Title Unspecified              1998



Vol. CXVIII January, 1998 No. 1
     New Church Life

A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

Love Is Not a Feeling
     Erik J Buss          3

What if We Started the Church from Scratch Tomorrow?
     Kurt Simons          9

Report of the Secretary of the General Church
     Donald C. Fitzpatrick Jr.          17

Providence Works in Secret
     Allyn Simons           22

Newspaper Column in Western Pennsylvania
     Trish Lindsay           25

Editorial Department
     The Gate of the Year           27
     Things Spoken in the Heart           28

Communications
     Feminine Wisdom
          Amanda Rogers-Petro           29
     Please Become
          Ruth Cranch Wyland           32
     Male and Female
          Heulwen M Ridgway           33
     Feminine Wisdom
          Erik Sandstrom, Sr.           37
Announcements           42

     PUBLISHED BY THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
Rev. Donald L. Rose, Editor
Mr. Neil M. Buss, Business Manager
     PRINTED BY FENCOR GRAPHICS, INC. PHILA., PA 19111
SUBSCRIPTION: $16.00 TO ANY ADDRESS. SINGLE COPY $1.50
     Second-class postage paid at Bryn Athyn, PA


Vol. CXVIII February, 1998 No. 2
     New Church Life
     A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG
     Have You Ever Been in Prison? A Sermon
     Frank S. Rose          51
     Listen to the Prayer - Follow the Bee; Prisoners Can Change - Just Listen to Me
     Stephen G. Gladish           58
     The Church's Unseen Allies A Sermon on I Kings 19:18
     W. Cairns Henderson           65
     Toward a True Philosophy (Conclusion)
     Edward F Allen, Sr.           71
     Editorial Department
     Thoughts of a Foolish Heart           79
     Communications
     Comments from Australia
          Neville Jarvis          80
     Eyes
          Richard Linquist          82
     Look to the Best
          Kara Johns Tennis          84
     Revelation
          John J Schoenberger          85
     Gender Issues
          Donald G. Barber          87
     Comparing the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Writings
          Norman E. Riley          89
     In Our Contemporaries           93
     Announcements          94


Vol. CXVIII March, 1998 No. 3

New Church Life

A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

Two Kinds of Disobedience
     A Sermon on I Samuel 14:24, 27
          James P. Cooper           99

Good Friday
     J. Clark Echols, Jr.           106

New Church Life in 1914
     Leon Rhodes           110

Excerpts from A Psychology of Spiritual Healing
     Eugene Taylor           113

A Harsh God?
     Ned Uber           120

Growing Beyond the Natural Masculine and Feminine Approaches
     Eric H. Carswell           125

Review
     The Shorter Heaven and Hell
          Wilson Van Dusen           127

Laurel Expands
     Jack Rose           129

Editorial Department
     Thoughts of a Foolish Heart           130
     Shorter Versions of the Writings          130

Two Examples from De Verbo           133

Evangelization Seminar
     Theresa L. McQueen          137

Announcements           138

Photographs from Sri Lanka           140

Information on General Church Places of Worship           141

Vol. CXVIII April, 1998 No. 4

New Church Life

A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

Prudence and Providence
     A Sermon on Genesis 4:9
          Alfred Acton II           147

A Memorial Address The Rt. Rev. Willard D. Pendleton
     Daniel W. Goodenough           155
     Photograph of W. D. Pendleton

Free Will and Evil: A Comparison Between Swedenborg and Augustine
     Rebecca Cooper           167

Some Thoughts on the Bible Code
     William H Clifford           174

Take Another Look at the General Church Web Site
     Grant R. Schnarr           181

Editorial Department
     Because I Live          182
     Thoughts of a Foolish Heart about Providence           183

Communications
     Fundamentalist/Literalist Debates
          Neville Jarvis           184
     The Honeybee
          Stephen Gladish, Sr.           185

Eldergarten 1998
     Donald C. Fitzpatrick Jr.           187

Announcements           190

Vol. CXVIII May, 1998 No. 5

New Church Life

A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

Stewardship A Sermon on Luke 16:1,2
     Walter E. Orthwein           195

The Masculine Principle
     Alain Nicolier           201

Assembly Announcement
     Peter M. Buss           207

The Problem of Evil
     Erik E. Sandstrom           210

The Protection of Innocence
     Donald C. Fitzpatrick, Jr.           224

A Memorial Resolution: Willard D. Pendleton
Erik Sandstrom, Sr.          225

Editorial Department
     The Way Things Really Are           227
     An Eight-word Speech from a Foolish Heart           229
     Swedenborg's Mighty Contribution           229

Report of the Editor of New Church Life
     Donald L. Rose           231

Communications
     Marriage
          Joseph S. David           232
     Masculine and Feminine
          Anne Fitzpatrick           233
          Eric H. Carswell           234

Deciding to Write for a Journal Like This
     Helen Kennedy           236

Academy of the New Church Calendar           238

Announcements           239

Vol. CXVIII June, 1998 No. 6

New Church Life

A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

I, John, Saw
     A Sermon on Revelation 21:2
          Erik Sandstrom, Sr.           243

New Church Leadership in the New Century
     Grant R. Schnarr           248

Loving Arms Mission           256

The Masculine Principle (Part 2)
          Alain Nicolier           258

Enlightenment and Perception
     Brian W. Keith           265

Editorial Department
     "These Things Are Merely for Simple People           275

Communications
     The Gift That Led Me to Discover the New Church
          Bill Hall           276
     Masculine and Feminine
          Margaret Shepp Hyatt           277
          Eric H. Carswell           278
     On Remains
          Richard R. Gladish           280

Clergy Statistics           282

Church News
     Ruth Motum Greenwold           284

Announcements           285

Eldergarten           287


Vol. CXVIII July, 1998 No. 7

New Church Life

A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

Pergamos: In Good Works but Not in Truths
     A Sermon on Revelation 2:17
          Lawson M. Smith           291

Enlightenment and Perception (Part 2)
     Brian W. Keith           296

The Issue of Swedenborg's Sanity
     Wilson Van Dusen           305

New Church Leadership in the New Century (Part 2)
     Grant R. Schnarr 3          14

The Masculine Principle (Part 3)
     Alain Nicolier           326

Editorial Department
     Swedenborg and The History of Hell          332

Announcements           334

Vol. CXVIII August, 1998 No. 8

New Church Life

A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

"A Little Sanctuary"
     A Sermon on Ezekiel 11: 16
          Peter M. Buss, Jr.           339

The Masculine Principle (Part 4)
     Alain Nicolier           346

And His Wife Has Made Herself Ready
     Catharine Odhner           354

Enlightenment and Perception (Part 3)
     Brian W. Keith           359

New Church Leadership in the New Century (Part 3)
     Grant R. Schnarr           365

The Project for Publishing DLW and DP in Russian
     Alexander Vassiliev           369

Editorial Department
     Graphic Designs in the First Printed Editions of the Writings     370
     Oh Well, I Will Have Plenty of Company          371
     Photo of a Planet Outside Our Solar System          371
     Book from a Different Swedenborgian Perspective           371

Communications
     Arguing with Traditional Christians
          Grant H. Odhner           374
     New Church Influence
          Robert H. P. Cole           378
     Earths in the Universe
          Norman E. Riley           380

Announcements           381

Church News           383

Vol. CXVIII September, 1998 No. 9

New Church Life

A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

Spiritual Combat
     A Sermon on Jonah 2:2
          Mark D. Pendleton           387

Enlightenment and Perception (Conclusion)
     Brian W. Keith           391

The Masculine Principle (Conclusion)
     Alain Nicolier           400

New Church Leadership in the New Century (Conclusion)
     Grant R. Schnarr           407

Editorial Department
     Cigarettes, Young People and a Human Outlook           419
     Revealed Truth from the Lord or Swedenborg's Insights Influenced by Luther?           420

Communication
     Graphic Designs in the First Printed Editions of the Writings
          Jonathan S. Rose           424

Announcements           427

Information on General Church Places of Worship           429

Vol. CXVIII October, 1998 No. 10


New Church Life

A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

Living in an Imperfect World
     A Sermon on Jeremiah 29:4-7
          Eric H. Carswell           435

Character Education
     Philip B. Schnarr           440

Little Children in Heaven
     Frank S. Rose           452

Components of Service
     Gerald Lemole           454

Helen Keller: "Fifty Years of Fidelity           458

Teacher to Teacher: An Academy Tradition
     Stephen G. Gladish, Sr.           461

Editorial Department     
     Smoking 107 Years Ago          468
     On Gentleness and Punishment          469
     A Personal Line from Helen Keller          471
     Three Short Works          471
     Arcana Magazine           473

Announcements          476

Vol. CXVIII November, 1998 No. 11

New Church Life

A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

The Promise of Glory to Disciples of the Lord
     A Sermon on Matthew 19:28
          Donald L. Rose           483

Lillian Grace Beekman: Unfinished Business
     Reuben P. Bell           489

How to Become a Member of the General Church
     Erik J Buss           506

A Call for Papers, General Assembly 2000
     Michael D. Gladish           510

Editorial Department
     Can This Be a Lesson of the Beekman Story?          512
     On Gentleness and Punishment (2)           514

In Our Contemporaries           517

Church News           519

Announcements          525

Vol. CXVIII December, 1998 No. 12

New Church Life

A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

Why We Are Given Pictures of the Lord's Conception and Birth
     A Sermon
          Grant H. Odhner           531

Directory of the General Church           537

Report of the Bishop of the General Church
     Peter M. Buss           547

Report of the Secretary of the General Church
     Susan V. Simpson           552

Local Schools Directory           557

Editorial Department
     Postscript on Punishment
     From Heaven or from Luther and Other Thinkers?
     Will Learned and Brilliant Thinkers Be Receptive?

Communications
     A Little Editorial Oversight
          Brian Talbot           564
Thoughts on The Power of Service
     J. Theodore Klein           565
Young People and Smoking
     Gail Walter Steiner           567
Wisdom, Masculine and Feminine
     Peggy Mergen           568

Arcana Caelestia Vol. II in Swedish
     Erik Sandstrom           572

Announcements           575
     
Vol. CXVIII January, 1998 No. 1
     New Church Life
     A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

Notes on This Issue 1998

Notes on This Issue              1998

     Last February Dr. Kurt Simons shared some of the material from an assembly session. We are glad to have the rest of that material in the present issue. It concludes with a list of more than a dozen suggestions contributed by different people, such as: "We need to be mutually supportive of each other, but not critical or condemnatory." Dr. Simons asked that we print a sermon by the late Cairns Henderson to go with this. We were pleased to have our attention called to this sermon and hope to print it in the February issue.
     Note the two ordinations reported in this issue. Rev. Nicholas Anochi's visit to Sri Lanka is mentioned by Rev. Grant Schnarr in the December issue. You will see in the list of baptisms that Mr. Anochi officiated at baptisms in Sri Lanka on October 19th.
     Bishop Buss was in Brazil in mid-November. His ordination of Vinicius Reis Guerra is an encouragement to our friends in Brazil who have had a number of reasons for encouragement lately. We hope to hear more about the church in Brazil later this year.
     The article by Allyn (Mrs. Jeremy) Simons is not typical of what one reads in New Church Life. It is refreshing to have something different.
     The Secretary's report was ready for our last issue, but for reasons of space we delayed it to this issue. Notice that seventy-nine people joined the General Church. Read in this issue who and where they are.
     Trish (Mrs. Alexander) Lindsay has been writing a column in a local newspaper for some time. Her writing often reflects New Church beliefs. The column we publish this month appeared in September in the Valley News Dispatch.
ACADEMY SUMMER CAMP 1998

ACADEMY SUMMER CAMP              1998

     The 1998 ANC summer camp will be held July 12-18. It is open to boys and girls who will have completed eighth or ninth grade in May or June of 1998. A full notice will appear next month.

3


LOVE IS NOT A FEELING 1998

LOVE IS NOT A FEELING       Rev. ERIK J. BUSS       1998

     How often have you heard someone say, or said yourself, "I know I ought to do it, but I just don't feel like it"? And how often have you heard, "We fell out of love. The feeling was gone"? Many things seem exciting and fun at the beginning, but become chores later. The thrill of a new project or hobby fades; a friendship or a marriage seems less and less fulfilling. When the feeling goes away, our most common response is to stop doing what we were doing - give up on the friendship, the marriage, the job.
     On the other hand, when feelings are strong, we will do anything to make sure we keep them going. How often have we heard people explain what they did by saying, "The feeling was right," or "I just felt that it was the right thing to do"? In our culture, strong feelings are used to justify just about every possible action, from angry words to spending money we don't have, to committing adultery. The phrase "I couldn't help myself " is used so often it has become a clich?.
     For many of us, feelings dictate how we live our lives. We use them to motivate ourselves. We use them to decide what we love, who we are, and what we should do. If they are strong, we will do anything to keep them going, and if they are weak, nothing can make us do anything.
     This can seem like a very reasonable way to live. Since we are what we love, we might say, our feelings show us who we are. Some have even reasoned that if they want to do something they know is wrong, they must love it, and since they love it, they might as well do it. After all, there's no point in pretending to be any better than we really are; that's adding hypocrisy to our list of evils.
     The reality is that our feelings do not tell us what we love, and therefore they should not be a factor in choosing what we should do with our spiritual lives. What we feel is not what we love. Loves do produce feelings, and feelings do help us know what we love, but they can also be misleading.

4


A feeling can be good yet come from a good or an evil love. Take romantic passion for example. It always feels good. If it comes from a chaste love, and is expressed only within the bonds of marriage, that good feeling shows a good love. On the other hand, that same feeling could come from a horrible selfish desire. The feeling alone will not tell us which love gave rise to it.
     Similarly, a feeling of sadness may come from a good or a bad love. We could feel sad because a good love we have has been thwarted, or because we have lost someone we love. Or we could be sad because an evil love has been foiled and we are pouting.
     It's easy to see how far apart our loves and feelings often are when we are angry. Think about a time when you were angry with someone you love very dearly. In that time of anger, you may have felt like hurting the person, that you hated him or her, maybe even that you wished he were dead. But did that feeling of anger and hatred mean you didn't love him any more? Of course not. In an hour, or even fifteen minutes, the feeling was probably totally gone, and you were ready to appreciate and even love the person again. The love was there all along, but you were blind and deaf to it. While it is true that the presence of anger shows that you do not totally love that person, that's no big deal. It just means we aren't perfect, but we knew that already. What is important is for us to recognize that feelings don't necessarily show us what our overall love is.
     Several more problems arise from trying to see our loves from our feelings. The first is that there is no one-for-one ratio between feelings and loves. In other words, a strong love will not necessarily show itself as a strong feeling. A deeply held love, like the love of a child or a love of order, may not come to our conscious mind as anything other than a general feeling of contentment and a willingness to fight for something that needs protection. On the other hand, a superficial love may show itself as an almost overwhelming feeling, one which makes it almost impossible to concentrate on anything else.

5


An example of this is sports. Hardly anyone has a deeply held love for sports, but when someone's favorite team loses, it seems that the whole world has collapsed. Based on the feelings he feels, you would think the world is about to end.
     A second problem of trying to discover our loves by means of our feelings is that evil loves create proportionally stronger feelings than good loves do. The reason for this is that the hells try to make that feeling so important to us that it sweeps away all rational thought, and even all free will. They want that feeling to become so important that we will do anything to keep it going. Swedenborg once was allowed to feel what the love of dominating others is like, and he said it was the most delightful feeling he had ever had. What is more, it totally filled his mind. This is how the hells use feelings to manipulate and dominate us. The angels, on the other hand, offer us good feelings in a way that we can freely receive them or reject them as we wish. They don't want to dominate us with feelings.
     There is a better way to find out what we really love. We need to look at what we do. What things do we make time for? What things form consistent patterns in our activities? The way for us to find out what we love is to find out what we are committed to. What do we always do no matter how we feel? Love is not so much a feeling as a commitment.
     Two stories from the Word can show us how love is a commitment. One is when Abraham is willing to sacrifice Isaac at the Lord's command, even though it clearly hurts him. In the story, the Lord tells Abraham to give up "your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love." What the Lord asks Abraham to do is to make a commitment to Him. Picture Abraham climbing up the mountain and then tying his son onto the altar. He must have felt terrible. But he was committed to the Lord: he did what His God asked rather than obey his paternal feelings. Abraham's commitment to obey the Lord in spite of his feelings showed a greater love to the Lord than any feelings of devotion could.

6



     We can see an even more powerful example of this principle in the Lord's prayer in the garden of Gethsemane. This was probably the low point of the Lord's life on earth. He had been deserted by the whole Human race; He was about to be deserted by His disciples and He knew it; even the angels had despaired and were telling Him to give up. He was totally alone. So great was His feeling that He even prayed to His Father, to the soul within Himself, to ask if He had to go through with the trials of the next day. Yet think of the words He said in this low point of His life: "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will but as You will" (emphasis added). Think about that. Even during the most overpowering feelings of loss and loneliness, ones we cannot begin to imagine, the very question He asked - to get out of His appointed task - is qualified with the commitment to do what is right: nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will. That total commitment to the salvation of each one of us is staggering. No one has ever felt more like giving up, and then no one has ever gone on to give more in spite of His feelings.
     The closest we can get to doing what the Lord did is to be willing to lay down our lives, either physically or spiritually, for someone else. The Lord said that this is the greatest act of love a person can do. Yet to do it we have to overcome the strongest feeling we have, which is our desire to preserve our own lives. No one feels like doing this. No one gets up in the morning and decides, "I think I'll lay down my life for my friend today." Rather, when a person or cause is threatened, he sees the need for sacrifice and acts. True love acts on what it knows to be good rather than on what it simply feels to be good.
     These loves which we develop by our commitment are what conjoin us to the Lord. There is also a group of passages in the Word for the New Church which state that we are conjoined to Him by what we do.

7


Once we see love as a commitment, these two statements become different ways of stating the same thing. When we feel anger yet act fairly, we love fairness more than anger. When we control ourselves when we feel like flirting or testing our power with the opposite sex, we love our spouse and the bonds of marriage more than adultery. On the other hand, when we feel loving toward someone but don't act kindly to that person, we do not love him or her. Or if we sit in church every Sunday and feel close to the Lord there, yet act horribly the rest of the week, we don't love the Lord, regardless of what we feel. What we are committed to doing will always show us what we love more accurately than what we feel. This is a wonderful fact, because we can all make ourselves do good deeds, but we have an extremely hard time making ourselves feel good things.
     So where does this leave our feelings, since they should have nothing to do with how we act? Are they just useless adornments the Lord has given us, something we can't enjoy because we can't trust them? The answer is that feelings are not made to show us our loves or to show us what to do.
     Our feelings serve two important uses. The first is to stimulate us to think about an issue. If a feeling comes up, we know that some love must be active. That means we need to evaluate what that love is, and see if it runs contrary to our commitments. If we feel a rush of anger coming on, it should be a warning either that the hells are attacking us or that we are feeling a strong desire to protect ourselves or someone we love. That feeling can stimulate us to decide what our commitments are. Similarly, if we feel the strong desire to hug someone, that feeling should prompt us to decide whether the setting is appropriate, and if that would be the most useful thing to do for that person.
     But feelings serve one far more important purpose. We can see it from the word used to name feelings in the Word for the New Church: they are called "delights." That word "delights" tells us how we are supposed to use our feelings: we are supposed to enjoy them, delight in them, accept them as a wonderful gift from our God to make our life enjoyable.

8


Once we know that a feeling is from a good love, the Lord wants us to enjoy it.
     Until we get to the point where we instinctively know whether feelings are good or bad - in other words, until we become among the very best of the angels - there is another way of judging them. While it is true that the hells are particularly good at manipulating our feelings, they have a much harder time manipulating our thoughts. Therefore we can use our thoughts to judge our feelings. A simple way of doing this is to ask ourselves, "If I follow this feeling, does it lead me to do good or evil things?" If it leads us away from what we know is right, we should shun it, but if it does not, we can enjoy it, even abandon ourselves to it. Using our feelings in this way frees them up to simply delight us.
     All feelings do come from loves, but we often can't tell if it is a good or bad love. If we identify ourselves and our loves with what we feel, we give a great victory to the hells, because at times they can make us feel just about whatever they want. Although we cannot control the feelings that flow into us, we can control the loves we develop. If we can recognize that love is not a feeling but a commitment, and that we can choose to love something by deciding to do it no matter what we feel, we will negate the hells' power. We will still feel terrible at times, just as the Lord did while He was on earth. But more and more often we will be able to rise above the strong feelings the hells inspire in us. We will learn that love in the form of commitment is more enduring and more powerful than any feeling we may have. And what is wonderful, we will discover the joy of allowing the good feelings the Lord has given us to delight us with their full power. Amen.

     Readings: Genesis 22:1-13; Matt. 26:36-46; HH 396; DP 215:9

     (See next page for lessons.)

9


HH 396. All delights flow forth from love, for that which a person loves he feels to be delightful. No one has any delight from any other source. From this it follows that such as the love is, such is the delight.

DP 215:9. It has been granted me to feel the quality of the delight of ruling from the love of self, and also how great it is. I was let into it that I might know this. It was such as to surpass all the delights that are in the world. It was a delight possessing the whole mind from its inmost things to its outermost; but in the body it was felt as something pleasant and agreeable with a feeling of elation in the breast. It was also granted me to perceive that from this delight as from their fountainhead there issued the delights of evils of all kinds, such as adulteries, revenge, fraud, slander, and evil-doing in general.
WHAT IF WE STARTED THE CHURCH FROM SCRATCH TOMORROW? 1998

WHAT IF WE STARTED THE CHURCH FROM SCRATCH TOMORROW?       KURT SIMONS       1998

     (Conclusion of the February 1997 article)

     (From a mini-session at the 1996 General Assembly)

     To begin with, some more perspective is useful: The doctrines promise a lot. They say that both the second coming and last judgment have occurred, discuss a huge revolution in the spiritual world, show the limitations of all religions of recorded history, and propose a new religion that is literally a model of heaven on earth. In addition, of course, they provide a full description of heaven, hell and the world of spirits, as well as the true nature of masculinity and femininity and eternal marriage.

10



     And, oh yes, the Writings also explain the spiritual sense, from God, of the Torah and the Bible that millions of people have followed and thought they understood for 2,000 years. And did we mention that the Writings explain the nature of God Himself and the spiritual origins of the creation and operation of the universe? - among other things.
     Wow.
     This is one colossal, amazing religion! Which is wonderful, but carries with it some bite: If you're proposing to form an organization and run up a flag with "New Church" on it, it seems clear that when people look at who's marching under such a flag they'll expect a little more. A lot more! "For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him will they ask the more" (Luke 12:48; John 9:41 is also pertinent).
     A particular edge is put on this situation by the fact that your organization will not be formed in a vacuum. There are many other church and non-church groups that have well thought-out, sophisticated, late-20th-century ideas for building a better mousetrap society, which they act on. After viewing the extraordinary city of New Church doctrine, you can thus hardly be surprised if a newcomer asks, "What exactly is your promise-it-all New Church going to do to make this a better world?" An unsophisticated answer to that question may be hazardous to the health of your church-building goals! You don't want to be perceived as naive, uninformed or hypocritical - in other words, as having your application seen as less sophisticated than your doctrine.
     To illustrate, let's consider one example of an area where your organization might make a sophisticated application of doctrine, in the area of freedom. Is it enough simply to take the position of leaving people in freedom? A more sophisticated position might be, in Rev. Christopher Smith's clarifying phrase, that you want to help put them in freedom, i.e., help put them into a more orderly condition where they are more freely able to receive the truths of the new revelation.

11


This putting in freedom involves activities ranging from helping to provide adequately accommodated truth via evangelization to feed the spiritually poor, right down to helping provide the "necessaries of life" (see Char. 130, DP 215, 220) to the externally disadvantaged. For how much opportunity do deprived, not to mention economically or socially abused, children or adults have to open their rational degree in any meaningful way in the absence of those "necessaries"? Consider Bob Junge's Resuscitation Model of evangelization (see Table in Part 1), derived from the teaching of how the angels handle spirits in the first states after death (New Church Life 85:455, 1965). Those angels' emphasis is on supporting good in the neighbor, focusing on the eternal, stimulating remains of earlier affections, giving hope. Yet how limiting it is on the opportunities here in this world to develop those good affections, those feelings of hope, those remains, when people lack life's "necessaries" in a major way, as so much of the human race does. If you are to follow those angels' correspondential example, it will be a doctrinal application priority to help develop a world setting that provides what is needed here.
     But how exactly are you to go about meeting needs at either of these levels in a "sophisticated," discriminating, charitable way? In dealing with such complex questions you really start to run into the basis of need for an organization. The problems involved are too big and complicated for any individual to be able to even understand them all, let alone come up with adequately rational and charitable solutions - which is why, for instance, professional politicians have big staffs, not to mention input from everything from think tanks to media commentators, to help them come up with effective policies. There is indeed a lot of "news from earth." And you have to take into account the whole huge body of doctrine as well! So if you're going to be sophisticated and effective, you definitely need a New Church organization, a support system of clerical and academic experts to help apply the Writings' teachings to this complex world.

12


Recall the Lord's charge to the twelve disciples to be as "wise as serpents" (Matt. 10: 16), suggesting the importance of wisely "sophisticated" teaching in touch with the "real" (i.e. serpent sensual) world.
     More than this, consider another of our models, the Heart and Lungs Model, characterizing the interaction of the segment of the church "where the Lord is known, and where the Word is" (NJHD 246) with the "outside body" world. This is an interaction. The heart and lungs do not purify the blood and keep it to themselves. If they did, they would die, along with the body. They also don't just inject air (i.e., truth alone) into the bloodstream. That would kill the body and them too. Instead, there is a complex interaction. The heart and lungs both send out and receive back blood from the body, i.e., relate to the larger world. And recall as well that the lungs don't do the only blood purifying. The kidneys and liver, for instance, also do purification, and white blood cells fight infection, not to mention that the blood is made in the first place in the "outside" body. The "heart and lungs"-oriented organization thus needs a full, two-way interaction with the world just as much as the world needs that interaction. There is a wide variety of "outside" allies with whom the organization could share in charity and use, good people "whose knees have not bowed to Baal" (I Kings 19:18), with benefit to all concerned.
     Yet in this interaction those who know and accept the fuller edition of the truth, "where the Word is," have a leadership responsibility. And the most powerful way to lead has always been by example. The Lord Himself, while in the world, was certainly a potent preacher. But He also led by example in a very credibility-building way. He was baptized, He threw the moneychangers out of the temple (an action with real food for thought in our day), He washed the disciples' feet, He endured crucifixion. As He appears to be acknowledging in these actions, people begin with thought from person.

13


Later doctrinal teaching may "glorify" those concepts to a higher/more inner level, but example is a key element to begin with.
     How exactly are you going to do this leading by example? Leadership has always been a tricky business. In heaven, "Although there were so many [angels], they all thought and spoke as one ... and this because no one wanted to lead the choir .... But they suffered themselves to be led mutually by each other, then all in singular and in general by the Lord" (AC 3350). In other words, they use what might be termed a "Co-followership" Model, where the idea is that you lead by inviting others to join you in innocent following of the Lord. The problem with traditional charismatic-leader-based religion is that such leaders are all limited and many have turned out to have feet of clay. So from a P.R. point of view, having only the Lord as your leader has a big advantage: He can take any kind of investigative reporting because He is perfect! To bring people to co-follow, then, you need only to be an example of being in innocence - but the innocence of wisdom, not ignorance - informed, sophisticated, late-20th-century innocence.
     An example, and a critically important one, is the need for innocent leading-by-example in the area of conjugial love (or whatever term you prefer!) and the conjoined love of infants (see CL 385ff.). When you think about it, the lack or perversion of these two loves is at the root of all the world's problems. If everyone came from a good home, how many children would grow up to be dictators or crack dealers, promiscuous or suicidal teenagers, spouse or child abusers, or corrupt corporate managers or politicians? So demonstrating how to have good, innocent marriages and homes may in fact be both the most sophisticated and radical, yet eminently practical, thing an organized New Church can do to improve the world. There's certainly no question of the subject's appeal. The interest is built into everyone by the Lord. "Love" must be one of the most used words in our culture, the focus of endless books, movies, TV dramas, songs, you name it - often in sadly disordered forms, of course, but even those are testimony to the extent of the interest.

14


So vivid practice - and communication to the world - of the conjugial and love of infants is one field where your new organization might by "sophisticated" example lead to the good of life in a very powerful and effective way. There are many messages that could be so conveyed, from such obvious ones as avoidance in family life of the contemporary temptations of television, movies or computer games that stimulate the loves of lust or murder, to more subtle ones, such as making the evening meal an opportunity for thought-provoking family discussion that lays foundations for the rational in early years, and helps stimulate its opening in later ones.
     Can - could - a tiny New Church organization have any effect on the world's thinking in areas like this? In Margaret Mead's words, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, dedicated citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has." When you study the history of revolutions, most of them began with a small group with a big idea: the barons of the Magna Carta, Marx, and Ghandi, for example. Of particular interest here, however, are groups like the Amish or Mother Theresa's order, neither of which preaches, but whose examples are so potent that they draw the world's attention. In the age of global communication, if you really have a better mousetrap, the world will hear about it and beat a path to - and through - your door. Everyone wants to be happy. If you've figured out how, the world press will be around to help do your evangelization for you.
     A fundamental New Church idea is that the truth frees us, so that living under a true order - at civil-moral/psychological-social as well as spiritual levels - will in the long run make everybody on this planet happier. There's no question that the truths of the second coming are up to the job. If those truths were sufficient to reorder the entire spiritual world, after all, this little planet should not be too much of a problem! Indeed, in some respects, this planet's reordering has already begun.

15


All those long lists of grim statistics about the world's disorders, for instance, show that we understand the scope and nature of those disorders in new and unprecedented ways that our grandparents, or even our parents, did not. And such knowledge is a first step to the reformation and then regeneration of society, in keeping with the last of our evangelization models.
     "New Church," Nova Ecclesia, Ecclesia from the Greek "to call on, to summon to do." Could you say in setting up your "all things new" organization that all participants, not just ministers, have received a "call" to the high use of bringing these new and desperately needed truths more effectively into the world? As individuals, any one of us has only a short window of time here in this world, "a watch in the night" (Psalm 90:4) before "the grass withers, the flower fades" (Isaiah 40:8). The central question of the 20th century, even in the midst of our materially wealthy culture, is the search for meaning. People lurch down all kinds of blind alleys looking for it. What then of those who have been given this incredible insight of the Heavenly Doctrines? They know more about the purpose of creation than anyone on this planet ever has. And, more than that, the Lord has offered them an extraordinary opportunity: Here's this nascent church and every single participant can help, right here at the beginning, to make it grow, to participate in one of the greatest events of human history, an undertaking more meaningful than almost anything else any of us will ever have a chance to do in this life.
     In closing, two quotes, the first by St. Francis of Assisi: "Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words." The second is Abraham Lincoln's: "The occasion is piled high with difficulties. We must rise to the occasion. As the times are new, so we must think anew, and act anew."

     (See the list on the next page.)

16




     Discussion Group Action List Summary (Excerpts)

     + Find a way to apply correspondences.
     + Determine if there are distinctive traits we should adopt, something that makes us stand out.
     + We need to evangelize through uses. Instead of telling people about what we believe, show people what we believe.
     + In our organization we need to be mutually supportive of each other, but not critical or condemnatory.
     + We need to talk to people, to emphasize what's affirmative, and not say "We're better than you" and start off with that. We have to be careful not to alienate people right off.
     + We need to have the attitude of "Look what I have" enthusiasm.
     + Maintain a strong center so that we don't burn out while we are spreading out.
     + Pay attention to social fellowship. Separation of your church life from the rest of your life is a difficulty - think of ways to make them merge more effectively.
     + These are all good things, but other churches do them too. What can we do that's different and special?
     + Emphasize education, particularly in marriage and the uses of the home. Focus on child-rearing, i.e., issues that are important to us. Hold parenting and child-raising seminars.
     + Set up a hospice for children.
     + Offer wedding and marital counseling services.
     + Make a movie with examples of functional living and thinking from doctrine.
     + Create a model, a real functioning doctrine-based community that works and is ethical.
     + Start with the Lord and pray for guidance.

17


ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM 1998

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM       Jr. Donald C. Fitzpatrick       1998

     Between July 1, 1996, and June 30, 1997, 79 members were received into the General Church.
     During the year the Secretary's office received notice of the deaths of 54 members, plus one who had formerly been listed as "dropped from the roll."
     Two members resigned during the year, and an additional 40 members were dropped from the roll. The longer-than-usual list of members dropped from the roll resulted from continuing efforts to reduce the number of names in the General Church database for which addresses have been unknown. One membership was reinstated after discovering the correct address.

Membership July 1, 1996           4504
New members (Certs. 8650-8728)      +79
Reinstatement                     +1
Deceased                          -54
Resigned                          -2
Dropped from Roll                -40

     Membership June 30, 1997     4488

     NEW MEMBERS

     AUSTRALIA
New South Wales
Liu, Melanie

     CANADA
Ontario
Pulpan, Gabriele
Pulpan, Peter Josef

     DENMARK
Richardt, Vita

     ENGLAND
Smith, Drey Davis

     GHANA
Abotsi, Darlington Kobby
Aggro, Hennock
Aggroh, Christopher Kofi-Ansa
Amankwaa, Lawrence Kwame
Antwi, Enoch Aduafo
Appiah, Stephen Kwaku
Dankwah, Charlotte
Dziekpor, George Genya
Madjitey, Pardiki
Opoku-Fori, Charles Ornane

     JAMAICA
Williams, Lillith Claire

18




     NEW ZEALAND
Keyworth, Holly Rebecca
Millar, Patricia Frances Moore
Ritchie, Joyce

     NIGERIA
Ogunleye, Sunday Oladehinde

     REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
Gauteng
Allais, Mark Barry
Cowley, Richard Justin
Mbhele, Matubatsi Alinah
Millerd, Ursula Holdman
Nhlapo, Mbuyiselwa Jacob
KwaZuluNalal
Dube, Jerome Bhekuyise
Mbotho, Bhekithemba Godfrey
Mbotho, Vera Nokuphiwa Nkala
Mthunywa, Senzangakhona
Waters, Karen Anne

     SOUTH KOREA
Choi, Mi Kum No
Choi, Tae Su
Oh, In Sook

     UNITED STATES
Alabama
Wade, Joanna Cole

Arizona
Beatty, Mitchell Edward
Lee, Jennifer Marion
Sellars, Patricia Ann

California
Clark, Kim Gustafson
Robbins, Donald Edmonds

Colorado
Heinrichs, Regina Genai Rodman
Heinrichs, Shawn Jason
Stebbing, Jennifer Katsu

Florida
Roguz, Vera Marith Wells

Illinois
Henderson, Dean Ellis
Kruger, Michael William
O'Shaughnessy, Nancy Jo
Parker, Philip John
Tyner, John Theodore

Maryland
Johnson, Martie, Jr.
Schroeder, Dean Austin

Massachusetts
Rodda, Tina Lee

Michigan
de Chazal, Edmond Pendleton

Pennsylvania
Bang, Jong Ran
Bang, Young Kuk
Brown, Michael Coffin
Buss, Deborah Doreen
Buss, Shaun Neil
Feng, Yan
Hill, Joanna Victoria
Homber, Frances Ruth
Keal, Tiffany Dawn
Liles, Harold Gazzara
Liles, Meredith Louise Cole
Lindsay, Jennifer Patricia
Murray, Dara Christine Grubb
Pronesti, Jennifer Bochneak
Reuter, Jason Victor
Reuter, Moya Chantal Rose
Schmucker, Aimee Permink
Simons, Kimberly
Smith, Brenda Alix
Vagnone, Franklin Dominic
Vagnone, Laura Kathleen Orthwein
Waters, Leanne Jane
Williams, James Howard, Jr.
Williams, Lynda Lee Haywood

19




Washington
Cole, Lilia Naperi
Richter, Tracy Lynne Stephens
Thomason, Victor Denton

     REINSTATED

     Copenhagen, Denmark
Hedegaard, John

     DEATHS

Aye, Thomas Lee, Jr.; 85; February 24, 1997; Freeport, PA
Bowman, Marlowe A.; 81; February 21, 1997; Helena, MT
Brandt, Hollis Brautigam; 89; May 12, 1997; Miami, FL
Brown, Virginia Heaton; 77; October 17, 1996; Warminster, PA
Browne, Edward James William; 81; May 30,1997; Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, RSA
Carpenter, Angela Mary Fraser; 86; January 26, 1997; Tucson, AZ
Carr, Margaret Loudon Kendig; 88; March 23, 1997; Pompano Beach, FL
Carter, Emily Gertrude Wilson; 82; September 14, 1996; Buffalo, NY
Clift, Judith Cooper; 67; August 3, 1996; Riverside, CA
Colebrook, Ellen Elliott; 97; August 7, 1996; Colchester, Essex, England
Coulter, Mary Elizabeth Hillebert; 97; March 2, 1997; South Laguna, CA
Ebert, Ruth Mary Carmichael; Date and Place unknown
Evens, John, Jr.; 66; May 8, 1981; Lindsay, Ontario, Canada*
Finkeldey, Philip James; 78; December 18, 1996; Meadowbrook, PA
Fogelberg, Newell Edward, 80; April 11, 1997; Tucson, AZ
Ginsberg, Carol Ann Berge; 68; May 22, 1997; Tucson AZ
Gladish, David Francis; 68; July 10, 1996; Guemes Island, WA
Glenn, Walter Justin; 92; May 30, 1997; Pennsburg, PA
Hansen, Rosa Rasmussen; 77; April 1, 1997; Copenhagen, Denmark
Hedegaard, Vita Charita; 87; September 24, 1996; Copenhagen, Denmark
Hicks, Lorna Virginia Johnstone; 92; August 30, 1996; Meadowbrook, PA
Holmes, Leslie Birger; 82; April 5, 1997; WI
Horigan, Madeline; 86; December 15, 1984; Sarver, PA*
Kaler, Herbert Henry; 81; June 9, 1997; Morgan Hill, CA
Kintner, William Roscoe; 81; February 1, 1997; Bryn Athyn, PA
Klassen, Wesley Earl; Date and Place unknown
Lee, Bernice Bostock; 75; January 9, 1997; Meadowbrook, PA
Lelkemann, Jean Marie Lawson; 73; July 29, 1996; Robson, British Columbia, Canada
Lindrooth, Norma Ruth Burkhardt; 90; July 6, 1996; Hatboro, PA
Lindsay, Gretchen Heilman; 80; January 22, 1997; Bryn Athyn, PA
Mavundla, Angel Thandie Ngubo; 36; April 26, 1997; Clermont, KwaZuluNatal, RSA
McDonald, Charles Dennis; 62; April 9, 1997; Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada
Murray, Margaret Elizabeth Calhoun; 80; October 22, 1996; Glenside, PA

20



Nkosi, Petros; 60; November 23, 1996; Balfour, Gauteng, RSA
Okwabeng, Joseph; 77; November 24, 1996; Nteso, Eastern Region, Ghana
Orieux, Jean Henri; 81; March 11, 1990; France*
Perry, Charles Frank; 89; January 31, 1997; Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal, RSA
Pitcairn, Garthowen; 72; April 11, 1997; Huntingdon Valley, PA
Posthurna, Edda Elise Mathilda Weise; 100; December 8, 1996; Eskilstuna, Sweden
Pryke, Martin; 81; July 12, 1996; Bryn Athyn, PA
Rhodes, Ronald Stuart; 66; October 4, 1996; Stanmore, Middlesex, England
Roeschel, Ana Maria Gomes; 43; May 31, 1995; Houston, TX*
Roschman, Richard Barrie; 73; September 8, 1996; Meadowbrook, PA
Roth, Ingegerd Hakansson; 93; November 23, 1994; Stockholm, Sweden*
Ryan, Mary Howard, 80; December 15, 1996; Chester, PA
Siegen-Smith, Phyllis Hilda Simpson; Date unknown; England**
Smith, Richard Glenn; 83; November 4, 1996; Chagrin Falls, OH
Steen, Florence Margaret Hahn; 94; November 9, 1996; Richmond, MI
Vinet, Lucienne; 90; November 20, 1996; San Diego, CA
Vowels, Anne Marie Raymond, 85; February 20, 1997; Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada
Wade, Dorothy Echols; 81; July 4, 1996; Butler, AL
Walker, Edith Pedersen; 84; January 19, 1995; San Diego, CA*
Walton, Marie Claire Heaton; 83; December 25, 1996; Bryn Athyn, PA
Wilde, John; 96; May 14, 1997; Elberta, AL
Wilson, Jane Brautigam; 85; March 5, 1997; Miami, FL

     * Delayed report
     ** Formerly listed as Dropped from the Roll (1995-1996 Report)

     RESIGNATIONS

Hollensteiner, Dorothy E. Schollenberger; January 23, 1997; York, PA
Kaiser, Drake Hunter McMorlan; February 22, 1997; Austin, TX

     DROPPED FROM THE ROLL

Anderson, Evelyn Kramer; February 18, 1997; Georgia
Anderson, Walter Irwin; February 18, 1997; New Jersey
Baksh, Ryan M; August 7, 1996; Canada
Beatty, Florence Kellejian; April 25, 1997; Washington
Beveridge, Harry Thomas; August 7, 1996; Australia
Brimfield, William James; February 18, 1997; Illinois
Burton, Florence Amelia Bill; April 25, 1997; Florida
Carlisle, Robin Lee Yerxa; April 25, 1997; Texas
Choe, Chol; February 18, 1997; California

21



Chon, Mr. and Mrs. Sang Un (Esther Lee); April 25, 1997; New York
Custer, Charles Francis; April 25, 1997; Illinois
de La Hunt, Dan David, April 25, 1997; Idaho
Ehly, Mr. and Mrs. William J. (Louise Coil); February 18, 1997; Minnesota
Eichorst, Clifford Harvey, Jr.; April 25, 1997; Washington
Gamble, Charles Brett; February 18, 1997; New York
Hilldale, Dorothy Virginia Drought; February 18, 1997; New York
Hilt, Mr. and Mrs. Rudolph Anthony (Lynell Ellis Brown); April 25, 1997; Pennsylvania
Jensen, Stephen Arthur; February 18, 1997; South Carolina
Kaletta, Susan Ruth Genevieve; February 18, 1997; Illinois
Kanamaru, Mr and Mr Chikasama (Chikako Takezawa); February 18, 1997; Japan
Kasimoff Neva Dione Sparks; April 25, 1997; California
Kaufman, Elisabeth Ann Clark; April 25, 1997; New Mexico
Kellner, Mary Alice Sorter; April 25, 1997; Michigan
Lawrence, Mr. and Mrs. James Peter (Pamela Verrill); April 25, 1997; Arizona
Macdonnell, Mary Mildred Shirley; February 18, 1997; Canada
Rhodes, Mr. and Mrs. Blaine Elbert (Sally Emma Schrawder); February 18, 1997; Florida
Shearer, Mary Bergen; February 18, 1997; Canada
Waddell, Juli Anne Miller; April 25, 1997; Arizona
Weston, Maureen Elizabeth; April 25, 1997; California
Wilmoth, Mr. and Mrs. Grant Lee (Norma Mae Johnson); February 18, 1997; Wyoming
Woodley, Frederick; February 11, 1997; Canada
Yoon, In Rye Lee; February 18, 1997; Korea
Young, Shirley Harrison; August 7, 1996; Florida

     Respectfully submitted,
     Donald C. Fitzpatrick, Jr.
          Acting Secretary
THEY HAVE LESS COMMON SENSE 1998

THEY HAVE LESS COMMON SENSE              1998

     Those involved in philosophical subleties "seem to themselves wiser than others" but "have less common sense" (see AC 5556).

22


PROVIDENCE WORKS IN SECRET 1998

PROVIDENCE WORKS IN SECRET       ALLYN SIMONS       1998

     "It is a law of the Divine Providence that a person should not perceive and feel anything of the operation of the Divine Providence, but still that he should know and acknowledge it" (DP 175).

     A technician in a lab coat looked up from a thick medical record at the woman sitting across the desk.
     "Do you have any questions for me before we set you off on your own, Prudence?"
     "No, no," she replied, smiling broadly. "I think I've got it now. I believe we've covered everything."
     "We have indeed covered it," he replied. "Now all that's left is for you to take over and give it a whirl."
     "Thanks for everything," she said, still smiling. "I can't tell you how exciting this is - it's like a dream come true!"
     "Well, that's our business," he said with a grin as he showed her to the door.
     As she left the building her mind worked feverishly. "Where shall I begin?" she thought. She noticed distractedly that the blood supply to her brainstem seemed a little thin. "Wow! I wonder if I should adjust that," she thought. She opened the valve slightly.
     She found herself coming out of a black fog, confused, lying on the ground. She realized she had fallen. "I must have gone too far," she thought, and made a mental note to leave her brain valves alone for now.
     Prudence became aware of the need to go to the bathroom. Her mind brightened as she got up. "I've had it with that routine," she thought. "No more middle-of-the-night for me!" and with that she cut off enervation to the bladder neck and slowed down her renal function.

23



     She became aware of her heart rate, a steady, strong 72 beats per minute. "Let's see," she thought. "What did that aerobics teacher tell me? 140 beats per minute to burn fat. Think I'll get to work on those 'saddlebags' on my thighs," and with that she speeded her pulse. Soon she was sweating profusely. "My gosh, I'll ruin my suit," she thought, and shut down her sweat glands.
     As her body temperature rose, her discomfort rose. "Who would have thought this would be so unpleasant?" she wondered. "I thought it would make things so much easier - more predictable!" The poor woman went back to her manuals to re-read the section on weight loss. As she did so she became aware of a mild sensation of nausea. Unaware that this was an early symptom of uremic poisoning, she launched an effort to make her stomach behave.
     "Maybe I'll shut off the pyloric sphincter so all that stuff doesn't go dribbling through," she thought.
     Every time Prudence adjusted a body function she had a moment of elation. To her, she was in search of a solution. She was confident that her months of training with the Body Control Institute would enable her to find that solution. Unfortunately, she was soon declared dead, and autopsy revealed catastrophic body system failure.
     "If a person knew how the stomach digests, and how the surrounding organs take their portion, work the blood and distribute it where needed for life, and if he had the disposing of these as he has of external activities, such as eating and drinking, would he not pervert and destroy all?" (DP 180:2).
     Prudence's sad experience illustrates the analogy between the workings of Divine Providence and the inner workings of the body. Providence works so that people are unaware of the constant effort of the Lord to draw them away from evil and toward His love and so toward happiness.
     Just as the body acts secretly, so the workings of Divine Providence work secretly.

24


The Writings tell us that this is because Divine Providence acts against the love of man's will, which is inherently evil. We are told that since Providence works in this way "against the source of his highest enjoyment" (DP 183:3), people would be enraged and would fight against the activity of Providence in favor of that selfish love. The workings of Providence, then, proceed in secret to remove hereditary evil quietly and gradually, without man's knowing it, just as the organs of the body work in secret to feed and sustain the body without direct knowledge of the body's inhabitant.
     In a memorable scene from the Wizard of Oz, the demanding bully Wizard calls out to Dorothy and her companions, "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!" The man, exposed by the heroic Toto, turns out to be the great Oz himself, revealed as a frail phony wizard who attempts to frighten the inhabitants of the land into submission with pyrotechnics operated by flimsy levers and pulleys. The Writings teach that man desires to become powerful and rich, and that these desires unchecked would lead him to want to become greater than God Himself, and to possess heaven.
     "Divine Providence never acts in keeping with the love of man's will, but constantly against it. For the human being by force of his hereditary evil is ever panting for the lowest hell, but the Lord in His Providence is constantly leading him away and withdrawing him from it . . . " (DP 183: 1).
     The Lord in His mercy leads man away from this evil love by leading him toward a love of use (which can be served by a specific position). The little wizard was reformed in the end and used the status of his position to comfort and congratulate the Straw Man, the Tin Man, and the Lion. Providence works behind the scenes to provide opportunities for the choice of good over evil. Though imperceptible in the present, it can be seen looking back. Were the fruits of the labor good or evil?

25


NEWSPAPER COLUMN IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 1998

NEWSPAPER COLUMN IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA       TRISH LINDSAY       1998

     What do Helen Keller, Johnny Appleseed and Abraham Lincoln have in common?
     Certainly, they are all admired for their life accomplishments, and all will be studied by students returning to school this fall.
     The Miracle Worker, the story of the deaf and blind Helen Keller and her teacher, Anne Sullivan, is typically read by pupils in the seventh grade.
     John Chapman, the folk hero known as Johnny Appleseed, was an American pioneer who planted orchards of apple trees from western Pennsylvania to Illinois during the first half of the 19th century. Pupils hear stories of his deeds, with pictures of an odd little man carrying seeds in one hand, a Bible in the other, and a tin pot on his head.
     "Honest Abe," a name no one ever called Abraham Lincoln to his face, is a mixture of fact and fiction in our historical memory. It is hard to separate the myths about this great man from his humanity: a man of sorrow and humor, eloquence and simplicity, courage and despair.
     Each of these people shares the elements of greatness. Outstanding individuals. Great accomplishments. Great courage in the face of overwhelming circumstances. But what do these three people have in common besides their fame?
     What history books neglect to tell us is that Johnny Appleseed was a missionary spreading what he called "Good news, straight from heaven." He was a student of the Christian mystic and seer Emanuel Swedenborg, and he left the religious works of Swedenborg with pioneer families, rotating them on his return visits, like a modern-day traveling library.
     His favorite book, Heaven and Hell, described what it is like to die and what to expect in the life after death. All that he shared with pioneer families is confirmed in the descriptions today of near-death experiences.
     As a boy growing up in Johnny Appleseed territory, Lincoln is said to have met Appleseed as a child.

26


Fact or fiction, we don't know. But there are witnesses to Lincoln's friendship with Swedenborgian missionaries and friends. Rev. J. R. Hibbard wrote that Lincoln's understanding of a moral and civil government and the duties of rulers to protect and preserve humanity was largely influenced by the works of Swedenborg, given to him by his friend Isaac Britton, later named Illinois State Superintendent of Schools.
     And that brings us to Helen Keller. In her book My Religion (recently revised and published as Light in My Darkness), Keller reveals that she was first introduced to Swedenborg's Heaven and Hell by her friend John Hitz when she was in her teens. She writes, "When I began Heaven and Hell, I was as little aware of the new joy coming into my life as I had been years before when I stood on the piazza steps awaiting my teacher."
     Keller later became a dedicated spokesperson for deaf and blind people and an advocate of the works of Swedenborg. An eloquent writer, only her words can capture her enthusiasm. "Swedenborg's message has given color and reality and unity to my thought of the life to come; it has exalted my ideas of love, truth and usefulness; it has been my strongest incitement to overcome my limitations."
     History lessons aside, as a sixth-generation Swedenborgian myself, I am dismayed that the religious mission of Helen Keller and Johnny Appleseed has been overlooked when it holds such comfort for the dying and for those left behind.
     Princess Diana's tragic death coincided with the death of three family friends .... Their passing brought to mind Swedenborg's gentle description of souls passing from this world to the next with angels attending to their every need.
     For grieving families, this surely is good news, straight from heaven.

     Trish Lindsay is a Valley News Dispatch community columnist who lives in Sarver [Pennsylvania]. Her column appears monthly.

27


GATE OF THE YEAR 1998

GATE OF THE YEAR       Editor       1998




     Editorial Pages
     I hope that the following is correct.
     In 1939, a dark time of uncertainty for England, King George VI began his Christmas speech to his people with a quotation that goes like this:
     "I said to the man who stood at the Gate of the Year, 'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown."
     And he replied, "Go out into the darkness, and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than a light, and safer than a known way."
     These few words are said to have been written by Marie Louise Haskins, a lecturer at the London School of Economics in 1908.

     The Lord's Taking Our Hand

     The above saying calls to mind a verse in Isaiah: "I will take hold of Thine hand and will guard Thee, and I will give Thee for a covenant of the people and for a light of the nations" (42:6). We are told that this shows the Lord acting with "omnipotence, which the hells cannot resist" (AE 701:5).
     As we pass from one affection to another, the Writings say we journey through societies which we do not see. If a person's affections are evil "he is conveyed through infernal societies; and if he does not look to the Lord he is carried into these societies more interiorly and deeply. And yet the Lord leads him as if by the hand, permitting and withholding as far as man is willing to follow in freedom." And he is "brought by continual steps out of hell up towards heaven" (AE 1174:2).

     Speaking with Enemies in the Gate

     At the threshold of a new year one may think of blessings and opportunities to come, but one may also think of the darkness of the unknown and of what enemies may lurk out there. The final verse of the 127th Psalm says something about enemies in the gate. This is the Psalm that begins: "Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain."

28


It concludes with assurance of not being ashamed when speaking with enemies in the gate.
     The enemies in the gate, the Writings relate to the saying of the Lord, "Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." The Lord Himself sends angels to guard and control the gates of hell (see AC 10483).
     Not being afraid of enemies in the gate is not being afraid of evils from the hells (AE 357:10, AC 2851:13). Not being ashamed means not being conquered (AE 724:10).
     We may have to contend with the influences of the hells, but the hells will not win!
THINGS SPOKEN IN THE HEART 1998

THINGS SPOKEN IN THE HEART       Editor       1998

     The old man Simeon held the infant Lord in his arms, and his prophecy then included this striking phrase: "that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed" (Luke 2:35).
     A Pharisee named Simon invited the Lord to dine with him. During the meal "Jesus answered and said to him, 'Simon, I have something to say to you."' Jesus "answered," and yet Simon had not said anything out loud! He had spoken only "to himself" The words he silently spoke to himself (see Luke 7:39) illustrate the phenomenon of the Lord's knowing the thoughts of human hearts.
     When the Lord appeared to the disciples after the crucifixion, He asked them why they were troubled, and why thoughts or doubts were arising in their hearts (see Luke 24:38).
     Take note of the following words quoted in the gospel of Mark. "Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" Those words were not articulated with the tongue, but were only within the minds of some people who were sitting quietly. Here is the context. Jesus had said to a paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you."
     But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, "Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this?

29


Who can forgive sins but God alone?" And immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, "Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?" (Mark 2:5-8)
     At the beginning of the book Heaven and Hell it is noted that many doubt the existence of heaven and hell, "saying in their hearts, who has come from that world and told us?" Elsewhere the Writings list questions people ask in their hearts. "Who ever came from heaven and told us that it exists? What is hell? Is it anything at all? What is the meaning of man's being tormented with fire to eternity? What is the day of judgment? Has it not been expected for ages in vain?" (LJ 15) These and "many more questions" have brought about the granting of a new revelation.
FEMININE WISDOM 1998

FEMININE WISDOM       Amanda Rogers-Petro       1998




     Communications
Dear Editor:
     Much has been written in these pages elsewhere about women's roles in the church. Bryn Athyn and perhaps other New Church centers are abuzz with conversations about such topics. There are several aspects of the public discourse on women's roles which have struck me as problematic, but increasingly one aspect has stood out as especially damaging to a truly inclusive conversation. The fact that it is an unspoken assumption makes it all the more harmful and also more difficult to talk about.
     I am referring to the assumption that men are more likely to be correct in their ideas, especially concerning spiritual matters, than are women. Although this has never, to my knowledge, been overtly claimed, it is implicit in many of the positions argued by the clergy.

30


Because I believe the priests of this church are good, intelligent men, I also believe that this assumption, unspoken and perhaps not even consciously recognized on their part, is held not out of malice and disrespect toward women, but out of their personal understanding of some things the Writings say, and also from deeply ingrained cultural biases.
     Of course the parts of the Writings that lead to this assumption are the passages that talk about the special gift of men, translated as "rational wisdom." Seen from an assumption of male correctness, these passages are interpreted thus: because men and only men have this rational wisdom, they alone should study the Word deeply for truth in order to lead others. Thus authority in spiritual matters is appropriately reserved for men.
     However, the Writings clearly indicate that women can also study the Word and find truth. They also have a great deal of praise for the perceptive wisdom of women. I feel that the wisdom of women has been given lip service in the discourse about women's roles, and yet there is very little indication in the statements of the clergy that women's wisdom is of equal value in any practical way. Bishop Buss in his recent paper uses the invisible operation of love to explain why women's roles are less visible; but women have wisdom as well as love, as the Bishop acknowledges. He also mentions the hidden influence of wives over their husbands. However, the husband-wife relationship is not comparable to the arena of public discourse. The kind of hidden influence that Swedenborg describes requires, it seems to me, the deep intimacy and daily contact that marriage provides and that is absent in social and political arenas. Ministers' wives can't be the only women able to influence the clergy. The impression I get from many statements about the difference between men's wisdom and women's wisdom is that men's wisdom can be relied upon to arrive at correct ideas of truth, whereas women's cannot. Women's wisdom, in other words, is not really wisdom at all, but some vague quality which, though important, will not be seen in an individual woman's ideas.

31



     As long as this is the unspoken assumption, women can never have a truly equal voice in any discussion of church policy or spiritual ideas. The reason is obvious. The men empowered to make policy and teach doctrine have an implicit belief that they are by nature going to be right and that women, insofar as they differ from men, are going to be wrong. An individual woman may have ideas that are "more correct" than an individual man, but women in general cannot be trusted to understand or teach doctrine correctly or to make church policy correctly.
     One result of this assumption is that women's wisdom must be checked against male (correct, objective) wisdom. The all-male clergy must decide whether the thoughts and feelings expressed by certain women are truly wise, or simply a product of wishful (willful) thinking. And yet if we really believe that men and women have completely different kinds of wisdom, how can a group of men isolated from women decide whether what a woman is saying is wise?
     In other words, the problem is self-perpetuating. Anything a woman has to say on any matter will automatically be given less authority than anything a man has to say on the same subject. When the subject under discussion involves women's wisdom on spiritual matters, the unspoken assumption of male correctness leads to paralysis. An assumption of women's inferior ability to arrive at correct ideas from the Word is impossible to evaluate in any conversation that includes women; and yet women must be included because men can have only a limited understanding of what a woman's gifts really are, and how they operate in the world.
     This assumption must be examined and addressed if the issue of women's roles in the church is to be examined and addressed. Is the rational wisdom of men more likely to lead to correct ideas than the perceptive wisdom of women? Does the term "rational wisdom" imply an opposite irrationality on the part of women?

32


If the answer to these questions is yes, then it is appropriate to continue to have only men teach about spiritual things and make church policy. We should also remove women from positions of spiritual leadership such as teaching in New Church schools and leading spiritual-growth groups, or have men closely oversee these activities. If the answer is no, that is, if we believe that masculine wisdom and feminine wisdom both lead to the understanding of truth and a life of good in the regenerating individual, albeit in different ways, then how can we justify the exclusion of the feminine wisdom as expressed by women in teaching and making of policy?

     Amanda Rogers-Petro
     Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania
PLEASE BECOME ... 1998

PLEASE BECOME ...       Ruth Cranch Wyland       1998

Dear Editor:
     I have read Eva Lexie's response to Vera Dyck's paper and noted that Ms. Lexie condensed Ms. Dyck's remarks to say: "Dear conservatives, please become liberals!" It is interesting to see that a condensation of Ms. Lexie's message would become the opposite number of Ms. Dyck's: "Dear liberals, please become conservatives!"
     For myself, I feel that both articles show clearly that in the New Church we are asked to read the Writings and judge for ourselves what individual truths we wish to follow. A metaphor might be a diorama box of hills and valleys equipped with view holes from four sides. There would be four truths as to what was shown. Then add a fifth truth which would be delineated by looking at the box from above and seeing the entire landscape in one sighting. The choice of which truth we follow is our individual responsibility.
     Ruth Cranch Wyland
     Huntingdon Valley, PA

33


MALE AND FEMALE 1998

MALE AND FEMALE       Heulwen M. Ridgway       1998

Dear Editor:
     The article of Rev. Erik Sandstrom, Sr., "Feminine Wisdom," New Church Life, May 1997, is based on his premise that it is "universally taught in the Writings that 'the male is truth and the female is good."' Following on from this premise, his article details his views on the wisdom of men and women, mainly of husband and wife.
     The New Revelation, however, does not teach "universally" that "the male is truth and the female is good." Which sex has reference to truth and which to good depends on the state of regeneration being dealt with in any particular passage. So when the spiritual state is the subject of the passage, the male indeed has reference to truth and the female to good. However, when the celestial state is the subject, the situation is reversed, and the male has reference to good and the female to truth. Also, the signification depends on whether man and woman or husband and wife are mentioned, as these are also dependent on whether the celestial or spiritual state is under discussion.
     Consider the following passages:

. . . it is to be known that women represent good, and men truth, when the spiritual church is treated of, whereas women represent truth, and men good, where the celestial church is treated of (AC 8337).

. . . in the celestial church, the husband was in good, and the wife in the truth of this good; but in the spiritual church the man is in truth, and the wife in the good of this truth; such were they in fact then, and such are they now.... Hence where celestial good and celestial truth therefrom are treated of in the Word, it is said "husband and wife," but where spiritual good and spiritual truth from it are treated of, it is said "man and wife," or rather, "man and woman" (AC 4823).

By the man and his wife is here meant the celestial church; by the man himself as a husband, the church as to good, and by his wife this church as to truth (AC 9942:3).

34




... in the celestial church the husband represents good, and the wife truth thence; but in the spiritual church the man represents truth, and the wife good (AC 8647).

... knowledges and cognitions are therefore represented by men, but affections by women .... It is to be known that such is the case with those who are of the Lord's spiritual kingdom; but it is the reverse with those who are of His celestial kingdom. In the latter kingdom husbands are in affection but wives in cognitions of good and truth (AC 8994:4).

In the Word, when a "husband" is mentioned, the husband signifies good, and the wife signifies truth; but when he is not called the husband but the "man," then he signifies truth, and the wife signifies good: this is the constant usage in the Word (AC 1468).

... husband [in a more interior sense] signifies good, and his wife, truth (AC 9198).

For love or charity is like a husband, and wisdom or faith is like a wife (TCR 41).

... from the signification of "man" as being the truth of faith, and from the signification of "woman" as being the good of faith (AC 9065).

... by "wife" [is meant] all truth in general (AC 8912).

... from the signification of "father" as being good ... and from the signification of "mother" as being truth (AC 8897).

... by father, in the Word, is signified interior good, and by mother truth conjoined to that good (AC 9199).

     From these and many other passages it can be seen that it is quite wrong to assume "universally" that "the male is truth and the female is good."
     How far, then, can these things, which are spiritual qualities applying universally to regeneration, be taken to apply to the male and female sexes, the married and unmarried, the regenerate and the unregenerate?

35


AC 10,150 provides the answer, I believe. The intellectual and voluntary are not ascribed to either sex but to the regenerate in general. In the regenerate, regardless of sex or marital status, the "voluntary ... is the inmost of man (homo), for it is the man himself; but the intellectual . . . is exterior." Also . . . . the celestial kingdom corresponds to the voluntary, and the spiritual kingdom to the intellectual in the regenerate man." The same is true for the higher and lower heavens.
     So when we apply these spiritual things to the states of the regenerate, whether men or women, and whether married or single, then the voluntary, the celestial kingdom, and the higher heavens are all inmost, and the intellectual, the spiritual kingdom, and the lower heavens are all exterior.
     Once we begin to apply these things to the sexes, to the married and single, and to the unregenerate, the issue is clouded by natural states and inherited tendencies, and we are on shaky ground. Building up doctrine for the church in this way can lead to falsities as easily as to truths.
     The Arcana Coelestia reinforces this message when it is taught that attributes which in the sense of the letter refer to one attribute in each of two people, in the internal sense refer to two attributes in one person. For instance:

In the sense of the letter it is said "man" (vir) and "manservant," and thus two persons are meant; but in the internal sense, in which "man" (vir) denotes the internal man, and "manservant" the external, they are in one person" (AC 9058, emphasis added).

The bride stands for the truth which belongs to the faith of the church; and the bridegroom for the good which belongs to the faith of the church .... [T]hey thus stand for the member of the church in whom good is conjoined with truths (AC 9182:12, emphasis added).

. . . for what is spoken in the sense of the letter of one man and another, as here of a man and his fellow, in the internal sense is understood one person (AC 9149, emphasis added).

36




That "a man [and] his fellow" does not mean one and another, but two things in one person ... (AC 9162, emphasis added).

     Also, the definitions provided in the Arcana Coelestia make it quite clear that by the gender words of man (vir), woman, husband, wife, son, daughter, etc., are meant various attributes in every single person. For instance, the first definition of "woman" is in AC 151, where by a woman is signified the vivified proprium, not the female sex. The first definition of "man" (vir) is in AC 156, where by a man is signified the internal man, not the male sex. The definitions of the gender words continue through the Arcana Coelestia and always refer to attributes in every individual.
     I suggest that it is in this light that we should be studying the New Revelation, that is, how all revelation applies to each of us and to our regeneration regardless of gender and marital status.
     Especially by studying the second part of the book Conjugial Love in this light, it can be seen that this part of the Divine Word, as with every part of the Word, applies equally to the regeneration of each person. There has been a tradition in the church organisations of applying most of this part of the Word to males only, thus only to their natural lives. To do this is to misunderstand the essential nature of the Word, which is that it applies to the spiritual lives of everyone, and to good and truth in general.
     I like to think of the whole Word in terms of human embryology. In the earliest stages of the developing embryo it is not possible to determine from the external form what the sex of the baby will be. In these early stages, the form is simply the form of life, although interiorly, within the dividing cells, lies the masculinity or femininity that gives rise progressively to the male or female form that will be born into the world. So it is with the Word; its form is without gender, for it is the form of the Lord and hence of human regeneration.

37


As we seek to find its universal application to regeneration, and to apply what we find to the ordering of our lives, so the form of our mind will become progressively more masculine or more feminine, until the fully developed male or female mind is born at the dawn of the seventh day of our regeneration.
     Heulwen M. Ridgway (Miss)
     Canberra, Australia
FEMININE WISDOM 1998

FEMININE WISDOM       Erik Sandstrom       1998

Dear Editor:
     Miss Ridgway, in her comments on my article on feminine wisdom (NCL, May 1997), begins by stating that said article is "based on [my] premise that it is 'universally taught in the Writings that the male is truth and the female is good.'" This statement of mine, to which I will return presently, occurred six pages down the line. My premise was on the first page, in the first paragraph: "My essential purpose with this article is to demonstrate that masculine wisdom and feminine wisdom are equal, and that they are at the same time by creation and forever different." The resolution of this premise was, at the end, that the essence of feminine wisdom is conjugial love (see CL 188:2), and that in this it is superior to the wisdom of men (see CL 208:2); or specifically, that "the Divine influx of warmth and light out of the Sun of heaven is the same with all, but the male and female minds respond distinctly and differently to the touch of that influx. The male mind, when elevated, receives more of Divine light, which in itself is Divine Wisdom, and the female mind, when elevated, more of Divine warmth, which in itself is Divine Love" (NCL, May, p. 225; ref. again to CL 188). I note that neither Miss Ridgway nor my previous correspondent (see NCL, July 1997) takes issue with my premise and conclusion. Their displeasure with points made in passing is less important.

38



     However, the particular point made in passing to which Miss Ridgway responded with apparent alarm is admittedly not at all "less important" in certain contexts; it is, in fact, in its proper order of central importance. But is not the meaning of a statement qualified by the series of thought where it occurs? I had just quoted statistics proffered by Steven Goldberg, a sociologist at Cornell University, and having introduced these I said: "It is interesting to note that there is still, as there has always been, a universal predominance of the male in both government and the judiciary" (May, p. 214). And I then quoted Dr. Goldberg to show that this predominance is very evident, as he says, even in "Scandinavian nations, which have long had government agencies devoted to equalizing women's position" (May, p. 215). It was then that I said: "I cite the above article [by Goldberg] because in terms of modern realities it bears out the point, universally taught in the Writings, that the male is truth and the female is good" (May, p. 215).
     "A universal predominance of the male in both government and the judiciary" agrees with what is "universally taught in the Writings." Is there cause for alarm? It would have been better, I admit, if I had expressed my meaning in terms of "distinctly taught in the Writings" rather than "universally taught." The essential point, however, should be clear either way. The Writings do not contradict or change Goldberg's findings (see particularly CL 175). And further, I think there is an undercurrent of the truth-good relationship with men-women, even when the "terminology is reversed," concerning which below.
     However, Miss Ridgway is a long-time student of the Writings, and she can be counted on to raise points which are in themselves weighty. So now. And of course I agree unreservedly that the Writings do not always express themselves in terms of men having reference to truth and women to good. I briefly addressed this point in my earlier letter to the Editor (NCL, August, pp. 374-375 - which Miss Ridgway, because of distance, would not have seen by the time she wrote her letter), in which I noted that there are many cases "where the terminology is reversed, generally when the subject is the highest heaven."

39


In that letter I also suggested that "the principle here stems from what is called 'the inmost' in the male and the female respectively, as explained in CL 32: 'In the male the inmost is love and its clothing wisdom ... and in the female the inmost is that wisdom of the male and its clothing the love from it'" (emphasis mine).
     There are no contradictions in the Writings. And there is a common denominator in all the teachings relating to male-female, man-woman, husband-wife, that is, relating to the conjugial. Else, how do we explain that the very number that immediately follows the teaching just quoted states: "It follows that the male is born intellectual and the female voluntary" (CL 33, emphasis added)? "Born" into these respective faculties is the common denominator.
     But we are further challenged in our endeavor to understand the relation between the two sexes - their eternal distinctness and conjunctiveness - when we discover that the Writings do not always hold to the "reverse terminology" when speaking of celestial men and women, or of the highest heaven.
     Some examples are the following (all emphasis mine): Even the Most Ancient Church (which was celestial) "called the understanding in the spiritual man male, and the will they called female, and when these acted as one they called it a marriage" (AC 54). Further, an angel from the Golden Age (the Most Ancient Church) said, "She is my heart and I her lungs" (CL 75:5). He did not reverse the terminology, saying, "I am her heart; she my lungs." Again: "With men there is elevation of the mind into superior light, and with women elevation of the mind into superior warmth . . . . With men, therefore, elevation into superior light is elevation into superior intelligence, and from this into wisdom, there being also an ever higher elevation into the latter.

40


But the elevation into superior warmth with women is elevation into a more chaste and pure conjugial love, and ever upwards toward that conjugial which from creation is latent in their inmost beings" (CL 188) - with men, elevation into light, with women into warmth, whatever the height of their inner mind. This point is emphasized in the teaching that "the wisdom [with which the wife conjoins herself 'from within'] is proper to the understanding of men and climbs into a light in which women are not" (CL 165). Such is the case because men and women are born different and distinct. I may also adduce the point that "although the angels in the celestial kingdom perceive and see truths, still there are preachings there," and that "all the preachers are from the Lord's spiritual kingdom, none from the celestial kingdom" (HH 225) - the celestial kingdom being the "voluntary of heaven" and the spiritual kingdom "the intellectual of it" (HH 95). The intellectual teaches; the voluntary receives - even when the voluntary with its perception is in a higher degree!
     I suggest that the "reversal of terminology" is related to - in fact, makes one with - the reversal of order with a person (man or woman) when moving from the good of truth to the truth of good through regeneration. The first good is the good of obedience, and belongs to the state of reformation, while the second good is the good of conscience, from remains, and becomes the good of the person's new will in the state of regeneration. Truth relates to what is spiritual, good to what is celestial.
     When the Writings speak of male and female, men and women, etc., they mean individuals. What we have is a rational revelation. That there is a general parallel within each individual, male or female, they also teach. But much of this, and much of the challenge in the "reversed terminology," is, I think, resolved in the light of the teaching in HH 369: "Everyone, whether man or woman, enjoys understanding and will; but with the man the understanding predominates, and with the woman the will predominates, and the character (homo) is determined by that which predominates.

41


Yet in marriages in the heavens there is no predominance, for the will of the wife is also the husband's will, and the understanding of the husband is also the wife's understanding, since each loves to will and to think as the other, thus mutually and reciprocally. Hence their conjunction into one."
     Men and women are born distinct and different, as to mind just as in every respect as to body; moreover there is with each person a perfect correspondence between mind and body (see CL 33). Regeneration does not change or reverse sex, either mentally or physically. Yet look how the physical conjunction is reversed as to its interior nature, quality, and conjunctiveness if the partners are becoming regenerate! The basic distinction is irreversible, but inner qualities are not, and this whether we speak of body or mind.
     Erik Sandstrom, Sr.
     Huntingdon Valley, PA
GENERAL CHURCH SOUND RECORDING LIBRARY 1998

GENERAL CHURCH SOUND RECORDING LIBRARY              1998

     Our library houses more than 15,000 recordings from a wide variety of church events, including those suitable for use in family worship. In addition to sermons there are contemporary services, family services, classes, addresses, talks, workshops, music, seminars, and many special events that have been captured on tape.
     Tapes may be borrowed for 250 per tape plus the cost of return postage, or purchased for $2.00 each plus postage.
     To borrow or buy a tape or to order a catalog, call or write to: P.O. Box 743, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009-0743; phone (215) 914-4980.

42


ORDINATIONS 1998

ORDINATIONS              1998




     Announcements
     Anochi - At Accra, Ghana, West Africa, November 2, 1997, Nicholas Wiredu Anochi into the second degree of the priesthood, Rt. Rev. Louis B. King officiating.
     Guerra - At Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 16, 1997, Vinicius Reis Guerra into the first degree of the priesthood, Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss officiating.
DAILY READINGS CALENDAR 1998 1998

DAILY READINGS CALENDAR 1998              1998

     A calendar of daily readings from the Sacred Scriptures and the Writings will be available upon request from the office of the Assistant to the Acting Secretary of the General Church. Requests may be addressed to:
     Judith M. Hyatt P.O. Box 743 Bryn Athyn, PA 19009

47


APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION TO THE ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH GIRLS SCHOOL AND BOYS SCHOOL 1998

APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION TO THE ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH GIRLS SCHOOL AND BOYS SCHOOL              1998

     Requests for application forms for admission of new students to the Academy Secondary Schools should be made by March 1, 1998. Letters should be addressed to Mrs. Robert Gladish, Principal of the Girls School, or Mr. T. Dudley Davis, Principal of the Boys School, The Academy of the New Church, Box 707, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009. Please 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 a day or a dormitory student. Completed application forms should be received by the Academy by April 15, 1998.
     All requests for financial aid should be submitted to the Business Manager, The Academy of the New Church, Box 711, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009, by June 1, 1998. Please note: The earlier the request is submitted, the more likely we will be able to meet the need.
     Admission procedure is based on receipt of the following: application, transcript, pastor's recommendation, and health forms.
     The Academy will not discriminate against applicants and students on the basis of race, color, or national or ethnic origin.
     Margaret Y. Gladish Girls School Principal
     T. Dudley Davis Boys School Principal
COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF CORRESPONDENCES 1998

COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF CORRESPONDENCES              1998

     The bibliography alone makes this study of singular value! We refer to the presentation by Dr. Erland Brock in the recent issue of The New Philosophy (Vol. C, Nos. 3 and 4). Dr. Brock's presentation of two dozen pages includes an historical review. In the bibliography we find listed the work of some thirty-six people who have written on the subject of correspondences. Alphabetically the names go from Acton to Worcester. What a valuable collection for scholars.

48


Title Unspecified 1998

Title Unspecified              1998

     Experientiae Spirituales (Spiritual Diary) Latin Edition
     Edited by J. Durban Odhner
     Here is a fully annotated Latin edition of Swedenborg's work, formerly titled Diarium Spirituale. This six-volume set, including index, is now complete and available.
     Published by The Academy of the New Church

Price per volume U.S. $50.00, per set U.S. $300.00 Postage per volume U.S. $2.25, per set U.S. $8.25
     General Church Book Center Cairncrest Box 743 Bryn Athyn, PA 19009
     Hours: Mon-Fri 9-12 or by appointment Phone: (215) 914-4920 Fax: (215) 914-4935

49


Title Unspecified 1998

Title Unspecified              1998


Vol. CXVIII February, 1998 No. 2
     New Church Life


50


Notes on This Issue 1998

Notes on This Issue              1998

     Stephen Gladish of Arizona has considerable experience with prisoners and knows about bees. When you have read his article you might know a little more about both and appreciate this unusual comparison. Rev. Frank Rose asks the question, "Have you ever been in prison?" He quotes from Psalm 142: "Bring my soul out of prison that I may praise Your name."
     A number of fine sermons by the late Cairns Henderson have been published in this magazine. One that was not published is called "The Church's Unseen Allies." Dr. Kurt Simons requested that we publish this sermon in conjunction with his article (in the January issue) "What if We Started the Church from Scratch Tomorrow?" We don't often have two sermons in an issue.
     Nor do we often have six letters. We note that one of the letters this month comments on last October's issue, and this reminds us that many of our readers in different parts of the world receive their copies of New Church Life a number of weeks after it is published.
     We would call attention to some announcements to be found in this issue. Particulars about the summer camp of the Academy of the New Church appear on page 64. Regarding application for admission to Bryn Athyn College see page 70. For admission into the Academy secondary schools see page 91. On page 70 a position available at the Academy is advertised, and a summer camp in Pennsylvania on page 96.
     Next month we will publish particulars about the evangelization seminar to be held in Glenview, Illinois at the beginning of October. The theme will be "Harnessing the Strength of Your Established Congregation." To be put on a mailing list contact Theresa L. McQueen, c/o Glenview New Church, 74 Park Drive, Glenview, IL 60025, or phone (847) 998-9528.

51


HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN PRISON? 1998

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN PRISON?       Rev. FRANK ROSE       1998

     Have you ever been in prison? Fortunately, comparatively few of us have had that degrading and humiliating experience. People who have will be very sensitive to the message in Psalm 142, which ends with the prayer: "Bring my soul out of prison that I may praise Your name; the righteous shall surround me for You shall deal bountifully with me."
     Of course, not all people are in prison because of crimes. Many experience being in prison in time of war, or perhaps they are political prisoners of some kind. There are comparatively few stories in the Old Testament about people in prison. Of all the regulations and laws given in the books of Moses which stipulate different crimes and their punishments, none of the punishments ever involved going to prison. In the early days of the Hebrew people, it was not known what prison was; it was not part of their culture.
     Joseph was cast into a prison, but that was in Egypt. First of all, he was a slave, which is a kind of imprisonment, but then when he was falsely accused by Potiphar's wife, he found himself in prison and later emerged from that prison to become the second ruler in all of Egypt.
     Samson was put into a prison and that was a Philistine prison. The first time you hear of any one of the Children of Israel being put into prison by their own people is in the time of the kings. The prophet Jeremiah was repeatedly cast into prison because his message was so unpopular. So when the people heard the Old Testament prophecies that the Messiah was going to come, and among other things was going to release them from prison, you can't help but wonder what meaning that held for them since so few of them ever had a prison experience.
     There is a prophecy in Isaiah: "The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor: He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captive, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound" (Isaiah 61: 1).

52


This prophecy is repeated in different words in other places because one of the reasons the Messiah was coming was to release people from prison.
     The first time Jesus stood up to speak in the synagogue at Nazareth He quoted that part of the sixty-first chapter of Isaiah, and having read it, He then said: "Today, this scripture is fulfilled in your ears." Now do you know of any story in the New Testament of Jesus' releasing someone from prison? John the Baptist, who prepared the way of the Lord and who baptized Him, was cast into prison by the wicked Herod, and there is no indication in the gospels that Jesus ever did anything to release him! Eventually John was beheaded in prison. But Jesus said: "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your ears." He was already releasing people from prison. Now what prison was that?
     Clearly it was not some external prison. What was the prison in which people found themselves from which the Messiah had come to deliver them? A person can be imprisoned in his or her own body. Think of someone who is suffering from Alzheimer's Disease - how the body becomes like a prison to that person. Even the mind can't operate properly, simply because of a physical condition. Any kind of physical limitation is in the nature of an imprisonment. If we listen too much to the bodily senses and base our whole life on our sense experience, our mind becomes very limited. Take, for example, people who say, "Well, I don't believe in life after death. I've never seen the spiritual world; I've never met anyone who has come back from the spiritual world." They are unable to accept the concept of life after death because they are imprisoned by their sensual thinking. Their thoughts are overly dominated by the things of time and space.
     In the early days of space travel an atheist jubilantly reported that God must not exist, because here mankind had traveled to the moon and no one had seen God on the journey!

53


Notice the sensual thought suggesting that God, if He is real, must be visible to the physical eyes! We all tend to be limited because we have a body in the natural world, and sometimes it is very difficult to rise above the appearances of that body - to see beyond the surface, to see the reality.
     If you saw a person physically in prison you might not realize that his spirit was free, and perhaps the jailer was more imprisoned than the prisoner because of a mental attitude. Being in prison is much more a state of mind. Think of people who suffer with addictions, and in that sense they are prisoners of their own bodies. They cannot stop themselves from eating or drinking or taking in certain substances. They have lost control. Their minds say: "I won't do this any more," yet the body keeps on doing it. They are prisoners in a very tragic sense. But having a body itself is a kind of imprisonment; because the spirit is beyond the body, it has its own level of reality. And there are many times when we have to rise above the appearance that we exist only within the limits of our physical frame - to realize that we are spiritual beings and that the body is only a very small part of our life. When the body grows old, our spirit does not grow old; and when the body dies, we do not die. To think like that, we have to be released from the domination of physical appearances.
     When Jesus taught, He confronted the people with their thought patterns. You may remember the phrase: "You have heard it was said to them of old times, but I say unto you .... One of them was, "You heard that it was said to them of old times you shall not murder!" People who had the concept of the fifth commandment, that it was concerned with the murder of the physical body, had no awareness that their inner hatred and bitterness was a form of murder. Therefore their thinking was very limited and it made them such that they wouldn't even take responsibility for their inner attitudes or thoughts. They thought that so long as they obeyed the letter of the Law, they were "right with God." That thinking was a kind of prison limiting the way in which they approached life.

54



     Every time the Lord spoke He confronted their "traditional" thinking. He told them to cleanse the inside of the cup and platter, saying that ritual wasn't going to get them to heaven, but an inner spirit of love and charity would. He told them they should love their enemies - that they should forgive - they should let go of the pattern of wrong-doing and revenge because that pattern, which we still see in the world today, is a kind of spiritual prison. People get caught up in it and become locked into a way of thinking that makes it almost impossible for them to see anything else. That's why it says in the Psalm: "Bring my soul out of prison."
     Having the body in prison is one thing; having the soul in prison is even worse. Your soul is in prison when your thoughts are false or when your emotions are totally negative.
     During the Second World War, there was a Christian thinker, clergyman and philosopher named Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He spent many years in prison, and eventually was hanged there because of being involved in a plot to overthrow Hitler. He wrote a book entitled Letters From Prison. The early letters were written after he had been in jail for only a short while, and one of the first things he observed was that while the body is in prison, the mind does not have to be. And then he said this: "The important thing is to make the best use of one's possessions and capabilities - there are still plenty left - and to accept the limits of the situation, by which I mean not giving way to feelings of resentment and discontent." He realized that the thing that would truly imprison him was not the bars, not the walls, but the spirit of resentment and discontent. "I've never realized so clearly what the Bible and Luther meant by spiritual trial. Quite suddenly, for no apparent reason, whether physical or psychological, the peace and placidity which have been a mainstay hitherto began to waver; and the fear, in Jeremiah's expressive phrase, becomes that defiant and despondent thing one cannot fathom.

55


It is like an invasion from the outside, as though evil powers were trying to deprive one of life's dearest treasures." And then he added, "But it is a wholesome and necessary experience, which helps one to better understand human life."
     What, then, is prison? For much of his time in prison, Bonhoeffer was able to maintain an attitude of freedom and peace, and he could see that there were times when his heart was invaded by these destructive forces which were all on a mental level: negative feelings of bitterness - despondency, despair, resentment. That was the prison he had to fear. And don't we know the same kind of prison? Think of what prejudice does to imprison the mind. Imagine how it limits your life if you have a view that a certain race of people, a certain culture of people, are all bad. Think of how you put yourself into prison due to your own prejudices. Suppose you were negative to all black people. Then you would never be able to meet a black person and see him as a real human being and benefit from that relationship. You would be imprisoned because of your own way of thinking. We all need to be liberated from this kind of spiritual limitation and spiritual blindness. That's why it's interesting in one of the prophesies of the Lord's coming, "the opening of the blind eyes" is put right alongside "delivering people from prison." This is Isaiah 42: "1 will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people, as a light unto the gentiles, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness in the prison house."
     Jesus never physically delivered anyone from prison, but every time He spoke He was opening their eyes and delivering them from their prison of darkness - from negative thinking, from prejudice, from an attitude of mind that judges all things on the basis of appearances and is not willing to be lifted up to a higher level. Whenever we are in a destructive frame of mind, self-pitying, resentful of others, we find ourselves in prison. And maybe you have known the kind of state in which you felt the limitations and you desperately wanted to get out. How do you break down those walls?

56


How do you liberate yourself from that confined way of thinking and being?
     The Lord invites us to escape from prison by lifting our minds to a higher level. Just take, for example, the prison of the body and the prison of our own personality. Did you ever stop to think that one's personality is a kind of prison - that if you think of yourself in a certain way, others think of you in that way and your true spirit may be very different from your personality? So how do you break out of that prison of yours, those physical limitations or what people think of you or what you think of yourself? One way is simply to observe yourself, raise your mind to a higher level, and realize that your body and your personality are a very small part of your total essence. You can stop and think of the fact that you are truly a spiritual being, created to live forever, and that many of the things that are important to you in your life right now are just temporary. These external things are active for a while, but they're not part of your true essence or your true personality. That's why in the Psalms the person prays to escape from the prison by flying: "Oh, that I had the wings of a dove, for then I would fly away and be at rest."
     We can imagine people sitting in a physical prison and using the wings of thought to raise their minds above the limitations in which they find themselves, and suddenly they're free. Whether we're in a physical prison or not, we can liberate ourselves by meditation and by elevating the mind. If you think of the problems that you face in your life, the things you find so discouraging and difficult to deal with, just lift your mind to a higher level and let yourself come into a better perspective and you will be freed.
     And the most wonderful thing is, as you release yourself from prison, you also release other people, for we tend to put other people into a box - by our attitudes toward them, by our judgments about them. Maybe you've had the experience of other people having thoughts about you that make you say to yourself, "I'm not like that - I'm not the kind of person that other people think I am!"

57


So if we become more liberated in our own thinking, able to think on a higher spiritual level, we will liberate other people, and we will never say as we approach a person: "I know you!" For how much do we really know of one another? Where we feel willing to judge another person or interpret his or her life, we might prefer to reflect: "I am more than my body; I am more than my personality; I am more than my roles in life, and therefore the person I am talking to is much greater than what I see, and the limited thoughts I have about him or her." In this process we need most of all to be liberated from the tyranny of having to be right all the time.
     Let us accept with joy the fact that, in a certain sense, we are nothing - we were just created out of the dust of the earth, and our loving Creator sees in us an infinite potential on the spiritual level. So we let go of our pride, we let go of our self-image, and we lift our thought upward and then we find that we are liberated, we are set free. We are given a kind of internal peace, surrounded by the spirit of love and acceptance rather than of prejudice and judgment.
     Have you ever been in prison? Of course you have! We all have. There are many times in life when mentally we are in prison. The Lord has promised that He will come and deliver us from prison. He will rescue us from that prison if we but turn to Him and lift our thoughts to a higher level. To do this we need to rise above the limitations of time, of space, of personality, and see things more as He sees them, from an eternal and loving point of view. Amen.
     Lessons: Psalm 142, Luke 4-16, AC 5096

     THE EFFECT OF DESPAIR AND TEMPTATION

     When people come out of such states, "they are like those who have been condemned to death and are set free from prison" (AC 6144).

58


LISTEN TO THE PRAYER - FOLLOW THE BEE; PRISONERS CAN CHANGE - JUST LISTEN TO ME 1998

LISTEN TO THE PRAYER - FOLLOW THE BEE; PRISONERS CAN CHANGE - JUST LISTEN TO ME       STEPHEN G. GLADISH       1998

I. The Natural Story
II.
     I am in my back yard, relaxing in the warm sunshine under a lemon tree redolent with white blossoms. The high clouds' intriguing shapes gently transform from angels into arrows. My reverie is interrupted by a big black carpenter bee zooming past my head, burying itself in the lemon blossoms. A few minutes later a honeybee appears, flying across my chest into the blossoms directly above my right shoulder. I observe her crawling carefully in and out of the blossoms. She flies off. Ten minutes later another honeybee appears, intent on her blossom visits. A half hour later I notice three honeybees arriving from the same direction. I begin to wonder what hive they came from and how they got directions. From these moments a new world opens to me.
     As a Thoreauvian, a Tucson teacher in the Arizona State Prison, and a runner in the Saguaro National Monument, I am a student of prisoners, bees, desert flowers, the Native American, and naturalist legends. The opposite of a prisoner may not be a saint, but a bee! Consider the prison, a hive of anger and selfish, sour, disruptive anti-social behavior. Consider the honeybee hive, full of order, sweetness, life, and harmony. But isn't man created above the insect?
     Prisoners often come from broken homes with no Divine order, unlike the bee who comes from a hive of harmony. Prisoners don't know their place in the world, acting as if the world revolves around them. The honeybee is humble, altruistic, willing to sacrifice her life in defense of the hive. The prisoner is often all too willing to sacrifice everybody else, dragging down his whole family. The honeybee is born knowing everything; the prisoner wants everything for himself. The honeybee works until her wings fall off and she dies. The prisoner often wants the whole hive of honey without doing any of the work.

59



     Prisoners have lost the way. Their family may have lost its way. They have fallen off their sacred path. Drugs, alcohol, drinking, abusing, fighting, or other inappropriate behavior has killed the melody and harmony, and hardened their hearts. The tune from their song has temporarily gone sour. They have not followed their dream. They didn't know they had one. They have not listened to their culture or to nature. They do not have an innately implanted design like the bee. But they can learn. The only way to get them back on their path is true disciplined education, meditation, seeking the power in all things through the prayer, the written word, and the personal dream.
     The honeybee lives with order. The prisoner reacts against order. The honeybee is in tune with the Divine power of the universe, and follows her Divine blueprint plan through a five-career life cycle. She is eminently competent. The prisoner needs training of all kinds to reach the same high-level evolutionary plateau as the honeybee. The prisoner needs life skills training, success skills training, academic education up to the grade 12 skill level, vocational training or college education. In addition, the prisoner needs spiritual training - praying the equivalent of the 51st Psalm, in which King David prays for God to "Create in me a clean heart." Without a change of heart, all the education in the world will not benefit the inmate or the society he lives in. He will only bend all the education to his own selfish ends. However, to think a prisoner can't change is to limit God, Allah, The Great Spirit. Remember Ohio's motto: "With God all things are possible" (Mark 10:27).
     Why is prison a beehive of negativity and unhappiness? It's full of men who fell off their path of life, often through ignorance into selfishness, who erred and must live with the unhappy effects of their bad karma, the fruits of selfishness. Evil has its own punishment inherent in its acts. Prisons, therefore, should be beehives of correction, not punishment - a true education: "a leading out" from self With comprehensive education programs and psychological habilitation programs and comprehensive prison industry programs, we could imitate the honeybee hive.

60



     Consider the bee, always busy, always useful, always helpful. We can use the female honeybee as a model for prisoners. The few male bees, the drones, do nothing but fertilize the queen bee; then they are cast off or stung to death.
     The average adult worker honeybee has a specific, tremendously useful, five-career life cycle. Just after hatching and pupating, she begins her work life by cleaning and preparing cells for egg laying. She later nurses the young and the queen bee with royal jelly. (Some nursemaids! - The average larva is checked over one thousand times a day.) Her glands secreting royal jelly wither, but her wax-producing glands mature, so she begins building parallel sheets of hanging comb. Next she begins to unload the forager bees storing nectar pollen. After two weeks, the bee takes up guard duty, defending the hive. She is a kamikaze fighter, giving her life for the hive. Her stinger, when jabbed into and left in the intruder, fatally ruptures her abdomen. If she doesn't have to lay down her life, in three weeks foraging begins - a tremendous mental and physical effort. Five hundred miles later - two or three weeks - her flight wings wear out and she dies. With a wing-beat of 200 to 300 times per second, in her short lifetime she lives up to the saying, "busy as a bee."
     The bee excels with elaborate navigational ability, apparently by the position of the sun and patterns of polarized light. The bee interprets ultraviolet and polarized light distribution. The forager can see markings on a flower, showing presence of nectar and pollen. She also senses magnetism, which helps determine directions. The forager may go out over five miles from the hive. When she returns, she does the waggle dance, telling fellow foragers where to find pollen and nectar blossoms, with accurate distance and direction. The honeybee is a wonderful teacher.

61





II. The Spiritual Story

     We know love is the life of man, but love is also the life of all living things. Man has the rational faculty, which animals don't, and with it mankind can and does destroy the automatic flow of the spiritual into them by living a life contrary to Divine order.
     All animals possess a sphere of knowledge as to the food they eat, a sphere of seasons, a sphere of constructing their homes. These spheres from the spiritual world never mislead them, nor do they require teaching. Man has no such spheres. He is born into ignorance (see HH 108:4). He acts from the faculty of reason which he abuses, in order to think and do evil (see SD 2485). So natural loves of self receive inflowing life from hell. But if a man has reformed his natural self with a spiritual love of God and his fellow man, he then receives inflowing life from heaven (see AC 4776:4,5). And he commences to be led by Divine means back into the order of heaven that animals, and bees in particular, have been in all along.
     Bees demonstrate the most amazing spiritual loves. During their lives they are moved by a general inflowing from the spiritual world. All matters of their knowledge are included in the loves into which they were created. Bees know how to build cell-like houses, suck honey from blossoms, fill their hive with honeycomb, make provision against the winter, and they even know to conduct a form of government under a queen mother (see AC 4776:4, 5). Bees know how to seek food from many kinds of flowers, how to gather wax, how to procreate and care for their offspring (see AC 6323:2, AE 1198). All things in the world spring from the Divine, and are clothed with things in nature to enable them to exist and to perform uses. 'Me queen bee lays eggs and the rest of the hive cares for them. The hive preserves the working bees and casts out the drones, depriving them of their wings to prevent them from returning and consuming food on which they spent no labor (see HH 108: 1).

62



     The doings of bees are not from the natural world. They build cells like little houses, set them in the form of a city with streets for going out and coming in. The bees scent at long distances the flowers and herbs from which they collect wax for their houses and honey for their food. They fly back to their hive in a direct (bee) line. When their progeny becomes mature, they are driven from the hive. They swarm and collect, and in a close body, preserving their integrity, they fly away to make a new home for themselves (see TCR 12; CL 419; DLW 355). All that proceeds from the Lord - such as innocence pervades the entire universe in an instant. The sphere of procreation goes to animals, vegetables, minerals, and even to the earth itself, which is the mother of all vegetables and minerals. As the earth is the common mother of all, there is a common mother of the bees in every hive (see CL 397).
     To those who believe all things come from nature and that beasts' and bees' actions seem to proceed from thought, an angel replied, "Beasts and bees have no connate ideas, no thought whatever . . . . Does a bee think in his little head, 'I will fly abroad; I know where there are fields in bloom; I will build compact rows of little cells; I will store in them an abundance of honey'?" Of course not is the implied answer (TCR 335:3).
     Indeed, if man's loves were in order, he would enjoy a certain sense which only the bees and the brutes enjoy, namely, to know the way home, though at a distance, as horses, dogs, bees and other animals can, such as geese, ducks, homing pigeons, and golden plovers. Nor do they become bewildered in thick woods, like man. A bee even knows her own hive situated among many. This sense is common to those who live in order; it is impressed upon their souls (see SD 2209, 3340). Again, evil spirits and men are worse than brute animals, because they act from a faculty of reasoning which they abuse, to think and do evil. Brutes and bees have no such faculty of reasoning (see SD 2485).

63



     If God has such perfect designs and lifestyles for the honeybee - a mere insect - imagine what He has in store for us who are created just a little below the angels! Pursuing education is to pursue our dreams for ourselves and others. Through education, and personal/spiritual growth, the creation of a clean heart can occur. But just like King David, the prisoner must acknowledge his transgressions, and desire to change his hardened heart first. The primary goal of corrections is, after all, that the prisoner address his crime and seek his own rehabilitation. Not merely an apology is needed, not just a mental correction, but a just restitution and full amendment of his ways, and a full change of heart - the same thing King David prayed for after committing adultery and murder. From the clean heart our spirit can soar, like the eagle, back to nature and our place in nature. We can listen to the prayer and follow the bee. Even prisoners can change, if you listened to me.
     We all must be led by Divine means back into the order of heaven. We must educate our rational mind, and open ourselves to living a life of order and of use, as the bee. The bee is an inspiration to us all, because the bee's life is directed from the spiritual world, and it lives a life of harmony and community in a home of sweetness. We too can do this, by following the "twelve steps of spiritual growth" - by seeing that doing things our natural way has produced an unmanageable life and a chaotic world; by believing a Power greater than ourselves can restore us to wholeness; by working in partnership with God to remove our sinful and ineffective behavior; by taking moral inventory and asking God to help us remove our shortcomings; by making amends to all we have harmed in the exercise of our free will. With our prior acts of self-love we turned away from heaven, and received influences from hell, so we now seek through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry it out. With this spiritual awakening as the result of all these steps, we will do the equivalent of the bee waggle dance and carry this message to others.

64


We will practice these 12-step principles in all our affairs. We must use our rational faculty to get to heaven. Then we will finish out our lives, busy as bees living in harmony and sweetness. We will regain an equal stature with the bees. And because we have an eternal soul, when we have gone through all the useful stages of life here, unlike the bees, we will leave our progeny behind and fly up to heaven to start a sweet new life in golden homes on golden streets:
     Jerusalem the golden! O city of the blest! O heavenly land of promise! The weary pilgrims' rest .... What peace beyond all telling! What joy for them whose feet Stand by the crystal river and walk the golden street!
ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH Secondary Schools 1998 Summer Camp 1998

ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH Secondary Schools 1998 Summer Camp              1998

     The 1998 ANC summer camp will be held on the campus of the Academy in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, from Sunday, July 12 until Saturday, July 18, 1998.
     The camp is open to boys and girls who will have completed eighth or ninth grade in May or June of 1998.
     Students will receive registration details at the end of March. We try to send information to every eligible student but sometimes miss someone. If you have not received the information form by the first week in April or know someone who may need information, please contact the Director of Student Services, William C. Fehon. Call him at (215) 938-2555 or write Box 707, Academy of the New Church, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

65


CHURCH'S UNSEEN ALLIES 1998

CHURCH'S UNSEEN ALLIES       Rev. W. CAIRNS HENDERSON       1998

"Yet I have left seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him" (I Kings 19:18).

     Elijah had triumphed over the prophets of Baal at Carmel, but the angry threats of Jezebel - the ruthless and imperious wife of Ahab - had compelled him to flee without delay. Broken-spirited and despondent, Elijah had asked that he might die, saying, "It is enough; now, 0 Lord, take away my life, for I am not better than my fathers." Succored by the angel of the Lord, he had then crossed the southern wilderness and reached the sanctuary of Mount Horeb. There in profound solitude he poured out his complaint to the Lord: "I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts, because the sons of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant, thrown down Thine altars, and slain Thy prophets with the sword; and 1, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away." The Lord, after commanding him to anoint two kings and his own successor, answered him: "Yet I have left seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him." A somewhat similar incident is related in the second book of Kings. When the prophet Elisha was in Dothan, his servant, rising early, saw that a Syrian army, sent to take his master, had surrounded the city with horses and chariots, and cried out: "Alas, my master, what shall we do?" The prophet answered: "Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them." Then Elisha prayed, and said: "0 Lord, I pray Thee, open his eyes that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha."
     In the Scripture which records these two incidents the Lord speaks to His church in a crisis of faith that may exist in today's world, seeking to lead the church to a true perspective on that world. A realistic appraisal of the world in which we live may lead us to the conclusion that it is Judeo-Christian in tradition and culture, largely modern pagan in its values, outlook and practices.

66


If we then view it in the light of what the Writings teach, we may conclude also that it is filled with evil. All of this is involved in the setting of the text. Baal represents the loves of self and the world; the cult of Baal, the worship of these loves, of the things of the natural man - affections of evil and falsities derived from them; and Jezebel, who imported the cult of Baal into Israel from her native Tyre, represents evil which wishes to destroy the Word as she sought the life of Elijah. Specifically she stands for those who have separated faith from charity and made faith alone saving, and the resulting delight of the loves of self and the world which seduce those who are in truths.
     When we see what orthodoxy has done to the Word, and how liberal and radical theology have eroded the theology, the worship, and even the morality of the Christian churches, then, zealous for the goods and truths of heaven and the church, we may find ourselves saying with Elijah: "I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant, thrown down Thine altars, and slain Thy prophets [the truths of the Word] with the sword." And when we consider how small the church is and how relentless the forces deployed against it, we may despair of its life and faith surviving in an environment which seems completely hostile.
     If we should find ourselves in this state, the Lord turns our minds from despair and self-pity to use, and assures us: "Yet I have left seven thousand in Israel that have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him." It is easy for us to assume that we stand alone against evil, that everyone outside of the church is animated only by the loves of self and the world, and that their every act is motivated solely by the desire for power, prestige and wealth. But this is far from being the case. There are in the world thousands of men and women, known only to the Lord, who have not submitted themselves to the loves of self and the world, who have not entered into conjunction with these loves by affection, and therefore do not worship them: men and women who will eventually be regenerated by the Lord, in the spiritual world if not here.

67



     What we are thinking of as small is the church specific that we see - the church which has and understands the Word, acknowledges the Lord, and lives in spiritual charity according to the truths of the Word. But that is only a part of the Lord's universal church. The church of the Lord, we are taught, is distributed throughout the world and consists of all who acknowledge the Divine and live according to their religion in a kind of charity. Its membership is known only to the Lord, who alone knows how many in the church specific are truly of His church. If there is much evil in the world, there are also countless thousands who are of the church universal, men and women who do not have the Word or know the Lord as we can but who do believe in one God, obey His will as they understand it, and practice a simple charity in their lives.
     These men and women who form the church universal are a powerful force for good in the world. With the church that has the Word and knows the Lord they form an invisible communion, and through that church they are in consociation with heaven, in which, through the Word in the church specific, they receive an influx of light and intelligence. They are in charity, and wherever there is charity, there the Lord is present to work out His purposes. He is in conjunction with them, though more remotely, through their love and charity and obedience. The church universal is, then, a force in the world through which the Lord is working to maintain certain ultimates for the reception of His kingdom: belief in one God who reveals His will to men, belief in religion, in the sanctity of marriage and of the home, in morality and decorum, in honesty and decency, and in justice for all men as God's creatures. And we should be aware and glad of, as we should be grateful to the Lord for, these unseen allies in the battle to establish the Lord's kingdom on earth, glad that we do not stand alone against the enemies of the kingdom.
     The Lord's church, distributed throughout the world as it is, is organized by Him into a single form, the human form. In His sight it is as one man, in whom the church specific is the heart and lungs through which life from the Lord inflows into the rest of the body, which is the church universal.

68


Therefore these two divisions of the Lord's church are interdependent. If we need the church universal, need its support and the knowledge of it, the church universal needs us. Its very life depends on the continued existence of the church specific.
     So for the sake of the church universal as well as for our own spiritual welfare we must not lose faith. If it should be asked how the faith and life of the church can survive and even increase in the environment which is ours, the answer is that this is the only available environment in which they can, and that since the Lord does not ask the impossible of us, they can survive and increase here and now.
     The power of evil and of negativism in the world is indeed great, and it seems to be entrenching itself more and more securely, but if we are on the side of the Lord's revealed truth, then whatever may be the appearance, "they that be with us are more than they that be with them." We have another unseen ally in the entire angelic heaven, which is ever ready to preserve and protect what is truly of the Lord's church in the hearts and minds of men and women on earth; and the Writings open our eyes to see this truth, even as the prayer of Elisha, who represents the spiritual sense of the Word, resulted in the eyes of his servant being opened to see the angelic army of the Lord of hosts.
     Our need is for a true perspective on the world in which we live. Great as it is, the evil in that world is only part of the picture, and if we isolate it and concentrate on it alone, we distort the whole. Like Elijah we may become broken-spirited and despondent; and like Elisha's servant, we may become filled with fear, and cry out: "Alas, my master, how shall we do?" We have need to realize that the church is from the Lord and not from man; that the Lord will preserve and protect what is truly of His church, and has provided the means of so doing; and that we cannot from ourselves, from our own prudence, provide for the continuance of the church.

69


The Writings teach us that the church in the past has suffered from those who thought that they could care for it, and if we will but devote ourselves faithfully to the uses which the Lord sets before us, He will preserve and He will protect. The seven thousand in Israel who had not bowed the knee unto Baal, or kissed him, had been raised up secretly by the Lord. So it is now, and so will it be in the future.
     All this that is true of the church as a whole is true of the man of the church as an individual. Aware from doctrine and from observation of the ubiquity of the loves of self and the world, and of his own hereditary predisposition toward these loves, the man of the church may wonder whether the Word with its faith and charity can survive in his mind when so many forces are bent on its destruction. How can the Word survive in his life when foes without and foes within threaten its existence? But with all men the Lord has reserved secretly His seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal or kissed him. In the mind of every man the Lord stores states derived from them - states of innocence, love, charity, pity and mercy. These remains are untouched by the loves of self and the world, for they are reserved in the interiors of the mind, and they do not come to view until external things have been vastated. But within them is the life of heaven itself. When man enters into regeneration, they are the beginning of it. He is then led successively into these remains, through which the Lord works to establish His kingdom; and through remains also the heavens work for man's salvation.
     Both the church itself and the man of the church must needs experience states of doubt even to despair, and these states will be all the more acute as there is somewhat of genuine zeal for the Divine and spiritual things of the church. But while they should lead to that broken-spiritedness which the Word declares to be the sacrifice of God (see Psalm 51:17), they should not result in that self-pity in the presence of which all uses fall away. The need is to reaffirm the truth that because the church is the Lord's, He is and will be preserving and protecting it, and to make that reaffirmation before Him in humility of spirit. For then the Lord will turn our minds from our concerns to uses in which is the life of heaven on earth.

70


In what seems to be the darkest hour the Lord assures us: "I have left seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him." There is no question that the Lord will succeed in establishing His church on earth. The only question is whether we have the faith, the patience and endurance to share in that success. Amen.

     Lessons: I Kings 19:1-18; 11 Kings 6:1-18; Doctrine of the Sacred Scripture 105,106
ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH GIRLS SCHOOL POSITION AVAILABLE FOR THE 1998-99 SCHOOL YEAR 1998

ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH GIRLS SCHOOL POSITION AVAILABLE FOR THE 1998-99 SCHOOL YEAR              1998

     A full-time position in health and physical education is available in the Girls School. Applicants should have a master's degree in physical education or a bachelor's degree with requirement to attain a master's degree. Previous experience in teaching and coaching is desirable.
     Applicants should apply to Margaret Y. Gladish, Principal of the Girls School, Box 707, 2815 Benade Circle, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009, phone (215) 938-2595 or fax (215) 938-2617. The deadline for applications is February 27, 1998.

     BRYN ATHYN COLLEGE APPLICATIONS

     Applications for fall-term admission to Bryn Athyn College of the New Church should be received by March 1. Need an application or information? Just call the college secretary (215938-2543), write to the Admissions Office (Box 717, Bryn Athyn PA 19009), or send e-mail to: [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!

71


TOWARD A TRUE PHILOSOPHY And How to Make a True Philosopher (Conclusion) 1998

TOWARD A TRUE PHILOSOPHY And How to Make a True Philosopher (Conclusion)       EDWARD F. ALLEN       1998

The main end of these our labors will be to demonstrate the immortality of the soul to the very senses.

     The final subject treated in what Swedenborg published in 1734 is an introduction to what will be the investigation of all the eight or so years devoted to philosophy, up to when he would turn to what is called the intermediate period during which Worship and Love of God and The Word Explained were written.
     Let us begin in Mechanism of the Intercourse of the Soul and Body, where it is said of those who are in ignorance of the state of the soul: " . . . desirous, therefore, to explore the nature of the soul by reasoning, but unable to come to any solution, they leave it doubtful altogether" (p. 171,172).
     After some continuation on this condition, Swedenborg then calls upon the result of the reasoned argument in The Infinite, which was devoted to the third call upon the Only Begotten which arrived at let us recall:

Man is the ultimate effect in the world through which the divine end can be obtained "whereas through Him somewhat of the divine may dwell in us, namely in the faculty to know and believe that there is a God, and that He is infinite, and again through Him, by the use of the means, we are led to true religion" (p. 125).

     To return to the doubters who end by denying the existence of the soul, Swedenborg wrote a constructive alternative to their way of thinking:

72




If, however, they had thought that the end for which the world was created is divine, or is for the Infinite in the first place; and that man is the ultimate effect, by which this end may be obtained; and that a soul is given him which in conjunction with the body has the prerogative of concluding, and by virtue of revelation, although not of itself as a finite creature, of believing that there is a God, and that He is infinite: and that in this way there is somewhat of the divine in man: and if they had chosen to infer in consequence, that man is in this respect a partaker of the final cause; and that the soul, as a part of the purer world and nature, is, by the bond of the divine communication, comparatively near to the most perfect of things; and thus can not only love the Infinite, but also desire a more perfect state: in short, if after forming certain conclusions, they had chosen to carry the argument into a higher sphere, they would clearly never have fallen into the error we have mentioned. Rather would they have seen, and their reason confirmed, that this ultimate effect, viz., man, who can acknowledge God, and through love feel himself in the bond of the final cause - who, therefore, has in him God's final cause - can never die, but is for ever a partaker of the final cause, and therein, of the Infinite; in a word, a permanent existence: and nothing whatever could have induced them to believe that this final cause would desert man at the hour of death; which indeed would be to accuse the Infinite, whose cause it is, of finiteness or imperfection (pp. 173, 174).

     Further reasoning leads to:

We may also deduce and conclude analytically and rationally from the nexus of natural beings and things in the world, that the soul or subtlest part of the body must be immortal (p. 175).

     Note that this is a prophecy for future investigation to which is added:

Furthermore, in demonstrating the immortality of the soul, we may infer from the Infinite to the soul, as from the soul to the body; that is to say, from the connection between the Infinite and the soul, as from the connection between the soul and the body (p. 177).

     That is an analogy proposed, namely, Infinite:soul :: soul:body.

73




... for as we said before, from connection love immediately arises, or that delight which is felt in love, in other words, in the harmonious conjunction of parts and modes in the world. The love or friendship between the body and the soul, as between the soul and the Infinite, lies entirely in the connection (pp. 177-178).
Those then who are in the nexus or bond of the divine end - which bond is perceived in the delights of the love of God - cannot but be reciprocally in God's love, inasmuch as they are in the divine nexus; nor consequently can His love towards the soul be other than similar in this respect to the love of the soul towards its best beloved, because its most united friend, the body; wherefore it must infinitely wish the soul to be His likeness; and love to assign and to give to the soul what itself possesses, that is to say, perpetuity and immortality.
Nevertheless, if the body could be so completely governed by its purer essence, the soul, as readily to obey its every intimation and command, in this case the very body might be considered as a part of the purer world, and might enjoy the same immortality and integrity as the soul. It seems likely that this was the state of the first man, formed as he was in correlation to all the harmony of the world, and that in him all the grosser parts admitted of being ruled by the soul, and consequently with it could enjoy immortality. But when this integrity and perfection in the connection between the soul and the body, and therefore in the connection between God and the soul, perished, and afterwards degeneration had naturally ensued in the posterity of Adam, then of consequence the body could no longer be considered as a part of the pure and perfect, but of the imperfect world (pp. 178-180).
Let us now enquire in a general manner into the nexus between the soul and the body, and into the operation of the one upon the other, with a view to see in what its mechanism consists. We say, in a general manner, for if all the details of the subject were to be set forth specially, we should rather be entering on the work of years than of a month, and we should not be writing one book, but a series of volumes.

74


For to prove all our points, we should have to take account of all that anatomy has discovered in the body, and of all that we know specially, and by experience, of the understanding, the memory, the will, and the affections (pp. 181, 182).

     There are thirteen general propositions dedicated to the subject of the nexus between the soul and the body. And for the sake of brevity, I can list only a small part, however enough, and by the selections chosen indicate the nature of the subject, i.e. the nexus between soul and body.
     I. And the first general proposition we would state is that all connection supposes contiguity and connection.
     VI. We may now approach the mechanism that intervenes between the body and the soul.
     VII. Seeing then that the elements consist of parts that are to the last degree movable in the cosmic space, and that in this respect they are the very source of motion; and that they are movable in any given space or place, whether they be in a state of compression or dilation, etc ....
     XI. As we learn by experiment that the vibrations or undulations of the fluids follow their own laws of motion with the utmost exactness, and in fact that any element in motion cannot but move according to principles of its own, etc ... (p. 212).
     XII. We have hitherto confined ourselves to the organs or membranes upon or through which sensations are conveyed by vibrations towards the soul; whereby the soul perceives all things with the greatest distinctions, and has concentrated in itself; than which there is no subtler essence in the body, all vibrations, both mixed and simple (p 219).

     A general discussion follows, resulting from the natures of these general propositions, and significantly there is this promise:

But of all these subjects we speak more at length in special treatises.

     The reader who has studied Swedenborg's philosophical works is aware of the existence of these treatises, namely, Economy of the Animal Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Five Senses.

75


There is much more now available in English translations from manuscripts. But for our purpose it is sufficient to know that Part I of EAK is dedicated to arrive at what is entitled An Introduction to Rational Psychology. This is an important treatment of the doctrine of series and degrees. The anatomical treatment of Chapters I and II of part II of EAK enables an important application of rational psychology to the Human Soul in chapter III, part II of EAK. In the process of its treatment, EAK gives a description of how the heart and its system support the chapters on Rational Psychology and The Human Soul. On the other hand, The Animal Kingdom as to its anatomical part describes the anatomy of the lungs and its system. In anticipation of that there is a Prologue to AK. This is a marvelous construction of Swedenborg's philosophy so far, and contains useful anticipatory remarks which lead to what is named Epilogue to part II of AK which opens:

The lungs, in the first flower and golden age of their life, or when the body and the thorax were enveloped and confined by manifold swathings in the mother's womb .... Thus the body was the body of its soul, and the subject of the auspices of the supreme mind. But when the period of these destinies had passed away, and the mannikin, bursting the swathings and bars of the womb, rushed forth upon the theatre of the great world, the state of life was instantly changed, and the hinges of the determinations, forces and motions were inverted and bent backward against the order of the former life; namely, from the outermost spheres to the innermost, or from the body and its powers inwards, towards the proximate and immediate powers of the principle or soul ....

Thus we entered, or rather fell, from the highest life into the life of the body, which is the lowest, and the world's.

Now when the body undertook to manage the reins which the soul relinquished; when the machine was so completely inverted that the powers flowed and rolled contrariwise, or upwards instead of downwards, then, in order that the machine itself might not be prostrated and perish by its forces ... (p. 456).

76




     An excellent example of preparation of a fact in philosophy which has a spiritual representation in the Writings is in AC 1902:

And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. That this signifies that it could not be done in any other way may be seen from the connection in the internal sense, and from the rational to be born in this way. [To explain, the development of man's rational is contrasted with] the fact that all animals whatever are born into all the faculty of knowing which is necessary and helpful in gaining food, safety, habitation and procreation, because their nature is in accordance with order. Why then is man not born into it? For the reason that order has been destroyed in him .... This is the reason why man's rational must be formed by an altogether different process, that is in a different way, namely, by means of science and cognitions introduced through the senses, thus flowing in by an external way, and so in inverted order.

     The Epilogue to part II of The Animal Kingdom has other examples useful to our subject, which we must pass over. At any rate, in a complete dissertation the Five Senses, the final philosophical work by Swedenborg, presents much light on the operation of the soul in the body. It is especially the case by means of the study of the five senses of the body we are led to the concluding chapter of the work entitled, The Understanding and Its Operation. Its concluding remarks are essential to our study in these remarks, but in order to understand that, I am compelled to go back to the last things said in Mechanism of the Operation of the Soul and the Body where we made a hasty review of thirteen general propositions which were laid out before the reader by Swedenborg as introductory to all future philosophy by Swedenborg from 1734 to about 1742. As the thirteen general propositions of the program laid out for investigation during the next eight or so years were completed, he had cause to state the last thing said of the works in philosophy which he published in 1734, that is, The Principia, The Infinite: The Final Cause of Creation, and Mechanism of the Intercourse of the Soul and the Body, which having been said, then becomes the first thing said of what follows.

77


What follows is the published development made possible by the thirteen general propositions, upon completion of which it is written:

The main end of these our labours will be to demonstrate the immortality of the soul to the very senses.

     The "very senses" are named the bodily senses, the imagination as the interior sensation, and the understanding as the inmost sensation (see Senses 539). Swedenborg promises near the end of Mechanism of the Intercourse Between the Soul and the Body (MISB) to dedicate his endeavors to demonstrate immortality of the soul to the very senses. Some eight years later in what he writes in Senses, he seems to fulfill this promise (see nos. 639 and 640). Swedenborg writes:

From the above it follows that the primary end of under standing given to us is that we may ascend by degrees from moral into spiritual life, thus finally to heavenly happiness, which is a perpetual continuation of spiritual life.

     Supplement from the Writings

     To compare "divine" in philosophy with "Divine" in revelation:

From The Infinite: The Final Cause of Creation -

Man is the ultimate effect in the world through which the divine end can be obtained (p. 103). That without Him (that is, the Only Begotten Son), there would be no connection between the last effect and the Infinite; whereas through Him somewhat of the divine may dwell in us, namely the faculty to know and believe that there is God, and that He is infinite, and again through Him, by the use of means we are led to true religion and become children of God, and not of the world (p. 125).

To compare, two illustrations are added from the Writings:

78




The universal end, that is, the end of all things of creation, is that there may be an eternal conjunction of the Creator with the created universe; and this is not possible unless there are subjects wherein His Divine can be as in Itself, thus in which it can dwell and abide (DLW 171).

In order that these subjects may be dwelling-places and mansions of Him, they must be recipients of His love and wisdom as of themselves; such, therefore, as will elevate themselves to the Creator as of themselves, and conjoin themselves with Him. Without this ability to reciprocate, no conjunction is possible. These subjects are men, who are able as of themselves to elevate and conjoin themselves. That men are such subjects, and that they are recipients of the Divine as of themselves, has been pointed out above many times. By means of this conjunction, the Lord is present in every work created by Him; for everything has been created for man as its end; consequently the uses of all created things ascend by degrees from outmosts to man, and through man to God the Creator from whom [are all things] (as was shown above, n. 65-68) (DLW 170).

     There is, however, the supreme case of the Divine itself entering into a man in the world. It is told in the internal sense of the Word:

Abram passed through the land, even unto the place Shechem (Gen. 12:6). That this signifies the Lord's second state, when the celestial things of love became apparent to Him ... after He had advanced to celestial things and had attained to them, they then became apparent to Him. In celestial things there is the very light of the soul, because the Divine itself, that is, Jehovah Himself, is in them; and as the Lord was to join the Human Essence to the Divine Essence, when He attained to celestial things it could not be otherwise than that Jehovah appeared to Him (AC 1440).

79


THOUGHTS OF A FOOLISH HEART 1998

THOUGHTS OF A FOOLISH HEART       Editor       1998




     Editorial Pages
     What the fool says in his heart is summed up in the briefest phrase in Psalms 14 and 53. "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God."'
     Calculating his assets, someone may say quietly within himself, "Take your ease; eat, drink and be merry." And God will say, "You fool! This night your soul will be required of you" (Luke 12).
     "When we die, we die."
     The thoughts of the heart may be put into words and recorded on paper for us to see and evaluate. This the Writings do in striking ways. Those who look only to worldly, bodily and earthly things are represented as saying inwardly,

What has man more while he lives? When we die we die; and who has ever come from another life to tell us about it? We know not what it is to live when life goes out of a person (AC 6971:2).

     Worldly and earthly things can suffocate belief in eternal life. Very many people Swedenborg met in the other world were exceedingly indignant that they had not believed in a life which was to continue after death.
     Wherefore let him who wishes to be eternally happy know and believe that he will live after death. Let him think of this and keep it in mind, for it is the truth (AC 8939:3).
WHAT ARE BLESSINGS? 1998

WHAT ARE BLESSINGS?              1998

     "During man's life in the world, the things which he calls blessings are those which render him blessed and happy in time, such as riches and honors. But the things which are meant in the internal sense are eternal things" (AC 8939).

80


COMMENTS FROM AUSTRALIA 1998

COMMENTS FROM AUSTRALIA       Neville Jarvis       1998




     Communications
Dear Editor:
     I just had to write to express sincere appreciation for your October 1997 issue which arrived in the Antipodes recently. Nearly all the articles and letters were of real interest to me and of great help in the application of truth in life.
     Mary Waelchli Griffin's contribution on the difficult subject of suicide really did bring a new perspective to an issue I recently heard described in a New Church circle as "an immortal sin." The post-suicide letter written by Bishop King quoted in the article is perhaps the most sensitive and expansive expression of New Church teaching that I have read for a very long time. Could an expanded version of this article be made into a leaflet, please? One is badly needed.
     As Karin Childs points out, life in our solar system is another issue that has perplexed New Church men and women for nearly 250 years. Maybe we are moving closer to a break-through in our appreciation of the true purpose of Earths in the Universe as has happened with the book Conjugial Love. I feel that Karin's letter is part of that process. The Heaven and Hell 209 quote is very important. Early in 1997 1 wrote to the British Conference journal Lifeline on this very point, although I used De Verbo 16:4 (emphasis added), which includes, " . . . [A]n angel can see a spirit who is grosser than himself, but the spirit cannot see the angel who is purer than himself When therefore, as is often the case, such spirits ascend into heaven where angels are, they see no one, nor even their homes, and so go away saying the place is empty and a desert." We of this world are the grossest of beings. EU 122 (to which Karin draws our attention), in dealing with why the Lord was willing to be born on our earth and not another, tells us " . . . that the inhabitants and spirits of our earth, in the greatest man, have relation to the natural and external sense, which sense is the ultimate wherein the interiors of life close, and rest as on their common basis."

81



     Bonnie Cowley's comments on the Bruce Rogers August 1997 article, "Eating of the Forbidden Tree," that the earthly organised New Church is not necessarily that which Swedenborg referred to as the crown of all churches, brings to mind Arcana Caelestia 362. Here we are warned, "Wherever a church exists, heresies arise in it as a consequence of people basing their thinking on one particular article of faith to which they attach supreme importance." All connected with the organised church need to check their approach very regularly to ensure that no fundamentalist or literalist aspects are creeping in, for these have the essential seeds of destruction inbuilt.
     Before closing I would interject this news. I have just come across the book The Complete Homeopathy Handbook: A Guide to Everyday Health Care by Miranda Castro, F.S. Hom. It was published in 1990 by Macmillan Publishers Limited (UK) - ISBN 0-333-55581-3.
     It was exciting to read a paragraph in chapter 1, "The History of Homeopathy" in the section dealing with 19th century USA as follows:

As many ordinary people consulted herbalists and bone-setters, homeopathy was easily accepted and quickly flourished. Homeopaths were seen to be well educated and hard-working people, and the "metaphysical" background appealed to many church people. It was adopted in particular by the followers of Swedenborg (1689-1772), a visionary who "received" information about the spirit world and the cosmos and believed that he was a vehicle for a new religious revelation. His writings appealed to people who were studying the new sciences, such as Darwinism, and who were concerned about the conflict between science and orthodox religion. For many homeopaths this blend of reason and mysticism was ideal. Kent, like Hering and many other American Homeopaths, was a Swedenborgian.

     What a valuable statement this is in a contemporary book; we can surely forgive the erroneous year of Swedenborg's birth.

82


With the rise of interest in homeopathy once again, hopefully this book, giving an awareness of Swedenborg, will be read by many more people.
     Neville Jarvis
     Sydney, Australia
EYES 1998

EYES       Richard Linquist       1998

Dear Editor:
     "The Lord was seen by me, in a dream, with the face and form in which He had been when He was in the world .... There was a certain one at no great distance from Himself, on whom He gazed and then raised the eyes slightly, and, thus, knew who and of what quality he was" (SDm 4791). Swedenborg does not offer a description of the Lord's physical qualities, yet this statement does arouse my curiosity about the Lord's eyes. But this is more than intellectual interest. It is personal. It is as personal as when Peter denied the Lord three times, and as recorded in Luke 22: 61,62: "And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter .... And Peter went out and wept bitterly." My story, however, is more cheerful, and occurred while I was serving uses at the Bryn Athyn cathedral.
     Unblinking and open in innocence, his clear, light grey eyes caught my attention and held it. I was standing in a doorway to the curator's office and he stood on the path outside.
     Apparently oblivious to my smile and friendly words, this boy, about three feet tall, stood motionless and unresponsive. His calm gaze entered deeply into me. Suddenly turning away, he ran toward two adults who were walking on the path toward him. An elderly gentleman and a woman about thirty years of age greeted him, and she lifted the boy into her arms.
     Together we walked into our cathedral's choir hall. As usual, I began the guided tour with a few introductory words about the history of the cathedral.

83


But I became silent as my sight rested on the puffy, white baby skin of the boy's arms. Instinctively I reached out with my right hand toward him and he reached for me. My hand rested gently on the top of his hand, small wrist and forearm. His eyes never changed their placid expression. I saw in them a serene, heavenly aura, high above earth and earthly concerns. "He is five years old and will always have the mind of a one-year-old," the elderly gentleman confided to me. "The young lady is his attendant."
     Later I speculated about the possibility of his always having celestial angels as his heavenly companions. Will his eyes still have that inner tranquillity when he is eighteen years old? How many hearts will be touched by those innocent eyes, reminding humanity that heavenly love dwells in peace and is unharmful?
     Bishop George de Charms observed in regard to the first year of human life, "Because of the presence of celestial angels the infant is held by the Lord in a veritable Garden of Eden . . . " (Growth of the Mind, p. 132). Heaven on earth, within an infant, seemed to reach out and perhaps contact celestial remains from my own infancy, hidden within me.
     I realize that I am not the first or only person to wonder what the Lord's eyes looked like when He walked on earth. In fact, it is generally thought that there is no description of Him. But I dare to present one. Whether fictitious or factual, this account certainly is interesting. I discovered it while doing research on a stained-glass artist. It is alleged to have been written by Publius Lentulus, a fiend of Pontius Pilate. As a Roman official in Jerusalem, he is supposed to have written this information to the Roman Senate: "A very extraordinary man is living in Palestine today .... He is called the Great Prophet by the masses but his closest friends call Him the Son of God. He raises the dead and heals all manner of diseases. He is tall, erect, and well proportioned. A marked serenity in His countenance attracts the love and reverence of those who see Him. His auburn hair is parted in the center and hangs down on His shoulders in curls, after the custom of the Nazarenes.

84


His forehead is high and intelligent. His face is without blemish or wrinkle. His cheeks have a flush. His beard is thick and the color of His hair. His eyes are greyish blue and very piercing. His reprimands are sharp but His exhortations and instructions are amiable and courteous. There is something wonderfully charming in His face, though gravity is preserved .... He is the handsomest man in the world." (This letter was supposed to have been copied from Roman Annals by Constantine's secretary, Eutropius. It is claimed to have been preserved by Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury 1093-1109.)
     However, there is no doubt about the authenticity and veracity of the Word, so let us learn from it about eyes: " . . . for with man the face is a representative image of the affection of his love, and especially the eyes, for from these the love shines forth, from which they sparkle as from fire" (AE 504:4). 1 do not know if the Lord's eyes had a shade of grey like those of the boy. But I did perceive a supernatural life and warmth in his eyes. It was as if the Lord was looking at me through the celestial angels with that infant child. Perhaps many of you have had similar experiences with children and have thought carefully about their significance and value.
     Richard Linquist
     Huntingdon Valley, PA
LOOK TO THE BEST 1998

LOOK TO THE BEST       Kara Johns Tennis       1998

Dear Editor:
     Thank you for all the work you do each month to bring out the New Church Life. It's a huge and demanding job, as anyone who has worked on a publication can attest. The variety of viewpoints printed on controversial topics is proof that we're alive.
     Some of the debate is thoughtful and high-minded, and a pleasure to read no matter which "side" you're on. (Vera Dyck's and Eva Lexie's articles come to mind.)

85


But fairly often, letters appear that make judgments and assumptions about others' motives that bring down the tone and credibility of the magazine. We can't possibly know if people who disagree with us are neglecting to "study, pray and reflect," as a letter a few months ago implied, and our suspicions to that effect don't belong in a public forum. In addition, this type of letter probably discourages some readers from sending in their thoughts and opinions. Who wants his or her motives questioned in print?
     We all know a few special individuals who look to the best in others and speak positive truths as they understand them. I wish more of the communications in New Church Life were infused with that spirit.
     Kara Johns Tennis
     Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania
REVELATION 1998

REVELATION       John J. Schoenberger       1998

Dear Editor:
     I have just read in the November Messenger an article which has left me wishing it could have been published also in New Church Life. It is by Steve Koke, unknown to me except I am told there is a book of his scheduled for publication by the Swedenborg Foundation.
     The article presents important considerations about the Third Testament. Its title is "Swedenborg's Other Job," which I interpret as reference to things involved in presentation of spiritual revelation to those who would receive it. While leaving finer and subtler aspects of the matter to Mr. Koke's expertise, I am feeling prompted to support his thesis by tacking on some kindergarten basics.
     Emanuel Swedenborg was a scientist. He was an eighteenth century scientist, and a great one. He was also a philosopher. And when it came to his theological Writings he was a revelator, a revelator of spiritual truth and reality.

86


These Writings are just and exactly that, and by no means are they textbooks of worldly or scientific knowledge, however much some references thereto are included in their contexts and presentations. Such inclusions are sometimes unavoidable and, as Mr. Koke points out, often even purposeful.
     In their detail and entirety the Writings are a spiritual revelation. The books of those Writings are natural ink and paper. Likewise natural is the language employed, the grammar, the syntax, even the punctuation and the various meanings of words - all are of this world, as indeed are all the various aspects of publication, as well as much of the lifetime preparation of the revelator himself. All of these and many other things, certainly including the general state and knowledge of the world as in time and space then prevailing, are involved in and part of the whole communication media necessarily employed in presenting to inhabitants of planet earth what was seen and heard in heaven. In the world environment there simply had to be worldly means of conveyance, in many ways and at many levels, much the same as in cases of earlier biblical and other dispensations.
     For dissemination in nature, spirituality needs all manner of traveling clothes. So, as pointed out in the Messenger article, Swedenborg did indeed have "two jobs" to successfully perform: first to comprehend the spiritual revelation to him entrusted, and then by the best available natural means to communicate the same to the humanity of this world. He was well chosen for each of these aspects of his calling, by reason of his deep spiritual devotion and his great worldly knowledge and skills. That natural examples or facts of his day are somewhat structured into the revelatory text must not deter from the strictly spiritual purpose and reality of what is miraculously revealed. Let our own five senses suffice for whatever scientific explorations may be thought needful, while it seems just plain wrong and even demeaning to regard any volume of the Writings as a source book on science or any worldly information whatever.

87



     I have often in a long lifetime tried to talk with friends about this subject, especially when a strictly scientific or natural subject is being discussed and someone comes up with, "Well, it says in the Writings that . . . " I always find that distressing and even worrisome, but not often is the feeling shared or even appreciated.
     That is why I was so pleased with the Messenger article, the first one on the subject I have ever seen. Mr. Koke presents the matter much more delicately than I could, and in a very interesting manner he evokes much about the Second Coming for better commentary than is mine. As should be obvious, I have seen in the article a good introduction for the aspects stressed above, in which I hope other persons may also have some interest. If the article itself could be read instead of this letter, I am sure it would be much better received, and I could find some other way to express my thanks and appreciation.
     John J. Schoenberger
     Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania
GENDER ISSUES 1998

GENDER ISSUES       Donald G. Barber       1998

Dear Editor:
     On p. 443 of the Oct. '97 issue the observation is made that "For centuries men have dominated society. It is not surprising, because when the human race fell, it emphasized the external form rather than the internal reality. The understanding became more important than the good that it was intended to understand." The paragraph following this raises the question "How shall we establish a more true balance between the sexes in the uses of our church?"
     The feminist movement and the actions of many in the world around us are attempts to reach, in their opinion, a better balance in the roles of men and women. Their efforts seem to be based on the premise that if an activity or privilege in society has been carried out only by men, then women have been unjustly excluded.

88



     The Oxford Dictionary defines the verb "discriminate" as being (1) to differentiate; (2) to perceive or note the difference in or between; (3) to make a distinction. In today's world the word "discrimination" often has a negative connotation. We read about "racial discrimination" or "gender discrimination" or "religious discrimination." The situations described will, in many instances, reflect the attempt of one group to maintain a position of privilege over another group on the basis of some external quality.
     In Potts' Concordance we find references to "discriminations of sound" and "discriminations of light." The use of the word "discrimination" may depend on a particular translator, but the basic concept remains that distinctions or differences are necessary for a proper understanding.
     Since distinctions are important, we need to ask ourselves whether all areas dominated by males reflect an abuse of power by males or whether there is any area (or areas) where the distinction between males and females has been intentionally created by our Creator because only men can suitably perform the use in that area (or areas). Areas dominated by women need similar consideration. It is easy for me to say that I, a male, agree with the conclusions reached by Bishop Buss. I would also add that I have not received any idea in print or in discussion which outweighs the teachings in Conjugial Love about the qualities of the masculine mind distinct from qualities of the feminine mind, which enables the male to understand and teach doctrine in a manner which the female cannot suitably do.
     Donald G. Barber
     Etobicoke, Ont., Canada

AC 3419:3 - "The ancients ... knew what charity is ... and also what is the neighbor toward whom there should be charity, namely, all in the universe, but still each with discrimination."

89


COMPARING THE OLD TESTAMENT, THE NEW TESTAMENT AND THE WRITINGS 1998

COMPARING THE OLD TESTAMENT, THE NEW TESTAMENT AND THE WRITINGS       Rev. Norman E. Riley       1998

Dear Editor:
     I read with interest "A Comparison of the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Writings" by Joel Brown in you December 1997 edition, in which he raised the question of the canon of the Writings, and also referred to Pilate's question, "What is truth?" With regard to the latter, the Lord Himself, when led out before the people, gave the answer when He said, "Behold the Man." In respect to the former, I believe we have the answer, both in a letter written by Swedenborg in the year 1769 and in True Christian Religion 779.
     In the letter we read these words: "I have been called to a holy office by the Lord Himself, who has mercifully appeared to me, His servant, in the year 1743 when He opened the eyes of my spirit ... " And in the True Christian Religion we find these words: I also testify that from the first day of my call, I have not received anything pertaining to the doctrines of that church from any angel but from the Lord alone while reading the Word."
     For myself, this is all sufficient in respect to the canon of the Word of the Second Coming. Because I believe that God is one in Essence and Person, I also believe that this Word is one in its spiritual and natural senses. In this Word are contained the former revelations as well as passages from those testaments which did not belong to those books which have a continuous internal sense. With regard to the words "while reading the Word," there was no other at that time.
     Concerning the Second Coming we read in TCR 776: "This Second Coming of the Lord is not in Person but in the Word, which is from Him and is Himself." It is important to bear in mind that the Lord is the Word. And further, that it was by means of Swedenborg that the Divine Truths of this coming were made known by the Lord Himself. Therefore I believe that this is what is meant by the words in the Word that is from Him and is Himself."

90



     In the year 325 A.D. the doctrine of three persons in the Godhead was formulated. Since that time, people have read into Scripture from that doctrine when the expressions of Father, Son and Holy Spirit are mentioned.
     A similar thing has taken place in this age. In the early days of the organised New Church, it was believed that the Old and New Testaments were the Word, while the revelation of the Second Coming was the doctrine drawn from them. Since that time, people have read into those passages where mention is made of sense of the letter, the letter, and the natural sense that these refer to those testaments alone. It is also believed by some people that those testaments are the Word in the letter, while the revelation of the Second Coming is the spiritual sense, on which account they also may be called the Word. We suggest, however, that this is an impossible thing, since the two worlds make one only by correspondence, being of distinct degrees of creation.
     Joel Brown also refers to Apocalypse Explained and the Spiritual Diary and says . .. . . . their mere existence helps facilitate discussion in the church that is good and useful" (p. 54 1). I believe we should view the Word in a living way; after all, the letter is dealing with events which were taking place during the time it was being written. And in relation to our own lives, when the internal things come to light, it deals with our regeneration.
     In this respect it is of interest to note that the Apocalypse Explained could not deal with the remaining chapters of the Apocalypse until other things had taken place, which are revealed in the works which followed to the time when the Apocalypse Revealed could be written, in which all things from first to last could be brought to a full state. I leave it with you to look at those things, and also what was written after the Apocalypse Revealed had been completed. To write more would fill many pages.
     One thing, however, remains, which is from Invitation to the New Church 44: "By means of this revelation a communication has been opened between men and the angels of heaven, and a conjunction of the two worlds has been effected, since when man is in the natural sense, the angels are in the spiritual sense."

91


Let us note that we have an internal and external. I venture to suggest that the spiritual sense for the angels is in relation to our internal, and the natural sense for man refers to our external.
     Rev. Norman E. Riley
     Norden, Rochdale, England
APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION TO THE ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH GIRLS SCHOOL AND BOYS SCHOOL 1998

APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION TO THE ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH GIRLS SCHOOL AND BOYS SCHOOL              1998

     Requests for application forms for admission of new students to the Academy Secondary Schools should be made by March 1, 1998. Letters should be addressed to Mrs. Robert Gladish, Principal of the Girls School, or Mr. T. Dudley Davis, Principal of the Boys School, The Academy of the New Church, Box 707, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009. Please 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 a day or a dormitory student. Completed application forms should be received by the Academy by April 15, 1998.
     All requests for financial aid should be submitted to the Business Manager, The Academy of the New Church, Box 711, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009, by June 1, 1998. Please note: The earlier the request is submitted, the more likely we will be able to meet the need.
     Admission procedure is based on receipt of the following: application, transcript, pastor's recommendation, and health forms.
     The Academy will not discriminate against applicants and students on the basis of race, color, or national or ethnic origin.
     Margaret Y. Gladish Girls School Principal
     T. Dudley Davis Boys School Principal

92


FREDERICK EMANUEL DOERING FUND and CANADIAN SCHOLARSHIP FUND 1998

FREDERICK EMANUEL DOERING FUND and CANADIAN SCHOLARSHIP FUND              1998

     Applications for assistance from the above funds for Canadian male and female students attending the Academy of the New Church in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, for the school year 1998-99 should be received by one of the pastors listed below by the end of April if at all possible.
     Ideally, acceptance for admission to the Academy should precede application for financial aid, but because academic acceptance (including processing of transcripts from other schools, etc.) can take several months to complete, the Academy business office needs to get started on the financial arrangements before then. Grants are usually assigned in the spring, hence the early deadline.
     In addition, students from western Canada may be eligible for travel assistance and even for another special grant. The vision is that no Canadian student who really wants to attend the Academy should be barred from doing so for financial reasons.
     For more information, help or application forms, write:
     Rev. M. D. Gladish 2 Lorraine Gardens Etobicoke, Ontario M9B 4Z4
     Rev. M. K. Cowley 58 Chapel Hill Drive Kitchener, Ontario N2G 3W5
     Rev. G. G. Alden 9013 - 8th Street Dawson Creek, B.C. VIG 3N3

93


IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES 1998

IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES              1998

     A Swedenborgian publication has taken on a new look and character.
     Our Daily Bread will be fifty years old next year. Each month it has come out with sermons, readings and prayers. The new type and format is clear and crisp. The editor, Rev. Lee Woofenden of the Swedenborgian Church, is aiming to reach out to new audiences beyond the core group of dedicated Swedenborgian readers, and further improvements are expected.
     A new feature is an expanded "order of worship." These will be based on services submitted by various church groups and worship leaders. Each month will have a theme, and often there will be sketches of the church building or photos of the preacher.
     Daily "meditations" are provided, and one notices quotations from the Writings freshly translated. Here are some examples from the January issue:
     Faith is formed in us by our approaching the Lord, learning what is true from the Bible, and living by it (True Christian Religion 347).
     When we learn the truth and put it into practice, we are like someone who plants seeds and plows them in; then the rain makes the seeds grow into a crop, and they become a useful source of food (TCR 347:3).
     It is one thing to know truths, another to accept them, and still another to have faith in them . . . Only believers can have faith (Arcana Coelestia 896).
     A yearly subscription is $12 in the U.S., $18 in Canada and $15 U.S. funds in all other countries. Write to Our Daily Bread, P.O. Box 396, Bridgewater, MA 02324.
SIGNS OF CHARITY 1998

SIGNS OF CHARITY              1998

     The signs of charity include "listening to sermons, reading the Word, and books of instruction and piety" (Charity 174).

94


MINISTERIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS 1998

MINISTERIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS       Rev. Peter M. Buss       1998




     Announcements






     The Rev. Chester Mcanyana has accepted a call to be the pastor of the Kwa Mashu Society in South Africa. He will be replacing the Rev. Alfred Mbatha, who has been pastor there for many years.
     The Rev. Alfred Mbatha has accepted a call to be pastor of the Impaphala Society in South Africa. The Rev. Mr. Mbatha is also spending a significant amount of time in Kisii, Kenya, where he is training students for the ministry. He has been a teacher in the South African Theological School for many years.
     Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss
     Executive Bishop
PETERKIN CAMP 1998 1998

PETERKIN CAMP 1998              1998

     The dates have been chosen for the camp at the Laurelville Mennonite Church Center near Pittsburgh: August 8-11. Particulars will be announced later. If you have questions, phone the acting coordinator, Mrs. Joseph David at (814) 432-2009.

97


Title Unspecified 1998

Title Unspecified              1998


Vol. CXVIII March, 1998 No. 3

New Church Life      

98


Notes on This Issue 1998

Notes on This Issue              1998

     Last November, Rev. Nicholas Anochi set out on an exciting mission. He went to Sri Lanka to meet with scores of people who "know about the Heavenly Doctrines, desire to affiliate with the New Church, and wish to learn more" (Dec. NCL, p. 559). On page 140 are photographs taken during that historic visit. Notice that as he spoke, his words were being translated into two different languages (Tamil and Sinhalese).
     We have received in the mail a review copy of a slim volume from the Swedenborg Society. The cover is a handsome pale blue. In gold is the title: On the Sacred Scripture Or the Word of the Lord. So as not to confuse this with one of the Four Doctrines, people have been accustomed to calling it De Verbo. We are supplying in this issue two examples which give an idea of the translation and also of the striking nature of the contents of this work.
     The Swedenborg Foundation has published a book by Eugene Taylor called A Psychology of Spiritual Healing. Instead of reviewing it, we have quoted from it at considerable length, particularly places which mention Swedenborg or the teachings of the Writings. We expect that this will encourage a number of people to obtain the book from the foundation.
     It was back in 1993 that Julian Duckworth and Trevor Moffat produced the little book called The Shorter Heaven and Hell. We have had a review of it in our files for quite some time. Publishing it now, we are making this an occasion to speak editorially about the various "shorter" books and booklets that have been produced over the years (see page 130).
     For more than a quarter of a century there have been Laurel summer camps in western Pennsylvania. The evolution of these camps is quite a story. In a single page Jack Rose provides us with something of that story as he reports the bold decision to extend the camp this year to four weeks.
     This magazine has been printed for well over a hundred years. Leon Rhodes has taken one of the bound volumes, one about his own age, and delved into it with intriguing results (p. 110).

99


TWO KINDS OF DISOBEDIENCE 1998

TWO KINDS OF DISOBEDIENCE       Rev. JAMES P. COOPER       1998

"And the men of Israel were distressed that day, for Saul had placed the people under oath, saying, 'Cursed is the man who eats any food until evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies. 'So none of the people tasted food ... But Jonathan had not heard his father charge the people with the oath; therefore he stretched out the end of the rod that was in his hand and dipped it in a honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his eyes were opened" (I Samuel 14:24, 27).

     Today we are going to consider the story of two men: father and son, one a king and the other a prince. Historically, each is a brave and capable fighter, and each delights in serving the Lord by fighting and killing the enemies of the Children of Israel. Each of them disobeys a command and does what is evil, but one of them is forgiven, the other is not. Our challenge for today is to study the story of these two men so that we can see the difference in their behavior, and then apply these truths to our own relationship with the Lord and see if we deserve to be forgiven. We can also apply these truths to our relationships with others and learn when to forgive them as well.
     Saul became the King of Israel when the people rejected the Lord's leadership through judges and prophets and demanded a king instead so that they could be like all the other nations around them. The Lord accepted their rejection of Him, and gave them the king they wanted. The people were delighted with Saul. He was tall, good looking, a great warrior - everything they wanted in a king. He ruled them well for many years, and fought many great battles against the Philistines. When his son Jonathan was old enough, he joined the army and soon became something of a hero himself. The Scriptures record how he, accompanied only by his armor bearer, attacked a Philistine garrison of 20 men and killed them all, a feat he was able to accomplish because he had received a sign that the Lord was with him. This little victory struck terror into the hearts of the Philistines, which terror, we are told, was then amplified by an earthquake sent by the Lord.

100



     Saul, seeing that the Philistines were in confusion and fear, attacked. Filled with the desire to totally destroy his enemy, Saul commanded that no one would be permitted to rest from the killing for any reason, even to eat bread. He said "bread" but by it he meant all food of any kind (see NJHD 218, AC 2165). He wanted complete and utter vengeance upon his enemies.
     During the course of the day's battle, Jonathan and his men found themselves in an area where there were many honeycombs, and being quite hungry, Jonathan ate some, not knowing of his father's order. The men with him had heard it, though, and they did not eat. It was then that they told him about the order. But Jonathan already knew something was wrong, for we are told by the internal sense of the words "his eyes were opened," which means that he had an inner sense that what he had just done was evil, "he saw what he knew not" (AC 212). "Jonathan's eyes were opened by tasting the honey" because "honey" corresponds to natural good and its delight, and this good gives life experience, a kind of enlightenment or "sixth sense," from which Jonathan knew that he had done evil (AE 619:8). However, in spite of the fact that he suddenly knew that he had done something wrong, he still criticized the order to the other men, saying that the soldiers would have been able to do a much better job fighting if they had taken a little time to refresh themselves.
     The battle ends as night falls, and Saul, flushed with his day's victory, seeks counsel from the Lord about how to proceed the next day. But because the Lord does not answer, Saul immediately knows that something is wrong, that someone has committed some evil that has caused Jehovah to withdraw. Saul is both enraged and afraid, for he knows that his success in war has been due to the Lord's constant presence with the army. He knows that he must find and punish the evil-doer or the Philistines will return and destroy them. In order to find the evil-doer, Saul draws lots.

101


He puts the whole of the army on one side, and Jonathan and himself on the other. The lot shows that the guilty party is either Jonathan or Saul. He then draws lots with his son, and discovers that Jonathan is the one who must be put to death because he has broken the king's law.
     Something very unusual happens next: the army and people intercede on Jonathan's behalf. They believe that since it is obvious that the Lord is with Jonathan, as shown by what he did to the Philistine garrison, it would be wrong for him to be put to death, and the implication is that if Saul were to follow through on his threat, the people would cease following him, and perhaps even overthrow him as king. The Scripture does not give the details, but it is clear that Jonathan was pardoned by Saul under intense pressure from the elders of the people and the army.
     It is important to note that no one questioned the fact that Jonathan had committed a crime. He had broken the king's law and deserved to be punished. What the people introduced was an element of mercy based on their judgment of Jonathan's intent, and so properly demanded that the punishment be moderated to fit the intent. Our sympathies properly lie with Jonathan, and we are satisfied that justice has been done when he escapes the death penalty.
     Our attention now turns to Saul and the quality of his disobedience. Some time after the incident just mentioned, Samuel commanded Saul to attack and utterly destroy the Amalekites, specifically ordering him to destroy men, women, children, and animals. In the sense of the letter, this was commanded because the Amalekites had cruelly ambushed the Children of Israel when they were first struggling in the desert after leaving Egypt. In the spiritual sense, the Lord commanded the complete and utter destruction of this Canaanite tribe because it represented interior evils of the will.
     In the subsequent battle, Saul makes some changes in the orders. He captures Agag, King of the Amalekites.

102


Instead of killing him, he slaughters the women and children, but keeps the animals as spoil. And then, when Samuel comes to confront him with his disobedience, he repeatedly lies, first telling Samuel that he had obeyed the Lord completely, and then when Samuel called his attention to all the animals in the camp, Saul claimed that the animals had been kept "for sacrifice" to the Lord. Finally Saul tries to blame others for the crime, saying that the people made him do it, but he was never able to see or admit his own guilt.
     Samuel responds to Saul with the words that served to condemn not only Saul's action but also the actions of all those who believed that the life of religion consisted in merely following the rituals of the Jewish Church and yet harbored all kinds of evil loves in their hearts; Samuel said to Saul, " . . . to obey is better than to sacrifice, to hearken better than the fat of rams" (I Samuel 15:22), and as Samuel turned to leave, Saul fell on his face on the ground and grabbed at the hem of his garment, imploring him not to leave him. In so doing he tore the prophet's garment, and was further told that "The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel away from you today . . . " (I Samuel 15:28). It had been given to another who would be more worthy. As a final gesture of displeasure with Saul's response to the Divine leading, Samuel himself took a sword and killed Agag, the Amalekite king.
     Both Saul and Jonathan disobeyed. Jonathan disobeyed the king; Saul disobeyed the Lord. Jonathan disobeyed through ignorance and without an evil intent, and was forgiven. Saul disobeyed knowingly, deliberately, and then lied to Samuel about it, trying to put the blame on others. He was not forgiven, but instead lost his kingdom for himself and his family forever.
     The story of these two men, their evils, and their subsequent forgiveness revolves around the distinction between what is evil and what is a sin. Jonathan's experience illustrates what evil is. It is always evil to break a commandment, even if you don't know about it, or even if you were trying to do something good. If something is forbidden by God, it is evil to do it, but it is not necessarily a sin.

103


An evil act becomes a sin only when the person knows that it is evil, and deliberately goes about it anyhow, planning ways to hide it from others, or to make it appear that others have done it. This is what Saul did.
     A little child may take something that belongs to another. That is wrong; it is an evil. But we all instinctively and immediately recognize that he cannot be blamed for it, because he does not know any better. In other words, the act itself may have been evil, but because the little child could not have intended harm, we forgive him; the child is free from sin in the matter.
     Sin is a matter of the will, and a person cannot be blamed for an evil until he is of an age where he can and does act solely from his own will. The Heavenly Doctrines tell us that such a state begins "about the twentieth year" (AC 10225:5), although it is obvious from the context and from common sense that it is the spiritual state of the person, not the number of birthdays, that is the essential here.
     The way we distinguish between evils and sins is by judging, as best we can, as to the thought, intent, and will of the person who is in disorder, whether it be another or ourselves.
     Jonathan acted thoughtlessly, then had a pang of conscience. His first reaction was to belittle the command, saying it was not really important, but he knew that he had done wrong and would have to pay for it. Our immediate reaction when we do something wrong is to try to justify it, and that's normal. It often happens that even as we hear ourselves arguing and protesting about something, we can feel ourselves internally recognizing the truth of the very things we are denying. Even though we are fighting for the right to do something, we have already decided in our hearts that we know it is wrong and will not ever do it again. In the eyes of the Lord, what really counts is what happens in the long run. Do we try to make our mistakes and our evils appear to be good, or do we honestly admit when we are wrong and try to amend our lives?

104



     When people die and enter the world of spirits, they soon find that the spiritual world is so much like the natural world that they forget that they are spirits, and soon slip back into the old familiar ways of life. In other words, while they are in the state of their exterior life, they return to the same mistakes and habits they were subject to while in the world. The big difference is that the angels who are in charge of keeping order in the world of spirits are unlike judges in the natural world, for the spirits can see into the interiors of the mind, and so immediately know what the intention behind the act is. When spirits commit evils in the world of spirits from ignorance, from thoughtlessness, or in the course of trying to do something nice, they are excused and forgiven. It is the intention behind the act that counts.
     Saul's evil, on the other hand, was evil of the will, evil deliberately and consciously done in the full knowledge that it was evil. This is sin, pure and simple, and as it contaminates the will itself, it destroys spiritual life and cannot be removed except with great difficulty through the most grievous of temptations. The reason it is so difficult to remove is that by its very nature it is difficult to discover because it hides itself in falsity, in self-justification, in lies. It makes every attempt to appear as good the mass-murderer who believes that he is doing the world a service by removing certain people from it; the adulterer who believes he is doing his wife and marriage a favor by taking his perversions elsewhere; the thief who believes that he can put the money to better use than its proper owner - but when such things are seen in the light of truth, we see how insane sin really is.
     We all commit evils all the time - knowingly or not - but they are not sins and we are not responsible for them unless we knew they were evil at the time and consciously chose to do them from will. This is the Lord's mercy toward us. He judges according to the heart, not according to the act, for who of us could stand against the judgment of Divine truth alone, untempered by the mercy of the Divine love?
     But there is something that we must do to earn this mercy.

105


We must first be in charity; we must treat others as we wish to be treated; that is, if we wish others to assume our good intentions, we must also assume their good intentions toward us. After all, which one of us actually plans to say or do something unkind to another? But how often do we assume that something said to us was intended to be unkind? We must recognize that most things that offend and annoy were not intended that way at all, but were thoughtless or accidental. If we wish the Lord to forgive and excuse us for our thoughtlessness and accidental evils, then we must also forgive others who offend us, for the Lord said, "If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (Matt. 6:14,15). But if we wish the Lord to forgive us for our sins, we must search our hearts in the light of His Divine truth, discover the sin that is there, and flee from it as if from hell itself. Amen.

     Lessons: 1 Samuel 14:24-30, 15:13-19, Matt. 6:1-8, AC 6559 CIRCLE OF LIFE 1998

CIRCLE OF LIFE              1998

     A Focus of Education Council '99

     The next meetings of the Education Council will not be until the end of June next year, but a theme has already been chosen. The "circle of life" is mentioned in Arcana Coelestia 10057 and Apocalypse Explained 242. The meetings will be held in Bryn Athyn. Contact people are Rev. Kurt Hy. Asplundh and Kira Schadegg, Box 707, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

106


GOOD FRIDAY 1996 1998

GOOD FRIDAY 1996       Jr. Rev. J. CLARK ECHOLS       1998

     Today we mark that horrible murder described in Matthew 27. Who of us has not asked, "Why? Why did it have to happen?" We have a handy explanation, an intellectual understanding of why, so we quickly put questions away, but still there was that momentary first reaction of horror. And our children or non-Christians whom we are introducing to the faith ask, "Why? Why did He have to go through that?"
     Perhaps we can liken it to tragedies that have happened in our own lives. Someone close to us has come to a sad end, has had something terrible happen to him or her. We ask, "Why, God? Why did it have to happen?" Most of the time we are left with a mystery. We do not have a clear reason or answer. We feel very unsatisfied. We do not know the purpose or the plan God had in store for that person, or for us, or why that tragedy would have happened.
     "Why" then becomes not so much a question as it becomes a cry - crying out to God, "Why?" There is a frustration there. "There could have been a better plan. There could have been a better way. Could there not have been to get to the end that You desired, Lord?"
     And we are horrified. The innocent have suffered. Why should the innocent suffer, especially at the hands of the wicked? Then we remember the admonitions that were given by James: "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind .... Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.

107


But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed" (James 1:3-6, 13, 14).
     When tested in temptation's combat, even as in those times, we will ask questions of God. But, He counsels us, we must do it from belief and never from doubt. Asking from doubt is negative. It is demanding proof before we will believe. And it does not have to make sense; it just has to satisfy some inner need that we have. It is like Jonah when he first fled from the call that God gave to him to go to the city. It is like Peter who denied Christ three times. Now those men repented and returned to faithfully doing what the Lord asked of them.
     And then there is asking from belief. That is affirmative. That is when we desire that the Lord's will would make sense, when it is Christ's satisfaction that we seek and not our own. To satisfy what Christ says is the very plan for our life, the purpose of our creation. That is an affirmative belief, and when we ask Christ from that belief, He can answer. Then we ask of God, "Why did You have to go through the crucifixion? Why did we have to have this horrible event described in Your Word?"
     There are a lot of reminders in the Word for us to turn to. Isaiah, hundreds of years before, knew exactly what was going to happen. So it must be that, as He said, from the beginning this has been His plan. His plan was for the healing of our wounds, the salvation of our souls. That is why there was the crucifixion. That is hard to remember.
     Or we remember the first chapter of John, when the Word was made flesh and so subject to suffering, subject to pain and death, to dwell among us so that we may see the glory of the Father. That is why there was the crucifixion - so that we may see the glory of the Father. He was made flesh first so that He might show us that glory.
     This plan that He has for our salvation, and for the revelation of His glory, gives us a means to coming to an answer for the question "Why?" He did crush the serpent's head, even though it meant receiving a bruised heel.

108


He brought true peace for all time, for all people, even though the punishment was laid upon Him.
     He gave us the Father's good and perfect gift, we are told, but it was not by coming down from the cross. By bearing the passion He could rise again. He had a plan. He had the plan, the means, the purpose, the way to His glorification. And that was by putting off what was mortal and taking on the Divine. How else could the tomb be empty unless first it was filled? How else could He rise unless first He fell, as it were?
     And so our imagination gets caught up in the picture of the crucifixion, and it is horrific; it is horrible to us. It is unfair, it is unjust, it is cruel! It is wrong. "It could have happened otherwise, could it not?" we plead. Ah, but beware the doubt that could creep into such questioning. As it said in James, you will be tested. But you will come through by perseverance. A trial of faith is a sign that you are maturing. So rejoice! Well, that is a hard saying - especially when in the midst of a trial. Rejoice? In a trial? That is what it is to believe compared to what it is to doubt. When you can ask God, "Why? What is this trial about?" you may ask, as Christ did, "Can this cup pass? But Your will be done."
     Jesus Christ knew the answer. He knew the plan. It was His plan and He persevered. Through the questions He asked in the garden, through the questions that were asked of Him in His mock trial, through the questions that were asked of His own followers, why did He persevere? Because it was His passion. And that has two edges to it. There was His passion for the salvation of the human race that motivated Him and drove Him His entire life. It carried Him through all the trials and tribulations; it carried Him through the pain.
     And then there is the other edge of His passion: the suffering that He endured spiritually, because He was asking why. "Why have You forsaken Me?" He cried out before He died. But He did not doubt. He was not blown and tossed by the waves, by the wind. He knew that the temptation was from evil, that old serpent and Satan.

109


And He persevered, even though it meant the death of His body. That looks to us now, even as it looked to His disciples then, like a failure when, in fact, it was His victory. Is that why we call it Good Friday? Because He was victorious that day?
     So when you catch yourself asking, "Why, Lord?" stop that thought and replace it with an answer. He successfully accomplished His plan. He became righteousness itself. He became the Prophet, displaying for our understanding exactly what they were doing to His Word and to Him as Prophet. He successfully accomplished His plan, for His glorification, and for our redemption.
     Another answer is that His infinite love for our salvation was thereby lived out and fully expressed. He was made flesh in His incarnation, and He is now one with the Father. When we know Christ's love, we know the Divine love. And evil will become horrible to us when we see it; it becomes so ugly, so unjust and so wrong. We will see it as the evil that it is. Our horror as we contemplate the crucifixion is a powerful reminder of what it looks like to reject the Word, to reject our Savior.
     Now these are the answers that satisfy us. It is no longer history; this is the revelation of Jesus Christ. It is the answer that gives us that fulfillment, that joy, that peace, that He came to give us. We learn from James to take note of this: Do what the Word says, persevere through the test, look intently into that perfect law that gives freedom: freedom from doubt, freedom from slavery to sin. And all your questions of "why" will be answered by the perfect love of Jesus Christ.
     We pray: O Lord God, our Redeemer and Savior, Jesus Christ, we raise our thoughts toward You. We commit our hearts to You for You have made it possible for us to love You and be Your disciples. You did not fail. You completed the plan that You had from the beginning, and our gratitude is as unlimited as our poor and mortal frames can express. Joy will come in the morning, we know, but we ask that Your spirit will carry us through the night, that we might never have that negative doubt, O Lord.

110


So hear now our affirmative question, "Why?" as a prayer pouring forth from our humble hearts. And when You hear, give answer. Amen.

     Lessons: Matt. 27:32-56, James 1:3-18 NEW CHURCH LIFE IN 1914 1998

NEW CHURCH LIFE IN 1914       LEON RHODES       1998

     At the point generally known as "retirement," most of my past life activities dwindled and I found myself passing my declining years with reading. Not fond of novels and disinterested in the promoted "best-sellers," I was pleased when my youngest brother, Rev. Don Rose, editor of the New Church Life, gave me a bound copy of the 1914 issues, Vol. xxxiv, 792 pages assembled in a binding 2 3/4 inches thick! A quite bedraggled book, this was but one of the complete series in the Academy Library.
     It wasn't long before I realized that this was going to be "good reading" from two years before I was born. Much of it was similar to what arrives today each month, but there were notable differences. Strikingly, the sermons - at least one each month - would run 8 1/2, 9, 10 pages, even more, whereas currently they ran 4, 5 or maybe 5 1/2 pages, and the same is true of the articles published. As in 1914, there are letters and editorials, church news and an occasional poem, but back in 1914 there were illustrations - not many but effective drawings of the treasures gathered for the Academy's Egyptian collection.
     This volume on my lap was filled with history - history of the New Church, of the Bryn Athyn Society, and the Academy of the New Church, but also history from many distant groups scattered across the globe, and small items hinting at the world news of 1914, such as the first World War and church centers in Berlin (now Kitchener) Canada, Belgium, Spain, Brussels, Africa, Mauritius, the Hague and India.

111



     I do not claim to have read all of this tome, but I have greatly enjoyed visiting with distinguished leaders from the past, as well as numerous young men who would later assume roles in our church leadership. In addition to several good articles about the Egyptian collection, there was excitement in Japan, reports from Sweden about the recovery of Swedenborg's lost skull, and a detailed description of the thirteenth annual assembly of the General Church held in London.
     A rather brief entry on page 186 mentions the 1897 meeting which proved to be the founding of the General Church of the New Jerusalem in 1897, later to be called "Founders Day" and celebrated with an "expanded Friday Supper banquet." Elsewhere we find the note that Friday Supper "has been transferred to Wednesday evenings" to make more room for Friday social events. Personally, I noted that many of the reports of events in Bryn Athyn came from a "D.R." - my father, Don Rose, who, together with my grandfather, Rev. Frank H. Rose, was active in the London meetings.
     The bound volume includes an astonishing collection of articles, no fewer than 71 1/2 pages, plus exploring the controversy as to whether spirits and angels had bodies the "shape" and "form" of humans, with numerous citations (quite a few from the "nontheological" works by Swedenborg), including some rather harsh words in what developed into a dangerous battle. The subject had rumbled around for several years, and the article "The Spiritual Body and the Objective Reality of the Spiritual World" carefully addressed the "difference of view" within the church on a "fundamental teaching of the Writings" about the spiritual body and the objective reality of the spiritual world from John Pitcairn, the great behind-the-scenes benefactor eager to stop the muttering and bickering.

112


The closing issue of 1914, December, pleaded, "We have received a great number of communications dealing with the discussion on the shape of the spiritual body, etc. - more than we could possibly publish. Some of our readers are heartily tired of the controversy," although rumblings have occurred during the subsequent years.
     As the official organ, the Life did its duty in giving full reports of the Swedenborg Society's annual meeting, devoting almost six pages to "Statement of Order and Organization," as well as the "Report of the Committee on Church Extension [Evangelization]" and an itemized directory of the General Church five pages!
     The outbreak of the war in Europe invited the publication of many quotations on the doctrine of "Charity in Warriors," and a note to the readers that even such a conflagration was, in Providence, part of the preparation for the establishment of the New Church. The war, of course, affected the New Church in various ways, most serious after 1914, but there is a quaint account of one New Churchman detained at a border in Europe and charged with being a spy because of a book in his possession, Canons of the New Church.
     A bit surprisingly, although the cathedral was under construction, little is said about it. There was a complaint that the stone quarry near the Pennypack Creek was spoiling a favorite picnic ground, and a moving description of the ceremonies accompanying the laying of the cathedral cornerstone in the August edition, on the nineteenth of June, when the gathered residents sang the Hebrew anthem, "Odecha," the Psalm declaring that the stone rejected by the builders has become the head of the comer.
     It is not possible to give a full account, of course, and there are a great many other bound annual volumes, but how fortunate we are to have this marvelous record of our church and its people. This reader was delighted!

113


EXCERPTS FROM A PSYCHOLOGY OF SPIRITUAL HEALING 1998

EXCERPTS FROM A PSYCHOLOGY OF SPIRITUAL HEALING       EUGENE TAYLOR       1998

     Swedenborg once wrote, "The thoughts of angels were perceived as rainbows." An arch rationalist could not possibly believe this statement, first because it sounds like pure fantasy, but, more disturbingly, because it implies the reality of angelic beings. But Swedenborg, as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Charles Sanders Peirce, and William James did later, had a wider definition of reason than does the arch rationalist. In his arguments about the nature of psychological reality, Swedenborg appropriated intuition in service of reason. Logic is informed by insight, not separated from it. Or put more succinctly, Swedenborg maintained that spiritual consciousness is not a byproduct or a tributary; rather, it is the source of all discursive knowledge. Normally, we have been taught to think that anything presented to the logical mind has to come in the form of a concrete fact, which rational consciousness then registers as an abstraction, while the language of the spirit is all metaphor and imagery - that is, the product of our imagination.
     Ah, but if the rationalist only knew what imagination really is! Imagery, as we have said, is the doorway into the unconscious. Metaphor is the way rational consciousness is permitted to communicate with domains beyond itself. Communication is all nonverbal, for it has quite transcended language. So when Swedenborg conversed in rainbows, it was color and energy absorbed by the spirit, not merely words heard by the anatomical ear.
     The matter of angels, however, is more problematic. Swedenborg said angels are souls of the dead, who live in heaven in angelic form. There are also souls who exist as spirits in the intermediary plane - the world of spirits described in the preceding chapter - not having decided yet which affinities to associate with and hence whether they would live for eternity in the realms of the heavens or the hells.

114




     * * *

     Consciousness can adapt to ever-increasing levels of pain and suffering, as when the body builder or the soldier engages in extreme forms of physical training that seem to most of us to be beyond human endurance, or when rescue attempts under high drama call forth reserves of energy that allow us to dismiss temporarily a broken limb or a gunshot wound or freezing water until the person to be rescued is safe, whereupon we then collapse. As Frankl has shown, even extreme suffering can be a means of transcendence, depending on the attitude we take toward the pain we are called upon to endure.
     One reason for this, Swedenborg suggests, is that all events in the natural world conspire to show us what is spiritual. This is because the natural world is derived from the spiritual world, not the other way around. Science, however, tells us that the natural world is really all that exists. Conceptions of God, heaven, or spiritual realms are simply products of the human mind, at best fantasy or imagination. According to this view, we come to believe that the spiritual is derivative of the natural. Swedenborg, however, maintained that exactly the opposite is the case. The spiritual domain expresses itself throughout every aspect of nature in exact correspondence, so that everything in nature corresponds to some aspect in the life of the soul.

     * * *

     Western medicine, which has divorced itself from any spiritual references, maintains that disease and illness come to us because of genetic predisposition, accidental contamination, or dangerous conditions. These factors come to us as the result of chance or fate. In general, with the exception of certain lifestyle choices, illness is not equated with consciousness. A person's mental state is generally not thought to have any direct relation to a physical illness, sickness is not regarded as revenge for some act a person has performed, and the patient is generally not thought to be primarily responsible for becoming sick.

115



     Within Christianity, the biblical idea that illness comes to us as punishment for sin goes to the heart of the age-old theological problem of how a benevolent God can wreak such havoc and pain on those very human souls who have committed themselves to his service. In my opinion, Swedenborg gave this idea a profoundly psychological twist when he maintained that, while good and evil do exist, God is the source of all good, but mankind is the source of evil, which comes from the misuse of the capacities of rationality and freedom.
     We are free, in other words, to interpret illness in any manner we wish. Typically, in our various states of consciousness, we believe that there are different kinds of suffering. As a result, we can also make these important distinctions between different forms of healing: physical, psychological, and spiritual.
     For Swedenborg, angels are inhabitants of the celestial and spiritual realms. They are predicated on the fact that human beings have two memories: an inner and an outer, or a natural and a spiritual memory. The person who lives in the merely natural world, clothed in the ego and perpetually feeding the senses, does not know that he or she has an inner memory. But the inner memory is the more vast of the two, because the things contained in the outer memory are viewed in the light of the world, while what is contained in the inner memory is in the light of heaven. While we are not usually aware of it, it is from the inner memory that we are able to speak intellectually and rationally. All we have seen or heard or spoken or done is inscribed in the inner memory, because this interior memory is, in fact, the book of our life. In the inner memory are the truths of faith and the goods of love, to employ Swedenborg's terminology. All those things that we have acquired over a lifetime from habit (and are, therefore, obscured from the outer memory) are to be found in the inner memory. Spirits and angels speak to us from the inner memory and hence have a universal language; meanwhile the languages of the world are of the outer memory, and must be learned individually until such time as we have mastered them sufficiently to interpret their universal inner meaning.

116



     Swedenborg says that the angels are our interlocutors just after death, the ones who first talk to us of heaven, of what is good and true, and of the angelic life. But if we despised and hated these traits in physical life, in our death the angels will see into our interiors, and they will thus let us pass on, permit us to go on to the domains of our respective destinies that conform to the way we have lived and believed. God draws every spirit to himself, by means of angels and by influx, but the evil spirits within us resist and draw us down into the hells, according to Swedenborg's views.

     * * *

     Love is the only answer. The first law has for its basis forgiveness. One of the key psychological sources of illness is anger, which means that we are carrying around a great deal of submerged hatred. Usually, this anger is directed toward some person of our immediate acquaintance, but it could also be attached to something more abstract, like a group of people or a particular institution. In the end, we have to ask ourselves what it is that really matters. The amount of money we have accumulated? The number of cars we have in the driveway? How famous we have finally become? No, I would say that, in our hour of greatest need, or in our hour of greatest need of another, the answer is that nothing really matters but how we have loved.
     Swedenborg himself said that love is the key because cultivation of the right emotions allows the intellect to comprehend what is spiritual. Love is feeling - an intuitional emotion. Love transcends ideas. Love is eternal, even if the feelings change later, because once you have loved and have been loved in return, its effects are permanent. Love is forgiveness, because it is larger than momentary episodes of disappointment. Love more than conquers all; as Swedenborg said, "Love is the life of man."

117




     * * *

     We should cultivate the higher emotions. This is a very Buddhist idea but also a Swedenborgian one. Normally, when we are enmeshed in the material world, our emotions are governed by pleasurable and painful attachments to objects of sense desire. We experience pain even at the height of pleasure, because we often desecrate the moment with the thought that the pleasure will not last. At the same time, we invest permanency in material reality and are always destined to be disappointed when things change or when we finally realize that we have had our priorities in the wrong order, because, in reality, the natural is a mere product of the spiritual, not the other way around.
     One antidote for this, the Buddhists have said, is to cultivate the higher emotions. Instead of always being the victim of circumstance, tossed around by the vagaries of emotion, we should cultivate the will, which the Swedenborgians say is the means by which we govern the affections...
     According to Swedenborg, some people believe that to live a life that leads to heaven - that is, to lead a spiritual life - is difficult because they have to renounce the world, divest themselves of the lusts of the flesh, and live apart from others. They think they must reject worldly things such as riches and honors, that they must continuously meditate on God, contemplate salvation and eternal life, be in constant prayer, and always be thinking spiritual thoughts. This they suppose is the definition how to live in the spirit and not in the flesh. Swedenborg had learned from experience and by conversation with angels, however, that this is not so; moreover, he learned that those who follow this ascetic path are not always free from sorrow, nor do they always experience the joy of heaven. This is because a person's life always remains with him and him alone. In order to receive the life of heaven, we need to live in the world and engage in its business and its employments, and through this moral and civil life, receive what is spiritual.

118


In no other way can spiritual life be formed within us, or can our spirit be prepared for heaven. For to live internally while ignoring the external is to become a shut-in, a recluse, like a house without a foundation, which can only sink or fall.
     Translated into contemporary terms, the problem is that there seems to be a wide discrepancy between the life of the modern physician, who presents him- or herself as thoroughly enmeshed in the world, and the mystic, who has withdrawn into divine contemplation. Swedenborg's answer to this dilemma is clear. Spiritual self-actualization is the province of every person. While the individual might not have the technical expertise of the modern scientifically trained physician, and is therefore unable to treat complex physical diseases as a specialist would, every person has the capacity to heal from a spiritual standpoint.
     In the aftermath of spiritual healing, we may experience an overwhelming sense of loving presence. We may experience love for the world, for all that grows, for even the inanimate. This love, however - the consecration of the affections, the evolution of self-love and earthly love to new heights of spiritual feeling beyond any we had ever known - does tend toward a certain direction. It tends toward a life of the spirit, toward all sentient beings, living or dead. In the aftermath of spiritual awakening, Swedenborg suggests, evolves love for the neighbor, in whom we now see nothing less than the Divine Human.
     In the wake of being healed, there is only one question: "What can I do now with my life, except live in service to others?" Henceforth, we now know, there is only one way to conduct ourselves, one course to set, one star to follow. This is the path of selflessness, of planetary service, of a life dedicated to higher spiritual causes. In such dedication is the power to effect healing in others through prayer from a distance, to alter the conditions of the moment so that the hidden spiritual meaning of things becomes evident, to assist others both materially and psychologically be cause we now know the higher spiritual purpose of even the lowest of material things.

119



     Swedenborgians call this aftereffect of spiritual awakening the doctrine of uses. Use is the herb-yielding seed, for all truths end in usefulness. Our first thoughts of how to be of use are the beginnings of regeneration, while, in the end, the internal spiritual personality is formed by God to perform his uses. Spirits and angels are known by the forms of their uses, just as the intentions of human beings are revealed in their actions. After all, what is the wisdom of higher spiritual teachings and the love of God and the neighbor if not to find some useful working out of these attributes in the world, some practical application in everyday life.
     There are also, Swedenborg proposed, degrees of uses depending on spiritual purpose and ultimate effect in the world. The purpose of a broom is to sweep the room clean, but the occasion can also be an opportunity to sweep away unclean habits or to overcome sloth and torpor. To sweep our interior rooms clean could mean to empty out egotism in preparation for a filling up of spiritual knowledge. It could mean banishing from consciousness all thoughts that hinder us from spiritual liberation.
     The question is, of course, how do we know when an object is nothing more than it seems. The answer lies in context. Swedenborg answered by saying that, in the spiritual world, communication is effected directly without the mediating use of words, and the level of spiritual intention - that is, the degree of use - is known and understood immediately. In the world of the merely human, we hear only to the depth and the height that we are able
     The doctrine of use is the acting out of spiritual purpose in the material lives of others. It is the flow of divine energy into the world of the otherwise mundane. It is the revelation of spirit in nature, the actualization of spiritual wisdom using the conditions fashioned out of the immediate moment. It is the application of self-knowledge to the solution of practical problems in daily life.

120


It is the test of our beliefs by observing their consequences.
     This has profoundly important implications, if we would just think about it. The true end of all thought, all belief, all experience, is use. There may be a reality to the unseen, and the source of this unseen may be the spiritual dimension Swedenborg claimed; but its most direct manifestation is in the here-and-now, in the immediate moment, in concrete lives. The completion of the cycle is not a narcissistic turning inward so that our salvation is assured while that of others remains uncertain. Rather, it is the actualization of personal destiny through human relationships. The deepest and most holy embodiment of divinity is to be found in our connection to others.

Note: The above excerpts are from the newly published book A Psychology of Spiritual Healing, one of the "Chrysalis books." It is 200 pages, and is obtainable for $14.95 plus $4 postage from the Swedenborg Foundation, Box 549, West Chester, PA 19381; phone (800) 355-3222.

     Eugene Taylor holds a Ph.D. in the History and Philosophy of Psychology.
HARSH GOD? 1998

HARSH GOD?       NED UBER       1998

     At a Christian conference I attended in Austria, one of the speakers was David M. Rohl from London. He has done some exciting work revising the chronology of ancient Egypt, and thus is able to show where Joseph's efforts are evident in Egyptian history, where archive tablets of the time discuss David, Saul, and Jesse, as well as finding archeological evidence for many other facts of the Old Testament.

121


He has authored a TV series and a book, Pharaohs and Kings, A Biblical Quest. I encourage you to view them.
     David Rohl strongly stated that he had no trouble with the God of the New Testament, but was bothered by God as described in the Old Testament, especially His telling the Children of Israel to destroy so many cities, including women and children. A prime example was Jericho. Most of the conference attendees understood that this was simply God's judgment on the people of Jericho. God always knows what He is doing. He judges justly and inflicts punishment appropriately. Rohl wondered why God would condemn those who didn't know Him.
     I had a pretty clear sense that the story of the conquest of the land of Canaan occurred as it did so that it could represent or contain the internal sense. It represents how the Lord had to purify the church that had become false (see AC 8317). It also represents how, through the Lord's power, we have to root out evils in ourselves. It shows that regeneration is a progressive, orderly process, and the problems arise when some evils are left (see AC 9333, AE 650f). But this doesn't answer the concern that God commanded killing.
     I answered that God is love itself, and that He desires nothing that is evil (see HH 545). Evil actions in the Bible that are attributed to God are really from man's (mis)interpretation of God's will (see AC 1838, 2447). The Bible would have been different if it had been written about a different people (see AC 6832,10453).
     This note is to highlight that even in the letter of the Bible, this truth that God does not command evil can be seen. It can be seen in the details of the story of Jericho. The commands of the angel to Joshua end with the wall falling down and every man going forward (Joshua 6:2-5). Joshua's retelling of the angel's commands adds the statement about killing everyone, putting the treasure into the temple, and cursing the land.

122


God permitted Joshua's actions for the purpose of conveying the internal sense, but He didn't command it. This is illustrated below in the quotations which contrast what the Lord says through His angel with what the people actually did.
     After I showed David Rohl this detail of the story of Jericho, he asked why none of the other people who were part of our discussion questioned that the Lord had commanded the destruction of the people of Jericho. This helped me recognize the blessing of knowing the Lord through the internal sense of His Word. I hope that you find this useful when talking with people troubled by the appearance that God commands or causes evil.

     * * *

     
The Lord's Directions

     Joshua 5:13-15. And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand; and Joshua went unto him and said unto him, Art thou for us or for our adversaries?
     And he said, Nay, but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?
     And the captain of the Lord's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot, for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

Actions

     6:8. And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns passed on before the Lord and blew with the trumpets; and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them.

The Lord's Directions

     6:1-3. Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out and none came in.

123



     And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho and the king thereof and the mighty men of valor.
     And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.
     Actions
     6:9. And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rearward came after the ark, the priests going on and blowing with the trumpets.

The Lord's Directions

     6:4. And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns; and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.

Actions

     6:11-15. So the ark of the Lord compassed the city, going about it once; and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp.
     And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord.
     And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually, and blew the trumpets; and the armed men went before them, but the rearward came after the ark of the Lord, the priests going on and blowing with the trumpets.
     And the second day they compassed the city once and returned into the camp; so they did six days.
     And it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early about the dawning of the day and compassed the city after the same manner seven times; only on that day they compassed the city seven times.

The Lord's Directions

     6:5. And it shall come to pass that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up, every man straight before him.

124




Actions

     6:20-27. So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets; and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.
     And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox and sheep and ass, with the edge of the sword.
     But Joshua had said unto the two men that had spied out the country, Go into the harlot's house and bring out thence the woman and all that she hath, as ye sware unto her.
     And the young men that were spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and her mother and her brethren and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred and left them without the camp of Israel.
     And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein; only the silver and the gold and the vessels of brass and of iron they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord.
     And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day because she hid the messengers which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
     And Joshua adjured them at that time saying, Cursed be the man before the Lord that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho; he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.
     So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame was noised throughout all the country.

125


GROWING BEYOND THE NATURAL MASCULINE AND FEMININE APPROACHES 1998

GROWING BEYOND THE NATURAL MASCULINE AND FEMININE APPROACHES       Rev. ERIC H. CARSWELL       1998

     The Lord has clearly presented the idea that each of us is born with natural inclinations that are evil. They are destructive of useful thoughts and actions. They hurt us and others. He wants us to know that these inclinations will often not feel like an enemy. They will feel like "us." They inevitably prompt a life that we will need to consciously shun. This is the meaning of the Lord's words, "He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it" (Matthew 10:39).
     Considerable discussion has gone on throughout the history of the New Church about the nature of men and women and how they can usefully complement each other. The Lord has said many things that indicate that both the masculine and feminine have their strengths and weaknesses. We as a church are committed to helping human beings better understand and follow the Lord. We want to help people shun the evil loves and false ideas we incline to, and better use the wisdom and love He is working to create within us.
     From this context does this list of qualities sound like the goal we're striving for in a spiritually mature New Church male?
     critical rough
     resistant
     argumentative
     given to intemperance (fond of unrestrained freedom or pushing boundaries)
     Not likely. Whether the man is right or wrong in his opinion on an issue, these qualities will make him hard to work with and often unpleasant to be around.
     Now a second question: Does this list of qualities sound like the goal we're striving for in a spiritually mature New Church female?
     modest
     gracious
     peaceable
     compliant
     soft
     gentle

126



     Some people might say "Yes!" And yet the first list describes the intelligence of men "by nature," and the second is the intelligence of women "by nature," presented in Conjugial Love 218. It seems unlikely that one list of natural inclinations would be bad and the other good.
     Nearly everyone would agree that it isn't good always to be argumentative or always be soft (compliant). But some people would say you can always be "gracious" or "modest." However, what if "gracious" (refined or elegant) refers to a woman who would be so unwilling to say anything offensive or even confrontational that her manners are the model of "grace"? In this case being gracious would not be very useful or wise in some situations. Likewise, what if "modest" or unassuming refers to a woman who is so unlikely to rely on her own insights or perceptions that she gives way in all things to other people's opinions? In this case "modest" would actually mean "self-effacing." Note that "modest" in this list refers to a quality of intelligence, not modest attire and speech.
     Isn't the Lord trying to indicate by this passage that each - male and female - needs to grow beyond its nature and the problems that nature can bring? A spiritually maturing female should grow in her ability to be strong, firm, willing to take a stand, to speak up, to state things directly when a situation calls for these qualities. A spiritually maturing male should grow in his ability to be tactful, humble, willing to accommodate, gentle, and less likely to use anger and power to overwhelm opposition.
     I have recently seen several examples of males reacting with tremendous fury to women who were standing up for a principle, speaking out and not being peaceable and yielding. I think the natural male believes that she should be peaceable and yielding to him whenever he is determined in a direction! It would be very sad if this passage from Conjugial Love were used to assert that this is what the Lord also thinks she should do.
     We as a church are committed to helping human beings better understand and follow the Lord.

127


May we seek opportunities to learn from each other, be affected by each other, and to grow from an awareness of our own limitations. May we fight the natural inclinations that would harm us and the uses we seek to serve. May we all become wiser, more useful, more truly in the image and likeness of the Lord.
REVIEW 1998

REVIEW              1998

The Shorter Heaven and Hell, Emanuel Swedenborg, Seminar Books, London, 1993, 5f.

     This is a condensed version of Heaven and Hell done by Julian Duckworth and Trevor Moffat. I've long questioned whether the Writings could be profitably condensed. This version is about one sixth the size of the original in a small thin paperback of 158 pages. I was literally astounded to find how well the flavor and power of the original came through. The essence of Heaven and Hell is here. It is as though all the major ideas of the original stand out more clearly in this shortened edition. It sounds so much like Swedenborg that I thought perhaps they had simply deleted lines; but no, it is entirely rewritten.
     I have casually collected several versions of condensed Writings from the past. I have one of True Christian Religion that takes the view of someone analyzing the work. Wunsch's Notes on Conjugial Love is really a scholar's notes. There are a couple of works which give a continuous internal sense of the Bible. Everett Bray's Introduction to the Book of Revelation seems about the best of these. I even compared this version to Dole's translation. None seems to come up to the level of this book. It is as though Swedenborg is speaking here in a lyrical way that makes the high points stand out more clearly.

128


I sent for several more copies because this form seems preferable to give to a friend rather than the more daunting original.
     What are the uses of a shorter version? It is ideal for introducing people to Swedenborg. But surprisingly it also is useful to long-term readers of the Writings. It was so pleasant to review the vistas of heaven and hell in this shorter version. It lacks most of the scholarly apparatus (paragraph numbering, footnotes, and extensive Biblical references), so scholars would want this and the original longer version, though there is an index in this version. So this abridged version can serve all readers, but serious students will also want the original.
     My most significant finding is that the success of this work suggests that all concerned with publishing and disseminating Swedenborg should look at the potential of this form. Is this a job anyone can do? I doubt it. It probably needs to be done by those who love and know the Writings and are able to write well. Certainly this edition should be studied, and Duckworth and Moffat consulted. The question I've had for decades as to whether the Writings can be profitably condensed can now be answered yes. I don't see such a version as ever replacing the original, but for reaching more people, condensed versions can be an important supplement to the Writings.
     My hat is off to the two authors. It is such a pleasure to have an easily read way to revisit the vistas and wonders of heaven and hell.
     Wilson Van Dusen, Ph.D.
RETURN OF DELIGHTFUL STATES 1998

RETURN OF DELIGHTFUL STATES              1998

     All the states of delight of those who have lived in charity return in the other life and are increased immensely (NJHD 121).

129


LAUREL EXPANDS 1998

LAUREL EXPANDS       Jack Rose       1998

     Good news! This summer there will be four Laurel Family Camps. This will enable new families to attend for the first time. Old-timers will be able to attend for two weeks, or three or four! And it will enable college-age singles to attend with their friends.
     The first Laurel Leaf Academy camp in 1971 was designed for college-age singles. In each of the early years one third of the attendees were new graduates from high school. But later some of these got married, had children and wanted to bring them to camp.
     In 1979 a second week of camp was added to which children were invited. This camp was then redesigned as a family camp, and it became very popular and has grown ever since.
     In 1985 the one-week family camp was extended to two weeks, and the adult camp moved to New Jersey, newly named "Sunrise."
     Six years later in 1991 the family camp was extended to three weeks. These camps continued to be popular, with several of the weeks filling up as soon as the registration forms were available.
     We are limited to 148 persons at each camp. But since each family gets its own cabin, sometimes we run out of cabins before we reach 148 enrollments.
     Dates of the four identical, contiguous camps for 1998 are shown below. The registration forms will be out soon.
     Week # 1 July 19 - July 25
     Week # 2 July 26 - August 1
     Week # 3 August 2 - August 8
     Week # 4 August 9 - August 15
     Group Camp #2 in Laurel Hill State Park is a beautiful campsite with recently rebuilt beaches at the park lake. We are fortunate to have such an inexpensive summer camp only 60 miles from Pittsburgh. An entire family can attend Laurel for the cost of sending one person to a local "for-profit" camp. That's because all adults attending Laurel are on the unpaid staff. Expanding to four weeks will require that more adults take on staff jobs. Lists of the many jobs that need doing are being prepared.
     Jack Rose

130


THOUGHTS OF A FOOLISH HEART 1998

THOUGHTS OF A FOOLISH HEART       Editor       1998




     Editorial Pages
     When the Writings put the thoughts of foolish hearts into words, it affords us the opportunity to look at them objectively and sometimes to recognize the kind of thoughts that pass through our own minds. This can be an edifying experience.
     The following thoughts (quoted in n. 7217 of the Arcana) are in the minds of people who do not ascribe reality to things which belong to "their souls and heaven" but only to worldly things. These are people who would not be distressed over a matter of conscience.
     "What are faith and charity but mere words? What is conscience even? To feel distressed by these things is the same as being distressed by such things as a man sees within him from the silly creations of his fancy, and which he imagines to have some existence, although they have not any. Wealth and high position we can see with our eyes, and we know that they exist by the pleasure they afford, for they excite in our whole bodies an expansion and a fullness of joy."
     Let's look at that in the more recent translation by the Swedenborg Society. "What are faith and charity? Are they not mere words? And what indeed is conscience? Feeling distressed on account of these is feeling distressed on account of the kinds of things that insane imagination causes a person to suppose to be something when in fact they are nothing. But what wealth and prominence are, we can see with our eyes and feel with pleasure that they really exist, for they swell the body and fill it with joy."
     Then the following is added: "This is how people who are wholly natural think and so do they speak among themselves" (AC 7217).
SHORTER VERSIONS OF THE WRITINGS 1998

SHORTER VERSIONS OF THE WRITINGS       Editor       1998

     First of all let us talk about a little pamphlet that some have found valuable and many others don't even know about. It is called Seeing Is Believing.

131


The subtitle is "The New Church Faith." The first twenty pages are taken from the work The Doctrine of Faith, one of the Four Doctrines. It includes most of that book but not all of it, as anyone can see by the numbering. For example, it jumps from number 16 to number 25. The revised version of this pamphlet (published in 1992 by the General Church Book Center) has selected passages from three other works of the Writings.
     There is a page by the translator, the late David Gladish, and there is an engaging two-page introduction which says such things as, "A reader of these observations about faith is in for a pleasant surprise." It goes on to say, "The Christianity of Emanuel Swedenborg is the most primitive form of Christianity and at the same time the newest." Of Swedenborg it says, "He may be the least didactic theological writer you ever read. He writes in a spirit of spreading the facts before you - take them or leave them, but take them or leave them on your own conviction, never on his say-so." The first paragraph is translated as follows:
     Faith today means just thinking that something is so because the church teaches it, and because it is incomprehensible. For the church says, "Believe, and do not doubt."
     If you answer, "I don't understand this," they say that is why you have to believe.
     So today's faith is a faith in the unknown and can be called blind faith. It is one person's dictum in another person's mind, so it is a faith of hearsay.
     The following pages will show that this is not spiritual faith.
     The next book to mention is The Shorter Heaven and Hell, published by Seminar Books in England. This is reviewed on page 127 in this issue, and the only thing we would add is an observation we sent to the reviewer, Dr. Wilson Van Dusen. He agreed with it. The observation is that in this very much shortened version, all stories or anecdotes were left out. But this is unfortunate since these anecdotes are the very things that would be easily assimilated by the kind of person to whom one would give such a volume.

132



     Here is an example. "There was a certain hardhearted spirit with whom an angel spoke. At length he was so affected by what was said that he shed tears, saying that he had never wept before, but he could not refrain, for it was love speaking."
     Perhaps if there are further editions this point will be considered.
     Another book well worth mentioning is Awaken from Death (J. Appleseed and Co.). Most of this book consists of eight chapters of Heaven and Hell. It has excellent comments by Dr. James F. Lawrence. This eminently portable paperback, not much over a hundred pages, is really quite appealing.
     We would just mention the volume called The Compendium as something that has been around for a very long time. Perhaps we can talk about its qualities another time or about efforts to put together "daily readings." Some people think one of the best of such volumes was the one assembled by Dr. Michael Stanley called Emanuel Swedenborg, Essential Readings (NCL 1993, p. 357). We hope that you are aware of A Swedenborg Sampler, put together by Rev. Eric Carswell (see NCL 1993, pp. 323 and 420). These types of volumes, giving parts of the Writings, seem to come into being naturally because the Writings themselves are so voluminous. Think of the reasons Johnny Appleseed handed out the Writings only pages at a time.
     A reasonable objection might be that it is wrong to omit or "leave out" parts of the Writings. Is not a reader of Seeing Is Believing deprived of parts of the Doctrine of Faith? Well, one can give the Doctrine of Faith to a person who is willing to read it. The idea is to reach a greater number of people with something that would get them started. It is a way of inviting to the Writings, not diminishing from them. Note carefully the way The Shorter Heaven and Hell begins. It says, "Readers who find this version appealing are recommended to consult the full work." Then at the end of the volume there is a full list of the chapters of Heaven and Hell and a list of other books of the Writings.

133


This is a forthright approach and we applaud the motive behind it, that of bringing the Writings to people who might not otherwise be reached by them.
TWO EXAMPLES FROM DE VERBO 1998

TWO EXAMPLES FROM DE VERBO       Editor       1998

     The Swedenborg Society has published a new translation of the work entitled On the Sacred Scripture or the Word of the Lord from Experience. It has been known by the short Latin title De Verbo. Dr. John Chadwick has produced a modern translation which is bound up nicely in a small book complete with index. Here are two excerpts from the book which give an idea of the translation. The first deals with the question of direct revelation by means of spirits as contrasted with revelation by means of the Word. The second is about the natural and spiritual senses of the Word.

     How far indirect revelation made by means of the Word is superior to direct revelation by means of spirits.

     29 It is believed that a person could be more enlightened and wiser, if he had direct revelation by talking with spirits and angels, but the reverse is true. Enlightenment by means of the Word follows an internal path, but enlightenment by means of direct revelation follows an external path. The internal path is through the will into the intellect, the external path is through the hearing into the intellect. A person is enlightened by the Lord by means of the Word to the extent that his will is governed by good. But by hearing he can be taught and so to speak enlightened, even though his will is governed by evil. What enters the intellect of a person who is governed by evil is not inside him, but outside, being only in the memory and not expressed in the way he lives. What is outside him and not expressed in the way he lives, little by little disappears, if not earlier, at any rate after death. For a will governed by evil either rejects or chokes it, or falsifies and profanes it.

134


For the will controls the way a person lives, and continually acts upon the intellect, and it looks upon what the intellect has from memory as extraneous.
     On the other hand the intellect does not act upon the will, but only indicates how the will ought to act. If therefore someone knew from heaven all that the angels can ever know, or if he knew everything there is in the Word, and everything in all the teachings of the church, and in addition what the church fathers wrote and the councils laid down, and yet his will was governed by evil, he would still after death be regarded as knowing nothing, because he does not wish what he knows. Since evil hates truth, the person himself then rejects those things, and in their place adopts falsities which agree with the evil in his will.
     Moreover, no spirit or angel is given permission to teach anyone on this earth about Divine truths; but it is the Lord Himself who teaches each person by means of the Word. How much he is taught depends upon how far he receives in his will good from the Lord, and he receives the more, the more he shuns evils as sins. Also each person is in the company of spirits as regards his affections and the thoughts they inspire. In this company he is as one with them, so that spirits speaking with people draw on his affections to speak and are guided by them. A person cannot speak with other spirits, unless the communities to which he belongs are first removed. This happens only by reforming his will.
     Since a person is in the company of spirits who share his religion, the spirits who speak with him confirm all the religious principles he has adopted. So the spirits of the Enthusiast sect confirm all the details of Enthusiast belief the person has adopted; Quaker spirits all the details of Quaker belief, Moravian spirits all the details of Moravian belief, and so on. This leads to confirmations of falsity which can never be eradicated. These facts make it plain that indirect revelation by means of the Word is superior to direct revelation by means of spirits.

135


As regards myself, I was not allowed to learn anything from the lips of a spirit or angel, but only from the lips of the Lord.

     The truths which are called the truths of faith, and the kinds of good which are called those of love, are increased to an indescribable extent in the internal senses, and so in the heavens. What the natural sense is like without the spiritual and celestial senses, and these without the natural sense.

     49 The reason is that natural things are the effects coming from spiritual things, and spiritual things are the effects coming from celestial things. An effect is composed of so many elements invisible to the eye; these are causes so numerous that they could go on being counted for ever. An effect is gross, and the cause enters into every part of the effect, and is so to speak the common factor composing it, the particular details of which are completely outside the range of the eye's vision.
     50 A cause may be compared to a tree, which to the eye appears to have luxuriant branches, leaves and fruits; all of these are effects. But if you could observe a branch inside, down to its filaments, or a leaf down to its fibres, or a fruit down to its every detail, which are too small to see, and a seed with all its details too small to see, from which the tree and all its parts come, you would see what countless and indescribable secrets lie hidden beyond the range of the eyes. Once before an audience of angels a flower was opened up to its inner or spiritual components; and on seeing these they said it was as if a whole park were contained in it, made up of indescribable parts.
     51 Another comparison might be with the human body with all its limbs and organs visible, as compared with its inner structure.

136


Here there are so many organic forms, connected and making a single whole entirely by the secrets of all the sciences, so that you might say that the secrets of all the sciences have contributed to it, such as physics, chemistry, mechanics, geometry, acoustics, optics. These scientific secrets can never be fully investigated, because they cannot be grasped. This is what the interior is compared to the exterior, or the spiritual as compared to the natural.
FAMILY CAMP AT JACOB'S CREEK August 8 - 11 1998

FAMILY CAMP AT JACOB'S CREEK August 8 - 11              1998

     The camp that was formerly called "Peterkin Camp" will again be held at the Laurelville Mennonite Church Camp in the mountains of western Pennsylvania about fifty miles east of Pittsburgh. The camp is for all ages and combines a family vacation with an emphasis on the doctrines of the New Church. This year the theme is the Sermon on the Mount.
     A deposit of $25 per adult or $50 Per family is due by April 30 along with your registration form, which you may obtain from Pat David, 320 Pinoak Drive, Franklin, PA 16323; phone (814) 432-2099.
MINISTERIAL ANNOUNCEMENT 1998

MINISTERIAL ANNOUNCEMENT              1998

     The Rev. Mark Pendleton has accepted a call to become the pastor of the Phoenix Society effective July 1, 1998.
CELEBRATION IN STOCKHOLM 1998

CELEBRATION IN STOCKHOLM              1998

     Seventy people were present on January 29th for a celebration of Swedenborg's birthday at Riddarhuset, the House of Nobles. Hans Helendar gave a talk on Swedenborg's Latin poetry.

137


EVANGELIZATION Harnessing the Strength of Your Established Congregation 1998

EVANGELIZATION Harnessing the Strength of Your Established Congregation              1998

     Evangelization Seminar, Fall 1998, Glenview, Illinois

     The General Church Office of Evangelization is happy to announce that there will be an Evangelization Seminar hosted by the Glenview New Church October 2-3, 1998. The theme for this seminar is "Harnessing the Strength of Your Established Congregation." We will be focusing on the potential power and energy for the growth of the New Church that exists in our established congregations, as well as some of the challenges we face. The first seminar was at the Ivyland New Church in the northeastern part of the United States. The second was at the Sunrise Chapel in the southwest. We hope that hosting one in the midwest should allow for attendance by people from many areas. Although Tucson in February is hard to beat, early October in Glenview is often the best of fall weather.
     There will be plenary (full-group) presentations by Grant Schnarr, the Director of the Office of Evangelization, and a number of other people working in established congregations in the United States, Canada, and hopefully Brazil. The current schedule has space for twenty small to medium-sized workshops. As in the past, we seek to offer topics covering the basics of successful evangelization on a one-to-one level, to the specifics of programs and activities that have been tried and shown successful, to advanced principles of evangelization and implementation for those interested in leadership roles in this field. The registration fee for the seminar is $65.
     More information will be sent to the pastors of congregations in the coming months. We hope that many of you will be able to attend this seminar.
     If you have questions or would like to make sure that you get all the mailings, please contact me, Theresa L. McQueen, by mail (c/o Glenview New Church, 74 Park Drive, Glenview, IL 60025), by email ([email protected]) or by phone at (847) 998-9258.

138


SOWING THE SEEDS OF LOVE AND WISDOM Early Childhood Development Seminar 1998

SOWING THE SEEDS OF LOVE AND WISDOM Early Childhood Development Seminar              1998




     Announcements






Video and Audio Tapes
     Audio Tapes Available from the Sound Recording Library (215) 914-4980
     Tape 1 - $2 Reuben Bell
Tape 2 - $2 Peter Buss Jr. and Panel
Tape 3 - $2 Joanne Freer
Tape 4 - $2 Sonia Werner
     Video Tapes Available from the Office of Education (215) 914-4949
     Tape 1 - $10 Reuben Bell: "Neurophysiology of the Preschool Child" and Joanne Freer: "Educational Beginnings"
Tape 2 - $10 Sonia Werner: "Nurturing Moral Development" and Peter Buss, Jr. and panel: "Learning Styles of Girls and Boys"
Tape 3 - $10 The Waldorf Marionette Show and "The Future of New Church Early Childhood Programs"
     For more information call Cathy Schnarr (215) 914-4957.

140


REV. NICHOLAS ANOCHI VISITS SRI LANKA 1998

REV. NICHOLAS ANOCHI VISITS SRI LANKA              1998

      [Photgraphs]

     Rev. Sumanasiri Maitipe and Sister Grace Translating

141


GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM PUBLIC WORSHIP AND DOCTRINAL CLASSES 1998

GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM PUBLIC WORSHIP AND DOCTRINAL CLASSES              1998

     UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
     Alabama:
     Birmingham
Dr. Winyss A. Shepard, 4537 Dolly Ridge Road, Birmingham, AL 35243. Phone: (205) 967-3442.
     Huntsville
Mrs. Anthony L. Sills, 1000 Hood Ave., Scottsboro, AL 35768. Phone: (205) 574-1617. Arizona:
     Phoenix
Lawson and Carol Cronlund, 5717 E. Justine Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85254. Phone: (602) 9530478.
     Tucson
Rev. Frank S. Rose, 9233 E. Helen, Tucson, AZ 85715. Phone: (520) 721-1091. Arkansas:
     Little Rock
Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Holmes, 155 Eric St., Batesville, AR 72501. Phone: (501) 7935135. California:
     Los Angeles
Rev. John L. Odhner, 5022 Carolyn Way, La Crescenta, CA 91214. Phone: (818) 2495031.
     Orange County
Rev. Cedric King, resident pastor, 21332 Forest Meadow, El Toro, CA 92630. Phone: home (714) 586-5142; office (714) 951-5750.
     Sacramcnto/Central California
Bertil Larsson, 8387 Montna Drive, Paradise, CA 95969. Phone: (916) 877-8252.
     San Diego
Rev. Stephen D. Cole, 941 Ontario St., Escondido, CA 92025. Phone: home (619) 4328495; office (619) 571-8599.
     San Francisco
Mr. and Mrs. Philip C. Pendleton, 501 Ponola Road, Box 8044, Portola Valley, CA 94028. Phone: (415) 4244234. Colorado: Boulder Rev. David C. Roth, 4215 N. Broadway, Boulder, CO 80304. Phone: (303) 443-9220.
     Colorado Springs Mr. and Mrs. William Rienstra, 1005 Oak Ave., Canon City, CO 81212.
     Connecticut:
     Bridgeport, Hartford, Shelton
Mr. and Mrs. James Tucker, 45 Honey Bee Lane, Huntington, CT 06484. Phone: (203) 929-6455. Delaware:
     Wilmington
Mrs. John Furry (Marcia), 1231 Evergreen Rd., Wilmington, DE 19803. Phone: (302) 762-8837. District of Columbia:
     See Mitchellville, Maryland. Florida:
     Boynton Beach
Rev. Derek Elphick, 10621 El Clair Ranch Road, Boynton Beach, FL 33437. Phone: (407) 736-2843.
     Jacksonville
Kristi Helow, 6338 Christopher Creek Road W., Jacksonville, FL 32217-2472.
     Lake Helen
Mr. and Mrs. Brent Morris, 264 E. Kicklighter Road, Lake Helen, FL 32744. Phone: (904) 228-2276.
     Pensacola
Mr. and Mrs. John Peacock, 5238 Soundside Drive, Gulf Breeze, FL 3256 1. Phone: (904) 934-3691. Georgia:
     Americus
Mr. W. Harold Eubanks, 516 U.S. 280 West, Americus, GA 31709. Phone: (912) 9249221.
     Atlanta
Rev. C. Mark Perry, 5155 Paisley Court Lilburn, GA 30047. Phone: (770) 935-6661.
     Illinois:
     Chicago
Rev. Arthur W. Schnarr, 73A Park Drive, Glenview, IL 60025. Phone: (847) 724-5466.
Decatur Mr. John Aymer, 1434 E. Whitmer St., Decatur, IL 62521.
     Glenview
Rev. Eric Carswell, 73 Park Dr., Glenview, IL 60025. Phone: (847) 724-0120. Indiana: see Ohio: Cincinnati. Kentucky: see Ohio: Cincinnati. Louisiana:
     Baton Rouge
Mr. Henry Bruser, Jr., 6050 Esplanade Ave., Baton Rouge, LA 70806. Phone: (504) 924-3098.

142



     Maine:
     Bath
Rev. Allison L. Nicholson, I Somerset Place, Topsham, ME 04086. Phone: (207) 729-9725.
     Maryland:
     Baltimore
Rev. Willard L. D. Heinrichs, visiting minister, Box 717, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009. Phone: home (215) 947-5334; office (215) 938-2582.
     Mitchellville
Rev. James P. Cooper, 11910 Chantilly Lane, Mitchellville, MD 20721. Phone: home (301) 805-9460; office (301) 464-5602. Massachusetts:
     Boston
Rev. Geoffrey Howard, 17 Cakebread Drive, Sudbury, MA 01776. Phone: (508) 443-6531. Michigan:
     Detroit
Rev. Grant Odhner, 395 Olivewood Ct., Rochester, MI 48306. Phone: (248) 652-7332.
     East Lansing
Lyle and Brenda Birchman, 14777 Cutler Rd., Portland, MI 48875. Minnesota:
     St. Paul
Karen Huseby, 4247 Centerville Rd., Vadnais Heights, MN 55127. Phone: (612) 429-5289. Missouri:
     Columbia
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Johnson, 1508 Glencairn Court, Columbia, MO 65203. Phone: (314) 4423475.
     Kansas City
Mr. Glen Klippenstein, P. O. Box 457, Maysville, MO 64469-0457. Phone: (816) 4492167.
     New Hampshire:
     Hanover
Bobbie and Charlie Hitchcock, 63 E. Wheelock St., Hanover, NH 03755. Phone: (603) 6433469. New Jersey:
     Ridgewood
Jay and Barbara Barry, 474 S. Maple, Glen Rock, NJ 07452. Phone: (201) 445-3353.
     New Mexico:
     Albuquerque
Mrs. Carolyn Harwell, 1375 Sara Rd., Rio Rancho, NM 87124. Phone: (505) 896-0293.
     North Carolina:
     Charlotte
Rev. Fred Chapin, 6625 Rolling Ridge Dr., Charlotte, NC 28211. Phone: (704) 367-1930.
     Ohio:
     Cincinnati
Rev. Patrick Rose, 785 Ashcroft Court, Cincinnati, OH 45240. Phone: (513) 825-7473.
     Cleveland
Wayne and Vina Parker, 11848 Mumford Rd., Garrettsville, OH44231. Phone: (330) 527-2419.
     Oklahoma:
     Oklahoma City
Mr. Robert Campbell, 13929 Sterlington, Edmond, OK 73013. Phone: (405) 478-4729.
     Oregon:
     Portland
Mr. and Mrs. Jim Andrews, Box 99, 1010 NE 365th Ave., Corbett, OR 97019. Phone: (503) 695-2534.
     Pennsylvania:
     Bryn Athyn
Rev. Thomas H. Kline, Box 277, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009. Phone: (215) 947-6225.
     Elizabethtown
Mr. Meade Bierly, 523 Snyder Ave., Elizabethtown, PA 17022. Phone: (717) 367-3964.
     Erie
Mrs. Paul Murray, 5648 Zuck Road, Erie, PA 16506. Phone: (814) 833-0962.
     Freeport
Rev. Clark Echols, 100 Iron Bridge Road, Sarver, PA 16055. Phone: office (412) 353-2220.
     Hatfield
Mr. Peter Sheedy, 1303 Clymer St., Hatfield, PA 19440. Phone: (215) 842-1461.
     Hawley
Mr. Grant Genzlinger, Settlers Inn #25, 4 Main Ave., Hawley, PA 18428. Phone: (800) 833-8527.

143



     Ivyland
     The Ivyland New Church, 851 W. Bristol Road, Ivyland, PA 18974. Pastor: Rev. David Lindrooth. Phone: (215) 9575965. Secretary: Sue Cronlund. (215) 598-3919. Philadelphia New Church Korean Group, 851 W. Bristol Rd., Ivyland, PA 18974. Pastor: Rev. John Jin. Phone: (215) 443-2533 or (215) 947-8317.
     Kempton
Rev. Robert S. Junge, 8551 Junge Lane, RD # 1, Kempton, PA 19529. Phone: office (610) 756-6140.
     Pittsburgh
Rev. Nathan D. Gladish, 299 Le Roi Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15208. Phone: church (412) 731-7421. South Carolina:
     Charleston area
Wilfred and Wendy Baker, 2030 Thornhill Drive, Summerville, SC 29485. Phone: (803) 851-1245. South Dakota:
     Hot Springs
Linda Klippenstein, 604 S. River St. #A8, Hot Springs, SD 57747. Phone: (605) 745-6629. Virginia:
     Richmond
Mr. Donald Johnson, 13161 Happy Hill Road, Chester, VA 2383 1. Phone: (804) 748-5757. Washington:
     Seattle
     Rev. Erik J. Buss, 5409 154th Ave., Redmond, WA 98052. Phone: home (206) 883-4327; office (206) 882-8500.
     Washington, DC: See Mitchellville, MD.
     Wisconsin:
     Madison
Mr. Warren Brown, 130 Greenbrier Drive, Sun Prairie, WI 53590. Phone: (608) 825-3002.

     OTHER THAN U.S.A.

     AUSTRALIA
     Sydney, N.S.W.
Mr. Murray F. Heldon, 25 O'Briens Rd., Hurstville, NSW 2220. Phone: 61-295795248.
     GENERAL CHURCH PLACES OF WORSHIP
     BRAZIL
Rio de Janeiro
Rev. Cristovao Rabelo Nobre, Rod Mendes Vassouras, krn 41, Caixa Postal 85.711, 27.700-000, Vassouras, RJ Brasil. Phone: 55-21409-6586.
     CANADA
     Alberta
     Calgary
Mr. Thomas R. Fountain, 1115 Southglen Drive S.W., Calgary, Alberta T2W OX2. Phone: (403) 255-7283.
     Debolt
Ken and Lavina Scott, RR 1, Crooked Creek, Alberta TOH OYO. Phone: (403) 957-3625.
     Edmonton
Mrs. Wayne Anderson, 6703-98th Street, Edmonton, Alberta T6E 31-9. Phone: (403) 4321499. British Columbia
     Dawson Creek
Rev. Glenn G. Alden, Dawson Creek Church, 9013 8th St., Dawson Creek, B.C. VIG 3N3. Phone: home (604) 8437979; office (604) 782-8035. Ontario
     Kitchener
Rev. Michael K. Cowley, 58 Chapel Hill Drive, Kitchener, Ontario N2G 3W5. Phone: office (519) 748-5802.
     Ottawa
Mr. and Mrs. Donald McMaster, 684 Fraser Ave., Ottawa, Ontario K2A 2118. Phone: (613) 7250394.
     Toronto
Rev. Michael D. Gladish, 279 Burnhamthorpe Rd., Etobicoke, Ontario M9B IZ4. Phone: church (416) 239-3055. Quebec
     Montreal
Mr. Denis de Chazal, 29 Ballantyne Ave. So., Montreal West, Quebec H4X 2B 1. Phone: (514) 489-9861.
     DENMARK
     Copenhagen
Mr. Jorgen Hauptmann, Strandvejen 22, 4040 Jyllinge. Phone: 46 78 9968.
     ENGLAND
     Colchester
Rev. Kenneth J. Alden, 8 Stoneleigh Park, Lexden, Colchester, Essex C035EY.

144



     London
Rev. Frederick Elphick, 2 1 B Hayne Rd., Beckenham, Kent BR3 4JA. Phone: 44-181-658-6320.
     Manchester
Mrs. Neil Rowdiffe, "Woodside," 44 Camberley Drive, Bamford, Rochdale, Lancs. OL I I 4AZ.
     Surrey
Mr. Nathan Morley, 27 Victoria Road, Southern View, Guildford, Surrey GU I 4DJ.
     GHANA
     Accra Rev. William O. Ankra-Badu, Box
     113 05, Accra North.
     Asakraka, Ntcso, Oframasc
     Rev. Martin K. Gyamfi, Box 10,
     Asakraka-Kwahu E/R.
     Madina, Tema
     Rev. Simpson K. Darkwah, House No.
     AA3, Community 4, c/o Box 1483, Tema.
     HOLLAND
     The Hague
     Mr. Ed Verschoor, V. Furstenburchstr. 6, 3862 AW Nijkerk.
     JAPAN
     For information about General Church activities in Japan contact Mr. Tatsuya Nagashima, 30-2, SaijohNishiotake, Yoshino-cho, Itano-gun, Tokoshima-ken, Japan 771-14.
     KOREA
     Seoul
Rev. Dzin P. Kwak, Seoul Church of New Jerusalem, Ajoo B/D 2F, 10 19-15 Daechi-dong, Kangnam-ku, Seoul 135281. Phone: home 82-(0)2-658-7305; church 82-(0)2-555-1366.
     NEW ZEALAND
     Auckland
Mrs. H. Keal, 4 Derwent Cresc., Titirangi, Auckland 7. Phone: 09-817-8203.
     SOUTH AFRICA
     Gauteng
     Alexandra Township
Rev. Albert Thabede, 303 Corlett Dr., Kew 2090. Phone: 27-11443-3852.
     Balfour
Rev. Reuben Tshabalala, P.O. Box 85 1, Kwaxuma, Soweto 1868. Phone: 27-11 - 932-3528.
     Buccleuch
Rev. Andrew Dibb, P.O. Box 816, Kelvin 2054. Phone: 27-11-804-1145. Diepkloof Rev. Jacob M. Maseko, P. O. Box 261, Pineville 1808. Phone: 27-11-938-8314. KwaZulu-Natal
     Clermont and Enkumba
Rev. Ishborn Buthelezi, P.O. Box 150, Clernaville 3602. Phone: 27-317071526.
     Durban (Westville)
Rev. Lawson M. Smith, 8 Winslow Road, Westville 3630. Phone: 27-31825-351. Rev. Geoffrey S. Childs, 7 Sydney Drive, Westville 3630. Phone: 27-31-262-8113.
     Eshowe/Richards Bay/Empangeni
Mrs. Marten Hiemstra, P. O. Box 10745, Meerensee 3901. Phone: 0351-32317.
     Impaphala and Empangcni
Rev. B. Alfred Mbatha, c/o 7 Sydney Drive, Westville, 3630.
     Kwa Mashu and Hambrook
Rev. Chester Mcanyana, H602, Kwa Mashu, 4360.
     Westville (see Durban) Western Cape
     Cape Town
Mrs. Sheila Brathwaite, 208 Silvermine Village, Private Bag # 1, Noordhoek, 7985. Phone: 27-21-7891424.
     SWEDEN
     Jonkoping
Rev. Ragnar Boyesen, Oxelgatan 6, S-565 21 Mullsjo. Stockholm Rev. Goran R. Appelgren, Aladdinsvagen 27, S-167 61 Bromma. Phone/Fax: 46-(0)8-26 79 85.
     (When dialingfrom abroad, leave out zero in parentheses.)
     Note: Please send any corrections to the editor.

145


Title Unspecified 1998

Title Unspecified              1998

     
Vol. CXVIII April, 1998 No. 4
     New Church Life


146


Notes on This Issue 1998

Notes on This Issue              1998

     "The Word tells us a good deal about cloning, but only indirectly." Rev. Alfred Acton's sermon makes interesting applications, repeating the question: "Am I my brother's keeper?"
     Bishop Willard Pendleton passed into the spiritual world on February 12th. After the memorial address by Rev. Dan Goodenough on page 155, there is an outline of highlights of his career.
     In this issue Rebecca Cooper shares with us findings in her studies of Augustine (p. 167).
     What might a bee do if she had an individual will such as humans? Savor the question and enjoy the whimsical letter from Steve Gladish (p. 185).
     We are especially proud to have the article called "Some Thoughts on the Bible Code." We have seen interesting reviews and articles in religious publications, but Bill Clifford's comments are outstanding.
CAIRNWOOD VILLAGE 1998

CAIRNWOOD VILLAGE              1998

     Cairnwood Village is a non-profit retirement community sponsored by the General Church of the New Jerusalem for members of any recognized New Church organization. Situated in the heart of Bryn Athyn, PA, Cairnwood Village offers modern apartment living in peaceful and secure surroundings. Several apartments are available in the new wing, which is nearing completion. In addition we have a one-bedroom apartment available in the original building. Please direct inquiries to Khary Allen at Box 550, Bryn Athyn, PA, 19009, or call her at (215) 947-7705.

147


PRUDENCE AND PROVIDENCE 1998

PRUDENCE AND PROVIDENCE       Rev. ALFRED ACTON       1998

     "And Cain said, 'I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?'" (Genesis 4:9)

     These words, spoken so long ago, have echoed through the pages of history. Again and again in different generations people have asked the same question: "Am I my brother's keeper?" They have said, "What is my responsibility to other people? What is my responsibility to people yet unborn? How do I exercise that responsibility once I know what it is? Am I my brother's keeper?"
     When the Lord created the world, He gave mankind the responsibility to have dominion over everything that He had made. We learn from the Lord's New Word that there are two different kinds of dominion. There is the kind of dominion that exists in hell. That kind of dominion constantly wants to take from others. It wants to enslave people. It wants to get its own way, caring not for the good of others. Then there is the dominion of heaven. The dominion of heaven wants to serve, wants to share, wants to care for others. Clearly, if we seek to understand how we can be our brother's keeper, we need to reflect upon how to exercise heavenly dominion; how to care properly for others; how to share of ourselves as servants for others; how to use our prudence as a servant and minister to our Heavenly Father's goals for the human race.
     But who are our brothers, and in what way are we their keepers? Our brothers come in various classes, each demanding different concern. First there are the unborn generations of those who will follow us on this planet. We owe them the opportunity to enjoy life here. They must find life here of such a quality that they can in fact find their way to heaven. Then there are children who need to mature in such a way that they will share the freedoms we enjoy, freedom to exercise our rationality as we practice the life of charity. We owe children both the discipline to become responsible adults and the right to exercise that freedom.

148


Another group of brethren are the irresponsible who would exercise the freedom of hell. It is our duty to demand that such individuals be restrained from their intended exploitation. Such demands take form in both moral and civil acts. So we expect our country to enact laws to protect us even as we exercise moral sway to control evil. Finally, there are those with us who practice the life of heaven. They are responsible for their conduct, seeking to live the life of religion, which in essence is to do good. They practice the golden rule, seeking to do unto others what they would expect from them. Our country should also protect the rights of the responsible. A country is like a parent. It must treat all its citizens as its own offspring. But the job of being a parent is to stop. When children grow up, they must be free. So with citizens in a country. Unless citizens are irresponsible, they should be left alone, as long as that freedom is in turn reciprocated. That is what true brethren do. They live together in the life of mutual love, in the life of love one to another. But as citizens we need to be assured that actions are responsible. We need to ask why, and expect an acceptable answer.
     Ever since the devastation of the Most Ancient Church, people have had to use their heads to control tendencies toward evil within them, and so to change their lives, in order to enjoy the happiness of heaven. The wise use of understanding, learning from the Lord's Word what is truth and then forcing ourselves to live by that truth, is the only path to heaven people today may follow. We must use our heads if we seek the kingdom of God. But how do we use our heads? In our lesson from Divine Providence the answer is clear. We must use prudence, which is the use of understanding. We must use prudence as the servant and minister to humbly do the bidding of our Heavenly Father. But how do we know what is the Lord's bidding? Obviously there is only one source of truth and that is the Lord's Word.
     The use of people's heads has produced on this planet a wealth of technology.

149


Think back in history to the invention of the plow, a dramatic use of a person's head to produce an instrument which allowed one person to feed three others - a wonderful event! From the leisure time that the people freed from farming came great literature, art, and other wonderful gifts as people exercised their prudence to learn how truth can be used for the good of others. But at the same time, when we look at that invention we find people starting to covet. We find people enslaving others. We find all kinds of tragedies.
     Some might want to blame the plow, but of course you can't. The plow is no more responsible for the evils arising from the leisure it produced than it is for the good which came from it. A piece of technology is only as good as the people who use it. Just as all things of this world can be for good or can be turned toward ill, depending on how people exercise dominion, so with technology. It is either good or ill depending upon how it is used.
     Think of medicine. Medicine tries to cure disease. We know very well that disease is from hell, so the use of medicine to cure disease has to be a valuable thing. But how often in the name of medicine have we seen tragedy. How often have we seen people experimenting medically and ending up hurting the innocent. It is not the medicine that is the problem; it is the experimenter.
     Still we must keep in mind that the wise use of technology is a wonderful gift. The Lord was born on this planet because we had a certain kind of technology. We were able to print, to write books, to give the history of the world in a formal sense. It is specifically taught in The Earths in the Universe that the Lord chose to be born here because of that piece of technology. Yet when you look at the press, what terrible things have people printed. Just think of all the pornographic literature and you get some idea of how perverted the press can be, although it is also the basis for the Lord's Word with us. It is again not the technology, but how it is used that makes the difference.
     Throughout history, people have experimented in developing new technology. With success they have opened marvelous potential for human development.

150


They have crossed thresholds for the betterment of mankind. But crossing thresholds into new forms of technology is scary. What will the consequences be? For example, we know that during the Second World War the people who were working on the atomic bomb probably thought they were going to bring that war to an end quickly. They saw some important value in the development of the technology in which they were involved. But look what happened at Chernobyl. Was that good? Was crossing the threshold into atomic power something we should have done? Certainly we now have kinds of energy that we never had before. Once again it is not the technology; it is the use that we put it to which determines the value of the technology.
     I was once talking to a person who wanted to do something with a computer. I said, "Why do you want to do that?" The answer was, "Because I can." That's not good enough. It is not good enough to do something simply because "I can." We must see some good as a clear outcome when we use our prudence. For the use of prudence in its proper place is to work with the Lord, seeking His Divine ends.
     Recently in Scotland people cloned a sheep. Still more recently people have cloned a cow. Presumably, we might be able to clone ourselves. Cloning opens a new threshold for technology. In fact, the whole field of genetic engineering opens up the possibility perhaps for good, but also the possibility for evil.
     How do we know how to properly exercise our prudence in the development and use of this new technology? We need to look at the Lord's Word. But what does the Lord tell us about cloning or genetic engineering? Where in the Word would we look to find answers to questions of such a nature? The fact is that the Word tells us a good deal about cloning, but only indirectly. The Word has infinite truth but its application takes careful study.
     What about cloning? We learn from the Word that the soul of a human being begins in the ovum, a very important teaching (see AC 3570). Now what does "beginning in the ovum" mean?

151


Many people think of the soul as some little person waiting to be born. But that is not what the Writings teach. The soul is not a preformed entity waiting to be born. It comes from the father, but develops successively. All you have to do is think of identical twins. One soul in one seed from the father begins the process. Then that fertilized cell divides and produces two separate people each with his or her own soul. The soul begins in the ovum as chromosomal pairing takes place. It then goes through a process of growing along with the physical body, and more and more that soul becomes capable of being human. It eventually exercises true humanity by making free-will decisions. The first phase of the process after fertilization is for the soul to align itself with the brain. This soul-brain interaction is what dominates during the period of the embryo. The next phase of the soul's development happens when the brain and the heart start working together. The soul takes another step in becoming a human being. This is the state of the soul in the fetus. At birth the soul finds fall conjunction with the body as the lungs open. With the act of breathing we find a new interaction between the soul and the body. The brain's motion is changed from a corresponding motion in the heart to a harmony with the lungs. This change marks the beginning of a person who will live to eternity. So the soul gradually forms in the womb after it begins in the ovum.
     How does this process relate to cloning? When you clone, you take a single cell that is alive. It has the living person's soul which was from the father within it, just as the cell which divides in producing identical twins has the soul within it. When cell division begins, it differentiates from its former host. It will grow. It will eventually form a new being, someone other than the person from whom that cell was taken, with its own life before it. It is an identical twin to the person who donated the cell from which it sprang.
     Why would we want to clone someone? What motives are involved in cloning? One motive people have suggested is to get fetal tissue.

152


We can use fetal tissue to cure certain kinds of diseases. Remember, the soul begins in the ovum. Fetal tissue is part of a new person in process. If we take the fetal tissue of a cloned entity and use it, we must abort that fetus. The very same issues that we would apply to abortion apply to that use of the cloned being. Another motive suggested is to get spare parts which can be used to cure the donor. The donor might think, "I will make another person, that is, clone myself, and then I'll take his kidneys, or perhaps I'll take his heart, and I'll be much better off for it." But when a person is born, that person is a separate entity. It is a new soul, a new person.
     In fact, if we are cloning to take a heart, we are committing murder, because we will kill another person. If we are cloning for some other kind of spare part, do we have such a right? Ethically the only person who can decide whether or not to donate organs is the person who has them. The cloned person needs to make the decision as to whether he will give something of himself. So the donor will have to wait until that cloned person is an adult and capable of making a rational decision. Such maturity will take at least eighteen years, which will probably be too long for the donor to wait.
     Another suggested motive for cloning is to reproduce a loved one. You have a little boy. He was hit by a car and he is dying. If you can clone your little boy, you can get him back. Of course it is not going to happen. You will not get your little boy back. Instead you will get his identical twin. We know identical twins are often very different in the way they behave.
     In Arcana Coelestia 1270, we are shown a very wrong reason for reproduction. The passage is talking about the people of the antediluvian race, the worst people who ever lived, the people at the time of the flood. It says these people gloried in their large number of children. They could line them up in a curved line and point to each in turn saying, "There am I, there am I, there am I." Certainly, if we are cloning simply to see ourselves continue, to see ourselves continue after our own death, our motivation is selfish.

153


"There am I" is a very faulty reason.
     We have talked about the use of technology. Advances in technology must look to some use. It is not good enough to say, "Because I can." We might see some real value in cloning either a sheep or a cow. The cloned animal might be of such a nature that the unique form is most desirable. But we as individuals looking at technological advances must constantly say, "What is the use? Why are you developing this particular thing?" People who are in charge of technology need to be held accountable. We are our brother's keeper. We need to ask why: Why are you doing this? What is the good that you seek to promote?
     The field of genetic engineering is indeed a scary one. There are many implications of things we can do as we start to take charge of our own reproduction, of our own heredity. There are some interesting teachings about the nature of heredity that perhaps look to a good use of genetic engineering. We hear people saying that they could change our genes in such a way that certain tendencies to inherited diseases could be eradicated. A person with an inherited trait for insanity might have a genetic change which would eliminate the birth of insane children. In Arcana Coelestia 310, we read about people before the Most Ancient Church, people called Pre-Adamites. These people regenerated from being merely natural to being spiritual. At length they became celestial. When they became celestial, there was a change in their seed, a genetic change that allowed them to pass on to their children tendencies toward celestialness. When people fell, they passed on to their children tendencies toward evil once again, probably through genetic change. Could we, if we practiced wise use of genetics, eradicate tendencies toward evil in our children, giving them a better background for choosing heaven? Certainly a wonderful thought. Such a development may be possible, but people of today, being what they are, have no sense of promoting such good. Again, we need to ask why: Why are you doing this?

154



     We do know that people today do pass on good inclinations to their children. Conjugial Love 202 says that couples in love truly conjugial pass on to their children, if a boy, an inclination toward greater wisdom, and if a girl, an inclination toward deeper love. We can through the medium of genetic engineering pass inclinations to good to our children, but will we? The fact is that we are our brother's keeper. As our world crosses a new threshold into greater technology we need to be concerned; we need to say, "Why?" It is not good enough to simply say, "I can do it, so I will do it." We must ask what is the good: What is the good you see in the technology that you are developing?
     Technology will continue to cross many thresholds. Look what is happening in our world in the field of communications. But whatever the threshold, we as individuals need to ask, "What is the use in what is contemplated? How will new technology promote the well-being of the human race? What are the potential problems which might arise?" Long ago the question was asked; the answer needs to be given in every generation. It is not good enough to say, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" Amen.
     Lessons: Genesis 1:24-28, 4:1-9; DP 210 BONDS OF SOCIETY 1998

BONDS OF SOCIETY              1998

     "Uses are the bonds of society, which are as many in number as there are good uses; and uses are infinite in number." This is from Conjugial Love 18, which speaks of spiritual uses, moral and civil uses, natural uses and bodily uses.

155


MEMORIAL ADDRESS THE RT. REV. WILLARD DANDRIDGE PENDLETON (1908-1998) 1998

MEMORIAL ADDRESS THE RT. REV. WILLARD DANDRIDGE PENDLETON (1908-1998)       Rev. DANIEL W. GOODENOUGH       1998

     Bishop of the General Church of the New Jerusalem 1962-1976

     "Man is born not for the sake of himself but for the sake of others; that is, he is born not to live for himself alone but for others; otherwise there could be no cohesive society, nor any good therein" (TCR 406). The implication of this teaching is profound. Our purpose in life is not to maximize our own happiness or levels of comfort, not to exert influence for our own benefit, but to perform works useful to other people. By ourselves we may see life as the way to fulfill what we want, but from the Lord's eternal perspective, human satisfaction results from subordinating ourselves to benefit others in use.
     The vision of human existence that begins from God leads us to see ourselves as His servants, as workers in a boundless kingdom of uses where fulfillment comes not from self-exaltation, but from receiving Divine love and giving of that to others. The Lord in His Divine Human becomes truly our God when we place uses from Him above the ego-centered wishes that arise from self.
     These are lofty ideals indeed, and in many respects out of touch with the mood of our 20' century, so interested in understanding self, satisfying self, pleasuring self, centering one's life on self. But the lofty ideals were imbibed from childhood by our friend and leader Willard Dandridge Pendleton. As we celebrate his awakening in the world of spirits, freed from weakened flesh and coming into the use of a healthy spiritual body to match his mental vigor, let us consider his life in terms of the truths and goods which in the Lord's providence formed his character.

156



     Born in Pittsburgh in 1908 as the second son of the Rev. Nathaniel Dandridge and Mrs. Bea Childs Pendleton, Willard Dandridge moved with his family to Bryn Athyn the year World War I broke out. After graduation from the Boys Academy he attended the University of Pennsylvania and earned a degree in economics, with major courses also in pre-law and English. But as his college career closed, he underwent a change of heart about his career direction and decided to enter the Academy Theological School. Having explored important areas of interest to him, he had concluded that his first wish was to study and teach New Church doctrine. This was a crucial and defining decision that directed his own life forever more, and would bless the New Church for many years to come, through his scholarship and priestly leadership.
     Willard Pendleton took his theological education in the early 1930s, during a time of growing and important controversy about the nature of the Writings, and about the degree of certainty to be granted to an individual's understanding of the Writings. Partly from this controversy he became keenly sensitive to the essential human question: What leadership should we follow? What can man trust? Knowledge of true theology and use of the Word do not ensure we will be led by the Lord, because it is possible to know and use Divine revelation so as to lead oneself rather than to be led by the Lord. To be led by the Lord and not by ourselves we need not only to understand the Word, but also to use it as our prime authority in living and deciding life's many questions.
     Willard Pendleton has always asked, "What comes first; what is first; what should be first?" He became a champion of the authority of the Writings primarily out of spiritual and pastoral concerns: the human proprium or ego needs something outside of self to guide it. This something outside of self should be the Word of God. The alternative is to lead oneself, and to use the Word in ways which promote one's own sight more than the Lord's vision. We need the Word not as our second or third guide, but as our first, as our rock, our primary source of ideas, our fundamental inspiration.

157


[Photograph of the Rt. Rev. Willard D. Pendleton]

158


The Word should be where we always go first for answers, the touchstone by which we evaluate all other ideas, our one essential source of light. To be led by the Lord in His Word means to use the Word as our first and one true essential guide in life, the only source of truth we can follow as always reliable. Willard Pendleton loved the authority of the Word because it is the way to the Lord and individual regeneration.
     In 1933 the Rev. Willard Pendleton began his service to the General Church, teaching Religion and English in the schools of the Academy of the New Church. A year later came two defining changes. He married Gabriele Pitcairn, and was called to be the pastor of the General Church Society in Pittsburgh. The young bride joined her husband to serve the church in a new and challenging setting. While young Pastor Pendleton was well received as shepherd of the Pittsburgh flock, the family began to grow. Over the years six children were born (Brent, Kirk, Kerry, Jill, Joan, Laird), and all became New Church adults who married to raise their own families with New Church values. The direction provided by the Lord in His Word is a value deeply imbibed in Willard's and Gabriele's descendants, because it is from the Lord that all goodness comes to the children of men.
     The World War II years were difficult for the General Church, but the pastoral leadership in Pittsburgh was strong and successful. After a decade Willard was called to serve again as a teacher in Religion and English in the Academy schools. Within two years he became head of the Religion and Education Departments. At this time, 1946, he was also ordained into the third degree of the General Church priesthood, and became Executive Vice President of the Academy. When five years later Bishop de Charms became seriously ill, Bishop Pendleton served as his representative for over a year. In 1954 the 2011 General Assembly elected him as Assistant Bishop, and when Bishop de Charms retired in 1961, Bishop Pendleton became Acting Bishop. The 1962 General Assembly in Bryn Athyn voted him to become the fourth Executive Bishop of the General Church.

159


When he later retired from all offices, he had labored as a priest in the Lord's vineyard for 43 years, 30 as bishop and in a leading role at the Academy.
     Significant changes went forward during his fifteen years of executive leadership in the General Church. Back in 1961 the Bishop also was President of the Academy and the Pastor of the Bryn Athyn Church, which then had almost no pastoral staff of its own. To provide administrative division of labor, Bishop Pendleton began a delegation of functions of the bishop's office. This process has been continued by his successors and is still under way. The Bryn Athyn Church began to have its own pastoral staff, with a Dean who was responsible for Bryn Athyn pastoral uses. Later an Executive Vice President of the Academy was appointed, and then Bishop Pendleton introduced our present structure, in which the Executive Bishop serves as Chancellor and Chairman of the Board, and another priest, not a bishop, serves as full-time president.
     An important feature of his administrative leadership was the effort to involve more people in counsel and decision-making in the General Church, the Academy, and the Bryn Athyn Church. He found ways to enlarge the number of individuals who exercise influence in governance. Known as a strong leader, Bishop Pendleton kept his eye on the freedom of the church and initiated important developments toward broader participation in the church's life and leading.
     One important initiative by Bishop Pendleton, among other organizational improvements, was General Church commitment to translation of the Writings, so that accurate and readable volumes would be available for all. In addition he provided formally for evangelization as a use of the General Church. This step acknowledged what had been a General Church belief since its inception, and reflected a growing desire among clergy to make known the Heavenly Doctrines to the world.

160



     When he became Executive Bishop, Willard Pendleton made plain his personal preference for uses of scholarship and teaching, and he accepted the call to episcopal leadership as dedicating himself to what he understood was most needed, not to what was most pleasing to him personally. But few were surprised when he continued to study, write, and publish frequently. His writing and teaching always centered on the most cogent points, on what comes first, and he organized other ideas to clarify essentials.
     Serving in the episcopal degree for 30 years, and with a strong bent to carry out administrative needs, he was particularly sensitive to the freedom of the church. Preserving the church's freedom, he believed, was the bishop's first responsibility. His sermon entitled "Law of the Pledge" (New Church Life, 1957, pp. 51-55) will forever remain a classic statement of the need to respect the freedom of others as "the highest form of charity."

When doctrinal differences arise, or when through ignorance or seeming indifference others are unmindful of their obligations to the church, we are not to insist. Our only recourse is to the Divine Law .... We may plead our cause, but we are not to force him against his will .... No man, be he priest or layman, is to require of another that which is not offered in freedom (p. 52).

So it is that he who instructs or advises another, he who in one way or another seeks to lead men in the good of life, must speak the truth. If the truth does not convince we are not to enter his house, for the spirit of persuasion is an evil thing (pp. 52-53).

To return the garment is to return to the neighbor the full use of his own conscience in the application of doctrine to life; or, where differences exist, to desist from dispute when it is apparent that the mind of another is being forced. Especially is this true when men come into states of uncertainty regarding doctrines and principles (p. 55).

     Bishop Pendleton's teaching, his prime love, will endure as his principal influence on later generations, through many published sermons, addresses and other studies. How as bishop he continued to study, write, and publish is a wonder and inspiration for a later age caught up in a speedier world, dominated by so-called laborsaving devices.

161



     His greatest scholarly contributions relate to New Church education, reflecting his deep love of teaching children and young people in the light of the Lord's Word. From his inauguration as priest, not a year passed until his retirement that he did not devote major responsibility to New Church education. To begin with, he was a great teacher of young people, also of young marrieds, as he conveyed his affection both for them and for his subject, and skillfully led them to understand for themselves the meaning of ideas. He befriended many young people. As pastor in Pittsburgh he headed a General Church school. In the Academy as a popular teacher, as department head in Religion and Education, then as Executive Vice President, and from 1958 on as President of the Academy, he gave much of himself to educational uses. Our Education Council took its present shape largely from his strong leadership. The mark of a true leader showed in his ability to inspire teachers from around the world to give up some of their summer to come together to meet, plan curriculum, and inspire each other. Our present movement toward curricular coordination throughout General Church and Academy schools is a direct consequence of his educational leadership fifty years ago.
     At the Academy his creative energy and administrative leadership brought the college forward to become a higher education center for many more than future theologs and teachers. He was led by the vision of the Academy movement, that New Church doctrines should enlighten every area of human life, and he understood that New Church education absolutely requires an intellectual center where doctrines are researched in depth, and where secular subjects are studied, reorganized, understood and taught in the light of the philosophical doctrines revealed by the Lord in the Writings of Swedenborg. The distinctively New Church first-year philosophy course was developed by him. And in administrative follow-up Bishop Pendleton promoted the growth of a distinct college faculty.

162


He recruited outstanding staff for the Academy, men and women who married excellent scholarship in their academic fields with doctrinal capability. All the Academy and especially the college owe much to this man who shared the university dream with earlier New Church leaders, going back through his uncle W. F. Pendleton, William Henry Benade, J. P. Stuart, Richard de Charms and others back to Robert Hindmarsh. Bishop Pendleton developed the dream and found ways to make it a reality for growing numbers of college-age young people in our troubled 20' century.
     Yet Bishop Pendleton's primary legacy in education is scholarly. His most important work was published first as Foundations of New Church Education, later revised, then expanded into the classic volume Education for Use. It explains the why and how of New Church education, and the underlying goal. From his chapter on use, listen:

Uses ... are not abstractions; they are spiritual realities which derive their form from human needs (p. 215).

Wherever there is a need there is a use taking form (p. 216).

All uses are found in human relationships and not apart from them. Wherever one man is brought into relation with another a use is brought into existence (p. 217).

A man's use does not consist in this or that but in his response to the Divine will (p. 220).

The life of use ... is a life of response to the Divine will (p. 221). The love of use is experienced ... as a delight in good works (p. 222).

The delight of use is its own reward, and he who is in this delight desires no other (p. 226).

     Bishop Pendleton saw responsibility as coming from ability to respond to use (see p. 218). This is why he thought New Church education must cultivate "in our children an affirmative attitude toward responsibility" (p. 222), and why he insisted on responsibility in his own family and in young people whom he taught.

163


In his later years he wished that children today would do more for themselves, rather than having everything provided for them (see p. 223).
     Education for Use came freely from his scholarly mind, because he saw use as the active human counterpart to the Word in our lives. As our proprium or ego needs the Word of God in order to be led by the Lord rather than by ourselves, so it is in the activity of use that we place the Lord's good above ourselves, and so love Him. With the Word as our authority the Lord's wisdom can direct us, and it is in a life of use that we can love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and might, and our neighbor as ourselves. To more than a generation Bishop Pendleton taught that the life of religion puts uses for others first; the love of self from creation is in order, but belongs subordinate to higher loves. How we feel from moment to moment matters infinitely less than directing our lives to the goods for others that bring permanent happiness, to them and to us. This call to dedication to the Lord's kingdom of uses often powerfully expressed - inspired many men and women, who felt also his own vibrant dedication. For the path to happiness is the good of the use. Yes, truly.
     His greatest theological love was the doctrine of the Lord's glorification. He reflected deeply on the Lord's temptations and states of exinanition, or humiliation, and the influence of these truths was deep. We have lost a man whom we respect not because he sought that respect, but because he has wanted to place the Lord's things first. His earnest wish is that we honor not his person but the uses he loves. A modest and humble man, our bishop emeritus now leaves his beloved wife, five children, numerous grandchildren, as well as many friends, and countless more whom he has led toward the Lord.
     The New Church on earth grows in proportion to the increase of the new heaven, and of the New Church in the world of spirits (see AR 547, etc.).

164


In our own world we are saddened by the separation, and we miss the keen doctrinal insight, the pithy and well chosen remark, the cogent question about what comes first, the friendly self-effacing humor, and even the gruff but useful criticism. But the New Church in the world of spirits will find a novitiate spirit with much to offer, through the leadership of Divine doctrine. Though we may not sense the benefits of his presence there, his influence will be real.
     We know that a man who delights in studies in this life "reads and writes as before" after death (HH 461:2). The unfolding of the internal sense of the Word will delight him greatly. And we can easily envision him studying the doctrine of the Divine Human in wondrous libraries (he loves libraries) now much closer to the One whose teachings have so directed his life. He will live amidst trees unimaginable, and will team the songs of new birds. And he will teach. Yes, he will teach and serve many. But first he will awaken to be reunited with many family and friends, especially his daughter Kerry.
     Though we miss him, truly we may be happy now in his awakening. Often he taught us from the Writings: Think of the Lord from His essence, and about the Lord's person from His essence. After nine decades he rises to uses in the realm where His Lord in Divine Human form reigns as visible God and King. Amen.

Bryn Athyn Cathedral, February 14, 1998
CONJUNCTION WITH HEAVEN 1998

CONJUNCTION WITH HEAVEN              1998

     So far as one is in accordance with Divine order, that is, so far as he is in love to the Lord and in charity toward the neighbor, are his acts uses in form, and correspondences, and through these he is conjoined to heaven. To love the Lord and the neighbor means in general to perform uses (Heaven and Hell 112).

165


RIGHT REV.WILLARD D. PENDLETON Bishop of the General Church (1962-1976) 1998

RIGHT REV.WILLARD D. PENDLETON Bishop of the General Church (1962-1976)              1998

1908: April 7, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, second son and fourth child of Bishop Nathaniel Dandridge Pendleton and Beatrice Walton Childs. Nephew of Bishop William F. Pendleton.

1914: February, family moved to Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania. September, entered Bryn Athyn Elementary School.

1922: September, entered Boys Academy (The Academy of the New Church).

1926: June, graduated Boys Academy. September, entered University of Pennsylvania.

1930: June, graduated University of Pennsylvania with B.S. degree in Economics, majored in pre-law and English. September, entered The Academy of the New Church Theological School.

1933: June, graduated with degree B.Th. June 18, ordained in Bryn Athyn into the first degree of the priesthood by Bishop N. D. Pendleton.

1933/34: September to June, instructor in Religion and English in the Academy Schools.

1934: June, married Gabriele Pitcairn, eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Pitcairn. Of this marriage, there were six children: three sons - Brent, Kirk, and Laird; three daughters - Kerry, Jill, and Joan. September 16, ordained into the second degree in Bryn Athyn by Bishop N. D. Pendleton.

1934/44: September to September, Pastor of the Pittsburgh Society (ten years).

1944/46: Instructor in Religion and English in the Academy Schools.

166




1946: Accepted appointment as head of the Departments of Religion and Education. Ordained into the third degree of the priesthood. Elected Executive Vice President of the Academy.

1951: During protracted illness of Bishop de Charms, served for fifteen months as representative of the Executive Bishop.

1954: Elected Assistant Bishop of the General Church at the 20th General Assembly.

1958: Elected to the office of the President of the Academy.

1961/62: Served as Acting Bishop of the General Church, following the retirement of Bishop de Charms in June, 1961.

1962: Elected to the office of Executive Bishop of the General Church (fourth Bishop of the General Church).

1975: September, retired as President of the Academy after seventeen years in the office, and assumed the newly reinstated office of Chancellor. November, announced retirement from the office of Bishop of the General Church, effective September 1, 1976.

1976: September, retired from all offices held by him after having served forty-three years as a priest of the General Church.
USES SHINE IN HEAVEN 1998

USES SHINE IN HEAVEN              1998

     All good services in heaven sparkle and gleam. Conjugial Love 266

167


FREE WILL AND EVIL A Comparison Between Swedenborg and Augustine 1998

FREE WILL AND EVIL A Comparison Between Swedenborg and Augustine       REBECCA COOPER       1998

     When I found the title City of God on the book list for a required humanities course at Villanova University, I was glad. I had been exposed briefly to this book by St. Augustine ten years earlier when I took a medieval history course at Bryn Athyn College, and I found Augustine's religious thought provocative, both for the wisdom it held and for the style in which it was written. As a Swedenborgian, I repeatedly compared Augustine's words to the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg, and I found many topics to be parallel and similar in content. In particular, Augustine and Swedenborg share similar ideas on God's order, the nature of evil and free will. This surprised me because Augustine was very influential in determining the dogma and doctrines of the Catholic Church, and I realized that my preconceived thoughts on this institution were flawed. In researching Augustine, I stumbled onto the position held by some philosophers, both in the New Church and elsewhere, that Augustine was a predestinarian much like Calvin. In this paper I hope to bring into question the view that Augustine endorsed predestination, and to compare his ideas with the Writings' doctrine of Divine Providence, evil and free will.
     In Book V, chapter eight of the City of God, Augustine succinctly asserts his view of foreknowledge, stating that one is "perfectly right in believing that God allows nothing to remain unordered and that He knows all things before they come to pass. He is the Cause of all causes. . . " (City of God, p. 103). Augustine thinks that God so ordered the world by establishing a series of causes. This view allows that once God established in creation this order of causality, He had foreknowledge of all things. To comprehend more accurately this idea, one needs only to consider for a moment a universe without order, without causality. If one walks into a fire, the heat from this fire will cause pain. One will recoil back from the cause of this pain, namely the fire.

168


If one could not predict the effects caused by fire, life would truly be chaotic. Because God is omnipotent and omniscient and is the Cause of all causes, He has foreknowledge in a way that far out-measures mankind's ability to understand causality.
     However, in this same text, Augustine is adamant in arguing against the notion that foreknowledge excludes free will.
     Our main point is that, from the fact that to God the order of all causes is certain, there is no logical deduction that there is no power in the choice of our will. The fact that our choices fall within the order of the causes, which is known for certain to God and is contained in His foreknowledge - for human choices are the causes of human acts (Book V, ch. 9).
     For Augustine, Divine order is an important element in his concept of foreknowledge, and this order is based on the chain of causality. Once God created the universe in an ordered progression, foreseeing mankind's choices falls under the power of Divine order. This does not contradict the concept of free will. God foresees the choices that humans make, but this does not limit people's choice to will good or evil. If a parent could foresee that her child would ingest an overdose of drugs, she would attempt to lead her child away from using drugs. This will hopefully have an influence, but ultimately the child decides for himself to choose or not to choose to use illegal substances. So God leads mankind away from evil even though He may foresee that a person will choose evil.
     This can be compared to the Writings' view of Divine order. Note the following from Divine Providence:

The universe, with all things in general and in particular therein, was created from the Divine Love by means of the Divine Wisdom .... Moreover, if you will reflect deeply enough from the spiritual point of view, you will see that this prolific principle is not from the seed, nor from the sun of this world which is pure fire, but that it is in the seed of God the creator, to whom belongs infinite wisdom . . . for maintenance is perpetual creation, as subsistence is perpetual existence.

169


The operation of the prolific principle in creation may be illustrated from these considerations: work ceases if you take away the will from the action; speech ceases if you deprive it of thought; motion ceases if effort is withdrawn; in a word, the effect perishes if you remove the cause (Divine Providence, n. 3).

     Here the Writings describe Divine order as based on the same ubiquitous causality asserted by Augustine. The Writings further state in many sources that God knows the future, and relate this concept most directly in Arcana Caelestia: " . . . to the Divine, future things are present" (Swedenborg, AC 4815e).
     Establishing that both Augustine and the Writings assert the concept of foreknowledge or foresight raises the same question for both, that is, how does mankind enjoy free will if God knows everything that will happen? While the Lord is continually leading people toward good (and both Augustine and the Writings state this), people can choose and will to do evil. Where does the evil come from that gives people this choice?
     The following is from True Christian Religion on evil and its cause.

Evil was not created by God but introduced by man, because man turns the good, which continually flows in from God, into evil, by turning away from God and toward himself. It might be thought that giving man free will in spiritual matters was a mediate cause of evil, and consequently, that if he had not been given such free will, man could not have sinned. But pause here for a moment and consider whether any man, if he was to be a man, could have been created without free will in spiritual matters; if that were taken from him, he would cease to be a man and merely be a statue (n. 490, emphasis added).

     The Writings define the cause of evil as man when he turned away from God and toward himself From this quotation it can be seen that God did not create evil, but allowed people to have free will in spiritual matters, and they created evil themselves.

170



     Augustine, like Swedenborg, states that all order is from God, and a turning away from this order is evil. In another work by Augustine, The Free Choice of the Will, he outlines this same theosophy:

Two kinds of men, as well, have been clearly and sufficiently distinguished: those who pursue and love eternal things, and those who love and pursue temporal things. We have established, moreover, that what each man chooses to pursue and to love lies in his own will, and that the mind cannot be deposed from the citadel of mastery or from right order by anything but his will .... All sins are included under this one class: when someone is turned away from divine things that are truly everlasting, toward things that change and are uncertain. These things have been rightly placed in their own order and complete the universe through their peculiar beauty; but nevertheless it is characteristic of the perverse and disordered spirit to be a slave to the pursuit of the things which divine order and law have prescribed should follow its own bidding (Book 1, ch. 16 ).

     Evil is here defined as mankind's turning away from God and turning toward things that are not everlasting but uncertain. Once a person has chosen the path away from God, his will, or love, leads him toward things that are against eternal things. One can notice that Augustine uses the word "slave" to describe someone whose will chooses evil. True freedom comes from choosing God's order, while a person who chooses to do evil is actually choosing bondage. The Writings echo this concept in True Christian Religion:

Any freedom coming from the Lord is real freedom; but any that comes from hell and makes itself at home with a person is slavery. Still spiritual freedom must inevitably seem like slavery to anyone who enjoys the freedom of hell, since they are opposites. Yet all who enjoy spiritual freedom not only know but feel the freedom of hell as slavery (n. 495).

171




     The Writings and Augustine view true freedom as choosing a life of order and being led by God. But one is not compelled to choose order, and this is what makes us human; the choice whether mankind wills to do good or wills to do evil is what makes people rational. People are not limited to instinct, as animals are, but are free to invent for themselves new ways to do evil or to follow God's infinite path. But once they have determined for themselves to love evil, hell seems like pleasure to them, while heaven would be suffocating. Hell, however, is slavery to those who choose eternal life (because in hell, one is a slave to falsity and evil) and is a turning away from true spiritual freedom. This ability to consider what to love and what to will is the quality that renders humans rational.
     Both theosophers associate God with order, and to follow God one must live in accord with the order of God's universe. For Augustine, living in order is to live in the city of God: "The peace of the heavenly city lies in perfect ordered and harmonious communion of those who find their joy in God and in one another in God" (City of God, Book XIX, ch. 13). True Christian Religion states: "From the Divine omnipresence man is in God to the extent that he lives in accordance with order .... Man is in God by means of a life in accordance with order, because God is omnipresent in the universe and in each and all things of the inmosts, for these inmosts are in order" (n. 70). Integrating these concepts of order with concepts of free choice is important in understanding how Augustine and the Writings view life. The fact that God knows what individuals are going to choose does not eliminate a person's choice. A real example of predestination would be if God, in an attempt to save a person, were to compel that person to do good, foreseeing that that individual would rather choose evil. Humans would then truly be puppets in God's theater of life, and this would be against God's own order of causality, as described above.

172


This does not mean that the Lord is not constantly leading men and women into His order by means of His Divine Love and Wisdom, but there is a great difference between leading and compelling a person to order.
     There are those in the academic arena who view both Augustine and Swedenborg to be predestinarians, despite their own condemnation of this concept. Those in the New Church have only to read the Writings to refute this characterization of Swedenborg. In True Christian Religion he writes specifically and pointedly on the subject of predestination in conjunction with Gottschalk, Calvin, and the Synod of Dort:

But what more hurtful idea could be thought up, or what more cruel belief could anyone hold about God, than that some of the human race could be predestined to hell? (n, 486, 487)

     No mention is made here of Augustine, yet Swedenborg does refer to him later. If we are to believe that Augustine was a predestinarian, wouldn't the Writings have included him in this chapter? The reason that Augustine is not mentioned in the same breath as Calvin is simply this: Swedenborg did not consider Augustine as someone who endorsed predestination.
     Swedenborg recorded his visit with Augustine in the spiritual world in True Christian Religion:

I have had several conversations with Augustine, who in the fourth century was Bishop of Hippo in Africa. He said that he was at the present time there, inspiring them to worship the Lord, and that he hoped to spread the gospel into the surrounding districts. I heard the angels' joy at that revelation, which was opening for them a new means of communicating with the human rational faculty, which up to now had been shut up by means of universal dogma of the clergy that the understanding should be kept subject to faith (n. 840).

     At this time Swedenborg could have said something of Augustine's views on predestination, but I believe that nothing can be found in the Writings associating Augustine with predestination for the simple reason that Augustine is not a predestinarian.

173


From what is written in the Writings, it can be seen that Augustine is in heaven happily spreading the doctrines.
     In completing my research for this paper I have been struck by the similarities between what is promoted in the main body of Augustine's works and in the Writings. Often in the church we have undervalued the power the Lord's Love and Wisdom has in descending to His church universal. Too frequently we dismiss the whole Catholic Church as one that is lacking truth; yet I found so much of it in Augustine's books. As New Churchmen we should remember that the Catholic Church of the eighteenth century was very different from its earlier state. There are other topics on which the Writings and Augustine agree, and while the Writings embody such a complete work of Divine Providence that a comparison may seem unfair, Augustine's works, particularly The City of God, articulate early Christian doctrine in a rational and profound manner.
VISIT THE GREAT NORTHWEST THIS SUMMER! 1998

VISIT THE GREAT NORTHWEST THIS SUMMER!              1998

     Northwest Church Camp will be held from August 19 to 23 near Portland, Oregon at Camp Menucha, a beautiful old estate overlooking the Columbia River Gorge! Bishop Peter Buss, this year's main speaker, will discuss "Elijah: the Trials and the Triumphs of Human Conviction." When we believe in the Lord and His power, how can we translate that conviction into life - confront our weaknesses and journey toward happiness?
     As usual, we will also offer afternoon electives on other topics.
     The facilities for the camp are very nice. We have both semi-private and dorm-style housing available. If you want semi-private accommodations, you will want to register early.
     For more information and/or to register, contact Peggy Andrews at (503) 695-2534 or [email protected].

174


SOME THOUGHTS ON THE BIBLE CODE1 1998

SOME THOUGHTS ON THE BIBLE CODE1       Rev. WILLIAM H. CLIFFORD       1998

     What is the Bible Code?

     The Bible Code (more accurately the Torah Code) claims that there are messages coded or hidden within the Hebrew text of the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). The idea that there is a hidden meaning in Divine revelation is not startling to us in the New Church. It is, after all, what the Writings reveal. Note, however, that this is a frequent claim. Others have found codes in the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Koran, and even the Great Pyramid. Some claim that the Writings themselves have a hidden meaning.1 What sets one claim apart from another is the content of the hidden message and the method of decoding the message.
     1 @ 1998 by William H. Clifford
     2 Perhaps the first to make this claim was William McGeorge, Jr., a Convention layman. See his privately published book How Long Halt Ye Between Two Opinions?.

Hidden Messages

     The Writings tell us that the hidden meaning of the Word does not treat of the natural things of the world but of the Lord, His kingdom, and the church (see NJHD 258, Preface to AR). The Arcana Coelestia warns that the Word cannot have any other mystical content, or if it does, that content would become mythical, magical, or idolatrous" (AC 4923:2). What kind of information does the Bible Code find hidden within the Torah? Historical events, names and dates of great Jewish sages, kinds of plants that grew in the Garden of Eden, and possible predictions of future worldly events.
     What really excites interest in the Bible Code is the possibility that it could be used to predict the future. Jeffrey Satinover (a doctor and author of Cracking the Bible Code) is far more cautious in dealing with this aspect of the Bible Code than Michael Drosnin (a journalist and author of The Bible Code).

175


Both Satinover and Drosnin acknowledge that the Bible Code does not predict actual events so much as possible events with probable times. Both bring in free will and make analogies with quantum mechanics to explain this. Both use the example of the researchers' finding the exact date that Iraq would launch scuds on Israel before it actually happened. Drosnin, however, claims it was the only date found (p. 20), whereas Satinover acknowledges that it was one of three, the same three dates that Israeli intelligence had suggested (p. 173). Drosnin goes on in two chapters ("Armageddon" and "Apocalypse") to make predictions of future events: an "atomic holocaust" may occur in either the year 2000 or 2006 (p. 123); massive earthquakes in L.A. in 2010 (p. 141), and in China and Japan in 2000 or 2006 (pp. 143 and 145); a comet may collide with the earth in 2006, 2010 or 2012 (pp. 153-4).
     Many people are keenly interested in knowing the future, as is evident from the tabloids around New Year's day, and the perennial interest in Nostradamus and in psychic phone lines. As Divine Providence notes, "A longing to know the future is innate with most people" (DP 179). Drosnin certainly capitalizes on this. However, note: " . . . this longing derives its origin from the love of evil" (DP 179). Further, the ability to predict the future involves a theological argument. Drosnin (in more secular terms) argues: "If the Bible code proves one thing, it is that a non-human intelligence really does exist, or at least did exist in the time the Bible was written. No human could have looked thousands of years ahead, and encoded in that ancient book details of today's world" (Drosnin p. 97; cf. Satinover p. 244). It is true that only God knows the future. God, however, is not interested in revealing the future to us. "As a foreknowledge of future events destroys the human itself, which is to act from freedom according to reason, therefore it is not granted to anyone to know the future .... It is on this account that a person does not know his lot after death, or know of any event before he is involved in it.

176


For if he knew this, he would no longer think from his interior self how he should act or how he should live in order to meet this event" (DP 179).
     According to Drosnin and Satinover, the Bible Code encodes all possible futures.2 The Bible Code, therefore, must contain not only every date that the great Jewish sages were born, but every date that they might have been born. It must contain not only the dates of their deaths, but every date that they could have died. We must be able to find not only all the great Jewish sages, but all those who might have been great sages. These events, while past to us, were in the future when the Torah was given. Obviously, the only reason we can find the correct information is that we already know it! Satinover acknowledges this when he explains why the Bible Code cannot be used "as an oracle" (pp. 243-244, 170).
     3 Drosnin pp. 44, 102, 164, 165; Satinover pp. 183, 243, 244

The Decoding Process

     Satinover reports a Jewish legend about how the Torah was inspired. The Torah, unlike any other Divine revelation - including the rest of the Old Testament - "was dictated by God to Moses in a precise letter-by-letter sequence" (p. 1). According to proponents of the Bible Code, information is encoded in the Torah in Equal Letter Sequences (ELS). Drosnin illustrates the basic principle with this sentence: "Rips ExplAineD thaT eacH codE is a Case Of adDing Every fourth or twelfth or fiftieth letter to form a word" (p. 25). Starting with the first letter of the previous sentence, and taking every fourth letter, you find the message: READ THE CODE.
     You can find virtually any word using ELS with a sufficiently large text. It is not surprising that Christians have found Yeshua (Jesus) encoded thousands of times in the Torah, and use this to support their beliefs. Muslims are making similar claims about Mohammed.

177


The same could be done for Krishna, Buddha, Rev. Moon, and David "Koresh," whose names have also been found. Jewish authors have found messages encoded showing that Jesus is a false messiah and prophet (see Weldon, Decoding the Bible Code: Can We Trust the Message?, pp. 104-112).
     The Bible Code, however, is not about finding single words with ELS. A sophisticated mathematical argument has been made and published in Statistical Science 1194, Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 429-438 ("Equidistant Letter Sequences in the Book of Genesis" by Doron Witztum, Eliyahu Rips and Yoav Rosenberg). While it would take a mathematician to evaluate the validity of the statistical arguments, the basic principle behind those arguments is relatively easy to understand. As noted above, the odds of finding any given word by means of ELS are very good. The odds of finding pairs of words are also good. However, the odds of finding a series of related pairs of words are very small. Witztum, Rips, and Rosenberg took the names and dates (of birth or death) of men found in the Encyclopedia of Great Men in Israel whose entries contained 1.5 to 3 columns of text. This made a list of 32 names and dates. They then searched the book of Genesis to see if this list of names occurred in close proximity with the dates. The results, they claim, were well beyond mere chance.
     As impressive as this experiment is, some factors raise questions.
     1) Between various possible spelling of names and three different ways in which dates can be written, there were 298 pairs of names and dates for these 32 people. This certainly increases the chances of getting a correct hit.
     2) Originally, the Hebrew text of the Torah was written without vowels. So in looking for words or names only the consonants are considered. The correct vowels are assumed. To illustrate, take the consonants "g" and "d" and see how many words you could form:
     a) Words: geed, geode, gid, goad, good, goodie, goody, gooey, guide, guyed

178



     b) Places: Gad
     c) Names: [Andre] Gide, God, [Louis A.] Godey, Goode, Gouda, [William F.] Goudy, Guido [d'Arezzo], Guido [Reni].
     The rules for finding hits are a little fuzzy. The same word may appear in the text of Genesis at many different ELS's. Ideally, to count as a hit, the correct date had to appear near the correct name having a minimal ELS, that is, smallest skip between letters. Hits were also counted when paired words were at nearly minimal ELS's. Also sometimes, the correct date for one sage was actually closer to another sage (Bible Review, August 1997, p. 22). Further, it is permissible to search the Torah forwards and backwards for ELS's.

     The most serious criticisms of the mathematics behind the Bible Code come from other mathematicians. These are most readily available on the Internet. An easy-to-understand critique by Dr. Barry Simon, "A Skeptical Look at the Torah Codes," can be seen at http://wopr.com/biblecodes/jewact.htm.
     Gil Kaili says (in a very technical document), "We give statistical evidence to the hypothesis that the significance in the second test of Witztum, Rips and Rosenberg [the 32 sages mentioned above] was achieved via an optimization process in choosing the data, which was stopped when the significance level of the first test was met. It goes without saying that such a procedure is completely illegitimate." See "On the Paper of Witztum, Rips and Rosenberg on Equidistant Letter Sequences in the Book of Genesis," at http://www.ma.huji.ac.il/-kalai/w/w.html.
     The first serious independent test of the Torah Codes was made in the middle of 1997 by Dror BarNatan, Alec Gindis, and Aryeh Levitan. And Brendan McKay made an independent test of the work of Witztum, Rips and Rosenberg. They failed to find any significant effect. The results of these tests can be seen at http://cs.anu.edu.au/-bdm/dilugim/torah.html.

Conclusion

     Going into other difficulties the Bible Code faces would make this article too long.

179


How can an ELS code survive numerous additions and deletions of letters by copyists over thousands of years? Using ELS, hidden messages have been found in War and Peace, Moby Dick, UN treaties, legal cases, the King James Version of the Bible, and other texts. These difficulties, I predict (without the use of the Bible Code), will not diminish the growing popularity of the Bible Code.
     How best are our lives served? Should we look for hidden messages in the Word of God that tell us what we already know? Should we seek the forbidden knowledge of the future? Or should we focus on doing what the Lord so plainly says in the Torah: "And now, 0 Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD'S commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good" (Deut. 10: 12, 13; NIV)?

     Annotated Bibliography

Drosnin, Michael, The Bible Code, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1997. This is the book that made the Bible Code so popular. Written by a journalist, it sensationalizes the Bible Code and makes so many exaggerated claims that even those who believe in the Bible Code reject it. Its one redeeming feature is that it reproduces the text of the experiment by Doron Witztum, Eliyahu Rips and Yoav Rosenberg published in Statistical Science.

Editors. "The Bible Code: Cracked and Crumbling," Bible Review, August 1997, p. 22. An introduction to two articles that are openly hostile to Drosnin's book.

Hendel, Ronald S. "The Secret Code Hoax," Bible Review, August 1997, pp. 23 and 24.

180


Hendel focuses on mistranslations of the Hebrew that Drosnin uses to support his examples and on problems involving the transmission of the Hebrew text, which affects the very nature of the Bible Code.

Satinover, Jeffrey. Cracking the Bible Code, New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1997. This is a much more credible and compelling book in support of the Bible Code. Its claims are far more realistic and modest, but sometimes still overstated. If you wish to understand the thinking behind the Bible Code and how it works, this is the book to get.

Sternberg, Shlomo. "Snake Oil For Sale," Bible Review, August 1997, pp. 24 and 25. Shlomo details how Drosnin mistranslated the Hebrew in one of his examples. He shows that ELS codes can be found in any text, even Moby Dick. He brings up the issue of the transmission of the text.

Weldon, John (with Wilson, Clifford and Barbara). Decoding the Bible Code.- Can We Trust the Message?, Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 1998. Weldon brings together a lot of research and opinion on the Bible Code. He does not really take a stand for or against the Bible Code in technical areas, such as statistics and textual transmission. He does disapprove of the Bible Code on grounds of its occult associations. Satinover's book clearly shows that the Bible Code had its origin in the Kabbalah, a system of Jewish mysticism and numerology.
HISTORY OF HELL 1998

HISTORY OF HELL              1998

     You may recall the book Heaven: A History by McDannell and Lang (1988). This book quoted extensively from the Writings. We have just learned of the book The History of Hell by Alice K. Turner (Harcourt Brace 1993). A very short chapter is entitled "Swedenborg's Vision."

181


TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT THE GENERAL CHURCH WEB SITE 1998

TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT THE GENERAL CHURCH WEB SITE       Rev. Grant R. Schnarr       1998

     Exciting things are happening with the General Church Web Site at newchurch.org. It has a new look, and has more features added. It's easier to use, and it has a new book store with search capabilities, quotes for the day from the Writings, and a place where people can read and download sermons. People will even be able to search the Writings themselves!
     The web site will be advertised on the famous Yahoo search engine for three months beginning in March. We're hoping to attract thousands to the site. Please take a look at it and tell your friends. It has the same address: www.newchurch.org.
     This web site is only one more means of bringing to the world the good news of the Lord's New Church. But it is truly exciting. We are in contact with people from virtually all over the world who have found the site and are delighted with its message. Though it is more of an information tool than something that will immediately attract people to the church, several visitors have come to a variety of our churches because of the site, and this trend will only grow. It is also exciting to think that since the creation of the Internet and the New Church presence on it, the Lord's message of His second coming is available to anyone throughout the entire world who has Internet access. It is at their fingertips.
     Rev. Grant R. Schnarr
     Director of Evangelization
BOOK BY REV. Grant SCHNARR 1998

BOOK BY REV. Grant SCHNARR              1998

     The Swedenborg Foundation has recently published Spiritual Recovery by Grant Schnarr, a revised edition of Unlocking Your Spiritual Potential with quotations from the Writings. The cost is $13.95; add $4.00 postage when ordering by mail.

182


BECAUSE I LIVE 1998

BECAUSE I LIVE       Editor       1998



     Editorial Pages
     "The Lord said to His disciples, 'Because I live, you shall live also"' (Divine Providence 324). He said, "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself' (John 12:22). As we think of the Lord's rising, let us consider one of the early experiences of Emanuel Swedenborg relating to the uplifting power of the Lord. He had an experience in December of 1747 and wrote these words in what was later to be called the Spiritual Diary or Spiritual Experiences.

It is an irrefutable truth, and one most fully testified by experience, that no one can be raised up out of his grave ... except by God Messiah. It has also been granted me to learn this by manifest experience; and in order that I might know this, it was granted me to perceive it by a certain kind of subtracting or withdrawing, which I can scarcely describe. Such is it in the universal heaven; for God Messiah, who has all power in the heavens and on earth, bums most intensely and inmostly with love and mercy for the salvation of the whole human race; the power of His love and of His mercy is of such a nature because He is omnipotent (SD 300).

     On the first day of March the following year Swedenborg experienced the process of awakening to life. He spoke of a living and mighty attraction and wrote, " . . . [T]he power of His mercy is of such a nature that He wills to draw all men into eternal happiness, thus unto Himself." Experiencing this living attraction he wrote, "I can know with certainty that there is such a force, and what it is like" (SD 1104).
     The resuscitation process described in Heaven and Hell mentions the ministering work of angels, but the uplifting power is from the risen Lord. "I was allowed to perceive and feel that there was a pulling, a kind of drawing of the more inward elements of my mind - hence of my spirit - out of my body. I was told that this is done by the Lord, and is the source of resurrection" (HH 449).

183


THOUGHTS OF A FOOLISH HEART ABOUT PROVIDENCE 1998

THOUGHTS OF A FOOLISH HEART ABOUT PROVIDENCE       Editor       1998

     "There was a certain spirit who had become quite convinced that nothing was the work of Divine Providence, but that every single thing was attributable to prudence, and also to fortune and chance." One can sympathize with those who see confusion and unfairness in the world and conclude that there is no Providence. The conclusion itself is the antithesis of wisdom, for the world is full of Providence. We learn from this same passage that this man's life was an example of Providence, for "every specific detail of his life had been subject to the Lord's guidance" (AC 6484).
     The thoughts which negate Providence can be persuasive at times, but it is good for us to know that they are foolishness. The Writings put them into words so that we may consider them objectively and know they are devoid of wisdom.
     The merely natural man says, "What is Divine Providence? Is it anything else than a phrase that the common people get from a priest? Who sees anything of it? Is it not by prudence, wisdom, cunning, and malice that all things are done in the world? Is not all else necessity or consequence? And does not much happen by chance? Does Divine Providence lie concealed in this? How can it do so in deceptions and schemes? Yet it is said that Divine Providence effects all things. Then let me see it and I will believe in it. Can one believe in it until he sees it?" (DP 182)
     In another passage of the same work: "Do I not see in full daylight, as it were, in actual experience that crafty schemes prevail over fidelity and justice if only a man can make them seem trustworthy and just by clever artfulness? .... Does not nature have its necessities, and are not consequences the causes that flow from natural or civil order? Are not things of chance either from unknown causes or from no cause?" It is the part of wisdom to speak and to think differently from this. Although one does not see Divine Providence with the eye, still one can know about it and acknowledge it (n. 175).

184


FUNDAMENTALIST/LITERALIST DEBATES 1998

FUNDAMENTALIST/LITERALIST DEBATES       Neville Jarvis       1998




     Communications
Dear Editor:
     Your correspondent Alexander Fox (November 1997 issue) demonstrates very clearly what my own experience has shown me on many occasions: to engage in debate with fundamentalist/literalist Christians on the meaning of Biblical statements is a futile exercise which can have debilitating consequences for both parties. In my capacity as Secretary/ Manager of The Swedenborg Lending Library and Enquiry Centre here in Australia, I have been taken to task by such Christians, often under the guise of seeking information about our organisation and its basis, particularly at new-age fairs and in simply stopping by when we were in a much more visible location than at present. I think I have now developed "antennae" for such people, and am quick to close up any discussion before it degenerates into a quote-swapping exercise.
     My reasons are simple. No fundamentalist/literalist will ever be persuaded to a more expansive understanding of the Bible until there is a deep desire from within that the possibility exists. We must take on board the warning of the dangers of weakening another person's faith without being able to supplant something in its place. Our own regeneration can also be affected by a hardening of heart against such literalism and reinforcing our thinking that "thankfully I am not like one of them." I now conclude that it is far better just to say to anyone beginning such a process something like: "My friend, I see it very differently from you but I wish you well on your life's journey," and to get on with whatever other tasks I have before me.
     We do have to be "as wise as serpents and as gentle as doves." I hope this helps.
     Neville Jarvis
     New South Wales, Australia

185


HONEYBEE 1998

HONEYBEE              1998

Dear Editor:
     Perhaps your readers might enjoy a little addendum to the recent article on the honeybee (Feb. 1998). Bees and their connection with flowers and plants have another spiritual lesson to demonstrate. We know that blossoms symbolize things of wisdom just before rebirth and regeneration (see AC 5116), and that flower buds symbolize the beginning of regeneration (see AC 5115). Plant growths which precede and produce fruit and seed symbolize knowledge of truth with humans which produce deeds and thoughts of wisdom (see AC 9553).
     Where indeed would we and flowers "bee" without the honeybee? Bees are another wonderful detail in God's Providence. Nothing so happy as blossoms and flowers and fruits is left to chance. Some say flowers are the earth laughing.
     What indeed might a bee do if she had an individual will such as humans? She might plunder and pirate. She might invade the flower, use it up, and throw away the nectar and pollen, just as last century the buffalo hunters exterminated fifty million mighty buffalo merely for their hides and humps. Or with a human will, the bee might store the pollen solely for her own use, maybe even bury it in the ground as the wicked, slothful servant did with his talent in the New Testament parable. Or the bee could collect pollen or honey in a selfish way, drinking the nectar to inebriation.
     But the bee is tuned into angelic ways and obeys the voice of the Holy Spirit. O"bee"dience is her middle name. She is always attending to bee business. She never deviates. She never malingers. She naturally hates "smoke breaks." She lives for beauty. She smells beauty. She sees beauty. She flies in beauty just like the Navajo song. She is happy and purposeful. She is a "humble bee." She knows without flowers she would be useless, unemployed, and purposeless. Living in Divine order, the bee subordinates self to use and to the good of the human race.

186


She loves and services each flower carefully, gently, industriously. She knows nectar and pollen must be shared to be enjoyed, and to bear fruit.
     Flowers are lovely, fragile symbols of God's tender love, ever following the sun and looking to the Lord. Each flower is individual, though there are hundreds on just one lemon, apple, peach, orange, or grapefruit tree. The bee acknowledges and separates each flower, prizing each flower's gift. No flower is too small, too wilted, or too homely to visit.
     The flower never knows when the bee cometh. It is always ready, always open for bee business. The bee is an emissary of God. Indeed, we can see God in the bee. God does the same things with us as the bee does with flowers. He visits us and takes to other people the good implanted by Him and growing in us. Crosspollination results - the wonderful work of recreation and regeneration. We can stand and blossom like the flowers, representing the beginning of rebirth and regeneration, or we can become the bee and spread God's word.
     Bee sayings to "bee-lieve" and to live by:

     We beelong to God.
     We are beeloved by God.
     We must beehave.
     Beefriend others.
     Always live like human beeings, and work on our holistic beeyuty (sic).
     Never beelittle others.
     No detail of growth and service to others is beeneath us.
     Heaven is not beeyond us.
     This is just the beeginning.
     We can make our nature beenign.
     I trust I have not beelabored the point!
     
          Stephen Gladish, Sr.
          Tucson, Arizona

187


ELDERGARTEN 1998 1998

ELDERGARTEN 1998       Jr. Donald C. Fitzpatrick       1998

     Eldergarten 1998, the fourth to be hosted by the Boynton Beach Society, met from Sunday, January 18, to Sunday, January 25, with 106 people attending for all or part of the week. Again this year, some of us were attending for the first time while others were there for the second, third, or fourth time. As in the past, all of us, newcomers and veterans alike, were treated to a week of stimulating lectures and discussions, enjoyable sightseeing, and lots of social life, both planned and spontaneous.
     The activities began with registration on Sunday evening, which not only provided us with information about the week's schedule, but also allowed us to meet old friends and greet new ones while enjoying refreshments.
     The formal opening of the program took place on Monday morning with worship conducted by Rev. Dan Heinrichs, followed by announcements from Rev. Fred Schnarr, who continues to serve as director of the Eldergarten.
     Then it was time to go to the first of our classes. This year we were divided into three groups of thirty to thirty-five each for each of the three courses being offered. Our instructors were Rev. Derek Elphick, pastor of the Boynton Beach Society, Rev. Brian Keith, Dean of the Academy's Theological School, and Dr. Robert Gladish, Professor of English, who is now retired but still teaching part-time at Bryn Athyn College.
     Derek's course, entitled "Our Journey Home," focussed on teachings from the Writings about the final years of life in the natural world, the transition to life in the other world, our gradual re-awakening there, and the states we will experience as we are prepared for and led to our eternal homes.
     Brian's course, entitled "Some Aspects of the Doctrine of the Lord," dealt with teachings about the Divine in Itself, the Lord prior to the Advent, the Advent of the Lord, the Lord's temptations and how we see the Lord.

188


Fortunately, Brian provided copies of many of the passages he referred to so that we can review them later as we try to understand more about this most profound doctrine.
     Bob's course focussed on four poems by Robert Browning: "Saul," "The Epistle of Karshish," "Cleon," and "A Death in the Desert." Each of the poems dealt with the response to the Lord's incarnation on the part of its main character. (In "Saul" the character is the young David.) While most of us found the poems challenging to say the least, Bob's discussions helped us to understand Browning's purpose and to appreciate something of the methods he used to achieve that purpose.
     Again this year, two breaks were scheduled each morning, the first for refreshments and the second to allow the lecturers to rest their voices while the rest of us stretched our legs. Again too, box lunches were waiting for us after the final class of each day, and the weather was nice enough to allow us to eat at tables set up on the church lawn if we chose to do so.
     Afternoons were kept free, and we had the whole day Thursday for sightseeing. Roger and Barbara Smith did their usual thorough job of providing brochures and advice on a wide variety of interesting places to visit. They also provided a one-page list of all the recommended destinations together with information on costs and directions for reaching them.
     A social hour and supper at a local Polish-American club on Wednesday evening provided an additional chance to visit with friends as well as an opportunity to thank the Boynton Beach Society for all the work its members had done to make this year's Eldergarten possible. The enthusiastic singing of "Here's to Our Friends" testified to the warmth of the gratitude felt by all of us who benefited from that work.

189



     A slide show at the church on Friday evening and a concert by the Canadian Brass at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach on Saturday evening provided still further entertainment for those who attended them.
     The week came to a close with a church service on Sunday, January 25, at which Rev. Brian Keith preached on the subject of predestination to heaven. This was followed by a delicious buffet luncheon provided by the ladies of the Boynton Beach Society.
     Then it was time to say good-bye to friends old and new. We hope that we will see them again at Eldergarten 1999. Judging by the comments heard throughout the week, most of them are eager to share once more the opportunity to study and discuss doctrine for a full week in the warmth of both Florida's climate and the Boynton Beach Society's hospitality.
     Donald C. Fitzpatrick, Jr.
     Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania
M.O.M.S. WEEKEND RETREAT (Meeting of Ordinary Moms with Special Kids) 1998

M.O.M.S. WEEKEND RETREAT (Meeting of Ordinary Moms with Special Kids)              1998

     Our Bryn Athyn support group is sponsoring a retreat over Mother's Day weekend at Tonche, New York. Mothers of children with special needs, whether it is a mild learning disability or a more severe challenge, are invited to join us. Come and celebrate the strengths of your child, receive nurturing and support, explore who you are apart from being the care-giver, and worship together and reflect on how the Lord's Providence is caring for your family.
     When: Friday, May 8th through Sunday, May 10th.
     To register or receive more information, e-mail Keene Blair at [email protected]" or call Terry Schnarr at (215) 947-6025. Registration deadline is April 17th.

190


NEW TRANSLATION OF EARTHS IN THE UNIVERSE 1998

NEW TRANSLATION OF EARTHS IN THE UNIVERSE              1998




     Announcements






     The Swedenborg Society has published a new translation by Dr. John Chadwick. The newly rendered title is arresting: ON THE WORLDS IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM called PLANETS and on THE WORLDS IN THE STARRY SKY. In the preface Dr. Chadwick explains: "Nowadays we do not use earths in the plural to mean 'inhabited planets,' which is plainly what Swedenborg meant by tellures. The best equivalent is therefore worlds; and since he frequently uses the term universe not merely for the whole of the natural creation, but especially for that part of it which lies beyond the Earth's envelope, a fair modern translation would be The Worlds in Space."
     There is a particularly interesting eight-page translator's introduction.

193


Title Unspecified 1998

Title Unspecified              1998

          
Vol. CXVIII May, 1998 No. 5
     New Church Life
KAINON SCHOOL'S 75TH ANNIVERSARY 1998

KAINON SCHOOL'S 75TH ANNIVERSARY       Winnie Cockerell       1998

     As an old student of Kainon High School in Rev. Elmo Acton's time, and an ex-Hebrew teacher in Kainon School, Westville, I have been asked to write this letter.
     On the 8th of August 1998 it will be (our New Church) Kainon School's 75th anniversary. We are intending to celebrate this important event by organizing an exciting and happy weekend from the 7th to the 9th of August, and we take pleasure in inviting as many New Church people as possible from all over the world to attend our anniversary celebration. We would like to extend a special invitation to all the previous Kainon headmasters and teachers, as well as ministers and ministers' wives, bishops and bishops' wives, whether connected to Kainon School or not. We would be delighted to have you all with us.
     We would be pleased to hear from you as soon as possible so that we can arrange accommodation and make plans for catering purposes.
     This is a very exciting time for the Durban Society, and we would be delighted to welcome people from our other New Church societies. So please come!
     Winnie Cockerell
     Durban, South Africa
ELDERGARTEN PROGRAMS forming for 1999 at 1998

ELDERGARTEN PROGRAMS forming for 1999 at              1998

     - Boynton Beach, Florida in January
     - Phoenix, Arizona in May
     - San Diego, California in November
     For General Church Members and Friends over 60 years old. Watch for further information in the June issue of New Church Life.

194


Notes on This Issue 1998

Notes on This Issue              1998

     On page 223 there is the announcement of the British Assembly to be held this summer. And on page 207 is the announcement of the General Assembly to be held in Canada in the year 2000. This is followed by a call for papers.
     The sermon on stewardship has been circulated fairly widely in the church; a number of people suggested it be published.
     We thank Ruth (Mrs. Daniel) Goodenough for translating into English a series of articles by Rev. Alain Nicolier. Mr. Nicolier has made an extended visit to French-speaking people in West Africa, and you will note in the announcements the baptisms at which he officiated.
     One way of avoiding confusion as to which Rev. Erik Sandstrom we refer to is to have items by both of them in the same issue. The younger Mr. Sandstrom has provided a major presentation on the problem of evil. His father composed the memorial resolution for his old friend Willard Pendleton, whose memorial address appeared in these pages last month.
     The quotation on p. 237 is from J. Post. 223, p. 142 of the new volume advertised on the inside back cover.
COMPLETE TALKING BOOK 1998

COMPLETE TALKING BOOK              1998

     The Heavenly City, a translation of The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, has been put on tape in a masterly way.
     These tapes are now available in Australia, and will eventually be available from the Swedenborg Foundation. Further information will be coming next month.
     The translation was done by Rev. Lee Woofenden in 1993. The reading on tape has recently been done by Barry Eaton, an Australian radio and television announcer. This has been put together with music and attractively packaged.
     Congratulations to the Swedenborg Lending Library and Enquiry Centre. Their address is: 1 Avon Road, North Ryde, NSW 2113, Australia.

195


STEWARDSHIP 1998

STEWARDSHIP       Rev. Walter E. Orthwein       1998

"And He said ... unto His disciples, 'There was a certain rich man who had a steward .... And he called him and said unto him. . . "Give an account of thy stewardship " ' " (Luke 16:1,2).

     A steward is one who is entrusted with the care and management of something which is not his own: an estate, a business, or, in regard to spiritual things, the goods and truths of the church.
     We are all stewards more than we might realize. If we were to agree to take care of someone's house or manage a business, we would take this responsibility very seriously. But there are other things which have been placed in our care about which we may feel little sense of responsibility except to ourselves. These things seem to be our own property, but in fact they are not. Life itself is one general example. It is given to us by the Lord for a purpose. We have a responsibility to the Lord to use the life He has given us in the way He intends for it to be used, as preparation for heaven.
     The natural man resents this responsibility and would deny it. It seems contrary to the freedom he desires. He doesn't want to be held accountable. But in truth, a person who feels no sense of responsibility to the Lord is missing the most important thing in life. Real freedom, satisfaction, and self-fulfillment cannot be found in a life in which there is no responsibility to the Lord. To be responsible to the Lord is to respond to the Lord's Divine love and wisdom. One who is not responsive to the Divine love and wisdom is not living to the full human capacity which the Lord has given him. To avoid spiritual responsibility is to live a half-life.
     What else are we stewards of? Our children, certainly. They are given into our care, not as possessions but as human beings entrusted to our protection and guidance.
     We are stewards of our bodies. They are given us to serve the spirit in this world.

196



     In general, that which is lower or more external is the steward or custodian of what is higher and more interior. In regard to the church, the Writings say that stewardship refers to all the externals of the church. The externals are those things which take charge of and administer the things of the church (see AC 1795).
     We are all, then, stewards of the goods and truths of the church. The New Church, as an organized body, has been entrusted with tremendous riches - knowledges of spiritual things and the spiritual charity which this knowledge makes possible. The essential, precious things of the new revelation have been given us to preserve, protect, cultivate, invest - put to good use.
     It is a marvelous thing the way the Heavenly Doctrine was given, that is, published in the form of books for people to do with as they would. No visions or voices compelled anyone to do anything with them. And, in fact, not many bought them. If it hadn't been for the efforts of the first New Churchmen -their dedication and courage, their wise and attentive stewardship, freely given - the Writings would have gone out of print very quickly and been relegated to the dusty shelves of old libraries.
     The fact that the organized New Church in the world today, despite being small in numbers, is able to carry on so many uses, such as education, translation, publication of books, and evangelization, in addition to public worship of the Lord in His Divine Human, and classes in the new doctrines, is testimony to the dedicated and prudent stewardship of New Church people over the years.
     In the New Church we are given to understand the importance of externals, of ultimates, to contain and support and provide a base for internals to rest on and in. Because in some churches externals - such as raising money, constructing fine church buildings, and social events - have tended to become ends in themselves, there has arisen in the world a certain distrust of "organized religion." But organization is necessary, in fact essential, for the performance of uses.

197


The spirit of man is organized, the body is organized; heaven itself is organized.
     Organization simply refers to the order in which a thing is. It is not a thing, but an order. Instead of "organized religion" we could say "ordered religion" - religion in which what is higher and most essential, the spiritual element, directs and is served by what is lower. Internals, spirit and life, are received from the Lord, but forms must be provided for their reception. Only organisms - ordered forms - receive life. Religion without an organization is like a spirit without a body, while a church in which organization becomes an end in itself is like a body without a spirit. Both spirit and body are necessary.
     The externals of the church -including maintenance of the building, management of finances, and all such things - fall into the general category of stewardship; and prudent stewardship is most important. It is the taking charge of and administering the spiritual riches of the church so that these interior things may be of use in the world.
     We could compare this to a house. A house provides the external basis necessary for the establishment of a home. In the various rooms of the house, the uses of the home are carried out. The house provides a center, a gathering place, for the family. Keeping the house in good repair is necessary for the well-being of the family.
     A school provides another example. A school building, with desks and blackboards, managed by a school board, principal, and teachers, is an ultimate form in which the use of education can be carried out. Perhaps the job of education can be accomplished without these things, but some ultimate is needed. And especially in a complex society in which the goal is for everyone to be educated, an external structure is needed to maintain this use. Without laboratories and libraries and so on, there cannot be continuity and progress.
     A person is not a body, but he needs a body.

198


Education is not a school, but a school is needed for the advancement and communication of knowledge. And similarly, in regard to religion, an external organization is needed to maintain the knowledge of the Lord through the Word in the world.
     The responsibility for maintaining this structure is stewardship, and is something we all share.
     The point of the parable of the unjust steward is that we ought to be as careful and thoughtful and intelligent in our administration of the church as men are about their worldly business. Very often, though, those engaged in worldly concerns - the stock market, savings account, the management of money for a new car or house - are more prudent about these concerns than the "children of light" (that is, the enlightened people of the church) are in caring for the church.
     The Writings explain that the reason why the evil are permitted in Divine Providence to prosper in the world is that they serve uses, and as a rule with more zeal than good people, for they are looking to themselves and their own reward in the uses they serve (see DP 250:3-5). In this world, the love of self is a stronger motivation than the love of the Lord with many people. Thus one who is thinking of himself in the uses he does is likely to be more devoted to them, and a better administrator of them, than one who is serving the Lord.
     But this ought not to be the case with us. In the words of the parable, we need to "make friends with the mammon of unrighteousness." The meaning is the same as what is represented by the Children of Israel taking gold and silver and clothing from the Egyptians - that, we should use the things of this world wisely and prudently as friends to our spiritual life. The same prudence and skill and earthly treasures employed by the evil can be uses by the good for the benefit of the church.
     Now in saying these things we don't mean to imply that the church should be run exactly like a business.

199


This would be to run the risk of having the serpent kill the dove. The church is not a business; or we could say, its business is charity. This is the product it deals in, the reason for its existence. Surely this fact will make a difference in the way our business meetings are conducted. In a business, the feelings of the partners for one another are of small concern, as long as profits are maintained (perhaps these days, when the use of "team building" is recognized in business, it is of more concern). For a church to be similarly unconcerned would lead to spiritual bankruptcy. People's feelings are important. If organizational concerns should ever start to take first place, that would be self-defeating. Our goal is not increased profits (obviously), or even better organization, except insofar as better organization is needed to serve the spiritual ends of the church.
     In short, prudent management is needed, but we must always remember what it is needed for. Prudent management is a means to a spiritual end.
     It is a principle of the Writings that if one loves the end, he also loves the means for attaining that end. This is said especially in regard to our regeneration, the "means" being the truths of faith. If one truly loves what is good, or loves the things of heaven, then he will love the means whereby the Lord gives those things to His people - that is, the knowledges of the Word and doctrine from the Word.
     But this can be applied to the church organization also. In this regard, the means for achieving the spiritual end or purpose of the church (the presence of the Divine among men) are all the various things which can collectively be designated as stewardship.
     Stewardship doesn't just refer to donating money, but to all aspects of the support of the church organization. "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matt. 6:21). If we value the things of the church, we will see the need of providing for them, and love to do so.
     As far as maintaining the building is concerned, for instance, there are dozens of jobs which need to be done.

200


Having volunteer help for these things is not only good financially, but is also of spiritual benefit. It is a sign of commitment to the church, an ultimate expression of that love of the means by which the spiritual things of the church exist in the world.
     Attending church functions in itself is a form of stewardship. It shows interest and support for the spiritual uses of the church.
     The very fact that in the New Church there have been so many willing hands to take charge of and administer the external affairs of the church may lull us into a false sense of security, or make us believe that everything is being taken care of and that no more help is needed. But the church is like a family: everyone's contribution is needed. Even if things are getting done, it is a much healthier situation if everyone is participating in the care and management of the church. There is something everyone can do, including the teenagers who help in the nursery and Sunday School, and even the children.
     There is power in ultimates. The ultimates of the church are powerful because they support and serve as the means of maintaining the interior things of worship and doctrine. And the ultimate acts of contributing to these externals of the church organization are powerful because they express and confirm a person's love for the church.
     The church is not ours, after all, but the Lord's. And He does say to us: "Give an account of your stewardship." This is not for the purpose of making us feel guilty or inadequate, but simply to remind us of the importance of this need for wise and devoted stewardship, and to cause us to think how we might become even better stewards.
     If we love the spiritual uses of the church, then we will also be concerned with its external condition, the means for maintaining those uses. The fact that the church has been so well provided for, so that its uses have been able to expand significantly, is a positive sign. But let each of us as individuals bear in mind the importance of this work and be sure we are doing our part.

201



     As the Lord said, "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much. . . " (Luke 16: 10). Amen.

Lessons: I Samuel 1; Luke 16:1-13; AC 1795 MASCULINE PRINCIPLE 1998

MASCULINE PRINCIPLE       Rev. ALAIN NICOLIER       1998

     (Originally published in Nouvelle Terre, a publication of the Association Swedenborg in France, nos. 205, 206, 207 and 209, in May, June, July-August, and October, 1997.)

     (Part I)1
          1 Readings: Gen. 17, Matt. 2:16-18, CL 90, AC 568

     " . . . [Y]ou shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you" (Gen. 17:11).
     The first half of the twentieth century has seen the birth of a war which, judging by its wide extent and duration, has had no precedent in human history. Little by little it is reaching all people and all countries.
     This war is the war of the sexes, which began in the United States and has gradually spread throughout the world - and women initiated it. In the beginning these women were tired of the inequality and injustice to which they were subjected by men, and they justifiably claimed the right to the same social, political, moral, professional and religious status as men.

202



     Even if women have won rights in most of these areas today, still some less obvious or more personal and subtle battles remain in the daily life of each woman. With certain exceptions, these often are still justified.
     After several decades, this war of the sexes, also called liberation of woman, has prompted men2 to question the very foundations of their own nature and of society. This has led them, little by little, to ask themselves what are the true values of life and even of God.
     2 By "man" the male is meant throughout (in Latin: vir, masculine).
     Today's man is searching his own heart, for on the one hand he is trying to differentiate between reality and preconceived ideas as he re-examines what his forefathers have left him, and on the other hand he is confronted by the feminine world with its exactions and its own research.
     The numerous men's groups being formed right and left the world over for the purpose of thinking about and sharing whatever represents for them the masculine identity bear witness to this search. The many articles in our own New Church periodicals which attempt to redefine the roles of each sex in the light of revelation are also evidence of it. The crises which married couples often experience also bear witness.
     Since the Garden of Eden, man has dominated the world and woman by use of physical, brute force and by a government of understanding separated from will. Laws have been made by men for men. Thus fewer rights have been given to women than to men, much less the opportunity to express themselves on matters relating to the way things should be done.
     And so great male strategies have followed one after the other upon earth - strategies thirsty for power, glory, honor and riches, and sowing fire, blood and terror around them - while women have been excluded from all participation and major decisions.
     From the beginning of time it has been men who fight, who set up political and religious systems, who make war.

203


It is they who kill and destroy, for that is their fate when the choice of government by truth alone is used.
     Although wars are still going on in underdeveloped countries, the risk today of world war is much less since the Second Coming of the Lord in the spiritual world.
     Rule by the authority of truth alone has decreased. Women are more respected, considered, and listened to. Truth is trying to unite itself with good, little by little giving birth to a more humane wisdom.
     Man's domination of the world is in part due to a poor understanding of the Divine Word which, in the appearance of the letter, gives superiority to the male over the female. In fact, in Genesis we read these words of the Lord addressing Eve in these terms: "Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you" (Gen. 3:16). Of course that is part of the punishment for having eaten of the forbidden fruit, and we know it was not like that in the beginning. But if this passage is taken out of context, as has been done by male Christian theologians, it is then easy to develop a doctrine of the superiority of man. Other passages in the Word taken out of context are said to support this thesis. Examples are the numerous laws given in Leviticus, or in certain epistles of Paul where woman is presented as man's servant.
     The same phenomenon has been observed in the New Church, where some passages from the Writings, taken out of context, perpetuate the idea that man has a certain precedence over woman. It seems inevitable that from the time a church is formed, it brings forth all kinds of heresies (see AC 362).
     One of the keys giving access to the truth is first of all to approach the Word without preconceived ideas or pre-established opinions about the subject to be studied so that we can be completely open to influx from the Lord and have renewed light in our mind.
     We must know beforehand that the human male and female are both expressions of the Divine Human, and that together they are an image and likeness of the Creator.

204


We read: "Elohim created the human being in His own image; in the image of Elohim He created him; male and female He created them" (Gen. 1:27). Thus there is no suggestion of superiority or inferiority between the two sexes, but a complementary relationship between two different and interdependent functions.
     To begin this study we are going to focus on the masculine principle, keeping in mind that every idea about it remains very sketchy as it relates to research done on woman and on the couple relationship.
     "Male and female created He them." Here mention is made of the male before the female, for truth comes before good, or the understanding precedes the will. The Writings tell us that in fact truth is first in time, while good is first in end.
     In the ideal of the Garden of Eden the precedence of the male is not yet changed into domination; it is simply first in time. Its spiritual form is a receptacle of the Divine light, while the feminine receptacle is adapted to Divine heat. Light is seen before heat is felt; this is why on the first day of creation light was created first.
     Time comes before space, which is why the male is more temporal than the woman, who by nature is more spatial. These two natures must co-exist in harmony and equilibrium in order that they may together make themselves the receptacle of influx from the Divine Human.
     In Eden, this conjunction between the time of wisdom and the space of love was a perfect image and likeness of God.
     Since the male is a receptacle of the Divine wisdom, power is associated with the male, for it flows from Divine Truth.3 Accordingly, the male is physically stronger than the female and more angular in form. In him is the procreative force of the species and the determination to acquire knowledges and then wisdom.
     3 See AC 4402, AE 195:7.

205



     Concerning the male, we read that he "is born intellect-oriented ... or in other words that ... [he] is born with an affection for knowing, understanding and becoming wise .... [And] because interior qualities form the exterior ones to their likeness, and the masculine form is a form of the intellect, . . . therefore the male . . . has a tougher look, a rougher sound and a stronger physique, and moreover his lower face is bearded. In general he has a less beautiful form than the female.... Masculinity in the male is masculine in every part, even in the least part of his body, and also in every idea of his thought, and in every bit of his affection. So too with femininity in the female. And because one cannot as a consequence be converted into the other, it follows that after death a male is still male, and that a female is still female."4
     4 CL 33; see also CL 90.
     It was noted at the beginning that truth is seen while good is felt, and that truth is connected with time, thus is first in time, while good is connected with space and is first in end or purpose.
     Truth represented by the male is a state of existing and of standing forth, and the good represented by the female is a state of being or of essence.5
     5 See AC 2625, 3938 and DLW 70e.
     And so the male appears first in creation and the Lord manifests Himself in time at His creation in the form of a male. Throughout the Word, God uses males to speak to His people, through the patriarchs, Moses, the prophets, and later on through the disciples and finally, Swedenborg. For it is by the masculine that His wisdom is transmitted, and it is by truths that the individual can be regenerated. We read in the Writings: "Every individual is reformed and regenerated by means of truths, for without truths one -does not know what good is, and what its nature is, nor, consequently, the way to heaven . . . . And as everything of regeneration is effected by means of truths of doctrine that become those of life from the Lord, therefore all the males, by whom truths were signified, had to present themselves before the Lord, that they might be cleansed by Him and afterwards led by Him.

206


By three times in the year is also signified continually .... Therefore the law was given that burnt-offerings should be of males that were without blemish, either from the flock or from the herd ... (Levit. 1:2, 3)" (AE 725:4-6).
     By this passage we can understand that, given the representation of truth by the male, it is he who needs to be purified. This purification is essentially represented by the circumcision of Jewish men on the eighth day after their birth.
     "Circumcision or cutting off the foreskin meant nothing else than the removal and rejection of those elements which stand in the way of and defile heavenly love, namely evil desires, especially those of self-love, and falsities resulting from those desires ... Circumcising the foreskin counts for absolutely nothing if unaccompanied by circumcision of the heart" (AC 2039).
     If, as seems to be the case, rule by men is disastrous, it surely is because they do not take care to purify themselves of the cupidities of the love of self, and because they allow themselves to believe that they are superior to women and they love their own intelligence.
     Women have had enough of that, and are justifiably reacting by wanting to be involved in all the uses which until now have been filled by men only.
     Next time we will look at the representation of circumcision.

     (to be continued)

207


ASSEMBLY ANNOUNCEMENT 1998

ASSEMBLY ANNOUNCEMENT       Rev. Peter M. Buss       1998

     To the Members and Friends of the General Church:

     It gives me great pleasure to invite you to attend the 33rd General Assembly of the General Church, which will take place at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, about halfway between Toronto and Kitchener, on June 21-25, 2000. The General Church in Canada has graciously agreed to host this event.
     Assemblies in our church perform several functions. People of the church come together from all parts of the world to hear the teachings of the Lord's Word. They meet in a sphere of mutual charity, and form bonds of friendship, many of which become lifelong. They renew old acquaintances. They learn of the growth or the challenges of the church in other centers and support each other in the spirit of charity. People share their experience of the church and their talents, bringing to the notice of others ways in which to help our children with their spiritual development or to reach out to potential new members, or to deal with issues in their own spiritual lives. We have the opportunity to worship together and feel the power of a large gathering, called together to look to the Lord and seek to do His will. Finally, this assembly will be asked to act on a nomination which we hope to bring from the Council of the Clergy for the next Assistant Bishop of the General Church. This man will in all probability become our next Executive Bishop in the year 2005.
     The General Church in Canada is planning an extensive program for children, and wishes to assure young families that they are welcome and that provision will be made for their needs. In addition there will be special activities for high school students, and the annual Maple Leaf Academy will take place immediately following the assembly at its regular venue on Wood Lake, Ontario.
     A warm expression of thanks goes to the General Church in Canada, which has so kindly agreed to host this important event of the church.
     Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss

208


CALL FOR PAPERS for the 33rd General Assembly of the General Church of the New Jerusalem 1998

CALL FOR PAPERS for the 33rd General Assembly of the General Church of the New Jerusalem              1998

     June 21st - 25th, 2000

     The next International Assembly of the General Church will be held in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The members of the church in Canada are pleased to provide for this event and would like to invite the participation of members from around the world in the presentation of major papers, topics and workshops for the program.
     As the church continues to grow in numbers and diversity, it is particularly appropriate that we have opportunities to celebrate the various ways individuals and groups from all walks of life contribute to the perfection of the whole. Hence our theme, "The Many Faces of the General Church."
     In order to encourage and facilitate the greatest possible exchange of ideas in a limited time frame, and allow for plenty of discussion and interaction, the assembly committee has established a three-tiered program of presentations.
     First, in order to provide for the leadership of the church, there will be three full or plenary sessions, open to all and addressed primarily by our bishop and speakers of his choice.
     Next, there will be four sets of mid-size sessions open to three groups of about 300, each meeting simultaneously and addressed by women or men (priests or not) whose topics will be selected from submissions matching criteria listed below. Some of these sessions will be repeated in order to maximize the freedom of members to attend them.
     Finally, there will be five sets of mini-sessions open to a wide range of groups consisting of no more than 50 or so meeting simultaneously for workshops or topical discussions. These also will be presented by women or men whose topics are selected by the committee, and again, some may be repeated.

209



     Those wishing to submit a proposal for a presentation that might be suitable for a second- or third-level session described above should write to the bishop's liaison for the assembly: Rev. Michael Gladish, c/o The Olivet Church, 279 Burnhamthorpe Road, Etobicoke, Ontario M913 IZ6 Canada (e-mail: Mgladish glnterlog.Com; FAX 416-239-4935) no later than June 30, 1999. All submissions should contain the following information:
     Presenter's name, address, telephone number, fax and/or e-mail if available;
     An abstract or summary describing the proposed theme or topic, including the main point, purpose or conclusion in no more than 300 words, double-spaced and typewritten if possible;
     Preference for a lecture format or a workshop/discussion.
     All submissions will be reviewed by the Assembly Program Committee and selected for the program based on originality of thought, perceived interest and usefulness for assembly attendees, relevance to the doctrines of the New Church, and compatibility for the purposes of a well co-ordinated and balanced program. The evaluation process will be confidential, and submissions that cannot be scheduled in the time available will be returned to the individuals submitting them. The committee will make every effort to include the widest possible array of ideas in the program, and hopes that everyone with something to contribute will feel free to submit a proposal.
VISIT THE GREAT NORTHWEST THIS SUMMER! 1998

VISIT THE GREAT NORTHWEST THIS SUMMER!              1998

     Northwest Church Camp will be held from August 19 through August 23, near Portland, Oregon at Camp Menucha, a beautiful old estate overlooking the Columbia River Gorge! Main speaker Bishop Peter Buss' talk will be "Elijah: the Trials and the Triumphs of Human Conviction." For more information and/or to register, contact Peggy Andrews at [email protected] or (503) 695-2534. More details p. 240.

210


PROBLEM OF EVIL 1998

PROBLEM OF EVIL       Rev. ERIK E. SANDSTROM       1998

     The New Church is to be the crown of churches that have hitherto existed in the world, because it is to worship one visible God, in whom dwells the invisible God as a soul dwells in a body (see TCR 787). The first Christian Church, meant by the first white horse of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse (ch. 6), was genuine but fell into errors because it did not know or keep hold of the doctrine of discrete degrees, as will be seen. And so the Writings say that true Christianity is now for the first time beginning to dawn, and is called the New Church; and to establish this, the internal sense has been revealed and it is to come into the use itself of the sacraments of baptism and the holy supper. This is done when the eyes of the understanding are opened and we see the holy things contained in these sacraments (see TCR 700; cf. TCR 668).
     Priests of this New Church are, we are taught, to be given "honor and dignity on account of the holy things they administer." But "wise priests prefer the salvation of souls to honor and dignity" (NJHD 317). These holy things of the church are the sacraments of baptism and the holy supper, which only inaugurated priests may administer. They have to do with purification.
     Every religion has rites or sacraments of purification: from Hindus washing themselves in the Ganges, to modern Jews praying by the walling wall, to American Indians in sweat-lodges. The ancient Israelites had many forms of washings and purification. But we are taught: "It was believed that by the washings that were prescribed ... their sins were wiped away. Yet this was not at all the case. Those washings only represented purification from evils and falsities by means of the truths of faith and a life according to them" (AE 71).
     So no one is saved by purification. All purification accomplishes absolutely nothing - zero effect. Purification is like the Lord's miracles of healing physical infirmities; but no one was ever saved by a miracle.

211


The Lord just restored people's freedom to be saved. Then they had to begin the real work: "Go and sin no more." And so all the ritual washings or acts of purification, the circumcision in the Israelitish Church, and all the sacrifices, the Writings tell us, were abolished by the Lord and retained as baptism for washings and the holy supper for sacrifices (see TCR 670 and 674). The New Church, meant by the second white horse in chapter 19 of the Apocalypse, is to come into the use itself of these two sacraments (see TCR 700).
     The sacraments are useful only when it is understood what holy things are contained in them. What holy things? It goes back to the creation of the universe. Unless we understand how the universe was created, we will not understand discrete degrees, and will not understand the power of representation and the interior washing, which is repentance from evil in the Lord's name. Evils have to be shunned, not the body purified.
     All world religions believe in creation and have elaborate cosmologies. But they are all wrong in a most fundamental way, a fault partly to blame for the collapse of each world religion. For every religion has been judged: some at the pre-historic last judgment of Noah's flood, others at the second last judgment, namely the crucifixion; others waited till the third and final last judgment in 1757, witnessed by Swedenborg and recorded in excruciating detail. The Reformed were at the center, surrounded by the Catholics, these by Islam and these by the gentiles - all the rest. The dogmas of the whole religious world were judged.
     The fundamental fault which has crept into the early Christian Church is the confusion about where the Divine stops and where the human begins. It was the loss of discrete degrees. There are quantum gaps in the universe. The soul and body are discrete, distinct. We read: "If anyone thinks about [the order of creation] not from discrete degrees but from continuous degrees, he is not able to perceive anything . . . from causes but only from effects; ... from which come errors one after another; ... at length enormous falsities are called truths" (DLW 187).

212


And so the spiritual sense of the Word is discrete, above and within the literal sense. The heavens are discrete, separate from the earth. The soul is distinct from the body.
     Creation took place by means of discrete degrees. This doctrine was known in the Ancient Church. But the fundamental misunderstanding that has crept into many world religions - Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - is the creation of the universe out of nothing: ex nihilo. But not so. Out of nothing, nothing comes. We read: "From absolute nothingness nothing is or can be made. The universe, which is God's image and full of God, could be created only in and from God; for God is Esse itself, and from this is whatever is. To create what is, from nothing which is not, is an utter contradiction" (DLW 55). "Everyone who thinks from clear reason sees that the universe was not created out of nothing" (DLW 283).
     What is the alternative? "The universe was created out of God Himself, not out of nothing," we read in TCR 33. Finite matter was created by the infinite God, but has nothing of God left in it (see DLW 305). Discrete degrees separate God from His creation. So the order is that God made the universe out of Himself. He then removed all Divine life from it, and then introduced order into the whole universe, "most perfect order." For "everything that He created was good," as we read in the book of creation, which is the Ancient Word. And so it is that "evil things" are not from creation, but they "sprang up together with hell, after creation" (TCR 53).
     Evils began after creation. That avoids the theodicy dilemma. So, then, how did evil arise after creation? From man. We are to blame. (The way it happened was not by original sin.)
     The theodicy dilemma is this: God is good, God created everything, evil exists, therefore God created a universe with evil in it. This dilemma stems from the ex nihilo creation: Since creation out of nothing presents an infinite number of ways to create a universe, God could have created a universe without evil in it.

213


Yet He chose to include evil; therefore God is responsible for evil and hell, one way or another.
     But no, not so. Man invented evil after creation. The Lord in His infinite mercy lets us experience the consequences of our own choices until we on our own realize we are to blame, and finally come around to be saved by Him.
     That is why we say in the prayer, "lead us not into temptation." Well, the Lord does not. We ourselves let evil spirits lead us into temptations (see AC 4249, AE 631). Yet the Lord is more closely present with us during temptations than any other time. Why? It is because when the Lord is nearer to man than man is to Him (see AC 4299), then man comes into temptations. The Lord's prerogative is to step closer to us than we are to Him, rendering us stronger than we realize, giving us a greater freedom in temptations than out of them (see AC 1937, 1947). But our strength then consists in saying "Nay, nay" to evil.
     And that is also how the first people, or Adam, came into temptation. But Adam means males and females together. The creation of Eve and the origin of evil had nothing to do with woman. The origin of evil was "gender neutral"! Males and females together invented evil. It happened as we read: "'not dwelling alone' means not to be satisfied with 'being led by the Lord.' 'It is not good for man to be alone [Gen. 2:18]' means that he who desires is already in evil, and it is granted him" (AC 139).
     What happened was that man - humankind - preferred the internal within self to the internal above self. Something seen to be clearly above you is easy to keep from mixing up with self. But when it is within you, you can't keep track. Thus we read: "The internal man was within this external, thus the external was coupled with the internal in a new state" (AC 156). This was a way in which the Lord "preserved man's innocence" (AC 163).
     This first turn to evil was converted by the Lord into something good. Instead of being led by the Lord directly, people now delighted in the appearance of self-life, and so wanted the appearance that we live from ourselves to be the actual truth.

214


And the appearance that one lives from oneself is "so strong that it does not differ at all" from actually living from oneself (DP 308).
     This invention of evil by human beings is nowhere more lucidly put than in Conjugial Love 444, which reads in part: "The person who turns away from God and wills to be led by himself is not motivated by good .... From this it is evident that man himself is the origin of evil, not that that origin was infused into man from creation, but that by turning from God to self he infused it into himself .... Because they turned away from God and turned to themselves as though to a god, they created in themselves the origin of evil. Eating of that tree symbolized their believing that a person knows good and evil and is wise on his own, and not from God" (CL 444).
     So when man became the least good, "evil sprang up on the opposite side. Evil is not nothing," even though it is nothing of good (ibid.). In other words, evil is not just a shadow. It is malicious, venomous, very dangerous.
     So we are to blame. This invention of evil after creation is recreated in every child after he is born. That is one consequence of the human origin of evil - tendencies to evils, inherited from parents and ancestors. But inherited tendencies do not condemn.
     Now we first have to see another great truth that has to do with discrete degrees: the total separation of God from man. When we say or sing, "God is in this place," that is an appearance. God is omnipresent, yes, but He is in all space apart from space (see DLW 69). Space and time began with finite matter, and belong to it (see Ibid.) There is no time and space in God. So God or the Lord is not in this place. Instead, He is the "I AM," anywhere.
     One thing the Lord is is Life, that is, action. We read: "In life alone there is action; reaction is caused by the action of life" (DLW 68). We finite vessels react to the Lord's action. But just because we are finite or natural does not mean we are evil. Yet the whole concept of purification in religion is that our body is evil, the world is evil.

215


We have to purify, purge ourselves, of this evil, and be saved by abstention, by self-denial, by renouncing the world and the flesh.
     But again, the Writings say, "No." The life that leads to heaven is lived in the world, not apart from it (see NJHD 126). The body and the world are not evil. Being finite or natural is not evil. We react to God. That is not evil. It is part of existence to be born natural, on a physical planet, spinning in a solar system in an ordinary galaxy. In order to create humans who could have free will, God had to remove finite matter so far from the infinite that it is finite. That removal or distance from God is not evil. By creating the finite out of the infinite, God successively, by discrete degrees, withdrew what was from Himself in that which proceeded from Himself, until there was nothing Divine left. That finite matter is not evil. All of creation is natural. It is not evil.
     So reaction to the Action of Life is not evil. We get tired, we grow old; that is not evil. We get hungry; that is not evil. We get dirty or poor; that is not evil. But because the body corresponds to the soul and mind, we cleanse our bodies in religious rituals to signify spiritual cleansing. Baptism is such a washing. It does nothing for you or for your child unless you carry out the uses of baptism: be inserted into the spiritual world, know and acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ as Redeemer and Savior, and be regenerated (see TCR 677, 681, 684). Regeneration or being reborn is effected by avoiding evils in the Lord's name all through our lives. That is the only purification that counts.
     And so reaction to the Lord is never evil. But we also react against the Lord. That can be evil. For our heredity reacts against the Lord. But heredity, as said, does not condemn. The Lord figured it perfectly: He created man in two versions, male and female, so they could love each other and procreate offspring from their love, and so populate the heavens. And the Lord permits controlled doses of the parents' problems inborn with the kids, so they can masquerade those problems before increasingly irate parents, for them to correct, thereby correcting themselves in the process.

216


And so we read in CL 202: "Children inherit from their parents tendencies to the same kinds of things as had been connected with their parents' love and mode of life. However, they do not inherit ... the parents' actual affections ... but only tendencies .... To keep actual thoughts and deeds from ensuing, it is Divinely provided that corrupt inclinations may be rectified, and that a capacity for this is also implanted. Resulting from this capacity are an ability and power in people to mend their habits, under the direction of parents and teachers, and afterwards by themselves when they come into their own right and judgment."
     In short, we pass on tendencies to our kids so that we may correct the original evils in ourselves and also the tendencies in our children. We cast out the beam in ourselves first to remove the speck in the kids. The baptism of the child calls for the holy supper for the parents, the only two "universal gates" for New Church people (TCR 721).
     Well, we can accept all that. But we need more help. The greatest "savior" of all is also an enemy to the New Church - a double-agent: we can't do without him, but we wish to kill him too. What am I talking about?
     Ignorance. We read, "Ignorance excuses, and innocence makes it appear good" (AC 1667). The Lord sees a long row for every person to hoe, but there has to be immediate progress or nothing will happen. So He adjoins heavenly loves in states of total ignorance and stupidity, which we are all in when born. Those heavenly gifts are involved in the words "Let there be light" (see AC 17). From remains, or heavenly remnants or trace-elements, we become truly human and not animal. These God-given remnants are granted by the Lord alone, from birth onward to eternity (see AC 1906). The heaviest dose comes from the time we live on our own, when we experience the first effect of life, which is "inmost thought" (DLW 13).
     Ignorance is like a double agent. We don't want to remain ignorant.

217


But ignorant people surely can look cute. And a naive person in our midst is instantly popular, because we can appear wise next to him, and also we can become benign in helping our fellows along. And so we are taught that falsities are regarded by the Lord like truths, according to the quality of innocence, and falsities are accepted as the truth when the end is good (see AC 7887). We of course cannot condone continued ignorance, which is why we have New Church education and doctrinal instruction, and why the sabbath today is for the sake of instruction (see AC 10360). Even the inmost of worship is doctrine: "The things which are of doctrine come first, and those that are of worship follow, because the quality of the worship is from the goods and truths of doctrine; for worship is nothing but an external act in which there should be the internals, which are of doctrine. Without these the worship is without its essence, life and soul" (AR 777). So without doctrinal things at its center, worship is soul-less!
     But every church collapses from hereditary evils accumulating - one consequence of evil. Hereditary evils, we read, are "multiplied and augmented in each descending posterity, remaining with each person, and increased in each by his actual sins." These are "never dissipated so as to become harmless except in those who are being regenerated by the Lord" (AC 313). Still, hereditary tendencies do not condemn anyone; only actual evils do. The quickest and safest way to heaven is to shun tendencies as soon as you spot them. That would be the short-cut to the promised land, which Caleb and Joshua fervently recommended taking. But no, we get scared by tendencies looking like giants, and so the actual evils and temptations are of our own making. Still, innocence is attached to ignorance, and so human heredity appears good. Naughty children are still lovable. And that is the real problem of evil.
     Evil seems good. If you have trouble locating your evils, try looking at your goods! That is where self-examination comes in. And New Church people are trying all kinds of ways to examine themselves.

218


When we look beneath the surface, there is no end to evils. Hell is literally bottomless, and all evils gravitate thither. But we are invited to shun a few at a time. And to start, we rely in large part on how other people see us. In Islam, you are the way others see you, so if someone points out your fault, you repent on the spot by making instant amends. But many Christians like to dawdle over their evils - play out the game.
     How do we repent of evils? The Writings give specific instructions on it, such as the phrase we should all memorize and trot out several times a week, even if just in rehearsal, so we won't forget it when we are tempted: "Although I think and will this, I will not do it because it is a sin" (TCR 535).
     But what is a sin? What is evil? Evil is that which delights in acting and thinking contrary to Divine order (see DP 279). As stated often in the Writings, "These things do not purify man - that is, doing good, knowing and speaking the things of the church, reading the Word, attending church, taking the holy Supper, renouncing the world, being pious, confessing oneself guilty of sins of all kinds - these do not purify man unless ...... and you know what is coming: "unless he sees his sins, acknowledges them, condemns himself on account of them, and repents by desisting from them, all as of himself" (DP 121). Another place gives us some mental help in how to do this: "Man is from creation in a state to know that evil is from hell and that good is from the Lord, and to perceive these in himself as if they were from himself, so when he so perceives them, [he is in a state] to cast the evil down to hell and to receive the good, with the acknowledgment that it is from the Lord. When he does these two things, he does not appropriate evil to himself, and does not claim merit for the good" (AE 1148).
     But there is one thing that we have to see: only the Word of the Lord has the power to purify our internal man. The Lord on earth conquered the hells, single-handed. Only He has merit. He conquered them by fulfilling the Scriptures.

219


We read: "It is by means of the truths in a man that the Lord has the power to save him; for man is reformed and regenerated and ... taken out of hell and introduced into heaven by means of truth from the sense of the letter of the Word. This power the Lord took upon Himself, even as to His Divine Human, after He had fulfilled all things of the Word down to its ultimates" (SS 49).
     Scripture saves. The Writings in all the times they refer to the sense of the letter of the Word exclusively refer to the Sacred Scriptures, i.e., the Old and New Testaments. The Writings are never classified as Scripture in the Writings themselves, but of course Scripture quotes are liberally strewn throughout all of the Writings. For the Writings are drawn from and confirmed by the sense of the letter of the Word. If they were not, there would be nothing Divine in them, but only human intelligence (see SS 54).
     And so it is by means of the Word, that is, the power in the ultimate Scripture, that we repent and are rescued from hell. "Man is taken out of hell and introduced into heaven by means of truth from the sense of the letter of the Word" (SS 49). We read: "That abstaining from evils for any reason whatever except from the Word does not purify the internal man is evident from the origin of evil works and of good works" (AE 803). The number goes on to list the reasons that do not work: fear of civil law and penalties, fear of the loss of your reputation or honor, the fear of becoming poor, etc. None of them works.
     Neither does it work to confess oneself guilty of every sin we can think of. The Writings say "confession of all sins is the lulling to sleep of all, and at length blindness" (DP 278). We blind ourselves to our evils by rattling them off in a long list.
     So we have to use laser-guided missiles, not blanket bombing. Be selective. It is so painful to admit our own fault for the reason that it touches close to home. Finding fault with others only touches the most external of our thought, nearest to hearing. Whenever we hear someone say something we dislike, we easily rush to judgment. But if we were to say the same thing about ourselves, it requires opening a deeper part of our mind.

220


We read: "He finds it difficult to say this to himself [because it] touches the will" (TCR 535). And of course it is in the will that our evils reside. The evils of the will cannot see themselves, and so we refuse to point out our own evils.
     So we need help in the power of ritual. The power of the holy supper lies in its correspondence. The letter of the Word is heard, we hear the story at the institution: that literal power is a bulwark against the hells. But the bread and the wine are not holy in themselves; instead, the love and faith of the person who partakes correspond to the Divine love and wisdom of the Lord.
     There are two sets of correspondences in the holy supper: one between the elements and your mind, and the other between your mind and the Lord. It is in the latter relationship that purification takes place, not the former. We are conjoined with the Lord by the holy supper, but, we read, "The bread and wine do not effect this; there is nothing holy in them. But the material bread and wine correspond to heavenly bread and wine, and the heavenly bread and wine correspond to the holy of love and holy of faith, both from the Lord, and both the Lord. The conjunction of the Lord with man and man with the Lord is not with the bread and wine, but with the love and faith of the man who has repented" (AR 224e). This is introduction into heaven.
     So before the holy supper, it is not necessary to confess our sins to the Lord, or enumerate them, "because" we read, "he has searched them out and seen them in himself, and consequently they are present to the Lord because they are present to himself" (TCR 539). If an evil is present to ourselves, it is already present to the Lord.
     It is important to remember that since evil originates from man, not from God, therefore the rewards which are attached from creation to all that is good and true are also perverted by the invention of evil. The "reward" of evil and falsity is thus also opposite to the reward of good: instead of delight for good, there is the pain of evil.

221


Pain is the reward of evil. The pain originates from the evil deed itself. As the Lord, the all-merciful God, said from His Divine love, "They shall have their reward." He could not say "their punishment," since God never punishes. He only tolerates the pain of our evils to take its toll until we admit we ourselves are to blame for it. That is when we can repent.
     However, the devils cleverly accuse us of the very evils they themselves inspire (see AC 751, 761, 8159), plus saddle us with the torment of conscience for the very evils which belong to them in hell (see AC 6097, 7344).
     Can evil be eradicated? Why aren't all in heaven?
     Not all are in heaven because of freedom. Evil and hell came into existence after creation. However, evil has no power at all over good. Hell is impotent. It is we who grant it power, and extend it leave to romp through our lives and the lives of others, by parading as good. Only the revealed Word can see through it, and it is the Word that judges, not the Lord, as He said, "He who rejects Me and does not receive My words has that which judges him - the Word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day" (John 12:48).
     This means that the Lord does not impute any evil to man. The Lord never blames us for any evil we have or do or say. That is meant by "Father, forgive them; they know not what they do" (TCR 539). Yet sins are not taken away by the crucifixion. They are taken away as we are forgiven and forgive others their trespasses. This happens gradually, and it happens in our occupations and businesses. Everyone may be saved, "each according to his occupation" (TCR 580). Evils are excreted as man does his or her work faithfully, honestly and sincerely, shunning those evils as sins which in particular tempt that person in that particular occupation. Then, we read, "lusts ... are admitted by companies and groups into the interior thoughts of man's spirit, and from these into his exterior thoughts, [where they appear] as satisfactions, pleasures or longings, and mingle with the natural and sensual delights . . . of [the] uses of one's business and office" (DP 296:10).

222



     We are saved in our work. That work is what we finally discover and perform as our use in heaven, forever, without tiring: "They cease from labor, and their works follow after" (Rev. 14:13).
     As we plan ahead in our lives, go to work and do our business, we shun evils as sins in the Lord's name. Remember to use that phrase at work, "Although I am thinking and willing this, I will not do it because it is a sin." Remember some Scripture quote to keep the hells forever conquered. Then, by our shunning of actual evils as sins against the Lord, the secret lusts that motivate our evils are mingled with business concerns of our occupation, and are excreted. They are "tied into bundles" just as the tares are separated from the wheat (see TCR 38). Only the Lord's power can do this, because He faced "continual temptations and continual victory from His earliest childhood, and the last was when He prayed on the cross for His enemies, and thus for all in the whole world .... From love toward the whole human race the Lord fought against the loves of self and of the world, with which the hells were filled" (AC 1690).
     And that is our greatest hope. The Lord in His Divine Human has power over all evils. We do well to learn more of the doctrine of the Lord. Being born natural is not evil. Reacting to the Lord is not evil. Reacting against Him is what we need to watch out for. To "act and to think from the delight of a lust, contrary to Divine order" (DP 279) is evil. Man, generically, invented it. But we live in spiritual freedom, and thus the consequence and reward of our ancestry is inherited inclinations to evils of every kind. Inclinations do not condemn; they are easily conquered in the Lord's name. And so a whole chapter in Heaven and Hell is headed, "It is not so difficult to lead the life that leads to heaven as is believed" (528-535). The end of creation is a heaven from the human race, not a hell.

223


But freedom is the only means of salvation, and so if man after creation invents evil and hell, or after birth chooses it, it is not the Lord's fault but man's own. The Lord does not lead us into temptations. We do. But He, the Divine Human who has conquered all of hell, delivers us from evil.
BRITISH ASSEMBLY 1998

BRITISH ASSEMBLY              1998

     The 68th British Assembly will be hosted by the Michael Church Society 3rd-5th July 1998 at the beautiful High Leigh Conference Centre, Hoddesden, Herts. The cost, including all meals and a sumptuous banquet, is about $80, but you don't have to pay until you get there (in pounds sterling, please). Book now with Steve and Nelun Elphick, 178 Birchwood Rd, Wilmington, Kent, DA2 7HA, England; phone 011 44 01322 664571. E-mail: [email protected].
EXCITING EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY 1998

EXCITING EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY              1998

     The General Church wishes to hire a full-time young people's coordinator. The job entails establishing contact with the various age groups within the church ranging from 18 to 35, developing community and encouraging meaningful involvement in the church. This will also entail coordinating activities and working with appropriate offices in the church, as well as working with a team toward these ends. Desired skills include leadership ability, good interpersonal and communication skills, organization, enthusiasm, and computer skills, combined with a strong dedication to the spiritual mission of the church. To apply, send a resum6 to the General Church Office of Evangelization, P.O. Box 743, Bryn Athyn PA, 19009. Please apply promptly. For more information, call Rev. Grant Schnarr at (215) 947-8098.

224


PROTECTION OF INNOCENCE 1998

PROTECTION OF INNOCENCE       Jr. DONALD C. FITZPATRICK       1998

     When we speak of protecting innocence, we usually mean protecting children from things that may harm their developing minds. We usually do not realize that we should also be concerned about protecting innocence in ourselves. But when we look at the definition of innocence given in the Writings, we gain a new perspective.
     In Heaven and Hell 281, innocence is defined as "a willingness to be led by the Lord." This meaning is very different from the one that people usually think of when they hear the word. And yet this is the innocence that needs to be protected and that is under assault in our culture.
     This assault is clearly seen in the forms of entertainment that are labeled as "for mature audiences" or as containing "adult language." The movies and television programs that bear these labels often include excessive violence, profane and obscene language, nudity, and sexual promiscuity.
     Apparently those who produce and enjoy these forms of entertainment believe that they are appropriate for people who are mature or adult.
     Surely, however, such things appeal to our innate desire to lead ourselves and to do what we enjoy doing without regard to whether it is good or evil. If we choose to do this, we allow ourselves to be led by the hells that delight in these same things. And when we do this, we cannot be willing to be led by the Lord.
     It would seem from this that we should be concerned about protecting our own innocence as well as about protecting the innocence of children.

225


MEMORIAL 1998

MEMORIAL       WILLARD DANDRIDGE PENDLETON       1998

     (Delivered to the Annual Meeting of the Corporation of the General Church on March 6, 1998)

     The Right Reverend Willard Dandridge Pendleton, whose special usefulness to the Church and to the Academy we gratefully acknowledge at this time, was called to the higher realm of the Lord's kingdom on the 12th day of February, 1998, at the age of nearly 90 years. For almost sixty-five of those years he had been a priest of the New Church, and in all but thirteen of these in the episcopal degree of the priesthood.
     He will be remembered by us and later generations as administrator, educator, and theologian. In all these areas his legacy is perceived as still living. A person is what his mind is, and we know the person's mind by what he says and does. We all recall teachings and initiatives from Bishop Pendleton's many rich years of stewardship in the church, and in them we see a portrait of his mind. We know why we honor him.
     As for what he taught - in sermons, addresses, classes, books - we sense some leading principles, a recurring pulse, throughout. Three such principles stand out. They were: (1) The supreme, unquestionable authority of the Writings of the Lord's Second Coming, these Writings being lawbooks for the faith and life of the church; (2) The standing forth of the Lord in these Writings in His glorified Human as our God, visible to an enlightened and willing understanding; (3) The revealed doctrine of use pointing the way to the life of heaven. Together these three add up to thought from doctrine in all fields of human endeavor; and in the area of education we see how use becomes the ultimate purpose of all study and learning.
     In his capacity of administrator our honored friend held high the responsibility of government as lodged in the priestly office. Instruction, counsel, and careful listening were here indispensable means to good government, but the end was leadership; and leadership so conceived was ready to join hands with enlightened freedom in the church.

226


His abilities in this area were early recognized, first during his ten years as pastor in Pittsburgh; later, after his elevation into the episcopal degree in 1946, as Executive Vice President of the Academy and Assistant to the Bishop of the General Church; then for a period in 1951 and 1952 as temporary representative of the executive bishop during the latter's illness, with the full authority of the executive office; again as Assistant Bishop from 1954; as President of the Academy from 1959; and finally as Executive Bishop of the church from 1962. Since his retirement, following the assembly of 1976, he has been respectfully recognized as Bishop Emeritus of the Church and Chancellor Emeritus of the Academy.
     And now we here assembled for the annual meeting of the Corporation of the General Church of the New Jerusalem would express deep and affectionate sympathy to Mrs. Pendleton, who throughout the years of her husband's service to the church stood by his side in active and loving support, and likewise to her six children, her grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. For them, as for us all, it is good to know that Bishop Pendleton's usefulness lives on, not only in the spiritual world but also among us here in this world, for he influenced many with his insight and devotion.
     We rejoice with him that he is now free from the physical affliction he bore with such patience and courage - even sense of humor - in the last several years of his life in this world; and more so that he can now more fully and more interiorly than ever before enter into those uses for which his all-seeing and all-merciful Lord molded his heart and mind through his work in the church among us all. For "blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, for their works do follow them."
     Respectfully offered, Rev. Erik Sandstrom, Sr.

227


WAY THINGS REALLY ARE If One Would Only Believe It 1998

WAY THINGS REALLY ARE If One Would Only Believe It       Editor       1998




     Editorial Pages
     "Can you help me find that passage that says ... ?" I am sometimes asked to help people find certain passages in the Writings. (This is less frequent than it was before computer search devices were available.) Over the years a teaching that is repeatedly sought is the one that says that if we only believed that all good is from the Lord and all evil from hell, then good consequences would follow. Understandably people want to return to this teaching (if they could only find it).
     The Writings take up this theme in more than one place. Let us begin with number 302 of Heaven and Hell.

If man only believed, as is really true, that all good is from the Lord and all evil from hell, he would neither make the good in him a matter of merit nor would evil be imputed to him; for he would then look to the Lord in all the good he thinks and does, and all the evil that flows in would be cast down to hell from whence it comes.

     A four-page section of Divine Providence is devoted to the following heading:

IF MAN BELIEVED, AS IS THE TRUTH, THAT ALL GOOD AND TRUTH ARE FROM THE LORD AND ALL EVIL AND FALSITY FROM HELL, HE WOULD NOT APPROPRIATE GOOD TO HIMSELF AND CONSIDER IT MERITED, NOR EVIL AND MAKE HIMSELF RESPONSIBLE FOR IT.

     This section (DP 320, 321) you are invited to read and to enjoy the assurance that the proposal is not impossible to believe, but is rather truly human and hence angelic.
     In New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine 170 we find the following:

Evil would not be appropriated to man if he believed, as is really the case, that all evil is from hell and all good from the Lord.

228




     This has been demonstrated to people who have died and entered the spiritual world, " . . . but some of them have said that if all evil and falsity flow in, nothing of evil and falsity can be attributed to them and they are not at fault, because these come from another source. But they received for an answer that they had appropriated evil and falsity by believing that they think and will of themselves, whereas if they had believed as the case really is, they would not then have appropriated the evil and falsity, for they would have believed all good and truth to be from the Lord; and if they had believed this, they would have suffered themselves to be led by the Lord, and therefore would have been in a different state; and then the evil which entered into their thought and will would not have affected them" (AC 415 1). A similar account is given in n. 6324.
     Another Arcana passage that announces this truth is n. 6206. This speaks of man's tendency to believe that he thinks and acts from himself. "If he believed as is really the case, then evil would not be appropriated to him, but good from the Lord would be appropriated to him; for the moment that evil flowed in, he would reflect that it was from the evil spirits with him, and as soon as he thought this, the angels would avert and reject it; for the influx of the angels is into what a man knows and believes, but not into what a man does not know and does not believe."
     Finally, consider the striking declaration of AC 6325: "It is an eternal truth that the Lord rules heaven and earth, and also that no one besides the Lord lives of himself, consequently that everything of life flows in - the good of life from the Lord, and the evil of life from hell. This is the faith of the heavens. When a man is in this faith (and he can be in it when he is in good), then evil cannot be fastened and appropriated to him, because he knows that it is not from himself but from hell. When a man is in this state, he can then be gifted with peace, for then he will trust solely in the Lord. Neither can peace be given to any others than those who are in this faith from charity, for others continually cast themselves into anxieties and cupidities, whence come disquietudes.

229



     "Spirits who desire to direct themselves suppose that this would be to lose their own will, thus their freedom, consequently all delight, thus all life and its sweetness. This they say and suppose because they do not know how the case really is."
     Notice the phrase "how the case really is." This is the way things really are. One of the benefits of reading the Word is that we are uplifted above appearances and spend some time viewing the things of life the way they really are.
EIGHT-WORD SPEECH FROM A FOOLISH HEART 1998

EIGHT-WORD SPEECH FROM A FOOLISH HEART       Editor       1998

     We have been citing examples of what a fool says in his heart.
     In three works of the Writings a little speech of the heart is used to portray the nature of the love of self. It comes to only eight words in Latin, and we will quote them presently. Here are ways it is rendered in English from Heaven and Hell 556, New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine 65, and True Christian Religion 400.

     When the love of self considers the possibility of doing something helpful but sees no direct benefit to self, "it says in its heart: 'What matters it? Why should I do this? and what advantage will it be to me?' So he omits it."
     What does it matter? Why should I do it? What do I get out of it?
     What difference does it make? Why should I? What's in it for me?

     The heart that speaks this way seems to itself to be wise, but it is losing sight of the life of charity in use.
     The Latin is: Quid refert? Cur hoc. Et quid inde mihi?
SWEDENBORG'S MIGHTY CONTRIBUTION 1998

SWEDENBORG'S MIGHTY CONTRIBUTION       Editor       1998

     Eventually this new book will be available in North America. It is sold in Australia by the Swedenborg Lending Library and Enquiry Centre, 1 Avon Road, North Ryde, NSW, 2113.

230



     The title is Swedenborg's Mighty Contribution to the Welfare of the Soul. The author is Dr. Phillip Groves. Here is what the Australian Journalist Leigh Bottrell says about him on the back cover:

Dr. Groves is a modern man of formidable intellect and learning who offers much to those who walk with him on the pathway pioneered by Swedenborg. Dr. Groves' work is needed by anybody seeking an introductory over-view of the vast outpourings of Divinely inspired insights, information and guidance that Swedenborg gave the world.

Perhaps, like today's journalists who may never have heard of Swedenborg and his mighty contribution to the world, your present understanding of the real inner life and times of mankind might fit into a brief tabloid headline. If so, I earnestly encourage you to read all about film here.

     Also, on the back cover is the following tribute by Rev. Bernard Willmott:

This is a most outstanding contribution to the library of collateral literature concerning the teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg. Dr. Groves uses his vast and intimate knowledge in so many scientific, philosophical and psychological fields of human thought to uphold the claim of Emanuel Swedenborg to be a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. He shows the deep and continuing influence, both direct and indirect, of these teachings in every department of human thought, activity and life. This is a book of inestimable value alike to those with a previous knowledge of the Writings of Swedenborg, as to those enquiring souls who, in this present age of mental and spiritual ferment, are sincerely searching for a philosophy of life that is at once satisfying to heart, mind and life.

231


REPORT OF THE EDITOR OF NEW CHURCH LIFE 1998

REPORT OF THE EDITOR OF NEW CHURCH LIFE       Editor       1998

     A faithful reader of this magazine in 1997 will have read some five hundred pages of text composed by sixty-three people (34 laity and 29 clergy). In addition to written text there were reports: exactly 300 baptisms, 53 weddings, and 74 deaths. Seventy-seven of those three hundred baptisms were baptisms of adults.
     Looking at the way our pages were filled, we see sixty-four pages devoted to sermons (up from last year) and 56 pages of letters (well up from last year). The most striking thing on page usage is how very few pages were devoted to church news. This is the second year that we have had only five pages of church news. Traditionally we have had much more than that. It should be added that two special historical studies were somewhat related to church news. In the July issue we had a study by Rev. Derek Elphick on the history of the New Church in South Florida. And we had a study by Rev. Erik Sandstrom, Sr. showing the history of the Writings in Iceland (April issue).
     We might add that there were nine photographs in our pages during 1997.
     Our circulation in December was 1547 compared with 1538 the previous year. (See page 284 of last year for comparison.)
     
     Respectfully submitted,
     Donald L. Rose, Editor
BAPTISMS SO FAR IN 1998 1998

BAPTISMS SO FAR IN 1998              1998

     So far in 1998 we have reported one hundred eighteen baptisms. These reports have come from Brazil, Canada, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Japan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Togo and the United States.

232


MARRIAGE 1998

MARRIAGE       Joseph S. David       1998




     Communications
Dear Editor:
     When the Lord created humankind, He created us male and female, and He saw that "indeed [His creation] was very good."
     When He created us as female and male, He gave to each one a very special but unique gift. He gave to all women, inherent by their birth, a "pipeline" leading directly to that most fundamental love of heaven which we call conjugial love. This is a gift that no man has, and try as he might, he can never have.
     And the Lord also gave men a gift of their own. They have a pipeline leading to the intelligence of heaven, to the light rather than to the heat (see CL 188).
     The true beauty of the Lord's gifts can be comprehended when we see that they blossom fully when they are shared. When the woman's love of conjunction joins itself to the man's love of wisdom, then a true marriage arises.
     If the woman did not follow her inclination to conjunction, there would be no conjunction. She must lead in this; the man cannot (see CL 161).
     We also have to realize that the conjunction to which she leads is with a man's wisdom, and unless he strives to develop his wisdom, the conjunction cannot be completed.
     So to bring about true marriages, these gifts must be mutually respected and nurtured. They should be seen as two separate gifts that can be fused to make a one. A young man looking toward marriage should be able to say, "I will try to bring wisdom to this marriage to share, and I will respect my wife's striving for conjunction." A young woman looking toward marriage should be able to say, "I will share my love for conjunction, and I will respect my husband's striving for wisdom."
     Joseph S. David
     Franklin, Pennsylvania

233


MASCULINE AND FEMININE 1998

MASCULINE AND FEMININE       Anne Fitzpatrick       1998

Dear Editor:
     I am responding to an article by Rev. Eric Carswell in the March 1998 issue of New Church Life: "Growing Beyond the Natural Masculine and Feminine Approaches."
     Mr. Carswell's thesis is that men and women ought to grow beyond the natural inclinations they are born with. He concludes with the statement that men ought to grow in gentle behaviors and women should grow to be strong, firm, willing to take a stand, etc.
     Everyone, I think, admires a person who has convictions, is strong in his or her beliefs, and is willing to be firm in supporting them. I think women already have these qualities; women too have died for their country, have gone to prison to protect their children, and have been active in supporting their churches. And we love those women heroines in our history.
     CL 218 describes the intelligence of women as "modest, gracious, peaceable, compliant, soft and gentle." I hope Mr. Carswell is not suggesting that women grow beyond (outgrow?) these natural inclinations. The number says at the end " . . . I could clearly see that a man is born a form of the intellect, and a woman a form of love. I could also see what the nature of the intellect is and what the nature of love is in their beginnings, and thus what a man's intellect in its development would be like without conjunction with feminine love and eventually conjugial love."
     I gather from this that these feminine qualities are necessary in women for the sake of being conjoined with men, and for the sake of conjugial love. I get the notion that if women do not work to have these qualities as priorities, men will become even worse as they grow up. (This number is talking about boys and girls.)
     Anne Fitzpatrick
     Bryn Athyn, PA

234


Title Unspecified 1998

Title Unspecified       Rev. Eric H. Carswell       1998

Dear Editor:
     Anne Fitzpatrick writes: "[Eric] concludes with the statement that men ought to grow in gentle behaviors and women should grow to be strong, firm, willing to take a stand, etc."
     What I actually wrote was: "A spiritually maturing female should grow in her ability to be strong, firm, willing to take a stand, to speak up, to state things directly when a situation calls for these qualities. A spiritually maturing male should grow in his ability to be tactful, humble, willing to accommodate, gentle, and less likely to use anger and power to overwhelm opposition" (emphasis added).
     These words were carefully chosen to avoid exactly the misinterpretation that Arine Fitzpatrick is concerned about. She writes that I concluded women should grow to be strong, firm, willing to take a stand, etc. Being able to do something when a situation calls for it and always acting that way are two very different things.
     Part of her conclusion is absolutely correct and essential. We don't believe that the Lord wants men to become feminine and women to become masculine. In fact, He clearly indicates they never can be. But the passage directly speaks of the need for the masculine intelligence to be conjoined with the feminine love of a woman. Although this passage doesn't state it, the implication of other passages is clearly that unless the feminine love and intelligence are likewise conjoined with the best qualities of the masculine ones, and consequently somewhat tempered by them, women are also sadly flawed.
     The quality of the girls in the city streets that Swedenborg expresses surprise at is that the girls see the boys "raising a commotion, shouting, fighting, striking blows" and regard this anti-social behavior with friendly eyes. I don't think that they would be wise or useful if they righteously denounced the boys as being evil for acting from their nature.

235


But my thought is that a wise female seeing somewhat similar verbal behavior in adult mates would shake her head somewhat sadly and strive to moderate the destructiveness it can have on healthy discussion.
     An interesting example of angelic feminine behavior is recounted in Conjugial Love 22. It involves the reaction of six young women angels to a group of spirits who were visiting heaven from the world of spirits. The young women were invited by the visitors' angel guide to come meet them. They "started to approach, but when they drew near, they suddenly turned back" and went into their dormitory. When the angel guide followed them and asked what had happened, they said: "We could not go near." When asked why, all they could say was, "We do not know, but we felt something that repelled us and drew us back. We hope they forgive us." The angel guide reflected on what they said and concluded that the visitors didn't have a chaste reaction to the young women. Note that he didn't try to convince the young women to try again.
     Didn't the young women's reaction show a confidence in their sense that something was wrong, and a firm, definite response to the situation? The women didn't discount their sense of repulsion and interact with the visitors, assuming that the problem was with themselves. If they had been peaceable and compliant, they wouldn't have abruptly turned away, creating a minor "scene." But they also graciously said to the angel guide, "We hope [the visitors] will forgive us." Young unmarried women angels had this sort of response. Would the response of an angelic wife with hundreds of years of heavenly experience have been even clearer and stronger?
     A wise woman should not be soft, gentle, and compliant when confronted with something spiritually unhealthy for herself, something unchaste, or any breaking of a commandment. The problem is that many young women don't find it easy to face these challenges, especially when it is a boyfriend or young husband who is the source of the problem.

236



     Some of the other narrative accounts of Swedenborg talking to angel wives similarly show wonderfully strong, insightful qualities in these women but also a wise gentleness and reserve about certain issues (see CL 155, 208, 294, 295). Finally, in mild contrast is an amusing argument between men and women in the world of spirits which receives input from angelic wives and husbands (see CL 330, 331).
     Rev. Eric H. Carswell
     Glenview, IL
DECIDING TO WRITE FOR A JOURNAL LIKE THIS 1998

DECIDING TO WRITE FOR A JOURNAL LIKE THIS       Helen Kennedy       1998

Dear Editor:
     As a writer I'm aware of the fearfulness people have when speaking and writing in a public forum what they really mean, especially when it comes to spiritual issues. One of the harder things about speaking in public is the need to learn how to present oneself in spite of what another's thoughts and judgments might be. I've found that when I'm not stopped by another's discouraging judgments but pursue further discussion, it eventually can lead to a workable understanding of where I and the other person are coming from. This requires an honesty, one that can be had only when two people speak from their real thoughts and feelings.
     In our response to judgmentalism we often become fearful or unwilling to say anything that sounds hurtful. Ironically, this fearfulness can at times be more of a burden than judgmentalism itself. In order not to be hurtful, the way people say things, and eventually what they actually can say, become so narrowed that only a few can fit into the straightened requirements. The way of these few is then held up as an ideal we all should imitate. When the words and the way they are spoken don't fit the desired image, it's as if the speaker is proving not to be a good person, nor should he or she be listened to. This is elitism, and when it occurs, questions naturally follow. Who decides who is being hurtful?

237


If judgments are made, will they be spoken or unspoken? If unspoken, isn't that harder to deal with than spoken judgment? I fear developing an undercurrent of spiritual elitism that makes the many of us who at times may speak from a less than desirable place feel that what we have to say is not worthwhile. Many people are more afraid of that elitism than of the judgmentalism which can easily be recognized. For the latter, a skin of resiliency and toughness can be developed. But the subtle control of elitism has the unwanted effect of undermining people's willingness to speak, immobilizing them, and making people fear what they say isn't good enough.
     None of us is free from judgmentalism or elitism. They occur when something good is taken to an extreme. In my own writing and speaking I have a difficult time dealing with the hidden persuasions and conceits because they are hard to see. Finding them is like digging channels underground to let water flow under the surface of what I'm writing. The hot, hot sun and scorching sand of public scrutiny are enough to make anyone's thoughts shrivel up and die. Yet, underground channels are the way irrigation is carried on in deserts, allowing fruits and vegetables to grow in the baking sand.
     When we speak, sometimes the truth is emphasized and at other times love is emphasized. To know when to use one and when the other requires wisdom - the rarest thing in all creation and the most difficult to achieve.
     Helen Kennedy
     Bryn Athyn, PA
ANGELS REJOICE 1998

ANGELS REJOICE              1998

     "I have spoken with angels about the progression of truth to good and the fact that angels feel joy when a younger or older child learns and assimilates truths with affection, thus when truths become a matter of knowledge . . . " (J. Post. 223).

238


ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS CALENDAR 1998-1999 1998

ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS CALENDAR 1998-1999              1998

     1998

Aug
23 Sun               Secondary Schools resident students arrive on campus
          8:30 p.m.     Secondary Schools Parent-Teacher Forum meeting
24 Mon      8:00 a.m.      Secondary Schools orientation, registration for all students
25 Tue      7:55 a.m.      Secondary Schools homeroom, chapel and classes
30 Sun                New College resident students arrive on campus by 8:00 p.m.
31 Mon               New College students first day of orientation and registration
                    College returning resident students arrive

Sept
1 Tue      9:30-12:30     Registration of returning College students
          7:30 p.m.     Cathedral worship service for students, faculty, parents, friends
2 Wed      8:05 a.m.     College classes begin
          11:05 a.m.      College chapel and opening convocation
5-7 Sat-Mon               College orientation for new students at Deer Park
7 Mon Labor Day           Holiday all schools

Oct
23 Fri      8:00 a.m.     Charter Day: Annual Meeting of ANC Corporation (Pitcairn Hall)
          10:30 a.m.     Service (Cathedral)
          9:00 p.m.     Dance (Society Building)
24 Sat     7:00 p.m.     Banquet (Society Building)

Nov
20 Fri      12:20 p.m.     College and Theological School Thanksgiving Recess begins after exams
24 Tue      3:18 p.m.     Secondary Schools Thanksgiving vacation begins after classes
29 Sun                College and Theological School resident students return
30 Mon               Winter term begins in College and Theological School
                    Secondary School residents return

Dec
1 Tue                Secondary Schools classes resume
18 Fri               Theological School, College and Secondary Schools Christmas vacation begins after classes

     1999

Jan
3 Sun                    Theological School, College resident students return; classes resume Jan. 4
10 Sun               Secondary Schools resident students return; classes resume Jan. 11
18 Mon               Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (in-school observance)

Feb
15 Mon               Presidents' Birthday holiday
26 Fri               Theological School and College spring break begins after exams

Mar
5 Fri                    Secondary Schools spring break begins after classes
7 Sun                    Theological School and College resident students return; classes resume Mar. 8
21 Sun               Secondary Schools resident students return; classes resume Mar. 22

Apr
2 Fri                    Good Friday holiday for all schools
5 Mon                    Secondary Schools residents return; classes resume Apr. 6

May
1 Sat          11:15 a.m.     Semiannual meeting of Academy Corporation (Pitcairn Hall)
21 Fri               College Graduation Dinner
22 Sat               College and Theological School Graduation
28 Fri     6:30 p.m.     Secondary Schools Senior Dinner (Glencairn)
          8:30 p.m.     Secondary Schools Graduation Dance (Glencairn)
29 Sun     10:00 a.m.     Secondary Schools Graduation

239


FURTHER ON THE NORTHWEST CAMP 1998

FURTHER ON THE NORTHWEST CAMP              1998




     Announcements





     The subject is Elijah, a very human prophet, a powerful man who had deep convictions and great courage, yet who wrestled with a sense of failure and despair as he battled the forces of idolatry in his land. His strength and his trials and uncertainties tell of the journey of our faith. When we believe in the Lord and His power, how can we translate that conviction into life - confront our weaknesses and journey toward happiness?
     As usual, we will also offer afternoon electives on other topics.
     The facilities for the camp are very nice. We have both semi-private and dorm-style housing available. If you want semi-private accommodations, you will want to register early.

241


NEW PUBLICATIONS 1998

NEW PUBLICATIONS              1998

     In late 1762 or early 1763, Emanuel Swedenborg drafted a manuscript containing The Sacred Scripture or Word of the Lord from Experience [De Verbo], The Last Judgment [posthumous], and The Precepts of the Decalogue.
     These works have never before been published together under one cover. The text of The Last Judgment has not been presented in its proper order, or the format of The Precepts of the Decalogue properly represented. Marginal comments too have been previously introduced erroneously into the text, and fragmentary phrases and clauses rendered incorrectly as complete.
     Now, however, we have from the Academy of the New Church a new Latin edition with full critical apparatus, under the title Tria Opuscula, and from the General Church a new English translation, with explanatory notes and indices, under the title Three Short Works, in which these faults have been corrected.
     Because of the significant changes made in fidelity to the original manuscript, the editor and translator, Rev. N. Bruce Rogers, calls it practically a new work of the Writings."
     Tria Opuscula $16.95 Three Short Works $10.00 Postage for each is U.S. $1.75
     General Church Book Center Hours: Mon-Fri 9-12
     Cairncrest or by appointment Box 743 Phone: (215) 914-4920 Bryn Athyn, PA 19009 Fax: (215) 914-4935

242


Title Unspecified 1998

Title Unspecified              1998

Vol. CXVIII June, 1998 No. 6

New Church Life
Notes on This Issue 1998

Notes on This Issue              1998

     The sermon this month is especially appropriate as people in several countries celebrate the 19th of June. A man in Australia who will be celebrating New Church Day is Mr. Bill Hall. In his letter on page 276 he speaks of discovering the New Church when he received a book of the Writings from Dr. Philip Groves. Dr. Groves is the author of a book we spoke of last month, Swedenborg's Mighty Contribution to the Welfare of the Soul. The book has impressed readers overseas (see page 284), and we hope it will soon be available to American readers.
     In this issue we commence two major presentations. Rev. Grant Schnarr writes of New Church leadership in the new century, and Rev. Brian Keith writes on the subject of enlightenment and perception. These will be continued in the July issue.
     A number of our readers receive printed sermons each month. Some may wish to avail themselves of sermons being made available in large print (see p. 264).
     As usual, the announcements of baptisms come from various locations. Notice that Rev. Douglas Taylor officiated at the baptism of Mr. Philip Richards in March in Australia. Mr. Richards came to visit Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, in May, and Mr. Taylor was here to show him through the cathedral. Small world.
     In our editor's report last month we commented that the Church News portion of our magazine has been thin in the last couple of years. We thank Ruth Greenwold for her report from England in this issue, and we would encourage news writers from other localities. The welcome information about the Loving Arms Mission (p. 255) may also be counted as church news!
     As the year 2000 approaches, Grant Schnarr suggests that "we live in both exciting and dangerous times."
EVANGELIZATION SEMINAR IN GLENVIEW 1998

EVANGELIZATION SEMINAR IN GLENVIEW              1998

     This early-October event was announced in the March issue. Preparations have proceeded at an impressive rate, and we hope to print more particulars later.

243


I, JOHN, SAW 1998

I, JOHN, SAW       Rev. ERIK SANDSTROM       1998

     "And I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven" (Rev. 21:2).

     What John saw in an image was the New Church of the Lord which was to be for all generations - that same internal church we honor at all times but celebrate with special solemnity and attention on the 19th day of June. Not a man-made organization, this church, but a Divinely governed spiritual unit consisting of men and women - few as yet - scattered over the face of the globe and having one thing in common, distinct and unique: worship of the Lord in His Divine Human and a life ordered by the revealed will of this Divinely Human Lord; or put differently: having in common a life ruled by the two tables of stone in their spiritual as well as literal sense.
     This church, represented in John's vision as a city of gold, began its coming down from God out of heaven on that day in June in the year 1770, for The True Christian Religion, subtitled The Universal Theology of the New Church - the crowning work of all the Writings of this New Jerusalem City - had just been completed. Those Writings are the lawbooks by which the Lord governs His new kingdom on earth. They are the Ten Commandments set forth in some thirty volumes. And the laws, or doctrines, in these books are the same as those by which the New Heaven is governed. The New Heaven and the New Church are ruled as one. For both, the Heavenly Doctrines are the code of life. Both acknowledge and worship the Lord; both are inspired by love toward the neighbor. It was, therefore, because the "universal theology" was now on earth that the gospel could be proclaimed, that "the Lord God Jesus Christ reigns" (TCR 791). This King of heaven and earth never rules but by law.

244



     The New Christian Church came down from God out of that New Heaven, and is so to continue to come down in all generations and with all receiving individuals in this world.
     John saw as well a representation of a human mind where the truth of creation - that is, the truth of reality - is understood and loved and turned into thoughts and intentions, and into words and deeds of use. He saw a state in which the God of heaven and earth is visible not only in His Word but in all things of life (for He is omnipresent); a state in which the Visible God is seen as reaching out to the "as-from-self " in providing for all in His kingdom (for He is omniscient); a state in which this our God is enlightening and inspiring any and all of a willing heart (for He is omnipotent). It is the Lord in His Human, our God Visible, who is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent. He is God-with-us.
     John saw this under the image of a city, not a garden. Though there may be many, many gardens of surpassing beauty in the holy city, yet there is no return to the state of the Garden of Eden. That pristine state of the human race was marked by a condition of the mind that no longer applies. The will and the understanding were at that time inseparably joined together, so that it was not possible to think what was not in the will, nor to will without a corresponding thought (or perception). Therefore, when the will became corrupt, the understanding was inevitably distorted, incapable of being anything but an apology for the will, or else a self-glory for it. So Adam and Eve, representing the infancy of the race, were driven out; and the Lord God "placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life" (Gen. 3:24). Yet the state induced on the proprium through the fall of that Most Ancient Church was passed on as heredity to succeeding generations.
     On this account the Lord caused a miraculous change to be woven into the very organic substructure of the human mind (see AC 4326:3, 4601:3, 8250, et al). The resulting state had never been known before; it was now possible to see what was not loved, to contemplate what was not palatable, to envision a form of life contrary to native desires and inclinations.

245


From then on, therefore, the way of salvation winds and stretches through the understanding. There is no other way. Impulses of the native will must never be trusted; and the understanding must ever be consulted and must insist on its independence from that will.
     And at the same time the Word was adapted to meet that new condition of the creature of God. It was written now, no longer spoken by angels in dreams and visions. And all that was written was governed by that central of all doctrines: that the Maker of heaven and earth would be born on earth, that is, would become visible. So the prophecy of this was made without delay. "And the Lord God said unto the serpent ... I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; He shall trample upon thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel" (Gen. 3:15). One born of a virgin, the seed of a woman, with power to subdue the hells, would come into the world. This prophecy qualifies everything that is written in the Old Testament, for it gave rise to the expectation of the Messiah; and it served as an ultimate means of building the separate understanding. After all, the understanding is the eye of the mind, and the eye can see only what is visible. The Visible God had been prophesied.
     "And I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven." The city that John saw is first of all a city of doctrine. Doctrine has avenues of thought; it has dwellings where a new will, or love, may rest. The whole Word is doctrine, but this time we have a Word addressed no longer to the sensual mind, as is the letter of the Old Testament, nor yet to the moral concepts of the mind, as is the letter of the New Testament, but to the highest degree of the natural mind, that is, the highest degree of the seat of our consciousness, namely, the rational. The Word now cannot be other than rational in form, because it "came down from God out of heaven ... having the glory of God; and her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal" (Rev. 21:2, 11). It is, therefore, for the rational mind to orient itself in the streets of the city and to find its uses among fellow men.

246


And the Word thus speaking to the rational, comprehends and rules the rest of the mind as well, engaging the Old and New Testaments, and opening these forms of the Word, as it so rules.
     So the New Jerusalem represents also the church. And it is particularly as a church that the city is like "a bride adorned for her husband." The doctrine is the city, and the church is the city - both - for it is the doctrine, well understood, that makes the church (see AR 897, SS 76). And we note here that the doctrine must not be seen only on the outside. John saw the city on the inside as well. He saw the Tree of Life in it, which could not have been discovered outside the high wall of jasper. Even so, we should discover the good in the truth, the love in the doctrines, indeed, the Divine love of salvation there. There is not a doctrine but that the Lord's love of salvation is in it.
     The Writings note that the city "is called holy from the Lord, who alone is holy, and from the Divine truths which are in it out of the Word from the Lord, which truths are called holy ... [and] it is called new because He that sat upon the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new' . . . and it is said to come down from God out of heaven, because it descends from the Lord through the New Christian Heaven" (AR 879, emphasis added).
     And now we must ask ourselves why John, who saw the city and described it for us, names himself, saying, I, John." Those little words, "I, John, saw," are quite full of meaning; for they involve what he saw; and the nature of him who saw. What he saw was a church to be called the crown of all the churches that have been since the beginning of man, a church to be built into an understanding separate from and independent of one's native will. But who saw? Why did John name himself? This, the Writings tell us, is "because as an apostle he signifies the good of love to the Lord, and thence the good of life, wherefore he was loved more than the other apostles, and at supper lay on the Lord's bosom" (AR 879).

247


And, we may add, deeply significant and deeply challenging are the words annexed to this statement: "So will this church which is now treated of" (ibid).
     Here, therefore, is the quality that is able to see the city for what it is, that is, the Writings for what they are, and the New Church for what it is meant to be. For it is the Writings that are "like a jasper stone, clear as crystal," and in them is "a pure river of water of life" (Rev. 22:1; AR 932, 543). And it is the New Church that is the bride adorned for her Husband.
     The doctrines in these Writings should shape the minds of people. They should lead the person of the New Church to thoughts such as angels have and to a life like theirs. They do, "little by little" - just as the Lord would drive out the enemies of Israel "little by little" (Ex. 23:30, Deut. 7:22); they do if the understanding frees itself from the grip of the native will and makes use of its privilege to see in the light of the sun of heaven, fighting the valiant battle to drive out the enemies of the mind by that light.
     What kind of person can do this? What is the John quality that is willing and therefore able? It is love to the Lord, and thence the good of life. The Writings say, "The will must see in the understanding" (DP 259:2). Only this love and only this good can open the eye. This heavenly love stems from the remains implanted from childhood in the intellectual part of the mind; and this love, felt as the prompting of conscience, becomes our love insofar as we confirm it by our way of living. Only love to the Lord and a good life from Him can dispose the understanding truly to see. But there are degrees of this love. No one is incapable of achieving it. It is, by varying depth, the ruling love in all the heavens - and there are three heavens.
     This love is the gold of the holy city. It is the new celestial, unlike the celestial of the Most Ancients, for its home is not the garden but the glorious city, yet like it in this: that the Tree of Life is again in the midst (see Rev. 22:1, 2).
     The Lord Himself builds this new celestial (whatever its degree) into the understanding; for it is born, this new thing, "not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1: 13).

248



     Yes, born of God, yet not without the cooperation of man. For they who would inhabit the New Jerusalem must of their own accord remove whatever obstructs the work of God. Their work is to shun the evils of mind, hands, and lips as sins against the God they know, whose will they know. "There shall in no wise enter into the city any thing that defileth" (Rev. 21:27).
     Thus are men and women made into the image of the visible God after His likeness; and thus are their names "written in the Lamb's Book of Life" (Rev. 21:27). Amen.

Lessons: Rev. 1:9-13,16; 21:1-5; AE 8; AR 879 NEW CHURCH LEADERSHIP IN THE NEW CENTURY 1998

NEW CHURCH LEADERSHIP IN THE NEW CENTURY       Rev. Grant R. SCHNARR       1998

     Presented to the Council of the Clergy in 1998

     Introduction

     We live in confusing times. I wonder how many members of the church share the same experience of looking at the world and the state of our organized church in the world only to be filled with mixed perceptions and feelings. I know that when I find myself observing and evaluating the state of the world and the place of the organized church, at times I can become dismayed, and at other times I find a strong ray of hope that lights the way. It's a mixed bag, and it can become quite confusing.

249



     Sometimes during my personal observations I become discouraged, and even fearful. I know that often when I watch the television or read the papers, I am seriously appalled at what I can only describe as a state of spiritual desolation in the world, especially in the western world. I fear for many reasons. I fear for my children, who are constantly barraged with messages from society at large that do not simply offer alternative paths away from spiritual life, but endeavor to persuade them to take such paths. I don't know how many would agree with me about this, but it seems at times to be a militant march of false persuasion. There seems to be such evil purpose behind it that I am chilled at the thought of it. I fear also because I sometimes lose my sense of trust, not necessarily in the Lord's Divine Providence (though that can happen at times), but trust that I, as a servant of the Lord, am capable of doing anything about it, and even that we, as an organized church, can survive, let alone have an effect for good.
     However, I also witness some incredible workings of Divine Providence. It seems to me that in many places religious freedom is more prevalent than ever. The yoke of religious domination seems to have been broken, and so many people seem to feel free and unhindered to begin an individual search for their God. Tolerance of belief systems isn't universal, but it is growing. Intolerance of injustice, a healthy concern for protecting human rights including children's, a sense of respect for the neighbor, seem to be growing in places. And I have, through my contacts with many people outside the church, seen people trying to find answers, hearts turning to the Lord, and many trying to do the right thing and grow spiritually. Combining these observations and learning to trust in the Lord's Providence keeps me in the effort to stay spiritually awake, and to continue to press on through the pain of such awareness to do what I can to make a difference in the church and the world.
     These observations have led me to believe that we live in both exciting and dangerous times.

250


Combine this with the incredible rate of change which is taking place in the world in so many ways. I think it is vital that the organized church and its leadership have a strong sense of what the church is and where it is going. Even more important than this, the church must, in humility and trust, move forward. It is incumbent upon the leaders of the organized church to evaluate our circumstances, re-evaluate our mission, and act rather than react to these circumstances. There is little doubt that the Heavenly Doctrines can bring order, healing, and salvation to the human race. The challenge for the organized church is to find appropriate means of working with the Lord and the revelation He has entrusted into our care, in order to cooperate with the Lord to this end.
     We all know that fear can be paralyzing. We also know that thoughtless action can lead to catastrophe. But we can, as leaders of the church, continue to develop confidence in the Divine Providence that the Lord will build His church. Acting from this confidence, we can move forward to make a difference in people's lives. What is needed is a fearless allegiance to the spirit and integrity of the Heavenly Doctrines, combined with a militant and merciful effort to lead people, both in and out of the organized church, to the good of life with the vital message of the Heavenly Doctrines.

     What Is Happening and Why

Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth. And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tall drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born (Rev. 12:1-4).

251




     I have tended, in the past, to interpret the internal sense of the passage above in far more of a natural way than what I now believe the Writings are saying. At first view this passage can be read as something that has already taken place and is now history, that the woman is the church in heaven, that the doctrine is the Writings, and that the travail and the attack of the dragon are lack of reception of the former Christian Church both in the spiritual and natural worlds. However, with further study and reflection, this passage can be read to mean current states and pertinent spiritual events unfolding even now.
     The "great sign appeared in heaven" means "a revelation of things to come" (AR 532). Though the Last Judgment took place in the spiritual world during Swedenborg's lifetime, I believe the Writings indicate that it is still being carried out even at this time - not the judgment itself, but the residual effects. The Writings tell us that the former Christian Church's doctrine of faith alone has been exposed, and that great changes took place in the spiritual world, but the effects of the deadly doctrine of faith alone still remain. The doctrines are still here on earth, and there are people who hold dearly to them, and actually do attack the New Church on account of the false doctrine of faith alone. Take a look at any of the recent cult books written by fundamentalist Christians, and you will most likely find the New Church listed among them. In many cases, the reason the New Church is listed is because it rejects the doctrine of the tri-personal Godhead, and the doctrine of faith alone. It is no wonder the Writings say of those representing the dragon:

They are against the two essentials of the New Church, which are: that God is one in essence and person in whom is the trinity, and that that God is the Lord; also that charity and faith are one like an essence and its form, and that no others have charity and faith but those who live in accordance with the precepts of the decalogue (AR 537).

252




     These open attacks can clearly be interpreted as the continual persecution of the dragon in both worlds, with perhaps more power here on earth, because the truths of the spiritual world have not yet been received fully by those in the natural world. It is said that the woman clothed with the sun is the church in heaven, in the light of the new doctrine; but the church on earth is still as the moon, in a more obscure faith not yet conjoined to the heavenly church (see AR 533).
     However, if we broaden our focus from the narrow perspective that the organized church is under attack to the more interior perspective that this attack is against any effort to worship the true God and live a life of faith conjoined to charity, we begin to understand why the Western Culture (post Christian world) seems upside down in regards to spiritual things and why the false persuasions to destroy anything good and true seem so purposeful. They are purposeful! The dragon, in a real sense, may have been cast down, but it was cast to the earth. Therefore we are told, "Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time" (Rev. 12:12). So we are told in the Writings that this signifies "a lamentation over those who are in things internal and external of the doctrine concerning faith alone, and consequently are in evils of life, since their like have been cast down out of heaven into the world of spirits, and are consequently in conjunction with the people of the earth, and by reason of hatred against the New Church are stimulating them to persist in their untruths and consequent evils" (AR 558). In the ordering of the heavens during the time of the Last Judgment, the dragon was cast out so that a new heaven could be formed of those who will be of the New Church, but the dragon remains conjoined to men on earth through the evils of life. This hatred is still alive, and attacks all that is good and true on all levels throughout the Christian world.

253



     This may sound surprising, but I find comfort in this teaching, knowing the force of evil and falsity I see in the world today is not only prophesied but exposed in the Writings. I realize that though the false reasonings go forth into the world in militant fashion to destroy anything spiritual, the Lord is still very much in charge, and that there is, indeed, madness with a method, but there is also a Divine method to dispel the madness. The way I look at this is that the judgment has taken place, but perhaps the full sentence has not yet been carried out. The victory may be certain, but the battle is not complete. It will take place, but even as the new heaven gathered with men and women who held to the two essentials of the New Church, and through enlightenment from the conjunction of love and wisdom cast out the dragon from its midst, so the men and women of the earth must unite in faith and charity under the one God to cast the dragon into the abyss. In other words, it is not a surprise to observe what is happening spiritually in the world. It is taking place just as it was prophesied.
     The organized New Church does have a responsibility to the greater humanity of the world, but it begins at home, in our personal reformation and regeneration, and the reformation and regeneration of the church itself We may ask ourselves, "If this is the New Church, why is there so much apparent strife? Why are there so many branches? Why are there so many differing and conflicting opinions?
     The answer is given in revelation. But again, let's look at it on a spiritual level rather than on a historical level. The Writings say that the woman is in travail to give birth. In the Apocalypse Revealed, this is said to signify the lack of reception of the doctrine of the church on account of the dragon (AR 535). Historically, we could interpret this to mean, as is the case, that the church will grow slowly because the world is not ready. However, it also means that the doctrine of the church will develop with difficulty because of our own propensity toward faith alone. The Writings say, "by 'being in travail' and 'bringing forth' nothing else is signified than to conceive and bring forth the things that are of spiritual life" (Ibid).

254


The difficulty is one of not only spreading the doctrine, but living it. It is not only a resistance of the world to receiving the Heavenly Doctrines, but a resistance within the church itself to bringing these doctrines into life. Apocalypse Explained makes this clear:

"She cried out travailing and pained to bring forth" signifies non-reception by those in the church who are natural and sensual, and their resistance .... That "to travail" and "to bring forth" means to be in labor over and to bring forth such things as belong to the church, here to the doctrine of truth and good, can be seen from what has been shown ... (AE 711).

     The church here is not exclusive to any branch of Christianity or the organized New Church. It is a spiritual entity which lives and moves in all of us. The organized church is no exception. Rather, wouldn't it be more prone to attack since it holds the true doctrines, and wouldn't that attack come from within and without? Looking at the church organization historically, in the light of these teachings about the incredible pain of the New Church to bring this doctrine into life, gives testimony to this prophecy. Observing the current friction in the church over spiritual values and doctrines in the light of this teaching also brings a new understanding. This is not to point out which individuals and their doctrinal positions are right or wrong. On the contrary, many doctrinal positions, whether current or not so current, have a concern for the life of religion implicit within the arguments themselves. But it does tell us to beware of faith alone within the walls of our own city. It does point us in a direction. Implicit in its message is the strong command to focus, uphold, and move forward toward the good of life as an end. It demands that the higher goal always be the birth of this most innocent and precious doctrine into life.
     With this in mind, when we apply this to the leadership and government of the church, we see that there must be a strong commitment to the Heavenly Doctrines themselves, for these doctrines will be attacked from within and without.

255


Integrity of the understanding of doctrine is essential. But more than this, the life of doctrine must be the fundamental goal or end. As leaders of the church we should be zealous about how this doctrine can be applied to life, and not only foster a vision of the importance of application of doctrine, but foster and support the means as well. We are not only keepers of the sacred texts, but leaders to the good of life. We must constantly ask ourselves in our deliberations, doctrinal study and reflection, worship, instruction, and government of the church body, "How does this relate to life?" Another way of putting this is, "How does this relate to our mission, which is the good of life and the salvation of souls?"
     Returning to the question of what is happening and why, one answer is that the New Church is being established upon the earth even as the dragon has been cast out of heaven. In the wilderness (at first among a few), under the dragon's nose (or noses) she struggles in pain to bring forth her doctrine into life. In the insanity of the dragon's sphere she will bear a son who will lead all nations to pasture with a rod of iron. People in dead worship from faith separated from charity who are willing to be convinced will be led to the good of life by means of the truths from the Word and natural common sense (AR 544). They will find heavenly pasture. However, even though the establishment of the church may be certain, it will not be without pain and struggle to bring forth these truths into life. In fact, to do this calls for a battle, not against people on earth, but against the hells.

     (To be continued)
LAUREL FOURTH WEEK CANCELLED 1998

LAUREL FOURTH WEEK CANCELLED              1998

     - The third week of Laurel Camp is fully booked. The fourth week has been cancelled, but there is room in weeks one (July 19-25) and two (July 26 to August 1).

256


LOVING ARMS MISSION 1998

LOVING ARMS MISSION              1998

     Dear Readers:

     The Loving Arms Mission has now been together for more than a year! Thanks to the support and encouragement of many of you, we are doing well and looking forward to a hopeful future. We gained legal status as a non-profit corporation, visited Nepal to scout out what needs to be done, and are heading into an exciting new year. We have faced several challenges, but the Lord continues to guide us and we persist for the sake of having a uniquely New Church outreach charitable organization, an organization to help not only those in need around the world, but also believers in the New Church who feel moved to help our brothers and sisters who are destitute and in need of assistance.
     In Nepal we witnessed a true need, both materially and spiritually. We also witnessed challenges discrimination against Christians, inordinate amounts of red tape, isolation from human support, and our own cultural ignorance. But, eager to overcome our obstacles, we mapped out a plan of action for the mission. On November 15th in Bryn Athyn, PA, we offered, with entertainment and food, a slideshow presentation about the progress and future of the Loving Arms Mission. Over one hundred people attended, and we received a good deal of positive feed-back.
     Rev. Grant Schnarr, the Director of Evangelization for the General Church of the New Jerusalem, volunteered as the M.C. for the evening. After hearing the program he suggested to the Loving Arms Mission the possibility of working with an already existing New Church congregation in Sri Lanka where we could assist both church members and those in need in the surrounding region. By our working in Sri Lanka, the greatest challenges of being isolated from New Church human support and of our own cultural ignorance would be lessened. After over a month of consideration, Loving Arms Mission has decided initially to turn our efforts to Sri Lanka, with the hope of returning to Nepal having gained working experience in a similar but more supported situation.

257



     This was not an easy decision, especially after having seen and fallen in love with the kingdom of Nepal and its people. Yet in our judgment the potential good from this decision outweighs any apparent setbacks. Not only will we be much more supported in our work on location, but we will also be working more closely with the General Church, which opens the door to developing a mutually beneficial relationship, not only with the organized church, but also with its members who may be desiring a trustworthy means to perform the kind of use that the Loving Arms Mission seeks to perform.
     Our prayer is that the Loving Arms Mission follows the Lord's commandment: "Love one another as I have loved you. . . " and that in so doing, we may offer to believers in the New Church a new means of living out that commandment. In doing this we help not only others but also ourselves by becoming more truly images and likenesses of the Lord.
     Thank you for your continued interest and support.
     The Loving Arms Mission

Our motto.- To live out the Lord's love by providing for human needs, both spiritual and natural, throughout the world.
COMPLETE TALKING BOOK 1998

COMPLETE TALKING BOOK              1998

     In the May issue we promised that certain tapes from Australia would be available from the Swedenborg Foundation. The good news is that they are available now for $12.00 (plus $4.00 for postage), Box 549, West Chester, PA 19381. We refer to the translation by Lee Woofenden of The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine. (See May issue p. 194.) This was a joint undertaking of the foundation with the Swedenborg Lending Library of Australia.

258


MASCULINE PRINCIPLE (Part 2) 1998

MASCULINE PRINCIPLE (Part 2)       Rev. ALAIN NICOLIER       1998

     (Readings: Deut. 23:1-15, Rev. 11: 1-15, AC 7045)

"And the uncircumcised male ... shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant" (Gen. 17:14).
     It is not surprising to observe that in the evolution of the chosen people it is always the males who are chastised when disobedience occurs, or when there are avenging raids. During the ten plagues in Egypt it is the first-born males who are sacrificed so that the Hebrew people can be freed from slavery.
     First-born males without blemish are used for the animal sacrifices made in offering to Jehovah at the tabernacle and in the temple. The first-born males under two years of age were massacred at Bethlehem to allow the Son of God to flee and to be spared the too-early death ordered by King Herod.
     In the conquest of the promised land, Jehovah commands the males to go and fight while the women and children remain behind, because it is the truth which takes up arms and fights to protect good. Moreover, the Writings tell us that all weapons, helmets, and shields are connected to truth, which fights and defends. Christ Himself says that He came not to bring peace but a sword, and He appears in the Apocalypse on a white horse with a sword coming out of His mouth.
     We saw earlier that if the male dominates the physical world, it is because he receives Divine Truth, to which he corresponds and which emanates from the spiritual sun, and also because he is first in time. Thus it is he who goes through the Karma of the law of retaliation when there is disobedience of Divine laws, he who must sacrifice himself and pay with his life to get his people back on the right path.

259



     Certainly wars and killing are perversions of the representation of purification by Divine Truth. In reality the death should be only a spiritual one, a dying to oneself, dying to one's pride and to various evils. As he passes through life on earth the male must learn to control and subdue the instinct which he has from birth to wish to dominate others, if not by force then by his intellect. Armed warfare represents a war of intellects which confront and vie with each other, even so far as to wish to rule and control.
     Physical wars are merely the result of mental wars, for disagreement often engenders animosity, then hatred, and finally the desire to eliminate the other. Do we not see this in masculine debates in the political, sports and religious arenas? Verbal contests are prominent in the realm of power and world affairs.
     This is why it is essential that the male first be purified intellectually, on the level of his reasoning, and in his choice of priorities and values, and this by means of the Word in its spiritual sense.
     This is what is signified by the ritual of circumcision, which was carried out with the help of stone knives. We must first know that the foreskin represents something in particular. It is associated with the organs of reproduction, thus with the relationship to the feminine sex, and so with the conjugial. In the organs of reproduction there are parts more or less internal and external, corresponding to conjugial affections, from the most intimate internal to the most external corporeal.
     As the use creates the organ, so the quality of conjugial love will determine the degree of purity of the use of the sexual organ; and as the foreskin is the most exterior part of the organ, it thus represents love in its most external degree.
     This degree is said to be filthy in every male, because he is born natural and not spiritual, and is thus born with every carnal "depraved" desire. By depraved we are to understand separated from the conjugial. Indeed, every male is created the love of procuring for himself truth and wisdom, but at the beginning of his existence this love is separate from the love of use and has no other end than his self-interest.

260


This love of becoming wise must be educated and purified in order to become spiritual.
     On this subject we read in the Arcana that: "The use of knives made of flint to carry out circumcision meant the use of the truths of faith to carry out purification from filthy kinds of love ... [for] these truths teach what good is and also what evil is, and so what ought to be done and what ought not to be done. And when a person knows those truths and wishes to act in accordance with them, he is ... purified .... The foreskin ... corresponds to the kinds of love that are very much external, which are called bodily and earthly loves. If these loves are devoid of the internal kinds of love that are called spiritual and celestial loves, they are filthy .... The words 'without an internal' are used, and by this is meant no acknowledgment of truth and no affection for good. . . " (AC 7044,7045).
     It is true that in order to leave adolescence, reach adult age and be in a state ready to become a husband and thus to love one woman only, a man is able, by the exercise of enlightened reason, to free his body from the hold of the senses. This wish for liberation is represented by the cutting off of the foreskin, and must end with the "circumcision of the heart and the kidneys." The process of regeneration of the conjugial with the male is an elevation of the will. Rather than being nourished by corporeal influxes, it is then nourished by celestial influxes instead. The will of good in use is the only love which can conquer the cupidities of the proprium.
     Taking these few remarks into account, it is not surprising to learn that those who are in affections contrary to conjugial love are represented in the Word by those who experience pain in their genital organs, or who have an infirmity in their testicles. It is said of the latter that "they shall not enter the congregation of the Lord" (Deut. 23:1, 2).
     The two testicles represent the good and the truth of conjugial love: should one be lacking, there is then depravity and therefore no ability to be regenerated (see SD 3922, 5216; AC 2468e, 5460).

261


The two testicles are also called "witnesses" in the Word, for in Latin the word testiculus is a diminutive of testis, which on the one hand signifies "witness" and on the other hand the action of witnessing.
     These two representations are intimately joined together, because the idea of courage and determination is implied in the action of bearing witness.
     It is interesting to note that the external component of aggressiveness, which in the fallen world of today is necessary for bearing witness of the Divine Human, is actually stored in the testicles. Indeed, scientists have found that a male hormone secreted in the scrotum, testosterone, is the substance which gives men a beard, a rough voice, a stronger body, and is responsible for sexual desire. This hormone also endows him with a certain fearlessness in temperament, agility and vigilance in his relations with others and his environment.
     Women also produce testosterone in their ovaries and their adrenal glands, but only 10% of the quantity produced by mates. This fact explains why more than 90% of prison inmates are of the masculine sex, and this is universal on our planet.
     This is also the reason why in earlier times they castrated the boys who were earmarked as guardians of women whose husbands were jealous. In having their testicles removed, they were at the same time deprived of all sexual desire and all aggressiveness. They were called "eunuchs," which means "those who guard." Similarly, certain animals such as bulls, for example, are castrated for the purpose of domestication. Emasculation changes them into "oxen," useful for working in the fields and pulling heavy loads. By this operation their hostility and combativeness are taken away, and their predisposition to rebellion and nasty changes in mood is altered. They become obedient and manageable beasts of burden.
     With human beings, castration practised before puberty involves numerous psychological and bodily alterations. A boy takes on a feminine appearance - delicate skin, underdeveloped hair growth, a shrill voice, weak muscles and slender limbs.

262


With a woman the ovarectomy causes modifications which tend to make her more like a man.
     As we can see, castration indicates that the ultimate determination of sexual character is controlled by genital secretions; thus the expression "to emasculate" means to remove both physical and psychological masculinity.
     It is therefore in the testicles that a concentration is found of external causes of everything that makes a real male of a man. Although the power of his combative nature and his virility are contained in this area, it is here also that he is the most vulnerable.
     Every man knows how painful it is to be attacked in this fragile part of his anatomy and how, when that happens, he loses all his means of defense, equilibrium and mobility.
     To return to the correspondence: it was said earlier that testis in Latin (from which comes the word testicle) signifies witness. It is for this reason that in ancient times when a man took a vow, he did it by raising his right hand and putting the other hand over his testicles, thus indicating the thing most precious to him, namely, his virility.2
     2 In Roman law it was even said, Testis unus, testis nullus: One witness only no witness; or, one testicle only = unfit to bear witness.
     It is also for that reason that witnesses are most often two in the Word. We read, for example: "And I will give power to my two witnesses .... These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands (Apocalypse 11:3,4; see also AE 635 and Deut. 17:6,7).
     With the man, this bearing witness of the truth is associated with his virility. One does not go without the other, or if it does there is depravity because, as was said, man is made to acquire wisdom and to bear witness of it.
     If man's acquiring of wisdom is used to dominate over others, he creates a world of wars and suffering.

263


If, on the other hand, he uses it to heal and to be regenerated, then the feminine world can love that wisdom and make good use of it. In fact, if the male rules the physical world, we must realize that the female rules the psychic and affectional world.
     We have seen before how the male is temporal and the female more spatial. The variations of states with men develop like days and nights; they pass through periods of shadow, while the women's variations in temperament develop as a function of temperatures; they go from hot to cold, passing through warmth.
     The one catalyzes light and thus truth from the spiritual sun, while the other catalyzes heat from the spiritual sun, and thus love.
     So the male provides the female with the means of seeing truth clearly and she, in return, enables him to feel things, each according to his or her capacity to be purified and to respond to the Lord's call to let themselves be regenerated by Him (see AC 10130-32, 9506: circumcision vs. menstruation).
     To return to the passage in Deuteronomy which states in its many laws that a male with a genital infirmity will not be able to enter into the house of the Lord, we are able to understand better why men today are attempting to redefine themselves.
     Indeed, few today are admitted into the house of the Lord, for few bear witness to Divine Truth as they go through life. This explains the materialism, the great lack of love and the suffering in today's world. The question that each of us individually needs to ask every day is: Have I lived up to my own choice of priorities in what I have loved today, and in the way I have related to my fellow human beings?
     This is surely one of the reasons why, in this war of the sexes, women claim the right to participate in all masculine areas. It is because the males do not measure up in certain areas. We see this in political and religious arenas where women want to participate more in the government of a world where use with a capital U is often forgotten, and where individual interests take precedence over common and universal interests.

264


Women want to unite Truth and Good in the running of the world.
     Next time we will delve into the essential cause of the coming of the Lord in the masculine form.

     (To be continued)
MINISTERIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS 1998

MINISTERIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS              1998

     The Rev. Fred Chapin has accepted a call to become the Assistant Pastor to the Washington Society as of July 1, 1998. This will take up two-thirds of his time, and he will visit Charlotte, where he used to be resident, twice a month from Washington.
     Candidate Jong-Ui Lee, upon completion of his Theological School training, will become Assistant to the Pastor of the Oak Arbor Society, and do visiting work in the area as of July 1, 1998.
     The Rev. Phil Schnarr was ordained into the second degree of the priesthood on May 31, and he continues to serve as Director of the Office of Education.
     Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss
SERMON DISTRIBUTION, INCLUDING LARGE PRINT 1998

SERMON DISTRIBUTION, INCLUDING LARGE PRINT              1998

     The General Church does a monthly mailing of four printed sermons. If you would like to be put on the list, please contact Judith M. Hyatt, P.O. Box 743, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009. Contributions toward the mailings are welcome. Over 400 people are receiving these sermons.
     We are pleased to add that if you would prefer to have the sermons each month in large print, Mrs. Aldvin M. (Vee) Nickel very kindly provides this service without charge. Her address is P.O. Box 39, Hot Springs, SD 57747; phone (605) 745-4825.

265


ENLIGHTENMENT AND PERCEPTION 1998

ENLIGHTENMENT AND PERCEPTION       Rev. BRIAN W. KEITH       1998

     Presented to the Council of the Clergy in 1998

     How do we see what is true? How do we know it is true after we think we have seen it? And what can we do with it? These are fundamental questions that affect how we view the Divine and our own lives. The subjects of enlightenment and perception are here offered as a window through which we may gain some clarity.
     Enlightenment is the light shining down from the Lord upon our understandings. From it we have the ability to perceive what is true. But our perceptions are conditioned by what we already have learned and our spiritual state as we approach the Word. When there is good - an affection for what it true because it is true - then light from the Lord can illumine our minds. We can recognize the truth.
     We are also given a means of determining whether our perceptions of truth are trustworthy or not. For enlightenment is a process which is neither mysterious nor intelligible to a select few. In fact, it is accessible to all.
     And enlightenment gifts us with many things - including a clear sight of the truth, progress in regeneration, and a sight of how to perform better in our occupations.
     This study considers these issues. The initial sections deal with general teachings on enlightenment and perception. These lay the groundwork for looking at the subject of government, both of the direct intersection between it and enlightenment, and in making more general applications.

General Meaning

     There is a range of meanings for both enlightenment and perception depending upon context. In the broadest sense, these words simply mean to be informed about something (NJHD 1, 225; AC 1220:3, 4245e; AE 1135e; Five Memorable Relations 10).

266


It is in this sense that the Writings speak of the church's being enlightened (TCR 270), of there being enlightenment from the world (AC 3108), and spirits from another planet being very perceptive because they ask others a lot of questions (EU 39).
     More specifically, enlightenment, and our perception of it, is most prominently associated with sight. It is described as the light of heaven illuminating the understanding of both angels and people on earth (AC 10330, 9382:2; HH 203; DP 91; AE 408, 540: 10), "spiritual sight abstracted from such things as are of the world" (AC 5400, 9127:2; AR 947), or what is seen from both spiritual and natural light at the same time (AE 826). Sometimes enlightenment is identified with the Lord because His interior presence produces all enlightenment (AC 4386; AR 666; LJPost 100). Enlightenment is also described as an "enlargement of the boundaries of one's wisdom and intelligence" (AC 1101), and an "extension of [the understanding's] vision round about" (AE 529:2).
     Sight from enlightenment is not generic but specific to what is true. It is described as seeing what is true from the light of truth (AE 759:4, 831:4, 837: 10), a sight of truth from what is good - namely, that it is so (AC 4214), and most universally, to see that "truth is truth, and good is good; and also that evil is evil, and falsity falsity" (AC 7680, 5097; NJHD 140). It is in this context that perception is occasionally described as an "internal revelation" (AC 5097, 5111). This is also "a kind of internal telling" (AC 3209), "a kind of internal speech" (AC 1822), an "internal assent" (AC 5121:3), and an "internal acknowledgment that this or that is true" (Faith 5).
     The range of the use of the word "enlightenment" is vividly displayed in a passage from the Divine Providence:

There is an interior and an exterior enlightenment from the Lord; and there is an interior and an exterior enlightenment from a person. Interior enlightenment from the Lord consists in a person's perceiving at first hearing whether what is said is true or not true; and exterior enlightenment is derived from this in the thought.

267


Interior enlightenment from a person is from confirmation alone; and exterior enlightenment from a person is from knowledge alone (168).

     The rest of this passage makes painfully clear that "enlightenment" from a person is not genuine enlightenment at all! (See also AC 4214:2-5.) This kind of dual usage is also playfully seen in the following: "The finite does not have the capacity of perceiving the infinite; still, that it may in some manner be perceived. . . (AR 31). It can't be perceived, but if you want to perceive it ... !

The Relationship Between Enlightenment and Perception

     While occasionally there seems to be an identification of enlightenment with perception (AC 10215; DLW 140), overwhelmingly, enlightenment is the light illuminating the understanding so that one can perceive what is true (AC 5937:3, 6047:2, 6294, 8780:2, 10234, 10703; AR 675; AE 11, 846:2; see also AC 10290:2 and 10551:2). Thus they are related as active is to passive.

Perception vs. Conscience

     The well known distinction between the perception of the Most Ancient Church and conscience with those who are spiritual is primarily utilized in the Writings when discussing the ancient churches and people from other planets who are of a celestial genius (AC 125, 895, 1914:4; AE 739:6, 828:2). Beyond that, 4' conscience" means an inner dictate based upon what one has learned (NJHD 130-140). However, "perception" is used throughout the Writings in a very general way to mean that which we are able to see with our understanding.
     While technically those of the spiritual church do not have perception but in its place conscience (AC 2515, 2831:2, 4317:5), their ability to sense what is true is described as a kind of perception. It is a general but obscure dictate (AC 1919:2, 3385), which is in appearances. It is a "kind of perception" (AC 2144:2) which "gives a dictate, but in a different way" (AC 371). This is further described as "a certain dictate, but no other than that a thing is true because they have so heard and learned" (AC 895), thus "not what is true, but that it is true, and this because the Lord has said so in the Word" (AC 393).

268



     The significance of these teachings is that regardless of how enlightened our perception is about spiritual truth, it is still but a pale comparison to what the Most Ancients experienced. And since "scarcely anyone at this day" has any perception like the Most Ancients (AC 5121:2), I am presuming that whenever the word "perception" is used generally in the Writings, it is of this obscure variety and virtually synonymous with conscience.

Conditions or Requirements for Enlightenment

     The primary requirement for enlightenment to occur is that it come from the Lord. "All enlightenment is from an influx from the Divine" (AC 4235). The Lord who is Life Itself fills heaven with light, and His Divine Proceeding also sheds light on minds of people on earth (AC 10703; DLW 113, 155,150; AE 186:11, 292:7, 349:10, 1024:3). Proceeding is specifically noted as the Holy Spirit (DLW 89; Lord 51e; AR 666, 852; BE 57; AE 665:3, 1024:3).
     Additional conditions are necessary for enlightenment to occur. A sound mind is presumed (AC 6125; DLW 404), as are remains which lay the foundation for all further development (AC 530, 3665:3; cf. AC 2967:2). Building upon that, a "right education" enables one to become enlightened (DP 317), presumably so that further goods and truths, as opposed to evils and falsities, might be embraced.
     As enlightenment sheds light upon something already known, one needs facts about truth and good to receive it (AC 3098, 3137; NJHD 24). For this reason the Writings say "enlightenment comes with instruction" (AC 3071, 3058). It is vital that these knowledges be truths and not falsities (AC 6483e; AE 198, 1174:3). Truths "in all abundance" are recommended (AC 8368), because truths of faith "emit light" (TCR 618:2). Thus enlightenment is according to the quantity and the quality of these (AC 3508e).

269



     Curiously, I could find only three true ideas explicitly linked to receiving enlightenment: acknowledging the Lord as one with the Father (TCR 774; AE 200:5; cf. Life 3), ascribing all things to Him (AC 10227), and seeing the two great commandments as the purpose of life (AC 3773). This is in contrast to a number of specific false ideas that the Writings mention which hinder, if not prevent, influx from being received.
     Related to this is the notion that not only should there be an abundance of truths, but there should be a variety of truths. Our perception is clearer when there are comparisons (TCR 576e; SE 4772). This includes a thorough knowledge of what is evil and false because it is only through the sight of opposites that there is the clearest perception of what is good (AC 2694:2, 7812; EU 77). In this context we are encouraged to read the Word and compare passages in order to have a more accurate perception of the truth (AC 6222:3). It may be that the apparent contradictions are gemlike facets which reflect spiritual light, providing a full spectrum of the truth.
     Enlightenment also requires an appropriate mindset. A person has to think about theological matters or at least think that they can be understood (Letter to Beyer, Oct. 30, 1769), to think apart from space and time so that one's mind is not overwhelmed by the senses (AR 947), and to have an affirmative attitude or even belief to see anything (AC 39:2, 1802:3, 6483e, 2288:2). This is also described as a delight in the things of love and wisdom which elevates one's thought (AR 914).
     It is also necessary to actively seek truths in order for the Lord to provide enlightenment. Enlightenment exists where there is an affection for truth and a "longing for it" (AC 9382:2, 9905:4). This is in line with the standard principle of our need to ask before we receive (CL 183:2). (The connection between requesting information and light upon answers is especially portrayed in Aaron's breastplate - the Urim and Thummim. The "light sparkled and quivered ... with variety in accordance with the state of the matter about which the interrogation was made" (AC 6335; see also AC 3798, 3858, 3862, 6640, 9857, 9874, 9905).

270



     Specially emphasized in this is prayer. We are encouraged to search the Word with a devout prayer for enlightenment (AC 5477:2, 8993:4; AE 1124:2, 1148:4; DLW 1; Lord 2). This is evident in the other world where we find an example of spirits praying for enlightenment and consequently receiving light from heaven (TCR 188). Thus we are to seek for the truths of faith with an openness to the Lord in prayer in order that we might be enlightened.
     Assuming one uses this approach, an affection for truth because it is truth is the driving force in whether a person is enlightened or not (NJHD 35). When knowledges of truth and good from without are joined with genuine spiritual affection for truth from within, enlightenment is possible (AC 5822e; AE 1183, 624:14, 832:4, 1100:3, 208:3). Such affections exist only where there is love to the Lord and charity toward the neighbor (AC 3974e, 9300:4, 9407:15; AE 11, 684:14). These "and no others receive spiritual light" (AE 759:2).
     For this reason, genuine enlightenment does not exist apart from reformation and regeneration (AC 2692:2, 4967, 6222:3; AE 665:3, 941:2). So we find the Writings speaking about enlightenment occurring when someone fights against evils and falsities (LJPost 195), and after one has engaged in the struggles of temptation (AC 2699, 2967:2, 8967; NJHD 199; AE 123), for "charity enlightens" (AC 6269). States of good open up the internal, enabling the constant stream of light from the Lord to be received (AC 9797; AE 177:3, 876). So regeneration is intimately connected to enlightenment (AC 4967, 6222:3, 7055:3).
     Two qualifying points are rather significant in relation to this. The first is that there is no automatic enlightenment because of regeneration. Speaking of people raised in false religions, the Writings note that they do not come into any perception of truth "unless they had been regenerated and at the same time enlightened in an especial manner" (AC 7233).

271


Also, "they who have been regenerated receive from the Lord an intellectual capable of being enlightened" (AC 6222:3, emphasis added). So one is not enlightened nor can perceive truth simply by virtue of having good in his or her life.
     The second qualification is the emphasis the Writings place on not only loving truths but loving truths which are serviceable for eternal life (AC 8521:3, 8648e; AE 714:10, 1089:3, 1173:3). Passages such as these suggest to me that enlightenment is not some general dispersed brilliance regarding spiritual realities. Rather, enlightenment is a more personal sight of those truths which have direct bearing on one's own spiritual life. This is not to say that insights cannot be shared with others, but that enlightenment is specifically directed toward seeing ideas which will be conducive to a good life for that person. So what is an enlightened idea for one may be a fact or fancy without any enlightenment for another. While there is a specific exception to this regarding how doctrine is derived from the church, which I will speak of later, enlightenment for one's own use in regeneration rather than for general consumption is the universal thrust of the doctrine.

Structure of Enlightenment

     There are several processes which describe the influx from the Lord to the human race that produces enlightenment and a perception of what is true. The primary one is the Lord's flowing into the rational of a person, shedding light on the facts and the doctrinal knowledges that exist in the natural, resulting in enlightenment (AC 3128:3). Different terminology may be used elsewhere in the Writings, but the process remains the same: influx - spiritual man - rational knowledges and cognitions (AE 569:2); Lord - soul - spiritual of the rational (AC 2701; see also AC 3141, 3084e, 5121:3; AE 730:2, 1177:2).
     Within an individual there is a definite progression from the peaks of love to the valleys of conscious thought.

272


It is usually described as love flowing into the affection for truth, producing a perception of truth, which results in conscious thought (DLW 404; Life 36; SS 58; DLW 126; AR 875; AC 3528; AE 759:3).
     However, to the conscious mind the process appears to be exactly the inverse of this: one first learns facts, then perceives the truth of them, and eventually believes in them as the truths of faith (AC 5816:2). This is described as a person's first learning very obscure truths; then when they are filled with particulars and singulars, enlightenment results, causing the fallacies and appearances to be dispersed (AC 3131e). The learning and acknowledging process is also depicted as acquiring information, having it as it were banished, receiving some enlightenment which leads to the facts being placed in order and particulars inserted, resulting in a more elevated sight of true ideas (AC 5208:2).

Degrees or the Progression of Enlightenment

     Not all enlightenment or perception of truth is of the same quality. There are different types and degrees of it. Beyond the basic enlightenment of what is fundamentally true or false, good or evil, there are diverse innate abilities leading to differences in our capability of seeing what is true. We have different capabilities of being wise (AC 10227), and regarding the gift of perception, "one person excels another" (AC 5937:2). Where there are fewer remains, there is less likelihood of enlightenment occurring (AC 530); however, I presume that while our most significant and numerous remains are implanted at an early age, there is also the possibility of acquiring additional remains throughout one's life. Thus it does not preclude enlightenment, but it does appear to give a "leg up" on those who are enriched in remains from birth.
     The states of our life affect our ability to be enlightened (NJHD 35). Enlightenment is progressive, based on our development. As we learn more, a higher level of enlightenment is possible (AC 2531:2, 3508e). And as more of our false or fallacious ideas are removed, a higher level of enlightenment is possible (De Verbo 28).

273



     What is more, enlightenment, while constantly streaming forth from the Lord, is received variously because of the changes of states we undergo. From this are the alternations of light (enlightenment) in heaven (AC 5672; AE 747).
     Our ability to perceive is also based upon the extent to which our minds have been raised. So, for example, the Writings speak of degrees of perception from:
     - the sensuous, which is based on pleasures
     - the interior natural, which is from causes within the world
     - the rational, when we are withdrawn from our bodies (AC 5141).
     As we approach more internal states, our sight of truth
     sharpens because there are so many more thousands of ideas there that appear only as one general idea in external form (NJHD 47).
     It is also significant that this elevation is, for the most part, tied to states of regeneration (NJHD 35, 186; AC 1616:2, 5208; AE 825:3; AR 85). This makes sense only because as we come to love what is good, we can be more deeply affected by truth.

Enlightenment with Those in Evil?

     Assuming there will be more interior enlightenment among those whose minds are being elevated, does that make regeneration a prerequisite for any sight of truth?
     Clearly, the understanding must be elevated above the will or else there would be no hope for anyone's reformation and regeneration. If there is not at least some basic enlightenment, reformation is not possible (AC 3128:3; AE 527:4; DLW 100). But can such temporary elevations be more than illusory or of value to anyone else?
     Those who are not regenerate have the same capability of perceiving ideas and being enlightened as those who are. In the other world, there are numerous examples of evil spirits being raised into heaven in states of enlightenment (CL 415; TCR 77). Evil spirits can understand ideas just as well as good spirits (AE 832:4), and one devil, Adam Lejel, was renowned for his sound reason and "remarkable perception" (SE 4718m).

274



     Enlightenment for those in non-regenerate states on this earth is also a distinct possibility, although limited. Those who are caught up in their own self-intelligence can be enlightened in corporeal, worldly, and natural things (AE 650:3). Those in the love of self can be enlightened in civil matters and "a little" in moral matters (SE 5967). In fact, some seem to have the ability to perceive due to their less than angelic motives. Those who await influx generally do not receive anything "except for the few who from their heart desire it; and they occasionally receive some response by a vivid perception, or by tacit speech in the response, in their thought but rarely by any manifest speech" (DP 321:3; this does not tell them explicitly what to think or do). The understanding can also be raised into the light of heaven, even if there is not a love for what is true, if there is a passion for knowing and an affection for exalting one's own reputation (DLW 141).
     It should be noted that enlightenment and perception apart from regenerate states are not actual (DLW 141). An interesting distinction is made where it suggests that evil people have the ability to perceive true ideas from their knowledge of the truths of faith, but it is not enlightenment (AC 7680). There is no genuine enlightenment with those who are in states of evil; however, there is an "elevation to attention," which seems to be a raising of the understanding to recognize truths which might indicate one's own less-than-angelic state (AC 7435).
     The reality is that to the extent that evils are not active, the understanding can be in light and perceive what is good and true (AC 9144). So while an enlightened perception is generally tied to states of regeneration, as long as evils are not active, individuals have the ability, if not to be spiritually enlightened, then to perceive what is true, even if it is not in accord with their ruling loves.

     (To be continued)

275


"THESE THINGS ARE MERELY FOR SIMPLE PEOPLE" 1998

"THESE THINGS ARE MERELY FOR SIMPLE PEOPLE"       Editor       1998




     Editorial Pages
     So says the fool in his heart.
     Among the passages in the Writings that allude to what a fool says in his heart is AC 5433. We read here of someone completely taken up with material things. "Heavenly things are nothing to him, and earthly things are everything; and when earthly things are everything to him, he believes himself to be more learned and wise than anyone else, in that to himself he denies the truths of the church, saying at heart that they are for the simple."
     Compare this to the way a passage in True Christian Religion describes the drift of a person's thoughts. "He then thinks that God has no existence, but is merely a word uttered from the pulpit to hold the common people in obedience to the laws of justice .... He thinks of the church as an assembly of simple, credulous and weak-minded people who see what they see not" (TCR 14:3).
     The thought that the world is everything and heavenly things nothing also calls to mind a striking paragraph in Divine Providence. Notice the way it ends: "What is more restless at heart, more frequently provoked, more violently enraged, than self-love; and this as often as it is not honored according to the pride of its heart, and as often as anything does not succeed according to its wish and whim? What, then, is dignity if it does not pertain to some matter or use, but an idea? And can there be such an idea in any thought except thought about self and the world, which essentially in itself is that the world is everything and the eternal nothing?" (DP 250:2)
LEARNED KNOW LESS THAN THE SIMPLE 1998

LEARNED KNOW LESS THAN THE SIMPLE              1998

     According to AC 3747, when it comes to certain important things, the learned know less than the simple, "but still they seem to themselves to know much more."

276


GIFT THAT LED ME TO DISCOVER THE NEW CHURCH 1998

GIFT THAT LED ME TO DISCOVER THE NEW CHURCH       Bill Hall       1998




     Communications
Dear Editor:
     I was introduced to the New Church by Mr. Wainscot of the Swedenborg Society in London. The event that led me to contact the Swedenborg Society was my receiving a copy of TCR from a friend, Dr. Philip W. Groves, as a farewell gift when I was leaving Sydney in 1962 by ship for London, where I stayed just over a year. Dr. Groves is a spiritual psychologist.
     Philip told me he first came across TCR and Heaven and Hell while browsing in the religious department of Dymock's, a large bookstore in Sydney's CBD. Philip bought these books. He visited London about 1960-61 and visited the Swedenborg Society.
     As Philip gave me the copy of TCR, I remember he said to me (in effect), "You may wish to call into the Swedenborg Society. Mr. Wainscot is a friendly man." I was indeed grateful to call into the Swedenborg Society and to meet Mr. Wainscot. When I enquired about the New Church in London, he provided me with the complete list of New Churches in London. When I returned to this continent about 1963, I contacted both the Hurstville Society and the Sydney Society of the New Church.
     I feel impelled to express my deep thanks to Mrs. Groves and Philip Groves, Mr. Wainscot, and to everyone, pastors and lay-people, associated with the New Church for my contacts with the church. Above all, I must humbly and sincerely express thanks to the Lord for His leading me to the New Church. I pray my life shall express my gratitude.
     Bill Hall
     Queensland, Australia

277


MASCULINE AND FEMININE 1998

MASCULINE AND FEMININE       Margaret Shepp Hyatt       1998

Dear Editor:
     When I first read the article by Rev. Eric H. Carswell ("Growing Beyond the Natural Masculine and Feminine Approaches," March 1998), my first reaction was that after spending a good part of my life trying to become more truly feminine (which is what I thought the Writings taught), I could stop. I am already strong, willing to take a stand, to speak up, to state things directly (which is what Mr. Carswell seems to recommend that women should strive to do). Then I read the number (CL 218) that Mr. Carswell references. It starts out by stating what the intelligence of women is in itself (unassuming, refined, peaceful, yielding, gentle, and tender) and the intelligence of men in itself (grave, harsh, hard, daring, fond of unrestrained liberty).
     The number goes on to discuss the manifestations of these traits in the body, face, voice, speech, action, and manners. It then says that from very birth the genius of men differs from that of women, which was manifested to Swedenborg by the sight of boys and girls in their gatherings in the other world. We are probably all familiar with this part of the number where boys played together with great noise, shouting, fighting, beating and throwing stones at each other; whereas the girls sat quietly at the doors of houses, some playing with infants, some dressing dolls, piecing together bits of linen, and some kissing each other. It surprised Swedenborg that the girls "looked with pleased eyes upon the boys."
     From this Swedenborg saw clearly that man is born understanding and woman love in their beginnings, and thus what the understanding of man in its progression would be without conjunction with the feminine and afterwards with conjugial love (which indicates that the masculine needs moderation by the feminine).
     The key word to me is "conjunction." The Writings speak throughout of how the masculine and feminine were created complementary and strive for conjunction.

278


Numbers 156 to 181 in Conjugial Love speak to the issue of the conjunction of souls and minds by marriage. My question is: if men strive to become more feminine and women strive to become more masculine, what effect will this have on the effort to conjunction with husbands and wives, and how would the feminine moderate the masculine?
     I find this article disturbing, and would ask Mr. Carswell to please provide references from the Writings to support the idea that the masculine and the feminine should strive to be more like the other. I don't believe CL 218 does this.
     Margaret Shepp Hyatt
     (Mrs. Wynne S. Hyatt)
     Glenn Dale, Maryland
Title Unspecified 1998

Title Unspecified       Rev. Eric H. Carswell       1998

Dear Editor:
     In response to Margaret Hyatt's concerns, I would assert as a primary definition that when a male looks to the Lord, shuns evils as sins, and tries to wisely serve his neighbor, he will become more and more truly masculine. When a female looks to the Lord, shuns evils as sins, and tries to wisely serve her neighbor, she will become more and more truly feminine.
     We are all intended to become more truly human in the Lord's image and likeness. The vast majority of the teachings on reformation and regeneration revealed by the Lord make no distinction whatever about issues that a male might face or a female might face. Jonathan Rose has researched this issue and has written the following:

     In any given paragraph Swedenborg's published theological
     works address one of three groups of people:
1) human beings regardless of gender
2) females
3) males

To judge by Swedenborg's statistical preference for the generic term homo (28,307 occurrences) over the fernale uxor, femina, and mulier (3316) and the male vir (2770), group one is discussed 82% of the time, group two 10% and group three 8%.

279




     More than 80% of the time when the Lord addresses us and the spiritual progression that He calls us to, He speaks to us as "people." At the same time He has clearly told us that:

. . . nothing in the two sexes is the same, although there is nevertheless a capacity for conjunction in every detail. Indeed, masculinity in the male is masculine in every part, even in the least part of his body, and also in every idea of his thought, and in every bit of his affection. So too with femininity in the female. And because one cannot as a consequence be converted into the other, it follows that after death a male is still male, and that a female is still female (CL 33).

     Both men and women are intended to conjoin good loves and true ideas in uses performed. Each is supposed to learn what is true and use it in reformation and regeneration. Each is intended to become a more wisely loving human being to eternity. The point is not that males should strive to be more feminine or females to be more masculine.
     Conjugial Love 218 is one of a number of key passages in which distinctions between the masculine and feminine are drawn. The issue I hope people will reflect on is what these distinctions mean. In his recent translation of Conjugial Love, Bruce Rogers has translated the Latin Quod intelligentia feminarum in se sit ... that begins this passage to read, "The intelligence of women is by nature . . . " Bishop Acton's translation, familiar to many, presents it as, "That in itself the intelligence of women is . . . ." It seems to me that the distinctions drawn at the beginning of this passage are not prescriptive of what women and men are supposed to strive toward, but rather describe natural starting points. The female starting point has the flaws typically carried by "natural good" and the masculine starting point has the flaws typically carried by "natural truth."

280



     I strongly endorse Margaret Hyatt's emphasis on "conjunction" between the masculine and the feminine. Conjunction occurs when two people freely come to love similar good things and strive to live from similar true ideas. It cannot happen if a husband delights in and fosters his tendency to be "critical, rough, resistant, argumentative, and given to intemperance" in any situation in which his wife is not immediately present to moderate these tendencies (or likely to learn about and subsequently express her concern about what he said or did). He would be behaving better in those situations due to an external motivation, not an internal one. If he freely works to conjoin himself to his wife, he needs to listen to the values and ideas in her life that reflect the Lord's love and wisdom. He needs to shun the natural tendencies in himself that stand in the way of his appreciating, thinking, and acting from these ideas because he has freely chosen to make those things a part of himself. He will do this because he is gradually receiving within himself a true love of what it means to be married. He changes as a human being. Gradually he will become more and more an image and likeness of the Lord.
     Although CL 218 does not specifically address the woman's development, isn't it clear that she too is called to a similar growing ability to incorporate the good loves and true ideas of her husband freely into her will, understanding and life? She also becomes a different person. This doesn't mean she becomes more masculine. It means she also comes more and more into an image and likeness of the Lord.
     Rev. Eric H. Carswell
     Glenview, IL
ON REMAINS 1998

ON REMAINS       Richard R. Gladish       1998

Dear Editor:
     The nature and importance of what the Writings term "remains" is shown in the following passages:

281




No one can possibly live, let alone as a human being, if he does not have something living within him, that is, if he does not have some measure of innocence, charity, and mercy . . . . [This] innocence, charity, and mercy a person receives from the Lord when he is an infant and during childhood .... These states ... are not states that man acquires by learning, but ones he receives as a free gift from the Lord, and which the Lord preserves within him (AC 1050).

Without remains there is salvation for none (AC 5897).

Remains are . . . all the states of the affections of good and truth ... from earliest infancy even to the end of life ... [and] for the use of his life after death .... The more remains ... of good and truth, the more delightful and beautiful do the rest of his states appear when they return .... In the after life he is also endowed with new states ... of truth (AC 906:4).

     William Blake's poem "The Divine Image" celebrates remains (or remnants) and comes close to identifying them with the Lord Himself, as the true human form.

The Divine Image
     To Mercy, Pity, Peace and Love
     All pray in their distress;

And to these virtues of delight
     Return their thankfulness.

For Mercy has a human heart,
     Pity a human face,
     And Love the human form divine,
     And Peace, the human dress.

Then every man of every clime,
     That prays in his distress,

Prays to the human form divine
     Love, Mercy, Pity, Peace.

And all must love the human form,
     In heathen, Turk, or Jew;

Where Mercy, Love and Pity dwell
     There God is dwelling too.

William Blake

     Certainly Blake was an eccentric and attacked Swedenborg and the doctrines of the Writings later, but his name and that of his wife Catherine were signed to the list of English Conference members about 1789.
     Richard R. Gladish
     Bryn Athyn, PA

282


COUNCIL OF THE CLERGY REPORT 1998

COUNCIL OF THE CLERGY REPORT       Rev. Alfred Acton       1998

     MEMBERSHIP

                         1989-90      1990-91      1991-92      1992-93
Episcopal degree                    3           3          3          3

Pastoral degree:
     Gen. Ch. Employment     3           2          1          2          ANC employment           10          10          10          10
     Pastoral work           46           46          46          46
     Retired                10          10          14          13
     Unassigned                8      77      7     75     7     78     8     79

Ministerial degree                11          14          14          18

Associate Ministers               1          1          1          1

Evangelist                          1          1          1          1

     Total                     93          94          97          102




     MEMBERSHIP

                         1993-94      1994-95      1995-96     1996-1997
Episcopal degree                    3           3          3          3

Pastoral degree:
     Gen. Ch. Employment     2           1          1          2          ANC employment           10          10          11          10
     Pastoral work           52           54          52          53
     Retired                14          14          16          17
     Unassigned                8      86      6     85     7     87     8     90

Ministerial degree                11          9          8          6

Associate Ministers               2          2          2          2

Evangelist                          1          1          1          1

     Total                     103          100          101          102

283





     SACRAMENTS/RITES STATISTICS

          1989-90 1990-91 1991-92 1992-93 1993-94 1994-95 1995-96 1996-97

Baptisms
     Children      184      178      189      197      73      202      168      159
     Adults      95      128      103      148      76      73      110      70
          Total 279      306      292      345      249      275      278      229

Holy Supper Administrations
     Public      189      128      205      246      262      259      239      266
          Communicants (average)
               23      26      31      24      23      24      22      22
     Private      40      25      52      42      44      48      59      46

Confessions of Faith
               27      36      46      33      20      13      32      21

Betrothals           38      51      33      50      34      32      40      35

Marriages           68      75      65      100      78      60      66      79
     Blessings on Marriages
               2      1      9      15      13      8      7      0

Ordinations      3      5      6      7      7      8      2      4

Dedications
     Churches      2      0      2      0      0      0      0      1
     Homes      5      5      6      2      2      1      2      2
     Schools      0      0      1      0      0      0      0     0
     Other      0      2      3      0      0      0      0      0
     Unspecified 0      0      0      0      0      0      2      5

Memorial Services 49      39      55      52      64      62      58      56
     The Rev. Alfred Acton II

284


Church News 1998

Church News       Ruth Motum Greenwold       1998

     COLCHESTER, ENGLAND

     Since Rev. Kenneth Alden with his wife Kim and their large family arrived in summer 1996, our society has taken on a more forward look. Of course the Sunday school and family services were enlarged and catered for. We have adopted a system where the accent is on regular or informal services. In the summer we hold three or four evening services. For the informal services we alter the church seating and have music with the organ, guitars and a small choir.
     Formal doctrinal classes are continued bi-weekly, interspersed with discussion classes on topics of interest or concern in the world, led by the minister. We have a group of ladies making up our Theta Alpha chapter. Their meetings are often open to all the society when a guest speaker is invited. They also send festival lessons to nine isolated families, and buy project materials for the Sunday school.
     Last year (1997) Bishop Buss came over to chair a Joint Council meeting in the summer. We were also pleased to see Rev. Messrs. Lawson Smith, Kenneth Stroh, Chris Bown, Fred Elphick, Douglas Taylor, and Patrick Rose. All these ministers took one or two Sunday services for us too.
     The society has witnessed some happy individual events during 1997, such as the wedding in July of Rebecca Wyncoll and Stephen Lake, the 100th birthday party and dance for Esylt Briscoe, and the birth of a new son, Benjamin, to Rev. and Mrs. Kenneth Alden. (A real baby was laid in the manger at our Christmas tableaux, a first for Colchester.) We said goodbye to Paul and Beth Appleton and their two daughters, who went to Arizona in June to start a new life in the U.S.
     We said hello to Lavender and Heulwyn Ridgway over from Australia, hoping to settle here and enter into the uses of the society.
     Ruth Motum Greenwold
DR. SELVENDRAN OF ENGLAND RECOMMENDS NEW BOOK 1998

DR. SELVENDRAN OF ENGLAND RECOMMENDS NEW BOOK              1998

     The noted bio-chemist Dr. Robert Selvendran, who gave talks in Bryn Athyn and Toronto a few weeks ago, has given emphatic endorsement to the book Swedenborg's Mighty Contribution (see p. 242), which we hope will soon be available in North America.

285


OUTSTANDING MAGAZINE ARTICLE RELATING TO SWEDENBORG 1998

OUTSTANDING MAGAZINE ARTICLE RELATING TO SWEDENBORG              1998




     Announcements





     The magazine is called Lingua Franca, an academic journal published in New York. In the May/June issue Mr. Scott McLemee has an excellent article which introduces Swedenborg to readers, and comments on the thesis that Emanuel Kant may have been much more indebted to Swedenborg than historians have believed. Here is McLemee's opening line: "Right up until the dramatic events of his mid-fifties, Emanuel Swedenborg - nicknamed 'the Swedish Aristotle' - led the busy life of a one-man think tank."

287


1999 ELDERGARTENS 1998

1999 ELDERGARTENS              1998

     CELEBRATING THE AGE OF WISDOM

     BOYNTON BEACH, FL          January 17-24

(Priority attendance to General Church members over 60 years of age living in the Southeast Region. General mailing to this area is set for mid-May 1998.)
     Speakers: Rev. Alfred Acton, Rev. Kurt H. Asplundh, Rev. Dr. Reuben P. Bell

     PHOENIX, AZ          May 2-9

(Priority attendance to General Church members over 60 years of age living in the state of Illinois and all states to the west, and including all of Canada. General mailing to this area is set for mid-August 1998.)
     Speakers: Rev. Alfred Acton, Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss, Dr. James L. Pendleton*

     SAN DIEGO, CA          October 31-November 7
(Priority attendance to General Church members over 60 years of age living in the state of Illinois and all states to the west, and including all of Canada. General mailing to this area is set for mid-August 1998.)
     Speakers: Rev. Daniel W. Goodenough, Rev. Brian W. Keith, Rev. Walter E. Orthwein

*      Not all speakers have been finally confirmed. Speakers' subjects will be announced in the first general mailings. All members over 60 years of age in other areas than those noted above who are interested in attending one or more of the Eldergartens should contact the General Church Office of Education and have their names placed on the application lists.

Coordinating Chairman:
Rev. Frederick L. Schnarr
11019 Haiti Bay
Boynton Beach, FL 33436

General Church Office of Education
Cairncrest
Box 743
Bryn Athyn, PA 19009-0743
215-914-4949
Fax 215-914-4935

288


Spiritual Recovery 1998

Spiritual Recovery       Rev. Grant R. Schnarr       1998

     A Twelve-step Guide

     Here is the reprinted edition of Unlocking Your Spiritual Potential with all the original references to Swedenborg that were deleted by the previous publisher re-inserted. The goal of this work is to help people avoid or escape the destructive power of guilt, fear, anger, need and resentment. The readers can gain a new outlook on life and strengthen their relationship with others and, more importantly, with the Lord.
     Each of the twelve chapters contains a good message, well referenced to the Writings, and an exercise or two to help the reader implement the ideas presented. It is a good tool for groups or couples, but also a joy just to read and apply yourself.
     Softcover U.S. $13.95 plus U.S. $1.25 postage
     General Church Book Center
Cairncrest
Box 743
Bryn Athyn, PA 19009
     Hours: Mon-Fri 9-12 or by appointment
     Phone: (215) 914-4920
     Fax: (215) 914-4935
     E-mail: [email protected]

289


Title Unspecified 1998

Title Unspecified              1998

     
Vol. CXVIII July, 1998 No. 7

     New Church Life

290


Notes on This Issue 1998

Notes on This Issue              1998

     The letters to the churches in the book of Revelation identify different kinds of people in Christendom. One of the most common kinds of people in the Christian world is designated by the name "Pergamos." When you have read the first paragraphs of the sermon on this subject, you will realize that the message to Pergamos is especially pertinent at the end of the twentieth century.
     The New Philosophy will devote an entire issue to the matter of Swedenborg's sanity. Dr. Wilson Van Dusen has just taken time out from other projects to write the article which we are printing this month.
     You will note that we are currently running serially three separate items. The one on the masculine principle was originally a series of articles in a French publication. The other two items we have cut into sections, and we hope this will not annoy readers who prefer to read a study in its entirety.
     As we have an editorial on the book The History of Hell, it is a good time to mention a significant book published ten years ago. This is Heaven, A History by Colleen McDannell and Bernhard Lang (Yale University Press). This book of some 360 pages has a 46-page chapter entitled "Swedenborg and the Emergence of a Modern Heaven." Swedenborg, "at almost every turn, offered readers a vigorous alternative to the traditional heaven articulated by medieval theologians . . . " According to Swedenborg, this book reports, those in heaven "continued to serve each other, engaged in useful activities, and thus grew in perfection."
POSITION OPEN: CAIRNWOOD OPERATIONS MANAGER 1998

POSITION OPEN: CAIRNWOOD OPERATIONS MANAGER              1998

     Cairnwood is seeking an operations manager to begin work in August. This is a part-time position to oversee operations and maintenance at Cairnwood. The successful candidate will handle contracts, client relations, vendors, budget and other part-time employees. Computer skills and knowledge of community organizations, our customs and culture are necessary. Previous experience in handling receptions, banquets and similar hospitality functions will be important in this beautiful historic mansion. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex or age. Please apply with a resume to Cairnwood, P.O. Box 691, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009, or call (215) 947-2004 for further information.

291


PERGAMOS: IN GOOD WORKS BUT NOT IN TRUTHS 1998

PERGAMOS: IN GOOD WORKS BUT NOT IN TRUTHS       Rev. Lawson M. Smith       1998

"To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it" (Rev. 2:17).

     The Lord sent a letter to each of seven churches in Asia. These churches represent all Christians who have any religion. Pergamos, the Writings say, stands for one of the most common kinds of people in the Christian world: people who think that the whole life of religion consists in doing good things, and that learning the truth has nothing to do with being a good person. Pergamos people donate money and time, help in their communities, and are very busy each day doing useful things. They will give you the shirt off their back. But they don't think about religion except in the most vague, fuzzy way, because it doesn't seem important to them to understand the truth clearly.
     Apart from fundamentalists, this description fits a great many Christians of all denominations: basically decent, hard-working people who don't think a lot about religion. This is not a surprising attitude, since a lot of theology today doesn't make sense, so churches often don't teach much but just emphasize good deeds. Many Christians today are traditional Christians who grew up in Christian families, so they've heard of the Lord and the Bible, but they may not go to church very often and don't read the Word.
     People who don't think much about the Lord and His Word appear wooden to the angels. This is because they are not deliberately acting with and for the Lord, but are more or less blindly following what other people approve of. Their innocence or willingness to follow the Lord is not very alive and alert, because they don't think about the Lord except in the vaguest ways. They are a bit like robots, which carry on performing useful tasks without considering what they're doing or why.

292



     For these people the Lord describes Himself as the One "who has the sharp, two-edged sword proceeding out of His mouth." He warns, "Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and fight against them with the sword of My mouth." The Lord will prove from the Word that some of what they think of as their good works are really harmful in motive or in their effect on society. The sword is the truth of the Lord's Word, which proceeds from His mouth. By the truth, the Lord drives bad habits and attitudes out of our lives if we let Him. The sword is sharp, because it penetrates right to our hearts and souls. It exposes evils; it challenges long-held attitudes. The truth sometimes hurts, but only because we identify with evils and wrong ideas in ourselves, instead of regarding them as things foisted on us by evil spirits. In the long run, we are much happier once we have made the changes the truth requires. So the Lord wants us to take up the sword for ourselves, in our own lives, to expose and overcome our weaknesses. The Lord doesn't want to fight against us, but with us and for us, as we use the truth to examine ourselves and work on the necessary changes.
     Why are truths essential to our lives? The quality of our motives and actions depends on our understanding of what we are doing and why. We need to think about what exactly we are trying to do and why, and how to do it well, in order to accomplish anything. The motivation is in our love and feelings, but love by itself is blind.
     The Lord says that the people of Pergamos dwell "where Satan's throne is." Satan is a symbol for the hell of spiritual darkness. The people of Pergamos are ignorant of the truth and so are easily duped. We read, "They are not to be called anything but gentiles" (AR 11o). They don't read the Word; they don't think about the Lord much, or look for truths to apply to their lives, so they are not much better informed than non-Christians. Satanic spirits have power - a throne - by means of such ignorant people. In fact, we are told, evil spirits have no power without the kind of people that are meant by Pergamos.

293


Evil spirits come to such people who love to do good works and say, "I am your neighbor. You really must help me." Then the spirits of Pergamos immediately come forward and help, without inquiring who is asking for help, or what the help is for. They actually think it would be wrong of them to inquire. Such people, in the name of unconditional love and toleration, unthinkingly give support to evils and false ideals that break down society and the church.
     For example, it has become more or less acceptable to live with someone without being married. It has become commonplace for people to divorce and remarry for almost any reason. A Pergamos person, though he may not feel very comfortable with these lifestyles himself, is not sure there's anything wrong, and excuses himself from thinking about it by saying, "It's none of my business anyway." Meanwhile, society is falling apart with all the crime and mental and physical illness that stems from broken homes and broken promises.
     Today our General Church is in a lot of darkness about the roles of men and women, in the church and in society generally. This darkness and confusion gives evil spirits opportunities to create strife among the people of the church. The people of Pergamos might say, "Well, since I don't see any reason why not, let people simply do whatever they please, and let's not argue about it." Possibly this is the answer, possibly not; but a person in this state doesn't even want to see if the Word has anything to say. He or she simply goes on feelings and ideas picked up in the world around.
     Ideas in the common culture can be seriously harmful. Customs in celebration of weddings are an example. People often treat a marriage as if it were simply legalized sex, so they make dirty jokes at weddings and associate it with foolishness, as though the wedding were just an expensive drinking party. The Word shows us that there is nothing more holy, pure and clean than love truly conjugial, and nothing with greater potential for happiness. The world doesn't have a clue about this.

294


As New Church Christians, we must not follow the customs of the world here, but make new customs, to celebrate and give strong support to the promise of eternal love in marriage.
     Think of how the new Word's teachings about life after death have changed our attitudes and customs when someone dies. We don't have an open coffin in the church. We don't treat it as mainly a mournful occasion, especially if someone has lived a full life. We know from the Word what is now happening in our departed friend's life, and we celebrate the resurrection into eternal life. We have refreshment and hope because of the truths we have learned from the Lord.
     We might think, "Well, at least these people mean well, even if they're ignorant." But the Lord warns that He has a few things against them even as to their intentions. Some hold the doctrine of Balaam, and some hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. Balaam's doctrine stands for hypocritical works. If we are not thinking about the Lord and trying to base our lives on His Word, we tend to act for the sake of being seen and praised by others. To that extent our works are not good, and we are easily led to do the wrong thing, since what we want most is approval rather than to do what is really good. People of real religion recognize this hypocritical tendency in themselves, and keep turning back to the Lord, so their motives are steadily refined and purified of hypocrisy.
     The doctrine of the Nicolaitans is the idea that we earn heaven by our works. It's a sense of selfrighteousness, sometimes joined with contempt for others. Pergamos people tend to take pride in all their good deeds. It is not wrong for us to feel good about something we have done. The Lord wants us to enjoy doing good things, and to aim to become a good person in all respects. He wants us to choose to be upright, useful people who serve others. But we must remind ourselves that all the good we ever think of or do is from the Lord. Otherwise it's not good at all. Some people in the Pergamos state, because they don't read the Word, do not think about this and so have not made it a habit to give the credit to the Lord, but to themselves.

295



     To those who hold these false ideas, the Lord says, "Repent!" But to those who do repent, the Lord promises a great reward: They may become angels of the highest heaven.
     The Lord will give them the hidden manna to eat. The manna is wisdom, that is, a deep understanding of the Word from living according to it. When we practice living according to the Word, we learn to live from the Lord. Then the Lord is with us, and we act with Him and from Him. The Lord Himself is the hidden manna, the Bread of Life, who will be with us and in us. It is called the hidden manna, because with the angels of the third heaven, wisdom is a matter of life, not of memory and discussion. It's not theoretical; it is something one simply does, based on long experience that it is what the Lord wants.
     The Lord also promises the church of Pergamos "a white stone, and on the stone, a new name written, which no one knows except him who receives it." The new name stands for good works that have a new quality. When we decide what to do based on truths we know from the Word, even though the act itself may be no different, our motive has a new quality, a higher kind of goodness. Good without truth is like bread without wine or food without water: it is not nourishing. But good united with truth has the Lord's life and sustaining power in it (see TCR 367:6).
     A life of service to one's neighbors and an honest career is a very important preparation for heaven. "All religion is of life, and the life of religion is to do what is good" (Life 1). So the Lord promises the highest reward to the people of Pergamos if only they overcome the evils and falsities with them. May we learn to read the Word, and think about how it applies to our own lives. Then the Lord will purify our motives and make our actions truly wise and helpful. The Lord will be able to fulfill His promise in our church. Amen.

Lessons: Rev. 2:12-17; SS 78; AR 107

296


ENLIGHTENMENT AND PERCEPTION 1998

ENLIGHTENMENT AND PERCEPTION       Rev. BRIAN W. KEITH       1998

     (Part 2)

Who May Be Enlightened?

     That enlightenment is possible in less-than-perfect states is buttressed by the teaching that the ability to perceive what is true is not limited to a select few. The Writings are overwhelmingly egalitarian in their depiction of enlightenment. "Everyone" and "all" are used repeatedly regarding who may be enlightened (AC 9405, 9410; DLW 100; HH 545; DP 263e; AE 701, 730:2,832:4; Lord 61, etc. However, enlightenment can be described in a much more restrictive way also. For example, it is said that those of the New Church "and no others receive spiritual light" AE 759:2). For example, "everyone who, while reading the Word, approaches the Lord and prays to Him, is enlightened" (Lord 2). Or, consider the open invitation issued in the True Christian Religion. After a challenge of the reliability of councils, we are exhorted: "Approach the Lord and you will be enlightened" (634:2) - a rather meaningless offer unless everyone were capable of it! And we read that the internal sense of the Word "in some measure lies open to everyone" (AC 10400:3).
     The extent of it is also seen by the inclusion of the "simple" and those who are gentiles. The simple are described as having perception, at least in a natural way (AE 406:9; cf. AC 3778). In fact, they are heralded as having a clearer perception than the learned (SE 4655m). Gentiles also experience enlightenment based upon the quality of their good and what basic knowledges of truth are available to them (SS 106, 110; AE 741:17; AC 4214). This is noted as being as different from those who have the Word as the evening is to the daytime (AE 1177:4; cf. AC 3778). So while they are not capable of the fullness of enlightenment in this world, they have at least some measure of it.

297



     An obvious inference drawn from these passages is that enlightenment is not the province of a few scholars, the academically bright people, nor only those who have achieved status through publication or reputation. Genuine perception of truth is possible with even the least educated among us. (And this should give a sense of hope to any in the council who feel that they have nothing, or significantly less, to offer than others!)

Enlightenment and the Word

     One of the most resounding themes regarding enlightenment is its connection with the Word. Over and over again the Writings declare that our states of enlightenment, while based upon states of good or a temporarily elevated understanding, are dependent upon the Word. Enlightenment is not some general state where one thinks in a more elevated manner than others, a keen insight into other people's states, brilliant repartee in discussions, or clear prescriptions to achieve equality and justice in the world. Rather, enlightenment refers specifically to truths which are taken from the Word and which lead toward a life that is good.
     Enlightenment is directly connected to reading the Word (AC 1023 6:4, 10659:3; AR 200; AE 923:2, 1067:3). When the Word is read, people "are elevated above what is their own and even into the light of heaven, and are enlightened" (AE 714: 10), and it is the means by which the Lord teaches (DP 135). This should not be too surprising since the Word is Divine truth, which is the light of heaven and earth (AC 9382; AE 392:7, 1066:3, 1067:3).
     One's motivation is critical in determining whether one is enlightened by the Word or not. The Word must be read "with the end of knowing truths" (AC 7012). All who read the Word "from the Lord and not from self" are enlightened (AE 1067:3; see also AE 177:3; De Verbo 28). Such openness or looking to the Lord in the Word enables enlightenment to occur (AC 9405, 10702). But such searching of the Scriptures is not to determine what in general is true but specifically to see those truths which will lead to a good life. Enlightenment from the Word "exists with those who love truths because they are truths and make them of use for life" (SS 57, 91; AC 3436, 6222:3, 8648e).

298


This suggests that enlightenment is not primarily an intellectual endeavor to grasp truth, but a very practical matter of seeking for the truths which will produce a good life.
     Is the Word the only source of enlightenment? The Writings are quite strong on this point. Enlightenment comes "in no other way" than from the Word (AC 9382:3, 10290:2, 6047:3, 2722e, 9411; SS 50; AE 1089:3; cf. AE 941:2 - "especially" when reading the Word).
     How does this fit with the voluminous self-help books filling the shelves in bookstores or the latest "spirituality" movement? Are these sources of enlightenment? This appears to be the case, but I doubt it is the reality. Morality can be learned from the world, so psychological and emotional health can be learned from experience. There are also disorders of the natural mind which require natural treatment (DP 141). Here we would expect natural cures which, while in harmony with the truths of the Word, are not explicitly revealed there. Also, to the extent that the New Church is a genuine church specific, there will be an enlightenment throughout the world from it. (The teachings on the spread of enlightenment in the spiritual world from the center to the circumferences bear on this idea - CLJ 20; De Verbo 40, 42; TCR 570:3). So we should not be surprised to see true ideas expressed in a variety of settings. (And perhaps this would explain some of the puzzling statements we hear church members make - e.g. "I never understood what regeneration was until I read Gurdjieff and Nicole," or "Covey has got to be a New Churchman!" The appearance is that they are being taught by non-scriptural sources. But I suspect the reality is that light from the Word enables them to sense what is true and good in what they read elsewhere, for it resonates with spiritual truth.)
     Where there are states of enlightenment from the Word, there genuine doctrine is seen in the letter of the Word (AC 9050:2, 9405; AR 911 e; AE 781:4; De Verbo 24).

299


In the "face and hands" passages the spiritual sense can be seen in the natural (AR 414; AE 816). This has the effect of clearing up natural obscurities (AC 3708:2) and providing insights on how to explain apparent contradictions (NJHD 256). This is also described as seeing truths "shining forth inwardly" (AC 9905:4), seeing the Word "from within" (AC 10551:2), having a perception of the Word like the angels (AE 1067:3), and seeing the truths as they are in heaven (AC 9494:2). This is a sight of the Lord Himself (AC 9411), for each truth of the Word "is a mirror in which we see the Lord" (TCR 508e, 767; Inv. 41). From enlightenment there is a perception, "without knowing whence, what is true" (AC 6047:2; see also 8993:4), and "they are easily and as it were spontaneously imbued with truths" (AC 2704).

Drawing Doctrine from the Word

     Drawing doctrine from the Word is also a function of enlightenment. Those who are enlightened are to "search out and collect doctrine" (AE 537:3; AC 9424:2). While these truths are seen in the letter, they are actually the interior sense being unfolded (AC 10028:2). These are to be "fitted together into doctrine so as to serve for use" (AC 10105:2). This also occurs when one "carefully compares one passage with another" (AC 6222:3). The value in a comparison of passages is that it allows the Lord to speak for Himself rather than our substituting our own ideas. And to one who searches the Scriptures, "unknown to him, the Lord flows in and enlightens his mind, and where he is at a loss, gives understanding from other passages" (AC 3436). Perhaps this is best summed up in a passage that describes how the internal sense is derived:

The internal sense is not only that sense which lies concealed in the external sense ... but is also that which results from a number of passages of the sense of the letter rightly collated, and which is discerned by those who are enlightened by the Lord in respect to their intellectual (AC 7233:3; cf. AE 453:12).

300




     What this suggests is that drawing or checking doctrine in the church requires a discipline and methodology. Genuine enlightenment is not mystical nor only capable of being intuitively grasped. Rather it must be anchored firmly on the Word and be shown to be supported by the Word. (The great works of New Church collateral literature which appear to be enlightened stand the test of time because they are drawn from the Word and lead our thinking back to it.) Any claims of an idea's being true without a demonstration of its coming from the Word and capable of being confirmed in the Word are questionable at the very least.
     Note how this contrasts with the general use of "enlightenment" as being for a personal sight of truth to apply to one's own life of regeneration. While it seems that most of the light that shines on individuals' ideas produces truth for their own lives, doctrine drawn by those who are enlightened can also be used by others. The literal sense of the Word is not understood without doctrine drawn by someone who is enlightened (AC 10324; NJHD 253, 257; HH 311). Were it not for such doctrine, no child could see the truths of the Word as clearly as they do in New Church homes and schools. Doctrine drawn by those enlightened provides a starting point for one's own view of the Word. (And the extent to which it is enlightened will make it easier for future generations to be led to an even more genuine perception of the Lord's truth.)
     The importance of reading the Word with enlightenment is evident when we view the alternative. People who scan the Word for selfish or worldly purposes:

- are in historical faith only (AE 781:8)
- remain in appearances (AE 816)
- are in natural light only (AE 826)
- see falsities in the sense of the letter (AE 719)
- apply it to any heresy (SE 4903)
- can confirm only what they already believe (AC 8780:2, 9300:4; DLW 141; AE 714:10)

301



- see only what agrees with their own loves or principles (De Verbo 28)
- are blinded rather than enlightened (AC 9188:8).

Roadblocks to Enlightenment

     In general, the reasons why people are not enlightened are the other side of the coin of why they can be. Thus, if a person lacks the knowledges of truth, or does not have an affection for truth, enlightenment is not possible. And if a person is actively involved in evil, enlightenment is neither sought after, welcomed, nor capable of shedding any light even if true knowledges are present. However, in addition the Writings speak of further specifics regarding why there is no enlightenment or no perception of truth.
     Globally, when the church is at its end, the understanding of truth perishes and the blockage by evil in the world of spirits prevents the reception of any influx (AE 923:2, 1094). Those who are in religious persuasions that discourage any exploration or understanding of the Word apart from their strict interpretation may not experience enlightenment even if they have the Word (AR 224, 564, 796; NJHD 118). False ideas in general inhibit enlightenment because light from heaven can illumine only what is true (AC 5219,7435).
     Many specific erroneous ideas are listed that make enlightenment less possible. These include:
     
- a belief that the Lord is an ordinary man (AR 42)
- an absence of faith in the Lord as Divine (AC 761)
- a denial of God (HH 353; Inv. 38)
- a belief that the Divine is nature (AC 8941:3)
- not accepting that good and truth come from the Lord (Charity 105)
- Catholic beliefs (AR 796)
- Protestant beliefs (AR 914; SE 5952)
- natural ideas of space and time (DLW 9)

302



- little confidence in the immortality of the soul (CLJ 33)
- attempting to understand spiritual matters simply in the terms of the natural world (AC 2619)
- emphasizing the sciences to the exclusion of spiritual matters (SE 4779).

     While being in evil states clearly prevents enlightenment from taking place (AC 7950:2, 10201:3; AR 153; AE 520), to the extent that one's approach to the truths of faith is from selfish motivation, enlightenment is absent. Where there is self-intelligence, one's sight is limited to what one previously believed (AE 587:10, 650:3, 714:10, 13), and when one is seeking truth for reputation, honor, glory, or gain, there can be no light (AC 8780:2; AE 587:10).
     Perhaps the fundamental problem with those in confirmed falsities and evils is that they are not sincerely looking for any direction from the Lord. This might be reflected in a comment made by the spirits from Jupiter who think people of this earth are merely external without any interior perception because they "talk much and think little" (EU 61).
     Where these blocks exist, and to the extent they exist, any influx from the heavens is either reflected, suffocated, or perverted (AC 5127e). Even when they read the Word they are not enlightened, but they are blinded to any truths in it (AC 7989, 9188).

Effects of Enlightenment

     What is it like to be enlightened? Or what does it give a person the ability to do?
     One of the primary effects of being in a state of enlightenment is the ability to perceive what is true and good. Understanding truths (AC 5668, 5670; HD 35), coming to conclusions (AE 781:4), acknowledging and receiving truths when they appear (AE 862), seeing falsities as falsities (AR 753), and clearing up obscurity so that fallacies and appearances are "shaken off" (AC 313 le, 3708:22, 8585) are all phrases used to express the effect of spiritual light in our minds.

303



     Another function of enlightenment is to produce a sorting or ordering of the information that is present. Enlightenment is said to dispose the things in one's natural into order (AC 3084e, 4156:3, 5128:6, 3086).
     One powerful example of this was recorded by Swedenborg's regarding how his pre-revelatory natural ideas of God were changed.

. . . [H]eavenly light before seen above the opening returned and gradually descended, and filled the interiors of my mind, and enlightened my natural ideas of the Unity and Trinity of God; and then the ideas received about them in the beginning, which were merely natural, I saw separated, as the chaff is separated from the wheat by the motion of a fan, and carried away as by a wind into the north of heaven, and dispersed (AR 961e)

     Enlightenment thus gives the ability to discriminate among truths in order to make doctrine (AC 9382:2, 9494:2) and to inquire into the nature of religion (AE 845e). Specifically regarding the Word, enlightenment gives the ability to perceive what the internal sense is and how it is related to the literal sense (AE 342:2, 431:15), and to deal with the inconsistencies and apparent contradictions within the letter of the Word (WH 7). This is sometimes described in terms of the ability to receive answers. Such answers are accommodated to one's state of life, affection, and knowledges of truths (AC 2552), and result in a dictate from the Word regarding what is true (AC 9905:4).
     Enlightenment not only enables one to see truths that are present, and disposes them to order, but effects a genuine reasoning process. It enables one to see truths rationally (AE 846:4), and to have genuine reasoning about the truths of faith (AC 129; AE 569:2, 846:4; cf. AC 7290).
     Enlightenment is also connected with not just the sight of truth but actual processes in regeneration. It is by enlightenment that interior truths are joined with good (AC 4402:2), the proprium is made alive (AC 3812:3), and evils and falsities are removed (AC 10638).

304



     That enlightenment affects the will, or enables the will to be affected by the Lord, is clear from the teachings on enlightenment producing both a sight of truth and an acknowledgment or belief in what is true (AC 4930, 5097, 8780:2; AE 862). Enlightenment produces a holy and reverent feeling for the Lord, love, the Word, and the church (AC 9051). From enlightenment one grows warm toward God (DLW 148). It produces a lower affection for truth (AC 3094), "a most general feeling" concerning what is true (AE 1153:7), and a general holy feeling when reading the Word (AC 10635). After temptations one's perception of truth, which is sharpened, is sensed as hope and consolation (AC 8159:3), and enlightenment enables uses to be performed with affection (DLW 252e). And there is an obscure perception "manifesting itself only by a change of state of his affection" (AC 2692). Enlightenment is also described as producing a sensation of the delight flowing in from good (CL 128).
     Thus the primary effects of enlightenment are upon what one already has learned, and it often shows up not as an idea but as an affection or feeling regarding ideas. Notice what is omitted - any concept that new truths are learned or significant reinterpretations of general truths not otherwise clearly taught in the Word are acquired. Enlightenment does not produce any new information nor in any way contradict the Word, but rather deepens and enhances one's sight of truth there. (If the Writings do suggest anywhere that enlightenment produces any new information or new truths, I could not find it. Even in the celestial kingdom where the highest angels have a unique perception of truth, they appreciate preachers, "since by means of them they are in enlightenment in the truths that they had already known and are perfected by many truths that they did not previously know" (HH 225). Perhaps the best support is found in several references which speak of enlightenment producing the ability to see innumerable truths (AC 7233, 9407:15); however, even in these instances it seems to be a recognition of which truths are suitable for one's own personal spiritual development (AC 9407:15; DP 259:2).

305




     (To be continued)
ISSUE OF SWEDENBORG'S SANITY 1998

ISSUE OF SWEDENBORG'S SANITY       WILSON VAN DUSEN       1998

     Every now and then someone comes up with the theory that Emanuel Swedenborg was really mentally ill. My qualifications for addressing this issue are unique. Not only do I know Swedenborg's life quite well, but it happens I spent seventeen years as a clinical psychologist with the task of diagnosing mental illness in what was one of the country's leading mental hospitals. We will begin with an overview of what mental illness is, since the situation is rather different from the common view. Then we will specifically deal with the case of Emanuel Swedenborg.
     In regular physical medicine a diagnosis is a significant aid. For instance, the diagnosis of diabetes implies both the cause and the treatment for the condition. The diagnosis of mental disorders grew up at the same time as diagnosis in physical medicine. But after some two centuries of the categorizing of mental disorders, we are not a great deal closer to cause or treatment. Those working with the diagnosis of mental disorders know them to be a shorthand description of symptoms. Experts could easily differ on a mental diagnosis. Because it was seen as a shorthand description, we always supplemented it with key elements of a patient's history. We were also aware that the diagnosis could change, i.e., someone who appeared to be schizophrenic could later be found to have an organic brain disorder.

306



     In the 60s and 70s we worked with a modest pamphlet on diagnosis. It has now grown into the 886-page DSM - IV: The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.1 This sizable manual results from an attempt to better describe the diagnostic categories, but unfortunately not from a growth in understanding cause or treatment. There is an amazing fact that most do not know. There is little connection between diagnosis and admission to a mental hospital.
     In California, admission was based on a broad social definition of mental illness. Persons were admitted if they needed "supervision, care, or restraint for the welfare of themselves, or of others." In simple terms, your behavior had to become so disturbed that others were concerned. Other states operate similarly. So disturbed behavior caused admission to a mental hospital. Only weeks later did the staff come to a diagnosis according to the diagnostic manual. Either your own relatives or the police might bring you to a mental hospital. To save money and to protect patient rights, there has been a general tendency to make it harder to get into a mental hospital. Why this broad social definition of mental disorder? It is fairly simple and clear-cut. Does this person need supervision, care, or restraint for his or her welfare or the welfare of others? Many can make this judgment. It doesn't depend on a thick manual of mental disorders and judgments which only a few professionals could make.
     There are a number of paradoxes in the fact that disturbed behavior gets you into a mental hospital and good behavior gets you out. Does this have much to do with diagnosis? Not really. Good conduct under any diagnosis leads the staff to start considering that this person could go out. Violent behavior before admission, or on admission, delays the discharge. In effect the hospital staff is acting as a public conscience, considering both the patient's welfare and that of the public.
     If a staff member wants to understand a new patient, the diagnosis developed after admission is only one small point to consider.

307


There is the whole social history before and after hospitalization to consider.
     There are a number of paradoxes that spring from the fact that the hospital deals with odd behavior and only indirectly with diagnosis. For one, we were aware that some people if discharged would stand out in a small town, but could fairly well disappear in the commotion of a big city. So what is disturbed behavior depends in part on the people around the patient. This also means a person could have unique and even bizarre thoughts and not in the least require hospitalization. Another paradox we often faced was that a person could be very disturbed on admission and in days seem quite normal. The hospital was, in part, an asylum in the good sense. It was a place where a person could enter a peaceful routine absent of the relatives or stresses that caused the disturbed reaction. People have all sorts of gross fantasies as to what probably goes on in a mental hospital, but incidents will illustrate the real situation.
     On several of the units I had started therapeutic communities in which patients and staff met as a whole community and voted on matters concerning them. This taught consensual behavior. One unit was unlocked. Patients could come and go. But we had admitted an actively suicidal patient. Do we lock up the unit or can the patients come up with a better solution? After discussion the patients voted to supervise the suicidal woman in a buddy system so the unit could remain unlocked. You would almost have to see the therapeutic power of this process to see its importance in altering behavior. The community taught consensual behavior.
     This incident will also illustrate. We had so many of the public wanting to tour the hospital that we tried turning this over to our better patients. A tour group would be met by a guide and shown all the key features of the hospital. It was only when the patient showed them his own bed in a dorm that the group realized they had been talking to a patient for an hour. They were astounded and pleased to be recipients of the real scoop. Patients were honored and enjoyed the assignment.

308


Their skills were tested with strangers. This program was very successful and saved staff time.
     Many feel the mentally ill are dangerous. After seventeen years among them I would feel safer in their midst than in a random sample from a big city. Our hospital had no fences and no guards. A good clear road led out the main gate.
     Our main staff were psychiatric technicians who were trained to use social skills and common sense to supervise the patients. In the daytime there might be four technicians to one hundred patients and at night perhaps two. I hope I am conveying the impression of a social enterprise. Our staff were mainly social therapists. Where possible we asked patients to help out with the work of the hospital, and research showed this as powerful a therapy as any other. They were paid a small amount which they could spend in the hospital's canteen.
     We also had our "back wards" or units of chronic patients. After many years in the system, they had mostly withdrawn into themselves. We tried various ways of socially stimulating them, but mostly to no avail. Many stared at the TV, but one week when the TV was off, they went on staring at it.
     The principal impression I want to leave is that disturbed behavior gets a person into a mental hospital and good behavior gets one out. The mysteries of diagnosis are mainly the experts' shorthand description of behavior. It has so little relationship to cause and treatment as to be not nearly as useful as a description of a patient's conduct. All our staff were social therapists one way or another. An example will illustrate what I mean.
     Two angry policemen brought in a burly wild man in cuffs and leg chains. He had spent the last few hours trying to kick out the windows of the police car. He was received by a small slim admissions nurse. She asked the cuffs and leg chains be taken off, over the police's protestations. She offered this man a cup of tea and over tea got the critical presenting history. The police were very surprised. He was a bit out of his mind. They met him with the full force of manly restraint.

309


She met him as a person in difficulty, an effective social therapist.

The Case of Emanuel Swedenborg

     In terms of the social definition of mental illness it is very clear that Swedenborg was never mentally ill. He never required supervision, care, or restraint for his welfare or the welfare of others. In fact he had held complex and socially responsible positions as Assessor of Mines for Sweden and in the Swedish House of Lords. You can picture the social demands of such positions. The most alarming thing ever reported of him was perhaps that some noticed his talking to unseen persons when he was alone. Haven't we all done this? One thing I did not stress is that the mentally ill are generally unproductive people. They are poor at holding any job, and often don't fit into a stable family unit. Chronic mental illness is about as close as one can come to a totally wasted life. Swedenborg was unusually productive his entire life.
     The New Catholic Encyclopedia called Swedenborg paranoid.2 I quote, "After his conversion Swedenborg believed himself to be in constant communication with spirits who dictated the revelations of the next world to him. Unbiased scholars (Lamm, Benz, Lindroth) tend to believe that Swedenborg's visions were manifestations of a mental disease (paranoia), subconsciously developed to confirm the theories that he had already worked out. In this light Swedenborg's not too original philosophical religious theories stand out as typical and pleasant representatives of 18th century mercantilistic and philanthropic ideals."
     The article cites a number of books related to Swedenborg but gives no specific reference to paranoia. Lamm was very impressed by the consistency and quality of Swedenborg's theology. He did not believe one needed to accept Swedenborg's visions; his great theology was enough in itself.3 But we trace one negative quote to Lamm. He calls Swedenborg's spirit revelations " . . . objectivistic manifestations of his own world of thought, a subconscious continuation in dreams and hallucinations of his conscious speculation.4"

310


In other words, it was all created out of himself. Benz did a favorable biography of Swedenborg.5 Moreover his Dreams, Hallucinations and Visions carefully distinguished these, so it would be incredible if Benz found Swedenborg paranoid."6
     Swedenborg says specifically that his revelations came from the Lord, not from spirits. He is describing what he experienced of the nature of the spiritual world, not his theory. But one author (one T. D. Olsen) has Swedenborg become paranoid in defense of his theories dictated by spirits. We can turn to DSM-IV for a definition of paranoia.

The essential feature of Paranoid Personality Disorder is a pattern of pervasive distrust and suspiciousness of others such that their motives are interpreted as malevolent. This pattern begins by early adulthood and is present in a variety of contexts.

Individuals with this disorder assume that other people will exploit, harm, or deceive them, even if no evidence exists to support this expectation (Criterion A 1). They suspect on the basis of little or no evidence that others are plotting against them and may attack them suddenly, at any time and without reason. They often feel that they have been deeply and irreversibly injured by another person or persons even when there is no objective evidence for this. They are preoccupied with unjustified doubts about the loyalty or trustworthiness of their friends and associates, whose actions are minutely scrutinized for evidence of hostile intentions (Criterion A2). Any perceived deviation from trustworthiness or loyalty serves to support their underlying assumptions. They are so amazed when a friend or associate shows loyalty they cannot trust or believe it. If they get into trouble, they expect that friends and associates will either attack or ignore them (1, p. 634).

     The article goes on in the same vein for some four pages. I submit that no one who knows Swedenborg's life can report even a single instance of this type. After he died, Tafel collected all available information on him.7

311


A picture emerges of a pleasant person who was well liked. There simply was no paranoia.
     A more common sort of criticism is that since Swedenborg saw and heard things, he hallucinated and was mentally ill. This is a way of easily dismissing his whole theology. An argument of this kind makes the most sense in a person who is totally ignorant of the spiritual. Since there is no heaven or hell, or spiritual worlds or spiritual beings, any reports of them had to be hallucinated; consequently he was mentally ill.
     We need to distinguish psychotic hallucinations and visionary experience. Benz did this in defense of Swedenborg.8 Spiritual visions occur in normal people who are living an intense spiritual life. There are countless examples in saints and other religious figures, east and west. These visions make good sense and lead into a deeper understanding of religion. In contrast, hallucinations occur in psychotic persons. They can be of almost any nature with a marked prevalence of hell-like attacks on the individual. They are usually unwanted violations of the inner will and peace of mind of the patient. Over time, patients learn that others don't experience these hallucinations, so they try to conceal them. One needs to distinguish between a productive spiritual process in a normal person leading a deeper spiritual life, and an unwanted destructive process in a mentally ill person. These are opposites that only superficially look similar. Swedenborg was a gifted person who deliberately explored both heaven and hell. His heavenly experiences resemble those of other saints and spiritual seekers. There is some resemblance between his experiences of hell and hallucinations except that these experiences were sought by him. He remained in normal control. Those who equate all things heard and seen to psychosis or mental illness are simply poorly informed.
     There are common examples of things heard and seen that have nothing to do with mental illness. It is a fairly frequent experience that when a loved one dies, close friends may receive a visit from the deceased soon after death.

312


This is more ordinary in societies where there are close bonds. Three of my close relatives report such experiences. They reflect a love relationship, not mental illness. It is also common to hear one's name called when no one is around. There are now millions of reports of near-death experiences in which the clinically dead person enters upon the threshold of the spiritual world described by Swedenborg. Many of these people report their lives altered for the better. None of this even hints at mental illness to me.
     Swedenborg's inner experience was far too organized and consistent with Christianity even to resemble a psychotic experience. Add to this that his outer life remained exemplary and productive during years of these inner experiences. If Swedenborg were simply psychotic, then a great deal of the world's visionaries and saints are also suspect, and Christ's own sanity is doubtful.
     People who invoke the idea of hallucinations or mental illness in Swedenborg's case are really exposing their ignorance of mental illness, or of Swedenborg's life, or both. It would be a good deal more appropriate to say, "I do not believe the spiritual exists and hence cannot believe Swedenborg's report." It is appropriate for people to differ in opinion, but it is inappropriate to invoke mental illness about which one knows next to nothing. This was tried by the noted philosopher Immanuel Kant, who darkened Swedenborg's name as far as German academics were concerned. But ordinary people reading Kant's attack were thereby encouraged to read Swedenborg. Kant's attack promoted the wider acceptance of Swedenborg by those who approached him with an open mind and common sense.
     There was a recent attack on Swedenborg by an author who claimed to have read him.8 All she could see was an old man advocating free sex. One can't help but ask, "But madam, did you even glance at Married Love,9 his main work on this subject?" Perhaps we should pity someone who looks at a monumental revelation and can't see anything beyond his own little concerns.

313



     Perhaps we should expect some gross misunderstanding of Swedenborg. His thirty volumes are incredibly rich, not yielding to a brief scan. His claim to have visited heaven and hell for years is unique. He deepened the whole of Christian theology with an amazing consistency. To me there are countless confirmations of his Writings. But perhaps we should feel sorry for those who glance at this treasure and miss its real content. Calling him mad is totally inappropriate. Take it from one who worked seventeen years among the really mentally ill. If Swedenborg's divine madness was available, then those who know him well would line up to receive it, including me.

     References

     1. American Psychiatric Association, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Washington, D.C., 1994
     2. Catholic University of America Staff, New Catholic Encyclopedia, article Emanuel Swedenborg, Vol. 13, p. 833f, Heraty Associates, Palatine, Illinois, 1965
     3. Win. Woofenden, Swedenborg Researcher's Manual, Swedenborg Scientific Association, Bryn Athyn, PA, 1988, p. 161
     4. A quote in Swedish by Lagercrantz of M. Lamm, Swedenborg, Hugo Geber, Stockholm, 1915
     5. Woofenden, p. 159f
     6. Ernst Benz, Dreams, Hallucinations and Visions, Swedenborg Foundation, NYC, 1968
     7. R. L. Tafel, Documents Concerning the Life and Character of Emanuel Swedenborg, Swedenborg Society, London, 1875, in 3 volumes
     8. Barbara Goldsmith, Other Powers, Knopf, NYC, 1998
     9. Also translated Conjugial Love.

I wish to acknowledge the help of the Rev. Donald Rose on most of the background references.

314


NEW CHURCH LEADERSHIP IN THE NEW CENTURY 1998

NEW CHURCH LEADERSHIP IN THE NEW CENTURY       Rev. Grant R. SCHNARR       1998

     (Part 2)

     A Time of Spiritual Battle

And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come. . . " (Rev. 12:7-10).

     When the Last Judgment and a reordering of the heavens took place, a war broke out between Michael and his angels and the dragon. Those who believed in the Lord and strove to follow His commandments clashed with those who were in the evils of life from the doctrine of faith alone. Truth won over falsity, and the dragon was cast down. A new heaven was established, light replaced darkness, order replaced chaos, and mutual love with genuine understanding reigned in the place of the lusts and false persuasions of evil (AR 548ff). But the war spoken of in the Apocalypse is a two-fold battle. After the dragon was cast out of heaven to the world of spirits, he persecuted the woman clothed with the sun and made war with her offspring.
     The dragon's forces retreated out of the realm of heaven to retrench in the earth. The earth signifies the world of spirits, and the Writings again make the link between the dragon's presence in the world of spirits and his conjunction with those on earth. We are told that "'He [the dragon] was cast out into the land, and his angels were cast out with him' signifies that [they are cast] into the world of spirits, which is intermediate between heaven and hell, and from which there is a direct conjunction with the men of the earth" (AR 552).

315


This conjunction with the people of the earth is re-emphasized later in the same passage: "All those who are in that world communicate directly with the men of the earth. Consequently 'the dragon and his angels' communicate directly with those who are in untruths and the resultant evils derived from the received heresy concerning faith alone" (Ibid.).
     The battle moved from the heavens to the earth by means of the world of spirits. In fact, the world of spirits is where the battle rages, yet it finds its ultimate forms here on earth. This makes sense. The conflicts we see in this world between good and evil, though manifesting themselves in natural events such as political warfare, issues of human rights, issues of the sanctity of life, moral issues, business ethics, even the day-to-day spiritual struggles of individuals, are actually spiritual conflicts embodied in the natural. The dragon still operates through anyone and everyone in the evil of life, especially those raised in the culture of faith alone. We also know that the dragon then persecuted the woman with a flood of false persuasions in an effort to destroy the child.
     Again, taking the broader view, this is not necessarily limited to the historical persecution of the New Church. We can see this happening anywhere in the world where the effort to conjoin good and truth is attacked, and where the human struggle to understand and obey God is buried under a torrent of false persuasion. Anywhere there is an assault against the two essentials of the church, whether within the church organization or without, we are witnessing this battle. Any time we stand up for the Divine Humanity of the Lord and a life according to His commandments, whether in our personal lives or in the collective lives of the church, we are taking part in that battle.
     "Michael" represents a ministry or service (AR 548). In heaven, it consists of those who acknowledge the Lord and live according to His commandments (Ibid.). But this ministry is not exclusive to those in heaven. The Writings say that, "By 'Michaels' are understood people of the New Church, by 'Michael' the wise ones there, and by 'his angels' the rest" (AR 564).

316


The struggle against the dragon and his false persuasion is a struggle every person faces who holds the essentials of the New Church dear to his or her heart. The struggle takes place in individual human lives, and in the ever-changing consciousness of the human race. This is why we urge people to read the Word. This is why we preach the doctrines. This is why we foster New Church education, and reach out with the new gospel in evangelization. It is to dispel falsity by means of the truth, and to lead to the good of life and salvation.
     If Michael represents the wise ones who will fight against the dragon, I certainly hope that the leaders of the organized church fit into this category. There are, no doubt, Michaels all over the world, who in wisdom uphold the essentials of the church. And yet the clergy of the church has been called to strive after wisdom for the sake of the flock, and to lead. In a very real sense, the priesthood is a military. In fact the Writings make that very statement: "The priesthood is a military service, but against evil and falsity" (AE 734:14). It is also notable that this is stated of the priesthood in the very series concerning the war between Michael and the dragon.
     What does this mean for the leadership of the church? What it does not mean is an attack against people, pointing out the faults of others and crushing those who are doing their best to understand life and perhaps even the Lord's ways. It does not mean using truth apart from good to prove doctrines, to take away spiritual freedom, to create fear in the flock. These are tactics of the dragon, as we can see so clearly in many fundamentalist methods. The priestly military is leadership in and toward the good of life, by means of the truth, truth conjoined with love. Our part of the battle takes place in education, evangelization, even in worship, by means of leadership which leads to heaven. This is how we equip the members of the flock to fight their own battles within, and cooperate with the Lord in gaining them victory. One way to look at it is that the priest helps the Lord, in a spiritual sense, "to teach the hands of war" (Psalm 18:34).

317


So the Writings tell us, "'To teach the hands of war' does not mean war against enemies in this world, but against enemies in hell, which is carried on by the combats of truth against falsities and against evils" (AE 734:6). It is a process of raising, nurturing, equipping people to become "Michaels" or his "angels." That is why the Writings go on to define "Michael and his angels" more broadly to signify "those who are for the life of love and charity and for the Divine of the Lord in His Human" (AE 735).
     By having an awareness of the spiritual battle which is being fought to establish the New Church on the earth, we are given a sense of mission in the church and in the work that we do for the church. This awareness of mission not only can inspire the church leadership, but also can inspire the members of the church with a greater sense of their vital role: the realization that victory over evil and falsity in their individual lives and their usefulness in all facets of the work of the church can motivate people toward greater participation in the broad uses of the church. This can manifest itself in so many areas: in a new sense of urgency to study the Word, to apply it to life, to support and foster New Church education, to do the work of evangelization, and to support the neighbor. They have a cause because the church has a cause.

     Spiritual Allies

But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth (Rev. 12:16).

     From the doctrines which have been explored so far, one could draw the conclusion that since the New Church begins its tender growth in the spiritual wilderness of the post-Christian world, and will come under attack from the dragon with spiritual combat, the organized church would do well to hide from society, to dig a moat, build walls, and foster a fortress mentality. It would be easy to believe that since the Last Judgment, the rest of humanity doesn't have anything of value to offer, and that considering the assault of the dragon, it would be better to keep a distance from people outside the church who may have been infected.

318


But I do not see the Writings teaching this attitude, even in the face of what is said about the dragon.
     There is no doubt that the Heavenly Doctrines are the Word of the Lord, containing the water of spiritual life. There is no doubt that the church specifically exists where the Word is, and where by means of it the Lord is known (SS 104, NJHD 242). And there is no doubt that there are many good people in the universal church of the Lord who are in communion with those in the church specific. The Writings say that: "They who are without the church and acknowledge one God, and live in a certain charity toward the neighbor according to their religious belief, are in communion with those that are of the church .... It is therefore clear that the church of the Lord is everywhere in the whole world, although specifically it is where the Lord is acknowledged, and where the Word is" (NJHD 244). We are further told, "The Lord's kingdom on earth consists of all that are in good, who although scattered over the whole earth are yet one, and as members constitute one body" (AC 2853).
     These and other passages about the universal church of the Lord seem to me primary to our understanding of and attitude toward those outside the organized New Church. When we reflect upon the Lord's universal love toward the human race, we see that He looks upon all people desiring to know Him and live in the good of life as His church on earth. In fact, we can infer that they appear as one person to Him, a person with heart and lungs, which perform their vital function pumping life's blood into the body, but a person with eyes, ears, mouth, head and feet, arms, legs, and hands (AC 2853). All the parts contribute to the whole being. There is only one church, though the parts perform different functions. Whether we believe that we are part of the specific church on earth or the universal church, if we strive for the good of life, we are of the same church body in the greater sense.

319



     Not only are those outside of the New Church who acknowledge the Divine and live in charity members of the greater church, but even those in the former Christian Church not imbued with its falsities can act as spiritual allies in helping the New Church. In the Apocalypse Explained we are told that the earth's helping the woman means "that those who are of the church that is not in truths afforded assistance, and did not receive the crafty reasonings of those who were in faith separated from charity" (AE 764). The Writings explain in detail:
     The church that is called the New Jerusalem is to tarry among those who are in the doctrine of faith separate while it grows to fullness, until provision is made for it among many. But in that church there are dragons who separate faith from good works not only in doctrine but also in life; but the others in the same church who live the life of faith, which is charity, are not dragons, although they are among them, for they do not know otherwise than that it is according to doctrine that faith produces fruits, which are good works, and that the faith that justifies and saves is believing what is in the Word, and doing it .... Therefore it is by the latter that the New Church which is called the Holy Jerusalem is helped and also grows (Ibid., emphasis added).
     Though probably most of this help is spiritual and goes unseen by the natural eye, I believe we can see indications of it. We can see indications of this help on very many different levels. It comes in the form of those who stand up for the principle of morality in the world. It comes in the form of those who fight against cruelty and injustice. We can see it exemplified in the lives of those who dedicate themselves to helping people with their spiritual lives. We see it manifest itself in those who are sincerely working to improve their own spiritual lives under a concept of God and the belief that love and faith must be one. Though they do not have afforded to them all the tools which those of the church specific may enjoy, they often use the tools they have with dedication, precision, and humility before their Maker.

320


There are many good people in the universal church who protect the spiritual New Church and even help it to grow.
     These teachings about the church are important to our outlook. From a sense of confidence in the power of the Lord's Word, and a recognition of His gentle leadership of all people, we can approach our brothers and sisters of other faiths in charity and mutual respect. We can recognize that we are kindred in love to the Lord and a desire to do His will. From our understanding of doctrine we will see where distinctions must be made in order to preserve doctrinal integrity, but we can also see where there is harmony, and where there is a call to work together. We may even find gratitude in our hearts for the incredible sacrifices and heroic efforts some have made to "swallow the flood" and make way for the Lord's kingdom to come to the earth.
     Jesus prayed, I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world .... I pray for them .... I have given them your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one" (John 17:6, 9, 14, 15). Can we strive to be in the world but not of the world, to engage the world as leaders who carry a message for everyone, a message of light to lead the way? Rather than building a fortress mentality, we can work to develop a cooperative effort, and an effort within which those who do hold the teachings of the Second Coming can lead to the Lord and the good of life. The focus is not on being taken out of the world, but rather on engaging the world with leadership in the newly revealed light. The Lord teaches us, "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 5:16). The task at hand is not to be delivered from the rest of humanity and the church's responsibility to it, but to be delivered from evil.

321


By means of a strong dedication to the integrity of doctrine and a zealous effort to lead people to the good of life by means of the doctrine, the organized church has nothing to fear, and so much to gain and to give.

     Integrity in the Lord

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knows except Himself He was clothed with robes dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God (Rev. 19:11-13).

     One may question how the church can have such strength to engage the world under the distressing circumstances within which it exists. How can it lead? The answer to this is that the Lord is at the center. And if the organized church provides that the Lord may be at the center of doctrinal understanding and of life, it will not only be protected but fulfill its mission on earth. He who sat upon the white horse represents the Lord Himself revealed in the spiritual sense of the Word. The Writings tell us that this is the coming of the Lord, that through the love and wisdom revealed in the internal sense, combined with the power of the letter of the Word, the falsities of the former church are dispersed, and the New Jerusalem descends upon the earth (AR 820-829). The power of the spiritual sense set in the letter of the Word can stop the onslaught of false reasonings dead in its tracks. It opens up the understanding, fills the heart with courage and new resolve, and gently draws to heaven. When the Word is lived, it saves. There is no greater power. The revealed Word has its power because it is the Lord Himself (SS 1-4). The church, centered on a genuine faith and life in the Lord, is a church set on a foundation which cannot be moved. It is the genuine faith spoken of when the Lord acknowledged Peter's confession that He was the Christ by saying, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

322


And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:17, 18). It is of interest to note the action implied in this statement, which further illustrates the church's ability to go forth with strength. As one colleague pointed out to me, "Gates don't attack rocks." Rather, this implies storming those gates.
     The Writings teach very clearly that a church is a church according to its integrity and purity of doctrine (TCR 245). We must understand the doctrine before we are able to rightly live by it. But the doctrine of faith alone would teach that soundness and purity alone make the church, apart from life. However, the Writings make it clear that not only is it impossible to have soundness and purity of doctrine without relation to life, but if it doesn't come into life, it isn't the church. They say, "The term 'church' is not used because it is where the Lord is known and the sacraments are celebrated. Rather it is the church because it lives in accordance with the Word or with teachings drawn from the Word, and seeks to make those teachings its rule of life. People who do not live like this do not belong to the church, but are outside of it" (AC 6637). We are told, "Faith alone does not constitute the church, but the life of faith, which is charity. Genuine doctrine is the doctrine of charity and of faith together, and not the doctrine of faith without the other; for the doctrine of charity and of faith together is the doctrine of life" (NJHD 243).

     The Promising Vision

Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God" (Rev. 21:2,3).

     With these words and what follows in the last two chapters of the Apocalypse is a description of the New Church.

323


It is an awesome vision full of hope for humanity and its relationship to the Lord. It begins with the description of the conjunction of the church with the Divine Human of the Lord, revealed in the spiritual sense of the Word, and brought about through the good of life. It speaks of the Lord's Divine Human now present with people through His coming and the establishment of His New Church on earth.
     We are told that John reveals these things because by the word "John" is signified "the good of love directed to the Lord, and consequently the good of life" (AR 879). This love, as the center of the church, is able to behold the vision of the New Church. It is a love directed toward the Lord and the good of life which will help generation upon generation of New Church men and women discover, comprehend, and implement this vision in their lives and in the collective lives of the organized church. It is through this love to the Lord and the good of life that the ever growing New Jerusalem will take form because it will be based upon enlightenment from the Lord as a result of living in the Lord.
     If we hold in our minds the very real presence of the visible Divine Human, not only present in His church but also powerfully providing for His people according to the laws of Providence and human freedom, we cannot help but be filled with a sense of confidence that the Lord will build His church. We can, with this vision, lift the veil of sadness which comes with what can be described as a proprial sense of our own failings, to be awakened to the light and the comfort of the Lord's leading. In other words, if we continue to develop our trust in the Lord, we will recognize more and more that the cup we call the church is not half empty, or even half full, but overflowing with Divine blessings and meaning.
     The vision which the Lord casts before us in describing the New Jerusalem is a spiritual vision. The descriptions of the New Jerusalem do not so much give us particulars of how things can or should be in the externals of the New Church as much as they present to us the spiritual ideals and their purposes. This leaves the church in freedom to interpret the vision and incorporate to clothe that vision externals which are appropriate for each new generation and varying cultures.

324


If we raise our thoughts to the reality that the New Church is to continue for ages upon ages, reaching the vast variety of human states, cultures, and spiritual dispositions of the globe, it enables us, if only temporarily, to rise above the limitations of our own time-and-space experience, and to rise above our cultural biases, hereditary inclinations, and preconceived notions of what the church is or can be. In doing this, we recognize that we will have our own view of the vision of the church, colored by who we are and the time within which we live. We will act according to that vision to build the church organization into what we consider to be the clearest vision of the church for our day. But if we believe that this vision we hold, or a vision that has been handed down to us from previous generations, is the only and true vision, we not only lock ourselves into what could become dead externals without an internal, but lock future generations into our own biases.
     This is not a new idea. Bishop de Charms, in his work Principles of Government, says, "To govern from use, for use, and to use means to legislate for the present to meet present needs, to provide for those immediately in prospect, but to leave the future free, untrammeled by the weight of precedent or by the heavy hand of tradition. Conditions change continually, and with them the application of doctrine changes in ways we cannot foresee. Each generation should be free to judge and to act in the light of its own day - the light that Divine revelation sheds upon the conditions that exist at any given time" (op. cit., pages 69,70). The reason the Lord gives us the internal vision without so many external particulars is so that we can be free to choose such things appropriate to our own time and culture. If the Lord leaves us so free, may we leave ourselves such freedom, and pass this on to the spiritual leaders of the future.
     With this in mind it is incumbent upon every generation of the church to turn to the Lord's Word with humility and an open mind to behold the vision the Lord has cast before us.

325


If we endeavor to raise our thoughts above time and space, if only for brief moments to reflect on this vision in its own light, and then in this light focus upon external circumstances surrounding the church, we will be in a much more useful position not only to serve the people of this current generation in appropriate external forms and uses of the church, but also to reflect in external forms the internal vision from the Word.
     The vision of the New Church, as described in the Apocalypse, is a vision of Divine action. With the Lord now present among His people, through revelation, and the good life of this new collection of souls centered around this revelation, the visible Divine Human reaches out to the entire human race. The visible God, now revealed to those who will be of the New Church, is as "a man in the air or on the sea opening his arms and inviting you into his embrace" (TCR 787). Through conjunction with the Lord, from the good of life based upon the revealed Word, the Divine reaches out by means of His church to everyone. He spiritually heals, incorporates all to useful service, creates all things new, and reigns. With the vision of the visible Divine Human as the foundation for what follows, the Word goes on in the internal sense of the Apocalypse to describe the qualities of the New Church, as the Lord effects these things by means of the church. In what follows I will explore some of these qualities, and touch upon potential applications in the life of the organized church which has been placed in our care, in the hope that it will be of use in our building of the Lord's church according to the spiritual vision which is cast before us, and in our own understanding of application for our time. I am in awe of this vision, because it is a vision full of hope for the human race, and one which calls for loving dedication and action.

     (To be continued)
Received for Review: 1998

Received for Review:              1998

     The Power of Service by Dr. Theodore Klein.

326


MASCULINE PRINCIPLE 1998

MASCULINE PRINCIPLE       Rev. ALAIN NICOLIER       1998

     (Part 3)

     (Readings: Isaiah 7:10-25, Matt. 1, CL 168)

"And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21).

     Last time we saw that the male is first in time, and that he is created first because he corresponds to truth.
     Regeneration is initiated by the light of truth, which shows what good is.
     We also saw that the act of bearing witness of truth is associated with masculine virility, and that the terms "witnesses" and "testicles" have the same Latin root, testis.
     The representation of truth by the male has given him the power to dominate the physical world, and to lead it astray. And it is one of the reasons why God chose to be born in the masculine form to save humanity from its sins.
     Given that it is the man who is primarily responsible for the fall, it is normal that it be by man that God should regenerate him.
     However, there are several different reasons which led God to be born as a male. In. order to understand them better, it is absolutely necessary to have some elementary knowledge about the Divine nature and about the nature of its relationship to creation.
     The profound nature of the Creator transcends every idea of sex, for it is beyond time and space. It cannot be defined in terms such as man and woman, masculine and feminine, androgyny, etc., as is done in certain currents of thought. The eternal Creator has two essences: a Divine essence and a human essence, which are conjoined and united. God is thus one, and this unity is the fruit of the interaction of these two essences (see AC 1426, 1469, 1785, 2657). The term "Divine Human" in the Writings defines this eternal and uncreate symbiosis which is the very dynamic of life.

327


The perpetual conjunction between the Divine and the Human is at the origin of universal and spiritual movement, of the spiral of spirals called "vortex" in the Writings.
     This brings to mind the Hindu conception of Divinity which, in its eternal dance, perpetually creates the universe. Life is movement, for the very essence of God is movement. It is the permanent sport of the union between love and wisdom. This movement is everlasting and ceaseless, which is why the material universe is constantly expanding - a development which happens at the speed of light.
     When the Divine Human creates, He then enters into time and space and so becomes finite and temporal. The duality of Elohim's love and wisdom projects its image and likeness in the male and the female. They too are called to become one in order to multiply and bear fruit, to cover the earth and subdue it.
     In the process of creation God creates from His Divine Love through His Divine Wisdom. Therefore love is the origin of creation and also the end, for the purpose of creation is that humanity may establish a relationship of love with its Creator and, by means of that, love for one another. Wisdom is the means used by God to bring this original love into ultimates. In other words, the Divine creates by the human; good is received thanks to truth; heat is felt as light is seen.
     In its transcendency, the Divine Human has its two intimately-tied essences, but in its immanence - that is to say, in its process of creation - only the Human or the Divine Truth, corresponding to the masculine quality, is seen.
     Thus God the Creator appears in His human and masculine essence in order to fertilize and give life to His creation, to the earth which is by nature feminine. It is for this reason that in the Word the humanity receptive of the Divine is represented by a woman. The Divine, on the other hand, is represented by the betrothed man, the husband, the father.

328



     This is a most important arcanum to grasp: the Divine Human, in Itself, carries the correspondence of man and of woman, but outside of Itself, that is, in its relationship with its creation, it expresses itself in the masculine form, for it is by the light of truth that creation and regeneration take place.

     * * * * *

     These preliminaries on the nature "in itself " of the Divine and its relationship with creation have been stated in order that we may firmly grasp the essential and primary reason for the expression of the Divine Human in the masculine form. God was born as Jesus Christ, the husband, in order to reestablish a long-interrupted conjunction with the wife, that is, with humanity, which had fallen into adultery with the false gods of selfishness, pride, wealth, etc.
     The other reason, which is existential and secondary, why God came as a male is found in the sad reality that it is men who dominate the physical world, and that only a man, man par excellence, could have the authority necessary to make Himself understood and obeyed. It is therefore as a virile male that God comes to earth to address the masses, to set right what is distorted, to rout vendors from the temple, and to exert all His saving power on a torn-up world where women are submissive and slaves of men.
     We are able to observe this need in the world of child-raising also, where young boys need a father's authority, or at least a masculine point of view which will provide limits for them and guide them by the use of well-defined rules in acquiring a certain morality as a basis for conscience, and later for the development of wisdom.
     Without a father or in the absence of any male rule-giver, boys can very quickly fall into delinquency. Many mothers, whose husbands are often absent or invest very little in the raising of boys, bear witness to the impossibility of controlling the violent and aggressive impulses of these boys.

329



     This is why, through the ages and by means of His Word, God presents Himself as the "Father who is in heaven," and the one who gives all the commandments which are indispensable to the advancement of humanity: "You shall not kill, you shall not steal, you shall not covet your neighbor's wife," etc., and who addresses Himself mainly to males.
     It is also why the "Father who is in heaven" always uses men to convey His Word - the patriarchs, Moses, the judges, the kings, the prophets, Jesus Christ, the twelve disciples and finally Swedenborg. The two reasons for this have already been stated, the essential one being that the male is the catalyst of Divine light and so of the truth by which God rules the physical world. The secondary reason explains that the Word is dictated by men mainly for men.
     Of course the Word is addressed to all of humanity, as much to women as to men, for all have need to be regenerated; but the appearance of the letter of revelation seems to aim especially at males because of their representation and the responsibility which comes from it.
     A third external and accessory reason is found in the torn state of human society due to a large extent to the devaluation of fatherhood. Even if man dominates, he unfortunately invests very little of himself in the raising of children, especially the boys. When he does, it is often characterized by violence, competition, glory, strength and laying-down-the-law, bringing very few, if any, true spiritual values to young boys.
     The principal factor in masculine criminality is the absence of paternal guidance during a boy's growth. This also is why "the Father who is in heaven" is a substitute for the earthly father who is absent.
     When the Word describes the eternal Father as merciful, the comforter of the widow and the orphan, just and wise - and at the same time as a strong warrior who punishes the evil and is jealous - this shows the value of the different masculine traits, puts them in balance, and offers them as models.

330



     Men need rules and heroes that are going to reinforce Divine law and order, not as modes of repression as they are most often used, but rather as elements which are indispensable in building a society based on love and justice, on service and equality. Males need to learn this by means of their intellect, while women, on their part, feel it interiorly, for they have a natural predisposition toward compassion. For this reason it is they who carry, nourish and bring up children. But women are not interested in the government of society or the working out of laws. If today they do get involved in these areas, it is because of the lack of love and humaneness, and to fill the gaps created by men.
     Man ought to have judgment concerning the government of the world, for he receives an influx into his mind from God which inspires him to do that. We read: "The church is implanted first in the man, and through the man in his wife, because the man with his understanding acquires the truth that the church teaches ...
     The church ... can by no means exist except in people who live with one wife in a state of true conjugial love" (CL 125; 76).
     By "church" must be understood the gathering together of human beings in mutual love under the same God because "church" comes from a Latin word meaning "congregation," which expresses a sense of communion among human beings, thus organization and governing by means of wisdom drawn from the Word.
     As we have said already, God was born in a masculine body so that He might re-establish the church, that is, the bond among all people and between heaven and earth.
     To do this He took on a human body which bore every evil and every falsity so that He could show by His example the way of purification. Even He was circumcised, the difference between His circumcision and all others being that His was totally correspondential with His circumcision of the heart (see AC 1414).

331


His life on earth was nothing but continual temptation, which gave Him no respite and which ended with the crucifixion, so that He might show what true values are: to sacrifice honor, glory, love of self, reputation and gain in order to preserve compassion, the giving of self, generous and freely-given service.
     He shows that being greatest and strongest begins with making oneself smallest, most humble, most gentle, knowing how to love, chastise, guide, console. By manifesting Himself in the Father eternal and in revealing Himself in the Son upon earth, God shows us what it is to be a true man and with what wisdom we must guide the world in order to heal war, suffering and disease.
     Now is the time for all men to regain self-control and to begin to listen to the eternal Father and to follow the example of the Son in order to offer the feminine world a true wisdom to love and put into practice, so that hand in hand we may at last raise our children in the harmony and union of love and wisdom.
     "And the Spirit and the bride say: Come .... Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely" (Rev. 22:17).

     (Next time: The relationship with woman)
NEW CHURCH TEACHER 1998

NEW CHURCH TEACHER              1998

     The Spring issue of this magazine (edited by Jill Rogers and Rachel Glenn) includes an article entitled "Exploring the What and How of Character Education." Besides the interesting articles, this publication is an excellent source of news of the people who are involved in New Church education.
     An article on the Washington New Church School tells of the dim prospects of that school ten years ago when enrollment was down to eleven students. They wondered then whether the school would continue. Now the school is flourishing and has an enrollment of fifty students.

332


SWEDENBORG AND THE HISTORY OF HELL 1998

SWEDENBORG AND THE HISTORY OF HELL       Editor       1998




     Editorial Pages
     The History of Hell is an impressive volume published in 1993 by Harcourt Brace. The illustrations are quite striking. The author, Alice K. Turner, has done a remarkable amount of research. The book as a whole is admirable and valuable. There is a three-page chapter called "Swedenborg's Vision." In this we are a little disappointed with what the author did not say as well as with a thing or two that she did.
     Among those who have written about hell, Swedenborg is revolutionary. Edwin Markham said, "Swedenborg shed the light of reason upon the dark enigma of hell."
     Just looking at some chapter headings in the book Heaven and Hell, one can see how distinct these teachings are from other writers about hell.
     No one is cast into hell. The Lord Himself rules the hells. There is such order that no random punishment occurs, nor is anyone punished for what was done in the past. In the chapter on hell fire we read, "[I]t must be understood that those who are in the hells are not in fire; the fire is an appearance; those there are conscious of no burning" (HH 571). Ms. Turner, it seems to us, missed a real opportunity when she just quoted a couple of descriptions of what hells look like.
     The chapter in Heaven and Hell about little children begins by saying, "It is the belief of some that . . . " In contrast to some common beliefs of that day, the book then urges the reader to see that no one is born for hell (see HH 329). The chapter about the heathen or non-Christians begins by saying, "There is a general opinion that And then it goes on to declare, "no one is born for hell" (HH 318).
     Ms. Turner devotes space to the subject of Emerson's opinion of Swedenborg, and in her final paragraph she writes: "Emerson predicted that Swedenborg would not be read much longer, and this came to pass." I asked an accomplished Emerson scholar about this.

333


Dr. Anders Hallengren is known to some of our readers. In the book Swedenborg and His Influence he wrote the chapter, "The Importance of Swedenborg to Emerson's Ethics." His credentials are considerable indeed. For example, he is president of the Stockholm Association of Humanities. This year a book by him should be appearing in Italy, and in the U. S. we will see the publication of his Gallery of Mirrors.
     Busy as he is, he is always kind enough to give me his attention (this since the two of us represented Swedenborg interests in Moscow and St. Petersburg).
     Dr. Hallengren says that at one point Emerson did indeed write of Swedenborg, "I think, sometimes, he will not be read longer." But there is a lot more to it than that, and we intend to continue this subject in another issue.
     Let us conclude this with a positive quotation from Alice Turner's commendable book. "Swedenborg's accomplishments in science and philosophy have been obscured by the fame he achieved from the visionary spiritual revelations he began to record in his fifties. The accounts of these in his most famous book, Heaven and Hell (1758), are fascinatingly similar, yet dissimilar, to medieval vision literature. The approach is entirely different, the language cool, clear, and unemotional - the eyewitness records of a geographer - but the form is quite similar, though at immensely greater length. Unlike medieval visionaries, he was far more interested in angels and heavens than in hells" (p. 210).
PUTTING HELL BEHIND US 1998

PUTTING HELL BEHIND US              1998

     ... so far as a person shuns and is averse to evil, he shuns and is averse to hell .... If he reflects on the evils in him, which is the same thing as examining himself, and shuns them, he disengages himself from hell, puts it behind him, and brings himself into heaven, where he beholds the Lord before him (Divine Providence 321:7).

334


GLENVIEW '98 EVANGELIZATION SEMINAR 1998

GLENVIEW '98 EVANGELIZATION SEMINAR              1998




     Announcements





     It is still possible to register for the seminar to be held in Glenview, Illinois on October 2nd and 3rd. Packets of information are available from Theresa McQueen (phone 847-998-9258). Besides the plenary sessions, there will be five time slots for workshops, of which there may be twenty to choose from.
     The theme of the seminar is "Harnessing the Strengths of Established Congregations." People from five continents will be attending. A welcome is extended to "everyone who is interested in the growth of the New Church."

337


Title Unspecified 1998

Title Unspecified              1998

     
Vol. CXVIII August, 1998 No. 8
     New Church Life

338


Notes on This Issue 1998

Notes on This Issue              1998

     The number of life examples given in the sermon this month makes it probable that readers will find application to their own situation of the saying in Ezekiel about "a little sanctuary."
     In his letter in this issue Grant Odhner confesses that we all have our "blind spots." He quotes striking sayings in the Writings, one of which has us picture someone looking upon us as simpletons or dullards (p. 377). We are reminded of the quotations in the June issue about someone who "thinks of the church as an assembly of simple, credulous and weak-minded people" (TCR 14). Those are thoughts of a "foolish heart." Mr. Odhner's concluding paragraph speaks of a heart that is willing to believe what the Lord has revealed.
     "The spiritual sense is guarded by the Lord as heaven is guarded." There is something to reflect upon carefully. The same is true of the other teachings brought forward in Catharine Odhner's thoughtful article (p. 354).
     There is quite a story to be told about the publication in Russian of Divine Love and Wisdom and Divine Providence. We hope to obtain from Andrei Vashestov further particulars about this story. We welcome this month the basic outline provided by Alexander Vassiliev, who has returned to the Ukraine where years ago he managed to have the New Church officially recognized.
     We hope that the item about graphic designs (p. 370) will stir more interest in the publication called Covenant. The editor of that magazine may provide us with examples of these graphics to print in our pages.
     Did we choose wisely in having more than one series going in our pages? Possibly not. Next month we conclude the articles by Messrs. Keith and Schnarr.
     There was space to fill on page 368, and we have ventured to mention a forthcoming movie. This we have done sight unseen and are keeping our fingers crossed.

339


"A LITTLE SANCTUARY" 1998

"A LITTLE SANCTUARY"       Jr. Rev. Peter M. Buss       1998

"Thus says the Lord God: 'Although I have cast them far off among the gentiles, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet I shall be a little sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone'" (Ezekiel 11: 16).

     The Lord's primary goal. If there's one thing the Lord wants us to be sure of, it's His goals. He wants us to be aware of what He cares about, and how He works toward those goals. We know that the Lord is a loving God, so one goal we could identify is this: He wants to make us happy. And yet we run into trouble if we say that this is the primary goal of the Lord. Certainly there's truth in that statement - He does desire to bless our lives with happiness - but we don't always feel happy. We go through states of depression, loneliness, confusion, and frustration, sometimes for reasons beyond our control (in other words, we did nothing spiritually wrong to lead us into these states of misery). So the mere statement that the Lord desires to make us happy doesn't work as a universal statement of what He cares about. If it were, we would have to conclude that the Lord wasn't very good at achieving His most central goal.
     If we add one word to that statement, though, the picture changes considerably. A more correct way of describing the Lord's primary goal is to say: "The Lord cares about making us eternally happy." This is stated as follows in the passage from the work Divine Providence, which we read earlier: "The Divine Providence of the Lord regards what is infinite and eternal from itself, especially in saving the human race" (n. 58). Or as it is stated in another place: "The Divine love [of the Lord], and consequently [His] Divine Providence, has for its end a heaven which should consist of people who have become, and who are becoming, angels, upon whom [He] can bestow all the blessings and delights which belong to love and wisdom, and bestow these from Himself in them" (n. 27).

340



     In other words, the Lord cares about our eternal happiness in heaven as His primary goal - as something He works toward in every step of His Divine Providence. He has created us so that we can live forever. In that design or plan He allows us to live for a certain amount of time in this world, a time during which we can choose to follow Him toward heaven or reject Him and what He offers. In this world He does not guarantee our happiness. On the contrary, He teaches us very clearly that some of the things standing between us and heaven are unpleasant. We know that there is a tremendous amount of sadness in this world: some people's lives end too soon, causing hardship for their loved ones; there are other people whose primary goal in life is to make a lot of money, caring more for the bottom line than for the welfare of those who work for them or the people they serve; we too have spiritual battles to fight against the parts in us which tend to be selfish and thoughtless. The Lord strives to bring us happiness in this world, and He has a lot of success, but He can guarantee the happiness only of those who live in heaven. Only there can He separate us from people who choose to harm others rather than serve, from disease and natural disasters, and from all of the other not-so-desirable elements of this world.
     How does the Lord care about our happiness in this world? The Lord cares for our eternal happiness more than our temporary happiness in this world. Where does that leave us? Some people do not feel comforted by such a teaching, because it implies in a way that the Lord doesn't care so much about the hardships we face in this world - or at least if He does care, He doesn't do much to take them away from us.
     One way some people have reconciled this is to say that life in this world is supposed to have some pain and suffering associated with it - that the reward of heaven is for those who struggle through the trials of life, holding onto faith in the Lord that He is leading them toward that future blessedness to come, despite many appearances to the contrary.

341


But I think most of us would hope there is more to the picture than that! It's probably true that we will face hardships in our lives. Certainly we will fluctuate between states of joy and sadness. There will be times in our lives when we feel energetic and useful, and others when we feel as if our contributions are minimal at best. But all of this does not mean that the Lord doesn't care about our happiness in this world; it can't mean He abandons us to experience all the struggles of life on our own, much less that they are part of His plan to test our endurance. He cares about our eternal happiness more than our temporary happiness in this world, it's true, but He is preserving us even while we are in this world, leading us within the context of our lives, through the good states and the bad, toward His kingdom of heaven. He is with us every moment, working with all His Divine means to provide for us. It's just that the manifestation of that Providence will not necessarily mean a smooth and totally uncomplicated life.
     The History of the Israelites. For more clarity on what the Lord will and will not do for us in this world, we turn to the history of the Israelites, specifically to one statement in the book of Ezekiel which offers a powerful picture to help us with these concepts. "Thus says the Lord God: 'Although I have cast them far off among the gentiles, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet I shall be a little sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone"' (Ezekiel 11: 16). This prophecy was spoken during a particularly dark time in the history of Israel, a time which would symbolize for us a stage of unhappiness or emptiness. Long gone were the days of King David and King Solomon, the golden age of Israel. Their wealth had been lost, their cities were in ruin. Not only did they not have their independence, but they had been uprooted from their homes and carried away to other parts of the expanding empire of Babylon. Some of them had fled to Egypt, others to neighboring countries. Truly the people of Israel had been "scattered" as the Lord said. A stronger nation had overcome them.

342


In terms of their covenant with Jehovah their God, it appeared to be over. He had promised to preserve them in the land of Canaan in exchange for their obedience and worship, but that land was now occupied by their enemies. Certainly the Lord did not want the Israelites to suffer as they were, because He doesn't delight in warfare and punishments. And yet that is where the Israelites found themselves: feeling punished because of their choices, and attributing those punishments to their God.
     And yet, if we look closely, the Lord had not given up on those Israelites. He allowed them to feel the consequences of their choices, but He said, "I shall be a little sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone" (Ezekiel 11: 16). In effect He said, "I will still be with them, preserving them, and leading them." He went on to say, just one verse later, "I will gather you from the peoples, assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel" (Ezekiel 11: 17). Even after all the many times the Israelites had failed to keep the Lord's commandments, even though they had disregarded the many prophets whom the Lord had sent to warn them, still He was willing to work with them, to give them another chance to return to Him. Their national sanctuary, the temple in Jerusalem, was no longer available to them, but the Lord promised to be "a little sanctuary" for them in the countries where they had been scattered. What an amazing reflection of His mercy!
     Here we see a powerful example of how the Lord leads us in this world. As we said before, He cares for our eternal welfare as His primary goal. A consequence of that is that He allows us to face some difficulties in this life. The message for us today is that He never leaves us. He cares so much about getting us to heaven that He works with us every single moment to help us get there. The Lord is always with us as "a little sanctuary," leading us out of those unpleasant states and preserving us in everything that happens to us.
     Scattered states.

343


Think for a moment about the image reflected in our passage from Ezekiel: the Israelites scattered among the nations, no longer living in Canaan itself It's a picture of the way we feel sometimes - an image of our mental state. Sometimes our lives feel scattered, without any central focus, without a clear sense of identity, with no concrete idea of who we are and where God is leading us.
     I would like to offer an example of this, not so much for its universal application, but because it can show some of the challenges we can face as human beings, and how the Lord works with us during those challenges. The example is that of marriage - in this case a marriage that has reached an unpleasant low. Here we can think of a husband and a wife who realize that their marriage is in trouble. They rarely spend time together, except when they have to in order to keep the household going. It seems that most of their communication either is mundane or quickly leads to arguments, so much so that they avoid getting into anything which might lead to a confrontation. It wasn't anything they wanted to have happen, but for reasons of pride and neglect they failed to work on some of their differences, and as a result slowly slid away from each other, like the gradual decline of the Israelites from the time of Solomon onward, until they reached the current stage of their history, when they were scattered among the nations. In many ways the mind of each person in a marriage like this is like those Israelites: it's scattered. Gone are the good times when their love was strong. Instead of pleasant thoughts about each other, their minds are filled with ideas about how each of them has been mistreated by the other. They feel hurt, lonely, deeply saddened by the loss of their friendship which had started out so well. Their beliefs about marriage, and about the Lord as a God who really cares, have been cast to the outskirts of their minds like hopeless ideals which have proven false in the end.
     It is to such people that the Lord says, "I will be a little sanctuary for them, in the countries where they have gone." He will be with each of them, in their scattered states, leading them back to each other.

344


He will be working in so many ways to bring goodness out of that unfortunate state of affairs. He will remind them of the love they had shared. He will keep alive the hope of reconciliation. And if they listen, He will show them some of the things they need to do to repair the damage - ways in which both of them can bend, so that their thoughts and choices can once again include ideas about what the other person needs, instead of focusing only on what they need. Each of these things is a little sanctuary in their lives - a small place where the Lord is at work, leading them in His Providence back to a state of happiness. Particularly appropriate for such a situation are the Lord's words a couple of verses later in the book of Ezekiel: "I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God" (Ezekiel 11:19, 20).
     There are many other ways our minds can feel scattered. Many events in our lives can lead to such a feeling. It could be due to the process of growing old and feeling less active and useful, wondering what's left in life. Here again the Lord promises to be a little sanctuary, to show ways in which such a person can feel useful and be reminded of the blessings in his or her life. A scattered state of mind could come about because of some evil which has been active in our lives for a long time, slowly eroding our sense of happiness and peace. Someone who feels inclined to twist the truth as a habit may eventually reach this state, during which he feels isolated from people he once considered friends, friends who can no longer trust the things they hear from that person. It is an unpleasant realization that we are responsible for some of our own suffering. And yet in all of these states, the Lord is there, as a little sanctuary, speaking to us, causing us to become aware of these issues and leading us forward toward a new way of life.
     In a different way this picture of the Israelites could describe a person who simply has too much to do.

345


Do we not all go through states when we feel we are overburdened with too many tasks? Not only do we over-commit ourselves at times, but so often unforeseen things come up, and we end up feeling frantically busy. That's not a pleasant state to be in. We may be doing many useful things but not enjoying any of them. In such a state it's hard to care about spiritual things, because our minds are crowded with so many details of things that need to get done, and frustrated thoughts about not being able to do a good job with any of them. We can so easily get short with the people around us in these states, and carry around a grumpy air as we rush from one thing to the next. Even then the Lord is with us, trying to help us through, urging us to pay attention to the feelings of others, and inspiring us with thoughts about the usefulness of our efforts. These too are little sanctuaries of His activity in our lives.
     The Lord provides for us continually. Throughout our lives, in all the challenges we face, He is there, leading us onward toward the fulfillment of His ultimate goal, which is our salvation. Today we have focused on His Providence during some of the more challenging times of life - times during which we feel like those Israelites: away from their homes, without any clear sense of how to proceed.
     There is a phrase in the Psalms which summarizes these concepts very clearly. It's the psalm we read earlier in the service where the Psalmist says: "Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine" (Psalm 33:18, 19). The eye of the Lord is a symbol for His Providence, for His continual watchfulness over all the events of our lives (see Apocalypse Explained 68, 386:18). He is aware of the smallest fluctuations in our affections and thoughts. He guards us during those times of famine, continually leading us away from death or damnation, and delivering our souls from misery. This is what the Lord reminds us of by means of the prophet Ezekiel: His providence, His guidance throughout our lives, His efforts to remove us from sadness and the consequences of evil, and to lead us toward eternal happiness in heaven.

346


He is always there as a little sanctuary, working to instruct us and help us in whatever challenges we face. All that He asks is that we turn to Him and cooperate with Him as He tries to help us. As that Psalm concludes, "Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name. Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, just as we hope in You" (Psalm 33:20-22). Amen.

Lessons: Psalm 33:12-22; Ezekiel 11:13-20; DP 58, 60, 67 MASCULINE PRINCIPLE 1998

MASCULINE PRINCIPLE       Rev. ALAIN NICOLIER       1998

     (Part 4)

     (Readings: Rev. 19, CL 310)     

"So Elohim created man in His own image. . . ; male and female He created them" (Genesis 1:27).

     In the first three parts we have seen how man and woman together represent Elohim, who is also called the Divine Human. The Writings tell us that this is a true representation only when the man and the woman become "one" in a life of love truly conjugial, when they are also called an "angel." Thus in reality the angel is the image and likeness of Elohim.
     To attain this angelic union a man and a woman must be aware of their intrinsic differences, some of which we have already begun to study, particularly these:

347




- The male is first in time and in the external.
- The woman is first in space and in end.

     Now we are going to examine other differences in order to enlighten and guide those who wish to integrate conjugial love with their spiritual existence. We can understand now why right from creation men and women are very different in their respective individuality even though they are complementary in conjugial love. Not only do they communicate differently; they think, feel, perceive, react, appreciate, love, and especially will differently. Thus men and women have different needs and divergent values, which cause many conflicts if one or both of them are unaware of these numerous distinctions.
     This is the principal origin of the present-day crisis among couples. Through misunderstanding or from not knowing what is standing in their way, men and women become frustrated and exasperated to the point of becoming the worst of enemies. Each expects the other to want the same things and to experience things in the same way. This leads to a total lack of understanding and to the error of believing that one's own way of loving and being loved is the same with both partners.
     It is often the man who is less aware of and less sensitive to this distinction and who expects the woman to think, communicate and love as he does, while the woman, who is intuitive by nature, listens better. Let us remember that it is she who receives the influx of conjugial love into her mind from the Lord (see CL 223, 224).
     I am going to give a somewhat sketchy list here of certain differences which are the occasion for most conflicts between married partners, and then examine them.
     1. In relating to each other:
     - The man offers solutions clumsily, and invalidates what the other is feeling.
     - The woman offers unsolicited advice and suggests what to do.

348



     2. In reaction to stress:
     - Men withdraw, become silent, and think independently about what is bothering them.
     - Women instinctively feel a need to talk about what is troubling them.
     3. In efforts to motivate the other:
     - Men are motivated when they feel that someone needs them.
     - Women are motivated when they feel coaxed
     4. In the cycles they go through
- Men become close to the other, but also withdraw suddenly, needing to feel autonomous.
- Women love in a rhythmic and lunar way, their love increasing and decreasing independently of the other.
     5. In their need for love:
     - Men need a love exchanged in confidence, acceptance and personal appreciation.
     - Women need attention, understanding and respect.
     6. In resolving a conflict:
     - In thinking they are always right, men invalidate the other's emotions.
     - Women often express their needs by blaming.
     7. In communication:
     - Faced with the expectations of the other, men erect barriers.
     - Women have trouble formulating their need of support.
     8. In a general way, the basic needs are:
     - For men:     Recreational companionship
               An attractive woman
               Domestic support
               Sexual fulfillment
               Admiration

349




- For women:      Affection
               Conversation
               Honesty and openness
               Financial support
               Involvement with family

     Of course this list is sketchy, and so not everyone can identify with this or that difference, but in a general way it reflects the feelings of the two sexes.
     We know that each is intrinsically different from the other; this is seen in their totally distinct forms. Thus their reception of Divine influx diverges greatly even though this influx is the same as it emanates from the Creator.

          The Lord
     DIVINE           HUMAN
     Love                Wisdom
     Infinite          Eternal
     Space               Time
     Essence          Existence
     Heat               Light
     Good               Truth
     Female          Male
     
     This part of our study of the masculine principle analyzes the particulars of the relationship between the man and the woman, and concentrates on what the male experiences; nevertheless the woman's experience will inevitably be brought into play.
     The complaint of most men is that women constantly wish to change them. When a woman loves a man, she feels that she is responsible for him and that she should help him in his growth; she tries to improve him in his maturing process and in his way of doing things. The woman often wants to mother her man, to protect and help him, but this aggravates him, making him feet smothered and controlled. All he wants is to be accepted as he is, and to hang onto the feeling that he alone directs his life.

350



     The fact that he is essentially a receptacle of Divine light, and thus of wisdom, makes him more attached to values relating to time. So the man loves power, competence, efficacy, success. He needs to justify his existence, for his sense of self is defined by the results he is able to produce, and he feels satisfied through success and accomplishment.
     Everything that men produce and do reflects these values; even their clothes are a projection of their competence. Policemen, military servicemen, firemen, businessmen, technicians, etc., all wear uniforms which express their particular area of expertise. Men read the newspaper, are interested in sports, go hunting or fishing, love cars, are excited by scientific progress and computers, and are especially preoccupied with "things" which can help them to identify with notions of power and results. To achieve a goal and carry out a plan is essential to the masculine spirit, because that is how he values himself, but he must do it himself because autonomy is the very symbol of competence.
     It is important that women understand this masculine characteristic so they can avoid trying to correct a man's faults or offering help or advice he has not asked for. A man rarely speaks of his problems unless he needs the advice of an expert to find a solution; he tries first to solve them by himself. He also knows it is proof of wisdom to ask the advice of an expert; so he looks to a man whom he respects. The latter is quite willing simply to listen and suggest solutions and tools.
     Thus it is a masculine characteristic to offer solutions when women speak of their problems, when all they want is first of all to be heard and agreed with, not a response. The man wants to help her feel better by solving her problems, by being useful to her. He feels appreciated and deserving of her love if his talents are used to resolve her difficulties. Once he has made suggestions and she goes right on worrying, it becomes very difficult for him to keep listening because he now feels rejected and useless. He doesn't realize that all she needs is support, recognition and compassion, and that she is not expressing a problem because she wants a solution.

351



     Differently than a man, a woman is not interested in "things" or "results," but rather in everything about relationships, about sharing human values, emotions and feelings.
     The man, being a receptacle of light and of wisdom, moves in time, while the woman, the receptacle of heat and love, moves in space. This is also seen in their manner of living with "stress."
     When a man has a problem to which he cannot find a solution, he tries to forget about it by reading the paper, watching a football game, driving his car fast or climbing a mountain.
     When a woman has a problem to which she cannot find a solution, she starts to talk about it with other people. She is not ashamed of her problem and her ego is not threatened by it, because her ego is not dependent on "competence," but rather on the "relationship" with others. The man who is faced with a problem wants to solve it by himself or forget it, while the woman shares it by talking about it. It is essential to know these differences to avoid falling into states of animosity and mutual misunderstanding, and into a perpetual conflict where the man is going to think that the woman talks too much, and the woman is going to think that the man is ignoring her.
     Haven't you noticed in the people around you how much men spend their time reading the newspaper or watching football on television, and how much time women spend on the telephone? The man might spend time resolving a mechanical problem with the car, while the woman will prepare a nice dish, thinking about those who will eat it.
     It is a mistake to think that a man can always be in contact with his emotions and his feelings, just as it is a mistake to think that a woman can have emotions which are always logical and rational.
     The one needs answers and offers solutions, while the other needs to share and to feel that she is understood. The one forgets his problems and tries to relax with the newspaper, the car, the television or the computer; the other forgets her problem in turning to other people's problems.

352



     I mentioned in number 3 above that men are motivated when they feel that someone needs them. If the man does not have this feeling in his relationship with a woman, he gradually becomes passive and loses his energy. With each day that passes he pays less and less attention to her. If, on the other hand, he feels that the woman has confidence in him because he has done his best to respond to her needs and is appreciated for his efforts, he feels encouraged to give more of himself.
     At the same time, the man is animated by a philosophy based on the principle of winning or losing: "I want to win and it doesn't matter to me if you lose." In most sports this principle is in full force because it is the competitive mode. For example, if I am playing ping pong, not only do I wish to win but I do it in such a way that the other loses while I'm sending him balls which are impossible to return. I love to win even if my friend loses. This is valid in sports or certain games, but when it is a question of a couple's relationship, this philosophy is totally inadequate and even harmful. The fact is that if I find my happiness at the expense of the other, this will produce disharmony and suffering for both.
     While he is young, the man is satisfied to earn his living and to take care of himself first. He is gratified in serving his own interests. But to the degree that he matures, this is no longer enough, because he has a great need to be loved and to love, and especially to feel that he is useful.
     To be fulfilled the man needs to learn to give, but at the beginning of his regeneration he does not yet know that this is what can make him happy, and it is only in meeting the woman that he is going to discover how he can give.
     And here we come to a crucial element of the man-woman relationship. The fact is that while the man needs to win, the woman on the other hand easily accepts losing. She will reason in this way: "I lose so that you may win." Of course I am generalizing in an exaggerated way in order to highlight the different philosophy which animates each sex.

353


In general the woman has a temperament more inclined to sacrifice, that is, to neglect her own interests for the benefit of others. She needs to give of herself to exist and to value herself, she "pays for her ticket" to be on earth.
     In becoming adult and in creating a couple, the man and the woman, in the beginning of their relationship, make the effort to give and to receive equally. However, after a time each falls back into the old patterns in which the woman gives and the man receives.
     In the process of maturing spiritually, the man needs to learn to give and the woman to receive, in order to balance their interactions. For a couple is a being entirely apart, spanning all stages of evolution in a way which is similar to the growth of an individual. Thus the couple relationship passes from infancy to adolescence, to adult age and to old age.
     Next time we will look at the different language used by each sex, as well as the cycles they go through.
     "Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb" (Rev. 19:9).

     (To be continued)
SUNRISE CAMP AT DEER PARK 1998

SUNRISE CAMP AT DEER PARK              1998

     The Bryn Athyn Church is sponsoring a New Church summer camp from August 18 through August 23 for college age and up at Deer Park near New Hope, Pennsylvania, about 35 minutes from Bryn Athyn. The theme is The Ten Commandments: The Lord's Table (the first four commandments). For more information or to register, write to Sunrise Camp, Box 162, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

354


AND HIS WIFE HAS MADE HERSELF READY 1998

AND HIS WIFE HAS MADE HERSELF READY       CATHARINE ODHNER       1998

The Word

     Whenever "the Word" is written in this paper, "the Writings" are meant. Why?
     The Writings testify concerning themselves that they are the Word of the Lord. In the Faith of the New Heaven and of the New Church (True Christian Religion 3) it is written: "Without the Lord's coming again into the world in Divine Truth which is the Word, no one can be saved." In TCR 776 it is written: "The second coming of the Lord is not a coming in person but in the Word, which is from Him and is Himself."
     The General Church acknowledges that the Writings are the Word. Since they are the Word, they are the Divine Truth itself (see SS 1).
     The Writings continually say they are the internal or spiritual sense. "Lest therefore man should be in doubt that the Word is such, the internal sense of the Word has been revealed to me by the Lord, which in its essence is spiritual, and in relation to the external sense which is natural, is as soul to body" (SS 4).
     It is said in The Doctrine of the Sacred Scripture 5, "The spiritual sense does not appear in the sense of the letter .... It is this sense chiefly which renders the Word spiritual, not for men only but for angels also." In SS 25 it says: "The reason why the spiritual sense of the Word has been at this day disclosed by the Lord is that the doctrine of genuine truth has now been revealed; and this doctrine and no other is in accord with the spiritual sense of the Word." Why is it written in SS 26: "Henceforth the spiritual sense of the Word will be imparted solely to him who from the Lord is in genuine truths"? And in SS 97: "The literal sense of the Word is a guard to the genuine truths that lie within"? Why is it written in SS 37: "Divine Truth in the sense of the letter of the Word is in its fullness, holiness, and power"? How can we understand this in relation to what is said in SS 26?

355


Why is it written in SS 50, "The doctrine of the church is to be drawn from the sense of the letter of the Word, and is to be confirmed thereby"? And "The Word cannot be understood without doctrine"? And "The Divine Truth which must be of doctrine appears to none but those who are in enlightenment from the Lord"? Then in SS 76: "The church is from the Word and is such as its understanding of the Word." The Lord has made His second coming in the Word of the Writings; He has given the internal or spiritual sense of the Word; He has given the doctrine of the genuine truth; He has told us that the doctrine of the church must be drawn from the literal sense of the Word, and that the Word cannot be understood without doctrine.
     Can the Writings be both the Word and the doctrine? Can they be the doctrine of genuine truth in its literal sense?
     Since they are the Word, they have a spiritual and celestial sense within them which makes possible the conjunction of the Lord and the church; they have genuine truth within them. How can we call the spiritual sense or the celestial sense or the doctrine of the genuine truth the literal sense? All these questions are knowledges not yet understood in the storehouse of our natural mind. They are the parts of our future spiritual house lying in disorder, waiting to be used. Only the Lord knows what can be built with them, and He wants to lead us in the building of it. But we must go to Him, the Word, and ask Him how, believing, as we have learned from the literal sense, that this can be seen only in the light of heaven (see SS 5).
     "The Lord when in the world fulfilled all things of the Word, and thereby became Divine Truth, or the Word, even in things last .... What the Lord was as the Word in things last He showed to the disciples when He was transfigured" (TCR 261, emphasis added). The Lord transfigured was seen by them when their spiritual eyes were opened. The glorified Human is the Word in lasts. Spiritual things cannot be seen with natural eyes.
     We can say and believe that all these things are true because they are written in the Word.

356


But can we understand and believe why they are true?
     In SS 1 it is written that the spiritual sense has been given. If we believe that the spiritual sense and the literal sense are the same, we need only read it to think we understand what it says, but in n. 5 it is written: "The spiritual sense does not appear in the sense of the letter . . . . This sense is not only for men, but for angels also . . . ." How do we understand that both these statements are true? In n. 56 it is written that "The spiritual sense is guarded by the Lord as heaven is guarded."
     So there are two ways of seeing: the first one is to acknowledge and believe that it is the spiritual sense because the Lord has said so in His Word. This is to know what the literal sense says. This is objective truth, or knowledge. In AE 790:3 it is written: "In order that the spiritual mind may be opened and formed, it is necessary that it should have a storehouse from which it may supply itself with what is required .... This storehouse is in the natural man and its memory .... In this storehouse for the formation of the spiritual man there must be truths that must be believed, and goods which are to be done, both of which are derived from the Word and from doctrine and preaching from the Word."
     The other seeing is to acknowledge that before these knowledges are truly understood, they are not truly the Word to us. They must be seen in the light of heaven. To see them in the light of heaven is to understand them truly. This understanding is then our doctrine: Each truth understood is one of the precious stones in the wall of the holy city within each one of us. In SS 58 it is said: "The spiritual and celestial senses are in the light of heaven so that through these senses and by their light the Lord flows into the natural sense, and into the light of it with man. This causes the man to acknowledge the truth from an interior perception, and afterwards to see it in his own thought." This second way of seeing is subjective thought. SS 62 says: "The conjunction is not apparent to man, but is in the affection of truth and in his perception of it, thus is in his love and faith in Divine Truth."

357



     What does the Word mean by "Enlightenment is an actual opening of the interiors of the mind, an elevation of them into the light of heaven" (AC 10,330)? We think that we have never seen anything in the light of heaven, but maybe we actually have without knowing it. Any knowledge we have from the Word which we are using for the sake of eternal life by opposing some lust or falsity in our mind is being transformed in our mind into a living truth. The effort to oppose our proprium has opened the door of our spiritual mind so that the light of heaven can enter and give life and power to that knowledge. We must think, and realize that this knowledge has been transformed into a genuine truth by the miracle of the Lord's elevating it, and must thank Him who made it possible. Then it is no more a common stone but a highly valued precious stone from Him.
     There is love for and faith in the knowledges of Divine Truth, which is the first step to be taken and which will be taken again and again through our whole life. This will lead us, if we want, to understanding, "the understanding of the Word" which makes the church (SS 76). This is our doctrine, our lighted lamp to see the Word by its means (SS 59), making it of use for life.
     We have been given the Word, the Writings of His New Church, and we have been given an affection for learning what has been written there. For these two things we can already be most thankful and grateful to the Lord. Now the next step to be taken forever is to be led by Him into an ever deeper understanding of them.
     The first way of seeing, though most necessary, must be acknowledged to be only a knowing. A person who wants to understand is not satisfied with knowledges alone. All these knowledges must be seen again in the light of heaven, making them truths, useful for life both here on earth and in heaven.
     AR 532: "'And a great sign was seen in heaven' signifies revelation from the Lord concerning His New Church in the heavens and on earth, and concerning the difficult reception and resistance to its doctrine."

358


The great sign was the woman clothed with the sun. "The male which she brought forth signifies its doctrine; her being pained to bring forth signifies its difficult reception" (emphasis added).
     There are many falsities in our minds which make for the doctrines' difficult reception. One of them is to think that our knowledges are true faith and not to go any further. Another is to think that "Good works are only moral, civil, and political by which man has conjunction with the world ... and that the Lord has not commanded good works in the Word for the sake of man's conjunction with Himself but only for the sake of man's conjunction with the world" (AR 541). Another is that we think that we need not worry about difficulties in understanding the Word because we have eternity to see and understand them. But in AR 914 it is written that we should believe "that all things of the New Church can appear in light ... for every man has exterior and interior thought. Interior thought is in the light of heaven and is called perception, and exterior thought is in the light of the world; and the understanding of every man is such that it can be elevated into the light of heaven, and also is elevated if from any delight he wishes to see truth."
     We do have eternity to understand them, and those who do not have the Writings will find their joy in understanding in the other world. But the Word has been given to the New Church here on earth by the Lord for the sake of His conjunction with everyone here, and the new and greater uses He will be able to do through those who understand them.
     We should keep in mind that He says: "His wife hath made herself ready." In chapter 12 of Revelation the first appearance of the woman clothed with the sun is spoken of when the New Church in heaven was not yet conjoined with the New Church on earth, and she is again spoken of in chapter 19 when they are conjoined.

359


In between chapters 12 and 19 there are many, many plagues spoken of, each one by which some falsity or evil is being dispersed. Each one of these can be found in our own minds. In examining our thoughts and intentions we will find them and by the Lord's power in His truth uproot them, the red dragon's power. In chapter 19 it is written: "Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife has made herself ready" (Revelation 19:7).
ENLIGHTENMENT AND PERCEPTION 1998

ENLIGHTENMENT AND PERCEPTION       Rev. BRIAN W. KEITH       1998

     (Part 3)

Conscious Enlightenment?

     To what extent, if any, can we have any certainty that we are in states of enlightenment or that the perceptions we have are accurate? Unlike the teachings regarding our ability to know our general spiritual states (see New Church Life 1985, pp. 395-401, 435-442), the evidence regarding our ability to accurately assess our states of enlightenment almost all favor a negative answer.
     A primary reason why personal assessment of enlightenment is always suspect is the corrupting influence of evil. We only perceive what is proprial in self (AC 3603:5). Good cannot be discriminated from our sense of delight in what is of self and the world (AC 3325:3; DLW 141), and what we love we see and perceive, but not whether it comes from heaven or hell (AE 177:2). Whatever comes from our will is perceived as good (AC 5144, 5526, 8522). In fact, hellish genii delight when they can make good to be perceived as evil and evil to be perceived as good - indicating that they are more than a little successful at this (AC 5977)!

360


A powerful example of this was seen by Swedenborg in the spiritual world among some Quakers who perceived that having a communion of wives was a good thing (LJPost 58). Because they enjoyed it, it was defined as "good."
     Ignorance or fallacious ideas can also lead one astray. Those who are spiritual, when they learn what is false, and are persuaded that it is true, have no contrary perception of it (AC 1442), and if someone is in falsities, they appear like enlightened thought to them (AC 3665:3; AE 826). What is more, affirming what is false can appear to be more enlightened than affirming what is true (CL 491). And cleverness - academic brilliance - is mistaken for enlightenment (AC 4214, 6865:2).
     Adding to our limited ability to discern what is enlightened is the vast amount of affective and intellectual material which is above even an enlightened perception in this world. We are specifically told that we can have no perception of the Lord's operation in our will and thought (AE 864), a sense of life flowing in (AE 1136:2, 1138:2, 1153:5), the movements of Providence (AE 1136:5, 1153:5), the source of our conscience (AC 5552), or the Infinite Itself (AR 31).
     There is much in the inner workings of our lives that we do not sense. Our interior understanding does not come to perception; only our external understanding (AC 905 1). What is in our natural mind can be perceived, not that which exists in our spiritual mind (AE 790:9). We can see rational, moral, natural, and factual truths with their affections and desires. But the spiritual goods and truths which motivate these are beyond our ken (AC 10029, 10237).
     We remain unaware of these unconscious processes until we put off our natural bodies. For example, we might love what is true but not be able to see it in this world (AE 832:4; SS 41; cf. AC 1100). Truths in the spiritual man are not observable until after death (AE 275:21, 654:2). And a person can be regenerate and in the internal sense and not know it (AC 10400:4; NJHD 259).
     An aspect of this is the extent to which we can think as then angels.

361


The fifth degree of truth which "can be perceived in some small measure by one provided he is enlightened" is such that "a great part of it cannot be expressed by human words" (AC 8443; see also AC 7270; AE 376:2, 627:5, 630:2, 1066:33). When the natural mind is elevated, it still perceives naturally, "thus not so fully, what the angels are perceiving" (DLW 257). The number continues,

... [H]uman wisdom, which so long as man lives in the natural world is natural, can by no means be raised into angelic wisdom, but only into some image of it.

     We can perceive as the angels do (AE 1067:2), but the elevation of our minds is continuous, not discrete; i.e., we can think "even up to the angels" but not identically to them (DLW 256). Thus, even at our best, our perception is extremely limited. (This also suggests, at least to me, that it is misleading to think there is any knowable "internal sense" in the Writings. Yes, the Word, including the Writings, has discrete levels up to the Lord, from whom it came. But there can be no statement of any discrete internal sense in the natural world which is anything more than continuous with the Writings. Thus, we can compare passages, but any enlightenment we receive remains at this level.) As the Arcana notes, "[W]ith a person, even when regenerate, the perception of good and truth is very obscure" (2367).
     Nor is it any easier to determine if someone else is enlightened or not. We will always find it hard, if not impossible, to distinguish those who are in a perception of truth from those who are simply able to brilliantly confirm ideas (DP 318:3). Common people are said not to be able to tell the difference between perceptions that are drawn from the internal sense and from the literal sense (AC 9025:3).
     However, there are some slightly contrasting passages. Swedenborg himself repeatedly stated that he could perceive the enlightenment that he was receiving (AC 6608; AE 1147:3, 1183:2; DLW 68; DP 169; TCR 76).

362


This does not indicate that we have that ability, and may, in fact, suggest just the opposite! It is also noted that those in the spiritual affection for truth are raised into the light of heaven "even so as to be able to perceive the enlightenment" (AE 1183). This might be possible for those in a spiritual state and who are paying attention (AC 5221). And a final tantalizing statement is made that a person can know if he has been in enlightenment by "various indications" (AC 10551:2), although what those indications are is never explicitly stated.
     There is also the teaching that those who are in good are thereby taught daily what to do (AE 825:3). At first glance it seems as if they would have a certainty about what they should do. But the passage describes their perception as not a dictate but an influx of spiritual delight that is sensed only according to the truths the person knows. Being "taught daily" does not mean receiving detailed instructions, but a sense of what can be done based upon what one already knows.
     What one would expect to find instead of any confidence of one's own brilliance or accuracy is a humble spirit. If one claims he is enlightened, there is a good chance he is not (AC 10551:2, 5). And external men think they know everything but internal men perceive that they know little (TCR 839). These passages suggest that where there is genuine enlightenment, either it will not be identified as such by the person, or an awareness of one's own limitations will prevent any claims being made for its veracity.

Is It Just My Opinion?

     If no one can claim enlightenment, and others do not have the ability to discern what is enlightened and what is not, is everything reduced to simply a matter of one opinion against another? Or, in this personalized post-modern intellectual climate, is truth simply relative to one's own perception of it?
     The goal of attaining pure good and truth is beyond those who are spiritual. The spiritual are never entirely in what is good and what is true (AC 2831:2).

363


No affection or perception is the same with two different people (DP 57). We also find that truths are varied according to the various ideas and perceptions of them (NJHD 27). This is put somewhat more positively where the Writings note that our perception of a thing causes it to be either true or false (AE 860; AR 708). And perception causes what is obscure and fallacious to be "similar to truth" (AC 2701).
     These teachings are a caution to us when we want to proclaim with certainty: "This is the truth," especially about ideas or applications which are not clearly stated in the Word. However, as with mediate goods being absolutely essential to achieve more genuine good, the Writings suggest a way for us not to be caught up in unnecessary concerns about whether it is possible to have an accurate perception of truth or not.
     While acknowledging that we investigate spiritual truths and see them depending upon our rational concepts or comprehension of them, the Writings suggest that even a limited grasp of truth is valuable because otherwise there could be no reception of spiritual truth at all (AC 3355). This suggests to me that while, even in our enlightened states, we may be in mere appearances of truth relative to the higher levels of truth, being in such appearances of truth is an absolutely vital phase or step if we are to ascend any higher. The issue is not so much whether we have achieved higher levels or not, but whether we are engaged in the process and thus open to farther enlightenment. (And again, I would like to emphasize that "farther enlightenment" does not necessarily mean more complex or etherial ideas. Rather, I think it means a more intense grasp of and appreciation for the fundamental truths found in the Word.)
     It is also possible to come to a common general understanding of the teachings of the Word. It is not a mysterious document. The fundamental truths are stated so openly, so often, that it is hard to miss them. And if we assume that the Word, primarily in the Writings, means what it says, that it is not enshrouded by dark and deep curtains veiling over its genuine meaning, then a confidence that we really do understand it is quite possible.

364


Otherwise, all would be hopelessly trapped in the narrow doctrines they were taught as children, or which favor their less regenerate sides (AC 6047:2).
     It is also useful to recall that enlightenment is fundamentally about seeing what is true in the Word for leading a good life. In this arena I believe there can be a certainty of knowledge. Although specific applications, such as when parents should enforce boundaries strictly or loosely, will always be open to question, the basics of right and wrong virtually scream out to us. It was because of this that in the Ancient Church doctrinal differences did not divide. They were in agreement on all fundamental principles which related to a good life, so ideas which did not significantly impact their lives did not pose any threat to the integrity of the church. This may suggest that our ability to have confidence that we are perceiving truth rather than falsity is directly related to how essential the idea is to a heavenly life. The more vital it is, the easier it will be to have confidence in its accuracy, and the less vital it is, the less certain we may be.

     (To be continued)
CHURCH PEWS AVAILABLE 1998

CHURCH PEWS AVAILABLE              1998

     The Erie Circle has six pews to give to any society that needs them. They hold three or four people each and fold up for transport or storage. We ask only that you help arrange shipping or come and pick them up. Call Paul Murray at (814) 833-0962 with questions or to make arrangements.

365


NEW CHURCH LEADERSHIP IN THE NEW CENTURY 1998

NEW CHURCH LEADERSHIP IN THE NEW CENTURY       Rev. Grant R. SCHNARR       1998

     (Part 3)

     Spiritual Comfort and Healing


And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away (Rev. 21:4).

     John's description of the Tabernacle of God now with men is followed by the promise of the Lord's work of bringing spiritual comfort and healing, dispelling malignant falsities, and leading to salvation. We are told,

"God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes" signifies that the Lord will take from them all grief of mind, for shedding tears is a result of grief of mind. By the "death" that shall be no more is signified damnation .... here fear of it . . . . "[S]orrow" signifies various things, being in every instance on account of some thing that is treated of. Here it is fear of evils out of bell, because what goes before [treats of fear] of damnation, and it follows on [to treat of the fear] of untruths out of hell, and of the temptations resulting from them. By "crying" is signified fear of untruths out of hell .... By the "labor" [or pain] that shall be no more are signified temptations. By "shall not be any more, for the former things have passed away" is signified that they shall not remember them, because the dragon who had inflicted them has been cast out (AR 884).

     These things are said to have actually taken place at the time of the Last Judgment in the spiritual world, as people there were set free from the dragonists, and a new heaven was formed where such could find comfort and healing in the Lord. We can also see that this takes place in each individual as he or she is set free from these same falsities and comes into conjunction with the Lord by means of a life according to His Word. And it is also true for the church on earth, that to the extent the falsities of the former Christian Church and the evils of life are removed, and the truths which have now been revealed are accepted and lived accordingly, individuals will be spiritually healed.

366


In fact, it is vital that the church on earth strive toward conjunction with the church in heaven (AR 533) by casting out the dragon, lifting people out of sorrow and upholding people through spiritual labor brought on by the hells, fostering the new light and the new way. So we are told, "The church in the heavens does not continue in existence unless there is also a church on earth which is in concordant love and wisdom, and this is about to exist" (Ibid). Here on earth we have an opportunity and a responsibility to "act as one" with the church in heaven (Ibid).
     The Lord says, "Come, you blessed of My Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me .... Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me" (Matt. 25:34-40). We know that there is an internal sense to these words, and an urging to be of spiritual service to others. The Writings tell us that the ancients knew that by the hungry and poor, the sick, naked, and in prison were meant not only those who were externally such, but also those who were spiritually such (AC 3419:3, 2417:6, 6705, 4955). Those who are hungry and thirsty represent those who desire good and truth; those who are strangers represent those who long for instruction; those who are naked are those destitute of truths, and so on (AC 4956, 9960). To render them their spiritual needs means to perform appropriate acts of spiritual charity toward them (AC 3419:3). It means to help people in spiritual distress with the truths of the revealed Word, and to assist them toward the good of life, and thus to healing.
     I think this is critical to the life of the church, because the dragon would have us separate truth from life, to teach without regard for the good of life and the salvation of souls.

367


It is possible to teach without regard for the good of life, and to teach without leading to it (NJHD 315). It is possible to teach and lead in such a way that healing does not occur. It is possible to foster an environment where people have difficulty not only understanding the truths but living by them, and where individuals can fall into the trap of believing that to know the truth is as good as living it. In fact, this is the very dragon which endeavors to destroy the New Church.
     It is the responsibility of the church to care about and for people's spiritual welfare. It is the responsibility of the church to cooperate with the Lord in healing the spiritually sick, to bind up the wounds of those who have been spiritually broken, and to seek those who are lost spiritually or have been driven away from the Lord by the hells. It is an active role of the Divine mercy working through His church. So we are told, "The reason why conjunction is produced by charity is that God loves each and every human being; and because He cannot do good to them immediately, but only mediately by means of other people, He therefore breathes into people His love, just as He breathes into parents love for their children. Anyone who receives that love is conjoined to God, and the love of God makes him love the neighbor" (TCR 457).
     The image of the holy city New Jerusalem is of a place where people can come to be healed, and can grow in their understanding of the truth and in their application to life. It is a place which fosters spiritual healing through the teaching and sharing of the healing doctrines, and supports people to live by the doctrines. Isn't this one reason for New Church communities - to support members in their endeavor to live as New Church men and women? Isn't this why we believe in New Church education, teaching not only an outlook but a way of life? Isn't this why we believe in evangelization, and one of the reasons we promote worshiping together? These are uses of the church which we have adopted for helping, healing, and supporting people spiritually.

368



     And I would hope we could consider any work under the wing of the church which fosters the good of life part of the process of the spiritual healing spoken of in reference to the New Jerusalem. Doctrinal classes, study groups, spiritual-growth support groups, people gathered together in the name of the church to perform acts of external charity, church camps, church social events, all types of New Church education or evangelization programs, seminars, or even sitting down with an open book of the Writings as one talks to a friend about life, can be seen as part of the healing life of the church.

     (To be continued)
MOVIE CALLED "WHAT DREAMS MAY COME" 1998

MOVIE CALLED "WHAT DREAMS MAY COME"              1998

     We think this movie will be on American screens in October. We are told that it is actually a film dealing with life after death. It is based on a novel of the same name by Richard Matheson. In the bibliography one sees The Presence of Other Worlds by Wilson Van Dusen, and on page 131 we read: "'As to man's survival after so-called death, he sees as before, he hears and speaks as before; smells and tastes; and when touched he feels the touch as before. He also longs, desires, craves, thinks, reflects, loves, wills as before. In a word, when a man passes from one life into the other, it is like passing from once place into another, carrying with him all the things he had possessed in himself as a man.' Swedenborg wrote those words in the eighteenth century."
     Those lines are evidently from Heaven and Hell 46 1. The book makes the point that after death what you think becomes your world. This may be related to such teachings as DLW 322. The book speaks of libraries existing in the other world. This makes one think of CL 207, TCR 694, and SE 5999.
     It is not likely that the movie will have contents recognizably "New Church," but it is interesting to contemplate.

369


FULFILLMENT OF THE PROJECT FOR PUBLISHING DIVINE LOVE AND WISDOM AND DIVINE PROVIDENCE IN RUSSIAN 1998

FULFILLMENT OF THE PROJECT FOR PUBLISHING DIVINE LOVE AND WISDOM AND DIVINE PROVIDENCE IN RUSSIAN       Alexander Vassiliev       1998

     In March of this year the book of the Third Testament Angelic Wisdom Concerning the Divine Providence (ISBN 966-521-067-x) was published in the Ukraine in Russian translation. In addition, a long awaited publishing project was finished, based upon an endeavor to put into print in Moscow two old manuscripts from the archives of the Swedenborg Society in London, England, which contained the Russian translations of the books Angelic Wisdom Concerning the Divine Love and Concerning the Divine Wisdom and Angelic Wisdom Concerning the Divine Providence.
     That project had its beginning in the year 1993 when the texts were given to a publisher from Moscow, Mr. Tresviatskij. It looked as if the project was completely lost three years ago, but it was saved in the summer of 1996 when the computer files of these texts were transmitted to Lvov, Ukraine. There, through the publishing house The Initiative, Lvov, they became the foundation of a set of "The Works of Emanuel Swedenborg," which they had intended to start at that time. In September of the year 1997 they printed the first book, The Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom (ISBN 966-521-032-7), and now the second book, The Divine Providence, has appeared as the second volume of the set. Printed in edition of 5000 copies each, with financial support from the publishing house the Nece Center, Kiev, these books are available in bookstores in Russia and the Ukraine.
     In the future it is expected that other volumes will be published which most likely will include The Four Doctrines, New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, Intercourse Between the Soul and the Body, and other small works of the Third Testament which are available in Russian at the present time. I will further my work of preparation and editing these texts for publication after my return to the Ukraine.
     Alexander Vassiliev

370


GRAPHIC DESIGNS IN THE FIRST PRINTED EDITIONS OF THE WRITINGS 1998

GRAPHIC DESIGNS IN THE FIRST PRINTED EDITIONS OF THE WRITINGS       Editor       1998




     Editorial Pages
     Although some are aware that the first published volumes of the Writings included ornamental graphic designs, few if any have been aware of how extensive these were. Volumes of the Writings printed under Swedenborg's direction were consistently adorned with graphic decorative touches.
     What did the graphics look like? How many were there? Who designed them? Until this year probably no scholar would readily answer these or related questions. But now an article of historic importance has been printed in Covenant (Vol. 1, n. 4). The editor, Edward Gyllenhaal, introduces Dr. Jonathan Rose on page 271 and says,

His article on Swedenborg's use of ornaments in the Latin first editions of the Writings breaks new ground - it is both the first article to appear on the subject, and the first comprehensive catalog of the ornaments themselves. In his article Dr. Rose points out that, while Swedenborg has been published and translated widely, the numerous ornaments that originally adorned the text of his first editions are almost completely unknown. All of these ornaments have now been brought together in one place, thanks to Dr. Rose's research and the work of Amos Glenn, a research assistant at the [Glencairn] museum. Mr. Glenn spent many hours in the Swedenborgiana collection, first scanning the ornaments directly from the original Latin texts into a computer, and then carefully cleaning the images without altering them.

     We congratulate Dr. Jonathan Rose on his pioneering work, and we congratulate those who produce Covenant for publishing such a thorough presentation.

371


"OH WELL, I WILL HAVE PLENTY OF COMPANY" 1998

"OH WELL, I WILL HAVE PLENTY OF COMPANY"       Editor       1998

     We have been looking at examples of what a fool says in his heart. A case given in n. 274 of Divine Providence depicts an individual who does not bother his head thinking about whether there is life after death. If the matter actually does come into his mind he says, "The case is no worse for me than for others; if I go to hell I shall have plenty of company, and also if I go to heaven."
     It is the thought of a fool, because it hinders reflection about human destiny, and it prevents responsible consideration of how one conducts one's life.
PHOTO OF A PLANET OUTSIDE OUR SOLAR SYSTEM 1998

PHOTO OF A PLANET OUTSIDE OUR SOLAR SYSTEM       Editor       1998

     Not until the year 1997 could it be said that scientific evidence points to the existence of planets outside our solar system. (See the editorials in July and August of 1997.) Now in 1998 it can be claimed that such a planet may actually have been photographed.
     The evidence for the existence of such planets has so far been indirect evidence based on the wobbles in the motion of the stars the planets are supposed to orbit. Now the Hubble Space Telescope has taken pictures of what is claimed to be a planet 450 light years from earth. This planet is supposedly much larger than any planet in our own solar system.
     From the June 27 issue of Science News we quote the following: "Astronomers this week reported that one of the sun's nearest neighbors - a star just 15 light years from earth - possesses a planet." The report from San Francisco State University was confirmed by astronomers in Switzerland and France.
     What a different view one has of the universe if one contemplates the numbers of planets capable of bearing life.
BOOK FROM A DIFFERENT SWEDENBORGIAN PERSPECTIVE 1998

BOOK FROM A DIFFERENT SWEDENBORGIAN PERSPECTIVE       Editor       1998

     Recently published by J. Appleseed and Co. is "A Swedenborgian approach to social issues in the twenty-first century."

372


The title is The Power of Service. The word "service" is in large print on the cover. "Service" is a subject that tends to draw us together. It is one in which we find we have much in common. However, this particular book can serve as a lesson in differences. In his opening page the author, Dr. Theodore Klein, says " . . . [T]here are some very different opinions about the nature of Swedenborg's revelation." When he says, "very different" evidently he means it.
     This book provides an opportunity to see a very different way of approaching the Writings. The author sees Swedenborg as a brilliant 18th century thinker who had mystical experiences resulting in insights which can be helpful to us even in modern times. The author makes clear at the outset that the Writings are not "a body of revealed scripture." In his student days he had indeed regarded the Writings as "divinely revealed truth," but he no longer accepts that approach (page 2). This is emphasized at the beginning of the book, and it is well for readers to keep it in mind, because otherwise some statements might seem a little strange.
     Speaking of strangeness, readers should not expect this book to say anything about the Lord Jesus Christ. The word "God" occurs frequently throughout the book, but the name of Jesus never. A non New Church reader might wonder whether Swedenborgians are Christian, because not only is the name of Jesus not mentioned, there is no reference to any saying of the Lord, not even to the Golden Rule. A probable explanation is that this book is intended primarily for Swedenborgians, and acceptance of the New Testament may be therefore assumed.
     Still, this reader wondered why reference to "the Lord" seems to be avoided. The first book of the Writings announces that the term "Lord" will be used meaning Jesus Christ. With a few exceptions this book says "God" where one would expect "Lord.
     Indeed even when paraphrasing a saying about looking "to the Lord" the wording is changed to looking "to God" (p. 67).
     It is because the book is addressed to Swedenborgians that it can be disconcerting at first to find statements to the effect that Swedenborg "felt" that he had a Divine calling.

373


To a non-Swedenborgian audience it can be appropriate to say that Swedenborg "felt" that he was called or that he "believed" that he was admitted into heaven and spoke to angels. One of the questions at the end of a chapter in this book is, "How did Swedenborg respond to what he felt was a call from God?"
     Although this takes a little getting used to, it is helpful in understanding this very different approach. The author feels free to "modify" what he regards as Swedenborg's ideas or Swedenborg's views (p. 109), and also feels free to reject what does not appeal to him (p. 53). He does not agree with some of Swedenborg's notions, such as "his views on sex roles" (p. 8). Indeed when he noted that Swedenborg "seemed to distinguish between female and male attributes," it started him toward the very different approach exemplified in this book. When the Writings speak of love of one's own country, this book comments that "Swedenborg's cultural context led him to prioritize national interests." It disapproves of Swedenborg's "prejudices" and says that Swedenborg was influenced by the Lutheran view of scripture (p. 16).
     We will continue this subject next month and while we want to take the opportunity to try to understand differences, we are not forgetting that the book is mainly a book about service, and as such is to be commended.
     Dr. Klein writes well and approaches issues with both sensitivity and candor. He deserves congratulations on producing this book. In his final paragraph he says, "The power of service provides avenues for making a difference, and this power can be part of what you bring to each social issue you face."
ELDERGARTEN IN 1999: 1998

ELDERGARTEN IN 1999:              1998

     In January it will be in Florida. In May it will be in Arizona, and in the autumn it will be in California. (See the June issue, p. 286.)

374


ARGUING WITH TRADITIONAL CHRISTIANS 1998

ARGUING WITH TRADITIONAL CHRISTIANS       Rev. Grant Odhner       1998




     Communications
Dear Editor:
     I have recently had occasion to give some thought to Alexander Fox's letter in the November 1997 issue, in which he asked for response from ministers.
     Mr. Fox suggests that we cannot successfully dismiss all of traditional Christian doctrine by refuting its interpretation of one passage of Paul (Rom 3:28). Its argument is much stronger than that, based on many passages and a number of fundamental ideas - such as our inability to save ourselves, our need for grace, our need for faith in Jesus Christ, and the role of His "blood." Through his discussions with Christians, Mr. Fox concludes that traditional Christian dogma is more complicated to refute, and more different from New Church doctrine than he had been prepared for by his New Church education.
     I agree with these points, and I appreciate his frustration in trying to hold his ground against a Bible-quoting Christian, especially one who is well-read! As he said, " . . . [A]ttempting to interpret each quote one is presented with is not only extremely difficult for a layman, but also wholly unsatisfying, according to any standards of debate."
     Let me say that it is possible to address all of the passages that apologists for the traditional Christian doctrine use to build their case, and to view them in a different light. Their view is convincing only if we buy their assumptions, and give those assumptions more validity than our own.
     However, I also acknowledge that, given their assumptions, it is impossible to refute them in a satisfying way. Basic assumptions are pretty complex and hard to shake. And I have come to appreciate that people can hold to traditional Christian dogma with a lot of intellectual integrity and good intent, given the limitations and blind spots that are our human lot (touching each of us in one area if not in another).

375



     What are our assumptions?
     Here are just a few assumptions not shared by traditional Christians which affect the way we view Scripture:

1. The New Testament has been superseded by a new revelation that casts it in a different light -just as the Old Testament was superseded by the New. We cannot prove the truth of New Church doctrine from the New Testament; we can only point to it and confirm it. If Jews were to use the kind of criteria to evaluate the New Testament that traditional Christians use to evaluate the Writings, they would have no trouble showing the New Testament to be completely "un- Scriptural." (See my article in NCL 83:415, "Why We Believe.")

2. We do not accept the Epistles as part of the Word We like to remind ourselves that the Epistles are "useful" and "good" books for the church, that they are in basic agreement with the gospels (see AE 815:2; Doc. 224). At the same time Swedenborg says that they were "permitted." They could be used in establishing the church at that time because they were "expressed in such a way as to be understood more clearly and intimately" than the Word (Doc. 224). Further, they provided a "Scripture" that was more remote from the Word. (Swedenborg notes that Paul rarely draws directly from the Lord's words or dwells on them in explanation (ibid; also SE 4412). And so people could be diverted to abusing the Epistles rather than profaning the Word itself (see SE 4824). He adds: "The church ... explains the Lord's Word ... by means of Paul's Epistles. For this reason it also departs everywhere from the good of charity and accepts the truth of faith" (ibid). How are we to understand this last statement? Paul's epistles clearly teach charity, as Swedenborg acknowledges.

376


However, they also contain statements that are easily construed to "give the palm" to faith, and to depart in other ways from genuine truth.

3. We do not expect all statements in Scripture (or in the Epistles) to reflect genuine truth. The Writings admit that the people of the early Christian Church were for the most part simple, that they could not help but distinguish God into three persons, that they could not receive clear truths about heaven or marriage or the internal sense of the Word (see Lord 55:2; Ath. 166; SS 24f). Even the disciples and gospel writers had these limitations. This is why so many truths are expressed ambiguously or in a way that is less than literally accurate. At the same time, the essential truths about God, faith, and life were revealed, and were accepted in innocence (if not in consistent rational clarity). That is why we can see genuine truths in Scripture and in the writings of the early church. They are there if we know how to spot them.

     We cannot expect to argue our points convincingly with traditional Christians if we confine ourselves only to the New Testament and historical writings, and fail to discuss assumptions.

Orthodoxy

     Swedenborg warns us of the power of Christian orthodoxy. He notes that traditional Christian doctrine views things through the lens of a few false ideas. These ideas have become so accepted that they obliterate other views and make them seem weak and false. We are given an example in True Christian Religion:

No faith that imputes Christ's merit [to us] is taught in the Word. This is very clear from the fact that this faith was unknown in the church until after the Nicene Council had introduced the doctrine of three Divine persons from eternity. And when this faith had been introduced and had pervaded the whole Christian world, every other faith was cast into the dark, so that whoever since that time reads the Word, and sees there anything about faith and imputation and the merit of Christ, naturally falls into that which he has believed to be the one only thing - like one who sees what is written on one page and stops there, not turning the leaf and seeing what is on the other page; or like one who persuades himself that a certain thing is true (although it is false), and confirms that only, and afterwards sees falsity as truth and truth as falsity, and sets his teeth and hisses at everyone opposing it, saying, "You have no intelligence."

377


In this way a person's whole mind is in it, covered over with a callousness which rejects as heterodox everything that does not agree with his so-called orthodoxy. For his memory is like a tablet upon which is written this single ruling tenet in theology; and when anything else enters, there is no place where it may be inserted, and he therefore casts it out as the mouth casts out froth. For example, if you say to a confirmed naturalist who believes that nature created herself, or that God came forth after nature, or that nature and God are one, that the very reverse is the truth, would he not look upon you as one deluded by a priest's fables, or as a simpleton, or a dullard, or as demented? So it is with all things that are fixed in the mind by persuasion and confirmation, which finally appear like pictured tapestry fastened with many nails to a wall built of crumbling stones (TCR 639).

     Swedenborg - just like you and me - was made at times to feel like a simpleton or a "demented" person on account of his perspective on the Word. He came to see clearly that the theology of the New Church could not gain strength unless the old theology was laid to rest. He wrote toward the end of his life (circa 1771):

One memorable notice is to be added, namely, that all things of the New Church appear in the light of truth before one in enlightenment, but as soon as they are submitted to the orthodoxy of the church at the present day, the light of truth becomes darkness (Consummation of the Age).

     There is a section in the work Invitation to the New Church (nos. 17-19), also written circa 1771, in which Swedenborg speaks of the orthodoxy that subtly "overthrows" all the true ideas in the Word so long as it inwardly governs.

378


Then he makes an amazing statement:

Unless the present little work is added to the preceding work, the church cannot be healed. For it would be a mere palliative cure, a wound in which the corrupt matter remains, and which vitiates the neighboring parts. Orthodoxy is this corrupt matter itself, and the doctrine of the New Church indeed brings a heating, but only outwardly (Inv. 25, emphasis added).

     The doctrine of the New Church can heal effectively only when the heart decides to have faith in it (i.e., is willing to perceive its truth). Such a heart and faith rejects the faith of the former church, together with its arguments from Scripture.
     Rev. Grant Odhner
     Rochester, MI
NEW CHURCH INFLUENCE 1998

NEW CHURCH INFLUENCE       Rev. Robert H. P. Cole       1998

Dear Editor:
     As a perpetual student of New Church history and an Annals1 indexer, and also as a visiting pastor, I enjoyed the portrayal and delightful direct approach of Trish Lindsay regarding her presentation to the western Pennsylvania public of very much known New Church and Swedenborgian leaders: Johnny Appleseed (Jonathan Chapman), Abraham Lincoln and Helen Keller. Trish is correct that Chapman's favorite book of the Writings was Heaven and Hell. "What news from heaven?" Fort Wayne, Indiana, parishioner of late, Olin Dygert's mother, would typically ask Johnny. "Here, read chapter two," Chapman would say. "Do what it says, and be blessed forevermore!" as he ripped selected pages out of the book that he carried with him.
     1 The Annals of the New Church Index - 1851-1890 compiled by this indexer - and Bowers' "The New Church in Chicago" can be found in the Swedenborg Library, Bryn Athyn. Washington's letter to Hargrove is kept at the Baltimore Society church. Olin Dygert's "The Secret Path" is also available.

379




     Rev. John E. Bowers (who baptized many people into the New Church) served as treasurer of seven societies and circles receiving blankets, food and other comforts for distribution to New Church families. Robert Lincoln, U.S. Secretary of War, walking with Mr. Bowers just after the 1871 Chicago fire, stepped into a basement office downtown. Bowers said to him: "Bob, I baptized two thousand people here. Where did they all go?" Lincoln later retired to a farm estate in Vermont, where I believe he continued his missionary work for the New Church.
     Besides the above, John Pitcairn and other famous New Church families well known to NCL readers, some additional noted Swedenborgian leaders and followers should also be listed and researched, it appears to me. For instance, forty annual meeting attendees recently heard in West Chester that Norden, of World War II Victory Bombsight fame, was the principal benefactor of the Swedenborg Foundation, himself a dedicated reader of the Writings and sincere New Church person.
     Queen Victoria's mother fervently hoped that the Writings would fully influence her daughter's government of the United Kingdom and her personal life as well. Similarly, State Governors Johnson of Georgia and Anderson of Minnesota were baptized New Church persons. In my native commonwealth, Pennsylvania, Chief Justice Robert Von Mosclizisker, Forests and Waters Secretary, and Maurice K. Goddard and their families were active in the New Church. Chemist E. I. du Pont selected Waltham graduate Rev. W. F. Pendleton to be pastor of the New Church temple he had just built in Wilmington, Delaware (1873).
     Finally, following James Glen's book deposits in Philadelphia circa 1792, printer Bailey and his close Quaker friend Benjamin Franklin out of curiosity broke open the boxes and began reading the Writings. Rev. John Hargrove was then ordained in Baltimore, becoming pastor of the first American New Church society. His close personal friend, President George Washington, congratulated him on the occasion of his first New Church Service. (We have the letter!)

380


He later invited Hargrove to give the invocation for the second U.S. inaugural. TCR was at Washington's bedside when he passed into the spiritual world. Similar true New Church history stories are involved with Thomas Jefferson, Hargrove, Julia Ward Howe, Abraham Lincoln, Calvin Coolidge, Franklin Roosevelt and others. Interesting research areas would also include certain New Church influence at Harvard University, the U. S. Naval Academy, and other prestigious institutions of higher learning and national leadership. The Divine Providence of the Lord truly does work in mysterious ways.
     Rev. Robert H. P. Cole
     Bryn Athyn, PA
EARTH IN THE UNIVERSE 1998

EARTH IN THE UNIVERSE       Rev. Norman E. Riley       1998

Dear Editor:
     I refer to "A New Translation of Earths in the Universe" on page 192 of your April 1998 issue. Whatever Dr. Chadwick believes should be the present-day terminology, it should be noted that this is not a book on astronomy, but a book of the Word of the Lord in His Second Coming, and as such treats of the Lord, His kingdom, and our regeneration. In this respect, all forms of revelation have been founded on the terminology of the day in which they were written.
     With regard to the work Earths in the Universe, one has only to look at the order in which the subjects are presented to see their significance in relation to our regeneration. By "earths" is signified churches of the Lord's kingdom, which have to be formed within us. Each church is a good and its truth, or an affection and its thought. By "universe" is meant the way in which the Lord draws together those churches within us into one whole. It will be further noted that by "ten" is signified all the remains of good and truth. Therefore the five earths, or planets, refer to the remains in our external, while the five earths of the starry heavens have reference to the remains in our internal.

381



     At this stage we pause to ask the question, "Did Swedenborg see the spirits of those planets which have been discovered since the day this book was written?"
     The answer, as far as I am concerned, is simple: What was known at that time served as the basis, containant and support of the spiritual and celestial senses.
     Between the two sets of five, we note the subjects of "The Moon" and "Reasons Why the Lord Willed to be Born on our Earth and Not on Any Other." The moon signifies faith, which is formed by truth of the external, and charity or good of the internal, thus the conjunction of the external and internal. In respect to "our earth" this signifies the ultimate degree of the mind, the most gross, which means where all things come to rest, and not as sometimes interpreted as something ugly!
     The descent of the Lord into the ultimate, where the knowledges of truth reside, becomes the means whereby there can be an ascent to Him, resulting in our conjunction with Him, who is the First and the Last.
     Rev. Norman E. Riley
     Norden, Rochdale, England
Church News 1998

Church News       Rachel D. Odhner       1998




     Announcements






     HATFIELD, PENNSYLVANIA

     Some time back in 19914 a young New Church lady who lives in Hatfield noticed a church building for sale a mile or two from where she lives. Gwenda Sheedy consulted with her parents, Robert and Laurie Klein, and they in turn consulted Rev. Robert Junge about the feasibility of getting the General Church interested in starting a center in Hatfield. Bob Junge did a considerable amount of study and research, sent out many letters, and called a meeting of anyone in the area interested in getting together.
     That first meeting was attended by about six people, but the enthusiasm to try to start something was there. We soon concluded that buying a church building was a fantasy, but that getting together to worship as a group was within the realm of possibility. A few months later we were renting the very building Gwenda had spotted for regular 4:00 p.m. Sunday services. When the building was sold, our rental arrangement was re-established with the new owners.
     Bob Junge's call to Kempton in 1996 brought change in our leadership. Reuben Bell, who was then a candidate in the Theological School, stepped in and very capably took over from Bob the pastoral duties, with help from quite a number of other ministers from Bryn Athyn.
     We are now well into our fourth year of regular Sunday services, having missed only one Sunday - the day of Reuben's ordination in June of 1997, which we attended en masse in Bryn Athyn. We have added monthly class/discussion meetings and occasional potluck suppers and picnics. A highlight of our social group is the regular coffee-and-snacks social gathering after each service.
     Growth in numbers has not been spectacular yet, but it is there. And with the dedicated core of volunteers for setting up, playing the organ, making coffee, ushering, child care and/or Sunday school, etc., our enthusiasm has grown into confidence that this circle will continue and thrive.
     We will contribute another segment to the mosaic of a "Delaware Valley Cluster of New Church Societies" that Bob Junge dreamed of - with the name "New Church" becoming recognized throughout the area!
     Rachel D. Odhner
     Perklomenville, PA

384


Another Louis Pendleton Book Back in Print 1998

Another Louis Pendleton Book Back in Print              1998

     In Assyrian Tents

     Originally published in 1898, this "Story of the Strange Adventures of Uriel, " set in Biblical times in the Land of Canaan, has been reprinted by the Office of Education. This edition has been improved with the addition of illustrations by Vaughnlea Gerhard and maps by Kimberly Simons. As a short novel this makes good reading for older children and young adults.
     Softcover 250 pages U.S. $7.95 plus postage U.S. $1.25
     E-mail: [email protected]
     General Church Book Center Hours: Mon-Fri 9-12 Cairncrest or by appointment Box 743 Phone: (215) 914-4920 Bryn Athyn, PA 19009 Fax: (215) 914-4935

385


Title Unspecified 1998

Title Unspecified              1998


Vol. CXVIII September, 1998 No. 9

     New Church Life
1998 CHARTER DAY October 23rd - 25th 1998

              1998

     We extend a warm welcome to alumni, students, and friends of the Academy of the New Church to come on home, renew old memories, and forge new ones during the 12 1st anniversary celebration of the granting of the Academy Charter.
     When? Friday through Sunday, October 23-25
     Where? On the campuses of the Academy of the New Church, Bryn Athyn, PA
     What? Cathedral procession and service, a reception following the service (hosted by Academy students at the Pavilion), class reunions, girls' and boys' sporting events, a lecture by Hollywood producer Stephen Gyllenhaal sponsored by the Honorary Council to Campaign 2000, an unveiling of architectural plans for renovating the Assembly Hall into a Performing Arts Center, a special reception following, a Charter Day dance in the newly renovated Asplundh Field House, the Theta Alpha and Sons luncheons, ending with a stirring banquet program on the importance of art in education.
     A complete agenda will be mailed to all alumni and friends as an insert to the Alumni Update scheduled to be mailed September 1, 1998.
     Banquet tickets - $12.00 for adults and $6.00 for
     students - may be purchased by contacting Mira Yardumian at the Academy Development Office at (215) 938-2663.

386


Notes on This Issue 1998

Notes on This Issue              1998

     There is a point in the drama of Jonah at which his soul is said to faint within him (2:7). Does that signal Jonah's demise or does it indicate newness of hope? See the sermon on the opposite page.
     As Grant Schnarr brings his series to a conclusion, he frankly speaks of how he can become discouraged in the work of the church. But the ending is a stirring one.
     Can politicians be enlightened? Is enlightenment complicated or very simple? See the conclusion of Brian Keith's series.
     Thanks to Ruth (Mrs. Dan) Goodenough we have had a look at a series of articles which Rev. Alain Nicolier wrote for his French-speaking congregation. Ruth has done us a real service in translating it. If anyone wants to communicate with Mr. Nicolier, you can write in care of this magazine and we will relay it to Togo or to France or wherever he happens to be.
     The publication called Covenant is available from the Academy of the New Church. There are in the most recent issue fifty pages showing the graphic designs which appeared in the original editions of the Writings. We have in this issue given a few examples of those graphics.
     Someone might say in his heart, "Let this be so, and let it come . . . " This is from n. 1165 of Apocalypse Explained. In this issue we compare it to the phenomenon of cigarette smoking when the consequences are well known.
     It takes four pages to present the information on General Church places of worship. We appreciate it when people help us to keep this information accurate.

Music Inspired by Swedenborg. The CD is called "Call of the Prophets: Music Inspired by the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg." It may be obtained for $12.00 from the producer, Mr. Thomas Bramel, c/o June Nineteen Music, P.O. Box 538, Rockville, MD 20848-053 8.

Hidden Millennium - The subtitle of this book is "The Doomsday Fallacy." The author is Steven Koke, whose article "Swedenborg's Long Sunrise" was discussed in our pages iii December 1995. The book will be sold by the Swedenborg Foundation for $14.95, and should be available this autumn.

387


SPIRITUAL COMBAT 1998

SPIRITUAL COMBAT       Rev. MARK D. PENDLETON       1998

"Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish's belly" (Jonah 2:2).

     Temptation (spiritual combat) is a fact of life. From time to time throughout our lives, evil spirits attack the things we care about the most. They try to distort our thinking, and they spark off hurtful desires in our minds. They act with force and coax us to adopt destructive patterns of thought and behavior. They try to erode our trust in the Lord's leadership.
     If spiritual combat is a fact of life, then so are the anxiety and heartache that are associated with it. The pain of temptation is a part of growth that each one of us must work through as we follow the path of regeneration.
     How can we work through the pain and struggle of temptation successfully? We know that the Lord is close by - He is always there with us to help see us through troubled states of mind. But what must we do to help insure victory against the onslaught of hell?
     What were the answers for Jonah? "Jonah prayed to the Lord from the fish's belly." He called on his God for help in a time of anguish. Prayer and renewed effort helped see Jonah through, and they can help us too.
     Why did Jonah cry out to the Lord? Because he was suffering. Inside the belly of the fish Jonah had been thrown into the deep - "into the heart of the seas." Floods had surrounded him, and billows and waves had passed over him. He was sure that he had been cast out of the Lord's sight. He felt as though the waters had encompassed him even to his soul, as though the deep had closed around him, as though weeds had been wrapped around his head, as though he had gone down to the bottoms of the mountains, and as though the earth had closed behind him forever.
     Here are images of how we can feel when hell attacks us.

388


We can feel surrounded, bound and bullied by hell - sapped of spiritual life. In the darkest moments we may feel as if we are living in hell among the most condemned. The light of truth fades in our minds, then flickers out.
     And why not? Evil spirits are masters of deception (see AC 741, 751, 5246:2). They lie to us. They try to twist our thinking in countless ways. They call up our past mistakes - evil deeds and thoughts from as far back as early childhood. They exaggerate those mistakes, and they accuse and condemn us on account of them. They even call up good deeds that we've done and then corrupt them in "a thousand ways" (AC 751:2). They try to convince us that things we have done for other people have been done largely for self-centered reasons. They try to make us feel worthless, and that there's no hope for change. They try to destroy our perspective in any way they can.
     Beyond that, evil spirits are masters of enticement (see AC 751:3). They touch off hurtful desires and foul loves inside us, especially those which relate to anger and cruelty. The desire for revenge and slander are examples. If hell can entice us to act on such loves, they can win us away from the Lord, our spouses, our children, our friends, our associates.
     One of the more subtle ways that evil spirits entice us is by taking hold of good longings and aspirations and quietly twisting them to bad ones (see AC 751:3). How many times will we begin doing a favor for a friend out of a longing to help him, and then watch as that selfless longing fades? In its place comes a focus on self-advantage. We no longer feel that we are doing the favor for the other person. Instead, we are now doing it from a predominantly self-centered desire. Or how many times will we begin acting out of a sense of justice only to find that the longing for justice subtly shifts to a longing for self-justification for the sake of personal preference?
     Why do we have to go through temptation to get to heaven? How does temptation help us?

389


For those who are being regenerated, temptation is part of the process of choosing between good and evil. So long as we are in this world we are given a choice of which will rule in us - heaven or hell. Each one of us is all the time associated with both good and evil spirits who influence us and try to win us over. The collision and anxiety that we feel in our minds when good and evil spirits battle for dominance is called temptation.
     Temptation is felt as pain (see AC 847:2). It is felt as confusion and anxiety, and it is caused by the assault of evil spirits against the things we love and against our better judgment (ibid.). But it is pain which the Lord can put to good use. As temptation mounts, the anxiety we feel heightens. It grows, and the Lord lets it grow, sometimes until we are desperate - until we doubt that we can be saved. More to the point, the Lord lets temptation rage until we doubt that we can save ourselves. At the peak of his distress, Jonah's soul fainted within him.
     That was a turning point for Jonah, and that is a turning point for us. When we feel our souls faint within us, then is when we are given over to the Lord. Then is when the pain of temptation has done its job - it has worn us down. It has softened our will to govern our own lives and has opened us up to follow the Lord (see AC 760). The Lord has used the pain of temptation to direct us away from ourselves and toward Him (see Ibid., AC 2694:2).
     Notice how this plays itself out in the story of Jonah: Jonah prayed to the Lord because he was suffering; his distress ran its course. Jonah's soul fainted within him, and no sooner had his soul fainted than he received new strength and determination from the Lord. He remembered the Lord in a new way, and he felt as though his prayer had reached up into heaven. He spoke out against idolatry. He was determined to offer sacrifice to the Lord in the spirit of thanksgiving. He planned to pay his vows. And he acknowledged that salvation is of the Lord.
     Here is a picture of the miracle of spiritual combat. Feelings of pain increase as a battle goes on deep inside our minds.

390


Good defends itself against evil. We do our part of fighting during the battle, but at some point the battle becomes too much for us. One passage says that at some point during temptation, evil spirits are allowed to overwhelm us (see AC 741). But the Lord is perfect in His Providence. He lets hell overwhelm us only so much as we need, and never more than we can bear. Each time we are overwhelmed, our spirits are softened and we turn to our Lord.
     Temptation is a fact of life. The agony it causes is something which breaks us free from hell and sends us running into the Lord's waiting arms. "Suffer little children to come to Me," the Lord said.
     Still, we don't know just when the Lord will call a halt to spiritual combat (see NJHD 196). Our willingness to look to the Lord and to pray for His strength and do our part will help us in temptation; but only the Lord knows when temptation has done its job. Only He can see when we have taken a step forward in turning our lives over to His care and guidance. That's why the Heavenly Doctrine teaches that "the prayers of those who are in temptations are but little heard" (AC 8179). So often, if the Lord were to call a halt to temptation at the time we wanted Him to, it would defeat the purpose of the temptation. Only the Lord knows what is best for us.
     And so temptation is a fact of life. It's a fact of life that can be met by prayer to the Lord - by a willingness to look to Him for help and power and by an effort to resist what hell brings to our minds. If we do our part, then the Lord will surely see us through temptation. In His time, in His mercy, and when we're ready, He will put a stop to temptation, and we will walk again on dry land. Peace, confidence, and a spirit of thanksgiving will settle into our hearts. Amen.

Lessons: Jonah 2, AC 741, 751, 2694:2 (portions)

391


ENLIGHTENMENT AND PERCEPTION 1998

ENLIGHTENMENT AND PERCEPTION       Rev. BRIAN W. KEITH       1998

     (Conclusion)

Enlightenment According to Use?

     In view of the almost universal and overwhelming references to an enlightened understanding's perceiving truth in the Word, which leads to use in one's life, is the oft-heard phrase "enlightenment according to the use" valid? Certainly this is not a major aspect of the subject.
     General doctrine can support this notion. It may be argued that since enlightenment looks to the good of use, it can thus be applied to one's occupation or avocation; but this seems a weak foundation upon which to build the concept. However, there is some evidence indicating that it is appropriate to speak of enlightenment relative to one's use, and specifically in regard to the priestly use.
     Governors in the spiritual kingdom "administer all things in accordance with the laws, which they understand because they are wise, and in doubtful matters they are enlightened by the Lord" (HH 215). So politicians can be enlightened!
     A further connection is found in the perceptions people have relative to whatever they are focussed upon. Commenting on people who claim to be incapable of understanding spiritual truths, the Writings point out, "But if such things are told him as relate to his business in the world, even though they are of the most abstruse character, or if he is told the nature of another's affections, and how he may thereby join the person to himself by adapting himself both mentally and orally, this he not only apprehends, but also has a perception of the interior things connected with the matter" (AC 4096:3; cf. AC 3691:4, which suggests there is a perception of charity by one who is in good; however, it does not appear to be the same as enlightenment).

392



     Wherever there is an affection, there is also perception. A wife perceives her husband's affections. A student committed to learning a subject readily absorbs information and retains it. Anyone who has an affection for his use will have insights as to how to do it. While such perceptions are not directly from the Word, and so it seems inappropriate to term them "spiritual enlightenment," they do follow the same pattern as enlightenment.

Enlightenment and the Priesthood

     However, enlightenment is especially tied to the use of the priesthood in several ways, beginning with ordination. "But enlightenment and instruction are communicated especially to the clergy, because these belong to their office, and inauguration into the ministry carries these along with it" (TCR 146).
     Inauguration has real power because it effects a communication of love and delight with the candidate's thought (CL 396:3; AC 6292; SE 6094). So inauguration, which presupposes some form of preparation (TCR 106), effects a change. The new priest has a sight of truth that he would not have had otherwise (cf. Canons 35 where it speaks of clergy being inaugurated with the promise" of the Holy Spirit). Like baptism, holy supper, marriage, etc., this rite actually alters the person. It does not grant him a clear idea of how to resolve the Acton-Odhner debate, nor how to be a competent pastor; but it orients his thinking and feeling to a specific direction, and fixes it there in a way not possible without ordination.
     Enlightenment is also yoked with the performance of the duties of the priest in two ways. Preachers, the Writings observe, believe they are inspired, and some even say they have felt the influx (TCR 146; cf 751). In the other world, a preacher observed that when a group of people receive what he says, he is "as it were, in his enlightenment, and speaks, teaches and confirms those things with ease" (SE 5972).
     The second means whereby enlightenment is associated with the office concerns the operation of the Holy Spirit.

393


The well known series of enlightenment, perception, disposition and instruction speaks to this (TCR 155). "Enlightenment" in this series is said to be from the Lord and clearly is the light shining upon the mind of the priest. However, "perception" and "disposition" have to do with the priest's form of mind that receives the light. His perception is "formed in him by doctrinals." This indicates both preparation and ongoing study as the means by which his understanding receives continued enlightenment. "Disposition" is a result of the priest's love and affections which "disposes." His love for saving souls and his delight in using the truths of the Word as the primary means of achieving spiritual well-being form his will to receive enlightenment. "Instruction" is what is produced or is the result of enlightenment from above according to the priest's perception and disposition.
     A question arises as to exactly what the enlightenment is illuminating and what the priest perceives. If enlightenment is fundamentally tied to the Word, is it a perception of the details of doctrine? how to write an effective sermon for a specific congregation? or does it extend to chairing a board meeting, or identifying and leading the direction in which a congregation should go? While any enlightenment is always based upon having adequate and accurate information and an affection for the truths, suggesting that there will be tremendous variety among those who serve in the priesthood, a strong case can be made for an enlightenment in governing the church in addition to wrestling with information in the Word. For if the fundamental responsibility of the priesthood is to teach the truth and lead thereby to the good of life, it would seem that the enlightenment of the priesthood would apply to both the teaching and the leading functions. In fact, to argue that it has to do only with teaching would seem to suggest that a priest can teach apart from leading - a prescription for an evil shepherd! (See NJHD 315.) (And it seems to me that the thrust of the teachings regarding the priesthood in NJHD 311-318, when taken in total strongly suggest that a priest should be a governor over a congregation; presumably this is a facet of leading to the good of life for which he would need some enlightenment to perform adequately.)

394



     Does this mean that by virtue of ordination a priest will be effective at leading a congregation? Probably not, because the enlightenment of the priesthood is dependent upon perception and disposition. To the extent that a priest does not care nor pay attention to administration and leadership issues, there will be minimal, if any, enlightenment. And to the extent the priest does not acquire knowledges and study these areas, enlightenment will probably not be present. Where there is a disposition and perception, I would assume there would also be enlightenment.
     Does this mean that a priest merely needs to memorize Robert's Rules of Order and the latest theories of leadership in the business world to be enlightened? There are some fundamental natural facts and skills that are extremely useful for a pastor to have; in fact, without them he is likely to have encountered severe challenges. However, I must believe that what sets the leadership of the priesthood apart from that found anywhere else is that it is based upon the teaching of truths leading to what is good. I think the primary challenge for the priest is to be immersed in the Word, to see what is truly good, and to draw forth ideas that can promote good in the life of the congregation. While he may be more or less skilled in administrative details, if he is striving to clearly present truths which lead to good, there will be an enlightened leading to what is good, and he will be a good shepherd, ensuring that the Divine may be among people (Charity 131).

Additional Considerations for Governance

     Beyond this specific connection between the priesthood and government, or leadership, the teachings about enlightenment suggest several applications. However, a caveat first. Virtually any general doctrine can be applied to any practical area. Thus Divine providence, regeneration, correspondences, etc., could be used to inspire thoughts and applications in government (CL 388).

395


But the more the Word itself does not make the connection, or we are not given explicit teachings, the greater is the possibility of reading in our own opinions, experiences, and predispositions. That said, let's consider some potential applications.
     First, as enlightenment is not the domain of the brilliant or few, neither is governing restricted to those few who have a "gift" for it. If ordination carries with it enlightenment, that means all priests are capable of doing it, perhaps some more adeptly than others. But an excuse of "I can't do it" is hard to justify if one works intelligently at it. (More likely it is a case of "I'm not interested in doing it" or "I don't care about it.")
     Second, there are certain goals that can be identified in governing. One is that it is the Lord who governs and we but serve Him. Enlightenment is always from the Lord, not ourselves. He governs the church. Our sight should always be directed to Him with the purpose of having His presence exist in the church. Another is that we should look to the Word as the source of leadership. Nowhere but in the Word can we find the healthiest orientation toward what we are supposed to be doing. And finally, governing is for the purpose of leading to what is good. As enlightenment always leads to an angelic life, so in our leading of the church the spiritual good of people has to be the ultimate objective. Governing is not primarily finding the most convenient or smooth way of doing things. Sometimes it involves challenging people the role of the prophet. This is never to condemn, but to raise people up to a higher vision of what they can be. But this means our organizations may never be as well run as a business or athletic team because our aim is to lead to spiritual good, a less clearly defined and measurable goal than most other organizations have! This does not preclude us from developing more efficient systems. But organization will never be a goal in itself, especially as some of our concerns for people will probably lead us to make "poor" business decisions.

396



     Third, governing, like enlightenment, is not a vision divorced from a process. Both result from a complex set of pre-conditions, motivations, and conscious actions. Teaching and leading are intrinsically connected with those whom we serve. There should be the constant consent of those governed. In fact, governance in the church is not a process of command, but of being a presence of the Divine with people so that the church as a whole can promote spiritual good.
     Enlightenment is also based upon what we know. Our ability to govern will be based upon the knowledges we have. This places a responsibility on us to learn as much as we can - about the people we serve, the systems within the congregations, and various techniques which may be useful. (This last includes counseling, business principles, church-growth practices, speech training, and virtually anything else that will enable people to listen to the Lord and respond to Hs direction.) Even as enlightenment is dependent upon "abundant truths" and a variety of truths, we need to gather information - to listen. Governance in the General Church without counsel - active, even aggressive, counsel - cannot exist. In fact, apart from counsel there is only dictatorship.
     Governing will function best when our vision is expanded rather than restricted. As enlightenment comes from a comparison of passages, so we need to keep our minds open to other viewpoints, both before any decision is made and afterwards when evaluating the results. The challenge for us is not to focus so much on one external form that we miss finding a better accommodation, or that that one becomes inflexible and dead. If a program is our brainchild, it is very difficult to hear opposition to it, and even more difficult to have it cast aside in favor of something else. But enlightened leadership should be less interested in one specific external form than in engaging a variety of viewpoints. An added advantage to this is that when people are involved in the creation of a program or reaching a decision, it is far easier for them to support it. The as-if-from-self is very powerful. Thus the process takes precedence over the product.

397


(Obviously, there are some clear areas where a specific outcome is essential. Legal issues, such as an accusation of child abuse, cannot be ignored or wait for consensus to develop. Or if a few church members want to use the sanctuary for a political rally, the answer will be "no" regardless of their viewpoint. The point is that attention to the process by which decisions are made is vital for the leadership of the priest to be accepted. In fact, where people feel their participation is not encouraged, there is likely to be a sense that it is not the Lord who is governing.)
     Another aspect of this is our need to seek enlightenment on how to govern. When we are thinking about the future of a congregation or must make a mundane decision, do we give it the proper attention? Do we pray to the Lord about it? Or do we rely on the advice and opinions of whoever happens to feel passionately about the subject? Enlightenment requires that we approach the Lord, and not just be cognizant of external pressure and noise. If the Lord is to order the knowledges we have, our minds need to spend time with Him.
     And when we think we see what ought to happen, what next? The process of drawing truths from the letter and then confirming them might suggest that when we have a sense of direction, we should check it out rather than just proclaim that this is where the congregation should go. How do people react? Can they support it, or do they see significant problems with it? In other words, do they see the truth which leads to good or not? If we espouse a vision which people cannot understand, or cannot see that it is from the Word, or cannot accept it because it is too far removed from their states, then we have accomplished little.
     Finally, the teachings about enlightenment suggest two critical warnings for us to keep in mind regarding governance. As enlightenment is progressive based upon regenerating states, so our spiritual states will affect our ability to lead. This is no different than Benade's charge to New Church teachers: "A teacher's first duty in preparation for the education of others is therefore to educate himself, i.e., to shun the evils which bring him into evil associations" (Conversations on Education, 1976 edition, p. 7).

398


Yes, less-than-regenerate folks can govern, so there is hope for younger clergy! However, less spiritually mature states are more likely to have their understandings elevated above their wills, resulting in its being a more temporary state. The reality seems to be that our flaws and failings cannot but have an influence on how we govern. (Secular authors have described this in terms of psychological "projection" - imposing our issues on those around us. So, for example, a priest who has unresolved issues with his father is likely to have more trouble with the board, whom he subconsciously may perceive as a father figure. Edwin Friedman in his insightful Generation to Generation - Family Process in Church and Synagogue describes this process - both the problems it creates and the potential for positively influencing a congregation.) So a primary objective, if we are to become better leaders, is to attend to our own spiritual health. Also, it suggests that we have to be vigilant whenever governing to examine what loves and affections are motivating us so that we can shun the improper ones.
     The other warning is derived from the issue of how certain we can be that we are in enlightened states. How can we know that we are governing appropriately? Most external measures - Is attendance down this month? Are people happy with the number of social events? Has the bishop received any complaints lately? - are essential feedback mechanisms; however, they are not the sole measurement, nor necessarily even the most important. To the extent that we are functioning from the Word teaching truth and promoting what is good in the congregation - we may have some confidence that we are not entirely lost. However, the details of governing are likely to yield far less certainty. Should we consider moving the church building? Are we doing the right things in evangelization? How forcefully should I encourage Jane to take over the Sunday School? These questions may never be resolved with any certainty that the decision was correct.

399



     However, such uncertainty should not paralyze the process of government. It should only indicate that we are in appearances, which can be gradually dispersed as we progress. It is only by leading and reexamining our leading (like drawing doctrine and checking it against the letter before drawing more) that the Lord can direct our feet. Mistakes will be made and we will see many things more clearly in hindsight. But it is only by engaging in the process that progress can be made. Perhaps the greatest caution here is that we maintain a humble spirit - not taking credit for the Lord's leadership, nor feeling too certain that the path we see is the only one.

Final Thoughts

     Enlightenment is very, very simple. While there will always be limitations and puzzlement when the finite tries to comprehend the Infinite, the Lord has revealed - not hidden - spiritual things. The Lord has given everyone the ability to see what is true, to understand the essential truths of life. He is the Light of the world, and while the darkness of selfishness does not comprehend it, He is shining forth to all who will look upward toward Him.
     In the Word the Lord has shown Himself and the paths on which we can walk to His kingdom. While we may stumble at times and lose a clear sense of where we should go, the light of the Word remains steady before us. Whenever we turn toward Him with a humble heart, our eyes can be opened.
TURNING THE FACE TO THE LORD 1998

TURNING THE FACE TO THE LORD              1998

     Those who believe good to be from the Lord turn the face to Him, and receive the enjoyment and the blessedness of good.
     Divine Providence 93

400


MASCULINE PRINCIPLE 1998

MASCULINE PRINCIPLE       Rev. ALAIN NICOLIER       1998

     (Conclusion)

     (Readings: Gen. 11, Mark 16, CL 396)

     " . . . [L]et Us ... confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech" (Gen. 11: 7).

     Since the mind of a man has a distinct form, he has a reception of the Divine influx which is peculiar to him. His nature, thus formed, is different from a woman's, and gives rise to his own language and way of expressing himself.
     At the beginning of the golden age the man and the woman had a perception of this difference in language, and each instinctively adapted to the other.
     Conjugial love did not need to be learned for it was innate, emanating from the conjunction of their will and their understanding. This conjunction enabled them to fully receive the conjugial sphere flowing forth from the Divine Human without its being divided as it is in our day.
     It certainly is no longer like that today. Since Babel and the flood, the will and the understanding are separated, making it necessary for the man and the woman to acquire this knowledge of conjugial love. They no longer instinctively understand each other, but must learn each other's language in order to establish the conjugial relationship and live in harmony.
     We have seen already that at the beginning of every couple's relationship, each makes the effort to give of him- or herself, to pay attention and to be tolerant, because that is part of the romantic game. After a time, the natural of each takes over again and resumes its own language. Even though the same words or expressions are used, the husband and wife little by little forget that their interpretations are different - if indeed they ever knew.
     Good communication requires the participation of both partners.

401


The man must always remember that even if the other complains while airing her problems, this does not mean she is blaming him for them. A woman expresses her frustrations by verbalizing them: this process of letting the thoughts leave her head helps her to get in touch with her intuition. It is by speaking of her problems to someone who listens to her, without offering solutions, that a woman can feel supported and cared about. It is good when, on her part, she at the same time communicates to the man that she appreciates his listening and his presence, and that she is not making him the cause of all her problems. It is necessary for her to remember that the man feels frustrated by problems which are expressed if he cannot contribute to their resolution, and that is why she must tell him that it helps her a lot if he just listens.
     Good communication also implies a good knowledge of the cycles through which both sexes go. In Part 4 we saw that the man passes suddenly from a state in which he is close to the woman to a state of distance and total retreat. That is because of his masculine character which is dependent on fluctuations of time and of light. It has been said that the masculine alternations which flow from fluctuations of the state of wisdom make his mind spiritually go through days and nights.
     Another comparison made in the Writings represents masculine cycles, in relation to the woman, like breathing. The man, who receives wisdom from the Divine Human, brings spiritual light to the conjugial relationship, or, we might even say, spiritual oxygen. A very beautiful passage in Conjugial Love expresses this exchange in this way: "We are [one]. Her life is in me, and my life is in her. We have two bodies but one soul. The union between us is like the union of the two tabernacles in the breast which are called the heart and the lungs. She is my heart and I am her lungs .... She is the love of my wisdom, and I am the wisdom of her love. Therefore her love outwardly clothes my wisdom, and my wisdom is inwardly within her love" (CL 75).
     Numerous passages describe in detail the relationship between the heart and the lungs, and how each organ functions (see TCR 371, 87; AC 3887; DLW 384).

402


These can enlighten us as to the cyclical exchanges which exist between the man and the woman in the building of the conjugial. We are going to emphasize the masculine cycles specifically here, and thus the respiration in the context of relationship. How does the man behave in his relationship with the woman? How is he her lungs?
     Here we must observe that the passage from CL 75 describes the celestial angel and thus a virtually perfect couple relationship, while the relationship that we all are familiar with is merely on the road to perfection. The man is learning to be the lungs in its marriage with the feminine heart.
     The lungs breathe in two phases: inspiration and expiration (see DP 319), corresponding spiritually to two phases of masculine behavior. In the phase of breathing in, the man is filled with Divine truth and is expanded: he is then full of energy and is capable of giving of himself. In this first phase he is close to his wife - understanding, tender, ready to listen, and able to offer her his support, for he feels "inspired."
     It is in this phase of inspiration that the lungs oxygenate the blood, and so the man vivifies the love that he receives from his wife by the wisdom which he has assimilated. This love thus becomes enlightened as to what direction it should go in order to take form in use.
     So there is a perpetual exchange between the heart and the lungs, and it is this very dynamic that generates the conjugial relationship. The heart, by its right ventricle, sends the blood into the lungs, and the lungs in turn send back blood, oxygenated and vivified, to the left atrium of the heart.
     The woman loves the wisdom of the man, because by it she finds direction for her life; without it, she feels emptied or without life.
     In a couple where the man has no wisdom, there is no life.

403


What happens to someone when he loses consciousness or suffocates? His respiration is shut off, he is as though dead, he does not feel, does not move, has no will, and yet the heart continues to beat and the blood circulates, thereby preventing him from dying altogether.
     If his breathing does not resume quickly, his brain runs the risk of sustaining irreversible lesions which can bring on a deep coma which requires artificial respiratory assistance. From the time the lungs begin to breathe again, the individual is able to regain his senses, his will, his spirit and his faculty of movement; it is said that he "regains consciousness."
     We come now to the second phase of this breathing, which is expiration, when the lungs, in relaxing, reject the carbonic gas and the toxins contained in the blood. In fact, the air stored up by the lungs supplies the blood with oxygen, and the blood in turn takes it to all the cells of the body.
     By this new supply of oxygen the cells free themselves of carbonic gas and other impurities, and so are cleansed. Hence the importance of the quality of the air, for if it is vitiated as in the case of heavy pollution, then the organism lacks oxygen and becomes sick.
     In this phase of breathing the man is emptied so he can once more be filled up again. He certainly does not then feel capable of giving of himself, for he is getting rid of toxins. In this second stage, the man is distant and goes inside of himself-, he is not available and does not then feel "inspired" but "expired" or "emptied."
     This is the cycle that the man, who is the lungs of the conjugial relationship, goes through, and that the woman should learn to understand in order to deal well with these cycles. His cycles alternate between presence and absence, giving of himself and retreat, inspiration and expiration.
     If the man and the woman don't know about or don't understand how these lungs function in a relationship, it is occasion for numerous conflicts.

404


In fact, most women are surprised to find out that in spite of their partner's love for them he nevertheless experiences a need to go off from time to time and to withdraw into a form of muteness and a lack of contact.
     Men instinctively experience this need, which is not the result of a choice or a personal decision, but the product of the internal masculine cycle. After having given himself, the man needs to build his resources up to the level of autonomy and independence; he expands in order to again contract.
     We must not confuse expiration with the retreat of the man caused by a dispute, or by a lack of understanding or some other negative emotion like sullenness. (This also is a common state, but more obvious and not cyclical.) A man becomes distant even when everything is going well with the couple, and the woman needs to know that it is for his good, and that if she respects his cycle of intimacy, he will soon be in touch with her and again dynamic.
     Many are the women who interpret this sort of retreat poorly, because they themselves retreat for other reasons. The woman becomes distant when she is afraid that her husband does not understand her feelings, or when she has been hurt by his bad behavior or disappointed in her expectations.
     Becoming distant is automatic with the man, and when his expiration phase is finished, that is, when he, in his wisdom, has sorted things out in order to eliminate the spiritual toxins, he begins to breathe in again and so to again become sociable, available and inclined to open up.
     When the man begins to breathe in again, he takes up the conjugial relationship wherever he had left it, without feeling the need to readapt to his partner. But she, having previously felt rejected, often cannot feel close and cannot understand the reason for his temporary inaccessibility.
     The mistake the woman most often commits is to try to be close when her husband is entering his retreat phase. This disturbs his natural cycle, preventing him from isolating himself for the purpose of rebuilding his resources, and then to feel the need to be close again freely on his own.

405



     By trying to maintain intimacy and forcing companionship she, in reality, cuts them off. Because if a man does not have that vital space for entering freely into the retreat or expiration phase, neither can he feel his desire to draw closer, toward intimacy. He needs to feel his need to love and to be loved as coming from himself and in his time.
     Of course the interval between cycles can be longer or shorter, depending upon individual men who have respiratory rhythms more or less rapid. This can be difficult to live with, especially for women whose partners do not cultivate wisdom.
     For a woman it is disconcerting to sense this need for closeness which the man suddenly manifests without preliminaries, because for her a time for adjustment is indispensable. If she does not understand the difference which exists between the man's cycles and her own, she cannot trust the abrupt desire for intimacy that her partner experiences, and can push him away.
     Men need to understand this fundamental difference that they have with women, in regard to getting back in touch. Whereas the man is straightforward and in a hurry, the woman needs time to open up again, to talk and to share in order to reconnect with his breathing-in phase in which he wants closeness, relational and physical.
     The transition is made more easily if the man makes an effort to understand that the woman might have been hurt and felt rejected when he entered his retreat phase, and that he needs to be patient and persevering, gentle and listening, in order to allow her to adapt to his phase change. Love is above all an effort of adaptation to the cycles and to the language of the other, so that the heart-lungs exchange may be the most harmonious one possible.
     The man, the lungs of the conjugial relationship, breathes in and breathes out, and goes through states of intimacy and closeness which alternate with states of independence and retreat. Lacking an understanding of this, many couples begin to doubt that their love is real and to become more and more frustrated.

406


Indeed the woman, who is intuitive, senses when her husband begins to become distant and silent, and chooses precisely this moment to reassure herself, wanting to initiate some sort of sharing in an effort to keep their feeling of companionship alive. While he, on his part, continues to distance himself, she then concludes that he does not want to talk, that he is indifferent toward her, or even that he has no feeling for her at all. If the lack of understanding persists, this situation often degenerates and results in a separation for a longer or shorter period.
     It is essential for a man to consult the Word of Life to be instructed in truths and develop his wisdom so that he can understand his masculine identity and be true lungs for his wife, in order to bring to her purified oxygen and truths which, when joined to her love, will be able to build a mutual, angelic relationship.
     To do that, the man must look to his Creator, to his Father in heaven, in order to receive Divine inspiration from Him.
     Let us remember that Adam became a living and conscious soul only from the moment when "Elohim breathed into his nostrils the breath of life" (Gen. 2:7). Before that there was no real man (Gen. 2:5).
     In the same way Jesus Christ, after sending out His disciples to announce the good news throughout the world, breathed into them His Divine breath, the carrier of the Divine Wisdom which enlightens all the nations. It is written: "'Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.' And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them: 'Receive the holy breath. If you remit the sins of any, they are remitted them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained"' (John 20:21-23)*
     * It is interesting to note the two phases in the action of remission and retention.

407


NEW CHURCH LEADERSHIP IN THE NEW CENTURY 1998

NEW CHURCH LEADERSHIP IN THE NEW CENTURY       Rev. Grant R. SCHNARR       1998

     (Conclusion)

     All Things Made New

Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new" (Rev. 21:5).

     In the Apocalypse Revealed these words are said to signify the passing away of the former false heaven and the former church on earth, and the establishment of the new heaven and the New Church (AR 886). The Writings go on to tell us that a new spiritual freedom will exist where people are not automatically duped by the false doctrines of the former church into a life of spiritual darkness, but will have the ability, if they so desire, to approach the Lord in light (Ibid., BE 96). We are told that the former faith, which is passing away, has no life in it and is not the church, but that, "Widely different is the case with the dogma or doctrinals of the New Church; these are all essentials, in each of which there is heaven and the church; and they regard this as their end, that man may be in the Lord, and the Lord in man" (BE 97). That man may be in the Lord, and that the Lord may be in man - this is the essence of all things being made new in the New Church.
     We can see this in individual lives when someone comes into contact with the church, as well as when one applies the doctrines to life. I remember one newcomer's remarking that after he had read Heaven and Hell, his first book of the Writings, he walked outside and looked into the street at the familiar buildings in front of his home, the signposts, the trees, the sky, and somehow they all looked different to him at that moment. In fact, his perspective on life changed permanently. How much more so when these newly found doctrines are applied to life.

408


This is when the lusts of the natural man are subdued, the wants, the fears, the misconceptions dissipated, and a new love is born for the Lord and for service to the neighbor! All things are made new in individual lives as they live by the revealed Word.
     The freedom that has been restored for individuals' reformation and regeneration is at the heart of the Lord's new coming. However, this does not apply only to the individual but also to the entire Christian world. The old will be exposed and rejected, and the new will be revealed and adopted. The Writings indicate that externally things will look pretty much the same after the Last Judgment (LJ 73). There will be different churches with different doctrines, and there will be various religions among the gentiles, etc. However, as the doctrines of the former church are set aside, and the doctrines of the New Church are adopted, will this only affect internals, or will it also affect the externals of the church? Since the new birth of spiritual freedom with those who have been under the dominion of the dragon, will there come new forms more accurately expressing the internals of the New Church? (This is not to say that the essentials of the church or of worship, including the sacraments, will not remain intact, but the understanding of these will grow, and the clothing around these may change, or take on a variety of appearances.)
     Another question which comes to mind as we contemplate the words, "Behold I am making all things new," is: Should the New Church remain in the externals which have been traditionally handed down from the former church? If viewed in terms of a church which is to grow in its understanding and life in the Lord and His Word, I wonder whether the church will not change and grow in terms of its application.
     I'm not a historian, but I wonder how many former Christian Church customs came into existence or were solidified after the Nicene Council in 325 A.D. - after the church began its downward spiritual trend. Are we ready to say that these external forms and customs are the true form for the people of the world from this point forward to as long as the earth exists?

409


And this question is posed about not only traditional forms of worship adopted from the former church, but government, education, evangelization techniques, the business of the church, and so on. When the Lord says of the New Church, the crown of churches for ages and ages for all people of every language and culture for all time, "Behold, I am making all things new," perhaps we can recognize that His vision for the church on earth is greater and far more reaching and comprehensive than our limited view based on our own predisposition and culture.
     The statement "Behold I am making all things new" can be a call to the church to allow for healthy change. Even as a person must be ready to not only change internally but change externally in life, so the church must be willing to allow for healthy change which better reflects the internal changes which have been brought about by the Lord. Though we will have a propensity to draw from our own culture, and I imagine that most of what we do in the church will reflect our indigenous roots, if we raise our thoughts to the Lord's reaching out to all people to make things new, we will necessarily adopt an attitude which allows for change. If the organized New Church desires to reflect this newness, we must allow for newness, for without the ability to change, the external clothing of the internal church cannot be made new.
     This too is not a new idea. George de Charms writes in Principles of Government, "The purpose of religion is to bring man's will into harmonious cooperation with the Lord's will. If, then, man is bound by religious conscience to external forms, to modes of procedure or of application, so that from spiritual affection he is induced to cling to them after their real usefulness has passed; or if he is led to insist upon them for all men and for every nation, regardless of differing spiritual states and needs, his will cannot fail to become alienated from the Divine Providence. When this happens, man's religion loses its vital soul and becomes a natural superstition out of touch with genuine truth.

410


Man's will can be in harmony with the Lord's will only so far as he looks to what is eternal. To do this he must constantly seek Divine guidance. He must be prepared at all times to modify his traditional ideas in accord with the direct teaching of the Word" (p. 4).
     We want to look to the Lord's Word for the appropriate externals for the church. And yet when we reflect on the vast and unlimited knowledge that has been revealed to us in the Heavenly Doctrines, we see that the potential for external forms reflecting different states and cultures is also vast. Though we will desire to reflect our own cultural roots, and may very well continue to use many of the externals which have been adopted from the former church, we can foster an environment that allows for development of externals which more deeply reflect New Church doctrine and way of life. We can foster an environment where creativity has its place in forming appropriate externals which reflect internals in the various uses of the church, including worship, education, evangelization, and the life of the church. We may have yet to discover a mode of teaching children which is far more effective and reflective of the Lord's Word than what has been adopted by the rest of the world so far. We may find means of evangelization which are not practiced by traditional Christianity and yet appeal to the mass of people in a way that the Lord can lead them to His Word with greater freedom and acceptance. We may find that though changes in the forms of worship are painful, and must be taken with great care, more people with different dispositions and modes of learning are able to be reached and are able to worship in a state more conducive to their internal relationship with the Lord. We may find that there are changes in church government that more deeply reflect what the Word teaches about priestly leadership and human freedom. Fostering a healthy attitude toward change and fostering an environment where creativity has its place in forming appropriate externals that reflect internals will allow for this to happen.1
     1. The Writings warn against innovation, but it is doctrinal innovation, for the sake of self-promotion, and also the introduction of idolatry and magic into the ancient church which are spoken of (see AC 1188, 1195, 1241, 3900).

411



     There is another area where the organized church could do much to cooperate with the Lord in making all things new. This is in the establishment of His kingdom on the earth. If we look at the human race even over the last two centuries, we can see where the New Church has made a difference in the shaping of human history and religious thought. We can find direct links to the antislavery movement in Europe, the twelve-step programs which affect millions, the influence on many newer American religions, psychology, government, science, architecture, and in so many other areas. A combination of the greater spiritual freedom afforded people from the spiritual world, and individuals who have in one way or another shared New Church doctrines with the world, have influenced many. We see Divine Providence working so quietly yet firmly in establishing the Lord's kingdom on the earth, and this by means of His church. As the New Church moves forward into the depths of the human race with a genuine respect for fellow human beings, and the dedication to share the truths of the Second Coming with all who will hear, how many more people will be touched, and how many lives will be made new?

     Reaching Varied Human States

And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. And her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of Israel (Rev. 21:10-12).

412




     John's vision of the New Jerusalem goes on to describe not only the ability of the Lord to make all things new by means of the New Church, but the ability to reach the vast variety of human states as they approach and dwell in the city. The "Glory of God" shining forth with light is the Word understood, because it is now "transparent by virtue of its spiritual sense." The walls of the city represent the doctrine of the New Church derived from the sense of the letter of the Word. And its gates, three on each side, represent "the Divine truths and goods of heaven, which are also the Divine truths and goods of the church" (see AR 897-900).
     It is important to note that the names of the twelve tribes of Israel are written on the gates, and that the gates face the four directions or quarters. This signifies that all states of humanity are addressed, and that all who are willing to learn of the Lord and follow His Word are welcome to the New Jerusalem. We are told, "'Toward the east three gates, toward the north three gates, toward the south three gates, and toward the west three gates' signifies that the cognitions of truth and good, in which they have spiritual life out of heaven from the Lord, by means of which introduction into the New Church is effected, are for those who are in the love or affection of good, [some] more and [some] less, and for those who are wise in the wisdom or affection of truth, [some] more and [some] less" (AR 901). We are also told in many places in the Writings, "'Tribes' as well as 'twelve' meant all things of faith in their entirety, that is, all the truths of the kingdom" (AC 3448:7; see also AC 3858, 3272:4).
     The Lord reaches out to all in His Second Coming, and provides that all may be instructed according to their own dispositions. There will be a variety of people who will respond to the Lord's calling and enter the New Jerusalem. Along with the variety of different people with different dispositions will be a variety of people in different states of faith. There are many means of teaching because there are many modes of learning. There is a variety of ways of expressing one's faith because there is a variety of states of faith.

413


Though there is a limitation on how much variety can exist in smaller congregations, say, in worship, because of a shortage of congregants to maintain several services, and a shortage of resources, nevertheless it seems from what has been said above that meeting a variety of human states in the life of the church is a goal to be sought after. Allowing the church to take various forms, especially as the church spreads to different cultures, takes into account not only the variety of human states but individual cultural freedom. What bonds varying churches together, for instance, in different countries and cultures, is the Word itself, and the acknowledgment of the Lord now revealed in His Word.
     Again, it is important to point out that striving for appropriate ritual is not a new goal of the church. Bishop N. D. Pendleton said in 1919, "Now it must be that the New Church, of all the churches, must have a ritual which is symbolic and representative of the interior things that are involved in its life. It must be so. The only question the New Churchmen can debate is as to whether this or that or the other thing is the best, the clearest, or the simplest representation of the idea that is involved. That is all .... Our ritual, I believe, will ever tend to clarify and simplify, from year to year. We shall go forward in the earnest effort to make ever new representations of the Divine. I say it is a noble work to engage in, not only for the sake of our children and the storing of remains with them, but for the sake of ourselves and the establishing of deep and profound affections" (Selected Papers and Addresses, pp. 105, 107). Perhaps from what we have learned over the years, as we turn to the new century, we would add the following: "And this will be of value not only to us and our children, but to everyone who is called to the New Church and who enters the city."
     When we look to the spread of the New Church in varying cultures, the use of variety becomes more apparent. Different cultures will apply their understanding of the doctrine relating to all facets of application in different ways. There will be different forms of church government, education, evangelization, and worship.

414


People in Sri Lanka will have a different way of expressing their enlightened doctrinal vision of the New Church from those in Korea with their enlightened doctrinal vision of the New Church. People in Ghana will educate their children with a variety of different means than those of South Africa. Methods of evangelization will be very different in non-Christian worlds than they are in the United States or elsewhere. Worship will be different, reflecting different internal and external states. Recognizing this, we also realize the importance of preserving individual freedom, especially for worship. For we know that worship that is compelled causes great harm, and becomes dead worship (DP 137).
     The Word tells us of the New Jerusalem: "The nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there)" (Rev. 21:24, 25). The Writings explain that all who are in the good of life and believe in the Lord will live in the New Church in accordance with Divine truths (AR 920), and they will confess the Lord and ascribe all truth and good to Him (AR 921). Those who are in truths derived from the good of love from the Lord are continually being received into the New Jerusalem (AR 822), bringing honor and blessing. That is an awesome picture! And even now, as the church begins to spread into new cultures and lands, we sense the joy of brothers and sisters as they confess the Lord in His Divine Human and turn to Him for direction in life. We share that joy. Even though our language is different, and sometimes the color of our skin, and even though we share no common ancestry, history, or heritage, we rejoice in the knowledge that the church is one, because it is in the Lord. This is what binds us, and this is what allows the New Church in every land and with every people to express the beautiful variety of the human race in worship to the Lord, and in a life in His ways. With a strong recognition that it is the Lord that binds us together in His church, we can encourage, foster, and support the variety of humanity who turn to the Lord and joyfully enter His holy city.

415




     A Kingdom of Uses

And His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads (Rev. 22:3, 4).

     Charity and faith are nothing unless they come into use. This is taught throughout the Writings. That those who dwell in the New Jerusalem will serve the Lord represents the life of good which will come into effect through being conjoined with the Lord and following His commandments (AR 937). The New Church is a place which fosters the life of religion in all its useful service. In fact, "from use, through use, and according to use, life is given by the Lord" (AC 503). Therefore, we know that heaven is a kingdom of uses, all there performing a use which contributes to the whole (HH 112, 405:2).
     As we have explored previously, the church is to act in accord with the new heaven (AR 533). That is why we pray, "As in heaven, so upon the earth," and pray that the Lord's kingdom may come. The uses one performs as a result of shunning evils as sins, and living a life of honesty, justice, and faithfulness are the core of what it means to live the life of charity (Life 21, HH 535, TCR 422). We also know that, "There is no charity unless there are the works of charity" (AC 997). So the Lord tells us, "Herein is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so shall you be My disciples" (John 15:8). From the many teachings in the Writings about the importance of charity and good works, and the many beautiful teachings about heaven being a kingdom of uses, it would be worth exploring how the church can foster individuals' useful service to society and to the church. We can have a philosophy which says that any and all works of love and charity or useful service are a matter left to individuals, or we can have a vision that anything the church can do to foster acts of charity, service, and love, whether it is for fellow human beings or for the church itself, is of value and can be encouraged.

416



     We know that benefactions of charity are matters of individual free choice, and also how they can help some people toward true charity (see TCR 425, 426). We also know that people in true charity will perform benefactions, and that this is part of the life of good (AC 351, 615, 5132). But aside from benefactions, there are works of charity of all varying degrees of usefulness which allow people to express the marriage of love and faith in their lives. The organized church can, if it chooses, help people to discover what useful ways individuals can serve the neighbor and the church, and even provide means of allowing people to perform such services.
     The question is, What can the organized church do to involve lay people in meaningful service to the church? We have our "ministries," though we don't usually call them such. We have teachers, ushers, Sunday School leaders, those who do donate their time to the business operations of the church, church cleaners, people who help with worship, bake goods for different events, donate time for manual work, and many more uses. But it is sad that these are not seen as much as they could be as a useful ministry of lay people for the church. Can we honor these uses in a new way, allowing people to see that they are of great service in performing them? Can we encourage others to bring forth their talents in service to the church and provide means, if only occasionally, where they can say with meaning, "Today I am donating my time and my talent to the church." Or even better, can they say with happy hearts, "The church wants what I have to offer, and I can do what I love for the church!"
     To the degree that we are able to encourage lay people, both men and women, toward meaningful service, and provide them with an opportunity to perform such services in the name of and for the church, the genuine desire to serve the Lord, on the part of individual members of the church, will come into greater and greater states of fruition.

417


It may entail a different way of looking at the church organization and church uses, but one which can lead to a more complete and useful representation of the Lord's church in the heavens and thus upon the earth, where people can serve the Lord with gladness.

     Conclusion

And the Spirit and the Bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. And whoever desires, let him take of the water of life freely (Rev. 22:17).

     How can anyone read the words above and not be filled with gladness? It is an invitation and a promise. The Writings tell us that this means, "That he who knows anything of the Lord's coming, and of the New Heaven and the New Church, thus of the Lord's kingdom, will pray that it may come, and that he who longs for truths will pray that the Lord may come with light, and that he who loves truths is then going to accept those things from the Lord without any exertion of his own" (AR 956). We are those who know of His coming, this tiny group of individuals, who, in the hand of Providence, have been gathered together at this time in history to witness, to believe, to live this new faith. In humility and awe, may we pray that the Lord's kingdom will descend into our hearts and lives, and into the hearts and lives of all who long for the light of His revealed Word. The promise is made, the way has been restored, the water flows freely from the city of light.
     Though the struggle to establish the Lord's church on earth is real, because the forces of evil are real and active in the world, the vision of the Lord's Holy City New Jerusalem carries with it the very real presence of the Lord, in His power and in His love and light. With a strong dedication to the truth, not for the sake of truth alone but for the sake of the good of life, the organization we call the church can go forward with confidence in the Lord, in performing its vital use to all of humanity. By means of the church the Lord can dwell among His people, as the visible Divine Human, the tabernacle of God now with men.

418


There will be no more fear, spiritual death, sorrow, crying, or labor, but rather healing, comfort, mutual love, use, and an endless variety of combinations of these. Instead of darkness, people will be able to walk in the light. All who desire, from every background and disposition, may enter through the gates of that city and into the light. And the nations will bring their honor and glory into it. It is an awesome vision.
     As said in the beginning of this article, I know that I can become discouraged in this work of the church. All of us can. Sometimes in our struggle to establish the church on earth we can lose sight of the Lord's Providence. We can look at the world and wonder why. We can look at the awesome task before the leaders of the church and wonder how. In the pain, the real pain of the New Church to bring forth the newly revealed doctrine into life, we can cry out, "Why, Lord? How long, O Lord? What now, Lord?" And the Lord does answer us in His Word. He says, "Behold I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last" (Rev. 22:12, 13).

"'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice? . . . . Is this not the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break the yoke? Is it not to share the bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, 'Here I am"' (Isa. 58:3, 6-9).

419


CIGARETTES, YOUNG PEOPLE AND A HUMAN OUTLOOK 1998

CIGARETTES, YOUNG PEOPLE AND A HUMAN OUTLOOK       Editor       1998




     Editorial Pages
     A phenomenon of the 1990s is the remarkable number of young people who smoke cigarettes. I remember a young person I taught in Sunday School. He took up smoking at a very early age. I showed some disapproval of this choice, but back in those days we did not have many facts and statistics about the danger of smoking. Now I am wondering whether if I had been armed with such facts, I could have influenced his decisions or perhaps even have helped him avoid the lung cancer which eventually caused his death.
     We now have a tremendous fund of data to warn us about cigarettes, and for many of us it is astonishing that young people do not seem to take such ominous data into consideration. Intelligent, healthy young people in countries throughout the earth are choosing to smoke regardless of the ubiquitous warnings.
     Cigarettes are not a suitable subject for this magazine, but the phenomenon can be related to teachings of the Writings. Some readers may remember a series of editorials entitled "Like Sweet Drugs That Kill." This series in 1984 was inspired by the saying early in the Doctrine of Charity that evils are indeed "like sweet drugs that kill."
     A much more recent series of editorials was about what a fool says in his heart. We have considered places in the Writings in which the thoughts of a foolish heart are put into words for us to see objectively.
     Consider this example: "Let this be so, and let it come, but so long as I am here let me be in the pleasures and joys of my heart. The present I know; what is to come I give no thought to; no more evil will come to me than to very many others" (AE 1165).
     A point being made here is that punishment or the fear of painful consequences cannot of itself change us inwardly. It is something to ponder. A human being will not be inwardly changed by punishment.
     (To be continued)

420


REVEALED TRUTH FROM THE LORD OR SWEDENBORG'S INSIGHTS INFLUENCED BY LUTHER? 1998

REVEALED TRUTH FROM THE LORD OR SWEDENBORG'S INSIGHTS INFLUENCED BY LUTHER?       Editor       1998

     This magazine has for more than a century been "devoted to the teachings revealed through Emanuel Swedenborg." The magazine exists because the Lord has revealed wonderful things in the books penned and published by Emanuel Swedenborg. The service of this good news is what we are about, and we find this year a new occasion for explaining why we think this important.
     A book has recently been published expressing a contrasting position. We began to look at the book in the last issue. This is not a review, but an editorial opportunity to promote understanding of the Writings. It is a particularly good opportunity because the author of this new book, Dr. Theodore Klein, sets forth his views without a trace of the argumentative spirit or the ill will that can so easily mar theological considerations. He does not belittle anyone or deny that views different from his own could be sincerely held.
     In an excellent spirit he presents his own position and the slant of the Swedenborg School of Religion where he teaches. For example, he says, "My perspective on Swedenborg's theological works has shifted from viewing them as scripture to be literally followed to viewing them as valuable insights that arose from unique and sustained spiritual experiences" (p. 10, The Power of Service, J. Appleseed and Co.). He emphatically repeats this perspective, expressing it in different ways, and he names the General Church as being in a different view, doing so in a charitable tone.
     Our purpose here is not to try to change his views but to use this as an opportunity for better understanding. Let's begin with the matter of whether what is given in the Writings can be ascribed to Martin Luther or to his influence. This and Swedenborg's cultural bias seem to be popular themes in recent years with people who share Dr. Klein's perspective on the Writings.
     This year a Swedenborgian publication said that Swedenborg was "merely following the cultural traditions of his day," and particularly of teachings in the book Conjugial Love it says, "and so we are not bound to follow them.

421


I believe that he, with his Lutheran upbringing followed Luther."1 This recent book says that Swedenborg believed he had been called by God, "yet he was simultaneously influenced by the Lutheran view of scripture as the only source of authority . . . " (p. 16).
     1. This is from the March issue of Lifeline. The writer says that what Swedenborg derived from Luther, Luther derived from earlier thinkers.
     Some would be at pains to show that the Writings, rather than containing revelation from the Lord, contain insights, some derived from Luther. Others see it quite differently. While both sides should be free to hold a particular view, it is beneficial for writers and scholars to take care in separating fact from conjecture. Dr. Klein's book says that prior to writing True Christian Religion Swedenborg examined Lutheran constructs, and it goes on to say, "In True Christian Religion, published in 1771, he proposed what he understood to be a truly Christian way of rethinking Lutheran theology." Did Swedenborg understand that work to be a rethinking of Lutheran theology? So far we have not found any statement by Swedenborg supporting that. Concerning True Christian Religion Swedenborg wrote to the universities, "I will give to the press the whole theology of the New Church, the foundation whereof will be the worship of the Lord, our Savior." Conjectures are useful, but they are best when they are labelled as conjectures. This promotes understanding and respect.
     I think I actually gained more understanding and respect for this book when I discovered what I think to be a small mistake at the beginning. This possible mistake, concerning Conjugial Love, will be explained at the end of this editorial. Our present focus is on Luther. In Brief Exposition and other works written before TCR it is clear that Swedenborg had been quite familiar with the particulars of Lutheran theology.
     Five years before writing TCR, Swedenborg wrote Apocalypse Revealed. This book begins with an extensive summary of what Catholics and Protestants believe.

422


Swedenborg alludes to Luther as part of that summary.
     There is a section of True Christian Religion devoted directly to certain religious thinkers. Luther, although given less attention than Calvin, is directly spoken of.
     Swedenborg spoke with Luther in the other world and chided him on the very point of looking to Scripture rather than to one's own intelligence.2 Eventually Luther reached the point where he could "laugh at his former dogmas as things diametrically opposed to the Word" (n. 796). Reading things like this, we are not disposed to think of this work as a rethinking of Lutheran theology.
     2. Swedenborg's statements about the Word or the Scripture are far more amazing than Luther could have imagined. Take but one example: "Truths ought to be taken from the Word, because all truths that conduce to salvation are in the Word, and there is efficacy in them because they are given by the Lord, and are therefore inscribed on the whole angelic heaven; consequently when man learns truths from the Word, he comes into communion and consociation with angels beyond what he knows" (TCR 347).
     True Christian Religion explains at length that there have been upon this earth four churches. As we examine what is said of these four churches, we see the antithesis of a Lutheran construct. One of the four is the Christian Church which is divided into three, the Greek, the Roman Catholic and the Reformed (n. 760). Within each of the three there are particular churches. We could place the Lutheran church among those. After treating of these churches, Swedenborg says that another church is to follow these (786-788). This is but one example of why I cannot regard True Christian Religion as a rethinking of Lutheran theology. As to how Swedenborg regarded the work, there are specific places in which he speaks of it. For example, in a passage where he directly refers to the chapter in it about the internal sense of the Word, Swedenborg says, "This surpasses all the revelations that have been made since the creation of the world" (Inv. 44).

423


Appendix on a "mistake about subordination" 1998

Appendix on a "mistake about subordination"       Editor       1998

     Two things that bothered Dr. Klein and led him toward a different view of the Writings were his observing that Swedenborg spoke of male and female attributes and that he suggested that "women should be subordinate to men" (page 2). 1 was amazed at first at this idea of Swedenborg's teaching of "subordination." The Writings are so emphatic on one not dominating the other. "The love of dominion of one over the other entirely takes away conjugial love" (HH 380). So how could one get a contrary impression? Consider the following quotation from CL 78: "What is woman? Was she not born subject to the will of man? And to serve and not to rule?" It seems possible that our author saw this or some similar passage, and honestly assumed that it was affirming the point. A closer look shows that this is quoting an evil and false view. The Writings teach the very opposite! And so we may have just an honest misunderstanding, or possibly there is another explanation.
NewSearch98 1998

NewSearch98              1998

     The STAIRS Project is pleased to announce an entirely new and much more powerful computer search program for the Writings of the New Church. Modeled after standard Internet search engines, it provides rapid searches for words, phrases, and specific passages. The new program incorporates several new translations of books of the Writings, some collateral works, and Searles' Index.
     The PC version is expected to be ready for shipment in October (adaptations for Mac computers are in process). It is available on CD only and requires Windows 95, 98, or NT.
     Cost: $25 (US) ($10 for currently registered NewSearch users)
     To order, send name, address, and payment to: STAIRS-Theological School, P.O. Box 717, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009. For further information, contact Rev. Brian Keith at the above address, by phone: (215) 938-2525 or by email: [email protected].

424


GRAPHIC DESIGNS IN THE FIRST PRINTED EDITIONS 1998

GRAPHIC DESIGNS IN THE FIRST PRINTED EDITIONS              1998




     Communication
Dear Editor:
     Noting your August editorial on graphic designs, I would add the following.
     The ornaments in Swedenborg's theological first editions are of interest to me artistically, especially given the possibility that Swedenborg produced at least some of them himself. But the ornaments are most important to me as part of Swedenborg's communication. They are not simply random decoration; Swedenborg uses them very consistently to convey major and minor breaks in the text. For example, a headpiece in the middle of a book says, "The text that starts here is not merely a new chapter, but a whole new section, distinct from what went before." Swedenborg knew that clear endings and beginnings, large and small, are a vital part of communication. Ignoring the ornaments has erased some edges from Swedenborg's detailed sketch of the Lord, and has washed away some breakwaters from this new ocean of revelation.
     Rev. Jonathan S. Rose
     Bryn Athyn, PA

     Here are some examples of the graphics printed in Covenant.

[Graphics]

425




[Graphics]

426




[Graphics]

427


GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM PUBLIC WORSHIP AND DOCTRINAL CLASSES UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1998

GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM PUBLIC WORSHIP AND DOCTRINAL CLASSES UNITED STATES OF AMERICA              1998




     Announcements






     Alabama:
     Birmingham
Dr. Winyss A. Shepard, 4537 Dolly Ridge Road, Birmingham, AL 35243. Phone: (205) 967-3442.
     Huntsville
Mrs. Anthony L. Sills, 1000 Hood Ave., Scottsboro, AL 35768. Phone: (205) 574-1617.
     Arizona:
     Phoenix
Lawson and Carol Cronlund, 5717 E. Justine Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85254. Phone: (602) 953-0478.
     Tucson
Rev. Frank S. Rose, 9233 E. Helen, Tucson, AZ 85715. Phone: (520) 721-1091.
Arkansas:
     Little Rock
Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Holmes, 155 Eric St., Batesville, AR 72501. Phone: (501) 793-5135.
California:
     Los Angeles
Rev. John L. Odhner, 5022 Carolyn Way, La Crescenta, CA 91214. Phone: (818) 249-5031.
     Orange County
Rev. Cedric King, resident pastor, 21332 Forest Meadow, El Toro, CA 92630. Phone: home (714) 586-5142; office (714) 951-5750.
     Sacramento/Central California
Bertil Larsson, 8387 Montna Drive, Paradise, CA 95969. Phone: (916) 877-8252.
     San Diego
Rev. Stephen D. Cole, 941 Ontario St., Escondido, CA 92025. Phone: home (760) 4328495; office (760) 571-8599.
     San Francisco
Mr. and Mrs. Philip C. Pendleton, 501 Portola Road, Box 8044, Portola Valley, CA 94028. Phone: (415) 424-4234.
     Colorado: Boulder
     Rev. David C. Roth, 4215 N. Broadway Boulder, CO 80304. Phone: (303) 443-9226.
     Colorado Springs
Mr./Mrs. William Rienstra, 1005 Oak Ave., Canon City, CO 81212.
     Connecticut:
     Bridgeport, Hartford, Shelton
Mr. and Mrs. James Tucker, 45 Honey Bee Lane, Huntington, CT 06484. Phone: (203) 929-6455.
Delaware:
     Wilmington Mrs. John Furry (Marcia), 1231 Evergreen Rd., Wilmington, DE 19801 Phone: (302) 762-8837. District of Columbia: see Mitchellville,
     Maryland. Florida:
     Boynton Beach
Rev. Derek Elphick, 10621 El Clair Ranch Road, Boynton Beach, FL 33437. Phone: (407) 736-2843.
     Jacksonville
Kristi Helow, 6338 Christopher Creek Road W., Jacksonville, FL 32217-2472.
     Lake Helen
Mr. and Mrs. Brent Morris, 264 E. Kicklighter Road, Lake Helen, FL 32744. Phone: (904) 228-2276.
     Pensacola
Mr. and Mrs. John Peacock, 5238 Soundside Drive, Gulf Breeze, FL 3256 1. Phone: (904) 934-3691.
Georgia:
     Americus
Mr. W. Harold Eubanks, 516 U.S. 280 West, Americus, GA 31709. Phone: (912) 9249221.
     Atlanta
Rev. C. Mark Perry, 5155 Paisley Court Lilbum, GA 30047. Phone: (770) 935-6661. Illinois:
     Chicago
Rev. Arthur W. Schnarr, 73A Park Drive, Glenview, IL 60025. Phone: (847) 724-5466.
Decatur Mr. John Aymer, 1434 E. Whitmer St., Decatur, IL 62521.
     Glenview
Rev. Eric Carswell, 73 Park Dr., Glenview, IL 60025. Phone: (847) 724-0120.
Indiana: see Ohio: Cincinnati. Kentucky: see Ohio: Cincinnati.
Louisiana:
     Baton Rouge
Mr. Henry Bruser, Jr., 6050 Esplanade Ave., Baton Rouge, LA 70806. Phone: (504) 924-3098.

430



     Maine: Bath 896-0293.
Rev. Allison L. Nicholson, 1 Somerset Place, Topsham, ME 04086. Phone: (207) 729-9725.
     Maryland: Baltimore
Rev. Willard L. D. Heinrichs, visiting minister, Box 717, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009. Phone: home (215) 947-5334; office (215) 938-2582.
     Mitchellville
Rev. James P. Cooper, 11910 Chantilly Law, Mitchellville, MD 2072 1. Phone: home (301) 805-9460; office (301) 464-5602.
     Massachusetts: Boston
Rev. Geoffrey Howard, 17 Cakebread Drive, Sudbury, MA 01776. Phone: (508) 443-6531.
     Michigan: Detroit
Rev. Grant Odhner, 395 Olivewood Ct., Rochester, MI 48306. Phone: (248) 652-7332.
     East Lansing
Lyle and Brenda Birchman, 14777 Cutler Rd., Portland, MI 48875.
     Minnesota: St. Paul
Karen Huseby, 4247 Centerville Rd., Vadnais Heights, MN 55127. Phone: (612) 429-5289.
     Missouri: Columbia
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Johnson, 1508 Glencairn Court, Columbia, MO 65203. Phone: (314) 442-3475.
     Kansas City
Mr. Glen Klippenstein, P. O. Box 457, Maysville, MO 64469-0457. Phone: (816) 449-2167.
     New Hampshire: Hanover
Bobbie and Charlie Hitchcock, 63 E. Wheelock St., Hanover, NH 03755. Phone: (603) 643-3469.
     New Jersey: Ridgewood
Jay and Barbara Barry, 474 S. Maple, Glen Rock, NJ 07452. Phone: (201) 445-3353.
     New Mexico: Albuquerque
Mrs. Carolyn Harwell, 1375 Sara Rd., Rio Rancho, NM 87124. Phone: (505)
     North Carolina: Charlotte
Steven and Gail Glunz, 6624 Providence Lane West, Charlotte, NC 28226. Phone: (704) 362-2338. Ohio:
     Cincinnati
Rev. Patrick Rose, 785 Ashcroft Court, Cincinnati, OH 45240. Phone: (513) 825-7473.
     Cleveland
Wayne and Vina Parker, 11848 Mumford Rd., Garrettsville, OH 4423 1. Phone: (330) 5272419.
Oklahoma:
     Oklahoma City
Mr. Robert Campbell, 13929 Sterlington, Edmond, OK 73013. Phone: (405) 478-4729.
Oregon:
     Portland
Mr. and Mrs. Jim Andrews, Box 99, 1010 NE 365th Ave., Corbett, OR 97019. Phone: (503) 695-2534.
Pennsylvania:
     Bryn Athyn
Rev. Thomas H. Kline, Box 277, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009. Phone: (215) 947-6225.
     Elizabethtown
Mr. Meade Bierly, 523 Snyder Ave., Elizabethtown, PA 17022. Phone: (717) 367-3964.
     Eric
Mrs. Paul Murray, 5648 Zuck Road, Erie, PA 16506. Phone: (814) 833-0962,
     Freeport
Rev. Clark Echols, 100 Iron Bridge Road, Sarver, PA 16055. Phone: office (724) 353-2220.
     Hatfield
Mr. Peter Sheedy, 1303 Clymer St., Hatfield, PA 19440. Phone: (215) 842-1461.
     Hawley
Mr. Grant Genzlinger, Settlers Inn #25, 4 Main Ave., Hawley, PA 18428. Phone: (800) 8338527.
     Ivyland The Ivyland New Church, 851 W. Bristol Road, Ivyland, PA 18974. Pastor: Rev. David Lindrooth. Phone: (215) 957-5965. Secretary: Sue Cronlund. (215) 598-3919.

431



     Philadelphia New Church
Korean Group, 851 W. Bristol Rd., Ivyland, PA 18974. Pastor: Rev. John Jin. Phone: (215) 443-2533 or (215) 947-8317.
     Kempton
Rev. Robert S. Junge, 8551 Junge Lane, RD #1, Kempton, PA 19529. Phone: office (610) 756-6140.
     Pittsburgh
Rev. Nathan D. Gladisli, 299 Le Roi Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15208. Phone: church (412) 73 1-742 1.
South Carolina:
     Charleston area
Wilfred and Wendy Baker, 2030 Thornhill Drive, Summerville, SC 29485. Phone: (803) 851-1245.
     South Dakota:
     Hot Springs
Linda Klippenstein, 604 S. River St. #A8, Hot Springs, SD 57747. Phone: (605) 745-6629. Texas:
     Austin
Aaron Gladish, 10312 Bilbrook Place, Austin, TX 78748. Phone: (512) 282-5501. E-mail: [email protected]. Virginia:
     Riclunond
Mr. Donald Johnson, 13161 Happy Hill Road, Chester, VA 23831. Phone: (804) 7485757.
Washington:
     Seattle
Rev. Erik J. Buss, 5409 154th Ave., Redmond, WA98052. Phone: home (206) 883-4327; office (206) 882-8500. Washington, DC: See Mitchellville, MD. Wisconsin:
     Madison
Mr. Warren Brown, 130 Greenbrier Drive, Sun Prairie, WI 53 590. Phone: (608) 825-3002.

     OTHER THAN U.S.A. AUSTRALIA

     Sydney, N.S.W.
Mr. Murray F. Heldon, 25 O'Briens Rd., Hurstville, NSW 2220. Phone: 61-295795248.
     BRAZIL
     Rio de Janeiro
Rev. Cristovao Rabelo Nobre, Rod Mendes Vassouras, km 41, Caixa Postal 85.711, 27.700-000, Vassouras, RJ Brasil. Phone: 55-21-409-6586.
     CANADA
     Alberta
     Calgary
Mr. Thomas R. Fountain, 1115 Southglen Drive S.W., Calgary, Alberta T2W OX2. Phone: (403) 255-7283.
     Debolt
Lavina Scott, RR 1, Crooked Creek, Alberta TOH OYO. Phone: (403) 957-3625.
     Edmonton
Mrs. Wayne Anderson, 6703-98th Street, Edmonton, Alberta T6E 3L9. Phone: (403) 432-1499.
     British Columbia
     Dawson Creek
Rev. Glenn G. Alden, Dawson Creek Church, 9013 8th St., Dawson Creek, B.C. V 1 G 3N3. Phone: home (604) 843-7979; office (604) 782-8035. Ontario
     Kitchener
Rev. Michael K. Cowley, 58 Chapel Hill Drive, Kitchener, Ontario N2G 3 W5. Phone: office (519) 748-5902.
     Ottawa
Mr. and Mrs. Donald McMaster, 684 Fraser Ave., Ottawa,, Ontario K2 A 2R8. Phone: (613) 7250394.
     Toronto
Rev. Michael D. Gladish, 279 Burnhamthorpe Rd., Etobicoke, Ontario M9B 1 Z4. Phone: church (416) 239-3055.
Quebec
     Montreal
Mr. Denis de Chazal, 29 Ballantyne Ave. So., Montreal West, Quebec H4X 2B 1. Phone: (514) 489-9861.
     DENMARK
     Copenhagen
Mr. Jorgen Hauptmann, Strandvej en 22, 4040 Jyllinge. Phone: 46 78 9968.
     ENGLAND
     Colchester
Rev. Kenneth J. Alden, 8 Stoneleigh Park, Lexden, Colchester, Essex C03 5EY.
     London
Rev. Frederick Elphick, 2 1 B Hayne Rd., Beckenham, Kent BR3 4JA. Phone: 44181-658-6320.
     Oxford
Mr. Mark Bumiston, 24 Pumbro, Storiesfield, Witney, Oxford OX8 8QF. Phone: 01993 891700

432



     Surrey
Mr. Nathan Morley, 27 Victoria Road, Southern View, Guildford, Surrey GU I 413J.
     FRANCE
     Beaune
The Rev. Alain Nicolier, Bourguignon, Meursanges, 21200 Beaune. Phone: 3380-26-62-80.
     GHANA
     Accra
Rev. William O. Ankra-Badu, Box
     11305, Accra North.
     Asakraka, Nteso, Oframase Rev. Martin K. Gyarnfi, Box 10,
     Asakraka-Kwahu E/R.
     Madina, Tema
     Rev. Simpson K. Darkwah, House No.
     AA3, Community 4, c/o Box 1483, Tema.
     HOLLAND
     The Hague
Mr. Ed Verschoor, V. Furstenburchstr. 6, 3862 AW Nijkerk.
     JAPAN
     For information about General Church activities in Japan contact Mr. Tatsuya Nagashima, 30-2, SaijohNishiotake, Yoshino-cho, Itano-gun, Tokoshima-ken, Japan 771-14. KOREA
     Seoul
Rev. Dzin P. Kwak, Seoul Church of New Jerusalem, Ajoo B/D 2F, 10 19-15 Daechi-dong, Kangnam-ku, Seoul 135281. Phone: home 82-(0)2-658-7305; church 82-(0)2-555-1366.
     NEW ZEALAND
     Auckland
Mrs. H. Keal, 4 Derwent Cresc., Titirangi, Auckland 7. Phone: 09-817-8203.
     SOUTH AFRICA
     Gauteng
     Alexandra Township
Rev. Albert Thabede, 303 Corlett Dr., Kew 2090. Phone: 27-11-443-3852.
     Balfour Rev. Reuben Tshabalala, P.O. Box 851, Kwaxuma, Soweto 1868. Phone: 27-11932-3528.
     432
     Buccleuch
Rev. Andrew Dibb, P.O. Box 816, Kelvin 2054. Phone: 27-11-804-1145.
     Diepkloof
Rev. Jacob M. Maseko, P. O. Box 261, Pimville 1808. Phone: 27-11-938-8314. KwaZulu-Natal
     Clermont and Enkumba
Rev. Ishborn Buthelezi, P.O. Box 150, Clernaville 3602. Phone: 27-3 17071526.
     Durban (Westville)
Rev. Lawson M. Smith, 8 Winslow Road, Westville 3630. Phone: 27-3 1 - 825351. Rev. Geoffrey S. Childs, 7 Sydney Drive, Westville 3630. Phone: 27-31-262-8113.
     Eshowe[Richards Bay/Empangeni
Mrs. Marten Hiemstra, P. O. Box 10745, Meerensee 390 1. Phone: 0351-32317.
     Impaphala and Empangeni
Rev. B. Alfred Mbatha, c/o 7 Sydney Drive, Westville, 3630.
     Kwa Mashu and Hambrook
Rev. Chester Mcanyana, H602, Kwa Mashu, 4360.
     Westville (see Durban) Western Cape
     Cape Town
Mrs. Sheila Brathwaite, 208 Silvermine Village, Private Bag # 1, Noordhoek, 7985. Phone: 27-21-7891424.
     SWEDEN
     Jonkoping
Rev. Ragnar Boyesen, Oxelgatan 6, S565 21 Mullsjo.
     Stockholm
Rev. Goran R. Appelgren, Aladdinsvagen 27, S-167 61 Brornma. Phone/Fax: 46-(0)8-26 79 85.
     (When dialing from abroad, leave out zero in parentheses.)

     Note: Please send any corrections to the editor.

433


New Church Teacher 1998

New Church Teacher              1998

     Be part of a community of readers focused on the future of the Church through the future of each individual child! New Church Teacher features articles about particular schools and teachers, reports on new developments, and thought-provoking pieces on the vision of New Church education. Issued three times a year. Subscription: $5.00. To subscribe or for further information, please contact the General Church Office of Education, P.O. Box 743, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009. Phone: (215) 914-4949.
Title Unspecified 1998

Title Unspecified              1998

Vol. CXVIII October, 1998 No. 10
     New Church Life

434


Notes on This Issue 1998

Notes on This Issue              1998

     The Lord can greatly bless "sincere but apparently feeble and flawed efforts in this imperfect world." See the sermon by Rev. Eric Carswell.
     When Rev. Philip Schnarr now of Bryn Athyn, formerly of Canada, speaks of "dual citizenship" in his article on character education, he is not using the phrase in the ordinary way. Mr. Schnarr is Director of Religion Lessons.
     Dr. Gerald Lemole is a noted heart surgeon. This year he addressed the New Church Day banquet in Bryn Athyn. His speech, "Components of Service," appears in this issue.
     From the baptisms listed this month one can discern that Bishop Buss has been visiting Japan. On the occasion of that visit a Japanese translation of Life Is Forever was printed in Japanese. This is a book for children written by the Bishop and illustrated by Mrs. Buss.
     In October we think of Charter Day activities at the Academy of the New Church. We have saved the piece by Stephen Gladish for this issue. The Academy schools seem to be blossoming this year. There are more than 270 enrolled in the high school, and Bryn Athyn College has almost 150 students this year.
     Helen Keller receives attention in this issue. A new biography has been published this year, which we may mention later.
EVANGELIZATION 1998

EVANGELIZATION              1998

     As we go to press we are aware of people preparing to travel to Glenview, Illinois, for the Evangelization Seminar taking place there on October 2-3. Theresa McQueen has done a splendid organizing job, and this promises to be an outstanding event in the work of evangelization. The theme is "Harnessing the Strength of Your Established Congregation." Around 120 people from different societies of the General Church are attending. The program looks very interesting indeed.

435


LIVING IN AN IMPERFECT WORLD 1998

LIVING IN AN IMPERFECT WORLD       Rev. ERIC H. CARSWELL       1998

"Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may hear sons and daughters, that you may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace" (Jeremiah 29:4-7).

     When Jeremiah sent these words in the name of the Lord to the people of Jerusalem and Judea, they were far from their homes. They were living in exile in Babylon with little idea of how or when they might be able to return to the promised land. They had been taught from childhood that the only place where they could worship the Lord was in the temple in Jerusalem. They had been raised with the idea that they were a special people, set apart by God, and the focus of their lives had strongly tended to be on their own nation and its welfare. Now they were cast adrift from this focus. They were in an alien land among alien people. What were they to do? How were they to live?
     Unlike so many of Jeremiah's tirades against their evils before this time, these are words of comfort and hope. He tells them to go about living their lives where they are in Babylon. He even tells them to seek the welfare of the cities which they now inhabit so far, far from home.
     The Writings of the New Church teach that the seventy-year captivity in Babylon represents a state of temptation (see AC 755:3). It represents a time that comes over and over again to anyone who is on a path to heaven. Concerning these temptations we are told:

There are evil spirits who at [the time of temptation] activate a person's false ideas and evil loves.

436


Indeed they draw out of his memory whatever he has thought and carried out since early childhood. Evil spirits can do this so cleverly and wickedly as to defy description. But the angels who are with the person draw out his good loves and true ideas, and in this way defend him. This conflict is what the person feels and perceives in himself and is what causes the sting and torment of conscience (AC 751:2).

     A state of temptation isn't one during which a person is comfortably doing evil and denying it. It isn't one of spiritual sleepiness or sloth. During temptation people know that there are profoundly evil and false qualities within their motivations and ideas. They know it because they experience the conflict between good and evil within their thoughts and inclinations.
     When Jeremiah spoke to the Jews prior to the captivity, he exhorted them to do better. He called them to open their eyes to their transgressions of the Lord's commandments. But few if any heard. They justified their lives. They felt smug in their righteousness. They apparently believed that they would be miraculously saved from the impending doom that prophets of God had so long called them to beware of
     There are times when we can benefit from the exhortation to wake up. We can benefit from powerful reminders that unless we are spiritually reborn, we will never see the kingdom of God. There are times when the Lord comes to our mind with the words and tone of an Old Testament prophet denouncing our iniquities and transgressions, forewarning us of the terrible consequences they have brought and will bring to our lives, to the goals we seek, to our loved ones. But this is not the voice we most need to hear when we are clearly aware of these consequences and even sense some of their results.
     Jeremiah sent word to the Jews in Babylon that clearly counseled them that they should not withdraw from life. They were not to sink into abject discouragement and inactivity because of where they found themselves. Life was to go on.

437



     Jeremiah told them: "Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit" (Jeremiah 29:5). Concerning these words we read in the Writings of the New Church:

"To build houses and to inhabit them" signifies to fill the interiors of the mind with the goods of heaven and the church, and thereby to enjoy heavenly life; "houses" signifying the interiors of the mind, and "to inhabit," heavenly life from these interiors. "To plant vineyards and to eat the fruit of them" signifies to enrich themselves with spiritual truths, and to appropriate to themselves good [thoughts and actions] from these truths; "vineyards" mean spiritual truths, "fruits," good things coming from them; and "to eat" to receive, perceive, and appropriate to themselves, for every good is appropriated to a person by means of truths, that is, by a life according to them (AE 617:12).

     Even in a setting that would have felt alien, they were to go about daily life. Likewise, people who are in temptations, and consequently are aware of the faults and failings that mar their lives, are not merely to wait until these things are taken away before they go forward. It is not a perfect world. We are not perfect, nor will we ever be. But in spite of imperfections, the Lord calls us to "build houses" and to "plant gardens." Each day He brings us opportunities to make the values of heaven the ones we will live by. He brings us opportunities to live according to what He teaches. Even when our best efforts seem flawed, the Lord calls us to do what we can where we are now in our spiritual development.
     Jeremiah told the people: "Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters, that you may be increased there, and not diminished." I'm sure we've all heard people expressing the idea, "I'm not sure that I would want to bring a child into this world, given what a mess it is." Again, when we see how far from perfect are things within our capabilities to care about, think, and do what is good and right, we can be waylaid by a feeling of "What is the use of even trying?"

438


But the Lord would have us know that He can bless sincere but apparently feeble and flawed efforts beyond our belief He would have us do what we can, because this is the only way He can freely lead us to heavenly life. Any time good loves and true ideas come together in thought and action, these things are like a new generation being born from a heavenly marriage within our minds.
     Jeremiah told the people in Babylon: "[S]eek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace" (Jeremiah 29:7). A city represents the quality of the church with a person and the quality of one's understanding of what the Lord teaches. Our lives are imperfect and our understandings are imperfect. But the Lord calls us to seek to bring a heavenly quality to our lives with His help. This is the source of true peace. It is the quality that can help us be content with our lot, still striving to become better human beings. We are to do our part to receive our measure of the Lord's presence, along with the peace it can bring. We are to seek the heavenly peace of the church as it presently exists within our lives.
     Through the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord told the people: "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope" (Jeremiah 29:11). It is the Lord's very strong desire that we should experience the happiness of heaven. He wishes evil to no one. As He looks at us, all of His perfect and complete love, wisdom, and power are focused on how to bring us a heavenly future and a true hope. We are told the following about the Lord's government of our lives:

God continually withdraws people from evils so far as they are willing from freedom to be withdrawn. So far as people can be withdrawn from evil, God leads them to good and thus to heaven.

439


But so far as people cannot be withdrawn from evils, God cannot lead them to good and thus to heaven; for so far as people have been withdrawn from evils so far they, from God, do good that is in itself good, but so far as they have not been withdrawn from evils, so far these people from themselves do good that has evil within it (AE 1136:8).

     The Lord knows our imperfections far better than we ourselves know them. He doesn't call us to be already something we are not. He calls us to learn from Him and with His help to grow spiritually. He calls us to day by day become better human beings. He calls us to have open eyes each day to see the battles we need to fight and the good things we are capable of doing.
     The Lord told the people in Babylon:

Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the LORD, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive (Jeremiah 29:12-14).

     May we likewise search for the Lord, His order, His compassion, with all our hearts. May we be sure that we cannot sincerely search in vain. We will find the Lord. He will lead us from where we are, in the spiritual captivity of imperfect loves and flawed ideas, to the heavenly life He envisions for us. May we truly trust that His plans for us are plans of peace and of hope. Amen.

Lessons: Jeremiah 29:4-14, Apocalypse Explained 1135:3,4
DIVINE PROVIDENCE IS ACTIVE: 1998

DIVINE PROVIDENCE IS ACTIVE:              1998

     It is active with the individual "from infancy to old age in the world, and afterwards to eternity, and in each one of these it is the eternal that is regarded" (AE 1135:4).

440


CHARACTER EDUCATION 1998

CHARACTER EDUCATION       Rev. PHILIP B. SCHNARR       1998

Thought for Today

     Give a man a fish and you have satisfied his hunger for a day.
     Teach him how to make and use a fishing pole and you have fed him for life.
     Teach him that the delight of heaven is in doing his work justly, honestly, faithfully
     and in the love of being useful and you will have fed him to eternity.

From the Writings

     A spiritual person is also a moral person and a civil person. (DW XI)

     Permit me to begin this presentation with a true story that was once told by Bishop George de Charms:
     During the Second World War a little eight-year-old girl lived in the slums of London, in the dock district. It was during the German blitzkrieg. She had been taught that the police were her natural enemies and that anything you could take without being caught was to your credit, if you got away with it, that is. That child took advantage of the burning buildings and the confusion at the time of an air raid to haul in quite a load of valuables that she had coveted for a long time.
     To the girl's misfortune she was apprehended. When she got home, she received a terrible beating because she was caught and therefore lost the booty. So the standard of morality she lived with was not very high.
     This same little girl showed quite a different level of moral behavior during another air raid. She was pinned under debris along with a little boy who was presumably part of her looting operation. The two of them had with them as well a little baby to look after.

441


In that situation this eight-year-old girl showed amazing bravery. She withstood severe pain without flinching, and showed utter selflessness in her efforts to see that the baby and the boy would be safe, regardless of her own safety.
     So what do we mean by character education? How can we know if our children are becoming good characters? Wasn't this little girl a girl of good character? It wasn't her fault that she was taught to steal and she did quite faithfully what she was instructed to do. And she was willing to suffer greatly for the sake of the life of another.
     My purpose is to reflect on the concept of character education and to look at some of the interior considerations of character development that we can come to see from Divine revelation.
     But first let us be clear about the terms we will be using. Character education, or as some prefer to call it, "for character education," is in most cases simply a more recent slogan for values education or moral values education that has been popular in many circles for over thirty years. Actually, the original concept goes back a very long way. You won't find the term "character" used in the Old or New Testaments, but it has Greek origins meaning "to mark" or "to engrave." And for years, for most of recorded history in fact, educators all over the world took this meaning quite literally. To spare the rod was to spoil the child. Perhaps some of you have had firsthand experience with this dictum and can point to the actual marks as evidence of your lessons in character formation.
     In the past, education for character was a fully integrated part of the curriculum. Honesty, respect, civility, patriotism, and compassion were all embedded in the disciplinary codes, the dress codes, and the habits that were an accepted part of school and family life. No shame was attached to passing these values on to the next generation. And it was implicitly understood that you could judge a good character from a bad one by his or her actions, not simply by the intellectual values a person could articulate.

442



     All this changed as result of the turbulent '60s and '70s with their emphasis on personal freedom. Only the Lord knows the internal causes of these changes, but in externals we witnessed widespread disillusionment as the character flaws of many public role models came under intense media scrutiny. Many of us remember well the rebellious spirit that rampaged against authority on campuses everywhere. Teachers and parents were prime targets. With this newfound freedom came what has been termed "the sexual revolution" that promoted self-gratification, and further eroded values of restraint and long-term commitment. Nothing was shameful or forbidden, and the notion that happiness might result from virtuous behavior was virtually abandoned. It would seem that people became ashamed of their own culture.
     At the same time, the school system in North America shifted away from a cultural transmission model of character education into what has been called a decision-making model. The "values clarification" movement, whose name today still causes many religious educators to recoil with horror, sought to have children choose values that felt right to them. If it seemed okay, and felt good, it was okay. Teachers were to avoid being judgmental at all costs. They were not allowed to suggest that there was any standard by which moral choices should be made. This would be an imposition of one's values on another. Good values became considered radically subjective. Moral relativism became pervasive.
     Through the last three decades many moral education programs circulated in pedagogical circles. Some of them were less relativistic than "values clarification." A group from cognitive psychology rallied behind the theories of Lawrence Kohlberg, whom many of you have probably studied in college. His approach had the redeeming quality of being a developmental model that encouraged children to think about and value higher degrees of the neighbor.

443


Still the teacher was not to be an advocate for higher levels of goodness. Students were to make the choice without direct guidance, and some of the moral dilemmas offered for class discussion were incredibly offensive.
     So why, after all these years of moral education, are so many people worried about the character of our youth? Is it because quite a number listen to music lyrics that speak of smashing the heads of little children? Is it because more and more heinous acts of violence are committed by children and youths? Is it because stealing, cheating, peer cruelty, bigotry and bad language are more flagrant than ever before? Or is it because the most privileged generation of young white females are becoming pregnant at record rates despite an era of accessibility to contraception, abortion and sex education (see Phi Delta Kappan, February 1998, pp. 439-440, "A Nation of Violent Children")?
     How much more obvious could it be that moral education without training and insistence on a standard of moral behavior has not been successful?
     But what is the answer? Should we return to the not-always-sovirtuous days when character was seen primarily as a function of discipline? Will we be open to charges of hypocrisy if we are strict with our children about their moral life when we are so prone to making moral mistakes ourselves? What kind of guidance can we get from the Lord in these matters?
     One fundamental premise of the New Church is that the end for which all have been created is a heaven from the human race. In the Lord's eyes, our eternal happiness always comes first. This world is a preparation for things to come. We are, as it were, in the birth canal that leads to life - real life in the spiritual world.
     So as the heart and lungs of the Lord's church on earth, the New Church has been given such a beautiful picture of what spiritual life is all about. But let us remember that good character education is not the exclusive preserve of the New Church.

444



     If you have seen the February issue of Phi Delta Kappan magazine, you may have seen an article by Dennis Prager, who is a Jewish author and talk-show host in Los Angeles. He says that he has been asking senior high school students the same question for many years. "What would you do if your dog and a stranger were both drowning?" He reports that in the fifteen years he has been asking the question, two-thirds of the students have said they would not save the stranger first. He gets different answers at religious schools. Prager says, "We religious [people] ... believe that humans are created in God's image and dogs are not. Therefore, even though I do love my dogs more than strangers - I admit that - I would save a stranger before either of my dogs" (Kappan, February, 1998, p. 434). Students in religious schools tend to share this view.
     This is a marvelous example of how our worldview and religious faith affect the moral values that guide our actions. Bringing character education under the domain of religion raises it a distinct degree above the level of mere training for physical and emotional well-being that drives many programs that you will see on the market today.
     The Writings contend that all people are predestined to heaven and none to hell. This is the doctrine of the universal church. Everyone is born into an image of God, with a capacity first to become civil and moral people and then to become spiritual. The Writings claim that hardly any place on earth is so barbarous that it does not have laws setting out the moral principles outlined in the Ten Commandments. Some may question if that is true today. I have wondered myself. But Providence cannot be thwarted. The Lord's church is a universal church that, I quote, "exists with all who are in the good of life, and who from their doctrine look to heaven, and thereby conjoin themselves to the Lord" (AE 331, cf. 351, AC 9276, HH 305, 308).

445



     In the New Church we are given to go even a step beyond the good values of the universal church to see the deeper issues that influence our understanding of morality. Here is just one of thousands of quotes we could find in the Writings that show how distinctly different is the understanding of the New Church.

By the speech of the lips and the actions of the body a person is in the natural world; but by the thoughts of the understanding and the affections of the will a person is in the spiritual world (Apocalypse Explained 1162:29).

     Dual citizenship! What a nifty idea! Our minds are growing and developing in two worlds at the same time. Our thoughts and affections are flowing in from the spiritual world right now. That's where our will and our understanding - the real us - live. Influx is from the spiritual world into the natural world and not the reverse as it appears. The natural world is a theater representative of the Lord's kingdom (see HH 102).
     Becoming good citizens in both worlds is what life is all about. And let us make no mistake. Our awareness of spiritual truths will and should have a tremendous influence on how we practice character education in our schools. The principles we use to educate the wills of our students will be drawn from the fountain of spiritual truth that the Lord has provided in His Word. And if we become spiritually wise and intelligent, we will see more clearly how to implement the kind of character education the Lord speaks about in His Word.
     However, I want to be careful on this point lest I overcomplicate or over-spiritualize (if there is such a thing) this character education business. To live a spiritual life requires life in the natural world. We are told to "engage in [worldly] business and employments" (HH 528). Renouncing the world and living a pious life of deprivation in fact leads to a sorrowful life, we are told, and one devoid of heavenly joy (ibid).
     The Writings tell us that it is not so hard as we may think to be good citizens of both worlds. The Lord's yoke is indeed easy and His burden is light (see Matt. 11:30).

446


Resisting evil is one key teaching. The second key thing is to do the work of our calling honestly, justly and faithfully and in accord with the civil and moral law. These two directives - resist evils and be a good worker - are all that is essential; all, that is, except for one condition, and that is that we do these things from the right motive - the motive being a spiritual one. We must obey civil and moral law from a genuine love and live according to these two principles because they are Divine laws (see HH 530).
     So how does this play out in our lives and the lives of our students? What's the best way for anyone to become a good character? I love the way it is put in Heaven and Hell. It seems so simple.

[W]hen anything presents itself to a person that he knows to be dishonest and unjust but to which the mind is borne, it is simply necessary for him to think that it ought not to be done because it is opposed to the Divine precepts (HH 533).

     I ask you: Is this complicated doctrine? This is the kind of character education that New Church schools ought to be aiming for. We can all do it, and we need to do it, to become good characters ourselves and to help our students to develop likewise.
     However, there is a complication to this simple formula and it's an important one. Evils get harder to identify and to resist the more they find their way into our actual lives. This is because we get used to them and start to love them. Then we excuse them, confirm them, and if we are not careful, we will eventually declare them to be allowable, and even good. And in this regard we are given a somewhat striking warning:

[To deny that evil is evil and declare it allowable] is the fate of those who in early youth (adolescente aetate) plunge into evils without restraint, and also reject Divine things from the heart (HH 533).

447




So character education in the New Church, in addition to fostering positive values such as kindness and caring, also requires a willingness to oppose evil, especially outright evil. For once an evil is committed several times from set purpose, it can lead to an obsession with it, and so stopping becomes extremely difficult (see AC 6203). To counteract these forces, the Lord has given us the use of the moral virtues. They give us the knowledge of what constitutes moral behavior. They are for our protection and as the boundaries of external order. We break these boundaries at our peril.
     The moral virtues given in the Writings - honesty, kindness, courtesy, chastity, sobriety, and so on are the means to an end. We are a community of educators who have a well-defined end. The purpose of our schools is to cooperate with the Lord as He builds a miniature heaven in the minds of our students. Think of how fortunate we are as New Church teachers. We have a special opportunity to openly discuss and promote the virtues that we know are taught in the Word. Very few people today have that privilege. And let us remember that it is both a privilege and a responsibility.
     Now before we get too excited about a new binge called character education - we educators tend to binge on new programs - let us remember another important teaching: we are taught that civil and moral behavior are never ends in themselves. Here is how it is put in Heaven and Hell.

If the thought and will are good, the deeds and works are good; but if the thought and will are evil, the deeds and works are evil, although in outward form they appear alike (n. 472).

     Our classroom can be a very orderly place in externals. The students may openly profess to follow the commandments. But if they, or we the teachers, are harboring hateful feelings and thoughts toward others and are totally preoccupied with selfish and worldly aspirations, little true character education is actually taking place.
     Our goal is to nurture the beginnings of conscience and the new will in a tender way.

448


Demanding rigid adherence to virtuous behavior can be counterproductive if it is not perceived to come from love. And if the demand is accompanied by a sphere of compulsion and fear, it may bring satisfying results in the short term, but when that sphere is removed, the bad character traits may quickly return (see AE 1164:2). They may in fact be stronger. It is interesting to note that recent brain research identifies fear or anxiety as one of the main causes of cognitive dysfunction in the minds of children.
     A state of compulsion, we are told in the Writings, is a state of fear which takes away the use of sound reason (see AC 8392). Why? "Because that which is done under compulsion is not joined to a person and so does not become his own, it is therefore quite alien for the Lord to compel anybody" (AC 2881). "What is done in freedom is insinuated into the affection, and thus into the will of man, and is therefore appropriated, but not what is done under compulsion" (AC 8700:3). And note this warning: "Compulsion in things of a holy nature if not freely accepted is dangerous" (AC 4032:4).
     Everyone is born into evils of every kind. And the Lord permits people - yes, even children - to think about those evils even so far as to intend them, so that they can freely recognize them and be cured by spiritual means, just as natural diseases are cured by natural means.
     However, in regard to freedom, we are given this caveat:

[A] person is indeed permitted to think about and to will the evils of his inherited nature, but not to talk about and do them; and in the meantime he learns civil, moral, and spiritual things, and these also enter into his thoughts and remove the insanities, and by means of this knowledge he is healed by the Lord (DP 281:3, emphasis added).

     Doesn't this suggest that as teachers we need to tread a careful line in our attempts to educate "for character"? If we try to eliminate all bad thoughts and feelings, they may become repressed and come out in more serious ways later.

449


But teachers are guardians of the moral atmosphere in their classrooms, and so must also not allow open evils to be manifested in the actions of the students or in their conversations. Our task as teachers is twofold. We are to instruct the understanding and at the same time preserve a loving sphere of order where the new will of the child - a conscience - can begin to flourish.
     How should we do this? The most obvious approach in teaching the moral virtues is the direct approach. We use the primary truths from the Word such as the Ten Commandments, the two Great Commandments and countless passages such as, "Cease to do evil; learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow" (Isaiah 1: 16,17). These are exhortations from the Lord and are rock-solid fundamentals. But there are more subtle approaches too.
     Classroom routines and rules that are obviously linked to the Word set the moral tone, the sphere in the classroom. Children can also begin to glimpse the concepts of civility and morality from stories like Nathan's parable of the ewe lamb in which the Lord taught a real character lesson to King David and convicted him of his treachery and adultery. We also use fairy tales, hero stories, mythology and morality plays to teach these things. When we come to methodologies for conveying civil and moral ideas and affections, the scope is enormous. Through the use of comparison and contrast, by analogies, through storytelling, and by discussing and recalling events in the world around them, children will learn the makeup of good character.
     Variety in presentation is essential if we are to avoid a preachiness that can cause some children to tune out us as well as the message. But let us resist the temptation to turn to slick and persuasive teaching styles that manipulate students emotionally. The good kind of persuasion that lasts, persuasion that is permanent, comes from our own understanding rather than from emotional appeals or browbeating.

450



     Character education is one of those trendy educational buzzwords today. Many character education programs have sprouted up. Some of them have very good ideas. I particularly like the following selection taken recently from a web page on the Internet (http://www.character.com/press.html).

     10 BIG IDEAS ON DEVELOPING CHARACTER

     1. Children develop character slowly, and in stages.
     2. Respect children and require respect in return.
     3. Teach and develop character by example.
     4. Help children learn to think honestly.
     5. Help children assume real responsibilities.
     6. Balance high support and high control.
     7. Initiate and demonstrate forgiveness, regardless of blame.
     8. Love children! Love is vital for character development.
     9. Provide ways for children to make choices.
     10. Ask questions instead of giving answers.

     "The Six E's of Character Education" proved helpful (see http: //education.bu.edu/CharacterEd/6Es.htmi). Dr. Kevin Ryan gives a simple summary of practical ways to bring moral instruction to life for your students. His definition of character education is: "To help each child know the good, love the good and do the good."
     That is precisely the purpose of New Church education if we will but change it to read, "to know and understand what is good and true, to love what is good and true, and to do what is good and true."
     So much more could and should be said about character education in the New Church. I have touched on only a few of the doctrines that apply - the doctrines of the universal church, the spiritual world and freedom. Another doctrine that I have not even mentioned - the doctrine of use - offers all of humanity an escape from the characteristic narcissism that plagues our culture today. Appended to this article you will see a list of over 30 moral virtues that are spelled out for us in the Writings.

451


A civil and moral concepts study group made a great start in organizing this material into a usable curriculum some years ago. We need to see how this fits with a conjugial love strand in the revised religion curriculum, and together with a health curriculum find the means to integrate these concepts.
     I also believe with all my heart that the teachings about remains in the Writings offer a very fertile ground for our investigation. It intrigues me to examine every possible way to create "remains-friendly" classrooms in our schools. What better way could there be to instill the potential for good character development?
     To conclude, I would like to make one last appeal for us as teachers to explore the Heavenly Doctrines for ourselves to discover a philosophy of character education based on the Divine plan. These last two passages return us to one of the main goals of character education and how to achieve that goal.

For the Lord governs the person in whom good dwells by means of internal restraints, which are those of conscience, whereas the person in whom evil dwells is governed solely by external restraints. If these were abolished, everybody governed solely by external restraints would become insane in the way a person is insane who has no fear of the law, no fear for his life, nor any fear of losing position and gain, and so of reputation - for these are the external bonds - and so the human race would perish (AC 4217:3).

     Our real goal is for our students to be governed by internal restraints. And in order for us to lead to that end we must strive to become caring and wise and to follow the call of the Heavenly Doctrines, the call to rise above the level of our senses.

[P]eople whose thought does not rise above the level of the senses cannot begin to see what is honorable, upright, or good [i.e., what constitutes good character] .... But those who can think on a level above the senses possess ... a greater ability than others to understand and perceive (AC 6598).

452




     MORAL VIRTUES MENTIONED IN THE WRITINGS

1. Alacrity - a cheerful enthusiasm
2. Alertness
3. Assiduity - diligence
4. Benevolence
5. Chastity
     - Chastity and virginity
     - Chastity and obscenity
     - Chastity and sexual relations
6. Civility - courtesy, decorum
7. Courage - chivalry
8. Diligence - assiduity
9. Earnestness - sincerity
10. Equity - fairness
11. Friendship Friendship and racial prejudice
12. Generosity - liberality, munificence
13. Honesty - honorableness, integrity
14. Humility - softness of heart
15. Industry - diligence
16. Integrity - honesty
17. Intrepidity - boldness, fearlessness
18. Justice
19. Kindness - gentleness, mercy
20. Liberality - generosity, munificence
21. Mercy - kindness, grace
22. Modesty
23. Munificence
24. Obligingness - doing a service or favor
25. Patience
26. Patriotism
27. Probity - integrity, uprightness
28. Prudence
29. Sincerity - honesty
30. Sobriety substance use
31. Temperance - mildness, compliance
32. Uprightness - honesty, honorableness
33. Zeal
LITTLE CHILDREN IN HEAVEN 1998

LITTLE CHILDREN IN HEAVEN       Rev. FRANK S. ROSE       1998

     (Printed in the Arizona Territorial)

     One of the saddest of all human experiences is the death of little children. We cannot believe that a merciful God would let one of these little ones perish. If we could see the other side of their transition we would not be so horrified. We would notice angels tenderly watching over them, angel mothers welcoming them.

453


We would see their bright, innocent eyes full of wonder as they explore their new world. We would enjoy watching them learning in a spontaneous and imaginative way all of the things they need to know. We would see them dancing through the meadows, with garlands of flowers and beauty all around. We would see their new families as they are adopted into angelic homes, with perfect care to their every need.
     It would be exciting to watch them learn to walk, speak and read without effort. It would be thrilling to see the eagerness with which they drink in the teachings of the Word. We would enjoy being with them as they are taught by pageants and plays, each one designed to communicate some important truth and some deep feeling.
     We would watch them grow physically as they grow in wisdom and love, their growing bodies perfectly reflecting their spiritual growth. We would eventually see them attain young womanhood and young manhood, the age that they would stay at forever.
     We might even see them pairing off, finding themselves led by the Lord to a perfect marriage partner with whom they would then live to eternity.
     Would we see the tantrums and selfishness that children on earth experience? Yes, at least to some extent, and this because it is important for them to know the difference between their hereditary instincts and their spiritual life.
     And what of non-Christian children? Would they be there? Yes indeed. A merciful God would not exclude a child from heaven simply because the parents were not Christians. God does not require the external ceremony of baptism as a gateway to heaven, but the spiritual process which it represents. In short, if we saw these children, we might still feel sad at our own loss, but would rejoice at their gain (see Heaven and Hell 329-345).

454


COMPONENTS OF SERVICE1 1998

COMPONENTS OF SERVICE1       Dr. GERALD LEMOLE       1998

     There once was a man who died and found himself in a beautiful place surrounded by every conceivable comfort. An aide came to him and said, "You may have anything you choose - any food, any pleasure, any kind of entertainment." The man was delighted, and for days he sampled all of the delicacies and experiences of which he had dreamed on earth. But one day he grew bored with all of this, and calling the attendant to him he said, "I'm tired of all of this. I need something to do. What kind of work can you give me?" The attendant sadly shook his head and replied, "I'm sorry, sir. That is the one thing we can't do for you. There's no work here for you." To which the man answered, "That's a fine thing. I might as well be in hell!" The attendant said softly, "Where do you think you are?"2
     1 An address to the New Church Day banquet in Bryn Athyn, June 1998
     2 Margaret Stephens
     "Service" is a word that has many meanings in today's vocabulary. It is associated with the military, telecommunications, repair and maintenance, and even filling up your car with gasoline. Whatever the context, its many connotations always imply reliability, dependability, steadfast performance and good purpose. Tonight it is my honor to discuss service as a form of use, which, as the Writings tell us, is the essence of heaven.
     In one of his sermons, Frank Rose states that use is the extending of our efforts beyond ourselves for the benefit of others. He tells of how the post-war British nation remembered with affection their wartime efforts, the sense of community and the feeling of being needed. In the time of their greatest suffering they received a heavenly influx from helping others.
     Use can be seen in a life of service or a comforting clasp of the hand. It can be effected at many levels and can propagate with far-reaching consequences. Service to your husband, wife, family, school, church and country ultimately is service to the Lord. In Arcana Coelestia 8253 Swedenborg states that "in a word, the life of charity consists in performing uses."

455



     There are four elements that are necessary in the performance of service. First there must be an element of altruism. That is not to say that we should not provide for our family and ourselves. Swedenborg says that the three loves of heaven, the world and self, when rightly subordinated, perfect man. Even an inch of extension beyond ourselves is sufficient to evoke service. Next there must be some form of communication or interaction between participants. Awareness of another's plight is a part of the human condition that must be nurtured and encouraged. Thirdly, there must be a need to fulfill and an ability to improve the situation. Lastly, there must be a sense of community, a bond of brotherhood, in neighbor, in country, in humanity, or most importantly, as children of God. The sense of contribution to community is what heaven is all about. In the gospel of Mark (10:45), the Lord stated, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve."
     Attitude is pivotal in developing a life of service. Once the commitment is made to view each task as an act of service, extending ourselves beyond our own desires, we can begin to confront our impediments to spiritual growth because the anger, prejudice, pride, greed and impatience that keep us from helping others keep us from heaven. In the book Mother Teresa: A Simple Path, it is stated that prayer in action is love, and love in action is service. She goes on to say, "Try to give unconditionally whatever a person needs in the moment. The point is to do something, however small, and show your care through your actions by giving your time." She continues, "Sometimes this may mean doing something physical such as we do in our homes for the sick and dying, or sometimes it may mean offering spiritual support for shut-ins, those isolated and lonely in their own homes. If an ill person wants medicine, give him medicine; if he needs comfort, then comfort him."
     The Christian psychologist Dr. James Dobson asserts that there are six factors necessary for a satisfactory long-term career; the first is that you must like your job. If you don't enjoy what you're doing, you cannot be happy with your employment over the long haul. The second is that you must have the ability to do your job.

456



     Obviously, if you do what you love and you love what you do, you become better in your work, and as you become better, you love your work more. The third is, you must have permission to do your job. There are many instances where we have the ability to do the work but don't have the permission through licensing or education to perform the functions. The fourth is that you must be able to earn a living in the work you do. For example, if you're an artist or writer and can't earn a living at that, then this is not a well chosen long-term career. The next is that your work must be socially acceptable and benefit society; and lastly it must please God. All six of these areas must be satisfied in order to have a fulfilling long-term career. As Swedenborg states in the Spiritual Diary, "Therefore, when a man sincerely, justly and faithfully performs the work that belongs to his office or employment from affection and its delight, he is continually in the good of use" (n. 158).
     Now, how does this apply to a career, for example, in medicine? Well, let's look at Dr. Dobson's criteria for a satisfactory career. First, you must like medicine and enjoy caring for people. Second, you must have the ability to use sound judgment in making life-and-death decisions regarding a patient's health. Third, it is necessary to have permission by going through medical school and extra training, if needed, and taking licensure examinations to practice in your chosen field. Fourth, in the field you choose you must have a capacity to earn a living in keeping with the time and money invested in education, and the comparable pay scales in society for the responsibility of the job. Next, you must benefit society with your work. In medicine, generally this is the rule, but occasionally there are situations where physicians acting in areas such as abortion or prescription overuse may not benefit society. Lastly, we can please God in medicine if we extend ourselves beyond our own desires and be of service. There are many examples of being of service in medicine beyond just caring for the patient in front of you. Sometimes it demands staying late until the patient is well, or being called on in an emergency situation in the middle of the night, or treating a patient regardless of his ability to pay.

457


Sometimes it's just listening to the patient or lending a sympathetic ear or making a follow-up call. So it is not just a job well done but a job done to the best of your ability, which is as it should always be. It is filling the patient's need, whether it be physical or emotional. This then goes back to the components of service. The patient has a need, which is communicated to the physician who is aware of it and can in some way make the situation better. There is a bond established between the patient and the physician, creating a sense of community and a spirit of altruism to extend ourselves beyond our own selfishness and go the extra mile. These ingredients culminate in an instance of service, which infuses a heavenly influx. In the Arcana it is stated that "the knowing of knowledge is for the end of use ... and when [we] are serving as vessels [we are] in the use and receive [our] delight from the use" (1472). However, not all uses have to be dynamic, active or on a grand scale. Service can be in a smile, a pat on the back, or a thank-you from a patient. As Milton says in his poem on blindness, "They also serve who only stand and wait."
     Christopher Reeve is an example of someone who demonstrates through his courage that he is truly "Superman." Through his tragic accident he became an advocate for the disabled and a proponent to encourage education, research, and awareness of paraplegic and quadriplegic disabled persons. He has performed a very important use in our society, not only for the victims of these catastrophic accidents, but for the community as a whole, in expanding its awareness and raising its level of consciousness beyond the mundane day-to-day reactions to a higher plane that includes helping our fellow man.
     But how can service be demonstrated in a single instance or a lifetime career? The answer is that these events are the snapshots and the movie, so to speak, of man's eternal destiny. Each act is a step in the progression of man's spiritual growth. We are created for, and fulfilled by, an eternity of use. Service can be effected only by the appropriate attitude, awareness, and action that can lead us to our heavenly home.

458


HELEN KELLER: "Fifty Years of Fidelity" 1998

HELEN KELLER: "Fifty Years of Fidelity"              1998

     Written Testimony by Helen Adams Keller

     Affirming Her Spiritual Kinship with the Organized New Church

     We are pleased to publish two letters, written half a century apart, which testify no less eloquently from her 1927 work, My Religion, to Helen Keller's adamantine New Church faith.
     The first was recently re-discovered by Mr. Kurt Benbenek of the Swedenborg Society in London, England. This letter was written to the Rev. George Meek of the General Conference when Helen Keller was thirty years old and living with her newly married teacher, Anne Sullivan, and her editor-critic husband, John Macy. It should put to rest any further claims by biographers that Helen Keller's radicalism, then at its height compromised her religious convictions.

The Rev. George Meek

My dear Mr. Meek:
     Your letter reached me Christmas Day when we were all up among the snow-clad hills in the State of Vermont. Since our return, I have been struggling with some rather tedious work, or I should have replied sooner to your kind message.
     I am always glad to hear from one who teaches the doctrines of the New Church. I have read only a few books that explain them; but my heart is in all that I know of the doctrines. Besides Heaven and Hell I have read The Divine Love and Wisdom, Intercourse Between the Soul and the Body, On the White Horse Mentioned in the Apocalypse, Doctrine of the Sacred Scripture, a book of selections about the proprium prepared by John Bigelow, numerous extracts from the Arcana Coelestia, including explications in full of the twelve tribes of Israel. All these were copied for me after I left college, and that enables me to study them more easily. They are a constant source of help and delight to me. The precious truths they contain have banished the sense of isolation that used many times to weigh upon my spirit. All things about me have a new brightness because I understand more clearly how it is that the keenest vision belongs to the soul. If we will but see and listen, behold, there is companionship, light and music "at our own clay-shuttered doors!"

459



     I have no pictures now. I intend to have some more taken later. But I gladly enclose a sentence from Swedenborg.* It is one which cheers me when I get discouraged thinking how little my circumscribed life permits me to do for others.
     * Alas, we do not know what sentence it was from the Writings that Helen enclosed.
     With cordial greetings, and with best wishes for your work, I am,
     Faithfully yours,
          Helen Keller
          Wrentham, Massachusetts
          [Handwritten] January 22, 1910

June 1, 1960

Dear Miss Keller:
     The New York Society is deeply appreciative of your generous contribution toward carrying on the uses of the Lord's New Church.
     My visit with you was a memorable occasion for me. As a boy I read about a wonderful gentleman by the name of John Hitz who rose up early in the morning to transpose into Braille excerpts from Swedenborg to send to you. Little did I realize then that on one beautiful day in May I would sit down with you in person and share some of the spiritual insights found in the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg.
     No exalted prelate has ever had a more inspiring background for the administering of the Holy Supper than I had on Friday last With singing birds as choristers, a white, glass-topped table as an altar, your beautiful sun porch as a cathedral, windows opening onto verdant trees and flowering shrubs, and the glorious sun streaming in, we partook of heavenly food. How easy it was to believe the truth of Swedenborg's statement that in the Holy Supper the Lord is "wholly present."
     Trusting your forthcoming trip to Radcliffe will awaken many happy memories, and looking forward to another visit with you, I remain,
     Very cordially yours,
          Clayton Priestnal

460




October 24, 1960

Dear Mr. Priestnal:
     I have read your letter with real pleasure and I thank you warmly for all the signs it showed of your thoughtful kindness. Truly it was a joy to me to hear the communion service from which you read last May, an I shall be delighted to receive a Braille copy from you. There is no inspiration more precious to me than what comes to me from the New Church. Also, I shall be happy to have the new copy of The Divine Providence, and every time I touch that glorious work, I shall bless the women whose dear thought conveyed it to me.
     It was a happy privilege to have you visit me, and I am grateful to you for speaking so tenderly of our meeting. I have never ceased to miss Mr. Hitz, whom I called Pflegevater, and I long to communicate with fellow believers who can inspire me to live more truly as I believe. I felt as though I was in Heaven as I sat with you at the Holy Super with the sun pouring upon us and the trees and flowers bursting into their glory and the Lord "present with the whole of his redemption." I pray circumstances may permit us to join now and then in those beautiful experiences of the Spirit. Next month I shall go south to visit my family, but I shall return to Westport in February.
     Mrs. Seide joins me in sending you affectionate greetings.
          Sincerely you friend,
               Helen Keller

Note: The above material was provided by Mr. David Deaton. It comes at a time when we are anticipating a fresh publication by the Swedenborg Foundation of Life in My Darkness, a version of Miss Keller's My Religion edited by Dr. Ray Silverman.

461


TEACHER TO TEACHER: An Academy Tradition1 1998

TEACHER TO TEACHER: An Academy Tradition1       STEPHEN G. GLADISH,2       1998

     1 Written for a 40th class reunion
          2 Graduate of both Academy Boys School and Academy Junior College

     I sound my barbaric yawp across the razor ribbon-fences of the world from behind the walls of a prison. Not just a teacher, a drill instructor, an inculcator, a moral master sergeant, a demon whipper, a beast-in-the-basement exterminator. Teaching not just the ABC's, but the ADOC's - the Arizona Department of Corrections. We give the inmates opportunity: The opportunity to learn. The opportunity to change. The opportunity to break out of the prison of their lifestyles and the patterns of their thinking. The opportunity to relate to success-oriented people and peers by reading a book or an essay. To learn the step-by-step thinking processes in mathematics. To set down on paper a topic and brainstorm until the idea words flow. To write from "a clean heart" (Psalm 51:10). To become, ultimately, an educated, disciplined, contributing member of society.
     So, too, teachers learn from them. We learn how to survive in prison. We learn what it's like to live in spirit on a Navajo or Apache or Pima reservation. What it's like to belong to a street gang that spends most of its time killing other street gang members; what it's like to sell drugs and live with a Colt .45 beneath your pillow and the cops looking in your window. We learn how a person is beaten down all his life, how the mother was on drugs along with her son, how a person falls off the road to success and becomes a homeless vagrant. We learn why a person took up drinking, drugs, crime, and smoking. We assign and read personal essays, for example: "Lessons I Finally Learned." We do intervention, any kind we can think of, against the dual scourges of the country: gangs and breakup of the family unit. We have seen the value of perseverance in the face of opposition.

462


We have presided, iron-fisted and Christian-gloved, daily over a tranquil classroom oasis in the midst of a rude prison desert. We are the gentle enemy to every gang on the prison yard. We take stands every day that could be our last. But we have Divine protection and the courage of convictions we learned from our teachers in the past. We have worked with men named Snake and Weasel, Shooter and Sixgun, Coyote and Lobo. Imaginary holsters hanging on our belts harbor steel-barreled scrolls from Arizona and Ohio, state mottoes that proclaim "God Enriches," and "All Things Are Possible with God." What better place to apply such principles than a prison full of society's throwaways? In the shadow of the Good Samaritan and Mother Teresa we bind personal and educational wounds, heal feverish minds, and stop the street wars by disarming them, one gun or shank at a time, replacing deadly metal weapons of war with the sharpened pen, the sharpened wit, and the softened heart. And sometimes in a darkened movie theater or dusky hospital parking lot, years later, a familiar face will loom into view, and a hand will stretch out toward me, and a voice will break the stillness. "Hey, Mr. G., I've been out of prison two years now, and I'm doing fine!" And away beyond earth's gloom and clouds, the Divine Western White Hat of the universe ceases His gallop across the skies and notches His silver-studded belt with another miracle.
     Back inside my mind, inside my barbed-wire classroom, inside my college night classes, live the essences and teachings of many inspirational educators. Almost every single one of them is a Swedenborgian associated with the Academy. Somehow they led me to the Greatest Teacher of all - Jesus, who inspires me every day with His myriad lessons. Every one of the Academy educators went one step further and took a personal interest both inside and outside the classroom. Let me share some personal stories.
     Bishop Willard Pendleton came down from the stem cathedral pulpit and spoke eloquently with humanity and humility in the high school and college classroom. My initial fear vanished.

463


He lived what he taught. Integrity flavored every morsel of his truthful food for thought. Conjugial love was breathed to life with his personal teachings, giving me hope and enthusiasm for scores of years. His favorite doctrine of education for use permeated every membrane in my being. Now it's the core of my curriculum. I visited him once at home. While taking me to the kitchen for a glass of orange juice, he said, "The happiness of another person is a big responsibility." Those words were engraved in my heart. The Bishop, author, leader, my personal teacher and mentor, thank you. My wife of 31 years also thanks you. Every Monday when I make up thirty individual education progress plans, you're in the hand that holds the pen.
     Dean Charlie Cole also took the time to teach as well as administrate in high school and college. I never forgot his telling me and the rest of the college philosophy class, "If you don't agree with my grade on your paper, come up and prove me wrong, and I will change the grade!" I was amazed. A teacher willing to say he was mistaken! A teacher willing to value the student's opinion. What humble wisdom. My students both in prison and in college night school still benefit every day from Charlie Cole. Another time, he had us grade each other's papers in his high school human body class. We felt valued. He really believed in us. He lived the philosophy, "If you want to make a person trustworthy, trust him." Another time we came out of the old college classrooms, and he said to me, an Air Force veteran a bit older than those just out of high school, "Come on, I'll race you to the dining hall!" and the man with the big smile and the penguin walk reminiscent of the Weeble-Wobble punching balloon raced me across the campus stride for stride. The Dean, my personal teacher, friend, and mentor, and book collector. Thank you! Every Friday when I do weekly reviews and ask myself, "Have I really shown each student that I value him? Have I encouraged him?" my heart is a little bit bigger because you, Charlie Cole, are in it.

464



     Principal Richard Gladish. Administrator. Loved English, literature and education. Taught high school and college. Came down to the classroom and began with Beowulf Recited poetry to us from Beowulf to Wordsworth, up to Emerson, Thoreau, and Robert Frost. Yes, Thoreau wrote poetry too. We were amazed that Mr. Gladish had such a memory. His feats of strength were legendary. Forty years later we still refer to him as "The Man of Steel." He had to be a tough guy as principal of the Boys School, but his love of literature and New Church education transformed his sometimes fierce frown into a gentle, enthusiastic smile and a sparkle in his eyes. At home during student council functions or socializing, he spoke exactly like Huckleberry Finn with mischievous delight, curving his mouth into a wide Eisenhower grin. His sense of humor was also legendary. Later, on a golf course, he would paraphrase Wordsworth, by calling across the fairway, "My heart leaps up when I behold my ball upon the green!" The principal, personal teacher, mentor, and author. He's alive and well in my classroom behind prison walls. Thank you! On my Tuesdays and Thursdays of teaching essays, writing, poetry, and classroom discipline, my shadow is a little bit bigger because you're standing behind me.
     Dr. Sigfried Tafel Synnestvedt. Housemaster. American history, speech, and literature. Taught high school and college. Dynamic educational leadership. Was the gruff inspiration for the movie "Dead Poets Society," I'll bet. He read us selections from all the greats in American literature and history. He opened up new worlds to us. He sponsored his high school classes in a paperback book club. At least every month we enthusiastically picked out and ordered our own books. We started our own libraries. He lived the Emersonian ideals and belief in every individual as a king or queen. He zapped every student with enthusiasm and discipline. Through his energy we became our own self-motivated scholars of American history. "Each person's mind is his or her own plot to till," he'd emphasize.

465


"Get to work!" He arranged a class field trip to Walden Pond. He took the enthusiasm for Walden with which Professor Ernie Glenn began my own American Renaissance in my junior year of high school, and developed it into a life experience in college. I'll never forget Walden coming to life through my seeing Thoreau's cabin, and standing on the shore at five a.m., watching the sunrise while Sig had me read the last page of Walden to the class. When he became an author, he told me and everybody else why he wrote it. "Everybody talks about civil rights, but nobody does anything about it," a woman once scolded Sig at a cocktail party in the 60s. So he went to work on The White Response to Black Emancipation, shocking the nation with accurate, blood-chilling accounts of our national racism in the 1890s. We moved out of our national complacency, thanks to his firm moral stance. Dr. Synnestvedt, teacher, mentor, leader, author. Thank you! I write an inspirational message on the board every day because of you. I take the inmate students to the library every Wednesday too.
     In summary of this brief review of inspiring Academy teachers, let me recognize a few other stars in the constellation: Thank you, Rev. Don Rose, teaching French, for your gentle humor, and your unforgettable optimism for a student hesitant to speak French in front of the class. "Give it a whirl! Give it a try!" Thank you, Dr. Grant Doering, for your optimism, your sense of humor, your acceptance of all students in your biology classes. You made your laboratory of learning a haven of kindness as well. I still use your methods. Thank you, Robert Johns, teacher of physics and chemistry, who once came down off Mount Rushmore and complimented me for writing the lyrics to Carl Perkins' "Blue Suede Shoes" across the front of my physics notebook. He noticed something that was unscience! He recognized me - the least serious physics student in his class. Thank you, Professor Bruce Glenn, for those excellent intellectual discussions and explanations of Walden and all the readings you assigned in high school and in college.

466


You taught me to admire the intellect, cultivate it, and write clear, concise English. You were the William F. Buckley of the Academy, noted for your sharp wit and caustic comment. Nobody ever nodded off in your class.
     Thank you, Professor Eldric Klein, for patiently teaching college Latin. Once, when I expressed amazement that you would spend so much personal time out of the classroom on a student with such limited ability in Latin, you said with perfect kindness and conviction, "But some day you will be a pillar of society." Little did you know. But your faith in me has been a pillar of strength to me for decades. Thank you, Bishop Elmo Acton, for your many classroom teachings and your carefully selected words of advice in your office that helped me through hundreds of situations. You said, "Remember, if we do only what we want to do, and do not live according to doctrine, we will ruin our life." Another time you said in answer to my question, "Where there's cause for doubt, there's cause for delay." Such gentle, incisive, perspicacious wisdom. Such honesty. How much those two sentences helped me! Thank you, Reverend Ormond Odhner, for your unrelenting attack on the ills of society, for your mind on fire with truth, for your pep talks and your sermons, I'll never forget "In the first place, you knew better!" or "Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil!"
     Let me come to a close on a musical note. Historically from Biblical times, singing, dancing and performing with musical instruments have been primary methods of praising God. Among pre-Academy and Academy instructors I am thankful to Jesse Stevens and Frank Bostock for teaching us four-part harmony in devotional hymns, chants, doxologies, anthems, and psalms we carry with us wherever we go and in whatever church we sing. And the operettas and musicals we were all a part of in one way or another at the Academy - nobody forgot Emilie Asplundh's musical coaching, mentoring, and directing year after year.

467


She knew music like John Madden knows football. What's more, she could coax a golden meadowlark's song out of a crow. She loved the youth of the Academy. She showered her grace and her directions on us with an angel's sweet inspiration. The most unruly teens jumped to fulfill her requests. What could have been bedlam turned out to be music, and we couldn't figure out how. It was as if she refused to accept anything but music and harmony from us and we all worked hard not to let her down. We even forgot we were in an operetta sometimes. What a magical person. As a Swedenborgian, teacher, friend, mother, and wife, she was the quintessential role model, devoted to all in her care, in her auditorium, in her church, and in her home. Every year I realize more and more that the beautiful young teacher who married me three decades ago is just like Emilie.
     For every teacher I've commemorated and extolled, as well as those whom time doesn't permit me to recognize with equal respect and admiration, the teachings of the Lord, the Scriptures and the Writings shone from their eyes and their hearts and their minds. They loved New Church education. Their devotion to their wives, husbands, and families was carved in granite. And they were devoted to us students. They made learning personal, inspirational, and eternal. They'll never know how much their influence lives on in the minds and hearts of thousands of my students. For them I also say, "Thank you!" I know there are other gifted teachers who have taken your places who will be similarly elegized and eulogized.
     One of the happiest moments of my life as an Academy graduate came on hearing that Academy President Daniel Goodenough stood before all graduates at a more recent graduation and said, "We love you! We really love you!" There's the marriage of good and truth we've always heard about.

468


SMOKING 107 YEARS AGO 1998

SMOKING 107 YEARS AGO       Editor       1998




     Editorial Pages
     Last month we mentioned the outlook of a young person in the face of evidence about the effects of cigarette smoking. And as part of a series on what one foolishly says in one's heart we quoted the following: "Let this be so, and let it come, but so long as I am here let me be in the pleasures and joys of my heart. The present I know; what is to come I give no thought to; no more evil will come to me than to very many others" (AE 1165).
     We will return to this passage in a moment, but we wish to share what was said in this magazine about smoking more than a hundred years ago.
     In 1891 some students at the Academy of the New Church undertook to examine the habit of smoking in the light of the teachings of the Writings. The study appeared in the August and October issues of that year. The writers said that in evaluating a habit we should think from the doctrine of use. "Is the habit beneficial or injurious?" Especially, they said, you should be considerate of others. If some object to your smoking, you should think of their comfort more than your own, "especially if the persons objecting be ladies" (p. 196).
     It is interesting to see that at that time cigarettes were believed to have healthful benefits: aiding digestion, relieving constipation, quieting restlessness. So these students looked for a balance between use and abuse. They had no idea about effects of secondhand smoke, but they noted that it can be unpleasant. In conclusion they wrote: "One will sometimes think that smoking at home will not injure the neighbor." But they said that there may be neighbors within the home who are inconvenienced, "and thus every smoker should be most guarded in the quantity of tobacco he uses, and when and where he uses it."
     Getting back to the quotation from AE 1165, this is not a passage about smoking. It talks about punishment, and says that even while some were hearing about the punishments of hell, they still preferred to continue in their evils.

469


This passage has the following statement: "Punishments do not take away the will, intention, and consequent thought of evil; they merely take away the acts." We take up the subject of punishments in the next editorial.
ON GENTLENESS AND PUNISHMENT 1998

ON GENTLENESS AND PUNISHMENT       Editor       1998

     When the Writings deplore the education of children that was prevalent at the time they were written, they seem to deplore excessive and cruel punishment, saying "such is the bringing up of little children at this day." The Latin is talis sit hodie educatio infantum. (See AC 2125 and SE 3992.) Fanatically strict parents in days gone by tended toward what we now refer to as "child abuse."
     The Writings certainly address the subject of punishment and say that it is necessary. In True Christian Religion we read, "Everyone knows that a father who chastises his children when they do wrong loves them, and that, on the other hand, he who does not chastise them therefore loves their evils, and this cannot be called charity" (407). The more I study this subject, the less I am satisfied with the English word "chastise" in this context. We will get to the matter of words later, but let us talk about punishment, whether it be in a school setting or in the home.
     Resorting to punishment can be an admission of failure. There you are - an idealistic parent or primary teacher. You want to motivate, stimulate and encourage. You want to nourish the good and delightful things which emerge in children. Punishment seems hardly to be a part in that picture.
     Even in dealing with animals it is best not to punish. If you want the donkey to budge, the carrot is far preferable to the stick. In training a puppy, use reward and lots of praise and encouragement. The experts sagely advise not to strike a dog with your hand. But suppose you live near dangerous traffic. If you love your dog, you will seek ways to keep him from stepping into harm's way. Perhaps an invisible fence can provide for the dog what electric fences have provided for millions of livestock: a little zap to keep the critter from crossing the line.

470


The zap may be mild, but it simply has to be unpleasant or it will not serve the purpose. (We will mention that again.)
     Let us leave the pasture and get back to the school room or home. We are saying that punishment can be admission of failure. If what you are providing in the classroom is enthralling, the children are giving rapt attention and are not resorting to mischief to alleviate boredom. But do not lay a guilt trip on yourself if children sometimes behave like ... well, like children.
     Children are more endearing than animals and more valuable than many sparrows. However, unlike the animal, a child, yes, even an infant, by inheritance inclines to evils of every kind. Knowing that this is a reality helps us to be discerning as we serve uses, in this case the use of educating children.
     So there you are, giving a fascinating demonstration to your children, and you experience the intrusion of disruptive behavior. One of the first things you may have to deal with is your own resentment at being interrupted. And do you blame the disruptive child? Suppose the child has extreme pressures at home which cause an acting out in the classroom? We don't blame for that. And really the same applies to the influence of evil spirits and the inherited inclination to evil. The child is not to blame for them.
     Okay, so you do not blame, but you do care. And to act from care, to act from love, you are obliged to respond to negative behaviors. Whether at school or at home, a stronger child may bully or take things away from a weaker child. You wish things like this did not happen or that they would go away. But a response is called for. If your child is acting the bully, your response shows love for the "victims," but it also shows love for the one in the bullying mode. The Writings say that a loving parent will respond with chastisement. But what form does chastisement take?
     We will continue this subject next month.

471


PERSONAL LINE FROM HELEN KELLER 1998

PERSONAL LINE FROM HELEN KELLER       Editor       1998

     Elsewhere in this issue we quote a letter written by Helen Keller on January 22, 1910. We are struck with something she said.
     She gladly enclosed "a sentence from Swedenborg," and said, "It is one which cheers me when I get discouraged thinking how little my circumscribed life permits me to do for others." This woman is known around the world, and her name has become a symbol of inspiration. And yet she lamented how little she could do for others. Let's all think about that!
     We do not know what particular sentence from the Writings especially cheered her. Yes, that's disappointing but let us turn it into an exercise. What sentences from the Writings cheer you when you are discouraged? Perhaps, like Helen Keller, you feel like sharing them with others.
THREE SHORT WORKS 1998

THREE SHORT WORKS       Editor       1998

     This small volume is now available from the General Church Book Center. We have not had time to read it all, but we now call attention to it with a little information and a sampling of the translation.
     It might be useful to think of it as two short works together with one that is very short (hardly half a dozen pages of print).
     The first work in the volume is called The Sacred Scripture or Word of the Lord from Experience. (When people refer to it they often give the abbreviation of the Latin and call it De Verbo.) This work is currently found in the first volume of Posthumous Theological Works beginning on page 311. It has also come out as a separate volume published last year by the Swedenborg Society. We printed samples from that translation in March of this year.
     This work opens with the description of a vision of sacks full of silver. This vision is depicted in one of the small stained glass windows in the chapel of the Bryn Athyn cathedral. This scene appears a number of times in the Writings. (See TCR 277, AR 255 and Doctrine of the Sacred Scripture 26.)

472



     Here is the way it is rendered in this new translation by Rev. N. Bruce Rogers:

     A REPRESENTATION OF THE LITERAL MEANING OF THE WORD, WHICH HAS A SPIRITUAL MEANING WITHIN

     1. I was given to see large purses, looking like sacks, which had stored away in them a great deal of silver. Since they were open, it seemed as if anyone might help himself to the silver deposited in them, even to make off with it, but next to them two angels were sitting as guards. The place where the sacks rested looked like a manger in a stable. In the next room I saw modest maidens, together with a chaste wife. Near that room were two little children, and I heard it said they were not to be played with in a childish way, but wisely. Afterward a harlot appeared, then a horse lying dead.
     I then perceived that this was a way of representing the literal meaning of the Word, which has a spiritual meaning within. The large purses full of silver symbolized concepts of truth there in great abundance. The sacks' being open and yet guarded by angels symbolized that anyone might acquire concepts of truth there, but that people should take care not to falsify the inner meaning, which contains only truths. The manger in the stable where the purses were sitting symbolized spiritual instruction for the intellect. (A manger has this symbolism, like the one where the newborn Lord lay, because a horse symbolizes the intellect, consequently a manger its nourishment.) The modest maidens I saw in the next room symbolized truths of the church, and the chaste wife the conjunction of truth and good that exists throughout the Word. The little children symbolized the innocence of the wisdom in it (they were angels from the third heaven, all of whom appear like little children). The harlot together with the dead horse symbolized the falsification of the Word by so many people today, by which all understanding of the truth has been lost. (A harlot symbolizes falsification, and a dead horse no understanding of truth.)

473


ARCANA MAGAZINE 1998

ARCANA MAGAZINE       Editor       1998

     The following is quoted from the inside cover of Arcana Magazine, published by the Swedenborg Association.
     "For many people today this is a time of spiritual crisis, confusion, and seeking. In the Western world, the churches often do not respond to the earnest desire of those who feel the necessity for spiritual renewal, for a doctrine that resonates in both the intellect and the soul with the certainty of its truth. Some have attempted to find the path to their spiritual quest in Eastern religions - in forms of Hinduism, Buddhism, or Islam. Frequently, initial enthusiasm gives way to disillusion, to the sense that one cannot really feel altogether comfortable in a tradition so far removed from one's own background, despite the fact that such religions present spiritual insights that seem to have greater personal relevance than precepts more familiar to individuals of Judaeo-Christian heritage.
     "Is there a Western religious tradition that confirms universal Divine truths, that appeals to reason, and whose aim is the spiritual regeneration of the individual? Hinduism, the oldest surviving religious tradition, teaches that there are three paths to self-realization: jhana, the path of knowledge: bhakti, the path of love; and karma, the path of action. Is there a Western religious tradition that combines these three paths into one in order to reach the goal of conjunction with the Divine? To all these questions the response is yes: that tradition is to be found in the theological writings of Emanuel Swedenborg.
     "The journal Arcana is devoted to bringing the teachings revealed in Swedenborg's works to all those who are deeply concerned with their spiritual condition, who are seeking answers to personal and universal issues of vital spiritual importance, and who want to achieve spiritual renewal. The articles in this journal reflect the Vedantic statement: 'Truth is one: sages express it variously'; or, as it is phrased in one of Swedenborg's books:

474


'Churches [i.e., religions] that possess differing kinds of goodness and truth, so long as the kinds of goodness they have relate to love to the Lord, and the truths they have relate to faith in Him, are like so many gems in a king's crown' (True Christian Religion 763).
     "In examining the teachings of the world's religious traditions, contributors to Arcana illustrate the essential unity of Divine truth as it has been revealed since time immemorial, and they indicate how that truth - the religio perennis - has been presented in its fullest, clearest, and most consistent form in the revelation given through Emanuel Swedenborg.

     Nunc licet intellectualiter intrare in arcana fidei.
     'Now it is permitted to enter with understanding
     into the mysteries of faith.'"
SEMINAR BOOKS IN ENGLAND 1998

SEMINAR BOOKS IN ENGLAND              1998

     We have seen a very attractive brochure from New Church House in England which describes several of the "Seminar Books" publications, picturing the tasteful and attractive covers. Here is a list of most of those books with the price given in pounds sterling.

Beyond the Rainbow (Clifford Curry) L3.95
Living with God (Paul Vickers) L9.50
Bible Activities (Ruth and Julian Duckworth) L5.95
Eve, the Bone of Contention (Michael Stanley) L5.00
I Suppose I Shall Survive (G. Roland Smith) L3.00
Daily Readings (Reg Lang) L4.50
Psychology as Servant of Religion (Alan Gorange) L3.00
A Swedenborg Scrapbook (Brian Kingslake) L3.00
The Second Coming (Norman Ryder) 50p.

     Payment need not be made until receipt of invoice. Postage and packing will be charged extra. Please make cheques payable to New Church House, 34 John Dalton Street, Manchester M2 6LE England. These items are also available from the General Church Book Center.

475


CAIRNWOOD VILLAGE 1998

CAIRNWOOD VILLAGE              1998

     Great news! The new wing of Cairnwood Village is completed. We are now able to offer four different styles of apartments: one-bedroom or two-bedroom (second floor with balcony or first floor with garden terrace); the new wing has larger two-bedroom apartments with garden terraces or two bedrooms with a den (some with decks).
     Cairnwood Village is situated in the Bryn Athyn pastoral area. Call now to get your name on the priority list. The apartments are offered in the order in which your name appears on the list. Khary Allen, our manager, will be happy to give you all the details. Even if you are not contemplating moving in the near future, call Khary at (215) 947-1911 or write Cairnwood Village, Box 550, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

     A Testimonial

     Several years ago I left San Diego to move to Cairnwood Village. As a single person I find it is a wonderful place to live. It is convenient to all worship services. We even have our own Holy Supper! For further education there are college courses to audit and lectures to hear, a cinch to attend since we are located on the college campus. There are always rides available, so transportation is no problem. C.V. is like an expanded family, sharing birthdays, joys, and disasters. There is no reason to be lonely; if you are, it is your choice.
     If you're tired of maintaining a house, set yourself free and move in! Everything is provided, including air conditioning and cable TV.
     It truly has proven to be a lovely place for me. Friendships, entertainment, and assistance when needed abound and add to the opportunity for spiritual growth and stimulation. Join us and enjoy the easy life!
     Louise Brickman (Mrs. Robert) Pollock

476


HOW I WOULD HELP THE WORLD 1998

HOW I WOULD HELP THE WORLD              1998




     Announcements






     On pages 459 and 471 a personal letter from Helen Keller is quoted. She laments that she could not do more for others. It is interesting that the introduction she wrote for an edition of True Christian Religion has been published as a pamphlet entitled How I Would Help the World.
     That title was derived from these words in the pamphlet: "Were I but capable of interpreting to others one-half of the stimulating thoughts and noble sentiments that are buried in Swedenborg's Writings, I should help them more than I am ever likely to in any other way. It would be such a joy to me if I might be the instrument of bringing Swedenborg to a world that is spiritually deaf and blind."
     On the same page we read: "If people would only begin to read Swedenborg's books with at first a little patience, they would soon be reading them for pure joy."

479


SHOP AT HOME 1998

SHOP AT HOME              1998

     FOR AFFORDABLE NEW CHURCH PRODUCTS

     Our New 1998-1999 Catalog is Yours Free from the General Church Office of Education
     Time to order the latest catalog of materials to serve your family's spiritual needs.
     Our catalog has a wide variety of resources designed to help you and your family broaden your knowledge and experience of the Word from a New Church perspective.
     Parents, grandparents, students, teachers, Sunday Schools, and seniors will find over 100 items to order.
     We list a wide variety of items including children's books, video and audio programs, young people's materials, beautiful mealtime blessing cards and much more.
     Please call, write, fax or e-mail us today at:

General Church Office of Education
Cairncrest - P.O. Box 743
Bryn Athyn, PA 19009
     Phone: (215) 914-4949;
Fax: (215) 914-4935
E-mail: [email protected]

480


BOOKS IN SPANISH 1998

BOOKS IN SPANISH              1998

     People often request books of the Writings or publications about the New Church printed in languages other than English. Listed below are a few items that the Book Center now has in stock in Spanish. As a teacher of that language you might wish to use one in the classroom. Or you may want to give one to a friend or neighbor who speaks Spanish. This is good introductory material.

El Cielo Y Sus Maravillas Y El Infierno (Heaven and Hell),
paperback $19.95

Introduccion Al Pensamiento Religioso de Swedenborg (Introduction to Swedenborg's Religious Thought) by John H. Spalding,
paperback 3.00

Luz En Mi 0scuridad (Light in My Darkness) by Helen Keller,
hardcover 5.00
paperback 3.00
     
La Nueva lglesia (The New Church) by Rt. Rev. Peter Buss,
pamphlet
1.00
     Please include $1.25 postage per book if you are sending payment with your order. Prices are in U.S. dollars.
     General Church Book Center
Cairncrest
Box 743
Bryn Athyn, PA 19009
E-mail: [email protected]
     Hours: Mon-Fri 9-12 or by appointment
Phone: (215) 914-4920
Fax: (215) 914-4935

481


Title Unspecified 1998

Title Unspecified              1998

Vol. CXVIII November, 1998 No. 11

     New Church Life

     A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

482


Notes on This Issue 1998

Notes on This Issue              1998

     It is time we begin to think about the General Assembly coming in the year 2000. It will be held in Canada. You will find in this issue a call for papers. We have just seen the fall issue of New Church Canadian which calls attention to this important event. The issue contains an outstanding article on changes of seasons from the perspective of farmer and pastor Glenn Alden of Dawson Creek.
     "From appearances man supposes that there can be no glory without the glory of the world" (AC 2196). The subject of the sermon this month is the glory of heaven.
     The Rev. Dr. Reuben P. Bell not only takes us through the Beekman years on "fast-forward." He also provides plentiful information on the things written by Lillian Beekman and material relating to her and her work. Dr. Bell asks if Miss Beekman might "serve as an inspiration to New Church women for years to come as the pioneering intellectual scholar that she apparently was."
     On page 506 of this issue it is noted that a number of people connected with the New Church have not yet formally joined any organization associated with it. This invitation to join such an organization was first published in a newsletter in the state of Washington.
     Speaking of organizations, we have heard that a book by Rev. Denis Duckworth has been published in England telling the story of the General Conference of the New Church.
     We hope next month to announce the publication of a grand volume. It will include the commentaries by the late Rev. John Clowes on each of the four gospels.

Enrollments at the Academy: The Directory of Schools will appear in the December issue. Enrollments at the Academy of the New Church include 15 full-time students in the Theological School, 145 students at the College, 274 in the High Schools.

483


PROMISE OF GLORY TO DISCIPLES OF THE LORD 1998

PROMISE OF GLORY TO DISCIPLES OF THE LORD       Rev. DONALD L. ROSE       1998

"So Jesus said to them, Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Matt. 19:28).

     This was said to the Lord's twelve disciples. What do the teachings of the New Church tell us about these men? We know they went to heaven - that they are "now angels" (TCR 4). And to know that has the potential for mightily encouraging us, because another thing we know about them is that they were normal, weak human beings. Our lessons from the Arcana Coelestia make that clear (AC 8573, 3857, 3417). Their ambition had a good measure of selfishness in it. They were given to dispute among themselves as to who would be the greatest. They were so slow to understand, having at first "no other opinion respecting the heavenly kingdom than that of greatness and pre-eminence" (AC 3417:2).
     In the gospels we see the Lord giving to these disciples a double message. The things He said to them about their destiny seem to be contradictory. That is what this sermon is about: the double message to the disciples, and of course the implications for you and me.
     On the one hand the Lord seemed to promise them glory. They would be great. They would be rewarded. They would sit on thrones. They would receive a hundred-fold. On the other hand He told them that whoever wanted to be great would be a servant, and that he who would be first would be least of all.
     Was one message true and the other false? Does one message cancel out the other one? Both messages were true, and both were needed. But one message was openly true, and the other message was symbolically true.
     The openly true message is that to be great in heaven is to be a servant. The true message is that there is no worldly glory in heaven.

484


The Lord told them clearly and emphatically that the worldly concept of greatness and authority was not part of His kingdom. "Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant" (Mark 10:43). Now if only that message had been given to the disciples, they would not have been able to handle it. In fact they would have concluded in their hearts that heaven was not desirable.
     Once adolescents who had died were instructed by angels about the nature of love in heaven. When they heard the truth it is said they sighed sadly and exclaimed, "Oh, how dry is the joy of heaven. What young man can then wish for heaven? Is not such a love barren and devoid of life?" (CL 44) The response of the angels was to laugh, for they knew that heaven was full of inner delight, far better than what those adolescents hoped or imagined.
     It is interesting that four pages later, after those adolescents had been instructed by angels, they rejoiced and said, "We will strive after morality and a virtuous life. . . " (CL 44e).
     Imagine someone being told that heaven is a hundred times better than that person thinks. Suppose your concept of heaven was to have some ice cream and cake, and you were told it is a hundred times better than that. Would you then think simply of a hundredfold portion of ice cream and cake?
     When one of the disciples asked the Lord, "What shall we have?," He said that one who has left house or brothers and sisters, or father and mother or wife and children shall receive a hundredfold in this time - houses and brothers and sisters and mothers - and in the world to come eternal life (see Mark 10:29, 30). The Writings address this and say, "Everyone can see that if he forsakes a mother he will not receive mothers; in like manner neither brothers, sisters, etc." (AC 4843e).
     Would the disciples be in glory when they died? Will anyone be in glory upon leaving this life? There is a saying in the Psalms about being received to glory. "You hold me by my right hand. You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory" (73:24).

485



     We will mention glory later, but let us think of other examples. When we enter the Lord's kingdom, will it be an entrance into useful activity or will it be a blessed rest? There is a beautiful double message in Scripture in this regard. "This is my rest forever; here will I dwell, for I have longed for it" (Psalm 132:14). The Lord's invitation is, "Come unto Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest, . . . You will find rest for your souls" (Matt. 11:28,29). Although we know about the performance of uses in heaven, we often use that saying in the book of Revelation: "I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, and their works do follow them" (Rev. 14:13).
     Also from the book of Revelation we have the example of a crown. "Be faithful until death, and I will give you a crown of life" (Rev. 2: 10). The Writings tell us (AE 126) that a crown means wisdom and the resulting happiness. Is it true that heaven's promise includes a crown? Literally there will not be crowns, but symbolically there will, and what the Lord gives in wisdom and happiness is a hundred times better than a crown placed on the head.
     The incentive of a promise of greatness is common in the Scriptures. Listen to the first call of Abram. "Get you out of your country .... I will make you a great nation; I will bless you, and make your name great" (Genesis 12:1-3). The Writings note that this is a promise of glory (see AC 1419).
     Imagine being great and having the glory of a great name. That kind of promise goes from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob through Moses and even to the time of the disciples. Is that what heaven is about? The Writings are emphatic in the answer to that. Where the promise is to make the name great, the teaching is that the glory is altogether different. No one who wants to be great or the greatest is allowed into heaven because this is "contrary to the essence and life of heavenly love" (AC 1419).

486



     But notice how what is true is blended into the promise. "You shall be a blessing." "In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." To be able to be of service, to be able to make a difference for good, is a hope that does belong to heaven.
     When the Writings explain that first promise about being great, they call our attention to some incidents involving individuals who had unreal ideas of heaven. (See AC 1419e.) We read, Some "had conceived so false an idea about heaven that they supposed themselves to be in heaven when they were high up, and imagined that from that position they could rule all things below, and thus to be in self-glory and pre-eminence over others. On account of their being in such a fantasy, and in order to show them that they were in error, they were taken up on high, and from there were permitted in some measure to rule over things below; but they discovered with shame that this was a heaven of fantasy and that heaven does not consist in being on high, but is wherever there is anyone who is in love and charity" (AC 450).
     "I have conversed with spirits who supposed heaven and heavenly joy to consist in being the greatest. But they were told that in heaven he is greatest who is least, because he who would be the least has the greatest happiness, and consequently is the greatest, for what is it to be the greatest except to be the most happy? ... They were told further that heaven does not consist in desiring to be the least in order to be the greatest, for in that case the person is really aspiring and wishing to be the greatest, but that heaven consists in this, that from the heart we wish better for others than for ourselves, and desire to be of service to others in order to promote their happiness, and this for no selfish end but from love" (AC 452).
     "From appearances man supposes that there can be no glory without the glory of the world, whereas in the glory of heaven there is not a particle of the world's glory" (AC 2196:8).
     To the merely human rational it is strange and contradictory to say the following, and yet it is true.

487


"In heaven the greatest are they who are least, the wisest they who believe and perceive themselves to be the least wise, and the happiest they who desire others to be the most happy and themselves the least so; it is heaven to wish to be below all, but hell to wish to be above all; consequently that in the glory of heaven there is absolutely nothing the same as in the glory of the world" (AC 2654:5).
     The truth is that heaven is happiness. What kind of happiness? We take a long time learning what happiness is, and we sometimes alternate between states of obscurity and states of clarity on this. Sometimes we feel regret that we are giving up delights. The beautiful message of the Writings is that the relatively cheap delights we give up are as nothing compared to genuine delights. Almost playfully, Swedenborg told some spirits that they had no life until deprived of their delights. They answered that if they were deprived of their delights, they would no longer have any life. "But I was permitted to reply that then life first begins" (AC 3938:5).
     Real life begins when we participate in the Lord's love. It is common for people to have very limited notions of heaven, and these are sometimes related to verses in Scripture. For example, there is a saying in the prophets that the intelligent shall shine like stars (see Dan. 12:3). And there are people who go into the other world thinking that their scholarly credentials will bring them to star status (see HH 346, 518). But the Writings say that true intelligence is from a love of truth quite apart from any notion of glory (see HH 347).
     At the beginning of one of the books of the Writings, typical notions of heaven are listed. Some thought heaven would be to have continual dinners. They thought they would sit at the table with the apostles, one day with Peter, another day with James, another day with John and so forth (see CL 6). Some thought they would sit on thrones of glory and be ministered to by angels (CL 3). In each case they learned that the core of happiness is in being useful, in being helpful to others.

488



     When each of us thinks of heaven, and we should think about heaven, we can benefit from the direct teachings about the love of service, the humility that belongs to heavenly life. But we can also be uplifted by the symbolic expressions about heaven. Yes, it is a rest. It is a rest to be withheld from any preoccupation with self. To be held in the Lord's love is a fulfillment of the promise, "I will give you rest." We can enjoy the promise.
     "You shall be a blessing." And to be in the Lord's love in this way is the best kind of glory. It is truly glorious, so that we may say, "You hold me by my right hand. You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory" (Psalm 73:24). Amen.

Lessons: Mark 10:28-4 1, AC 8573, 3 857, 3417

Arcana Coelestia 3417 (a portion)

     ... [E]ven the disciples themselves had at first no other opinion respecting the heavenly kingdom than that of greatness and preeminence, as on earth - as is evident in Matthew 18: 1; Mark 9:34; Luke 9:46 and also had an idea of sitting on the right hand and left of a king (Matt. 20:20, 21, 24; Mark 10:37); therefore also the Lord replied according to their apprehension and their spirit, saying, when there was a contention among them as to which of them should be greatest: "You shall eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and shall sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Luke 22:30; Matt 19:28); for at that time they did not know that heavenly delight is not the delight of greatness and preeminence .... This is the reason why the Lord spoke in adaptation to their infirmity, that thereby they might be aroused and introduced to good, so as to learn, and to teach, and to do it.

Note: This sermon is available on cassette at the General Church Sound Recording Library, Box 743, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009, or call (215) 9144980. Ask for # 103935.

489


LILLIAN GRACE BEEKMAN: UNFINISHED BUSINESS 1998

LILLIAN GRACE BEEKMAN: UNFINISHED BUSINESS       Rev. REUBEN P. BELL       1998

     It is difficult to study the turn-of-the-century Academy without encountering the name of Lillian Grace Beekman. Books and articles by "Miss Beekman," as she was universally known, are scattered through the years from 1899 to 1917, covering a range of topics from the pragmatic to the sublime. Contemporary references to this New Church scientist and scholar are just as varied, characterizing her as anything from inspired to possessed. Paradoxical even to those who knew her well, she remains an enigmatic icon of the Academy's formative years.
     Her unsettling presence can be felt in the words biographers have used to describe her brief but eventful tenure at the Academy of the New Church. We find references to the Beekman "disturbance" by the Council of the Clergy1 and Sanfrid Odhner2 the Beekman "crisis" by Rae Friesen,3 and the Beekman "controversy" by Alfred Acton II.4 Perhaps, from our objective historical perspective, we might better set out to explore the substance of the Beekman "phenomenon" of 1911-1915. These were the years of the Academy's great philosophical debate on the nature of spiritual matter, and the cultural, political and theological upheaval this debate provoked.

490



     1 Journal of the Joint Council of the General Church of the New Jerusalem, Fifteenth Meeting June 26, 1915, and Sixteenth Meeting November 27-28, 1915, printed for private circulation, Bryn Athyn, 1916.
     2 Odhner, Sanfrid E., Ed., Toward a New Church University, ANC Centennial Album, Academy of the New Church, Bryn Athyn, PA, 1976. "The Beekman Disturbance," p. 42.
     3 Friesen, Rae Champion, The Beekman Drama: Magic, Eve, and the Tribunal: Discourse Analysis of Personal Letters and the Transcripts of the Joint Council Meetings of the General Church, 1915. University of Pennsylvania Master's Thesis, 1993.
     4 Acton, Alfred II, Carl Theophilus Odhner, A Biography. Academy of the New Church, pp. 30-37.
     It is the plan of this paper to explore the person Lillian Beekman through the eyes of the people who knew her, and the documents they left behind, which tell a strange story of fearful men at work. In doing so, we hopefully can properly fix the Beekman years (1899-1915) in the matrix of Academy history. The main sources for this exploration are those biographies mentioned above, and a particularly detailed Beekman history by Alfred Acton as well.5 Although overlapping in nature, each brings its own perspective to the story of a truly fascinating lady. This is not to be another exhaustive biography, but rather a synopsis of the Beekman years on "fast-forward," as it were, to provide a feeling for the story and to set the stage for where it leads.
     5 Acton, Alfred, "Lillian Grace Beekman," New Philosophy, 1953 (Jul. and Oct.), and 1954 (Jan.).
     Lillian Grace Beekman was born in Monticello, Minnesota, in 1859, the daughter of a Congregational minister. She came to the Academy in 1899, and died in Philadelphia in 1946. She was married at an early age to a Chicago surgeon, but was soon separated, thereafter using her maiden name. She came to the Academy at forty years of age - handsome, accomplished, and brainy. Educated in anatomy, physiology, physics, philosophy and the arts, she combined her attributes and accomplishments in a charming and forceful presence.6
     6 Ibid.
     Miss Beekman's first exposure to Swedenborg was by way of Emerson's essay "Swedenborg the Mystic" from his literary series Representative Men. Following this new interest, she was led to the Principia by Rev. L.D. Mercer in Chicago's Swedenborg Book Room. Mercer later reported that in three short weeks she had devoured this work and was back for more. Invited to become a charter member of Chicago's Principia Club, she presented her first paper on Swedenborg's science at its inaugural meeting.

491


This paper, entitled "The Solar Vortices and the Development of Suns," appeared in the 1899 issue of New Philosophy.
     Miss Beekman soon became an item of great interest among a small circle of Academy scholars who were intent on bringing Swedenborg's science into harmony with the current science, in an attempt to supplant the Naturalism (especially Darwinism) of the day. The leader of this movement was Bishop W. F. Pendleton, who was to find in Miss Beekman great promise for the task.
     Beekman was clearly in the right place at the right time. Highly recommended by Mercer, who had immediately recognized her unique potential, she came to the Academy Theological School in 1899 as a special student in a one-year course of study, with a stipend from W. F. Pendleton. She was a natural. Writing Spectrum Analysis and Swedenborg's Principia in 1900, she then began teaching Anatomy and Physiology in the Academy Girls School in 1902. Miss Beekman had arrived.
     Her early career was marked by enthusiastically positive response to both her work and her captivating presence. By 1902 she was developing a following of sorts, and among her most ardent admirers were W. F. Pendleton, John Pitcairn, Alfred Acton, and C. T. Odhner. Her teaching soon attracted attention for the "new ideas" she brought to Anatomy and Physiology - ideas gleaned from Swedenborg's Economy of the Animal Kingdom and Animal Kingdom series. Using these for texts, and with her apparent mastery of the modern canon of these disciplines, she began to weave spiritual themes into her teaching from the Writings for the New Church. She identified certain truths in the subject matter as connected to "residues of ancient correspondences" or remnants of the Ancient Church. She found such correlations in the Eastern religions, the Kabbalah, and esoteric Hermeticism, with which she seemed quite well acquainted. This collateral area of interest in ancient traditions was shared by her colleague C. T. Odhner, who also investigated these connections.

492


In a few short years, Miss Beekman's reputation as an indefatigable scholar was a well established fact. Stories of her marathon study sessions, all-night writing, and amazing literary output added to the mystique of this new presence in the Bryn Athyn community. But along with these was evidence of other, more troubling habits - of long bouts of "nervous illness" which took her away from her work at intervals, and increasingly necessitated recuperative trips to the mountains or the Jersey shore. But these served only to add to the legend of Miss Beekman's "eccentricity," consistent with the stereotypic habitude of creative genius. This behavior, at times distressed and distant, was eventually to figure in her undoing proof, as it were, of weakness, instability, or even abject "possession."
     At the zenith of her Academy career, due to the positive notoriety of her eclectic and doctrinal approach to the teaching of the natural sciences, she was encouraged by W. F. Pendleton and C. T. Odhner to publish her new and popular ideas on Swedenborg's science. Physiological Papers (1906) and Outline of Swedenborg's Cosmology (1907) quickly followed. These books were wildly popular, establishing her as a major intellectual force in the Academy. C. T. Odhner's glowing New Church Life tribute to her work is a fitting barometer of the spirit of the times and the esteem in which Lillian Beekman was held by all her colleagues.7 An avalanche of papers followed in response by theologians and laymen alike, all pursuing the theme of connection of Swedenborg's science and cosmology with modern science, and the spiritual bridge from these to the Writings. These were halcyon days for the Academy, with scholarly activity at a level never seen before. But these days were numbered.
     7 Odhner, C. T., "Discrete Degrees and Spiritual Substance," New Church Life, 1908 (Jan.).
     In 1907 Miss Beekman, clearly the expert, was invited to teach Swedenborg's cosmology in the Academy Theological School. Despite her reported authoritarian teaching style, she was popular in this new use, and her reputation was at an all-time high.

493


But despite this popularity, some began to question the propriety of such a role for a woman.
     Because of the nature of the issues which would eventually lead to Miss Beekman's separation from the Academy, it should be interjected at this point that the United States in 1907 was feeling the influence of a large and growing feminist movement which was to culminate in the constitutional question of the right of women to vote. There was a great deal of emotion in the air, both for and against this powerful social current, to which the Bryn Athyn community was not immune. Among the members of a national "man suffrage movement" (a backlash to suffragette activity) was Academy treasurer and closest friend of John Pitcairn, Walter Childs I. As is the case in most historical events, there were several variables at work in the Beekman story, and the importance of this political climate in which the story unfolds must not be ignored.
     From 1907 onward, Miss Beekman continued to enjoy great popularity, despite the occasional question about the role of women in teaching, particularly in matters of doctrine. In time another question, that of the "authority" of the scientific and philosophical works of Swedenborg, was raised as well. More than one person was concerned with what was seen to be a "blurring" of the long-accepted clean line between the secular "pre-theological" works and the revealed theological Writings. A particularly vocal spokesman for this concern was Alfred Stroh, a young scholar involved in the archiving and classification of Swedenborg's scientific works. This line was not to be crossed, he said, and there were those who readily agreed. But despite these arguments (of a type not uncommon in any scholarly community), Miss Beekman's sincere and gracious manner and her insistence on the editorial approval of Bishop Pendleton for any of her doctrinal statements was sufficiently convincing for most who might have had doubts about her motivation.

494



     In 1910 W. F. Pendleton suggested that Miss Beekman write several articles on matters of her current interest, to be published serially in New Church Life. Six articles appeared (which would in 1912 be compiled by Alfred Acton in the book, Kingdom of the Divine Proceeding), the last of which was marked "to be continued." But it never was. The curtain began to descend on Miss Beekman in November of 1911, when an editorial by C. T. Odhner appeared in its place.8 In this issue, editor Odhner blasted an article recently written not by Beekman but by Mr. Rey Gill, on the nature of the bodies of spirits and angels.9 This article had closely followed Beekman's thesis on the nature of spiritual substance, and Odhner's criticism of "the Beekman position" was obviously directed at Beekman herself. Gill was called an "idealist," with "dangerous ideas," and the tone of the piece, though courteous, was contentious as well. Beekman was stunned. What could have caused such a turn of events? Why did this response come so unannounced, and why so antagonistic?
     8 New Church Life, 1911 (Dec.): "The Shape of the Spiritual Body." Editorial by C. T. Odhner.
     9 Gill, Rey, "The Bodies of Spirits and Angels," New Church Life, 1911 (Nov.).
     The Odhner editorial was the beginning of the end. His remarks initiated a long and heated debate in a landslide of articles on the issue of the nature of spiritual matter as a function of creation itself. Supporters of Miss Beekman's ideas were W. F. Pendleton, Alfred Acton, and Eldred Iungerich. In strong opposition were Walter Childs I, John Pitcairn, C. T. Odhner, Homer Synnestvedt, N. D. Pendleton, and W. H. Alden. Alfred Stroh, early Beekman critic, was ostensibly out of the picture in Sweden as archivist of Swedenborg's manuscripts. But during a 1912 visit there by Pitcairn and theolog Hugo Odhner, Stroh reportedly convinced both of the fallacy in Beekman's "correlational theory."

495


The lines had been drawn, and the battle began in earnest.
     Attacks on Beekman followed, growing more acerbic over time. These prompted counter-attacks. In 1914 alone, there were more than forty articles published on some aspect of the subject. But the focus of the articles became increasingly about feminism, and less about matters of doctrine. Familiar passages from the Spiritual Diary and Arcana Coelestia concerning preaching and doctrinal teaching by women, and the consequences of "direful and abominable persuasions" were frequently cited.10 Accusations began to fly of increasingly serious offenses: of "disorder," "academic coercion," "heresy," "charlatanism," and "feminism." Things were clearly getting out of hand.
     10 SD 5936; AC 563
     In 1914, Alfred Acton published The Nature of the Spiritual World,11 a monograph attempting a definitive statement of "the Beekman position." This was immediately answered by C. T. Odhner's weighty counter-argument, Creation in the Spiritual World,12 and again with The Dangers of Idealism, a critical review of Acton's book.13 With no apparent winner in the argument over the nature of spiritual matter, and with the increasingly personal nature of the attacks on Miss Beekman, tempers began to flare. But Beekman remained silent on the matter, publishing nothing during this fractious period.
     11 Acton, Alfred, The Nature of the Spiritual World, Academy of the New Church, Bryn Athyn, 1914.
     12 Odhner, C. T., "Creation in the Spiritual World," New Church Life, 1914 (Nov.).
     13 Odhner, C. T., "The Dangers of Idealism," New Church Life, 1915 (Feb.).
     In 1915 John Pitcairn declared that there was a "disturbance in the church," and a Joint Council of the General Church was called for June 16, 1915, to attempt to settle the matter. Notes from this meeting show that most of the ministers present denied any knowledge of a "disturbance" or crisis, and as a body they did not side with Pitcairn on the matter.14

496


Homer Synnestvedt, a dissenting minister, stated that if Childs and Pitcairn were suffering, then the Academy was suffering; these men, he said, should be regarded as determining the policy of the Academy. No decision was made at this session, and another meeting was scheduled for November 2728 of the same year.
     14 Op. cit., Journals of the Joint Council.
     As stated above, Beekman was publicly silent during this period of heated exchange. Susceptible by nature to swings of mood, she had become increasingly incapacitated by her "low health" during the years from 1907 onward, and one can easily speculate as to the effects of this controversy on her condition.15 But it was Miss Beekman herself who finally put an end to the turmoil which reigned. In August of 1915 Lillian Beekman abruptly left Bryn Athyn, stating clearly that her reasons were her own and not due to any pressure or coercion. She reportedly went first to a Catholic convent to withdraw from the controversy. Her movements following this have been recorded in some detail by Acton, who reports that she finally settled in Philadelphia at the home of Miss Harriet Newall Wardle, a life-long friend.16
     15 It is beyond the scope of this paper, and is in fact the premise of a paper in its own right, that Lillian Beekman's curious habits and "nervous illness" are consistent with what is today recognized as manic depression, a major bipolar disorder of affect, and occasionally of thought as well. There is evidence in some cases for the connection of this illness with people predisposed to high energy and creative talent. Miss Beekman appears to have fit this description.
     16 Op. cit., Alfred Acton, Lillian Grace Beekman.
     Despite the departure of Miss Beekman, the second session of the Council of the Clergy was held as scheduled. The minutes of this meeting reveal elements of a victory party of sorts, in two days of speeches expansive with bravado, and couched in curious, almost mythical terms. Various parties, some silent only two months before, condemned this "illusive phantom" in the "form of a woman" who had led the Academy to the "brink of Babylon"!

497


They had all been deceived by this "femininely arrogant, dangerous enemy within the walls of the Holy City." Beekman had been Eve, and the men of the church were Adam; they had eaten of the fruit, and had nearly paid the price. The forces of Good had finally triumphed over the forces of Evil, and now all was right with the Academy and the world.
     The language employed by these men in their great relief has been analyzed in detail by Friesen,17 in the defining context of the times, and in the broader sociological context of gender conflict as well. In short, however, the language suggests just how polarized this debate had become, and how much it centered on the person of Lillian Beekman herself.
     17 Op. cit., Friesen
     Official Academy history tells us that the "Beekman disturbance" was over philosophical and theological issues concerning the nature of spiritual matter, and that in the heat of the debate, Beekman broke and ran, denounced the Writings, and joined the Catholic Church. Friesen tells us that it was her gender that did her in - fear and loathing of women in an era of ascendant feminism. As in any matter which involves the emotions, however, the players in this drama likely never fully understood the origins of their fear, anger, or motivation. A certain softer "party line" has emerged in later years, from recollections, anecdotes, and objective history to explain the Beekman phenomenon. This account is fairly neutral in its treatment of Miss Beekman's turbulent years at the Academy, and she is faintly remembered now as a sort of erratic genius who did a lot of good and then disintegrated from too much work and too many esoteric ideas. There is truth in that. But the narrative could include a little more about her rough treatment at the hands of the leaders of the Academy. There is truth in that too. But from the perspective of the eighty-three years that have passed since Miss Beekman shut off the great debate on the nature of spiritual substance, what good purpose could it possibly serve to examine every action and reaction, or to assign blame to anyone for anything?

498


Did Lillian Grace Beekman do all that work to serve only as a martyr to some ill-defined feminist cause, or might she more properly serve as an inspiration to New Church women for years to come as the pioneering intellectual and scholar that she apparently was? Time will tell. The final disposition of her legacy has yet to be determined.
     There are two positive outcomes which we may obtain from this curious historical phenomenon. First, it is obvious that this paper has dealt only with the personal history of Lillian Beekman's Academy years. The next step will be to reexamine her writings in some detail (certainly no small task), and consider them in the light of today's science as well as the Writings. Is there fire in all that smoke? If so, then her ideas-in-progress that have lain dormant and abandoned these many years might be resurrected. Important New Church scholarship may be waiting for this to happen. If her ideas do not meet the standards of our physics, physiology, and New Church doctrine, then they should be laid forever back to rest. Either way, the Beekman phenomenon needs resolution. It was terminated in 1915 but never resolved.
     The second positive outcome from the Beekman story might be a redirection of some of the Academy's scholarly attention back to those same great questions once again: the nature of spiritual matter, the human form, the limbus, the seat of the soul in the body, spiritual/natural body interaction in health and disease. These and many other questions asked a hundred years ago are as valid now as then. But they have been virtually abandoned - victims, most likely, of the fallout from the Beekman explosion. These subjects in 1915 were the source of trouble for everyone involved, and in an understandable and unofficial way, they became taboo for the recent painful memories they evoked. No longer recent and no longer painful either for that matter, these ideas might be addressed again. Many of the things Swedenborg saw and described are still not completely clear.

499


We must work to clarify what he communicated to us about spiritual and natural phenomena. We are entering a scientific and spiritual age of inquiry in which we might just do this very well. Lillian Beekman did not finish this work, and C. T. Odhner did not either. Perhaps it is time to open the crypt and begin again.

     A LILLIAN GRACE BEEKMAN BIBLIOGRAPHY

     Books by Lillian Beekman

     Spectrum Analysis and Swedenborg's Principia, Academy Book Room, Bryn Athyn, PA, 1900, 63 pp.
     Outlines of Swedenborg's Cosmology, Academy Book Room, Achey and Gorrecht, Printers, Lancaster, PA, 1907, 171 pp.
     The Kingdom of the Divine Proceeding, Academy Book Room, Bryn Athyn, PA, 1912, 82 pp.
     The Return-Kingdom of the Divine Proceeding, Alfred Acton, Ed., Swedenborg Scientific Association, 1917, 263 pp. This is the collected lectures of the Physiological Lectures (below), edited and published in book form.
     Papers by Lillian Beekman in New Philosophy
     1899 (Jan.), p. 2: "Solar Vortices and the Development of Suns."
     1900 (Oct.), p. 155: "Sir William Thompson's Three Hypotheses of the Maintenance of the Sun's Energy."
     1901 (Jan. and Apr.): "Mechanism in the Brain by Which Alternating States of Sleep and Wakefulness Are Produced."
     1901 (Oct.), p. 114: "Identification of Hydrogen and the Third Finites of the Principia."
     1902 (Jan.), p. 10: "The Connection of Respiration with Muscular Control."
     1902 (Apr.), p. 76: "Swedenborg on the Appearance and the Disappearance of New Stars."

500



     1904 (Oct.), pp. 113-122: "Radium."
     1905 (Jul.), pp. 263, 154-169: "The Glacial Theory: Notes and Comments."
     1908 (Feb. and Jun.): "Origin of the Elementary Kingdom."
     1908 (Aug.): "The Human Form and Creation."
     1912 (Apr. and Jul.): "Physiological Papers" (a synopsis of the physiology notes mentioned above, in one article of two installments).
     1944 (Jan.): "On Sleep."
     Papers by Lillian Beekman in New Church Life
     1900 (Jan.): "Swedenborg's Work On Tremulation" (A review of the just-translated work).
     1902 (Apr.): "Physiological Papers" (First of several installments in NCL from the physiology notes mentioned above).
     1908 (Aug.), p. 449: "The Human Form and Creation" (First paper by Miss Beekman on theology and not purely science/cosmology).
     1909 (Feb.): "A Man Thinks Nothing from Himself."
     1910 (Mar.): "Swedenborg's Argument of Creation. The Logos." 1910 (Dec.): "The Primordial Vortex Points and the First Finites.
     1911 (Jan.): "The Epoch of the First Aura."
     1911 (Apr.): "The Universal Aura I-Ill."
     1911 (May): "The Universal Aura IV-V."
     1911 (Jul.): "The Second Aura."

(The six articles appearing serially in 1910-11 were published in 1912 as The Kingdom of the Divine Proceeding. See above, under Books.)

501




     Unpublished Manuscripts by Lillian Beekman

     Conjugial Love in History and Literature, 1896. Nine typed essays in an envelope. Needs binding, possibly editing and publishing. In "New Church Biography" file, Swedenborg Library.
     "Studies in Rational Physiology from Swedenborg's Regnum Animale." Notes for the Swedenborg Philosophy Club, Chicago. 70 pp. Identified by A. Acton in New Philosophy, July, 1953, "Lillian Grace Beekman," a biography. Location unknown.
     "Physiological Lectures," 1906-07. Typewritten notes for use in the Girls School. Likely the same notes as just above, revised for Academy use. Collected in a folder in the Swedenborg Library, Academy of the New Church, Bryn Athyn.
     "Revealed Facts and Laws Bearing upon an Understanding of the Avatar Body of Incarnation," 1909. Location unknown.
     "Two Divine Humans" (1912). A long (200 pp.) paper in response to questions by N. D. Pendleton. It speaks of the "real presence" in the Holy Supper. Location unknown.
     A "little book on the reflex of latent sex, and its personal culture values, spiritual and mental," as identified by A. Acton, in New Philosophy, 1953 (Jul.): Lillian Grace Beekman, a biography. Acton states that this book, written in 1915-16, just after Miss Beekman's departure from Bryn Athyn, was lost in manuscript and never published.

     Articles Referring to Lilllian Beekman or Her Works

     New Philosophy, 1898, p. 72: Editor's notice of the inaugural meeting of the Chicago Swedenborg Philosophy Club. Lillian Beekman's paper "The Natural Point and the First Aura" was read and discussed.
     New Church Life, 1899, pp. 14, 21: Editor's notice of a Bryn Athyn Swedenborg Philosophy Club meeting, at which W. F. Pendleton explained a chart developed by Miss Beekman to compare Swedenborg's corpuscular theory with the Principia.

502



     New Philosophy, 1900, p. 65: Editor's notice of meetings of the Chicago Swedenborg Philosophy Club. Miss Beekman's chart described, comparing Swedenborg's corpuscular theory with the Principia. Notice that Lillian Beekman had been hired to collate the Animal Kingdom with modern physiology. The work was in progress and in need of financial support.

     Reviews of Spectrum Analysis and Swedenborg's Principia:

     New Philosophy, 1901, p. 30: A review of Spectrum Analysis. New Church Life, 1901, p. 163: A review of Spectrum Analysis. New Philosophy, 1902 (Jan.): Critical Notes on the Essay, "Identification of Hydrogen and Third Finites" by Samuel Beswick. Finds fault with many points in her article.
     Journal of Education, 1904, p. 55: A report of Miss Lillian Beekman's teaching in the Academy that year, with a summary of the Girls School curriculum in Anatomy and Physiology.

     Reviews of Swedenborg's Cosmology:

     New Church Review, 1907 (Oct.): A favorable review of Swedenborg's Cosmology ("A first attempt at the unification of Swedenborg's scientific and theological writings . . . ")
     New Church Life, 1908 (Jan.): A very favorable review of Swedenborg's Cosmology by C. T. Odhner, for "finally bringing harmony between the scientific and inspired writings ...... "
     Morning Light (British), 1908: A very critical review of Swedenborg's Cosmology, citing the blurring of spiritual and natural in the book.
     New Church Magazine (British), 1908 (Jan.): A critical review of Swedenborg's Cosmology, calling it "a confusing of spiritual and material things."
     New Church Life, 1911 (Nov.): An article by Rey Gill, "The Bodies of Spirits and Angels," articulating Lillian Beekman's ideas on the spiritual world. (Listed here for the fire it drew from C. T. Odhner in the following issue - see below.)

503



     New Church Life, 1911 (Dec.): "The Shape of the Spiritual Body." Editorial by C. T. Odhner, blasting Rey Gill's article in the preceding issue (see above), as likely to "lead to a purely idealistic conception of the other world . . . " This was the first salvo in the campaign against Lillian Beekman which was to follow.

     Reviews of The Kingdom of the Divine Proceeding:

     New Church Messenger, 1912 (May): Favorable review.
     New Church Review (Boston), 1912 (Oct.): Favorable review.
     The New Age (Australia), 1912: Favorable review.
     New Church Review (British), 1912 (Jul.): An unfavorable review, citing "a great confusion of thought ...... "
     New Church Life, 1913 (Apr.): Several letters attacking Miss Beekman's teachings concerning the spiritual world.
     New Church Life, 1915 (Feb.), "The Dangers of Idealism" by C. T. Odhner. An editorial review of Alfred Acton's book of the same year (Nature of the Spiritual World), refuting his views, which were based on Beekman's, as "pure idealism."
     New Church Life, 1915 (pp. 93, 590, 602, 631) and 1916 (pp. 45, 178): Letters concerning Beekman's withdrawal from the New Church.
     New Church Quarterly, 1918, p. 140: Review of The Return Kingdom of the Divine Proceeding; it condemns the book, calling it "genius gone mad ...... "
     New Philosophy, 1918 (Jan.): Review of The Return Kingdom of the Divine Proceeding. An objective review, welcoming Beekman's presentation of "Swedenborg the philosopher and Swedenborg the revelator as one and the same man .... "
     New Philosophy, 1947 (Apr.): Notice of Lillian Beekman's death.

     Definitive Works of the "Beekman Disturbance"

     Acton, Alfred, The Nature of the Spiritual World, Academy of the New Church, Bryn Athyn, 1914.

504


(The "Beekman Position") A monograph attempting to put the matter to rest.
     Odhner, C. T., "Creation in the Spiritual World," in New Church Life, 1915. (The "Odhner Position") An answer to Acton's above monograph, which obviously did not put the matter to rest.
     Odhner, Hugo L., "Critique of the Beekman Correlation Theory," New Philosophy, Apr. 1944. Hugo Odhner, nephew of C. T. Odhner, continued refining the "Odhner position" for many years. This is his definitive statement on the matter.
     Journals of the Joint Council of the General Church of the New Jerusalem, Fifteenth Meeting June 26, 1915, and Sixteenth Meeting November 27-28, 1915, Published for private circulation, Bryn Athyn, 1916. Located at S6 Gc in the Academy Theological School Library. Minutes and edited speeches of both meetings in a single volume. Includes an excellent bibliography on p. 230, of "all papers and letters on the subject of the nature of the spiritual world and the form of the spiritual body that have appeared in New Church Life and elsewhere, since the year 1911."

     Biographical Articles about Lillian Grace Beekman

     Acton, Alfred, "Lillian Grace Beekman," New Philosophy, 1953 (Jul., pp. 88-100), 1953 (Oct., pp. 104-132), and 1954 (Jan., pp. 145-154). A comprehensive and objective biography, rich in references.
     Acton, Alfred II, Carl Theophilus Odhner, A Biography, Academy of the New Church. See pp. 30-37 for Acton's perspective on the interaction of Beekman and CTO, and the Beekman controversy in general. CTO was AA 11's grandfather.
     Friesen, Rae Champion, "The Beekman Drama: Magic, Eve, and the Tribunal: Discourse analysis of personal letters and the transcripts of the Joint Council Meetings of the General Church," 1915. University of Pennsylvania Master's Thesis, 1993.

505


This is an academically rigorous perspective on Lillian Beekman, focusing on her cataclysmic last year at the Academy of the New Church.
     Gladish, Richard R., John Pitcairn, Uncommon Entrepreneur, Academy of the New Church, Bryn Athyn, PA, 1989. Chapter XV, "John Pitcairn vs. Lillian Beekman," details the "Beekman crisis" well, adding historical insight from the personal letters between Pitcairn and Beekman.
     Odhner, Aubrey Cole, "Women of Influence in Western Culture, in Connections, the proceedings of the General Church Women's Symposium, Bryn Athyn, 1991. This essay concludes with a short biography of Lillian Beekman.
     Odhner, Hugo L., "An Estimate of the Beekman Movement," an address before the joint meeting of the faculty and corporation of the Academy of the New Church, June 5, 1943.
     Odhner, Sanfrid E., Ed., Toward a New Church University, ANC Centennial Album, Academy of the New Church, Bryn Athyn, PA, 1976. "The Beekman Disturbance," p. 42, is a good general overview of Miss Beekman's controversial Academy career.

     Miscellaneous

     There are three short handwritten papers by the students of Sociology 2, collected by the instructor, Mrs. W. P. Cole. These are in the New Church Biography file in the Swedenborg Library, labeled "Beekman, Lillian Grace." They contain some interesting anecdotal information about Miss Beekman from both tradition and personal experience. Student historians are Flora Thomas, Astrid Odhner, and Gael Pendleton. Date unknown.
     There are two photographs available of Miss Beekman kept in the archives of the Swedenborg Library.
     (See the bottom of p. 428, New Church Life 1911, for a taste of the times of the "Beekman Disturbance.")

506


HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER OF THE GENERAL CHURCH 1998

HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER OF THE GENERAL CHURCH       Rev. ERIK J. BUSS       1998

     Many people are connected with the New Church and the Writings of Swedenborg, but haven't formally joined any organization associated with it. This is an invitation for you to join our spiritual community in any way you would like. It will give you a say in the direction of the church, a church which can serve the Lord by helping people to live happier, more productive lives. Of course, you will still be more than welcome to participate even if you don't decide to take any new steps now!
     The process described below is the process in our denomination, the General Church of the New Jerusalem. Other New Church bodies have different procedures. So here's how to become a member of the General Church.

Spiritual Commitments

1. Baptism by a New Church minister

     This is the most powerful step. Baptism is an introduction into the life of the church. It represents our willingness to be "washed clean" by the Lord and to be led by His truth. Baptism does not mean you agree with or understand everything you have heard. It means you believe the basics: Jesus Christ is the one God; you are supposed to live by what the Lord teaches in order to become a good person; and that the Bible and Swedenborg's Writings are a revelation from the Lord. If you can answer affirmatively to each of these questions you are ready! If you have questions about what any of them means, please contact a minister.

Benefits

     - The benefits of baptism into the New Church are the most intangible, but the most powerful. Commitments about beliefs really make a difference in our lives. When we are willing to take a stand about what we believe, we change how we view ourselves.

507



     
     - Baptism also changes our spiritual associations (the angels and spirits who are with us). This is an important benefit. Find out more about it if you have questions.

Process

     - Consultation with a New Church minister, then a baptism service. It can be public (at church, or with family and friends), or it can be private.

2. Confirmation

     People who have been baptized as children can, as adults, confirm that commitment their parents made.

Benefits

     - Confirmation strengthens the spiritual associations you have, and gives you a sense of taking charge of your spiritual life. It is a useful way of defining your beliefs because you can write out for the service your beliefs in your own words.

Process

     - Talk to a New Church minister to set up a service.

Organizational Commitments

3. Join the General Church of the New Jerusalem.

     This is the organization involved with the day-to-day government of our denomination. The head of this body is our executive Bishop, Peter Buss.

Benefits

     - General Church members can join a local congregation and vote in all its proceedings. They can also serve on its boards.
     - Members of the General Church have the right to vote at church-wide General Assemblies, specifically to vote for or against a nominee for bishop (or to remove one from office if he needs to be).

Process

     - After baptism, you fill out a form (available from most pastors).

508


This is a routine procedure - just address and signature.

4. Join a local New Church congregation (like Sunrise Chapel or the Bryn Athyn Church).
     Although you can participate in many aspects of local congregational life without becoming a member, you can do it more fully by becoming a member.

Benefits

     - Elect members to the Board. Serve on the Board.
     - Vote on any matter placed before the congregation at an annual meeting.
     - Participate more fully in the selection of a pastor when you need a new one.
     - Feel a greater sense of ownership for all that the local congregation does - you become a full partner in all its activities.

Process

     - After becoming a member of the General Church, you talk to the pastor and sign the roll book. Individual congregations may have additional requirements for membership.

5. Join the General Church Corporation.

     The General Church of the New Jerusalem is also a legally incorporated body in the state of Pennsylvania which takes care of financial and legal matters for the denomination. You can join this too.

Benefits

     - Participate in the nomination process for the General Church Board. The board controls the finances of the denomination (under the guidance of the Bishop).
     - Vote on nominations for the General Church Board.

Process

     Anyone who has been a member of the General Church for three years can apply to become a member of the legally incorporated General Church.

509


You don't need to join a local congregation to do this. Fill out a form. This is a routine procedure.
POSITIONS AVAILABLE 1998

POSITIONS AVAILABLE              1998

     Bryn Athyn College of the New Church is seeking applications for potential part- or full-time faculty positions in the biological sciences, English and philosophy.
     The ideal candidates will have a Ph.D. in their fields. Bryn Athyn College will not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, or national origin.
     A vita, letter of application and the names of three references should be mailed by December 31, 1998 to:

Dean Charles Lindsay
Bryn Athyn College
P.O. Box 717 - Pendleton Hall
Bryn Athyn, PA 19009
MINISTERIAL ANNOUNCEMENT 1998

MINISTERIAL ANNOUNCEMENT       Rev. Peter M. Buss       1998

     The Rev. Lawson M. Smith, currently serving as Pastor of the Durban Society, has accepted a call to be Pastor of the Kempton Society effective July 1, 2000. The Rev. Robert S. Junge has accepted the request of the Kempton Society to remain as Interim Pastor to Kempton until that date.
     Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss

510


CALL FOR PAPERS for the 33rd General Assembly of the General Church of the New Jerusalem June 21st - 25th, 2000 1998

CALL FOR PAPERS for the 33rd General Assembly of the General Church of the New Jerusalem June 21st - 25th, 2000              1998

     The next International Assembly of the General Church will be held in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The members of the church in Canada are pleased to provide for this event and would like to invite the participation of members from around the world in the presentation of major papers, topics and workshops for the program.
     As the church continues to grow in numbers and diversity, it is particularly appropriate that we have opportunities to celebrate the various ways individuals and groups from all walks of life contribute to the perfection of the whole. Hence our theme, "The Many Faces of the General Church."
     In order to encourage and facilitate the greatest possible exchange of ideas in a limited time frame and allow for plenty of discussion and interaction, the assembly committee has established a three-tiered program of presentations.
     First, in order to provide for the leadership of the church, there will be three full or plenary sessions open to all and addressed primarily by our bishop and speakers of his choice.
     Next, there will be four sets of mid-size sessions open to three groups of about 300 each, meeting simultaneously and addressed by women or men (priests or not) whose topics will be selected from submissions matching criteria listed below. Some of these sessions will be repeated in order to maximize the freedom of members to attend them.
     Finally, there will be five sets of mini-sessions open to a wide range of groups consisting of no more than 50 or so, meeting simultaneously for workshops or topical discussions. These also will be presented by women or men whose topics are selected by the committee, and again, some may be repeated.

511



     Those wishing to submit a proposal for a presentation that might be suitable for a second- or third-level session described above should write to the bishop's liaison for the assembly: Rev. Michael Gladish, c/o The Olivet Church, 279 Burnhamthorpe Road, Etobicoke, Ontario M9B IZ6 Canada (e-mail: Mgladish @Interlog.com; FAX 416-239-4935) no later than June 30, 1999. All submissions should contain the following information:
     Presenter's name, address, telephone number, fax and/or e-mail if available;
     An abstract or summary describing the proposed theme or topic, including the main point, purpose or conclusion in no more than 300 words, double-spaced and typewritten if possible;
     Preference for a lecture format or a workshop/discussion.
     All submissions will be reviewed by the Assembly Program Committee and selected for the program based on originality of thought, perceived interest and usefulness for assembly attendees, relevance to the doctrines of the New Church, and compatibility for the purposes of a well co-ordinated and balanced program. The evaluation process will be confidential, and submissions that cannot be scheduled in the time available will be returned to the individuals submitting them. The committee will make every effort to include the widest possible array of ideas in the program, and hopes that everyone with something to contribute will feel free to submit a proposal.*
Title Unspecified 1998

Title Unspecified              1998

     Music Inspired by Swedenborg. "Call of the Prophets" is a CD which costs $12.00. Contact Mr. Thomas Bramel, c/o June Nineteen Music, P.O. Box 538, Rockville, MD 20848-0538.

512


CAN THIS BE A LESSON OF THE BEEKMAN STORY? 1998

CAN THIS BE A LESSON OF THE BEEKMAN STORY?       Editor       1998




     Editorial Pages
     In this issue, thanks to Dr. Reuben Bell, we have not only an overview of the Beekman story, but a thorough gathering of sources for further study.
     I would like to focus on the lesson of the difference between interest in Swedenborg's science and interest in the Writings. And I would also like to address the matter of the expectations we tend to have of brilliant and learned people.
     Suppose you meet and converse with a person who is expert in the field of metallurgy or cosmology. It is observed that Swedenborg was also expert in the subject in question. You are asked, "Are you familiar with the thought of this man Swedenborg?" You cheerfully respond that you have spent considerable time reading Swedenborg.
     Alas, your friend soon discovers (or you quickly confess) that you have little or no understanding of metallurgy or cosmology! You really cannot contribute meaningfully to conversation on the topic. You have to explain that your reading of Swedenborg is in his works of a religious nature.
     Your friend is kind and polite but just isn't interested in a religious discussion.
     Incidents something like the above seem to occur again and again. Somewhat apropos is an item in the October issue of Scientific American.
     It is commented that the scientist Swedenborg "went on to what I suppose might be described as higher things." The article lists some of the fields in which Swedenborg was learned but says that "God ordered him to dump science," whereupon he became "prophet of his Church of the New Jerusalem."

513



     As noted in the Swedenborg Foundation's grand volume A Continuing Vision, "Swedenborg's name got into the Guinness Book of Records by virtue of his estimated IQ and his early conception of an airship. Otherwise he would not have qualified" (p. 334). Some people who have heaped the highest praise upon the intellect of Swedenborg have dismissed the teachings of the Writings.
     In the remarkable story of Lillian Beekman we have coming upon the Swedenborgian scene a woman of fabulous intellect. Her ready grasp of Swedenborg's science and philosophy was phenomenal. She quickly understood Swedenborg's early works far, far better than did many who had been "Swedenborgians" all their lives.
     Her grasp of theology was another thing. Here are two examples of people who observed this. Mr. G. Holman writing in a magazine called Quarterly (July 1915) observed of Miss Beekman, "While she evidently has a remarkably good grasp of Swedenborg's scientific works, she constantly overlooks, in an equally remarkable manner, the cardinal principles of the Theological Writings." And N. D. Pendleton said that he admired the genius of Miss Beekman and "placed a very high value upon her scientific research work." But he said that he "could not follow in all her points the conclusions she arrived at," which seemed to him to be contrary to clear teachings of the Writings. (See NCL 1916, p. 178.)
     Considering Miss Beekman's parting declaration, one might wonder whether it was probable from the beginning that she would eventually separate herself from the New Church. Her letter of resignation demonstrates that besides brilliance she had a responsible and honorable perspective.
     The letter begins, "Dear Bishop: I believe in the Christian Trinity in its entirety." It goes on to outline her Roman Catholic beliefs which she held to "absolutely" and "irreversibly." She said that her beliefs would color all her thought and labor. Here is the letter's conclusion: "This being true, in good faith I cannot other than withdraw from the General Church and whole body.

514


Since that body is institutionally founded upon an explicit denial and rejection of any such reality in God as the Christian Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit before the creation of the world and before the incarnation. [sic]
     "I have the honor to be with profoundest respect and affectionate gratitude ever,
     Yours Sincerely,
          Lillian Beekman"

     I would like in another editorial to address teachings of the Writings about learned and brilliant people and to ask whether we have unrealistic expectations of them. But let us conclude for now with the above words of Miss Beekman's letter. Some who know the story better than I do may wonder if she did this in anger or even whether she overstated her Catholic beliefs. The letter itself seems to me to be gracious and admirable.
ON GENTLENESS AND PUNISHMENT (2) 1998

ON GENTLENESS AND PUNISHMENT (2)       Editor       1998

     "Everyone knows," says the teaching in True Christian Religion, "that a father who chastises his children when they do wrong loves them" (TCR 407). But let us carefully consider what this "chastisement" may be.
     The standard edition of Doctrine of Charity does not say "chastise," but uses an English word more similar to the Latin. Just as a judge takes care that a perpetrator "shall not harm others who are innocent," a parent "if he loves his children castigates them when they do evil" (n. 163). "Castigate" does not seem quite the appropriate word, even though it resembles castigare. At least it has an advantage over "chastise," because it has the connotation of verbal correction rather than physical. (In the Chadwick Lexicon the first two meanings for castigo are: 1. To refine, purify; 2. To correct, emend.) "Chastisement" in modern English dictionaries suggests physical punishment, even physical beating.

515


According to the American College Dictionary the word "chastise" in days gone by meant to restrain or chasten.
     The word "chasten" reminds us of the saying in Revelation 3: "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten." And so it should remind us, because when the Writings of Swedenborg quote that passage they do not use the more common and stronger words for punishment or penalty. They use instead the more rare and more gentle word which we are accustomed to translate as "chastise."
     The Greek word for "chasten" has particularly gentle usages in the New Testament. For example in Timothy 2:25 - "in meekness instructing those who oppose." Paideuo in Greek means to chasten, to correct, to instruct.
     More to the point than exploring Greek examples is to see examples in Swedenborg illustrating what chastening or chastising means. A passage in the Arcana talks of "methods" of chastising. What are the methods? Is it a choice among a whip, a club or some blunt instrument? No, the methods have nothing to do with physical beating. It speaks of temporarily taking away something pleasant, and putting in its place something not enjoyable (see AC 5384).
     At home you might say, "Stay in your room" when a child would prefer outdoor play. Or at school the child may have to do some task at the desk while other children are allowed to do something more enjoyable. That would be a method of "chastisement." Another form of chastisement is a spoken word; perhaps that word can be the child's name! It is spoken with a certain tone. And if a behavior is persisted in, it is spoken again with additional tonal nuances. That is chastisement or castigatio.

     Intentionally Hurting a Sibling

     It may seem clear and obvious to us sometimes that children can intend harm. A little child can resent the love bestowed on a younger sibling. But we do well to reflect on the saying in the Writings that children are in innocence and do not deliberately intend evil (HH 277).

516


You may watch a young child's furtive actions toward the new baby in the house. You might even see the child actually pinch the baby or do something to make the baby cry. But consider that a child who has been the center of parental devotion, rather than plotting evil is desperately crying out for love. Swedenborg helps us to enter more deeply into evident childhood envy. He was allowed to see that in reality it is "very sweet." We read, "I have learned today from experience that that envy which appears with little children toward other little children when they strive with each other for the mother flows from a most delightful beginning and from love, thus through heaven, For when I was kept in thought concerning the envy of little children it was said to me by a living voice from heaven that they perceive a heavenly sweetness" (SD 331).
     This inward reality can influence our manner, even when we have to take action. Obviously we are not going to let a child continue to pinch a baby. A great ally and boon to us is that children can be diverted. Diverting the attention is so often the wise solution. In many situations it works to pick the child up and say, "Let's go outside and see if there are birds on the bird feeder." You remove the child from the situation and change the environment and loosen the grip of what is causing the behavior.
     The absence of evil intent is a blessed ingredient of childish innocence. But that innocence will not continue to hold center stage. The inclination to evil will emerge eventually, and we find ourselves having to deal with it. Now let's suppose your child participates in contact sports with other children. And what if the child displays an energy and aptitude for blowing away the opposition? It may be pleasing to see your offspring getting the better of someone else's offspring. But the Writings give us a warning far more serious than you will find in educational literature. There are parents who encourage their children to fight with other children. The Writings view this, we might say, with utter horror.

517


And what is the warning? It is that by encouraging fighting you (yes, you!) are actually shutting off the influx of heaven. "Let parents therefore who wish well to their children beware of such things" (HH 344 et alia).

     (To be continued)
IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES 1998

IN OUR CONTEMPORARIES              1998

     Stirring Words in the October Messenger

     Just as we go to press we find a striking piece in the Messenger. Here are some of the sayings on page 128, which, of course, are better read in their context.
     " . . . [W]e have an unparalleled opportunity to be agents of the Lord in sharing this body of truth with everyone in the world who has an unquenched thirst for knowledge of the true meaning of life and loving intent of the Lord; namely, to bring everyone in creation into an awareness of the fact that the ancient promise of a second coming of the Lord has been fulfilled ....
     "When the Lord walked on this earth among people, it was all too true that 'the world did not recognize Him' (John 1: 10). It is not strange, therefore, that in this new age the world should for a time be unaware of His second coming in a new revelation of truth
     "We believe with all our heart that the New Church - in its several present forms and in forms to come that we cannot possibly foresee at this time - is intended by the Lord to be the church of the new age."
     We hope to comment on this excellent item at another time. Looking at it, one can see good reason to support the work of the Swedenborg Foundation, for it actually emerged from a board meeting of the foundation.

518


OUT OF SILENCE 1998

OUT OF SILENCE              1998

     A new issue of Out of Silence is now available. This is a New Church newsletter for survivors of sexual abuse and for those who support them. A dozen writers contributed articles on a variety of topics, including healing themes in literature, a detailed update on progress in the Academy schools, and the question of when and how we come out of silence. This is not only for those who have been abused. Anyone interested in learning more about the topic or in helping to protect the innocence of children is invited to pick up a copy at the pastors' office in Bryn Athyn. Or, to have one mailed, call Tom Kline at (215) 947-6225 (ext. 208) or Dara Murray at (215) 712-3235 or Kara Tennis at (215) 9474849. If you want to be on the mailing list, please send $5.00 to: Out of Silence, P.O. Box 274, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
     We were short of funds to produce this issue, so any contributions to support this use would be most welcome, and can be mailed to the same address. Thanks from the staff.
     NCL Editor's note: This is an impressive issue, including input from a diversity of sources. Those who produced it are to be congratulated.
NEW CHURCH COMPOSERS 1998

NEW CHURCH COMPOSERS              1998

     Calling all New Church composers! Bryn Athyn College of the New Church is looking for a new college song to go with its new name. We would like to be able to sing this song at our next graduation banquet in May 1999. Words and a tune are acceptable: four-part harmony and accompaniment are even better. Send your entry to Gregory L. Baker, P.O. Box 707, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009. Questions? Send e-mail to: [email protected].
OFFICE OF EDUCATION CATALOGUE 1998

OFFICE OF EDUCATION CATALOGUE              1998

     The General Church Office of Education offers a Catalogue of Resources for the Religious Education of All Ages. Write to them at Cairncrest, Box 473, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009 or phone (215) 914-4949.

519


Church News 1998

Church News       Rev. Goran Appelgren       1998

     STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN

     On 19 August, Mr. Tore Loven celebrated his 92nd birthday. That reminds me that I have promised myself for the last two years to write some church news from Stockholm. Instead of telling you that Tore had his 90th birthday, I now tell you it was his 92nd. Some of the readers of NCL will remember him from his college days back in the mid 1920s. Others will remember him from later visits to Bryn Athyn. Tore has dedicated his life to supporting the church and what it stands for in every possible way. Both his children and his grandchildren are active members of the church. To me that is a sign of a living and strong faith.
     The Stockholm Society, though small, is strong and lively. Visitors to a regular church service will find people of all ages. Many have pointed out that there is an unusually large proportion of men, and they too are of all ages. Visitors will hear reasonably good singing and very good organ music, will listen to an imaginative (I hear) children's talk, and will normally pick up some good advice from a sermon that points to application in life (I hear them say). Visitors will also be inspired by the projects from a well run Sunday school, and they will be invited to church coffee, where we sit down to chat a good while. Once a month we also have a special programme with a talk, hymn practice and musical entertainment. And yes, we have visitors, more or less every week. Last Sunday there were nine. The reaction is always the same: "We like what we hear; we enjoy the company." I am convinced that the New Church can offer an atmosphere inspired by the heavens that cannot be found anywhere else. Almost every week we see people being touched by that spirit.
     Last year we had some major work done to the church building. In connection with new plumbing in the whole building, a number of things were changed and improved in the society hall downstairs, and we had a complete renovation of the much admired organ. Our organist, Marta Christenson, is innovative and skillful. We plan to have public organ concerts too. We already have musical programmes a couple of times a year for the general public.
     Every year there is a Strindberg Festival in Stockholm. August Strindberg (1849-1912) is the most famous Swedish playwright and author. He declared that "Swedenborg gave him all the answers." His last home was close to our church, and to cut a long story short, I got involved in a midnight performance in the nearby park to inaugurate the festival. The "happening" performance moved back and forth in the park, and at one point all the lights were turned on to the church and out came the priest in his white robe.

520


To about 400 people I read quotes from the Writings for a few minutes. The last quote was from Conjugial Love. The door closed and the performance continued with an actor loudly reading out a line from Strindberg: "It is wonderful to be married." During this night we had the church open before and after, and we made some good and lasting contacts. But more than that, it was an inspiration to our own people to be involved in a broader context.
     For the last couple of years our doctrinal classes and Bible studies have developed into something that might be called, well, "Conversations with Angels." Don't take me wrong, but the amount of growth and inner development that we have seen is really an inspiration. During the last year we have had two sets of beginners' classes. The hour always became two hours.
     Some of the older people have struggled with health problems and therefore come to church less often. Mrs. Roy (Britta) Franson has her own flat in an old people's home and is well looked after. Mr. and Mrs. Arne Boyesen are well, considering their age. Arne celebrated his 90th birthday less than a year ago. This year we were saddened by the passing away of Mr. Andreas Sandstrom, brother of Rev. Erik Sandstrom, Sr. His wife Kerstin is in good health and, although she misses Andreas, knows that poor health would only have worsened his condition.
     During the last four years we have done three things to tie the New Church people closer together in Scandinavia. Twice a year we have young people's weekends, which help carry over the enthusiasm from the British Academy Summer School from one year to the next. We have a monthly Scandinavian newsletter, Nytt Ljus, with regular reports from the three major societies: Stockholm, Jonkoping and Copenhagen. This has helped people to get to know each other and to get more involved. And lastly we have started anew Scandinavian church board meetings where the three societies' board members meet. Lots of ideas come from those meetings, and again, it helps knit our groups closer together. The focus right now is on evangelization, and each group is working on a pamphlet to be used by all of us. In that way we share the results of our efforts, and we inspire each other. But this is really more Scandinavian news than Stockholm news.
     We get many visitors from abroad. Every year we see Gosta and Marianne Baeckstrom, who are a strong support to us. This year we were very happy to meet the participants of the Swedish Roots course and trip. We had a church service and gathering for them on one of their first days in Stockholm.
     Two years ago Mr. and Mrs. Charles S. Cole came on a short visit.

521


They wanted to see Tore Loven on his 90th birthday, and now we are back to the beginning. A congregation will exist only when people are prepared to devote time and effort to its well-being. I know that Tore has had that love all his life, and one reason I dwell on him is that I think that what he has worked for his whole life and what he has dreamt of is coming. The crown of all churches is not in the wind, not in the earthquake, not in the fire, but in the still small voice of an atmosphere full of love and bright shining insights given to us by the Lord to be shared with others.
     Rev. Goran Appelgren

     [Photograph of people standing in front of a building.]

     New Church Gathering in Stockholm, June 1998

522


NEW CHURCH FAMILY CAMP AT JACOB'S CREEK 1998

NEW CHURCH FAMILY CAMP AT JACOB'S CREEK              1998

     The annual New Church Family Camp at Jacob's Creek held near Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania, was again a big success. At sunset on the mountain top, the Rev. Patrick Rose introduced the central theme of the camp by reading aloud the three chapters from Matthew containing the Lord's Sermon on the Mount. The following days included three major papers and two electives on that theme given by the Rev. Messrs. Brian Keith, Erik E. Sandstrom, Peter Buss, Jr., and Patrick Rose.
     Over 150 campers, including 66 children, enjoyed the beautiful, comfortable, and in some cases air-conditioned camp facilities. The staff of the camp, which is run by Mennonites, could not have been more helpful. Their thoughtfulness and efficiency made everything run smoothly.
     The program for camp included morning and evening worship, lectures and discussions for adults, classes, projects, and fun activities for the children and teens, free time for swimming, sports, and socializing in the afternoon, and an evening activity such as a sing-along, campfire, field day, line dancing, a talent show, and late-night discussions for the hardier among us.
     One of the nicest aspects of the camp is the happy mix of age groups, often including three generations of families. It is especially heartwarming to see so many dedicated young families - an assurance that the church will be in good hands in the future.
     For anyone who enjoys New Church doctrine in an atmosphere of charity, lovely surroundings, and lots of fun, Jacob's Creek Camp is the place to be. The dates for next summer are August 710. For further information please contact:

Rev. Patrick Rose
785 Ashcroft Court
Cincinnati, OH 45240
Phone (513) 772-1478
e-mail: [email protected]

     or

Mrs. Joseph S. (Pat) David
320 Pinoak Drive
Franklin, PA 16323
Phone (814) 432-2009
email: jdavidgcsonline.net

523


ADDITIONAL CHURCH CAMPS 1998

ADDITIONAL CHURCH CAMPS              1998

     Would you be interested in attending a camp that is exclusively for single adults beyond college age? Or would a camp for people who have come into the church as adults and their spouses appeal to you? These two possibilities are under consideration for 1999 if the demand is there.
     The camps would be held at the site of Jacob's Creek Camp in the mountains just east of Pittsburgh, only 10 minutes from the turnpike. One or more ministers would lead the camps, and the emphasis would be on New Church doctrines and on fun and recreation in a New Church context.
     The camp, formally known as Laurelville Mennonite Church Center, is near Mt. Pleasant, PA. Since it is in the mountains, we could plan a winter camp that would include skiing and toboganning, or a summer camp that includes swimming and whitewater rafting. The accommodations at the camp are the best we have found anywhere. Endorsements can be obtained from anyone who has attended Jacob's Creek Family Camp.
     If you are interested in a "churchy and fun" camp either for single adults or for erstwhile newcomers and their spouses, we would like to hear from you. Please contact: Pat David, 320 Pinoak Drive, Franklin, PA 16323. Phone (814) 432-2009; e-mail [email protected].
GLENVIEW EVANGELIZATION SEMINAR: 1998

GLENVIEW EVANGELIZATION SEMINAR:              1998

     More than 160 people participated at this highly successful event in October in Glenview, Illinois. There were delegates from Sweden, Ghana, Great Britain, South Africa, the Czech Republic, Brazil, Canada and the USA.
GALLERY OF MIRRORS 1998

GALLERY OF MIRRORS              1998

     - This month we expect to see the publication of Gallery of Mirrors, a book by Anders Hallengren. Mr. Hallengren anticipates an extensive tour which will bring him this month to the Swedenborg Foundation. He will give a lecture at the Swedenborg Library in Bryn Athyn.

524


CALLING ALL 18- TO 35-YEAR-OLDS! 1998

CALLING ALL 18- TO 35-YEAR-OLDS!              1998

     I want your help finding any and all young adults that are connected (or might want to be connected) to the New Church. I am hired by the General Church to work with adults ages 18 to 3 5, and I am working on getting a complete list of this age group. We have a list of people who were baptized and/or went to a New Church school. But there are many people who wouldn't fall into those categories, so if you or someone you know is in this age group and is interested in what the church is doing for this group, and we don't have the person's address, please send it to me. I promise not to annoy, hound or harass you. Sending me your address (or the address of a friend or grandchild, etc.) will not automatically sign you up for anything. It will simply give me the opportunity to ask for input, or to tell you what is going on. Please send names and addresses (and e-mail?) to: Joanne Kiel, P.O. Box 743, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009. Phone (215) 914-4931; E-mail: [email protected].
SCRIPTA 1998

SCRIPTA              1998

     The Academy of the New Church has a new scholarly journal - Scripta. Its purpose is to highlight and promote New Church scholarship and creativity. If you are interested in this first issue of what we hope will be an annual publication, please purchase copies from the College Office (Bryn Athyn College), or contact the editors, Allen Bedford (215-938-2567: e-mail: [email protected]) or Kristin King (215-938-6162: e-mail [email protected]). The cost is $4 (plus $2 for postage if you want the journal mailed). Make checks payable to "Bryn Athyn College." Thank you!
Title Unspecified 1998

Title Unspecified              1998

     Person to Person, the Gospel of Mark. This book by Rev. Paul Vickers of England has recently been published by the Swedenborg Foundation.

525


NEW CHURCH LIFE IN 1881 1998

NEW CHURCH LIFE IN 1881              1998




     Announcements





     Did you know that New Church Life was a publication by and for the young people of the New Church when it began in 1881?
     It was published by Academy students and recent graduates and was " . . . designed to promote the culture of the young people in the doctrines and the life of the church; thus, if possible, leading them to embrace fervently the Heavenly Doctrines of the New Jerusalem as the only means of becoming true men and women." The paper shifted its focus over the next few years, which were a time of heated theological debate in the church, and the Life came to be the voice of all the Academy/General Church beliefs. The Academy continued to publish the paper, and it was not officially turned over to the General Church until August of 1899.
     The above item was supplied by Diahnne H. Glenn. We are looking forward to further contributions from the archives.
HIDDEN MILLENNIUM. The Doomsday Fallacy 1998

HIDDEN MILLENNIUM. The Doomsday Fallacy              1998

     This book by Stephen Koke is now available from the Swedenborg Foundation ($14.95). It explains why a personal, rather than universal, apocalypse is intended by the Scriptures, and why past doomsday predictions have failed to materialize.
     Beginning with a summary of these traditional Christian doomsday predictions, the book prepares the reader for the coming millennium with an examination of past millennial movements.
     Historic predictions and fears are starkly contrasted with the symbolic interpretation offered by Swedenborg.
     For a copy call the Swedenborg Foundation at (610) 430-3222.

528


Two New Translations by John Chadwick 1998

Two New Translations by John Chadwick              1998

     Published by The Swedenborg Society
     The Worlds in Space, previously titled Earths in the Universe. This is the first new translation of this book
     since 1894 Hardcover US $10.00
     On the Sacred Scripture or The Word of the Lord from Experience, a posthumous work commonly known as De Verbo Hardcover US $8.00
     It is interesting to note that two organizations, during the same year, produced new translations of this work. De Verbo, translated by Rev. Bruce Rogers, is included in the General Church edition Three Short Works.
     Please add postage US $1.25 per book.
     General Church Book Center
Cairncrest Box 743
Bryn Athyn, PA 19009
     Hours: Mon-Fri 9-12 or by appointment
Phone: (215) 914-4920
Fax: (215) 914-4935
     E-mail: [email protected]

529


Title Unspecified 1998

Title Unspecified              1998

     Vol. CXVIII December, 1998 No. 12
     New Church Life
DAILY READINGS CALENDAR 1999 1998

DAILY READINGS CALENDAR 1999              1998

     A calendar of daily readings from the Sacred Scriptures and the Writings is available from the office of the Assistant to the Acting Secretary of the General Church. Requests may be addressed to: Judith M. Hyatt, P.O. Box 743, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

530


Notes on This Issue 1998

Notes on This Issue              1998

     The sermon by Rev. Grant Odhner presents reasons why the Word gives us pictures of the Lord's conception and birth.
     Reading the Bishop's report makes us aware of the church in other lands, and this helps to give a sense of unity to the organization. The first visit on the list takes us to Brazil. Out of the 94 people who joined the General Church this year (see p. 552) 26 are from Brazil. Brazil and South Africa are noticed in particular in the baptisms listed at the back of this issue.
     Starting on page 544 we have the list of three dozen societies and two dozen circles of the General Church.
     As you see the names of more than a hundred New Church teachers (beginning on page 557), be reminded of a lively publication entitled New Church Teacher edited by Rachel Glenn and Jill H. Rogers. The fall issue packs a lot into sixteen pages, beginning with an article by Gail Simons about the "heavenly" classroom. The particular school featured in that issue is the one in Kempton, Pennsylvania. Kempton now has an enrollment of 69 (as noted on page 560 of this issue), which is the largest enrollment outside of Bryn Athyn.
     Speaking of Bryn Athyn, Mr. Leon Rhodes has privately published a 63-page history of this New Church community. The title is From This Past, What Future? It is just the right time to tell the story of Bryn Athyn from 1898 to 1998.
     Also, on page 560 are the enrollments of the Academy schools, and it is of particular interest that there are fifteen students enrolled full time in the theological school.
     Last month we had news of the New Church in Sweden. This month Rev. Erik Sandstrom, tells of publishing news in that country.
     A CD called "Wonderful!" is reviewed on page 571. We apologize for printing only a fraction of the review.
     For a sentence from the Writings that may cheer us, see page 556.

531


WHY WE ARE GIVEN PICTURES OF THE LORD'S CONCEPTION AND BIRTH 1998

WHY WE ARE GIVEN PICTURES OF THE LORD'S CONCEPTION AND BIRTH       Rev. Grant H. ODHNER       1998

     The gospel of Mark opens with Jesus' coming to the wilderness of Judea to be baptized by John in the Jordan. There is no mention of the Lord's conception, birth or upbringing. The gospel of John alludes in a cryptic way to the Lord's conception and birth: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God .... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1: 1, 14).
     The gospel of Matthew tells us about the Lord's conception and birth, but offers very little detail about the infant Lord Himself. We learn of Joseph's predicament (whether to take Mary to wife). We learn of events - such as the coming of the magi, Herod's response, the escape to Egypt. But we are not given any picture of the Lord, nothing that presents the Lord as a real baby, conceived and born into the world. The gospel of Luke is unique in giving us this kind of visual image.
     Consider these words from Luke, and think of what they do for our concept of the Lord. The angel Gabriel says to Mary: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you: therefore ... that Holy thing which is to be born of you will be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35, emphasis added).
     Here we have a picture of the Lord in the womb! - that "Holy thing which is to be born." So, again, when the newly-expectant Mary goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth: "And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she spoke out with a loud voice and said: 'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!'" (Luke 1:41f emphasis added).
     Again, an explicit reference to the Lord in the womb.

532


And finally, consider how profoundly these next words affect our idea of the Lord Jesus Christ: "So it was, that . . . the days were completed for [Mary] to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger" (Luke 2:6f).
     These words do more than tell us the facts about the Lord's conception and birth: they recreate the events. They don't do this with elaborate description and detail. They do it in a very simple way, in a few brief scenes, using words sparsely, yet using them in such a way that our imagination can readily form from them a sensual picture. We can think of the Lord as a tiny embryo, a holy creation, a fruit of the womb. We can think of His tender infant body brought forth into the world as other human beings. His infancy becomes real for us as we think of Him handled by His first-time mother: she wraps Him up in swathings to keep Him warm and lays Him with great care and awe in a soft manger resting place. The Luke account gently but surely leads us to visualize and contemplate the Lord's birth in this way.
     But why? Why didn't the Lord leave this part of His life a mystery? (He certainly left many other aspects of His life a mystery.) There are a number of reasons.
     First, it is central to the Christian faith that God became Man; or, to put it another way, that Jesus Christ was God Himself incarnate (in the flesh). The story of the Lord's conception and birth conveys something essential about both the Lord's Divinity and His Humanity.
     Less essential but profound nevertheless, the picture we have of the Lord's first tender states conveys an inexpressible sense of hope and joy and peace. It does this in a way that no other event in Scripture can. Surely this fact alone makes Luke's account important.
     Let us look more closely at these points: first, at how our picture of the Lord's conception and infancy contributes to our concept of His Divinity.

533



     Who knows what strange theories and myths might have been hatched had we not been specifically told of Jesus' conception from Yehowah and birth by Mary? What might not people have conjectured about His origin had we been told only of His adult years after age thirty? Being Divine, perhaps He had just appeared "ready made." Perhaps He had come from a different planet. Or been miraculously born of animal or plant.
     Such ideas, and others still more frivolous, would have done violence to our idea of Jesus as God-Man. They would have distracted us from seeing His clear Divinity and Humanity. They would have distracted us from seeing the purpose of His coming and the nature of His work of salvation.
     Jesus was conceived of God. His soul was Divine. It was not a human father but the "Holy Spirit" that "came upon Mary" and "the power of the Most High" that "overshadowed" her. Therefore also "that holy thing" that was born of her was called "the Son of God." His future destiny was possible only because of His Divine conception. Yehowah's promised salvation could be understood only in the light of this fact. For it was only from the Divine within Him that the Messiah could overcome the powers of hell. His love for our salvation had to be God's love; otherwise He would not have the power to persevere nor to accomplish such a cosmic reordering of that vast world of the human mind. Nor could we have faith in His Divinity were it not for our knowledge of His true origin.
     But Luke's testimony about the Lord's conception and birth is equally vital to understanding His Humanity. Jesus developed in the womb and entered into the world as a helpless, ignorant infant. This fact helps us see that He went through the same process of physical and mental growth that we do (even if He did go way beyond where we stop). In becoming flesh to save us, the Lord respected His own order and worked by His own creative wisdom (see TCR 89). Luke's picture helps us see that Jesus was not fully Divine to begin with. He became Divine by a process.

534


And this process was a vital part of the way He saved us.
     "You must be born again," the grown Jesus taught. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3). This truth applied equally to Himself during His life in the world, no less so in His first hours of life in the human, as He lay warmly swaddled in the manger in that infant state of consciousness as dim as the night enveloping Bethlehem. The Lord had been "born of the flesh." And so it was necessary that He be born again "of the Divine Spirit." Indeed, we are taught: "[The Lord] was born of the virgin Mary ... as another man; but when He was born again, or became Divine, it was from Yehowah who was in Him ... as the very being of [His] life" (AC 2798:2).
     Jesus was born again by the same order that we are. And in this we see His real Humanity, His connection with us. By this we may come to see and know Him as our Savior and Friend in a way we otherwise could not. After all, it is not merely His human shape that makes Him a meaningful object of our faith and love. It is our appreciation of His love and wisdom as they work in an arena that we know: natural states of the human mind. He had to pass through gradual stages of learning and enlightenment, of obscurity and waiting, just as we must. He dealt with the forces of evil, negativity, and doubt that we experience. He met these states with truths and insights which we too can come to know and use in our struggles. He trod the path that we are treading.
     Why did the Lord offer us pictures that lead us to think of His conception, womb life, and birth? We have seen how they help convey to us something essential about His Divinity and His Humanity. But I mentioned a third reason: namely, we derive from them an inexpressible sense of hope and joy and peace.
     Why is this? Why does our largest and most joyful religious celebration center on Luke's story of the Lord's birth?
     The Lord's birth, like all births, was no more than a promise of what was to come. It was not in His birth that He saved us, but in His rebirth. His humanness (as we have noted) was not Divine at birth.

535


His inner Divinity had practically nothing in that infant-mind by which it could work, nothing by which to exert its power. Yet the fact is, at Christmas we are touched by a joyful perception of the Lord's Divinity, and of the meaning of His whole work of salvation!
     What is at work here is the power of innocence. Think of it: infants hold an incredible power of attraction. They demand to be the center of all that approaches and touches their sphere. This aura around babies is a Divine aura. The Lord is strongly present because there is nothing there to drive Him away. The infant has no greed or ill will or hatred, no lust for possessions or for control over the lives of others, no concerns that can pull it out of the tranquil stream of the Lord's life and protection. The sphere of hell cannot yet approach. It cannot excite the child's hereditary tendencies toward selfishness and evil. Hell cannot work in the child until his or her mind has been sufficiently developed and furnished with knowledge, since knowledge is the means by which evil can operate and exert its influence (see AC 1573).
     By virtue of this strong sphere of the Lord's presence, infants inspire a special kind of hope and delight. This hope and delight are strengthened by the fact that infants are pure potential. They have done no evil, incurred no guilt, inflicted no wounds, shattered no dreams, and closed no doors. In every infant one can behold a happy ending. One can gaze upon the purpose of creation: the human angel, lovable, innocent, at peace. One can reflect on what lies at the end of the child's "long haul" without being distressed and distracted by all of the specific difficulties that he or she will surely experience along the way. There is a great sense of hope and joy in this perspective, a serene and unclouded hope and joy.
     We can see from this why there is such power in celebrating the Lord's salvation at His birth! - why there is such power in Christmas!
     The heavenly hosts who sang out the tidings of great joy at the Lord's birth were not weighed down with the darkness and oppression that were dominating the spiritual world even as they sang!

536


They were not crushed in spirit by the doubt and pain that both they and the newborn Lord would surely face! They hailed Him "a Savior," "Christ the Lord," as though salvation were an accomplished fact! They sang of "peace on earth" and "good will toward men," even though these things were but a future hope. For in the powerful sphere of that "Holy one" just born, they felt this hope as a reality! In the glow of His infancy, they could behold the end in view, clear and sure!
     We too tend to feel this kind of unbounded hope at Christmas. We experience moments of simple excitement, brightness, and optimism that are rare indeed in our lives (which can become so weighed down with work and cares and concerns). We feel an optimism about our own salvation - not in a self-conscious way, but in the sense that we get swept up in the joy of others. We feel others' joy as joy in ourselves. In the Christmas season we sing to the Lord (both literally and figuratively) with greater delight and spontaneity. We behold in Christmas our end-in-view - a state of heaven, a state of giving and receiving, a state of working together for common ends and playing together in the Lord's sphere.
     Let us thank the Lord for sharing the joy of His holy conception and birth with us! In reflecting on them we can better understand His Divine work of salvation and His special Human connection with us. And through these sweet pictures of His eternal infancy He can inspire us with a renewed hope and sense of His innocence and peace - the end and purpose of His coming.
     "Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord .... Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!" Amen.

Lessons: Isaiah 11:1-5; Luke 1:26-55; TCR 89

537


DIRECTORY 1998

DIRECTORY              1998

     GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM 1998-99

     Officials

     Bishop: Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss

     Bishop Emeritus: Rt. Rev. Louis B. King

     Acting Secretary: Mrs. Susan V. Simpson

     Consistory
Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss
Rt. Rev. Louis B. King; Rev. Messrs. Alfred Acton, William O. Ankra-Badu, Kurt Ho. Asplundh, Christopher D. Bown, Eric H. Carswell, Geoffrey S. Childs, James P. Cooper, Michael D. Gladish, Daniel W. Goodenough, Daniel W. Heinrichs, Robert S. Junge, Brian W. Keith, Thomas L. Kline, David H. Lindrooth, B. Alfred Mbatha, Donald L. Rose, Frank S. Rose, Frederick L. Schnarr, Grant R. Schnarr, Philip B. Schnarr, and Lawson M. Smith

     GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM (A Corporation of Pennsylvania)

     Officers of the Corporation
President: Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss
Vice President: Rt. Rev. Louis B. King
Secretary: Mr. E. Boyd Asplundh
Treasurer: Mr. Neil M. Buss
Controller: Mr. Ian K. Henderson
Assistant Controller: Mrs. Margaret I. Baker

     BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE CORPORATION
Debra G. Accomazzo, Thomas R. Andrews, David J. Appleton, Stewart L. Asplundh, Maxwell Blair, Jill A. Brickman, Michael A. Brown, R. Andrew Damm, Justin D. Edmonds, Cathlin D. Goerwitz, Glenn H. Heilman II, Justin K. Hyatt, W. Bergen Junge, John A. Kern, Denis M. Kuhl, William L. Kunkle, Thomas N. Leeper, Debra M. Lermitte, Eva S. Lexie, Paul C. P. Mayer, Roger S. Murdoch, Tatsuya Nagashima, Cameron C. Pitcairn, Duncan B. Pitcairn, Lincoln F. Schoenberger, Beryl C. Simonetti, John A. Snoep, Lois D. Spracklin, James G. Uber

     Ex-officio Members:
Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss
Rt. Rev. Louis B. King
Mr. Neil M. Buss

538




     BISHOPS

     Buss, Peter Martin. Ordained June 19, 1964; 2nd degree, May 16, 1965; 3rd degree, June 1, 1986. Continues to serve as Executive Bishop of the General Church, 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 in South Africa, and President of the General Church International, Incorporated. Address: P. O. Box 711, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
     King, Louis Blair. Ordained June 19, 1951; 2nd degree, April 19, 1953; 3rd degree, November 5, 1972. Retired. Bishop Emeritus of the General Church. Address: P. O. Box 743, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

     PASTORS

     Acton, Alfred. Ordained June 19, 1964; 2nd degree, October 30, 1966. Continues to serve as Regional Pastor in the Southeast United States; Chairman of the General Church Translation Committee; Assistant Professor of philosophy and religion at the Bryn Athyn College and Academy Theological School. Address: P. O. Box 717, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
     Alden, Glenn Graham. Ordained June 19, 1974; 2nd degree, June 6, 1976. Continues to serve as part-time Pastor of Dawson Creek and Visiting Pastor to Crooked Creek. Address: 9013 8th Street, Dawson Creek, B.C., Canada V1G 3N3.
     Alden, Kenneth James. Ordained June 6, 1980; 2nd degree, May 16, 1982. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Colchester Society and Visiting Pastor of the Oxford Group. Address: 8 Stoneleigh Park, Lexden, Colchester, Essex, England C03 5FA.
     Alden, Mark Edward. Ordained June 10, 1979; 2nd degree, May 17, 1981. Unassigned. Address: P. O. Box 204, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
     Ankra-Badu, William Ofei. Ordained June 15, 1986; 2nd degree, March 1, 1992. Continues to serve as a Pastor of the Accra-Abelenkpe New Church in Ghana. Address: P. O. Box 11305, Accra-North, Ghana, West Africa.
     Anochi, Nicholas Wiredu. Ordained June 4, 1995; 2nd degree, November 2, 1997. Continues to serve as a pastor in Ghana. Address: c/o Box 11305, Accra-North, Ghana, West Africa.
     Appelgren, Goran Reinhold. Ordained June 7, 1992; 2nd degree, July 3, 1994. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Stockholm Society. Address: Aladdinsvagen 27, S-167 61 Bromma, Sweden.
     Asplundh, Kurt Horigan. Ordained June 19, 1960; 2nd degree, June 19, 1962. Retired. Address: P. O. Box 26, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
     Asplundh, Kurt Hyland. Ordained June 6, 1993; 2nd degree, April 30, 1995. Continues to serve as a teacher in the Academy Secondary Schools and Bryn Athyn College. Address: P. O. Box 707, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
     Barnett, Wendel Ryan. Ordained June 7, 1981; 2nd degree, June 20, 1982. Unassigned. Address: P. O. Box 542, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
     Bau-Madsen, Arne. Ordained June 6, 1976; 2nd degree, June 11, 1978. Continues to serve as Associate Pastor to Kempton, Pennsylvania; Visiting Pastor to the Wallenpaupack, Pennsylvania Circle and the Wilmington, Delaware Group; translator. Address: 37 Sousley Road, Lenhartsville, PA 19534.
     Bown, Christopher Duncan. Ordained June 18, 1978; 2nd degree, December 23, 1979. Continues to serve as an instructor in the Academy Theological School and the Bryn Athyn College, and in the graduate program for lay people and distance learning through the Internet; Visiting Pastor of the Connecticut Circle. Address: P. O. Box 717, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

539



     Boyesen, Bjorn Adolph Hildemar. Ordained June 19, 1939; 2nd degree, March 30, 1941. Retired. Address: 1 Bruksater, Stiterfors 10, S-566 91, Habo, Sweden.
     Boyesen, Ragnar. Ordained June 19, 1972; 2nd degree, June 17, 1973. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Jonkoping, Sweden and Copenhagen, Denmark Circles and Visiting Pastor to Norway. Address: Oxelgatan 6, S-565 33, Mullsjo, Sweden.
     Burke, William Hanson. Ordained June 7, 1981; 2nd degree, August 13, 1983. Retired. Address: 755 Arbour Glenn Court, Lawrenceville, GA 30043.
     Buss, Erik James. Ordained June 10, 1990; 2nd degree, September 13, 1992. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Cascade New Church, Seattle, Washington, and Visiting Pastor of the Northwest District. Address: 5409-154th Ave. NE, Redmond, WA 98052.
     Buss, Peter Martin, Jr. Ordained June 6, 1993; 2nd degree, June 18, 1995. Continues to serve as Assistant Pastor of the Immanuel Church. Address: 2700 Park Lane, Glenview, IL 60025.
     Buthelezi, Ishborn M. Ordained August 18, 1985; second degree, August 23, 1987. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Clermont Society, Enkumba Society and also Hambrook Society at times. Address: P. O. Box 150, Clernaville, Kwa Zulu-Natal, 3602, Rep. of South Africa.
     Carlson, Mark Robert. Ordained June 10, 1973; 2nd degree, March 6, 1977. Unassigned. Address: 30 New Road, Southampton, PA 18966.
     Carswell, Eric Hugh. Ordained June 10, 1979; 2nd degree, February 22, 1981. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Glenview Society, President of the Midwestern Academy, and Regional Pastor of the Midwest United States. Address: 73 Park Drive, Glenview, IL 60025.
     Chapin, Frederick Merle. Ordained June 15, 1986; 2nd degree, October 23, 1988. As of July 1, 1998 Assistant Pastor to the Washington Society and Visiting Pastor to the Charlotte Circle. Address: 13720 Old Chapel Road, Bowie, MD 20715.
     Childs, Geoffrey Stafford. Ordained June 19, 1952; 2nd degree, June 19, 1954. Retired; continues to serve as Bishop's Representative in South Africa and EVP of the General Church in South Africa Corporation. Address: 7 Sydney Drive, Westville, KwaZulu-Natal, 3630, Rep. of South Africa.
     Childs, Robin Waelchli. Ordained June 6, 1984; 2nd degree, June 8, 1986. Continues to serve as a teacher of religion and counsellor in the Academy Secondary Schools. Address: P. O. Box 707, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
     Clifford, William Harrison. Ordained June 6, 1976; 2nd degree, October 8, 1978. Resigned. Address: 1544 Giddings Ave. SE, Gorand Rapids, MI 49507-2223.
     Cole, Robert Hudson Pendleton. Ordained June 16, 1963; 2nd degree, October 30, 1966. Retired. Address: P. O. Box 356, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
     Cole, Stephen Dandridge. Ordained June 19, 1977; 2nd degree, October 15, 1978. Continues to serve as Pastor of the San Diego Society and Visiting Pastor to the Sacramento Circle. Address: 941 Ontario Street, Escondido, CA 92025.
     Cooper, James Pendleton. Ordained June 13, 1982; 2nd degree, March 4, 1984. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Washington Society and Principal of the Washington New Church School. Address: 11910 Chantilly Lane, Mitchellville, MD 20721.
     Cowley, Michael Keith. Ordained June 13, 1982; 2nd degree, May 13, 1984. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Carmel Church Society, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Address: 58 Chapel Hill Drive, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada N2G 3W5.
     Cranch, Harold Covert. Ordained June 19, 1941; 2nd degree, October 15, 1942. Retired.

540


Address: 501 Porter Street, Glendale, CA 91205.
     Darkwah, Simpson Kwasi. Ordained June 7, 1992; 2nd degree, August 28, 1994. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Tema, Ghana Circle and Visiting Pastor of the Madina. Circle. Address: House #AA3 Community 4, Box 1483, Tema, Ghana, West Africa.
     de Padua, Mauro Santos. Ordained June 7, 1992; 2nd degree, June 12, 1994. Continues to serve as Assistant to the Pastor of the Glenview Society and traveling minister to the Midwestern District. Address: 1070 Shermer Road, Glenview, IL 60025.
     Dibb, Andrew Malcolm Thomas. Ordained June 6,1984; 2nd degree, May 18, 1986. Continues to serve as Pastor of the New Church Buccleuch, Visiting Pastor of the Cape Town Circle, and Dean of the South African Theological School. Address: P. O. Box 816, Kelvin, Gauteng, 2054, Rep. of South Africa.
     Echols, John Clark, Jr. Ordained August 26, 1978; 2nd degree, March 30, 1980. Continues to serve as Pastor of The Sower's Chapel of the Freeport Society. Address: 980 Sarver Road, Sarver, PA 16055.
     Elphick, Derek Peter. Ordained June 6, 1993; 2nd degree, May 22, 1994. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Boynton Beach Society and also serving Melbourne and Bonita Springs. Address: 6246 Madras Circle, Boynton Beach, FL 33437.
     Elphick, Frederick Charles. Ordained June 6, 1984; 2nd degree, September 23, 1984. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Michael Church, London, England, and Visiting Pastor to the Surrey Circle and The Hague Circle. Address: 21B Hayne Road, Beckenham, Kent, England, BR3 4JA.
     Gladish, Michael David. Ordained June 10, 1973; 2nd degree, June 30, 1974. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Olivet Society in Toronto; Visiting Pastor to Parry Sound-Muskoka and throughout Western Canada; Executive Vice President of the General Church in Canada; Chairman of Information Swedenborg, Inc. Address: 2 Lorraine Gardens, Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada, M913 4Z4.
     Gladish, Nathan Donald. Ordained June 13, 1982; 2nd degree, November 6, 1983. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Pittsburgh New Church and Principal and Head Teacher of the Pittsburgh New Church School. Address: 299 Le Roi Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15208.
     Goodenough, Daniel Webster. Ordained June 19, 1965; 2nd degree, December 10, 1967. Continues to serve as President of the Academy of the New Church. Address: P. O. Box 711, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
     Gyamfi, Martin Kofi. Ordained June 9, 1991; 2nd degree, August 28, 1994. Continues to serve as Resident Pastor for Asakraka-Kwahu Group and Visiting Pastor for Nteso and Oframase Groups. Address: The New Church, P. O. Box 10, Asakraka-Kwahu, E/R, Ghana, West Africa.
     Halterman, Barry Childs. Ordained June 5, 1994; 2nd degree, September 8, 1996. As of July 1, 1998 Assistant Pastor of the Olivet Church (Toronto), and Visiting Minister to the Ottawa Group. Address: 134 Smithwood Drive, Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada M913 4S4.
     Heilman, Andrew James. Ordained June 18, 1978; 2nd degree, March 8, 1981. Continues to serve as Assistant Pastor to the Kempton Society and teacher in the Kempton New Church School. Address: 1050 Mountain Road, Kempton, PA 19529.
     Heinrichs, Daniel Winthrop. Ordained June 19, 1957; 2nd degree, April 6, 1958. Retired. Address: 9115 Chrysanthemum Drive, Boynton Beach, FL 33437-1236.
     Heinrichs, Willard Lewis Davenport. Ordained June 19, 1965; 2nd degree, January 26, 1969. Continues to serve as an Associate Professor of theology in the Academy Theological School and Bryn Athyn College. Address: P. O. Box 717, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

541



     Howard, Geoffrey Horace. Ordained June 19, 1961; 2nd degree, June 2, 1963. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Boston Society and Visiting Pastor to Eastern Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire. Address: 17 Cakebread Drive, Sudbury, MA 01776.
     Jin, Yong Jin. Ordained June 5, 1994; 2nd degree, June 16, 1996. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Philadelphia New Church - Korean group, and responsible for outreach to the Korean-speaking community in the United States. Address: P. O. Box 743, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
     Junge, Kent. Ordained June 10, 1979; 2nd degree, June 24, 1981. Resigned.
     Junge, Robert Schill. Ordained June 19, 1955; 2nd degree, August 11, 1957. Continues to serve as Interim Pastor of the Kempton Society. Address: 8551 Junge Lane, RD 1, Kempton, PA 19529.
     Keith, Brian Walter. Ordained June 6, 1976; 2nd degree, June 4, 1978. Continues to serve as Dean of the Academy Theological School and Regional Pastor of the Northeast United States. Address: P. O. Box 717, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
     King, Cedric. Ordained June 10, 1979; 2nd degree, November 27, 1980. Continues to serve as part-time Pastor of the El Toro New Church Circle. Address: 21332 Forest Meadow, Lake Forest, CA 92630.
     Kline, Thomas Leroy. Ordained June 10, 1973; 2nd degree, June 15, 1975. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Bryn Athyn Society. Address: P. O. Box 277, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
     Kwak, Dzin Pyung. Ordained June 12, 1988; 2nd degree, November 11, 1990. Continues to serve as a Pastor of the General Church in Korea (on special assignment). Address: # 102 Searim Apt. 6574, Balsan 2-dong, Kangseo-Ku, Seoul, Korea 157-282.
     Larsen, Ottar Trosvik. Ordained June 19, 1974; 2nd degree, February 16, 1977. Resigned. Address: 2145 Country Club Drive, Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006.
     Lindrooth, David Hutchinson. Ordained June 10, 1990; 2nd degree, April 19, 1992. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Ivyland New Church and Secretary of the Council of the Clergy. Address: 851 W. Bristol Road, Ivyland, PA 18974.
     Maseko, Jacob. Ordained November 29, 1992; 2nd degree, September 18, 1994. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Diepkloof Society. Address: P. O. Box 26 1, Pimville, Gauteng, 1808, Rep. of South Africa.
     Mbatha, Bekuyise Alfred. Ordained June 27, 1971; 2nd degree, June 23, 1974. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Impaphala Society and Visiting Pastor to the Empangeni Group. P. O. Box 60449, Phoenix, 4000, Rep. of South Africa.
     Mcanyana, Chester. Ordained November 12, 1989; 2nd degree, September 25, 1994. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Kwa Mashu Society and Visiting Pastor to the Hambrook Society. Address: Address: H602, Kwa Mashu, KwaZutu-Natal, 4360, Rep. of South Africa.
     McCurdy, George Daniel. Ordained June 25, 1967; Recognized as a priest of the New Church in the second degree July 5, 1979; received into the priesthood of the General Church June 9, 1980. Retired. Address: P. O. Box 707, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
     Nemitz, Kurt Paul. Ordained June 16, 1963; 2nd degree, March 27, 1966. Unassigned. Address: P. O. Box 164, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
     Nicholson, Allison La Marr. Ordained September 9, 1979; 2nd degree, February 15, 1981. Retired. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Bath Society. Address: HC33, Box 61N, Arrowsic, ME 04530.
     Nobre, Cristovao Rabelo. Ordained June 6, 1984; 2nd degree, August 25, 1985.

542


Continues to serve as Pastor of the Rio de Janeiro Society; Visiting Pastor of Campo Gorande and Teresopolis Groups. Address: Rua Henrique Borges Filho, 54, 27.700-000, Vassouras, RJ, Brazil.
     Odhner, Grant Hugo. Ordained June 7, 1981; 2nd degree, May 9, 1982. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Oak Arbor Society and Principal of the Oak Arbor New Church School. Address: 395 Olivewood Court, Rochester, MI 48306.
     Odhner, John Llewellyn. Ordained June 6, 1980; 2nd degree, November 22, 198 1. Continues to serve as Pastor of the New Church at La Crescenta and Visiting Pastor to San Francisco Bay Area Circle. Address: 5022 Carolyn Way, La Crescenta, CA 91214.
     Orthwein, Walter Edward 111. Ordained July 22, 1973; 2nd degree, June 12, 1977. Recognized as a priest of the General Church June 12, 1977. Continues to serve as an Assistant Professor of religion in the Bryn Athyn College and the Academy Theological School, and Visiting Pastor of the Central Pennsylvania Group. Address: P. O. Box 717, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
     Pendleton, Dandridge. Ordained June 19, 1952; 2nd degree, June 19, 1954. Retired. Address: P. O. Box 278, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
     Pendleton, Mark Dandridge. Ordained June 9, 1991; 2nd degree, May 29, 1994. As of July 1, 1998, Pastor of the Phoenix Society and Visiting Pastor to the Albuquerque Circle. Address: 5631 E. Shea Blvd., Scottsdale, AZ 85254.
     Perry, Charles Mark. Ordained June 9, 1991; 2nd degree, June 19, 1993. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Atlanta New Church and travel in the southeast (Macon, GA and Birmingham, AL). Address: 5155 Paisley Court, Lilbum, GA 30047.
     Riley, Norman Edward. Ordained June 14, 1950; 2nd degree June 20, 1951. Recognized as a priest of the General Church January, 1978. Retired. Address: 69 Harewood Road, Norden, Rochdale, Lanes., England, OL I I 5TH.
     Rogers, Prescott Andrew. Ordained January 26, 1986; 2nd degree, April 24, 1988. Continues to serve as Principal of the Bryn Athyn Church School. Address: P. O. Box 277, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
     Rose, Donald Leslie. Ordained June 16, 1957; 2nd degree, June 23, 1963. Continues to serve as Editor of New Church Life and Assistant to the Pastor of the Bryn Athyn Society. Address: P. O. Box 277, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
     Rose, Frank Shirley. Ordained June 19, 1952; 2nd degree, August 2, 1953. Continues to serve as Pastor of Sunrise Chapel, Tucson and Bishop's Representative for the Western United States. Address: 9233 E. Helen Street, Tucson, AZ 85715.
     Rose, Jonathan Searle. Ordained May 31, 1987; 2nd degree, February 23, 1997. Continues to serve as Chaplain and Assistant Professor of Greek and religion at the Bryn Athyn College, and as a translator. Address: P. O. Box 717, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
     Rose, Patrick Alan. Ordained June 19, 1975; 2nd degree, September 25, 1977. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Cincinnati Society, Visiting Pastor to Indiana, Southern Ohio and Kentucky; Visiting Pastor to the Twin Cities Circle; also provides various pastoral services for youth via the Internet. Address: 785 Ashcroft Ct., Cincinnati, OH 45240.
     Rose, Thomas Hartley. Ordained June 12,1988; 2nd degree, May 21, 1989. Continues to serve as Assistant to the Pastor of the Bryn Athyn Society. Address: P. O. Box 277, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
     Roth, David Christopher. Ordained June 9, 1991; 2nd degree, October 17, 1993. Continues to serve as Pastor of the New Church at Boulder, Colorado Circle. Address: 4215 N. Broadway, Boulder, CO 80304.

543



     Sandstrom, Erik. Ordained June 10, 1934; 2nd degree, August 4, 1935. Retired. Address: 3566 Post Road, Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006.
     Sandstrom, Erik Emanuel. Ordained May 23, 1971; 2nd degree, May 21, 1972. Continues to serve as Assistant Professor of religion in the Academy Theological School and Bryn Athyn College; Head of Religion and Sacred Languages Division in the Bryn Athyn College; Curator of Swedenborgiana; Assistant to Missionary Program for Bryn Athyn College; Visiting Pastor to the New York/New Jersey Circle. Address: P. O. Box 740, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
     Schnarr, Arthur Willard, Jr. Ordained June 7, 1981; 2nd degree, June 19, 1983. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Chicago New Church. Address: 2719 Park Lane, Glenview, IL 60025.
     Schnarr, Frederick Laurier. Ordained June 19, 1955; 2nd degree, May 12, 1957. Retired. Address: 11019 Haiti Bay, Boynton Beach, FL 33436.
     Schnarr, Grant Ronald. Ordained June 12, 1983; 2nd degree, October 7, 1984. Continues to serve as Director of Evangelization. Address: P. O. Box 743, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
     Schnarr, Philip Bradley. Ordained June 5, 1996; 2nd degree, May 31, 1998. Continues to serve as Director of the Office of Education. Address: P. O. Box 743, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
     Simons, David Restyn. Ordained June 19, 1948; 2nd degree, June 19, 1950. Retired. Address: 561 Woodward Drive, Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006.
     Simons, Jeremy Frederick. Ordained June 13, 1982; 2nd degree, July 31, 1983. Continues to serve as Assistant Pastor of the Bryn Athyn Society. Address: P. O. Box 277, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
     Smith, Christopher Ronald Jack. Ordained June 19, 1969; 2nd degree, May 9, 1971. Continues to serve as a religion teacher in the Academy Secondary Schools. Address: P. O. Box 707, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
     Smith, Lawson Mcrrell. Ordained June 10, 1979; 2nd degree, February 1, 1981. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Durban Society and Principal of Kainon School and Pre-Primary School. Address: 8 Winslow Road, Westville, KwaZulu-Natal, 3630, Republic of South Africa.
     Stroh, Kenneth Oliver. Ordained June 19, 1948; 2nd degree, June 19, 1950. Retired. Address: P. O. Box 629, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
     Synnestvedt, Louis Daniel. Ordained June 6, 1980; 2nd degree, November 8, 1981. Resigned. Address: 151 Vole Hollow Lane, Kempton, PA 19529.
     Taylor, Douglas McLeod. Ordained June 19, 1960; 2nd degree, June 19, 1962. Retired; Visiting Pastor to the Baltimore Society. Address: 2704 Huntingdon Pike, Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006.
     Thabede, Ndaizane Albert. Ordained August 29, 1993; 2nd degree, March 2, 1997. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Alexandra Society. Address: 303 Corlett Drive, Kew, Gauteng, 2090, Rep. of South Africa.
     Tshabalala, Njanyana Reuben. Ordained November 29,1992; 2nd degree, September 18,1994. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Balfour Society. Address: P. O. Box 851, Kwaxuma, Soweto, Gauteng, 1868, Rep. of South Africa.
     Weiss, Jan Hugo. Ordained June 19, 1955; 2nd degree, May 12, 1957. Unassigned. President of New Church Outreach. Address: 2650 Del Vista Drive, Hacienda Heights, CA 91745.
     Zungu, Aaron. Ordained August 21, 1938; 2nd degree, October 3, 1948. Recognized as a General Church minister November 25, 1989. Retired. Address: Box 408, Ntumeni, KwaZuluNatal, 3830, Rep. of South Africa.

544




     MINISTERS

     Barry, Eugene. Ordained June 15, 1986. Resigned. Address: 116 High Street, Clawson, MI 48017-2185.
     Bell, Reuben Paul. Ordained May 25, 1997. Assistant Professor of biology in the Bryn Athyn College and Pastor of the Hatfield, Pennsylvania Group. Address: P. O. Box 707, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
     Fitzpatrick, Daniel. Ordained June 6, 1984. Unassigned. Address: 5845 Aurora Court, Lake Worth, FL 33643.
     Guerra, Vinicius. Ordained November 16,1997. Inactive. Address: Oswaldo Pereira Lyra, 30, Campo Gorande, Rio de Janeiro RJ, 23.070-060, Brazil.
     Lee, Jong-Ui. Ordained May 31, 1998. As of July 1, 1998 Assistant to the Pastor of the Oak Arbor Society and Visiting Minister to the North Ohio Circle. Address: 380 Oak Arbor Drive, Rochester, MI 48306.
     Rogers, Norbert Bruce. Ordained January 12, 1969. Continues to serve as a General Church translator; member of the Translation Committee Executive Board; Associate Professor of religion and Latin in the Bryn Athyn College; and member of the Academy Publication Committee. Address: P. O. Box 717, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
     Schorran, Paul Edward. Ordained June 12, 1983. Unassigned. Address: 631 Old Philly Pike, Kempton, PA 19529.

     AUTHORIZED CANDIDATES

     Ayers, David Wayne. Address: P. O. Box 717, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
     Conroy, Stephen Daniel. Address: P. O. Box 717, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
     Heinrichs, Bradley Daniel. Address: P. O. Box 717, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
     Nzimande, Edward E. Address: 1701 - 31st Avenue, Clermont Township, P. O. Clernaville, KwaZulu-Natal, 3602, Rep. of South Africa.

     ASSOCIATE MINISTERS

     Nicolier, Alain. Ordained May 31, 1979; 2nd degree, September 16, 1984. Address: Bourguignon, Meursanges, 21200 Beaune, France.
     Sheppard, Leslie Lawrence. Ordained June 7, 1992. Invited by the Brisbane New Church to take up a pastorate in the Association of the New Church in Australia, for whom he is working as President of the Australian Association of the New Church. This assignment was taken up with the full support of the Bishop of the General Church. Address: 3 Shadowood Street, Kenmore Hills, Brisbane, Queensland 4069, Australia.

     EVANGELIST

     Eubanks, W. Harold. Address: 516 US 280 West, Americus, GA 31709.

     SOCIETIES AND CIRCLES

     Society                     Pastor or Minister

Alexandra, R.S.A.           Rev. N. Albert Thabede
Atlanta, Georgia                Rev. C. Mark Perry
Balfour, R.S.A.                Rev. N. Reuben Tshabalala
Baltimore, Maryland          Rev. Douglas M. Taylor

545



Bath, Maine                Rev. Allison L. Nicholson
Boston, Massachusetts           Rev. Geoffrey H. Howard
Boynton Beach, Florida           Rev. Derek P. Elphick
Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania     Rev. Thomas L. Kline
                         Rev. Jeremy F. Simons, Assistant Pastor
                         Rev. Donald L. Rose, Assistant to Pastor
                         Rev. Thomas H. Rose, Assistant to Pastor
Buccleuch, R.S.A.           Rev. Andrew M. T. Dibb
Chicago, Illinois           Rev. Arthur W. Schnarr, Jr.
Cincinnati, Ohio                Rev. Patrick A. Rose
Clermont, R.S.A.                Rev. Ishborn M. Buthelezi
Colchester, England           Rev. Kenneth J. Alden
Detroit, Michigan
     (Oak Arbor Church)      Rev. Grant H. Odhner
                         Rev. Jong-Ui Lee, Assistant to Pastor
Diepkloof, R.S.A.           Rev. Jacob Maseko
Durban, R.S.A.                Rev. Lawson M. Smith
Enkumba, R.S.A.               Rev. Ishborn M. Buthelezi
Freeport, Pennsylvania           Rev. J. Clark Echols, Jr.
Glenview, Illinois          Rev. Eric H. Carswell
                         Rev. Peter M. Buss, Jr., Assistant Pastor
                         Rev. Mauro S. de Padua, Assistant to Pastor
Hambrook, R.S.A.                Rev. N. Chester Mcanyana
Hurstville, Australia
Impaphala, R.S.A.           Rev. B. Alfred Mbatha
Ivyland, Pennsylvania           Rev. David H. Lindrooth
Kempton, Pennsylvania          Rev. Robert S. Junge
                         Rev. Andrew J. Heilman, Assistant Pastor
                         Rev. Arne Bau-Madsen, Associate Pastor
Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
     (Carmel Church)           Rev. Michael K. Cowley
Kwa Mashu, R.S.A.           Rev. N. Chester Mcanyana
La Crescenta, California
     (Los Angeles)           Rev. John L. Odhner
London, England
     (Michael Church)           Rev. Frederick C. Elphick
Phoenix, Arizona                Rev. Mark D. Pendleton
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania      Rev. Nathan D. Gladish
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil           Rev. Cristovao R. Nobre
San Diego, California           Rev. Stephen D. Cole
Stockholm, Sweden           Rev. Goran R. Appelgren
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
     (Olivet Church)           Rev. Michael D. Gladish
                         Rev. Barry C. Halterman, Assistant Pastor
Tucson, Arizona                Rev. Frank S. Rose
Washington, D. C.               Rev. James P. Cooper
                         Rev. Frederick M. Chapin, Assistant Pastor

     Circle                     Visiting Pastor or Minister

Albuquerque, New Mexico      Rev. Mark D. Pendleton
Americus, Georgia           W. Harold Eubanks, Evangelist
Auckland, New Zealand

546



Boulder, Colorado           Rev. David C. Roth
Cape Town, South Africa      Rev. Andrew M. T. Dibb
Charlotte, North Carolina      Rev. Frederick M. Chapin
Connecticut                Rev. Christopher D. Bown
Copenhagen, Denmark           Rev. Ragnar Boyesen
Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas      
Dawson Creek, B. C., Canada      Rev. Glenn G. Alden
El Toro, California           Rev. Cedric King
Erie, Pennsylvania           
The Hague, Holland           Rev. Frederick C. Elphick
Jonkoping, Sweden           Rev. Ragnar Boyesen
Lake Helen, Florida
Madina, Ghana                Rev. S. Kwasi Darkwah
New York/New Jersey           Rev. Erik E. Sandstrom
North Ohio                     Rev. Jong-Ui Lee
Sacramento, California           Rev. Stephen D. Cole
St. Paul/Minneapolis, Minnesota
     (Twin Cities)           Rev. Patrick A. Rose
San Francisco, California      Rev. John L. Odhner
Seattle, Washington           Rev. Erik J. Buss
South Ohio                     Rev. Patrick A. Rose
Surrey, England                Rev. Frederick C. Elphick
Tamworth, Australia
Tema, Ghana                Rev. S. Kwasi Darkwah
Wallenpaupack, Pennsylvania     Rev. Ame Bau-Madsen

Note: Besides the General Church societies and circles there are groups in various geographical areas that receive occasional visits from a minister. This information is published in New Church Life periodically in General Church Places of Worship (see September, issue, p. 429).

     New Assignments for Ministers

     The Rev. Fred Chapin has accepted a call to become the Assistant Pastor to the Washington Society. This will take up two-thirds of his time, and he will visit Charlotte, where he used to be resident, twice a month from Washington.
     The Rev. Barry C. Halterman has accepted a call to be the Assistant Pastor of the Olivet Church in Toronto, Canada effective July 1, 1998.
     The Rev. Jong-Ui Lee has accepted appointment as Assistant to the Pastor of the Oak Arbor Society and Visiting Pastor to the North Ohio Circle.
     The Rev. Chester Mcanyana has accepted a call to be the Pastor of the Kwa Mashu Society in South Africa. He will be replacing the Rev. Alfred Mbatha who has been pastor there for many years.
     The Rev. Alfred Mbatha has accepted a call to be Pastor of the Impaphala Society in South Africa. The Rev. Mr. Mbatha is also spending a significant amount of time in Kisii, Kenya, where he is training students for the ministry.
     The Rev. Mark D. Pendleton has accepted a call to become Pastor of the Phoenix Society, effective July 1, 1998.
     The Rev. Lawson M. Smith has accepted a call to become Pastor of the Kempton Society, effective July 1, 2000.

547


REPORT OF THE BISHOP December, 1998 1998

REPORT OF THE BISHOP December, 1998       Rev. Peter M. Buss       1998

     In this report I will focus on some of the developments in the church outside the United States. This was a year in which Lisa and I visited many areas of the church. It has also been a year when new developments have taken place.

Brazil

     We visited Brazil in November 1997, and I returned in September 1998. The society in Rio de Janeiro has been in existence for one hundred years, and has had its ups and downs. At the moment it is enjoying an astonishing growth. In 1976 the congregational attendance was in the low teens. Then the Rev. Andrew Heilman became the first full-time pastor, and during his five-year pastorate he introduced much that consolidated the congregation. He also trained Cristovao Nobre, a new convert, for the ministry. Mr. Nobre was ordained in 1984. For ten years he worked tirelessly on pastoral service to the existing congregation and on outreach. The outreach had almost no success. However, the groundwork had been laid by careful education of and care for the members, and around 1995 new members began to come to the church. The result is that there are now two centers of the church in Rio de Janeiro about forty miles apart. There have been over thirty adult baptisms, and a flock of young children are now at the services. In addition, there is a small group in Teresopolis, a city about 70 miles away, and in the huge city of Sao Paulo, about one hundred miles away, another group is growing.
     At their centenary celebration 102 people were present. Both times I visited, the combined congregations in Rio had over 70 people present, and on each occasion there were several adult baptisms. It is a great joy to speak with the new members, and to discover their happiness at finding the Writings and discovering how much the teachings help them in their lives. Cristovao is both bold and very patient in his presentation of the Heavenly Doctrines, and aided by the sensitive and kind help of his wife Cleia, he has helped people to see the power of the New Word to build the New Church among them.

548



     This development gives promise to all of us. Rio was a small congregation, seemingly getting even smaller. Through dedication to the uses of the church, and especially to a consistent program of outreach, a congregation that seemed about to die is now a growing, thriving one. There is no reason why this success cannot be mirrored in other congregations in our church. Our warm thanks to Cristovao and Cleia for their gentle, loving and yet firm devotion to the uses of the Lord's church.

Japan

     In August of 1998 Lisa and I had the privilege of visiting Japan and Korea for the second time. We spent most of the time in Hakone, a recreational area some two to three hours from Tokyo, where people gathered for a retreat. About 30 people all told attended this four-day event, at which there were several sessions for instruction, a service including the holy supper, and the baptism of three adults and one infant. There was also time for individual meetings on doctrinal and life issues, among them a discussion on how to raise children in the light of the Lord's Second Advent. The groups in Japan have gown slowly, and they miss the regular contact with other New Church groups that their distance makes impossible. But their interest in the Lord's Word and their devotion to it are amazing. They publish magazines in several places, translate works of the Writings and collateral literature, and regularly meet for study.
     We were particularly delighted to cement friendships which had begun with our first visit. The efforts of the Japanese to speak our language were impressive, and produced much laughter as we worked to communicate. (In Korea, Japan and Brazil we have learned how much can be communicated without spoken words.)
     After the retreat, we met again in Tokyo for dinner, and the Rev. Mr. Kuneida attended. Mr. Kuneida was trained and ordained by the General Convention, and he is trying to build a congregation while working full time in another profession.

549


We were deeply impressed with his devotion and his energy.

Korea

     A similar spirit of cooperation was found in Korea, where we attended a four-day retreat for the combined congregations of the General Church and the Convention-based Seoul church which is under the leadership of the Rev. Mr. Yang. About 30 people were present for this retreat, some three hours into the Korean mountains, at a place owned by the Rev. Jon Jin, who is pastor to our Korean New Church in the Philadelphia area. I gave the first address on repentance, Mr. Yang the second on reformation, and the Rev. Dzin Kwak one on regeneration. The service is very different in Korea, with a heavy emphasis on prayer. The people were there from 7 a.m. until 9:30 p.m., and seemed to enjoy all aspects of the retreat.

Ghana

     The church in Ghana continues to grow. Two important developments have begun this year. One is the construction of a school building in Tema, where the Rev. Kwasi Darkwah is pastor. It will house both the church and a projected school, which they hope to start by the end of 1998. The General Church has provided the funds for the buildings in Ghana as a whole, and there have been some generous private donations to uses there.
     The second development has been the beginning of a theological program in Accra, under the leadership of the Rev. William Ankra-Badu, with all the other ministers participating in teaching. Ten students have begun to take classes, and the General Church Board officially supported this venture with an annual allocation of funds in May of 1998. This school was originally started because it had become impossible to get immigration for students from Ghana to attend the Academy Theological School. Now the barriers to the acquisition of student visas have been overcome (apparently someone had been using our letterhead fraudulently in Ghana and the consulate had become suspicious of us, but a phone call from the consulate to my office has cleared that up).

550


However, the new theological program in Ghana will allow for the training of lay leaders, and also for the education of ministers who will not have to leave their families to train in the U.S.A.

Australia

     Unfortunately we have been unable to find a pastor for the Hurstville Society since the departure of the Rev. Arthur (Terry) Schnarr in 1997. Several retired ministers have visited there for fairly lengthy periods of time, and I want to extend warm thanks to them - to Bishop and Mrs. King, Dan and Miriam Heinrichs, Doug and Christine Taylor, Kurt and Martha Asplundh and Bill and Eleanor Burke. Thanks also go to Willard and Vanessa Heinrichs (he is not retired, but filled in this last summer). Their kind services have been much appreciated. The Hurstville Society paid their air fares, and provided them with a lovely home, a car, living expenses and a small stipend. Thanks also go to our good friends in the Australian Association, especially to the Rev. John Teed, who filled in occasionally. Lisa and I plan to spend Christmas in the Hurstville Society. We ardently hope that they will be able to make a call to a minister by July of 1999.

Dawson Creek

     After enjoying 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in Rio de Janeiro in late November, 1997, we enjoyed - 40 (both scales) in Dawson Creek in early January. We found the weather delightful and the scenery absolutely beautiful. The clean, finely-powdered snow and the clear air felt invigorating (although we were aware that we were visiting, not staying the whole winter)!
     Glenn Alden does a great job as a part-time pastor, serving the groups in British Columbia. We first visited an active group in Gorand Prairie, about 100 miles from Dawson Creek, and later another part of the Dawson Creek Circle some 60 miles from the town in Silver Valley. Each of the three areas has a relatively small group of members, but taken together the number is fairly substantial.

551


Glenn ministers to these groups regularly in addition to running his farm and doing other work. He and Mary are doing an outstanding service in this isolated part of our church.

Conclusion

     In the Lord's providence the New Church on earth will grow. The General Church hopes and prays that it will be a part of that growth, and that it can foster it by being aware of and responding to interest in the Lord's Second Advent wherever it appears. We now have a committee of the General Church Board, under the leadership of our Director of Evangelization, the Rev. Grant Schnarr, which focuses on worldwide outreach.
     The New Church is the stone cut without hands that is to fill the earth. It is, of course, the faith in the Lord in His Divine Human which is that stone. This faith is, in the last analysis, the only true faith there is. All good people throughout the world will be led to the Lord in His Divine Human, whether in this world or in the next. But we have the opportunity to be a part of the Lord's work of ensuring that as many as possible on this earth will know Him and embrace Him. May this work prosper in the General Church so that it may be a lasting part of the New Church itself.

     Statistical Report of the Bishop of the General Church

     July 1, 1997-June 30, 1998

As Bishop of the General Church:
Episcopal trips - 19
Inauguration into the priesthood - 1
Ordination into the second degree - 1
Meetings: Board and Corporation - 6
Consistory - 6
Advisory Council - 10
Joint Committee - 4
Women's Roles Committee - 7
Bishop's Council - 4
Council of the Clergy Treasurers' meetings - 2

552



General Conference in Britain
Eldergarten

As Chancellor of the Academy of the New Church:
Meetings: Board and Corporation - 6
Theological School faculty - 4
High school chapel - 3
College chapel - 1
Theological School worship - 1
High school senior girls' religion (one term)
Theological School (one term)

Ministrations:
Bryn Athyn services:
private, public and festival - 21
Bryn Athyn doctrinal classes - 1
Worship services in other church areas:
private, public and festival - 19
     Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss
     Executive Bishop
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM 1998

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM              1998

     Between July 1, 1997, and June 30, 1998, 94 members were received into the General Church.
     During the year the Secretary's office received notice of the deaths of 41 members, one of whom had previously been listed as dropped from the roll (1995-1996 report), and we would be grateful to receive missing data for one member (Werner Wolfgang Hager) who is presumed to be deceased.
     Two members resigned during the year, and one member was dropped from the roll.

553



     For some years the total membership tally in the General Church database has not quite matched the membership total listed in this annual report. This discrepancy could be due to a number of reasons, including possible mechanical errors. After efforts to increase the accuracy of the database, it has been decided to note an adjustment in this report in order to align the Secretary's Report statistics with the database itself.

Membership July 1, 1997                     4488
New members (Certs. 8729-8822)                +94
Deceased                                    -41
Resigned                                    -2
Dropped from Roll                          -1
Adjustment to align with GC Membership database     -33
     Membership June 30, 1998               4505
     
     NEW MEMBERS

     AUSTRALIA
     Australian Capital Territory
Richards, Philip Daniel

     BRAZIL
Almeida, Ana Paula Rodrigues
Andrade, Leda Maria de Souza
Atandzio, Marcos Antonio
Costa, Elizabeth Francesca Alves Mazzei
Couto, Marilia Possas Silva
Couto, Miguel
Couto, Silvia Almeida Martins
Cruz, Katia Menezes Guerra
Custodio, Carlos
Dalcin, Ghislaine Carvalho
Dalcin, Renato Figueira
Dalcin, Roberto Figueira
Ferreira, Ednaldo de Melo
Guarnido, Anna Teixeira
Guarnido, Izabel Teresa Muccillo Souza
Guarnido, Mdrcio Teixeira
Guerra, Lygia de Menezes
Guerra, Vinicius Reis
Nobre, Rita Cassia Aparecida da Silva
Nobre, Vicente Henrique Rabelo
Oliveira, Erika Soares Martins
Oliveira, Marly Higino
Rosa, Nydia Barroso Magno
Sodrd, Janaina Higino de Oliveira
Sodrd, Wilson Alexandre Silva
Souza, Elvira Muccillo

     CANADA

     British Columbia
Myatt, Jessica Lynn
Wyborn, Robert Henry

554




     Ontario
Barber, Jeremy Robert
Bradfield, Charles Thomas
Doo, Dae Yul
Eidse, Donald Christopher
Eidse, Linda Marie Bueckert
Raymond, Frances Mary Gibson

     GHANA

Addo, Eric Kwasi
Dagbey, Tina Asseye
Korang, Grace
Nyann, Stephen Owurani
Obuobi, Thomas Kwasi Asiamah
Osafo, Paul

     JAPAN

Miyamoto, Yoshiaki
Nishikori, Toru Yamazaki, Emiko

     REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA

     KwaZulu-Nalal Park
Ross, Olive Minor Lowrie
Royston, Duncan David

     SOUTH KOREA

Cheon, Chil Seong
Park, He Ok
Park, In Sook Song
Park, Jae Young
Park, Wha Young

     SRI LANKA

Jayawardana, Withariage Kanchana Lasanth
Jayewardene, Lokoputtumpe Chandrane Y. W.
Jayewardene, Walter Withanage Wijesiri
Kulatunge, Withanage Ajith Dharnmika
Maitipe, Sumanasiri

     UNITED STATES

     Arizona
Ducharme, Raymond Keith
Porta, Carol Ann Vergamini

     California
Rainville, Donna Marie

     Florida
Beecham, William Michael

     Illinois
Braun, Richard Alan
Henderson, Lonna Sue Livensparger
Kelley, Elena Alice Gregory
Pacyga, Michael Thomas
Post, Janis Ellen
Stahl, Robert Lewis

     Maine
Nicholson, Matthew Grantham

     Maryland
Moon, Kwi Soon

     Massachusetts
Therrien, Mary Elizabeth Everhart

     New York
Hanel, Louise Mary Loria
Hanel, Richard Arthur

     Oregon
Jones, Michael John

     Pennsylvania
Adams, Jeffrey Michael
Asplundh, Aaron Hyland
Brandt, Dorothy Louise Gonzalez
Bryson, Geoffrey Elmer
Cauthorn, Francis Paul
Elsing, Sarah Graham
Friend, Lori Ann Kutz
Friend, Mark Edward
Hughes, Sonya Boericke
Lutton, Jennifer Handford

555



Lutton, Paul Leland
Lynham, Michele Patricia
Merrell, Joel Andrew
Mitchell, Franklin Osgood
Nobre, Daniela Souza Rabelo
Paes, Claudia Conceigdo Roure
Rogers, Stephanie Noelle
Sandidge, Michael Vincin
Schnarr, Nancy Alison
Schrock, Daniel Thain
Walker, Erika Christina Ayoub
Walker, John Burton, Sr.

     DEATHS

Aye, Mary Frances Otte; 87; July 31, 1997, Sarver, PA
Baeckstrom, Carl Hugo; 71; September 29, 1997, Stockholm, Sweden
Berner, Borghild Softe Eckhoff; 93; Fall 1997, Stavanger, Norway
Bircholdt, Elna; 84; February 26, 1998, Copenhagen, Denmark
Brannon, Muriel Natalie McQueen; 73; August 29, 1997, Philadelphia, PA
Briscoe, Esylt Gwrica; 100; April 28, 1998, Colchester, Essex, England
Burt, Lewis John; 80; June 4, 1998, Guildford, Surrey, England
Buthelezi, Ida Bajahulile Gerty Mdunge; 78; July 23, 1997, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, RSA
Cooper, Theodore Edward; 76; December 12, 1997, Chalfont, PA
Cranch, Jean Seville Smith; 86; May 19, 1998, Glendale, CA
Damm, Rudolph Andrew; 61; April 19, 1998, Jacksonville, FL
David, Dandridge Malcolm Kuhl; 71; July 27, 1997, Feasterville, PA
Fountain, Kathleen McClure; 86; September 10, 1997, Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada
Fuller, Hilda Dorothy Moedinger; 94; November 28, 1997, Park Ridge, IL
Gansert, Otto Gideon; 80; January 31, 1998, Willow Grove, PA
Hager, Werner Wotfgang; Date unknown, Place unknown
Hamm, Johannes Emanuel; 82; February 21, 1998, Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada
Hansen, Jorgen Ulrik Estrup; 75; June 13, 1998, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Hiebert, Selma Rose; 86; April 8, 1998, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Horigan, Flora Mae Thomas; 69; May 24, 1998, Natrona Heights, PA
Johnson, Jessie Marguerite Dormer**; 91; January 29, 1998, St. Paul, MN
Liden, Harriet Maria Edberg; 80; November 1, 1997, Stockholm, Sweden
Lima, Elsa Martinelli Mendonca; 83; July 6, 1997, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Mitchell, Josephine Theresa Kaffel; 87; January 24, 1998, Bryn Athyn, PA
Nicholson, Stuart Billings; 90; July 14, 1997, Glenview, IL
Nkabinde, Tryphina Nomasonto Nzimande; 90; January 1998, Vosloorus, Gauteng, RSA
Pendleton, Willard Dandridge; 89; February 12, 1998, Meadowbrook, PA
Pryke, Winifted Everett; 95; December 15, 1997, Colchester, Essex, England

556



Raymond, John Everett; 81; September 14, 1997, Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada
Riefstahl, Frances; 91; December 24, 1997, Glenview, IL
Sandstrom, Andreas; 83; April 21, 1998, Vallentuna, Sweden
Schnarr, Phillis Louise Bellinger; 81; November 2, 1997, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Scott, Kenneth Irving; 70; March 1, 1998, Crooked Creek, Alberta, Canada
Sinclair, Stella Claire Des Jardins; 92; February 6, 1998, Denver, CO
Tolipan, Elqa Lima; 77; November 28, 1997, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Tudor, Marjorie MacLeod; 78; December 18, 1997, Greensboro, NC
Walker, Marvin John; 72; March 25, 1998, Hesperia, CA
Warwick, Marjorie Sylvia Patient; 68; January 16, 1998, Harrow, London, England
Wiebe, Barbara Anne Forfar; 65; February 19, 1998, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Wilde, Margaret; 96; November 2, 1997, Bryn Athyn, PA
Williamson, Elizabeth Claire Glenn; 89; August 17, 1997, Verona, PA
Wilson, Bruce Owen; 67; March 11, 1998, Payson, AZ
     ** Formerly listed as Dropped from the Roll (1995-1996 Report)

     RESIGNATIONS

Bockorick, Christina Anne Mueller; January 26, 1998; Tamaqua, PA
Deaton, David B.; April 23, 1998; Canada

     DROPPED FROM THE ROLL
     
Bullis, David George; June 22, 1998; address unknown

     Respectfully submitted,
     Susan V. Simpson,
          Acting Secretary
SENTENCE THAT CHEERS US 1998

SENTENCE THAT CHEERS US              1998

     In the October issue (pages 458 and 471) we mentioned that Helen Keller spoke of a sentence in the Writings which cheered her when she was discouraged. We asked what sentences others might choose. Mr. Keith Morley of Toronto chooses a sentence in AC 3417: "One angel has more power than myriads of infernal spirits."

557


GENERAL CHURCH SCHOOLS DIRECTORY 1998-99 1998

GENERAL CHURCH SCHOOLS DIRECTORY 1998-99              1998

     Office of Education:
Rev. Philip B. Schnarr          Director
Carol Buss                     Assistant Director
* Jill Rogers                Curriculum Coordinator; School Support
* Gretchen Keith                Resource Center Coordinator

     Bryn Athyn:
Rev. Prescott Rogers          Principal
Barbara Doering                Vice Principal
Kathy Orthwein                Kindergarten
Kit Rogers                     Kindergarten
Beth Bochneak                Grade 1
Robin Morey                Grade 1
Candy Quintero                Grade 1
Claire Bostock                Grade 2
Linda Kees                     Grade 2
Lois McCurdy                Grade 2
Kris Ritthaler                Grade 3
Alex Rogers                Grade 3
Judy Soneson                Grade 3
Melinda Friesen                Grade 4
Jody Hyatt                     Grade 4
Sheila Daum                Grade 5
Greg Henderson                Grade 5
Kay Alden                     Grade 6
Heather Klein                Grade 6
Carol Nash                     Grade 7
Steven Irwin                Grade 7
Gail Simons                Grade 8
Reed Asplundh                Grade 8
Melodie Greer                Algebra; Computers
Robert Eidse                Physical Education
Dorothy Brisco               Physical Education
Margit Irwin                Music
Dianna Synnestvedt           Art
Judith Smith                Librarian
Richard Mansbach                Science; Student Support Center
Ceri Holm                     Student Support Center
* Marion Gyllenhaal           Student Support Center
* Fay Lindrooth                Remedial and Support Uses
* Gretchen Glover           Kindergarten Aide

558



* Amy Jones                    Kindergarten Aide
* Elizabeth Childs          Intermediate Aide
* Adam Glenn               Grade 6 Aide
* Brita Conroy                Grade 7 Aide
* Christine DeMaria          Tutor
* Karen Harantschuk          Tutor
* Sue Hyatt                Tutor
* Janna Lindsay               Tutor
* Lori Nelson               Tutor
* Eileen Rogers               Tutor

     Durban: (1998 school year: January 1 - December 31, 1998)
Rev. Lawson M. Smith           Principal, 3- 7 Religion
Vivienne Riley               Grade 1
Sarah Berto                Grade 2
Patricia Brown               Grade 3
Jane Edmunds                Headmistress; Grades 4-5
Heather Allais                Grades 6-7
* Oonagh Chaning-Pearce      Afrikaans, Zulu; History

     Glenview:
Rev. Eric H. Carswell           Pastor/Headmaster
Jeryl Fuller                Co-principal; Grades 7-8
Rebekah Russell                Co-principal, Grades 3-4
Laura Barger                K-2 (team)
Sarah Berto (as of 1/4/99)      K-2 (team)
Phil Parker                Grades 5-6
* Yvonne Alan                Grades 7-8
Gordon McClarren
* Jenny de Padua                P.E.
* Jennifer Overeem                Art
* Connie Smith                Resource Center, K-2 (team) till 1/4/99

     Kempton:
Rev. Robert Junge           Principal
Mark Wyncoll                Vice Principal; Grades 7-10
* Lori Friend                Kindergarten
Kathy Schrock                Grades 1-2
Kaernmerle Brown                Grades 3-4
Curtis McQueen                Grades 5-6
Jennifer Kuhl . 5-6 Ass 't; 7-10 History and Chorus; 7-10 Girls P.E.
Eric Smith                Grades 7-10
* Rev. Andrew Heilman           Religion, Science, Hebrew, Computer
* Kate Pitcairn                Science, Latin

559




     Kitchener:
Julie Niall                Principal; Grades 1-3
Josephine Kuhl                Grades 4-6
Mary Jane Hill                Grades 7-8
Nina Riepert               Jr. and Sr. Kindergartens
* Linda Eidse                Grades 1-3
* Rev. Michael Cowley          Pastor, Scripture Study
* Muriel Glebe               French

     Oak Arbor:
Rev. Grant H. Odhner           Principal
Liane de Chazal                Grades 1-3
Nathaniel Brock                Grades 3-4
* Nancy Genzlinger           Grades 4-6 Language Arts
* Rev. Jong Ui Lee           Religion

     Pittsburgh:
Rev. Nathan D. Gladish      Pastor/Principal, Religion
Jennifer Lindsay           Grades 1-3
James Pafford                Grades 4 and 6
Elise Gladish                Pre-kindergarten

     Toronto:
Steve Krause                Principal, Grades 3-4
Natalie Lambertus           Grades 1-2
James Bellinger                Grade 5-7 and Misc.
* Gillian Parker                Jr. and Sr. Kindergartens
* Gabriele Pulpan           Asst. Teacher 3-7; Playschool Teacher
* Rev. Michael Gladish          Religion; School Pastor
* Rev. Barry Halterman          Religion

     Washington:
Rev. James P. Cooper           Principal, Worship, Religion
Karen Hyatt                Kindergarten and Misc.
Kim Maxwell                Grades 1-2
Jean Allen                     Grades 3-4
Dean Schroeder                Grades 5-6
Kathy Johns                Grades 7-8
Carole Waelchli                Grades 9-10
* Erin Stillman                9-10 History; Misc. Arts

     * Major Part-time

560


SCHOOLS ENROLLMENTS 1998-1999 1998

SCHOOLS ENROLLMENTS 1998-1999              1998

     The Academy
Theological School (Full-time)                     15
Theological School (Part-time)                     3
Theological School Masters Program (Full-time)           2
Theological School Masters Program (Part-time)           11
College (Full-time)                               145
Girls School                                    139
Boys School                                        135
     Total Academy                                   450
     Midwestern Academy
Grades 9 and 10 (Part-time)                               13
     
Society Schools
Bryn Athyn Church School                          362
Immanuel Church School (Glenview)                     45
Kempton New Church School                          69
Carmel Church School (Kitchener)                     41
Washington New Church School (Mitchellville)           53
Oak Arbor Elementary School (Detroit)               20
Pittsburgh New Church School                          20
Olivet Day School (Toronto)                          40
Kainon School (Durban) - 1998                         55
     Total Society Schools                               705
          Total Reported Enrollment in All Schools           1168
QUOTATION FOR THE SEASON 1998

QUOTATION FOR THE SEASON              1998

     It can be seen from the wise men from the east who came to see the Lord when He was born that a knowledge of correspondences remained with many eastern people even down to the time of the Lord's advent. That is why a star went before them, and they brought with them gold, frankincense and myrrh. And that is why the shepherds were told, in order that they might know He was the Lord, that this would be a sign to them: that they would see Him in a manger, wrapped in swaddling cloths, because there was no room in the inn (De Verbo 7).

561


POSTSCRIPT ON PUNISHMENT 1998

POSTSCRIPT ON PUNISHMENT       Editor       1998




     Editorial Pages
     A primary dictionary definition of hell is "the place or state of punishment of the wicked after death." That is not a New Church definition. It is true that the fear of punishment is absolutely necessary in hell. But it has been revealed that hell is not some form of constant retribution. Whenever punishment has to occur, there is an angelic presence to regulate it (see AC 967). It is to be known, we are told, that all punishments in the other life "have good as their end" (AC 8227).

     What about Violence in Sports?

     In last month's editorial I mentioned the warning to parents not to incite fighting among children (see HH 344). I mentioned contact sports in this context. My own observation is that rough sports are generally good and that parents more often wish to foster sportsmanship than they wish to see opponents injured.
     What about boxing? In amateur boxing, headgear is worn to prevent injury, and it is good to see opponents embrace at the end of a contest. But this is a difficult one, and it is especially difficult for some of us to see the emergence of women's boxing which people will pay money to witness. Who has the right to tell a girl who is handy with her fists that she must not participate in what is questionably thought of as a manly art? One thinks of the conflict of women being compared to "stage players fighting with their fists" (CL 55:7). But Swedenborg was given to observe boys in the street who were inclined to strike blows, and they were in dramatic contrast to the girls who were above such things (CL 218). An ancient writer is reported to have said that a woman cannot throw a javelin. We have seen otherwise. Some observe that sports are in a way like dances. As female dancers have their own kind of gracefulness, so do female participants in sports.

     Spanking

     In November of 1994 we had an editorial about spanking children which was really a tribute to a two page-article on the subject written by Gray Schoenberger Glenn that year in the Theta Alpha Journal.

562


FROM HEAVEN OR FROM LUTHER AND OTHER THINKERS? 1998

FROM HEAVEN OR FROM LUTHER AND OTHER THINKERS?       Editor       1998

     It is especially useful that a letter in this issue clarifies a point of view about some things in the book Conjugial Love. Certain passages in the book can be compared to a quotation from Luther or to earlier writers.
     It seems likely that we will have increased understanding and friendship with people who see the Writings or parts thereof differently. We may well find that we are very far apart indeed, and recognizing this will not decrease good will or cooperation.
     For generations there have been people who look to the Writings as coming from the Lord, and others who look to them as coming from Swedenborg's brilliant mind or from other human sources. Suppose Swedenborg makes a statement about a facet of heaven. Generally speaking, you are not going to find statements of Swedenborg's contemporaries or predecessors that say the same thing. But there are instances in which Swedenborg alludes to a well known maxim. And there are concepts in ancient writers that are similar to concepts in the Writings.
     Throughout the history of the New Church there have been people who have emphasized Swedenborg's declaration that he did not invent certain things or even get them from spirits and angels, but from the Lord. (The preface to Apocalypse Revealed is one striking example.) There have been others who do not emphasize such statements. Some have observed that Swedenborg's emphasis on the Word comes from the emphasis of Luther and other Protestant thinkers. Our observation is that Swedenborg makes amazing statements about the Word that were not dreamed of by Luther or other reformers.
     If one can demonstrate that something in the Writings comes from Luther or some other thinker, one can then add, "Why should I bother to be guided by this?

563


It is just the view of some thinkers." At the end of the book Conjugial Love we read of a kind of response to what has been revealed. "What does it matter whether we know these things or not? Are they not offspring of the brain?" (CL 533) Swedenborg's brain? Luther's brain? Why should anyone follow the offspring of someone's brain?
     It will be good to reflect on the specific things Swedenborg says about the uses of men and women and to compare them with views in the past. The fruit of such reflection will not be the convincing of others that they must adopt our position, but it can clarify our own view.
WILL LEARNED AND BRILLIANT THINKERS BE RECEPTIVE? 1998

WILL LEARNED AND BRILLIANT THINKERS BE RECEPTIVE?       Editor       1998

     If someone is very well informed or has a high degree of intelligence, will that person be likely to be receptive to what is taught in the Writings? In Heaven and Hell we read, "I have talked with some who had written much in the world on scientific subjects of every kind, and had thereby acquired a worldwide reputation for learning" (HH 464:5). Some of those people "had no more wisdom than the unlearned or common people." There are so many statements about the limitations of the learned, one might even jump to the conclusion that it is better for people to be uneducated!
     Compare this with what is said in the Scriptures about the rich and the poor. The Lord said, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!" This utterly astonished His disciples. But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!" (Mark 10)
     So it is not merely your riches or your learning. Perhaps the key is humility. Can you be brilliant and not infatuated with your own brilliance? Can you have great intellect and also be humble? That is by no means impossible!

564


LITTLE EDITORIAL OVERSIGHT 1998

LITTLE EDITORIAL OVERSIGHT       Brian Talbot       1998


     

     Communications
Dear Editor:
     I have just received my copy of the September New Church Life, and feel that you have misquoted me on pages 420 and 421. However, I do like very much the tone of your editorial. I haven't read Rev. Dr. Theodore Klein's The Power of Service, so I can't comment on what you said about this book. In the May Lifeline (p. 14) 1 wrote that I believed that Swedenborg's teaching that women were to stay at home and look after children (CL 90:3; 91; 174175) was based on Luther's understanding of the differences between the sexes, and Luther followed classical thinkers. You have implied that I regard the whole of Conjugial Love as being influenced by Luther.
     The evidence to support my conclusion that Swedenborg followed Luther on this one point can be found in The New-Church Magazine (August 1993) pp. 21,22 or (July 1998) pp. 25,26, which can be summarized as follows:
     Xenophon: "God from the first adapted women's nature to the indoor tasks and cares (and man's to the outdoor)."
     Philo of Alexandria: urged women to stay indoors and "not meddle with affairs outside the home."
     John Chrysostom: "God chose men to be concerned with public affairs ... such as the market, law-courts and army, and women to deal with private matters ... such as weaving and household management, for (he says) 'a woman cannot [sic] throw a javelin ... nor express an opinion in a senate."'
     Martin Luther: "Just as a snail carries its house with it, so the wife should stay at home, and look after the affairs of the household, as one who has been deprived of the ability of administering the affairs that are outside."
     The quotations are taken from Ruth B. Edwards' The Case for Women's Ministry (London: SPK, 1989, pp. 15, 16, 28, 99, 113).

565



     If New Church people want to believe that this is ancient wisdom and is to be followed today, then that's fine by me. At the moment I'm convinced that on the matter of women's staying at home, Swedenborg was influenced by Lutheran attitudes of his day.
     It is not fair to take the one example I gave out of its context and then report to your readers that I then argued that the whole of Conjugial Love was culturally conditioned. I hope that you will reassure your readers that I don't believe that the whole of Conjugial Love is influenced by Luther.
     Brian Talbot
     Accrington, Lancs, England
THOUGHTS ON THE POWER OF SERVICE 1998

THOUGHTS ON THE POWER OF SERVICE       J. Theodore Klein       1998

Dear Editor:
     In the August and September issues you refer to the book The Power of Service, and you show differences in our points of view. Here are a few words on what I was hoping to achieve with this book.
     One audience I had in mind was the larger world beyond New Church organizations. I sought to say things in ways that would be accessible to people in that audience. Talking about ideas as Swedenborg's, speaking of things as Swedenborgian, and using "God" much more frequently than "the Lord" were part of the effort to be accessible.
     The most immediate audience I had in mind was Convention. I hope The Power of Service is not only widely read by Convention members, but widely used as a resource in Convention parishes and other centers. Perhaps it can be used as a resource for classes, social action efforts, outreach programs in communities, and other activities. Making connections between theological themes and social issues is, I think, an important need in Convention.

566


Perhaps there are parallel or comparable needs in the General Church. I hope readers can learn from The Power of Service even in areas where they disagree with some of its views.
     There are a great many places in the Writings where I easily feel I am encountering revealed truth and there is no struggle with what is revelation and what is culture. Two examples are the idea that with spiritual love one does good for the sake of the other (see DLW 335), and the idea that actions in parental love, partner love, friendship, and charity to the neighbor have resemblance to the actions of God's love in relation to all in the human race (see AC 8573:2). An example in Conjugial Love is that love and wisdom (or good and truth) are in all created beings (see CL 85). However, an example of where I have the struggle about revelation and culture is Conjugial Love 175, which speaks of members of one gender not entering offices proper to the other, and also seems to at least imply that women are lacking in matters of judgment.
     An idea I would lift up from The Power of Service is seeking to be of service or making a difference for good. We can approach a life of charity as engaging in service or uses while continually looking to the Lord and seeking the Lord's help, turning from what is evil and harmful, and seeking for our contributions to be part of what is needed and good. A life of service can involve, to take a few examples, parents nurturing the growth of their children, health-care workers serving their clients, people in a community creating more affordable housing and better job-training programs, a church group beginning a recycling program, and a government seeking to foster world cooperation. Through service we can contribute to interactions, relationships, communities, and creation.
     J. Theodore Klein
     W. Roxbury, MA

567


YOUNG PEOPLE AND SMOKING 1998

YOUNG PEOPLE AND SMOKING       Gail Walter Steiner       1998


     

Dear Editor:
     It was with surprise that I read the editorial in the September issue of New Church Life entitled "Cigarettes, Young People and a Human Outlook" - not so much because smoking may not be a suitable subject for the magazine, but because I do not understand why young-people were singled out. There are plenty of adults who smoke, although their numbers may be going down. Perhaps one can argue that they started before they knew it was dangerous, so we should cut them some slack. On the other hand, we might expect more maturity and ability to reject what is unhealthy from adults than we do from young people.
     Consider this statement in the article: ". . . [F]or many of us it is astonishing that young people do not seem to take such ominous data into consideration. Intelligent, healthy young people in countries throughout the earth are choosing to smoke regardless of the ubiquitous warnings." Why is it astonishing that young people aren't affected by warnings about the dangers of smoking when many adults aren't either? In fact, I don't see why we're astonished about young people not heeding these warnings because it's their very nature to take the world on and defy the odds. That's part of what it means not to have their rational capacity fully opened, and part of what makes them so wonderful - everything is possible, including living to a ripe old age as a smoker! They are exploring the world for themselves, and learning what's really true, and are fairly apt not to believe anything they haven't learned through experience. This is why they are so full of life and wonder.
     Part of the reason people smoke is that it gives them instant community with other smokers; it gives them a way to "fit in," which is very important to young people finding their path. While it seems odd that people would choose to smoke in a culture where smoking has a bad connotation, it's still a way to be included.

568


And for young people it can be an important statement of independence. There are plenty of "intelligent, healthy" adults who also don't heed the warnings about smoking.
     If we're going to explore it from a spiritual viewpoint, then perhaps it would be better to include other substances many adults use to excess on a fairly regular basis - alcohol, caffeine, fat, sugar, etc. Or, since smoking relieves stress, we could look at what causes such stress that people feel they need to smoke.
     Teenagers do a lot of things I think I, as an adult, don't understand, until I remember that I was once a teenager myself and somehow lived through it, as did my parents. And now my own teenagers are giving me the opportunity to embrace the world with wonder-full eyes!
     Gail Walter Steiner
     Bryn Athyn, PA
WISDOM, MASCULINE AND FEMININE 1998

WISDOM, MASCULINE AND FEMININE       Peggy Mergen       1998

Dear Editor:
     Thank you for providing the pages of New Church Life for a forum for open discussion. Space permitting, I would love to comment on welcome points made by Bishop Buss, Heulwen Ridgway and many others. But I will limit myself to my two cents' worth.
     My heart and mind were filled with delight and excitement as I read Vera Dyck's article serialized in 1996 and then Eva Lexie's response (November, 1977). Here are two young, bright women using their hearts and minds and tremendous long hours of their time to study the Writings and related articles, to then reflect on them and articulate the truth as they see it. What a marvel! The overall spirit of both articles was one of searching for the truth without criticism. This is not easy. Thank you, Eva and Vera.
     It restirred in me the questioning of the derived doctrine that women are less able than men to see truth separate from their emotions.

569


I suspect both women worked extremely hard to avoid being over-reactive, critical and self-centered in their essays. Their products are evidence of this, demonstrating that both men and women are capable of separating from their feelings in order to find out what is the right action in any given moment. We all are asked to do this continually.
     I have read many numbers in the Writings, and articles by ministers and lay people, in my effort to think responsibly regarding the discussion of feminine and masculine uses in our church. However, recently I became stunned at how infrequently in this discussion, we (or I, in the context of the discussion in my own head) preface it by using the words: the Lord's love, the Lord's wisdom. Neither men nor women have love or wisdom. They are totally the Lord's. And from time to time we have the opportunity to have them flow through us, to bask in their light and warmth when we get our own junk out of the way. I know we all know this, but the words we use in phrasing this discussion (men's wisdom, women's love) do not reflect this knowledge.
     Another thought occurring to me while observing my stance and the stance of others in regard to this question is that our opinions cannot help but be influenced by the attitude of the men and women closest to us in our homes. An example of this influence: in these discussions there has not been enough said about the unspoken knowing in many homes that the mother is the real power of the family. In recent times in government and the workplace the pendulum of power has been weighted on the masculine side. But is this equally true in our homes? I think not. (I could elaborate on this, give you examples of how in many homes the mother is actually the sole parent, etc., but there are too many occurrences to go into right here.)
     I believe part of the basis for my opinion has nothing to do with rationality or what the Writings say about it, but is based on my perception of how my family operated.

570


Please realize that my perception is just that, my perception, not the truth. And I suspect each of my sisters has a different viewpoint on this. My perception of the balance of responsibilities/power in my family was weighted toward Mom's being the one who really knew what was going on. We clearly respected Dad's authority, and for the most part I saw my parents as a team. But when I was growing up, Mom's presence felt stronger. This belief has a great influence on how I see myself and act as a mother, and also on my ideas about the relationship between women and men.
     I would think that each author in the pages of this journal has some tendency to a bias based on his or her tender feelings and perceptions about his/her own family. These opinions are refined and modified as we deal with men and women, on committees, as co-workers and friends (and also as we study and pray). But our relationship to men and women that we know intimately, and ourselves in relationship to these few individuals, has a profound effect on how we look at all the ideas there are on the subject of men and women.
     At the present time, I am rereading Conjugial Love (Married Love) in a small study group. Initially it was so refreshing to read it for itself rather than as quotes for or against different positions in our church. It was suggested by one group member that we read between the lines for the women's perspective, and by another that we note the sense of mystery in the book. This is difficult to do throughout the book, but there are some beautiful examples.
     In the chapter entitled "The State of Married Partners after Death," there is a discussion in the Temple of Wisdom about the reason for the beauty of the female sex. Various opinions are offered, but I am most intrigued by the subtlety and mystery of the final speaker. "After these and several other similar views were expressed, one of the wives appeared through the crystal-like partition, and said to her husband, 'Speak, if you wish.'"

571



     "And when he spoke, the life in his wisdom from his wife was perceived in his speech, for her love was in the tone of his voice. Thus did experience bear witness to the truth expressed" (Married Love 56:5).
     I find it so striking that his view was not expressed; the teaching was the living experience. I try to hold onto this living beautiful example as I read the rest of the book.
     What we know of marriage love, of the uniqueness of women and men, is minute compared to the vast mystery of what we do not know. I hope we can maintain humility, kindness and maybe even some humor as we explore this God-given mystery.
     Peggy Mergen
     Huntingdon Valley, PA
MUSIC REVIEW OF "WONDERFUL!" 1998

MUSIC REVIEW OF "WONDERFUL!"       WENDY HOO       1998

     A long awaited musical album has just been completed - John and Lori Odhner's first CD, Wonderful!. Lori's tapes have been around for years, with Lori's Songs 3 now out of publication because of a lost master. Now that John and Lori have their own CD production center, they plan to produce several more albums in the next years, including a children's collection and sacred music for worship. Play this CD when you are feeling stressed or depressed. The comforting messages of the Lord's Word (almost every lyric is straight from Scripture) will bring back your guardian angels. To purchase Wonderful!, complete with album jacket picturing all nine Odhners in full color, send $15 (includes shipping) to Lori Odhner, 5022 Carolyn Way, La Crescenta, CA 91214. Makes a great Christmas gift!
     Note: This is only a fraction of Wendy's review, which we wanted to squeeze in this month.

572


ARCANA CAELESTIA Vol. II and Other Books in Swedish 1998

ARCANA CAELESTIA Vol. II and Other Books in Swedish       Rev. ERIK SANDSTROM       1998

     A great new asset turned up on the New Church scene in Sweden in the spring of this year. It was the second volume of Ulf Fornander's new and ongoing translation of the Arcana.
     In 1996 I reported on the appearance of Vol. I (NCL, pp. 269-273). All that I said about the new translation at that time applies equally now: faithfulness to the original, readability, shorter sentences, etc. Mr. Fornander continues to give priority to faithfulness. I will nevertheless mildly but only mildly - qualify what I have said about accuracy. I have in mind the rendering of genitives of Latin abstract nouns and will take fides charitatis as an example. This of course means the faith of charity. But the equivalent literal rendering in Swedish is a bit awkward, and so Mr. Fornander gives "the faith that inheres in charity." While admitting that the average reader would probably prefer this (den tro som innebor i manniskokarleken) rather than "the faith of charity" (manniskokarlekens tro), I would nevertheless note that the idea of faith being theform (spokesman, expression) of charity is lost in the former rendering. (My example is from AC 2034.) Happily, however, this mild criticism about abstract genitives is the worst I can come up with for the whole volume! It's a matter of nuance.
     The new translation will benefit not only readers in Sweden but, in various degrees, those of the other four Nordic countries as well. And all - Swedes and others - will find that wonderful opening of both the spiritual world and the spiritual sense which the Arcana provides vastly more accessible than it was in its former some eighty-years-old linguistic garment.
     In recent years, dating perhaps specifically to the tricentennial celebration ten years ago of Swedenborg's birth, the Swedish press has steadily paid attention to things relating to Swedenborg and the New Church.

573


So now the new translation has been reviewed in at least one daily paper and one journal. The latter, devoted to religion, philosophy, psychology, and parapsychology, includes an important critique by Dr. Inge Jonsson, known to many of us from his address, "Swedenborg and His Influence," at the International Symposium held in Bryn Athyn in 1988.
     Jonsson first gives an overview of the whole of the Arcana: "The work, published in Latin in eight volumes at London 174956, gives detailed verse-for-verse explanations of the first two books of the Pentateuch, and then Swedenborg also inserts between the exegetic sections descriptions of life conditions on the other side such as he learned them from years of conversations with angels and spirits. Whatever one's assessment, literature knows no analogy for this kind of writing - indeed, one may ask if there is another book whose title is known to so many but whose lines themselves have been read by so few." He ends by commenting on the translation itself. While feeling the need for definitions of some conceptual terms in the text he says: "Generally, however, one feels secure in the translation and it is readable. There is every reason to be grateful to Ulf Fornander and to the ambitious publishers and to wish continued success in the immense project."
     This new volume is the fourth of recent translations of the Writings into modern Swedish. The first two were done by Rev. Bjorn Boyesen (Heaven and Hell and Divine Providence). All have the same publisher and are produced uniformly. The cover is red with a gold frame around the edges, and title and author are in gold at the lower left. The paper is heavier than in our English versions, so that each volume is about half again as thick as the corresponding English volume - something that, if continued, will put an increasing demand on the book shelf. The dust jackets all (except for the DP) have a modernistic, perhaps somewhat flashy design, still in their way dignified, and they draw attention to the books. Both Vols. I and II were done by the talented Bridget Swinton Hauptrnann of our Danish Society.

574


For Vol. I she carefully scripted in Hebrew the first word of the Old Testament Word (b'reshiyth - "In the beginning"), and for the new volume the intended word, again beautifully scripted, is the name "Isaac." Somehow, however, the initial iodh was left out so that only the equivalent "saac" remains. This of course can be easily corrected whenever a new set of dust jackets may be called for.
     Before closing I should also mention what else has recently appeared in Sweden's literary world touching the New Church. There is first Dikten om livet pa den andra sidan - En bok om Emanuel Swedenborg (The Poem [or Fiction] about life on the other side - A book concerning Emanuel Swedenborg) by Olof Lagercrantz. This is a prestigious book, put out by one of the best known publishers of the country and written by one of its most highly acclaimed authors. The word dikt can be translated either "poem" or "fiction," and I dare say that the author deliberately intends the ambiguity, for he says that to him it is irrelevant whether Swedenborg's descriptions of the other life are reality or fiction. The way that world is presented is impressive and beautiful either way! Lagercrantz is very well informed, and his retelling of various aspects of life in the other world is vivid and catching. He believes in what he describes. Perhaps some readers will elect to think that the spiritual world of the Writings is for real?
     Two books of unquestioned value are by Dr. Anders Hallengren, also known to many of us from his visits in Bryn Athyn. One is called Tingens Tydning (The Meaning of Things) and is subtitled Swedenborgstudier (Studies in Swedenborg), and the other Oarna under Vinden (Isles under the Wind), and this is subtitled Farder i Swedenborgvarlden (Travels in the World of Swedenborg). I have no doubt that Hallengren's studies would turn his readers with affirmative expectations toward the Writings.

575


BOOK NOW AVAILABLE 1998

BOOK NOW AVAILABLE              1998




     Announcements





     A Gallery of Mirrors is now available from the Swedenborg Foundation: paperback $16.95; hardback $24.95. Phone 1-800-355-3222.

578


1999 ELDERGARTENS 1998

1999 ELDERGARTENS              1998

     "CELEBRATING THE AGE OF WISDOM"

     BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA January 17-24

     (Enrollment Completed)

PHOENIX, ARIZONA
     May 2-9
     (Open to all members of the General Church over 60 years of age)

SPEAKERS:
     - Rev. Alfred Acton - "Science and Religion"
     - Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss - "Why Did the Lord Let it Happen?"
     - Dr. James L. Pendleton - "The Uses of Growing Old"

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA October 31 -November 7
     (Open to all members of the General Church over 60 years of age)

SPEAKERS:
     - Rev. Daniel W. Goodenough - "Providence and Permission"
     - Rev. Brian W. Keith - "Spiritual Development Through Temptation"
     - Rev. Walter E. Orthwein - "The Structure of the Mind and the Purpose and Function of its Different Parts"
     If you are interested in either or both of the Western Eldergartens, please contact the Office of Education to request an introductory letter and preliminary registration form. Charlene Cooper, secretary of the Office of Education, will be happy to assist you with any other information. You may also contact either of the local coordinators:

Carol Cronlund
5717 E. Justine Road
Scottsdale, AZ 85254
Phone: 602-953-0478

Michael Williams
529 Market St., #4E
San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: 619-238-0207

General Church Office of Education
Cairncrest - P.O. Box 743
Bryn Athyn, PA 19009-0743
Phone: 215-914-4949 * Fax: 215-914-4935