the post, for it did not appear in print. However, as the topic is once again under discussion in the pages of the LIFE, perhaps you will find the letter relevant-even at this late date. It read:
     In the issue of October 1979 on page 446 (footnote 3), Dr. J. Durban Odhner refers to A Translator's Guide published by the Swedenborg Society in 1975. In this booklet, seven pages are devoted to the word conjugialis, twelve pages to caelestis, etc. These pages represent careful study by New Church scholars, some of whom have worked in the field of translating the Writings for many years, and I feel that Dr. Odhner has been rather unfair in lumping together some of their conclusions as samples of "non sequitur reasoning"; in giving misleading impressions of these; and in not noting any of the carefully reasoned arguments for some of these points. While it is true that the points themselves may be "non sequitur," some of them are nonetheless worth considering and should not be dismissed so lightly. To take but one example, the use of the soft vowel "i": Dr. Odhner apparently chooses to ignore completely references which indicate why Swedenborg may have been led deliberately to insert the "i" and the arguments thus inferred which might justify the retention of the distinctive word "conjugial" in English translation. (See SD 1147, 1645, 1646.)
     It was evident, however, that Dr. Odhner wished to base his argument on linguistic grounds and no doubt this is the reason he omitted reference to this and other points. But, purely linguistically, there are other valid arguments for the retention of the word "conjugial" now so well-loved in the New Church. To illustrate this point may I close with Dr. Chadwick's note on the word conjugialis as it appeals in the above-mentioned Translator's Guide.

     "We have in Swedenborg many words which are either unusual in Latin or are used in a special sense.

541

We have to decide whether they are technical terms which must always be rendered in the same way or whether they are to be left to the translator's judgment.
     "Suppose we start with a rather rare Latin word which Swedenborg consistently employs in place of a more familiar Latin form-the adjective conjugialis used in preference to conjugalis. First it is worth noting that the normal classical word is conjugalis, but its metrical shape prevents it from being used in dactylic verse, since it contains a cretic (long, short, long): hence the poets occasionally substitute conjugialis for it. Coniugalis is a normal adjectival derivative from conjux 'a married person, spouse'; conjugialis is derived in the same way from conjugium, 'marriage.' In English 'conjugal' is a rather rare term, hardly surviving in 20th century usage except in terms such as 'conjugal rights'; 'conjugial' is a word coined by translators of Swedenborg to represent conjugialis. There is little doubt that conjugialis amor means 'the love which is appropriate or peculiar to persons in the married state.' The question is how to substitute a short term for this cumbersome periphrasis. 'The love of marriage' involves an ambiguity; 'marriage love' is a curious expression which will surprise most English speakers; hence the idea of coining a new word specifically for this purpose, in order to emphasize that this is a kind of love for which we have, as it happens, no straightforward equivalent. There are many parallels in English where a simple, usually Anglo-Saxon, noun has a learned adjective derived from the corresponding Latin root: night/nocturnal, year/annual, time/temporal, twilight/crepuscular. Why not then marriage/conjugial?"
     MRS. G. P. DAWSON,
          Secretary, Advisory and Revision Board,
          Swedenborg Society, London
USING THE NAME JESUS 1981

USING THE NAME JESUS GWEN CRAIGIE 1981

Dear Editor:

     I read with interest the editorial in NEW CHURCH LIFE (Dec. 1980) which dealt with the use of the name "Jesus." It seemed to me a useful approach and I was quite affirmative to the ideas presented.
     However, having recently attended a service at which the prayers were addressed to "Jesus," I find myself very disturbed.
     Certainly there are many appropriate times to use the name, particularly, as Bishop de Charms suggests, with children, but to substitute "Jesus" for "Jesus Christ" or "the Lord" seems to me to bring our minds to the lower plane of the Lord's earthly life.

542

     Throughout the Word we have the duality of good and truth, of love and wisdom; the name of Jesus Christ mirrors this duality for us. Why should we discard the Wisdom of the Lord in favor of His Love? They are indivisible.
     There is a tendency in the world to do away with all formalities, including the formal method of addressing one another. Christian names are used toward everyone regardless of relationship, age or position. Has this tendency crept into our thinking in the church? Do we, unconsciously perhaps, wish to reduce the Lord a little so that He will be closer to being one of us?
     I think that we in the New Church worship not Jesus of Nazareth but the risen Lord God Jesus Christ.
     GWEN CRAIGIE,
          Islington, Ontario, Canada
SWEDENBORG SOCIETY 1981

SWEDENBORG SOCIETY 1981

     Report of the 171st Annual General Meeting, Saturday, 9th May, 1981.
The 171st annual general meeting was held on Saturday, May 9th, 1981, at 3:00 p.m. Thirty-four members attended. Mr. P. L. Johnson, President of the society, was in the chair and the meeting was opened with the Lord's prayer, led by the Rev. C. H. Presland.
     Mr. D. F. C. Mann, chairman of the council, presented the council's report for 1980. He spoke first of the new English translation of the Arcana Coelestia, the first volume of which is almost ready to be sent to the printer. This new translation involves a tremendous amount of work and it is encouraging to have reached the stage where publication is about to begin.
     During the year the council had decided to reprint The Swedenborg Epic by Cyriel Odhner Sigstedt and this will shortly be available. Mr. Mann went on to say that the society had again supplied a stock of books for sale at the General Conference's stand at the Festival for Mind, Body and Spirit, resulting in the sale of some 103 books and booklets. There had been a gratifying increase in the number of members during the year, bringing the total to over 1000 for the first time in the society's history.
     Mr. Mann referred next to the prices of the society's publications. Compared with book prices in this country, our prices are very low. There has been some evidence, however, that in other countries our prices are comparatively high, due partly to the high rate of the pound, and this problem has been discussed by the council.

543

During the year the council had considered also the matter of presentation of the books and the preparation of new dust jackets for some of the publications had been put in hand.
     During the year under review, Mr. Mann said, the council had held a special meeting to discuss policy matters; this had been a very fruitful meeting and it had been decided to hold three such meetings a year, for debate on fundamental, long-term issues. Matters discussed at the policy meeting had included advertising, alternative bindings, provision of more meetings, promotion of membership, pricing policy and difficulties in reading Swedenborg. Referring to the latter subject, Mr. Mann said that the council had spent a considerable amount of time discussing paraphrases of the Writings, greatly assisted by work done by Dr. P. A. Gardiner. The prime work of the society is to publish the Writings of Swedenborg in accurate translations from the Latin and many members consider paraphrasing and interpretation to be the business of other organizations. As a provisional conclusion it had been decided to consider the production of introductory booklets, similar to The True Christian Religion Table of Contents, and it was hoped that this would be a way of bridging the gap between an initial interest in Swedenborg and the actual reading and studying of the Writings, without detracting from the main work of translating and publishing these works.
     Mr. Mann said that he hoped that members would see from this that the council does endeavor to introduce new ideas and does not just go on in the same way year after year.
     The Tercentenary in 1988 had also been under discussion and members of the council had had a meeting with representatives from New Church organizations to consider the matter. The society and the New Church feel that the Tercentenary will provide a unique opportunity to bring Swedenborg before the general public in a wider and more dramatic way than is usually possible and this may be a means of drawing people Po a knowledge of the Writings.
     The honorary treasurer, Mr. F. B. Nicholls, then read the auditors' report and presented the annual accounts and balance sheet. Commenting on the accounts, Mr. Nicholls said the three most important things to note were inflation, inflation, inflation. The society has the same problem which faces all charities: costs going up all the time and income not always keeping pace.

544

     Turning to the income and expenditure account, the treasurer noted a useful increase in investment income; receipts from the sale of books was disappointingly static. Printing bills had been relatively low during the year under review but property expenses were all up and the cost of repainting the outside of the building had been very high. General expenses were nearly all up and after transferring L6,500. to the Arcana Caelestia printing reserve, there remained a modest surplus of L484. which had been transferred to the general fund. The latter fund had again been usefully increased, mainly by gifts and legacies, for which the council was most grateful.
     Mr. Nicholls said that so long as the society does not do a large amount of printing it could keep going without using capital but when something big comes along the council has to consider the matter carefully. The publication of the new English Arcana Caelestia was a very big undertaking and the gift of L500, from the Sydney society had been a most welcome addition to the special reserve for the printing of this work, now standing at L17,000. This reserve may pay for one volume.
     Mr. Mann said that he thought more could be done to advertise the society in New Church periodicals and we should certainly take advantage of free time offered on BBC Radio London. He mentioned a proposal to produce a video-tape film about Swedenborg which had been considered by the council during the year and said that this whole area of advertising needs to be explored further. The council had tried various ways of advertising to the general public but with very little result. Very few bookshops are prepared to stock our books but catalogues could certainly be sent to major bookshops.
     Rev. J. E. Elliott summarized his progress in the translation of the Arcana Caelestia. He said that he had reached various stages in different volumes of the work. It is hoped that volume I will be published in 1982. The second volume should also soon be ready for printing. In his translation he was working on chapter 40 and when this is completed he will be halfway through the complete work. Mr. Elliott was warmly thanked for his summary.
     The President, Mr. P. L. Johnson, then gave his address, entitled . . . "A Swedenborgian View of Pre-History."
     Mr. Mann proposed a vote of thanks to the president for his address and for his services during the year and this was approved with applause. The meeting was closed with a benediction pronounced by the Rev. Dennis Duckworth.

545

Church News 1981

Church News GWEN CRAIGIE 1981

     TORONTO

     Leavetakings and welcomings seem to be frequent events in the Olivet society.
     The early months of 1981 brought two leavetakings which affected us all very deeply. Mrs. Ernest Zorn (Ruby) and Mrs. Ted Bellinger (Lenore) were both taken very suddenly into the spiritual world, Ruby on January 14th and Lenore on April 8th. They were faithful friends always to be relied on for countless uses and will be sorely missed. We know, however, that they both were looking forward longingly to being reunited with their husbands who preceded them so many years ago.
     Less final leavetakings were those of Rev. Robert McMaster with Brenda and Emily, and of Mrs. Barbara Synnestvedt. Robert goes to take up the pastorate of Michael Church in London, and Mrs. Synnestvedt goes to Bryn Athyn to resume teaching there after several years at the Olivet Day School. Even less final is the departure of Robert and Gladys Scott who go to take up residence in Caryndale; they will still be our neighbors and we hope to see them often.
     It is a happy thing that the departure of our friends does bring the arrival of some others to take their places. We have already had the pleasure of welcoming Rev. A. W. Schnarr and Gretchen and their two little ones. Now we look forward to welcoming Miss Barbara Pendleton who will be our teacher for the intermediate grades. It has been a pleasure, too, to welcome back Kathi and Roj Miller from the west coast. They are nearby in Guelph and we see them frequently.
     Welcomes were also given to two babies who were baptized-Jordan Robert McDonald on November 3rd, and Heidi Lorena Schnarr on January 11th.
     Robin Childs was also welcomed as a member of the General Church when he made his confession of faith on November 16th.
     Weddings are joyful times and two of our Karens were married. Karen Children to Jack Elder of Detroit and Karen Jorgenson to Wynne Hyatt of Washington, D. C. Now we look forward to the wedding of Alexandra Hamm to Wayne Anderson which will take place on July 11th.
     Bishop King visited us over the weekend of February 13th-15th. While he was here he officiated at the ordination into the second degree of Rev. Robert McMaster and of Rev. Allison Nicholson. This was a most moving service and one which we all felt privileged to witness.
     Rev. Nicholson has been with us now for just on two years. His assignment has been to establish an evangelization program for the Olivet society. We can say wholeheartedly that he, very much assisted by his wife Pat, has done a remarkable job. A sermon-mailing program, a library program, a bookstore program, advertising, missionary services and door-calling in the neighborhood of the church have all been successfully undertaken.
     A climax to this excellent work was reached on June 10 at a special meeting of the society when it was found that sufficient funds and sufficient volunteer help would be forthcoming to establish a book center in Toronto. A resolution was passed approving the setting up of such a center and the hope was expressed that it could be established in the area of the University of Toronto, as it is among students that there seems a good prospect for a response to the message of the Writings.
     This is a big step and a big responsibility for our society but the optimism and enthusiasm it inspires for a significant spreading of the doctrines is a reward in itself.
     GWEN CRAIGIE

546

SWEDENBORG SOCIETY 1981

     Announcements

proudly announces a reprint of the popular biography
THE SWEDENBORG EPIC
by Cyriel Odhner Sigstedt

Price $12.85 postpaid
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549

NOTES ON THIS ISSUE 1981

NOTES ON THIS ISSUE Editor 1981

NEW CHURCH LIFE
Vol. CI November, 1981 No. 11

550

     The Magnificat becomes in the context of this issue "a prayer of thanksgiving" (p. 570). This is in the second of three articles on the two Christmas stories. The sermon this month ends in an expression of "the glad ness of gratitude." "How greatly do the privileges of our churchmanship counterbalance our struggles and our infirmities!" (P 557)
     But why would an editor print a sermon from the past with so many current sermons to choose from? By the time you have read two pages of this sermon perhaps you will be asking instead, "But why hasn't this sermon ever appeared in print before?"
     The address by Mr. Robert Smith of Glenview has no title, but "Commencement Address" does nicely for a speech which emphasizes a beginning for each individual.
     When we think of graduates, we next think of employments, a subject treated of in the article on discrimination between uses. "Any New Churchman, regardless of how he is employed, need not be concerned as to how external or how internal the form of his occupation may be, since he is now free to see the inward extension of all uses . . . . One example of how this teaching applies in daily living is in the use of a mother in the home" (p. 583).

     *************

     Christmas suggestion. "One of the best Christmas gifts is a good book" (p. 602). For one dollar you can buy the new booklet of definitions of terms : used in the Writings. The work of gathering these definitions was done by the late Cairns Henderson. We hope to review this booklet, "New Church Vocabulary," in the future.
     The Swedenborg Foundation has come out with two new paperback editions of books by Dr. Wilson van Dusen, 731e Presence of Other Worlds, and 7he Natural Depth in Man.
     Towards a New Church University, the "Centennial Album" mentioned in last month's editorial is available from the Academy Book Room for only $5.00. It would be hard to find a better Christmas buy than that.
ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING GLENN HALL HOUSE PARENTS 1981

ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING GLENN HALL HOUSE PARENTS 1981

Mr. and Mrs. T. Redmile are retiring after seven years of devoted service. Women or couples wishing to apply for this position should, contact Miss Morna Hyatt, Box 278, Bryn Athyn.

551

WHAT IS MAN? 1981

WHAT IS MAN? Rev. WILLIAM WHITEHEAD 1981

     When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
     What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
     For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor. (Psalm 8:3-5)

     The meditations of a Hebrew king are set before us in a psalm. The king turns away from his court, the lights of his palace, and the petty things of the day. He looks out into the night. And as he looks upon the moon riding in its orbit, and the myriads of silver worlds traveling in the profound silence of the sky like an infinity of dustmotes that float in a shaft of light, a sense of the mysterious and immeasurable deeps of the physical universe comes upon him; and he cries aloud, as poets, prophets, and scientists have done for countless centuries, "What is man, that thou art mindful of him?"
     The psalmist's words are the basis and containant at once of man's highest beliefs and his deepest scepticisms.
     The unfolding or evolving of nature's forces, the penetration of its mysteries, the reading of the reasons for its seemingly infinite modes of progression-these goals have inspired alike man's noblest worships and his darkest rebellions against his Maker.
     And this age-long quest after the truths of nature and of man has ever gone beyond what it was necessary for him to know in order that he might live in safety and security. A deathless curiosity-an insatiable love of acquiring the truth of things-has led men to delve into nature until they have found in it what they sought, or, failing, died in the midst of their unfulfilled hopes.
     The history of human knowledge is filled with countless moral heroisms and great civic deeds performed by men of knowledge. Many times in human history, men of science who genuinely loved truth for its own sake have performed great uses to mankind, even in the face of the hatred of religious zealots and bigoted churchmen, even indeed to their own suffering and death.
     The blood of these martyrs has often been the seed of a truer knowledge of the book of nature, or a better understanding of the written Word of God. That men afterwards sowed tares in the same field in which this blood was spilled did not detract from the work which had been done, or from the seed of truth which was sown.

552

     Many minds have, during many centuries, contributed to man's knowledge of the facts and laws of the development of nature and of man.
     For the idea of an orderly development of this natural world and its universe has been present in man's thought as a conscious, rational concept since the days of the early Greek philosophers and even beyond-at first vaguely, loosely, and in relation only to the principles of creation and of being. But afterwards, especially after the long lethargy of the mediaeval mind, men plunged into a closer study of the effects produced in nature-into a more minute observation of the natural forms of all uses. And as the tools and methods of observation improved and experience increased, science branched out into many fields of knowledge, as physics, chemistry, astronomy, geology, biology and anthropology, with all their attendant studies, until today the natural history of all known created things in our own solar system may be expressed with precision in physical terms as parts of a vast mechanical process.
     And not only this. All this accumulation of natural knowledges has been harnessed to the uses of man-both good and evil-so that the civil states in western civilization rock and vibrate with a speed and intensity of life in which men sometimes seem to themselves to be as gods, acting in the place of Providence in everything, exploring everything, daring everything, if necessary to themselves destroying everything, and knowing everything-knowing every- thing save whence life comes, and what is its ultimate meaning, and whither it goes after death.
     These last reservations in our knowledge-the whence, the why, and the whither of man's life-bring us to the province of religious faith and experience. And here it was, on the boundary line that so far had divided science and religion, that a bitter conflict arose-a conflict between the old theology and the new science-a conflict that had increased ever since the Renaissance-a conflict in which the uses of the state and the claims of organized religion collided again and again. And, especially because of the materialistic philosophies which came to be attached to man's knowledges of natural sciences, theological pride fought and still fights a losing battle against scientific self-assurance. Thus thousands are losing the protective faith of childhood in a spiritual war more deadly to the interests of the human race than the clash of armies or the meeting of hostile forces in national or racial combats.
     For it is the great illusion of this scientific age that there should be no illusions; that even children should be given an unconscious bias against religion on the pretense of withholding the knowledges of religion until they are able to form their own judgment, though no such caution is shown in flooding their minds with the anti-spiritual judgments of popular knowledge.

553

     Day by day, simple faith is being inundated with the flood of sensual truths, even as the Egyptians were drowned in the midst of the Red Sea; so that faith in the invisible world of man's soul threatens to perish from the Christian world.
     Yet this conflict will not cease-as indeed no conflict ceases-until the Divine truth has prevailed.
     No human authority, whether theological or scientific; no creed or formula; no set of merely man-made interpretations can stand against the truth, save for a time. For no man can establish or disestablish a truth by invoking the mere fiat of human authority, whether it be a council of priests or a council of scientists. It is a fact of history that truth ignores men's fiats, whether made against it or on its behalf. Truth proceeds calmly on its Divine way, being itself its only authority, awaiting its own appointed time for reception by men in freedom, according to their reason and their state.
     Thus it is never the truth, but only man's false or imperfect understanding of the truth that perishes in combat. It is not truth that dissolves but only man's concept concerning the truth. If a man's spiritual faith is uprooted by men's theories of nature, then it is a sign that his faith was no deeper than nature, and had no roots deep enough to stand the storm. But herein is the hope for truly religious men-that it is only the Divine truth of revelation, or the Word of God which endureth forever. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but ever to be considered are the heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars which Thou hast ordained.
     Thus when men's theories of nature appear to conflict with Divine revelation, let man say, with Gamaliel of old, "If this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God" (Acts 5:38-39).
     Is then, for example, such a well-known scientific concept as the doctrine of evolution inimical to spiritual faith? For, in general, it essays but to trace the history of the steps by which any living organism or group of organisms has acquired its distinguishing characters, as in the development of a race, species or other group.
     Insofar as this concept is genuinely based upon the book of nature, it expresses certain fundamental truths of nature, and has stimulated an enormous development of historical knowledge, though it implies more than the evolutionists yet know.

554

But insofar as its facts are interpreted in the light of certain naturalistic theories of life and creation, it has been turned into an enormous falsity, to encompass man's spiritual undoing.
     Evolution is a universal law of nature. For all the processes of the kingdoms of nature-whether of the mineral, vegetable or animal kingdoms, including the life of man himself-take place according to definite, general laws, and by no means according to some haphazard, arbitrary and continuous series of Divine fiats-those fiats in which literalistic theologians believe as essential to the Christian position.
     These processes indicate that behind all nature there is a living force by which all things seek to ascend to a higher destiny-an impelling force which, triumphing over all death and decay, moves toward some far-off event "to which the whole creation moves."

     Thus there is implanted in every effect of nature a conatus or endeavor to return to its end. This law is not only universal but also most particular; it is operative wherever there is freedom of motion. It is seen in the forces of the solar system, in all the activities and operations of physical nature, as well as in the blood and animal spirit of the human body. There is not only a striving, as it were, of the entire earth to return to the sun, its source, but of all things in and on the earth; this is seen especially in the growth of plants and animals. In all this there is a casting off, rejecting that which is gross, in order that the interior, imprisoned forces may rise into activity. Evolution therefore is but the process of death and resurrection, seen under a universal aspect.
     And yet these forces have seemed to prove to many men that nature is, as it were, simply a continuous ladder from its lowest factor to its highest animal form; and that man himself-falling far short of the psalmist's vision-is but the last and highest effect of the continuous progression of matter in its eternal ascent-matter whose ultimate origin or destiny no man knows. This appearance of an eternal unrolling or evolving of self-propelling forces has captivated the mind of western learning. Because man's sense experiences seemed to afford the only proof of truth, the only authority in the world of learning-especially since the progressive breakdown of religious faith-the way was paved for a purely sensual idea of science and philosophy.
     This anti-spiritual attitude has been popularized. Even simple people, and the very children, are invited by various educational processes to grasp the wonderful discovery of a self-starting universe, beginning in fixed points of matter and ascending by its own infinite self-wisdom and self-love to crowning achievement in our twentieth-century race-whose nations grow more and more skillful in treacherously destroying each other through new and powerful truths of nature discovered by science.

555

     Even in the religious world, the mind of man is darkened by egotistic dreams of unrolling and evolving the god that is within himself, so that man may see himself to be his own Christ, his own redeemer, and ultimately his own creator and providence.
     To any truly intelligent man who is not already overpowered by the persuasion that the five senses of man are the only Divine test and authority for truth, such dreams will inspire but an instinctive distrust and repulsion. And he will cry as Paul the apostle cried, "What advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink: for tomorrow we die" (I Cor. 16:32).
     This agnostic interpretation of evolution is a negation of all true religion. It is a denial that there is a Supreme Creator and Preserver of the universe. It is a denial that Divine revelation comes directly to man in any Bible or in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a denial of a spiritual world, and consequently of any life after death. It is a denial that man is a free agent, of immortal faculties, made in the image and likeness of God; or that he has dominion over anything, save the ability to be conscious of his own sense-existence for a pitiful fraction of time, and perhaps to improve those sense-conditions for the pitiful successors to his fate.
     Yet the chief and crowning work of all creation is man-not as a being destined to live for a strikingly short space of time, acquiring little and leaving nothing, but man as an immortal spirit, capable of receiving endless spiritual life and use from God. The glory and honor with which he is said to be crowned signifies truth and good, and the reason why both are mentioned together here is that together they form the heavenly marriage, which is the conjunction of truth and good (AE 288).
     Thus of the highest measure of faith and charity, doctrine and life, wisdom and goodness that religion can carry us to, it is written: "They shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it" (Rev. 21:26).
     So the psalmist expresses it: "Yet thou hast made him a little less than God; and with glory and honor hast thou crowned him."
     It is this state to which the member of the church aspires; this is the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, toward which his face is turned. This is the "prize of his high calling," as in the midst of the cares of secular life he "reaches forth [like the apostle] unto the things that are before."

556

     But this high estate is to be contrasted with the humility of the psalmist's words. "What is man that thou art mindful of him?" The word "man" in this place is derived from a root which signifies to be infirm or feeble, to labor under frailty and limitation. The lower state in which man is by nature or when left to himself is compared with the glory and honor to which man may be elevated by the Divine care and mercy. What is feeble man that Thou art mindful of him? What is the son of Adam that thou visitest him? For the word "Adam" signifies that man was formed from the ground, or that, by regeneration from the Lord, he was made truly a man, who was not so previously (See AC 313).
     Thus it is here implied that notwithstanding the low estate into which man is by nature born-notwithstanding that we are biased by a multitude of hereditary evils awaiting only the stimuli of loves of self and of the world to break into crimes against the neighbor and against the Lord-still the constant effort of the Divine Redeemer is to re-create our wills through the truth which He brings.
     The same Creator whose fingers wrought the heavens and all that in them is, He it is who provides with infinite skill and precision for the government of human souls-quelling and making as naught, if we are but willing, the evils and infirmities that crowd in upon us every day. He it is who creates planes within us for the reception of spiritual benefits, by virtue of which the Divine influences flow with grace and truth into our understandings and wills. He it is who restores and advances us in the career of the spirit, in the use of our life. For this is the simple meaning of regeneration-of the soul's recreation. It is a spiritual struggle in which those who permit themselves to be made spiritually fit will survive in a higher life.
     The desire of the body to return to the earth, and the desire of the soul to ascend to God-these desires meet in daily warfare, in a continual struggle between contiguous forces. Now the body wins, the things of the senses; the loves of the world and of self triumph over man's ordained spiritual nature; and now the soul, laying hold upon Divine truth, triumphs, and the things of this earth are set under man's feet so that he has dominion over them.
     Thus the Divine creative work is perpetuated in the ascent or return to the Divine.
     Life is both a perpetual coming from God and a returning to or a seeking after God. And this not only in this natural world, but in that wider, freer life that follows our emergence from the sheath of the body.

557

     It was some glimpse of this glory of spiritual creation which Paul caught when he wrote in his First Epistle to the Corinthians:
     "For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
     "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
     "For he hath put all things in subjection under his feet. But now we see not yet all things put under him.
     "But we see Jesus . . . crowned with glory and honor.
     "For it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings."
     Thus the "heavens" in which the Lord "has set His glory" conveys the idea of the highest state of which the Divine mercy has made us capable. It describes the condition in which the Lord as "the sun of righteousness" is able to flood our minds and hearts with spiritual heat and light; and the old will with its cold and dark is gradually left behind, and no longer exercises its enslaving power. Thus dawns a new day in which the Divine conatus moves and carries us in the sphere of the Divine love.
     But finally the psalmist also describes another state: "When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars which Thou has ordained." "The moon," which serves as a light by night, denotes a state of faith. In seasons of trial and temptation, when the way seems dark and uncertain, the Lord guides and consoles us through our inward trust in His Divine truth.
     This is the light shining in the darkness for all who are striving to follow wheresoever the truth of the Word shall lead. And though at times our devotion to the Word and to the Writings of the church may be shadowed by the cares and anxieties of our life, and our reading and meditation a fitful custom or a routine ritual, yet if our love and loyalty for the Divine truth still burns, however feebly, the hope of spiritual peace and use and delight can still be ours.
     "The stars" here signify spiritual knowledges, those points of heavenly light from the Word which may be focused upon the uses of life-until they become as "the day-star," the very light of the Lord upon our path. We are told in the Writings (AR 954) that "a star signifies light from Him, which in its essence is wisdom and intelligence, and the morning signifies His advent, and then the New Church."
     How greatly do the privileges of our churchmanship counter-balance our struggles and our infirmities!

558

When we regard all that we are given, in reverence and humility we too can say with the psalmist, "What is man, that thou art mindful of him?"
     We not only have the joy of life in God's creation-this marvelous world, filled each day with the potency of new truth, new use, and new happiness. But we have the gladness of gratitude that we are living in God's world where all the things of His redemption surround us with Divine foresight, justice and mercy. Though we may be poor, yet are we rich.
     There, through the heavens, is the love of God which passes all understanding. There is the light of faith in which our minds may trust and be confident, howsoever dark the night. There are the specific knowledges of revelation given for our obedience and protection.
     These three gifts of love and faith and duty are ours. Well may we say with the psalmist: "He remembers us in our humility; because His mercy endureth forever" (Ps. 136:23).
     Thus may we be raised by the Lord's power; and fashioned by His wisdom in enlightenment and charity; "crowned with glory and honor," by conjunction with His wisdom and love, forever. Amen.
WHAT IS MAN? 1981

WHAT IS MAN? Rev. GEORGE DE CHARMS 1981

Man, as to his body, is like an animal in that he is endowed with similar organs of sensation and action. But he differs from any animal as to the use for the sake of which these organs are intended. Animals are created to live only on the earth; but man is so formed, even as to the body, that he may live in heaven to eternity, after the death of the body. For this reason, the human body itself, the very flesh and blood, is distinctly different from that of any animal. This is true in spite of the fact that it is clothed within and without by similar substances from the mineral kingdom. The difference lies in the way in which these substances are organized. All creation, and thus all organization, is effected by influx from the soul, which is the only source of life. As the Writings plainly teach, the souls of both plants and animals originate in the "third spiritual atmosphere," or the atmosphere of the natural heaven. On the other hand, the souls of men are formed by the Lord in the two higher atmospheres-those of the celestial and spiritual heavens.

559

Plants and animals, therefore, have only one degree of spiritual life, while human beings have three degrees, and therefore are endowed with three degrees of the mind. The very use, or purpose for which the human body itself is created, is that from it these three degrees of the mind may come into actual being. For this reason the very first sensations of human infants differ from the sensations of animals. That such a difference exists is not a matter of science, but one of philosophy. Yet that there is such a difference, many scientific facts bear unquestionable testimony.
     The creation and the growth of any living organism is a miracle that transcends the realm of scientific observation. There is an invisible and intangible force moving every such organism from within. Scientists minutely examine its effects. They trace these effects in ordered progression, observe them minutely, catalogue and name them ascribing them to the chance combination of inert chemicals. Such activity is ascribed to what may be called a mindless mechanical robot, without purpose, foresight, or intelligence. Embryologists speak of cells dividing and combining. They speak of chromosomes containing genes, which they release in ordered succession to produce specific "characters." To this they ascribe "heredity" and its mysterious transmission from generation to generation.

     What are these cells, these genes, these chromosomes, but names for events that are observed to happen? I have not found in any learned anatomical work even a suggestion as to whence these things come, as to what they actually are, or as to how they achieve the marvels so clearly observed. Such things are beyond the realm of science and are therefore irrelevant. They are ascribed to human imagination which itself is not explained, but is merely dismissed as a plaything of children to be ignored by intelligent adults. For a clear statement of this hypothesis, read Broca's Brain by Carl Sagan, Ballantine Books, New York, 1979. This author comes very close to the teaching of the Writings when he declares that all ideas of God, and spirit, and the supernatural, originate in the human mind of human infants. But he regards them not as realities, but as myths to be discarded in adult age.
     Experience testifies that there are within the human body invisible and mysterious forces operating in marvelous ways to resist disease, to heal injuries, and preserve life. What surgeon does not recognize in the body a healing power beyond any scientific explanation?

560

What are "antibodies" and how are they produced by inoculations to immunize the body from disease? What impels the heart, the lungs, and all the organs of the body to function so marvelously, day and night throughout an entire life-time? How do we explain man's ability to speak, to think and reason, to foresee possibilities, and persist in a determined struggle to achieve a desired goal? Are these faculties really derived from the chemical substances of the mineral kingdom? What is the source of what man perceives as "love"? All of these things are matters of everyday experience for which there is no scientific explanation. In regard to all such mental faculties human beings are unique although their bodies outwardly appear so similar to those of animals.
     All these well-known circumstances confirm the teaching of the Writings that man's "body" is a form of use. It is an instrument in the hand of the Lord for the development of a rational mind, capable of seeing God, of worshiping Him, of understanding spiritual truth, and of developing from the Word a religious conscience, and compelling one's self to live according to it. By this means the Lord develops an angel capable of living, and performing a use in heaven after the death of the body.
     The Writings tell us that the "soul" of man is an "inmost vessel receptive of life from God." It is a vessel formed of spiritual substances, through which Divine life inflows. It is a human form in potency, and because "all reception of life is according to the form of the receiving vessel" it is a finite, particular, and individual human form, a love of an eternal heavenly use. It may be compared to the focusing of the Divine will toward the creation of an angel who may contribute toward the perfection of the Lord's heavenly kingdom. This vessel is said to consist of three degrees, the two higher of which are in the order and form of heaven, while the third degree is in an order contrary to the form of heaven.
     How shall we understand this? We are told that every human being is a "microcosm," a tiny universe, reflecting in least form the entire "macrocosm" or created universe. From this we derive the conclusion that the "two higher degrees" or this "primitive of man" are to the human being what the sun of heaven is to the universe. It is the presence of the Lord Himself with man, the Divine love and wisdom accommodated to angelic and human reception. It is a particular form of love and wisdom that is unique, and renders every man an individual. We are told that in the creation of the universe, the spiritual sun and the natural sun were created simultaneously. We conclude, therefore, that the "third degree" which was contrary to the order of heaven, is to the microcosm what the sun of the world, with its heat and light is to the macrocosm.

561

This "third degree" is formed in the mind of a human father. In the beginning it was in the order of heaven, and all men were created into the order of their life. But when mankind turned away from the worship of the Lord to the worship of self, this order was inverted. Man introduced evil into his life, and the tendency to do this increased by heredity, from generation to generation. This is why, with all men at the present day, the "third degree" is contrary to the form of heaven, whence comes paternal heredity. Life from two interior degrees flows through this perverted degree and is modified by it. In spite of this, life from the seed of a human father produces a perfect embryo in the womb of a human mother. Nevertheless, the tendency to evil remains deeply imbedded, for which reason everyone is prone from birth to love himself above all things, and to resist every impulse from heaven to love the Lord and the neighbor. This "paternal heredity" is what has been called "human nature" because man perceives it as his very life, and the source of all his pleasure, delight and happiness. This tendency can never be completely overcome. It remains to eternity latent, even with the angels of heaven, and from it they must be perpetually guarded and protected by the secret operation of the Lord Himself. That is why the Lord is the only Savior of mankind, and why, in order to save the human race, He had to come into the world. This was foreseen and prophesied in the Word from the time of the "fall." But this belongs to another subject, namely the Advent and glorification of Jesus Christ. At the moment we are concerned only with the creation of the human body, and the use for which it is created.
Every human infant is born into complete ignorance. He is born natural, with the capacity to become either spiritual or celestial. He derives all his conscious sensations from the objects and forces of the material world. He sees only in the light of the natural sun. He feels only natural heat. His life is nourished by material food. In all such sensations he feels delight, and he eagerly reaches out for them. This appears to be his whole life; but unlike animals he vaguely senses something beyond that lures him on to learn to discover and gradually to understand. This insatiable curiosity is inherent in human sensations, and in this respect they differ from the sensations of animals. This is because the intended purpose is the development of a rational mind. That purpose is inherent in the body itself, in the very structure of its sense organs, and thus of the very flesh and blood. No infant knows what evil is. He responds to it innocently without evil intent.

562

And into this innocence of ignorance celestial angels inflow insinuating delight in love to the Lord and charity toward the neighbor. From this arises a gradually developing ability to distinguish between right and wrong, and deliberately to choose one in preference to another. In this respect Carl Sagan perceived a truth. Instincts come by means of "general influx" into every organism that is in the order of its life, even as are all plants and when the six days of creation were accomplished, "God saw animals. Only man has the power to pervert that order; wherefore everything He had made, and behold it was very good" (Genesis 1:31)
The Divine purpose, therefore, or "use" for which human beings are created, is that by a life on earth they may acquire a rational mind capable of love to God and charity toward the neighbor, whereby to perform an eternal use in the kingdom of heaven after the body dies. This is what makes it "human." When life is withdrawn, the "clothing" of material substances remains in the corpse and, its use performed, gradually disintegrates, and returns to the ground from which it had sprung, to be utilized again in other bodies of living organisms. This cast-off clothing is not "human." It belongs strictly to the mineral kingdom. But the mind, formed of love and wisdom, continues to live in the human form, a form so similar to that of the body that one awakening in the spiritual world at first does not know that he has died. He has all the same sensations as before, and from them he perceives an even greater delight-this because his earthly sensations were not produced by the physical organs, but by the mind or spirit within them. It is not the eye that sees, nor the ear that hears, although sight and hearing are dependent upon these organs. Sensation is the "ultimate of life." It is a faculty not of the body but of the mind. It is produced by the spirit, not by the chemical elements of nature. That is why we should regard the physical body not as the "man" but as a necessary and I temporary clothing of man. The man himself is a form of use, an instrument in the hand of the Lord, to promote the formation of the kingdom of heaven.

REFERENCES

The Lord is the only Man. AC 477, 565, 768, 1414e
Man in himself is dead. AC 39, 714, 94
Man's soul. HH 39, TCR 34
Three heavens in man. AC 4279
Man formed from remains. AC 530, 1050, 1906, 1999:3, 4
The primitive of man. DLW 432

563

1981 COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS 1981

1981 COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS ROBERT A. SMITH 1981

     Chancellor King

     President Acton

     Members of the Graduating Classes

Friends:

     I understand there is a certain tribe in South Africa that has a very effective custom. Considering long speeches injurious to both the speaker and the audience as well, they have an unwritten law that a public speaker must stand on one foot while addressing his listeners. As soon as the other foot touches the ground the speech is brought to an abrupt close-by force if necessary! While this podium will not allow you to know whether or not I am delicately balancing on one foot, I intend to observe their custom of brevity.
     Let me say that it is with a great sense of pride that I stand here today-albeit on one leg. Let me also say that it quite forcefully reminds me that a great time span has elapsed since I survived fourteen years of education in Bryn Athyn now to address these graduating classes which include both a son and a daughter. Let me hasten to add that I was not "red-shirted" at the Academy for fourteen years, but refer to elementary school through the first year at the Academy college-a year, incidentally, that I remember in vivid detail and with affection and appreciation.
     That decision to begin my college at the Academy, that year, established a beginning for me. But as we all know, one of the delightful certainties of life on earth is that it is a constant series of decisions-of beginnings.
     We read from the Arcana(No. 1560), "Every state before a man is instructed is a commencement, and when he begins to be instructed it is a beginning," and a further quote from W. F. Pendleton (Topics from the Writings), "So it is in all progression, in all development, from first to last; the preparation to begin, and the beginning itself; the introduction to a work, and the work itself; and finally the entering into the presence of the Lord, and then conjunction with Him." On this the Word is most clear-commencement is the state prior to education and beginning is the state of education and instruction.
     So on this momentous day called "Commencement Day" let me be the first to welcome you to a new beginning.
     And that thought, you see, establishes a feeling of excitement in all of us because life itself is always just beginning.

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Commencement is constant, continuous, never-ending. The learning process is perpetual, and therefore the graduation from one state to another, from one level of understanding to a higher level, from one use to a higher use, is continuous.
     Today is truly a beginning for all of you-for all of us in this room-though unique for each. For those leaving high school there is the excitement and challenge of beginning a career or a new phase of your educational development as you enter college.
     For those leaving the Academy college after the sophomore or senior year, some will go on to develop their interests at the Academy, some may look forward to the exposure to a different education environment as they gradually, individually, define their career objectives, and some will begin an occupation.
     And last, but certainly not least, to you the graduates of the theological school-a post-post graduate course awaits you in Glenview, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Detroit, etc. It is one you will long remember. The tuition is nominal, the hours moderate, and the educational experience is considered by previous Participants unsurpassed anywhere. The pedagogic talents of our far-flung laity are not to be taken lightly.
     But I would be breaking all the rules, if not tradition, if I did not attempt a word of advice in a commencement address. I would begin therefore by asking the question: what will you do differently as a result of your exposure to the Academy? How will your life, your actions, be different? What new beginnings will be open and available to you?
     The time spent here at the Academy varies widely within the graduating classes. This variable stretches from perhaps one year as a high school transfer student, to those who have had four years of secondary school education, to those who are completing two or four years of college education. I would suggest, however, that the amount of time spent at the Academy does not necessarily equate with the effect it has had on you. One of the things I would like to pursue this morning is the thought that it is the quality of your participation in any endeavor that counts. You may not be aware of all that you have learned here. In fact, the real value of these years may not be realized until much later.
     I hope each one of you has received a gift during your time at the Academy. The gift to which I refer is not the facts and figures you have learned. I can absolutely assure you from painful experience that many of them will be forgotten. But it doesn't really matter because the libraries will still have the textbooks from which you got them in the first place.

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The true gift that the Academy confers to all of its sons and daughters who will receive it is a sense of spiritual proportion.
     Our approach to education is most clearly stated in a quotation familiar to many. "Education, as a human work, is nothing but the means by which man seeks intelligently to cooperate with the Lord, to assist the children entrusted to his care in their journey along that path which the Lord has ordained for them to walk." I quote from the introduction to The Growth of the Mind by Bishop George de Charms.
     I hope while you've been at the Academy, however long or short your stay, you have been given an indication of how to progress along that path. I trust that you take with you the concept of the Writings' redefinition of the word 'use,' that you know how central it is to your life. I hope, further, that you will make all those things learned at the Academy an active rather than a passive part of your life, and this is the point I wish to emphasize today. As each of you enters into a new and exciting beginning, you will have the opportunity of deciding whether you will be a participant or spectator.
     How do we characterize a spectator? He is passive rather than active. He or she remains on the sidelines. Often, having paid the entrance fee, he assumes the 'right' to be critical of both the individual and the team effort. He may feel qualified to analyze the quality of play, the skills, preparation and ability of the players. And most damaging, he too often takes upon himself the final authority of analyzing or criticizing the results of the efforts of others.
     Who, on the other hand, is the participant? He is the person who cares enough, is interested enough, to get involved. Me or she is willing to spend whatever time and energies are necessary for the thorough preparation of the event. Either as an individual or a member of a team, he wants to contribute actively to the outcome. He wants to participate. He wants to do more than the accepted minimum. It is this need to do more than the accepted minimum that marks the true, the active participant.
     A pertinent story in this regard was told by Harold Walker, a writer for the Chicago Tribune. A friend of his, a nurse, remarked that it was the extra, the undemanded things she did that gave her the greatest satisfaction. Walker went on to say that in those words she had put her finger on one of the greatest sources of joy in human life, that whether we are laying brick, carpentering, serving the suffering, or whatever may be our occupation, it is doing the undemanded things that offer the greatest satisfaction.

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"Doing more than is expected of us," said Walker, "inspires the inner glow that is the token of a rewarding life. The clock watchers, the indifferent who merely do enough to collect their pay, find no joy in the hours from eight to five, and not much satisfaction in . . ." the rest of life.
     Spectator or participant? The choice is yours. We have all assumed both roles, and properly so. Physical time alone would not allow us to be a participant in all events. But I would hasten to add, where you have not the interest, time, or ability to be a participant, be cautious in your criticism of those who have.
     The number of times you will have to make this choice is endless. You have already faced it many times. As a student your position may have seemed to you essentially a passive one-that of a spectator-though I would suggest not all of your teachers would agree with that definition! But here too you have had the constant choice to actively participate in class, in school life, or passively let the waves of education wash over you. Today's beginning is a very obvious chance to look at what you will do in the future, to decide what your role will be.
     One of the first opportunities you will have is to decide what your role will be in regard to your continued education in the teachings of the church. Will that learning process be solely from the vantage point of a spectator, listening to others in church or doctrinal classes, or will you assume a primary, an active role? Will your knowledge of the doctrines stem merely from what others preach and instruct or will it also come from personal study? Will you be a spectator only, or a participant as well?
     It is reasonable to assume that within the next few years most of you will have entered into or be looking toward the state of marriage. The choices here are both innumerable and delightful. As a parent will you "seek intelligently to cooperate with the Lord" as Bishop de Charms put it so well? Or will you assume the role of spectator in the education of your children, abrogating that responsibility in great part to school, church, and community?
     As you enter more fully into the life of the church and society in general, the occasion for involvement will confront you constantly-sometimes to a bewildering degree. Political activity, civic uses, girls' or boys club counselor, contributions committee, school committee, Theta Alpha, Sons of the Academy-the list is endless. You can't do them all; you will have to choose which uses you can whole-heartedly support with your time and talents.

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Joining is the first, important step; active participation the next.
Yes, the choice is yours, on this day and for the rest of your life on earth. Will you find a comfortable seat in the grandstand, to watch and observe the efforts of others, or will you assume the responsibility of active involvement? As you begin again today, the decision you make is an important one for you and for all of us. For you see, you, the members of the graduating classes, are not just the future leaders of the church and the Academy; you, every one of you is the future.
Thank you.
TWO STORIES OF CHRISTMAS 1981

TWO STORIES OF CHRISTMAS Rev. PETER M. BUSS 1981

     (This is the second of three articles)

Luke's Story: Jesus

     John the Baptist represents the good of repentance. It seems that this good is obedience and the contentment it brings. We do what the Lord says, and we slowly come to have a clear conscience, and a heaven-sent contentment settles on our minds. We can face the trials of earthly life, we can accept its rewards, and we can look forward to an eternal future-because we're trying to follow the Lord, and that's really all that will matter in ten thousand years' time.
     Contentment is good, but it is not heaven. Heaven is the Lord with us; it is the Holy Babe who is born into us after John has come. It is charity, the positive, outgoing joy of serving others. It alone makes every day of eternity a new and exciting challenge; it alone makes human relationship gentle and loving. The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem of Judea represents the first birth of charity into the mind of a person who has repented.

The Annunciation

     "In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God. . ." The sixth month of what? The sixth month of Elisabeth's pregnancy.
     We read the Christmas story in sections, so some connection the Lord put into it can be missed. Luke reads: "And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein He looked on me, to take away my reproach among men. And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee. . ." (Luke 1:24-26).

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     This is important because of the states of mind represented by five and six months. Elisabeth still wasn't sure until after five months that the Lord meant to keep His promise. She hid herself-presumably being afraid to lose the child-yet she did so with a growing joy and gratitude in her heart. Five months represents a state in which there is a little faith-not much, just barely enough. That is what we are like when we first start to repent: we believe the Lord will give us happiness, but we only just believe it!
     Then we begin to gain confidence. We have lived for some time with the strength to fight evil. We have gone through a few battles, and come out the other side. We're going to win! Five months of alternate strength and doubt are replaced by the "sixth month" and that is a state of hope, because truths and goods are beginning to unite in our minds. It leads us on to a new state of life.
     It is actually before the birth of john that Jesus's birth is announced. Before we have come to the contentment that repentance brings, while we are still working toward it, we begin to sense that charity is the true end of all life. There is a birth beyond the one we presently seek.
     The scene shifts now from Judea and Jerusalem to Galilee, and we meet Mary, the young woman betrothed to Joseph of the house of David. Zacharias and Elisabeth were old and very much part of the old church. Mary was young and full of hope and longing for marriage. Elisabeth's child would be born of man. Mary's would not.
     John the Baptist-the good of repentance-had a human father. Repentance seems to be our own work. certainly the satisfaction it brings is a miracle from heaven. Contentment is a God-given gift. Yet it seems to us that we repent, and we earn contentment through our battles, we do good through our efforts. Repentance is the result of our washing ourselves with the external truth of the Word. "I indeed baptize you with water. . ."
     Jesus had no human father. He was conceived of God. That central truth of Christianity has a perfect parallel in every human life, for charity has no human sire. When charity is born in us it is because the Holy Spirit comes upon us, and the Power of the Highest overshadows us, and that Holy Thing which is born within us is truly the Son of God.
     For the Lord is born in us as He was born on earth, and the manner of His birth is the same. We might claim the credit for fighting our evils, we might even feel we deserve the contentment with which we are then blessed (although we would be wrong).

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But how can we think that we give birth to the spirit of charity? How can we ever believe that we teach ourselves to love others as much as or more than we love ourselves? The power to love another human being is born of God. There is nothing in human inventiveness that could create it.
     Time and again we are told in the Word that we cannot love what is good without the Lord; that He inspires all that is good into our hearts. In His wisdom, He chose this most special of all stories to make the point again. "How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?" asked Mary. How can I have charity when I have not enough wisdom and understanding to conceive of it. Well, we don't conceive charity. Almighty God does; and forever that spirit will be "God with us."
     Jesus did have a human mother. Mary was a young, obviously obedient woman, loved by a just man, and looking forward to her marriage. She represents the only state of mind into which the Lord can be born-the innocent affection of truth. With each one of us there is a certain deeply-rooted conviction about true values which doesn't admit of questioning. We grow up being taught to analyze and query and pull ideas apart. We often learn to become quite cynical about certain thoughts and ideals, and we might come to think of ourselves as people of judgment who won't let sentimental ideals sway us. All that may be true; but there are some times in our lives when we respond with affection to true ideals, and we don't ever bother to question them. We don't doubt them for a very good reason-they need not be doubted.
     With all people the Lord tries to inspire a virginal, unsullied affection for true ideals. He plants it in Galilee-a quiet part of our natural minds-and He keeps it from the dress of earthly life. In the turmoil of life we sometimes don't notice that it is there. There comes a time, however, when its needs are felt. Mary was longing for marriage to a just man and a carpenter: Joseph of the house of David. Her wish represents the longing to have our gentle ideals wedded to a true understanding of how to make them work.
     It is into this state that the Lord can be born. When we are striving to repent, and living our earthly life in some order, a special affection begins to surface again. We feel deeply about certain truths, we feel touched by their meaning for us, we long to have them put to use so that our lives may be changed.
     To this state of mind the light of heaven comes, and we begin to sense that charity can be ours. "Hail, thou that art highly favored; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women. . . .

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Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call His name Jesus. He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest." Mary was being promised far more than she had expected. She was to have her husband, and her children; but she was also to be the mother of the Lord.
     Yes, the Lord gives to us our ideals and our dreams for a happy, useful life here on earth. But He gives us His dream too: that He shall dwell inside of us forevermore.
     You know, we have heard thousands of times that the Lord will give us charity if only we'll follow Him. It's not an unknown teaching. But one time in our lives an angel speaks it. The prophets had told of a child to be born; but an angel needed to come when the birth was imminent. That's why Matthew tells us that "All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet saying, Behold a virgin shall conceive, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel; which, being interpreted, is God with us."

Mary Visits Elisabeth

     We probably picture to ourselves this sweet young woman, full of joy herself, going to share her cousin's happiness, and to talk about all that was to happen. It was a long journey to the hill country of Judea, and it seems to represent a journey we make at times into a state of love to the Lord.
     She didn't have a chance to tell the news which had been gladdening her heart. Elisabeth knew, because the babe leaped in her womb as soon as Mary greeted her. This joyful reaction of the growing baby is explained in the Word. It seems to say that as the good of repentance is growing in a person, he becomes more and more affected with the thought of the charity which one day the Lord will give him. Before repentance, we might talk about charity, but it doesn't excite us. As we repent, the hope for its birth in our lives becomes more and more a focus of thought and of joy.
     How much we love the words of the Magnificat! They are the outpouring of a simple girl's happiness and gratitude, and her testimony to His greatness. She had accepted the angel's words quietly, but her journey to Judea, and the greeting of Elisabeth unlocked the joy in her heart, and she spoke her sense of blessedness.
     Think about the Magnificat, but replace the person Mary with what she represents, the affection of truth. Then it becomes a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord because He has given us this affection, and it will be the mother of charity in us.

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"For behold, from henceforth, all generations will call me blessed; for He that is mighty hath done to me great things, and Holy is His Name."
     There is such joy in the life of religion; such hope, such consolation for hard states to come. "He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He hath sent away empty." Maybe as we walk the sometimes hard road of repentance we could take time out to speak of the joy that will come to our hearts too if we keep on walking.
     Did Mary stay until John was born and named? It seems most likely. She stayed three months, and the journey from Nazareth must have taken some time. She would also have wanted to be in on his birth.

The Birth

     We can't cover every aspect of this story in one series of articles. Every word has meaning. Why did Caesar Augustus merit mention in the account of our Lord's birth? Our minds picture the decree that all the world should be taxed, and the drawing together of families all over the land of Judea, and there is much to learn from that simple process.
     Let's look rather at the journey to Bethlehem of Joseph and Mary. Mary was still his betrothed wife, for he had not consummated the marriage; yet she was great with child of the Holy Spirit.
     Bethlehem represents the truth from good that is in the Word-the living truth, the vital ideas which make up the Word of God. To this we turn when it is time for us to receive charity into our hearts, for it is the Word that shows the way. The Word isn't just truth; it is truth from good, truth alive with the promise of a life of charity.
     Yet in this world of ours, there are many ways that the Word can be regarded. It is in our own minds that there is an inn which has no place for the infant Lord. An inn represents teaching from the Word, but when that teaching is false and worn out then the inn gets filled up with all sorts of more worldly ideas, and there's no room for charity.
     Who was in that inn in Bethlehem? Soldiers enforcing the tax rules, soldiers who cared nothing for the religions of Judea. Tax collectors maybe, gleeful about the opportunity to milk the populace. Businessmen of all kinds, rushing there to pay their money and get back to their work. Farmers, in for the week or the night so that they could meet the Roman edict.

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     Nobody knew that in the middle of all this service to the god of money the God of heaven and earth was about to be born on earth.
     What would have happened if they had known? Would they have made room in the inn? Perhaps; but reluctantly. Their farms were waiting. Their businesses were idle. There was a huge gathering of people for the fleecing at the tax tables tomorrow. What a nuisance it would be if God were to come to that inn that night!
     The natural mind, which ought to be governed by the truth, and which ought to have room for the Lord at all times, is very involved in many other things. It is filled already, and many of its inhabitants don't lead to the truth.
     Isn't it wonderful that the Lord could be rejected at the inn but still find a place to be born? The Maker of heaven and earth would be born where no one else would care to be born. He was born there because there wasn't room for Him elsewhere. But then the whole story of the Lord's advent is the tale of His mercy, and His accommodation to people's faults.
     He found a manger instead. He could have been born, we are told, in a palace, on a bed adorned with precious stones; but then He would have been among those who cared nothing for the truth, and there would have been no significance to His birth. He was born in a manger, because horses feed there, and it represents the humble, quiet learning from the Word which brings true values.
     We fight the fight of repentance. We turn to the Lord. But still in our minds there are values and thoughts so worldly that we have no room in our conscious thought for Him. He has to be born secretly! He has to be born secretly.

     Is there a person in this church who will say, "The Lord has been born in me."? No. We think we're still much in need of repentance. There are evils we have put aside. We're learning to be content with many things, and we find joy in many good values. But life in this world is so time-consuming that we seldom stop to think, "How is charity progressing in my heart?"
     The Lord is born secretly. Just as few people knew He was born, so we are far from sure that charity is sown within us. The spiritual manger is a quiet place in our minds, and it is seldom visited by the conscious thought. It represents instruction by the Word itself; it is the state of mind in which the Lord Himself teaches us from His Word, and we are touched by it, and guided by it. The swaddling clothes in which the Lord was wrapped represent the innocent and simple truths that charity brings with it when it is born in us.
     The Lord may be born secretly, but His impact is great. We may not know that He has come to us, but He does gently and silently control our lives from that time forth.

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We may not know how deeply certain truths from the Word have moved us, but they are directing our paths. Regeneration is a quiet and gentle operation, far from the bustle of the big city and the teeming inn. Yet its influence is all-pervasive. The person who is being regenerated does experience happiness because charity is born in him. He is not aware that that is why he is happy!

The Shepherds

     "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night." Yes, the shepherds are in the same country. They belong in the same heaven as does charity.
     They don't belong in palaces or inns. Wad the Lord been born in a palace in Jerusalem, those simple people would have been turned away when they came to see Him. That is why He was born among those who would receive Him.
     Of all people on earth, He chose a few shepherds. They were simple people, doing their job in the dark night. Their heads weren't filled with making money at the tax tables or rushing back to their businesses. They were worried about whether one of their flock got hurt.
     A shepherd represents the kind of truth that teaches us how to live, and there is that kind of truth in each of us. It is the first truth to recognize the Lord when He is born in us. There are many forces in our minds, many knowledges as well. There are many truths stored up in our memories. But there are just a few which have always touched us, a few that have meant more to us than others have. These are the shepherds.
     It's different for each person. Some people find the truths about little children deeply appealing. They study them, are touched by them, and they use them to make little children happy. They might be devoted parents, or teachers, or social workers; but they are using the truth to help children. Others feel very deeply about the importance of bringing principle into public life, and they work hard to make a truly Christian contribution to public life. Some people are affected by the visions of conjugial love, and they will always respond to the needs of marriage, and try to help others to find its happiness.
     Now if we are people who are living the life of repentance, then these special areas of life are like shepherds. There is a part of life which we will always try to take care of.

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We might be contradicting ourselves in other areas. A teacher might want a great deal for his students that has not yet become a part of his private life. What is important, however, is that in one area of life he really uses the truth to live well.
     Did you notice that each time an angel appeared there was consternation, or fear? Zacharias was afraid. Mary was troubled. The shepherds were sore afraid. There is holy fear in all of love. If I love young children very much, I have a fear lest I hurt them. I know myself. I know how limited I am, and how often I don't follow the Lord. I'm afraid that my weakness will be directly responsible for hurting them. Holy fear is good, in that it keeps us trying, as hard as we can.
     This fear is most active when we see a new vision of the ideal-and that is what is represented by the appearance of the angel. When you sense once again how powerful worship is in building a sense of the Lord's presence, isn't it natural to fear that we haven't through family worship given our children the joy of worship?
     The angel spoke consolation in each case. Fear not. I am here to bring good tidings. The Lord is so very merciful. We have not done what we should have done, but if we have repented, then He is not looking at our mistakes, He's looking forward to the positive steps of the future. In the eyes of stern truth we are all found wanting. All we have to do is repent of our chief sin, and the Lord overlooks and compensates for the rest, and gives us time to turn from them also.
     With each of us there is an innocent set of feelings which have long been shepherds, steering at least some of our feelings toward goodness. Each one of us responds with kindness to the needs of others in one area of life-does it almost without thought, from a sincere desire to help. When the Lord is born in our minds, these feelings first recognize the birth. They go to the Word. They sense the presence of Mary-the affection of truth; of Joseph-the desire to understand; and of Jesus-the spirit of charity. They are overjoyed with the loves which are filling their hearts.
     The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God, and telling all their friends about what they had seen. "But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart." There's a part of us that speaks of the joy of charity, and there is a part that meditates about it. The shepherds saw Jesus only once: Mary would care for Him as He grew. It is the part of the affection of truth to reflect on experiences which testify to charity in ourselves, and see how to nurture it as it grows.

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Simeon and Anna

     There were two others who saw the Lord, at His presentation at the temple. Simeon seems to represent our longing to believe, to have trust in what the Lord will give us. He it was who was promised that he would not die until that salvation should be shown to him. His words are so beautiful: "Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word. For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people." His death represents the passing away of doubt. No longer do we have to want to believe; when charity has been born in us we do believe.
     Anna was a prophetess, and a widow and an old woman. Her life must have been hard in a church where there was little to prophesy about, and her husband had died after only seven years of marriage; yet she was truly devout, spending all her time in the temple. She represents those states that long for true principle, and are deprived of them: they too are uplifted by the Divine birth.
     All the people of this story reflect the feelings, the loves and wishes of man: for the story of Luke is the story of the will, and how it responds to the Lord's birth within us. Therefore the story is uplifting, full of happiness and hope for the future, full of prophecies and the praise of God. It ends with the progress toward a full state of charity which rules the world of the mind. "And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and the grace of God was upon Him."

     References to the Heavenly Doctrine

     1. A month signifies a state as to truth. AR 935. The tenth month, truths of remains. AC 858. A month also signifies a complete state, and the next one the beginning of a new state. AC 7831, 8053, 8057, AR 935.

     2. The number 5 signifies a little, or few, especially in relation to much larger numbers. AC 649, 798. It also signifies what is just sufficient for that particular state. AC 10255; AE 548:8. It seems that Elisabeth's hiding for five months of her pregnancy might therefore represent that in that state one fights from little of faith, but from enough to carry the battle. Her fear of losing the child the Lord had promised her might also indicate a small degree of faith.

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     3. The sixth month would seem to signify a new state, when there is a fullness of truth and good. Six when leading up to seven represents combat, and the end of the old state. Cf. AC 737, 9278, 8506 et al. Its relation to seven always remains, but it is also a composite of 2 and 3, and represents what is holy of faith. AC 737:3. Also all truths and goods together. AC 10262:5, AR 245; and what is complete to the end. AR 489, 610; AE 847.

     4. The hill country of Judea, where Mary visited Elisabeth, would seem to represent an ascent to a state of love to the Lord. Cf. AC 3653; AE 405:34.

     5. The babe leaped in the womb represents "joy arising from the love of the conjunction of good and truth, thus the joy of celestial love." AE 710:31. The particular joy was the realization that with the birth of the Lord in us, a far deeper conjunction of principle and the love of principle will take place: spiritual charity will be born.

     6. The inn represents the exterior natural of man. AC 5495/6; 7041. It represents that mind instructed by doctrine. AE 444e. It represents a place of instruction, and that was why there was no room for the Lord there, because the instruction in the Jewish church was false. AE 706: 12.

     7. The Lord could have been born in a palace, on a bed adorned by precious stones, but then He would have been born among those who did not love Him, and there would have been no representation to the birth. AE 706.

     8. A manger, where horses feed, represents spiritual instruction from the Word itself. AE 706:12. Five times a story is told which includes the reason the Lord was born in a manger, because horses feed there, and it represents instruction which "feeds the understanding." TCR 277; SS 26; SD 3605e; De Verbo 1; AR 255.

     9. The Lord was wrapped in swaddling clothes because they represent first truth, truths learned in an innocent way. AE 706:12.

     10. Shepherds represent those who teach and lead to the good of charity through truth. AC 4713; AE 315: 11 et al. Abstractly, therefore, those truths which a person has which lead to good. AC 6044, 6074; AE 388:17.

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DISCRIMINATION BETWEEN USES 1981

DISCRIMINATION BETWEEN USES Rev. DAVID R. SIMONS 1981

     The origin of all uses lies in the Lord Himself; "He is [the Writings tell us] the Infinite Sum [or totality] of all uses; in His Essence love, in His form man, in Whom that Sum [of uses] is" (Love VIII). But the Lord does not will to keep His qualities to Himself. His essence is love, and love is an active thing. It desires to express itself, to share what is its own with others. "Love consists in this [we read] that its own should be another's" (DLW 47). The Divine will expresses itself in a perpetual stream of uses to the human race, as we are taught: "Creation comes from no other source than from Divine Love by means of Divine Wisdom in Divine Use; therefore all things in the universe are procreated and formed from use in use and for use"(CL 183:5).
     The Lord is indeed the center and soul of all uses, but the very quality of His love, that He should give what is His Own to others as their own, causes Him to form men, a human race, capable of responding to His love, receiving His wisdom and performing uses from love. In this way man can become a form of use and thus a true man, an image and likeness of his Maker.
     It should be understood from the very beginning that while the Lord is the origin and source of all uses, while it is His love, His wisdom, His power and life which are behind all uses, still He has mercifully provided that angels and men shall share in His work-shall be agents through whom He operates.
     That the Lord Himself is the author and source of all uses He amply demonstrated by His Own life on earth. He revealed His inner love by constantly performing active uses for men-for their bodies, for their minds, and for their eternal spirits. To show that He Himself is the soul of every use, He entered into the various levels of occupation which are open to men.
     For men's bodies the Lord provided food and drink: He broke leaves and fishes and fed multitudes; He turned water into wine. He healed all manner of sickness and disease, freeing the halt, the lame and the blind, and even raising men from death. The Lord did menial tasks too: what more menial function could there be than washing the feet of another? Yet He said unto Peter, who protested, "If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me" (John 13:8).
     The Lord also performed manifold uses for men's minds. His teachings challenged and stimulated rational thinking and paved the way to wisdom: "How think ye? If man have an hundred sheep and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and . . . seeketh out that which is gone astray?" (Matt. 18:12)

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"What think ye of Christ, whose son is He?" (Matt. 22:42) Concerning certain Galileans whom Pilate had slain, He asked, "Think ye that they were sinners above all?" (Luke 13:4) By His every question, the Lord encouraged the use of intelligence and logical thought. His words are full of cause and effect reasoning which leads to conclusions. "If ye continue in My Word [What will happen?] then are ye My disciples, indeed" (John 8:31). ". . . know the truth [What is the consequence?] and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). The whole point and purpose of speaking in parables, or in parallel ideas, was to stimulate and develop powers of reasoning and insight which could rise above external, earthly things-above wheat and tares, above the mustard seed, above talents as money-to the internal things which relate to the mind and spirit-to the heaven that is within. The human mind was imprisoned by lust and the fallacies of the senses, by the misleading appearances of external things, so the Lord, as the greatest of educators, visited it, gave it the truth which could set it free. Men were strangers to the truth, and the Lord took them into His confidence revealing the secrets of His kingdom. For those who hungered and thirsted after righteousness He provided food which filled the mind and promoted its growth. The power of His words to speed the development of the rational mind, to challenge and stimulate intelligence, even apart from their spiritual implications, is beyond belief.
     The Lord performed uses for the human spirit. He opened men's understanding to the things of heaven. He forgave their sins, freeing them from bondage to the hells. And He moved their hearts to acknowledge Him as their Lord and their God. These things are the essential burden of the New Testament.
     The Lord, then, as a man on earth entered into the whole range of human uses. He acted to help men's bodies, their minds, and their eternal spirits, and in so doing proclaimed that the Christian life is a life of uses, and that He Himself is the author of all use.
     The Lord alone performs all uses. Yet His infinite capacity to give what is His Own to others as their own is reflected in the truth that He has endowed men with the ability to perform uses, each in his own way, and in so doing to receive the delights of such use.
     The teaching of the Heavenly Doctrines shows that the Lord does things in two ways: He performs uses immediately, that is, without the mediation or help of any angel or man; and He also does them mediately, that is, through others.

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"That the Lord does all things from Himself, [we read] immediately and mediately through heaven is not because He needs [the help of the angels], but that the angels there may have functions and offices, and consequently life and happiness in accordance with their offices and uses. From this there is the appearance to them that they act from themselves, but a perception that it is from the Lord" (AC 8719). As in heaven so on the earth, the Lord Himself really performs all uses. It is literally true that "a man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven" (John 3:27). This is why certain angels said, "We define use as doing good from love by means of wisdom. Use is good itself. Since these three, love, wisdom, and use, flow into the souls of men it can be evident whence comes the saying, 'that all good is from God.' For every deed done from love by means of wisdom is called good, and use is also a deed. What is love without wisdom but something fatuous [something foolish, illusory, inane]? And what is love together with wisdom without use, but a state of mind? But with use love and wisdom not only make man, they are man" (CL 183:3).
Looked at from within, the call to be of use to the neighbor is a privilege and a blessing. It is a privilege to work for the Lord and it is a blessing because when we work for Him, He is brought present and His qualities can flow into our lives. The need to perform uses, when looked at from a true sense of values, is an opportunity to do that very thing for which man was created. This is why we are taught that "When one performs the duties of his calling, sincerely, uprightly, justly and faithfully, the good of the community is maintained and perpetuated. . .This is to 'be in the Lord' because all that flows from the Lord is use" (DLW 431).
But all men do not receive the Lord equally, nor are all uses of equal importance. If we are going to acquire a genuine concept of use, we must learn to distinguish between one use and another. This we can do only by a right understanding of the doctrine of degrees as revealed in the Heavenly Doctrines. If we want to learn to discriminate intelligently between uses, to be able to evaluate them and thus to increase our power to promote uses, we have to recognize that there are many layers to life. We are multi-layered creatures. Our minds are spiritually stratified. There is what is higher or more interior as well as what is lower and more exterior. Life is not, as it might appear on the surface, a one level proposition. Every thought and every act are not mere surface reactions to the world of experience, but they stem from a complex of inner causes.

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     And it is a wonderful thing for us that this is so. For how could we be free? How could we grow in the performance of uses if we could only serve in externals without seeing the inner extension of our work, its relation to higher uses, and to the Lord as the source of use?
     Concerning the various degrees of use, we have the following teaching in the Writings: "All things created from the Lord are uses in the order, degree and respect in which they have relation to man and through man to the Lord from whom [they are. These degrees are] . . . uses for sustaining the body; . . . uses for perfecting the rational [mind] . . . and uses for receiving the spiritual from the Lord" (DLW 330). Every worthy occupation that the human mind can think of or do relates to one of these three degrees of use. Since uses ascend in importance as they "relate to man and through man to the Lord from whom they are" (ibid.), therefore uses to the body are the lowest, those to the mind next, and those which serve the spirit are the highest. Our work, then, is a good use when it is organized, directly or indirectly, to promote the physical, mental, or spiritual welfare of our fellow men. And in an opposite sense all evil uses calculate to destroy the body, disillusion the mind, or pervert the spirit.
     Understanding the relative values between uses is simply the ability to be able to discriminate between what helps the body, mind, or spirit. It also includes the judgment of knowing when to place first things first. Our scale of values is clear. When we make our decisions of life according to them, then we can act to promote the greatest use. Essentially, we can tell the relative value between uses by weighing them against eternity. Where does such a thought or habit lead? What permanent value has this idea or act? Does it fulfill the needs of the body, the mind or the spirit? In satisfying the body does it harm the spirit? When we ask ourselves these questions, then we can discover the use of a thing and know whether to promote it or not. The important thing is the end in view. This will qualify even that which must come first in time. By weighing our ends in the balance of eternity their real value comes to light. As the Lord said, "What is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matt. 16:26) "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt and where thieves break through and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven" (Matt. 6: 19).

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     However, if we are going to learn to think in the perspective of eternity and thus to discriminate between uses, if we are going to know the true values of life, then we have to know what eternal life is. And only Divine Revelation can tell us this. It was for the sake of the perfection of our uses that the Lord made His second coming and revealed a new set of values for the human mind and spirit. In so doing He provided that His kingdom in the heavens might descend on earth, that His doctrine might be applied in the daily lives of men. And His kingdom descends as men learn to perform uses and to promote uses according to their true value. When they learn the relative values that the body exists for the sake of the mind, and that both the body and the mind exist for the sake of the eternal spirit, and order their lives from this knowledge, then heaven comes on earth.
     Just because uses themselves are separated according to their particular value in eternity, we are not to conclude that those who perform them are thus separated. The importance of the form of a use to society and to the man who performs it are two different and distinct things. To think otherwise might lead us to the mistaken conclusion that all New Churchmen ought to be ministers, or that a society of ministers would be an ideal society, whereas one composed only of those who care for the needs of the body would be the least ideal. Obviously such ideas are untenable. The Writings teach, and experience confirms, that before higher uses can even exist, lower uses must be fulfilled. Before we can do the higher use of serving the neighbor, we must first help ourselves, "For unless a man acquires for himself the necessaries of life, he is not in a condition to exercise charity" (TCR 406). Before there can be the expanded uses of education and worship, there must be the raising of food, the making of clothes and the building of houses. Our physical necessities must come first in time, although if our values are straight they will be last in end. "Every man ought to provide his body with food; this must be first that he may have a sound mind in a sound body; and every man ought to provide his mind with food, namely, with such things as pertain to intelligence and judgment; but the end should be that he may thereby serve his fellow citizen, society, his country, the church, and thus the Lord" (TCR 406).
     However, this is a two-way proposition. Lower uses serve higher. They are a foundation on which higher uses rest. But it is equally true that higher uses serve lower. When the needs of the body are cared for, then the mind is free to grow and develop to the point where it can care for the body more intelligently. Education and research-the mental uses of society-elevate and perfect the lower uses which support them. Modern progress is the direct product of the perfection of uses to the mind.

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     But the series must not stop here. If the full man is to be served, then the intelligence of the mind and the energies of the body must be focused to the needs of the spirit. The mind needs to learn the truths of religion and more especially needs to acquire the discipline of the will which will free it to perform uses from the Lord. When we learn this; when, as we noted in the previous article, we learn to shun evils as sins and to do our work honestly, justly, and faithfully, then all the uses to the mind and all the uses which serve the body will be made living from within. Men inspired to do their work from religious principles are inspired by the Lord and will perform the
highest uses of all, thus bringing His kingdom on earth.
     The first step in this process is the shunning of evil and the doing of whatever work we are called to do with sincerity, but we need not stop here. For, to paraphrase another teaching of the Writings, now it is permitted to enter intellectually into the performance of use-by which we mean: now, from the Writings, we can see the extent to which every use affects every other use. For they are bound together by the Lord. For what is useful to the mind also serves the body and the spirit. And what is useful to the spirit also serves the mind and body. Consequently every man in every occupation has the opportunity of seeing in his work the highest use, and thus of doing it for the sake of the highest end, that is, for the spiritual welfare of the neighbor, thus for the Lord. The teaching is that "every use is representative of all the uses of the whole body, and thus in every use there is the idea of the whole, and thereby an image of man. From this it is that an angel of heaven is a man according to use; and if it is permissible here to speak spiritually, it is from this that a use is a man-angel" (Love XII:2).
     This familiar anecdote can illustrate the profound truth which can elevate our ideals of use: three men were working on a wall. Each in turn was asked the same question, "What are you doing?" The first replied, "I'm laying stone." The second answered, "I'm building a wall." But the third proclaimed, "I'm constructing a cathedral." It is the end seen which qualifies our work. It is the end understood which can have the power to elevate our minds and our hearts to the fullest performance of our occupation. It is the sight of the inner goals of life which can spur us to new determination and effort, and this regardless of how external or menial our tasks in life may be. Did not the Lord Himself perform external uses? Is not the Lord Himself behind all uses? Any New Churchman, regardless of how he is employed, need not be concerned as to how external or how internal the form of his occupation may be, since he is now free to see the inward extension of all uses.

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He can become increasingly aware of the internal uses which this particular form of occupation promotes; how the Lord through man's small efforts multiplies the results so that they extend into eternity. From the Heavenly Doctrines he can enter intellectually into the performance of use.
     One example of how this teaching applies in daily living is the use of mother in the home. What could be more external than the care and feeding of a family? This use relates directly to the uses of sustaining the body. Yet it certainly does not end here. A balanced diet, adequate clothes, add harmonious surroundings bring health to the body. But this isn't the end. The way in which mother serves the meals, mends the clothes; her spirit of care and devotion; her consistency and sense of values-these things, far more than we ordinarily realize, have a lasting effect on the persons in her care, on their minds and on their spirits, as well as their bodies. For whether she likes it or not, whether she realizes it or not, the way in which she performs these uses spells out the fundamental values of life. And with infants her most external acts-handling her baby, talking to him, feeding him-are transposed by the Lord into the inmost blessings of all, into the heavenly delights called remains.
     When we understand these things we can be freed from an abject slavery to our occupations and we can perform them from thought and purpose, from the truths of revelation, that is, from the Lord. Certainly no New Churchman need say to his Lord, "When saw we Thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?" (Matt. 25:44) For from the Heavenly Doctrine we can see the Lord in all uses, and that "inasmuch as [we] have done it unto one of the least of these [His] brethren [we] have done it unto [Him]" (Matt. 25:38, 39). Now that the Lord has made His second coming men can enter intellectually into the performance of use in fulfillment of the Lord's own words, "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth: But I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain" (John 15:15, 16).
     If we can perform the highest uses in any occupation, does it matter what occupation we choose to perform? Is there not a right occupation for every man? Does necessity take away our freedom in the performance of uses? We hope to provide some answers from the Writings to these questions in our next article.

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"NEWS FROM BENADE" 1981

"NEWS FROM BENADE" RICHARD R. GLADISH 1981

     Johnny Appleseed was reported to have greeted his pioneer friends with these words, prior to reading from the Writings: "Do you want to hear some news right fresh from heaven?"
     Well, being engaged in researching and writing a life of Bishop Benade (1816-1905), founder of the Academy and indirectly of the General Church, 1 keep running across statements of "Father Benade" (as he was called as early as 1872 at age 56) which contain interesting insights or information, but are not likely, many of them, to find a place in the projected book. I will offer some snippets right fresh from my research on this remarkable gentleman.
     Here is a portion from a letter to a friend-Horace P. Chandler of Boston, a New Churchman and publisher-about a thoughtful gift devised by a young New Churchman named Walter C. Childs in 1872.

     Pittsburgh, Jan. 2, 1872

     Now I wish you to do something for a young friend whom I hope you will know some day. He is an earnest worker in the church here a rather uncommon case-full of life and fun-a regular breeze in company. He nevertheless is an indefatigable reader of Swedenborg, and has the brains to understand and the will to live the practical nature of the truth. A couple of friends of his in Troy, N. Y.-male and female, to whom he has introduced the Writings-have been drawn together by their common study of the doctrines. They have found each other at the Well and are to be married next June. I am to perform the ceremony on my way to Boston.
     Well, you will say, what is all this perambulation coming to? Nothing very serious or dangerous. Only this: Our young friend, Mr. Childs, wishes to make the couple a bridal gift of the Writings of the church-most appropriate, under the circumstances-and as we have no good binders here, he has asked me to request of you the favor of doing this thing for him: to procure a full set of the theological writings, London edition, and have them bound-in half Russia-well-very neatly, with not too much gilding, substantially, for use. Not so handsomely that they will be afraid to use the books, but so tastefully that they will be tempted to use no others. He likes a brown color for the back, but desires you to exercise your own taste in the matter. I showed him some of the books you had bound for me in Cambridge at Alexander's. He admired them. Can you do this? I have an interest in the matter myself, as I know the young bridegroom, Mr. Gillespie. He is a fine fellow.

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His bride is a very interesting young lady. Mr. Childs would like to have the books here in time to have a proper case made for them.
     And now goodbye. May all good things be to you and yours in this New Year. With love to Grace [Chandler's wife] and the babies.
     Yours as ever,
     W. H. Benade
OLD AGE 1981

OLD AGE Dr. N. J. BERRIDGE 1981

     ". . . and man when old, as again an infant, but wise, is introduced into the Lord's kingdom" (AC 3183).
     Introduction into the Lord's kingdom is a spiritual matter. His kingdom on earth is the church, and introduction into it can take place at any time of life. So why the special connection here with old age? We note the conjunction at such a time of innocence ("as an infant") and wisdom, but another great feature of old age is the approaching introduction into the next life. It is said above "an infant but wise." For a man to be wise he must be already in the church (i.e. at least in the church universal) and so in the Lord's kingdom, "for human life is nothing else from infancy to old age but a progression from the world into heaven" (AC 3016). The second introduction into the Lord's kingdom in old age must therefore refer to His kingdom in the spiritual world. We note that in one sense we are in the spiritual world already and this re-introduction must indicate a closer approach to the spiritual condition as the time of death approaches.
     As a man ages he comes, or should come, nearer to heaven. ". . . as the body or external man grows old, the internal passes into newness of life, a man's spirit being perfected by age as his bodily powers diminish" (AC 4676). ". . . old age is the extreme end of age, when corporeal things begin to be put off, and therewith the loves of the age that has preceded, and thus when the interiors begin to be enlightened, for when the former are removed the latter are enlightened" (AC 3492). We see then that the changes which lead into heaven take place throughout life, but they assume a special quality at the extreme end of age, man's spirit being perfected as his bodily powers diminish and when corporeal things begin to be put off.
     We began with introduction into the Lord's kingdom. In the spiritual world this is represented by the introduction of nourishment into the body. The body then represents the Gorand Man, or heaven, and food represents the souls arriving in the next life.

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"That the correction and purifying of the . . . food in the stomach correspond to such things in the spiritual world cannot but seem strange . . . ." (AC 5173:2). However, we are taught that the purification of a man's life in the next world is like the digestion of food (AC 5174:5). Many people, probably most, require preparation before they are able to enter heaven and it is this preparation that corresponds to the way food is made suitable for use in the body by digestion.
     There are some spirits who resemble the kind of food that needs no digestion (e. g. honey, vitamins, minerals, and, of course, water). They go straight to heaven. Others are like food that cannot be digested at all. They are excreted into hell. Most spirits seem to be of an intermediate kind that resembles ordinary food containing, for example, starch and protein which need considerable digestion.
     Now digestion in the body is a taking to pieces of the molecules of the food substances. After digestion they are no longer the same substance. Starch is not starch. Protein is not protein. They are broken down into other substances which can get into the blood for the body to use. Hence we read, "So long as spirits are in the state resembling food in the stomach, so long they are not in the Gorand Man, but are being introduced into it; but when they are representatively in the blood, then they are in the Gorand Man" (AC 5176).
     The amount of breakdown that must take place in the digestive system is a big change, and it corresponds to the severe agitations suffered by some spirits. As the food is broken down by digestion this suggests that such people are also broken down, and we remember the famous phrases from Psalm 34: "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit" (v. 18). Such a breaking down is a subduing of the proprium which is most necessary for spiritual progress. It occurs more or less severely from time to time throughout life, but it takes on a different character in old age.
     For many people old age is a time of attrition or wearing out, but is not this the beginning of the breaking down they must accept if they are to become heavenly? As we feel spiritual things less while we are in the body we may be able to undergo changes that would be more difficult in the next life, or even impossible in the case of changing the ruling love. Less drastic changes or purifications can, however, take place either now or in the next life, and if under Providence they can be done now it will be better than after death, for the Writings make it clear that those who need much purification correspond to food that needs much digestion and consequently they suffer hard things before they can find their place in heaven.

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It is well known (though seldom acknowledged) that "sweet are the uses of adversity" and the thoughts we have expressed here suggest that the adversity of old age has its own special uses. We remember, however, that it is not all adversity. There are some who bear it with little apparent distress, and for all, this adversity is limited by time but the sweetness is forever. Soon most of us pass into the welcoming warmth of the gentle loving sphere of the celestial angels (AC 170-182). "At first most spirits are treated gently, being kept in the company of angels and good spirits, and this is represented by the food being first touched softly by the lips, and then tasted by the tongue to discover its quality" (AC 5175). Finally, we have this encouragement: "that for those who trust in the Divine all things make for a happy state to eternity and that whatever befalls them in time is still conducive thereto. . .and that they who are in the stream of Providence are all the time being carried along toward happiness whatever may be the appearance of the means. . ." (AC 8478).
EDITORIAL PAGES 1981

EDITORIAL PAGES Editor 1981

     NEW CHURCH LIFE
     THE SUBJECT OF OLD AGE IN NEW CHURCH LIFE

     In the present issue Dr. Norman Berridge speaks of old age. Going by the index one finds a long silence about old age after 1923. (The excellent indexing work in recent years is being done by Miss Beryl Briscoe. It makes the December issue particularly valuable.) In 1904 Dr. J. B. S. King presented anatomical observations about the similarities of old age and infancy. He quotes the statement in Heaven and Hell, "When man becomes old he decreases in body, and becomes, as it were, an infant anew" (278), and he says that there are "many interesting confirmations in the anatomical similarities of the two states." After listing and discussing these he quotes John Ruskin. "Childhood often holds a truth with its feeble fingers, which the grasp of manhood cannot retain, but which it is the pride of utmost age to recover" (NCL 1904 p. 656). In the editor's notes on that issue he commented that the anatomical observations mirrored "a still more instructive spiritual analogy."

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     In 1917 a service for entrance upon old age was held at our London church building on Burton Road. It may be unique in our history. Rev. R. J. Tilson had reached the age of sixty, and in a formal service made a declaration of his confirmed faith. Bishop Benade was in the congregation. As part of the service Rev. G. C. Ottley addressed Rev. Tilson as follows: "My Dear Brother: Having in the Providence of the LORD attained unto the time of life which in the Divine Doctrines of the Church is said to be the commencement of Old Age, is it your desire to make . . . a profession of your confirmed faith?"
     The service took place in April. It is described in detail in the September issue of that year.
     In 1919 Rev. Homer Synnestvedt addressed himself to the subject of being useful in old age (p. 305). That short, beautiful article was followed in the same year by a sermon on old age by the same writer. This unusual sermon includes quotations from Cicero and others. It observes that "Cato learned Greek at a very advanced age," that Gladstone in his old age repeated Latin conjugations when waiting for a train, and that "Swedenborg was fifty-five when he began the study of Hebrew (p. 442).
     In 1923 a writer who called herself "Senesca" wrote in the LIFE of what old age means to a woman. This excellent piece ought perhaps to be reprinted in Theta Alpha Journal. It shows that "the release from cares and responsibilities brings a sense of rest that she somewhat resents though she enjoys it." "There should be times in the life of a woman when she enters an inner room and sorts out her life-making material, choosing and organizing into forms of use those things which she loves the most, and which she feels will be of eternal joy to her" (p. 85).
     After 1923 comes the forty-five year silence on aid age. In 1968 a beautiful sermon by Rev. Frank Rose was published under the title "The Uses of Old Age." The text: "There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age" (Zecharaiah 8:4). "Paradoxically, one of the temptations of old age is a feeling of uselessness." The writer portrays old age as a time of genuine usefulness (p. 331).
     In 1974 Rev. Martin Pryke wrote an excellent editorial on the use in old age in which he emphasized the effect of older people on the young, the steadying influence, the inspiration, the encouragement" (p. 484). The following year he wrote an editorial, "A Further Reflection on Old Age." This consisted of quotations from an outstanding memorial address delivered by Rev. Kurt H. Asplundh.

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Mr. Asplundh spoke of the teaching that man's spirit is perfected by age "as his bodily powers diminish" (AC 4676). He spoke of the things which the Lord accomplishes in secret and of the reasons why some die young and some old (p. 323).
     Finally we would commend to your attention a sermon on old age by Rev. Alfred Acton II which was published in the July issue of 1978. Rev. Acton's text was "Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth" (Psalm 71:9). Such studies as this and the one in the present issue are particularly useful in our affectionate understanding of the aged, in our understanding of the old age awaiting us, or of the old age which has already come.

     THE SCIENCE EXPLOSION

     How much knowledge is out there? It keeps coming in. When is it going to stop?
     The answer seems inescapable. In the words of the Writings scientiae nusquam exhauriri possunt. We will never reach the end of knowledge. "Knowledge is inexhaustible" (DP 57). Almost like a big bang and an expanding universe, the store of knowledge flashes on. The accumulation does not slow down. It accelerates. (Incidentally, at a lecture I was privileged to attend, the master writer-scientist Lewis Thomas pointed out that creation could not have made a big bang with no one around to hear it. Not even a little thud. More acceptable than a big bang, said he, is "a great light.")
     The subject of knowledge receives so much attention in the Writings. That word for knowledge which is debatably translated "scientifics" is taken up in hundreds of passages. For, just as the "stars of heaven" are beyond numbering, so also are the "sands of the sea." The reader of the Writings is inevitably interested in knowledge. In this issue the article "What Is Man?" devotes attention to science and scientists. The sermon under the same title does likewise with particular reference to evolution. More on this in a moment.
     Who is capable of taking in the vastness of the science explosion? There was a day when respectable encyclopedias could be produced by one or two men. Never again. One can be reasonably conversant with one's own particular specialty, but other fields become strange lands. I tried a tiny, tentative step into the field of archeology.

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It promised to be safe and quiet. One could hope to find a group of men comfortably sifting through a well-defined body of knowledge which could be interpreted at leisure. A brief set of university classes produced a very different impression. Even the most elementary inquiry leads to excitement, controversy, and always new knowledge coming in. Teachers seem hardly to have time to become smug about their mastery of the subject. Along comes the Eblah discovery. Oceans of new data put other data into new perspective. In every direction the store of knowledge expands.
     A science teacher sent me a copy of a letter that appeared in a British science journal. It was about evolution. Would such a letter be welcome? Had not the pages of the LIFE rather exhausted this subject of late? Had they scratched the surface? Hardly.
     The letter is written by a gentleman from Trinity College, Cambridge. It seems rather religious to appear in a scientific journal. It reads as follows:

     Sir-I think that the Devil tries his best to drive the Church and scientists apart by splitting those who see truth in Darwin's theory of "Survival of the fittest" and the creation of the Universe by God. I believe the two go well together. If we think of "fitness" as being pleasing to God, who told the animals to "go forth and multiply," then this ties in well with "for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish" Psalm 1:6.
     I believe that God is at work just as much in the Miller experiment as in the day of the primordial soup.
     When the bible says that the Lord created the world in six days, we need not take this to mean 6X24 hours. In English we often use the word "day" to mean an indefinite period.
     When Fox (Nature 6 August, p. 490) suggests a theory of how nucleic acids are formed, this reinforces my faith in God.

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Christians do not need to hide in the unexplained to see God at work but rather see him as all the more glorious when we see how he does it.
     The gaps of knowledge suggest to me that the Creator is cleverer than all the world's scientists and all the world's computers put together.
     Nature, 3 September, 1981

     What can we say or think about the endless store of knowledge? What can we feel about it? We can thank the Creator for the knowledge we already have, and we can also feel a thrill of gratitude about the things that are yet to be known. What we know, compared to what we do not know, the Writings say, is like a drop to an ocean.
     D.L.R.
WORD "CONJUGIAL" 1981

WORD "CONJUGIAL" BERYL G. BRISCOE 1981

     COMMUNICATIONS
Dear Editor:

     In further reference to the word "Conjugial" as discussed by the Rev. Kurt Nemitz in the September issue of NEW CHURCH LIFE, I should like to call the attention of your readers to the following statements by Bishop Alfred Acton in his "Translator's Preface" to the Academy of the New Church 1953 edition of Conjugial Love.
     After describing the publication of the first English translation of Conjugial Love, begun in 1790, by the Rev. John Clowes-about which by the way he states that it is "The first English translation*. . . and indeed its first translation into any language"-Bishop Acton continues: "The introduction of the word conjugial-the first appearance of that word in the English language-suggests that when Mr. Clowes was printing the first part of the work seriatim in the New Jerusalem Magazine, he had not noticed No. 203 where Swedenborg seems to make a distinction between conjugial and conjugal.

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This is indicated in the preface to the 1794 edition where Mr. Clowes gives as his reason for the change 'that the author himself constantly uses the Latin term conjugiale in preference to conjugale, when yet the latter term is equally classical and appears alike expressive; and that the author did this intentionally and not of caprice is evident from this consideration, that in one particular passage where he adopts the term conjugale, it is in a sense quite opposite to conjugiale; see No. 203 of the following work. It is not an improbable conjecture that the author's motive for preferring conjugiale to conjugale was the peculiar softness of the former term above the latter, arising from the insertion of the vowel i; in consequence whereof it is better adapted to express the pure and celestial affection which it is meant to denote; and it is hoped that this will be thought a sufficient apology for the translator's following his example . . . and that the English reader's ear, howsoever it may at first be offended by a term to which it is unaccustomed, will soon become habituated to the use of it, and will by degrees give it the same preference, on account of its superior softness and expressiveness.' Mr. Clowes' hope has been amply fulfilled, for the readers of Swedenborg have truly 'become habituated' to the word, and it is now recognized by the lexicographers."
     * In his article Mr. Nemitz states that "the Rev. John Clowes . . . in 1790 began the second English translation of the work we have ever since called Conjugial Love" (Sept. issue of NCL p. 469).
     In connection with the above statements, the following is an excerpt from No. 203:
     "But from the soul this conjugial passes into the parts that follow, even to the ultimates of the body; and in the latter and the former, it is changed by the man himself in many ways, and sometimes into the opposite which is called the conjugial or connubial of evil and falsity. When this takes place, the mind is closed from below, and sometimes is contorted like a spiral in the opposite direction."
     I should also like to point out the beautiful description of the meaning of conjugial by the Rev. W. Cairns Henderson in the recently published pamphlet "Our New Church Vocabulary" reprinted from NEW CHURCH LIFE January 1961-July 1966.
     BERYL G. BRISCOE,
          Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania
LE BOYS DES GUAYS 1981

LE BOYS DES GUAYS FRANK ROSE 1981

Dear Sir,

I am very interested in the comments about the Rev. John Clowes in the October issue of the LIFE, and write to draw attention to another "giant" of the early New Church, Monsieur Jean Francois Etienne le Boys des Guays.

593

He was born in 1794, introduced to the New Church at the age of 40 and within a few years had become a vital member of the church in France. He was a very successful judge, then a Sous Prefect and was nominated to even higher positions, but turned them down so that he could devote himself full time to the cause of the New Church.
     He lived in the town of St. Amand, right at the geographical center of France, and set up worship in his home. He edited a monthly journal called "La Nouvelle Jerusalem" and began to publish translations of the Writings into French in its pages. He was not the first French translator, but was the first man to translate all of the theological works published by Swedenborg and, except for the Spiritual Diary, virtually all of the posthumous works. Some idea of his care and persistence can be picked up from these comments made by one of his friends.

     On and on he plodded untiringly for years with such perseverance as can only be inspired by a great love for a great cause. When once his plan was traced he would see it through to the end with never a weakness. For example, he calculated that to translate the Arcana he needed fourteen years, at the rate of so many pages per day. Fourteen years after, the last volume of the Arcana, French edition, left the press" (NEW CHURCH LIFE, 1926 p. 254).
     He started translating in 1839 and finished the last volume of Apocalypse Explained in 1859. This is just a shade faster than Swedenborg worked (the Writings were published between 1749 and 1771). During these years le Boys des Guays was also editor of a journal, wrote a number of pamphlets and articles and completed an Index General to the places in the Writings where Scripture texts are cited or explained. This important work became the basis 24 years later for what we know as Searle's Index. Even more interesting is le Boys des Guays' motive in compiling the index. He had in view making a translation of the Bible into French, and in preparation for that work, wanted to gather together all the places in the Writings where Bible verses are to be found, as an aid to a translation in the light of the Writings. For a number of books of the Word he put together a volume with quotations from the Writings alongside of the verses of the book. He also completed a translation of the Prophets and Psalms, and the four Gospels.
     The day before his death, le Boys de Guays sent to the printer the proof of the last page of a two-volume index to the Arcana Coelestia (a kind of precursor to the Swedenborg Concordance). And almost a hundred years after his death, a new edition of Du Ciel et de L'Enfer (Heaven and Hell) was published which was a revised version of the translation he had made.

594

The quality of his translation work seems to be outstanding. The feat of translating virtually every work in the 30-volume "Standard Edition" of the Writings, plus editing a journal, plus compiling the first index of Scripture quotations, plus compiling an extensive index of the Arcana Coelestia, plus translating much of the Old and New Testaments, is probably without equal in the history of the church.
FRANK ROSE,
Academy of the New Church,
Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania

Note: See also the Intellectual Repository 1838 pp 93-100, 326-330, and a biography of le Boys des Guays written shortly after his death in the same journal, 1865, beginning on pages 81 and 125.
SUSTAINED ENTHUSIASM 1981

SUSTAINED ENTHUSIASM DESMOND H. MCMASTER 1981

Dear Sir:

     "Three cheers and a tiger" for Lavina Lemky Scott's tribute to Karl Alden, as seen through the eyes of a child. It raised a lump in my throat. Guess I'm getting into my second childhood. Let me see . . . I was a young man, an idealist, searching for the true way of life. An office friend invited me to hear Karl Alden's farewell address in Toronto. The text was "Sustained Enthusiasm" and boy! that man was a living example of it ! As a result, we corresponded for a long time, until I became convinced that the Writings contained all I'll know about life, here and hereafter!
     The years have passed. I keep wondering why aren't there more of us in the church that are living examples of Karl's sustained enthusiasm. Maybe there are, but like me, they don't show it. A poet has said, "We live in deeds not years/In thoughts not breaths/In feelings, not in figures on a dial . . . ."
     We can't all be poets, and seeming few of us are given at this time to show a 'sustained enthusiasm' that will help others who are seeking, to find and rejoice in the true way of life.
     DESMOND H. MCMASTER,
          Kitchener, Canada

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ANIMAL FORMS IN MAN'S DEVELOPMENT 1981

ANIMAL FORMS IN MAN'S DEVELOPMENT HELEN KRESZ 1981

Dear Editor:

     Recently PBS aired a five-part series on Charles Darwin. Reflecting on Darwin's view, I am reminded of the passage in the Writings that portrays people who lived on remote islands without a knowledge of God. They appeared as if like apes at first in the spiritual world, having a life almost like apes (See SS 116).
     In the September LIFE there is reference to Dr. C. R. Pendleton's point "that the human fetus in its development resembles animal forms" (p. 485). I take this to portray the potential for the affections which correspond to these various forms. One can picture Adam naming the affections he saw in himself as animals but not taking on the actual form of these particular animals. The baby is not born in the animal form.
     If anywhere in the development of the external body of the human race man came closest to looking like animals, I think it would be after the fall when man was so filled with evil.
     Although this is strictly my opinion I maintain that scientific fact will correspond to spiritual truth. Instead of contending one against the other, it serves more to discover where a particular scientific fact fits in the jigsaw puzzle with each corresponding to a particular truth.
     HELEN KRESZ,
          Cincinnati, Ohio
IS IT HARD TO READ THE WRITINGS? 1981

IS IT HARD TO READ THE WRITINGS? NORMAN HELDON 1981

We would hope, even expect, translations of the Writings to be perfectly accurate and in the best English. English usage has changed a lot over the past two hundred years, and translations we have now are different, being less wordy, for one thing, than the early ones. I believe it is possible now to use a style that is almost, if not quite, ageless.
Dr. David Gladish's remarks (NCL, February '81) are valuable and helpful to translators, and he speaks from the point of view of one who reads the Writings in Latin. However, I think the reception given to a volume of the Arcana by his friend the engineer was quite unfair, even allowing that what he read could have been expressed in a simpler, clearer way.

596

Many people even better educated than that man might make a similar or even more contemptuous remark. Yet these people have studied books in their respective fields that I venture to say would be much more difficult to comprehend. We might well ask if the fault is in themselves rather than in the Writings.
     Mrs. Mora Fletcher, now 88, told me that she began reading the Writings when seventeen, and found little difficulty in understanding them. The Rev. Geoffrey Howard writes (NCL, November '80) of his delight and astonishment at finding that the New Church doctrines were being read, understood, and eagerly discussed by many people in Ghana. He asked one group: "Did you not find the terminology and the ideas expressed in the Writings to be very difficult to comprehend in the beginning?" He received the answer: "Yes, in the beginning it was quite difficult to master the terminology. However, with a little persistence we found that it became more and more easy, for we loved the heavenly ideas which the Writings unfold." Another lady of the Hurstville society was new to the church when her daughter died. She was given a copy of Heaven and Hell, and she said to me, "I could not put it down." My father, not long in Australia from Sweden, and with an imperfect knowledge of English, found a book of the Writings in a secondhand book store and made up his mind very quickly that this was the truth he had been looking for.
     In a memorable relation (CL 532-33) Swedenborg says that angels rejoiced when he told them of the truths newly revealed on earth. But he looked sad and they asked him why. He replied that those arcana revealed by the Lord are considered on earth as of no value. He then described how a paper on which some truths were written was "let down" to the earth. As it passed through the spiritual world it shone like a star, but when it descended into the natural world the light disappeared. "And when it was let down by the angels into companies where there were learned and erudite men from the clergy and laity, there was heard a murmur from many in which were these expressions: 'What is this? Is it anything? What does it matter whether we know these things or do not know them?'"
     Translations of the Writings have their faults, but that is obviously not the reason why they are rejected. It is the will, as we know, that leads the understanding, and many people though lacking a higher education have read and delighted in the truths of the New Revelation.
     NORMAN HELDON,
          Hurstville, Australia

597

IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES 1981

     It has been asked why we do not have more "in Our Contemporaries." Some have been written only to be discarded as an issue goes to press. The abundance of material coming to the LIFE these days causes the editor to omit things, often with regret.
     It is particularly regrettable that we do not have space to quote items from recent issues of Lifeline. We refer in particular to the series entitled "A Fortnight in Bible Lands," which is concluded in the September issue. What an interesting blending there is here of the sense of awe at this land expressed by Rev. Claud Presland and his candid remarks about some of the realities confronting today's visitor. Mr. Presland does not mince words. Anyone contemplating a visit to Israel is urged to read this series and to read also Rev. Harold Cranch's "A Visit to the Holy Land" to which Mr. Presland refers. (See NCL, Dec. 1979.)
     The September issue contains one of the boldest, most forthright presidential addresses that members of Conference can remember. Rev. Christopher Hasler glosses over nothing. He points to a situation facing the General Conference of Great Britain in which fourteen ministers have to serve thirty-nine societies! Here is one example of Mr. Hasler's oration. He zeroes in on doctrinal snobbery and asks that people face up to the teachings that are simple, direct and practical. "Where the New Church has gone astray," he says, "is that we have delighted in difficult passages. We instinctively look for what we cannot understand. This is a sort of intellectual one-up-manship, and we have all enjoyed the skills of this wonderful quest."
     The editor of Lifeline does not speak timidly either. His editorial is called "Less Theory, More Production." Not an issue for faint hearts.
Church News 1981

Church News POLLY M. SCHOENBERGER 1981

PITTSBURGH

Since our last report, several important and exciting changes have occurred in Pittsburgh. The transition of our pastor, the Rev. Donald Rose, and his family to Bryn Athyn was tinged with both sadness at losing our friends and happiness for the Roses as they begin new uses in our church center. Replacing Mr. Rose in the interim before the arrival of our new pastor, the Rev. Ragnar Boyesen, is the Rev. Kenneth O. Stroh, whom we welcomed to Pittsburgh in July. The Rev. Eric H. Carswell continues as headmaster of the Pittsburgh New Church School and assistant pastor.

598

     In the past year we enjoyed having various ministers preach, among them the Rt. Rev. Louis B. King, and the Revs. Kurt H, Asplundh, Christopher D. Bown, and Walter Orthwein. This past summer Jeremy Simons spent several weeks with us as a theological school candidate. During the year one betrothal, one blessing on a marriage, and one ordination took place; we had two marriages and memorial services apiece, and three each of baptisms and engagements. The ordination of Eric Carswell into the second degree was the first such service to take place in the Pittsburgh church.
     Our various organizations continue to thrive. The Women's Guild, besides its many society functions, adopted a new use this year, that of providing coffee and tea after church on the first Sunday in the month. The Theta Alpha continued to provide monetary support to the school, and this year, besides its annual Swedenborg luncheon, also delighted the children with a hallowe'en costume party. The Sons, in addition to their meetings, at one of which Phil Heilman gave an interesting talk on his trip to Ghana, have provided the maintenance crew of the church and school with valuable hours of labor on their work days.
     Our school had a very successful year, owing, in part, to the fact that our entire staff-Eric H. Carswell, Sarah W. Gandrud, Curtis L. McQueen, Donald L. Rose, Polly M. Schoenberger, and many wonderful volunteers-remained healthy, unlike the two previous years. In October the teachers participated in two in-service days at the Bryn Athyn Church Elementary School, an educational experiment acclaimed by all. The students took several field trips, including visits to museums, a guided nature walk, a talk by a beekeeper, and a tour of a weather station. We also enjoyed the visit of a string quartet, three-fourths of which were Pittsburgh Symphony members. This June marked not only the graduation of Dan Griffiths and Amy Williamson, but also the marriage in Bryn Athyn of our primary grades teacher, Sarah Waters, to John Gandrud.
     Besides our various classes, Mr. Rose also held a set of beginners' classes on five Sunday afternoons during the winter. Trish Lindsay also conducted a series of classes for parents on bringing up children. As is the case with the reading group led by Mr. Carswell, people not of the church were encouraged to attend both these classes, and did.
     Highlights of the Pittsburgh social season certainly must include the banquet during the Bishop's visit, and our farewell party for the Roses. At both events the auditorium was nearly bursting with people, besides overflowing with good will. This October we anticipate a crafts fair and also the wedding of Gretchen Olson and George Graham.
     We would be remiss in not mentioning the passing of Goldie Heilman Grote and Rene Heilman Lindsay to the spiritual world, for their leave-taking marks the end of an era, indeed.
     In conclusion, let us note that what has been reported here represents only some of the changes made in Pittsburgh society life since our last report. Many regular functions continue to flourish as we work together in the service of the New Christian Church.
     POLLY M. SCHOENBERGER

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VISITORS TO CHURCH SOCIETIES 1981

     Announcements



     Visitors to Bryn Athyn, Detroit, Glenview, Kitchener, London, Pittsburgh, San Diego or Toronto, who are in need of hospitality accommodations are cordially urged to contact in advance the appropriate Hospitality Committee head listed below:

Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania
Mrs. James L. Pendleton
815 Fettersmill Rd.
Bryn Athyn, PA 19009
Phone: (215) 947-1810

Detroit, Michigan
Mrs. Garry Childs
2140 East Square Lake Rd.
Troy, MI 48098
Phone: (313) 879-9914

Glenview, Illinois
Mrs. Philip Horigan
50 Park Dr.
Glenview, IL 60025
Phone: (312) 729-5644

Kitchener, Ont., Canada
Mrs. Maurice Schnarr
98 Evenstone Ave., R.R. 2
Kitchener, Ont. N2G 3W5

London, England
Mrs. Geoffrey P. Dawson
28 Parklands Rd.
Streatham, London, SW 16
Phone: 01-769-7922

Pittsburgh, Penna.
Mrs. Paul M. Schoenberger
7433 Ben Hur St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15208
Phone: (412) 371-3056

San Diego, California
Mrs. Helen L. Brown
2810 Wilbee Court
San Diego, CA 92123

Toronto. Ont., Canada
Mrs. Sydney Parker
30 Royaleigh Ave.
Weston, Ont. M9P 255
Phone: (416) 241-3704

     Kindly call at least two weeks in advance if possible.

601

NOTES ON THIS ISSUE 1981

NOTES ON THIS ISSUE Editor 1981

NEW CHURCH LIFE
Vol. CI December, 1981 No. 12

602

     The religious contents of this issue speak beautifully for themselves. There is also a copious fund of information to which your attention is invited.
     Because of necessary yearly functions of this magazine we have had to omit several things we wish we could have published. The fact is that every month the pile of printable material before us gets larger rather than smaller. Although we should rejoice in this abundance we regret long delays and wish to apologize to contributors whose material was welcomed but then did not appear.
     One correspondent speaks of "cramming the contents together." We have done this reluctantly to fit in more material and have also had more pages than in previous years, but we may have to cut down. Mr. Blair is right about cost being an important factor (p. 654).
     During the year ending August 31st eighty-eight people joined the General Church. Who are they, and where do they come from? Find the answer on pages 64 1-643. Generally about seven people join the church each month, and since there are about four adult baptisms per month we might observe that more than 50% of our growth is from "newcomers" rather than from those brought up in the church. But wait. Infant baptisms are increasing in number, and so are marriages (see p. 640). There is reason for optimism in our future school enrollments. And just what are those enrollments currently? (Answer on page 657.)
     Do you ever look in the index at the names of those baptized during the year? This year there are 200 names. In the January issue we reported 34 baptisms. That was almost a record, and we put the figure on the cover. This month we report 33.
     The figures on page 628 indicate that our bishop has not been idle during the year. Finally please note that the current addresses of the ministers appear this month on pages 630-637.

603

EVENING AND THE MORNING STARS 1981

EVENING AND THE MORNING STARS Rev. LOUIS B. KING 1981

     "And I will give him the morning star" (Revelation 2:28).

     As long as men have been in existence the stars have provided them with a sparkling symbol of hope. Even the most sophisticated of mortals cannot help but sense the awesome majesty of the evening skies nor, beholding it, long refrain from wondering and pondering deep and far away thoughts, as the immense canopy of the stars descends upon him.
     And it is because men of today, as yesterday, are similarly affected by these luminaries of the night that the stars have been used profusely in Sacred Scripture as emblems of knowledge-knowledges of truth which uplift, inspire and thereby lead and guide our thoughts into wisdom. The Lord is Divine Wisdom Itself. All truths given by Him are for the purpose of guiding our willing and thinking, our speaking and doing, along the path of regenerate life which leads to the Lord alone. And since the whole of the Word treats of the Lord and of our responsibilities in approaching Him, much is said in the literal sense regarding stars and the truths which they represent-truths which guide into a state of heavenly wisdom or eternal conjunction with the Lord.
     And with the mention of stars, wherever and whenever it occurs, hope and promise of future states of wisdom are spiritually implied. So Jehovah Himself, speaking to Abraham on a night when he first entered the land of Canaan, said, "Look now toward heaven and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: And He said unto him, So shall thy seed be"(Gen. 15:5). And on a later day, when Abraham had expressed heartbroken willingness to sacrifice his only son Isaac in obedience to the Lord's command, the Lord said, "Because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven" (Gen. 22:17).
     Much later Balaam the prophet, under the direct and full influence of the Spirit of Holiness, symbolized the Lord's advent in terms of a prophetic "star" that would rise out of Jacob. And when in fulfillment of numerous prophecies the Lord was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem saying, "Where is He that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star."

604

     The evening star which the wise men followed represents those remains of good and truth which provide, in childhood and youth, our first vision of the Lord. But if this vision is to be perfected, enlarged and made rational, the Lord must come again to make all things new. So in the book of Revelation it is promised, "I will give him the morning star." The morning star, which ushers in the light and warmth of a new day, refers to more than mere truth which leads to wisdom. Rather is it a symbol of Divine Wisdom Itself. So the Lord refers to Himself as "the root and offspring of David, the bright and morning star." Here by root of David is meant the Lord as creator, by offspring of David is meant the Lord as redeemer. And by the bright and morning star is meant the Lord Himself with the man who is being regenerated-the Divine wisdom received and adjoined to man's spiritual mind.
     The evening star and the morning star symbolize, therefore, the Lord with us in childhood, and the Lord with us in adult life. Each presence in its own way and in its own time gives promise and hope of redemption and Salvation. The evening star shines in the warmth and excitement, the disappointment and sorrow of Christmases past. For genuine hope in the Lord and confident trust in His Divine Providence are born of temptation, sorrow and disappointment as well as states of peace, happiness and success. Life's tenderest moments come out of the past-remains of innocence, like the evening star, shine with hope and inspiration, bringing all that was good and true from the Lord out of the past into the present. What delight would we feel in our celebration of the advent season without the powerful remains of yesterday? How could we feel so close to our loved ones in the spiritual world, particularly at this time, if we had not shared so many festival celebrations with them in years gone by? And does not this reflection add meaning and power to our worship and acknowledgment of the Lord? Does it not rekindle our hope of eternal life and our confidence in the Divine mercy of the Lord?
     And looking back is it not a marvelous thing to be able to see in all our disappointments, heartaches and apparent tragedies the guiding hand of our Heavenly Father; working every moment in every aspect of our lives to bring about our greatest eternal welfare and happiness; to accomplish for us individually what He accomplished for the whole human race by His advent, namely, our redemption and salvation? The evening star shines again whenever remains of the past are stirred-whenever our thoughts go back to the historic fact of the Lord's first coming, or whenever past states associated with this blessed event are recalled and relived.

605

Christmas would lose its power and glory if we did not each year return momentarily to the innocence of childhood, rekindling those tender delights associated with the Divine Infant cradled in Bethlehem of Judea on that first Christmas eve, so far away and so long ago. The mystery and the majesty introduced into the world by the Prince of Peace, throughout the ages, have touched the hearts of untold millions of men and women each year, captivating their imaginations with a gentle, innocent kind of magic. And the universal sphere of peace and good will which pervades the human race for a brief Christmas interval is so productive of true Christian feelings that we find ourselves astonished that it has so little lasting effect upon our human relationships throughout the remainder of the year.
     And yet as New Churchmen we ought not to be surprised. To be sure, this annual "spirit of charity" in the human race is founded upon powerful ultimates, affections of innocence originating in childhood; but they are short-lived and impotent because devoid of any internal states of Christianity-devoid of any true knowledge, acknowledgment or worship of the Lord Jesus Christ in His Divine Humanity. The star of the east, the evening star, shines in their hearts for a brief moment with sincere hope for peace on earth and universal good will among men, but as a light that shineth in darkness, the darkness of materialist philosophy comprehendeth it not. The evening star, though productive of hope, cannot achieve the new day without the warmth and brilliance of the morning star-the Divine Wisdom of the Lord in His second coming. Without the Lord's second coming, His first advent holds out less and less hope for Christianity each year. So the Lord promised to those who would acknowledge Him in His second coming, "I will give him the morning star."
     Upon our vision of the Lord as an objective, visible Divine Man depends the whole of our eternal well-being. And this vision of our visible God is the product of all states of good and truth, past and present. The evening star shines with hope out of the past, as the Lord stirs remains and enriches the present therefrom. The morning star shines with hope in the present and for the future, as the Lord's Divine Human enters into us and gives promise of a new and eternal day wherein the end of creation itself shall exist in us as a state of heaven from the human race.
     Heaven, as a state in man, is conjunction with the Lord. Conjunction is effected by love, love from the Lord to the Lord. But until there is a genuine knowledge of the Lord we cannot visualize Him objectively in the human mind.

606

And let us remember that it is only in the human mind that we see truth at all. The ideas or mental images within the rational mind, stimulated by knowledges taken in from the Word and made to live in the spheres of affection inflowing from heaven, are the mirrors in which we behold our Lord and our God.
     From the letter of Old and New Testaments, together with remains of innocence associated therewith, we derive our idea of the Lord as to Person. These knowledges and associate remains shine in our conscious minds for they are the evening star of His first advent. From the Writings we derive knowledges of heavenly doctrine which reveal the Divine and Human Essence of the Lord, that Essence from which we look to His Person. This is the morning star which the Lord gives to brighten our vision of His Divine Humanity. And when the Lord appears to us in this full and immediate way we may reach out with our intellect and our affection to touch, yea embrace, with the whole of our being our Redeemer and Savior the Lord Jesus Christ.
     May the height of our Christmas celebration, as it draws near, consist in reflection upon the beauty of Divine Revelation which brings to us the immediate presence of the Lord and the hope of His salvation. Whatever our lot, whether riches or poverty, whether happiness or sorrow, health or sickness, companionship or loneliness, youth or old age, whatever our lot, the Divine Love and Wisdom in human form fully visible is present in the very ultimates of daily life, caring and providing for every individual's eternal needs.
     "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me;" sang Isaiah "because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent me to bind the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified" (Isaiah 61:1-3). And the Lord replies: "He that hath My commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me. And I will give him the morning star." Amen.

     LESSONS: Isaiah 40, Revelation 22, Apocalypse Revealed 151

607

THOUGHTS CONCERNING THE CONCEPTION, BIRTH AND GLORIFICATION OF JESUS CHRIST 1981

THOUGHTS CONCERNING THE CONCEPTION, BIRTH AND GLORIFICATION OF JESUS CHRIST Rev. GEORGE DE CHARMS 1981

     All that we have written in the course of this present study concerning the various kingdoms of nature is intended to support a final thesis concerning the glorification of the Lord, namely that: When the Lord said to His apostles on the first Easter Sunday:

     "Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself: handle Me and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see Me have" (Luke 24:38, 39)

     He did not mean, as is commonly supposed, that the material substances with which His earthly body had been clothed were actually transmuted into the Infinite. But let us examine the evidence revealed in the Writings concerning the conception, birth and glorification of Jesus Christ.
     This is the most abstruse and astounding of all Divine miracles. Yet the Writings state that it was accomplished in complete accord with the laws of Divine order which have governed the universe from the beginning. This is contrary to the appearance because in nature all the propagation of living organisms has always taken place through the conjunction of male and female, but in the conception of the Lord there was no human father. The seeming discrepancy arises from a misconception as to the real function of the male seed. It is not, as has been universally supposed, the vital element in the process of conception. All conception results from the influx of life from Jehovah God. The male seed is only a vessel through which and by means of which the Lord creates living organisms, including human beings. But what the Lord does by means of it differs greatly according to the form of use He has in view. As we have seen, His purpose in creating a human being is to produce an angel who can perform an eternal use in the kingdom of heaven. We have noted the part that the paternal seed plays in the achievement of this goal. What then does the Word teach concerning the conception of Jesus Christ?
     That such a "coming" would be necessary was foreseen from the time of the "fall." By the promise of it hope was kept alive in the hearts of men, and an ever-declining remnant of true religion was preserved through countless ages.

608

To do this was the purpose for the sake of which the written Word was given. By means of it the Lord retained His contact with the human race.
     By means of the Word men were prepared to recognize the Lord at His coming, and receive Him with joy. This was the whole purpose of Divine prophecy. Some idea of God as a Being Divinely "Human," a Being infinitely loving and infinitely wise could be preserved and cherished in human hearts. It was this "Word" which "was in the beginning with God, and which was God" (John 1:1) which must be "made flesh" to "dwell" among men, that they might "behold His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).
     Faith in this "Word" was the only means whereby men could be regenerated and prepared for heaven. Because of this we read: "By the Word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth" (Psalm 33:6). Through all the ages, the Lord remained present with the angels by means of His Word. He was present not only with those who were in the celestial heaven, but also with those who were in the spiritual heaven, and in the natural heaven. His Word was accommodated to those dwelling in each of these heavens, wherefore it is said that "He bowed the heavens and came down" (Psalm 18:9). So doing, He took nothing from the "proprium" of the angels, but only the Word Itself as accommodated to their mind and understanding. This is the "Word" which "was made flesh, and dwelt among us."
     It was foreseen and prophesied that this conception must be by means of a virgin mother.
     With the rapid advance of scientific thought, the possibility of such a miracle has come to be viewed either with profound skepticism or with complete denial. To New Churchmen the Writings have restored an unquestioning faith. Nevertheless, the teaching now given concerning it appears abstract and difficult to understand. We find it hard to think apart from material ideas of space and time. We cannot think of the Lord's earthly body apart from the mineral substances with which it was clothed.
     The embryo in the womb of Mary was in very truth the "Son of God." It was "the Word made flesh." In this respect it was completely different from any other human embryo. It was created for an entirely different purpose, or "use." It was not designed to become an angel, capable of performing an eternal use in the kingdom of heaven.

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It was created instead to become the embodiment of Divine love and wisdom, through which the Lord Himself might speak in human language to men on earth, teaching them and leading them once more into the way of life from which they had strayed so far. This use, like that of every living organism, had to be clothed with substances and matters from the mineral kingdom in order that it might be "fixed and permanent." But in itself, the embryo of Jesus Christ was a form of Divine "use" utterly unique.
     The "soul" of Jesus Christ was Jehovah God. Of this stupendous truth, however, the infant Jesus was born completely ignorant. Like every infant, He was wakened to consciousness through physical sensation. His body was provided with organs of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch similar to those of every human infant. But consciousness is not a function of physical organs. The eye does not see, the ear does not hear, the skin does not feel. All sensation arises from within, by influx from the soul. It is due to an act of will, whereby attention is focused upon some abject or event in the environment. The "will" is the "love." The love into which Jesus Christ was created was the love of God. His Soul was Divine Love Itself. But aside from this He derived from His mother Mary an hereditary tendency to love God. It could not be otherwise, for Mary was a good woman. Although she inherited a tendency to all the evils of her race, she preserved throughout her life a simple faith in the Word, and a love of Jehovah, her invisible God.
     The Writings distinctly teach us that we derive from our parents not only a tendency to evil but also a tendency to good. This tendency is only an external emotion, the quality of which is not known. It is not a rational good, or one that can lead to regeneration. Yet we are told that those who are married in conjugial love impart to their children a "tendency" toward the conjugial. Unless Mary had loved God, and this from the heart, she could by no means have become the mother of the Lord.
     Because of an hereditary tendency to love God, when Jehovah appeared at the first awakening to consciousness of the infant Jesus, there was in Him an emotional response of joy. From this began a return of love from Jesus Christ to God the Father. It was at first without understanding, for Jesus was born into complete ignorance. But as He grew, understanding gradually developed, and as it did so, the love of Jehovah God became with Him what the Writings call the "Human Essence." This is what was progressively glorified and at last united with the "Divine Essence" which was His infinite Soul.

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     In order that such an embryo might be created, it was essential that there should be no human father. The reason for this becomes clear when we consider what the Writings teach concerning the conception of all human beings. As already said, the "primitive of man" is an "inmost vessel receptive of life from God." This vessel, we are told, is of three degrees: the two interior degrees are "in the order and form of heaven; but the third degree is in an order contrary to the form of heaven."
     How can we understand this? We are told that the creation of an individual human being is a complete, though minute, replica of the creation of the entire universe. Man is a "microcosm" or minute image of the "macrocosm" or universe. 'The first of creation was the sun of heaven, from which there proceeded in order three discrete degrees or atmospheres, carrying the heat and light of that sun to the angels of all the heavens. The spiritual sun and the natural sun were created simultaneously. From the natural sun there proceeded in order three natural atmospheres, one embracing the entire planetary system; the "ether" which surrounds the earth, extending for a considerable distance into space; and the air, by means of which the heat and light of the sun are accommodated to reception by all living organisms on the surface of the planet.
     From this teaching 1 have drawn the conclusion that the two interior degrees of the "primitive of man" are to the human microcosm what the spiritual sun is to the macrocosm. It is the source of all spiritual love and wisdom to which human beings may aspire, and these produce the rational mind that lives after death, and makes man an angel of heaven. This "inmost vessel of life" described as two interior degrees of spiritual creation is the "presence of the Lord with man." It is completely above man's consciousness, and remains with him, unchanged, to eternity. It is a form of love and wisdom which causes each one to be an individual, forever distinct from every other human being. From it is derived all one's ability to love, to think, to understand, and to act.
     The third degree is formed in the mind of a human father. It is formed in the image of his ruling love, together with the loves of all his ancestors, whence comes what is called the "paternal heredity." This is a tendency to all the evils of the race. This paternal heredity appears to ma n to be his very self, for which reason it has been called "human nature." It is so deeply imbedded in man's consciousness that it can never be totally eradicated. It remains even with the angels of heaven, and they must be perpetually protected from it by the secret operation of the Divine Providence.

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For this reason, in the conception of Jesus Christ there could be no human father. He was born "a celestial-spiritual man." He did inherit a tendency to evil from Mary, but this did not appear to be His own. He perceived it as the evil of the race, against which He was called upon to fight. Of this we shall speak presently; but in spite of there being no human father, the conception of Jesus Christ was in complete accord with the Divine order, according to which all conception of living organisms takes place. Consider: All conception is effected by means of the Word, wherefore we read:

     "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him" (John 1:1-3).

     The form of the male seed differs in every individual case. It is the form of a particular use. The Divine love operates through it with infinite wisdom to produce an organism minutely adapted to that special use. Such a vessel, formed in the mind of a human father, would not be conducive to the creation of Jesus Christ. For this reason it was omitted, and in every other respect, the Divine order of conception was observed. For the same reason, the form of every other male seed was omitted in the case of every conception, because it would not be conducive to the use intended. The Word Itself was the seed of Jesus Christ, and this is meant by the words of the angel to Mary:

     "The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee, wherefore that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35).

In Jesus Christ the Word was indeed "made flesh." For this reason the flesh and blood of the embryo formed in Mary's womb were utterly unique. They were entirely different in inmost form and structure from those of any other human embryo. They were so created that, unlike the flesh and blood of other human beings, they might be glorified, and completely united with the infinite soul of the Father. In spite of this, the infant Jesus was to all outward appearance indistinguishable from any other infant. It was essential that this should be so because the Divine within must be completely hidden, not only from the eyes of men and spirits but from Jesus Christ Himself. If His Divine nature should have been openly revealed, all men would have been compelled to believe in Him. Evil spirits could not possibly have drawn near to tempt Him. Jesus Himself could not freely have returned the love of the Infinite Father, and the whole purpose of the advent would have been negated.

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     This is the reason why Jesus Christ had to be alternately in two opposite states-that of glorification and that of temptation. In states of glorification Jehovah appeared to Him, teaching, inspiring, and infilling His mind with a sense of power and of glory. But in states of temptation He felt utterly alone. God seemed to have forsaken Him. He was surrounded and attacked by all the evils of mankind. He prayed to the Father as to another, outside of Himself. But then by His own will and power, He did what Jehovah had commanded, with unswerving faith and trust in the Divine wisdom of the Word. By this He overcame every attack from the hells.
     The Lord's awareness of the Divine within Him was progressive. When Jehovah first appeared, Jesus did not know Him, but perceived Him as His ancestor Abram had thought of his tribal god Shaddai. Inflowing love can be felt, but it cannot be seen and understood except by means of sensations and knowledges derived from sensation. So also the light of the natural sun cannot be seen except as reflected from objects on earth, or from tiny particles of matter in the atmosphere. This is why the infant Jesus had to grow by means of knowledges gathered from His natural environment by eagerly reaching out to learn. The command to do this He received from the Father. This is what is meant by the command given by Jehovah at His first appearing: "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee" (Genesis 12:1). The "land of Canaan" which Jesus was to seek was the land of rational understanding and spiritual perception, that is, of intelligence and wisdom. This is the journey on which every infant must be inspired to embark. But Jesus Christ, because His love was so great and His delight in learning was so intense, advanced far more quickly in the understanding of the Word than other human children can. He may be compared to a "genius," that is, one who is born with such an outstanding love for some particular subject that he learns that subject much more quickly than others. In the case of Jesus Christ we are told that He sought no wisdom except that of the Word. As a result He attained to the opening of the rational degree of the mind at the age of twelve. He was lost to His parents for three days in the city of Jerusalem, but they found Him in the temple: "And all that heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers".
     In spite of this rapid advance in learning, because of the magnitude of His Divine mission, He had to spend the first thirty years of His life on earth in seclusion, in the city of Nazareth, undergoing temptations secretly within Himself, before He was prepared to enter upon His public ministry.

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Even then He had to reveal His Divine nature very gradually in order to preserve man's freedom either to accept or reject Him. As to these periods of preparation in Nazareth, we can learn only from the internal sense of Genesis and the books of Moses. What was taking place during these years could not be revealed in the New Testament, because it was utterly unknown to the evangelists. What a store of Divine wisdom awaits future discovery by New Church scholars!
     Looking at the Lord's body not as a collection of chemicals but as a form of use, what bearing does all this have upon our idea of the Lord's glorification? To answer this question we must return to the scene of the Lord's resurrection, spoken of at the very beginning of this study. What did the Lord really mean when He said to His disciples on the first Easter day:

     "Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; handle Me and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see Me have"(Luke 24:38, 39).

     The apostles were all natural men. They could not raise their thoughts above the things of space and time. It was inevitable therefore that they should interpret the Lord's words as meaning that the very material elements with which His body had been clothed had been somehow transmuted into the Infinite. This material clothing was the only thing by which they had known Him. They could not think of Him apart from it. Without this they could not recognize Him. But it was absolutely essential that they should recognize Him if they were to continue to believe in Him. Their limitations in this respect were shared by all who later came to belong to the Primitive Christian Church. That church never did understand what was involved in the Lord's glorification. Although they worshiped Jesus Christ as God, they never really saw His Divine Human. This is why the Writings tell us that the Christian Church, in its integrity, was very similar internally to the Ancient Church. They saw the Lord representatively, even as the ancients had seen the angel of Jehovah. The union of the Father and the Son was beyond their comprehension. That is the reason why the trinity in God was divided by the church councils. It is the reason why in the Catholic Church worship was centered upon the crucified Christ, rather than upon the risen Lord.

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And it is the reason why the bread and wine of the Holy Supper was identified with the physical body and blood of Jesus Christ. In spite of this, the Lord has preserved with many people a simple faith by means of which they will eventually be saved. Nevertheless, it was this lack of understanding of the glorification that made necessary the Second Coming of the Lord.
     The idea that the material clothing of the Lord's body was resurrected was permitted because without this idea, the worship of Jesus Christ as God would have been impossible. It is still necessary for the sake of children, and for the sake of all who are in child-like states. In the New Church also, it has been accepted as the only true interpretation of the Lord's words to His disciples on the day of His resurrection. It must be protected, and by no means must it be condemned. But we have come to believe that those who would enter more deeply into the teaching of the Heavenly Doctrine must seek to transcend that idea. I personally have not transcended it, and I go back to it constantly as the basic foundation of my faith in the Divinity of Jesus Christ. But I see things in the Writings that lead me to believe that there is a more spiritual and more satisfying concept of the Lord's resurrection. Time and again 1 go back in thought to what the angel said to the women at the sepulcher: "Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, He is risen as He said."
     I reflect also on what the Writings say concerning the last words of Jesus Christ on the cross, even as He "gave up the spirit." "It is finished" means that the last of His temptations had been undergone, that the victory over hell was completed, that the hereditary from the mother had been completely cast out, to the point that Mary was no longer His mother, and that He was not only conceived of Jehovah but also born of Him. After all this we are told that "what was material was dissipated in the tomb." What was this? It was not the maternal heredity, for this had already been cast out.
     Again we read in the Arcana, number 10252:7-

     "As 'myrrh' signified truth the most external, which is sensuous truth, and its perception, therefore the bodies of the dead were formerly anointed with myrrh and aloes, by which were signified the preservation of all truths and goods with the man, and also their resurrection. For this reason such a substance was employed as signified the ultimate of life with man, which ultimate is called the 'sensuous life.' That the body of the Lord was anointed with such things, and was encompassed with them together with a linen cloth, and that this was the custom of the Jews [see references given].

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But be it known that what is said of the Lord Himself in the Word is to be understood in a supereminent sense, and therefore these things here signify His Divine life in the sensuous which is the life proper to the body, and also the resurrection of this. It is known that the Lord rose again with the whole body which He had in the world, differently from other men, for He left nothing in the sepulcher; and therefore He also said to the disciples, who when they saw the Lord supposed that they saw a spirit, "Why are ye troubled?" etc. [Emphasis added]

     As we have seen, the bodies of men are very different from those of animals; and the body of the Lord was very different from that of any man. What was the difference? It was the use for which each was created. The body of a natural man is created for the life of the natural world; it is not intended to partake of the life after death. Only the mind formed within it survives. But the body of the Lord was created to be resurrected. It was created to be united with the infinite soul of the Father. It had to be one with the "Human Essence" which was the reciprocal love of Jesus Christ for the Father. I cannot conceive of how this could be said of the dead material elements drawn from the mineral kingdom, which of necessity formed a clothing for the Lord's body. It could, however, be said of the "ultimate sensuous" which with the Lord was different from that of any mortal man.
     I present these ideas for your consideration with no insistence that they be accepted. I believe that question is left in the Writings so problematic in order to preserve man's freedom, and to protect the faith of the simple. I question whether, at least in our day, it can or should be solved for everyone. But is there not here a vast field for exploration? Nothing is more important in the long run than to understand the glorification of the Lord, for only to this extent can we really perceive the Divine Human.

     SELECTED REFERENCES

Creation of plants and animals. DLW 340, 346
Material substances as clothing. HH 108, 453; DLW 165, 302, 310, 315
Matter to fix and make permanent. DLW 370; AE 1218
The Lord's resurrection body. D. Love 35; DLW 22 1; TCR 170; AC 5078
Union of the Human Essence and Divine Essence. AC.7737
Maternal dissipated in the tomb. Ath. 160, 161

     Editor's note: Paragraph numbering is not inserted in editions of Athanasian Creed available to most of our readers. For nos. 160, 161, see the last volume of Apocalypse Explained page 519.

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TWO STORIES OF CHRISTMAS 1981

TWO STORIES OF CHRISTMAS Rev. PETER M. BUSS 1981

     (This is the last of three articles)

Matthew's Story: The Birth of Jesus Christ

     "The generation of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham." That is how the new covenant between the Lord and man begins. The trouble is that what follows is a list of names, tracing the descent from Abraham to David, and then through the royal line down to Joseph. Most of us skip quickly to verse 18, where the "real story" seems to begin.
     It begins right at verse 1. "The generation, or origin, of Jesus Christ." This isn't a story of Joseph's parentage. A study of the list shows that, for it has several omissions. Nor is Joseph's parentage important in one sense, since Jesus was not born of Joseph. Nor is it important that Jesus was the "son of David," since He Himself rejected that notion, saying, "If David then called Him Lord, how is He his Son?"(Matthew 22:45; cf. AE 205)

     The list of 41 names given here is a most holy progression, and that is why it appears at the very beginning of this new Word of the Lord. A complete study on this subject appears in the NEW CHURCH LIFE for December, 1975. Here a few essential points will be made. The Lord is called the son of David and Abraham because He was born a spiritual celestial Man, that is, One in whom truth was always united to a love for people's salvation. His "descent" through Abraham and David is divided into three sections. It depicts how He took on all the states of good and truth in the three heavens as He lived here on earth. We might say that every good love and every wise thought that mankind will have, to all eternity, was gathered together in Jesus Christ.
     This was the Human that the Lord assumed, and then He made it Divine, so that all states with angels and men from that time forth could be infilled with His presence and His power. Therefore this list of names tells not only of His taking on these states, but also of His glorifying them. It prefigures the entire spiritual story of the New Testament.
     Much of this we cannot see as yet in our infant church. However, when we read these names with a feeling of holiness, knowing of the story which is hidden within them, the heavens who rejoice in seeing the process of the Lord's generation are most deeply delighted. We too can come in time to appreciate many, many ways in which these 17 verses introduce us to a spiritual story which we will spend eternity exploring.

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Joseph

     "And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ." To Matthew, who searched out Joseph's parentage, the important thing was to show that Jesus was born into the house of David. By Jewish law, since Joseph had claimed parentage of the infant Lord, no one would question His place as the oldest son in that house: therefore He was of the house of David, both by Mary and by Joseph in a legal sense.
     In the spiritual sense, however, the story of Joseph is the story of something that houses the Lord in us, although it is not nor ever could be, His father. The birth of the Lord in us is the birth of true charity. Joseph seems to represent the good of the understanding, or the good of faith. It is the understanding that provides a home for charity. It is the understanding which protects and shields it while it is growing; it does not hurt it, and won't let others hurt it either.
     Joseph had the privilege of being the Lord's protector! He was a simple man, a carpenter, seeking marriage with a young girl of his village; yet something in his character enabled him to serve the Divine birth.
     He was in one way a child of his time. When he found Mary was with child, he drew the obvious conclusion. She had been absent for three months in Judea; she must have found a lover. The Word says he was a just man, but he was so by very lowly standards. If his wife was untrue, he had two choices: to denounce her publicly, and let her be stoned to death; or to send her home in silent disgrace. Why didn't he consider the third possibility-asking Mary herself what had happened? He was a just man, who didn't want vicious revenge; but he wasn't that just.
     He represents the character of our understanding when charity begins to be born within us. It is just by worldly standards, and at first it cannot comprehend when a miracle begins to take place.
     When we begin to sense the spirit of charity, we are suspicious of it. Where did it come from? We didn't create it. Maybe it is a false value of the world. Maybe the feeling of loving the neighbor which we begin to have is misplaced sentimentality, or it's the result of a stage of life we're passing through. Maybe it is selfishness under a new guise-we're feeling well-disposed toward people because of what they'll do for us in return.
     It is a common thing to suspect our best motives. If a man has repented and he begins to discover the rewards of repentance the hells will be quick to cast doubt on his new-found love. Also, the understanding has been taught to query our motives and test them. Thus it is recorded that Joseph thought on these things, and while he did so, he received an answer from heaven. An angel came to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife; for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit."

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An angel represents the communication of some essential truth from the Lord; it is a "message" from Him, for the word for "angel" and "messenger" are the same in Hebrew.
     The most appealing characteristic of Joseph, and the secret of his representation, was his willing, and often thoughtful, obedience. He did what the angel commanded. He didn't doubt that vision, and he married Mary and was content not to consummate their marriage until after the Lord was born. That is the kind of understanding that can foster charity. The understanding that is stubborn, and bears grudges, and meditates on how it has been wronged cannot house charity. Even after the angel had appeared Joseph could have been offended. He could have doubted what he had heard, for, we are told, an evil man does not believe visions. He could have resented the fact that the girl he wanted had been chosen, and sought another. t was a measure both of his love and his obedience that he not only married her, but he did many other things that we scarcely notice in the story.
     We assume that it was Joseph who found the manger and saw to it that the Babe could lie comfortably in it. It was Joseph who kept Mary in a house in Bethlehem. He it was who arose at night and fled to Egypt, and made a living in a foreign land; and then returned, but took care to find out who was king in Judea.
     The true human understanding is able, thoughtful, and most of all obedient to the Word. It joins itself to the innocent affection of truth, which is Mary, and it calls charity by its true name. Joseph called His name Jesus, acknowledging the Divine origin of this Child. In a similar way our understanding comes to know it did not father charity. And in return for this obedience, charity grows and waxes strong in the human understanding, just as Jesus grew in Joseph's home.

The Wise Men and Herod

     Have you noticed the orderly introductions to each section of the Matthew story? Chapter 1, verse 1: "The generation of Jesus Christ . . . ." Chapter 1, verse 18: "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise . . . ." Chapter 2, verse 1: "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the king. . . ." In the spiritual sense we are able to know what state is being addressed: first, a prefiguring of how charity will come into being in us; then its birth in us; and lastly, its progress and its recognition.
     The wise men, like the shepherds in Luke, represent those things in us which first recognize and rejoice that charity is come into being. The shepherds portrayed the states of good; the wise men, the states of truth which become aware of this new love which we have.

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     They were from Syria, and they had some stories of the Ancient Word. They knew of Balaam's prophecy that a King would be born to the Jews, and a star would light His birth. We cannot doubt that they knew He was no ordinary king. Unlike the rest of the people on earth at that time, they still had from the Word a knowledge that He was God Messiah. Why else would they say, "We have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him"?
     Had they watched each night for the star, as did their ancestors before them? Or was the star so large that it had made them wonder if it was the long-promised sign? We don't know, but must suspect it was the latter. Nor do we know how long their journey took; only that when they arrived in Bethlehem, the Lord was a "young child," living in a house. What matters is their knowledge about the Lord, for it was that which led them to Him. Thousands must have seen the bright star in the sky; just a Very few, because they had searched the Scriptures, took their journey to see Him.
     The kind of people the wise men were helps us to understand what learned and loved, which stay alive in our minds. Many truths that knowledges in us will recognize the Lord's birth in our hearts. For With all of us there are remains of truth, truths which we have we learn seem unexciting and are filed away in the memory. Some few touch us, and we pay attention each time we hear them. They are constantly on the lookout for charity, leading us to seek kindness and love of the neighbor. When the Lord is born in us those truths are what recognize Him.
     The situation is the same as with the shepherds. There were many people in Judea the night the Lord was born, but only a few knew of His birth. There were thousands of people in Syria at the same time and only a few knew that a King had been born. For at first most of our mind stays earthbound, and concerned with mundane things and carried away by worldly knowledge. Just a few principles in us acknowledge charity and pay homage to it. Yet from that small beginning, from the worship or the "wise men" in our minds, charity
     The wise men came first to Jerusalem. The gospel doesn't say that the star led them there, merely that they saw it in the East; but the Writings do say it led them to Jerusalem. Jerusalem represents historical or dead faith. At first that is all the church there is in our minds, and the ruler in that church is Herod-the love of self.
     Few people in history have been as contemptible as Herod the great. He was not a Jew, but managed to be placed on the throne of David-the first man not descended from David to rule. He wanted to be loved by his subjects, but at the same time was insanely cruel in putting down any real or imagined uprisings, thereby ensuring their hatred. He built the temple in Jerusalem to curry favor, but his atrocities made favor impossible, and he secretly decreed that many leading Jews should be killed at his death, so that there would be mourning.

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He married a Jewish princess of David's line, and their son could have been accepted as king. In a fit of suspicion he put them both to death, and then regretted it, both because he had loved her, and because the people had too.
     He represents the government of falsity from the love of self, with all its contradictions, and its self-destructive emotions. He was an old man when Jesus was born, yet he was troubled, and sought to kill the infant Lord. It is the love of self that is threatened when charity begins to grow in our minds; and Herod's plots represent our battle with selfishness.
     No one openly sets out to be uncharitable, or to pursue only selfishness. It is a spirit that lurks within us, and constantly tries to protect its own. The Writings point out that a selfish man is very pleasant, even apparently kind, while things are going well; but when self is seen to be in the smallest danger, hatred breaks out.
     "He was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him" because the King of the Jews had been born. The Lord is called the King of the Jews to represent His government in us from true love; and government from selfishness does feel threatened. We will find ourselves for many years in a conflict between what will help others and what will help ourselves only.
     Herod called together his own learned men and asked them where Christ should be born, and sure enough they knew. It would seem that these chief priests and scribes represent memories about truth which appear holy, but which actually serve self. It is possible to love truths, the Writings tell us, but only for the sake of reputation, and "if they do not minister to his reputation he loves them not" (Life 35). Charity interferes with much of our comfortable, self-centered life. Through that life the hells try to destroy it.
     We may thank heaven that we are not left to ourselves. An angel, a sense of truth from within, keeps us from betraying the wonderful feelings that are growing within us, just as the angel warned the wise men not to return to Herod. "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delighteth in his way." Herod thought he was so clever; he wound up being mocked by the wise men, for the scheme he devised was known in heaven. Even so, the Lord will never allow charity to die in the willing heart, no matter how strong the danger seems when we're fighting for it.
     Not in Jerusalem but in Bethlehem was the Lord to be found. Not in the dogmas we have grown up with; not in the outmoded ideas of our former faith, but in the new, exciting truths which we now find in the Word itself. For years we learn from the Word and find it sort of satisfying; but there comes a time, when charity is born, that that same Word seems to have new truth in every page.

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It is this new truth which is represented by Bethlehem, the place where Benjamin and David, and Jesus were born.
     To Bethlehem they went, and found that little family in a house; for a house in Bethlehem represents the thoughts of the mind ordered by the Word. They worshiped Him and they gave Him gifts-most special gifts, whose significance they were the last people on earth to know, for 1700 years! For gold represents the good of love, and frankincense the good of charity, and myrrh the good of obedience. What they were reflecting in their gifts were that these things, and these things alone, are ours to render to the Lord. We have one thing only-our freedom to receive from Him the loves of the three heavens. All else is His; but we can withhold from our Lord our free reception. In giving these gifts, the wise men represented all people of all times, and the three precious gifts which they can receive and return to their God.

The Flight into Egypt

     Why did the Lord God flee from the land wherein He chose to be born? He needed to escape from Herod, and it was done immediately, by night. In that far country He could grow in safety.
     A most special development in human life is represented by the flight to Egypt. Remember that Abraham and Joseph had been there, and it was promised that the Lord would be called from there. Egypt represents the realm of natural learning and endeavor. When charity is born in us, we need to carry it into the field of external learning and thought. We need to learn how to be kind in external ways first; we need to think about helping people with bodily and natural concerns before we can practice spiritual charity.
     One day we are going to be wise, sensitive people who know how to serve the spiritual needs of others. One day we will understand the ebb and flow of feelings in our neighbor, and adjust ourselves so as to help him in a discriminating way. But when charity is small in us, we apply it in a rather natural way. We think how to help others, how to meet their needs, and even when we think we're meeting their spiritual needs, we go about it in a natural way. It is this concentration on natural understanding that is represented by the sojourn of the Lord in Egypt.
     It is interesting that Luke doesn't say anything about a journey into Egypt. In the will of man, the Lord causes the love of charity to grow, steadily: "And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit; and the grace of God was upon Him." In the understanding, the realm of free endeavor, we will all ascend from a natural to a spiritual application of charity; from Egypt to Israel.
     In the meantime, back in Judea, something terrible was happening. Herod in his fury was killing every little boy he could find around Bethlehem. The Writings tell us that this represents the end of all truths with those who hate the Lord.

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Perhaps in the spiritual sense it's saying that we know how all truths will die when the Lord is not present. Perhaps also it represents a deep attack on spiritual principles, even as charity is growing strong in the natural mind.
     The child Jesus returned to Galilee, where He grew until the age of thirty, and for seventeen hundred years no one knew what He was doing there. Now we do know; for the new light that has burst upon our world has told us of His life from earliest infancy. We know how He discovered within Himself the love for saving all of the human race. We know how He learned all things that can ever be known, in heaven and earth, and made them Divine. We know how he fought each and every hell, and finally all of them together. We know how the infinite Divine love and its form, Divine truth, came down into Jesus Christ until He was filled with the glory which had always been in His soul. We know how the power He took to Himself as the Word made flesh will make all states of heaven from this time forth, and even forevermore. "All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made."
     Yes, there is one more Christmas story: just a few words in the gospel of John. It tells of the Word which made all things, and in the internal sense it is speaking of the human mind, where a new creation takes place each time a person repents. His whole world is made anew, into the form of charity, by the power of the Word.
     It is said that the Word was made flesh, and that doesn't mean that Jesus took on a body of flesh. It means that the truth of the Word became Divine love in Him. Every law of His Word became resplendent with His love. This is the kind of truth which forms our minds, and gives us a vision of our God, if only we turn to Him. "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

     *****************************

     References to the Heavenly Doctrine and the Scriptures

     1. The Ancient people framed genealogical tables to show that one spiritual state was born of another. AC 339; 400. Full references on the genealogies in NCL, December, 1975, pp. 522-533.
     2. The Lord was not "the son of David." AE 205.
     3. The Lord was born a spiritual celestial Man, which is what is meant by "The Son of David, the Son of Abraham." AC 4592. This means that in Him was a desire for truth and a longing for good, for truth was united to good with Him from birth-something not so of others. AE 449:3 et al.

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     4. The Lord was born in Bethlehem because it represents the spiritual of the celestial, as does Ephratah. AC 4594; 4593.
     5. All the things the Lord did on earth were representations of internal things which He accomplished. AE 654: 19.
     6. The Christmas story clearly teaches that the Lord from conception is Jehovah, and that means that as to the life itself He was always Jehovah. AE 852:3.
     7. An angel represents some essential thing in the Lord and from the Lord. AC 1925:4.
     8. The wise men were in the knowledges of correspondences, and they knew from the Ancient Word and from Balaam's prophecy that the Lord would be born, and a star would herald His birth. AC 3249; 3762:5; 10252:6; 3242; AE 324:10.
     9. The star signifies knowledge from the Lord, about the Lord. SS 23:3; TCR 205; AE 72; 422:20; AC 9293:3. Apparently it was a bright star. AR 954.
     10. The Writings say that the star led them first to Jerusalem and then to Bethlehem. AE 422:20.
     11. The gifts they gave signified internal or spiritual gifts. AE 661:2.
               a. Gold represented celestial love; frankincense, spiritual love; and myrrh natural goodness. SS 23:3; AC 113; 1171:5.
               b. Another series: celestial good, spiritual good, and these two in the natural. AC 4262:3; 9293:3.
               c. The good of the three heavens. AE 491:5.
               d. These three goods are that from which all worship comes. TCR 205; AR 277.
     12. The Lord is called King from the truth of good. AC 9144; 3009; 4973; 9954; et al. He is called the "King of the Jews" because the government of His truth is from good. AE 433:24.
     13. The Lord went into Egypt to represent an essential part of man's regeneration: It "pleased the Lord to glorify Himself' as man is regenerated; and that required that He be instructed first in natural knowledges from the Word. AC 4964:3.
               a. His going into Egypt represented His instruction. AE 654: 19; AC 1462; 1502.
               b. It also represented His making the natural of His Human Divine truth first. AC 6570:2.
     14. Killing the children in Bethlehem represented that there were no truths left in the church, from the Word, when the Lord was no longer present. AE 695:15.

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REPORT OF THE BISHOP OF THE GENERAL CHURCH 1981

REPORT OF THE BISHOP OF THE GENERAL CHURCH LOUIS B. KING 1981

     September 1, 1980 to August 31, 1981

Change in Order and Organization

     Most dramatic among the changes that have taken place in the General Church this year was the selection of its own pastor and enlarged pastoral staff by the Bryn Athyn Church. The Bishop is no longer pastor ex officio of the Bryn Athyn Church. This historic change was effected in a peaceful and orderly manner with full cooperation and enthusiasm on the part of the Bryn Athyn society. In the few months that have elapsed since the change, the pastoral staff of the Bryn Athyn Church has given leadership to the society from the Word, with unusual creativity and sensitivity. For this I am exceedingly grateful.
     Elsewhere, the General Church Mission in South Africa underwent a change in organization, discontinuing the office of Assistant Superintendent and, in lieu thereof, establishing district pastors in the Transvaal and Natal. Under the able leadership of the Rev. Norman Riley, Superintendent of the Mission, great strides have been taken in achieving a greater degree of independence and self-support on the part of Mission members. Three new churches and one manse have been dedicated in our major societies of the Mission. A local, executive committee of the Mission, under the chairmanship of the Rev. Geoffrey Howard, Bishop's Representative in South Africa, has facilitated these positive developments.
     Long-range planning for the development of Glencairn Park, resulting in a self-supporting status for the Durban society, is now a viable proposal. In the Transvaal circle, ambitious plans for the building of a local church and obtaining the full-time services of a resident minister are under careful consideration. At Kent Manor the Parker family and other members of the Kent Manor group have refurnished the original Zulu chapel, including a stained glass window and unhewn stone altar. The chapel was dedicated on August 9, 1981. All in all, this adds up to a year of positive development and planning for the future growth of the church in South Africa.

Consistory

     Adjoined to the office of bishop is the Consistory, the most important counseling body in the General Church.

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Its membership is appointed from the priesthood of the General Church by the Executive Bishop, and is dissolved when the bishop leaves office or at an earlier time at his discretion.
     To preserve continuity in the leadership of the General Church, and with very minor changes, I reappointed the consistory of my predecessor, including bishops emeriti. After five years as executive bishop and general pastor of the General Church, I made the judgment that consistory should be dissolved and a new and smaller body appointed. This action provides the necessary freedom for the bishop to select counselors actively engaged in the expanding uses of the General Church and the Academy allowing also for future expansion of the council as new appointments become advisable. Bishop de Charms and Bishop Pendleton have been invited to attend meetings when they are in town and feel sufficiently well to do so. Their judgment and sense of justice in the church is much appreciated and will be solicited on a personal basis, whether or not they are able to attend meetings regularly.

Recommended Policy Regarding Women on Church Corporations and Boards

     It has been said that because ministers, from their study of the Writings, differ as to the application of teachings which bear directly on this subject, the whole subject remains unresolved, and therefore, societies should feel free to make their own decision.
     While societies, in response to the leadership of their respective pastors, have freedom to determine whether or not women will serve on their executive committees and boards, nevertheless, we have a recommended policy for the General Church Corporation. A committee appointed by the bishop, consisting of priests and laymen, has studied this question. After consultation with the Council of the Clergy, this committee has made a recommendation to the church, which clearly states that women should be eligible for membership on the General Church Corporation, but not on its Board. As Bishop of the General Church I ask you to consider this policy carefully, knowing that in acting contrary to it, you are rejecting the leadership of the priesthood in this matter.
     The priesthood must look to the Lord in His Word for principles to govern the life of His church. I believe that in each set of circumstances there is a right application of what the Writings teach. This does not necessarily mean that two people will make the same application, though both may sincerely be acting in accord with what they believe the truth teaches.

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"For truths receive various forms according to circumstances" (AC 7298:2). The purpose of truth, however, is to lead to the good of life which is a life of use. This is application! "it is the same thing whether you say use or good, for performing uses is doing good" (TCR 419). Truly to understand the truth and thereby believe in God can be said only of "those who live rightly" (TCR 2). There is a right application of the truth in any given situation for any given individual, and for this right application we must all strive. Patience, humility and trust will lead to future enlightenment, and undoubtedly bring modification of today's applications. External forms and order must be open to change if clearer perceptions of truth, accruing from further study and reflection, are to be more faithfully represented.
     A careful study has been made, a recommended policy set before the organized church, and your cooperation is sought. The church as a whole will be given opportunity to accept or reject this proposal at the next General Assembly, to be held in Bryn Athyn in 1984. In the meantime, you are asked to consider this recommendation for the General Church Corporation. Before making local changes contrary to this policy, please consider the following quotes from the committee's recommendation:

     "1. That women be admitted to membership in the Corporation.
     Rationale

          Since the object of the Corporation is 'to present, teach and maintain throughout the world the doctrines of the New Jerusalem Church as contained in the theological Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg' (see By-Laws, article III), the wisdom and perception of women should have appropriate expression in its government.
The committee recommends that women be admitted to the Corporation of the General Church so that they may give counsel, by engaging in the deliberations of its uses, and participate in its annual assembly or annual meeting, at which time the Directors of the General Church are elected.
The majority of the committee, and for that matter the majority of the Council of the Clergy, does not feel that any direct teaching in the Writings precludes women from participation in these activities of the Corporation.

     "2. Acting on the principle that doubt is a cause for delay: Because there is sufficient doubt in the committee, we recommend that women should not be nominated for the Board of Directors of the Corporation of the General Church until that doubt is dispelled.

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     Rationale

Inasmuch as 'the business affairs of the Corporation shall be managed by the Board of Directors' (see By-Laws Article VI, section 4) the committee believes this function to be executive in nature and thus dependent upon rational wisdom and its judgment. What is said in Conjugial Love 165 concerning the rational wisdom of men, that '. . . it ascends into a light in which women are not,' suggests that it is inappropriate for women to serve in the office of Director of the General Church. 'It is thought by many that women can perform the offices of men if only they are initiated into them from their earliest age, as are boys. They can indeed be initiated into the exercise of them, but not into the judgment on which the right performance of the office inwardly depends' (CL 175).
Because we want the Church to benefit from the full and perceptive voice of its women, we have recommended their admittance to membership in the Corporation of the General Church. At the same time, we have asked that women not be nominated for the Board of Directors, because we feel that so many teachings stress the difference between masculine and feminine minds (CL 33, 165, 174; SD 1061, 5936)and that they have distinct duties proper only to each (CL 90, 91, 165, 174, 175) lest 'the sexes should be confounded' (AE 555:13).
Until we understand these teachings more clearly, and perhaps in a different way, we ask the Church to follow our recommendations." (Committee Report, January 28, 1981. Chairman, the Rt. Rev. Louis B. King)

Conclusion

     I should like to thank the Bishop's Representatives, the Reverend Messrs. Peter Buss, Geoffrey Childs, Geoffrey Howard and Frederick Schnarr, for the help they have been to the episcopal office in organizing uses in their areas. The Rev. Frederick Schnarr was appointed Assistant to the Bishop in the responsibility of giving leadership to General Church schools and the Educational Council. The meetings and summer school in connection with the Educational Council this past summer are a testimony to the excellent leadership which Mr. Schnarr can provide to this important use.
     Finally, I would like to express appreciation to Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Gyllenhaal for the important and efficient use they performed in accompanying the Bishop and his wife on a recent episcopal visit to southern France and South Africa.

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Mr. Gyllenhaal has been in these areas on two occasions, making it possible for the kind of organizational and financial development of the church in these areas necessary to implement the spiritual growth of the New Church. It is a pleasant assignment, but one very demanding so far as physical and emotional input are concerned. Without such visits, the church would surely survive, but its growth would not be as substantial and consistent as now is the case.

As Bishop of the General Church.

Episcopal Visits and Assemblies
Dedications - 6 (4 church, 1 school, 1 manse)
Inaugurations into the priesthood - 4
Ordinations into the second degree of the priesthood - 4
Candidates recognized - 5
Board and Corporation Meetings (3 Board, 1 Corporation and 1 Joint Council)
Annual Council of the Clergy Meetings
As Chancellor of the Academy
Chaired Faculty Meetings (General Faculty and Theological School Faculty)
Academy Board and Corporation Meetings - 10
Teaching Assignments:
Theology I (Doctrine Concerning the Lord) - 2 terms Applied Theology I (Priesthood and Government of the Church) - 1 term
Elective Religion - 1 term
As Pastor of the Bryn Athyn Church
Total services conducted - 90 (festival, public and private)
Regular Doctrinal Classes - 3
Arcana Classes - 36
Apocalypse Classes - 18
Board of Trustees - 9
Society Meetings - 3

LOUIS B. KING,
Bishop

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DIRECTORY 1981

DIRECTORY B. David Holm 1981

     GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM 1981-1982

     Officials and Councils
Bishop:                Right Reverend Louis B. King
Bishops Emeriti:           Right Reverend George de Charms
                         Right Reverend Willard D. Pendleton
Secretary:                Rev. Lorentz R. Soneson

     Consistory
Bishop Louis B. King

     The Reverends Alfred Acton, Kurt H. Asplundh, Peter M. Buss, Geoffrey S. Childs, Geoffrey H. Howard, Robert S. Junge, Donald L. Rose, Frank S. Rose, Erik Sandstrom and Frederick L. Schnarr.

     "General Church of the New Jerusalem"

     (A Corporation of Pennsylvania)

     Officers of the Corporation

Right Reverend Louis B. King, President
Right Reverend Willard D. Pendleton, Vice President
Mr. Stephen Pitcairn. Secretary
Mr. Leonard E. Gyllenhaal, Treasurer
Mr. Bruce Fuller, Controller

     Board of Directors of the Corporation

     Rt. Rev. Louis B. King, Mr. Edward K. Asplundh, Mr. Robert H. Asplundh. Mr. Brian G. Blair, Mr. Robert W. Bradin, Mr. Neil M. Buss, Mr. Theodore W. Brickman. Jr., Mr. Henry B. Bruser, Jr., Alan D. Childs, Esq., Mr. Michael S. Cole, Mr. Geoffrey Cooper, George M. Cooper, Esq., Mr. Bruce Fuller, Mr. Kent B. Fuller, Mr. Leonard E. Gyllenhaal, Mr. James F. Junge, Mr. Thomas N. Leeper, Mr. Christopher W. Lynch, Mr. Paul C. P. Mayer, Mr. Richard M. Parker, Mr. Garthowen Pitcairn, Mr. Stephen Pitcairn, Mr. John W. Rose, Mr. Maurice G. Schnarr, Mr. Ivan R. Scott, Mr. Ralph Synnestvedt, Jr., Mr. Robert E. Walter, Mr. Philip A. Waters. Honorary Life Members: Rt. Rev. George de Charms and Rt. Rev. Willard D. Pendleton.

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     Bishops

     KING, LOUIS BLAIR. Ordained June 19, 1951; 2nd degree, April 19, 1953; 3rd degree, November 5, 1972. Continued to serve as Bishop of the General Church and General Pastor of the General Church. Chancellor of the Academy of the New Church. President of the General Church in Canada. President of the General Church International, Incorporated. He also served as pastor of the Bryn Athyn society until December, at which time he resigned from the post. Address: P.O. Box 278, Bryn Athyn. Pennsylvania 19009.

     DE CHARMS, GEORGE. Ordained June 28, 1913; 2nd degree, June 19, 1916; 3rd degree, March 11, 1928. Bishop Emeritus of the General Church. President Emeritus of the Academy of the New Church. Retired; reports having given several classes and addresses. In addition he has written several papers and articles for New Church Life and New Church Home. Address: Box 247, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania 19009.

     PENDLETON, WILLARD DANDRIDGE. Ordained June 18, 1933; 2nd degree, September 12, 1934; 3rd degree, June 19, 1946. Bishop Emeritus of the General Church. Chancellor Emeritus of the Academy of the New Church. Retired; reports conducting various sacraments, rites and services. In addition he gave a series of classes to a group in Bryn Athyn. Address: Box 338, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania 19009.

     Pastors

     ACTON, ALFRED. Ordained June 19, 1964; 2nd degree, October 30, 1966. Continued to serve as president of the Academy of the New Church. Address: Box 278, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania 19009.

     ALDEN, GLENN GRAHAM. Ordained June 19, 1974; 2nd degree, June 6, 1976. Continued to serve as pastor to the Florida district, and resident pastor of the Miami circle. As of September. 1981, became resident pastor of the Connecticut circle. Address. 145 Shadyside Lane, Milford, Connecticut 06460.

     ALDEN, MARK EDWARD. Ordained June 10, 1979; 2nd degree, May 17, 1981. Continued to serve as assistant to the pastor of the Immanuel Church in Glenview, Illinois. He also taught in the Immanuel Church School and served as visiting minister to the Midwestern and central western districts of the General Church. Since the end of July he has served as visiting pastor in southern Florida and pastor of the Miami circle. Address: 15101 N. W. 5th Avenue, Miami, Florida 33169.

     ASPLUNDH, KURT HORIGAN. Ordained June 19, 1960; 2nd degree, June 19, 1962. Continued to serve as Dean of the Bryn Athyn Church until December at which time he was elected pastor of the society. Address: Box 277, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania 19009.

     BAU-MADSEN, ARE. Ordained June 6, 1976; 2nd degree, June I 1. 1978. Continued to serve     as pastor to the church in Kempton, Pennsylvania, which is now a society of the General Church. He also served as headmaster of the Kempton Church School, and visiting pastor to the group in Wilmington, Delaware. Address: Box 527. Rt. 1, Lenhartsville, Pennsylvania 19534.

     BOWN, CHRISTOPHER DUNCAN. Ordained June 18, 1978; 2nd degree, December 23, 1979. Continued to serve as pastor of the Connecticut circle, and visiting pastor to the New Jersey and New York circle. As of September, 1981, he became pastor of the Atlanta society. Visiting pastor to the southeastern district. Address. 3795 Montford Drive, Chamblee, Georgia 30341.

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     BOYESEN, BJORN ADOLPH HILDEMAR. Ordained June 19, 1939; 2nd degree, March 30, 1941. Retired; on active assignment. Continued serving as translator of the Writings from Latin to Swedish. He reports the translation of Divine Providence is completed and one-half of Heaven and Hell is translated. He also continued to serve as assistant to the pastor in Scandinavia, doing pastoral work in Jonkoping, Sweden. Address: Bruksater, Furusjo, S-566 00, Habo, Sweden.

     BOYESEN, RAGNAR. Ordained June 19, 1972; 2nd degree, June 17, 1973. Continued to serve as pastor to the Scandinavian district of the General Church, resident in Stockholm, Sweden, and visiting pastor to Copenhagen, Oslo and Stavanger. He also served as editor of Nova Ecclesia. In addition he served as secretary of the Scandinavian Swedenborg Society. Address: Aladdinsvagen 27, 16138, Bromma, Sweden.

     BUSS, PETER MARTIN. Ordained June 19, 1964; 2nd degree, May 16, 1965. Continued to serve as pastor of the Immanuel Church in Glenview, Illinois. Bishop's representative in the Midwestern and central western districts. Headmaster of the Immanuel Church School. President of the Midwestern Academy. Address: 73 Park Drive, Glenview, Illinois 60025.

     CARLSON, MARK ROBERT. Ordained June 10, 1973; 2nd degree, March 6, 1977. Continued to serve as assistant pastor of the Carmel Church in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, and as headmaster of the Carmel Church School. Visiting pastor to Ottawa and Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Address: 16 Stafford Lane, R.R. 2, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada N2G 3W5.

     CARSWELL, ERIC HUGH. Ordained June 10, 1979; 2nd degree, February 22, 1981. Continued to serve as assistant to the pastor of the Pittsburgh society until February, at which time he was elected assistant pastor. He also served as principal of the Pittsburgh New Church School. He also served as visiting pastor to the circle in Erie, Pennsylvania. Address: 510 Lloyd Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15208.

     CHILDS, GEOFFREY STAFFORD. Ordained June 19, 1952; 2nd degree, June 19, 1954. Continued to serve as pastor of the Olivet Church society in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and as headmaster of the Olivet Church Day School. He also continued to serve as bishop's representative in Canada and executive vice president of the General Church in Canada. Address: 2 Lorraine Gardens, Islington, Ontario, Canada M9B 424.

     CLIFFORD, WILLIAM HARRISON. Ordained June 6, 1976; 2nd degree, October 8, 1978. Continued to serve as resident pastor of the Dawson Creek circle and visiting pastor to Manitoba. Saskatchewan. Alberta and British Columbia, Canada. Address: 1536 94th Avenue, Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada V1G 1H1.

     COLE, ROBERT HUDSON PENDLETON. Ordained June 16, 1963; 2nd degree, October 30, 1966. Unassigned. Served as theological consultant and indexer in the Academy of the New Church Library archives. He also preached in a number of New Church centers. Address: Box 345, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania 19009.

     COLE, STEPHEN DANDRIDGE. Ordained June 19, 1977; 2nd degree, October 15, 1978. Continued to serve as pastor of the south Ohio district, resident in Cincinnati and visiting pastor to Louisville, Kentucky. He also reports taking a graduate school course in Hebrew. Address: 6431 Mayflower Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45237.

     CRANCH. HAROLD COVERT. Ordained June 19, 1941; 2nd degree, October 25, 1942. Retired. On active assignment, served as resident pastor of the Massachusetts circle of the General Church. He also served as interim pastor of the Boston, Massachusetts, Convention society, by special call. Address: 140 Bowdoin Street, Apt. 1502, Boston, Massachusetts 02108.

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     ECHOLS, JOHN CLARK, JR. Ordained August 20, 1978; 2nd degree, March 30, 1980. Continued to serve as an assistant to the pastor of the Immanuel Church in Glenview, Illinois. Served as visiting minister to the Madison. Wisconsin, circle, and to the midwestern and central western districts of the General Church. Address: 2700 Park Lane, Glenview, Illinois 60025.

     FRANSON, ROY. Ordained June 19, 1953; 2nd degree, January 29, 1956. Continued to serve as pastor of the Tucson circle in Arizona, where he is resident, and as visiting pastor to the Phoenix, Albuquerque, Pima and El Paso groups in the southwest district of the General Church. Address: 8416 Kenyon Drive, Tucson, Arizona 85710.

     GLADISH, MICHAEL DAVID. Ordained June 10, 1973; 2nd degree, June 30, 1974. Continued to serve as pastor of the Hurstville society in Australia and also visiting pastor to the Auckland group in New Zealand and to the isolated in Australia until September of 1981. As of then, pastor of the Los Angeles society. Address: 2959 Mount Curve, Altadena, California 91001.

     GLADISH, VICTOR JEREMIAH. Ordained June 17, 1928; 2nd degree, August 5, 1928. Retired, but gives assistance in the Immanuel Church when asked. He has also visited twice the group in Wilmington, Illinois, and preached in the St. Louis Convention church. Address: 1015 Gladish Lane, Glenview, Illinois 60025.

     GOODENOUGH, DANIEL WEBSTER. Ordained June 19, 1965; 2nd degree, December 10, 1967. Continued to serve as associate professor of religion and history in the college and theological school at the Academy of the New Church. He also preached several times, counseled, and reports other activities for the General Church. Address: Box 278, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania 19009.

     HEILMAN, ANDREW JAMES. Ordained June 18, 1978; 2nd degree, March 8, 1981. Continued to serve as minister of the Rio de Janeiro society in Brazil until March when he became pastor and president. He reports that he has devoted much time to the editing, publication and distribution of the Writings in Portuguese. Address: Rua Ferreira de Sampaio 58, Apt. 101, Abolicao, Rio de Janeiro 20750 RJ Brazil.

     HEINRICHS, DANIEL WINTHROP. Ordained June 19, 1957; 2nd degree, April 6, 1958. Continued to serve as pastor of the Washington, D.C., society, pastor and principal of the Washington New Church School. In addition he served as visiting pastor to the district of Maryland and Virginia. Address: 3809 Enterprise Road, Mitchellville, Maryland 20716.

     HEINRICHS, HENRY. Ordained June 24, 1923; 2nd degree, February 8, 1925. Retired. Address: 63 Chapel Hill Drive, R.R. 2, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada N2G 3W5.

     HEINRICHS, WILLARD LEWIS DAVENPORT. Ordained June 19, 1965; 2nd degree, January 26, 1969. Continued to serve as instructor in theology and religion in the Academy of the New Church Theological School and College. He also reports a number of activities of a pastoral nature. Address: Box 278, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania 19009.

     HOLM, BERNHARD DAVID. Ordained June 19, 1952; 2nd degree, January 27, 1957. Continued to serve as assistant dean of the Bryn Athyn society until December, from which time he served as assistant to the pastor. He also served as instructor in religion in the secondary schools of the Academy of the New Church. In addition he continued as secretary of the Council of the Clergy. Also chaplain of the Academy schools. Address: Box 278, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania 19009.

     HOWARD, GEOFFREY HORACE. Ordained June 18, 1961; 2nd degree, June 2, 1963. Continued to serve as pastor of the Durban society in South Africa. Headmaster of Kainon School. Bishop's representative in South Africa, Ghana and Brazil. Address: 30 Perth Road, Westville 3630, Natal, Republic of South Africa.

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     JUNGE. KENT. Ordained June 10, 1979; 2nd degree, June 24, 1981. Continued to serve as minister to the circle in Seattle, Washington, and visiting minister to the northwest district of the General Church and Vancouver, British Columbia, until June at which time he became pastor to these units of the General Church. Address: 14323 C 123rd St. N.E., Kirkland, Washington 98033.

     JUNGE, ROBERT SCHILL. Ordained June 19, 1955; 2nd degree, August 11, 1957. Continued to serve as dean of the Academy of the New Church Theological School. He also served pastoral uses in the Bryn Athyn society. Interim pastor of the northern New Jersey-New York circle. Address: Box 278, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania 19009.

     KEITH, BRIAN WALTER. Ordained June 6, 1976; 2nd degree, June 4, 1978. Continued to serve as principal of the Midwestern Academy of the New Church, and as assistant pastor of the Immanuel Church in Glenview, Illinois. He also served as visiting pastor to the Twin Cities circle in Minnesota. Address: 2712 Brassie Drive, Glenview, Illinois 60025.

     KING, CEDRIC. Ordained June 10, 1979; 2nd degree, November 27, 1980. Pastor of the San Diego society and visiting minister to the group in Orange County, California, and the San Francisco Bay area circle. As of September, headmaster of the San Diego New Church School. Address: 7911 Canary Way, San Diego, California 92123.

     KLINE, THOMAS LEROY. Ordained June 10, 1973; 2nd degree, June 15, 1975. Continued to serve as pastor to the Atlanta, Georgia, society and as visiting pastor to the southeastern United States district of the General Church until September. Assistant pastor of the Bryn Athyn Church. Address: Box 277, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania 19009.

     LARSEN, OTTAR TROSVIK. Ordained June 19, 1974; 2nd degree, February 2, 1977. Continued to serve as visiting pastor to the isolated and small groups in Great Britain. Occasional visits to Denmark. Address: 183 Norbury Crescent, London, SW16 4JX, England.

     McCURDY, GEORGE DANIEL. Ordained June 15, 1967. Recognized as a priest of the New Church in the 2nd degree, July 5, 1979. Received into the priesthood of the General Church June 9, 1980. Acting principal of the Boys School of the Academy of the New Church. Address: Box 278, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania 19009.

     McMASTER, ROBERT DAVID. Ordained June 18, 1978; 2nd degree, February 15, 1981. Continued to serve as assistant to the pastor of the Olivet Church in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He also served as director of young people's activities and editor of the New Church Canadian until September. Resident pastor of the Michael Church, London, England. Visiting pastor to The Hague, Holland. Address: 135 Mantilla Road, London, SW17 8DX, England.

     NEMITZ, KURT PAUL. Ordained June 16, 1963; 2nd degree, March 27, 1966. Continued to serve as pastor of the Bath, Maine, society of the New Jerusalem Church. He also served as visiting pastor to the General Church circles in Ottawa and Montreal, Canada. As of September, unassigned. Address: 887 Middle Street, Bath, Maine 04530.

     NICHOLSON, ALLISON LA MARR. Ordained September 9, 1979; 2nd degree, February 15, 1981. Continued to serve as assistant to the pastor of the Olivet Church in Toronto, in charge of missionary work. Address: 170 Martin Grove Road, Islington, Ontario, Canada M9B 4L1.

     ORTHWEIN, WALTER EDWARD III. Ordained July 22, 1973; 2nd degree, June 12, 1978. Continued to serve as pastor of the Detroit society and also principal of the Detroit society day school. Address: 132 Kirk Lane, Troy, Michigan 48084.

     PENDLETON, DANDRIDGE. Ordained June 19, 1952; 2nd degree, June 19, 1954. Continued to serve as instructor of theology and religion in the theological school and college of the Academy of the New Church. Associate professor of religion, Academy of the New Church. Address: Box 278, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania 19009.

634

     PRYKE, MARTIN. Ordained June 19, 1940; 2nd degree, March 1, 1942. Continued to serve as instructor in theology and religion in the theological school and the Boys School of the Academy of the New Church. He also served as chaplain in Stuart Hall. In addition he is the director of the Academy Museum Committee. Address: Box 278, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania 19009.

     REUTER, NORMAN HAROLD. Ordained June 17, 1928; 2nd degree, October 13, 1930. Retired. Reports that he preached in San Diego and Tucson. Address: 566 Anne Street, Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania 19006.

     RICH, MORLEY DYCKMAN. Ordained June 19, 1938; 2nd degree, October 13, 1940. Retired. Address: 1670 Frankstown Road, Johnstown, Pennsylvania 15901.

     RILEY, NORMAN EDWARD. Recognized as a priest of the General Church January, 1978. Continued to serve as superintendent of the Mission in South Africa and as assistant to the pastor of the Durban society. He also served as a teacher of religion in Kainon School, visiting pastor to the Transvaal circle, and to the groups at Kent Manor, Carletonville, the Cape and the isolated. He also is director of Church Extension and Religion Lessons in South Africa. Address: 42 Pitlochry Road, Westville 3630, Natal, Republic of South Africa.

     ROGERS, NORBERT HENRY. Ordained June 19, 1938; 2nd degree, October 13, 1940. Retired. Address: Box 278, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania 19009.

     ROSE, DONALD LESLIE. Ordained June 16, 1957; 2nd degree June 23, 1963. Continued to serve as pastor of the Pittsburgh society of the General Church. As of September, 1980, editor of New Church Life. Assistant to the pastor of the Bryn Athyn Church, working in the elementary school. Address: Box 278, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania 19009.

     ROSE, FRANK SHIRLEY. Ordained June 19, 1952; 2nd degree, August 2, 1953. Continued to serve as instructor in religion in the College and Girls School of the Academy of the New Church, and housemaster of Childs Hall (the college men's dormitory), in addition, chaired the steering committee of the Mental Health Symposium held in November in Glenview and in April in Bryn Athyn. He also ran two family Laurel Leaf camps and an adult Laurel Leaf camp during the summer. He ran several marriage enrichment programs in Bryn Athyn. Now assistant professor of religion in the Academy of the New Church. Address: Box 278, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania 19009.

     ROSE, PATRICK ALAN. Ordained June 19, 1975; 2nd degree, September 5, 1977. Continued to serve as pastor of the Colchester society in England, and as headmaster of the society's church school. In addition, he is the headmaster of the British Academy Summer School. Address: 2 Christchurch Court, Colchester, Essex, CO3 3AU, England.

     SANDSTROM, ERIK. Ordained June 10, 1934; 2nd degree, August 4, 1935. Retired and on active assignment. Served as resident pastor of the Oral-Hot Springs group in South Dakota, and as visiting pastor to the Denver circle in Colorado. He reports preaching and giving classes in Scandinavia during a visit. He also gave pastoral services in other centers of the church in the United States and Canada. Address: R.R. 1, Box 101-M, Hot Springs. South Dakota 57747.

     SANDSTROM, ERIK EMANUEL. Ordained May 23, 1971; 2nd degree, May 21. 1972. Continued to serve as pastor to the Michael Church in London. England. He also served as visiting pastor to the circle in Holland, and as chairman of the British Academy of the New Church. In addition, he served on the Advisory and Revision board of the Swedenborg Society in London and served that society as a n advisor and translator. He also is a member of the Board of Directors of the New Jerusalem Council, Ltd. Since September, pastor of the Hurstville society. New South Wales. Australia. Visiting pastor to the Auckland circle, New Zealand. Address: 22 Dudley Street, Penshurst, New South Wales, 2222, Australia.

635

     SCHNARR, FREDERICK LAURIER. Ordained June 19, 1955; 2nd degree, May 12, 1957. Served as assistant pastor of the Bryn Athyn society and continued to serve as principal of the Bryn Athyn Church School. During the spring, he was made bishop's representative in charge of General Church schools and chairman of the Educational Council. Address: Box 277, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania 19009.

     SIMONS, DAVID RESTYN. Ordained June 19, 1948; 2nd degree, June 19, 1950. Continued to serve as pastor of the Los Angeles society in California, and as visiting pastor to the San Francisco circle. In September, pastor of the Baltimore society, Maryland. Address: 13213 East Green Bank Road, Oliver Beach, Baltimore, Maryland 21220.

     SMITH, CHRISTOPHER RONALD JACK. Ordained June 19, 1969; 2nd degree. May 9, 1971. Continued to serve as pastor of the Carmel Church in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Address: 16 Bannockburn Road, R.R. 2, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada N2G 3W5.

     SMITH, LAWSON MERRELL. Ordained June 10, 1979; 2nd degree, February 1, 1981. Continued to serve as assistant to the pastor in the Washington, D.C., society and as visiting minister to the Baltimore society in Maryland until February, at which time he became assistant pastor of the Washington society and visiting pastor to Baltimore. Address: 3805 Enterprise Road, Mitchellville, Maryland 20716.

     SONESON, LORENTZ RAY. Ordained June 16, 1963; 2nd degree, May 16, 1965. Served as secretary of the General Church, director of General Church Religion Lessons, editor of New Church Home, chairman of the General Church Sunday School Committee, chairman of the General Church Publication Committee, chairman of Traveling Priests Committee, manager of the General Church offices at Cairncrest in Bryn Athyn. Instructor of religion at the Academy of the New Church. Now, interim pastor of the Bath, Maine, society. Address: Box 278, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania 19009.

     STROH, KENNETH OLIVER. Ordained June 19, 1948; 2nd degree, June 19, 1950. Continued to serve as Bryn Athyn Church organist, director of music for the Bryn Athyn society, and choir director until July when he became interim pastor to the Pittsburgh society. Address: 7105 Reynolds Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15208.

     TAYLOR, DOUGLAS McLEOD. Ordained June 19, 1960; 2nd degree, June 19, 1962. Continued to serve as director of evangelization, chairman of the Extension Committee, chairman of the Sound Recording Committee, and chairman of the Bryn Athyn Epsilon Society. He also conducted two series of inquirers' classes for the Bryn Athyn society and courses in the Academy Schools on evangelization. In addition he represented the Bishop at the Australian New Church Convocation and preached in several centers in Australia and New Zealand. Address: Box 278, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania 19009.

     WEISS, JAN HUGO. Ordained June 19, 1955; 2nd degree, May 12, 1957. Unassigned. Engaged in secular work in Los Angeles, California. Address: 2650 Del Vista Drive. Hacienda Heights, California 91745.

     Ministers

     ALDEN, KENNETH JAMES. Ordained June 6, 1980. Continued to serve as assistant to the pastor of the Detroit, Michigan, society and as instructor in the Detroit New Church School. He also served as visiting minister to the North Ohio circle and the Outstate Michigan group. Now assistant minister to the Detroit society. Address: 3763 Oakshire, Berkley, Michigan 48072.

     DE FIGUEIREDO, JOSE LOPES. Ordained October 24, 1965. Retired, on active assignment. Continued to give assistance to the minister of the Rio de Janeiro society in Brazil. He reports that he has been engaged in translating Apocalypse Revealed into Portuguese. Address: Rua Des Isidro 155, Apt. 202, Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro 20521 RJ Brazil.

636

     ODHNER, JOHN LLWELLYN. Ordained June 6. 1980. Continued to serve as assistant to the pastor of the Florida district, resident in Lake Helen, serving the circle there. Address: 413 Summit Avenue, Lake Helen, Florida 32744.

     ROGERS, N. BRUCE. Ordained January 12, 1969. Continued to serve as head of the division of religion and sacred languages in the college of the Academy of the New Church, where he also served as associate professor of religion, Latin and Hebrew. In addition he served as chairman of two General Church committees-Translation Committee and the Committee on the Revision of the King James version of the Word. He also served as director of the Bryn Athyn society's Sunday school. Address: Box 278, Bryn Athyn. Pennsylvania 19009.

     SYNNESTVEDT, LOUIS DANIEL. Ordained June 6, 1980. Continued to serve as assistant to the pastor of the southeastern United States district, resident in Americus, Georgia, serving as minister to the circle there. Address: Kt. 3, Box 136, Americus, Georgia 31709.

     Added to the above men are four priests in the first degree who are not yet members of the Council of the Clergy. They are:

     BARNETT, WENDEL RYAN. Ordained June 7, 1981. Completed his final year at the Theological School of the Academy of the New Church. He was inaugurated into the priesthood of the New Church on June 7, 198 1. Since July he has served as minister to the San Francisco Bay area circle, in California. Address: 5351 Southbridge Place, San Jose, California 95118.

     BURKE, WILLIAM HANSON. Ordained June 7, 1981. Completed his final year at the Theological School of the Academy of the New Church. In July he was made an assistant to the pastor of the Bryn Athyn society. Address: Box 277, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania 19009.

     ODHNER, Grant HUGO. Ordained June 7, 1981. Completed his final year at the Theological School of the Academy of the New Church. In July he was appointed assistant to the pastor of the Glenview society, Illinois. Address: 73A Park Lane, Glenview, Illinois 60025.

     SCHNARR, ARTHUR WILLARD, JR. Ordained June 7, 1981. Completed his final year at the Theological School of the Academy of the New Church. In July he was made assistant to the pastor of the Olivet Church in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Address: 1660 Bloor Street East, Apt. 409, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L4X 1R9.

     Authorized Candidates

COOPER, JAMES P. Box 278, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania 19009.
COWLEY, MICHAEL K. Box 278, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania 19009.
GLADISH, NATHAN D. Box 278, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania 19009.
ROGERS, PRESCOTT A. Box 278, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania 19009.
SIMONS, JEKEMY F. Box 278, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania 19009.

     Associate Minister

     NICOLIER, ALAIN. Ordained May 31, 1979, into the first degree of the New Church. Minister to the New Church in France. Address: Bourguignon-Meursanges, 21200 Beaune, France.

637

     South African Mission

     Pastors

     MBEDZI, PAULUS. Ordained March 23, 1958; 2nd degree, March 14, 1965. Resident pastor of the Hambrook society, visiting pastor of the Balfour society, the Greylingstad society and the Rietfontain group. Address: Hambrook Bantu School, P.B. 9912, Ladysmith, Natal 3370.

     MBATHA, BHEKUYISE ALFRED. Ordained June 27, 1971; 2nd degree, June 23, 1974. Natal district pastor, resident pastor of Kwa Mashu society. Address: P.O. Box 11, Kwa Mashu, Natal 4360.

     NKABINDE, PETER PIET. Ordained June 23, 1974; 2nd degree, November 13, 1977. Transvaal district pastor, resident pastor of Diepkloof society, visiting pastor of the Alexandra society, visiting pastor of the Mofolo society, the Quthing society, and the Tembisa group. Address: 2375 Diepkloof, Zone 2, Soweto, Johannesburg 2100.

     NZIMANDE, BENJAMIN ISHMAEL. Ordained August 21, 1938; 2nd degree, October 3, 1948. Resident pastor of the Clermont society, visiting pastor of the Enkumba society. Address: 1701-31st Avenue, Clermont Township, P.O. Clernaville, Natal 3602.

     ZUNGU, AARON. Ordained August 21, 1938; 2nd degree, October 3, 1948. Mission translator. Visiting pastor of the Umlazi group. Address: c/o Kent Manor Farm, P-B Ntumeni, Kwa-Zulu 3830.

     Authorized Candidate

     BUTELEZI, ISHBORN. Resident candidate of Impaphala society and visiting candidate to the Dondotha group. Address: 36 Perth Road, Westville 3630, Natal, R.S.A.

     SOCIETIES AND CIRCLES

     Societies                                    Pastor
ATLANTA, GEORGIA                              Rev. Christopher D. Bown
BRYN ATHYN CHURCH                              Rev. Kurt H. Asplundh
                                        Rev. Thomas L. Kline,
                                             assistant pastor
                                         Rev. Frederick L. Schnarr,
          assistant pastor
                                         Rev. William H. Burke,
                                             assistant to the pastor
                                         Rev. Donald L. Rose,
                                             assistant to the pastor
BALTIMORE CHURCH, MARYLAND                    Rev. David R. Simons
CARMEL CHURCH, KITCHENER, ONTARIO, CANADA      Rev. Christopher R. J. Smith
                                         Rev. Mark R. Carlson,
                                             assistant pastor
COLCHESTER, ENGLAND                          Rev. Patrick A. Rose
DETROIT, MICHIGAN                              Rev. Walter E. Orthwein
                                         Rev. Kenneth J. Alden,
                                             assistant to the pastor
DURBAN, NATAL. SOUTH AFRICA                    Rev. Geoffrey H. Howard
KEMPTON. PENNSYLVANIA                          Rev. Arne Bau-Madsen
HURSTVILLE, N.SW., AUSTRALIA                    Rev. Erik E. Sandstrom

638

IMMANUEL CHURCH, GLENVIEW, ILLINOIS               Rev. Peter M. Buss
                                         Rev. Brian W. Keith,
                                             assistant pastor
                                         Rev. J. Clark Echols,
                                             assistant to the pastor
                                         Rev. Grant H. Odhner,
                                             assistant to the pastor
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA                     Rev. Michael D. Gladish
MICHAEL CHURCH, LONDON, ENGLAND                Rev. Robert D. McMaster
OLIVET CHURCH, TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA           Rev. Geoffrey S. Childs
                                         Rev. Allison L. Nicholson,
          assistant to the pastor
                                         Rev. Arthur W. Schnarr,
          assistant to the pastor
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA                    Rev. Kenneth O. Stroh
                                         Rev. Eric H. Carswell,
                                             assistant pastor
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL                     Rev. Andrew J. Heilman
                                         Rev. Jose L. de Figueiredo,
          assistant to the pastor
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA                          Rev. Cedric King

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN                              Rev. Ragnar Boyesen
WASHINGTON, D.C.                              Rev. Daniel W. Heinrichs
                                         Rev. Lawson M. Smith,
                                             assistant pastor

     Circles                                   Visiting Pastor or Minister
AMERICUS, GEORGIA                              Rev. Louis D. Synnestvedt
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND                          Rev. Erik E. Sandstrom
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS (SHARON CHURCH)                Rev. Peter M. Buss
CONNECTICUT                                   Rev. Glenn G. Alden
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK                          Rev. Ragnar Boyesen
DAWSON CREEK, BC. CANADA                    Rev. William H. Clifford
DENVER, COLORADO                              Rev. Erik Sandstrom
EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN                          Rev. Kenneth J. Alden
ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA                              Rev. Eric H. Carswell
FORT WORTH, TEXAS                              Rev. Peter M. Buss, supervisor
THE HAGUE, HOLLAND                              Rev. Robert D. McMaster
JONKOPING, SWEDEN                              Rev. Bjorn A. H. Boyesen
                                             (resident)
LAKE HELEN, FLORIDA                              Rev. John L. Odhner (resident)
LETCHWORTH, ENGLAND                          Rev. Ottar T. Larsen
MADISON, WISCONSIN                              Rev. J. Clark Echols
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND                          Rev. Ottar T. Larsen
MIAMI, FLORIDA                              Rev. Mark E. Alden (resident)
MASSACHUSETTS                              Rev. Harold C. Cranch (resident)
MONTREAL, CANADA                              Rev. Geoffrey S. Childs,
                                             supervisor
NORTH NEW JERSEY-NEW YORK                    Rev. Robert S. Junge, supervisor
NORTH, OHIO                               Rev. Kenneth J. Alden
OSLO, NORWAY                               Rev. Ragnar Boyesen
ST. PAUL-MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA                    Rev. Brian W. Keith

639

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA                    Rev. Wendel R. Barnett
                                             (resident)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON                              Rev. Kent Junge (resident)
SOUTH OHIO                               Rev. Stephen D. Cole (resident)
TRANSVAAL, REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA               Rev. Norman E. Riley
TUCSON, ARIZONA                              Rev. Roy Franson (resident)

     New Assignments for Ministers

     1980-1981
GLENN G. ALDEN                    Pastor of Connecticut circle.
MARK E. ALDEN                    Pastor to the Florida district.
CHRISTOPHER D. BOWN           Visiting pastor to the southeastern district and pastor of the Atlanta society, Georgia.
MICHAEL D. GLADISH          Pastor of the Los Angeles society.
THOMAS L. KLINE                Assistant pastor of the Bryn Athyn Church.
ROBERT, McMASTER               Resident pastor of the Michael Church, London, England, and visiting pastor to The Hague, Holland.
DONALD L. ROSE                    Assistant to the pastor of the Bryn Athyn Church, working in the elementary school.
ERIK E. SANDSTROM           Pastor of the Hurstville society, N.S.W., Australia, and visiting pastor to the Auckland circle, New Zealand.
DAVID R. SIMONS                Pastor of the Baltimore society, Maryland.
LAWSON M. SMITH                Assistant pastor of the Washington, D.C., society.
KENNETH O. STROH                Interim pastor of the Pittsburgh society.
WENDEL R. BARNETT               Resident minister of the San Francisco-Bay area circle in California.
WILLIAM H. BURKE                Assistant to the pastor of the Bryn Athyn Church
Grant H. ODHNER                Assistant to the pastor of the Glenview society, Illinois.
ARTHUR W. SCHNARR, JR.           Assistant to the pastor of the Olivet Church, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

     Note: The above directory incorporates information that has usually appeared in the report of the Secretary of the Council of the Clergy. That report appears on the next page.

640

     COUNCIL OF THE CLERGY MEMBERSHIP

     During the year ending August 31, 1981, four men were inaugurated into the first degree of the priesthood and eight ministers were ordained into the second degree.
     At the end of the twelve-month period the Council of the Clergy consisted of three priests of the episcopal degree, fifty-seven in the pastoral degree, and five in the ministerial degree, for a total of sixty-five. Of these, four were mainly or essentially employed by the General Church, nine by the Academy of the New Church; forty-two were engaged in pastoral work; nine were retired or engaged in secular work, and one was unassigned.
     In addition to the above figures, four newly inaugurated ministers are not yet members of the Council of the Clergy. Also, the General Church has five priests of the pastoral degree in the South African Mission besides the superintendent.

     STATISTICS

     The statistics of the sacraments and rites of the General Church administered during the year, compiled from reports of the priests of the General Church as of September 1, 1981, together with comparative figures for the twelve-month periods five and ten years ago are shown below.

                                    1980-81      1975-76      1970-71
Baptisms
     Children                          152           133           137
     Adults                          48           42           31
          Total                     200           175           168

Holy Supper administrations
     Public                          292           230           151
     Private                          59           50           65
          Communicants               6,705      5,727      4,825

Confessions of faith                     26           65           31
Betrothals                          39           42           28
Marriages                               74           57           43
     Blessings on marriages               7          1               3

Ordinations                          12           4           3

Dedications
     Churches                          6           1           2
     Homes                              7           14           10
     Other                              2           0          1
Funerals and Memorial Services           60           55           33

     B. David Holm,
          Secretary, Council of the Clergy

641

ANNUAL REPORT OF SECRETARY OF THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM 1981

ANNUAL REPORT OF SECRETARY OF THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM LORENTZ R. SONESON 1981

     During September 1980 through August 1981, eighty-eight new members were received into the General Church. Five resigned from the church. Seventeen were dropped from the roll. Forty-four deaths were reported. On September 1, 198 1, the roll contained three thousand six hundred and eighty names.

Membership, September 1, 1980                              3,658
(U.S.A.-2,504, Other countries- 1,154)
New Members (Cert. 6,738 to 6,823 plus 2 reinstated)          88
(U.S.A.-64, Other countries-24)
Deaths reported                                        44
(U.S.A.30, Other countries-14)
Resignations                                         5
(U.S.A. 1, Other countries-4)
Dropped from Roll                                    17
(U.S.A.-10, Other countries-7)
Losses                                              66
(U.S.A.-41, Other countries-25)
Net Gain during September 1980 through August 1981           22
(U.S.A.-23, Other countries loss of 1)
Membership, September 1, 1981                              3,680
(U.S.A.-2,527, Other countries-1,153)

     NEW MEMBERS

     THE UNITED STATES

     Arizona: Phoenix
Mrs. Dennis Gyllenhaal (Nelwyn Pattie Pitts)

     Arkansas: Batesville
Mr. Richard Jerry Haertlein

     California: Sacramento
Mr. Courtney David Scott
Mrs. Courtney David Scott (Patricia Genett Street)

     California: San Diego
Mrs. Robert Arne Larsson (Teresa Lorraine Gross)

     California: San Jose
Mr. Christopher Pendleton Ebert

     Colorado: Colorado Springs
Miss Julie Kay Rienstra

     Georgia: Atlanta
Mrs. James F. Hampton (Pearl Canada)

     Georgia: Tucker
Mrs. Richard Kerr Kunz (Stephanie Lynn Latta)
Mr. James Frederick Rodman
Mrs. James Frederick Rodman (Fredericka Andrews)

     Illinois: Belleville
Mr. Byron Lee Harris

     Illinois: Glenview
Miss Sharon Eleonore Junge
Mrs. Dale Matulonis (Zillah Geraldyne Miller)

642

     Illinois: Morton Grove
Mrs. Robert Clipper (Anna Zwiewka)

     Illinois: Northbrook
Mr. Keith R. Strueber
Mrs. Keith R. Strueber (Linda Jean Holmes)

     Indiana: Richmond
Mr. Robin Waelchli Childs

     Kansas: Shawnee
Mrs. James L. Cahoon (Andrea Rose)

     Maryland: Baltimore
Miss Frances Delena Spamer

     Maryland: Glenn Dale
Mr. Thomas Roderick Andrews

     Maryland: Mitchellville
Miss Sharon Madeline Lee

     Maryland: Towson
Mrs. Henry L. Honemann (Maude Elizabeth Wilson)
Mrs. Milton L. Honemann (Mary Catherine Blake)

     Michigan: Gorand Haven
Mr. Raymond Charles Pavlin

     Michigan: Madison Heights
Mr. Justin Tafel Childs
Mrs. Justin Tafel Childs (Grace Nelson)

     Michigan: Troy
Mr. Dale Brent Genzlinger

     New Jersey: Willingboro
Mr. Donald Eugene Dillard
Mrs. Donald Eugene Dillard (Eleanor Hewitt)

     Ohio: Fairburn
Mr. Maxwell Blair

     Pennsylvania: Bryn Athyn
Mr. Emmanuel Kwasi Aklaku
Miss Nina Cooper
Miss Susan Clay Cooper
Mr. Bryan Scott Genzlinger
Mrs. Bryan Scott Genzlinger (Elsa Lee Schoenberger)
Mr. Aaron A. Gladish
Mr. Ralph Eugene Heinrichs
Mr. Paul Richard Jewell
Mrs. Paul Richard Jewell (Dorothy Susan Posey)
Mr. Steven Alvin Lindrooth
Miss Joan Louise Lodge
Mrs. George Daniel McCurdy (Lois Ellen Walton)
Mr. Mark Harris Spracklin
Mr. Richard Charles Thornton
Mr. Nicholas Lang Tyler

     Pennsylvania, Hatboro
Mr. Joseph Eugene Hefele
Mr. James Christopher Pellani

     Pennsylvania, Huntingdon Valley
Miss Pamela Gyllenhaal
Miss Miriam Anne Messerly
Mr. Eric Alexander Rohtla
Mrs. Frank Day Synnestvedt (Susan Ann Fazio)

     Pennsylvania: Jenkintown
Mr. Walton Coates

     Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh
Miss Rebecca Alden
Mr. James S. Roscoe
Mrs. James S. Roscoe (Jeannette Alden)

     Pennsylvania: Philadelphia
Mr. Kenneth John Keller
Mrs. Kenneth John Keller (Darlene Catherine Keefner)
Mrs. John Joseph Tonski (Agnes Ellen Hartman)

     Pennsylvania: Riegelsville
Mr. Stephen Heilman Smith

     Pennsylvania, Rydal
Mrs. Benjamin Marcune (Carol Toluba)

     Utah: Salt Lake City
Mrs. Leon Daniel Whipple (Barbara Beiswenger)

     Washington: Bellevue
Mr. William Lawson Kunkle

     Wisconsin, River Falls
Mrs. Joseph Buonocore (Lise Gram)

643

     CANADA

     Alberta: Calgary
Mr. Christopher Mark Allan
Mrs. Christopher Mark Allan (Lynn Marie Niall)

     Alberta, Debolt
Mr. Paul Gottfried Battig
Mrs. Paul Gottfried Battig (Arlie Sophia Dawson)

     Ontario: Islington
Mr. Peter George Bailey
Mrs. Peter George Bailey (Cheryl Edythe Hamm)

     Ontario: Kitchener
Mrs. Thomas J. Harris (Laura Hill)
Mr. Alan Barry Rose

     Ontario. Waterloo
Mr. Lawrence James Lawson (Dicken)

One member reinstated. (Name withheld)
One member reinstated. (Name withheld)

     EUROPE

     Denmark: Allerod
Mrs. Mogens Leisted (Agnete Anderson)

     England: Essex
Miss Mary Petronella Waters
Mr. Sean Evans
Mrs. Geoffrey Denis Pryke (Pauline Mary Coles)

     England: Surrey
Miss Christine J. Turner

     France, Paris
Mrs. Lucien deChazal (Germaine de Speville)
Mr. Tristan deChazal

     AFRICA

     Natal, Westville
Mrs. Donovan Gordon Cockerell (Merrill Doreen Thompson)
Mrs. Gerald Gilbert Waters (Myrna-Loy Veitch)

     Ghana: Tema
Pastor Benjamin Garna

     AUSTRALIA

     New South Wales: Punch Bowl
Mr. John Edward Hicks

     NEW ZEALAND

     Auckland, New Zealand
Mr. Denis Knowlson Keal
Mrs. Denis Knowlson Keal (Elisabeth June Rose Bartle)

     DEATHS

Alfelt, Mr. Lennart Ola, March 12, 1981, Meadowbrook, Pennsylvania. (68)
Allstrin, Miss Sonja Kristina, February 19, 1981, Stockholm, Sweden. (8 1)
Andrews, Mrs. George E. (Dorothy Magdalene Saeger), Schenectady, New York.
Arraes, Sr. Lauro Sarmanho, December 4, 1980, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (62)
Arrimour, Mr. Leon Joseph, March 29, 1981, Meadowbrook, Pennsylvania. (hi)
Baeckstrom, Mrs. Gustav (Greta Amalia Wahlstrom), Stockholm, Sweden. (94)
Bellinger, Mrs. Theodore Percival (Lenore Smith), Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada. (82)
Boyesen, Miss Margit Karoline, December 19, 1980, Hatboro, Pennsylvania. (72)
Burnett, Mrs. Dewey Ervin (Alma M. Johnson), December 23, 1980, Erie, Pennsylvania. (83)
Campbell, Mr. David Harris, August 17, 1980, Van Nuys, California. (50)
Clipper, Mrs. Robert B. (Anna Zwiewka), March 11, 1981, Evanston, Illinois. (40)
Conner, Mrs. Wilson Bennett (Erma Viola Lauver), November, 1974, Bethayres, Pennsylvania, (77) DELAYED REPORT

644

Cranch, Mrs. Alice Rogers (Hough) Cranch, April 1, 1981, Media, Pennsylvania. (72)
Davis, Mrs. Edward Hugh (Margaretha Lechner), August 19, 1981, Warminster, Pennsylvania. (88)
Farrington, Mr. Theodore R., May 8, 1981, Chicago, Illinois. (80)
Fitzpatrick, Mr. Donald Coffin, January 7, 1981, Jupiter, Florida. (73)
Fletcher, Mrs. Frederick (Martha Mornington (Mora) White), July 17, 1981, Kogarah, New South Wales, Australia. (89)
Grote, Mrs. Hermann (Goldie Heilman), November 4, 1980, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (95)
Helding, Mrs. Richard D. (Marguerite Sari Wood), September 15, 1980, Glenview, Illinois. (81)
Hill, Mrs. Richard (Wynne Pitcairn), July 4, 1981, Rockledge, Pennsylvania. (34)
Hedges, Mr. Albert F., April 20, 1981, North Miami Beach, Florida. (83)
Honemann, Rev. Milton Letcher, January 6, 1981, Baltimore, Maryland. (64)
Hubscher, Mr. Leonardus Albertus, 1957, Wassenaar, Holland. (53) DELAYED REPORT
Hume, Mrs. John Benjamin (Violet Emma Young), January, 1980, Chicago, Illinois. (76)
James, Mr. Cecil John, May 20, 1981, London, Ontario, Canada. (80)
Lindsay, Mrs. Alexander P. (Rena Heilman), February 2, 1981, Sarver, Pennsylvania. (99)
Lindsay, Mrs. George Edgar (Alice Dorothy Davis), September 13, 1980, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania. (93)
Nelson, Mr. Gerald Farrington, September 8, 1980, Baltimore, Maryland. (82)
Odhner, Mr. Ray Standforth, August 9, 1980, Nundah, Brisbane, Australia. (74)
Randolph, Mrs. Malcolm Logan (Jeannette Pendleton Caldwell), December 4, 1980, Oak Ridge, Tennessee. (69)
Rijksen-den Hollander, Mrs. Marinus Rijksen (Nansje den Hollander), Date unknown, Holland. DELAYED REPORT.
Smith, Mrs. Jean Synnestvedt, March 18, 1981, Glenview, Illinois. (79)
Smith, Miss Leona, December 17, 1980, Meadowbrook, Pennsylvania. (79)
Smith, Mrs. Rembert (Josephine Helen Deep), March 13, 1981, Tucson, Arizona. (71)
Smith, Mrs. Sophia Charlotte (Price) Smith, 1981, Los Angeles, California. (93)
Stroh, Miss Alberta Luella Ma y, April 30, 1981, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. (94)
Stroh, Miss Cornelia Elizabeth, November 15, 1980, Meadawbrook, Pennsylvania. (92)
Stroh, Mrs. Nathaniel (Freda Victoria Roschman), April 10, 1981, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. (88)
van Trigt, Miss Johanna, date unknown, The Hague, Holland. DELAYED REPORT
Webster, Mr. Ronald, November 14, 1980, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (92)
Wilson, Mr. Dan Nixson, March 27, 1981, Tucson, Arizona. (77)
Woofenden, Mr. Herman Jonathan, 1980, Ontario, Canada. (81)
Zirnmer, Mrs. Henry Frederick (Mary Constance Herwick), April 30, 1981, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (60)
Zorn, Mrs. Ernest W. (Ruby Smith), January 13, 1981, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (72)

645

     RESIGNATIONS

Bond, Mr. James Wilson, Canada
Bond, Mrs. James Wilson (Vera Hilda Addison), Canada
Pryke, Mr. Philip Noel, England
Pryke, Mrs. Philip Noel (Janet Alexandra Hammond), England
Schiffer, Mr. Charles William, U.S.A.

     DROPPED FROM ROLL

Benwell, Miss Gwendolen M., England
Callahan, Mrs. Joseph (Elizabeth M. Schnarr), U.S.A.
de Schrijver, Mme. (Henrietta Pepersack), France
Dunham, Mr. Arthur H., U.S.A.
Eck, Mr. Malcolm Conrad, U.S.A.
Ferrigno, Mrs. (Marguerite J. Search), U.S.A.
Franson, Mrs. Jonnie Jean Smith, U.S.A.
Gobel, Mr. Eric Adrian, Canada
Irwin, Mr. Paul Dripps, U.S.A.
Kirsten, Mr. Alwyn, Australia
Kirsten, Mr. Frederick Alfred, Australia
Merle, Mrs. Joseph M. (Gabrielle Olga Betaille), U.S.A.
Molloy, Mr. John C. III, U.S.A.
Molloy, Mrs. John C. III (Dorothy Lois Schmucker), U.S.A.
Morgan, Mrs. Samuel T., Jr. (Gladys Naomi Britt), U.S.A.
van Ravestijn, Mr. Rolf L. F., The Hague, Holland
van Ravestijn, Mrs. Rolf L. F. (Huberta Lailah Gryseels), The Hague, Holland

     LORENTZ R. SONESON,
          Secretary
AUSTRALIAN NEW CHURCH EDUCATION FUND 1981

AUSTRALIAN NEW CHURCH EDUCATION FUND 1981

     The councillors of the Property Trust of the General Church in Australia take pleasure in announcing the establishment of a New Church education fund for Australia. The objects of the fund are to promote the development of New Church education and educational facilities in Australia, and also to sponsor Australian students who wish to study at New Church institutions abroad, particularly the Academy at Bryn Athyn.
     The fund has been inaugurated by a member of the New Church in Australia with a significant donation, making it possible for grants to be made to students as early as this coming school year. In fact, some aid has already been given through the fund.
     If there are any Australian readers of this magazine who might wish to apply for some financial assistance under the terms of this fund, they are invited to contact me or any active minister of a recognized society of the New Church in Australia for more detailed information. Requests should be in hand for consideration by the end of March, 1982, for the following school year. Requests for consideration for future years would also be welcome at any time, as these will facilitate management of the fund in the interim. John Sandow, Secretary, 18 O'Briens Road, Hurstville, N.S.W. 2220, Australia

646

ADDRESSES UNKNOWN 1981

     Anyone who can supply information as to the whereabouts of the following persons is asked to communicate with the Office of the Secretary, General Church of the New Jerusalem, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009. Last known addresses are shown.

     PRINTED FOR THE FIRST TIME

     United States and Canada

Mr. Edward C. Anderson
24N - 947 Valley Rd.
Forest Lake
Lake Zurich IL 60047

Mrs. Robin Carlisle
1103 Woodbrook
Alington TX 76011

Mrs. Troland Cleare
12216 Devilwood Drive
Potomac MD 20854

Mr. James P. Cole
4127 Meridian
Indianapolis IN 46208

Mrs. Dorothy Cunningham
221 Virginia
Lansing MI 48912

Miss Sharon D. Friesen
9648 84th Avenue
Edinonton, Alberta
Canada T6C 1E8

Mrs. Lloyd I. Johnson
9419 N. Sunlakes Blvd.
Sun Lakes AZ 85224

Mrs. W. B. Jones
3224 S Ocean Blvd.
Highland Beach FI. 33444

Mrs. Robert N. Robinson
Box 1383
Bradford, Ontario
Canada

Mr. Kenneth Schellenberg
508 Bond Street
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Canada R2C 2L9

Mrs. Robert Webster
1526 Butler Avenue
Ambler PA 19002

     PRINTED FOR THE SECOND TIME

     United States and Canada

Mr. Lyle Dhuez
1449-3 St. East
Prince Albert, Sask.
Canada S6V 0.19

Miss Etta L. Rexrode
14 Bridge Street
New Hope PA 18938

Mr. Neil H. Sherman
Rt. 4. Box 355
Olympia WA 98502

Mr. Jerry J. Sustar
Apt. 505
333 South Glebe Road
Arlington VA 22204

Mr. Bradford K. Williams
Box 1624
El Cajon CA 92022

     Overseas

Mrs. Carl-Axel Anderson
Abraham Backgat. 3
Soderhamm Sweden

Mrs. Constance E. Wilson
8 Windward Hill
Yona, Guam 96910

647

EDITORIAL PAGES 1981

EDITORIAL PAGES Editor 1981

     NEW CHURCH LIFE
     ADVERTISING OR MAKING KNOWN ABROAD

     Shepherds heard from angels the truth about the Lord's birth, and "they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child." Various means may be used when the intention is to make something known abroad. Word of mouth is evidently the means used by the shepherds, and word of mouth has so often been the way the truth concerning the Lord's second coming has been made known.
     Just two hundred years ago the captain of a sailing vessel shrewdly sized up one of his passengers on a voyage from America to England. Here was a man, thought the captain, that might be interested in a book the captain had in his cabin. The book was Heaven and Hell.
     We will return to this story in a moment. Our subject is advertising. Centuries after the shepherds made known abroad their good news, the invention of printing changed the course of human history. This invention, we are told, was provided for the sake of the Word (see AG 9354). Thereafter the Word "when once published" could be preserved for posterity and could be made known abroad (see EU 113).
     When the Writings came to be printed, there were newspapers and journals that could be used as a means of making them known. The first book of the Writings to be printed was the first volume of Arcana Coelestia. This was immediately advertised in the London Gentleman's Monthly Intelligencer. The following year the second volume was made known abroad by an advertisement that began with the words: "Be it known unto all the learned and curious . . . ." It went on to say, "How this great work of ARCANA COELESTIA will succeed in the world is impossible at present to determine . . . . When a fresh number is published it shall be advertised in the newspapers."
     From that time onward advertisements were used to make the books known, and they were also used to find the people who were already readers. In 1783 the following appeared in a London newspaper:

     All those who read the theological writings of Swedenborg and know their value will please assemble in No. 62 Tottenham Court Road . . . .

648

     The same year another reader issued in various newspapers an advertisement to the effect that all persons acquainted with the theological writings of Emanuel Swedenborg, and favorable to their promotion, were earnestly invited to meet together for consultation at the London Coffee House, Ludgate Hill, on a certain day." (See Hindmarsh's Rise and Progress, p. 15.)
     At the end of the year five readers of the Writings met at the London Coffee House. One of them wrote, "To make our next meeting more public, we caused an advertisement to be inserted in some of the newspapers, stating the objects we had in view, and giving a general invitation to all the readers of Emanuel Swedenborg's Writings in London or elsewhere to join our standard and by one common exertion to assist in extending the knowledge of their Important contents. This advertisement was immediately noticed by Mr. James Glen."
     James Glen was thrilled to see the advertisement. It made a great difference to him. Indeed it made a great difference in the history of the spread of the Writings, for it enabled Glen at last to find copies of the Writings in English. And this was just in time, for he was to sail to America, and that little advertisement made it possible for him to be the first man to bring copies of the Writings to the new world. What would he do when he got to Philadelphia? Among other things he would put advertisements in newspapers.
     The newspaper advertisement he composed is not particularly attractive. We would like at a later date to discuss this and other advertisements. (We are rendering here an advertisement exactly as it appeared in The National Geographic in April of 1916.) The composition of an advertisement is a mere external thing, as is the setting of type and the work of printing. But these are means available in Providence for making known abroad the truths from heaven.
     Oh yes, why did James Glen's eyes light so eagerly upon that newspaper advertisement? Well, not long before this, something had happened that marked a turning point in his life. It happened in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean two hundred years ago. We would mark this bi-centenary by relating the story as it was told by Hindmarsh.
     "The captain of the vessel in which he was sailing, after many conversations with Mr. Glen, whom he found to be a person of literary habits and liberal sentiments, in a great measure free from the influences of religious prejudices, told him he was in possession of a book, written in the Latin language by a very extraordinary man, which he thought would prove acceptable to him; whereupon he presented him a copy of the Latin work De Coelo et Inferno (the treatise Heaven and Hell.

649

As soon as Mr. Glen had read the work, and well considered its contents, he was all astonishment, first at the nature of the information which that book conveys; and in the next place, at the goodness of the Divine Providence, which had so unexpectedly brought him into such a peculiar situation, that while sailing on the surface of the great deep of an abyss of waters beneath him, his eyes were opened to behold an abyss of divine truths above and around him. That day Mr. Glen declared to be the happiest day of his life, which thus brought to his view the glories of the heavenly state, and the stupendous realities of the eternal world."

     We wish our readers a happy Christmas day this month and a renewed awareness of the glory of the Lord shining round about which the Writings bring to our view.
     D. L. R.

[Reproduction of an advertisement:

THE MIND THAT THINKS and THE HEART THAT FEELS

     of Orthodox or Agnostic

     are equally touched

     and stirred by Swedenborg's profound Interpretation of The Holy Bible

     It will help you personally to a rational understanding of the Word of God
-to a clearer conception of the spiritual significance of creation; of the love of heaven and the miserable selfishness of hell; the process of dying and the life of the Real Man; Man; and of what the final judgment consists.

     Swedenborg's Works
5 cents each volume, postpaid
Printed on excellent paper, in large, readable
type, substantially bound in stiff paper covers

"Heaven and Hell"               632 pages
"Divine Providence"                629 "
"The Four Doctrines"               635 "
"Divine Love and Wisdom"           618 "

     Free distribution would involve unwarranted waste, so we
make a nominal charge of 5 cents for each volume, postpaid.
Address all orders to
The America. Swedenborg Printing and Publishing Society
Room 747, 3 West 29th Street, New York.]

     This advertisement appeared in the National Geographic in 1916.
     Note the price changed for a book of the Writings in 1916. At that time a subscription to NEW CHURCH LIFE was $2.00, but by 1920 it had gone up to $3.00 a year.

650

WORD "CONJUGIAL" 1981

WORD "CONJUGIAL" ERIK E. SANDSTROM 1981

     COMMUNICATIONS
To the Editor

     After re-reading the Rev. Kurt Nemitz's Council of the Clergy address on "Marriage Love" in the September issue of NEW CHURCH LIFE, I wish to enter an argument or two on balance.
     There is no doubt of the validity of Mr. Nemitz's etymological and historical explanations of our use of "conjugial"; nor of the derivations of adjectival forms from their respective nouns. But on the crucial issue of whether the term "conjugial love" is at all legitimate, I would first counter that "marriage love" will not necessarily be strengthened all through the church just by changing the nomenclature. (See last paragraph, p. 473.)
     Secondly, the precious nature of conjugial love is not a function of terms. Marriage love is just as precious as conjugial love once you have it. So the "label of the bottle" does not affect its "contents." This bodes well for a successful change-over in terms, should this be seen as an orderly step.
     Thirdly, the rarity of "conjugial love" in the world today and throughout history argues for the rarity of the term. It is special. "Marriage love" may or may not meet the requirements the doctrines prescribe in the work Marriage . . . oops, Conjugial Love.
     However, the road to attaining the ideal has to be cleared; and if the terms stand in the way, let us by all means change them. A proviso would be that we should not throw out the baby with the bath water, by thinking, "Aha, now that it is 'marriage love', I realize that I already have what the Writings say is so rare. That wasn't so difficult after all." It is easier to change doctors than to follow a hard prescription. Marriage love is in fact no easier to attain than conjugial love ever was.
     Finally, there seems to be a real distinction between love truly conjugial/true marriage love on the one hand, and conjugial/marriage love on the other. Perhaps CL 21 6 points to this distinction: "VI. Those who have truly conjugial love, in marriage look to what is eternal; but with those who have not conjugial love, the case is reversed." (Emphasis added)
     The number makes clear that eternity-being together always-is the essential ingredient which makes marriage love into true marriage love (or conjugial into truly conjugial love). The point is made as clear as a city gate by the example of a married couple who were in conjugial/marriage love; but because the idea of eternity was not constant, they parted company.

651

Note, however, "since they both had an idea of what is eternal in relation to marriage, they were consociated with suitable consorts" (ibid). (This took place in the other life!)
     Do we get from this the idea that people can have conjugial love and yet not stay together in heaven because it was not truly conjugial love? It would so seem. So perhaps several partners can have conjugial love-if they marry each other, that is. "A" could have married "C" instead of "B" and had conjugial love with either; but perhaps could only have had love truly conjugial with say "H." And yet in all cases, the ideal of eternity should be protected by life-long marriage contracts, and by the faith that "this is it."
     Where does all this leave the terms? Perhaps the above is irrelevant. But it seems to me that when coupled with true, truly, or genuine, the term conjugial deserves eternal usage here on earth. So we would retain "love truly conjugial" and "genuine conjugial love" as precious and rare above gold. In all other cases, a change to "marriage love" seems an improvement, which will also change the title of the book. I do not believe such a mixture in terms would be an unholy marriage.
     Again, thanks to Mr. Nemitz for his elucidating presentation, and for the fine form.
     ERIK E. SANDSTROM,
          Hurstville, Australia
WORD "CONJUGIAL" 1981

WORD "CONJUGIAL" PAUL M. SCHOENBERGER 1981

Dear Editor:

     The article which appeared in the last NEW CHURCH LIFE concerning the meaning of the word conjugial by the Rev. Kurt P. Nemitz was, I assume, correct as far as the definition of the word is concerned. I would also agree with his theory that perhaps the use of the term "married love" would be an easier term to either understand or use when we of the church explain our beliefs about marriage to those around us.
     Perhaps it would be useful to reduce our thoughts from the terms conjugial love and married love to just the word love. What does the word love mean? The dictionary gives a very long and wordy definition which covers many different phases of the word. The underlying meaning of the word love to my way of thinking is commitment, a complete 100% commitment to something, in this case to the person you are married to or will be married to. Surely if we all understand that love in the most basic sense of the word is a complete commitment, the placing of the word conjugial before the word love would imply a commitment between two people which to my way of thinking is given strength and guidance by the Lord.
     PAUL M. SCHOENBERGER,
          Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

652

WHEN DOES LIFE BEGIN? 1981

WHEN DOES LIFE BEGIN? LOUISE G. COFFIN 1981

Dear Mr. Rose,

     We have heard the question repeated many times in the media: When does life of an individual begin? The answer is given very simply in the Writings: "The Lord conjoins Himself to man in the womb of the mother, from his first conception, and forms man" (Wis. III 12:1).
     This may have been published but I missed it.
          LOUISE G. COFFIN,
               Upper Marlboro, Maryland
DISTINCTIVENESS CHALLENGED 1981

DISTINCTIVENESS CHALLENGED KENT O. DOERING 1981

Dear Editor:

     Congratulations and respect are due to Rev. Allison Nicholson for his article "Growing Pains of Our Missionary Outlook" in the July, 1981 NEW CHURCH LIFE in which he questioned the long established "Doctrine of Distinctiveness" set down by Bishop Benade and elaborated and reinforced in the last century.
     While a majority would regard "distinctiveness" as canon doctrine, there is a small minority which regards it as dogma. I belong to the latter category. I find nothing in the Old or New Testaments or the New Word which can actually substantiate "distinctiveness" without quite a few linguistic acrobatics, reading things into the Word, and stretching a few points of doctrine.
     However, the New Testament does address itself to "distinctiveness" in spots. But this usually escapes notice because references to "the distinctive ones" were left in their Greek Aramaic forms and only slightly anglicized but not translated in English translations of the Bible.

653

     Distinctiveness: It means something as set apart or special, as something serving to make eminent or to distinguish. It derives from the word "distinct" meaning something "set apart." It is interesting to note that the archaic Hebrew adjective, derived from ancient Egyptian, "Pr", "pah" or "pha" is simply "parash" or "pharash." That is, Hebrew for "distinct" is "pharash"-literally, as something separated or set apart. In the Greek-Hebrew creole of Aramaic, this semitic word is "perishee" or "pherishea." Its plural is pherishayee. During our Lord's time on earth, there was a Hebrew cult which had long been trying to maintain Jewish "distinctiveness" and "identity" in the face of Greek and then Roman colonialization. Members of this sect cultivated "distinctiveness," and were known as "the distinct ones" or the "pherishayee." The anglicized, untranslated version of this appears in the English translations as Pharisee. Thus, it is not semantically incorrect to read "distinctively religious person" in place of "pharisee" in the New Testament, or, conversely, to read "pharisaic" in place of "distinctive" where the latter appears in reference to a New Church life of religion.
     My second set of objections to the General Church idea of "distinctiveness" arises when I look at the reasons given about "the state of the world," et cetera, used in support of the idea over the centuries. It is my opinion that these are in direct contradiction to the series of numbers in Divine Providence about the state of the First Christian Church when applied to the states and growth of the New Church itself (DP 238:1-7 and 254-260).
     I realize that real threat perceptions, good intentions, and high ideals were behind the formulation of the doctrine of distinctiveness over a century ago. Like the constitution of the USSR, it looks good on paper. But what of its practical application and subsequent developments? We, like others, are neither regenerate nor degenerate! "Distinctiveness" has had its positive aspects. But honest appraisal of intra-church interactions and spheres, inter-New Church interactions with its sister bodies of Convention and the Nova Hierosolyma and with the broad spectrum of "old church" denominations and culture will reveal that "pharisaic" element of "distinctiveness" as well.
     "Distinctive" can be equated with "pharisaic" on strict terms of Hebrew-Aramaic to English translations. Unfortunately, it can all too often be equated with the modern English denotation of the term: as someone or something marked by a hypocritical, punishing, censorious, and self-sanctifying self-righteousness.

654

     Over the years an individual who pointed this out was brushed off as "making negative criticisms," disqualified as "Ishmael," and told that he was influenced by the wrong spirits, or else did not understand.
     Repentance is the first of the church with man. Confession and open self-criticism are essential elements of this process. And the most effective way to lead another to repentance and self-critical examination is by example. Rev. Nicholson has, by his brave self- criticism of the collective spheres and traditions of the General Church, set an example of leadership to repentance by action and open self-criticism which I would hope others will follow.
     KENT O. DOERING,
          Munchen, Germany
NEW CHURCH LIFE 1981

NEW CHURCH LIFE JEB BLAIR 1981

Dear Editor:

     I understand NEW CHURCH LIFE is considering changing the cover again. Since my occupation involves the design of literature and advertising, I may have a contribution to make.
     NEW CHURCH LIFE occupies a central position among all church publications, since it is the primary printed voice for doctrinal dissemination and news announcements for the church. I would call it the flagship of New Church periodicals.
     Given its importance I would suggest a simple, elegant, classic appearance be maintained, both on the cover and inside. Cramming the contents together without enough regard for functions of different elements of the publication detracts from the articles. The appearance of the publication should reflect its contents positively.
     Inevitably, good quality costs more; however, a marginal increase in cost could be offset by raising the subscription rate, offering a "contributing subscriber" rate or charging independently for postage and mailing. (The last subscription increase took place at about the same time as the four cent stamp was in use.)
     JEB BLAIR,
          Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania

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LOCAL SCHOOLS DIRECTORY 1981

     1981-1982

BRYN ATHYN: Rev. Frederick L. Schnarr               Principal
Mrs. Neil Buss                                   Assistant Principal
Mrs. Bruce Rogers                               Kindergarten
Mrs. Alan Grubb, Assistant                          Kindergarten
Miss Candace Rose                               Grade 1
Mrs. Charles Lindrooth                               Grade 1
Mrs. Grant Doering                               Grade 2
Mrs. Hugh Gyllenhaal, Assistant                     Grade 2
Mrs. Robert Johns                               Grade 3
Mr. Stephen Morley                               Grade 3
Miss Rosemary Wyncoll                               Grade 4
Mrs. Peter Bostock                               Grade 4
Mrs. Gina Rose                                    Grade 5
Mrs. David Doering                               Grade 5
Mrs. Ralph Wetzel                                   Grade 6
Mr. Reed Asplundh                               Grade 6
Mrs. Barbara Synnestvedt                          Grade 7, Girls
Mr. Kim Junge                                    Grade 7, Boys
Mrs. Peter Stevens                               Grade 8, Girls
Mr. Robert Beiswenger                               Grade 8, Boys
Mrs. Steven Lindrooth                               Art
Mr. Richard Show                                    Music
Mrs. Harry Risley                               Physical Education
Mr. Robert Eidse                                   Physical Education
Mrs. Robert Alden                                   Librarian
Mrs. Peter Gyllenhaal                               Remedial Reading, Testing

COLCHESTER: Rev. Patrick A. Rose                     Headmaster
Miss Hilda Waters, Deputy Head                     Grades 1-7

DETROIT: Rev. Walter E. Orthwein                     Principal
Rev. Kenneth J. Alden                               Assistant
Miss Sylvia D. Parker                              Head Teacher and Grades 1-3
Mr. Byron Franson                               Grades 4, 5

DURBAN: Rev. Geoffrey H. Howard                     Headmaster
Mrs. Donagh M. Pienaar                               Grades 6, 7
Mrs. Brian Lester                               Grades 4, 5
Miss Marian Homber                               Grades 1, 3

GLENVIEW: Rev. Peter M. Buss                          Pastor
Mr. R. Gordon McClarren                              Principal
Mrs. Daniel Wright                              Head Teacher and Grades 5, 6
Miss Marie Odhner                                   Kindergarten, Grade 1
Mrs. Donald Alan                                    Grades 2, 3
Mrs. Ben McQueen                                    Grade 4

656

Mrs. Kent Fuller                                    Grade 7
Mr. Gary Edmonds                                    Grade 8
Rev. Clark Echols                                   Religion
Rev. Grant Odhner                               Religion
Mrs. Richard Acton                               Art
Mrs. Neil Caldwell                               Music
Mrs. William Hugo                                   Librarian

KEMPTON Rev. Arne Bau-Madsen                          Principal
Mr. Yorvar Synnestvedt                              Head Teacher
Miss Ingrid Hansen                               Primary Grades

KITCHENER Rev. Mark R. Carlson                     Principal
Rev. Christopher R. J. Smith                         Religion
Mrs. Erwin Brueckman                               Kindergarten
Mrs. E. Watts                                    Grades 1, 2
Miss Barbara A. Walker                          Grades 3, 4
Miss Joan N. Kuhl                               Grades 5, 6
Mr. Karl E. Parker                               Grades 7, 8

MIDWESTERN
ACADEMY      Rev. Brian Keith                          Principal, Religion
Rev. Peter M. Buss                               Religion
Mr. R. Gordon McClarren                          Administrative Assistant
                                              Math, Science
Mrs. Mark Junge                                    History
Mr. Dan Woodard                                    Athletic Director,
          English, Radio
Mrs. William Hugo                               Librarian
Mrs. Gary Edmonds                               Physical Education
Mr. Gary Edmonds                                    French
Mrs. Richard Acton                               Art
Mrs. Ronald Holmes                               Typing

PITTSBURGH: Rev. Eric H. Carswell                     Principal
Mrs. John Gandrud                               Grades 1, 2
Mr. Curtis McOueen                               Grades 4-6
Mrs. Paul Schoenberger                               Grades 7, 8

SAN DIEGO: Rev. Cedric King                         Principal
Miss Cara Glenn                                    Head Teacher and Grades 1-3
Miss Nina Cooper                                    Kindergarten

TORONTO: Rev. Geoffrey S. Childs                     Principal
Rev. Arthur W. Schnarr                               Assistant to the Principal
Miss Deborah Sjostedt                               Grades 1-3
Miss Barbara Pendleton                               Grades 4-6
Mr. Philip Schnarr                              Grades 7, 8

WASHINGTON: Rev. Daniel W. Heinrichs                Principal
Rev. Lawson Smith                               Assistant Principal
Mrs. Frank Mitchell                               Grades 1-4
Mrs. Frido van Kesteren                          Grades 5-8, Girls
Mr. Craig McCardell                               Grades 5-8, Boys

Mrs. Fred Waelchli                               Grades 9, 10

657

     School Enrollments

     1981-1982

The Academy                                   Detroit               19
Theological School (Full Time)      16           Durban               26
College (Full Time)                132           Glenview                59
Girls School                     134          Kempton               13
Boys School                     127           Kitchener               48
Total                          409          Pittsburgh               27
                                        San Diego               9
Midwestern Academy                         Toronto               23
Grades 9 and 10                    11           Washington               21

Local Schools                              Total Local Schools      498

Bryn Athyn                          246           Total Reported Enrollment in
Colchester                     7          All Schools          918

     APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION TO THE ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH BOYS SCHOOL, AND GIRLS SCHOOL

     Requests should be made before February 15, 1982 for application Forms for admission of new students to the Academy Secondary Schools in the fall of 1982. Letters should be addressed to Miss Morna Hyatt, Principal of the Girls School, or Rev. George McCurdy, Acting Principal of the Boys School, at The Academy of the New Church, Box 278, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania 19009. Letters should include the student's name, parents' address, the class the student will be entering-the name and address of the school he or she is now attending, and whether the student will be day or dormitory. Please see the Academy catalog for dormitory requirements.
     Completed application forms and accompanying material should be received by the Academy by March 30, 1982.

     APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION TO THE ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH COLLEGE

     Requests for application forms for admission to the Academy College for 1982-83 should be addressed to Dean Robert W. Gladish. The Academy of the New Church College, Box 278, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009. Completed application forms and accompanying transcripts and recommendations should be submitted by March 15, 1982.
     It should also be noted that the College operates on a three-term year and that applications for entrance to the winter and spring terms of any academic year ca n be processed, provided that they are received by Dean Gladish at least three weeks prior to the beginning of the new term.

658