Notes on This Issue              2000


Vol. CXX          January, 2000 No. 1
New Church Life

A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG
Spiritual Resolutions, A Sermon
                         C. Mark Perry      3
As a Little Child
                                   Patrick A. Rose      7
A Talk to Children about the Universe
                    Raymond B. David      9
Garbage in, Garbage out!
                              David W. Ayers      11
Reflections on the Divine Providence (l2)
                    Frank S. Rose      16
A Secret about the 19th of June
                         Lavender Ridgway      18
Review
          As We Remembered
                         Erik Sandrtrom. Sr.      20
A Few Reflections on Divine Love and Wisdom
               Willard L. D. Heinrichs 24
Editorial Department
          God's Intentions (Plans?) For Us                                    26
          Historic Thoughts Arising from London Archives                          27
Happenings Here and There: Sweden, Georgia, Ghana                          28
Communications
          Five Students Visit Ghana
                         Kwasi Darkwah      31
          Dr. King's Article
                              Lavina Scott           33
          Himself
                                   Helen Kennedy      33
          When Referring to the Lord
                         Yadah Alden           34

          
Capitalizing                                    Adri Braam           35
Swedenborgian Community Research Project                               36
Eldergarten
                                        Raymond B. David      37
Announcements                                                       43

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.
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SUBSCRIPTION: $16.00 TO ANY ADDRESS. SINGLE COPY $1.50
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Vol. CXX February, 2000 No. 2

New Church Life

A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

Meditation
     A Sermon on Psalm 1:2
          Arthur W. Schnarr          51

A Confession of Faith
     Edward Elmo Nzimande          56

Mutual Love: Its Role in the Work of the Church
     Tryn Grubb Clark          58

The Lord's Prayer in English
     Alan Ferr          68

eflections on the Divine Providence (13)
     Frank 9 Rose          71

Review The Swedenborg Epic in Russian
     Larisa Clymer          73

Learning to Pray: Prayers from the Word for Personal Use          73
So Teach Us to Number Our Days
     Grant H. Odhner          75

Editorial Department
     Are People Happier These Days?          78
     God's Intentions for Us (2)          78

Happenings Here and There          79


Communications
     Is "Conjugial" Perfectly Accurate?
          Reuben Bell          80
     On the Use of the Term "Conjugial Love
          Richard R. Gladish          82
     The New Century Edition
          Christina Grote Uber          82
     Capitalization
          George F. Dole          83
     No Assembly Art Show
          Helen Lindsay Lee          84
     The Eldergarten in San Diego
          Marion Horigan, Clare and Fred Hasen          85

Announcements          88

Information on General Church Places of Worship          91

Vol. CXX      March, 2000           No. 3
New Church Life
     A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG
Deep Calls unto Deep
     A Sermon on Psalm 42:7                          Barry C. Halterman      99
The Secularization of Religious Colleges and Universities           Brian W. Keith      105
Reflections on the Divine Providence (l4)                    Frank S. Rose      129
A Century Ago                                    Leon S. Rhodes      131
Editorial Department                         
     Swedenborg Telling the Story of His Life                               134
     Biographies of Swedenborg                                         135
     A Book by Rev. Douglas Taylor                                    137
Happenings Here and There                                             138
Communication                              
          Stochastic Resonance and Garbage                     Dewey Odhner      138
Boynton Beach Eldergarten 2000                          Dan & Anne Fitzpatrick 139
Announcements                                                  141

Vol. CXX          April, 2000               No. 4
New Church Life
     A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG
A Great Mountain
     A Sermon on Daniel 2:35                          Geoffrey S. Childs      147
The Lord's Resurrection Body                          Douglas M. Taylor      152
The Secularization of Religious Colleges and
     Universities (Conclusion)                          Brian W. Keith      165
Council of the Clergy Report of 1998/1999                     David H. Lindrooth      175
The Second Coming of the Lord                          Howard Roth           176
Editorial Department
     Biographies of Swedenborg (2)                                    177
     Swedenborg Telling the Story of His Life (2)                          178
Communications
     Developments in Ghana                          Duncan G. Smith      180
     Versions of the Lord's Prayer                     Grant H. Odhner      182
                                             David J. Roscoe      183
Freda G. Griffith (A Tribute)                          Erik Sandstrom, Sr.      185
Announcements                                                   190

Vol. CXX          May, 2000               No. 5
New Church Life
     A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG
Speckled and Spotted
     A Sermon on Genesis 30:39                          Thomas L. Kline      195
The Secularization of Religious College and Universities
     Appendix and Bibliography                          Brian W. Keith      200
Governance to Put Light on a Lampstand                     Daniel W. Goodenough 203
Reflections on the Divine Providence (15)                     Frank S. Rose      223
Editorial Department
     Swedenborg Telling the Story of His Life (3)                          224
     Biographies of Swedenborg (3)                                    225
     Striking Quotations from the Spiritual Diary                          226
Happenings Here and There                                              228
Communications
     More on Capitalization                          Sharon Holmes      229
                                                                 Stephen Koke      230
                                                            Kurt Simons           231
                                                                 Joseph S. David      233
                                                                 Warren F. David      234
What Should We Expect Ministers to Teach?                Donald C. Fitpatrick, Jr. 234
Announcements                                                   237

Vol. CXX          June, 2000               No. 6
New Church Life
     A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG
Unity in Worship
     A Sermon on Genesis 11:1                    Bradley D. Heinrichs           243
Principles of Worship                          Reuben P. Bell           249
The Lord in the Lord's Prayer                    Robert S. Junge           256
Aids for the Study of the Writings                     Wilson Van Dusen           258
The Enigmatic "As If"                         Tatsuya Nagashima           267
Reflections on the Divine Providence (16)                Frank S. Rose           269
What Men Cannot Do (From a Governance Study Meeting) Ottar Larsen                271
Editorial Department
     Trying Out a Blended Service of Worship                               273
     Heaven and Hell after a Hundred Years                               274
     News That Made Angels Happy                                    275
     Striking Quotations from the Spiritual Diary                          276
     History of a New Church Version of the Lord's Prayer                     278
     Debates with Devils                                             279
Report of the Editor of New Church Life                                    280
Communications
     The Lord's Prayer in English                    Doris Greer Ferr           281
     More about Ghana                          Duncan Smith           282
     Capitalization in the Writings                Erik E. Sandstrom           283
Announcements                                                  286

Vol. CXX          July, 2000               No. 7
New Church Life
     A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG
Without Reward
     A Sermon on Luke 6:32, 33                          Mark R Carlson      291
Beware of False Prophets                              N. Bruce Rogers      296
Reflections on the Divine Providence (l7)                     Frank S. Rose      306
Rev. Joseph Rosenqvist (A Short Biognphy)                Paula J. A. Niall      308
A Peculiar Human Inability                               Jeremy Rose           319
Editorial Department
     The First Translation of Heaven and Hell                               326
     Love in Heaven and Hell                                        326
     Spiritual Experiences                                                             328
Communication
     Biography Unfavorable?                          Ian Johnson           332
Announcements                                                   332

Vol. CXX August, 2000           No. 8
New Church Life
     A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG
     The Influence of Spirits
     A Sermon                                   Michael D. Gladish      339
Reflections on the Divine Providence (l8)                    Frank S. Rose      347
The Fate of the Unborn                                              Emily Jane A. Lemole 349
The Forgotten Translator                               Aubrey C. Odhner      361
Editorial Department                              
     The Anguishing Quest for Power                                    367
     Spiritual Experiences Excerpts (Continued)                              368
Communications
     Balance in the New Church and New Church Education      Gwynn Williams      372
     Biography Unfavorable?                         Kurt P. Nemitz     374
     What Men Cannot Do                          Mary Griffin          377
     An Apology                                    Ottar Larsen          377
Assembly 2000                               Carl and Dolores Gunther
                                                            378
     Meditation                                   Bill Hall           379
Announcements                                                   380

Vol. CXX September, 2000           No. 9
New Church Life
     A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

The Influence of Spirits (Part 2)
     A Sermon                                   Michael D. Gladish     387
Testimonies about the Assembly                                         395
The Gospels and Secular History                          Erik E. Sandstrom     399
The Fate of the Unborn (Conclusion)                     Emily Jane A. Lemole 409
Democratic Religion                                    Kenneth J. Alden      422
Editorial Department
     Don't Scorn to Serve                                              426
     Translations of Heaven and Hell                                    426
Communication
     Translation of the Lord's Prayer                    David B. Fuller     427
Announcements                                                  430

Vol. CXX          October, 2000           No. 10
New Church Life
     A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG
Unity in Variety
     Address to Assembly 2000                          Alfred Acton           435
News on Lincoln                                    Richard R. Gladish     444
The Experience of Anger in Adult Christian Women      Louise Beebe-Thornton     446
The Appropriate Use of the Writings                     Frank S. Rose      463
Reviews
     The Story of Christendom                     Lawson A. Pendleton      469
     Debates with Devils                               Leon S. Rhodes      470
     Spirituality That Makes Sense                    Robert S. Junge     471
Editorial Department
     Used-book Stores in Sydney                                    477
Communications
     Biography Unfavorable?                          Ian Johnson           474
     Capitalization                               Walton Coates      475
     False Prophets                                             Wendy Hoo           476
     Re: An Apology                               Thomas H. Bramel      477
Announcements                                                  478

Vol. CXX November, 2000 No. 11

New Church Life

A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

The Family
     A Sermon on Psalm 127:1
          B. David Holm           483

On Sleep
     Lillian G. Beekman           489

Attempting to Reflect a Genuine Face of the General Church in a Jungian Mirror
     S. Pelle Rosenquist           494

A New Translation of Heaven and Hell
     Jonathan S Rose           506

Glenview's Building Project          508

Editorial Department
     Boys in a Girls' Softball League          509

Communications

Assemblies in Toronto and Adelaide
     Philip Richards          511
A Reaction to "The Forgotten Translator"
     John Abele          512
Principles of Worship
     Grant Odhner          514
The Fate of the Unborn
     Rachel D. Odhner          517

Camp at Jacob's Creek          519

Announcements          521

Contact Persons for Public Worship and Doctrinal Classes          525

Vol. CXX December, 2000 No. 12

New Church Life

A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

The Gospel, the Good Tidings          531

The Gospels and Secular History (Part II)
     Erik E. Sandstrom           532

Attempting to Reflect a Genuine Face of the General Church in a Jungian Mirror
     S. Pelle Rosenquist           535

Local Schools Directory          547

Report of the Secretary          551

Council of the Clergy Report          556

Directory of the General Church          557

Editorial Department
     Doing Something for the Glory of God     567

Communications
     False Prophets
          Mark H. Wyncoll           568
     The Appropriate Use of the Writings
          Derek Elphick           568

Announcements          570

Vol. CXX          January, 2000 No. 1
New Church Life
     A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG
     It is really a new beginning for the New Church society in Atlanta, Georgia (see page 29). The pastor, Rev. Mark Perry, has run a half-marathon as part of a fund-raising effort. His sermon on resolutions begins our first issue of the century.
     A resolution for this magazine has to do with church news. In 1999 we never succeeded in getting a good diet of church news to print along with our other material. We just did not manage to live up to the New Church Life tradition in this regard. Our resolution or remedy is to introduce from time to time some pages under the title "Happenings Here and There."
     The letter from Adri Braam of Toronto, Canada, may be the shortest letter we receive this century. Of course so far it is!
     In this issue Patrick Rose talks about being as a little child, and his article is followed by a talk for little children about the universe by Raymond David.
     Willard Heinrichs has filled the margins of his copy of Divine Love and Wisdom with annotations. Some hope to put these notes in a form to be published. We did manage to get him to offer some reflections on this book (page 24), which he has taught to students over the years.
     Number 791 of True Christian Religion says, "After this work was finished the Lord called together His twelve disciples .... " What is meant by "this work"? Mrs. Ridgway found a possible answer in a very old volume (see page 18).
     David Ayers is the pastor of the General Church society in Australia. His article "Garbage in, Garbage out" is an apt one as we enter a new year, so fresh and untainted.
     On pages 40 and 41 there are announcements regarding applications to the college and secondary schools as well as information about positions available.
     During the first week in November an "Eldergarten" was held in San Diego, California. A description of how it went may be found on page 37.

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SPIRITUAL RESOLUTIONS 2000

SPIRITUAL RESOLUTIONS       Rev. C. MARK PERRY       2000

     Our lives can be defined as the events that happen to us and the responses we make to those events. For example: something small happens to us: say we are running late for an appointment, and we get all bent out of shape. We choose to use the event of "running late" to vent an emotion like anger or blame. We choose to get upset. There are even times when someone does something to us and we get so caught up in that issue or event that on account of our negative emotion we lose control. We waste time and the moment with that person. Our negative or proprial moments quite literally rob us of healthy spiritual life and time.
     Living is about the now, the present. How we react to the events that surround us is how we spend our present, how we spend our lives. The challenge of course is to learn to cherish each moment, and not to allow our negativity to steal the moments of our lives. We are beginning a new year, the year 2000. I would encourage you to make for yourself a spiritual resolution. Make a commitment to face and deal with one of your negative attitudes or proprial loves. The importance of our efforts to resist our selfish and worldly cravings is made abundantly clear in the Lord's Word. "For where your heart is, there is your treasure also" (Matt 21:6).
     In the process of spiritual life or regeneration we are invited, by means of the process of self-examination, to look to the Lord and shun evils as sins against Him. Certainly this is true! Part of cultivating spiritual life is also about not torturing oneself, learning to release resentment and other forms of selfishness and worldliness, not harboring the resentment and bitterness that cause such terrible self-torture, a torture in which the evil spirits take much delight. In learning to release resentment, perhaps we can make a commitment to the love that comprises heaven. That is mutual love.
     In illustration: There was one time a young man taking a plane flight. He liked to be able to get up and move about the cabin without having to get others to move, so he always chose the aisle seat.

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With his arms resting comfortably on the arm rests he put his head back and closed his eyes to enjoy a moment of relaxation. In his effort to negotiate the aisle, another man returning to his seat accidentally knocked the man's arm as it ventured just beyond the edge of the rest. Without apologizing, the man returning to his seat just kept on walking. Just a short time before, the first man had been calm and relaxed. Now anger replaced the face of relaxation and serenity. So what changed? An arm was bumped. No big deal, right? No big deal!! But as soon as motive is ascribed to this event, all hell quite literally breaks loose. "That jerk!" thinks the man, "That inconsiderate beast. I bet he meant to do that!" The negative attitudes and false notions cultivated by the proprium create a great mountain out of that molehill arm bump.
     Meanwhile the other man walks quietly back to his seat, completely oblivious that he bumped the arm of another passenger, oblivious that behind him sits someone harboring great anger, and taking delight in planning revenge. The questions are: Who has the torment? Who has the problem? Who is the one suffering? Who is in need of life--spiritual life?
     More often than not, it is not what happens to one in life that matters, but how one chooses to deal with what happens--how we respond to the situations we face in life. What are your intentions? The Writings for the New Church tell us, as plainly as words can, that life--spiritual and natural human life--depends on our intentions, motives or purposes when they declare, "Love is the life of man" (DLW 1). In daily life things happen to us all the time. We are mentally and physically challenged. Values we cherish and love are often called into question. At times we respond to such situations as if we were God. We act as if we really know and have all the answers. We act as if we have a clear understanding of all things, and no one else can see them as clearly as we do. Though there are numerous teachings concerning the proprium's desire to rule and have complete dominion, we ignore them. We allow the selfish will to lead by giving in to the desire to believe we are omniscient (therefore God).

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In so doing we dispense both judgment and punishment at each and every opportunity. This kind of living is actually a form of insanity. It is living life based on the things that happen. This reactionary or mechanical response to situations is not human. It is not living life from higher delights within, from charity and mutual love. Human beings were not meant to live and operate like machines. Rather, people were designed by the Lord to be animated by deeper loves formed by genuine truth, to trust in the Lord and to do what is good, to feed on His faithfulness, so that He can give us the desires of a heavenly heart (see Psalm 37:4).
     Love is the life of man. Love is our life. Our life, then, is about our motives and motivations. It becomes imperative that we make a spiritual resolution for ourselves, that we make a commitment to regenerate, that we make the choice to live in accordance with what Divine Truth teaches. As individuals we are always being called by the Lord to be regenerated, to put away our selfish negative states and desires (the proprium), and to follow the way of the Lord. In the calmer states of clear reflection, we all know this. The Lord makes this abundantly clear when He says: "Behold I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear My voice and open the door, I will come in to him and sup with him and he with Me" (Rev 3:20).
     So we are presented with a question: Are we going to answer the call and open the door? Answering the Lord's call can be a frightening thing. It is scary because it means making new beginnings, making a change, changing to something different and heavenly. The selfish (old) will does not like or want this change and does all in its selfish power to prevent it. In these times an illusion is painted. The proprium endeavors to show how hard is the way to heaven, and few are they that find it. And taking it one step further, the bells hold up the old way in an effort to show how easy and good it is. And like the Children of Israel we too "long for the flesh pots of Egypt" (Exodus 16:3).

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Without resolution to turn to the Lord, the old ways of the proprium seek the destruction of our spiritual lives.
     At times we all long for the flesh pots of Egypt. But this is not the way to spiritual life. This is not answering the Lord's call. Answering the call requires that we make personal and private resolutions, resolutions by which we can live in an unselfish heavenly way. Sadly there are times that we fool ourselves into believing we are answering the call. This state is one of self-righteous indignation, times in which we indignantly insist that we are doing the right thing when deep down we know that this is not true. When we reflect on it, we have a sense that there is still selfishness at work. We are alone with the Lord. We can be honest with ourselves. We can know from perceptions given to us by the Lord through His Word that we are not being as fair and as honest in our actions and dealings with others as we have fooled ourselves into believing.
     Once we begin to recognize this attitude or motivation within, the Lord is letting us know that it is time for yet another beginning, a time for a new and spiritual resolution, a time to stand with resolve for our first and true end, namely the Lord. So the Psalmist writes: "I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in His word do I hope, for with the Lord there is mercy and with Him is plenteous redemption" (Psalm 130:5). This new year, the year 2000, may you hold firm to your spiritual resolutions. Amen.
     Lessons: Psalm 50; Revelation 21:1-4; DLW 1; HH 528, 533 ASSEMBLY 2000 2000

ASSEMBLY 2000              2000

     Did you know that Assembly 2000 will be held in beautiful Guelph, Ontario, Canada June 21st to 25th, 2000?

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AS A LITTLE CHILD 2000

AS A LITTLE CHILD       Rev. PATRICK A. ROSE       2000

     "Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 18:4).
     "Verily I say unto you, 'Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein'" (Luke 18:17).
     Of all the people in the universal spiritual and natural worlds, none are wiser than the angels of the highest or celestial heaven. We can scarcely begin to imagine the depth of their wisdom. Indeed, the deepest insights of which we on earth are capable, our most profound thoughts, are as nothing when compared to the thoughts of these highest angels. Yet for all their wisdom, it is a remarkable thing that when seen from a distance, such angels appear as children. They are seen this way because they possess the childlike quality of innocence.
     These inhabitants of the highest heaven know many, many things. Their intelligence and wisdom are greater than we can imagine. Nevertheless, the deepest thing they know, their guiding principle, is a childlike one: they know that what they know is relatively nothing, and they rely completely upon the wisdom of the Lord Himself.
     Just as the world of a baby is centered completely around his parents, so too the world of the celestial angels revolves around their Heavenly Father. They love Him. They worship Him. They are completely and totally dedicated to serving Him.
     It might be thought that the greater the wisdom and intelligence a person has, the less he needs to depend upon the Lord. The truth, though, is the complete opposite. He cannot even begin to experience intelligence and wisdom until he first accepts the most basic fact of life--a fact that is the most profound of all truths. He must come to see that the Lord is infinite. The Lord is everything, and compared to Him we know nothing at all. This is why we read the Word.

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And this is why we worship.
     Sometimes people make the mistake of thinking that reading the Word is primarily an intellectual activity. Far from it. Certainly our intellects are to be involved. Divine revelation deserves nothing less than the deepest thought of which we are capable. But to read the Word is, above all, an activity of the heart. To learn from the Word is in essence an act of adoration. It is a way of turning to the Lord and saying to Him, "We are ignorant. You are our infinitely wise Father. Tell us what to do, and we will do it."
     It is the same with worship. There are of course many reasons why worship is commanded by the Lord. Let us not forget, though, that the deepest and most profound reason for worshiping is the childlike one. We worship because we love the Lord. We love and adore Him, and we know in our hearts that we need Him and are completely dependent upon Him as our Father. Sometimes pride can get in the way. Still, with a little effort we can, while we are worshiping, silence such feelings for a while, and forget the proud, the foolish, the insane idea that we are somehow important in ourselves, somehow independent of the Lord. We can turn to the Lord and remember that we are completely and totally dependent upon Him.
     In worship we approach an Infinite Being before whom our own pride and our own sense of importance mean nothing. We become conscious of the fact that everything we have is a gift, given to us freely by the Lord as an act of pure love. Even our very existence and life is a gift. How often we hear the expression: "It is my life; I can do what I want." Yet even the life we have is a gift from the Lord.
     The Lord is our Father. He loves us. He gives us everything we have. And if we would have anything of true wisdom, let us make the effort to come to see that we must love Him in return, listen to what He tells us, and do what He says.
     Think of the Lord as your Father. It is a simple thing. Yet if we can come to really think of Him this way, both in thought and in life, then we will have come to the very beginning of all wisdom.

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All the angels, and especially the celestial angels, adore their heavenly Father. Around Him their lives revolve. They worship Him. And from Him, and from Him alone, they receive all their life, all their wisdom, and all their happiness. They have placed all of their life and all of their love in the hands of the Lord.
TALK TO CHILDREN ABOUT THE UNIVERSE 2000

TALK TO CHILDREN ABOUT THE UNIVERSE       RAYMOND B. DAVID       2000

     How many of you children can locate the Big Dipper in the night sky? Do you know what it looks like? (Show picture.) Now how many of you can find Polaris, the north star, in the night sky? And do you know that Polaris is the tip of the handle of the little dipper? (Show picture.)
     Those stars are always there in the sky and always in the same places. Thousands of years ago the Greeks, the Babylonians, the Egyptians knew those stars and had names for them. They even made up stories about how the constellations got there. From them we have the names of the signs of the zodiac.
     Those early astronomers--people who study the stars-noticed that some of what we often call stars do move around. They called them "wanderers" in the Greek; "planets" is the name we give them today. Planets really are different from stars. Stars are balls of fire that give off light. Planets are balls of dirt and rock and gas that only reflect light from a star. The planets have names too, names mostly from Roman mythology: Jupiter, Venus, Mars, Mercury. We know now that the earth is also a planet.
     When I was much, much younger, I borrowed the family camera one evening, took it outside, and pointed it at the north star, at Polaris. Then I opened the shutter and left the camera there. Hours later I closed the shutter and brought the camera in.

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What sort of picture do you think I got? What do you think that picture looked like? (Show picture.)
     Now if the stars did not stay in their places, we would have none of this. It would be like finding pictures in the clouds: fun, but you can't find the same picture later.
     The Lord creates the entire universe in such a way that we can learn a lot of His laws of the universe by studying it. I have talked a little about astronomy. Then there are other sciences: physics, and chemistry, and geology, and biology, and ecology, and anatomy, and so on and on.
     We can describe order as being "a place for everything, and everything in its place."
     That wonderful order that we can study and learn from comes from the Lord's love for us. He created this world as a place for us to prepare for life in heaven. But life in heaven has a different kind of order. All those sciences are about the most external kind of order, the order in physical things. There is also order in our minds, and order in our loves. However, we are not born with heavenly order in our minds or in our loves. We must work for that order. Making order in the external things of our lives is a good beginning to making that spiritual order--washing the dishes, putting away the clean clothes, washing off the day's dirt from our bodies, brushing our teeth, changing the sheets on the beds, vacuuming the dirt from the carpets, and on and on. And as we learn to take care of things in this life, we learn a lot about taking care of things we are given for the next life.
     So remember: a place for everything, and everything in its place. Pretty good advice!
EVERYONE WHO BEHOLDS THE UNIVERSE 2000

EVERYONE WHO BEHOLDS THE UNIVERSE              2000

     Everyone who beholds the universe, and still more who considers the order of the universe, acknowledges some supreme being or entity (AC 1308).

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GARBAGE IN, GARBAGE OUT 2000

GARBAGE IN, GARBAGE OUT       Rev. DAVID W. AYERS       2000

     (Reprinted from the Hurstville Society Newsletter)

     "Garbage in, garbage out." Most of us are familiar with this almost clich?-like phrase from the world of computer usage. It means that a person will get out of a computer only what is put into it. If someone programs a computer with flawed code, the software will not provide the desired clean and usable output but will instead present useless "garbage." Computer equipment will run cleanly only if the software being run on the machine is of bug-free good quality.
     There is a similar truism in the field of health. Doctors and nutritionists implore us to eat a healthy balanced diet, saying, "You are what you eat!" If we consume good quality, low-fat, high-energy foods and get plenty of exercise, we have a good chance of maintaining decent health. On the other hand, if we eat nothing but foods containing fat and sugar, and remain sedentary, our bodies will suffer. We will become overweight and lose muscle tone and vitality. Although we might not always follow this sound nutritional advice as thoroughly as we should, no one is really surprised or argues over the obvious fact that diet has a big impact on how we look and feel.
     If this concept seems to work in common experience, is there a spiritual corollary? Is there a deeper dynamic that governs the effect of what we put into our minds and hearts? Can what we "eat" mentally really affect us spiritually? Certainly, worldly wisdom says there is no such application--that we can inundate our minds with trashy TV, movies, magazines and novels and be perfectly unaffected, because after all, it is only entertainment, a cheap diversion, a harmless foray into fantasy. Most of us have heard this explanation. But is it simply an exercise in falsity, an excuse for tolerating aberrant and harmful materials?
     What does Divine revelation have to say on this matter?

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The answer is "Plenty." Among the many teachings from the Writings for the New Church that speak to this subject, three stand out.

I. Our Spiritual Associations

     While we live in the natural world as to our bodies, we also live in the spiritual world as to our spirits. While the spiritual world is unseen by us as long as we live in our physical bodies, it is more real than anything we could imagine. That world is populated by angels and devils, good spirits and evil spirits. Each of us has association with these various residents of the spiritual world, and thus with heaven and hell. Without these spiritual associations no one would be able to live.
     Those spirits are with us, although they are unaware of it. And they enter into the things in a person's memory and thought, "evil spirits into the evil things of his memory and thought, and good spirits into the good things of his memory and thought ... " (HH 292). While spirits enter into the things of our memories and thought, they especially associate with our affection or love--for affection or love is what generates thought. In other words, we learn, think about and entertain thoughts about things we care about and love; and this attracts spirits who are like-minded. The Lord grants that good spirits and angels are associated with a person, "while evil spirits are invited by the person himself" (HH 295).
     The Lord allows each person to have association with good and evil spirits because this maintains our freedom to choose between the influence that each kind exerts. It is this ability to choose in spiritual matters which enables us to regenerate. The important thing to remember with this teaching is that we attract spirits who associate with either heaven or hell by the things we love, think about and do. In turn, once those associations are made, the spirits exert a powerful influence on us to continue thinking either false or true thoughts, and doing either good or evil things.
     So, according to this spiritual reality, the things we put into our minds have a direct and dramatic impact on our spiritual lives.

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If we fill our minds with material that condones and encourages violence, adultery and promiscuity, we are attracting spirits whose lives are in harmony with those evils. Once they associate with us, they encourage us to feed those evil delights, because they derive pleasure from them as weil. Unless we catch ourselves ingesting this sweet-tasting poison, we may be harming our eternal welfare--for those whose lives cause them to associate with hellish or heavenly spirits during the life of the body continue to live on with them after death for eternity.

II. Spiritual Gravity

     Everything that is created by the Lord comes about through the marriage of good and truth. The Lord creates from His love through and by means of His truth. In simpler terms, the Lord's intention and will (His love), which are to love everyone and bring them to heaven for eternity, are carried out by means of Divine instructions (His truth).
     His good and truth proceed from Him as one, and that conjunction enables the Divine creative act in what the Writings call the heavenly marriage. Both His good and truth contain within them a will to be a one. And acting according to the laws of "spiritual gravity, " truths desire to come to life in action; and things that we love desire and seek out the instructions or means by which they can come into being. The same dynamic is at work with evil and falsity. Falsity desires to make itself real and known in an evil act, and evil loves desire and seek out the false instructions which enable it to come to life.
     While this concept may seem abstract and esoteric, its application is extremely practical and important. In terms of our subject, the bottom line is this: if we fill our minds with truths from the Lord's Word, and then think about them with the intention of using them, there is a kind of internal energy (the Lord's unceasing influence) that moves us toward using them in good acts.

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And if we have a good love, that same kind of internal energy seeks for ways to become real in our lives through the truths of the Lord's Word.
     Unfortunately, the same principle holds for what is evil and false. If we fill our minds with false ideas and harmful imagery, these ideas and memories don't just lie harmlessly inert; they continuously desire to express themselves in an evil act. And if we have an evil love, it will scan and search for the false food it requires to maintain itself and grow in our lives.
     According to this principle, there is no such thing as neutral or benign stimuli from the media and other sources in the world. If we fill our minds with bad ideas, unless we shun them as sins against the Lord, those same ideas will work unceasingly to spring into action.

III. The Danger of Evil and Falsity

     The most sobering teaching of all relating to filling our minds with false and evil thoughts and images regards the effect such choices have on the deeper levels of our minds. For the Writings tell us that when we choose to inundate ourselves with evils, especially those that spring from false thinking, we actually close the spiritual degree of the mind. Those who have closed off the spiritual degree of their minds have also closed themselves to the light of heaven.
     And the negative impact does not stop there. For "in such persons, not only does the spiritual degree itself become closed, but also the higher region of the natural degree which is called the rational, until at last the lowest degree of the natural degree, which is called the sensual, alone stands open, this being nearest to the world and to the outward senses of the body, from which such a person afterwards thinks, speaks, and reasons" (DLW 254:4). This number goes on to explain the fate after death of people who have become merely sensual.

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"The natural person who has become sensual through evils and their falsities, in the spiritual world in the light of heaven does not appear as a person but as a monster, even with nose drawn back (the nose is drawn in because the nose corresponds to the perception of truth); moreover, [such a person] cannot bear a ray of heavenly light. Such have in their caverns no other light than what resembles the light from live coals or from burning charcoal. From all this it is evident who and of what character are those in whom the spiritual degree is closed."
     These teachings from revelation surely seem foreign to our common experience. For we can easily believe that violence and inappropriate sexual material cannot possibly have a bad influence on us if we just think "it is only entertainment." We can be fooled by the sensual part of our minds into thinking that worrying about this kind of thing is taking religion too far. We can feel that all this worry about evil and falsity is archaic nonsense.
     These thoughts and feelings are just what the hells have in mind. After all, what is evil and false is not tempting to us because it looks ugly and feels bad. The fact is just the opposite. What is evil and false is so dangerous because it appears to be beautiful and feels so good. To escape this seduction we need the Lord's Word to bring light to our minds, so that we can see clearly what is true and good. With self-examination we can then see where we fall short, and then attempt to make amends by shunning what is evil and false as sins against the Lord. The Lord can then slowly and gradually help us to become averse to the things of hell, and to love what is of heaven.
     IV. Conclusion
     From these teachings it seems clear that the ideas and images we implant and encourage in our minds can have a dramatically negative impact on our spiritual welfare. At its best, falsity is damaging. At its worst it leads to evil, which is damning if we accept it into ourselves, indulge it and foster it.
     Even though we may not be able to completely control the constant bombardment of negative stimuli from the world around us, each of us is responsible for what we do with it once we are exposed to it.

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And the less of it we invite into our minds, the less we will have to contend with.
     When we notice negative thoughts and images creeping into our minds, as they will do, we should ask the Lord for help in shunning them. If we do this, dangerous falsities can be defeated before they have an opportunity to grow into evil intentions and actions.
REFLECTIONS ON THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE 2000

REFLECTIONS ON THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE       Rev. FRANK S. ROSE       2000

     (12)

     "People are allowed to go deeply into the true things of faith and the good things of charity only to the extent that they can be kept in them until the end of their lives" (DP 221).
     Looking back on my spiritual journey, I notice times when my life went through a profound change for the better. I can remember being worried that I would somehow lose the progress I had made. Some of the initial euphoria associated with change has worn off, but it seems as if there was a significant shift. I have not gone back to being the person I was before.
     One of our great fears about spiritual growth is the possibility of backsliding. If we could enter deeply into a spiritual path and then later turn around and deny everything that we had learned, our last state would be worse than our first. Some people are hesitant about spiritual growth for this very reason. When "ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise." Or, as Jesus said, "If you were blind, you would have no sin" (John 9:41).
     Once the spiritual process starts, there is not supposed to be any turning back. This is the principle of the ratchet. A ratchet is designed to keep things going in one direction.

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The escapement mechanism in a watch ensures that time will not go backward. The ratchets on the trams in San Francisco are there to keep the cars from drifting back down those long and steep hills. Winches have ratchets on them to keep them from slipping back.
     Since ratchets are so important in these mechanical devices, it would make sense that there is a kind of divine ratchet to prevent us from slipping back in the vital upward path of spiritual growth.
     The Lord provides a spiritual safety net--a kind of basic protection that prevents people from going backwards spiritually. It works very simply. People are allowed to progress spiritually only according to special laws. They may have times in which their thoughts soar to great heights but they are not able to live up to these new thoughts. In such times they seem to fall back in their beliefs. On the emotional side, they may have moments of great inspiration and peace which they do not understand and cannot yet incorporate into their lives. These moments of inspiration can be lost. If a person is to have a permanent step forward, all aspects of the mind need to work together in supporting each other so that the change is gradual and, once made, is permanent. This is possible when thoughts and feelings move forward together.
     We need to take our spiritual journey seriously, and at a gradual pace. We do not want to progress beyond our ability to sustain whatever growth we may achieve. We do not want to slide back. God watches over us to make sure that this does not happen. We might, at times, appear to slide back, when in fact our forward movement is still being protected. This is one of the great principles of the workings of providence.
WHAT THE LORD DOES IS PROVIDENCE 2000

WHAT THE LORD DOES IS PROVIDENCE              2000

     All that the Lord does is Providence, which, being from the Divine, has in it what is eternal and infinite (AC 5264).

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SECRET ABOUT THE 19TH OF JUNE 2000

SECRET ABOUT THE 19TH OF JUNE       Mrs. Rex (Lavender) Ridgway       2000

     A talk given at a 19th of June Banquet in Colchester, England

     I have a secret that I would love to share with you regarding the 19th day of June.
     In the book A History of the New Church in Australia 1832-1980 by I. A. Robinson we learn of many copies of the New Revelation (the Writings) being sold in those early days of the New Church there. Between 1776 and 1853, convicts from England were sent to Australia. In 1787 some five ships sailed from England to Botany Bay in Australia. (Remember some of the "convicts" were only political prisoners!) They arrived in 1788, and we read the following in Rise and Progress of the New Church by Robert Hindmarsh:
     Mr. John Lowes, a surgeon, was entrusted with a large assortment of books, as a present for the new colony. As he himself was favorable to the "Writings" it was reasonable to expect that he would take care to distribute them in the most judicious manner, both among the officers, his companions, and among such of the crew and convicts as he might think most capable of profiting by them (page 49).
     Unfortunately there is no record of which books, religious or otherwise, were in that crate (or chest). The rare-books section of the library of the Australian National University in Canberra and others did a lot of research from old diaries, etc., and several books from that crate were discovered, but no New Church books.
     When I obtained an English translation of True Christian Religion, I thought of this rare-books section of the library, especially since English editions of some books were available at the time when the First Fleet sailed.
     My husband Rex, who was still with us then, and our daughter Heulwen and I spent time looking at this treasure and discussing the best way in which it should be donated. I made a bargain with the university that if they would arrange for Rev. Douglas Taylor to give a talk on Emanuel Swedenborg at the university, he could then present the treasured book to them.

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And this is what took place.
     But now for the great secret that this copy divulged. Many years ago when I first read True Christian Religion I was surprised that many people interpreted the "Memorandum" at number 791 in a certain way. There is a phrase: "after this work was finished." It was thought that "this work" meant the book itself, True Christian Religion. But I thought it was most unusual for any author who numbered every paragraph to state something that happened after his book was finished and yet then continue adding numbers before finally publishing the book.
     The "secret" is that in the first English translation of that book (published in 1786 by Hindmarsh), there is an excellent introduction by Rev. Thomas Hartley, a contemporary and friend of Swedenborg. And against paragraph 791 there is an asterisk. And here is what it said at the bottom of the page in a printed footnote:
     By the Work here alluded to, we are to understand the Work of Redemption, and the Formation of a New Angelic Heaven in the Spiritual World, consisting of all such as believe in the Lord God the Savior Jesus Christ and approach Him immediately as the only Object of Divine Worship, see no. 4, 108, 123 and 784 above.
     Consider what is said in TCR 86: "Jehovah God descended into the world as Divine Truth that He might perform the work of redemption, which meant the subjugation of the hells, the bringing of the heavens into order and afterwards the establishment of the church."
BRYN ATHYN CHRISTMAS TABLEAUX 2000

BRYN ATHYN CHRISTMAS TABLEAUX              2000

     The Bryn Athyn Christmas tableaux in December were open to the public. They were held both in the cathedral and in the Bryn Athyn Society building. More than 2,000 people attended.

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REVIEW 2000

REVIEW       Rev. Erik Sandstrom       2000

     As We Remembered, by W. B. Klippenstein and Linda Epp Klippenstein; ringbound, 132 pages, 8'/2 x 11
     (For a copy, send $15 to Linda Epp Klippenstein, 604 S.W. River Road, A8, Hot Springs, South Dakota 57747.)
     Meet Klip and Linda--or if you have met them before, get to know even better two solid personalities who have led their long lives from firmly held principles buttressed by hard-earned experience in both field and market place, and cemented by a love whose hallmark was cooperation.
     Klip, as he was known to everyone, is already in the other world. He died in an automobile accident on a visit to his birthplace, Rosthern, Saskatchewan, Canada, in 1994. Linda struggles alone from her home in Hot Springs, South Dakota, active locally, corresponding with family and friends, and visiting family as far as the west coast.
     In the last few years of his life Klip took to writing down his memoirs, sprinkled with observations on life, both as it often is and as it should be. The emphasis is on use throughout; also on neighborliness, for we are taken back into pioneer years when it was routine for neighbor to assist neighbor whenever the need was there. Klip was a philosopher--not in the sense of having James, Locke, or Descartes at his fingertips, but in the richer sense of he himself viewing spiritual and natural life together and living that life. He loved the concept of what might be called "the Lord's return kingdom"--seeing life-forms begin in the soil, produce nourishment for animals and men, then present a host of animals in water, land and air, ready to serve the human, and finally men and women returning glory and thanksgiving to the Maker. Thus passages like DLW 65 became favorites. And he wanted to share things he believed are true; so we find them in his part of the book. The ideas come down on the page just as he thinks them, and while not always structured in immaculate grammar, yet the meaning itself is, well, quite eloquent.

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     Here are some samples of ideas dropped here and there in Klip's story of his life, and to begin with a kind of summary review: "[Settlers] had dreams and in most cases these dreams were realized through their prodigious efforts. Idealism is beautiful. It keeps humans striving to do their best with this dream in mind. Youth should be afforded the opportunity to dream and imagine a life for themselves that is toward the perfect. Yet with these goals at the end of the rainbow and a maturing process, the dreams should always contain a background of reality. This in itself is beautiful, because in time we can make reality into a genuine adventure .... [T]he good teacher, experience, paves the way toward common sense" (p. 29). "The order of Creation is a good order, and should be recognized through understanding conversation" (p. 27). "The guiding principle should always be learning of spiritual truths which will correspond to those of the ultimates of nature .... With materialism in command today, we are losing all the values that contribute toward building an eternal life. Never, never, never allow machines to become our masters" (p. 30).
     Klip's story itself begins with his parents, for whom he had a boundless admiration. They were both of a German stock, but emigrated from the Ukraine where skillful Mennonite farmers, at the invitation of Empress Catherine, had turned the rich soil into a bread basket for Russia. But things changed and many families sought their fortunes in other lands. Abram Klippenstein homesteaded in Saskatchewan, Canada, where son Klip learned the cycle of plowing-sowing-harvesting-binding-threshing-milling. He learned all sorts of other things as well from his enterprising dad, including house-building, running a livery, and not the least the proper care of animals. Towering above all this, however, was his dad's finding his religion; for when Klip was still a boy, his dad was introduced to the church by a neighbor New Church family. Mother (Blatz) Klippenstein soon followed, and so the whole large family became New Church for life.

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     Klip came to Bryn Athyn as a young man to attend the Academy high school and two years in our college; and when Linda as well, who became his wife, wholeheartedly embraced the doctrines, there was formed a second generation of New Church Klippensteins. So it was that the five Klip children, in their turn, all came to the Academy.
     After college Klip returned to Saskatchewan, where he began his own life's work in farming and raising livestock. His "uncanny feel for livestock" (introductory page by his family) turned him into a renowned breeder of cattle and horses; and this interest and ability rubbed off on his family, among whom one took his studies to a university degree and became a recognized expert and international lecturer.
     Klip traveled. In his overview he writes: "My exodus from Canada to Pennsylvania, back to Canada, return to Pennsylvania with my wife and children, and finally to South Dakota in 1973, was a journey full of adventure" (p. 5). He tilled, bred, was involved in politics, wrote columns for the local paper, argued with high and low, struck up a conversation with someone he had never met before, and was soon involved in exchanges as with a lifelong acquaintance. He was never still. Linda, he himself notes, "has often been asked how she could live with W.B. Her reply: 'Life has never been dull'"(p. 92).
     This takes us to Linda's closing part of the W.B.-and-Linda book. As she, aided by family members, prepared to publish what her husband had written, daughter-in-law Rachel (author of Do You, Rachel, Take Ranching for Better or for Worse?) urged her "to put down some of her own memories." And so we also get the story of Linda's upbringing on a large farm in Saskatchewan and, like Klip in his earliest years, in a Mennonite family. And she tells of the budding romance with the young energetic bachelor nearby, and how her father only reluctantly gave his consent to her marrying a "Swedenborgian." She relates, too, how she herself struggled against her childhood faith, but how Klip showed her the beauty of the doctrine of the Gorand Man and the other leading doctrines, and how gradually the whole body of the Writings became her new religion.

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     Klip and Linda lived a most harmonious life together and became inseparable. It is therefore natural that her part of the book should end with marital advice to young ladies, from which we quote: "1. Many a man you can live with forever .... 7. Homemaking and raising children properly is the most honorable job .... 15. Homemaking does not just mean cleaning, polishing and cooking, but in doing these jobs, making a comfortable place to feel peace, so that husband and family want to come home" (pp. 131, 132).
     This book is illustrated with several photographs, including a beautiful portrait of the authors in color from their golden wedding celebration in 1986.
     Rev. Erik Sandstrom, Sr.
CAIRNWOOD 2000

CAIRNWOOD              2000

     New Position Open for Director

     Cairnwood is seeking a director, a new full-time position to direct cultural, educational and hospitality functions. This includes planning, marketing, and arranging all activities. At least a four-year college degree, as well as experience in education, computer skills, marketing, programs and community organizations is important. Our church does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, gender, national origin, ancestry or non-job-related disability. Please apply with a r?sum? to Lynn Genzlinger, P.O. Box 52, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009-0052.
     Deadline for application is January 22, 2000. You may call (215) 947-2919 for further information.

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FEW REFLECTIONS ON DIVINE LOVE AND WISDOM 2000

FEW REFLECTIONS ON DIVINE LOVE AND WISDOM       Rev. WILLARD L. D. HEINRICHS       2000

     I have often been tempted to declare Divine Love and Wisdom as my favorite book of the Word--that is, until I am reading in another Divine book and realize that it is just too close to call.
     Divine Love and Wisdom has sometimes been characterized as "the" philosophical work of the Writings. But I have never felt completely comfortable with that designation, unless it means that in this work we find a most wondrous application of Divine and angelic principles to the whole of creation, spiritual and natural.
     I prefer to call attention to the title that Swedenborg was led to give this work as the real indicator of the character of its content: "Angelic Wisdom Concerning the Divine Love and Wisdom." In this work we are concerned not so much with angelic "knowledge" or perhaps with angelic "intelligence" as we are with that "wisdom" that angels have from the Lord as to what is loving and wise. When we think of "angelic wisdom" we are thinking of that perceptive thought from universal truths, that thought from love or ends which immediately proceeds through suitable causes or means to the effects or uses it longs to accomplish.
     It is therefore not surprising to find the general and particular flow of the teaching in this work commencing from the essence of the matter and proceeding to how it stands forth, from the reality of a thing to its appearing, from essence to person.
     Indeed, the more I have been able to study this work, the more I have come to the conclusion that the Divine Love and Wisdom is Divine not only as to its content, but in a certain sense also as to its form or format of presentation. For example, not only does the Lord in this work teach us the order of creation, but He "models" this very order in the way that He organizes and presents this teaching in the text. Creation proceeds from the Lord by means of firsts through mediates to outmosts, and out of outmosts through intermediates back to firsts. The teaching that presents this order is organized in this order in more than a general way.

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To a reflecting mind, it can be found to be present in the individual chapters and paragraphs that develop the subject.
     Perhaps without consciously realizing it, receptive readers find that their thinking is being challenged and led along from within and without in a fashion that is most advantageous to understanding the subject in the dearest possible manner. Indeed, they may discover that their whole mode of thinking is being reformed or reshaped by the Lord as they proceed through the work.     
     While our thinking is being reworked in this more subtle fashion, we may also discover that our thinking is being reworked in a more open fashion. Divine Love and Wisdom is filled with what might be termed "tool" doctrines. Perhaps the most obvious is the doctrine of discrete degrees in part three of this work. I would submit that if students of the Divine Love and Wisdom understand this doctrine as there presented in its proper order, and in some of its most important applications, they will discover to their delight that they do indeed have "a key to lay open the causes of things, and to give entrance into them" (DLW 184). In fact, I believe that they will find that once they have understood to some degree such teachings as this, teachings everywhere else in revelation come much more easily within their grasp.
     Much more could be said about the Divine wonders and beauty of this work of the Lord, but I leave these things to the prayerful and careful reader of the work itself.
     I would, however, like to close with an observation and exhortation from the Lord Himself as to how we might secure from such a work as the Divine Love and Wisdom the boundless treasures it enfolds. "In all perception whatever there is a propounding and a reply" (AC 2080). Read with the uses of life in mind (a common teaching of the Word for the New Church)!

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GOD'S INTENTIONS FOR US 2000

GOD'S INTENTIONS FOR US       Editor       2000

     The word "plan" was not in use in the English language at the time of the King James Version of the Bible. I was surprised to discover this fact when I was preparing a sermon to preach in the Bryn Athyn cathedral. The text for the sermon was Jeremiah 2:11. "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."
     I discovered that a number of more recent translations choose the word "plans" for this verse rather than the word "thoughts." The New International Version says, "I know the plans I have for you." The Jerusalem Bible and the Revised Standard Version say much the same. The Everyday Bible with its effort toward simplicity says, "I know what I have planned for you, says the Lord; I have good plans for you. I don't plan to hurt you."
     Since the Hebrew word for "thoughts" in Jeremiah 29 is rendered as "purpose" and "device" in other places, it seems that the word "plan" is worth having in mind, even if we prefer the word "thoughts."
     At the beginning of a new year we consider our goals, our plans, the things that we resolve and intend. It is beneficial to keep in mind that the Lord has thoughts or intentions for us, and that they are not for ill. They are not to hurt us, but they are for our good.
     A wonderful moment in the story of Joseph arises in the final chapter of the book of Genesis. Those brothers had schemed against Joseph, but God changed the result. "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good." The NIV renders this, "God intended it for good." The Jerusalem Bible says, "The evil you planned to do me has by God's design been turned to good, that he might bring about ... the deliverance of numerous persons.
     We hope to comment further on our plans compared to the intentions of God. For now consider the teaching that the Divine love continually intends conjunction with heaven and with every individual (see True Christian Religion 43). For love desires to be one with others and to render them blessed from Himself.

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     As the world embarks upon a new year, there are many different human plans. But the grand intention or the end of Divine Providence is a heaven from the human race.
Church News 2000

Church News       Various       2000

     HISTORIC THOUGHTS ARISING FROM LONDON ARCHIVES

     The Swedenborg Society in London held its annual meeting on May 12th. The speaker was the outgoing president, Mrs. G. P. Dawson, known widely as Nancy. She shared with an appreciative audience thoughts that came to her as she went through some of the archives of the Swedenborg Society. She says, "I began to notice how frequently the dates on these letters related to periods when great disturbances troubled the world or when wars were actually being fought. Was it pure coincidence, for example, that just prior to or actually during World War II, translators were striving to get copies of the Writings published in Hungarian, Serbo-Croat, Spanish, Russian, Finnish, Bulgarian, even Chinese and that a Danish translation ... was published under occupation in 1941? And there appears to have been a similar burst of activities in the line of translations during the dark years of World War I."
     Mrs. Dawson quotes passages from the Writings about providence, notably Divine Providence 251: "All wars, however much they may belong to civil affairs, represent in heaven the states of the church and are correspondences." Her speech may be read in the supplement to the one hundred eighty-ninth report of the Swedenborg Society. From this we quote the following:
     Why was it...that someone in Russia in 1889 felt a need for and succeeded in sending numerous manuscript copies of the Writings translated into the Russian language to the Swedenborg Society for safe keeping? The answer possibly lies in an article printed in the journal Morning Light a few years previously (1882, page 230), where in a news report of the church activities of a Rev. A. Schiwick in northern Prussian Poland it is stated:

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"[I]t is next to impossible to circulate the New Church Writings across the borders in Russian Poland. Should he venture to go across with a bundle of books, though furnished with a passport, he would at once be hurried off to Siberia." And the members of the council of the society who accepted the responsibility of keeping these many manuscripts for safekeeping in the basement strong room, I feel sure, little dreamt that nearly a whole century would pass before this act would bear fruit. For at long last some of these manuscripts have now been put to use and have been published in books which have been widely distributed in Russia.
     And, to look at other activities of our society, what was it that inspired the council in 1938 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Swedenborg's birth by publishing translations of the New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrines into 21 different languages and distributing these widely just prior to World War II? Ten translations were completed and distributed in 1939 in English,
Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, German, Czech, Finnish, Serbo-Croat and even Tamil and Japanese, and by 1941, translations were also available in Burmese, Lettish, Russian, Italian, French, Polish, and also completed but not able to be printed (possibly due to paper shortages?) in Hungarian, Rumanian, Spanish and Chinese. It was probably the Society's most active period of publishing--surely an inspiration from heaven to make the basic teachings of the new revelation which are contained in this book available to the greatest number of people possible at a time when these teachings were indeed most sorely needed.

     HAPPENINGS HERE AND THERE

     Sweden

     Mr. Lars Bergquist completed a major biography of Swedenborg in 1999. It comes to 550 pages in Swedish. The book has received good media attention in Sweden. Mr. Bergquist felt it important for people to know that there is a church connected with Swedenborg, and he volunteered to give a lecture at the church in Stockholm where Goran Appelgren is pastor.

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     The lecture was held on November 16th, attended by seventy-five people, most of whom had never been in the building before. Mr. Appelgren reports that after a 45-minute lecture there were questions and answers for another 45 minutes. The questions were well informed and intelligent, many of them having to do with life after death. Mr. Bergquist spent most of his lecture talking of New Church theology. Listeners eagerly picked up the literature provided, and a few visitors attended church the following Sunday.
     Mr. Appelgren reports that the event was "very successful."

     ATLANTA, GEORGIA

     The Morning Star Chapel of Atlanta was dedicated on the 5th of December. Bishop Buss officiated and people visited from distant parts, including former pastors Tom Kline and Chris Bown. One of those who attended wrote the following:
     The building is simple and spacious, designed to fulfill the needs of the Atlanta congregation in all its uses. There is a wonderful preschool Sunday School room with table and chairs appropriately decorated. There is a full closet just for Christmas tableaux costumes.
     The altar for the Word and the lectern are crystal clear. A new copy of the threefold Word was dedicated by Bishop Buss, and the children then took copies of the Word into the Sunday School rooms. A special gift at the dedication was a morning star to hang over the chancel.
     Pastor Mark Perry read a special letter from Ray and Star Silverman touchingly and appropriately remembering many of the individual members of the congregation. Mark and the Atlanta folks feel a deep sense of delight and anticipation as they make use of a building that they have awaited for more than three years.     
     The name Morning Star Chapel was chosen by the congregation, especially by the children.

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     GHANA

     Five students from the Bryn Athyn College of the New Church spent more than two months in Ghana. The students, Athena Childs, Francis Darkwah, Jeremy Henry, Sasha Silverman, and Anna Woofenden, have returned with an inspiring message of hope about the health of the New Church among the people in Ghana. On December 3rd they gave an excellent presentation to a delighted Bryn Athyn audience.
     Their mission statement is as follows:
     We know that the Lord leads us in every moment, and we all feel incredibly blessed that the stream of His Providence has led us toward this exciting opportunity in Ghana, Africa. We anxiously desire to use this trip to serve the Lord's kingdom both on the earth as well as in our hearts. As a group we will do our best to promote the growth and prosperity of the Ghanaian church and elementary school by contributing our time, love and energy. We pray that our endeavors--blessed by the Lord--will serve to enhance and strengthen the New Church.
     We look forward to living in an environment in which the Lord has primary focus, and we embrace this opportunity to trust the Lord completely, for we recognize that many challenges await us. Ultimately we each hope to achieve a greater understanding of ourselves, of our home, and of the Lord's vast kingdom. For surely, the Lord God Jesus Christ reigns!
     Note: The five students who wrote that mission statement were born around the time when Jeremy Simons was making his second visit to Ghana. When those five were cradled infants, Ankra-Badu arrived in Bryn Athyn for theological training. He was followed by Kwasi Darkwah, whose letter appears on the next page. Then came Martin Gyamfi and Nicholas Anochi. Nicholas officiated at six of the baptisms reported in this issue. The future looks bright for the New Church in Ghana.

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FIVE STUDENTS VISIT GHANA 2000

FIVE STUDENTS VISIT GHANA       Rev. Kwasi Darkwah       2000

Dear Editor:
     Yes, the success story of the college students' practicum in Ghana is a wonderful achievement for the General Church. We at this end are extremely happy that the whole trip has been that success. They arrived safely on schedule, had a safe stay and have returned-safely! Thanks be to God whose love and mercy made this happen. A few observations need to be made about their stay.
     Right at the beginning of their visit they endeared themselves into the Ghanaian life and soon became part of our social life, church life, and work in the school at Tema.
     The school has had a good start with all the many suitcases of supplies they brought, the tremendous work they did in helping to organize its administration, in setting up the computers Mr. Duncan Smith of Glenview had donated, and in helping with the teaching. The many songs they taught have remained a living treasure of the school. In short, they exhibited tremendous love for the school and for the students, which will ever be remembered.
     They had opportunity to visit and work with all the church circles, taught the Ten Commandments course to many in the church. Their enthusiasm, devotion to work, love for the church and its uses were delightful. They had unique talents that complemented one another so well, making their team a perfect one.
     Also, they had a chance to travel a bit around our beautiful country. They had a glimpse of the rich and colorful Ghanaian culture. They had the honor to be received by one of the divisional chiefs. Also, they got to see and to hear the president of this country give the keynote address for the function. It was in this crowd that a national TV camera caught Athena chatting heartily with a section of the crowd.
     The highly cultured New Church ambassadors responded to the warm Ghanaian hospitality very well. So deep was their love for the warm Ghanaian akwaaba that they got along with all they had a chance to know and relate to. But their love for the broad-smiling innocent Ghanaian kids was so special.

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They chattered, laughed, sang and danced with many wherever they visited.
     They adopted Ghanaian names to break the cultural barrier, to be more easily approachable. Athena Childs was Abena Anigye Nkoaa (a Tuesday-born, full of happiness), Sasha Silverman was Akua Akomapa (a Wednesday-born, with a good heart), Anna Woofenden was Afua Asomdwoe (a Friday-born, full of peace), Jeremy Henry was Kwaku Abotare (a Wednesday-born, full of patience), Francis Darkwah, a Ghanaian born on Tuesday, went with his original name of Kwabena.
     They also seemed to like and enjoy our foods, especially fruits, which were mostly fresh. They ate tons of oranges, bananas and peanuts, and pineapples, their favorite.
     Of course, there were some not-so-good things to deal with, which they, knowing more than I, can enumerate. But I believe the presence of bugs sometimes in and around African homes caused them a little discomfort, and the proverbial "African time syndrome." Some of their schedules outside Tema had to be changed, or times for certain activities delayed; other problems included the use of a generator for light in Tema, lack of easy communication, especially in the Kwahu district, and some few cases of bad dirt roads which made driving sometimes difficult and tedious. Oh also, having to do their laundry by hand was fun to watch. But highly motivated as they were, they went through these experiences with understanding, contentment and a sense of purpose. We loved the way they were prepared to deal with some of these uncommon situations.
     Yes, we congratulate them on their super performance, and the planners on an excellent project, successfully executed. The General Church is really becoming a global organization. And may she be more so in the next millennium.
     Rev. Kwasi Darkwah,
Tema, Ghana

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DR. KING'S ARTICLE 2000

DR. KING'S ARTICLE       Lavina Scott       2000

Dear Editor:
     I thoroughly enjoyed Dr. King's wonderful article "What the Writings Say They Cannot Say" (August and September, 1999). It was very thought-provoking, with deep insights and beautiful writing! I especially enjoyed the thoughts on the similarities between King Lear's troubles and the processes of regeneration. I found myself wishing I could be eighteen again and a student of the Bryn Athyn College so I could take one of Dr. King's courses!
     It was also delightful to realize what wise and extraordinary teachers there are in our college, and I'm sue there are others like Dr. King there and also in the Academy secondary schools (as well as in the schools that prepare for those more enlightened states!).
     Since my husband went to the spiritual world I have read Heaven and Hell, as well as other books of the Writings, and I am currently reading Heaven and Hell again, just because it is such a beautiful and comforting and lovable and, as Dr. King says, a happy and joyful book!
     Lavina Scott,
Crooked Creek, Alberta, Canada
HIMSELF 2000

HIMSELF       Helen Kennedy       2000

Dear Editor:
     Myself, I prefer the upper case being used when a pronoun is referring to the Lord. In addition to a personal relationship, I need also to see the Lord as a being different from me, capable of being vastly more loving, more intelligent, more wonderful, higher. And I do feel there is plenty of room for various translations.     
     Regarding Ipse (the intensive personal pronoun Swedenborg used when referring to the Lord), Lisa Hyatt Cooper says, "To be truly faithful, we might perhaps translate it not as He but as Himself." If this were Ireland, this would be a normal and very understandable way to refer to another person. Traditionally the Irish use "himself' or "herself' to refer to a man or woman within the realm of a personal relationship.

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A woman might say, "Himself is in the front room reading the paper," when referring to her husband. By it is meant the totality of him, his body and his being--his mind, his spirit, his whole self. Irish literature abounds with examples of this. The concept flows out from the best of their Celtic heredity. When giving a talk at an Irish festival a few years ago, I even bought a mug that had the word "herself" written on it.
     While the use of the wording may sound strange to people unfamiliar with it, it would not sound strange to a people whose culture is highly regarded for its affinities with the spiritual world. And it attests to the fact that most spiritual concepts can be found embodied within the cultures of the many and various people on the earth.
     Helen Kennedy,
     Abington, PA
WHEN REFERRING TO THE LORD 2000

WHEN REFERRING TO THE LORD       Yadah Alden       2000

Dear Editor:
     I write regarding the discussion of using lowercase letters for divine pronouns. A reason for using them given in the July issue is to avoid "alienating innumerable new readers of Swedenborg." Could we be forgetting that these are not Swedenborg's writings? They are the Lord's, given through a servant, Emanuel Swedenborg.
     Is there a psychological problem facing our generation, namely a lack of respect for authority of any kind? Such an attitude makes it difficult to feel that there is a Divine Being who is the All of Life. It takes true humility to recognize that we are but vessels. What we feel as life is given from the Lord's Divine love because of His wisdom. To feel and use what He gives "as if of ourselves" leads to eternal happiness.
     The stewardship of spreading the truth from the Lord should hardly take this defensive approach. It would be better to proclaim forthrightly distinct references to the Lord.

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For is not He, our Lord, Creator and Redeemer of His universe, a very special Being?
     It is encouraging that an offer is being contemplated of providing the text of the new translations so that they can be printed "in whatever format is most useful to the General Church members"
(September issue, p. 425). We would not want versions with capital letters to become unavailable to the next generation. Each generation should have the means of seeing the Lord as "He" and "Him," a valuable distinction between the Infinite and what is only finite.
     Yadah Alden,
Bryn Athyn, PA
CAPITALIZING 2000

CAPITALIZING       Adri Braam       2000

Dear Editor:
     Could I just voice my one-cent-worth please?
     The Lord is our shepherd, our guide, our companion, etc., but never, ever, our peer. This trend exists because of a lack in education--New Church education. Although this is a very accurate portrayal of today's society, in my book, as long as I am not i, He is not he.
     Adri Braam,
     Toronto, Canada
ANECDOTE FROM DR. WILSON VAN DUSEN 2000

ANECDOTE FROM DR. WILSON VAN DUSEN              2000

     Dr. Wilson Van Dusen is well known for the books he has written. The Presence of Other Worlds has been read by thousands in different countries. He is busy turning out further books relating to the Writings, a current project being a volume called The Design of Existence, which draws heavily on the teachings of the Writings. He recently told the story that a man of his acquaintance read every volume of the Writings. Said Van Dusen, "He asked me if I thought he was crazy to end a reading session by blessing the volume. I said, 'I hope it is not too odd since I do the same!'"

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SWEDENBORGIAN COMMUNITY RESEARCH PROJECT 2000

SWEDENBORGIAN COMMUNITY RESEARCH PROJECT              2000

     Who designed the beautiful, soul-uplifting New Church (Swedenborgian) building where you went to Sunday School, or perhaps where you were married? Who built that church? Who paid for it? And what art tradition inspired its shape and interior colors? If you can answer some of these questions, you can help preserve and document the many lovely Swedenborgian churches built in North America as the Industrial Revolution prospered (from approximately 1840 to 1929). Many of those buildings have been razed or sold, and it is essential that people who know about them pool their recollections before much of this precious Swedenborgian heritage is lost.
     The Swedenborg Foundation is now undertaking a project to produce a pictorial history--with text and art-quality photographs-- to explore the emphasis on aesthetics characteristic of Swedenborgian churches during that period as a means of uplifting individuals to commune with the divine spirit. The foundation intends this book to provide a vessel to collect and conserve certain fragile relics and vestiges of the enterprising and aesthetic past of Swedenborgians, and to be an attractive means of sharing and displaying their heritage in all its variety and beauty.
     This book will not only depict the substantial New Church buildings built during the industrial period, but will also develop the thesis that the builders were particularly open-minded people who were curious about a wide variety of ideas, ranging from new ideas in the field of religious thought to new ways of manufacturing and product innovation--people who shared their enthusiasm, their wealth, and their sense of aesthetics. The research (to which all readers are invited to contribute) intends to show that the spirit of enterprise, which stimulated American inventors to utilize new methods of energy production in their factories, was commensurate with the open-mindedness and intellectual curiosity that caused many early manufacturers to become readers of Swedenborg, and ultimately builders of the New Church edifices so loved by their parishioners.

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The publication will document both "General Convention" and "General Church" New Church buildings and their builders. Whenever possible, the book will picture Swedenborgian churches no longer extant.
     The proposed publication grows out of Carol Skinner Lawson's recent master's thesis on nineteenth-century Swedenborgianism prepared for Bennington College. Carol will serve as the book's writer/editor. Formerly the associate editor of Convention's Messenger, she is presently the editor of the foundation's Chrysalis reader series. Deborah Forman, the foundation's publisher and executive director, is writing to New Church societies throughout North America to enlist their help in acquiring the research base needed for the book. Individuals who know of the existence of art-quality photographs of Swedenborgian churches (either interior or exterior images), or of historical information regarding how these churches were funded and built, are requested please to contact Carol Lawson (804-983-3021), or the Swedenborg Foundation (800-355-3222).
ELDERGARTEN 2000

ELDERGARTEN       RAYMOND B. DAVID       2000

     The formal part of the Eldergarten week recently in San Diego consisted of fourteen presentations divided into three series. Dan Goodenough reviewed Divine Providence, using the laws of Providence for an outline. Walter Orthwein reviewed what is understood about the structure and development of the human mind. Brian Keith treated the subject of temptations. Each presentation was about forty-five minutes, so our total study time was two and a quarter hours per day, or about eleven hours total. I think we could have handled a bit more than that, but I speak only for myself. Each day began with a short worship service followed by announcements and directions for the day.

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     There were several other events of a less studious and more social character: a party and meal at the home of Mike Williams on Monday, a Mexican dinner at an Old Town restaurant on Wednesday evening, and a dinner party and California report at the home of Scarrain and Geraldo Gomes on Friday evening. There were also a tour of San Diego and the harbor, and trips to Tijuana, Mexico, to shopping malls, to the San Diego Wild Animal Park, to the San Diego Zoo. The week came to a close with a worship service in the Swedenborgian Church (Convention) Saturday evening.
     The San Diego Society provided refreshments and a light lunch for each of the session days.
     Counting the teachers, there were forty-six people in attendance, a few of them part-time. We came from San Diego, Los Angeles, Central Valley, San Francisco Bay area, Glenview, Bryn Athyn, Kitchener, and who have I missed?
     But enough of the physical arrangements. The heart of the week was the classes: The Mind, Temptations, and Divine Providence.
     Through the revelations in the Writings, we have a way of examining the human mind that simply is not available anywhere else. We can see the mind as interior and prior to the body--therefore capable of immortality--rather than as a result of or caused by bodily activity. Thought produces brain waves; it does not consist of brain waves. The mind or spirit of a person creates a body so that it can operate in the world. And therefore the body is an image of the mind, and we can learn something of its operation by studying the operation of the body, particularly the operation of the heart and lungs.
     We talked of what the Lord permits--that He allows some to go to hell rather than take away their freedom, their humanity. The levels of Providence--the Lord's will, good pleasure, leave, and permission--describe the levels of human activity from good through less good to evil. The Lord permits evil because to forbid it would destroy human freedom and so destroy the purpose of creation.

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If we are to be free to cooperate with the Lord, then we are also free not to do so. One particular discussion that came out of this was about homosexuality. The strength of feeling that this subject brought out seemed far stronger than the feeling about adultery or even child molestation. And I wonder why. We also talked about the evidence of genetic "causation" for homosexuality. I suspect that, since all tendencies to evil are inherited from our parents, we will find that there is genetic evidence for that. If the spirit produces the body-so that it can act in the world--we should expect that defects, ailments, "sins" of the spirit will be manifested in the body. If so, then fighting against those evils ought to reduce the probability of passing them to our progeny. "I am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generations of them that hate Me, and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me and keep My commandments" (Deut. 5:9, 10).
     And of course we can see through the prior discussions something of the purpose of temptations. We are told that without temptation we cannot be saved, we cannot be regenerated. Why is this? The Lord cannot be in the same place with evils, or at least cannot be there fully. We must find room in the inn or else in the stable or the Lord cannot be born in us. When we remove the evil as sin from our own exterior, then the Lord can and does remove it from the interior and also from the exterior. Only when we see the evil tendencies within us for what they are, turning away from them and feeling aversion to them, can the Lord remove them from us.
     And of course there was the delight of meeting old friends and making new ones throughout the week. All in all, it was a very worthwhile Eldergarten. Let's do it again.
TO GROW OLD 2000

TO GROW OLD              2000

     To grow old in heaven is to grow young (Heaven and Hell 414).

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APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION TO THE ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH GIRLS SCHOOL AND BOYS SCHOOL 2000

APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION TO THE ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH GIRLS SCHOOL AND BOYS SCHOOL       Various       2000

     Requests for application forms for admission of new students to the Academy Secondary Schools should be made by March 1, 2000. Letters should be addressed to Mrs. Robert Gladish, Principal of the Girls School, or Mr. R. Scott Daum, Principal of the Boys School, 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, 2000.
     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, 2000. 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           R. Scott Daum
Girls School Principal      Boys School Principal
BRYN ATHYN COLLEGE APPLICATIONS 2000

BRYN ATHYN COLLEGE APPLICATIONS              2000

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 (215-938-2543), 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!

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BRYN ATHYN COLLEGE of the New Church 2000

BRYN ATHYN COLLEGE of the New Church              2000

     POSITION AVAILABLE

     Bryn Athyn College of the New Church is seeking applicants for a potential part- or full-time faculty position in history which will be available in the fall of 2000.
     The ideal candidate will have a Ph.D. in the field. 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 February 1, 2000 to:
                    Dean Charles Lindsay
               Bryn Athyn College
               P.O. Box 717--Pendleton Hall
               Bryn Athyn, PA 19009
ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH SECONDARY SCHOOLS 2000

ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH SECONDARY SCHOOLS              2000

     Positions Available for 2000-2001 School Year

     1.      A full-time position for a Media Center specialist. Applicant should have a Master's Degree in Library Science in an ALA accredited program or a Bachelor's Degree in an appropriate field, with requirement to attain a Master's Degree in Library Science.
     2.      A full-time position in Mathematics in the Girls School. Applicant should have a Master's Degree in Mathematics or a Bachelor's Degree with requirement to attain a Master's Degree and be calculus-capable and current in math trends.

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     3.      The Academy Girls School will accept r?sum?s from those interested in the position of Athletic Director. This part-time position will commence July 1, 2000.
     Applicants should apply to Margaret Y. Gladish, Principal of the Girls School, Box 707, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009; phone 215-938-2595.
     The deadline for all applications is February 10, 2000.
NEW ADVANCED COURSE IN SWEDENBORG'S LATIN 2000

NEW ADVANCED COURSE IN SWEDENBORG'S LATIN              2000

     Are you a translator, editor, or consultant working with Swedenborg's Latin, or would you like to be?
     The Bryn Athyn College of the New Church is pleased to announce a new course designed especially for those interested in translating or editing Swedenborg's Latin, or consulting on someone else's translation or edition. Latin 310, Researching Swedenborg's Theological Neo-Latin, will be offered in the spring term of the year 2000, starting the week of March 13th and ending just before Memorial Day weekend. The course will introduce the student to methods and resources for studying Swedenborg's Latin. It presupposes completion of two years of college Latin or their equivalent.
     To register for the course, contact the Bryn Athyn College secretary at 215-938-2543. Those over 55 years old who take the course for credit will receive a 50% discount. Auditors are also welcome.
     The General Church Translation Committee is offering a full-tuition scholarship for one person taking the course for credit. To be considered for the scholarship, contact the instructor directly:
Jonathan S. Rose, Ph.D.; [email protected]; phone 215-938-2687; fax 215-938-2658.

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ORDINATIONS 2000

ORDINATIONS              2000




     Announcements
     Nzimande--At Durban, South Africa, November 14, 1999, Edward Nzimande into the first degree of the priesthood, Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss officiating.
CORRECTION 2000

CORRECTION              2000


     Announcements





     In the November 1999 issue, in the announcement of the baptism of twins, the name Gerhardt was incorrectly spelled. Drake Gerhardt and Grayson Heath are the sons of John Gerhardt Wille.

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audio book of Helen Keller 2000

audio book of Helen Keller              2000

     The audio book of Helen Keller, Light In My Darkness, revised by Ray Silverman and read by Sasha Silverman in full text, has just been released. Helen Keller speaks volumes about how the gift of Swedenborg's Writings opened the eyes of her spiritual understanding. This three cassette audio book is nicely packaged and would make a lovely gift.
     Approx. running time 4 1/2 hours and costs $11.95 + $2.00 postage.
     GENERAL CHURCH SOUND RECORDING LIBRARY,
     To borrow or buy a tape to order a catalog, call or write to:
Box 743, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009-0743
(215) 914-4980, FAX (215) 914-4935
E-mail: [email protected]
DOVE AT THE WINDOW 2000

DOVE AT THE WINDOW              2000

     (Fountain Publishing)
     This attractive book, edited by Vera P. Glenn, seems to be on its way to becoming a "best seller" in New Church circles. It has potential appeal beyond these circles, and we hope to see it widely promoted.

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Joy of Spiritual Growth 2000

Joy of Spiritual Growth       Frank Rose and Robert Maginel       2000

     "We are all progressing spiritually as we go through life, and this growth will take place despite what we do. So why should we be interested in working on our spiritual growth? To understand this inner process of spiritual growth, we must picture ourselves as under two sets of influences, one negative and one positive .... The spiritual growth program described in this book provides many methods for recognizing and dealing with the negative pressures that come up in daily living.
     Frank and Robert lead spiritual-growth groups in which both the principles of Emanuel Swedenborg's theology and a twelve-step approach are applied. They guide people to nurture the spiritual dimension to make their lives more loving, peaceful, and effective. It is their hope that these daily tasks will provide the reader with a more meaningful relationship with God, self, and others.
     Published by
Swedenborg Foundation
Price: U.S. $13.95 plus postage U.S. $1.20
     General Church Book Center                Hours: Mon-Fri 9-12 or
Cairncrest                                        by appointment
Box 743                                    Phone: (215) 914-4920
Bryn Athyn, PA 19009                         Fax: (215) 914-4935
E-mail: [email protected]

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Notes on This Issue 2000

Notes on This Issue              2000


Vol. CXX February, 2000 No. 2

New Church Life

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     For the sermon on the opposite page, Mr. Schnarr read as a lesson from the story of Isaac and Rebekah and the words in the Arcana Coelestia under the phrase "And Isaac went out to meditate in the field." He read from the place in True Christian Religion which treats of the commandment on keeping the Sabbath, a day of rest from labors and of meditation on such things as relate to salvation and eternal life.
     We have an advertisement and comments on a new paperback by Rev. Kurt H. Asplundh called Teach Us to Pray. Alan Ferr of Canada invites us to think of the words we say in English when we pray the Lord's Prayer. Is it best to say "Thine" rather than "Yours"?
     What words we use seems to be a focus of attention. Two writers respond to Dr. James Brush about the word "conjugial." Christina Uber of western Pennsylvania calls for attention to the appropriate use of capital letters, and Dr. George Dole shares his point of view thereon.
     Tryn Clark writes that "It is easy to imagine why our elders bemoan the day our church has gotten too big, too busy, too spread out for the intimacy of a family to be maintained for the group as a whole." She suggests settings where people are able to interact in the ways that support spiritual development. We are reminded that the book by Rev. Frank Rose, The Joy of Spiritual Growth, is getting good use in various quarters. The book is sold by the Swedenborg Foundation for $13.95.
     Rev. Grant Odhner writes: "What would a loving relationship mean unless we had met the other person in time and had chosen to pursue the relationship and had grown with it through time? The Lord wants us to enjoy His love in relationships."

Received from Australia-We have just received a copy of a shiny gold calendar of themes and daily readings from Emanuel Swedenborg. There are 365 one-line quotations from the Writings. Speaking for the Swedenborg Association of Australia, Julian Duckworth says, "The calendar provides a broad summary of Swedenborg's teachings, and in this form these can be used for personal meditation, reflection, instruction, discussion and the work of regeneration." We hope to see copies available on this side of the ocean.
MANAGING DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT 2000

MANAGING DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT              2000

     At a joint meeting in December 1999 the Boards of Directors of the Academy of the New Church and the General Church voted to accept the recommendation of an ad hoc committee regarding development activities. That committee, comprised of directors of both institutions, proposed a functional model for the development office, combining the efforts of both organizations under one Managing Director of Development.
     We are now seeking qualified candidates for this position. Deadline for application materials is March 15, 2000. Interested parties should contact Karen Day Stoeller (847-724-0444 or [email protected]) or Jill A. Brickman (630-571-8100 or [email protected]) for a job description and application requirements.
     The General Church of the New Jerusalem and the Academy of the New Church are equal-opportunity employers. Membership in the General Church is required, as is a commitment to New Church education at all levels.

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MEDITATION 2000

MEDITATION       Rev. Arthur W. Schnarr       2000

     "His delight is in the law of Jehovah, and in His law he meditates day and night" (Psalm 1:2).

     All of us want to have happy, joyful lives, full of goodness and delight. We all want things to go smoothly, and to feel satisfied and fulfilled. So often, however, it seems that this is just a dream that will never come true. We may experience fleeting moments or short periods of real happiness and contentment, but what must we do to have lasting and enduring peace?
     The Lord's Word is full of good ideas and suggestions of things we can do to have happiness in life: shunning our evils, praying, reading the Word, listening to preachings, singing songs of praise, giving thanks to the Lord, looking for the good in others, using our spiritual talents, being of use to others, and many more. Our dream of peace and happiness in life can come true. In fact, this is exactly what the Lord wants our lives to be filled with. It is His dream too. Furthermore, He has the power to make these dreams come true. We don't have the power to acquire happiness for ourselves, but He gives us the power to cooperate with Him, to work with Him, to use His power. He has power over all the evil spirits and hells that try to stop us. He rules over all things. All we need to do is use the power He gives us and the freedom we have from Him to compel ourselves to cooperate with Him.
     Today we will look at the quiet activity of meditation, so often given to us by the Lord in His Word as a prescription for healing that results in happiness. We have the examples in today's lesson of Isaac meditating in the field, which means "to meditate in good" (AC 3196), the result being that the Lord gave him a good wife and family. When we meditate on good things, good things happen. When we meditate on evil things, evil things happen. This is a law of spiritual life. We have the example of Isaac's praying for children and receiving them from the Lord.

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We have Rebekah's inquiring of the Lord about the trouble she was experiencing in her womb, and the Lord's giving her an answer. Isaac and Rebekah are real people who lived in this world just like you and me. Just as the Lord answered their prayers and meditations, so He will answer ours. This is the fact, the truth.
     The Lord tells us in His Word that it is a good thing to meditate. In His second coming He tells us that Sunday ought to be a day "of meditation on such things as relate to salvation and eternal life, as also a day of caring for the neighbor" (TCR 301). He tells us that a "temple" or church is to be built for "various acts of worship, preaching, instruction and devout meditation to be possible in it" (DLW 190:2).
     In the many quotations from the Psalms we read for a lesson, He tells us over and over again to meditate, not just once a week, but daily, saying: "Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day" (Psalm 119:97).
     There are many different forms of meditation, and many different techniques. We need to find the form and technique which are most suited to us. Nevertheless, there is one form of meditation which we all do naturally, and it is this form of mediation which is most often meant when the Lord suggests that we practice meditation on the Word. This type of meditation is simply taking a little time to focus and concentrate our minds on one thing. We do it naturally when we are intent on fixing or repairing something, or when we intensely concentrate on just about anything. This form of meditation is all the Lord is asking us to do.
     What does He suggest we meditate on? Most often He tells us to meditate on His Word, His teachings, His laws, His statutes, as we read in our lessons from the Psalms. He tells us to meditate on good things, good feelings, good experiences. This means we ought to meditate on positive things, positive people, and positive results for the future, positive dreams. He tells us to meditate on the things He has done for us in the past, on the ways His providence has led us, on the things we see Him doing in the lives of others.

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He tells us to meditate on the beauty of creation, on the incredible order He has put into all things of the universe and life. He tells us to meditate on things for which we can be thankful to Him, and for which we can praise Him.
     Basically, what the Lord usually means by meditating is to focus intensely and concentrate our minds on something good and/or something true (see DP 296:5). When we focus and concentrate in this way, our meditation is more productive and useful, even as our church or a business is more productive and useful when it is focused and concentrated on one purpose.
     When we take time to be in a quiet place to meditate for a little while, what happens is that we become unaware of our bodily sensations, which allows us to rise up out of our natural minds. Our spiritual mind is actually opened, we are taught (see DLW 257), and we begin thinking from love (see DLW 404:3). This is contrasted with how we think when we are in the company of others, when we are thinking in our natural minds from our understanding (see DLW 404:2, DP 61).
     At times, when we are in deep and intense meditation on spiritual things, our spirit is actually seen in the spiritual world (see DP 296:5). When this occurs, we are taught that the meditating person's spirit is easily distinguished from other spirits because "he goes about meditating and in silence, not looking at others, and apparently not seeing them. As soon as any spirit speaks to him he vanishes" (HH 438). 1 wonder what the spirits in the other world think when that happens.
     We are warned by the Lord in the Heavenly Doctrines not to spend all our time in intense meditation. Those who renounce the world and live almost solitary lives so that they can escape worldly things and devote themselves to pious meditations "in the other life are of a sad disposition" (HH 360). This is because they meditate in excess and are not performing uses. All genuine happiness comes from performing uses.

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     Nevertheless, we can be focused and concentrating on one passage of the Word all day long, keeping it in our minds while we do our work, applying it in all the situations in which we find ourselves. While this is a slightly different form of meditation, it still requires concentration and discipline. Keeping one truth or one good in mind all day, or for an entire week, praying about it regularly, is the kind of focus required when we are shunning an evil. Keeping some truth in mind throughout the day is an excellent discipline and habit to form, stretching our mind and bringing us closer to the Lord.
     The fact is, meditation has many benefits. We are taught that it stretches the mind, particularly the rational mind (as represented by Isaac; see AC 3196). Just as it is good to stretch our physical body, so also it is good to stretch our mind by concentrating, focusing, and disciplining ourselves. When we meditate on good, good things happen. We can create goodness and happiness in our lives when we use the power the Lord gives us to meditate.
     We have seen that through meditation our spiritual minds are opened. Our spiritual mind is in the light of heaven, in the light of the Lord as a spiritual sun. Some, we are told, even see the Lord as a sun, as it were, when they meditate (see TCR 767). This is why some meditation techniques include facing the sun of the natural world. The benefit from having our spiritual minds opened is that people "acquire intelligence from their own meditation," we read, especially when they are "kindled with a love of knowing truths for the sake of truths, thus for the sake of uses" (EU 38). When people meditate on the Word and the teachings of the Lord, whether in intense meditation times or lightly all through the day, for the sake of applying truths in their lives in the uses they perform, their minds are enlightened. With new light they see things in life more clearly. Their darkness, confusion, and fears fade away in the light of the spiritual world. We read in the Psalms: "My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart shall bring understanding" (Psalm 49:3). "I have more understanding than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation" (Psalm 119:99).

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     While having more intelligence, wisdom, and clarity in life is a good benefit of meditation, an even greater benefit is that the Lord removes evils by means of our meditation. That's right-the Lord removes us from evil loves and evil habits when we practice meditation! Our lives can become easier and struggle-free; we will have more peace and tranquility when we meditate.
     "Withdrawal from evil is effected by the Lord in a thousand most secret ways," we read in Divine Providence. "For instance, the enjoyments of lusts, of which a person knows nothing, are let ... into his exterior thoughts where they appear in a feeling of pleasure, delight or longing and mingle with his natural and sensual enjoyments. There [in the exterior thoughts] are the means of separation and purification, and the ways of withdrawal and unburdening. The means are chiefly the enjoyments of meditation, thought, and reflection on ends that are uses" (DP 296:10, emphasis added).
     When we practice meditation, especially on how we can be more useful and good, and also on our purpose in life, not only do we become enlightened from the light of the spiritual world, but the Lord also withdraws evil loves, thoughts, and habits from us. In other words, meditation is one of the things we can do to cooperate with the Lord so that He can regenerate us. This is just some of the good news from the Lord in His second coming.
     The benefit of practicing meditation is not only that we can be more intelligently enlightened in wisdom, or that the evils and shortcomings which cause all our unhappiness can be removed by the Lord. A real benefit of meditation is that we come into a closer friendship and working relationship with the Lord. We are more closely conjoined with Him in our lives. We are bringing His Word into our lives, which is the same as bringing Him into our lives. We are bringing His love and life into our lives. We begin to have the Lord dwelling within us, and so we also begin to dwell more in the Lord. He becomes an intimate and personal friend to us.

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Since coming into a closer and closer relationship with the Lord is what life is all about, we can see that the real benefit of practicing meditation is that it leads us to closeness with God.
     This opportunity is before us. We have the freedom from the Lord to discipline ourselves. We have instructions from the Lord. We are told the benefits of practicing meditation. We have the power from the Lord to make this change in our lives and to make use of this tool to get closer to Him and to find more peace and happiness in our lives. Make a decision today to make a commitment to yourself and the Lord to begin or increase your concentrated meditation time. Then you will say, as the psalmist did, "May my meditation be sweet to Him; I will be glad in Jehovah" (Psalm 104:34). Amen.

Lessons: Genesis 24, 25 (selections), Psalms (selections), TCR 301 CONFESSION OF FAITH 2000

CONFESSION OF FAITH       EDWARD ELMO NZIMANDE       2000

     (Upon ordination into the first degree of the priesthood November 14, 1999.)

     The Lord alone is life, and men and angels are recipients of life from Him, and they are so far recipients as they live the life of religion, which is to do good.
     The Lord inflows immediately and mediately through the heavens into man, through the soul, through the mind and into his affections and thoughts, and through these into the senses, speech and action of the body. The influx from the Lord is received by man or angel according to the order in which the man or angel is, the order varying according to the spiritual and moral life of each one in the world.
     There is a general influx as well as a particular influx. The general influx is into the things that are in order, and the particular influx is into things that are not in order.

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In other words, the general influx is proper to animals and the particular influx is proper to human beings. If the man is in the love of good, the Lord inflows into that love, and if a man is in the truth of faith, the Lord inflows into his understanding. The influx from the spiritual world inflows into the senses and bodies of animals, and that is why their senses are more exquisite than those of men. This influx from the spiritual world is what is known as instinct.
     The order of influx is that it inflows from the inmost to the outermost and from the higher to the lower and not vice versa.
     The Lord inflows in the internal way. The good which Esau represented inflowed by an internal way, but that represented by Jacob, who later became Israel, inflowed through the external way. That is why although at first Jacob appeared to have successfully supplanted his brother, he later submitted to him. The influx of Divine Truth was signified by the Children of Israel's carrying the ark around the walls of Jericho seven times. The walls tumbled down.
     It is an error to suppose that one can dispose himself to influx merely by means of prayers. Good, truth and life inflow into man from the Lord. Without influx from the Lord, men would rush into every abomination and plunge themselves into hell. The Lord inflows into all from the Divine Human and not from the Divine separated, nor from the Human separated.
     A minister is to teach truths from the Word and doctrine, and thereby to lead people to the good of life. Angels perceive nothing more delightful than to remove evils from man and to lead him to heaven. This love inflows into the angels from the Lord.
     The Lord told John to feed His lambs, and to take care of His sheep and to feed His sheep. I undertake to teach the Lord's doctrine to the end that interiors and exteriors may be reduced into corresponding order for the reception of Divine Influx.
     Of himself man is merely passive, but by influx from the Lord man becomes truly active.

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MUTUAL LOVE: ITS ROLE IN THE WORK OF THE CHURCH 2000

MUTUAL LOVE: ITS ROLE IN THE WORK OF THE CHURCH       TRYN GRUBB CLARK       2000

     Current study of governance in the church stimulates consideration of differing roles of priesthood and laity in the actual work of the church. By "actual" is meant those works that arise from living states of love and wisdom which represent real connection with our living Source, and manifesting His presence among us. The term "uses" is used frequently in describing what lay people are to do-uses of charity. Lay people are to be taught the truth and to be led by truth to the good of life.
     AC 2009e reminds us that "there is no salvation . . . in any other doctrine . . . than mutual love, which is the true doctrine of faith . . . " The faith one needs to learn about and to be led to, then, is the living faith which has the affection of charity within it, this being another term for mutual love. Further, "The faith that is not from charity and that is not of charity, is not faith . . . since the affection of charity made manifest to sight in thought is faith" (AE 229:3).

     Truths of faith are all about love and loving effectively.

     The quality of the church is ultimately determined in the substance of human relationships and what is effected through them. The quality of both the new heaven and the new earth will be that of mutual love, and the doctrine accurately describes the reasons for this. "'From the tribe of Asher were sealed twelve thousand' signifies mutual love, which is the love of doing the good of use to the community ... with those who will be of the Lord's New Heaven and New Church . . . . This love descends proximately from love to the Lord, because the Lord's love is to do uses to the community ... and He does them through people who are in love to Him" (AR 353).
     The fundamental use He desires for the community is that each person have the experience of giving and receiving His love and thus coming into union with Him through this communion with other people.

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This conjunction "is effected by charity, because God loves every human being, and as He cannot do good to them immediately, but only mediately through other people, He inspires individuals with His own Love, as He inspires parents with love for their children; and those who receive that love have conjunction with God, and from God's love love their neighbor; and in them God's love is within their love toward the neighbor, and produces in them the will and ability [to love]" (TCR 457:3).

     The Individual Becomes a Church

     How does the individual become a vessel able to receive and sustain this powerful reality of the Lord's love for other people? This is a crucial question because of the profound reality that God has made us the bearers and witnesses of His love for us, and this is the real and living work of the church.
     The story of Jacob/Israel-his wives, maidservants, sons and daughter-reveals the steps and process that the individual and community take to become a living church. Some of the steps are between the person and the Lord, and some are the result of the work of the church, work done between two people or in community. The first four sons of Jacob are born by Leah: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah.
     Our Reuben state of mind is initiated by instruction and example, and is the special purview of the priesthood. We are taught what is right and just, and we see our obligation to act well, to follow the dictates of our teachers and teachings about right human relationships. Even this step can be enhanced if we can recognize the value of treating others well from having been treated well ourselves. Our remembered states of having been loved and valued give weight to acting that way ourselves. It is intriguing to notice that the priesthood were not called from the tribe of Reuben but from Levi.

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     "Just as John was the first of the apostles because he represented the good of charity, so was the tribe of Levi first, since by Levi the good of charity was represented, and for this reason the tribe of Levi was appointed to the priesthood, and the priesthood is the first of the church" (AE 229:4). That is, they are to represent the "good of charity" or mutual love. This is the goal of teaching and leading, thus the essence of what the priesthood, set aside, is to remind us of in worship and instruction; not that they alone possess mutual love, but that this is the goal of all their work. "This mutual love or charity toward the neighbor is what is meant by spiritual love, and is signified by 'Levi'" (AC 3875:5).
     Simeon was born before Levi. The quality of the Simeon state is the single most important contribution by individuals to their spiritual work, to their becoming worthy vessels for the Lord's love. Simeon represents faith in the will. In our Simeon state we decide to obey the Lord's Word. We see what we ought to do and we make the choice to do it. This willingness comes from that belief in us that runs counter to the impulses of mood, of habit, even habits of goodness. It comes from a decision to obey because we see that it is commanded. After this willingness is born from one's own choice and effort, then Levi is born. Levi is the reward, the love of the neighbor that is the Lord present in us. Previous to this the Lord had been presented to our minds by means of instruction. Now the Lord makes Himself present from within, in our loving of the neighbor. Now there is a marriage in us described as the conjugial conjunction, the marriage of good and truth that gives birth to a living church in the individual heart.

     Levi signifies the truth which is the third of regeneration, or the new birth; this is truth as to affection, thus it is to be affected with truth, which is the same thing as charity. [Judah is next-born.] But Judah signifies good, which is the fourth of regeneration, or the new birth, and this is the celestial of love. When the regenerate, or they who are born anew, arrive at this stage, the Lord appears to them, for they have ascended from the lowest step, as by a ladder, up to the step where the Lord is . . . .

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Descent follows afterward, for individuals cannot descend unless they have first ascended. Descent is nothing else than looking at truth from good, as from a mountain upon which they have climbed people view the things which lie beneath (AC 3882).

     The Work of the Church: Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher

     In the commerce between people, when we begin to be moved by the Lord's love for others, and to have insights from love about others, we then have something real to exchange on the spiritual level. The next four sons describe the means for these relationships to be transformative. It's a give-and-take process because we alternate between needing/lacking these means in obscure states, and then in elevated states successfully manifesting them. Our love of the good in each other-the gift of Levi- enables us to reach out to help and heal one another with affection and with truth (see TCR 457).
     The four mediating states in birth sequence are: 1. The affirmative principle (Dan); 2. Temptations in which there is successful resistance at the natural level (Naphtali); 3. Good works (Gad); 4. A trusting love of the Lord and states of blessedness from this (Asher) (see AC 3923, 3924, 3929, 3935, 3959). These states are referred to as ascending and descending; they serve as the means for us to be born again in our external mind and actions, to be pruned so that we may bear good fruit in our lives. The community of the church is essential for this process to be successful. One cannot learn how to love the neighbor in isolation. The work and the reward of the church community is to experience the Lord's love in our hearts for another, for all, and to feel it reflected back to us, to see it reflected in uses to others.
     In the shifting states described by Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher, we are assisting one another with various kinds of effort: sometimes receiving, sometimes giving, ultimately giving and receiving in the reward of mutual love among spiritual brothers and sisters.

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The work-the uses we perform for each other-may involve truth-telling at the critical moment to lift a state of temptation; it may be standing by with love to strengthen another's resolve to do what's right. Sometimes we are strengthened by memories of love and insight from childhood, and other times it is the word spoken by a friend yesterday that gives us the courage to stand firm on an issue. When in temptation we feel hungry for the Lord's love to be alive in our hearts, then the touch of a loved one may rekindle our hearts. When we see a friend making the same mistake time after time due to ignorance or habit, the time comes when we find a way to successfully draw it to the person's attention, at the time when there is thirst for instruction. In the struggle against hereditary evil, each one of us at times is imprisoned in deeply rooted evil tendencies, sickened by actual habits of evil that can destroy us, possibly ashamed of our family's past evils over which we have no control, our innocence damaged by being a victim of society's disorders. Instruction is necessary to remind us of the Lord's loving mercy and power to heal, but it is the witness and the presence of that love and care in other people's hearts that does the healing. This is the way the Lord has ordained and commanded it (see Matt. 25:31-46).
     When we see our selfish actions and ignorant attitudes hurting another, failing to welcome a stranger, if our heart is moved by compassion we are especially able to repent and to change our behavior. However, we may need help to mediate healing, and guidance on ways to repair the damage. This is the work of the church, sometimes assisted by priestly support, often done by a person in community with the affected parties. Love for the other and knowledge of the workings of a relationship may lead to the key insight needed for healing. Or the one we have damaged may be our best teacher.
     All of this is the crucial work of the laity, work that can be done only in relationships. This healing work of the laity is effected in spaces of trust and honesty and attentiveness, of commitment to "use," to forgiveness and service to one another-Dan, Naphtali, Gad and Asher, in service to the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and the imprisoned.

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     The Reward

     Issachar is next-born: the reward, mutual love, the conjugial principle: "For in the spiritual sense the conjugial principle is nothing else than truth which can be conjoined with good, and good which can be conjoined with truth" (AC 3942:3). And AC 3957 continues: "Since Issachar means reward, and reward in the external sense is mutual love and in the internal sense the joining together of good and truth, . . . good has to be joined to truth if the heavenly marriage is to exist in a person." See also AC 3952, 2737-8, 4956, 4606.
     While Levi represents the birth of love in our hearts, Issachar manifests the deeper union of the internal state of good with an ordered external that can manifest this love in a sustained way.

From what has been said we can see that what principally disjoins the external person from the internal is the love of self, and that what principally unites them is mutual love, which love is never possible until the love of self recedes, for these are altogether contrary to each other. The internal man is nothing else than mutual love. A person's very spirit or soul is the interior human that lives after death, and it is organic, for it is adjoined to the body while a person is living in this world. This interior human, that is, the soul or spirit, is not the internal man, but the internal man is in it when mutual love is in it. The things that are of the internal man are the Lord's, so that it may be said that the internal man is the Lord. But because to an angel or human being living in mutual love the Lord gives a heavenly own, so that it appears no otherwise than that one does good of oneself, the internal man is predicated of human beings as if it were their own. But those who are in mutual love acknowledge and believe that all that is good and true is not theirs but the Lord's; and their ability to love another as oneself-and what is more, if they are like the angels, their ability to love another more than oneself-this one acknowledges to be the Lord's gift . . . (AC 1594:5).

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     This passage makes a significant allusion to the fact that people must acquire this level within because it is here that the Lord dwells within a person. It also calls attention to the reality that this level is to be acquired while on this earth. In fact those who will make up the Lord's New Church are those who have done so (see AR 353).
     It is evident that at this point "reward" in the external sense means mutual love. In the sense higher than this, which is the internal sense, "reward" means heavenly conjugial love, as may be seen from what has been stated already about the heavenly marriage-2618, 2739, 2741, 2803, 3024e, 3132, 3952-that is to say, it is the joining together of good and truth, and mutual love is the offspring of that conjunction or marriage, 2737, 2738. From all this one may see that in the internal sense "reward" means heavenly conjugial love (AC 3956:2).
     Significantly, we are advised here of the distinction between a relationship of marriage and "the conjugial principle" that individuals will need to acquire within themselves in the process of becoming a "church." CL 127 reminds us that there is an 11 echoing" of the meaning of marriage between people on the natural level with that conjunction in an individual:

Conjugial love corresponds to the affection of genuine truth and to the chastity, purity, and holiness thereof . . . ; semination corresponds to the potency of truth . . . ; prolification corresponds to the propagation of truth . . . ; and the love of infants corresponds to the protecting of truth and good. Now because truth in people appears as their own and good is adjoined to it by the Lord, it is evident that these correspondences are correspondences of the natural man with the spiritual or internal man.

     Even more specific is the description in the CL 121 heading: "That the spiritual offspring which are born from the marriage of the Lord with the church are truths, from which are understanding, perception, and all thought; and goods, from which are love, charity, and every affection."

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     Having said that, the Writings do describe an intimate relationship between the love of a married partner and the interior spiritual friendship of mutual love in Spiritual Experiences 4436: "I was instructed that in mutual love there is a certain derivative species of conjugial love, (such) that one wills to be the other's, and thus reciprocally; this is (the nature) of conjugial love; but that of mutual love is that individuals will to give all that is theirs to others, except one's own life, which (last) is what conjugial love wills (to give). Hence it may be manifest that mutual love is derived from conjugial love."
     Love from the Lord is so essential to the spiritual life of individuals that mutual love (for their children) "is preserved by the Lord with parents, even if they are not in conjugial love, in order that the human race may not perish" (AC 2738). Children are provided these states: "When first born, a person is introduced into a state of innocence ... then into a state of the affection of celestial good, that is, of love toward parents ... and afterwards into a state of the affection of spiritual good, or of mutual love, that is, of charity toward playmates" (AC 3183). Also AC 1776: "For infant boys and girls are in a state of mutual love . . . , thus their most tender vessels are almost heavenly, and are simply vessels for receiving . . . "

     How Is It Communicated?

     We have been taught well that conjugial love is communicated by intimate touch. It sometimes seems that we are being taught that all touch should "properly" be confined to marriage. This is clarified when the term "conjunction of minds" is looked at more closely. We are familiar with this term from the litany of definitions of marriage in the CL 179 heading: "That, regarded in itself, love truly conjugial is a union of souls, a conjunction of minds, and an effort to conjunction in breasts and thence in the body." Looking further, this term appears by itself.

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"From this it was made plain to me what the conjunction of minds or spiritual conjunction is which is charity or mutual love, namely that the mind of the one presents itself in the mind of the other with all the good of its own thought and will toward them, and in this way affects them. . . " (AC 8734). So the conjunction of minds is part of the most intimate bond, that of marriage; and it is the quality of union in the spiritual communion of the broader church body.

That between married partners, communications of love are effected by the sense of touch has been shown several times above. That thereby communications of minds also is effected is because the hands are the ultimates of human beings, and in ultimates the prior things are present simultaneously. By this sense, moreover, all things of the body and all things of the mind, being things intermediate, are held together in unbroken connection. Hence it is that Jesus touched infants . . . . He healed the sick, and they were healed who touched Him (CL 396).

     At the end of the Arcana we find another vivid description of the reality that we effect spiritual work on the level of the physical:

The interior things of an individual, which are from the person's love, and from this of the thought, put themselves forth by the touch, and thus communicate themselves to another, and transfer themselves Into another; and insofar as the other loves the person, or the things which the person says or does, so far they are received . . . . That by the touch of the hand is also signified communication, transfer and reception is because the activity of the whole body is collected into the arms and into the hands (AC 10130).

     Implications for Church Structure

     Lay people have multiple uses to contribute to the work of a living church. This is not news in itself, but the settings provided for lay people to be present to one another can either facilitate or hinder effective work. In the past there has been emphasis on the privacy of a person's relationship with the Lord. And it is true that the deepest work of our spirits goes on in the closet of our mind and heart, where the Lord is making a new thing, a heart of flesh.

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Nevertheless, we have much to do that is accomplished only in relationships. The ordering and cleansing of the external person takes human help. Accurate reflection of how we affect others by the unconscious behaviors of our lower mind and physical habit is secured in the honest communion of a friend or partner or child. Love which feeds and sustains us in our spiritual as well as natural struggles is a gift from God available through the witness and touch of another person. Truth which speaks to our specific ignorance or transgression can best be provided by the mouth of someone whose knowledge of us we can trust. The healing of emotional wounds that block access to our heavenly remains is a delicate, intimate matter. The willingness to reach for one who is trapped in evil or false persuasion is found only in another who cares enough to notice. To lead another out of such a prison takes courage, time, wisdom, and support. It takes knowledge and love. These kinds of work may be done in the community of the family, and the church is the broader family when it manifests the safety and respect and norms that make for the safety to do our spiritual work.
     With this in mind it is easy to imagine why our elders bemoan the day our church has gotten too big, too busy, too spread out for the intimacy of a family to be maintained for the group as a whole. The solution is likely to involve creating settings where people are able to interact in the ways that support spiritual development. This entails instruction about the journey and then support for that process in community. People need to know others and be known. We need to be "with" our own struggle and the struggle of our neighbors. We need to be allowed to invest our love and attention in ways that heal. There is something pivotal about the teachings connecting the correspondence of the priesthood with mutual love, "Levi." True, we are taught that the priesthood is to teach and lead thereby to the good of life. But the good of life is not acquired simply by reception of truth. The process described by the sons of Israel entails much more than instruction.

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The correspondence of Levi certainly points to more involvement in this, the crucial, the needed work of the church.
LORD'S PRAYER IN ENGLISH 2000

LORD'S PRAYER IN ENGLISH       ALAN FERR       2000

     A great effort is being made in many branches of the New Church to bring translations of the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg up to date. It is recognized that these changes will make it easier for members and newcomers to read the Writings with better understanding. It amazes me that the one translation from the New Testament that should continually be brought up to date has not been changed for many years: that of the Lord's prayer! This should be the first thing we should change in bringing our translations up to date!
     With the new millennium approaching, it seems to me that it would be good to start it with an up-to-date Lord's prayer-one that children can readily understand, and newcomers can feel is in ordinary English.
     I feel that I should not be trying to pray the Lord's prayer with my two-year-old using language that is not the same as everyday speech. Yes, I can convey a sphere of worship to him, but why not use language he easily understands?
     Some people in the church may believe that they have acquired "remains" (or remnants) that are attached to the present translation, and that using a different translation will disturb those remains. I recognize that many people will feel uncomfortable with any change to the traditional way of saying the Lord's prayer. However, I do not believe the remains are attached to any particular translation. From the Arcana Caelestia: "But what are remnants (remains)?

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Not only the goods and truths which one has learned from the Word of the Lord from early childhood onward and so had imprinted in his memory, but also all resulting states, such as love toward parents, brothers and sisters, teachers, and friends; states of charity toward the neighbor, and also of compassion on the poor and needy; in short, all states involving good and truth. These states, together with the goods and truths that have been imprinted in the memory are called 'remnants,' which the Lord preserves with a person and stores away in his internal man, though the person himself is not at all directly conscious of this" (n. 561, John Elliot translation, emphasis added). Will the Lord remove a "remnant" because the translation of the Lord's prayer in use in the future will be changed? Again: "And since the 'remnants' reside in his interiors, . . . they are used to prepare the person for and initiate him into receiving goodness and truth from the Lord. . . " (AC 7831, emphasis added). If remains are interior states, are they attached to a particular translation? Besides, if different words make you think about the meaning of what you are praying (which may not be comfortable), will you not be more attentive and less inclined to say it without thought of what is being said? And be more inclined to activate a new "remnant"?
     The use of "Thy" and "Thine" in the Lord's prayer, rather than bringing me closer to the Lord, feels to me like a way of providing some distance between us, a state of distant respect. If you addressed your earthly father as in "I love thee, Dad," would you feel you could follow that with a hug?
     In the history of the New Church, translations were done in which the emphasis was on trying to maintain the words translated to be as close as possible to the order in which they appeared in the Latin original. This has resulted in a stilted way of expressing the meaning being conveyed, making reading more difficult. Translators now are more concerned with bringing across into English the feelings and meanings of the original Latin.

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     The one phrase which differentiates the New Church form of the Lord's prayer from that of other Christian churches is the phrase "as in heaven, so upon the earth." Would you use that kind of phrase in your everyday speech? Is the order of the Greek words more important than the meaning in English? Isn't the descent from inmost things to outmost things expressed in the Lord's prayer also present when we say "on earth as it is in heaven"? Why not use ordinary English? There is no doctrinal reason for not doing so. Let's keep it simple. Didn't the Lord use the common language of the people? "Let the little children come to Me and do not forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of heaven."
     I believe that an effort should be made to select one new translation for use throughout the New Church (or perhaps even throughout the Christian world). The new recommended translation could then be used in such things as contemporary services, informal gatherings and worship services with children. As a first step, using "You" and "Your" instead of "Thee" and "Thine" could be put into effect immediately.
POSITION AVAILABLE 2000

POSITION AVAILABLE              2000

     Bryn Athyn College of the New Church is seeking applicants for a potential part- or full-time faculty position in history which would be available in the fall of 2000.
     The ideal candidate will have a Ph.D. in the field. 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 February 1, 2000 to: Dean Charles Lindsay, Bryn Athyn College, P.O. Box 717 Pendleton Hall, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

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REFLECTIONS ON THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE 2000

REFLECTIONS ON THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE       Rev. FRANK S. ROSE       2000

     (13)

"The laws of permission are also laws of the divine providence" (DP 234).

     Two people were talking about life. One was having considerable difficulty reconciling a belief in God with human experience.
     "If there is a God, why is there so much suffering in the world?" How can you believe in God when you read about little babies dying of AIDS? The questions went on and on.
     The friend said: "Think of your own life. There are things that you are responsible for as a teacher. Why is it that you let some of the students cheat?"
     "I don't let them cheat."
     "Well, you don't exactly let them, but you know it happens. Why don't you create a situation in which cheating is totally impossible?"
     "Look, this is a school, not a jail, in spite of what the students say. I am not willing to teach in a system that is so rigid that the students can't make mistakes."

     "So you see, what you want to provide for the students is a good learning experience. And you tolerate some of the abuses. There is a big difference between what you want and what you tolerate. Why can't it be the same with God?"
     "Talk about a big difference. There is an enormous difference between having children that goof off from time to time, and the terrible wars, famines, diseases and evils that affect the human race."
     "Admittedly the scale is very different, but the principle is the same. God values human freedom so much that He tolerates the abuse of that freedom. God does not love evil, but is willing to allow people to do harmful things rather than make their life so controlled that they can only do good."
     "You make it sound as if God is so determined to allow people to be free that He allows a situation where people hurt each other. What about the victims of crime? Doesn't God care for them?"
     "God cares for the victim and the criminal, and is able to turn any situation to some good end.

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Suffering has a part to play in our spiritual growth."
     "Well, I still wish that I lived in a world without so much evil in it."
     "Suppose you found a perfect world. Wouldn't you be afraid to be part of that world?"
     "Why would I be afraid of that?"
     "Do you consider yourself to be without any faults? Since you are imperfect, you would spoil a perfect world if you entered it. Maybe the deeper question is, 'Why does God permit evil to exist in your own heart-you who are so concerned about evil in the world?'"
     "Now wait a minute. I am not that bad."
     I didn't say that you were bad, just that you were imperfect. Why do you think that God allows you to make mistakes?"
     I would hate to live in a world where I was so controlled that I couldn't make mistakes."
     "Then you see-God permits your mistakes and provides for your spiritual growth. These are the two sides of the divine providence. And the laws that govern what the Lord provides are the same laws as the ones that deal with what the Lord permits. This is the beautiful consistency of the way God operates."
PASSAGES ON MEDITATION 2000

PASSAGES ON MEDITATION       Larisa Shokhov Clymer       2000

     The externals of the mind pertaining to worship are said to be "thought and meditation concerning God, and concerning heaven, eternal life and salvation" (Charity 175).
     Passages of the Writings sometimes begin: "Once I was meditating on . . . . " When Swedenborg was meditating on married love, "the delight of that love which he saw in my face was because I was meditating on married love. This meditation shone forth from my eyes, and thence entered the interiors of my face" (CL 316).

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Swedenborg Epic in Russian 2000

Swedenborg Epic in Russian              2000

     It is a privilege for me to write a review of Dr. Vladimir Maliavin's recent translation of Cyriel O. Sigstedt's biography of Emanuel Swedenborg. It was a great pleasure for me to read it in my native language.
     I first read this book 15 years ago in English and it impressed me so much that it inspired me to read and study more about the religion of the New Church.
     This finally led to my becoming a member of the church. Even though this was the second time I have read this book, Dr. Maliavin's fluent translation held my attention as if it were the first time.
     I believe it faithfully and accurately presents the meaning of the original book. It is written in a simple, clear language that I think even non-intellectuals can understand.
     I assume that the translation is an abridgement of the original, but he has left out nothing important and has kept the most valuable ideas.
     In my opinion this book would be of great interest to any Russian spiritual seeker. I would highly recommend this book for wide distribution among Russian-speaking Americans and native Russians.
     Larisa Shokhov Clymer
LEARNING TO PRAY 2000

LEARNING TO PRAY              2000

     Prayers from the Word for Personal Use

     A new booklet is advertised on the last page of this issue. It is an 83-page pocket paperback by Rev. Kurt Horigan Asplundh.
     An important feature of this excellent booklet is the adaptation of verses of Scripture for the use of prayer. As the author says, "With slight modifications, many powerful and beautiful passages in the Word can be changed into prayers.

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     "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him" becomes "Let me rest in You, Lord, and wait patiently for You." A prayer from Psalm 29 is: "Let me give unto You, Lord, the glory due to Your name; let me worship You in the beauty of holiness."
     Most of the selections in the book are quoted without change. Some have been modified by adding only a word or two. The familiar teaching of the Writings is that the Word is in its fullness and power in the sense of the letter, and that by means of it we have conjunction with the heavens. Evidently, then, a book like this has a precious use.

     Here are some of the headings under which the prayers are gathered:

     Prayers for Mercy and Forgiveness
     Prayers for Troubled Times
     Prayers for Personal Strength
     Prayers of Personal Commitment
     Prayers for the Lord's Help and Protection
Comforting Prayers

     Under the heading of "Prayers on Special Subjects" we have the following subjects:

     Angels
     Beauty
     Children
     Marriage
     Morning
     Old age
     Peace
     Youth

     Here is a prayer adapted from Conjugial Love 321:

     Lord, I rejoice that true marriage continues after death and that the spirit of my partner in the other world may dwell continually with my spirit in this world until I die, when we may meet again and reunite and love each other more tenderly than before. Thank you, Lord, for this comforting promise.

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SO TEACH US TO NUMBER OUR DAYS THAT WE MAY GAIN A HEART OF WISDOM 2000

SO TEACH US TO NUMBER OUR DAYS THAT WE MAY GAIN A HEART OF WISDOM       Rev. Grant H. ODHNER       2000

     (Reprinted from the January 2000 edition of the Oak Arbor News.)

     In reflecting on the Lord the psalmist realized: a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past, and like a watch in the night" (Psalm 90:4).
     The Lord is not in time. Time is something that He introduced into our world so that we might have a starting place and an identity. Finite minds need time, or at least progression, in order to have a sense of participation in the Lord's life. Think of it! What would a loving relationship mean unless we had met the other person in time and had chosen to pursue the relationship and had grown with it through time? The Lord wants us to enjoy His love in relationships. That is His goal. Time is one of the things He creates in order to provide for that.
     But the love itself is eternal, not in time. The Heavenly Doctrines of the New Church invite us to see the distinction between time and mental states. We read:

Insofar as [a person's] state is one of affection and therefore of joy, or insofar as it is one of thought and thus of absence from the body, he is outside time. For while such a state lasts, many hours seem to him to be as scarcely one hour. The reason for this is that mental states belong to his internal person, which is his spirit (AC 3356, emphasis added).

     An incredible number of things can happen in just a few minutes of dreaming, because in dreams we are in a purely mental world (see DLW 74).
     Now between seeing that mental states are not bound by time and imagining how things are with the Lord, there still lies quite a step. But we can make that step if we try.
     With the Lord there isn't even any progression. All is now to Him. He is in time but apart from time, just as He is in space but apart from space.

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But He stands infinitely "above and beyond" time and space. They are not even a speck of dust beside His small toe (there being no ratio between the infinite and the finite)!
     This grand perspective could make us lose our sense of connection with the Lord. But wait! He is still "near" to us-in fact, all the "nearer" on account of not being bound by time. He knows each of us intimately. His eyes are always on our absolute potential for receiving His love and wisdom. He is not disappointed by our clumsy and slow progress. He is not worried that we have failed for the thousandth time, or that we will fail a thousand more times. He is not dejected by "lows." (All these emotions stem from being stuck at a point in time or progression.) Indeed, He is not anxious if we choose evil. He sees us apart from time. And He works calmly in time and into time to bring about what he sees we will choose-whether this choice is at the highest level of receiving His life or at the lowest.
     I'm not sure it's possible for us to understand how the Lord can experience joy apart from time. Time and "process" are so important to the way we find joy and happiness. Yet I think we can all recognize that at the moment when we feel the mercy of His love through a kind friend's forgiveness, at the moment in which we experience wise insight, at the moment we are deeply affected by something innocent and precious, the Lord is present. And the way we then feel knows no time.
     These are the eternal moments we need to work for. Everything else is passing.
     Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you . . . . I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst (John 6:27,35).

     Do not fret because of evildoers,
     Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.

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     For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
     And wither as the green herb . . . .
     Commit your way to the Lord; Trust also in Him,
     And He shall bring it to pass (Psalm 37:2-5).

     As for man, his days are like grass;
     As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
     For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
     And its place remembers it no more.
     But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
     On those who fear Him,
     And His righteousness to children's children,
     To such as keep His covenant,
     And to those who remember His commandments to do them (Psalm 103:15-18).

     All flesh is grass,
     And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.
     The grass withers, the flower fades,
     Because the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
     Surely the people are grass.
     The grass withers, the flower fades,
     But the word of our God stands forever (Isaiah 40:6-8).
GIFT FOR HAVING MEDITATED 2000

GIFT FOR HAVING MEDITATED              2000

     "This laurel is given to you because from childhood you have meditated on heaven and hell" (True Christian Religion 570).

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ARE PEOPLE HAPPIER THESE DAYS? 2000

ARE PEOPLE HAPPIER THESE DAYS?       Editor       2000

     In 1996 the May issue of Scientific American had an article on the pursuit of happiness. This gave rise to two editorials in this magazine. We noted the passage in Divine Providence that asks whether one person is happier than another. This is DP 250, which demonstrates that wealth and status do not cause happiness, and that agrees with the findings in that 1996 scientific magazine.
     A couple of years later there were some surveys about happiness, professors from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire and Warwick University in England organizing studies on the subject. In 1972, 34% of Americans characterized themselves as "very happy." Now it is closer to 30% (even though economic conditions have improved). Britons are one percent happier although less prosperous. That is, 31 percent of Britons say they are "very happy." We find that the General Social Surveys of the University of Chicago interviews 1,500 people a year about happiness.
     Among the recent findings: Women are happier than men, but women are 7% less happy than they were in 1972. "Happiness levels follow a U-shape, rising in youth, declining in middle age, bottoming out at age 40 and rising again." A lasting marriage is noted as a prime ingredient of happiness.
     This will continue to be of interest, for the Divine love intends happiness. Indeed "every person is created to live forever in a state of happiness" (DP 324:6).
GOD'S INTENTIONS FOR US 2000

GOD'S INTENTIONS FOR US       Editor       2000

     (2)

A passage in Divine Providence teaches that we have an inherent inclination to pursue riches and greatness. Deeply concealed in hereditary evil is an inordinate desire to become greater than God and to possess boundless wealth. If we were left to follow those desires we would be on a road to frustration and unhappiness. Our undertakings and plans in this direction are contrary to the intentions of Divine Providence.

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     "Quietly and gradually" the Lord works against those plans, all the while "permitting man to act according to the thought which he rationally adopts" (DP 183).
     Our thoughts are not God's thoughts. Our ways are not God's ways (see Isaiah 55). Which one of us would plan to have a humbling experience? Many places in the Word teach that the Lord humbles the proud and exalts the humble (see DP 183).
     A humbling experience leaves us less exalted in the eyes of others, and we sense disappointment and failure.
     Things did not go the way we planned! It is possible, however, to swallow the pill and even to smile inwardly as we reflect that the proud side of our nature has been helped according to a better plan.
HAPPENINGS HERE AND THERE 2000

HAPPENINGS HERE AND THERE              2000

     On January 12th Mr. Duncan Smith of Glenview, Illinois, set off for Ghana, where he will stay for three weeks getting a firsthand view of the progress of a school building and the use there of new computers. From Ghana he will travel to London to visit the Swedenborg Society. Mr. Smith is interested in the publishing of books of the Writings in Russian.
     Early in January Rt. Rev. Alfred Acton went to Taiwan where Dr. Vladimir Maliavin had arranged for him to lecture. From Taiwan he flew to Australia, preached at the Hurstville church in the Sydney area and participated in the Australian church camp.
     Next month Rev. Andrew Heilman plans a visit to New Church people in Brazil.

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IS "CONJUGIAL" PERFECTLY ACCURATE? 2000

IS "CONJUGIAL" PERFECTLY ACCURATE?       Rev. Reuben Bell       2000

Dear Editor:

     About this word "conjugial" that just won't go away: I have read Dr. Brush's recent letter in NCL ("On the Use of the Term 'Conjugial Love' in Translations of the Writings") and I have reread Bruce Rogers' translator's notes on the subject in his 1995 translation of the work as Married Love (Swedenborg, Emanuel, Married Love, General Church of the New Jerusalem, Bryn Athyn, PA., 1995, p. dxlvii). Here is my response to these very similar arguments, attempting not to put the matter to rest, but only to continue the conversation.
     Dr. Brush, mirroring the Writings, distinguishes between the different states of "conjugial love" and "truly conjugial love," in keeping with the apparently graded nature of this love in actual use. This is of course correct. He then calls for the "preservation of the most fundamental heavenly love within the New Church" by the elimination of the very term that by common usage by many has come to define that most fundamental love itself. This I find curious.
     The Rogers argument is in general agreement with, and all the more convincing than, Dr. Brush's because of its thoroughness. His research into the historical use of the term is impressive, and his premise is essentially valid.
     But I think something is missing from these arguments. They seem to regard language as a static form, while to me it seems that the life of language and terminology is that it evolves over time in response to the necessities brought to bear on it. Please note that I am talking about language here and not doctrine or direct teachings from the Writings. Although our understanding of doctrine may improve over time, and our degree of enlightenment can and certainly does change, I do not believe that doctrine itself evolves in this manner.

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But evolving terminology and evolving doctrine are two very different things, and must not be confused.
     I believe that there is one such obvious necessity for a term to designate what both scholars identify as a special case of love in marriage. At the far end of the continuum of this love in all its degrees of perfection lies "love truly conjugial" or "genuine married love." This ideal state is not easily defined, but context suggests it to be the ideal state toward which we strive. Is there not a term we could apply to this, to set it apart in conversation for the special state it is? I suggest that over the 205 years since John Clowes introduced us to this euphonious "misinterpretation," New Church men and women have come to understand the term to mean just this ideal state of married love. I don't believe that a new doctrine has evolved from the use of this term. I believe that what has evolved is the term itself, used to denote a particular case within the range of loves possible between men and women. A technical theological term has evolved, which is useful in certain ways to certain people. Could other terms do? Yes. Could we do without it, and just use the term "genuine married love"? Of course. My point is that as long as we know what we are talking about, our terminology is of secondary importance. And the more terms available to us the better, to better accommodate the message to a wider range of people.
     In disagreement with Dr. Brush, I do not see this as "an obscure term," but as a very descriptive one indeed. Has it been taught or preached incorrectly over the years? Sometimes. Does that detract from its utility when properly used? No. Is it perfectly accurate? No. Has it become indispensable in common usage for an evolving language? Yes, for many. Is it the only word? No. Is this the last word? I don't think so.
     Rev. Dr. Reuben Bell
     Sudbury, Massachusetts

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ON THE USE OF THE TERM "CONJUGIAL LOVE" IN TRANSLATIONS OF THE WRITINGS 2000

ON THE USE OF THE TERM "CONJUGIAL LOVE" IN TRANSLATIONS OF THE WRITINGS       Richard R. Gladish       2000

Dear Editor:

     Dr. James Brush has raised an objection to the use of the term "conjugial love" in translations by the New Church (NCL Dec. 1999, p. 537 et seq.).
     The present writer, not a Latin scholar, went to Swedenborg's own index for the Arcana Coelestia for what seemed a reasonable answer to the difficulty cited by Dr. Brush. In this index, under the heading "Marriage (conjugium). Conjugial Love," we read: "Conjugial love is from the Lord's love toward the whole human race, 686 . . . . [It] is the fundamental of all loves . . . . Conjugial love was the heavenly happiness of the Most Ancient Church, 995:3 . . . . Love truly conjugial is the union of two minds from the marriage of good and truth: illustrated 10168, 10169. [See through n. 10174.]"
     And isn't it useful to have a distinctive term for something so important and unique?
     Richard R. Gladish
     Bryn Athyn, PA
NEW CENTURY EDITION 2000

NEW CENTURY EDITION              2000

Dear Editor:

     They should "stop the presses" over at the Swedenborg Foundation. Many of us in the General Church are unalterably opposed to changing the pronoun "He" to a small letter "he" when referring to the Lord. It is disrespectful, and fails to preserve His holiness. The Lord taught us, "Hallowed be Thy name," and yet this move to lowercasing works against that.
     Why in the world would the editors of the New Century Edition do this? I feel strongly that preserving the Lord's Divine holiness calls for giving Him the dignity conferred by capitalizing His name.

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     Besides writing to Editor Donald Rose and others involved, it might be good for people to write to Rev. Jonathan S. Rose, P.O. Box 717, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
     Everyone, please write. Even now it may be going to press.
     Christina Grote Uber
     Pittsburgh Society
CAPITALIZATION 2000

CAPITALIZATION       Rev. George F. Dole       2000

Dear Editor:

     I weigh in to the discussion of pronouns referring to the Lord with reluctance, and only because I believe there are relevant matters that have not been raised.
     For years I resisted the move toward using lower case, in considerable measure because I resented having a bunch of secular typesetters mess with my theology. If you hear a touch of proprium in this, the voice of arrogance, you hear well. It has gradually dawned on me, though, that my association of the upper case with reverence was precisely that-my association. There is no divinely mandated equation involved. The beloved King James Version of my childhood is not irreverent. Swedenborg himself, as Jonathan Rose has painstakingly demonstrated, is far from consistent; and of course there is no capitalization whatever in the real Bible, in the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts themselves, not even for the actual names of God.
     The emotional attachment to capitalization is still very real, and needs to be treated gently. It is not really addressed by rational considerations. Essentially, though, I must accept responsibility for my own preference; and the last step in doing so came at the meeting of the New Century Edition Translation Committee at which the final decision was made. We had started with very different opinions, and I doubt that any argument that has been raised in print went without earnest advocacy. We started with a genuine respect for each other's faith and sincerity as well, and never lost it.

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The discussion was intense, quiet, and thoughtful, and made no apparent progress toward agreement. The matter was not resolved until we joined in a protracted period of silent prayer. It was after this period of prayer that we found ourselves, somewhat to our surprise, unanimous; and it was this period of prayer, I believe, that enabled me to move decisively beyond the deification of my own preference.
     I wonder sometimes whether we appreciate the wonder of our theology. We believe that Jesus Christ is the only God of heaven and earth, and we believe that the good of all religions are saved. All too often, insistence on the divinity of Christ is indissolubly linked with exclusivist notions of salvation, with the belief that people who do not accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are damned. That, I am afraid, is a message more and more commonly read into the capitalization of pronouns referring to the Lord. I try reading a passage aloud and emphasizing every such pronoun, and it sounds terribly pretentious. I begin to see that pretentiousness in texts full of capital letters.
     For better or for worse, there are no "middle case" letters, no letters designed to express reverence without crossing the line into arrogance. Had we but world enough and time, we could revive the lovely practice of illumination. As it is, though, given the beauty and reverence and the urgency of the message, I believe the risk of seeming arrogant is far greater than the risk of seeming irreverent. If we can now believe what was unthinkable in my own youth, that women can be reverent in church without hats, can we not believe that a text can be reverent without caps?
     Rev. George F. Dole
     Bath, Maine
NO ASSEMBLY ART SHOW 2000

NO ASSEMBLY ART SHOW       Helen Lindsay Lee       2000

Dear Editor:

     I regret to announce that there will not be an art show sponsored by the "Friends of New Church Art" at Assembly 2000.

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Due to my age and moving problems I can no longer be the chairman for this very special group. I have searched in vain for a new chairman for the upcoming assembly. The fund owned by the group will be invested to grow, as I have been fortunate to find a new treasurer, Julie Uber (Mrs. James Uber). She is an artist, an art teacher, and is interested in having future shows.
     I feel that with the expansions of modern technology, more than ever this visual field is of great importance to our church. Art is so often misunderstood. It is a medium like music, writing, acting to project what is inside and out of an artist's feelings and mind. Art can be good and it can be bad, depending on the projector and the results. It is not bad in itself. It can be heaven-sent or hell-sent. I regret that this very thought has colored some of our efforts to try to promote and encourage beautiful art showing beautiful affections and thoughts.
     It has been my very great pleasure to make new friends in our church all over the world who are interested in New Church art. We used to sing a song in Pittsburgh at baptisms: "May he or she grow," and so my prayer is that this cause may grow.
     I thank especially Rev. Donald Rose for helping in every way and giving us space as needed in New Church Life.
     Helen Lindsay Lee
     Pittsburgh, PA
ELDERGARTEN IN SAN DIEGO 2000

ELDERGARTEN IN SAN DIEGO       Marion Horigan       2000

Dear Editor:

     It is quite difficult to put into words the atmosphere that exists at these Eldergartens. To experience the many expressions of charity and love of the neighbor is a real delight, and one really has to be there to appreciate the delightful sphere which is constantly present.
     From our arrival it was quite obvious that our hosts were going out of their way to make us feel at home. They royally entertained us in their homes and on enjoyable tours on land and water.

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At the end of the formal part of the program each day, we were treated to scrumptious lunches prepared by Helen Boker and her committee.

     We were fortunate indeed to have an outstanding staff of instructors, who all prepared their classes to meet our age group's interests and needs. Rev. Dan Goodenough, President of the Academy, covered the work Divine Providence, focusing on permissions; Rev. Brian Keith, Dean of the Theological School, in a relaxed and informal presentation, gave us opportunities to discuss permissions; and Rev. Walter Orthwein challenged our intellects in his presentation on the human mind. Drawing from his experience as an instructor in the Academy College, he used his gifted sense of humor to keep us from becoming overwhelmed.
     Rev. Fred Schnarr-the organizer of the Eldergartens and a firm believer in their usefulness-spoke to us formally on the final day of classes. In his unique and affectionate way, he traced the cycle of innocence, from childhood, when we held the hands of our parents for confidence and security, to the "age of wisdom," when we offer our hand to the Lord for the same reasons.
     The week closed on Saturday evening with a formal church service in the very attractive church of the Convention Society. The sphere in the well filled church was so strong that it will never be forgotten. It was obvious that it took our affections another step higher as we showed our gratitude to the Lord Himself. We are sure we were all touched as we observed Rev. Harold Cranch (who attended all week) sitting in his wheelchair at the front of the church, completely involved in the sphere that was so real and delightful. He must have been thinking that his dream of establishing the General Church in California had finally become a reality.
     It was a wonderful experience, and we are grateful to those who made it possible to "enter intellectually into the mysteries of faith."
     Marion Horigan
     Clare and Fred Hasen

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APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION TO THE ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH GIRLS SCHOOL AND BOYS SCHOOL 2000

APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION TO THE ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH GIRLS SCHOOL AND BOYS SCHOOL       Various       2000

     Requests for application forms for admission of new students to the Academy Secondary Schools should be made by March 1, 2000. Letters should be addressed to Mrs. Robert Gladish, Principal of the Girls School, or Mr. R. Scott Daum, Principal of the Boys School, 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, 2000.
     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, 2000. 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
     R. Scott Daum Boys School Principal
BRYN ATHYN COLLEGE APPLICATIONS 2000

BRYN ATHYN COLLEGE APPLICATIONS              2000

     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 (215-938-2543), 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!

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FREDERICK EMANUEL DOERING FUND AND CANADIAN SCHOLARSHIP FUND 2000

FREDERICK EMANUEL DOERING FUND AND CANADIAN SCHOLARSHIP FUND              2000




     Announcements





     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 2000-2001 should be received by one of the pastors listed below by the end of March 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

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GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM PUBLIC WORSHIP AND DOCTRINAL CLASSES 2000

GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM PUBLIC WORSHIP AND DOCTRINAL CLASSES              2000

     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) 5741617.

     Arizona:
Phoenix
Lawson & 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. & Mrs. Kenneth Holmes, 155 Eric St., Batesville, AR 72501. Phone: (501) 7935135.

Northwest Arkansas
Rev. Daniel Fitzpatrick, 1001 N. Oriole Ave., Rogers, AR 72756. Phone: (501) 621-9011.

     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 (949) 586-5142.

Sacramento/Central California
Bertil Larsson, 8387 Montna Drive, Paradise, CA 95969. Phone: (530) 877-8252.

San Diego
Rt. Rev. Louis B. King, 7911 Canary Way, San Diego, CA 92123. Phone: (619) 4929682.

San Francisco
Mr. & Mrs. Philip C. Pendleton, 501 Portola Road, Box 8044, Portola Valley, CA 94028. Phone: (415) 424-4234.

     Colorado:

Boulder
Rev. David C. Roth, 3421 Blue Stem Ave., Longmont, CO 80503. Phone: (303) 485-2720.

Colorado Springs
Mr./Mrs. William Rienstra, 1005 Oak Ave., Canon City, CO 81212.

     Connecticut:

Bridgeport, Hartford, Shelton
Mr. & 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 Rd., Boynton Beach, FL 33437. Phone: (561) 736-9235.

Jacksonville
Kristi Helow, 6338 Christopher Creek Road W., Jacksonville, FL 32217-2472.

Lake Helen
Mr. & Mrs. Brent Morris, 264 East Kicklighter Rd., Lake Helen, FL 32744. Phone: (904) 228-2276.

Pensacola
Mr. & Mrs. John Peacock, 5238 Soundside Drive, Gulf Breeze, FL 32561. Phone: (904) 934-3691.

     Georgia:

Americus
Mr. W. Harold Eubanks, 516 U.S. 290 West, Americus, GA 31709. Phone: (912) 924-9221.

Atlanta
Rev. C. Mark Perry, 5155 Paisley Court, Lilhum, GA 30047. Phone: (770) 381-1709.

     Illinois:

Chicago
Rev. Arthur W. Schnarr, 2719 Park Lane, Glenview, IL 60025. Phone: (847) 729-8204.

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.

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Phone: (504) 924-3098.

     Maine:

Bath
Rev. George Dole, 876 High St., Bath, ME 04530. Phone: (617) 244-0504.

     Maryland:

Baltimore
Rev. Douglas M. Taylor, visiting minister, 2704 Huntingdon Pike, Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006. Phone: home (215) 947-7618.

Mitchellville
Rev. James P. Cooper, 11910 Chantilly Lane, Mitchellville, MD 20721. Phone: home (301) 805-9460; office (301) 464-5602. (330) 527-2419.

     Massachusetts:

Boston
Rev. Reuben Bell, 138 Maynard Rd., Sudbury, MA 01776. Phone: (978) 4433727.

     Michigan:

Detroit
Rev. Grant Odhner, 395 Olivewood Ct., Rochester, MI 48306. Phone: (248) 652-7332.

Mid-Michigan
Lyle & Brenda Birchman, 14777 Cutler Rd., Portland, MI 48875. Phone: (517) 647-2190. E-mail: MidMiNC(aDiserv.net

     Minnesota:

St. Paul
Karen Huseby, 4247 Centerville Rd., Vadnais Heights, MN 55127. Phone: (612) 429-5289.

     Missouri:

Columbia
Mr. & 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 & Charlie Hitchcock, 63 E. Wheelock St., Hanover, NH 03755. Phone: (603) 643-3469.

     New Jersey:

Ridgewood
Jay & 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
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) 8257473.

Cleveland
Wayne and Vina Parker, 11848 Mumford Rd., Garrettsville, OH 44231. Phone:

     Oklahoma:

Oklahoma City
Mr. Robert Campbell, 13929 Sterlington, Edmond, OK 73013. Phone: (405) 478-4729.


     Oregon:

Portland
Mr. & 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) 3673964.

Erie
Mrs. Paul Murray, 5648 Zuck Road, Eric, 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.

Ivyland
The Ivyland New Church, 851 W. Bristol Road, Ivyland, PA 18974. Pastor: Rev. David Lindrooth, Phone: (215) 957-5965. Secretary: Sue Cronlund. (215) 599-3919. Philadelphia New Church Korean Group, 851 W. Bristol Rd., Ivyland, PA 18974. Pastor Rev. John Jin. Phone: (215) 443-2533 or (215) 947-8317

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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 & Wendy Baker, 2030 Thornhill Drive, Summerville, SC 29485. Phone: (803) 851-1245.

     South Dakota:

Hot Springs
Linda Klippensteiii. 604 S. River St. #A8, Hot Springs, SID 57747. Phone: (605) 745-6629.

     Texas:

Austin
Aaron Gladish, 10312 Bilbrook Place, Austin, TX 78748. Phone: (512) 282-5501. E-mail: [email protected].

     Virginia:

Richmond
Mr. Donald Johnson, 13161 Happy Hill Road, Chester, VA 23831. Phone: (804) 748-5757.

     Washington:

Seattle
Rev. Erik J. Buss, 5409 154th Ave., Redmond, WA 98052. Phone: home (425) 883-4327; office (425) 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, 35 O'Briens Rd., Hurstville, NSW 2220. Phone: 61-2-95795248.

BRAZIL

Rio de Janeiro Rev. Cristovao Rabelo Nobre, Rod Mendes Vassouras, km 41, Caixa Postal 85,711, 27.700-000, Vassouras, RJ Brasil. Phone: 55-024-471-2183.

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 I G 3N3. Phone: home (250) 843-7979; office (250) 782-8035.

Ontario

Kitchener

Rev. Michael K. Cowley, 58 Chapel Hill Drive, Kitchener, Ontario N2G 3W5. Phone: office (519) 748-5802.

Ottawa

Mr. & Mrs. Donald McMaster, 684 Fraser Ave., Ottawa, Ontario K2A 2R8. Phone: (613) 725-0394.

Toronto

Rev. Michael D. Gladish, 279 Burnhamthorpe Rd., Etobicoke, Ontario M9B IZ4. Phone: church (416) 239-3054.

Quebec

Montreal

Mr. Denis de Chazal, 29 Ballantyne Ave. So., Montreal West, Quebec H4X 2BL Phone: (514) 489- 9861.

DENMARK

Copenhagen Mr. Jurgen Hauptmann, Strandvejen 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, 21B Hayne Rd.,

Beckenham, Kent BR3 4JA. Phone: 44181-658-6320. Oxford Mr. Mark Burniston, 24 Purnbro, Stonesfield, Witney, Oxford OX8 8QF.

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Phone: 01993 891700 Surrey Mr. Nathan Morley, 27 Victoria Road, Southern View, Guildford, Surrey GU I 4 DJ.

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. Gyamfi, Box 10, Asakraka-Kwalm 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, Saijoh-Nishiotake, Yoshino-cho, Itano-gun, Tokoshima-ken, Japan 771-14.

KOREA

Seoul

Rev. Dzin 11. Kwak, Seoul Church of New Jerusalem, Ajoo B/D 2F, 10 19-15 Daechidong, Kangnam-ku, Seoul 135-281. Phone: home 82-(0)2-658-7305; church 82-(0)2-555-1366.

NEW ZEALAND

Auckland

Mrs. H Keal, 4 Derwent Cresc., Titirangi, Auckland 1007. 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, 13.0. Box 851, Kwaxunia, 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, Piniville 1808. Phone: 27-11-938-8314. KwaZulu-Natal

Clermont and Enkumba

Rev. Ishborn Buthelezi, P.O. Box 150, Clernaville 3602. Phone: 27-31-7071526.

Durban (Westville)

Rev. Lawson M. Smith, 8 Winslow Road, Westville 3630. Phone: 27-31-825-35 1.

Eshowe/Richards Bay/Empangeni

Mrs. Marten Hiernstra, P. O. Box 10745, Meerensee 3901. 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 Silvennine 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 Bronnna. 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.

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SERIES HIGHLIGHTS 2000

SERIES HIGHLIGHTS              2000

Within the thousands of audio recordings that make up the Sound Recording Library are over 200 series of tapes. This month we would like to highlight a few of those from our archives.

Fundamental Doctrines of the New Church ('50) by the Rev. Karl R. Alden catalog #'s 103862-103876, a fifteen-part lecture series

Heaven and Hell ('51) by the Rev. Karl R. Alden catalog #'s 104056-104079, a twenty-four-part class series

The Spiritual World ('52) by the Rev. Hugo Lj. Odhner catalog #'s 104333-104338, an eleven-part (6 tapes) class series

Self Examination ('52) by the Rev. Hugo Lj. Odhner catalog #'s 100258-100260, a four-part (3 tapes) class series

Appearances ('68) by the Rt. Rev. Elmo C. Acton catalog #'s 104579-104581, a five-part (3 tapes) class series

The Pickwick Papers ('57) by the Rev. William Whitehead catalog #'s 102899-102900, a three- part (2 tapes) lecture series

GENERAL CHURCH SOUND RECORDING LIBRARY

To borrow or buy a tape or to order a catalog, call or write to: Box 743 - Bryn Athyn, PA 19009-0743 (215) 914-4980 - FAX (215) 914-4935

E - mail: [email protected]
ASSEMBLY 2000 2000

ASSEMBLY 2000              2000

     The 33rd General Assembly takes place in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, June 21st to 25th, 2000. The assembly web site is www.newchurch.org/assembly2000.

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Learning to Pray 2000

Learning to Pray              2000

     Prayers from the Word for Personal Use

     Collected and Arranged by the Rev. Kurt Horigan Asplundh

     The Writings reveal that there are more things in the contents of the Lord's Prayer "than the universal heaven is capable of comprehending" (AC 6619), "and that the Lord is present in each thing" (AC 6476).
     While the Lord's Prayer is a model for all our prayers and is used frequently in our public and private worship, it is not the only prayer the Lord has given us. The Word is full of prayers to express our heartfelt states. Such prayers are what have been collected and arranged in this book. By the "Word" is meant all the Divinely inspired books of the Old and New Testaments and the Theological Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg.
     The prayers are arranged under eight basic headings, with room to add more of your own favorites. We believe these prayers have a special power to open heaven and give us strength against evils and falsities.
     Through prayers from the Word the Lord literally can "give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways" (Psalm 91:11).

Pocket-size paperback $4.50 plus postage U.S. $1.20 General Church Publication Committee

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

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MASTER OF ARTS IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES 2000

MASTER OF ARTS IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES              2000

     There is still time for you to enroll for graduate school courses in New Church theology for the spring term. The courses are part of the new program in the Master of Arts in Religious Studies offered by the Theological School at the Academy of the New Church in Bryn Athyn, PA. This spring term two courses will be available for students who live a distance away from Bryn Athyn:

Theology 514: Doctrine of the Lord, with Rev. Christopher Bown

Ed 525: History and Philosophy of New Church Education, with Bishop Alfred Acton

     Classes begin the week of March 13 and continue until the week of May 22 (the week before Memorial Day weekend in the USA). Sometimes e-mail is part of a course, but the basic weekly format is for distance students to participate in the classes as they meet in Bryn Athyn by means of telephone conference calls (once a week for three hours, usually a late afternoon or evening).
     Contact Alaine York about enrolling in the M.A. program and for spring courses. Phone 215-938-2640 or e-mail [email protected].
Notes on This Issue 2000

Notes on This Issue              2000


Vol. CXX      March, 2000           No. 3
New Church Life


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     What happened to the institutions of learning which began with a religious focus and mission? How did it happen and why? What a phenomenon for us to ponder. A presentation by Rev. Brian Keith has passed from hand to hand, and in spite of its length it has been read with keen interest. We are pleased to be able to publish most of it in this issue and will complete it next month together with a presentation by Rev. Dan Goodenough.
     Rev. Barry Halterman speaks in his sermon of a passage in Divine Providence that reveals the essence of who we are and what the Lord has in mind for us. He quotes from Isaiah 43, "When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned."
     This quotation puts one in mind of a song written by Kent Cooper and first presented at the Men's Gathering mentioned on page 138. The stirring music at that event was an important ingredient. Chris Simons and his talented singers did an outstanding job. It was good to see so many people from outside New Church circles getting exposure to some New Church concepts and New Church literature.
     There is a steady flow of reports for this magazine about baptisms and weddings and so forth. One sees in this issue a number of adult baptisms, and the dates indicate that while one adult was being baptized on Christmas eve in Bryn Athyn, half a dozen were being baptized in Tucson, Arizona. The death of Dr. Freda Griffith is announced on p. 143. She was almost a legend in her life of service, especially to the Swedenborg Society in London.
     In this issue and next month we will be looking at biographies of Swedenborg. People in Sweden are enjoying the new biography by Lars Bergquist, and they report that it is very interesting indeed.
     The Assembly: You will have in your hands a major mailing concerning the assembly to take place in Guelph, Ontario, Canada from June 21st to 25th. If you do not, please let us know. The assembly web site is www.newchurch.orgiassembly2000.

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DEEP CALLS UNTO DEEP 2000

DEEP CALLS UNTO DEEP       Rev. BARRY C. HALTERMAN       2000

"Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls" (Psalm 42:7).

     Are you happy with yourself! Are you the spiritual person you want to be? Most of us would probably admit that we aren't completely satisfied with who we are. Many of us might even say we are completely unhappy and discouraged with who we are. When we are unhappy and discouraged with ourselves, eventually that frustration comes out in destructive ways on ourselves and on those around us. We have probably all observed that when we are not happy with ourselves, we are more likely to snap at others for things we wouldn't normally snap at. We also become more critical of other people, more critical of ourselves, and more defensive about our own mistakes. When we are not at peace with ourselves, we are more likely to disturb someone else's peace!
     Let's leave that reality aside for a moment. What is your ideal of who you could be? What does that person look like? How does that person act? What talents does that person have? What qualities does that person have? How does that person think? How does that person feel? Nice dream, isn't it?!
     Do you really believe you can be that person? Be honest. Are you really totally confident that you can be the loving, wise, caring, spiritual person you dream of being? Why do we doubt it? Who told us we couldn't be who we wanted to be? Did the Lord ever tell us that? Did the Lord ever tell any of us that we have made too many mistakes? Did He ever tell us that it is too late for us? Did He ever tell us that we are simply incapable of becoming the person we dream of becoming? Of course not! He told us the exact opposite. He told us that "with God all things are possible" (Mark 10:27). But still we doubt it.
     Who do you want to become? We all want to feel that life has a purpose; that our individual life means something; that we have an important role to play; that we belong; that we are able to love other people and do good things for them; that we are worthy of love and are able to be loved by other people; that we can be useful and happy forever.

100


Our worldly goals pass away. Our great plans for our career fizzle. We make mistakes. We hurt other people, sometimes consciously and quite often unconsciously. We get hurt by other people. The ideal life in this world we pictured for ourselves in a younger, idealistic state really is just a fairy tale. But it is never too late to be the kind of person we want to be. In terms of our spiritual life we are still a "work in progress." The Potter isn't finished with us yet!
     What is the Lord's vision of who we are and who we can become? There is a passage in the work Divine Providence (n. 322) that reveals the essence of who we are and what the Lord has in mind for us. It reads: "It is a dictate of sound reason that all are predestined to heaven and no one to hell; for all people are born human beings, and consequently the image of God is in them." This is not the same idea of predestination preached by John Calvin and other Christian theologians. The New Church understanding of predestination is that everyone is created for heaven, but at the same time we all have the freedom to reject the Lord's leading to heaven. While we certainly are not guaranteed heaven, we are promised that we are created for heaven, that the Lord intends heaven for all of us, and that the Lord is leading us to heaven at all times.
     The passage continues: "The image of God in human beings consists in this, that they are able to understand truth and to do good. To be able to understand truth is from the Divine Wisdom, and to be able to do good is from the Divine Love. This power constitutes the image of God, which remains with the person of sound mind and is not eradicated. In consequence of this he can become a civil and a moral man; and he that becomes this can also become spiritual; for what is civil and moral is the receptacle of what is spiritual."
     The point is, we are children of God! We are created in the Lord's image and likeness.

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We are created to receive His wisdom and His love, to understand truth and to do good. Because of this we can live good moral lives, and we can even be reborn spiritually and become angels. We are created to do wonderful things. We are created to be powerful agents for spreading joy and happiness, for bringing care and comfort, for bringing the Lord's light and wisdom to each other. That is what the Lord wants for us. That is what we can become. And all we have to do, this passage tells us, is: "Live these laws not only as civil and moral laws but also as Divine laws, and you will be a spiritual person." So we can be spiritual. We can be the person we want to be.
     But we aren't that person yet, are we? We may get glimpses of it--brief moments that help us know that the dream is possible--but we aren't there yet. Why not? Why aren't we human angels yet? Sometimes we are the reason we aren't fulfilling our destiny. Sometimes we choose to follow the baser loves in us. Sometimes we choose self-gratification. Sometimes we choose self-indulgence. Sometimes we don't jump at the call to do something good for someone else. Sometimes we do whatever we can to avoid helping. Sometimes we are so preoccupied with what we want to do that we are oblivious to even the most simple opportunities to do something that would help someone else to have a better day. Sometimes we just plain don't care and, worse, we don't even care that we don't care! That is our self-centered proprium, our ego, taking over. That is our lower self usurping the role of our higher self and taking control. That is the part of us that is meant to be the servant becoming the master instead.
     Which part of us is the real us? Are we our inner soul with the power of an angel, or are we the outer self-absorbed part of our being? The answer from the Writings is that we are the one we want to be. The more we are motivated by and identify with our lower self, the more we become our lower self. The more we are motivated by and identify with the higher self that the Lord is creating within us, the more we become our higher self.

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The Lord is always flowing into our soul with His love and wisdom, and we let as much of the Lord through us as we want to. The principle stated in the Writings is that "inflow is according to outflow" (AC 5828:3). We let as much of the Lord into our lives as we bring out in our lives. The Lord's love and life is always flowing, never stopping, always encouraging us, leading us and lifting us up.
     So the Lord never gave us the idea that we couldn't be the spiritual person we want to be, but somehow we still got that message. Our confidence in that eternal, uplifting truth has been "torn" (see AC 5828). People have told us falsities that broke our confidence in that message. Evil spirits working through us have "torn" our healthy view of our self and weakened the confidence we could have had in the Lord's message. Other people, in their ignorance and their personal frustration, have limited us and defined us and, through the continual manipulation of evil spirits working on us from within, we have come to believe it.
     Rather than blame those people we have encountered in our lives who, through their repeated criticism or some other harmful practice, have helped weaken our vision and our drive for becoming the powerful spiritual person the Lord intends for us to be, we need to forgive them. It is more healthy spiritually for us to judge their actions from mercy as angels do (see AC 1079). It is more healthy spiritually for us to believe that they weren't aware of the effect they were having on us, o, that they were operating from a false belief that they were actually helping us by acting that way, or that they were simply acting out of their frustrations at not being the person they wanted to be.
     So while we have to contend with the self-centered desires of our own ego or proprium that are keeping us from being the person we dream of being, we also have influences from our environment, both our natural and spiritual environment, that contribute to our false belief that we can't become the person we want to be. Repeated assaults on our dream from within and without can make us become discouraged or complacent to the point where we simply accept that we won't ever be the person we dreamed we could be.

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We give up and say things like, "I guess that's just who I am."     
     But is that what the Lord said you were? Is that how the Lord defined you? Did the Lord place those limits on you? Did the Lord ever tell you you couldn't achieve your spiritual goals?
     The truth about who we are in the Lord's eyes and who we can become is as powerful and unstoppable as the force of a waterfall. We are children of God and we are created to be angels of heaven. When we hear that powerful, deep truth, we are hearing the Lord's own voice calling us through our soul deep within. That fundamental truth ought to sound as loud as the thunderous noise of a great waterfall! This is the meaning of the beautiful yet mysterious passage we read earlier from Psalm 42 (v. 7), "Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls." "Deep" corresponds to the unfathomable depths of the Lord's divine wisdom (see AE 538:16), and the "waterfall" stands for that truth flowing down to us from above and into our lives. The teaching that we were created to become angels is the deepest of all truths about ourselves. It is as powerful as a great, thundering waterfall. Deep within our soul we know it to be true because the Lord is flowing like a waterfall into each of our souls with that message as we read it in His Word. "Deep calls unto deep." Do you hear the waterfall?
     Listen to that message again, this time stated a little differently by the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 43:1-3): "But now, thus says the Lord who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.'"
     "Deep calls unto deep." Do you hear the waterfall?
     God isn't frivolous and He doesn't make mistakes. He creates for a purpose.

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Everyone and everything He creates has a role to play, a use to perform, a place in heaven where they can be useful to eternity. We know that the Lord has prepared a place in heaven for every single one of us because He told us so: "In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know" (John 14:2-4).
     "Deep calls unto deep." Do you hear the waterfall? Listen again: "For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written. The days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them" (Psalm 139:13-16).
     "Deep calls unto deep." Do you hear the waterfall? Listen again: "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you" (John 15:16).
     "Deep calls unto deep." The Lord is calling you from within, telling you that you were created to become an angel and that you can be the loving, wise, caring, powerful spiritual person you dream of being. May the truth about what you can become be as powerful and thunderous in your life as a great waterfall. Amen.

     Lessons: Isaiah 64:8; Jeremiah 18:1-6; Psalm 42; TCR 697:10

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SECULARIZATION OF RELIGIOUS COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES 2000

SECULARIZATION OF RELIGIOUS COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES       Rev. BRIAN W. KEITH       2000

     A PAPER PREPARED FOR THE GOVERNANCE STUDY

     The purpose of this paper is to provide background information on the process of secularization1 that has occurred at most of the religiously founded colleges and universities in this country.2 My goal is not to suggest any specific governance structure nor criticize any potential evolutions of our governance that may be considered. However, there is a growing body of information on the secularization process that is vital to consider when looking at governance structures of the Academy and its relationship to the General Church.
     1 "Secularization" here means that which is not religious. A secular institution, as all public institutions in the United States, must maintain a strict separation from anything religious. An instructor may not discuss his or her religious beliefs, and subject matter may not reflect any belief system. The result of this has been the virtual elimination of anything having to do with religion from curriculum, decision-making, and all other aspects of educational institutions.
     2 The history and the present status of religiously connected high schools is neither so well documented nor understood. From what little evidence I have been able to find, it appears there are two distinct paths. The first is for those religious schools which are very closely yoked to their sponsoring organization. These have maintained their principles and character over time. The others appear to have followed a very similar secularization route to religiously founded institutions of higher education. For example, the Quaker schools in eastern Pennsylvania retain certain customs and affinities for their Quaker roots. But with almost all of the students, faculty and administration from a non-Quaker background, these schools are Quaker more in name than reality.

     Unfortunately, this paper has grown so long that it may discourage some people from reading it. To make access to the information easier I have divided it into the following sections:

I.      Churches and Their Religious Colleges: Points of Connection or Disconnection.
II.      Discussion of the Points of Connection or Disconnection.

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III.      History of the Protestant Institutions.
IV.      History of the Catholic Institutions.
V.      Theological Seminaries.
VI.      Why Did It Happen?

     The material in sections I, II, and VI presents the key elements in the secularization process.

Introduction

     Prior to the establishing of land-grant and/or state universities, most institutions of higher education in the United States were founded by churches for furthering their denominations' goals. These usually involved training clergy, providing a "safe" environment for their children's intellectual development, and allowing a few non-denominational students to benefit from their education. Over the course of time virtually all of these institutions, especially the more prestigious ones--Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Duke, University of Chicago, Boston College, etc.--have become secular in nature with perhaps a department of religion for those few interested. The vast majority of other, less prestigious institutions may retain some vestiges of their religious roots; however, religion is often removed from their core values and decision-making processes. And a very few, such as Brigham Young, have retained their religious emphasis.
     This process of secularization, except in the case of Catholic institutions, did not happen suddenly, nor with a conscious intent to abandon the religious principles upon which these colleges were founded. Nor was it the act of a single individual or cause. As George Marsden, a leading scholar in the field, observes, "So rather than finding many culprits, what we typically find are unintended consequences of decisions that in their day seemed largely laudable, or at least unavoidable" (Marsden, p. 8). However, the accumulated decisions, the tolerated or encouraged drift to secularization, very quickly took on a life of their own which then could not be slowed nor stopped.

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And as James Burtchaell concludes in his massive study on the subject, "The failures of the past, so clearly patterned, so foolishly ignored, and so lethally repeated," provide warning markers that any religious educational organization should heed.3
     3 This and Marsden's work are the primary sources for this paper. They are fundamentally critical of the secularization process. Most other previous historians of higher education have observed this shift from religious to secular, but with high praise. See the definitive work, The Emergence of the American University by Laurence R. Veysey, as a prime example of this. The thesis is that religion inhibited and restricted the development of higher education, and thus as it was supplanted by science and the scientific method of study, true universities were at last free to develop. Historically, this interpretation is supported, because if the Harvards and others had remained in the grip of their founding denominations, and their intellectual development based on and limited to the falsities of the first Christian Church, it is extremely doubtful that they could have achieved the stature they enjoy today (see p. 851).

Section I--Churches and Their Religious Colleges: Points of Connection and Disconnection4
4 These points have been culled from a variety of sources which can be found in the bibliography.

Mission and Philosophy

What is the purpose of the institution?
     Is the religious emphasis on the uniqueness of the religion, or what is shared in common with other religions, philosophies, social movements, theologies, etc.?
     Is the religious orientation focused on the church faith or more on a moral life?
     Is the institution primarily driven to serve the church or another community such as a geographic area, the public as a whole, or a social class?

Curriculum or Theology

     Is "religion" primarily a separate discipline or is it integrated into all subject matter?

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     Are faculty, especially lay faculty, actively pursuing religious concepts in their courses?
     How many courses in religion are required per year and for graduation?

Church Connections

     Does the church organization have influence/control over the institution?
          Selecting board members?
          Selecting the president?
     Selecting the faculty?
          Determining basic policies and programs?

Board

     Are members of the board members of the church?
     Are they restricted to laity or clergy?
     How are board members selected?
          By the current board?
          By the church or church body?
          As representatives of various alumni or other interest groups?
               Within the church?
               Outside of the church?

Money

     Is the source of income primarily from within the church or outside of it?
     Is the institution primarily tuition or endowment driven? (If it is tuition driven, then having more students to produce revenue tends to take precedence, diminishing religious emphasis.)

President and Administration

     Is the president a member of the clergy or laity?
     Is the president a member of the church?
     Are administrative personnel members of the church?
     Is the president primarily concerned about the religious mission of the institution?

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Faculty

     What percentage of the faculty are clergy?
     What percentage of the faculty are active, participating members of the church?
     Is their orientation more to the "professorate" and its standards or the church values and its standards? (These are not necessarily antithetical, but have traditionally come into conflict.)
Is their membership and participation in the church a primary or ancillary factor in their hiring?

     Accreditation
     
     To what extent do external accreditation agencies affect internal policies and attitudes, leading to a diminution of the religious focus of the institution?

Students

     What percentage of students are members of, or raised in, the church?
     Is it a goal to attract and retain students from the church, or are other standards used (i.e., to become a more selective institution, trying to attract higher academic ability students, etc.)?
     When non-denominational students attend, is the primary goal to make them comfortable or to proselytize them?

Religious Life of Students and Faculty

     Is chapel required (for both students and faculty)?
     Is church attendance required?
     Is an active program leading to conversion/joining the church a key and well integrated feature of the institution?
     What determines acceptable standards of student conduct (i.e., relations between the sexes, standards of honesty, consequences when disorders occur, etc.)?
     What role does the religion play in making administrative decisions?

Other Indicators

     Is the emphasis on an "academic" study of religion or communicating the truths of faith to all students?

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     To what extent is the denomination's religious symbolism on campus?
     Are state holidays followed, or religious holidays if they are not the same?
     Does the institution present itself as denominational, or does it use vague descriptions such as "Christian," "Religious," or Moral"? In its advertising? Admission forms? Public relations?

     Section II--Discussion of the Points of Connection or Disconnection

     Mission and Philosophy. The purpose of the institution, as originally conceived and currently understood by administration, faculty, and students, is a key driver in the religious nature of the institution When the primary focus is the religion, then secularization is minimized But when other objectives take precedence, such as "excellence," "attracting the best students," or drawing students from a specific population other than church members, religious elements tend to be minimized, departmentalized, and eventually lost.
     Also, if the religious philosophy is not primarily concerned with a development of denominational faith among the student body, which at the Academy would be the three-fold Word, then mediate or secondary goals take precedence.
     Where "religion" becomes identified with good works or a good moral character (which can be accomplished by any religion or secular philosophy) instead of a set of beliefs, denominational values fade into the mists.5
     5 See Appendix I for examples of mission statements of colleges and universities which are gradually sanitized of denominational and religious emphasis over time.

Curriculum. When the faith of the church is clearly present and discussed from a position of belief by the faculty, the religious nature of the institution is strong.

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But where religion is seen as ancillary to "secular" subject matter, it plays a decreasing role in the intellectual life of the institution, and eventually can be found only in religion departments and the few people who inhabit them. This is usually reflected in a diminishing number of religion courses required for graduation.
     
Church Connections. There is a strong tendency for any organization to strive for independence and freedom from any outside control. This is especially the case in institutions which are comprised of very independent-minded faculty and administration. To the extent the connection with the church is close--seen in administration and faculty participation in the church, direct church influence on policy and personnel, board participation, etc.--the ties are strong. But with each weakening link of the connections, their inherent striving for autonomy eventually leads to complete separation.

The Board. Boards set general policy for the institution and are thus significant in maintaining ties with the church. However, the board can also be a strong secularizing influence. This happens when alumni are elected to the board who are not primarily interested in it as a religious institution but allow some secondary goal, such as having excellent athletic teams or topnotch academics, to become primary. When alumni use financial contributions to gain representation on boards, and if they are not primarily committed to its religious goals, it has the effect of undercutting the denominational trustees on the board.
     However, having a board which is all from the denomination, or even with clergy representation, is not a secure guard against secularization.6 Many boards of trustees of religious colleges desire their institutions to have a religious tone.

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But the board itself is usually, and appropriately, not involved in such day-to-day activity where this is seen, and thus by default may preside over a secularization process.
     6 The Academy has not traditionally had "clergy representation" on the board. I believe this is due to our sense that the laity have a critical role to perform here and that if there is to be a truly free response in a clergy-led institution, the board should be comprised of laity alone.

Money. This has been a leading factor in encouraging institutions to seek connections with non-denominational organizations. When little financial support comes from denominations, tuition from non-church students, governmental aid, foundation grants, etc., become necessary means for an institution to continue and enhance its educational mission. But with financial links come influence and control. Because educational institutions are very adept at spending every cent available, there is always pressure to seek non-church sources of funding.

President and Administration. Presidents have often been key factors in promoting secularization or, at the very least, acquiescing as the process moves along. Their role is described by Burtchaell:     

     With very few exceptions, the presidents who have been the strategists of religious alienation have been large-souled, attractive, and trusted. They typically felt that their institutions were somehow confined, stifled, or trivialized by their church or denomination or order, and at a critical moment they greatly enhanced the professionalism, resources, and clientele of their colleges. As they enacted a new age on their campuses, they tended to point out the deficiencies of the past, though only as a foil for what they proposed as a future. They rarely criticized the religious sponsorship openly. There was usually no rhetoric of rejection, no breakaway surge, no praise of secularization, except perhaps among the Catholics. Even when there was a secession from formal oversight by church authorities, such as at Lafayette, Wake Forest, and Boston College, the claim and the belief were that the institution would of course remain as Presbyterian, Baptist, or Catholic as ever. Indeed, all change was supposed to be gain, without a sense of loss (p. 827).
     As Protestant institutions began placing more emphasis on the "practical"--sciences, engineering, etc.--clergy presidents were seen as less significant and capable of leading in the changing educational goals.

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When there was a shift to a lay president, the institution rarely returned to a clergy president.
     However, having clergy as presidents is not always protection against secularization. Jesuit priests and Ursuline nuns were leaders in reorganizing their institutions apart from Catholic Church control.
     It is also of note that some institutions have attempted to establish a dual governance system--a clergy person in charge of the "religious" and "overall" aspects of the institution and a lay person in charge of the general educational program. The results have been to diminish and eventually remove religion from the core of the institution. A Catholic example illustrates this:

At Fr. Ledochowski's instructions in 1934, some campuses had experimented with dual leadership: a rector for the Jesuit community and a president for the college or university. The intent was that the rector answer for the overall welfare of the combined enterprise, but when it was first tried at Fordham the president treated the rector as his third-level assistant. By the 1950s a pattern emerged: the rectorship and presidency remained united in one man, but a "superior" would, under his authority, handle the day-to-day affairs of the resident Jesuits and leave all matters of state to the chief. Freed of his daily responsibility for the religious, personal, and professional lives of the local Jesuit community, the presidency thus took a step further toward a more narrowly profiled professional identity (Burtchaell, p. 586).
     This "more narrowly profiled professional identity" was secular.

Faculty. Because the faculty are the pivotal junction between the educational mission and the students, and have grown to have a dominant say in selecting other faculty, they are either the staunchest defenders of a connection with the church or a major force in the institution's movement to secularization. There are two aspects to this: the religious commitment of the faculty and the extent to which they have embraced academic standards which are hostile to religion.

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     Where faculty are selected who are not of the denomination, whether due to a paucity of good candidates from within the denomination or to the desire to have the best instructors or researchers in a field regardless of their religious affiliation, the effect has been to lead to secularization. This is not seen at first because a small minority on the faculty does not set the tone. However, since the faculty are the primary determinant in selecting future faculty, and non-denominational faculty have little stake in finding denominational faculty, eventually the religious orientation is less and less a factor in employment decisions. As Burtchaell notes, the questions asked of prospective new faculty show this gradual progression: " ... from Methodist to Evangelical, to Christian, to religious, to wholesome, to 'the goals of the college,' which by then were stated in intangible terms" (p. 830).
     Faculty's participation in the life of the church is also critical, since they are usually the first to lose interest in a religious orientation. If indifference, seen in silence or absence from religious observances, grows, it has a deadening effect upon the presence of religion on campus.
     Faculty can also promote a drift to secularization if they embrace academic standards of the "professorate." While most of these standards fit well with General Church attitudes, there are also some which have had a negative effect on religious faith. For example, academic freedom, as it is generally accepted in higher education, accepts only "neutrality and competence" as legitimate criteria for boundaries. The American Association of University Professors' definitive statement on the subject in 1940, which still stands without modification, is revealing. After extolling the virtues of academic freedom, it then defines a religious mission for a college as a "limitation of academic freedom." Thus Divine revelation is not considered in any academic subject as a valid criterion for determining what is true and what should be taught.7
     7 Certainly the religion of the first Christian Church has stifled free inquiry. In the New Church, and at the Academy, this should not be a major point of conflict. The Academy College's self-evaluation for re-accreditation in 1982 addressed this issue and used the concept of the two foundations of truth (from one Source) as our means to provide for genuine free inquiry "within the circumference of a common faith" (p. 8).

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Accreditation. Accreditation was not a significant factor in most Protestant institutions because they were founded and were moving headlong to secularization well before accrediting agencies came into existence. However, they have been a definite factor in more recently founded institutions such as some established by evangelical churches. Azusa Pacific University sought accreditation to gain legitimacy in the eyes of other academic institutions, to have its credits transfer, and to have the ability to have international students attend. While its student body is still comprised primarily of born-again Christians, the accrediting process has resulted in a split between its religious inspiration and its academic standards. Although growing in evening professional programs and branch campuses, it seems to be lacking any religious element.
     Also, these agencies can challenge church connections. Dordt College, a Christian Reform college in the midwest, has had its system of selecting faculty with input from the church, rather than exclusively using peer review, seriously questioned by its accrediting agency.8
     8 The Middle States Association is the Academy's accrediting agency. It is comprised of educational institutions, including the Academy. Its primary goal in granting accreditation is to measure an institution's own stated goals with what it is actually doing. In this it has performed the very useful function of an objective evaluation of whether we are achieving what we claim to be achieving.

Students. Virtually all institutions have accepted students not of their denomination. Some have done this from principle, and some from the necessity of garnering their tuition dollars.

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Usually this is done with the theory that having non-denominational students present will be an enhancement for the denominational students, and in vague hopes that these students will somehow be affected by the religious atmosphere of the institution. Where there is no active effort to proselytize these students, the emphasis shifts to making them feel comfortable. The result of this is a toning down of the religious elements of the institution and a minimizing of doctrinal differences, which newcomers either disagree with or do not care about. And as Burtchaell notes, "As the students change, the college must change" (p. 155).

Religious Life. Less of a critical factor, but certainly a force in secularization, is the external observance of a religious life. Required chapels and Sunday church attendance tend to be reduced, made voluntary, and eventually eliminated in the secularization process.
     Also significant here is to what extent the denominational values and beliefs are actively present in determining the parameters of student behavior.

Section III--History of the Protestant Institutions

The Origin of Higher Education

     The earliest universities were founded in Europe in the twelfth century. They were elite guilds focusing on religious knowledge But there was also a strong fascination with "pagan" knowledge--Greek and Roman erudition. This presented a challenge because, while their fundamental assumption was that all knowledge reflected God, the philosophy and insights of the Greeks were clearly not Christian. The solution was to wrap the pagan learning within Christianity, but Christianity remained a separate entity.
     During the Reformation, Martin Luther severely criticized the Universities for their Greek learning. He perceived a strong antipathy between the philosophies embraced there and the religious life he was trying to promote. However, Luther and the Protestants would not abandon higher education.

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They realized that by emphasis on an individual reading of the Scriptures, a potential Pandora's box of complete anarchy of belief was being opened. So, with some misgivings, Protestantism embraced universities as the means to unify beliefs and train those who would become the leaders in the Protestant Church.

Protestant Colonial Colleges

     The first colleges were founded by individual denominations with a clear sense of promoting their religious beliefs. Their primary purpose was to provide pastors for their churches. These colonial colleges had anywhere from 25% to 75% of their student body looking to ordination. Law and medicine were the other two professions for which there was instruction.
     The presidents of these colleges were invariably clergy, as were most of the instructors--these being virtually the only formally educated people of the times. The students tended to be either poor males seeking to become ministers, doctors, or lawyers, or sons of the wealthy class who were marking time before entering their fathers' businesses. The curriculum was "classical," that is, the subject matter consisted of ancient languages, religion, philosophy, and a few practical subjects.
     During the 1800s a fundamental transformation occurred. Technology and the practical sciences grew to become a driving force in the development of the United States. This was reflected in the colleges and universities with a greater emphasis placed on these subjects. Colleges, after some large-scale battles, embraced the sciences. It gave a new purpose to the colleges, and it was a way to attract students and increase the revenues of the institution. Borrowed from the Germans, this newer concept of a university placed its primary emphasis upon research and science, and insured free inquiry by the principle of academic freedom--the non-interference from any outside agency, such as wealthy donors, presidents, or religious affiliations.
     As this occurred, religion as a subject and as a factor within these institutions was compartmetalized and gradually marginalized.

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Theological seminaries were separated as departments within universities or set up as independent entities. "Sectarianism" came to be associated with all that was opposed to the advance of the sciences and democracy. It was associated with narrow mindedness and allegiance to a constricting faith as opposed to the free inquiry for "truth."
     How did the churches respond? Usually not at all. This was for two reasons. The first is that they agreed with and embraced this concept. The early Protestants had so identified Protestant ideals with the country's values that as it moved toward a scientific ideal, they attempted to claim that it was the same as their religious philosophy. Unfortunately for these churches, as the universities realized that morality and democracy in the liberal spirit did not require any denominational nor even religious support, church connections then became superfluous to their educational mission.
     The extreme of this complete identification of being Christian with democracy and liberal society is exemplified in the 1902 presidential report of William Rainey Harper at the University of Chicago--an institution founded and funded as Baptist by John D. Rockefeller and with Harper as its first president Defending the existence of many Jews on the faculty and in the student body, he justified it by saying: "As the country of which we are citizens is a Christian country, so the University of Chicago is a Christian institution."9
          9 While it is probably not fair to suggest that Harper was intentionally dissembling, his primary goal was to create a great university on the model of Johns Hopkins. Harper, a Baptist minister himself, sought to achieve greatness by attracting the most prestigious faculty to the institution, with their religious affiliation of secondary importance

     The second reason is that the early Protestant churches emphasized pietism--a focus upon an external style of life rather than statements of faith. Adherents of this view tended to define Christianity in terms of moral behavior and social justice.

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Thus when the issue came up of whether to accept students who were not of the denomination, and later faculty who were not, it was perceived that as long as these were "good Christians" they would not detract and would even add to the educational enterprise.
     The emphasis on science and the professionalization of the faculty led to a change in governance. The clergymen who had been presidents of almost all colleges and universities began to be replaced by laymen.

Into discard went the clergyman, not so much because his godliness was an administrative encumbrance--indeed, a religious posture, whatever its sincerity, continued to be a desirable quality in a college president. The clergyman president went into discard because he lacked skill in the ways of the world, because his commitment to the classical curriculum stood in the way of the more practical and popular emphasis which commended itself to the trustees, and because the world in which the colleges and universities now moved was more secular, less subject to religious influences. One by one the colleges broke with traditions and elected their first non-clergyman to the presidency: Dennison in 1889, Illinois College in 1892, Yale in 1899, Princeton in 1902 ... (Rudolph, p. 419).

     Nor would these or other colleges return to clergy as presidents.

Higher Education in the 1900s

     The ascendancy of science and the scientific method was a force that would soon dominate virtually all of higher education and would quickly render religion less and less significant to the educational enterprise. As great universities were being defined by the caliber of the faculty, their religious affiliation became less and less significant to presidents, boards of trustees, faculty, and students.
     In the early 1900s there was a fundamental shift in power from presidents to the faculty itself. Based on the developing expertise and professionalization of the faculty, they gained the predominant voice in determining who could be fellow faculty members.

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Coupled with the granting of tenure to ensure academic freedom, the faculty had encapsulated itself in its guild, and religion became an outside encumbrance, like wealthy donors and presidents.
     Further entrenching the alienation of religion from the campuses was an attack launched by fundamentalist Christians in the 1920s. Recognizing that the leading educational institutions were promoting science as opposed to religion (as seen in teaching evolution and scorning creationism), they made virulent attacks on the "godless" universities. Since no liberal or moderate theologian or layperson wanted to be painted into the fundamentalist corner, there was a greater acceptance of the norms of dispassionate science and suspicion of religion as having any place in the curriculum or search for "truth."
     By the mid 1900s the professionalization of religious instruction itself was well under way. The scientific method was turned on the text of the Bible--with disastrous results. The Old and New Testaments became regarded in academic circles as merely ancient fallible collections of stories. Those who taught theology sought credibility among their peers through rigorously applying the scientific method to the Scriptures. Claiming neutrality was essential for scholarly instruction, they thereby removed any proselytizing or encouragement for the students to believe in the Bible. Religion courses shifted from seeking to convey the truth of the Bible to encouraging students to think for themselves and have respect for all faith groups, with a scholarly recognition that absolute answers are narrow and incompatible with scientific objectivity. In fact, today it is often the departments of religion that are the least accepting of any form of Christianity on campus.10 Also, the demands of curricular growth to provide more room for the sciences led to religion course requirements being reduced and eventually eliminated altogether.

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The result was that fewer students took any religion courses, and those courses they took did not promote faith in any set of beliefs.
     10 See Appendix II for examples of how religion departments have changed their emphasis, and turned away from any denominational allegiance, over time.

     Money was also a significant factor in drawing institutions away from their religious roots. Most denominations provided a paltry amount of financial support which was woefully inadequate to provide for their current operations, let alone hope for any growth. It became evident to most college presidents that the only way to survive or grow was to seek alternative funding from wealthy donors, foundations, and state and federal governments. However, to be acceptable to these potential donors, the colleges had to present themselves as working for the common good of all within the United States--i.e., they could not be controlled nor unduly influenced by any particular denomination.
     The weakening link between churches and educational institutions became evident when the Carnegie Pension Fund was established in 1906. At that time, faculty had almost no provision for retirement and their salaries were barely livable. The Carnegie fund used the offer of a generous pension for faculty to attempt to eliminate denominational affiliations. Only those colleges and universities that could demonstrate that they were not under the control of religious institutions would qualify. Fifty-one previously identified religious institutions immediately requested and were accepted into the program. Within four years twenty more institutions had joined. And it was observed by the administrator of the program that even those institutions which applied and were denied "almost without exception [declared] that such [religious] connection played little, if any, part in the religious or intellectual life of the student body11 (Marsden, p. 283).
     11 To this day most large private foundations, state governments, and the federal government are major sources of funding, provided a college can show it is not "pervasively sectarian," and that any religious influence is superficial and does not play any real part in the programs, curriculum requirements, staffing, student admissions, etc.

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     Other factors also came into play. After the Second World War, there was an explosive growth in student population. Denominational institutions were often swamped with members of other faiths, and their own faith group became a minority. And students from denominations that had previously attended their own church's institutions found public universities more attractive. As the student body became more diverse, there was a corresponding loss of interest in religion.
     All of these factors were mutually supportive in exiling religion from any meaningful place in reputable institutions of higher education.

Section IV--History of the Catholic Institutions

     Catholic educational institutions followed a slightly different pattern, but with many of the same factors present and with the same results.
     Catholic colleges and universities have two key features which distinguish them from Protestant institutions. They have more of a philosophic and theological emphasis and less of a pietistic one, and the independence of their governance structure.
     The importance of the study of philosophy in the Catholic tradition, and their theology that is strongly based in it and less so in the pietistic tradition, has kept Catholic colleges and universities less open to identifying "Catholicism" with simply a moral life or American democratic ideals, that is, until recently.
     In governance, and contrary to what one might expect, Catholic colleges are structured much more independently than Protestants. This is due to the fact that they were founded not by the Catholic Church itself but by various semi-autonomous orders within the Catholic Church, such as the Jesuits and the Ursulines. They were founded, funded, staffed and controlled by the orders. Thus any Board of Trustees or influence by local Catholic churches or bishops was minimal if it existed at all.
     Throughout the nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth century, Catholic colleges and universities existed apart from "mainstream" higher education in the United States.

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This was partly due to their retaining an emphasis upon "sectarian" education as Protestant institutions were shedding that garb, but it was also due to a prejudice against Catholics. High-sounding declarations by Protestant institutions that they were "non-sectarian" were in large part coded language to mean they were not Catholic. So while they were eagerly accepting government funds, they did not want Catholics to receive them. Catholic institutions were viewed with suspicion, if not derision, by the rapidly expanding secular universities and the Protestant-related colleges and universities.
     But in the decade of 1965-1975, a seismic shift occurred in Catholic institutions. Rather than a decades-long incremental slide into secularization, there was a headlong rejection of Catholic roots in favor of the norms of higher education.
     Four primary factors fueled this rapid change.
     The first was a precipitous drop in Catholic clergy. Not only were fewer and fewer young men selecting clerical garb, but those who did often sought social activism rather than education as their primary occupation. This resulted in too few Jesuits and others to teach or administer the existing Catholic institutions. Lay instructors, often non-practicing Catholics or even non-Catholics, had to be hired.
     The second factor was the traditionally low endowments of Catholic institutions. As massive federal and state dollars were pouring into all facets of higher education, Catholic colleges and universities were seeing their academic credibility eroded even further without new funding. When they began seeking state and federal funds for financial aid for students, erection of new buildings, and research grant money, they came under legal attack for receiving funds because of their sectarian nature. They were at risk of being excluded from the dramatic developments of higher education.
     The third factor was the growing competition for Catholic students.

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The explosive growth of higher education was absorbing a great many of the Catholic students who had previously chosen Catholic institutions. If Catholic colleges and universities could not show an equivalent program, they were in danger of losing not only their best and brightest students, but such significant numbers of students that many Catholic institutions would either shrink significantly or cease operations entirely. As survival and growth is usually a primary goal of most organizations, inviting non-Catholics to their colleges and making them feel accepted on their own terms became necessary.
     The fourth factor was the turmoil within the Catholic Church itself. The Catholic Church at that time was roiled by numerous disagreements. Theological rebellion against traditionally held Catholic ideas and practices was fomenting--especially in the universities. A rejection of authority led American Catholics to take less seriously their doctrine and calls for a Catholic life style. Within this turmoil, the colleges and universities had a growing sense of restlessness under any obedience expected, even within Catholic orders. This was especially seen whenever the Catholic Church or superiors within the order attempted to exert influence on the institutions.
     As this was taking place, a new type of president was leading the Catholic colleges and universities. These were men and women whose education was not limited to Catholicism but who often had terminal degrees from the Ivy Leagues or other secular institutions. Their affinity was much closer to the professorate, or the norms of higher education, than the apparent confines of the Catholic Church.
     The response of these presidents to these forces was swift and decisive. The first was to seek government funding. In support of this they developed many new educational programs which attracted a new and much more religiously diverse clientele to traditional Catholic colleges and universities. To ensure ongoing government funding, they proposed reorganizing these institutions as civil entities with lay boards, lay administration, the right to appoint Jesuits by the rest of the faculty and not by their own religious order, and selection of a president by the board and not by the superior general of the order.

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These proposals were not strenuously opposed by the Catholic Church, and numerous Catholic institutions quickly reorganized under the leadership of a dynamic priest or nun--but independently from the Catholic Church and their founding orders.
     The extent of this movement away from any Catholic Church control was seen in 1967. The leaders of the more prominent Catholic institutions declared in their "Idea of a Catholic University" that a Catholic university must embrace academic freedom without any church authority standing in the way. Many Jesuits even claimed that there was little distinctive contribution they could make in higher education, and they redefined Catholicism to include all people of good will.
     The effect of these steps was immediate and pronounced. The institutions quickly embraced new and non-Catholic faculty. The student bodies which had previously been overwhelmingly Catholic now had non-Catholics in significant numbers, sometimes even in the majority. And formal ties were weakened, if not severed, with most Catholic orders that had established and previously controlled these institutions.
     Recognizing that these institutions were making independent decisions with little apparent regard for Catholic practices, the Vatican made numerous attempts to regain influence over these institutions in the 1970s. Presidents were called to Rome to explain the situation and were strongly chided for their lack of connection to Catholicism. While numerous decrees were then made, the reality was that these institutions had such a significantly declining Catholic base in faculty and students, and as they were now structured apart from any Catholic Church control, the Vatican could not regain any of its lost influence.
     Attempts last year (1999) by the Vatican to reformulate its relationship with these universities shows how extreme the situation has become.

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Rather than try to make them "more Catholic" in nature, the Vatican is seeking to require that local bishops approve the doctrinal purity of the professors of theology. In other words, they are limiting their efforts to the religion departments, and have little actual power to effect any change even there.

Section V--Theological Seminaries

     One might think that theological schools whose goal is to provide pastors for congregations would be immune from secularization tendencies. And in many cases, especially where a theological school is strongly denominational (i.e., controlled by one denomination and focused on producing pastors for their congregations), these institutions have retained their original orientation. But many others, particularly those associated with secularizing institutions, and seminaries which encourage several denominations to send students, are also experiencing strong moves away from their religious roots.
     This is perhaps not surprising because there has always been a love-hate relationship in Protestantism with formalized theological training. The evangelical tradition of Protestantism held deep suspicions about higher education. As one fundamentalist in 1895 put it, the typical seminary product is "one of these namby-pamby, limber-back, cotton-mouth, soften-handed, apologetic baptists, spelled with a little 'b' ... these pulpit dudes with kidded hands and velveted mouths, preaching that 'unless you repent to some extent and be converted in a measure, you will be damned in all probability'"(George, p. 39).
     While there was a desire to have informed sermons, there was a strong perception that formal theological education sapped the energy of "spirit-filled" young men.
     John H. Leith, in his Crisis in the Church: The Plight of Theological Education, 1997, delivers a devastating critique of why mainline Protestant theological schools are not producing pastors who can lead the churches.

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Leith, a retired professor from Union Theological Seminary in Virginia, one of the big five Presbyterian seminaries, believes that there is a disconnection between the academic training students receive and the needs of congregations.
     Leith identifies several key factors which have led to this situation. Primary among these is the acceptance of the academic norms and standards of higher education. Their dispassionate and critical analysis of the Bible, an emphasis upon Ph.D.'s (a research, not pastoral, degree), professors tied more to an academic discipline than to the cause of promoting a denomination, and the expansion of curriculum into ancillary subjects such as social justice, counseling, abortion politics, and a host of other "causes," have produced a lack of interest in traditional parish ministry. These and other forces have exerted tremendous pressure in leading seminaries away from their traditional task of preparing pastors for the churches.
     However, two factors have allowed these forces to gain ascendancy in many institutions. These are severing the ties of a theological seminary from its denomination, and the selection of faculty who are more concerned with scholarship than with the pastorate.
     Severing ties between a seminary and its church causes a loss of focus and accountability of the school to produce pastors for the church. And as that focus dims, convenient secular academic norms are accepted--hiring the most prestigious scholars for positions at the institution rather than those of that faith group who will communicate those values and inspire the students to become effective pastors. This fascination with Ph.D.'s, as opposed to having pastoral practitioners as instructors, has led many institutions to increasingly distance themselves from the realities of church life.
     Hiring faculty who are not of the denomination also cements the shift away from producing pastors. Because non-denominational faculty are usually allied to their discipline more than any church, and because faculty choose additional faculty, a disconnection with the churches occurs.

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As Leith observes,

     ... professors from outside the constituency of the seminary seldom support a choice from the constituency .... [P]rofessors who are not alumni ... seldom support appointment of professors who are alumni .... [P]rofessors with little or no pastoral experience seldom support the choice of a professor who has had any effective pastorate (p. 72).12
12 The Academy's theological school is chaired by the Executive Bishop of the church, clearly sees its primary mission to train pastors for the General Church, and requires all full-time faculty to be preaching to, if not in charge of, a smaller congregation of the General Church on at least a monthly basis.
     After being dean of the Theological School for seven years, I am more convinced than ever of the need for our faculty to be competent pastors and doctrinal scholars. Ideally each faculty member would excel in both areas, but since that is unlikely, I think we need to have a good percentage (half?) of the faculty with strong practical pastoral experience who can convey that to the students.
     As the Academy approaches a university status, having Ph.D.'s on the faculty will be important, both for New Church studies and communicating with the world around us. However, should this become a dominant force in the school, our professional pastoral training is likely to suffer.
     The result is that academic aspirations have overtaken pastoral ones, and those seeking pastorates are not being trained by those who have the values and experience in the field.
     
Note: Next month the conclusion of this article will first address the question, "Why did the churches let this happen?" The bibliography will also appear next month.

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REFLECTIONS ON THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE 2000

REFLECTIONS ON THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE       Rev. FRANK S. ROSE       2000

     (14)

"People are allowed to think about evil things, even to the point of intending to do them. This is so that the evils may be removed" (DP 283).

     A mother was talking to me about her child. "I can't understand it," she said. "We have never lied to him, or told him any falsehoods, but one day we noticed that he was lying to us! Where did he learn that?"
     The answer was very simple. He didn't learn from anyone but himself. It is similar with cruelty in children. Where do they get their cruelty? Is it from having other people be cruel to them? Not necessarily. All of these negative things arise out of self-centeredness. A child thinking only of self will eventually learn how to lie to get away with things, even if it involves getting someone else in trouble. A child operating out of selfishness will lash out at anyone who is seen as a threat to self.
     This does not mean that children are born evil. In a sense we are born neither evil nor good. Our first experiences of life are good, since tiny babies are in the presence of angels in a very special way, and are impressed with the goodness of the angels. But eventually the self-centeredness of the child will assert itself, and the child will have times of cruelty and deceitfulness. In adult life we have to come to the point where we see this aspect of our lower self very clearly.
     There was a girl who grew up to be a very nice young lady. Through the efforts of parents and teachers she had become very polite and hard-working. Everything was seemingly perfect about her except for a tendency to feel holier than other people. She thought that she was better than her friends. At times she despised others in comparison with herself. And then she found herself in a situation where she felt threatened. She noticed herself lying--in a very polite way, but it was still lying. She also found herself being really hurtful toward some other people. This all came as a great shock. She went to a trusted friend and said: "I don't know what came over me. I noticed myself being really catty and cruel to my parents.

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I found myself cheating in my work. Something is terribly wrong."
     The friend said: "Welcome to the human race. You are just discovering that you have in you all of the things that you so despise in other people. This discovery is not to make you give up and throw in the towel. It is to make you realize that you have work to do in your spiritual growth."
     That example involves a person who seemed to be very good. The principle holds equally well with people whose lives are obviously in a state of disorder. Consider the drug addict who is stealing in order to support his habit, who is neglecting spouse, family and friends, who is totally irresponsible at work and whose life is a mess. Some people in that condition can go through years of denial. They seem to be totally blind to the problem, until things get so bad that they can't escape it any more. It is to be hoped that they wake up some day and realize how destructive, selfish and out of control their life has become. Once they have seen this, they can begin to do something about it. The initial motivation might be fear of imprisonment or even death. A later motivation might be that they see the importance of living a moral and ultimately a spiritual life. Whatever the motive, the person needs to see that there is a problem and must have a strong incentive to change.
     It seems as if we all have to go through this kind of awakening, to the point where we come face to face with our own darker side. Why does providence allow this? So that we can take responsibility in dealing with it.
     Our first motivation for cleaning up our act might be fear. It could be a fear of being discovered, a fear of punishment, or even a fear of hell. Later, fear is replaced by love. We want to improve the quality of our inner life because we love others and would not want to hurt them, and we love ourselves, and want the best for ourselves. This spiritual progress can take place only after some of these negative parts of ourselves have come into our awareness. We can see them in our thought patterns.

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We can see them in our negative behavior or unkind words. Sooner or later we have to see these things, and realize that it is up to us to do something about them. People say: "There but for the grace of God go I." It would be more accurate to say: "There go I, and it is by the grace of God that I have come to realize it. Now I can do something about it."
CENTURY AGO 2000

CENTURY AGO       LEON STARKEY RHODES       2000

     An unknown friend gave me a button reading "Atheism is a non-prophet organization," and our Writings tell us that it is not in man's ability to see the future, though we are encouraged to study the past. At this particular time, the dawning of a new millennium, it seems appropriate to venture conjectures about the future and also to contemplate our past. A tiny fragment of this view has been greatly stimulated by a copy of the bound volume of New Church Life for the year 1902, at which time that worthy periodical was going through a strikingly similar procedure. I have felt it might interest others to share with me some of the items in 1902 Life that probably have a bearing on us in our time.
     This twenty-second volume of the Life (with a fine index) covers the twelve issues of 1902--and treats of many issues therein--but I will attempt to review only the first three issues as indicative of the life of the General Church at the beginning of this past century.
     It seems somehow appropriate that it begins with a fine portrait and an excellent biography of Bishop Richard De Charms, whose carved granite portrait looks down on the Cathedral Council Hall as one of the trine of important leaders. Bishop De Charms predates the General Church, but he was a powerful spokesman and proponent of what was to become "the Principles of the Academy," stressing those doctrines which resulted in the Academy's 1876 break away from the General Convention.

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Professor Richard Gladish's very fine biography of Bishop De Charms is still available and well worth our reading.
     Next, there is a powerful commentary, "The Future of the New Church," by Carl Theophilus Odhner ("CTO"), who had just assumed the editorship of the Life as Dr. George Starkey retired from that role, including a most pertinent editorial on our use of the term "the Word," which still deserves our thoughtful study.
     The volume provides a full listing of "publications" and the "contents of other journals" such as the Messenger, Review, Morning Light, New Church Magazine and Nya Kyrkans Tidning. We can next read the historic events around the dedication of Benade Hall, the fine, handsome first structure of the Academy's campus, still important after a devastating fire and remodeling, as well as the removal of a legendary "wall" separating the girls from the boys. The photograph of the chapel sanctuary brings back vivid memories to this writer, and deepens appreciation for the modernizations. (It's not too early to begin planning for the 2002 centennial celebration.)
     Pages 56-72 present the historic "Nine Questions" from the Rev. Thomas Hartley to Swedenborg, and his replies on the subject of the trinity, followed by a "Retrospect" of the first year of the twentieth century, one worth quoting. "It is useful ... to cast a glimpse behind us in order to observe the course in which the merciful Providence of the Lord has led the Church." It urges "much reflection and self-examination," stating that it will also make apparent the littleness and weakness of our own love, faith and work. "It will ... increase our confidence in the actual presence of Him who holds the helm and steers our course of the Church, in the universe and in the individual." It comments that the New Church "though divided in various sections by internal differences as well as natural distinctions, still is one general, spiritual community," and stresses the importance of "distinctiveness."

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     Under the heading of "Literary Work of the Church," it lists seventy-five new volumes or works, including the Spiritual Diary and the completion of the great Potts Concordance, so valuable through the years until today's marvels of electronic publication and retrieval. Also in this year are mentioned the start of the ministry of the Rev. W. H. Buss in England, and the dedication of the new theological chapel of the General Convention in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
     Beginning on page 99 is a clear account of the General Assembly in Pittsburgh, at which the importance of assemblies, general and district, was freely discussed. John Pitcairn is quoted that "there is no more effective means of keeping alive the uses of the Church." At that time, general assemblies as well as district assemblies were annual events. Also described is the Ontario assembly with 64 attendees which brought to a close the year 1901.
     And my account closes with mention of the discussion next reported of "the reasons for the separation" which had taken place in 1876, setting forth the differences which brought it about. This rather heavy annual volume, crumbling with age, is truly a treasure, and it, as well as all the others through the years, is available in our modern Swedenborg Library.
JACOB'S CREEK CAMP 2000

JACOB'S CREEK CAMP              2000

     The spiritual world is the topic of this year's camp scheduled for August 5-8 in western Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh. A church-wide camp for all ages, Jacob's Creek Camp provides doctrinal presentations and discussions in the morning, and fun and activities in the afternoon and evening, with worship both morning and evening.
     To receive information and a registration form, please contact Rev. Patrick Rose at 513-825-7473, e-mail [email protected] or Pat David at 814-432-2009, e-mail [email protected]. Hope to see you at camp!

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SWEDENBORG TELLING THE STORY OF HIS LIFE 2000

SWEDENBORG TELLING THE STORY OF HIS LIFE       Editor       2000

     It is evident from something Swedenborg wrote around 1746 that he considered the story of his life to be a significant testimony to the validity of his claims. Evidently he wondered whether he might have occasion to write that story down. He had been having experiences in the spiritual world for more than a year when he wrote: "That it is not fantasy ... may be evident from an historical account of my life, if the opportunity is given for writing it down." (This quote from Word Explained 5292 may conveniently be found at the bottom of page 100 of the first volume of the 1998 edition of Spiritual Experiences.)
     Twenty-three years would pass before he would actually write a little autobiographical sketch. We will get to that next month. For now we would note two general statements written in the unpublished Word Explained and Spiritual Experiences (formerly called Spiritual Diary).
     In WE 2532 he noted that what is portrayed spiritually by the events of a person' s life is not realized at the time unless it pleases God to make it known. "Sometimes this takes place a long time afterwards as happened in my case by the divine mercy of God Messiah. At the time I did not perceive what the acts of my life involved, but afterwards I was instructed concerning some of them, nay concerning a number; and from these I could at last plainly see that the tenor of Divine Providence has ruled the acts of my life from my very youth, and has so governed them that I might finally come to the present end; that thus, by means of the knowledges of natural things, I might be able to understand those things which lie more interiorly within the Word of God Messiah, and so, of the divine mercy of God Messiah, might serve as an instrument for opening them. Thus things now become clear which up to the present have not been clear."
     Note that this quotation may be found on page 38 of the first volume of SE, and that there instead of "the tenor of Divine Providence" the translator says "the firm hand of the Divine Providence."

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     Compare this with something Swedenborg wrote in September of 1748: "That everything in my past life has been governed by the Lord could be evident to me from those things which were brought forth concerning my past life" (see 3177 of Spiritual Diary).
     The above things were written before books of the Writings had been published. Years later, first a German and then an Englishman asked Swedenborg to write down the story of his life.
     In December of 1766, when most of the books of the Writings had been published, a clergyman from Germany wrote to Swedenborg, "I ask that you write an account of your life." And then in 1769, when Swedenborg was 81 years old, an Englishman wrote to him: "Will it not be of use ... that you leave with me some particulars respecting yourself... ?" This was Thomas Hartley, who wanted to have a record that would establish Swedenborg's good reputation. Swedenborg's response to these two requests will be our subject next month.
BIOGRAPHIES OF SWEDENBORG 2000

BIOGRAPHIES OF SWEDENBORG       Editor       2000

At this point in our history, biographies of Swedenborg seem to be in the news. For many people the "best" one is The Swedenborg Epic by Cyriel Sigstedt (1952). Not so long ago Dr. Vladimir Maliavin asked which one he should translate into Russian. Learning that the Epic was highly regarded, he did the translation which has been published in Moscow (and was reviewed in our pages last month).
     Mr. Lars Bergquist was commissioned by the Swedish government to produce a major biography. This handsome Swedish volume (see page 28 of the January issue) has been published. The title (in Swedish) is The Secret of Swedenborg.
     In the relatively near future the Swedenborg Foundation will be publishing English translations of two respectable biographies that students have until now had to consult in other languages. One is by E. Bent, first published in German in 1948 and then revised and updated by the late Dr. F. Horn in 1969. This is an objective scholarly volume by a non-Swedenborgian professor. The other is by Martin Lamm, another non-Swedenborgian scholar.

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It was printed in Swedish in 1915, translated into German in 1922 and into French in 1936.
     Let's have a little look at some of the history of books about Swedenborg's life. Anyone studying the life of Swedenborg owes a debt of gratitude to a formidable German scholar by the name of J. F. Immanuel Tafel. At the age of seventeen this brilliant man was at a German university intending to make the law his profession, but then he discovered Swedenborg, and this totally changed the focus of his life. He devoted himself to translating and publishing. University authorities opposed his devotion to Swedenborg, and in 1825 he was offered a professorship in theology on the condition that he give up translating Swedenborg!
     Tafel reluctantly accepted this condition, but after four years petitioned either that the condition be rescinded or that his resignation be accepted. The upshot was that he was appointed University Librarian and given permission to turn again to translating Swedenborg. In 1847 he published a 232-page volume called Documents Concerning the Life and Character of Emanuel Swedenborg. This led to the production of a greatly expanded work by another Tafel. In 1875-77 the Documents were printed, coming to over 1,300 pages. (Immanuel Tafel died in 1863.)
     The collections of documents made it possible to produce informative biographies of Swedenborg. In 1849 Elihu Rich published what he called "a sketch" of Swedenborg's life, which came to 192 pages. William White did a favorable biography in 1856, but he had a falling out with his employers at the Swedenborg Society, and in 1867 he published an unfavorable biography! His early biography said that True Christian Religion was written "in a style which, for its combined simplicity and depth, we believe, is unmatched in theological literature." The later biography called the Memorable Relations in TCR "tedious yarns" which offend readers.
     White's example helps us keep in mind that biographers can take the same material and present it in considerably different ways. We hope to speak of more recent biographies in the future. For now we would mention a few of the early ones.

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Worcester's Life and Mission of Emanuel Swedenborg was published in 1868. Swedenborg was called The Spiritual Columbus in a 216-page biography published in 1877. The writer supplies only his initials (U.S.E.). Other biographers include Nathaniel Hobart, and Edmund Swift in 1877. In 1900 came the biography by George Trobridge, which seems to have been the most durable of them all. It has been printed and revised over and over again. We will speak of more recent efforts another time.
     Note on Hyde's Bibliography: In 1906 the Swedenborg Society in London published an inclusive bibliography of Swedenborg. It comes to over 730 pages, and it took Rev. James Hyde eight years to prepare it. It has a separate list of dozens of biographies of Swedenborg. We should note carefully that this includes short lectures or essays, and we should not imagine bookcases full of biographical volumes. For example, it includes the eulogy given at the time of Swedenborg's death in 1772, a 35-page essay by Rev. James F. Buss in 1887, and a 45-page presentation in 1893 by C. T. Odhner. The last was expanded in 1900 into an appealing 114-page book which Odhner called A True Story for the Young.
BOOK BY REV. DOUGLAS TAYLOR 2000

BOOK BY REV. DOUGLAS TAYLOR              2000

     Later this month we expect to see the publication by the Swedenborg Foundation of a book entitled Spirituality That Makes Sense.
     For a number of years Rev. Douglas Taylor has conducted classes for newcomers to the New Church. The material from those classes went into this book.
     The book has a chapter on the spiritual world and another chapter on the spiritual world as it was 2000 years ago. It has a chapter on how to understand the trinity, another on how to get more faith, and another explaining when good deeds are really good. It is a book of considerable potential.
     In anticipation we congratulate Mr. Taylor, and we congratulate the Swedenborg Foundation for providing material for a wide variety of uses.

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HAPPENINGS HERE AND THERE 2000

HAPPENINGS HERE AND THERE              2000

     We can report an outstanding happening in Bryn Athyn, PA, the weekend of Feb. 4-6. The fifth annual Men's Gathering took as the theme "Facing Your Fire." Think of about three hundred people involved in the weekend. Friday evening ladies were also invited, and more than four hundred people were there to hear the opening words from Pastor Tom Kline and then a talk by author John Lee, the invited guest speaker for the weekend. On Sunday the contemporary church service was attended by some seven hundred people. It was inspiring to see so many people who are not part of the New Church taking part in this church-directed event for men.
STOCHASTIC RESONANCE AND GARBAGE 2000

STOCHASTIC RESONANCE AND GARBAGE       Dewey Odhner       2000

Dear Editor:

     I question the value of the expression "garbage in, garbage out." Obviously we should pay attention to the quality of what we put into our computers, our bodies, our minds and hearts. But we can become obsessed with controlling what we are exposed to from outside in an attempt to preserve inner purity, not realizing that our criteria may be faulty. We may be depriving ourselves of valuable true and good ideas and confirming ourselves in our own distorted ideas of what is good and true. After all, it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out.
     There is a phenomenon called stochastic resonance which serves as a counterexample to the "garbage in, garbage out" theory. Sometimes when a signal goes through a distorting process, adding garbage to the input can improve the output.
Dewey Odhner,
Horsham, PA

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BOYNTON BEACH ELDERGARTEN 2000 2000

BOYNTON BEACH ELDERGARTEN 2000              2000

     January 16-23

     One hundred nineteen people attended Eldergarten 2000, the sixth one held in Florida. Many of us had been to one or more earlier Eldergartens in Boynton Beach, but some were attending for the first time. We came from eleven states in the U.S. and the province of Ontario in Canada. All of us had a chance to become acquainted (or reacquainted) at the registration session held in the Boker Room of the Boynton Beach church on Sunday evening. At that time we also received folders containing schedules, class lists, and maps, together with pocket calendars and pens commemorating this particular Eldergarten and the new millennium.
     Each day of classes began with a worship service. On Monday, Tuesday and Thursday Rev. Derek Elphick conducted worship. Rev. Dan Heinrichs conducted the Friday service, and Rev. Fred Schnarr conducted the one on Saturday.
     Worship was followed by three lectures, with breaks after each of the first two, one for coffee. After each morning of classes we ate lunch together at the church, those of us from the north enjoying the chance to be outside in the sunny weather, and all of us enjoying the chance to visit in the sphere of study and friendship.
     Again this year all of our lecturers were ministers: Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss, Executive Bishop of the General Church, Rev. Brian W. Keith, Dean of the Theological School of the Academy of the New Church, Bryn Athyn, and Rev. James P. Cooper, Pastor of the Washington Society.
     Bishop Buss's talk was entitled "The Story of Jacob: Genesis 27 to 33." Dean Keith's talks were titled "The Last Judgment: Why It Was Necessary as Seen in the History of the Christian Church." And Mr. Cooper's lecture was "The Drama of the Last Judgment as Witnessed by Swedenborg in 1757." Many grateful and inspired people responded to these fine lectures.
     Our afternoons were free for recreation, socializing, or relaxation, and the evenings were filled with social events--open houses, a Thursday evening dinner at Ellie's Catering followed by an "Irish Serenade," and a slide program on Korea and Asia.

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A Holy Supper service, new to the Eldergarten this year, was held at the church on Friday evening.
     All day Wednesday was left free, and Roger and Barbara Smith had arranged for a trip to Flamingo Gardens in Fort Lauderdale followed by lunch at the "Sea Watch on the Ocean" restaurant there. During the rest of the week they made information available on a wide variety of attractions in the area.
     The whole program was run so smoothly by the host society that it seemed to take no effort at all. But a glance at the hard-working committees soon convinced us that a tremendous amount of work went into the preparations and into the smooth running of all the activities of the week itself.
     Having three such gifted scholars and teachers to ourselves for a whole week makes us grateful to Rev. Fred Schnarr and the Boynton Beach Society for organizing this event, and to the General Church, the Academy, and the Washington Society for lending the lecturers to the Eldergarten. Thanks too to the General Church Office of Education for its sponsorship of this use. Education isn't only for the young, after all!
     In closing, we should not, that again this year the lectures were recorded and will eventually be made available through the General Church Sound Recording Library.
Don and Anne Fitzpatrick
BOOK ON GARDENING BY VERA P. GLENN 2000

BOOK ON GARDENING BY VERA P. GLENN              2000

     The book now available from the Swedenborg Foundation is entitled Heaven in a Wild Flower. It consists of spiritual reflections on gardening. Mrs. Glenn's book A Dove at the Window has proved to be very popular indeed, and this new book looks promising too.

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MINISTERIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS 2000

MINISTERIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS              2000




     Announcements






     The Rev. Christopher D. Bown has accepted a call to become the interim pastor of the Cascade New Church in the Seattle area, effective July 1, 2000 for a period of two years.
     The Rev. Erik J. Buss has accepted a call to become the pastor of the Durban Society, effective July 1, 2000.

     Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss

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Dove at the Window 2000

Dove at the Window              2000

Living Dreams and Spiritual Experiences
Compiled, Edited, and with an Introduction by
Vera Glenn
Vera has collected this variety of seventy stories submitted to her, and has successfully presented them in seven sections or chapters, each with an editorial note by her. Facing each story page is a carefully chosen quotation from the Writings. Vera says: "The purpose of this book, A Dove at the Window, is to give assurance of the reality of the life after death, of our close association with angels, and of the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.
     Published by Fountain Publishing
Paperback U.S. $12.95 plus shipping U.S. $1.20
     General Church Book Cenrer          Hours: Mon-Fri 9-12 or by appointment
Cairncrest                              Phone: (215) 914-4920
Box 743                               Fax: (215) 914-4935
Bryn Athyn, PA 19009
E-mail: [email protected]

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Notes on This Issue 2000

Notes on This Issue              2000

     
Vol. CXX          April, 2000               No. 4
New Church Life


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     The study on secularization by Rev. Brian Keith is virtually concluded in this issue. The subject will be continued next month with a short appendix and bibliography and a related study by Rev. Dan Goodenough.
     Note the Council of the Clergy report on page 175 in which we see statistics for last year and, for comparison, ten years ago and five years ago.

     Spiritual Experiences Volume 2

     The second volume is huge (748 pages). It takes us up to number 3427 of the work that used to be called The Spiritual Diary. It has now been published, and we congratulate Dr. J. Durban Odhner, the translator.

     CHURCH GOVERNANCE STUDY WEBSITE

     A new General Church website has been established for the current study of church governance. The address is
     www.newchurch.org/governance
     The website includes an introductory statement by Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss on why the study is being conducted, and is divided into sessions as they are being presented, with accompanying papers and information.
     Material is being added from past sessions, and the site will be updated as sessions continue through May in preparation for a report at the General Assembly in June, The website also offers an opportunity to participate in discussions and to respond by e-mail.
     We hope those with web access will find ways to share the materials with interested church members who do not have access. We welcome your comments and suggestions.
     Program Management Committee:
          Rt. Rev. Alfred Acton,
          Bruce Henderson, Co-chairs

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GREAT MOUNTAIN 2000

GREAT MOUNTAIN       Rev. GEOFFREY S. CHILDS       2000

"And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth" (Daniel 2:35).

     King Nebuchadnezzar experienced a powerful dream: he saw an awesome image. This great image had a head of fine gold, a chest and arms of silver; its belly and thighs were bronze, its legs were iron, and its feet were iron and clay. The King then saw a stone "cut without hands," that struck the image on its feet and shattered it, and then that stone became a great mountain, filling the whole earth (Daniel 2:31-35).
     In its spiritual, historical sense, this dream is a portrayal of the entire history of the churches of this earth. The fine gold is the Most Ancient Church, the silver is the Ancient Church, the bronze the Jewish, and the iron the Christian Church in its beginnings. The iron and clay feet are those in the Christian Church who have lost all sight of the one Lord Jesus Christ. Finally, the stone "cut without hands" is a new revelation of truth by the Lord Himself, fulfilling His promise that He had many things to say unto us, but could not say them in early Christian times (see John 16:12, 13). This pure stone is the Heavenly Doctrines, the Writings revealed by the Lord through Emanuel Swedenborg between 1748 and 1772. The Lord's goal in Providence is that this "stone" will become a great mountain of celestial good, of love to the Lord, that will fill the whole earth (see TCR 760, 787, 788).
     But Nebuchadnezzar's dream in Daniel 2 has other meanings as well. For it speaks in its highest sense of the Lord's coming on earth, and of His Glorification. At our finite human level, it speaks of our whole lifetime: from our earliest infancy to our hoped-for home in heaven. And finally, it tells of the hope of a conjugial marriage with each of us: of a falling in love that starts with an innocence, and matures and grows until it becomes a mountain of love from the Lord, an eternal home for our hearts.
     When the Lord was born on earth, He came as a tiny babe, whose very Soul was Divine, the Father.

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He was born in Bethlehem, and this means that He, and He alone, was born "spiritual celestial." This means, simply, that He was born with a love for saving humankind, and perceptions about how this would be achieved. This love of saving us was human; it was His human essence. His goal in life was to make this human essence, this tender love, not only human but also Divine. Opposed to this was his heredity from Mary, which had hereditary evil tendencies.     
     Jesus had His "golden" age. This was His infancy and childhood, when He was with the celestial angels much of the time, and when His Soul Jehovah appeared to Him and blessed Him with insights and Divine goals. Jesus had His silver age in mid-childhood, when Divine truths were revealed to Him more and more, and He took these truths to His young heart as the silver of the mind. Thus in the temple at twelve, those "who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers" (Luke 2:47).
     We are told that "Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men" (Luke 2:52). He came, in His earlier adult years, into His age of bronze. This is good in His natural, or what is just and sincere in moral life (see AE 70). Jesus was disciplining His hereditary natural, fighting against the hells in temptations, and making that natural Divine. This is bronze in all its beauty.
     The iron age with Jesus was when He began applying Divine truth to the ultimates of life (see AC 10335:5). This led up to His public ministry, when He revealed moral truths to Christians who were in a desolate spiritual state (Ibid.). Then He did miracles, and He applied revealed truth to the very sensuous in His Mary heredity. Terrible temptations followed, even as Jesus endured forty days of temptations in the wilderness, following His baptism in the waters of truth (Jordan).
     It was the age of iron and clay that brought Jesus' worst temptations, however. For His goal was to become glorified, Divine, even as to His sensuous, and finally as to His very Body.

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This the hells opposed utterly, for if Jesus became Divine even in things ultimate, He then would have power to save all of us, in any open states of heart we have. Finally this led to the great Armageddon, the temptations in Gethsemane, and then upon the cross itself.
     It was on the cross that His key weapon was the "stone cut without hands." He fought from Divine truth and a trust in its power. Yet He despaired because of our weaknesses in things sensual, and because of the weaknesses in His hereditary sensuous tendencies from Mary. Nevertheless He fought on; He did not yield. Then the "stone cut without hands" shattered all merely human limitations, represented by that shattered statue of Nebuchadnezzar's dream. And the "stone ... became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth" (text). Divine truth with Him, after victory on the cross, became Divine good. Jesus Himself became Divine good, from His celestial to His very Body. He rose on Easter as Good Itself, now united with Divine truth. He rose as the One God of all creation. The great mountain of His Divine love and wisdom is established in heaven, and from it we can draw strength. He is our Lord, and our God.
     We ourselves, each of us, have had a golden age. This was our infancy, held in our parents' arms. The very celestial angels were with us, bringing their aura of complete love and trust. Innocent loves were established that still remain in our inmost hearts. These enable us to become angels. And we had our silver age too--our girlhood or boyhood, when we learned to love others and to open our hearts. We also learned truths of the Word with gentle love. Spiritual angels were with us, secretly implanting a love of the Lord's truth and a love for our friends.
     The bronze age with us was in our youth, in our states of idealism. What is best in us then pledged a spiritually moral life. We would obey the Lord's commands. We could see for ourselves that His Word is true, and be deeply moved by that vision.
     This idealism, this love of what is good and true in life, continues into early adult age.

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There are strong counter forces of selfishness and sensualism, but these can be resisted from our sense of serving the Lord. But as time goes on, our focus on ideals may fade. We begin to face our life's occupations, and our work at home, and a glow begins to leave life.
     Then we come into our iron age. We still believe in truth, but we see that what is needed now is self-compulsion, a real discipline to obey the commandments This is tough; it is hard as iron. But if we stand upon these legs of iron, we can stay with innocence and the Lord. So often it happens that the clay of the world's appeal, of the flesh and self-service, takes on magnetic appeal. Why serve the Lord and the church when there are all these gratifications and attractions?
     We may come into the feet of iron and clay. Self comes first, and the Lord and the church are way behind. We live for our own selfish goals. But some time in this decay within us-sometimes as a miracle--the Lord will awaken our childhood remains. The best part of us will perceive, clearly, "a stone cut without hands." We will not only remember, but in a special love, we will see that the Word is true. If we turn to the Lord strongly, the Lord will take that precious stone and strike the feet of iron and clay. Our whole selfish lifestyle will then shatter.
     We are left with the wonder of Divine truth clearly seen, and the resolution from the Lord to put this truth into our hearts and lives. We begin true spiritual growth. That stone, cut without hands, is to become a mountain of good that transforms our lives.
     So also with our marriages. We may fall in love, and in our first states of marriage be in a golden state, an inner golden age. In time this may be followed by the silver of a closest friendship, with the gold still within. Later we enter the bronze of life's uses, done with a good heart and closeness to our partner. As days and years go by, inevitably at times the daily and weekly work we do begins to have an iron feeling about it. It is work we must do, knowing that within are still the bronze, silver and gold. But we seem to find more of iron than inner warmth. Self-compulsion to obey the Word then predominates.

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     Now the clay of betrayal begins to seem attractive. Temptations to adultery or abuse of sex may inflow strongly. Our personal success may seem far more vital than the church's ideals. Our daily work seems like drudgery. We are in our own wilderness state, in the valley of shadow. Terrible temptations and frightening despair may infiltrate our hearts.
     But if we do not yield, if instead we turn to the Lord in desperation and yet with all our hope, a quiet miracle may come to us. For the Lord Himself will enter our hearts. He will, in special states, re-awaken the innocence of first love, and of childhood trust and faithfulness. From the Lord's light, we will see again "the stone cut without hands"--we will see Divine truth as very reality of life.
     It is in this state, from the Lord's strength and with our prayers, that we can allow that Divine stone to shatter the feet of iron and clay in our outer self. The Lord can take that spiritual stone, and gradually raise within our inner horizon a mountain: a mountain of love for Him, and of new and tender love for our married partner. For the Lord promises us then, if we are faithful, a new golden age. To achieve this will require self-discipline, obedience to the Lord's Word. But in the Lord's time, the stone "that struck the image becomes a great mountain, and fills the whole earth" (Dan. 2:35).
     Before each of us, in this life or the next, is the promise of Conjugial Love 180: "The states of conjugial love are innocence, peace, tranquility, inmost friendship, full confidence, and a mutual desire of mind and heart to do each other every good." The Lord promises: "Surely I come quickly .... Even so, come, Lord Jesus" (Rev. 22:20). Amen.

     Lessons: Luke 2:41-52; Isaiah 9:1-7; CL 58, 59

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LORD'S RESURRECTION BODY 2000

LORD'S RESURRECTION BODY       Rev. DOUGLAS M. TAYLOR       2000

     FROM A PAPER FOR THE COUNCIL OF THE CLERGY

     In the Heavenly Doctrine there are two sets of passages regarding the Lord's Resurrection Body. The passages are too numerous to present them all, but we do need to have a representative sampling of them at the forefront of our mind. (Emphasis added is mine throughout.)
     Let's begin with some of those that say that the Lord on earth put off entirely all that He received from the mother Mary, replacing that with a new Human received from the Father within.

The human that appertained to the Lord was from the mother, thus was infirm, having with it from the mother a heredity that, by means of the combats of temptations, He overcame and utterly expelled, insomuch that nothing was left of what was infirm and hereditary from the mother; in fact, at last there remained nothing whatever from the mother. Thus He entirely put off all that was from the mother, and therefore He was no longer her son (AC 2159).

By "casting out the handmaid and her son" is signified that the things of the merely human rational should be banished .... But it is to be known that, although a man is being regenerated, still each and all things of the first rational remain with him, and are merely separated from the second rational, and this is in a most wonderful way by the Lord. But the Lord wholly banished H is first rational, so that nothing of it remained; for what is merely human cannot be together with the Divine. Hence He was no longer the son of Mary, but was Jehovah as to each essence (AC 2657:1, 7).

The Lord by the most grievous temptation-combats reduced all things in Himself into Divine order, insomuch that there remained nothing at all of the human that He had derived from the mother, so that He was not made new as are other men, but altogether Divine. For a human being who is made new by regeneration still retains in himself an inclination to evil, and even evil itself, but is withheld from evil by an influx of the life of the Lord's love, and this with a force exceedingly great; whereas the Lord utterly cast out all the evil that was hereditary to Him from the mother. and made Himself Divine, even as to the vessels, that is, as to truths.

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This is what in the Word is called "glorification" (AC 3318:5).

With man evils are separated but still are retained, because they cannot be altogether blotted out. But with the Lord, who made the natural in Himself Divine, evils and falsities were altogether ejected and blotted out (AC 5 134).

Man is made altogether new when he is being regenerated, because then each and all things with him are so disposed as to receive heavenly loves. Nevertheless, with man the former forms are not destroyed but only removed. But with the Lord the former forms, which were from the maternal, were completely destroyed and extirpated, and Divine forms were received in their place. But the Divine love does not agree with any but a Divine form. All other forms it absolutely casts out. Hence it is that the Lord when glorified was no longer the son of Mary (AC 6872:4).

By successive steps the Lord put off the human taken from the mother, and put on a Human from the Divine with in Him, which is the Divine Human, and is the Son of God. It is known that in the Lord were the Divine and the human, the Divine from Jehovah the Father, and the human from the virgin Mary. Hence He was God and man, having a Divine essence and a human nature, a Divine essence from the Father, and a human nature from the mother; and therefore was equal to the Father as to the Divine, and less than the Father as to the human. It is also known that this human nature from the mother was not transmuted into the Divine essence, nor commingled with it, for this is taught in the doctrine of faith that is called the Athanasian Creed. For a human nature cannot be transmuted into the Divine essence, nor can it be commingled with it. In agreement with the same creed is also our doctrine, that the Divine assumed the Human, that is, united itself to it, as a soul to a body, so that they were not two but one person. From this it fellows that the Lord put off the human from the mother, which in itself was like that of another man, and thus material, and put on a Human from the Father, which in itself was like His Divine, and thus substantial, so that the Human too became Divine.

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This is why in the Word of the prophets the Lord even as to the Human is called Jehovah and God; and in the Word of the Evangelists, Lord, God, Messiah or Christ, and the Son of God in whom we must believe and by whom we are to be saved. As from His birth the Lord had a human from the mother, and as He by successive steps put it off, it follows that while He was in the world He had two states, the one called the state of humiliation or emptying out, and the other the state of glorification or unition with the Divine, called the Father. He was in the state of humiliation at the time and in the degree that He was in the human from the mother; and in that of glorification at the time and in the degree that He was in the Human from the Father. In the state of humiliation He prayed to the Father as to one who was other than Himself, but in the state of glorification He spoke with the Father as with Himself. In this latter state He said that the Father was in Him and He in the Father, and that the Father and He were one. But in the state of humiliation He underwent temptations, and suffered the cross and prayed to the Father not to forsake Him. For the Divine could not be tempted, much less could it suffer the cross (Doctrine of the Lord 35:1-3).

     But there are also these passages that could lead to the conclusion that the Lord rose with His material body taken from Mary:

The Lord made the body itself in Himself Divine, both its sensuous things and their recipient organs; and He therefore rose again from the sepulchre with His body, and likewise after His resurrection said to the disciples; "Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; feel Me and see; for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see Me have" (Luke 24:39) (AC 5078:8).

The Lord rose again with His whole Body, for He left nothing in the sepulcher. Of this He also afterward confirmed His disciples, saying, "Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; feel Me, and see; for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see Me have" (Luke 24:39). And although He was a man in regard to the flesh and bones, He nevertheless entered in through closed doors; and after He had manifested Himself, He again became invisible (John 20:19; Luke 24:31). It is different with every man, for a man rises again only as to the spirit and not as to the body; therefore when He said that He is not a spirit, He said He is not like any other man. From this it is now evident that in the Lord the Human also is Divine (AC 10,825).

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With the Lord all is Jehovah, not only His internal and His interior man, but also the external man, and the very body; and therefore He alone rose into heaven with the body also, as is sufficiently evident in the Gospels, where His resurrection is treated of; as also from the words of the Lord Himself: "Wherefore do thoughts arise in your hearts? See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see Me have."
And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet (Luke 24:38-40) (AC 1729:2).

In the world the Lord put on also a Divine Natural, in which He is present with mankind. The glorification of the Lord is the glorification of His Human, which He assumed in the world; and the Lord's glorified Human is the Divine Natural. The truth of this is evident from the fact that the Lord rose from the tomb with the whole body that He had in the world, leaving nothing in the tomb, and therefore took with Him from the tomb the Natural Human itself from the first to the last of it (TCR 109).

     We need at some time to make the attempt to reconcile those two sets of passages. Otherwise we will remain in the faith of authority, and the thought of the church will never advance. Unless this attempt is made regularly, we will continue to be embarrassed by this question, whether it comes from a member of the church or an inquirer: "How did the Lord rise with His whole body, differently from mankind?"
     Here, then, is my attempt to find an answer to that question.
     The starting point is the teaching that there is an analogy between the regeneration of a human being and the glorification of the Lord's human from Mary (see AC 3043:3, 3138:2, 4237).
In describing the process of our regeneration, the Heavenly Doctrine presents two sets of passages:
     1)      that the loves and light of the celestial and spiritual degrees must descend into our natural mind.

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     2)      that our natural degree must be raised up into the heat and light of heaven.
     Let us look at three representative examples of the first group. They would include these passages:

When anything of light through heaven ... inflows into his natural, man begins to think ...that it is better that the spiritual man should have the dominion, for thus he can think good and will good, and thus can come into heaven (AC 5650).

The natural is the plane in which the influx [of good from the Lord] is terminated .... The new natural ... is called the spiritual natural .... Hence the new natural, as to thinking, willing and acting the effect, is nothing else than a representative of the spiritual. When this takes place, the person receives good from the Lord, and ... is blessed with happiness to eternity (AC 5651:2, 4).

The regeneration of the natural is accomplished by means of the insinuation by the Lord of spiritual life through the internal man into the scientifics of the natural (AC 6183).

     The second group could be represented by the following:

But if when man has been regenerated thus far, he is of such a character that he can be further regenerated, he is elevated from there to the interior natural, which is under the immediate auspices of the internal .... The elevation is done by a withdrawing from sensory things and scientifics, thus by elevation above them, and then the man comes into a state of interior thought and affection, thus interiorly into heaven (AC 6183).

When man is born, he comes first into the natural degree, and this grows in him, by continuity, even to the highest point of understanding, which is called the rational. Yet not by this means is the second degree opened, which is called the spiritual. That degree is opened by a love of uses in accordance with the things of the understanding, although by a spiritual love of uses, which is love toward the neighbor. This degree may grow in like manner by continuous degrees to its height, and it grows by means of cognitions of truth and good, that is, by spiritual truths. Yet even by such truths the third degree which is called celestial is not opened; for this degree is opened by means of the celestial love of use, which is love to the Lord .... In this manner these three degrees are successively opened in man (DLW 237; see also 239).

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Whatever is in ... the exterior natural is obscure in comparison with the interior natural, and still more so in comparison with what is in the rational (AC 6451, 6453). But this obscurity becomes clear ... if the man can be elevated from the exterior to the interior things, thus to see the exterior things from what is interior. This ... is possible ... [only] through regeneration by the Lord (AC 6454).

     These teachings are two different ways of describing the same process. Both sets of passages are true. They must be true since they have been Divinely revealed. And they are not difficult to reconcile. How foolish it would be to form two schools of thought, one based on the first set of passages and the other on the second. One group could be called "the descenders," while the other could be named "the ascenders." Thus we could have another full-blown controversy, with a great opportunity to cry out: "Heresy." Our natural man would be delighted; so would the hells!
     To show that these two sets of passages are not difficult to reconcile, we have only to look again at AC 6183, which, as you have probably noticed, teaches both the descent and the ascent. The descent of good and truth from the Lord into the natural causes it to be elevated into the heat and light of heaven. That is the same process of regeneration viewed from two opposite angles.

     THE GLORIFICATION

     Is there anything comparable in the process of the Lord's glorification? I believe there is.
     The two sets of passages about the Lord's resurrection body prompt several questions, such as these:
- What did the human from Mary include?
- The Lord expelled everything of the mind inherited from Mary, but was the body also expelled?
- Did He "transmute" the body into a Divine Body?

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- Does the "whole body" with which He rose mean the body from Mary?
- What was the result of His putting off everything from Mary?
- What exactly did He mean by saying that He was not a spirit? (Luke 24:39)
- What happened to the body in the tomb?

     Let us look at each of these questions in turn.

What did the human from Mary include? Or what is meant by the statement that "the Lord assumed the human"?
     Obviously, He took on a body from Mary, as both the Scriptures and the New Revelation testify. By the interaction of the Divine Soul with that body, His natural mind developed, according to the order of development that He had imposed on the human race from the beginning--first the sensory level, then the middle natural or scientific, and finally the natural rational, "the highest point of understanding" (DLW 237).
     So at first His human was like that of any other man, despite His having a Divine Soul within. His neighbors in Nazareth saw no difference, so they were astonished and offended when in the local synagogue He spoke Divine wisdom. They were too close to His maternal human to see His Divinity (see Matt. 13:53-58).
     All these things that the Lord on earth took on from Mary, He successively put off. (see Lord 35). "Successively" or "by successive steps" means more than just "progressively."

The Lord expelled everything of the mind inherited from Mary; but was the body also expelled?
     There are many references to the expulsion of the various levels of the mind, such as AC 2657, 2139e (the rational); AC 5134e, 3518 (the natural), to quote only a few; and in general, those referring to the Lord's temptations caused by His hereditary evils and falsities, which are of the mind, and the expulsion of them.

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     As to the body, the language is all-inclusive: "He entirely put off all that was from the mother, and therefore He was no longer her son" (AC 2159). No passage that I know of excludes the body from this complete expulsion. How illogical it would be to think that the Divine extended down through the degrees of the natural mind from the highest to the lowest, but stopped short of going all the way to the very last things, the body! The Divine acts only in fullness, from first things to last things (see SS 53, 6; AE 1087:3).
     Besides, if the Lord retained the body from Mary, it could not be said that He was "no longer her son" (AC 2159, 6872:4). Nor could it be said that "the Lord made the body itself in Himself Divine, both its sensuous things and their recipient organs," for this was accomplished by utterly expelling everything received from Mary and replacing it with what was Divine (see Lord 35; AC 2657:1, 7).

Did He transmute the body from Mary into a Divine Body?
     That would involve changing material substance into Divine substance, the Divine Substantial. Is that possible? Is it in agreement with the Divine Order?
     Even arguing from general principles, the answer must be "No." But we are given a specific warning against thinking that a human nature could be transmuted into a Divine nature. "A human nature cannot be transmuted into the Divine essence, nor can it be commingled with it" (Lord 35).
     We have already shown that this "human nature" included the body. Besides, the passage just quoted goes on to say that "the human from the mother ... in itself was like that of another man, and thus material" (ibid.). "Material" means "pertaining to matter; bodily; not spiritual" (Webster's). By putting on this natural the Lord "became Man, like a man in the world" (DLW 233; see also 234). (A "man in the world" has a physical body.)
     This human nature He put off (see Lord 35, and many other references already shown). He put it off. He did not transmute it.

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Does the "whole body" with which He rose mean the body from Mary?
     That question has just been answered. He put off everything taken from Mary," and "utterly expelled" it, including the body. If He put off the body from Mary, how could He have risen with it?

What was the result of His putting off everything from Mary?
     The answer is given in summary form in the passage quoted from Doctrine of the Lord 35: "By successive steps the Lord put off the human taken from the mother, and put on a Human from the Divine within Him, which is the Divine Human, and is the Son of God."
     The whole point of being at such pains to show that the Lord 1) put on a body from Mary and 2) put it off entirely, replacing it with the Divine Human, is to make it clear that Divinity then occupied the corporeal degree. God was now on the level of the body. The Lord was no longer the Son of Mary, but the Son of God. The Word had been "made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). But it was not material, human, finite flesh. It was Divine flesh, Divine substantial, "so that the human too became Divine" (Lord 35:2; see also AC 2083, 5078:2, 10,125:2). John 1:14 is not a Christmas text; it is an Easter text.
     The Lord did this replacement "by successive steps." The word "successive," of course, reminds us of ''successive order," degrees of height. It means more than by "progressive steps" The latter could be merely continuous, that is, on the same level. But the Divine descended down through the degrees of height, and He did this in fullness, even to the last and lowest-the corporeal, the body.
     The foregoing seems to be a way of understanding the many passages that say the Lord "glorified His human," so that they do not conflict with the many other passages that say He "rose with His whole body," but actually shed light on them.

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"The Lord made the body itself in Himself Divine, both its sensuous things and their recipient organs; and He therefore rose again from the sepulcher with His body" (AC 5078:8). "With the Lord all is Jehovah, not only His internal and His interior man, but also the external man, and the very body; and therefore He alone rose into heaven with the body also" (AC 1729:2). He left nothing in the sepulcher (see AC 10,825, TCR 109).
     Notice that He rose with His whole body because He had first glorified His human so that it was the Divine Human. Because there had been a descent of Divinity there could be an ascent. In all but one important respect, the process is similar in our regeneration; spirituality descends and ascends, raising us up to heaven.
     The all-important difference, of course, is that in our regeneration the descent does not continue to the last and lowest--the body. Our mind is spiritualized, but not our body. That is "rejected and putrefies" (LJ Post. 87). So the ascent can begin only where the descent left off--from the sensory--and continue upward.
     But with the Lord the descent was total. He not only deified or glorified His natural, human mind but His body also. This He accomplished by casting out everything from Mary and replacing it with Divinity. He was the First and the Last (see Rev. 1:17, 22:13). Unlike mankind, He rose with His whole body--His own Divine body, not the body from Mary.
     Not the body from Mary. That is vitally important. We can easily lapse into thinking "the body from Mary" when we read that the Lord "rose again with His whole body, for He left nothing in the sepulcher" (AC 10,825), and especially that He "rose from the tomb with the whole body that He had in the world" (TCR 109).
     But thinking of "the body from Mary" leads only to confusion. Even TCR 109, when read in context, makes it clear that the "body from Mary" is not meant. It begins by saying that "in the world the Lord put on also a Divine Natural," then says that "the Lord's glorified Human is the Divine Natural," and finally that "therefore [He] took with Him from the tomb the Natural Human itself from the First to the Last of it."

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The Lord took with Him the Body that He had in the world--not the body He had at birth, but the Body He had at death.
     This truth needs to be at the very forefront of our mind when we read also that "as to that part of the body which from those who are born of human parents is rejected and putrefies, was with [the Lord] glorified and made Divine from the Divine in Himself; and He rose with this, leaving nothing in the sepulcher, altogether otherwise than takes place with every man" (LJ Post. 87).
     " ... altogether otherwise than takes place with every man. That is the whole thrust of that passage. Whereas with us human beings our corporeal level "putrefies" in the sepulchre, the case was altogether different with the Lord's resurrection body. The corporeal level of His maternal human could not putrefy--because He had already put it off, leaving nothing in the tomb, replacing it with the Divine corporeal. With what else could He rise?     
     On the level of what with mankind is the physical, the Lord was as Divine substantial as He is in His inmost Soul. He had "flesh and bones," yes; but they were of Divine substance. They were not of mere spiritual substance as with the spiritual bodies of deceased human beings. They were not receptacles of life. They were Life Itself. "As the Father has Life in Himself, so has He given the Son to have Life in Himself' (John 5:26).
     For this reason the Lord after glorification could be seen only with the spiritual eyes of the disciples. "While man is in the body he does not see such things as are in heaven unless the sight of his spirit is opened. When this is opened, then he does see .... This is evident from the Lord's being seen by the disciples [after His resurrection] when He Himself showed to them that He was a man in a complete human form (Luke 24:39; John 20:20-28); and yet He became invisible. When they saw Him, the eyes of their spirit were opened, but when He became invisible, those eyes were closed" (AE 53:2).

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     That passage effectively answers the question, What exactly did He mean by saying that He was not a spirit (Luke 24:39)?
     Furthermore, in another passage already quoted above it is said that "when He said that He is not a spirit, He said He is not like any other man" (AC 10825). As we all know from many passages, "any other man" rises only as to his spirit and not as to his body, surviving the death of his body by becoming conscious in his spirit. But the Lord survived the death of His body from Mary by becoming visibly present to spiritual eyes on the level of the corporeal, the Divine corporeal, the Divine Human. In other words, He rose with His whole body, differently from mankind.
     It is true that "when what is spiritual sees or touches what is spiritual, it is the same as when what is natural sees and touches what is natural" (HH 461). It must be equally true that when what is spiritual sees or touches what is Divine, it is the same as when what is spiritual sees or touches what is spiritual. The Divine substance, being the origin of spiritual substance, could do what spiritual substance does, that is, enter in through closed doors and become invisible again (see John 20:19, Luke 24:31).

What happened to the body in the tomb?
     It is easy to quote passages about what happened to the body in the tomb. The language is very clear. But it is much harder to understand the meaning of the passages that answer the question.
     The language is absolute: "The Lord put off the human taken from the mother" (Lord 35); "the Lord put off all the maternal in the sepulcher ... for in the sepulchre all such was to be dissipated" (Ath. 160); "the Lord, in the sepulchre, and thus by death, rejected all the human from the mother and dissipated it" (Ath. 161); "He left nothing in the sepulchre" (AC 10825); "He entirely put off all that was from the mother, and therefore He was no longer her son" (AC 2159). Other similar terms used include "completely destroyed" [also translated "blotted out"] and "extirpated [exterminated]" (AC 6872e).

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     We cannot for a moment doubt or question the teaching that the body from Mary was utterly destroyed or dissipated. That is a Divine truth. But how was this done? That is the real question.
     In the discussion that followed in the Council of the Clergy, a leading theologian made a most important point: that if the influx of life from the Lord were to cease with a human being, that person would not just die, but would cease to be and disappear. Accordingly, when the Lord cut off the influx of life into the human from Mary, it simply ceased to exist and disappeared. This view was endorsed by another priest having a medical background.
     Like the passages on our regeneration, the two sets of passages about the Lord's glorification and His resurrection body do not conflict. They are two different ways of describing the same process. There was both a descent and an ascent. Divinity descended to the level of the body by putting off everything received from Mary and replacing it with Divine substance, so that the Lord could rise with His own Divine body and not merely with His spirit.
OUT OF TIME AND SPACE 2000

OUT OF TIME AND SPACE              2000

     Rev. Christopher Hasler of England gave an outstanding lecture in Sydney, Australia in 1997. It was recorded, and the transcript has now been turned into a pamphlet with the title Out of Time and Space. It is published by the Swedenborg Lending Library and Enquiry Centre, 1 Avon Road, North Ryde, NSW 2113, Australia.

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SECULARIZATION OF RELIGIOUS COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES 2000

SECULARIZATION OF RELIGIOUS COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES       Rev. BRIAN W. KEITH       2000

     (Conclusion)

     A PAPER PREPARED FOR THE GOVERNANCE STUDY

Section VI--Why Did It Happen?

Why Did the Churches Let This Happen?

     Since it usually took a long time for the secularization process to gain a critical mass, why did the sponsoring churches not do something to prevent it? A large part of the answer lies in the fact that the pietistic movement emphasized external behaviors over any creed or belief. With such an emphasis upon the kind of life a person led, to the exclusion of any belief system, it was relatively easy for institutions to pay less and less attention to the philosophy or beliefs that distinguished them from other denominations, religions, and even non-belief. So the gradual shift from the denomination's faith, to being called "Christian," to being "religious," to finally being "socially responsible" did not arouse any worries in the denominations. By reducing religion to morality and sentiment, the churches overlooked fundamental changes in their colleges and universities.
     The church leadership was also oblivious to the secularization process because the controls or influence exerted by the church were gentle. Each step away from the church was not seen as a rejection or major departure from the institution's original purpose. In fact, they assumed good will between the two, and were usually surprised when they discovered the relationship was no longer reciprocal.
     When churches did finally recognize that there was a significant gulf between the educational institution and the denomination, there were occasional efforts to hold the institutions accountable.

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In the early 1960s the Lutherans attempted this. They sought to engage their institutions in a dialogue on the role of faith in the university, but the institutions used their freedom to ignore the Lutherans. Part of the problem was that the leading scholars in the church approved of the lack of influence by the church. One Lutheran theologian, Martin Heinecken, claimed that "the first task of a college is to be a first-rate educational institution. Its task is not redemption, but education" (Burtchaell, p. 481).
     The colleges further claimed they did not exist for the church's benefit, but they were vehicles of service for the church in the world. Thus secularization, although never termed that by those who promoted it, would be beneficial to church institutions! Various covenants were drawn up between Lutheran colleges and the church, but these had little meaning and no effect.
     This pattern was also seen at Methodist institutions. There,

As the campus constituencies contained a more and more dilute Methodist presence, the church constituencies would restate their commonality in broader and broader terms to keep it plausible (Burtchaell, p. 337).

     Often the "rhetoric of concern" began to be voiced even as the institutions were making the critical turn away from religion. Covenants and statements of purpose were proposed to redefine the relationship, but the colleges and universities were able to dictate the language of these, and they only amounted to a cover while the secularization process went on apace.

The Critical Turn

     All of these factors set the stage for the separation of these institutions from their religious heritage--if not in name, at least in fact. There was no single cause, but the secularization of colleges and universities occurred through a confluence of many factors. In 1970 the Presbyterians identified several markers when assessing how the rift had occurred at Lafayette:

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Piecemeal dismantling of the traditional church-relationship of Lafayette may be detected in the abandonment of religious quotas in admissions policy and religious criteria in faculty selection; in the absence of Presbyterian clergy on the Board of Trustees; in the rigorous academic approach in the Religion Department with its stance of complete separation from the chaplaincy; in the abandonment of compulsory Chapel attendance beginning with the second semester of the 1964-5 academic year; in the refusal of the faculty, during the following year, to provide a meaningful time-slot in the mid-week class schedule for a voluntary chapel observance; in the removal of the requirement of two semesters of academic religion courses in the spring of 1970; and in the discontinuation of Invocation at Faculty meetings in November of 1970. The increased freedom of social arrangements, the abandonment of the college's role in loco parentis might also be considered part of this picture (Burtchaell, p. 175).

     Burtchaell, surveying the process in a wide variety of settings, observed,

The elements of the slow but apparently irrevocable cleavage of colleges from churches were many. The church was replaced as a financial patron by alumni, foundations, philanthropists, and the government. The regional accrediting associations, the alumni, and the government replaced the church as the primary authorities to whom the college would give an accounting for its stewardship. The study of their faith became academically marginalized, and the understanding of religion was degraded by translation into reductive banalities for promotional use. Presidential hubris found fulfillment in cultivating the colleges to follow the academic pacesetters, which were selective state and independent universities. The faculty transferred their primary loyalties from the college to their disciplines and their guild, and were thereby antagonistic to any competing norms of professional excellence related to the church (p. 837).

     These forces fueled a common desire for autonomy. As Burtchaell notes, "It requires only the possibility of emancipation-and-survival to provoke the educator's preference for autonomy"
(p. 823).

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     Given all these factors, is secularization inevitable? Or is there one critical turn that, if prevented, would prevent the complete separation?
     Burtchaell claims that secularization becomes inevitable only "the moment when the sponsoring church was removed from college governance" (p. 827). Once this link is broken, all the forces pushing for secularization will predominate and an educational institution will spin out of the church's orbit. For if the church is no longer acknowledged and looked to as the source of mission, governance, finances, faculty, and students, then it becomes an outside intruder. At this point "the critical turn ... often involves forcing those who spoke for the church out of college governance" (Burtchaell, p. 834). Once those who speak for the church are not the primary voices in the educational institution, then secularization is the only alternative.
     Is it irreversible at this point? The board of Christian education in the Presbyterian Church made this declaration in 1970:

The history of higher education in this country is replete with examples of where what was a condition of mutual support and cooperation has passed into one of merely historical and perhaps largely sentimental attachment on the part of a few. The transition from a church-related college to a secular one may proceed almost imperceptibly at first, but as the distance widens it also accelerates and then becomes irreversible... (quoted in Burtchaell, p. 166).

     When the governing bonds with a church are severed, when presidents no longer have as their primary focus the religious mission of the institution, when the faculty and administration wholeheartedly embrace the norms of professional excellence and regard the religious mission of the institution as secondary, when secular accrediting agencies reinforce this by establishing secular standards and holding institutions accountable to them, when the need for money drives key decisions, and when students are not fundamentally interested in the religious perspective of the institutions, allegiance to any set of religious norms and affiliation with a church evaporates.

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The only question is how long the process will take.
     
Postscript

     Is the Academy in danger of secularization? Probably only the most pessimistic of Cassandras could claim we are on the brink of plunging into the pit of secularization. We are blessed with a clearly stated primary religious mission, strong though few formal ties to the General Church, a dedicated New Church-oriented faculty, a student body that is being taught the faith of the New Church, and an endowment that allows a freedom from undue secular influence.
     However, we would be na?ve to think that we have any special protection against the forces which have led so many educational institutions to drift and finally depart from their religious organizations. Rarely was a singular decision made to separate, but a succession of smaller decisions led to the departmentalization and eventual elimination of religion as a factor in these institutions. Any one of the factors that affected other institutions could become a strong force at the Academy. As an educational institution we are no more immune from them than we as individuals are immune from the evils identified in the Writings because we aspire to be "New Church."
     Secularizing forces will ever be present, and the only sure guard is for all members of the Academy family to ever reclaim, reinvigorate, and realize the charter purpose of the Academy:

... propagating the Heavenly Doctrines of the New Jerusalem, and establishing the New Church signified in the Apocalypse by the New Jerusalem, promoting education in all of its various forms, educating young men for the ministry, publishing books, pamphlets and other printed matter, and establishing a library.

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     Appendix I--Changes in Mission Statements

     These examples have all been taken from Burtchaell's book.

Lafayette (Presbyterian)

1890: "The aim of Lafayette College is distinctly religious. Under the general direction of the Synod of Pennsylvania of the Presbyterian Church its instruction is in full sympathy with the doctrines of that body. At the same time religious instruction is carried on with a view to a broad general development of Christian manhood within the lines of general acceptance among evangelical Christians, the points of agreement, rather than disagreement, being dwelt upon."
1935 (approximately): "Lafayette College aims to be distinctly Christian and is related to the Presbyterian Church not only historically and legally but by hearty accord in spirit and purpose. Religious instruction is carried on with a view to the development of Christian manhood and leadership in Christian service, not in any sectarian sense, but in full accord with essential truth as accepted by all evangelical Christians .... "
1950: "Lafayette College is a private, church-related college, organically connected with the Presbyterian Church. The religious program on the campus is based on the belief that each student should enjoy complete freedom as he pursues religious truths and seeks a responsible religious expression."
1985: "Lafayette College seeks to promote the continued intellectual, imaginative, emotional, and spiritual growth of its students and faculty. The College sustains a concern with human meaning and values, a concern animated by its traditional--though now attenuated--ties with the Presbyterian Church. The College encourages recognition and respect for a wide variety of interest and opinions, and it draws strength from the diverse talents and backgrounds of its students and faculty. It asks them to work together to make Lafayette, from residences and playing fields to libraries and classrooms, an environment conducive to inquiry and discovery."

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1989: "Since the 1840s Lafayette has had a lasting, though evolving, relationship with the Presbyterian Church, but its religious programs embrace all faiths."
1993: "In 1854, the College formed a mutually supportive association with the Presbyterian Church .... Today, Lafayette is an independent, coeducational, residential, undergraduate institution with a faculty of distinction .... "

Millsaps College (Methodist)

1927-52: "Millsaps College is a church related college under the care and control of the Mississippi and North Mississippi Conferences of the Methodist Church. The college is non-sectarian but devoutly Christian. During the 1948-49 session it numbered in its student body members of thirteen denominations [54 percent were Methodists that year] and in its faculty members of four denominations."
1955: "Millsaps College has as its primary aim the development of men and women for responsible leadership and well-rounded lives of useful service to their fellow men, their country, and their God. It seeks to function as a community of learners where faculty and students together seek that truth that frees the minds of men.     
     As an institution of the Methodist Church, Millsaps College is dedicated to the idea that religion is a vital part of education; that education is an integral part of the Christian religion; and that church-related colleges, providing a sound academic program in a Christian environment, afford a kind of discipline and influence which no other type of institution can offer. The College provides a congenial atmosphere where persons of all faiths may study and work together for the development of their physical, intellectual, and spiritual capacities ....

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     "As an institution of higher learning, Millsaps College fosters an attitude of continuing intellectual awareness, of tolerance, and of unbiased inquiry, without which true education cannot exist. It does not seek to indoctrinate, but to inform and inspire. It does not shape the student in a common mold of thought and ideas, but rather attempts to search out his deeply held aptitudes, capacities, and aspirations and to provide opportunities for his maximum possible development .... "
1990. "Millsaps College is a community founded on trust in disciplined learning as a key to rewarding life.
     "In keeping with its character as a liberal arts college and its historic role in the mission of the United Methodist Church, Millsaps seeks to provide a learning environment which increases knowledge, deepens understanding of faith, and inspires the development of mature citizens with the intellectual capacities, ethical principles, and sense of responsibility that are needed for leadership in all sectors of society.
     "The programs of the college are designed to promote independent and critical thinking; individual and collaborative problem solving; creativity, sensitivity, and tolerance; the power to inform and challenge others; and an expanded appreciation of humanity and the universe."

Davidson (Presbyterian)

1963: "Davidson recognizes God as the source of all truth. As a college committed to the historic Christian faith, it sees Jesus Christ as the central fact of history, giving purpose, order, and value to the whole life .... The primary loyalty of the college extends beyond the bounds of the denomination to the Christian Community as a whole, through which medium it would seek to serve the world."
1994: "Davidson commits itself to a Christian tradition that recognizes God as the source of all truth, and finds in Jesus Christ the revelation of that God, a God bound by no church or creed.

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The loyalty of the college thus extends beyond the Christian community to the whole human community and necessarily includes an openness to and respect for the world's various religious traditions."

New Rochelle College (Catholic Women's College)

1963: "The College of New Rochelle, a Catholic liberal arts college for women, proposes to educate its students to be thoroughly formed, truly Christian members of the Church and of Society, distinguished by minds training to think correctly and by wills formed to response to true value .... As a Catholic college, the College of New Rochelle assumes as its own the world-view and penetrating analysis of man and his relations to God and to other men which theology alone can provide."
1965: "Committed to the Christian tradition in its uniqueness and complexity, New Rochelle provides a full program of theology. Far from compromising academic freedom or excellence, such commitment bears witness to the liberating role of Christ and to God's revelation in Him. The college holds firmly that theological and philosophical studies open up dimensions of reality which are necessary to genuine educational growth, and that faith is relevant to learning and to life."
1971: "The College strives to articulate its academic tradition and religious heritage in ways that are consonant with the best contemporary understandings of both. It provides opportunities for spiritual growth in a context of freedom and ecumenism."

Concordia University (Lutheran-Missouri Synod)

1981: "Under the grace of God, Concordia College is a community directed by God's Word, motivated by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and dedicated to Christian scholarship.
     "As an institution owned and maintained by the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, Concordia is committed to the mission of the church to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world.

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This commitment is met by (a) offering programs providing for the education of dedicated people who desire to serve the Church in full-time positions of public ministry, (b) offering programs providing for the education of dedicated people who will serve the church as Christian lay people, and (c) serving as a model of Christian character and living for all who come in contact with
     "While respecting the Christian prohibition against violating the sanctity of the individual conscience, Concordia seeks to affirm faith in Jesus Christ as the only Savior from sin, sincere acceptance of the Holy Scriptures as the revealed truth of God, a sense of wonder and appreciation for all the works of God, a growing ability to evaluate human learning and conduct in light of God's Word, and ready consent to the will of God in every life situation .... "
1988: "Concordia offers Christian education at the collegiate level as its way of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, aiding students to develop a sense of vocation and preparing them for leadership in a variety of fields and endeavors. As a university of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, Concordia aspires to the highest standards of excellence, blending a confessional Lutheran perspective with a liberal arts foundation for the free pursuit of knowledge and understanding. The spiritual elements of the collegiate life and worship provide a focus for growth, renewal and personal expression of faith.
     "Concordia University challenges itself to become an institution which intentionally serves as a locus for Christian higher education, sharing the Gospel from a confessional Lutheran perspective; to provide undergraduate programs in academic disciplines, church work and other professions, rooting them in the liberal arts to prepare persons well-educated for ministry in the church and world .... "

     Note: A bibliography and second appendix will appear next month.

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COUNCIL OF THE CLERGY REPORT: 1998-1999 2000

COUNCIL OF THE CLERGY REPORT: 1998-1999       Rev. David H. Lindrooth       2000

     MEMBERSHIP
                                                            1998-99
Episcopal degree                                             2
Pastoral degree:
General Church employment                         4
ANC employment                                   11
Pastoral work                                   50
Retired                          17
Unassigned                          9
                                                             91
Ministerial degree:
ANC employment                                   2
Pastoral work                                   2
Unassigned                          3
Associate Ministers                                   2
Evangelist                         1
Total                                         103
     SACRAMENT/RITE DATA
                                                             1988-89 1993-94 1998-99
Baptisms
          Children                                             170      173      145
          Adults                                                   70      76      82
               Total                                             240      249     227
Holy Supper Administrations
          Public                                                   248      262      247
               Average number of Communicants                    26      23      21
          Private                                              48      44      64
Confessions of Faith                                             24      20          17
Betrothals                                                   41      34      43
Marriages                                                   79      78      89
Blessings on a Marriage                                        1      13          3
          Renewals of Vows                                    0               0     7
Ordinations                                                   2      7      4
Dedications
     Church                                              1      0      0
     Home                                                   7      2      1
     School                                              0      0      1
     Unspecified                                             0      0      4
Memorial Services                                             66      64      51
     Prepared by Judith M. Hyatt, Assistant to the Secretary

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SECOND COMING OF THE LORD 2000

SECOND COMING OF THE LORD       HOWARD ROTH       2000

     His Coming now is to the mental sight. "And every eye shall see Him"--every eye.
     This bodily organ is here employed as a "sign" of that inward or interior organ by which the mind gets its perception of holy truth. For it is the eye of the soul to which the coming of the Lord is revealed. It is by the exercise of spiritual intelligence that a man gains sight of the convincing proofs or sacred things. This symbol has become a common figure of speech in all languages. Abundant also is the Scripture usage which confirms it.
     The prophets speak of some as having their eyes blinded and being unwilling to see, because they were unwilling to inquire about sacred truth to the end that they might understand it. The Lord complained of the Jews that they were blind and unwilling to see, because they would not lift their minds sufficiently to understand His doctrine. And because they said that they saw when they "saw not," therefore He told them that they had the greater condemnation.
     We are to learn that what is meant by the "eye" that "shall see Him" is the eye of spiritual understanding, or every truly enlightened mind. The "eye-salve" with which it is anointed for the purpose of stimulating and increasing the power of sight is an affection for the truth: a real desire to know about it, to inquire into it, and to understand it: For it is written: "He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."
     This Second Coming of the Lord in our day. is exactly suited to the mental eye. It is of such a character that in order to be seen, it must be intellectually perceived. For it is an advent of light and the effects of light.

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BIOGRAPHIES OF SWEDENBORG 2000

BIOGRAPHIES OF SWEDENBORG       Editor       2000

     (2)

     We have mentioned William Hyde's monumental bibliography of Swedenborg's works (1906, 730 pages). It was exhaustive, and yet obviously it could not include books not then in existence! So it was that Mr. A. Stanley Wainscot produced in 1967 a volume of additions to Hyde. It came to 200 pages.
     A small part of this volume was devoted to biographies of Swedenborg. One, a 294-page tome published in 1910 by Benjamin Worcester, was entitled Swedenborg. Harbinger of the New Age of the Christian Church. A significant biography aptly suited for young readers is The Happy Isles by Eric Sutton, published in 1938. For many years the Swedenborg Society has presented this book as a gift to young people.
     What about illustrated biographies? The pioneer work of this nature was produced by J. Stuart Bogg in 1911. Only 31 pages long, it was called An Illustrated Life of Swedenborg. It has been reprinted a number of times and did not have a rival until the year 1988, when people were taking note of the 300th anniversary of Swedenborg's birth. Two excellent illustrated biographies came out that year. One of them takes up the first fifty pages of the grand Continuing Vision volume published by the Swedenborg Foundation. This "Pictorial Biography" was put together by Robert Kirven and Robin Larsen. People not familiar with it would do well to have a look at it and see if they find themselves following it to the end. That same year, Seminar Books in England came out with a delightful paperback of 85 pages. Leave it to that talented writer Brian Kingslake to come up with a whimsical title. He called it A Swedenborg Scrapbook. The last seven pages provide a kind of informative time line of Swedenborg's life and works.
     What about very short biographies? There have been so many of them! We will mention some next month, but let us make a start now. From Wainscot's bibliography we learn that William E. Hurt wrote a 16-page biography called A Great Man with a Divine Mission. In 1938 translator J. C. Ager produced a 32-page booklet called Emanuel Swedenborg. Who He Was, What He Did.

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     Most people know of Marguerite Block's book The New Church in the New World. This was first published in 1932, and the latest version was published in 1984. The first fifteen pages of Block's work ably tell the story of Swedenborg's life. Several books about the teachings of the Writings begin with a biography of some sort. A high-quality paperback was published in England in 1988 called Emanuel Swedenborg, Essential Readings, edited and introduced by Michael Stanley. His introduction includes an eleven-page biography.
     My Lord and My God by Theodore Pitcairn was published in 1967. It was advertised widely and has found its way to many readers. Toward the end it has two dozen pages devoted to an account of Swedenborg's life.
     The last one we will mention this month is the book by Bruce Henderson, Window to Eternity. It was first published in 1987 by the Swedenborg Foundation, and we are glad to say it has been printed again. The eleven-page chapter "Swedenborg, Man Beyond Measure" has been produced as a handy pamphlet.
SWEDENBORG TELLING THE STORY OF HIS LIFE 2000

SWEDENBORG TELLING THE STORY OF HIS LIFE       Editor       2000

     (2)

     Last month we mentioned brief allusions by Swedenborg to the way his life had been unfolding. And we mentioned that later in Swedenborg's life he had requests from others to tell the story.
     Toward the end of the year 1 766 a German minister named Oetinger concluded a letter to Swedenborg with the following request: "One thing more I ask--that you write an account of your life; how, and by what interior incidents it came about that from a philosopher you became a revelator." Isn't it interesting that Swedenborg was called a "revelator" by one of his contemporaries?
     Two months previously the same man had written to Swedenborg, asking why he, a philosopher, had become a prophet.     
     Swedenborg answered on November 11th, Oetinger had asked for a sign and Swedenborg said that signs only compel outwardly but do not persuade inwardly. Here's how he answered "why from being a philosopher I was chosen."

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     Answer: "It is for the reason that the spiritual things which are now being revealed may be taught and understood naturally and rationally." He added that "therefore I was introduced by the Lord first into the natural sciences and thus prepared, and this from the year 1710 to the year 1744, when heaven was opened to me."
     How striking that at the age of 78 he would say in retrospect that he was introduced by the Lord into the sciences. He refers to the year 1710, which was the year that Swedenborg at age 22 made his first visit to England. He was following his interests, not aware that he was being led by the Lord.
     There is an affecting saying later in the same letter. "The Lord has granted it to me that I loved truths spiritually, that is, not for the sake of honor or for the sake of gain, but for the sake of the truths themselves; for he who loves truths for the sake of truths sees them from the Lord."
     Oetinger read this letter, and then wrote his December letter. In it he said, "That from being a philosopher you have been made a seer and prophet, this I have frequently wondered at." And then at the end of the letter the parting request to "write an account of your life."
     Swedenborg did not write an account of his life. Years later he would do so in response to a letter from an Englishman. We will take this up next month. It seems appropriate to close with a reference to the final number of Interaction of Soul and Body. The number begins, "I was once asked how from a philosopher I became a theologian; and I answer, In the same manner that fishermen were made disciples and apostles by the Lord; and that I also from early youth had been a spiritual fisherman." What is a spiritual fisherman? It is one who "investigates and teaches natural truths, and afterwards spiritual truths rationally."

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DEVELOPMENTS IN GHANA 2000

DEVELOPMENTS IN GHANA       Duncan G. Smith       2000

Dear Editor:

     I have just returned from a three-week visit to Ghana, Africa, and I am thrilled at what I experienced. Since my last visit two years ago, there has been substantial growth of the church there, as well as of its uses! In Asakraka, where there was just land two years ago, Rev. Martin Gyamfi is well on the way to building a church and a four-classroom school. Rev. William Ankra-Badu is equally progressing with a church building in Accra. Rev. Kwasi Darkwah's school was before just supports for a roof; now it's a six-classroom school that started classes in September with twenty children in four grades (K-3) and the first year of junior school (JS-l). Now it has sixty-five students in those grades, even though the kitchen is only half constructed. Mrs. Darkwah arrives at 5:00 a.m. to prepare breakfast for sixty local residents and students as a "soup kitchen," then lunch for students and teachers. Other functions remain active and growing. Tema's church service had sixty-five adults and children attending; two adults were baptized (including a teacher in the school).
     A theological school of fifteen meets twice a week, using the curriculum study guide of the Academy's theological school. Rev. Nicholas Anochi's small group meets in his home, and has grown from twelve to twenty-five. Every Thursday evening he meets at a home with a group of fifteen young men, ages 25 to 35, for prayer and doctrinal discussion. Their questions and answers show that they actively read and know the Scriptures and the revealed truths in the Writings.
     There seemed to be opportunities everywhere to do something that would help promote the growth of the New Church in Ghana and the surrounding areas for a very low cost in terms of the economy that we have in the Americas. I hope I do not offend anyone, but I would like to put it in as clear terms as I can from my own experience so that it may make known how much many of us could help if we would take the opportunity.

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For less than half the price of a new economy car, I traveled to Ghana and stayed with my hosts for three weeks, traveled to the four ministers' societies, and met many of the church people there. For the Tema school, I took with me two new-model computers and programs and a modem, and one year of Internet access was acquired for one of the machines. Also bought was a used refrigerator and a new sink for the kitchen. In the last week I built a 20' by 20' aluminum-roofed eating area off the kitchen and provided funds for two temporary aluminum-roofed classrooms off the south end of the building. This will allow room for the junior high school to continue into a second year until funds and work can complete the second and third floors of the school. It is hoped that the school will have a capacity of nearly one thousand students within nine years. I also promised funds for a roof on Gyamfi's school when it reaches completion, and for the Kumasi Group two years of rent for a worship and activity room. I had a chance to have two shirts tailor-made and to shop for gifts for my family. I left for home via England for a three-day stay, where I found out from Nancy Dawson that the Swedenborg Society had older inventory of the Writings that needed a home, and she was happy to arrange their shipment to Ghana.
     I provide this information so that the New Church public can realize that there are more opportunities to find and fulfill a use than I ever had imagined. I think many of us have the thought that it's out of our realm to do these things. I can say, "Not so!"
     Duncan G. Smith,
     77 Park Drive, Glenview, IL 60025,
     (e-mail: [email protected])

     Note: More of Mr. Smith's report and ideas next month.

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VERSIONS OF THE LORD'S PRAYER 2000

VERSIONS OF THE LORD'S PRAYER       Various       2000

Dear Editor:

     Alan Ferr (February issue) makes some good points. We should not be tied to an old translation of the Lord's Prayer. That reminds me of the Mormons' belief that the King James translation of the Bible is the only right one. That rather locks one into a moment in time!
     I once attended a service at a church where the office had two versions of the prayer, the traditional King James and a more contemporary translation. (They were placed in text boxes so that they were easily differentiated.) Different versions could be used by choice of the congregation, or perhaps for different occasions. But what impressed me: just seeing them on the page was educational. The second translation expanded the meaning of the Prayer slightly, and got a person used to the idea that there were different ways to do it, even if only one was used. (I suggested this numerous times when the last General Church Liturgy was under construction.)
     However, I do appreciate how hard it is to change. When our family was young, my wife and I used to update the language of the prayer when we said it together or in family worship, for reasons which Mr. Ferr mentions. Though my wife and I occasionally do this still, we've largely gone back to the King James. I can identify two reasons for this. First, we didn't think it was worth confusing our children or setting them apart when they joined in public worship (something we do rather often, given my job). The other reason was more subtle. Even as I was trying to approach the Lord more honestly, it sometimes felt to me that there was something of self, of pride, in retranslating the Prayer. And pride is the last feeling I want to have when I kneel before my Lord in submission! Of course, my feeling would be different if the translation were produced in a considered way by a committee. Still, my experience shows how deeper personal issues become attached to the outer forms of our worship-perhaps more compellingly so as one gets older.

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     Please note well: I do not take this experience as proof that the King James is the only correct translation! And I do not believe that this kind of thinking is a good reason for a church not to try to reevaluate, improve, and provide new options for its people! All I am saying is that I sympathize with those who find change in this matter difficult. It touches a very deep chord.
     Rev. Grant Odhner,
     Rochester, MI

Dear Editor:

     In reading Alan Ferr's article "The Lord's Prayer in English" (New Church Life, vol. CXX, no. 2, pp. 68-70) I was taken somewhat aback by his zeal. He is, of course, entitled to read the prayer in any language or variant thereof he chooses and to teach his children to do the same. I am surprised that he is unaware that there are several versions of this prayer in contemporary English, although not in many of the dialects which many children grow up speaking. I do not know his age, but many older New Churchmen feel more comfortable with the traditional rendering of the prayer. Since this version contains, as far as I am aware, no theological falsity, I should be free to use it. I do understand the necessity of a modern translation of the Word and updating the language of ritual, but the purging of the second person singular nouns in every song and prayer seems to me to be overkill. I wish the editors of the new Liturgy had left one or two offices in traditional language, at least until we "old folks" are gone.
     Worship consists of stirring both the will and understanding (Bishop Elmo Acton was fond of pointing out that the success of a service of worship does not hang on the quality of the sermon) and, despite Mr. Ferr's disclaimer, there are those whose remains are stirred by the use of the language which since their youth they have associated with worship.

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     Mr. Ferr asked several questions which he proceeds to answer for everyone. First he asks if I could say "I love thee" to my earthly father and then give him a hug. My answer is yes, and it would actually make me feel closer. I'm sure Mr. Ferr is aware that the "thou," "thy," "thine" and "thee" are the familiar forms which were once used only with close friends and those we loved--the Lord for instance. The "you and your and yours" are second person plural which were used with groups or with people who were one's social superiors. For this reason the Quakers eschewed the use of the plural forms, and continued thou and theeing until the 20th century. Most modern foreign languages (French, Spanish, Italian and German) still maintain this distinction. In German, for instance, you would never say Ich liebe Sie--the formal form--but rather Ich liebe dich, although both would translate as "I love you." Why these forms were lost in English is a matter of conjecture, but in my opinion the language is the poorer for this loss.
     Secondly, he asks if I would use the phrasing "as in heaven, so upon the earth." Although he implies that the answer should be "No," I would say "Yes." I like the way a series of statements about hoped-for outcomes--i.e., Your kingdom come, Your will be done--is followed by the explanatory phrase, as (it is) in heaven, (then) so (let it be done) upon earth. Poetic language does not necessarily follow the strict rules.
     By all means create a translation of the Lord's Prayer in a modern English version for those who wish to use it and/or feel more comfortable with such a rendition, but please allow those of us who prefer the older form to continue to do so without the insinuation that somehow we are ignorant or indifferent to the eternal message which it transmits.
     David J. Roscoe,
     Bryn Athyn, PA

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FREDA G. GRIFFITH 2000

FREDA G. GRIFFITH              2000

     A Tribute

     The many friends who knew and admired Freda Gertrude Griffith--New Church people both in England and all over the world, whether in this New Church organization or that--tended to identify her with the Swedenborg Society in London. She was active there for most of her long life, and especially since 1943 when she took on the key position of "Honorary Secretary," a position she held for at least three decades. "Honorary" meant without remuneration; and "secretary" denoted the same kind of oversight within a precinct as in the case of a secretary of a department in state or national government: being in charge of everyday business. Yet her involvement in the society stretched out over time both before and, even more, after those decades. In fact, as late as age 79 she succumbed to the urging that she accept the position of President for a term, and then for another term. We shall presently return to her uses in the Swedenborg Society. In the meantime, however, we must not overlook her many activities outside that society as well. I think it might be said that the hallmark of her persona was order, and this cherished quality of hers not only brought her academic and other honors, but also made her aware of needs and opportunities to try to fill some of them.
     The early part of her life was academic. After her schooling in Liverpool (where she was born on March 31, 1910) she went on to London University, where she won prizes for her work in chemistry and earned her B.Sc. with honors in that discipline. Four more years of research, and at the age of 24 she was awarded the Ph.D. degree and became a junior lecturer in chemistry at Royal Holloway College that same year. At the university she had also found time for sundry extracurricular activities, such as serving as President of the Science Society and Secretary of the League of Nations Union Society.
     But whatever her academic career might have led to, it was interrupted when the war broke out in 1939.

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Also, by then her life had taken on a new tack through her marriage in September 1936 to Roy Griffith of the Chester New Church. Both were most active in services to their country in the war years. Soon after the hostilities began, they moved to London, where Roy was engaged in the Ministry of Food, while Freda, after training as an air raid warden, joined the Women's Voluntary Service in one of the most heavily bombed London boroughs. There she soon became the WVS Centre organizer, and remained in that responsibility for the rest of the war. In the meantime, Roy was commissioned as Major in the army and was sent to the Middle East. He later was transferred to Eisenhower's staff and promoted to Colonel, finally ending up as Director General of Finance for post-war Germany.
     But though the war was going on, and Freda served in the above duties, she was also active in the Swedenborg Society, and in due course, as I mentioned, became its honorary secretary in 1943. Things were happening at the society. For one thing, they decided to work on a new translation of the True Christian Religion, an ambitious undertaking at a time when paper was rationed and the endowments were much smaller than they are now. Those in possession of Wm. C. Dick's translation can see signs of the faithful storing away of paper from year to year in the varying shades of white from one batch of paper to another. And where would the money for printing come from? Some time later Freda told me there was a two-step approach: first, decide whether or not a thing needed to be done; and, second, if the answer was yes, look for the money. So the TCR was brought out.
     But even more ambitious was the decision to produce a new and third Latin edition of the entire Arcana Coelestia, the first published work of the new revelation. It was hoped that the first new volume would be ready for the public in time for the bicentenary of the publication of the first original volume, which Swedenborg himself saw through the press in 1749. This goal was reached. But the whole project of going through all eight original Latin volumes, scrutinizing every word and mark of punctuation, entailed a monumental task.

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Two primary sources were available: the first edition (I) and an almost complete autograph in Swedenborg's own hand (A). This autograph, however, was Swedenborg's first draft, obviously written in great speed, and intended only for his own eyes. His clean copy, sent to the printer, is lost. A secondary source was also helpful, namely, a revised edition put out by Dr. J.F.I.. Tafel in the 1830s and '40s. All discrepances between I and A, even trivial ones, were registered in footnotes. The first five volumes were done by the late Rev. Messrs. P. H. Johnson and E. C. Mongredien, and the remaining three plus an appendix by the Rev. John E. Elliott, who finished his work in 1973. The scholarly work so completed will certainly serve as the basis for all future translations of the Arcana, into any and all languages, and will for years to come remain a major treasure of the church.
     But then the thought arose of also producing a new English translation of the just completed Latin edition. Again Freda--Dr. Griffith--was the prime mover; and now Mr. Elliott was engaged to translate the whole work, twelve volumes in English, whose true Latin text (as far as then possible) he had just served to establish. (And our friend lived to see the completion of Mr. Elliott's work last year.)
     Of course so faithful a service in the indispensable work of keeping the Writings available both in their original language and in as many world languages as the society could afford to support was widely recognized. Officially she was Dr. Freda G. Griffith, MBE, Ph.D, B.Sc. The MBE meant "Admitted to the order of Member of the British Empire," and she received the document confirming that honor from the Queen's hand in 1974. Three years earlier she had been given the Glencairn Award for outstanding achievements in the field of New Church publication; and she became one of only four honorary life members of the Swedenborg Society.
     Finally, let me add a snapshot or two from outside the society to indicate her influence wherever she happened to live.

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When her husband's work moved the couple to Ashby-de-la-Zouch in the Midlands (from where she regularly commuted to London), she soon became a governor in several schools, and then chairman of the governors of a secondary school and college. She also was elected to the local political position of a councillor in the Ashby District and served for six years, the last two as chairman. Among the improvements made in the community during her terms of office was a block of bungalows for pensioners which was given the name of "Griffith Gardens."
     Typical, too, was her totally unofficial function as advisor to fellow residents in the retirement complex in south London where she took lodgings after her husband died in 1986, and where she lived for a dozen years, until the last year of her life when she required physical care. And during a five-week hiatus between a warden retirement and the appointment of a new one, she seemed automatically to slide into the function, as she joked, of Acting Unpaid Assistant Warden. And, to be sure, it was she who had to send for the fire company when a resident was stuck in an elevator, and to calm the waters when another by accident pulled the emergency alarm!
     As for Michael Church, our London Society, we are grateful to her not only for her chairmanship in the 1992 centenary celebration of 100 years of use of our building in SW London, but also for her discovery of an important milestone in the history of the society. No one knew just when the society had adopted its name Michael, or when it was incorporated with the General Church of the New Jerusalem. But in connection with her preparations for the celebration she managed to borrow the carefully guarded minute books of the society, going back to the year 1897, and she found that in 1921 at the British Assembly on July 31, the "Michael Society worshiping at Burton Road was received by the Bishop of the General Church as part of that organisation." The Bishop at the time was N.D. Pendleton.

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She also found that the name had been adopted earlier the same year, apparently in late June, at the adjourned AGM which commenced on June 23. New rules were adopted, and the minutes record that "Rule No. 1 in which for the first time a definite name is given to the Society, that of Michael, promoted some discussion, mainly favourable to its adoption, and it was finally agreed at the meeting."
     Dr. Griffith died on December 28, 1999, three months short of her 90th birthday, as mentally alert as ever, but after some years of physical discomfort which in the end confined her to the wheel-chair. Freda had expected to see the dawn of the new millennium, but instead she awoke on or near that day into an eternal millennium in the Lord's kingdom itself of uses.
     Rev. Erik Sandstrom, Sr.

P.S.      I am indebted to the Rev. Fred Elphick for some of my information, found in his excellent memorial address given on January 16, 2000.

     [Photo of Freda G. Griffith]

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DEDICATION OF THE OAK ARBOR BUILDING 2000

DEDICATION OF THE OAK ARBOR BUILDING              2000




     Announcements






     The dedication of the church building in Oak Arbor, Michigan is scheduled for September 30th. A full announcement and invitation will appear next month.

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Notes on This Issue 2000

Notes on This Issue              2000


Vol. CXX          May, 2000               No. 5
New Church Life


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     The subject of secularization continues. The presentation in this issue by Rev. Daniel Goodenough is a companion study to the article by Rev. Brian Keith that appeared in the March and April issues. An appendix to the latter is included in this issue.
     Mr. Goodenough writes: "Why did private colleges and public universities so easily remove their founding theologies from the center to the periphery, or cast them out entirely?" Then he suggests some answers.
     Later he writes: "The secularizers are not just outsiders moving in, but highly intelligent and moral people, frequently church leaders and members. One of the most striking features of secularization is the inability of participants and observers to realize what is taking place."
In the sermon this month Rev. Thomas Kline asks: "Does the power of truth just melt away when we bring it down into real-life situations? If on the spiritual level things are black and white, and down on the natural plane of life things are only gray, how can we take a stand on anything?"
     In this issue Rev. Frank Rose of Arizona provides the fifteenth in his series of reflections on the Divine Providence.
     The material we publish in New Church Life often comes from widely separated locations. We have in this issue five letters on the same subject. They come from Arkansas, California, Maryland and opposite ends of the state of Pennsylvania. The reports of baptisms this month came from Togo and Ghana in West Africa, Westville and Cape Town, South Africa, Toronto, Seattle, Albuquerque, Boynton Beach, San Diego, Glenview, Boulder, Ivyland and Rochester, Michigan (not to mention Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania).
     On page 222 there is a note about the newsletter of SPI. Ms. Lenka Machova studied at Bryn Athyn College and has returned to the Czech Republic, where she has been very busy. Among the things she has produced is a book in the Czech language called Hledani smyslu (Looking for Meaning). This book introduces basic New Church ideas, and answers questions people often ask about religion.

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SPECKLED AND SPOTTED 2000

SPECKLED AND SPOTTED       Rev. THOMAS L. KLINE       2000

     "So the flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks brought forth streaked speckled and spotted" (Genesis 30:39).

     We often talk about the "gray" areas of life. Sometimes a person might say about an issue, "Things aren't black and white, but they are really gray." And there is a truth to this. On the higher level of principles and ideals, things often seem black and white, right and wrong, true or false. But as we begin to come down into the day-to-day activities of life, things sometimes don't seem to be so clearly defined, hence the term gray.
     We may have friends who are in active evil or disorder, and it may be difficult for us to know how to relate to them. Do we judge them outright in black and white terms, or do we try to maintain a delicate balance of supporting the good and resisting their evil? We might look at our own life at a particular moment, and find that our motives are mixed. We can see both good and evil within our hearts.
     While this model of the gray areas of life is a useful one, it does create some problems. If moral and spiritual issues become gray when we bring them down into day-to-day events of life, then what happens to our belief in strong principles of truth? Does the power of truth just melt away when we bring it down into real-life situations? If on the spiritual level things are black and white, and down on the natural plane of life things are only gray, how can we take a stand on anything; how can we fight for the good and shun the evil? This picture of life's being gray leads us to a fuzzy kind of thinking.
     And so the Word of God offers us another model to use: "speckled and spotted." The beautiful image of speckled and spotted rather than gray comes from the story of our text this morning, the story of Jacob and Laban. In the 30th chapter of the book of Genesis. Jacob had taken care of Laban's flocks for 14 years. After these years of service, Laban came to him and said, "Please stay, for I have found favor in your eyes. Name your wages."

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Jacob said that he would continue to feed and guard Laban's flock, but he would pass through the flock, removing every speckled and spotted and every black one among the lambs. He would leave the white of the flock for Laban. Jacob found a way to increase the speckled and spotted among the flock, and he became more prosperous than Laban. Eventually Jacob was able to depart from Laban as a wealthy man, return home and be united to his brother Esau.
     Notice the imagery here: not gray areas of our lives, where there is a blending of good and evil, truth and falsity, but speckled and spotted, good and evil, truth and falsity, side by side, but still distinguishable. When we see confusion in the natural plane of our lives, we needn't give up our clearly seen spiritual beliefs and principles
     Take the question, "Where am I in my life right now?" and think of the answer in terms of this imagery. We look at the good and evil in our lives and we can answer, "In the Lord's eyes I am spiritually speckled and spotted." Speckled and spotted: good parts to my life and evils to be put away, side by side, but I can still see the distinction between them, do the good and shun the evil. This model of speckled and spotted enables us to see and maintain our ideals, even in the natural plane of our lives. Things don't have to melt into fuzzy gray of our natural man, our spiritual
     Jacob pictures the regeneration of our natural man, our spiritual life down here on the external plane of life. In this natural degree, the speckled and spotted of the flock represent truth with which falsity has been mingled. We read,

No pure good, or good with which evil is not mingled, exists with anyone. Neither does any pure truth, or truth with which falsity is not mingled, exist with him" (AC 3993).

     We examine our lives or we look at the world around us and see the mixture of good and evil there as the speckled and spotted of the flock, and then we go forth and repent of the evil there, and do the good.

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Life in the day-to-day natural degree can often seem complicated and confused, but we can distinguish between good and evil; it doesn't have to be shades of gray.
     But there is another very profound teaching in the Writings that goes along with this picture of the speckled and spotted of the flock. There are certain times in our lives where we can have goods and evils, truths and falsities, mixed together, and this mixture is not all that bad. In fact, that mixture can be part of our step-by-step journey toward heaven. The Writings make the amazing statement that there are certain evils that, while they are technically evil, are not directly opposed to our love of the Lord and the neighbor, and these evils are allowed to be part of our spiritual growth (see AC 3993:8-11). These evils are allowed to be adjoined to good in our life (notice the word "adjoin," not "conjoin"). The result is what we often call a state of "mediate good," good that is mixed with lesser evil. And this can be an intermediate step in our path toward heaven. This state of "mediate good" is what is represented by the character of Laban in the Word.
     A good example of this mixture is the desire that we sometimes have for reward and acknowledgment when we have done a good thing. Think of a little child who works hard on a picture or school project, and part of the reason he works hard on that school project is so that he will get a good grade or be praised by his parents and teachers.
     Technically, this desire to excel above others is selfish, a touch of evil. But in the light of heaven, that selfishness is relatively light, and actually can be the very means the Lord uses to lead that child to higher states of good. That desire to be better than others or receive reward is not an evil on the level of cruelty or hatred, evils that close heaven.
     We can find these same mixtures of: motives, these mediate goods, in our adult lives. A person who strives to be successful from a motivation to succeed, excel, or be honored may be on a beginning path to heaven if his life looks toward good.

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The Lord can use these motives as part of the way toward leading that person to perform good uses.
     We might find ourselves coming to church on Sunday morning for less than perfect motives. Along with a genuine desire to worship, we may notice our concerns about honor and reputation if we miss church. Yet even with these less than perfect motives there is the opportunity to learn new truth or feel new states of worship, and this opens the possibility for genuine spiritual states to descend into our lives. The Lord takes the mixed motive, the speckled and spotted, and leads it to something more pure.
     Sometimes we look back over our lives and we ask ourselves whether we have ever done anything that was really good. We look back and see some good things we have accomplished, and the thought comes into our minds that maybe we did those good things for the wrong reasons, from motives that were really selfish. We may even wonder whether we have ever done anything that was genuinely good. And the Lord wants us to know that these mediate states, these times of mixed motives, are useful and permitted; they are part of the path that leads to heaven.
     But there is something else that happens in the spiritual story of Jacob. Jacob's earnings were to be the speckled and spotted of the flock, but he was also to take the black of the lambs as his wage. We usually think of a "black sheep" as a negative term describing something that is bad. But in this story the black lambs have a good correspondence. The black lambs represent those times in our lives when we do some good thing for no other reason than the love of use, the love of the Lord, or the love of the neighbor. The black lamb pictures a heavenly state of innocence, a stale of mind absent of self and self-consciousness. We perform an act of charity with no thought of honor, reputation, reward or gain; we just do it because heaven flows into us.
     We all have these moments that are a taste of heaven.

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Think of a time when you became so fully involved in a good use or good cause that for a moment you completely forgot "self." Your whole being became focused on the love of use as an end in itself. This heavenly moment is pictured by the "black of the lambs."
     The message here is a beautiful one. There are going to be those times in our lives where we see the speckled and spotted, good and evil mixed together. That's where we are; that's part of the journey. And when you see those states of life, continue to shun the evil and invite the Lord to instill the good. But every once in a while you will experience the joy of doing good purely for the sake of love, with the realization that everything you have and do is from the Lord alone. Enjoy that moment, know that it is from the Lord, know that it is a taste of heaven. We are to take the speckled and spotted and the black of the lambs as our spiritual wages. Such is the wisdom, love and mercy of the Lord as He leads us to heaven.
     The only color Jacob was not to choose from the flock was the pure white of the animals. Jacob was to leave the white of the flock behind; that part of the flock was not to be brought back to the Holy Land. The white of the flock pictures the statement and feeling, "I am perfect; I am without sin; I know the truth. I don't need the Lord; I don't need others." The Lord wants us to leave that state behind. Take the speckled and the spotted and the black of the lambs, and let the Lord lead you on the path that goes to heaven.
     There are going to be apparently gray areas of life; life is sometimes complicated and confusing. Any one event, any one action, any motive, seems to have mixtures of both black and white. In the natural--Jacob--level of our life this is especially true. But rather than giving up the distinction between good and evil, blending them into a fuzzy gray, think in terms of the speckled and spotted of the flock. For this is how the Lord sees us as He leads us step by step to heaven. And we can trust that we will experience those moments where our motives are pure and from the Lord, and we will willingly give our lives over to the Lord and enter His heavenly kingdom.

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     "[And Jacob said,] Let me pass through all your flock today, removing from there all the speckled and spotted sheep, and all the black ones among the lambs ... and these shall be my wages. So my righteousness will answer for me in time to come ... " (Genesis 30:32). Amen.

     Lessons: Genesis 30:25-43; Mark 10:13-31; AC 3992:7-9 SECULARIZATION OF RELIGIOUS COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES 2000

SECULARIZATION OF RELIGIOUS COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES       Rev. BRIAN W. KEITH       2000

     (Appendix and Bibliography)

     A PAPER PREPARED FOR THE GOVERNANCE STUDY

Appendix II--Changes of Attitudes in Religion Departments

     These examples have all been taken from James Burtchaell's book.

Olaf College (Lutheran)

1961-62: "St. Olaf College gives opportunity in the curriculum for a systematic study of the sources, history, and teachings of Christianity and the application of its principles to modern conditions and problems. It is natural also that the history and principles of Lutheranism should receive attention."
1992-93: "The study of religion is an integral part of the liberal arts curriculum and attends to the religious elements of culture--scriptures, rituals, symbols, traditions, beliefs, worship practices, values, and theologies. At St. Olaf the study of religion emphasizes study of the Christian tradition, its history, practice and contemporary expression."

Linfield College (Baptist)

1960: "The aims of the Department of Religion are: (1) to give to the student an awareness of the place, the nature and the function of religion in human life;

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(2) to assist the student in the adjustment of his religious outlook while he is advancing in his understanding of other fields of knowledge; (3) to provide pre-theological training and guidance for persons planning to do graduate work in religion; (4) to direct the student in the acquisition of such data and skills as will qualify him for intelligent non-professional leadership in the program of the Christian churches of the regular denominations. The endeavor is to promote a spirit of unity rather than divisiveness in the face of the world's need." 1977: "From the beginning, men and women have sought answers to questions of ultimate significance. This most personal of human drives has long been associated with the process of education, and while the various academic disciplines add much to an understanding of the infinite, many of the questions are couched in religious terms. Drawing upon more than 3,000 years of revelation and religious experience, the religion department is dedicated to helping students in their personal search for a deeper understanding of religious truths."
1993: "Religion is a complex and variegated phenomenon which has had a profound effect upon human culture. Religion has appeared as a dramatic and fearful encounter with the holy, as laboriously acquired spiritual discipline, as exemplary story and ritual, and as intimate communal interdependence Religion has evoked both trust and terror, bliss and rage, peace and war, and hope and despair. In its various cultural and historical manifestations, the experience of religion has called forth the best and the worst in human conduct.
     "By learning to ask appropriate and productive questions about religion, one develops the capacity to know one's own way and the ways of others as well. The academic study of religion is indeed an integral part of a liberal arts education which can create mutual respect and support within the world community.
     "Objectives of the department are: to provide an awareness of the place, nature and function of religion in human life and culture; to study the history and sacred texts of a variety of world religions; and to aid students who desire to increase their knowledge and understanding of religion. Assistance is also given by the department to students preparing for the seminary and for graduate work in religious studies."

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     BIBLIOGRAPHY

     "The Academy of the New Church College and Theological School Self-Evaluation Report to The Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools," Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, September 1982.
     Burtchaell, James T., The Dying of the Light: the Disengagement of Colleges and Universities from Their Christian Churches, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Gorand Rapids, Michigan, 1998.
     George, Timothy, "The Baptist Tradition," found in Theological Education in the Evangelical Tradition, edited by D. G. Hart & R. Albert Mohler, Jr., Baker Books, Gorand Rapids, Michigan, 1996.
     Leith, John H., Crisis in the Church. The Plight of Theological Education, Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1997.
     Marsden, George M., The Soul of the American University: From Protestant Establishment to Established Nonbelief; Oxford University Press, New York, 1994.
     Rudolph, Frederick, The American College and University. A History, University of Georgia Press, Athens and London, 1990 edition (original edition 1962).
     Veysey, Laurence R., The Emergence of the American University, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London, 1965.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHER 2000

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHER              2000

     The Pittsburgh New Church School is seeking a teacher for grades 4, 5, and 6. We are seeking someone with a commitment to New Church education, appropriate teacher training and experience, willingness to learn and leadership potential.
     Applications should be made as soon as possible to Rev. Nathan Gladish, c/o Pittsburgh New Church School, 299 Le Roi Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15208; phone 412-731-7421.

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GOVERNANCE TO PUT LIGHT ON A LAMPSTAND 2000

GOVERNANCE TO PUT LIGHT ON A LAMPSTAND       Rev. DANIEL W. GOODENOUGH       2000

     "I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness" (John 12:46).
"Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house" (Matthew 5:5).

     At an Academy Board retreat in 1999 there was a brief discussion of secularizing the Academy, and some directors asked if I would discuss this subject more fully. When the General Church governance study committee asked Theological School Dean Brian Keith and me to consider governance in relation to the Academy, secularization was one of our subjects. Dean Keith has written an excellent paper summarizing the historical secularization of North American religious colleges and universities. The present paper is more focused on the Academy.
     I want to emphasize that in writing this paper I am not urging major changes in the Academy's present governance, other than finding ways to increase the structural connections between the Academy and the General Church. Some readers might wonder if big changes are on the way, or if the Academy is having a major problem with secularization. I do not see new dangerous trends, but secularization and the related governance questions are perennially important, since positions and decisions reached now will have long-term effects on the Academy.

Factors Producing Secularization

     The secularization of religious colleges and universities over the last century and a third has mirrored the basic trends in American society, particularly intellectual development among professional academics. Brian Keith's historical study very well outlines the fundamentals of this sad process. Like his paper, my study grows from George Marsden, The Soul of the American University, 1994, and James Tunstead Burtchaell, The Dying of the Light, 1998.

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Additionally I have benefited from a number of conversations with presidents of colleges of different religious affiliations I am struck by how strong and rapid the secularization was, how quickly it took place in various universities, and how far theology fell.
     Let me summarize the important factors in secularization of colleges and universities:

- financial pressures leading to fundamental change in order to receive private and public funding with various conditions that minimize religion
- marketing pressures, search for students, appeal to more and more applicants, in order to grow or just survive
- parent church's own weakness, secularization, and other deficiencies
- conflict in institutions' basic purpose: to serve both the parent church constituency and the whole American public
- governance separation between the parent church and the college or university, as lukewarm church adherents replace faculty, administration, and trustees whose primary     allegiance was to a specific religious tradition
- dominant intellectual and philosophical trends among faculty, such that a general moral philosophy replaces theology
- an attempt to attract the most prestigious faculty, with little regard to theological orientation, leading to academic achievement's becoming more important than religious strength and growth. (Historically "the faculty was the first constituency to lose interest in their colleges being Lutheran or Catholic or Congregational"--Burtchaell, pp 828-9.)
- strong influence from alumni, foundations, and other donors whose prime interest is worldly excellence rather than loyalty to parent church tradition
- failure to support a specific theology, so that the parent church's theology becomes marginalized and ceases to lead the institution from within.

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Loss of Theology as Central Focus

     While many causes interacted to bring about decisive and irreversible secularization in American colleges, the loss of theology as an institution's central focus is a key ingredient of
secularization Why did this occur so often and so readily, sometimes essentially within a decade or two? Why did private colleges and public universities so easily remove their founding theologies from the center to the periphery, or cast them out entirely? I suggest these answers:
     1.      Traditional Christian theology is based on the paradox of three Persons who make one infinite and eternal Divinity. This theology is further complicated by a vicarious atonement through which the second Person's loving sacrifice appeased the first Person's wrathful justice. This theology cannot be made intellectually respectable, and its inherent weakness led to its own silent abandonment in the eyes of many thoughtful Christians. The mainline Protestant churches never formally gave it up, but when a strong theology was needed as an intellectual base, there was nowhere to go Natural creation and human existence lost believable spiritual cause, purpose, or meaning.
     2.      In the 19th century, historical and literary criticism came to America from Germany and attacked the concept of the Bible as written revelation. A historical and purely developmental approach to religion robbed it of validity, and in its place science and evolutionary concepts came to be seen as the only reliable path to truth. Connected with this is a highly individualistic philosophy of man as autonomous, rootless, and fundamentally unconnected And since there is no reliable absolute truth, everyone decides truth for oneself, from his own experience, logic and feelings.
     3.      The growth of democracy as a total ideology for society argues against recognizing distinctions among people.

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Society and government have become hostile to distinctive religious beliefs and to institutions that might threaten social cohesiveness. Many see social solidarity as the highest good, so that all society may be one and connected, without divisions.
For example, the Methodists' University Senate now evaluates Methodist schools' "church relatedness" by these bland and theologically meaningless criteria: a "common core of values rooted in the Judaeo-Christian heritage and the tenets of a free democratic society" (Burtchaell, p. 835); these values have produced some discipline of Methodist colleges for failures in finances and athletic integrity, but no action on account of their changing religious loyalty).
     4.      The definition of religion has broadened greatly, especially among mainline Protestants, to mean public morality and religious sentiment. Religion in higher education became defined not by theology, but by broad moral values and feelings that are common to most religions and in fact to nearly all people whether they are religious or not. Churches and religious institutions continued to call themselves religious even while the substance of religion was disappearing.
      Duke University's founding mission statement in 1924: "The aims of Duke University are to assert a faith in the eternal union of knowledge and religion set forth in the teachings and character of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." Compare this with its 1988 statement: "Duke cherishes its historic ties with the United Methodist Church and the religious faith of its founders, while remaining non-sectarian" (Marsden, pp. 421-2).
     5.      Underlying these factors has been the strong long-term tendency of colleges and universities to mirror the perceived needs and the Weltanschauung or essential world outlook of changing American society. Society as a whole seeks to make the material American dream available to more and more people, and is skeptical of any one spiritual path or set of answers.

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Similarly, American academia champions a higher education which is individualistic (yet equal for all), scornful of higher intellectual authority, respectful of knowledge but not authoritarian truth, and committed to the scientific method of inquiry as the only criterion of valid knowledge.
     Powerful religious thinkers note the inconsistency of invalidating all non-experiential knowledge, and point out that non-religious, naturalist assumptions are even more arbitrary than spiritual assumptions. Yet the forces for removing religious thought from serious academic consideration have been overwhelming in this century, and theology is no longer a respectable center for education. Cardinal John Henry Newman's vision of theology as the core of the true university has turned out to be a Christian educational swansong rather than the vision for the future that he intended.
     As President Maurer of Beloit College summed it up, "The warrant of religion is two-fold: to speak to the moral conscience of the scholar, but to refrain from confronting his intellect" (Burtchaell, p. 832).

     A New Church appraisal of the possibilities for genuinely New Church higher education in the 21'' century can feel a justifiable separation from the failure of old and untrue theology. But an honest appraisal will also take seriously the awesome march of secular and materialistic thinking, which rejects (along with the old theology) the possibility of non-material explanations for the meaning of human life.
     As Burtchaell convincingly shows, "Higher learning, if not an irresistible seducer, is still a very able one. The mind's affluence does seem at least as beguiling as that of the body. There was ... little learned rage against the dying of the light " (p. 851).

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     The forces that secularized hundreds and hundreds of colleges in a generation or two must be taken seriously, because as a New Church institution the Academy must live within the social and intellectual world that it seeks to change.
      "Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become children of light" (John 12:35, 36).
     
But How Do You Know?

     But how would we know if we did secularize the Academy? Historically, when secularization occurs, those primarily responsible for making it happen either don't see it for what it is or else deny that it is occurring. The secularizers are not just outsiders moving in, but highly intelligent and moral people, frequently church leaders and members. One of the most striking features of secularization is the inability of participants and observers to realize what is taking place. A later generation looks back and notes that the college's character has lost its theology as a central guiding force, and retains it only in external trappings, through attractive symbolism and some nice traditions.
     This is somewhat reminiscent of the situation at the Last Judgment of 1757. Those who were judged, although they were evil inside, were convinced they were solid Christian believers with a strong faith and plenty of good works to their credit. Long since gone to hell were the criminal element and evil people aware of their dominant evils. The world of spirits was full of individuals who fully professed the Christian religion and for the most part lived good moral lives. But they had failed to shun evils because they were sins against God, and as a result, all their external good words and works were motivated by ambitions to promote themselves to power, honor, reputation and wealth. Their very success blinded them, and they were unable to see the realities of their inner hearts until the earthquakes and lightning of the Last Judgment, when the spiritual sense of the Word revealed their interior states for what they were (see LJ 59, 69-71; CLJ 10, 16).

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     In no sense do I imply a spiritual judgment of those individuals who brought secularization to American colleges and universities. My point is that people can be blind to the most obvious realities if they do not wish to see them, and especially if success in the world, "the tide in the affairs of men," seems to favor them. in retrospect it is almost beyond belief how rapidly and thoroughly Christian institutions replaced theology with scientific, empirical and democratic values as their supreme ideals. A crucial lesson for New Church people is that dramatically secularizing changes may take place under our very noses, in front of eyes wide open, and not be recognized for what they are.
     Like all churches, mainline Protestant churches changed not by conscious, deliberate decision to abandon their founding theology in favor of the Enlightenment worldview and democratic ideology. They saw themselves as updated Christians in a modern world. Churches decline when "from being interested in inward things they become interested in outward ones, till at length they do not care about inward things, and make the whole of worship consist in outward things"(AC 10437). We can guard against this ultimate of slippery slopes by maintaining internal, spiritual goals as our central focus, and applying them on the natural plane without allowing external concerns to be our principal focus. This is why it is crucial to be structured so that New Church theology will lead.
     How do we determine if we are secularizing or not, and whether we are being true to our central ideals and values, or are coming to love externals more than internals? This question will continue as long as the Academy seeks to be "of the New Church." Answering it requires open discussion, and above all a widespread and sincere wish to seek light from the threefold Word. We are unlikely to find unanimous agreement on questions of this kind, and in whatever directions the Academy heads, dissenters may argue that we are betraying the true import of New Church doctrine.

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That's our New Church culture.
     So what decides? Majority rules? Those in governance or administrative power? The priesthood? Donors? Consultants? My deepest hope is that we continue to follow W. F. Pendleton's inspiring call to be led by the Lord and not by human constitutions. In practice I think this means both priesthood and laity going to the Lord's written Word, studying passages and their meaning and practical applications, discussing broadly and patiently, listening carefully to other opinions with a true willingness to rethink one's own position, reaching as much consensus as possible in a sphere of good will, with a willingness to delay for a genuine consensus. The dialog between clergy and laity must be real, giving due recognition both to essential theological ideas, and to the natural realities of our worldly environment in which applications must be made.
     Still, how do we define secularization? At the Academy some suggestions for change have been carried out that I thought were weakening New Church religion in life. Undoubtedly some New Church people feel that way about different decisions reached during my presidency, which I feel were New Church applications. How will we know? In a generation or two our descendants will judge our present course as readily as we characterize the secularization of Princeton and Harvard over a century ago. In the meantime our standards will almost certainly move in the direction of the dominant standards within our New Church culture. The Academy schools will reflect the values and ideals of the religious faith of our faculty and administrators, laity and priests, students and families, corporation and board, and alumni and friends.
     For instance, while the Academy of the past had little interest in external evangelization, today the Academy increasingly joins the General Church and its schools in wishing to attract genuine spiritual seekers. A generation ago when I favored college courses on comparative religion and moral application, an older theological perspective saw this as secularizing, because it meant less time studying basic New Church doctrines.

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At present the wave of interest in other religions and applications of doctrine has grown greatly, and while I strongly support this, as priest president I believe we must not diminish the doctrinal content of courses, or the amount of New Church doctrine studied for credit. These healthy everyday questions truly beg for a working partnership among priests and lay people who share some expertise in academic subject areas, and who love to understand the doctrines. (If this sounds like a plug for our M.A. program in Theological
School, it is!)

Maintaining New Church Vision and Direction in a Secular Academic World

     A New Church school requires:
-     a committed New Church faculty
-     programs and curriculum founded on the doctrines
-     governance that facilitates flow of the doctrines throughout the institution, and a sound organic tie with the General Church
-     strategic planning and budgeting priorities that reflect the educational vision from doctrine
-     student life policies guided by the doctrines
-     a student body made up of students who, though not perfect, are personally seeking spiritual and moral answers from the threefold Word
-     worshipful activities and teaching practices founded on New Church principles, including rationality and freedom
-     a spirit and sphere of charity in relationships among students, faculty, administration, board, corporation, families and alumni.

These critical elements depend on the principles that the institution talks about, evaluates and insists on in daily operations, and on the people whom it hires, particularly the faculty.

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     How can we maintain and improve our commitment to truly New Church schools? Let me focus on two governance prerequisites, essential to provide the requirements that I just listed.
     1. Governing Board: We need an active board of dedicated New Church men and women who care deeply about New Church religious education and also about the business of running our schools. The board needs individuals who provide the Academy with high-level expertise in financial, legal, and other business experience, who support the Academy financially, and who are themselves fully committed to the General Church and also to specific distinctive New Church doctrines and the Academy educational vision.
     The appointment and election of such a board is crucial to the long-term spiritual direction of the Academy, and this means that the power to determine the board's makeup is also a crucial question. Whatever group or groups have the power to determine the board's makeup in effect control the character of the board, and in the long run, the future of the Academy. Historically, when a church has lost this power, a school has gradually separated from the church. Typically the board of a religious college is at first appointed in part or in total by an organ of the parent church. As secularization occurs, the college president and board find ways to move the key decisions away from the church trustees and to minimize or eliminate the church's influence in board appointment. Generally a president has a large role in the board's makeup by influencing the nominating body, often away from church control and policies.

At one prominent religious University the board consists of all the top clergy of the church, as if the Academy board were made up of the Bishop's Consistory of priests. Secularization here has tough sledding, but the environment lacks commitment to freedom and rationality, and has been described by one New Church student there as "wooden."

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     The Academy should give close attention to the process that nominates to the corporation and board. Compared to other religious schools, our parent General Church has little official input, though the Bishop's appointment of the chair and committee members allows input in a relatively small, informal, friendly environment. In a less personal environment in which a school might seek to be more independent from the church, our present nominations procedure provides little to maintain the Academy in a General Church direction. Nominations to a governance board seems an obvious area where we need cooperation and partnership among priests and lay people, and I suggest the nominating body include a non-Academy General Church priest.
     It has been suggested that in a crisis the Executive Bishop could just step in and take over the administrative position of the Academy president. I question whether this would work, especially if the president and board were united. The Executive Bishop can now fire the president, and perhaps this means he can assume the administrative position himself for a time. If the Executive Bishop were highly respected by the Academy board, this would be possible. If the president were popular with the board and involved in a protracted conflict with the Executive Bishop, it would be difficult for the Executive Bishop to step in and take over the president's job, even temporarily. I can well imagine the board's refusing to allow that during a state of real tension--when it would be especially needed--unless there is a clear organic tie between the Academy and General Church.
     Schools and colleges can be organically connected with parent church bodies in a number of ways, and that organic connection should be of crucial concern to us--not due to present dangers, but because in the long run, church schools seek to increase their freedom of action and independence from parental church bodies. The time may come when the Executive Bishop plays a substantially smaller role at ANC, but before this happens, appropriate connection with the General Church should be provided.

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     2. Why a Priest President? I sought my present position because I believe the president and chief executive officer of the Academy should be a priest, and I continue to believe this strongly. Though this may seem self-serving, let me explain my reasons, with the comment that as a General Church priest and Academy professor I am a priest president out of conviction for New Church education. If the board thinks a lay person should be the top academic administrator, I would disagree firmly, not out of personal aspirations, but on principle and because I think essential Academy uses would suffer.
     The Academy's top administrator should be a priest in order to facilitate spiritual leading of key educational directions. At present the Academy president has less authority over the schools than a decade ago--due to breakout budgeting and other factors. The lay heads of schools are largely autonomous in reaching their own decisions. Exceptions to the schools' autonomy: they cannot act without presidential approval in hiring full-time faculty, or in budget or major program changes, although they remain the driver in all these areas. It is difficult to see the president's having less responsibility without giving up all ability to veto a staffing decision or affect basic direction. Certainly any school head at times wishes for increased authority, and sees the president (or the board, or other administrators, or clergy, or whoever) as being too powerful.
     Why is it important that a priest be top administrator rather than a lay person? Won't any sincere New Church man or woman lead from the doctrines? Having attempted to make New Church administrative decisions, I know how difficult it sometimes is to lead and decide from doctrine in actual situations, and how much help I have had from knowing specific doctrines, and from using them regularly in everyday teaching, preaching, and counseling. Long-term familiarity with the doctrines in many working situations is invaluable and, I believe, essential for the decisions that a president/CEO must make in educational administration.

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Certainly educational expertise and administrative ability are necessary, but so are doctrinal training and experience.
     In addition, consider the matter of a professional's basic focus. While ministers from their training and orientation push (or should push) agendas of theology and spiritual life, often lay people from their training and life work push agendas relating to this or that practical application. All these agendas are important, and we need cooperation so that neither the doctrinal agenda nor the application agenda ignores the other. The best decisions in the Academy come from cooperation between lay people and clergy, so that the spiritual and natural agendas change and adapt to each other, then are implemented.
     We probably all agree on this, and the question is, which should lead? If the spiritual should lead and flow into the natural application, then an administrative structure should be established to encourage doctrine to lead and flow into natural applications (everyday administrative decisions). If, on the other hand, the structure puts at the top of academic administration those whose primary ability and inspiration lie in practical educational applications rather than theology, then that is the inspiration and light which will lead the institution's daily decisions. This was one major cause of the secularization of American colleges and universities.
     For example, I've noticed that while priests tend to see many questions in terms of spiritual meaning (maybe forgetting other aspects), lay people sometimes (not always) focus on power questions and on other down-to-earth issues. Certainly questions should be examined on all these planes, and power and other worldly issues cannot be ignored; that's why we must have effective clergy/lay cooperation. At the same time, it is crucial what principles and issues are taken as key and guiding, and what fundamental motivations we act from: doctrine, marketing demands, prudent financial planning, personal and political realities, power issues. All these and more are part of the Academy's daily decisions and directions.

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But what are the principal motivations and values? What are the motivations and values that we not only talk about, but truly and really act from, in the decisions that direct the institution-in staffing, basic programs, planning and priorities, student life policies, growth issues, outlook to seekers?
     When you are analyzing a problem, the questions you ask, your vocabulary, and the categories you use to interpret the problem will greatly influence the motives from which you reach a conclusion. For example, what are the leading questions and terms and criteria you should use to resolve a staffing or marketing or student-residence or donor-recognition issue? The conclusion will come from the motivations (loves) that are inspired by your analysis, and by the questions that you see as primary. (For a disillusioning example, recall the widely differing questions, vocabulary and categories used to analyze and judge a politician's conduct a year ago. For a happier example, review how the newly born General Church analyzed key governance questions in the late 1890s, after the separation from Benade.) Conclusions come from the questions and methods of analysis.
     Let me illustrate with a current question. There is fairly widespread agreement that the Academy, particularly the college, should seek to grow by improving our appeal to spiritual seekers from outside. But it is crucial to the Academy's integrity and spiritual direction that decisions about this be motivated by a genuine spiritual wish to build the Lord's kingdom, rather than by worldly (yet not bad) reasons for growth. I believe a priest president/CEO can lead the Academy to good decisions in such an area more easily than one whose primary light has come from a non- doctrinal expertise. From his theological training and career orientation, a priest president can keep at the head of the discussion the spiritual import of an issue. Because he tends to be respected as a representative of the Lord, it is easier by this office to insist on a charitable hearing of all controversial opinions. And after a decision is reached, he may have an easier time than lay leaders in showing dissenters that the Academy is acting for spiritual reasons, not natural.

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This last is no easy task since so many Academy decisions face agitated opponents.
     The goodness of a decision includes the motive and the thinking that go into it as well as the space-time decision itself, because the motive and thinking that lie within decisions are what define our institution. The doctrine of discrete degrees shows that the prime reality of any work or action or decision consists of the love and understanding that produced it and lie inside it. Spiritually, the Academy, like each of us, consists of the motivation and the thinking that produce what it does (see DLW 179-247 and other treatments of discrete degrees in the Writings). Ignorance about this inner reality of administrative decisions was another reason so many colleges secularized.
     Spiritual directions are maintained not just by a priest at the top talking about our prime spiritual values, but through actual decisions made on specific educational programs, individual staffing questions, policies on enrollment of non-baptized seekers, student-life issues, strategic planning and fundamental budget priorities--in other words, basic educational administration. Daily decisions in all these areas greatly impact the Academy's character. I believe faculty staffing questions are especially critical for a priest president because pressures for secular educational excellence in the view of many people may outweigh the value of dedication to the New Church.
     School heads and other administrators make, and should make, many of the actual decisions that define the Academy. In decisions on faculty staffing, the school heads, as committed New Church people, are the initiators and drivers. We certainly don't need priests throughout our middle-management positions, and lay leaders of the schools and other parts of the Academy give it its real life. Still, having a priest as the top educational administrator says to the school heads, administrators and employees throughout, as well as to students and families, that the top Academy priority is faithfulness to the Heavenly Doctrines--even when (for example) it means not hiring an effective teacher who does not believe in the Writings.

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     In urging this traditional view, I do not imply that I or past priest-presidents always have made the best New Church decisions. But by our love, training and experience we do try to do this. If education is in fact a church use, then New Church schools need the supervisory role of those whose first love, primary intellectual expertise, and career orientation are the Heavenly Doctrines.
     NJHD 311-318 say that priests should govern church uses. Other colleges and schools that seek to maintain their religious direction appoint clergymen as presidents, which is a statement and symbol of their distinctive theology. This statement of purpose loses meaning unless the clergy president has administrative authority to lead the institution through staffing directions, policy formulation, and selection of priorities. But priestly leadership should be combined with lay initiatives and with nourishing lay people in leadership roles. Without true partnership and cooperation we cannot succeed.
     In considering change we should know the reasons why our present structure has developed. Benade did bring to our movement a priestly high-handedness that hurt us. In fact the movement might have broken up in 1897. But under W.F. Pendleton our predecessors revised governance values, basing them on council and assembly. The Academy movement/General Church has maintained a strong desire for charity, order, and leadership by the Heavenly Doctrines, with open deliberation, and with freedom to consent or deny consent to leaders at every level. All our administrators, board members and leaders have agendas (they'd be ineffective if they didn't), and we need a structure so that spiritual agendas flow into natural and instrumental agendas and guide them.

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     Appendix on Academy President and Administration

     Let me offer my version of how decisions are made at the Academy. Our effort is toward consensus and team decisions, rather than flow-down management. I see this as in line with the teaching of the Writings on freedom and rationality. Also, this increases cooperation and trust through being open. It lessens latent conflict, and leads to a sense of joint ownership and responsibility. Much Academy progress has resulted from an open-consensus approach to decision making, as is evident in our Five-Year Plan. Board involvement in governance and administrative oversight have also increased much over the last generation.
     One result of this approach to management is that the Academy Leadership Team (ALT--four school heads, development officer, CAO, business manager, CPO head, chaired by the president) has become the top administrative body at the Academy and is responsible (largely through strategic planning) for developments at the Academy in the last few years; the Academy operated differently before the ALT was formed in 1992. Though we aren't fully there yet, our consistent effort is to operate as a single institution, organically unified, rather than as a collection of separate entities operating primarily from their own agendas. These changes take hard work and don't happen by themselves. We believe we function more efficiently by seeking ALT consensus and coordination than by making one person (e.g. president) the sole conduit through which every key decision passes. Of course, the president, and then the board, make final decisions. But the driving force, the focus of energy for progress, comes from ALT discussion and direction, and much of the president's work is in dealing with ALT members to promote consensus solutions.
     In recent years the president became more and more involved in business and financial planning in order to coordinate finances and academics. The development of strategic planning, increased fund-raising, and the computer network all took very large parts of the president's time, as did needy areas such as analysis of scholarship funding, developing board agendas and organizing for board meetings under our new format, Cairnwood governance, pavilion governance, facilities planning, real estate planning, sewage treatment plant, as well as financial planning and pursuing ways to pay for capital improvements.

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Reorganization of the financial offices and governance has also taken considerable time.
     In early May the Academy Board, during its retreat, gave much consideration to these functions, and there seemed to be board agreement that a priest-president should be Academy CEO and top academic administrator in order to maintain and strengthen the Academy's New Church distinctiveness in an era of growth and change. To my great relief the board told me to work more on spiritual and academic leadership, and less on financial, business and legal matters. The newly organized Centralized Shared Service (CSS) led by a Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) have done much to free the president from non-academic areas, making possible greater attention to spiritual and educational leadership.     
     I believe lay people should be responsible for business, financial, and legal affairs. At the same time, business matters connect closely with educational and spiritual matters, and true partnership among clergy and laity is a sine qua non. Let me repeat: without real working cooperation, we fail. In the actual activities of running a school, the spiritual plane, the educational plane, and the financial/business/legal plane are closely related and must work and plan together--in staffing, in strategic planning, in planning residence halls, etc. We are still learning how to coordinate educational and financial planning, and integration of these two is a key goal.
     In many of these planning and administrative activities, lay people should take the lead, as they now do, but without removing the priesthood entirely from administration or decision loops. As for determining the fundamental educational priorities of the institution, a priest administrator is essential, while lay people direct the strategic planning process. In other words, the top educational administration (as opposed to business, financial, and legal management) should be in the hands of a priest-educator whose primary orientation is to the Heavenly Doctrines.

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Similarly, education and business committees should not be appointed solely by priests but in close consultation and in cooperation with the lay people who will chair committees
     Some may feel the Academy President should make fund-raising his first presidential responsibility, as in other colleges where it is increasingly the president's top priority (I have not
heard this from our Academy Development Committee or Office, present or past.) Certainly fund-raising here is a presidential responsibility, along with other aspects of development. Yet in an institution which seeks to be guided first of all by its spiritual mission, the prime Presidential responsibility is to maintain and move forward the Academy's spiritual direction. If something else becomes the principal responsibility, the Academy becomes secular to the extent that another priority precedes the spiritual. I believe that leadership in fund-raising and development, as guided by the doctrines, is an important, indeed crucial presidential responsibility, though not the top.
     One possible change has been widely discussed--a chief operating officer, provost, vice-president or "danco" (director of ANC operations), to take on many of the president's responsibilities for academic administration Though I tended to favor this for a while (before the reorganization of the last nine months), I found the school heads negative to this possibility. As the heads of the Academy's essential organic uses, they should have contact with, and report directly to, the top, not through an intermediary I agree with them that in an institution of our size the insertion of an intermediary office such as a provost or academic vice-president would be unnecessary bureaucratization that would complicate our operations and probably lower our efficiency. And vice-presidents (if any) should include the school heads themselves.

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     Additionally, several have noted that the president has a very small direct constituency within the Academy as it is. To remove him from the schools by an additional reporting layer would take him further from the faculties and from education. This would not be a way to bring the doctrines into daily Academy operations. In larger colleges, provosts are appointed so that the president can give more time to public relations, nation-wide fund-raising and marketing, networking with other institutions, union negotiation, and often state and federal lobbying. From conversations and observations I believe this moves the president away from the college's (or school's) central mission. If the Academy went the way of an intermediary between president and school heads, I'd recommend that it be a priest-educator.
     I realize nearly all my reference points are to colleges and universities rather than to secondary schools. The literature is much fuller concerning secularization of higher education, and so is my own experience through personal contacts. Though more gradual and less stark, the process has been similar with secondary schools.
SPI NEWSLETTER 2000

SPI NEWSLETTER              2000

     The latest issue of the newsletter of Swedenborg Publishers International is packed with information. One has to be impressed, for example, with the work that has gone forward in the Czech Republic. And one has to admire the Publishing that has taken place in Holland. Mr. Guus Jansens, who has brought out some attractive New Church books, has pointed out that no biography of Swedenborg has been printed in the Dutch language. He is now publishing The Swedenborg Epic in installments in his attractive magazine. The SPI editor, Dr. Erland Brock, provides in the latest issue a tribute to the late Friedemann Horn, who did so much over the years to publish Swedenborg in German-speaking countries.

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REFLECTIONS ON THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE 2000

REFLECTIONS ON THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE       Rev. FRANK S. ROSE       2000

     (15)

"The divine providence is just as much with evil people as with good ones" (DP 285).
     Two people were discussing the Lord's care over our lives. One said: "It feels good to know that if I try to do the right thing, providence will look over me."
     The friend said: What if you go astray? Will providence look after you then? Answer: I suppose not.
     If not, what chance would you have of getting back on the right road? Providence is not just for good people. It is for everyone.
     Does that mean I might as well be bad?
     No. The way providence operates is very different with the good and the bad. Let me give you an example. The laws of nature, who are they for?
     Well obviously, they are for everybody.
     Right. So what is the difference in the way those laws work with different kinds of people?
     Well, a person who defies the laws of nature--by, let's say, a continual abuse of the body-will eventually end up in a hospital or in the morgue.
     That's right. These are the same laws that affect the life of a health-conscious person. But in the one case, the person understands the rules and works with them. In the other, the person ignores the rules and has to face certain consequences. These consequences could become means of helping the person to take more responsibility for his own health.
     Are you saying, then, that because I try to follow the rules I don't get any special favors?
     God grants complete favor to everyone, so He can 't give more to one than to another. It is just that certain people appreciate those favors more. Your life will definitely be better if you work with providence rather than against it. People who live according to the order of creation receive more from life, and from God. But whatever you do, the providence of God will always be with you.

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SWEDENBORG TELLING THE STORY OF HIS LIFE 2000

SWEDENBORG TELLING THE STORY OF HIS LIFE       Editor       2000

     (3)

     We have been talking about Swedenborg's allusions to his own life story. And now we come to the letter he wrote to Thomas Hartley when he was eighty-one years old. We mentioned in March that Tafel's Documents about Swedenborg come to 1,300 pages. What would Tafel put on the very first page? Why, of course, Hartley's request that Swedenborg write an account of his life.
     Hartley is careful to say that his praise of Swedenborg is not flattery. "For what ground for flattery can there be when I attribute everything in you, however great and extraordinary it may be, to the Lord, and not to yourself and when I look upon you only as an instrument of His mercy and great kindness!" He goes on to say, "I consider myself thrice blessed that your writings, by the Divine Providence, have fallen into my hands. For from them, as from a living fountain, I have drawn so many things, as well for instruction and edification as for my great delight, and I have been freed by them from so many fears, and from so many errors, doubts, and opinions, which held my mind in perplexity and bondage, that I seem to myself sometimes as if transferred among the angels."
     Hartley asks Swedenborg for an account of his life. Swedenborg responds with a couple of pages. An easy place to find the letter is at the back of Sigstedt's book The Swedenborg Epic. See also page 676 of Letters and Memorials of Swedenborg by Alfred Acton I. The letter is in Latin. The translation used here is from Small Theological Works and Letters published in 1975 by the Swedenborg Society.
     Swedenborg tells of his worldly accomplishments and the honors he has received and then says, "But considerations such as these I take to be of little importance, relatively speaking, for what exceeds them in importance is the fact that I have been called by the Lord Himself to a sacred duty. Of His great goodness He presented Himself in Person to me His servant before my very eyes, in the year 1743, and at that time He opened my sight for me to see into the spiritual world and has allowed me to converse with spirits and angels, which has continued until this day.

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From that time I began to publish in print the various arcana that I have seen and that have been revealed to me, such as those concerning heaven and hell, man's state after death, true Divine worship, the spiritual sense of the Word, besides other most valuable matters that contribute to salvation and wisdom. I have frequently journeyed from my own country to foreign parts, for no other reason than a desire to be of service and to disclose the arcana that have been entrusted to me."
     That was written in August of 1769, and it is interesting that in November of that year he concluded a letter to his friend Dr. Beyer with a paragraph about his early youth. One of the last things Swedenborg wrote was Invitation to the New Church. Toward the end of that work he wrote that "it has pleased the Lord to prepare me from my earliest youth ... "(n. 55).
BIOGRAPHIES OF SWEDENBORG 2000

BIOGRAPHIES OF SWEDENBORG       Editor       2000

     (3)

     I am realizing that I have bitten off more than I can chew in taking up the subject of biographies of Swedenborg. There is so much material I cannot hope to cover it, and I am sure to leave important things out. Be that as it may, let us continue.
     Some people who come to the teachings of the New Church never seem to need to learn about Swedenborg. Some point out that the new teachings are worthy of our attention, and the story of Swedenborg is scarcely relevant and could even be a counterproductive diversion. There is merit in that point of view, but we do find people who have no idea who Swedenborg was and who at some point feel that they need to find out. A case in point is John Bigelow, former U.S. Ambassador to France around the time of America's Civil War. The story of his discovery of the Writings is engagingly told in a little book called The Bible That Was Lost and Is Found.
     Having read with interest some of the Arcana Coelestia, Bigelow asked for a biography of Swedenborg.

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"I read the book almost at a sitting. My first feeling when I laid it down was of mingled surprise and mortification that I had lived till then in such dense ignorance of the career and work of so remarkable a man, at once so great and so good as Swedenborg was there shown to have been." Learning about Swedenborg increased Bigelow's interest in reading more of the Writings.
     Some people want less than a full volume, and many efforts have been made to accommodate that wish. I would mention first an excellent sketch by Dr. Jane Williams-Hogan. It appears at the beginning of the volume published by the Academy of the New Church in 1988 entitled Swedenborg and His Influence. Dr Williams-Hogan does an outstanding job in twenty-four pages. Another particularly good effort was made by Dr. Sig Synnestvedt in the book The Essential Swedenborg (Swedenborg Foundation, 1970). His twenty-page biographical sketch is highly readable and informative.
     Some people have told the Swedenborg story in a very few pages. A recent example is the book Visionary Consciousness by lose Anton Pacheco published this year by the Swedenborg
Association Before this author gets into his book, he manages remarkably well to tell the story of Swedenborg's life in two pages! (You may be interested to know that this book was first published in Spanish.)
STRIKING QUOTATIONS FROM THE SPIRITUAL DIARY 2000

STRIKING QUOTATIONS FROM THE SPIRITUAL DIARY       Editor       2000

     Now this work is more suitably called Spiritual Experiences. The publication of the large second volume is good news indeed. I have been told that in Japan this work has sold more than any other work of Swedenborg. There certainly are many fascinating things in this volume.
     Swedenborg notes in number 1389 that "there will be those who will surely read my writings, but will nevertheless hold to their own opinions ... even though they may see truths."

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     Sometimes in this work we find intriguing headings followed by single short paragraphs. Here are some examples from the new translation:

     People should never be judged in respect to their life after death on the basis of outward behavior
     Clear examples were demonstrated of people I had known in the life of the body, showing that those about whom people had judged evilly in the other life are good, and those about whom people had judged well in the life of the body are evil, because people do not know how to judge except from the outsides. Nor do they know whether [others acted] out of ignorance, nor from what motive. For the motive is known to the Lord alone (2459).

     Myriads come into the other life every single hour
     Today I was told that myriads come into the other life each hour from the earths in the universe, and yet that it is nothing compared to infinity, or to the Lord, who is infinite (2610).

     What "lead us not into temptation " [means]
     In the inward sense it means, may the Lord not abandon us, or may He not slacken His Divine power, for then they fall into temptations, each into a different one. These meanings I learned while praying the Lord's prayer (2759).

     The Lord in heaven speaks with angels, and indeed, with different ones separately in person, then with many at once
     That the Lord in person speaks with many, and with each one individually or in particular according to the mind of each, and indeed, in this manner with many at once--this is the truth. I seemed to have grasped this fact. This is a heavenly truth. Even though no one among earthly humans is able to grasp it rationally that this is the case, nevertheless it follows from His omnipresence with everyone, and from His Divine auspice with each person in the universe (2786).

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HAPPENINGS HERE AND THERE 2000

HAPPENINGS HERE AND THERE              2000

     In some New Church societies there has been a tradition of a weekly evening doctrinal class. In recent years this has been difficult for families with children. Recently the Pittsburgh Society tried a new approach. Rather than expect people to get someone to care for their children at home, they instituted pot luck suppers for the whole family. Children were cared for during the doctrinal class. Attendance went way way up. The pastor in Pittsburgh, Nathan Gladish, mentioned this to the pastor in Freeport (30 miles from Pittsburgh), Clark Echols, who soon put the following into his newsletter: "Because of an inspired idea borrowed from the Pittsburgh New Church, we are arranging for a wonderful social time and educational experience for all ages! We will gather at the chapel at 6:00 p.m. with covered dishes to share. By 7:00 p.m. adults will move into the sanctuary as the children go upstairs or gather in the social area where they will be cared for by the teens."
     Another thing done in Pittsburgh is an afternoon doctrinal class twice a month, mostly for senior citizens.
     69th British Assembly. This event will be held in Colchester July 7 to 9, 2000. The theme is "Into the Light." There will be presentations by Rev. Messrs. Kurt Asplundh, John Sutton, Fred Elphick and Kenneth Alden. Some people will attend the General Assembly in Guelph, Canada in June and then the British Assembly in England the following month!
     Following immediately after the British Academy Summer School and held at Purley Chase will be a gathering of young people aged 16 or over from around the world and from all branches of the New Church. "Camp 2000" will be held from July 29 to August 5. Information on this can be obtained from New Church College, 25 Radcliffe New Rd., Radcliffe, Manchester, M26 ILE, England.     
     Southeast Assembly in 2001. There will be a district assembly in Florida next January. That seems a long time off, but mark your calendar for January 26-28. See page 239.

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MORE ON CAPITALIZATION 2000

MORE ON CAPITALIZATION       Various       2000

Dear Editor:

     I write regarding the conversation about capitalization of pronouns referring to the Lord. There have been telling and thought-provoking ideas presented.
     There has been hesitation on my part about contributing to the discussion, as those responsible for editing a new printing of the Word have a weighty task. They are also far more knowledgeable than I, and have thought, discussed and prayed in order to reach a right conclusion. Perhaps, though, their work is made easier by the opinions of others. May I present my reasons for thinking the capitalization issue is important?
     1.      The Lord Jesus Christ is God. He is not as we are. His Being should influence the forms chosen to refer to Him.
     2.      Clearer understanding of the Word would result if special designation of some kind were used for pronouns referring to the Lord. There are some verses, particularly in the Old Testament, which must be re-read in order to link the pronoun to its subject.
     3.      There appears a growing trend in our land to think of and refer to the Lord as a "good buddy." We are tending to recreate the Lord into our image in order to make Him more accessible. The Lord is the Divine Human--never a human. Nothing should cloud this issue.
     Is there not a common ground to be reached? In some editions of the Holy Bible all the words spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ are printed in red. Could we not make an adaptation of this special regard? To print all pronouns in red and in small caps would probably look alarming; however, couldn't a special type font and small caps answer all concerns?
     Sharon Holmes,
     Batesville, AR

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Dear Editor:

     It is true that symbols or gestures of devotion to the Lord are not fixed and can be exchanged for others. The capitalization of the "h" in pronouns referring to the divine is not necessarily required. Tradition, a kind of collective consensus not related to commandments from the Word or some rigid arbiter, is responsible for setting up most of our hallowed expressions and devotional practices. So, as George Dole points out (NCL February, p. 84), we may switch from, for example, the old practice of women wearing hats in church to some other kind of devotional expression.
     Still, the flow of objections to lowercasing divine pronouns can be expected to continue because part of the picture of the New Century Edition is still missing, or is for some reason not yet being widely considered: What is the new vision that drives the NCE and would require a change of devotional style? What is the new advantage of lower casing these pronouns? People won't move out of one style of self-expression and embrace another one just because it could be done; the new one actually has to look better for some reason, more attractive for modern and future uses. More of the rationale behind this decision would help.
     Stuart Shotwell, Project Manager for the NCE, hints at a rationale in the September 1999 issue (p. 424): "We came to this decision solely because we believe that such capitalization will impede new readers over the coming century." The practice is in fact becoming widespread. Shotwell comments just beforehand that "the Foundation has discovered that too often potential readers of Swedenborg feel excluded by translations, typography, and orthography they perceive (rightly or wrongly) as out of date."
     The role of the foundation is to reach out for new readers, to expand public knowledge and appreciation of Swedenborg's work. That tells us that the foundation wants to find deft accommodations to customary forms of expression, if it can, and not publish merely for the Swedenborgian community, which can remain very aloof from new trends.

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But most of us who are used to the old forms and don't need that approach look forward to having an attractive new edition in the center of our own studies and libraries. Can we use such outward-looking efforts in our more inward lives and be comfortable with them? The NCE probably raises that question more forcefully than anything else the foundation has done. So Shotwell mentions that the foundation has offered to license the text of the new translations for free to the General Church "in whatever format is most useful to the General Church members."
     That sounds fair. But what may be needed are more widely published explanations of the foundation's target audiences and general strategy-including assessments of the academic audience, which is frequently a bit skeptical of any claims of divine revelation. In my experience, devotional expressions from outside immediately arouse suspicions that something other than an objective insight is being presented. You then have to start talking while realizing that you begin with strikes against you and that a long pull may lie ahead. Other audiences are also involved which are not so skeptical, but are experiencing changes in the language itself.
     Stephen Koke,
     Santa Ysabel, CA

Dear Editor:

     I wonder if I might offer a few more thoughts on the capitalization issue in response to Rev. George Dole's letter (NCL, February 2000). I will attempt to avoid both "a touch of proprium" and "emotional attachment"!
     1.      The concern is expressed that uppercase usage will appear "arrogant" or express an "exclusivist notion of salvation" that will carry with it the implication that "people who do not accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are damned."

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Well, just from a truth-in-packaging point of view, as an earlier writer noted (NCL, September 1999), TCR 1137:11 does teach that the Arian belief is a "damnable heresy," so we don't want to, on the other hand, imply that we think Jesus was not Divine either! And, more generally, there do seem to be two sides to the issue of whether use of uppercase is seen as arrogant or whether lack of such use is seen as disrespectful. If this whole perceived implication issue is going to be pursued, it would appear useful to have some objective basis, such as survey data, on which to base conclusions.
     2.      Mention is made of the lack of capitalization in the original Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic. Since there are no capitals in Hebrew or Aramaic, and the original Greek had no lower-case letters, this argument would not appear to carry the force it might.     
     3.      Half a glass of water can be see as half-full or half-empty. The point is made that Swedenborg was not entirely consistent in his capitalization, with the implication that the inconsistency justifies elimination of all capitalization. It seems to this reader that the opposite logic could just as easily be applied, and the fact that Swedenborg did capitalize a lot of the time (and at least in a few places in his manuscripts explicitly went back and replaced lower case he had originally written, with upper case) could be taken to justify completing the capitalization he began.
     4.      Mention is made, as in an earlier letter, of the extended discussion that went on in the committee. However, the reader is pretty much left wondering what exactly the content of that discussion was. For instance, what was the committee's conclusion with respect to the point raised in another letter (NCL, August 1999) regarding the fact that Swedenborg used the intensive pronoun Ipse referring to the Divine and only to the Divine, and how that is to be indicated in English if not by capitalization?
     In summary, it would seem, to this reader at least, that this issue should be regarded as in need of further reflection and discussion, and not considered a closed--or published!--book.

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Ideally, the issue would have been more widely discussed and consensus achieved prior to adoption of the lower-case policy for the standard edition that, as noted in yet another letter (NCL, September 1999), has already been put in place. But better late than never!
     Kurt Simons,
     Lutherville, MD

Dear Editor:

     I would like to add a comment about the capitalization issue. It is hard for me to take seriously the idea that capitalization of pronouns referring to the Lord is going to be a stumbling block to anyone who reads the Writings. Pick up the first (sometimes the only) volume of any of these works and read the first few pages. What is written authoritatively and without apology reveals astonishing things right from the beginning. If a casual reader becomes interested, and goes on reading despite the newness, power, and scope of the ideas that are being put forth, I doubt that he or she would become upset by finding a capitalized pronoun. The idea seems to me to be out of proportion.
     Of course, if you read out loud and emphasize each capitalized pronoun, it will sound funny, as Mr. Dole points out, but who actually does that?
     Does the Swedenborg Foundation have information that this style of capitalization is now used exclusively by the fundamentalist Christian churches, and so has become a sort of code that identifies a book as belonging to that particular dogmatic group? If that were true, it would be a reason to consider the issue, but it has not yet been said by those who have defended the action. I would like to know if there is good evidence that pronoun capitalization has caused an adverse reaction to the Writings from serious readers or if someone just thinks it's a good, "modern" idea.
     Joseph S. David,
     Franklin, PA

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Dear Editor:

     It is wonderful to read the zealous opinions of General Church members who like to have personal pronouns referring to the Lord capitalized in the Writings. This practice would certainly set the Writings apart from the Old and New Testaments, and would suggest that they have nothing to do with each other. Is it better to produce a new edition for those General Church members to read or to produce an edition for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of new readers who would find the truths contained in them more easily without the encumbrance of antique typography?
     I endorse the attitude expressed well by Rev. George F. Dole in his letter in the February issue of New Church Life, page 83.
     Warren F. David,
     Bryn Athyn, PA
WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT MINISTERS TO TEACH? 2000

WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT MINISTERS TO TEACH?       Jr. Donald C. Fitzpatrick       2000

Dear Editor:

     We sometimes forget that part of what ministers are supposed to do is tell us things we do not want to hear, and so we may complain that a certain sermon was too harsh.
     But we read: "As regards priests, they should teach men the way to heaven, and also lead them; they should teach them according to the doctrine of their church, from the Word, and should lead them to live according to it" (NJHD 315).
     This passage does not say that ministers are to teach only the things we prefer to hear or that make us feel comfortable. In fact, it seems clear from other teachings that priests cannot lead us to live according to the doctrine of the church from the Word unless they teach about the evils we must shun as sins. If this is so, we must sometimes hear truths we may not welcome or find comforting.

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     But if our ministers refrain from teaching those truths because we prefer not to hear them, will they not fail to do a vital part of the work they have been called by the Lord to do?
     Donald C. Fitzpatrick, Jr.,
     Bryn Athyn, PA
MANAGING DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT 2000

MANAGING DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT              2000

     Bishop Buss and Academy President Dan Goodenough are pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. T. Dudley Davis as Managing Director of Development for the new combined Development Office of the General Church and the Academy.
     Dudley has 30 years of experience with the Academy as teacher, coach, administrator and ambassador, and retired last June after ten years as Principal of the Boys School. During that time he was known for his inspiring leadership ability, his sense of vision and commitment, his competence, and a high level of energy--all of which he will bring to the Development Office.
     Dudley feels he still has a lot to give to the church and the Academy, and is excited to take on this new use. He has great enthusiasm for anything he does, is devoted to the mission of the Church and the Academy, and is perfectly suited for this new role. Dudley and his wife Gene are happy to be back in Bryn Athyn from South Carolina.
     Bruce Henderson, who became Development Officer and Director of Communications for the General Church last summer, will work with Dudley as Director of Communications for the Church and the Academy. They will be reaching out to societies, members throughout the church, and alumni of the Academy to communicate and work with them.

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OAK ARBOR CHURCH 2000

OAK ARBOR CHURCH              2000

     Dedication 2000

     Oak Arbor Church and School are moving to a new home! On Saturday, September 30th, we will dedicate our beautiful new building, and we would love for you to join in our celebration here in Rochester, Michigan.
- Friday, Sept. 29: Social event in the evening.
- Saturday, Sept. 30: Children's event in the morning, Dedication service in the afternoon, Banquet in the evening.
- Sunday, Oct. 1: Bishop Buss will join us in our regular church service.
     Please call the Oak Arbor Church at (248) 652-3420 and leave your name and address. We will mail you an information packet with a schedule and options for accommodations and transportation. Information will also be posted at www.newchurch.org/oakarbor
     Hope to see you in September!
LISTENING THREADS 2000

LISTENING THREADS              2000

     This 400-page book by Norman Newton of Vancouver, Canada, has just been published by the Swedenborg Scientific Association. The subtitle is, "The Formal Cosmology of Emanuel Swedenborg." The book begins with an overview of Swedenborg's Principia. We quote here from the preface: "Any attempt to discuss the cosmology of Emanuel Swedenborg in modern language, or at the very least to introduce it to the modern reader who knows little or nothing about Swedenborg, must simply face up to one chilling fact. Modern natural philosophy is overwhelmingly atheistic or agnostic in tendency. Individual scientists and natural philosophers may be religious men, perhaps even Christians, but unless they are willing to risk a loss of academic reputation, they are more or less forced to put their beliefs aside when they are discussing their disciplines."
     Mr. Newton says further: "This is not a rigorous book. Its logical arguments will be extremely simple on the whole. The scientific references are largely quite basic and the mathematical arguments are easy.

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SOUTHEASTERN REGIONAL ASSEMBLY 2000

SOUTHEASTERN REGIONAL ASSEMBLY              2000




     Announcements






To all members and friends of the Southeastern Region:
     After consultation with Bishop Buss, it is my pleasure, as regional pastor of the Southeastern Region, to invite you all to attend a regional assembly in Boynton Beach, Florida, January 26, 27 and 28, 2001.
     The assembly will begin with an opening address Friday evening, followed Saturday morning by three hour-long sessions (with appropriate breaks) featuring the pastors of the Washington, D.C., Atlanta and Boynton Beach societies. Saturday afternoon will be open for your individual excursions. A Saturday evening banquet will be followed on Sunday with the regular church service at 10:00 a.m.
     Programs for pre-school, kindergarten through sixth grade, and seventh through ninth grade will be provided for your children should you wish to bring them with you.
     For additional information contact the assembly chairman:
     Rev. Daniel W. Heinrichs
9115 Chrysanthemum Drive
Boynton Beach, FL33437-1236
Phone: 561-735-9994
     We hope you will be able to attend, and we look forward to seeing you at this assembly in January 2001. The Rt. Rev. Alfred Acton, Assistant to the Bishop
MINISTERIAL ANNOUNCEMENT 2000

MINISTERIAL ANNOUNCEMENT              2000

     Pending completion of his theological courses and ordination, Candidate Amos Glenn has been appointed to be the Assistant to the Pastor of the Pittsburgh New Church, effective July 1, 2000. He will also be the Visiting Minister to the Erie Circle, and will offer some help in the Freeport Society.     Pt. Rev. Peter M. Buss

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Swedenborg Gets to the Heart of the MatterA Historical Novel for Children 2000

Swedenborg Gets to the Heart of the MatterA Historical Novel for Children       Freya H. Fitzpatrick       2000

     "In this story you'll be a part of Swedenborg's life in the 1700s. Bounce over the cobblestones of Stockholm in a horse-drawn carriage. Cleverly escape a holdup at knifepoint in Italy. Travel all over Europe with Swedenborg as he finds out that the heart and lungs are more than just important parts of our bodies."
     The story is not intended as a factual biography but is based very closely on Swedenborg's life and ideas. Much of the dialogue is a paraphrasing of his own written words.
     This book was inspired by the homeschool unit study on the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Freya, who has a master's degree in elementary education, wrote this story for her daughters. It has been produced as an attractive 48-page paperback by the General Church Office of Education and is intended for children ages 9-12.
     Price U.S. $6.95 plus postage U.S. $1.20
     General Church Book Center                Hours: Mon-Fri 9-12 or
Cairncrest                                        by appointment
Box 743                                    Phone: (215) 914-4920
Bryn Athyn, PA 19009                         Fax: (215) 914-4935
     E-mail: [email protected]

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Notes on This Issue 2000

Notes on This Issue              2000


Vol. CXX          June, 2000               No. 6
New Church Life


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     Rev. Bradley Heinrichs lives in Ontario, Canada. This is his first sermon in New Church Life. It relates to the subject of how we worship. And this is the subject that is taken up by Dr. Reuben Bell in the article that follows. An editorial on "blended services" fits in with these two items. There is a good chance that during the assembly taking place in Guelph, Ontario, Canada this month, people will be discussing this subject. Principles that relate to services of worship are what Dr. Bell has provided in anticipation of such discussion. He says, "Since cultural circumstances do change over time, and people of similar genius do tend to assemble according to common needs and expectations, it is unrealistic to believe that a single worship form could possibly meet the needs of all people for all time. But with freedom comes the tacit expectation of responsibility."
     Speaking of editorials, you might count six of them in the table of contents, which might be some kind of record. Well, reports of coming books could have been put elsewhere in the issue, as could the excerpts from the Spiritual Diary. And so the multiplicity of editorials is something of an illusion.
     Some articles say a great deal in a very few words. Rev. Robert Junge's article is a case in point. It is good to have this in the same issue with the letter from Doris Ferr about the Lord's Prayer. A question she asked prompted me to do some editorial comment on the history of the Lord's Prayer.
     Dr. Wilson Van Dusen has regained good health, and he is doing more writing than ever before. Having sent his interesting suggestions to help people who study the Writings, he says he has further things to submit in the future.
     From Japan we have an article contributed by Mr. Tatsuya Nagashima. You will notice on page 267 that Mr. Nagashima is taking theological courses from Bryn Athyn while residing in Japan.

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UNITY IN WORSHIP 2000

UNITY IN WORSHIP       Rev. BRADLEY D. HEINRICHS       2000

"The whole earth was of one lip and their words were one" (Genesis 11:1).

     This verse from the Word provides us with a beautiful picture of the quality of the Ancient Church in its beginning. The "earth" here represents the church at that time. The statement that they were "of one lip and their words were one" represents that they had one doctrine both in general matters and particular details (AC 1285). The people of the Ancient Church in its integrity worshiped the Lord in complete unity and harmony. They had genuine trust in the Lord's guidance, and were blessed with a sense of peace and prosperity.
     The ideal we are presented with in this verse is something that we should all strive for, and it gives us hope that the Lord will also bless our church with the same sense of unity and fellowship.
     So how did the Ancient Church achieve this kind of unity and harmony among the many different kinds of people that formed their church?
     The answer is amazingly simple and yet incredibly wonderful. Charity! Their doctrine was one because it was the doctrine of charity. Their principal focus was living the life of charity that their faith taught. Therefore, when there were different interpretations of exactly what was taught, it didn't lead to division and controversy, because charity was the glue or mortar that held them together. Not surprisingly, the downfall of the Ancient Church came when they departed from charity and the Lord was no longer the focus of their worship. This was meant by "they journeyed from the east," for the east represents "charity from the Lord" (AC 1289).
     Now once they began to depart from charity, they started to build a tower out of manufactured bricks and asphalt. The details in this brief account seem to be insignificant at first glance, but a closer look at them reveals a wealth of insights as to what really happens to a church when charity departs.

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     The first thing that happens when a church departs from charity and turns from the Lord is that the source of doctrine and truth is no longer from the Word, but rather from self-intelligence. This is meant by "they had brick for stone," because bricks are formed by people, whereas whole stones are formed by the Lord.
     When we form or mold the truth to satisfy our own desires, it becomes falsity very quickly! Building a tower from bricks means to develop doctrine from these falsities. This is why altars to the Lord in those times were commanded to be made from unhewn stones, because they represent developing doctrine from the pure truths in the Word--untouched by human intelligence.
     The words "they had asphalt for mortar" mean that they had evil selfish loves in their hearts, rather than the good of charity toward their neighbors The symbolism here is powerful: smelly, sulphurous black tar--selfish evil loves--used to stick together bricks upon bricks of falsity, all for the purpose of building a tower of self-serving derived doctrine, convincing themselves that there was an easier way to get to heaven besides living a life of charity and worshiping the Lord according to the commandments.
     When worship becomes self-serving and charity departs, failure is inevitable! When we are more concerned with what worship can do for us, rather than focusing on worshiping and glorifying the Lord, it becomes selfish. When we are more concerned about our own interests than we are about our neighbors', then charity vanishes and chaos, confusion, and dissension reign.
     Sadly, this was the case at the end of the Ancient Church. They were building a tower not for the purpose of glorifying the Lord, but rather to "make a name" for themselves. And as soon as they focused on their own selfish desires, charity departed, and they could no longer work and worship together in harmony.
     These are powerful teachings for us to reflect on. Do we come to worship merely to satisfy ourselves or to praise the Lord for all the blessings He has given us?

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Are we more concerned with our own interests than with goodwill toward our neighbors, friends, and family?
     Now, let's turn our attention to the story of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh. They had faithfully followed the Lord's commandments and fulfilled their obligation to the other 9-1/2 tribes by helping them to conquer the land, just as they had promised. Then on their way back to the east side of the Jordan, they erected an altar out of stones as a memorial to all who passed by that they were one with the Children of Israel, worshiping the same God.
     However, the rest of the Children of Israel were incensed that they had dared to build another altar outside the land of Caanan. They immediately assumed that the 2-1/2 tribes had bad or even hostile intentions, and quickly prepared to go to war with them. Fortunately, under Joshua's leadership level heads prevailed. Phinehas, a priest, was sent to mediate the dispute.
     Phinehas listened to the explanation of the 2-1/2 tribes and was pleased with what he heard, because it became quite clear that their intentions had been completely misinterpreted. They had not set up a rival altar for strange sacrifices, but rather they had built an altar to bear witness that they were one with the Children of Israel and that they worshiped the same God, an everlasting memorial to future generations that they were one in spirit and unified in the service and worship of Jehovah.
     This is another powerful story for us to consider. How many times do we assume the worst when someone differs from us concerning the matters of worship that we hold so precious? Shouldn't we make it a point to assume a good intention, namely, that we are all working to serve and worship the Lord Jesus Christ as best we can?
     With these two stories in mind, let's take a moment to look at what the Writings say are the essential elements in worship. The most essential ingredient in worship is the acknowledgment of the Lord Jesus Christ as the one God of heaven and earth (see AC 7550).

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The next essential is humiliation before Him, because we cannot truly acknowledge and worship Him if we have a proud heart. The Lord can flow into our hearts and fill us with His love only when we remove our selfish desires.
     Recognizing our human weaknesses and having a humble heart leads us to the realization that everything good and everything true in our lives comes from the Lord alone. And once this realization dawns on us, we should be moved with a sense of gratitude, and offer thanks and praise to the Lord for all His blessings.
     The final key ingredients to genuine worship are charity toward our neighbor and the doctrine of faith. All these things are what the Writings call the essentials of worship. And we are taught that there is a very orderly progression that we should follow. The doctrine of faith must come first, because it teaches us the way we should live and how to be truly charitable to our neighbors. In fact, the Writings tell us that a church is established by the "soundness and purity of doctrine, consequently by the understanding of the Word ..., and a life according to it" (TCR 245). This is why instruction is such an important part of worship.
     Charity to our neighbors follows next because it logically leads to loving the Lord. This message was clearly given in John: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you ...; by this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34, 35). In fact, we are taught that people cannot possibly love the Lord unless they have charity toward the neighbor in their hearts (see AC 1150).
     Love to the Lord and the acknowledgment of Him as the one God of heaven and earth follow from charity, and this is the highest or most essential element in worship. That is why humility before Him, praising Him, and joy are not only appropriate in worship, but vital.
     Now considering the world-wide debate over contemporary and traditional forms of worship in our church, it is interesting to reflect on this passage.

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"All worship of Jehovah God must be from the good of love by means of truths. Worship that is from the good of love alone is not worship; neither is worship that is from truths alone ...; there must be both" (AE 696:6). This teaching makes it clear that both our intellect and our affections must be stimulated in worship. There should be a perfect balance between the two. There should be joy and happiness as well as instruction in any genuine worship.
     All these things we have been discussing are the essential elements of worship. The external acts of worship or rituals are merely the dressings of internal worship. The rituals of going to church, listening to the preacher, kneeling in prayer, and singing are all things the Writings tell us should be done, but let's not confuse them with the essentials of worship (see HH 222; AC 1175).
     Now all rituals in worship are to be drawn from the Word so that we don't get led astray by innovations and frivolous rituals, which persuasively captivate our minds and divert our attention from the Lord (see AC 1179). So the Writings warn us not to get lost in or obsess about the details of ritual, but rather urge us to focus on the vital things-worshiping the Lord and loving our neighbor!
     So as we worship the Lord here together this morning, let's remember these powerful stories from the Word. For we certainly don't want for our church the same sad fate that the Ancient Church had.
     Let's not fall into the trap of thinking that there is an easier way into heaven besides obeying the commandments of the Lord, by building a tower of derived doctrine from our own intelligence, molded by our own selfish desires. Remember, "Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it" (Psalm 127:1).
     Let us guard against becoming a divided house as the 9-1/2 tribes and the 2-1/2 tribes nearly became, by pointing the finger of blame at those who do things which we may not fully understand.

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When charity departs from our faith, then we place negative interpretations on everything our neighbors do, seeing only their faults but never the good in them (see AC 1079:2). If this is the case, then inevitably contentions arise and the church within us and around us dies.
     Instead, let's make sure we form our doctrine and our church from the unhewn truths from the Lord's Word, and build an impressive memorial to bear witness to everyone that we all worship and serve the same Lord as God. Let's strive to be of one lip, and always be willing to give our neighbor the benefit of the doubt when we differ in opinion.
     Let's make charity the principal thing in our worship, for charity is the mortar that holds us together, giving us a sense of unity and purpose in serving the Lord. And when charity reigns, we can be sure that the Lord will establish His New Church firmly on this earth and bless us with peace and joy. Let us never forget these words of the Lord:
     The church would be one if charity were present with all, even though they differ from one another in forms of worship and in matters of doctrine (AC 3451 :4).     Everyone would then say of another ..., This is my brother; I observe that he worships the Lord and is a good person (AC 2385:5).
     Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! (Psalm 133:1)
Amen.
     Lessons: Genesis 11:1-9; Joshua 22:1-34; AC 1285 DIVINE WORSHIP 2000

DIVINE WORSHIP              2000

     Divine worship consists primarily in a life of charity, and secondarily in a life of piety (NJHD 124).

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PRINCIPLES OF WORSHIP 2000

PRINCIPLES OF WORSHIP       Rev. REUBEN P. BELL       2000

     Love and Wisdom in the Balance

     We live in an era when change is not only inevitable but anticipated. Devaluation of age and its attendant wisdom is the legacy of the "youth culture" that drives our media, politics, education, and commerce. Change not only is accepted without scrutiny, but has come to be the essential element of authentic American life. With sound-bite philosophy and commercial-break attention span, we are entering a new cultural age, where ideas of substance must be served up in attractive bits, in rapid-fire succession, to consumers who will not tolerate more. Heralded as the "information age," the 21st century promises an enigmatic culture of information-as-data, processed in an anti-intellectual milieu. Imagine a vast but lazy river, wide but not deep, meandering in search of an ocean.
     Religious culture has not escaped this climactic change. American church membership has been in decline since the late 1950s, and Europe's spiritual culture is accurately termed "post-Christian" at this time. All the things that seemed to work so well for so long have apparently failed to maintain the attention and commitment of "post-modern" industrialized peoples. There are gods, to be sure, but you will find them in stadiums, and on television and movie screens, but not in cathedrals. Where are all the worshipers? And what, for that matter, is worship in this new age? Are there principles of worship--essential spiritual elements that still make worship worship and not just exercise? If these principles were properly applied and brought to life, could worship once again be made to thrive?
     Essential worship has little to do with buildings, songs, or priests in robes. Truest worship is faith in action--"the good of truth" we call it in the New Church, charity in the language of another era. This active form of faith is best called uses, the highest form of worship, we are told:

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...[T]rue worship consists in the performance of uses, thus in the exercise of charity. Anyone who thinks that serving the Lord consists solely in going to church regularly, listening to the preaching there, and saying his prayers, and that that is sufficient is much mistaken. True worship of the Lord consists in performing useful services; and such services during a person's life in the world lie in a proper fulfillment of his function by each person, whatever his own position, that is, in serving his country, its communities, and his neighbor with all his heart. They also lie in honest dealings with fellow human beings and in the diligent discharge of duties, with full regard for each person's character. These useful deeds are the principal ways of exercising charity and the principal means of worshiping the Lord. Going to church regularly, listening to sermons, and saying one's prayers are also necessary; but without the useful deeds they have no value at all,     for they do not constitute a person's life but teach what that life ought to be like (AC 7038).

     But this is an ideal, and to lead us there the Lord has provided us with a form and activity called external worship, that although clearly not essential, is nonetheless a doorway into the ideal. We people in this life may strive toward ideals, but we do not operate in them. We need the things that worship can give us, to elevate us to the level of the ideal.

A person is continually in worship if love and charity abide in him, external worship being only the outward expression of it. Such is the worship of angels, and therefore with them the Sabbath never comes to an end; and this in turn explains why in the internal sense "the sabbath" means the Lord's kingdom. While a person is in the world, however, he ought certainly to participate in external worship us well; for if is by external worship that internal things are aroused, and by means of external worship external things are kept holy so as to enable internal things to flow in. Furthermore, a person is endowed with cognitions by this means, and is made ready to receive celestial things, and also has states of holiness conferred on him, though he is not conscious of this. These states of holiness are preserved by the Lord for his use in eternal life; in fact all the states of his life reappear in the next life (AC 1618, emphasis added).

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     With this principle in mind, we look to the Writings for the New Church for light on worship, and for the proper elements and forms we might find there, to lead us to the Lord.
     As is generally the case, what the Writings give us in abundance are clear principles, but little prescription for forms. Above all else, the Lord values our spiritual freedom. Given the certitude of foundational principles, we are expected to apply these as they seem best to fit our situation. This is the point of departure into any discussion of worship forms. Since cultural circumstances do change over time, and people of similar genius do tend to assemble according to common needs and expectations,1 it is unrealistic to believe that a single worship form could possibly meet the needs of all people for all time. But with freedom comes the tacit expectation of responsibility. In order to properly apply Divinely given principles of worship to our various cultural circumstances, we must pay strict attention that these principles are not compromised in the accommodation. This is the challenge for evolving liturgical forms. What are the essentials for worship that can lead us in this work?
     1 This in itself is a foundational principle of the social dynamics in operation in the formation of the heavens, perfection arising from the infinite variety of societies there, each one formed by the free association of like-minded people.

     "Humility," we are told, is the "essential state of worship itself" (AC 2327). This brief passage explains the elemental properties of what is truly worship. Only from a base of humility can adoration flow, because adoration is not possible unless the self has been subjugated to the will of the Lord. And all of this begins with self-examination, again exhibiting the role of freedom as the most fundamental element of all.

To the extent therefore that a person acknowledges his own condition he can possess true humility, and when engaged in worship can have real devotion.

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For all worship must contain humility, and if this is separated from it, no adoration and so no worship at all is present.
     The reason a state of humility is vital to worship itself is that insofar as the heart is humbled, self-love and all resulting evil come to an end; and insofar as these come to an end, good and truth, that is, charity and faith, flow in from the Lord. For what above all else stands in the way of their being received is self-love (ibid.).

     So worship, we find, must contain these essential elements: self-examination leading to humility, and humility leading then to adoration, or praise. But search as we might, we find no prescription for a particular form in which these elements must be contained. This important decision--how the essentials of worship are to be administered--appears to be our own. Again, freedom. Heaven and Hell n. 56 extends this idea to cosmic proportions:

Variety in worship of the Lord from the variety of good in different societies is not harmful, but beneficial, for the perfection of heaven is therefrom. Every whole exists from various parts, since a whole without constituents is not anything; it has no form, and therefore no quality .... So heaven is a whole from various parts arranged in a most perfect form, for the heavenly form is the most perfect of all forms (emphasis added).

     From this it is clear that variety of worship is not only implied by the lack of specific liturgical prescription, but encouraged, as a means to the perfection of heaven. If this is the case, then adherence to essentials in all this variety becomes all the more important; each should be examined very carefully.
     The first element is self-examination, for without this there can be no humility, because there is no awareness of its necessity. What is necessary for this to happen is the proper atmosphere, to allow the self to find its place behind the cares of the world and subject to the Lord's inflowing love. This is not an easy sphere to enter. Worship must be carefully designed to facilitate this transformation.

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     Next comes humility, a spiritual state that allows reception of the Lord's influx into our interiors. He flows in according to the integrity of this "receiving vessel," and the vessel is ours to shape in freedom. The only limitation here is that there can be no humility without a real effort to subordinate the self and all its external distractions to the Lord: The danger in worship comes from the difficulty inherent in this first step: it is not easy to remove the sense of self. Worship is performed and led by individuals, who recite Scripture, sing and play music, physically move about, and interact in various ritualistic ways. How do we remove the performance from the worship? The two could not be more diametrically opposed. The one is external worship alone, which in itself is the performance of "vile services" (AC 1097), of evils and falsities (AC 1133), and the other effects conjunction with the Lord. There are ways to minimize the presence of person and enhance the sphere of selfless worship, and these can carefully be built into the worship service. But careful attention must be paid to this ever-present necessity, because the consequences can be serious.
     There are contemporary Christian worship forms that have devolved over time into liturgical performance, with performers on a stage, instead of the Lord on the chancel. These forms are popular because our culture values nothing more than performance. Having developed in tandem with the powerful media of radio, and later television, the familiar worship style of the American Evangelical Christian "televangelists" has set a standard for worship as entertainment. The phenomenal success of this religious genre is highly dependent on this innovation in Christian worship. "Entertainment Evangelism" it is called by those in this burgeoning industry, and it is aimed directly at the senses as the doorway into a person's affections. Once newcomers are attracted, an upbeat message of unconditional love builds them into large, ecstatic congregations for "megachurches" with the critical mass to keep the cycle going.

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The gods of the twenty-first century are not in cathedrals; they are on the stage and screen, and people have been so conditioned by their media-driven culture that they will respond to performance in place of substance, for performance is all that many people know. And what if the false notion that love is all there is (good, with no reigning truth to give it a form) were wrapped up in the performance? Who would notice?

Those who teach what is false and heretical and persuade the common people that it is true and orthodox, although they read the Word, and from it may know what is false and what is true, also those who by fallacies confirm falsities of religion and seduce people thereby, may be compared to impostors and their impostures of all kinds; and because such impostures are in the spiritual sense essentially thefts, such persons may be compared to counterfeiters who strike false coins and gild them or give them outwardly the color of gold, and pass them for pure coins; they may also be likened to those who by theatricals lead people away from true Divine worship, or from churches to playhouses (TCR 320).


     Worship must never be allowed to become performance--the celebration of self for performers, and the celebration of human intelligence for those in attendance. For there is nothing more contrary to the sphere of humility. There is a time and a place for these external things; in and of themselves they are benign diversions. But they are never worship, and when they masquerade as such, they are no longer benign. In itself worship is nothing unless there is internal worship in it to make it holy (see AC 1094).
     The third essential is adoration--in modern language perhaps better termed praise. This is the element that lifts us up, and brings us closest to the throne of God; for it is praise that reunites us with our Creator. Worship leads to praise. But this too must be skillfully applied. We are dealing with affections here--windows into the human will--and unless we are very careful, our wills can lead us far astray. In worship, do our affections allow us to soar up to heaven, or does worship create for us a garden of sensual earthly delight?

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Just as with the dilemma of performance, we must remember to ask ourselves these questions when it comes time to design new worship forms: What is the use? Where is our delight? Is it worship or entertainment?
     Just as the Lord was preparing for His ministry on this earth, the devil, we are told, "took. Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and all their glory. And he said to Him, 'All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.'"2 We know that He did not do it, but what a temptation that must have been.
     2 Matthew 4:8, 9 (NKJV)
     Moses, in the presence of the Lord, was given a clear charge for his life's work: "'I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.' But Moses said to God, 'Who am I that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt'"3 Moses did not feel equal to such a great task, and said, "O my Lord, I am not eloquent ... but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." The Lord knew better. It was the purity, strength, and conviction of the message that would bring the Children of Israel out Egypt, not its eloquence. And the message? The Lord told Moses not to worry: "Now therefore go," He said, "and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say."4 It was not the form but the substance of Moses' message that the Lord had in mind when He raised him up to do the work he was to do.
     3 Exodus 3:10-11 (NKJV)
     4 Exodus 4:10, 12 (NKJV)
     It is the substance of worship that is prescribed for us in the Writings for the New Church, and not the form. We are taught that if the essential elements of worship are all in place, then whatever form they fill will effect the conjunction we are looking for. In fact, the greater the variety of worship, the more likely we will approach the perfection of heaven on earth.

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But we must not fall victim to the allure of the "kingdoms of the world, and all their glory." Worship is not entertainment, and it need not strive to imitate the forms of that industry. The challenge we face comes not in designing worship forms, but in making sure that these new forms serve the Lord, that we allow Him "to be our mouth" and "teach us what we shall say."
LORD IN THE LORD'S PRAYER 2000

LORD IN THE LORD'S PRAYER       Rev. ROBERT S. JUNGE       2000

     "[I]n the contents of [the Lord's] prayer there are more things than the universal heaven is capable of comprehending; and that with man there are more things in it in proportion as his thought is opened toward heaven ..." (AC 6619). "In this prayer all things follow on in such a series that they constitute as it were a column that grows larger from top to bottom in the interiors of which are the things which precede in the series" (AC 8864). One might say that the Lord God Himself is the inmost in the series. Inmostly, then, the prayer must contain the doctrine concerning the Lord Himself. "That which is inmost reigns universally in those things round about, that is, in each and all things; for from this is that which is essential to the existence of all things" (Ibid.). "That the whole of the Lord's prayer from beginning to end has respect ... to the time when God the Father will be worshiped in the Human form. This appears when this prayer is rightly explained" (Inv. 37).
     It appears, then, that we can see something of the Lord's life and glorification as we say the prayer.
     His conception was from His Divine Soul. "Our Father, who art in the heavens." He came into the world that His Divine Human nature might be revealed and revered as holy--that His name might be hallowed.

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In taking on His Divine Natural, heaven itself, His kingdom, was reordered, and He descended to establish His church on earth. "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven so upon the earth."
     While He was on earth, as the bread of God coming down from heaven, He taught and led His followers to the good of life, giving them their daily bread. In healing those who believed, He forgave their debts as they also forgave their debtors. He showed Himself as forgiveness and mercy itself.
     During His whole life He endured temptations beyond any human imagination, yet in Gethsemane in the same language of appearances as "Lead us not into temptation," He said, "Let this cup pass from Me." And He was delivered from evil even as we pray "but deliver us from evil." In His last moments on earth He said, "Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit" (Luke 23:46). And He rose in victory from the darkness of the sealed tomb.
     After the resurrection, when He was about to ascend, He said, "All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth" (Matt. 29:18). And we close the prayer, "For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever."
     As we pray each day and our thought is opened toward heaven, perhaps thinking of such a series from the Father in heaven to the Lord's glory may help us come closer to the Lord.
UPLIFTED BY THE LORD'S PRAYER 2000

UPLIFTED BY THE LORD'S PRAYER              2000

     "Whenever I have read the Lord's Prayer, I have manifestly perceived an elevation toward the Lord, which was like an attraction" (AC 6476).

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AIDS FOR THE STUDY OF THE WRITINGS 2000

AIDS FOR THE STUDY OF THE WRITINGS       Dr. WILSON VAN DUSEN       2000

     It is part of my own love of the life to put things into order. In some thirty-four years of work with the Writings, I have spontaneously developed a number of aids that others might consider using. We begin with a section for the casual reader. Then we show aids for the more serious searcher or scholar. Being a scholar of the Writings has nothing to do with degrees or titles and everything to do with a simple love of the Writings.

For the Casual Reader

     The casual reader reads the Writings now and then and feels some attraction to their lofty ideas. Avoid any thought of reading them to impress anyone else. Few will notice or care. Search in them for whatever interests you. Search for what you really want to know. This is a key to further progress. Don't feel you must read a book from cover to cover. If there is an index in the back, look up subjects that interest you. A real key to searchers is that they work out what interests them, what they want. There is no exam coming up as in school, so feel free to explore your own real needs.
     If you find one of Swedenborg's books illuminating, it would be better to obtain your own copy. These books are relatively inexpensive because they are sold at near the cost to produce them. With a library book or one borrowed from a friend, you are constrained not to mark it up. With your own copy you can do whatever makes it more useful to you. Some feel any mark made in a book damages it. Get over this idea. Your own marks are a record of your own encounter, and what you find most interesting and useful. You can underline passages or use a colored highlighter. I put a check mark where an entire paragraph is important, and I put a line in the margin along key sentences or even phrases. I use a pencil in case I choose to erase it later, but never do. With repeated readings over the years. I find old marks are still important, but rereading usually leads to more marks.

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Key ideas I want to find easily are noted inside the front cover. For years I so noted everything on the love of the life, and eventually wrote a major article on this.1
     Some will argue that marking in a book is a sin. It is if you simply damage it, but if your marks represent your discoveries and encounters with the book, that is another matter. Have you seen what Swedenborg did to his own copy of the Schmidius Bible? In tiny and careful writing all over it, he recorded his reactions. I have a tattered copy of Carl Odhner's The Golden Age.2 A new one is available. I keep this old one in honor of an unknown scholar who wrote all over it. He even typed pages and stuck them in. Perhaps you want to keep your copy pristine for your children. Hopefully they will get and mark up their own. Or they may want your marked-up copy to see the concerns of a parent. Old Swedenborg books have practically no market value and are often thrown out. So either you use it or likely no one will.
     Write your name inside the cover so it can get back to you if it goes astray. It is a joy to use a well-marked copy. A new one is just not as good. I simply never lend any part of my working collection, but rather keep spare copies to give away. Often a better give-away than the long Heaven and Hell is the Shorter Heaven and Hell.3 If you suddenly adopt some new marks, put them inside the cover so you can decipher them years later. It is a curious truth that leather-bound volumes will last longer if often handled so they get body oils. Otherwise they need leather treatment. So if you examine someone else's Swedenborg volumes and they crack when opened (meaning they haven't been opened in a long while), and they have no marks in them, it is a sad sign that no one has wrestled with these truths!
     Another aid is to put key volumes you would like to look at where they are handy to pick up.

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My whole Swedenborg collection is behind my swivel chair at my desk. I just need to swing around to access it. When you purchase books, consider the little volumes from the Swedenborg Society. Yes, many of these small works are in the fat two-volume Posthumous Theological Works, but single small works are handy to take on trips. Judging from my collection, there are at least twenty-six of these. They include Canons of the New Church, The End of the Age, and Life in Plants and Animals, and others. Most are selections out of Apocalypse Explained or the Arcana. It would be easy to put several in travel luggage. I have even asked myself, Will I have such a good time traveling that Swedenborg won't interest me? The answer is that the Writings provide a positive sense of stability-even in the midst of travel.
     Also, even the casual student should know about different editions of the same work. When people say they found Swedenborg hard to read in small print and old language, I immediately ask what edition they have. Because I am a bit of a mad scholar over the years, I have purchased every edition of all the theological works and compared them. Comparison is easy. Take the same passage in each edition and start making tally marks for which you prefer. In general, but not always, more modern translations were preferred. At first I thought choice should be made on translation alone, but later it dawned on me to evaluate all factors at once: handsomeness of book design, size of type, index--everything, I found Swedenborg's AC references as in Heaven and Hell so useful I could almost eliminate a book that left them out. My point is that even the casual student should be aware of personal preferences for one edition over another. Those with the Rotch edition need good eyes to read the small print. With the New Century Edition coming, some will put on hold buying a new edition until the New Century appears, though for some volumes they could wait decades. The Woofenden upgrade of the standard edition produced by the Swedenborg Foundation (SF) has produced handsome user-friendly volumes of a good type size.

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My collection is currently a mix of SF and Swedenborg Society (SS) volumes after comparing all. Practically all the small volumes are from the Swedenborg Society of London, though sometimes available from SF in the U.S. Occasionally I end up with two editions of the same work, i.e., one for reading and the other for references and index. The Shorter Heaven and Hell is fine for a quick read and as an introductory volume.3 It is a commendable work, and other condensed works should be considered.     
     There are dispersed learning courses on the Writings from the General Church Office of Education, the Swedenborg School of Religion (48 Sargent St., Newton, MA 02158), and the New Church College (25 Radcliffe New Road, Radcliffe, Manchester, M26 1LE, England).
     Even at the casual level of reading Swedenborg, it is well to know there are better editions and to obtain them. Beyond that the book should be marked up in any way to serve the reader. A book that is loved has signs of use and personal marks. What are these marks but signs of a personal encounter and an attempt to make these truths "of the life"?

Ideas for a Serious Student

     Being a serious student of the Writings has nothing to do with academic credentials, titles, or anything else of this world. It simply means you have been impressed by the Writings and wish to pursue them more fully. I gave away my role as a serious student when I said I bought and compared all editions and adopted the best one. There was sometimes the problem of transferring marks from a well-marked edition to a new one. I just struggled through this. Transferring marks is a good job while watching television.
     I also learned to mark the spine of a book. After experimenting with several tapes, one-inch woven cloth tape from a drugstore proved best. I carefully put it at the same height on all volumes so they look good when displayed together. Several marks went on the tape.

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A red line meant this volume has an index, so in searching subjects I could tell at a glance which volume had an index. Another mark on the tape meant this is the best translation in case there are other volumes with the same name. A final mark meant this volume had my marks in it. This meant it would be easier to survey and find what had impressed me. In this way the volumes announced their status. Since this is a personal process, you might find other marks to suit you. Since I might forget them over the years, my code is marked on the shelf edge.
     There are several things about individual volumes that are noted in them. The Swedenborg Society put out a book catalogue with a short description of each volume. These were cut out and pasted inside the relevant book cover. I was particularly interested in when a volume was first published, and whether it was published by Swedenborg. Presumably if it was published by Swedenborg, he considered it ready for the public. Some not printed by him were incomplete in some way. Many of the Writings have several titles, i.e., De Conjugio is On Marriage and can be found elsewhere in Small Theological Works and Letters, and in Posthumous Theological Works (Vol. II, p. 357). All this is noted inside the book's cover. In this way various titles and sources of the same work can easily be tracked down. It took some years of this kind of diligence to be sure I had all the theological works. Probably most collections thought to be complete really are not; some small works will be missing. Of the Spiritual Diary, now called Spiritual Experiences, you will now need six volumes.4 And then there are the Swedenborg letters, in which he answers theological questions. These are scattered in several volumes. Certainly the main thrust of the Writings is clear in his major volumes. Often in the lesser works we are closer to seeing ideas developing in Swedenborg. This is quite true in the Durban Odhner translation of the Vol. I of Spiritual Experiences. It pulls together scattered experiences shortly after his illumination in 1745. Also key to Swedenborg's development are The Messiah About to Come and The Worship and Love of God.5, 6

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We are fortunate in having so many aspects of Swedenborg's spiritual development though few people seem to know of them.
     The scholar will also collect every means of finding things in the Writings. Keys in this are the Potts Concordance and the computer program NewSearch.7, 8 Since my books with indexes are marked on the spine, all of these are used. And there is a host of other works. For the Arcana I have two indexes, one of which was mostly composed by Swedenborg himself.9 From this, for instance, I could say that Swedenborg himself did not index "love of the life" as though it wasn't that important to him. But it is to me one of the great discoveries of the Writings. Of course I also have the SF two--volume index to Apocalypse Explained and the one-volume SS index. This is in addition to Searle's index, the Bogg Glossary and some nineteen other works that aid a Swedenborg scholar. A scholar collects everything that aids in working with the Writings. My actual collection of everything on just the theological works is in some 121 books and small pieces. Many think the basic thirty volumes are all that is needed, but it is not quite so. This is my main Swedenborg working collection. This doesn't even count eleven linear feet of collaterals and pamphlets. My work rests primarily on what the Writings say. Collaterals sometimes help, and a pamphlet can lead to good references.     
     For years as a scholar I have enjoyed tracing an idea through the Writings and then writing for myself a summary of what the Writings say. Scholars are simply those who consider it fun to find truth. I have surprised some ordinary people by calling them scholars. A scholar is one who enjoys finding things out and happily pursues discovery. Interesting ideas to pursue are those such as "the word," which has a whole hierarchy of meanings. My most recent search was on the "love of the life," which led to an article.1 My well-used pamphlet called Uses was one of these searches.10
     Should you consider publishing on the Writings for others, here are a few keys. First collect all that the Writings say on a subject.

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It is far easier to photocopy these and end up with a complete file on the subject rather than a stack of books with tabs. The greatest difficulty in working with the Writings is how to keep track of a multitude of fine quotes. Then look for a natural order in which to present them. Give references so others can see for themselves. Keep it simple and direct. Some think scholarship must be turgid and difficult. Nonsense. Writing is a way of telling others. Be aware of the difficulties others may have, so make it clear and human. For instance some might expand "nonsense" above to many pages. Nonsense is quite clear. If you don't believe good writing resembles clear speech, read Flesch, The Art of Readable Writing.11 Illustrate with personal examples if you can. Make it apparent and interesting. Until you are an experienced writer, have friends go over the manuscript and tell you what is clear and what is not. I remember an article on "remains" done by a lady years ago. It opened my eyes and inner understanding. Don't worry about fame and fortune in this realm. It is mostly for fun. My guess is that the greatest discoveries in the Writings are yet to be made!

Long-term Suggestions

     There are some things a scholar in this realm would like to see. What we need probably more than anything else is some sort of course in having fun with the Writings. The core of it would be to awaken personal curiosity so people would be searching for what they want to know. With the right leader this could be presented in various settings, i.e., conferences, as distance learning, and on the Internet. Some periodicals might encourage serious questions from readers. These would be answered for all to see. In this field we are dealing with the ultimates of existence, our very life and eternity. What kept me at this for thirty-odd years? Simply enjoyment. What a feeling it is to understand and to be a part of the ultimates of existence.
     When followers of the Writings die, their old books are often tossed out. I would like to see a clearing house of the Writings that advertises so that people send unwanted Writings to a repository.

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We could pay for shipping. Then the same repository could advertise out-of-print old works at a modest price for anyone interested. I once found a Swedenborg library throwing out duplicates they received. Many old works by Bruce, MacLagen, Clowes, and others represent fine, enlightened past work which is not likely ever to be duplicated. This repository could supply serious libraries and individuals keeping precious old works in the hands of people who use them.
     Also, someone in this realm should be a known clearing house for new translations. It would at least inform those who propose to do a new translation whether one is already underway. Otherwise we end up with I don't know how many translations of Conjugial Love. This clearing house would function simply to remind one person of someone else's pending work so they might communicate with each other. Worldwide we are too small a realm to act as though isolated from each other.
     I would also like to see some sort of copying and making available great works of the past. We have a number of technical ways to do this. In this manner our great and irreplaceable old works would be given continued existence, and would be available on demand, not as the original books but in some usable form.
     Most of these ideas would cost little and earn some of their own expenses. What we need more than money is people who care.
     So you see something of the life of a scholar in this realm. It all begins in curiosity. While pursuing Swedenborg I have also looked closely at the work of mystics of all faiths. Swedenborg fits in quite well with the world's mystics. But he is a giant even among the world's great mystics. A chapter is available on this subject.12 What keeps me at it? It is an honor and a pleasure to look at the ultimates of existence, to understand how our eternity is formed. I actually hope to continue this search in the next world, where the source materials may be even better.

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1 Wilson Van Dusen, The Essence of Human Individuality, Studia Swedenborgiana, in press.
2 Carl Odhner, The Golden Age, ANC Book Room, Bryn Athyn, 1913.
3 Emanuel Swedenborg, The Shorter Heaven and Hell, Seminar Books, London, 1993. This is much shorter than the original at 154 pages, and it covers the same ground.
4 Volume 1 of Spiritual Experiences is the beginning of a new translation of the formerly 5-volume Spiritual Diary. This volume 1 from the General Church has 192 pages from the earliest years missing from the old Spiritual Diary. So, at this moment one needs this volume 1 and the older 5 volumes.
5 Emanuel Swedenborg, The Messiah about to Come, Academy of the New Church, Bryn Athyn, PA, 1949. In this largely neglected work Swedenborg is developing what is to become his main spiritual practice, searching for God through the Bible.
6 Emanuel Swedenborg, The Worship and Love of God, Massachusetts New Church Union, Boston, 1956. In this work Swedenborg deliberately breaks away from a heavy academic style to feeling and imagination.
7 No scholar should be without J. F. Potts' The Swedenborg Concordance, Swedenborg Society, London, 1888 to 1898. Often I enjoy reading sections of the Concordance itself.
8 Academy of the New Church, NewSearch 98. This is a computer program that contains all the Writings and more. It is possible to find single words or groups of words anywhere in the Writings. In a way this is better than all the concordances and indexes.
9 Emanuel Swedenborg, Index of Words. Names, and Subjects in the Heavenly Arcana, Swedenborg Society, London, 1976. This is not part of the recent Elliott translation.
10 Wilson Van Dusen, The Essence of Human Individuality, Studia Swedenborgiana, in press.
10 Wilson Van Dusen, Uses, Swedenborg Foundation, West Chester, PA, 1981.
11 Rudolf Flesch, The Art of Readable Writing, Harper, New York City, 1949. This book is a hilarious example of readable writing itself, though Flesch is a professor of semantics.
12 Wilson Van Dusen, Beauty, Wonder, and the Mystical Mind, Swedenborg Foundation, West Chester, PA, 1999, Chapter 9.

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ENIGMATIC "AS IF" 2000

ENIGMATIC "AS IF"       TATSUYA NAGASHIMA       2000

     The following passage from True Christian Religion 3:2(5) is well known to most of us: "These should be done by man as if by himself; but it should be believed that they are done by the Lord in man through man" (emphasis added).
     How often have we repeated the above in tongue and thought, and how often have we heard the same passage in sermons? As one of the first New Church generation of the non-English speaking people in Asia, I have learned the above passage from the English edition and repeated it in my mind. While translating the Writings from the Latin text into my indigenous language, I have never paid special attention to this English phrase "as if." When I compiled a booklet entitled "100 Concepts in the New Church Explained" in my language, I placed two pages for the concept of "Do as if by Oneself' by naming A TAKAMO-NO-GNERI--the doctrine of "doing good as if by oneself."
     In the midst of the Theology 321 Course by Rev. Walter E. Orthwein for distant students, the following passage from AE 1 175:4 was introduced for reference as part of the assigned texts. It reads, "[W]hen a man is led by the Lord by means of affections, it seems to him as if he thought freely as if of himself, and spoke freely and acted freely as if of himself" (emphasis added).
     I remember that I have been led by the Lord by means of affections, but I never understood what is meant by "it seems to him as if he thought freely as if of himself." Actually, the above passage puzzled me because it seems to me the conjunctive phrase "as if" is redundant. It seems to me that even when I am led by the Lord by means of affections, I actually think freely from myself. I do not know how I can think freely, as if I thought from myself, or even I thought as if from myself This double "as if" sounds very enigmatic.
     While checking this "as if" in the Latin text, I found out that the English translations are a little different from what the original text means.

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The Latin verbs followed by the conjunction ut or sicut are normally put in the subjunctive mood. According to my understanding of grammar, when the verbs are in the present tense such as cogitet, loquatur, agat, etc., we presume what actually happens in reality, so it is called conditio realis. But when the verbs are in the past tense such as coginaret, loqueretur, ageret, etc., we presume what does not happen in reality, so it is called conditio irrealis.
     If my interpretation is correct, such a sentence as "it seems to him as if he thought freely as if of himself, and spoke freely and acted freely as if of himself" sounds like conditio irrealis, which presumes the untrue reality. "As if he thought freely" grammatically presupposes that in reality he did not think freely, and "as if of himself" presupposes that in reality he did not think from himself.
     However, the original text does not say so. The present tense of the subjunctive mood has no presumption of the untrue or unreal fact, but true and real fact or at least high probability, possibility and desire. Consequently, the above passage from AE 1175:4 must be: "It seems to him that he thinks freely as from himself, and speaks freely and acts freely as from himself."
     How about TCR 3:2 now? It will be as follows: "These should be done by man as from himself, but it should be believed that they should be done by the Lord in man and through man.
     When you read "as if" in the above instead of simply "as," don't you think that the following "but it should be believed ..." makes the whole passage unclear?
EVERY INDIVIDUAL MAY BE REGENERATED 2000

EVERY INDIVIDUAL MAY BE REGENERATED              2000

     Every person may be regenerated, each according to his state. (True Christian Religion 580)

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REFLECTIONS ON THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE 2000

REFLECTIONS ON THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE       Rev. FRANK S. ROSE       2000

     (16)

"If people believed, as is the truth, that all goodness and truth are from the Lord and all evil and falsity are from hell, they would not appropriate goodness to themselves and make it meritorious, nor appropriate evil to themselves and make themselves guilty of it" (DP 320).
     A beautiful goblet can hold healthful liquids. The same goblet can contain poison. Would you say that a goblet containing nourishment is a "good" goblet, and one containing poison is an "evil" one? The goblet is neither good nor bad. It is just a vessel. In a similar way, we human beings are not life; we are vessels that receive life. Admittedly the way life flows into us, activating us and working through us, is more complex than the way a liquid rests in a vessel. But in both cases, the vessel is distinct from what it contains.
     If we human beings could only grasp the concept that we are vessels of life, we would avoid most of life's great pitfalls. The two great ones are false pride and guilt.
     False pride involves taking credit for something that is not really our own doing. If someone compliments you and says: "You have beautiful eyes," you might feel a flush of pride. It is fine that you have beautiful eyes. Can you take credit for the way your eyes look? I hardly think so.
     There is a difference between physical characteristics and the way you use your life and talents. Suppose you do a kind, loving and wise deed for someone else. When you are thanked, don't you feel a certain humility? Don't you feel that it was a privilege to be able to do something nice, but that you can't really take credit for it? Sometimes we can be very conscious that God does wonderful things through us. We behave as if we act on our own, but we know deep inside that we have been led to act wisely and to say loving things by a power higher than ourselves. So long as we keep that in mind, we will not be able to fall into the trap of false conceit.
     Often when people do kind things, they resist being thanked.

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They might say: "It was nothing," or "I just happened to be at the right place at the right time." Occasionally you even hear people say: "God inspired me to do that." This last phrase might sound a little pompous, and we might hesitate to put our thought into those kinds of words, but still the idea might be very much in our hearts: "Thank you, Lord, for working through me."
     The other pitfall is guilt. Wouldn't it be wonderful to get rid of guilt feelings in your life? Wouldn't it be great to accept the fact that at times we say and do cruel things, without wallowing in self-rejection because of it?
     Suppose we took the same attitude with guilt as we do with pride, but in this case we say: "The devil made me do it." I realize that people have made that comment into a great joke, so much so that it is hard to use the expression with a straight face. But the Bible does use expressions about the devil putting an evil thought into someone's heart. If good forces can operate through us, so can evil ones. We cannot take credit for the good, or blame for the evil.
     It is possible for a person to be horrified at the mean and hateful thoughts that come into the mind, even more so when they express themselves in words. It is possible for a person to do some harmful and destructive act and feel deep remorse. It is healthy spiritually to return again and again to the idea that we are vessels of life, and this means that both positive and negative forces can work through us.
     Does this mean that we should never take responsibility for our deeds and actions? Does this mean that we should never attempt to do what is good, or say what is right? No. We need to behave as if we are fully responsible for our actions, keeping in mind that there are always powerful forces working through us. Knowing this, we strive to increase the amount of good things operating through us, and reduce the negative. We may not be the healthful drink or the poison, but naturally we prefer to have our life mostly contain healthy things. We want to reduce the poison. Just knowing that we are vessels gives us power to do this.

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For if we remember that we are only vessels, we can say: "I choose to receive only what is good." We could not do this if we were the nectar, or if we were the poison.
FROM A GOVERNANCE STUDY MEETING 2000

FROM A GOVERNANCE STUDY MEETING       Rev. OTTAR LARSEN       2000

     The following was submitted to New Church Life on request. It is an adaptation of a response from the floor at the governance meeting, Bryn Athyn, April 27, 2000, during the consideration of feminine uses and influence in the church.

     WHAT MEN CANNOT DO

     COMMENTS

     Why do I feel as if I am on a battleground tonight? Why do I wonder if I might be heard? Perhaps I am over-reacting. The meeting has been conducted in a very charitable manner.
     I hear some of you say that you have been denied equal rights with men, and that you feel rejected and hurt by it. I know that you women are needed in the church. Without you the church would be like a skeleton. I wish you all may live rich and satisfying lives in service to the church--How can healing take place?
     Why do I get the strong sense that the present struggle is not about serving the Lord but about gaining and having a certain kind of power? I believe there is a better way. We must do first what the Lord clearly designed us to be and to do.
     If you women want to be loved and appreciated, let your first priority be to do what men cannot do and what men cannot do without.
     The question is not what new jobs and work women can do for the church. The question is what is the life-giving and nourishing work that only women can do?

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What is the work that women can do that may transform the church, make it vibrant with love, energize it, make it teeming with life? The answer is: Do what the Lord designed you to do--love the wisdom of men. Encourage, nurture and require, insist that men develop wisdom. Some of the heroes of the past and of myths set out to do extraordinary things because the women they desired set a high standard. Today, many working women require nothing of their men other than the satisfaction of natural needs. On the other hand, the Writings explain that the male cannot be delivered from his conceit except by his wife's loving and uniting herself with his wisdom (concerning his wisdom see CL 130:4, 163 ff.). She does this by uniting her will with the inner will of her husband (see CL 195). This is how two become one in marriage (see CL 196, 197, 159). When this happens, the man can say she "now [see AC 156e] is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh" (Gen. 2:23). She truly is my wife, for she has been taken out of me. (Please read CL 193:2, 3ff., 173.)
     The Writings teach that you women are the real saviors of us men! (see CL 88.2). Nothing else sets a man completely free! This is the most essential work of women, and when you apply yourselves to this work, the Lord regenerates you by it. (See CL 188:3.) If you first will do this work which the Lord designed you to do--to do what men cannot do and what men cannot do without--and if we men will respond by being seekers of the wisdom of life and be real-life heroes in being truthful and kind and courageous and patient--then there will be a vitality and a youthful joy in the church which no church on earth can equal. The Lord's words will be fulfilled: "By their fruits you shall know them" (Matt. 7:20). "By this all will know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another" (John 13:35). We will truly be a city of gold set on a mountain! (see Matt. 5:14, Rev. 21:2, 10, 21). And the nations of the world will flow to it (see Isaiah 2:2-5).
     I know that all this sounds simplistic, and that the natural man in us scoffs at it. Nevertheless, I believe it is true because I believe the Word of the Lord says so.

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TRYING OUT A BLENDED SERVICE OF WORSHIP 2000

TRYING OUT A BLENDED SERVICE OF WORSHIP       Editor       2000

     In Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, the Carmel Church has been looking into the provision of "Blended Services." What is this about? We will take an example of just one church society, but readers may be aware of examples elsewhere.
     In recent years there has been a kind of dichotomy in parts of the church. Some prefer what could be called "informal" or "contemporary" church services. And some prefer more formal traditional services. In a contemporary service some might prefer to dress quite casually, wearing jeans and tennis shoes. Some might prefer music of a kind different from the traditional hymns. Some might prefer adding a little pageant or drama within the service rather than being confined only to the traditional lessons and sermon.
     This does not have to be a problem at all. In Bryn Athyn one can have two different services on a Sunday and find that advantageous. It relieves a parking problem at the cathedral! In smaller societies it is not so simple. For example, a small group just cannot sustain two services. The Carmel Church is not like a small group, but what they are trying may be helpful for those in such groups.
     In January the newsletter of that society (called the Chronicle) announced, "We are replacing this month's two contemporary services with 'blended services.' This is a result of very positive feedback from those who came to the three blended services in November as well as the questionnaires that were filled out after the services. There was a wide variety of comments from 'It's too formal' to 'It's too informal.' We will continue to blend together all that is the best of both services to create a sphere and set of rituals which best suit the congregation .... "
     In the February issue we read that "the feedback from the society has been very favorable for this .... " In the March issue we read, "We have been developing the unity of worship as a key aspect of society life." The effort is ongoing and evolving. One could with reason take the position that an effort to blend the services would diminish their effectiveness for both types of people.

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But the question needs to be dealt with in a responsible manner in different places. In some instances the experience of one society can be helpful to another society even though circumstances vary.
     In this issue we have an article by Rev. Reuben Bell and a sermon by Rev. Bradley Heinrichs which have application to this matter.
HEAVEN AND HELL AFTER A HUNDRED YEARS 2000

HEAVEN AND HELL AFTER A HUNDRED YEARS       Editor       2000

     Just one hundred years ago John Ager did an English translation of Heaven and Hell that was destined to be the version most used by New Church people for generations. It has been printed over and over again in hardback, and it has worn a variety of paperback covers--some of them rather dramatic.
     We are about to have a version of Heaven and Hell for the new century, and we intend to show something of its significance next month.
     The book was first published in Latin in London in the year 1758. It was Thomas Hartley who first translated it into English in 1778. There have been quite a number of translations into English as well as into several other languages. Of the English versions other than the old reliable version of Ager, we would just mention the 1958 version by Doris Harley. Mrs. Harley had a gift of expression and was a very reliable scholar. (I remember with pleasure getting to know her while we were working for the Swedenborg Society.) In her preface she acknowledges indebtedness to John Ager's version.
     Ager's expressions have become part of our vocabulary. Who can forget the way Ager's version of Divine Love and Wisdom begins? The heading is "LOVE IS THE LIFE OF MAN" and the opening line is, "Man knows that there is such a thing as love."
     But we are coming into a new century.

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Rev. Bruce Rogers renders the opening heading of DLW, "Love is a person's life." And the opening line is, "People know that love exists."
     You will find that the new version of Heaven and Hell has some similar differences. More about that in the July issue.
NEWS THAT MADE ANGELS HAPPY 2000

NEWS THAT MADE ANGELS HAPPY       Editor       2000

     As we celebrate New Church Day, I am reminding you about the angelic reaction to news about the new revelation. The passage from True Christian Religion 846 is familiar to many of our readers, though perhaps not in the translation by John Chadwick which follows:
     "I was once carried up in my spirit to the heaven of angels, and to one community there. Then some of their wise men came to me asking, 'What is the news from earth?' I told them that the news is that the Lord has revealed secrets far exceeding in excellence any so far revealed since the church began."
     Swedenborg told them what had been made known, and the angels were extremely happy that it had pleased the Lord to reveal these things. When Swedenborg mentioned the revelation about life after death, "The angels were glad that the Lord had been pleased to disclose such matters, so that mankind should no longer be impelled by ignorance to doubt its own immortality."
     Glad as they were, the angels noticed a sadness in Swedenborg. They "kept asking" (note the way Chadwick translates the tense of the verb "to ask") "'What makes you sad?' I said that although the secrets revealed by the Lord at the present time surpass in excellence and importance all spiritual knowledge made public up to now, they are regarded on earth as of no value."
     No doubt many readers of New Church Life have experienced a sense of sadness when they have encountered a lack of interest. Perhaps some can think of times in their own lives when they have really not valued the new teachings or have fallen short of the goal of applying them to life. While we can resonate with the sadness of Swedenborg, let us at this time lift our spirits to appreciate the response of the angels at the good news concerning what the Lord has revealed.

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STRIKING QUOTATIONS FROM THE SPIRITUAL DIARY 2000

STRIKING QUOTATIONS FROM THE SPIRITUAL DIARY       Editor       2000

     (2)

     Now called Spiritual Experiences, this is being translated into English anew. We are presenting quotations from the recently published second volume.


     Energy Fields

     The first page of the second volume addresses the subject of "energy fields." And these are what we are accustomed to calling "spheres." Elsewhere in the volume the word "aura" is used instead. And so we begin by reading that surrounding spirits and angels there are "fields of energy" which change in response to changes in their state of mind (SE 973).
     Let us look at some of the intriguing subjects in this volume.

     What Happens to Ill-gotten Gain?

     The heading of number 1212 is: "Those who obtain riches by cheatery never become wealthy, but become poor." We read, "Even though it is put on record by many writers as an established truth, and is so familiar as to be common knowledge, that 'ill-gotten gains do not come to the third heir,' nevertheless many do not care at all by what methods they acquire riches-so unbelieving and blind they are.
     "However, it was corroborated for me today also by angels that it is really so that riches fraudulently acquired flow away in ways that they themselves do not know, and then others grow rich." (That entry is dated March 7, 1748.)

     If you die on a violent battlefield, will that differ from dying in your bed?

     We quote from number 1099. "It makes no difference whether the person dies in bed, in battle, or some other way.

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For even if parts of the body were scattered over a distance of 1000 miles, the vital parts of the person are nevertheless gathered in an instant, and are all together, and the person's vital part becomes the same as before."
     Do you remember the tragedy when astronauts died in an explosion high above the earth? This is a reassuring teaching.

     Our Plans and Our Goals

     The heading of 1164 is: "A person could never make good and salutary plans unless he believes that the Lord provides for all and the very least details." We read, "By quite a lot of experience I have been taught that a person can start and make many plans believing them to be good and salutary when they are not."
     The heading of 1235 is: "What the goals of a person's life are becomes evident during illnesses, when death threatens." We read, "Whatever people love, they fear to lose. Therefore, during sicknesses especially, when death is near, it can be learned what they have loved, or what someone's goals in life have been. If, for example, they have striven for distinctions, and found in them their highest delight, then they are very afraid of dying. On their deathbed they also talk about their favorite things, and cannot abstain from busying themselves with them. Thus they are still absorbed with themselves."

     Some in the future will not want to hear about spiritual things.

     In 1140 we read, "I expect there will be many on earth in the future who hate the inward things of the Word, and the very inward things even more, because these touch the life of their loves too closely, confronting them with what they see as insurmountable difficulties." It goes on to say that they "do not want to be bothered by such things .... "

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HISTORY OF A NEW CHURCH VERSION OF THE LORD'S PRAYER 2000

HISTORY OF A NEW CHURCH VERSION OF THE LORD'S PRAYER       Editor       2000

     One hundred seventy-two years ago a New Church Liturgy was published with a version of the Lord's Prayer that is still used by most New Church people today. The idea of having a "New Church version" was actually first expressed in print much earlier than that. It goes back to the year 1790.
     The Book of Common Prayer for use in Christian services dates back to a time before 1611 when the King James version of the Bible was first published. If you want to know how the word "trespasses" came to be used, you have to go all the way back to Tyndale's version of the Bible around 1530. The original word in the Greek of Matthew is "debts" and in Luke "sins." When coming up with one prayer, the choice was made long ago to use "trespasses." Was it a kind of compromise between "debts" and "sins"? Well, the word "trespasses" is used in the phrases just after the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6, and that was probably a deciding factor. Choices have to be made if you are going to have just one prayer. Another possibility is to use the Matthew version sometimes and the Luke version at other times.
     I mention this detail to illustrate the point that choices have to be made. As New Church people looked at the Greek, they noted that it says literally "in the heavens" rather than "in heaven." Why did they lean toward Matthew instead of Luke? It was because the Matthew version is more complete.
     Why did the New Church version say "as in heaven so upon the earth" rather than "on earth as it is in heaven"? Well, the Greek followed that word order and they felt that it was appropriate to do the same in English. Either way is correct.
     If you want to see more of the history and a putting together of passages in the Writings which quote the Lord's Prayer, see the article back in 1978 called "The Story of the Lord's Prayer" (page 118). There it is observed that the Writings do not focus on word choices "but on the limitless spiritual contents of the Prayer.

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DEBATES WITH DEVILS 2000

DEBATES WITH DEVILS       Editor       2000

     The Swedenborg Foundation is publishing next month this book with the subtitle, What Swedenborg Heard in Hell. The book incorporates Memorable Relations in which Swedenborg speaks to the denizens of hell. The translation of these and portions of other parts of the Writings is fresh and readable.
     A previous book, Conversations with Angels, has sold well, and an Italian version of it has been published in Rome. One section of Debates with Devils is headed: "The Enemies of Our Peace." Here are some lines from that part of the book.

     You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. That line is from the best known of all the Psalms, which begins, "The Lord is my shepherd ...." Do "enemies" here and elsewhere in the Psalms refer merely to citizens of some nation that has been our opponent in war? Are they our social rivals? Are they our business competitors? They must be more than that.
     The assertion we are making is that the enemies of our peace, the enemies mentioned in Scripture, are the devils or evil spirits in the unseen world of the spirit ....
     As we proceed through the Psalms, we read of the voice of the enemy, the oppression of the enemy, the malice and deception of the enemy. Psalm 110 contains the phrase: "till I make your enemies your footstool," quoted by Jesus in each of the synoptic gospels. According to Swedenborg, the mission of Jesus was to contend with and subjugate the enemies of our spirits. Swedenborg writes of the spiritual dimension of the human condition, saying we are inhabitants of two worlds. Our bodies are in the natural world, but as to our spirits we have another environment.
     While our spiritual environment is, for the most part, beyond our consciousness, there is, as it were, a gateway. One of the Psalms concludes with a reference to the gate. Psalm 127 states, "Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so he gives his beloved sleep."

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Delivered from fear and shame "they shall speak with their enemies in the gate." Secure in sleep, and safe in wakefulness, the hero of the Psalm 127 is prepared to encounter the enemy at the gate.
REPORT OF THE EDITOR OF NEW CHURCH LIFE 2000

REPORT OF THE EDITOR OF NEW CHURCH LIFE       Editor       2000

     1999

     Seventy-six people wrote for this magazine in 1999. That was seventeen more than the previous year (last year's report on p. 185). This included twenty-four laymen, eighteen ladies and thirty-four ministers. The only remarkable thing about our use of pages is that "Church News," in spite of the attention given to the problem, continued to be far less a factor than has been traditional with this magazine. We had only four pages of news in 1999. This has brought us to the resolve to have a feature from time to time called "Happenings Here and There." This should help to restore the balance.
     The annual index appears in the December issue, and is in itself a report on what has been done during the year.
     Our circulation was 1492 compared to 1500 the previous year.
          Donald L. Rose, Editor
THINGS HEARD AND SEEN 2000

THINGS HEARD AND SEEN              2000

     This is the title of a new publication of the Swedenborg Society of London. It will come out three times a year (April, August and December). The editor is Mr. Patrick Johnson, who served as editor of the monthly Lifeline. For information on Things Heard und Seen write to Mr. P. Johnson, Swedenborg Society, 20 Bloomsbury Way, London WC1A 2TH, England.

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LORD'S PRAYER IN ENGLISH 2000

LORD'S PRAYER IN ENGLISH       Doris Greer Ferr       2000

Dear Editor:

     Regarding "The Lord's Prayer in English," February 2000 New Church Life: As my husband suggested, we tried as a family to say the Lord's Prayer using "Your" rather than "Thine." It did seem to help our young son better understand what we were saying, and it helped us all pay attention to what we were saying rather than just reciting it automatically. However, as time passed, my eldest daughter and I went back to saying "Thine" and my husband, second daughter and son continued to say "Your." In spite of this, we still feel we are saying the prayer in unison because the rhythm of it remains the same whichever way we choose to say it.
     My husband and I find it interesting that, although he is 25 years my senior, it is he who prefers to say "Your" and I who prefer to say "Thine." In our family, at least, age has nothing to do with the preference for one or the other.
     This new focus on the Lord's Prayer within our family sparked a special interest in it among our children. One evening one of our daughters said, "forgive us our sins" instead of "forgive us our debts." I asked her why she was saying that and she said, "Because that's the way it is in the Lord's Word." Whoa! What could I say to that? So I looked up the Lord's Prayer in my daughter's Bible. It appears in two places, Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4. At first I was shocked to see that the version of the prayer we say in the New Church does not match either of the versions in the Word. Then I remembered that the version we say comes from the Old King James Version of the Bible. Looking in the Old King James Version, I could see that the prayer we say is a combination of the prayer in Luke and the one in Matthew.
     This brings up some questions for me. Why did the New Church decide to combine the prayers in Matthew and Luke rather than adopting the longer version of the prayer in Matthew? In my experience, the Matthew version of the prayer is the more widely used version among other groups.

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Was there a really strong, compelling reason to combine the prayers, or were we simply trying to be different from the rest of the world?
     Another question is, Why do we give our children a copy of the New King James Version of the Bible as a special gift from the church, encourage them to read it, and then continue to say a version of the Lord's Prayer that is not in it? Is it time for us to say the version of the prayer that matches what our children read in the Word? Or do we teach them that there are many different translations of the Lord's Prayer, and that the actual words we say are not as important as the meaning they contain?
     Doris Greer Ferr,
     New Dundee, Ont., Canada
MORE ABOUT GHANA 2000

MORE ABOUT GHANA       Duncan Smith       2000

Dear Editor:

     I would like to add to what I said about Ghana in the April issue. I would address the greatest asset that Ghana has--its people! If you readers want to gain an understanding of these people, you must first learn a little of their language. So go ahead and say, AKWAABA. If you said that with feeling, you have said a word that you will hear from their mouths time and time again. "You are welcome."
      Even though you may be a white traveler in their towns and countryside, you are greeted with their exclamation of "Obruni!" ("white man"). I never felt threatened, and when the novelty of being there wears off, you are still received with warm hospitality by most people. This was especially true in our church communities. Their very faces convey genuine warmth and sincere friendship, and they show interest in you and appreciation of what you do.
     Here are some of the answers I give to frequently asked questions about Ghana.

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- English is a predominant language. They were a colony of England prior to their independence.
- They are a peace-loving people, although their government struggles with the problems of a developing nation. Any strife is more part of their ongoing poverty that faces them. The land is rich but has not been successfully developed. They do not openly wear the scars of the slave years. There has not been an "apartheid" issue.
?-one does see air conditioners and more commonly ceiling fans. Some of their structures would not be out of place in Florida.
- Do not imagine that they do not have the mental capacity to meet challenges and to live in the modern-day world. All they need is the means to learn. They have the ability. I had frequent contact with a young man setting up 17 computers and working out their problems. I could not do it by myself. I also watched them build their schools and churches with just basic tools and end up with a substantial structure. This says a lot for their ability.
- They operate from the affection as the Writings seem to indicate. They are quite capable of meeting the human challenges that lie ahead.

     In closing I would comment that I hope we can help them in any way possible to make their lives better. Then the church can grow and be a healthy part of their lives. And if you would visit them, I can assure you, they will say AKWAABA.
     Duncan Smith,
     Glenview, IL
CAPITALIZATION IN THE WRITINGS 2000

CAPITALIZATION IN THE WRITINGS       Rev. Erik E. Sandstrom       2000

Dear Editor:

     On the use of capitalization in the Writings, the question of consistency has been raised. To answer this, starting with Schmidius, the Latin Bible Swedenborg used which contains his own marginal notes, the Latin for Revelation 19:16 is: "Habet vero super vestimento, et super femore suo Nomen scriptum, Rex Regum, et Dominus Dominorum."

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It is suo (his), lower case, referring to the Lord. Referring to this quote, both AC 4973 and AE 195 in the manuscripts (Swedenborg's own handwritten copies) have suo in lower case. The White Horse no. 1 first Latin edition also has it super femore suo Nomen scriptum. The first Latin editions published by Swedenborg himself (AC 1749-1756), or by Hindmarsh (AE 1785) have suo in lower case. It remains in lower case in Tafel's 1833 Latin AC edition. It is capitalized for the first time in the third Latin edition (1949), when vestimento Suo is introduced. All translations, however, from Potts (1837) to Elliott (1999) have "His robe,... His thigh." Upper case has been introduced when it was originally lower case in Latin.
     Another example is AC 1891, which in the manuscript has Interiore suo Homine, referring to the Lord. The first and third Latin editions have it the same. The Potts English translation has "His interior man." Elliott has "His Interior Man." Clearly capitalization has been gradually introduced with none in the original.
     Another example is the Latin of AC 10830: Cum Dominus plene glorificavit Humanum Suum (When the Lord had fully glorified His Human). Here Suum has been capitalized, but the manuscript in Swedenborg's own hand has lower case: Humanum suum, tunc exult. The first Latin edition (1756) has and suum so does Tafel (1833). The third Latin (1973) has Suum and Elliott (1999) renders it "His."
     So the reflexive pronoun suus has gradually been raised to upper case when the manuscript and first editions have lower case. This situation changes drastically, however, when the emphatic pronoun is Ipse, Ipsius (Himself), referring to the Lord. The manuscripts have Ipse in upper case, both first and second draft, and this is carried over into all translations.
     Take AE 10: The Latin is Divinum Domini in Humane Ipsius. Both manuscripts #1 and #2 (first and second drafts of the same work) have Ipsius in upper case, and the English and all translations keep "His": "The Lord's Divine in His Human."

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Swedenborg's capital "I" in Ipse/Ipsius is easily recognized all through any paragraph referring to the Lord.
     And back to AC 4973, explaining nomen scriptum (a name written) in Rev. 19:16, it says in the manuscript est quale Ipsius. "This means His quality," upper case for Ipsius referring to the Lord. Thus the AC and AE are consistent for Ipse.
     In conclusion, we see that the suus/his has been gradually raised to upper case, while the Ipsius has been upper case all along when referring to the Deity.
     Rev. Erik E. Sandstrom
     Curator, Swedenborgiana
BRYN ATHYN COLLEGE HOSTS INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2000

BRYN ATHYN COLLEGE HOSTS INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE              2000

     There is an international network of scholars who promote research in an academic discipline known as "New Religious Studies." It studies the impact of new religions on existing cultures and disseminates accurate information about little known religious groups, and it dispels false information. It has hosted international conferences at the London School of Economics, the State University of Rome, the Sorbonne (University of Paris), and last year it was at the Bryn Athyn College of the Academy of the New Church.
     Dr. Jane Williams-Hogan says that hosting this event was a new experience for Bryn Athyn College. "It gave us an opportunity to share our community and who we are with an international group of scholars. We handled the challenge with warmth and ease, so much so that other potential hosts wanted to know our secret."

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TIME HAS COME FOR THE COLLEGE 2000

TIME HAS COME FOR THE COLLEGE              2000




     Announcements






     "The time has come for the college to shoulder an active role in spreading the New Church, by recruiting not only General Church students but others who may be interested in the Heavenly Doctrines as well."
     This is quoted from the front page of a recent publication from the Bryn Athyn College. Dean Charles W. Lindsay speaks of an expanded recruitment program. "The college plans to promote its mission and programs by pursuing a more aggressive recruiting policy in New Church societies and circles, and by working to carry our message to potential applicants outside the church who may be led to the truths of a spiritual life through our teaching. We have already taken several steps to begin this effort."
     Mr. Lindsay adds: "This is indeed an exciting time in our history."

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Branching Tree A Narrative History of theGeneral Conference of the New Church 2000

Branching Tree A Narrative History of theGeneral Conference of the New Church       Dennis Duckworth       2000

     Here is an impressive introductory history of the New Church in England from the time of Swedenborg himself to the present day. Reverend Dennis Duckworth has successfully compressed volumes of information into a very readable story: "one that takes the facts and the figures and incorporates them into a narrative that reflects the lives and loves, the opinions, hopes, and endeavors of real people in the past.
     This book is wonderful background for readers of all branches of the New Church.
     Paperback 192 pp. U.S. $12.95 Postage U.S. $1.20
     Published 1998 by
The General Conference of the New Church
     General Church Book Center                Hours: Mon-Fri 9-12 or
Cairncrest                                        by appointment
Box 743                                    Phone: (215) 914-4920
Bryn Athyn, PA 19009                         Fax: (215) 914-4935
     E-mail: [email protected]

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ASSEMBLY IN CANADA 2000

ASSEMBLY IN CANADA              2000


Vol. CXX          July, 2000               No. 7
New Church Life


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     As we go to print, we are anticipating the General Assembly in Canada. It is our understanding that it will be attended by people from Africa, Asia, Australia, England, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Scandinavia, and of course Canada and the United States.
     Inside the cover of our May issue we mentioned that on May 17th the Order of the North Star was to be conferred upon Rev. John Elliott. We can now report that the ceremony has taken place. Bishop Buss and his wife Lisa were in London for the occasion. The recipient of the medal said that this was something that should belong in part to the Swedenborg Society which has been publishing Emanuel Swedenborg's works since 1810.
Notes on This Issue 2000

Notes on This Issue              2000

     Following the assembly, there are summer camps, two of them in Bryn Athyn this month. Looking further into the future please take note (p. 325) of the dedication in Michigan coming at the end of September. Even if you cannot attend, you can rejoice with our friends out there.
     The sermon by Rev. Mark Carlson quotes the teaching of the Writings that nobody is rewarded on account of the good he does. "At first this may seem like a denial of all that has been taught in both the Old and New Testaments." The sermon speaks of the notion of entering into marriage to find happiness and calls this "a setup for failure."
     As Frank Rose brings to a close his series on Divine Providence we are pleased to have an article by his son Jeremy. Here is a challenge. If you read the first page of Jeremy's article, you will read it all. Furthermore, you will find that the point of the article is made in such a way that you will not forget it.
     Paula Niall takes delight in historical research. In this issue she provides a biography which incorporates interesting New Church history.
     Notice the number of baptisms from Boulder, Colorado.

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WITHOUT REWARD 2000

WITHOUT REWARD       Rev. MARK R. CARLSON       2000

"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full" (Luke 6:32, 33).

     The theology of the literal sense of the Old Testament is based on a covenantal relationship with God which can be summarized in the sentence: "If you do what I say, I will reward you." Just one example of this idea among many from the Old Testament is found in Leviticus: "If you walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them, then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit" (Lev. 26:3).

     The idea of a covenant based on external reward between the Lord and people is so powerful in the Old Testament and so essential for the first steps of spiritual growth, that when the Lord came into the world, He could only begin the process of turning minds to a higher concept of His covenant. This He did in the words of our text which begin to show that a true idea of doing good to others involves more than a mutual back-scratching sort of arrangement. "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?" (Luke 6:32)
     Notice that here the Lord is still using the idea of credit and reward to build a higher concept of what true love really is. He is saying that it is easy to love those whom we can expect to love us back, easy to love those who understand us, easy to love those who treat us well, easy to love those who assume we have good motives even when we make a mistake. But what about loving those who will not love us back, those who do not understand us, those who do not treat us well, those who do not assume we have good motives when we err?

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Loving others under these conditions is real love, and a credit to the one who loves.
     "And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you?" While it may seem that the Lord is talking about a new financial system here, this was not His intention. Early Christians, however, did take these words literally and would not lend money at interest; the practical effect was of course that only non-Christians lent money. While it may indeed be good for us at times to actually lend money to those who are not able to repay, the real message here is that we are to seek a condition of giving on a deeper level with no thought of repayment. And so in the New Testament the Lord is inviting us to look at the difference between easy love for those we like and from whom we will be rewarded, and the difficult love He is calling us to, love for those who don't like us, and from whom we can expect nothing. "Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you" (Luke 6:27:28).
     In the Heavenly Doctrines for the New Church the Lord once again invites to an even deeper idea of love and giving without reward. In the Arcana Caelestia He makes this bold statement about reward: "Nobody is rewarded on account of the good he does and of the truth he teaches" (AC 2520:4).
     At first this may seem like a denial of all that has been taught in both the Old and the New Testaments, but it is not. What is meant is that no one is rewarded for going through the motions of doing what is good or teaching what is true. Even if you go through the motions of loving your enemies, of lending without hope of reward, still you have no reward. But if you do these things for their own sake, from the affection for good in the doing of good, and from the affection for truth in the teaching of truth, then something is accomplished spiritually within you and the happiness you will then experience will be your reward.
     This is the paradox of all spiritual life. One cannot be spiritually rewarded if reward is what one seeks.

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In fact, the true reward of heavenly happiness is the happiness which comes only when one has given up every desire for reward. You see, the desire to be rewarded is in itself a purely natural love, and true spiritual life can never be rewarded with natural things. In fact, the very notion of wanting or expecting a return for that which is essentially spiritual prevents the spiritual from ever taking place. If we maintain a desire for reward of any kind for spiritual life, it means that the love of self is still the primary source of delight in our lives, and when this is true, the only reward that will make sense to us will have to appeal to the love of self, and this is impossible.
     The literal sense of the Old Testament contains a beautiful illustration of this circumstance. Elisha, the prophet of the Lord, represents the truth of the Word healing in our lives. He has a servant named Gehazi, who represents our love of self, a love which can serve well when subordinated to the truth of Elisha. Elisha heals the leprosy of Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army, by telling him to wash seven times in the Jordan River. In return for this healing, Naaman offers Elisha a gift. Elisha's response to this offer was simply to say, "As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive nothing." But Gehazi, the love of self, sees an opportunity to strike out on his own. Without consulting Elisha, he goes after Naaman and lies to him that Elisha has changed his mind and wants money and clothing to help two young prophets. Of course, Naaman in his gratitude is pleased to respond to this pack of lies. When Gehazi returns, Elisha immediately knows all. He says, "Did not my heart go with you when the man turned back from his chariot to meet you? Is it time to receive money and to receive clothing, olive groves, and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male and female servants?" (II Kings 5:26) These are all good things but one cannot lie to get them; one cannot seek them as a reward for one's own spiritual growth. Elisha tells Gehazi that Naaman's leprosy will now befall him.
     Hear the teaching of the Heavenly Doctrines: " ... [T]hey who do goods with the sole end of reward cannot possibly know that in doing goods without reward there is happiness so great as to be heavenly happiness itself.

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The reason for their ignorance is that they perceive happiness in the delight of the love of self, and insofar as a person perceives delight in this love, so far he does not perceive delight in heavenly love, for they are opposites" (AC 6391:2).
     If we maintain a desire for reward in the areas of our life which are essentially spiritual, then we are what the Writings call "spiritual usurers." A "usurer" in the Word means one who does what is good for the sake of self-advantage, just as a usurer of money lends for the sake of inordinate gain (see AC 9210). Teaching the truth for the sake of reward or profit is meant by the words "to give one's silver into usury," while doing good for its own sake without thought of reward is meant by "not taking a bribe against the innocent." With this in mind, consider the real meaning of the fifteenth psalm: "Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart .... He who does not put out his silver at usury, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent" (Psalm 15:5).
     Not only must we be watchful as individuals that we do not "give our silver into usury," but we must also be watchful that the organization of the church does not become guilty of this as well. We may know that no effort on the part of individuals or groups of individuals will be blessed if that effort seeks its own profit or growth. As we seek to spread the good news of the Heavenly Doctrines, we must constantly examine our efforts and prayerfully watch that we seek to teach the truth and serve others for the sake of teaching and giving, and not because the organization of the church or its schools may be benefitted by the results. And so the Lord taught, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers, or relatives, or your rich neighbor; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.

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But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid in the resurrection of the righteous" (Luke 14:12-14). This kind of selfless giving and serving is what serves the Lord, for He said, "As much as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me" (Matt. 25:40).
     What we do not know from experience we can at least know from revelation. And what we must know is that through open, selfless teaching of truth and giving deeds of charity, there is provided a means for the Lord to flow into our hearts with a sense of love, peace, and satisfaction that is called heavenly happiness itself. This influx of happiness into the spirit of one who serves without reward can look to one who stands outside like great foolishness and stupidity (see AC 6391:3), while the one who experiences it knows that heaven is close at hand.
     When we learn to give to others without thought of reward, there is one more reward we are warned that we must not seek. We must not seek the influx of happiness. We are warned against this because it is still seeking for the sake of self, in which case we will again become numb to the spiritual, just as leprosy makes the body numb. So we are taught, "As soon as the thought occurs that one desires to communicate what he has for the sake of obtaining within himself the influx of good fortune and happiness, the influx of happiness is dissipated" (AC 6478). Everyone wants to be happy, yet so few understand that to seek it is to lose it. It is just as when one looks directly at a faint star: it disappears from view.
     There is particular application here for marriage. So many people many to find happiness rather than opportunities for learning and service--a setup for failure. When happiness is not found, the love of self strikes out on its own and demands happiness, further driving it away, only to conclude that a grave mistake has been made. There is just no way around it: when it comes to spiritual things, the only way to win is to lose from a natural point of view. And so the Lord said, "He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life" (John 12:25).

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     The greatest paradox of life is a spiritual law of the universe: in giving all, we receive infinitely more than we had in the first place. The task of losing this natural life of reward is not a small one; in fact it goes against everything we know, everything we have experienced, and most things others have told us. Overtly religious activities are no guarantee of spiritual success, for our inherent self-interest can still find a home and great reward among pious, high-minded, spiritual-sounding ways of being. Ultimately, selfless spiritual living is a very private thing, and will have little to do with how our lives look to others. The path is the same one the Lord walked while on earth, a path mocked and rebuked; we are to follow by taking up our cross to apparent death. In giving up all, all is gained. "O taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him" (Psalm 34:8). Amen.
     Lessons: Psalm 15; Luke 6:27-36; AC 6478 "BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS" 2000

"BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS"       Rev. N. BRUCE ROGERS       2000

     In several places in the Old and New Testaments and the Heavenly Doctrines, the Word either warns against or denounces false prophets. By false prophets are not meant necessarily people who claim to be prophets. Rather they are any and all who teach falsities as truths and who by means of them lead others away from genuine spiritual and moral good.1 They may be people within the church, and they may be people from outside the church.

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What distinguishes them is their proclamation of ideas contrary to teachings of the Word. So, too, by false prophets are meant those ideas themselves, which, if not guarded against, seduce and lead astray.2
     1 Arcana Coelestia (The Secrets of Heaven) 2534:5, 3010, 3488:5, 3900:2-4; The Last Judgment 59; The Apocalypse Explained 195:13, 624:5, 684:7.
     2 Arcana Coelestia 3488:5.
     Therefore the Lord in His Sermon on the Mount warned the multitudes listening to Him: "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves."3 He said that they would come in sheep's clothing, because false prophets put on the appearance of morality.4 But inwardly, He said, they are ravening wolves because they are predators, victimizing the unwary who succumb to their persuasions.5
     3 Matthew 7: 15.
     4 The Apocalypse Explained 195:13.
     5 Cf. The Apocalypse Explained 195:13.
     The danger to the church posed by false prophets and their beguilements is not a new one, nor was it a new one at the time of the Lord's first advent. In one of his last great addresses to the Israelites, as they camped on the Plains of Moab ready to cross the Jordan into the promised land of Canaan, Moses admonished the people to take care not to serve the gods of the nations who lay before them and said:

     If there arises among you a prophet or dreamer of dreams ..., saying, "Let us go after other gods ... and serve them," you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer of dreams ....
     If your brother, the son of your mother, your son or your daughter, the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is as your own soul, secretly entices you, saying, "Let us go and serve other gods," ... you shall not consent to him or listen to him ....
     If you hear someone in one of your cities ... saying, "Corrupt men have gone out from among you and enticed the inhabitants of their city, saying, 'Let us go and serve other gods'... " if it is indeed true and certain that such an abomination was committed among you, you shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword--utterly destroying it ....6
     6 Deuteronomy 12:29-13:15.

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     So great was the danger to the Israelitish Church of false prophets who would entice the people to walk after other gods, that the penalty prescribed for such prophets was death.7
     7 Deuteronomy 13:5, 9,10,15:18:20.
     Centuries later, after the division of the nation into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah, when the people were faced with the threat of the advancing Assyrian empire, false prophets did in fact arise, who promised a continued state of peace and security from the threat.8 We can imagine how welcome to the ears of their listeners their assurances were; yet the final result was the fall of the northern kingdom, and the people were carried off into captivity and scattered, never to return.9
     8 Micah 3:5-7.
     9 2 Kings 17:5-18.
     Toward the end of the next century, the kingdom of Judah was faced with a similar threat, this time from the Babylonian empire; and again false prophets arose to assure the people with empty promises.10 The prophet Jeremiah especially denounced them, saying,
     10 Jeremiah 5:30, 31; 6:13,14; 14:13, 14; 23:16, 17, 21, 25-27, 30-32; 27:9, 10,14-16; 28:28:15; 29:31, 32. Lamentations 2:14.

Behold, the prophets say ... , "You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place." But the LORD said to me, "The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them; they prophesy to you a false vision, divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of their heart."11
     11 Jeremiah 14:13, 14.

Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless; they speak a vision of their own heart, not from the mouth of the Lord.12
     12 Jeremiah 23:16.

Therefore do not listen to your prophets, Your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers, or your sorcerers ..., for they prophesy a lie to you .... 13
     13 Jeremiah 27:9, 10, 14, 16.

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     Even after the fall of Jerusalem, when many of the inhabitants of Judah were carried off into exile in Babylon, still, even in captivity, false prophets continued there to lie to the people.14
     14 Ezekiel 13:1-10.
     The danger to the church posed by false prophets did not end with the Lord's advent. It was of this danger that the Lord in His Sermon on the Mount warned the multitudes, saying, "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves."15 And in predicting the consummation of the Christian Church, He said:
     15 Matthew 7:15.

Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, "I am the Christ," and will deceive many .... Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold .... Then if anyone says to you, "Look, here is the Christ!" or "There!" do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.16
     16 Matthew 24:5, 11, 12, 23-25. Cf. Mark 13:6, 21-23; Luke 21:8, 16.

     Similar warnings were repeated in the early Apostolic Church. The apostle Peter wrote to the faithful,

But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.17
     17 2 Peter 2:1.

     The apostle John wrote,

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

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By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God.18
     18 I John 4:1-3.

     And on the Isle of Patmos John was commanded to write to the angel of the church in Thyatira,

These things says the Son of God ..., "I know your works, your love, service, and faith, and your patience .... Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality...." 19
     19 Revelation 2:18-20.

     The Lord's prediction that false prophets would arise at the time of the consummation op the Christian Church refers particularly to teachers of salvation by faith alone, a doctrine hatched in the 16th century by the leaders of the Protestant Reformation. These teachers are represented in the book of Revelation by the beast that John saw coming up out of the earth, a beast that is afterward in the same book called "the false prophet."20
     20 Revelation 13:11-18, 16:13, 19:20, 20:10. The Apocalypse Revealed 567, 594-610, 701, 702, 834, 835, 864. See also Arcana Coelestia (The Secrets of Heaven) 2534, 7351. The Apocalypse Explained 999. A Brief Exposition 76.
     The appeal of the doctrine of faith alone lies in the fact that its espousal allows its unsophisticated adherents to profess a faith in God and the Lord and yet at the same time live as they please, whether it is in accord with the Word or not.21 And it is a doctrine that has given rise to a number of other false ideas and derivative philosophies that continue in the world to this day. The Heavenly Doctrines therefore affirm the Lord's warnings against false prophets--teachers of falsities who may feign themselves angels of light, but who promote ideas opposed to and even hostile to real goodness and genuine truth.22
     21 The Apocalypse Revealed 417, 442.
     21 Arcana Coelestia 3900. True Christian Religion 590.

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     It is difficult for many to discern the character of the promoters of such ideas and the nature of the ideas themselves, because the ideas may be couched in language that appears to be quite insightful, even wise. Since the intellect can be elevated apart from the will, even the wicked may appear to speak and write knowledgeably and intelligently so as to persuade the innocent and unwary.23 Even moral and spiritual truths in the mouths of people who at heart deny the Lord and His Divinity are, by misinterpretation and misapplication, either without substance, or falsified, or justifications for evil.24
     23 True Christian Religion 590.
     24 Arcana Coelestia 8868.
     Now there are in the church three kinds of people, we are told. The first are people who are enlightened by the Lord to see the truths in His Word because they love those truths and employ them in their lives. Their role and function is to draw doctrine from the Word by which to enter ever more deeply into its truth. The second kind are people who do not draw doctrine from the Word themselves, but who compare the doctrine taught by others to what the Word teaches, assenting to what accords with the Word, and rejecting what does not. And the third kind are all others, who do not have the leisure or the discernment either to draw doctrine for themselves or to weigh critically the doctrine taught by others.25 It is these last people who are especially vulnerable to being led astray by the persuasions of false prophets, and it is these who are especially to be warned.26 How are they to guard themselves if they are unable either to draw doctrine for themselves or to weigh critically the doctrine taught by others? Their recourse is to rely on those who do,27 and to be slow to accept opinions before these can be examined and either corroborated or rejected in the light of Divinely revealed truth.
     25 The Doctrine of the New Church Regarding the Sacred Scripture 57, 59.
     26 Arcana Coelestia 3900:3-5.
     27 The Doctrine of the New Church Regarding the Sacred Scripture 59.

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     The warning is as apt today as ever, because to a large degree we are living in the midst of a spiritual wilderness, exposed to ideas that owe more to the counterculture of the 1960s and 1970s than to the tenets of any established religion. These ideas pervade the media, and it is a challenge to avoid being infected by them.
     It is widely held, for example, that the differences between the sexes are in the main physiological, but that spiritually, intellectually and emotionally there is no fundamental difference. It is a Divinely revealed truth, however, that "nothing in the two sexes is the same."

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.28
     28 Married Love (Conjugial Love) 33.

     It is vain, therefore, to speak of a man's having a feminine side, or of a woman's having a masculine side, since the affections and perceptions of the two are so different that they cannot exist together in the same person.
     Again, it is widely held that one must learn to love oneself before one can learn to love others. Yet it is a Divinely revealed truth that people are by nature prone to love themselves more than others, and to seek their own good before that of others.30 The fact is that the more one loves himself, the less he loves others.31 To teach self-love, therefore, is not to teach any heavenly love. Heavenly love consists in learning to love selfless, in order to be able to love others more.32
     30 Arcana Coelestia 4317:5, 8549.
     31 Arcana Coelestia 760.
     32 True Christian Religion 394, 395.
     Again, it is held by many that all capital punishment is murder, and that the state has no more right than any individual to take the life of another. Yet the Heavenly Doctrines number among the covenant laws commanded to Israel as one "altogether to be observed and done" the prescription of capital punishment for premeditated homicide.33
     33 Arcana Coelestia 9349:4, in reference to exodus 21:12, 14. See Exodus 21:12-14.

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     Again, it is held by many that a woman has a right to her own body, and that she therefore has a right to abort her unborn child as a form of reproductive control,34 under the theory that the fetus is not yet a human being, but only a mass of tissue that may be removed like any other unwanted growth. Yet it is a Divinely revealed truth that "in every human fetus the Lord forms two recipient vessels, one a recipient vessel of Divine love and the other a recipient vessel of Divine wisdom--a recipient vessel of Divine love for the person's future will, and a recipient vessel of Divine wisdom for his future intellect."35 Moreover, "the fetus, being yet in the womb," we are told, "partakes more of the good of innocence than after it is born."36 Whatever else the fetus may be, it is not simply another mass of tissue.
34 Consider the following statements: "The emphasis must be not on the right to abortion but on the right to privacy and reproductive control" Ruth Bader Ginsberg (b. 1933). U.S. educator, Supreme Court justice, quoted in: Ms. (New York, April 1974). "The compelled mother loves her child as the caged bird sings. The song does not justify the cage nor the love the enforcement" Germaine Greer (b. 1939). Australian feminist writer. "Abortion," in Sunday Times (London, 21 May 1972; repr. in The Madwoman's Underclothes, 1986). "The one regret I have about my own abortions is that they cost money that might otherwise have been spent on something more pleasurable, like taking the kids to movies and theme parks" Barbara Ehrenreich (b. 1941), U.S. author, columnist. The Worst Years of Our Lives. "Their Dilemma and Mine" (1991; first published 1989).
     35 Divine Providence 324:11.
     36 The Apocalypse Explained 710:1.
     Again, it is held by many that divorce may be permitted and even recommended for a variety of reasons. Generally accepted grounds are adultery, desertion, and cruelty, but the trend is toward broader grounds, such as irreconcilable differences and the irretrievable breakdown of the marriage. Yet the Divinely revealed law declares that "marriages once contracted are to continue on to the end of life in the world,"37 and though separations may be permitted for a variety of reasons,38 the only Divinely sanctioned grounds for divorce are deliberate and purposeful adultery, extreme manifest obscenities, and malicious desertion that leads to adultery.39
     37 Married Love 276.
     38 Married Love 251-254.
     39 Married Love 255, 468.

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     We could cite as well the popular notion that truth is only relative, as if there were no absolute or universal truths; or the idea that values are only relative, as if there were no absolute or universal goods.
     All of these ideas and more like them represent, on the whole, views and claims of present-day false prophets, who come in sheep's clothing to deceive, if possible, even the elect.40 Be warned, therefore, and consider--consider well--the ideas and notions that insinuate themselves regarding what constitutes a moral and spiritual life, ideas and notions that may originate not from any Divinely revealed precept, but from merely human opinion, formed in many instances to justify merely natural desires and ends or to gain some merely worldly benefit.
      40 Matthew 7:15, 24:24; Arcana Coelestia 3900.
     "See, I have told you beforehand," said the Lord, which is an exhortation to prudence.41 For in the consummation of the Christian Church, "many false prophets will rise up and deceive many," He said, and "because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold."42 But He also said that "he who endures to the end shall be saved."43
     41 Matthew 24:25, Mark 13:23, Arcana Coelestia 3900:5.
     42 Matthew 24:11, 12.
     43 Matthew 24:13. Mark 13:13.
     To endure to the end is not to permit oneself to be led astray, not to succumb in times of trial or temptation to the preachings of falsity.44 It requires fidelity to the Word, to Divinely revealed doctrine, and the knowledge to know what it teaches.

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For truth is not truth because it sounds reasonable, but because it is factually so and leads to the Lord and heaven. And good is not good because it is to one's liking, but because it is angelic and embodies the Lord's will and the life of heaven.
     43 Arcana Coelestia 3488:5, 7.
     "He who has the ears to hear, let him hear!"45
     45 Matthew 11:15, 13:9, 43. Mark 4:9, 23, 7:16. Luke 8:8, 14:35.
TWO NEW TAPE SERIES 2000

TWO NEW TAPE SERIES              2000

     The Rev. Prescott Rogers has concluded his fascinating five-part series, Mental Operations And Their Significance.
     These classes include his handouts of outlines and passages. They are: Part 1--Overview and the Role of Affections, Part 2--Memory as a Basis, Part 3--Imagination, Part 4--Reason, and Part 5--Perception. Series price, $9.00.
     From the Rev. Erik Sandstrom, Sr. we are delighted to offer his two-part class series The Philosophy Of The Writings. His handouts regarding the Lord's Kingdom are also included. Series price, $4,00.
     To purchase these and/or other recordings or to order our current catalog, call or write to:
     GENERAL CHURCH SOUND RECORDING
Box 743, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009-0743
(215) 914-4980; FAX (215) 914-4935
E-mail: [email protected]

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REFLECTIONS ON THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE 2000

REFLECTIONS ON THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE       Rev. FRANK S. ROSE       2000

     (17)

"Everyone was created to live in a state of blessedness to eternity .... The One who wills that people should live to eternity also wills that they should live in a state of blessedness. What would eternal life be without that? All love desires the good of another. The love of parents desires the good of their children. The love of bridegroom and husband desires the good of his bride and wife. And friendship's love desires the good of friends. Why not, then, the divine love? And what else is this good but delight? And what is divine good but Eternal blessedness? ... Thus everyone was created to come into heaven. This is the purpose of creation" (DP 324:6, 7).
     We like the idea of heaven, even if we may not know much about it. What about the other possibility? Most of us prefer not to think about hell, and certainly would not like the prospect of ending up there. We might even wonder why some people go to one place and other people go to the other place. Over four hundred years ago, some Christians promoted the doctrine of predestination (notably John Calvin, 1509-1564). This is the idea that God decides ahead of time who is going to heaven and who to hell. Since this is determined before a person's birth, obviously the person has no choice about it. Most people find this idea utterly repugnant. They cannot imagine how a loving God could choose to condemn some people to hell. They find it hard to believe that we human beings have absolutely no choice in the matter.
     The book Divine Providence contains a much more positive teaching. It is very simple. There is a predestination, and it is predestination to heaven! Every human being that is ever born is destined for heaven. This is because it is the nature of the divine love to give of itself to others, and to bless them. The only destiny God has for us is a life of happiness in heaven.
     Does this mean that everyone goes to heaven? Sadly, no. It is possible for people to reject that destiny. Not everyone accepts the gift of eternal happiness. Even though God has created a place for each one of us in heaven, it is up to us to accept that gift or reject it.

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This gives each one of us a task in life--the task of choosing heaven. It involves a good deal of spiritual work. But the main point is that heaven is an attainable goal, because our place in heaven is already prepared for us. God wants us to be near Him, embraced by His love. It is not as if we have to convince a reluctant God that we are fit for heaven. We simply have to come to value the heaven already destined for us, and take the responsibility to do our part in preparing for it.
     Why is it that some people get involved in a life that is selfish, grasping and evil? Why do they choose a life that is other than the life of heaven? A simple answer is that they become so attached to the pleasures of material possessions, and so wrapped up in their own selfishness, that they block out the possibility of enjoying life on a deeper level. In a sense you could say that they get their reward. They obtain the happiness they are looking for. But it is much less than the supreme happiness willed for them by God. Talking to the descendants of Israel, Moses put it this way: "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days"(Deuteronomy 30:19, 20).
RISE ABOVE IT 2000

RISE ABOVE IT              2000

     The subtitle of this book is "Spiritual Development through the Ten Commandments." The authors are Ray and Star Silverman. We will have more information on it later.

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REV. JOSEPH ELIAS ROSENQVIST (1862-1939) 2000

REV. JOSEPH ELIAS ROSENQVIST (1862-1939)       PAULA J. A. NIALL       2000

     A Short Biography

     COMPILED

     Joseph was born in Sweden on March 8, 1862 to Anders August Rosenqvist (1820-1910) and Angel Lovisa Klintberg (1818-1911). His parents were New Church, his father possessing one of the earliest editions of the Arcana Coelestia. Joseph had three siblings: Karl, a seaman who was later lost at sea, Anna Engelina (b. 1847), who married John Wallin and had seven children, and John, "who had the same love of the sea as his brother" and emigrated to Australia, later settling there and dying before he was 50 years old.
     Joseph's paternal grandfather's last name was Kohl. He had immigrated from Germany to Sweden where he married a young Swedish woman. His great-great-granddaughter, Inga Rosenquist Synnestvedt, reported: "In one of my father Viktor Rosenquist's letters, I learned that Pappa's father (referring to Anders Rosenqvist's father, Kohl, whose first name is not known) was a poor shoemaker and a believer in Swedenborg from way back."
     Mr. Kohl died in 1824, so one must wonder if there were any formal societies of Swedenborgians in Germany prior to the German emigrations to Berlin, Ontario, Canada, as has been suggested in Miss Lucinda Bellinger's comments regarding the Wellesley Church when she wrote: "Among the first settlers of Wellesley were a number of people who in other lands or communities had belonged to the Swedenborgian Church, and they at once established a congregation here."
     Viktor's letter continues to tell us that after the death of Anders' father in a rowing accident, "...his mother took him to Pastor's expedition in Kungsholmen and said: 'This is my little rose twig, and I don't want him to have such a foreign name as Kohl.' 'Ja,' said the priest, 'We will write him in as Rosetwig (Rosenqvist).'" (In earlier days, Rev. J. E. Rosenqvist used the "v in his name, although many of his descendants now spell their name Rosenquist.)

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NCL 1939 cites: "Among his boyhood friends was Carl Hjalmar Asplundh, whom he introduced to the New Church. As very young men, these two, together with Carl Theophilus Odhner, organized the Immanuel League, concerning which Mr. Odhner wrote in 1903: 'Mr. Rosenqvist wants the society to be distinctly religious, Mr. Odhner wanted it to have a somewhat literary flavor, and Mr. Asplundh wanted to do something!'"
     It is interesting to note that in 1884 New Church Life reported that the first application for full religious liberty to the New Church society in Stockholm, Sweden was made by Augustus
Nordensk?ld in 1795. Almost a century later, in April of 1884, the King of Sweden sanctioned full religious liberty to the New Church Society in Stockholm, of which Rev. Mr. Adolf T. Boyesen was then pastor.
     In the same year on June 19th, Joseph Rosenqvist married Anna Beata Von Sydow (1866-1938) of Stockholm, and their marriage was later blessed with nine children. In 1885, Joseph and Beata traveled to America in order that he might enter the Theological School of the Academy of the General Church in February 1886.
     In June 1890, Joseph graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Theology. That summer he accepted a position to assist Rev. Frederick E. Waelchli, who was the headmaster of the school at "The Church of the New Jerusalem" in Berlin, Ontario (now Kitchener). This church society was the congregation of the "New Church," at Benton and Church Streets, Berlin, Ontario, that had been established in 1847. Although their minister, Rev. Frederick W. Turk (Tuerk) had been ordained by the President of the General Convention in Pennsylvania, they had remained an independent Canadian body. In 1870 the society sold their former building and built a beautiful stone edifice that seated 250 people. The following year they officially associated themselves with the General Convention of the United States. In 1888, the first New Church school was established in the basement of this church by Rev. F. E. Waelchli.

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     In Richard Gladish's History of New Church Education, Section IV, pages 56 & 58, we read: "The school was discontinued by July 1891 owing to opposition in the Society toward the Academy ideas." The author mentioned in a letter of December 30, 1999, "This was because of Academy ideas, and 96 society members withdrew because they agreed with the Academy emphasis on New Church Education."
     Mr. Waelchli and his teaching assistant, Joseph E. Rosenqvist, were among those who walked away at this time. On March 17, 1883, the Pennsylvania Association of the General Convention became the General Church of Pennsylvania. Mr. Tuerk's sympathies had fluctuated between the General Convention and the General Church for a number of years, but in the end he chose to stay with the Convention Church, into which he had been first ordained back in 1857. When he passed to the other world in 1901, he had served this for 44 years.
     Following the separation of the congregation in 1891, Joseph Rosenqvist traveled to Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, where he was ordained into the first degree of the ministry by Bishop W.F.
Pendleton, who would remain his life-long friend. He then returned to Berlin, Ontario, where he continued to assist Mr. Waelchli and served as teacher in "The Academy Church" until 1897. His knowledge of German as well as English gave him the ability to teach and preach in German in a predominantly German community and society.
     He was ordained into the second degree of the ministry June 1895, again returning to Berlin, Ontario and his work as assistant to Rev. F. E. Waelchli.
     Quoting again from The History of New Church Education, page 58, we read: "In September 1897, Waelchli removed to Baltimore, Maryland and Rev. J. E. Rosenqvist became superintendent of the school, assisted by Candidate Ernest Stebbing and Miss Anne Moir." It was during his pastorate (1897-1898) that the name of this congregation was changed to "The Carmel Church."

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     Joseph spent the summer of 1897 ministering to the New Church Circle at Rockford, Illinois. Rockford was a society of Swedish-Americans who were visited by Rev. John fly Bowers in the early 1900s. The circle was still in existence in the 1940s when the Rev. Messrs. Gilbert Smith and Elmo Acton were visiting ministers. Kurt Larson, New Churchman and professional archivist for the Swedish government, writes in August 3, 1999: "I have during the past year been researching the history of the New Church in North America in its relationship to Sweden and Swedish-America. Of particular interest to me is a society that was located in Rockford, Illinois in the U.S. from approximately 1890 and up to the 1970s. The large Swedish-American population in Rockford was very much reflected in this society, which held its worship services in Swedish and in English on alternate Sundays. They had no pastor of their own in the early years, relying on ministers from the Chicago societies and on missionaries from Kitchener. There are two persons in particular that were in Rockford quite often. During the 1890s, Pastor Joseph E. Rosenquist, who in 1904 first moved to Philadelphia and then back to Sweden, where he served in a New Church congregation in Gothenburg (G?teborg). After his departure from Kitchener, John fly Bowers had Rockford on his missionary route and visited several times each year."
     In October of 1898, Mr. Rosenqvist resigned as pastor of the Carmel Church in Berlin, Ontario. In a letter dated September 28, 1898, he wrote to Bishop W. F. Pendleton: "Dear Bishop, I must write to you to let you know that I have concluded to give up my present situation and return to Stockholm with my family. The cause is that a perfect understanding between me and the leading members of this Church seems impossible. I gave warning to leave next fall, and asked of the Society some assistance in the way of lower house rent, or the house free of rent for this year. They considered it kindly, but proposed instead that I leave about 1st of Nov. this year, and they pay me six months' salary ($250.00) from Nov. 1st. In this way they thought to save expenses and serve me.

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I have concluded to accept the proposition. Shall I see you before we leave, which will be about Nov. 1st? This is a sad affair, but I trust that good may come out of it both for the Church here and for myself, and remain, With affectionate regards, Yours, Joseph E. Rosenqvist."
     On Dec. 6, 1898, he wrote Bishop Pendleton to let him know: "Our trip over here was troublesome but happy for we enjoyed fine weather nearly the whole time and made very fast time as we arrived on November 7th where Pastor Manby met and kindly entertained us and saw us off on the evening train for Stockholm where we arrived next morning about 8 o'clock. The friends here were glad to see us I have joined Pastor Bjorck's Society ... and hope to perform some use in the Church before very long .... To keep us alive at present, I work from 7 to 7 in a bookbinder's shop and earn $3.50 a week. Wife and children have been sick and are not well yet, but I am pretty well."
     As it evolved, he was invited to assist Mr. Manby in Gothenburg. He also organized the South Stockholm Mission. During this period he delivered public lectures on the life and works of Emanuel Swedenborg, and supplemented his income by teaching the English and German languages.
     In 1900-01 he was called to a pastorate at Gothenburg, Sweden to succeed Pastor C.J.N. Manby, who returned to Stockholm to replace Rev. Albert Bjorck. It was required that Joseph resign as a priest of the General Church of the New Jerusalem in the United States in order to take this post in Sweden. However, during this time he continued to be a member of the General Church of the New Jerusalem, his heart remaining committed to the Academy movement. In fact, he took every opportunity to promote New Church education. He was instrumental at this time in establishing a New Church orphanage fund in Gothenburg. In a letter to Bishop Pendleton, he writes: ... I have got a movement on foot (I started it two years ago) called 'Providentia' which I hope will be the 'Academy' in Sweden .... "

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     The nineteenth of June was celebrated for the first time in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1901, with Rev. J. E. Rosenqvist explaining the significance of the day to the members of his congregation. This would have been Beata's and his 17th wedding anniversary.
     On August 2, 1902, Joseph wrote Bishop Pendleton asking him if he could find him a position in the United States. The Stockholm Society had been financially carrying the Gothenburg Society as originally agreed, but their Board of Finances had now decided to discontinue the support of this sister society. Life in Sweden was "materially and spiritually" arduous. He felt a single man could manage to serve the Gothenburg Society and keep himself, but the society was poor and incapable of providing financially for a minister with a wife and a growing family. " ... As you know, I accepted this position here on these conditions, hoping to add to the necessary funds for my family by giving private lessons in the German and English languages. In this latter respect I have been very successful indeed, and only from a spiritual desire have I wished to be enabled to go back to America when an opportunity should offer, and this not from a desire to earn more money. I beg leave to mention this, that you may not misunderstand my motives."
     Beata and he both wished to return to America where their children would have the influence of New Church education and where they could have communication with Academy friends. He explains: "It seems to me that I am best fitted to work under somebody. I remember how happy I was while working under Mr. Waelchli. The trouble began when I, not of my own choice, was put into a position for which I did not consider myself fit. You must not therefore think that I would despise a very humble position wherever this might be found."
     In the fall of 1903, the Advent Society of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, invited Rev. J. E. Rosenqvist to preach several Sundays, and by October he was asked to serve as pastor pro tem. By November he was unanimously invited to serve as pastor.

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He was to remain pastor for seven more years. During this time he preached on several occasions at the Bryn Athyn Cathedral.
     In 1904 Bishop W. F. Pendleton appointed Rev. J.E. Rosenqvist to take charge of the Baltimore Society. He preached in Philadelphia Sunday mornings, and in Baltimore, Maryland, Sunday afternoons, but this was later changed to evening services the first Sunday of each month. Some time later, evening services were discontinued as morning services were found more desirable.
His sermon "How To Pray" was published in the December 1904 issue of New Church Life. It was followed by a poem he wrote called "The Secret Chamber," which seems to reflect his state of mind and that of each of us at times:

               THE SECRET CHAMBER

          When all is dark, the tempter near,
          And anguished heart is bent in fear;
          When hope deserts us and we know
          Not what to think, nor where to go;
          When overhead and underneath
          The tempests roar, the billows beat;
          The tumult deepens, and the air
          Breathes death and hell, and we despair.

          What would we do, where should we go
          For refuge in such times of woe,
          If not a closet we could find,
          A secret chamber in the mind,
          Where all is quiet and at rest
          And with our Father's presence blest,
          Where we can enter in and stay,
          And shut the door, and rest, and pray!

     Then let us seek this upper room,
          Above the tempest and the gloom,
          Where with our Heavenly Father we
          Shall dwell secure and glad and free,

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     If in humility we pray
          For love and wisdom that we may
          Receive His life, behold His light,
          And shun our evils through His might.     J.E.R.

     Again, in 1908 he and his family moved to 229 Catharine Street, Rockford, Illinois, where he was to spend six weeks preaching to the earnest little circle of Swedish New Church people who were connected with the General Church. A report in New Church Life tells us: "Sunday services were held in Skandia Hall, on Seventh Street, Rockford, Illinois. The friends and members of the General Church are few but earnest, and they appreciated the work done among them. Seven children were instructed during the week, and informal meetings were held on Sunday nights. The average attendance at the morning services (all conducted in the Swedish language) was twenty. The desirability of having a minister permanently at work in Rockford was expressed on several occasions, and the members of the General Church there are looking forward to the time when this desideratum can become an accomplished fact."
     In 1910 he was also visiting Meriden, Connecticut and Westville, New Jersey.
     In May, 1910, members of the Philadelphia Society signed a petition requesting the Bishop to find a replacement pastor. As he had acknowledged in his letter to Bishop W. F. Pendleton in 1902, he was not created for pastoral leadership, and it had become apparent once again that this was not his gift to a society. He could assist another minister but his real abilities appeared to be in teaching. On May 22nd, he resigned the pastorship of the Philadelphia Advent Church, the resignation to go into effect August 31, 1910. He resolved to return to Sweden, where he knew he could earn his living successfully teaching languages. He had been due to attend ministerial meetings, but felt too embarrassed to meet his colleagues, having been asked once again to resign from the leadership of a society.

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He wrote the Bishop, who responded with kindness and sympathy saying in part: " ... I am sorry you are thinking of not attending the [ministers'] meetings. I hope you will reconsider this, and meet the situation with courage. No one thinks you have done anything wrong. Everyone knows that you have done your work to the best of your ability. You have been loyal, trustworthy and sincere. The lack in meeting the requirements of leadership is all that can be said against you. This is a limitation indeed in the field of ministerial use, but not a moral wrong, and arises from nothing deliberate on your part. I hope you will reconsider and come to the meetings."
     It was not his wife's desire to return to Sweden. He wrote his friend, the Bishop: "I must tell you that I have reluctantly consented to Mrs. Rosenqvist's earnest request to be permitted to remain in this country for the sake of our three younger children, who according to her (and also my own) judgement will be far better off in this country than in Sweden. I shall take care of the family to the best of my ability, and my two boys Ariel and Bernhard will assist me. As soon as it will be possible, Mrs. R. and the children will join Bernhard in California, but until that time they will remain in Philadelphia.... I sail on June 29th on the 'Lusitania.'" ['The "Lusitania was to sink off the coast of Newfoundland in 1915.]
     Arriving in Sweden alone, he again accepted a call to Gothenburg, where he served under Mr. Manby of the New Church in Sweden. Again, resignations from the priesthood of the Advent Church in Philadelphia and the General Church were as required. He was received legally into the acknowledged organization of the New Church in Sweden after having shown documents proving his independence of any other ecclesiastical organization. From letters shared by the Rosenqvist family we read of the difficulties faced by an ardent priest of Academy principles. His devotion to these principles made it at times impossible to work with a society and another priest who did not view the Academy's position on certain matters as important.

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Again, a split developed in the society, and he found himself deserted in his pastoral use once again because of his distinctive stand concerning the Writings and re-baptism.
     He reverted once again to the teaching of languages in order to support himself and to be able to send financial assistance to his family in the United States. At some time between this period and 1917, his wife and their younger children returned to Sweden to be with Joseph.
     In May of 1913, he wrote to Bishop W. F. Pendleton asking to be re-instated as a priest and member of the General Church. Word had reached Bryn Athyn that he had made certain remarks that may have been detrimental to the Academy's position. Rev. N. D. Pendleton on a visit to Sweden was asked to interview him and discuss these allegations, and was completely satisfied to report back to Bishop W. F. Pendleton that Joseph's sincerity to the Academy principles was not in any doubt. In the 1913 New Church Life we read: "We are happy to announce that the Rev. Joseph E. Rosenqvist, of Gothenburg, Sweden, has applied for restoration to the membership in the priesthood of the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and that his application has been accepted by the Bishop and the Consistory."
     On December 28, 1917 he wrote to Bishop N. D. Pendleton saying that he and his wife were desirous of returning to America where they could be closer to their three sons: " ... Kindly help me to get some work in the church; any work, in the ministry, as teacher, as assistant in the Book Room, as janitor or watchman; anything will do, only that I can be in or near the Church, ... no matter where it might be .... "
     They left Gothenburg on Christmas Day and on January 31, 1918 he and Beata and their two youngest children, who were then old enough to find work, bearded the ship "Bergensjiord," scheduled to arrive in Philadelphia about February 15th.
     Once in Bryn Athyn, he took up duties as the night watchman of the four-year-old Bryn Athyn Cathedral, and later at the Academy.

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     His son Viktor wrote: "His last crossing to Sweden was in 1923, when he again ministered to a small circle of Academy friends at Gothenburg, until illness forced him into retirement. During recent years, and until his death, he was engaged in translating the Writings into Swedish. He was ever animated by a zeal for the cause of the New Church, and will be remembered for his sincerity and earnestness in the use of the priesthood."
     Of the nine children born to Joseph and Beata Rosenqvist, there were five that lived: Bernard; Ariel (1894-1965), who married Consuelo Seneca; Friedel (1897-1970); Ruth, who was called "Fingal" and was an artist in Philadelphia, and Viktor (b. 1903), who married Siri Lovisa Lindberg (1904-1981). At least one child died in infancy, and three others must have done so also.
     The Rev. Joseph Elias Rosenqvist passed into the spiritual world at Gothenburg, Sweden, on March 27, 1939 in his 77th year.

Note: Mr. Larson is interested in learning more "about the work in Rockford or among the Swedish-American League of New Churchmen in Chicago (headed by C. V. Urbom of Rockford and John' Headsten of Chicago)." Joseph's eldest son, Bernard Rosenquvist, married Dr. Urbom's daughter, Anna, and moved to Oakland, California. Mr. Larson can be contacted by writing him at: Artgangen 18, S-611 45 Nykoping, Sweden, or by contacting the compiler of this biography at: 2650 3rd Avenue West, Owen Sound, ON N4K 4S8, Canada.

     References

Mrs. Johan (Inga Rosenquist) Synnestvedt and other members of the Rosenquist family
New Church Life, 1884 and onwards
The History of New Church Education, Prof. Richard R. Gladish
Bishop William Henry Benade, Founder & Reformer, by Richard R. Gladish

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The Swedenborg Presence in Berlin-Kitchener 1833-1983, Rev. Paul Zacharias
     Our First Hundred Years, a Centennial pamphlet printed in 1942, Church of the Good Shepherd, Kitchener, Ontario
Frank Longstaff, Toronto, Ontario
Kurt Larson, Archivist of Sweden
PECULIAR HUMAN INABILITY 2000

PECULIAR HUMAN INABILITY       JEREMY ROSE       2000

     There is an old English folk tale about a creature called the Hedley Kow, which can change its shape at will, and a poor old woman who unwittingly stumbles across it (told by Maggie Pearson in the book The King with Dirty Feet). When she first finds it, it is in the form of a pot of pure gold. Delighted with this fantastic good fortune, she starts to drag the gold pot home. When she stops to rest, however, she discovers that the gold has changed to silver. Rather than be disappointed, she says, "Well! It's not gold after all; it's silver. That's luckier still. I shouldn't have been happy with all that gold about the house. There's thieves and there's beggars and there's the neighbors getting jealous. I'll be much better off with silver."
     After dragging the pot even farther, she discovers that it has now changed to a lump of solid iron, and she says, "Well! I do get luckier and luckier still! I'd never have known what to do with all that silver, for I've never had more than one silver sixpence at a time in all my life before. But a lump of iron is just what I've been needing to prop my door open so that the sun can shine straight in."
     Finally, after the grueling task of dragging this pot of ever-decreasing value almost all the way home, the woman sees it transform into the Hedley Kow and run away.

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Her reaction: "Well! Isn't that the luckiest thing of all! If I hadn't brought home that old iron pot that turned out to be full of gold that turned out to be silver that turned out to be a lump of iron, I'd never have seen the Hedley Kow with these two eyes of mine. I must be the luckiest old woman alive."
     This is an unusually wise woman. What makes her wise is that she has a very clear understanding of her own values hierarchy, and as a result she knows what few people do--what will make her happy and what will not. In the beginning of the story, when she stumbles across the pot of gold-- most people's wildest dream--she accepts it. But her later reactions reveal that she does not consider it entirely good fortune, and she recognizes the dangers that go with it: not just intruders and thieves, but also threats to her relationships with her neighbors. She also seems to recognize that the paranoia that would inevitably set in would not be good for her mental health.
     When she discovers that the "gift" suddenly has far less monetary value, and has turned to silver, she has the extraordinary wisdom to realize that she is better off. When the silver turns to iron, again she recognizes what is important to her and what is not: she acknowledges that the life she has led has been a good one and she would not want to lose it, and at the same time she recognizes an immediate practical use for a lump of solid iron--to allow more sunlight into her day. When even that is taken away, she does not begrudge the loss. She calls herself the luckiest old woman alive for having seen a magical creature, for perhaps experiencing an unprecedented feeling of wonder. Seeing the Hedley Kow is, for her, evidently a spiritual experience, and she knows that spiritual experiences are worth more than gold.
     It goes without saying that almost all other human beings on the planet would forever curse their bad luck if it happened to them. One of the peculiar features of our natural life is that we can't tell the difference between good luck and bad luck, and can easily be fooled by the illusions of good fortune.

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Our working assumptions about what will make us happy in life--financial windfalls, fame, power--are wrong more often than they are right. The plain fact is that when we are at the receiving end of "fortune," we cannot tell if it is good fortune or bad.
     Take the example of a woman who recently became a household name: Darva Conger. In the beginning of this year, she was a "nobody," but then she became a contestant on the television show "Who Wants to Many A Multimillionaire?" Good luck or bad? She beat out 49 other competitors to many a rich man, and in the process was catapulted to fame. She "won" not only the rich man, but also a free trip to the Caribbean, a sport utility vehicle, an enormous diamond ring, and thousands of dollars in prizes. A week later, she used her new-found fame to make it clear to the world that she considered all this to be the worst thing that ever happened to her, and probably the worst thing that ever could. She went from obscurity to being almost universally reviled, a symbol of shallow gold-digging. She was caught making outright lies ("I will cherish you, stay with you .... "); she was part of the most highly publicized failed "marriage" of the year, and all privacy and sense of normalcy in her life were destroyed. Good luck or bad? Well, she was able to get on dozens of talk shows and explain herself, a rare opportunity, and then went on to show up at Oscar parties and pose for Playboy magazine.
     It is tempting to say that she is going straight to hell for all of this, but of course we are not permitted to do that. No one knows the impact that this year will have on her spiritual life, and whether it will be a spiritual-growth experience for her or simply something that irreparably harmed her soul. Perhaps most important of all, she doesn't know either.
     It is a peculiar trait of human nature that we cannot tell the difference between good news and bad news. Wealth, satisfaction of bodily desires, fame and power appear to be good things, but may be exactly what lead us to hell in the end. Death, disease, grief and loss may be just the things that lead to much-needed spiritual growth.

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On the other hand, all of those things can in fact be just as good or just as bad as they seem; we cannot tell. As is made clear in Arcana Coelestia (Heavenly Secrets) 892:2, "Prior to [regenerating and entering a state of true freedom, a person] does not even know what good is, and sometimes that which is supremely good he calls supremely evil."
     This peculiar human inability has been the plot of countless stories. In John Steinbeck's The Pearl, a poor family finds an enormous pearl, and what would appear to be a stroke of outrageously good fortune turns out to be the ruin of that family (a plot loosely copied in the recent film "A Simple Plan"). In Tolkien's The Hobbit, a group of travelers sets out on a journey, only to be thwarted and sent on a long and inconvenient detour, certainly bad news. Not only does the protagonist discover something of great value on that detour (the ring that forms the centerpiece of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy), but at the end of the journey the travelers discover that if they had gone their planned route, they probably would have been killed. To quote Kipling in The Elephant's Child, after the elephant's child finds that his beautiful short nose has been stretched beyond repair, "Some people do not know what is good for them."
     Real life has just as many of these stories as fiction does. In April of 1912, five men stay out carousing and oversleep the next morning, in the process losing their prestigious jobs as crewmen aboard the Titanic. A rebellious young man lives a life of drinking and drug consumption until he gets in a car crash and loses the use of his legs. He now looks back on this event as the best thing that ever happened to him, the point at which his life turned around. A child actress discovers herself the star of a popular television show, and is unimaginably rich before she reaches puberty, a tragedy from which she never recovers, and she dies miserable and alone in her 30's.
     Of course, the Bible is full of characters, from Gehazi (2 Kings 5:20-27) to Judas Iscariot, who discover that riches lead to unhappiness.

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In terms of being an effective prophet and having people listen to his message, no one was more powerful than Jonah, who successfully convinced the entire city of Nineveh to repent. Jonah's reaction? He was so angry and miserable that he wanted to die (see Jonah 4:3). And of course, Job was the very symbol of "outrageous [bad] fortune," but also a man who was in the end blessed by the Lord with riches, ten children and a long life (see Job 42:12-16). When the disciples saw their Lord on the cross, they must have thought this was the worst thing that could ever happen, and would have done anything to prevent His death (and as a consequence, also His resurrection).
     Two questions arise out of this strange inability to distinguish good news from bad. First, how do we tell if something that happens to us, or that we want to have happen to us, is good or evil? Second, what difference does it make? After all, another thing that is made clear from the Writings is that the Lord in His providence bends everything toward the good. No matter how bad the tragedy, something good can be taken from it. Does this mean that there is no such thing as "bad news"? No, going to hell is just not a good thing, and things that encourage evil loves, things that feed our evil loves, are not good news. People are not sent to hell, and they do not really "go to hell"; really they choose hell. Life is about choices, and there are good choices and bad choices. There is a negative side to life, and the most fundamental task a human being faces is to free him- or herself from the slavery of evil, to choose life over death, happiness over misery. And that requires being able to tell the difference between good and evil.
     Take this as an example of an answer to the question, "What difference does it make that we can't tell good news from bad news?" Much of what we need to work on in life is how we react to the events that happen to us. You "trespass" against me, and I need to learn to forgive instead of holding a grudge or seeking revenge. But the definition of "trespass" requires interpreting what has happened to me as a bad thing.

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If I think you have committed a sin against me that is so bad that my life is ruined, it is much more difficult for me to forgive you than if I pause and recognize that maybe I don't know if my life has actually been ruined or improved by your act. I may think that the bad fortune is that you have stolen something of value to me, but in fact the bad fortune is that I have fed my love of revenge as a result. What we tell ourselves about our own life, and how happy/miserable or fortunate/unfortunate it is, determines who we are, so it matters a great deal how we interpret good news and bad news.
     This returns us to the first question, "How do we tell if something that happens to us, or that we want to have happen to us, is good or evil?" Do we just muddle through in complete ignorance, blindly hoping that the thing that just happened to us, or the thing we are hoping will happen in the future, is good? What about ambitions? It would seem to be important to have goals and strive for them, but how do we know if they are good goals or not? "Be careful what you ask for," the old saying goes; "you just might get it." The Buddhist solution, which seems to have arisen out of a recognition of the human inability to tell good ambitions from bad, is to treat all ambitions as evil. To Western ears, it doesn't seem as if that ambition, to have no ambition, is a good one. Instead, it seems intuitively obvious that we should seek the good and avoid the bad, which involves being able to gain the ability to recognize the difference.
     We may not have that ability, but the Lord does, and He tells us how to get it, by doing the things we have always been told to do as the necessary ingredients for a spiritual life:
- Pray (and since we don't really know what to pray for, the Lord tells us to pray "Thy will be done").
- Read the Word and meditate on it.
- Use the Ten Commandments as a guide, shun evils as defined in those commandments, and seek to do good.

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     How often do we pray for something that the Lord knows we are better off without? We get angry because the Lord doesn't "answer our prayers" by giving us that job we are seeking, by letting us win the lottery, or by keeping us out of temptation. That anger arises out of the assumption that we know what is good for us (and perhaps the Lord doesn't). From the standpoint of that illusion, the Lord is not doing enough to help us achieve happiness. Perhaps the Ten Commandments should be rewritten here and there; perhaps we don't need to pray; perhaps we know the Word well enough already; perhaps if we had more power to achieve our own happiness, we would achieve that state a little sooner. Or perhaps, as is said in the Writings, we would, in the name of the pursuit of happiness, dive headlong into hell without hesitation.
We may not know what we're doing, but the Lord is eager to help. As is said in that previously cited passage from Heavenly Secrets 892:2--"No one ever enters into a state of freedom until he has been regenerated and is being led by the Lord by means of the love of good and truth. When he has entered that state, he is enabled to know and perceive for the first time what freedom really is, because he can at that point know and perceive what life is, what the true delight in life is, and what happiness is."
REMINDER FROM MICHIGAN 2000

REMINDER FROM MICHIGAN              2000

     A dedication celebration of the new Oak Arbor Society church and school building takes place on the weekend of September 29, 30 and 31. If you would like to join us for this happy occasion, call the Oak Arbor New Church at (248) 652-3420 for a registration form. These forms must be turned in by August 15.

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FIRST TRANSLATION OF HEAVEN AND HELL 2000

FIRST TRANSLATION OF HEAVEN AND HELL       Editor       2000

     The hospitable Swedenborg Library allowed me to look over a volume printed in 1778, the first English translation of Heaven and Hell. I was struck with the size and the heft of the volume. It was interesting to look at a preface of over fifty pages by the translator, Thomas Hartley. And it was interesting to see some footnotes. One footnote says, "This is entirely consistent with what was affirmed by the author in the foregoing number."
     The title page was a little surprising, for it adds to the words "Heaven and Hell" the following: "A relation of many wonderful things therein, as heard and seen by the author, the honorable Emanuel Swedenborg of the senaterial order of nobles in the kingdom of Sweden."
     Some passages are rendered very differently from what we are accustomed to. In the chapter on the changes of state of angels there is a short paragraph about the lowest ebb of an angel's slates. Swedenborg saw angels in such states. "I have seen their sadness" (HH 160). Hartley renders this, "I was witness to their dejection." A more familiar passage is the saying in 414 about growing old in heaven. Hartley renders it, "to grow old in heaven is to grow in youth and beauty."
     An example of a chapter heading is: "That it is not so difficult a thing to live for heaven as some suppose."
     Here's a salute to all those who have worked to render this work into readable English, beginning with Thomas Hartley two centuries ago.
LOVE IN HEAVEN AND HELL 2000

LOVE IN HEAVEN AND HELL       Editor       2000

     The word "love" appears 1,102 times in the book Heaven and Hell. This striking fact comes from a study that appeared in our pages a year ago. The writer was Dr. Kristin King, and the title was "Reading What the Writings Say They Cannot Say."

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It was one of the more memorable studies printed in this magazine. Those who have not read it have missed a treat. (See the August and September issues of 1999.)
     Part of the study was devoted to an analysis of the tone and texture of Heaven and Hell. Dr. King calls it "a joyful book." "Reading Heaven and Hell we end at a recognition of the living, if seldom articulated, force of affection, which is where angelic speech begins." She lists three aspects of the book's joyful nature. The first is the emphasis on heaven. "About 70% of Heaven and Hell describes heaven, 20% the world of spirits, and only 10% hell." The second aspect is the insistence that heaven is attainable, and the third is the emphasis on love. "When we consider how hard and forbidding were some of the views of God expounded by Swedenborg's contemporary theologians, particularly Calvinist and Lutheran views, Heaven and Hell's emphasis on gentleness, mercy, joy and love seems all the more impressive."
     Last month we spoke of the translation by John Ager. This month we would share a few quotations from Dr. King's article about reading the book.
     "We must study, read, learn, educate ourselves and continually strive with our rational minds to understand God and His revelations. But we must also constantly remember how little we see compared to what we do not see."
     On another page she writes: "Learning to read with heart as well as mind, with affection as well as reason, and with attention to what has been left out as well as to what is stated, is one way to use acrid dust to catch a glimpse of what a heavenly aura might be.
     "The process of reading the Writings through bringing our self and our experience to the text enacts a marriage of good and truth because the words are nothing until read with heartfelt desire for application to life, just as truth is inert without good.
     "Engaging revelation requires not only understanding but also affection, innocence, and prayer for the peace that passes understanding."

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SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES 2000

SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES              2000

     We continue with selections from the new translation of Spiritual Experiences (formerly called Spiritual Diary). These ones talk about: (1) high and low treated alike; (2) a warning on how untrustworthy spirits can be; (3) the way Swedenborg was kept in a state of reflection so that even what he learned from angels came actually from the Lord; (4) the origin of love in marriage and love for children; and (5) the way the introduction of newcomers to the other world is like the introduction of food to the body.

     Kings and great Personages are treated the same way as people of the lowest lot

     1512. In the heaven of spirits, where people come as souls, no distinction exists for kings and great personages, thus there is no regard for person. I have known some beclad with great dignity and power, with whom I associated and conversed for quite a long time, who had been treated by spirits with as much disrespect as if they had been of the lowest lot. As they themselves admitted, it is absolutely nothing to be powerful, great, learned in the world.
     [One is reminded of the saying of Peter that God is not a respecter of persons (see Acts 10:34).]

     Spirits tell very tall tales, and they lie

     1622. When spirits begin to speak with a person, one must take care not to believe them at all, for almost everything they say, they have made up, and they are lying. If for example they are allowed to tell what heaven is like, and how matters stand in the heavens, they would tell so many lies, with great assurance, that the person would be astounded. Therefore, I was not allowed to give credence to the spirits who were speaking in regard to anything they told.
     For they are very fond of fabricating, and whenever any topic of conversation is raised, they think they know all about it, and express their opinions about it one after the other, as if they knew exactly; and if anyone then listens to them and believes them, then they press on, and in various ways trick and mislead the person.

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Or if they are allowed to tell about things to come, about things unknown in the whole heaven, about anything whatever that a person hopes for, then everything, as it is from themselves, they would say untruthfully. So such persons must take care not to believe them, this being the reason why the condition of speaking with spirits on this planet is most dangerous, unless one has true belief. They bring on such a strong persuasion that it is the Lord Himself speaking and commanding, that the person cannot help but believe, and obey.

     Little should be believed of what spirits speak

     1902. Nothing is more familiar than the fact that the spirits who are speaking will declare something to be thus or so, for they think they know everything, and they will assert that something is so when it is not. It is evident from experiments I have made at times, what they are like, and how much they are to be believed.
     When asked whether they know how this or that matter stands, then one after another declares that it is thus or so, each differently from the other. Even if there be a hundred of them, each will tell it differently from the other, and do so on the spur of the moment, sure of themselves, as if it had to be so, when yet it is not.
     As soon as they notice anything that they do not know, they at once declare it to be thus or so. There are numerous other circumstances besides this, proving that they speak as if they know, when yet they do not know.

     The things which I have learned from symbolic displays, visions, and conversations with spirits and angels, are only from the Lord

     1647. Whenever there was a symbolic display, vision and conversation, I was kept reflecting upon them inwardly and more inwardly to see what useful and good purpose [they could serve], thus what I was learning from them.

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Those who were presenting the displays and visions, and those who were speaking, were not paying much attention to my reflection, and in fact, they were sometimes indignant when they realized that I was reflecting. So consequently, I was taught by no spirit, neither by any angel, but by the Lord Alone, from Whom is all truth and goodness.
     Indeed, when they tried to teach me about various matters, it was hardly anything but falsity, so it was forbidden me to believe anything they were saying. Nor was it allowed for me to bring in any such thing that was their own. Moreover, when they tried to convince me of it, I felt an inward and more inward conviction of how the matter stood, not as they were maintaining, which also surprised them. My perception was clear, but it cannot easily be described so as to be grasped by people on earth.

     About marriage love and that of parents toward their children

     1683. The source of true marital love and the love of parents toward their children, and even greater love toward grandchildren no one knows. Yet because something heavenly is [felt] in those loves, there must be something universal coming out of heaven and flowing into the minds of all people. Such a phenomenon cannot be without a cause in the innermost regions, and in the most high ....
     Its origin is obvious, namely, that the Lord loves as a whole all angels, spirits and men as His own, and because of this that Love itself is compared to marriage love and is ascribed to the Lord as bridegroom and husband, and to the Church as bride and wife ... Moreover, if the Lord did not love all and each as a Father loves his children, and the innermost heaven from the Lord as a mother loves her children, a love of children would never exist. It cannot produce itself.

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     About the entrance of spirits into the other life

     1742. When people die and enter into the other life, their life is like the food received by the lips and then, passing through the mouth, jaws, pharynx, conveyed into the stomach--and sometimes into the intestines, depending on their passions and fantasies.
     For at first they are treated most gently, namely, by angels who are standing by them, spoken of earlier [1092-1109, 1115-20]. This episode is like when the food, unseen, at first gently touched by the lips, is then put into the mouth, tasted by the tongue to find out what it is like-whether it is hard, soft, sour, sweet--and treated accordingly, either to be softened by the purer saliva alone and thence absorbed into the bloodstream, and thus be conveyed down to some organ, or quite directly to the brain, on which journey it is gently chastened.

     One's evil qualities, or fantasies, are almost eradicated in various ways, and yet remain, imitating the circular course that the salivary fluid takes during digestion. Some are subdued by harder means, specifically, by teeth, when the mental crustations arising from fantasies are so [persistent] that they have to be broken up, so to speak. Then they are let down as if through the esophagus into the stomach where they undergo various kinds of treatment so they may be of use. Those which are yet harder are thrust down into the intestines, and finally into the rectum, where hell begins, and those which are not subdued are cast out into hell like excrement, and remain in hell until they have been subdued.
LOVE IN HEAVEN AND HELL 2000

LOVE IN HEAVEN AND HELL              2000

     The Divine of the Lord in heaven is love, for the reason that love is receptive of all things of heaven, such as peace, intelligence, wisdom and happiness. For love is receptive of each and all things that are in harmony with it; it longs for them, seeks them, and drinks them in as it were spontaneously, for it desires unceasingly to be enriched and perfected by them (HH 18).

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BIOGRAPHY UNFAVOURABLE? 2000

BIOGRAPHY UNFAVOURABLE?       Rev. Ian Johnson       2000

Dear Editor:

     Thanks for your survey of biographies of Swedenborg, both interesting and informative. I am concerned, however, that you repeat what others have said about William White's two biographies. I have not read either properly, but from dipping into the second (second edition, 1868), I feel it is very misleading to call it "unfavourable."
     White's contention seems to be: If you paint Swedenborg in glowing colours, you invite scepticism and criticism. If you present him honestly and thoughtfully--e.g. acknowledging that his style sometimes gets tedious, his early life was not perfect, and his judgement of some writers and movements is very questionable--then sensible people may be encouraged to take a thorough look for themselves. They may then conclude as White does (and he makes this quite clear in his final paragraph) that the essential message is indeed the light of the Lord's second coming. What's unfavourable about that?
     Rev. Ian Johnson,
     Croydon, England
Heaven in a Wild Flower 2000

Heaven in a Wild Flower       Vera Glenn       2000




     Announcements






     "In the tradition of Celia Thaxter, Vera Glenn shares what the joy of growing things can mean in a woman's life. The book's title, taken from William Blake, 'To see the world in a grain of sand/and a heaven in a wild flower, refers to the sacred peace, love, and wisdom that tending a garden can provide.
     Drawing from her daily diary, Vera finds similarities between the cycles in her garden and our own spiritual development "The tranquil hours we spend in the garden give us an opportunity to be intimately in touch with God's Creation, to reflect on and nurture the inner life of our being. It is then that a person becomes both a natural and spiritual gardener.
     Vera skillfully weaves personal experiences and observations with quotations from the Word, Swedenborg, other famous writers, and horticulturists to produce a beautiful piece of literature we should all enjoy walking through.
     Chrysalis Books
Swedenborg Foundation
Paperback U.S. $14.95 Plus postage U.S. $1.20
     General Church Book Center                    Hours: Mon-Fri 9-12 or by appointment
Cairncrest                                   Phone: (215) 914-4920
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Bryn Athyn, PA 19009
     E-mail: [email protected]

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Notes on This Issue 2000

Notes on This Issue              2000


Vol. CXX August, 2000           No. 8
New Church Life


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     The assembly in Canada was a resounding success. We have heard that people from fourteen nations were in attendance, and that a rich variety of presentations was enjoyed. The presence of young people and children gave a special spirit to the assembly, as did the delightful music. We have one letter in this issue, and we look forward to printing some other impressions in a later issue.
     We thank Aubrey C. Odhner for sharing with us her discovery of the work of Nathaniel Tucker. This is translation work that was unknown to us. We are continuing to provide examples from Spiritual Experiences of the translating work of John Durban Odhner. We will continue next month to look at a new translation of Heaven and Hell.
     The sermon in this issue is unusual. We hope to print another on the same subject in September. "Man is totally unaware of the fact that the Lord is governing him by means of angels and spirits, and that at least two spirits and two angels are present with everyone."
     This month we print the first of two parts of a study by Emily Jane A. Lemole. It will be concluded in the September issue. This is a subject on which one often hears questions, and we expect the study will be of interest to many readers.
     As we publish the last of the series of reflections on Divine Providence by Frank Rose, we recall that the series began in January of 1999. We thank Frank for the series and are pleased to note that the several articles have been brought together in booklet form.
     Among the letters we received was one from Gwynn Williams of England who says. "To keep alive the New Church and New Church education there is a need to embrace equally the practical world we share with others and the heaven to which we and others aspire."
     We are remembering that the dedication of the new Oak Arbor Society church and school building is scheduled for the weekend of September 29, 30 and 31. Call (248) 652-3420 if you wish to attend.

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INFLUENCE OF SPIRITS (Part 1 of 2) 2000

INFLUENCE OF SPIRITS (Part 1 of 2)       Rev. MICHAEL D. GLADISH       2000

     Nothing could be much more common in Scripture than the statement that "an angel of the Lord appeared" and brought a message of some kind, either to a leader of the people or to someone who was about to be given a special responsibility. Remember they were angels who rescued Lot from Sodom. And it was an angel who stopped Abraham from sacrificing his son Isaac. Jacob saw angels going up and down a stairway to heaven. And Moses saw the angel of the Lord in the burning bush. Even when Balaam was on his way to curse the tribes of Israel, his donkey saw an angel who blocked his path. Gideon was encouraged by an angel to rise up against the Midianites, and Samson's parents both saw the angel who promised them their son. Again, it was an angel who encouraged Elijah when he fled from Jezebel and when he went to prophesy against King Ahaziah. And of course it was an angel who appeared to Zacharias, Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds at the time of the Lord's conception and birth.
     On the darker side, it was an angel of the Lord who sometimes brought bad news or disaster to the people, as when they disobeyed the Lord by not completely conquering their enemies in Canaan (Judges 2) or when David "numbered" the people (2 Sam. 24). The book of Revelation is also full of visions of calamities that occurred when angels blew their trumpets and poured out vials or bowls of plagues on the earth.
     In short, the appearance of angels, while dramatic, is a common occurrence in the Word, and for that matter so is the appearance of evil spirits, demons or devils, especially in the New Testament. Today, however, if you talk about seeing angels, people look at you with sympathy, as if stress or sickness or some sort of medication has affected your thinking; and if you talk about the influence of spirits of any kind in your daily life, they think you're some kind of nut.
     Emanuel Swedenborg certainly encountered this problem when he reported his experiences in the spirit world, and he confronted the skepticism of his readers directly near the beginning of the Arcana Coelestia, writing,

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I am well aware of the fact that many people will say that nobody can possibly speak to spirits or angels as long as he is living in the body, and that many will call it delusion. Some will say that I have spread these ideas around so as to win people's trust, while others will say something different again. But none of this deters me, for I have seen, I have heard, I have felt.
[Indeed] The human being has been created by the Lord in such a way that while living in the body he could at the same time talk to spirits and angels, as actually happened in most ancient times; for being a spirit clothed with a body, he is one among them. But because, after a period of time, people have so immersed themselves in bodily and worldly interests that they hardly care about anything different, that path has therefore been closed. But as soon as the bodily interests in which a person is immersed retire into the background, the path is opened, and he finds himself among spirits and shares his life with them (AC 68,691 emphasis added).

     Now, of course, it's not just a matter of being conscious of the spirits who are with us. The fact is, whether we believe it or think about it or have any awareness of it or not, as we read in our third lesson this morning, we could not live without this constant association! Remember:

Man is totally unaware of the fact that the Lord is governing him by means of angels and spirits, and that at least two spirits and two angels are present with everyone. [But it is] by means of the spirits [that] he is in communication with the world of spirits, and by means of the angels with heaven. Without this communication with the world of spirits by means of the spirits, and with heaven by means of the angels, and so by means of heaven with the Lord, a person cannot exist at all. His entire life depends upon that link, and if the spirits and angels were to withdraw he would perish instantly (AC 50, emphasis added).

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     This passage, like many in the teachings for the New Church, calls our attention to the fact that all life flows from the one Source, and that if we are not connected to that Source, we simply cease to exist--like the light of an electric bulb that goes out the minute it is unplugged, or the flame of a gas lamp the minute the gas runs out, except that it's worse than that. Even our bodies are made of matter that is perpetually created and maintained by the energy flowing out from the Divine love and wisdom, and if that were cut off, it would be as if the whole lamp (and not just the light coming from it) disappeared, there being nothing out of which it could take form.
     In fact, then, there are two kinds of connectedness that we all have with the Lord, one that provides the framework for our thoughts and affections-sort of like the lamp itself, and the other that provides for the thoughts and affections--sort of like the light and heat that flow from the lamp. Since it is the Lord's life flowing into us in both cases, in the New Church we call this operation influx. Direct influx from the Lord into the world of matter is called just that, direct or immediate influx. But the influx that affects our minds does not come directly from the Lord because if it did we would not have any freedom; we would just think and feel whatever the Lord imposed upon us. We would be like animals, which, incidentally, do receive direct influx from the Lord--which accounts for their natural instincts.     
     Instead, the influx into our minds comes indirectly, through the thoughts and affections of many others including angels and spirits who have something in common with us. So we call this indirect or mediate influx. This is really what we're talking about today.
     And so the question is, what is the nature of this influx, or in terms of the third lesson, what is the nature of this "government" or "communication"? Obviously it is not something of which we need to be conscious; it works--it must work--whether we realize it or not, sort of like the air going in and out of our lungs every so many seconds. We can be conscious of it, that is possible, but just as in our daily lives we can't think about our breath all the time, it is not only unnecessary, but it would be a huge distraction to be conscious of the influence of spirits all the time.

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Yet they are as present as the air we breathe. Indeed, they inspire thoughts and feelings just as the physical environment inspires the senses. (Funny thing: the root meaning of the word "inspire" is "to breathe in.")
     But how does this work, and why is it important to know about it? To follow through with the analogy, can't we just accept it and live with it, just as we accept and breathe the air around us? Well, yes, but think for a moment about the effects of toxic fumes or other pollutants in the air: if we're unaware of how harmful these can be, we might easily subject ourselves to very dangerous environments, the effects of which are not obvious at first but gradually destroy the body's natural ability to function well.
     To put it in the starkest terms, the Lord cannot relate directly to anything in us that is contrary to His own love and wisdom. As we read, "The Divine cannot regard anything but what is Divine, and it cannot regard this anywhere but in things created by itself" (DP 53). Therefore the Lord has the most intimate relationship with those highest angels who are the most highly developed and most perfectly formed according to His good and truth. These are the ones who have most fully been "created" by Him--in His image and likeness. But these angels in turn, being less than perfect, can provide a positive influence on others who are somewhat less developed, inspiring and encouraging them in ways that are accommodated to their states. And these in turn can reach down a little farther to still others who are slightly more removed from the Divine perfection, and so on, until the intense heat and light of heaven has been so moderated that people at all levels of regeneration have access to exactly what they need at any given moment to receive and maintain life. In a way this could be likened to the power lines coming out of a generating plant. The extremely high voltage would kill the first person it touched, but as it is stepped down gradually through a series of transformers, it is accommodated to the needs of factories and office buildings and homes and ultimately computers like the one I used to write this sermon (where the microchips inside run on such low voltage that even a slight surge of power can destroy the whole machine).

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     Now, given all the levels of accommodation that the Lord provides, it should be obvious that what we receive is what we are able to receive. And in spiritual terms, what we are able to receive more than anything else is what we want to receive. In other words, when it comes to the Lord's life, that is, His love and wisdom, the question really is, what do we want? The Lord said, "Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened .... " He also said, "Whatever you ask in prayer believing, you will receive." But generally speaking, the Lord does not send direct messages of instruction through angels to people in the world. Again, this can happen, as is so often recorded in the Word, and I believe that primitive cultures especially have access to such revelation. For us, however, the question is, what's the point?
     We read, "The spirits adjoined to a person are such as he himself is, in respect to affection or love; but the good spirits are adjoined to him by the Lord, while the evil spirits are summoned by the person himself. The spirits with a person, however, are changed in accordance with the changes of his affections" (HH 295). Again, concerning written revelation we read, "It is believed that mankind might be more enlightened and become more wise if he could have immediate revelation through speech with spirits and with angels, but the reverse is the case." The reason is that "enlightenment by means of the Word is effected by an interior way (that is, through the will into the understanding), while enlightenment by immediate revelation is effected by an exterior way (that is, through the hearing into the understanding)." And the point is that when the will is good, written revelation is sufficient and preserves our sense of freedom, but when the will is evil, direct instruction in the truth is useless as it does not affect the will--except that the will, "either casts it out, or suffocates it, or falsifies and profanes it."

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     Therefore "... no leave is given to any spirit or even angel to instruct anyone on this earth in Divine truths, but the Lord Himself teaches everyone through the Word, and teaches him so far as the person receives good from the Lord in the will, and this the person receives so far as he shuns evils as sins. Again, everyone is in a society of spirits as to his affections and thoughts thence, in which he is as one with them, wherefore spirits speaking with a person speak from his affections and according to them .... [and] Because everyone is in a society with spirits who are of the same religion with himself, therefore spirits speaking with him confirm all things which he has made a part of his religion" (de Verbo 29, emphasis added).
     In fact, the danger of trying to contact spirits or angels, even for what may seem to be good reasons, is that the ones we attract to ourselves and who will speak to us cannot be any others than those who agree with and will confirm the things we already believe! So we run the risk of simply reinforcing preconceived ideas, or worse, obtaining information that appears to have the stamp of heavenly or Divine authority but that is really harmful to ourselves or others.
     Mind you, this can happen when we read the Word too if we see only the parts of the story that we want to see, or interpret them according to our own prejudice or bias. That's why the Lord insists that our first obligation is to shun evils as sins against Him, then pray to Him and read His Word for instruction as to how we can improve our lives.
     So much for "channeled" information or direct contact with spirits. The basic teaching of the New Church is that generally speaking it doesn't do any good because--with rare exceptions-it simply feeds the proprium or ego what it wants (or more of what it already thinks), and since most of us are struggling with evils and falsities at some level in our lives, it gives the evil spirits who are with us direct access to our thought processes, allowing them to lead us away from our commitments, and ultimately from the peace and joy of heaven.

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     On the other hand, there is something awesome and (here's that word again) inspiring about just knowing that we have two angels (or angelic spirits) and two evil spirits with us at all times. For openers this helps us understand where our moods and even many of our good or bad ideas come from, so that we can respond to these influences in real freedom and strength. In addition, this knowledge can free us from a false burden of responsibility that often comes with shunning evils as sins against the Lord, for if these evils were truly ours, shunning them would be like shunning ourselves--which in fact some people seem to try to do, punishing themselves with guilt and misery and other forms of self-denial. But if we believe, as is the truth, that all evils come from hell, shunning them can be a rather simple matter of rejecting unwanted influence and then maintaining a joyful sense of our own integrity, or rather the integrity that comes from the Lord.
     Knowing about the influence of good and evil spirits also helps us to understand the nature of the spiritual balance in which we live. We read,

The reason that spirits who communicate with hell are also adjoined to man is that man is born into evils of every kind; consequently his first life can only be from them. Therefore unless spirits of a nature like his own were adjoined to him, he could not live, nor indeed could he be withdrawn from his evils and reformed. He is therefore held in his own life by evil spirits and withheld from it by good spirits, and by the two kept in equilibrium. Being in equilibrium he is in freedom, and can be withdrawn from evils and turned toward good, and good can also be implanted in Him, which would not be possible at all if he were not in freedom (HH 293).

     Other passages in the Writings make clear that the temptations we feel as battles within ourselves are really battles between angels or good spirits on one side and evil spirits on the other.

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But since we are neither good nor evil, only instruments of choice, our job in temptation isn't nearly as gut-wrenching as it may seem to be; all we really have to do is choose which spirits we will favor, and then act as they would have us act. True, there may be a feeling of loss in the short term as we continue to live with good and evil motives, but the more we align ourselves with our "guardian angels," the more we will be free of the conflicting influences from hell.
     Again, when we are discouraged, it helps to know that we are not alone, but that the Lord's love and wisdom are available to us through the perfect spiritual companions who, though unseen and even unconscious of us as individuals living in the world, still provide emotional stability, hope, confidence, and of course the all-important link through heaven to the Lord. It also helps to know that when we go to the Word in humility and prayer, that link will be strengthened by the association of specific societies of heaven with the particular chapters and verses we read (see SS 62-65, HH 310). "Thought," we read, "brings presence," and the thought of certain passages in Scripture brings the presence of specific angels who can minister to us--not so much by thinking of us (much less talking to us) but by just being with us, being who and what they are with us, like good friends who listen well and who give us strength merely by being strong.
     In Psalm 91 we read of the Lord, "He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. They shall bear you up in their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone .... This, of course, is the same verse that the devil quoted while tempting the Lord (see Matt 4:6), so we need to remember that it cannot be applied frivolously. The Lord sends His angels to prepare us for eternal life in heaven, not to protect us from any special dangers in this world! Yet if we will look to the Lord and choose especially to accept and live according to the teachings of His Word, He will send His angels, they will encourage us, and we will experience a tremendous sense of peace in their presence.

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For in that case we will actually be in heaven with them--in spirit-and we will also feel the power of the Lord's presence through them. Amen.

     Lessons: 1 Samuel 28; Matthew 10:1, 5-8; Mark 16:15-18, Arcana Caelestia 50 (see also HH 249 & 293-6, AC 761, 5976-5993)

     (We will continue with this subject later.)
REFLECTIONS ON THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE 2000

REFLECTIONS ON THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE       Rev. FRANK S. ROSE       2000

     (18)

"The operation of the divine providence for the salvation of people begins at their birth and continues until the end of their life and afterwards to eternity" (DP 332).

     In front of the architect was an empty field. As he stared at the space, he could see a magnificent edifice rising over the plain. He looked for hours and hours at this spot, thinking of one detail after another. He could picture the great tower, with tall stained-glass windows letting in a rich and varied pattern of color. He could see the nave, with its pillars and pews, leading up to the high altar. He had an idea of the composition of the floor and the placement of the organ, and could hear in his head its magnificent chords echoing through the building.
     For months he sketched and planned. He needed to estimate very carefully how much material to order, from the sandstone blocks down to the hardwood for the doors. Gradually the building took shape on his drawing table, with the general features of the cathedral, down to the last details.
     After the many drawings were complete, it was necessary to work with suppliers and builders to make sure that all of the elements would be there, and at the right time.

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It would be of no use to have the foundation materials arrive after the walls started to go up. The stained glass could not go into place until just the right moment, to reduce the risk of breakage. He was a very fussy architect, and paid attention to every aspect of the plan.
     Soon a small army of workers was on the site, with supervisors going back to the plans again and again to make sure that everything was done according to specifications. Inspectors checked everything to reassure them that the edifice would stand up to the rigors of weather and usage.
     Walking around the site, the architect would see stone masons cutting out pieces of stone, and he knew exactly where each one was to go. Wood carvers were working on items that would be brought into place once everything was ready.
     When all was finished, the architect could look at the field now dominated by the beautiful structure that had begun in his mind.
     The building up of a heaven of angels from the human race is similar in many ways, though the structure is far more complex, and is designed not just for a few centuries but forever. The way God watches over the process and guides every step of the way is called divine providence. The building materials are not stone, wood and glass, but human beings with their multitude of talents and abilities. These materials are shaped, not by some physical tool, but by the very process of life, beginning with birth and continuing through all of its phases.
     In the case of the cathedral, the attention to detail is a reflection of the importance of the project and the quality of the design. Consider now the design of heaven itself. All of life is part of this magnificent project and each person is vital. It is reassuring to know that the Lord has a place for us in this heavenly mansion, and that the work of shaping us to take that place goes on throughout our life.

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FATE OF THE UNBORN 2000

FATE OF THE UNBORN       EMILY JANE A. LEMOLE       2000

     A teenage girl lies motionless with an I.V. hanging above her, about to have her uterus injected with saline solution that will kill her growing fetus.
     An embryo only a few weeks developed unattaches from its hold on the wall of the uterus and slips out without notice with the monthly period.
     In the delivery room a couple strains to hear the first cry of their newborn infant after a difficult pregnancy and labor. The cry is one of dismay that the doctor makes as an otherwise perfect stillborn baby lies in his hands.
     In an operating/delivery room, a late-term "viable " unborn baby is being pulled into the birth canal where it, three inches from its first breath, legally has its brain gouged out and is declared a "legal, late-term, partial-birth" abortion.
     What do all of these stories have in common? An embryo, a fetus--a yet unborn, what? Is this matter of our concern just a mass of dividing cells, a pre-human, a non-baby or child, a potential human being or a human being with potential? Can slipping or being ripped from the womb forfeit its eternal life? Can an "accident of nature" or the pernicious designs of mankind actually have the power to do that? We were once there. And we came out into this world. What happens to those who don't?
     There are many questions that surround the life of the unborn, and they concern us. God's plan for the future of the fetus does matter. This is not a philosophical or theological game of how many angels can cluster on the head of a pin, but has very real implications in the decisions we make-life-and-death decisions.     
     The Lord gives us truth to guide our lives. Sometimes the truth is obvious, clear, and plain. God is. He created us: There is a plan of love for our lives, a Divine providing for us to eternity. He loves us. These truths give our life meaning, a rightness, security and the comfort that there is a reason to be here.

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These things do not change. However, in the Word there are other truths that give us principles and leave the deductions or applications to us. These are areas in which the truth appears to be open to interpretation, and differences of opinion arise. It is to decipher this meaning and to determine how it applies to life that is our daily challenge. The point is to see the truth as clearly as possible through the clouded lens of the unregenerate eye. The Writings are filled with the truth regarding our life in this world and in the next, instructing us about the Lord and our path back to Him. Some seemingly clear and obvious explanations, however, can be interpreted in a variety of ways--philosophical differences that spring from different minds comprehending or attempting to comprehend basic teachings given to us in the Word. "We all see life as we are, not as it is," says the well-known yogi Swami Satchidananda. And how do we see it rightly? His answer is to quiet the mind, be pure in heart--clean the thoughts and focus on removing disturbance from the mind. He compares this to a lake. In order to reflect or mirror the trees beside it, it cannot be rippled or murky. He says we can best achieve this mind with meditation and the desire to be neutral.
     In Arcana Coelestia the same theme is given: "Everyone may know that a person is governed by the principles he assumes, even the most false, and that all his knowledge and reasoning favor his principles. For countless supporting arguments suggest themselves, thus confirming him in falsities" (AC 129).
     The path to seeing clearly what is taught in the Writings also seems similar. Quiet the mind and see one's true motives. Ask the Lord to purify our hearts and minds so that our eyes may have a clear vision of the truth apart from itself.
     "It must be from this principle--to believe the Word of the Lord, and so far as possible confirm spiritual and celestial truths by natural truths, in terms familiar to the learned world" (AC 129).
     There is a commonly held belief in the New Church regarding the fate of the unborn. Without a breath taken to ground it to the natural world, the unborn forfeits, or does not gain, spiritual life.

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The pre-born is not human until this stage is reached. So if by accident or design the breath is not taken, this unborn or pre-born entity, either at conception or stillborn, goes to nothing. This is the concept I learned in elementary school, high school and college. Later, however, I discovered that there are different views and various interpretations drawn from the Writings that do not conclude that the embryo/fetus has no spiritual life or eternal home. My dear wise Uncle George de Charms patiently answered my questions on this subject for the hundredth time, walked into his library and took a book down from the shelf. He put into my hand a slim green volume entitled The Soul and Its Representatives by Dr. Eldred Iungerich. "This is not my view," he said, handing it to me. "But it may be what you are looking for." It was.
     Later I read a paper by Rev. David Holm called The Eternal Life of the Embryo, eloquently expressing an alternative view that eternal life begins at conception. There are various views, different interpretations and different conclusions drawn from the Writings that do not conclude that the embryo fetus has no spiritual life nor eternal home. The Theta Alpha Journal has over the years printed articles by women who have suffered a miscarriage or are discussing abortion, and cannot accept the commonly held belief. Some of these have been followed by replies attempting to correct their straying view.
     First of all, I would like to look at the evidence for the generally accepted belief and the passages in the Word and Writings that support it, with comments from ministers holding this view. Then I will present Mr. Holm's idea and finally Dr. Iungerich's view.
     I am going to use many quotations for a great deal of this paper which may appear to be excessive. Taking an alternative view from the "commonly held" view brings with it the responsibility for exactness lest the meaning or implications be misconstrued or lost. Paraphrasing in many instances loses power and clarity. Mark Twain's comment on the importance of word choice was "the difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug."

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     Following are passages from the Writings from which the "generally held" positions are drawn:

     What man's beginning or primitive form is in the womb after conception no one can know because it cannot be seen; moreover, it is made up of spiritual substance, which is not visible by natural light. Now because there are some in the world who are eager to investigate even this the primitive form of man, which is seed from the father, from which conception is affected, and because many of these have fallen into the error of thinking that man is in his fullness from his first, which is the rudiment, and is afterwards perfected by growth, it has been disclosed to me by angels to whom it was revealed by the Lord (DLW 432).
     The reformation of man is altogether similar to his formation in the womb, with this difference only, that for a man to be reformed, he must have will and understanding, while in the womb he has no will or understanding .... [N]either the will nor the understanding is man's, but in themselves are as they were in man in the womb, that is, they are not his; but these two faculties were given to man that he might will and think and act and speak as if from himself, and yet know, understand and believe that they are not from himself. By this, man is reformed and regenerated, and receives love in his will and wisdom in his understanding, from which two he was formed in the womb (D. Wis. IV).
     And as love and wisdom are very man, for love and wisdom in their essence are the Lord, and this primitive form of man is a receptacle, it follows that in the primitive form there is a continual effort toward the human form, which also it gradually assumes (DLW 432).

     Several ministers have addressed this subject in the Theta Alpha Journal and New Church Life. "It is generally known in the New Church that a human offspring has no life of its own until it breathes after birth, since the operation of the lungs is what opens the understanding and so gives the offspring its first sensation and ability to act of itself.

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Before the first breath the fetus has no will or understanding, thus no life of its own," writes the Rev. Daniel Goodenough.1 The Reverend Alfred Acton, while admitting the life of the fetus is life in generally accepted scientific terms, questions: " ... what kind of life is present?" These are the issues: "'Love is the life of man.' Can we say the fetus is capable of human love? .... no internal can exist without an external .... Is the life of the fetus a life shared in common with animals? Is the brain function of the fetus simply the animus, the lower animal mind? Is fetal life animal-like and so without its proper externals? Several passages indicate that the answer to these questions is yes."2
     Mr. Acton points out that in D. Wis. III, V, and VI the Writings teach that the will and understanding do not "begin until the lungs are opened, and this does not take place until after birth; the will of man becomes the receptacle of love, and the understanding becomes the receptacle of wisdom. They do not become such receptacles until the lungs are opened, because the lungs correspond to the life of the understanding, and the heart corresponds to the life of the will, and without the cooperation of the understanding and the will, man has no life of his own, as there is no life apart from the cooperation of love and wisdom by means of which the embryo is formed and vivified as has been said before."3

In the embryo the heart alone beats, and the liver leaps, the heart for the circulation of the blood, and the liver for the reception of nourishment; from these is the motion of the other viscera, and this motion is felt as pulsative after the middle period of gestation. But this motion is not from any life proper to the fetus; one's own life is the life of the will and the life of the understanding; while the life of the infant is the life of commencing will and commencing understanding; from these only do the sensitive and the motor life in the body exist; and this life is not possible from the beating of the heart alone, but is possible from the conjunction of this with the respiration of the lungs (D. Wis. III:5).

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     Mr. Acton concludes that the soul of the unborn is not "merely animal life," but that the soul "weaving in the body in the womb is a human soul, not an animal soul." He then asks whether or not there can be a human soul that does not realize eternal life. "When does the soul have a life of its own rather than as a graft or offshoot of the father?" "In general this seems to be at birth when the mind becomes active instead of merely potential." There is a passage that Mr. Acton mentions that in his mind may support that some time before birth the fetus may gain human status: "After conception the efficient (that is, the conceived seed) begins to produce the effect, which takes place in the womb; when these states have been fulfilled, and the time for bringing forth is near, then the effect commences, and is called the first of the effect, for then the offspring begins to act of itself, and to exert itself to attain that very state which is called the state of the effect" (AC 3298).
     "In other words," Mr. Acton concludes, "there is a time near birth when the fetus acts of itself. The stillborn child may have lived as of itself and so enter into heaven." Mr. Acton ends his discussion with the thought that he believes the Writings are purposely vague on this subject. "It is not for human beings to judge the spiritual state of anyone, even by judging the spiritual existence of the fetus. Nor can anyone deprive another of spiritual life. We cannot commit spiritual murder. If the fetus has eternal life, no human act will destroy it. Nevertheless, when we weigh all these teachings that bear on the subject, balance indicates that eternal life begins when the potential becomes actual, usually with the opening of the lungs at birth."
     The Rev. Erik Sandstrom, Sr., writing on the same topic, states that "I believe, based on the above (D. Wis. II-VIII, TCR 371:4, 5, 6) and many other teachings, that the soul of the fetus is the general life of the Lord flowing in with all life forms, and that the individual soul is implanted only when conscious life and conscious response begins.

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Nothing happens to that 'fetal soul' if the fetus is lost, just as nothing happens to the sunshine when a flower withers." He then wondered if Genesis 2:7 is literally as well as spiritually true. "And the Lord God formed man out of the dust of the ground, and He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."4
     In another article which asks about the fate of the unborn, Rev. Erik Sandstrom, Sr. replies: "Not only is this a delicate question, but also it is one where it cannot be said that the Word--in any of its three forms--gives a direct and unequivocal answer. We should nevertheless 'search the Scriptures.' Men and women have come to different conclusions, and our ministers have come to different conclusions. Notable among those who strongly believed that the eternal life begins at conception was Dr. Eldred Iungerich whose book, The Soul and Its Representations (1936) analyzed the question with great zeal. The Rev. B. David Holm is also known to have held this view .... I want to state my own conclusions but find it difficult to do so for fear that it shall give scant comfort to any who might have suffered an involuntary miscarriage. Of one thing I am certain, and that is that the Lord never allows anything to happen but that it can be turned to some good, the person or persons concerned being willing."5
     Bishop Willard D. Pendleton in his study on abortion observes that the Writings appear to have no direct teachings on abortion and then examines what is "implicit in the beginning of life." From The Divine Wisdom Bishop Pendleton quotes:

     In the embryo before birth there is life, but the embryo is not conscious of it ....The life from which the embryo in the womb lives is not its life, but the Lord's ... life" (D. Wis. III:6).

     Bishop Pendleton concludes that: "It is a grievous error, therefore, to believe that the unborn child has no life of its own and for this reason may be regarded as part of the mother.

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What is lacking in the unborn child is not life but an awareness of life. It is not until the lungs are opened, which corresponds to the understanding, that man is endowed with the ability to respond, as if of himself, to life. It is in this appearance of self-life that man's humanity consists. It cannot be said, therefore, that prior to birth man is a man, but the embryo in the womb is a potential man, and as such, being who, when the days of creation are accomplished, may enter into a relationship with his creator. "6
     Rev. Willard Heinrichs writes: "If from conception to birth the soul of a fetus only progressively assumes the human form, and if the life in the fetus before birth is not its life but the Lord's life, can the fetus continue in existence in the spiritual world if it is not first born alive in the natural world? I have not as yet found an unequivocal 'yes' or 'no' to this question in the Word. Still I believe that the Lord has not left us without an answer. In passages already noted we have seen that human life and especially conscious human life must involve some working together of both the will and the understanding. Put in another way, for a human being to exist there must be both an 'esse' and an 'existere,' a being and a coming forth of that being.
     "What happens if the state of the effect is not achieved, the human form is not completed, individual life for the fetus is not realized because the conditions do not exist for this to happen? I conclude that if the fetus does not come into the state of this effect, a state in which it is capable of conscious sensation and deliberate action, a state in which it can begin to act as of itself, a state in which it is capable of reciprocating the Lord's life and so being conjoined with the Lord, the Lord's end far creating it cannot be realized and it cannot experience eternal life. What finally distinguishes people from animals is that they can be conjoined with the Lord and so receive from Him not just temporal, but eternal life."7
     In April and May 1990, Rev. B. David Holm published a paper on the life of the unborn called "The Eternal Life of the Embryo."

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In his introduction Mr. Holm states: " ... while this point of doctrine here considered is regarded as most interesting, still it is not considered as vital. But this does not take away from the fact that it is felt that the conclusions here drawn from the teachings of the Writings are accurate. For while it is true that nowhere in the Writings is there a plain statement saying that the embryo fetus which miscarries or is stillborn does enjoy eternal life, still it is felt that this is strongly implied in many passages which, when considered together, give confirmation to the conclusions drawn."8
     Here are four tenets quoted from Mr. Holm's paper:
     1)      The human soul is immortal from the nature given it by the Lord. It is in the internal man that is his inmost from which he is distinguished from brute animals, which have not such an inmost; and it is, as it were, the door or entrance for the Lord, that is, for what is celestial and spiritual from the Lord, into man. What is going on there cannot be comprehended by the man because it is above all his rational from which he thinks (AC 1940:2).
     2)      The human soul is immortal in itself and does not receive immortality from anything that is below it, thus not from the physical life of the body nor from the opening of the lungs by birth.
     3)      "Man's internal is that from which he is man .... By means of this internal he lives after death and to eternity a man" (AC 1999:3). The soul of man while an embryo or fetus is essentially the same as the soul of a full-term infant who is born in the world, and thus that the soul is not essentially changed after its conception, even by birth. "The soul then is the human form from which nothing can be taken away and to which nothing can be added ... " (CL 315).
     "The interiors and the exteriors are distinct from one another, and ... they are so distinct that the internals can come into existence and subsist without exteriors, but by no means the exteriors without interiors" (AC 5146:2).

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     "The spiritual and celestial soul is formed by the Lord; this is more interior and inmost and cannot be formed by man in the life of the body" (SD 2794).
     4)      The life from the Lord in the soul of the embryo is eternal life, and that this life is the essential human life. For the Lord looks to what is eternal in all that He creates. And as He creates all things for use, the use of the soul of the embryo ... is an eternal and essential human use.
     After clearly stating that the soul is human from conception, Mr. Holm then evaluates that concept in the light of passages in Divine Wisdom which imply that upon the opening of the lungs depends the appearance of self-life, "which is the basis of consciousness, regeneration, salvation, and consequent entrance into heaven."8
     But what happens to an eternal soul that is denied its life breath? Mr. Holm continues. "The appearance of self-life and its consequent consciousness is not life but is only a manifestation of life on the plane of the mind. Life dwells in the soul of man, which is the first receptacle of the Lord's life, which is the only life. It is the life in the soul from which man has immortality and not life as it is manifested in the mind. Thus man lives after death by virtue of his soul and not by virtue of the mind with its appearances of self-life. But man enters heaven after death, even as a man born in the world does. But man enters heaven after death by virtue of the appearance of self-life and its consciousness which is gained by birth in the world. This cannot be said of the embryo or fetus which dies before birth." Mr. Holm then explains that the individuality of these unborn is not lost, because individuality springs from the soul, not the conscious mind. He sees the eternal home of these "embryonic souls" in the heaven of human internals as depicted in AC 1999:

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Man's internal is that from which he is man, and by which he is distinguished from brute animals. By means of this internal he lives after death, and to eternity a man, and by means of it he can be uplifted by the Lord among the angels. This internal is the very first form from which a man becomes and is man, and by means of it the Lord is united to man. The very heaven that is nearest the Lord is composed of these human internals; but this is above even the inmost angelic heaven, and therefore these internals belong to the Lord Himself. By this means the whole human race is most present under the Lord's eyes, for there is no distance in heaven, such as appears in the sublunary world, and still less is there any distance above heaven. (See what is said from experience, n. 1275, 1277.) These internals of men have no life in themselves, but are forms recipient of the Lord's life.

     The "souls" described here, Mr. Holm points out, are "human and organized centers of influx whereby the Lord's inflowing love and wisdom are accommodated to the reception of the angels, specifically the celestial angels."
     Mr. Holm gives a thoughtful compassionate view of the unborn. One must read his paper to appreciate the responsible nature of his view and the carefulness and thoroughness with which it is written. I never felt that this was an attempt at persuasion but the heartfelt struggle to understand and make sense of a very difficult subject. The conclusion seems consistent with our merciful Father who said, "Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish" (Matt. 18:14).
     Mr. Holm gives some powerful arguments in favor of the unborn soul's immortality:
1) "The Lord never makes mistakes--and certainly not in the creation of human souls. Thus there would be no reason for Him to dissipate a soul merely because of some physical cause which prevented its full entrance into the world.
1) "The Lord never changes His mind--and certainly not during the formation of man.

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That each man, thus each soul, is created for an eternal use is a common teaching of the church      (see SD 1364). Indeed, the Lord looks to what is eternal in all that He does (see DP 46-69). It may be argued that the states entered into by the parents are external. But this would appear to beg the question, for, it is felt, it is an essential principle throughout the Writings that the Lord looks to primary ends first and through them to secondary ends. That is, each thing is created as a form of use in itself, and not merely to be of service to something else. Applied to the case in point, this means that each soul created is formed as an eternal use as it is in itself It is not created merely for the effect it may or may not have upon others."
     "These arguments, together with the perceptive persistence of the women of the church on this point, further confirm the strong implications of teachings already brought out, namely that the soul of the embryo that miscarries or is stillborn is immortal. Added to this are the teachings concerning the innocence and peace of the embryo (D. Wis. III:1; cf. CL 180e and 183:7). Indeed it is taught: ''The embryo, being yet in the womb, partakes more from the good of innocence than after it is born' (AE. 710). This is an unlikely thing to be said of something that is not truly living and immortal."

     (To be concluded)

     Endnotes

1 Goodenough, Rev. Daniel, Theta Alpha Journal, Fall 1983
2 Acton, Rev. Alfred II, Theta Alpha Journal, Fall 1983
3 Acton, Rev. Alfred II, "Notes on Passages on When Life Begins," unpublished
4 Sandstrom, Rev. Erik, Sr., Theta Alpha Journal, Fall 1992
5 Sandstrom, Rev. Erik, Sr., Theta Alpha Journal, Fall 1992
6 Pendleton, Right Reverend Willard D., Doctrinal Class, January 1974
7 Heinrichs, Rev. Willard, Theta Alpha Journal, Fall 1992
8 Holm, Rev. B. David, New Church Life, May 1990

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FORGOTTEN TRANSLATOR 2000

FORGOTTEN TRANSLATOR       AUBREY C. ODHNER       2000

     The search began when my husband Sanfrid and I did some exploring in Bermuda. This would be our last "honeymoon," as he had been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Not up to beach sport and excruciatingly bored with hotel life (I believe we had read the last book on the island), I suggested we go down to the old part of the island to look for romantic history and pirate remnants. There we chanced upon the historic Tucker mansion, and there a surprising mystery presented itself. Clues to the solution of this mystery have turned up now and then throughout twenty years. And now, as the church is alive and buzzing with new translations, I feel I should record what I know about my forgotten translator, and hope that others will pursue these leads and find the answers to the question as to why his important contribution has been overlooked. Was it overlooked accidentally or purposely, or from his own humble desire for anonymity?
     We found an historic site labeled "Tucker House." We were the only takers, so the guide gave us what later turned out to be a very personal tour. She told of the historic settlers of the island and of the prominence of the Tucker family. They were a powerful family of ship builders and sea captains who, among other activities, led a raid on their own British gunpowder stores and shipped the ammunition to the embattled American colonists who were rebelling against King George. They were governors and statesmen--and scholars--and our attention was riveted as she said: "The governor' s brother, Nathaniel Tucker, was a medical doctor and Latin scholar who made the first English translation of some works of a Swedish philosopher, and these first editions contained marginal notes in them by William Blake and Samuel Taylor Coleridge."(!)
Responding to our sudden keen interest, she opened up a beautiful old desk and showed us first-edition copies of Divine Love and Wisdom (1788) and Divine Providence (1789), not, needless to say, the actual annotated copies by Blake and Coleridge, which are now housed respectively in the British Museum and in a "private collection."

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     The fire of my curiosity has never been entirely extinguished since that first spark which lit up a recollection of James Glen: that he was converted on the high seas by a sea captain. I recalled that he was on his way from South America to England where he attended the first meeting of the New Church with James Hindmarsh et al. He was a founder, with John Clowes and Robert Hindmarsh, of the Theosophical Society for the translating and publishing of the Writings in England, 1782, and first lecturer on the Writings in the United States. From time to time bishops, archivists and other friends have helped me follow clues as my sporadic research presented intriguing new avenues, especially those connected with the founding fathers and the Constitution of the United States.
     Briefly, Nathaniel Tucker was born in Bermuda in 1750, and went to Charleston to be with his older doctor brother in 1770. This brother, Thomas Tudor Tucker, was a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1787-88 during the great Constitutional Convention, and sat in the first two congresses under the Federal Constitution. From 1801 until his death in 1828 he was Treasurer of the United States. Nathaniel's oldest brother, Henry, was governor of Bermuda, and his younger brother, St. George Tucker, was even more famous and influential. St. George graduated from William and Mary in 1772 and, with his very close friend Thomas Jefferson, practiced law in Williamsburg, and served in the Revolution where he distinguished himself as a lieutenant colonel. It was he, with his father and brothers, who led the seizure of the gunpowder from the King's storehouse. He married the widow of John Randolph in 1778, and raised John Randolph of Roanoke. Professor of Law at William and Mary, he was appointed to judgeships high and low by the first several presidents. St. George Tucker is well known for important judicial dissertations and formative papers on liberty, amongst many others A Dissertation on Slavery, with a Proposal for Its Gradual Abolition in Virginia, 1796, reprinted in Philadelphia in 1861.

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     Not to belabor the biographical details, Nathaniel went on to England, graduated from the University of Leyden in Medicine, and returned to Kingston-on-Hull where he set up a practice. One assumes that he became acquainted with John Clowes near Manchester. In the very brief notes in the Annals of the New Church he is credited, by initials only, with the translations, one per year from 1788 to 1791, of the first in English of four works of the Writings. There is a small notation then, made by Hindmarsh in the New Jerusalem Magazine of 1791, that there would be a new Heaven and Hell, "now to be translated by the same able hand as DLW and DP." The Hyde Bibliography mentions that the 1790 copy of AR translated by N. Tucker, M.D., owned by John Flaxman, is in the library of Sir J. Noel Paton, RSA, and was sold by Hindmarsh in 1791.
     But suddenly that "able hand" was stilled. Suddenly his memory seems to have been blotted out. Although notice of his death does not occur until 1808, very few references are made to him after 1791. Why did Tucker never again lift his hand to translating? What happened to deny the promised translation of Heaven and Hell? Why has his contribution been forgotten? There is some evidence of his ill health and the deaths of several children, possible claims of personal "revelations," poverty, and a wife who did not support his beliefs. Possibly Robert Hindmarsh did not mention him again in the Rise and Progress of the New Church because, like Clowes, Tucker was a Non-Separatist. Possibly his anonymity and quiet professional life were necessary for political reasons in that he was a resident of Britain so soon after the Revolution, and that his brothers were so prominently involved in the making of the new nation. Tucker's translations were honored, if not credited to him, and were the standard editions of the Writings for forty to fifty years! And yet, here is a surprising thing: the guide in Bermuda knew about his work. The author of a biographical essay assumed in 1951 that Swedenborgians were aware of Tucker's contribution, but today, in the year 2000, not a single minister, translator or church historian in the General Church, Conference, or Convention (and we have surveyed many) has ever heard of him!

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One hundred four years ago in February 1896, in the Morning Light, there was a letter requesting information about this forgotten translator, as I am requesting now. His answer came in the next week's issue referring the inquirer to the appendix of Rise and Progress, where it credits the name of Dr. Tucker of Hull as the translator of three volumes: DLW 1788, DP 1790 and AR, two volumes in 1791. It refers back to pages 66 and 67 for the plans for the translation of Heaven and Hell.
     Nathaniel's small claim to worldly fame is in the area of poetry and letters. The Archivist led me to a short biographical essay held in the Academy Archives entitled The Literary Career of Nathaniel Tucker by Lewis Leary, which tells something of the history of the Tucker family and dwells mostly on his poetical writings, including one somewhat famous poem entitled "The Bermudians. One chapter entitled "Peace" tells of his deep and abiding love of Swedenborg's writings, of his complete personal conversion from hope of literary fame and ambition to the opposite state of humility and desire for anonymity. This biographical sketch describes a beautiful, tender-hearted, scholarly and generous doctor, a man of grace and dignity, who fought against what he thought of as conceit and arrogance. Affectionate and devoted in what his brothers verified as a faithful picture, he described the family's early life in Bermuda as "a family in which I venture to affirm there was never a moment's interruption of the most perfect harmony, parental tenderness, filial piety and affection" (Leary, p. 92).
     In the last pages of his biography, Leary concludes with an astonishing statement after describing Tucker's lack of professional success and personal failure as a poet:

In 1788 his translation, the first in English, of Swedenborg's The Wisdom of Angels Concerning Divine Love and Divine Wisdom was published in Manchester under the auspices of the Society for Printing, Publishing and Circulating the Writings of Swedenborg.

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It was a labor of love, for which Nathaniel sought return neither in reputation nor coin, issued anonymously, so that not even his brothers in America seem to have suspected his part in it. [There are letters telling of secretive shipments of Swedenborg's books to his brothers:] "Do not give any intimation of the nature of the books to the captain who bears them." "Be not surprised when I assure you after much study (for it is difficult) that Swedenborg's writings contain the 'only clue to a knowledge of the source and principles, consequently the nature of all things in the material world, even as well as the spiritual" (Leary, p. 90).
     There is no question of Nathaniel's devotion, his complete submerging of his own formerly aspiring personality to what he now considered the higher and more sublimely inspired truths of Emanuel Swedenborg. "This estimable Work," he told his readers, "may be compared to a golden Key, lost and hid among Rubbish, but now at last found, whereby under a Divine Blessing, a Door may be unlocked, and the Reader introduced to inexhaustible Treasures of true Religion and Philosophy" (Leary, p. 92).
     When he stopped trying, when he no longer worried about success, then he succeeded. He did not attempt now to pour his own unformed aspirations into literary molds provided by other men. He worked painstakingly and lovingly, we suppose, simply to express clearly the inspired truths which Swedenborg revealed. His own aspiration and his certainty of some essential goodness in himself and all men, for which he had never been able to find the proper words, were made plain to him, and through him to men much greater than he, in the writings he now translated .... Thus quietly appearing in the service of another man, Nathaniel reached an audience such as he had never reached with his own writings. Even poets who certainly would never have been moved by his poetry read him with interest now. William Blake, for example, owned both the Divine Love and Divine Wisdom and the Divine Providence in Nathaniel's first translation. His were the volumes which Wordsworth must have read, and Robert Southey and many other young men who at the turn of this century were finding in Swedenborg an antidote to the neatly packaged, rational concepts of his elders ....

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So Nathaniel becomes, almost in spite of himself and certainly unconsciously, one of the instruments which helped shape the renaissance of wonder which we remember as the Romantic Movement [!] (Leary, p. 94).

     Is it not remarkable that the very years Nathaniel Tucker was translating and publishing DLW and DP, 1788 to 1789, one brother was sitting in the Continental Congress in Philadelphia 1787-89, while what has become the oldest living and freedom-giving constitution was being prepared, and his other two brothers were deeply and actively involved in the formation of the new nation?! We know they corresponded regularly. There is a large collection of Tucker letters stored at colonial Williamsburg. What clues in them might we find as to this modest man's contribution in the service of the Second Coming? I would like to know why his further work and the knowledge of his very existence ceased so suddenly, and although he apparently did not desire worldly credit, I would like to revive the memory of this heretofore translator.
     Note: To contact the author, e-mail [email protected] or write to Mrs. Sanfrid Odhner, Box 707, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
BUST OF SWEDENBORG IN 1924 2000

BUST OF SWEDENBORG IN 1924              2000

     Many are aware of a bronze bust of Swedenborg in Chicago, unveiled on June 2 1, 1924. The President of the United States was invited to be present. He wrote back a formal apology expressing admiration for Swedenborg. He was unable to come, he said. "I desire, however, to express my deep interest in the work and life of this advanced scientist and thinker" (Calvin Coolidge). (The bust was stolen in the early 70's and has not been seen since.)

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ANGUISHING QUEST FOR POWER 2000

ANGUISHING QUEST FOR POWER       Editor       2000

     It is remarkable that at the beginning of Heaven and Hell we read of people who thought they would find happiness in glorious power. Wasn't there a heaven somewhere in which they could control other people and enjoy a resultant sense of glory? They actually searched for several days but just could not find such a heaven.
     Is that the end of the story? That's the amazing thing. The story did not end with their discovery that what they wanted was not to be found. The first chapter in the book ends with their problem unresolved. A feeling emerges in them, and they seem to hang onto it. "As they were unable to get what they desired, and were told that heaven does not consist in such things, they became indignant, and wished for a heaven where they could dominate others and be eminent in glory like that in the world" (HH 6, end of chapter).
     Even in this world was their search for glorious power fraught with frustration? Perhaps they comforted themselves when worldly power was elusive, and imagined that at least after death they would reach their goal. Perhaps the goal would be to become an archangel. One can find "archangel" in the dictionary, but a rude awakening awaits one who sets his heart on becoming one. There are no archangels!
     While there are people who "make heaven to consist in the glory of having dominion" and who "suppose they will be archangels," it is sadly only illusion (AC 8313). Yes, the Writings say there are higher and lower angels, but there are just not any archangels wielding "authority" (AE 735:2). But if there are higher angels, surely isn't there glorious power? Well, the highest angels of all appear as little children. And in societies where there are governors, those governors regard themselves only as servants.     
     The desire for greatness sounds like an absurd extreme, and so it is.

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But the Writings reveal that it is closer to the human condition than people imagine. The longing to become greater and greater and greater is not just concealed. It is "most deeply concealed" in human heredity (DP 183). Quite unknown to us, the Lord works on that love in us gradually and quietly (Ibid.). We can be open to the Lord's will for us in this matter.
     One of the things we can do is to learn contentment in being of service. We are invited "not to scorn to serve" (Charity 172). And another thing we can do is to say the word "power" at the end of our daily prayer. We can say the words, and be open to and affirming of that reality: "Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory."
SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES 2000

SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES              2000

     Excerpts from the New Translation (Cont.)

     How human passions are bent, so as not to be broken

     2011. What it is to bend, yet not break, human feelings, of which our very life consists, it is possible for everyone to learn from experience. Friends, or wives, when [their dear ones] become angry, take pains to calm them by various blandishments and concessions, until they are bent away from their anger. Everyone can corroborate this from common experience.
     2012. One learns this even better in the case of spirits, because [in the spiritual world] communications take place by spiritual methods, so that one can find out their feelings, and the effects these have on them. Spiritual mental images enable one to look into those feelings, so to speak, and to perceive them.
     Certain spirits had been angry, and when their anger was covertly removed by a spiritual method, yet there still remained an element of indignation that this had been done and they could not grow angry. Then, by a spiritual method, a little blandishment of their [self-]love was slipped in, a little praise, upon which their angry state of mind was bent into agreeableness, and that anger withdrew.

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     From this case one may infer how, in other respects, the Lord does not break man's longings [Is. 42:3], but bends them, and even at times permits a person to be led along by strong desires that are nevertheless, in a wonderful manner, eventually bent to what is good.

     Little children can be playing, and fearing nothing at all, when yet malicious spirits are present, trying to bring harm on them

     2119. Today, like several times previously, I experienced being allowed in a group of little children who were playing innocently, for there is innocence in whatever they do. Then wicked spirits round about, angered and enraged, railed and cursed at them, trying to bring harm on them.
     But the little children were not at all afraid, sometimes completely unaware of their being present and cursing them in this way; and if they had known, they still would have been shielded by their innocence.
     So this is the line with the passage, lions and bears [will lie down] with sheep, and the suckling will play in the serpent's hole [Isaiah 11:6-8].

     If mankind were in order, it would still enjoy a certain sense such as wild animals have

     2209. Wild animals have a certain sense that mankind does not, namely, that of knowing the way home, even from far away, as we can observe in the case of horses, dogs, bees, and many more, nor do they go astray in thick forests, as man does. They not only know the way home, but the bee even knows its own hive out of many. This sense is common to those creatures that live according to order, for the true order has been impressed upon their souls. This would also have been the case with man if he had lived according to order.

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     I have been allowed to experience this, not only by being led home when I did not know the way, but also in respect to a place I had been acquainted with earlier, I had a similar feeling of knowing the neighborhood in a remarkable way, from within--so that the neighborhood moved me, and then I knew whose house it was.

     In all things that happen there is the Permission, Grace, Good Pleasure, and Will of the Lord, depending on those concerned

     2296. I was inspired to make a distinction between permissions (which likewise can be divided up into kinds and species), then acts of grace (which pertain to good spirits), then acts of good pleasure (which pertain to angels), and to distinguish all these into kinds and species.
     Now since the will of the Lord prevails in all things down to the very least, because He controls all things, therefore there are acts of good pleasure, grace, or permission, depending on those concerned. Therefore when several are thinking, speaking or doing the same thing, one may do so by permission, a second by grace, a third by good pleasure, for all and the very least things happen for a purpose.

     About drunkenness

     2422. I spoke with spirits about drunkenness, and they confirmed that it is an enormous sin, both because a person becomes like a brute, no longer human--because being human consists in the faculty of understanding, so one becomes like a brute--and also because it brings harm on the body and thus hastens death, besides wasting by excess resources that could be useful for many purposes. And it appeared to them so impure that they shrank away from such a life-which mortals, however, have persuaded themselves to be civil.
     People should never be judged in respect to their life after death on the basis of outward behavior
     2459. Clear examples were demonstrated of people I had known in the life of the body, showing that those about whom people had judged evilly in the other life are good, and those about whom people had judged well in the life of the body, are evil, because people do not know how to judge except from the outsides.

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Nor do they know whether [others acted] out of ignorance, nor from what motive. For the motive is known to the Lord Alone.

     The Lord knows and arranges all things, even down to the very least, in the Universal Heaven, and on all earths

     1758. This may be apparent also from the fact in regard to the human body, that in its internal organs, cavities, membranes, both within and without, there are sensitive tissues in such abundance that nothing whatever can pass them by without their being aware of it. Quite obviously the same applies to the stomach, the liver, the lung. The tissues are shaped organically in different ways, so that the soul of a person knows and perceives whatever changes take place anywhere in the body, and according to what it so perceives, arranges the least details, inducing conditions suitable for healing whatever parts are out of order.
     1759. Since such capabilities exist in the animate body that nothing fails to come to the attention of the animate soul, so that everything in general and the least components in particular are harmoniously arranged, how much more is this true of the grand human being, heaven, and everything dependent upon heaven, since the Lord is the life of all, and all the least parts are arranged as a most perfect human being! So it is the Lord Alone, because He Alone is life, and the all in all things, Who sees all and the very least things, and disposes and orders them so that all and the least things function according to laws. For on this depends the well-being of all people and the conservation of all things, in the universe.

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BALANCE IN THE NEW CHURCH AND NEW CHURCH EDUCATION 2000

BALANCE IN THE NEW CHURCH AND NEW CHURCH EDUCATION       Gwynn Williams       2000

Dear Editor:

     I would like to express my appreciation of the detailed and informative paper presented by Rev. B. W. Keith in the March and April issues of New Church Life entitled "Secularization of Religious Colleges and Universities." The paper describes how various Old Church colleges have abandoned their religious roots to become secular (non-religious) establishments. The implications for the New Church are obvious, and while Mr. Keith wisely refrains from gazing into crystal ball to guess which path lies ahead for New Church education, he is applauded for drawing attention to the dangers.
     We are left with the question as to how New Church education differs from Old Church establishments, and if it needs to retain its religious basis, how can it avoid the pitfalls experienced by Old Church organizations? The obvious answer is that the New Church has the Writings but the other churches do not. The Catholic Church relies on the authority of the Pope and on the Virgin Mary, while many Protestant churches fall back on the writings of St. Paul to explain and supplement the Old and New Testaments. The next question to be asked is: How do the Writings indemnify and protect the New Church and New Church education?
     Coming from an Old Church background of Welsh-speaking Baptist and Methodist mining valley chapels, I am impressed by the balance and equilibrium so obviously inherent in New Church doctrine. This is expressed most concisely in the statement of faith in the prologue to True Christian Religion, where love to the Lord and love to the neighbor are stressed. This duality of purpose and emphasis of moderation in all things runs through New Church doctrine. There is the conjugial love of husband and wife; there is good and truth and also love and wisdom. The two components of each pair are equally important to an infinitesimal degree.

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     If we consider love to the Lord and love to the neighbor, at times we feel the need to pray alone to the Lord, signifying love to the Lord, but at other times we pray in the company of others, indicating love to the neighbour. Both forms of worship are equally important. The Lord while on earth prayed on occasion with His followers, but at other times He withdrew from His companions to be alone in a quiet place in the wilderness or up in the hills. Mr. Keith refers to this balance or duality of purpose in footnote 12 when he suggests that ministers should be competent pastors and should also be doctrinal scholars. Ideally each pastor should excel in both areas, but he reflects that in the real world this is unlikely to be achieved. In my view, a doctrinal scholar indicates love to the Lord, while a caring pastor indicates love to the neighbor. Both activities are of equal importance and to be equally appreciated. While on earth, individuals cannot expect to achieve perfection, but hopefully with appropriate guidance we can become involved in a process of continual improvement leading to repentance, reformation and regeneration.
     An interesting analogy to the dilemma facing the New Church and New Church education can be seen in the ticking of a pendulum clock. As long as the pendulum swings from one state to the other with steady rhythm, the clock is alive and ticking. When the pendulum stops in one mode or other, the clock is broken or dead. To keep alive the New Church and New Church education there is a need to embrace equally the practical world we share with others and the heaven to which we and others aspire. Equal emphasis should be placed on love and wisdom or on good and truth.
     Finally, in keeping with the idea of a balance between heaven and earth, it is well to remember that Emanuel Swedenborg, as well as being the revelator of the Word, was also an eminent scientist. Balance, perfect balance!
     Gwynn Williams,
     Harpenden, England

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BIOGRAPHY UNFAVORABLE? 2000

BIOGRAPHY UNFAVORABLE?       Rev. Kurt P. Nemitz       2000

Dear Editor:

     Was it, as a recent correspondent alleges, "very misleading" in your March editorial to call William White's 1867 biography of Swedenborg "unfavorable"?
     Not at all if by "unfavorable" you were referring to Mr. White's characterization of Swedenborg and his writings. Here by way of example are some of the less-than-favorable--often even clearly opprobrius--comments Mr. White makes there about Swedenborg himself (quoted by R. L. Tafel):

     [Swedenborg] was a man with a small heart under the government of a large head ... (Vol. I, p. 1 83).
     One of the vices of his mind was an impatience of uncertainty, and to attain a fully rounded doctrine he was far too ready to cover the unknown with theory, evolved from very imperfect data of the known .... He was afflicted with the itch of simplicity .... The fact is that the truths he saw he was as unable to set forth in fair logical, as in fair rhetorical trim. He tumbled out his ideas, instead of setting them out; or more correctly, he tried to set them out, but with a success little greater than if he had tumbled them. Something of this disorder and incompleteness may be charged against his self-satisfaction and his solitary life. He was content to test his work by his own eye alone, and neither sought nor cared to have the verdict of others (Vol. I, pp. 107, 109, 184).

     Concerning Swedenborg's scientific and philosophical writings White says:

     From a literary point of view these writings merit but little praise .... As a whole they are diffuse, iterative, and confused to an oppressive degree (Vol. I, p. 176).
     Concerning his theological writings White says:
     Swedenborg is voluminous in the worst sense; he is voluminous, by repetition. His mind was orderly, but loose. He could only be exact are the expense of prodigious space (Vol. II, p. 670).

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     The course of the treatise [on conjugial love] is broken at intervals by "Memorabilia"--adventures and discussions in the Spiritual World chiefly illustrative of Conjugial Love: some contain curious items of experience, touched with poetry, but the interest usually evaporates in long-winded disquisitions--angels, male and female, launching out into most intolerable Swedenborgian metaphysics (Vol. II, p. 405).
     Swedenborg lived to the end, hankering after recognition from the Scribes and Pharisees, from authorities, civil and ecclesiastical (Vol. I, p. 322). He fancied it would advance his Jerusalem in the favor of the great potentates of Europe if they learned that their "predecessors" were in heaven, and forthwith he reported Elizabeth of Russia, and Louis XIV of France, and George II of England as among the Blessed. I do not accuse him of any conscious humbug in these stories; I only adduce them to prove that he was liable to see what he wished to see (Vol. II, p. 664).
     It is surprising to see the coolness with which he delivers conjectures as facts .... It is curious to observe the constant illusion he lived under, that he was reasoning and proving when he was only backing up his original assertion with new ones: his imaginary arguments are nothing but prolonged affirmations (Vol. II, pp. 665, 671). With such ponderous and anile stuff did Swedenborg belabor his adversaries (Vol. II, p. 515).
     The pieces in the "Spiritual Diary" possessing any living interest are commonly sundered by wide tracts of wordy barrenness, which it is hardly possible for even the dullest reader to trudge through sentence after sentence without skipping (Vol. 1, p. 290).

     These and more like them in White's biography were originally published by R. L. Tafel in his endnotes on White in his 1877 Documents Concerning the Life and Character of Emanuel Swedenborg. There Tafel observes:

     As a biographer of Swedenborg Mr. White occupies the position of a literary Vertumnus, and as such his place in literature seems to be without a parallel.

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For never before in the annals of literature has the example been witnessed of a writer, within the short period often years, turning a complete summersault in his convictions, not on doctrinal subjects-for this would be excusable--but on the literary and personal character of a man, dead for nearly a century, all whose writings, and all the important particulars of whose life were as fully known to the writer in the one case, as in the other.

     Tafel then illustrates White's "somersault in convictions" regarding Swedenborg's literary and personal character by placing positive things White said in his 1856 biography against negative things he said in his 1867 biography, in contrasting parallel columns. Here are some of these earlier, favorable comments White made in his first, 1856 biography.

     The annals of science do not furnish an instance of anyone who surpassed Swedenborg in that humility of spirit, and that simple desire for truth, which is the crowning grace and glory of the true philosopher. He simply lays down what he believes to be the truth and with the most charming modesty trusts for its acceptance among men to its agreement with reason and faith .... Often we shall have to observe with what independence, yet with what humility and simplicity, he recorded the truths which it was his mission to reveal (pp. 23, 2).
     Swedenborg never treats his readers to long moralizings that can be condensed into one paragraph; but all his writings are crowded with thought, so that one is prompted not to condensation, but to expansion (p. 108).
     Interspersed between the various chapters of the treatise on Conjugial Love are memorable relations of scenes which the author beheld in the spiritual world, and conversations he had with spirits and angels on the subject of conjugial love. Many of these possess the most fascinating interest, and convey at the same time the most profound and beautiful truths (p. 111).

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     The earnest reader of the "Arcana" will never question the reality of Swedenborg's mission. He would as soon question the reality of his own existence .We never take down a volume of the "Arcana" to read, without feeling more and more assured that Swedenborg was an anointed servant of the Lord .... No criticism, however revelential, can adequately express the innumerable and marvellous excellencies of the work (pp. 41, 42).

     Mr. White's "summersault" from this respectful, appreciative attitude in his original 1856 biography to his sometimes vituperative later stance inevitably leaves one with doubts about his 1867 biography.
     Rev. Kurt P. Nemitz,
     Bryn Athyn, PA
WHAT MEN CANNOT DO 2000

WHAT MEN CANNOT DO       Mary Griffin       2000

Dear Editor:

     I read and reread Mr. Larsen's comments on what men cannot do. Then I looked up the references he gave in the Writings and pondered them along with the connections into which the article wove them.
     The thoughts they brought to mind are more exciting and numerous than can be expressed here, but I'm thankful that this view of women's true nature and happiness was brought forth from the Church Governance meeting and published in New Church Life.
     Mary Griffin,
     Huntingdon Valley, PA
APOLOGY 2000

APOLOGY       Rev. Ottar Larsen       2000

Dear Editor:

     The Bryn Athyn Governance meeting in April was devoted in large part to the subject of women in the priesthood.
     Women who want to serve the Lord as priests, and people who think women should be able to, need to be treated with respect and affection.

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They should be given calm rational answers.
     My comment in the June issue of New Church Life saying, "Why do I get the strong sense that the present struggle is not about serving the Lord but about gaining and having a certain kind of power?" has not yet been challenged. Why? The Lord, however, left me no peace of mind. Clearly that statement was neither fair nor right. Please accept my apology.
     Rev. Ottar Larsen,
     Huntingdon Valley, PA
ASSEMBLY 2000 2000

ASSEMBLY 2000       Carl and Dolores Gunther       2000

Dear Editor:

     Assembly 2000 was a never-to-be-forgotten event. My wife and I and our daughters and granddaughters enjoyed every minute of our five-day stay. The Guelph University campus was beautiful, and the dormitory accommodations very pleasant. The dining hall served fine food with good variety, but the crown of the whole affair was the marvelous menu of meetings, social events, and worship services that produced a real sphere of charity and learning. We came away feeling spiritually enriched and naturally rewarded by the renewal of old friendships and the excitement of new ones. The participation by all age groups produced a wholeness that was beautiful to observe. The one regret we felt was that there were so many things scheduled that often meetings had to be cut short in order to meet the next commitment.
     Our hats are off to Mike Gladish and his committees whose hard work produced a most satisfying and (hopefully) spiritually productive gathering.
     Carl and Dolores Gunther,
     Bryn Athyn, PA

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MEDITATION 2000

MEDITATION       Bill Hall       2000

Dear Editor:

     Thanks for publishing "Meditation;" a sermon by Rev. Arthur W. Schnarr in NCL of February 2000.
     I heartily recommend the following sentence as worthy of daily meditation: "You find within you and all around you that everything is all right, because you are in the hands of the Lord." This is from "The Healthy Love of Self," an article by Rev. J. Clark Echols, Jr. in Truly Good, February 1991. Truly Good was the newsletter of the Denver Circle when Mr. Echols was pastor.
     Below is the whole paragraph.

Since you don't judge yourself, you don't judge others. You see others' strengths and abilities as gifts from God just like yours are. You don't even notice their faults. You have within you an assurance that the Lord is guiding your every step, and so the steps of everyone else from birth to eternity. You are content. You leave others to grow in the pace that the Lord has provided for them, and you realize how useless your judgments and criticisms of others are. You find within you and all around you that everything is all right, because you are in the hands of the Lord.

     Further on Mr. Echols says:

When your life is ruled by the love the Lord has placed in your soul, you will realize that placing guilt on yourself or others is at least unimportant, and probably destructive, for it is a concentration upon oneself, and not on the Lord and on others. And the words you use and the actions you perform will then be truths expressive of His love, not your own.

     Bill Hall,
     Queensland, Australia

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ORDINATION 2000

ORDINATION              2000




     Announcements
     Glenn--At Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, May 28, 2000, Robert Amos Glenn, into the first degree of the priesthood, Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss officiating.
DEBATES WITH DEVILS 2000

DEBATES WITH DEVILS              2000

What Swedenborg Heard in Hell
This book is now available from the Swedenborg Foundation. The many quotations from the Writings have been translated by Lisa Hyatt Cooper. The cost of the book is $12.95.

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AUDIO TAPES FROM ASSEMBLY 2000 ON SALE NOW 2000

AUDIO TAPES FROM ASSEMBLY 2000 ON SALE NOW              2000

More than forty recordings of Assembly 2000 are now available to purchase, with additional recordings expected. These recordings include:

How the Lord Introduces His Teachings by the Rt. Rev. Peter Buss
Spiritual Causes of Natural Things by the Rev. Reuben Bell
New Church Christology by the Rev. Erik E. Sandstrom
Idealism and Reality by the Rev. David Lindrooth
The NC in the New Millennium by the Rev. Jeremy Simons
The Lord's Glorification by the Rev. Geoffrey Childs
Prayer by the Rev. Bill Burke
Large-Scale Evangelization by Dr. Kurt Simons
Nature and Spirit by the Rev. Grant Odhner
Variety in Harmony Makes Unity by the Rt. Rev. Alfred Acton, II
Benjamin, the Vital Link by the Rev. Michael Gladish
     All tapes are on sale for $2.00 each, plus postage and packaging
To order please call the General Church Sound Recording Library
(215) 914-4980 or write to:
Box 743, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009-0743
or via e-mail: SRLibrary@newchurchedu
     A complete listing of Assembly 2000 recordings is available upon request.

384


Illuminating the World of Spirit 2000

Illuminating the World of Spirit       David B. Eller       2000


     
A Sesquicentennial Record of the Swedenborg Foundation

Dr. David B. Eller, former Executive Director of the Swedenborg Foundation, has produced this compact history of the foundation from its early organization in 1849, through many changes in direction and location, to its present home in West Chester, PA. Included are the Charter and Mission Statement, the relationship with the New Church, lists of Board Presidents, Directors, and Life Members, with dates served, and a complete catalog of all publications over those 150 years.
     This book should be of interest to all of us who have depended on the Swedenborg Foundation for the publication of the Writings, and an excellent tool for research about the people and publications important to the existence of the New Church.
     Swedenborg Foundation
In honor of its 150th anniversary as a publishing house
     Paperback 273 pages U.S. $19.95 plus $1.50 shipping
     General Church Book Center                Hours: Mon-Fri 9-12 or
Cairncrest                                        by appointment
Box 743                                    Phone: (215) 914-4920
Bryn Athyn. PA 19009                         Fax: (215) 914-4935
     E-mail: [email protected]

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Notes on This Issue 2000

Notes on This Issue              2000


Vol. CXX September, 2000           No. 9
New Church Life


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     The success of the assembly in Canada has been uplifting for the church. We congratulate those brave and talented souls who brought it about, and we take pleasure in printing in this issue some testimonies written on the scene in Guelph, Ontario.
     What if you were told that most of the sayings of Jesus recorded in the gospels were not said by Jesus at all? (See page 400 of this issue.) There is a "Jesus Seminar" sponsored by the Wester Institute of California. They meet semi-annually to pool "expert" views on what gospel sayings are genuine. They conclude, for example, that except for the two words "Our Father," the words of the Lord's Prayer were not spoken by Jesus. Such pronouncements have led thousands of Christians to consider that most of the New Testament is invalid. This is one reason we are pleased to be able to print in this issue the study by Rev. Erik E. Sandstrom called "The Gospels and Secular History.
     In the last several years probably most new readers of the book Heaven and Hell have read it in Russian. See page 426 for this book's name in some other languages.

     THE ART OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE by Rev. Grant Schnarr

One is impressed at the outset that the foreword of this book is written by Robert L. Moore, who says, "Grant Schnarr has written a profound introductory training manual for the person new to spiritual combat. He has updated traditional insights to help us in our struggle to live with integrity, courage, and faithfulness to our spiritual values and commitments--our most fundamental mission. I am indebted to him for his contribution, and honored to give it my enthusiastic endorsement."

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CHARTER DAY 2000

       Rev. MICHAEL D. GLADISH       2000

     For information about Charter Day October 20-22, see p. 432.

     THE INFLUENCE OF SPIRITS (Part 2 of 2)

     In the gospel of John the first miracle the Lord performs is that of changing water into wine. When we take the Holy Supper, we have the opportunity to share the wine of the Lord's supper, which may be a reminder of that miracle, and indeed of how the Lord transforms the ordinary knowledge of the Word in our lives into a cheerful, living, spiritual understanding of His truth. In fact, even for those who cannot drink fermented wine, the use of pure, clear water in this sacrament can be a reminder of the same miracle and how the Lord works with our intentions, and with even the simplest knowledge we may be able to obtain and use.
     Continuing in the spirit of John for a moment, it is interesting to note that there is not one record in that gospel of any miracles by the Lord that involve the casting out of evil spirits. Instead, after the wedding feast where He turned the water to wine, we read about His healing a child who was about to die, helping a paralyzed man to walk, feeding the 5000, walking on the sea, giving sight to the blind, raising the dead, and so on. Perhaps this is because the gospel of John speaks to an advanced state of regeneration in which the threat of evil spirits is not as great as it is in earlier states, or perhaps it is because this gospel, more than any other, speaks openly about the Lord Himself and His particular temptations in the work of salvation of the human race. I don't know.
     But with regard to our main subject today-the influence of spirits in our lives--it is not only interesting but significant that the Lord's first miracle described in the gospel of Mark and many others after it, as well as many in Matthew and Luke, involve the casting out of unclean or evil spirits. So we are reminded of the powerful link between this world and what we often lightly call "the other world," the world of spirits that is beyond our conscious awareness and certainly beyond our control without the help and direction of the Lord.

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     There is, of course, an important distinction between life in New Testament times and life in our modern world with regard to the influence of spirits. Then, as we often see in the gospel stories, it was possible--and, it seems, not unusual-for spirits to gain control of a person's whole body, directly causing seizures, madness and a variety of physical disabilities. Now, the Writings tell us, it is not possible for spirits to gain such outward control, although they can still take possession of a person's thought and will, which in turn call lead to strange or destructive behavior. In fact we now call the New Testament experience "possession" because it really involved a total loss of personal control, which is not allowed any more (not by spirits anyway), whereas we call our experience "obsession" because it has to do with the mind which can be changed by education and by various disciplines. You know, for example, how we often speak of a person's being "obsessed" with this or that idea or feeling. Where do those ideas and feelings come from, and what makes them so persistent other than the influence of spirits?
     In the Arcana Coelestia the Lord reveals the nature and extent of spiritual influences on our lives in a wonderful series at the ends of the chapters giving the spiritual sense of Genesis 44-50 (all contained in volume X of the Arcana). Many of these teachings are also summarized in the work Heaven and Hell, especially in the chapters on the speech of angels with people on earth (246-257) and on the conjunction of heaven with the human race (291-302). Another series not so often read, although it is filled with very specific examples, is what we used to call The Spiritual Diary (now entitled Spiritual Experiences), a five-volume work that constitutes a personal diary of Swedenborg's own encounters with the world of spirits. This original set is out of print, but the first two volumes of the new edition are currently available. Then again there are several tremendous books in our New Church collateral literature, not to mention countless articles in church publications, that bring together the main body of teaching on the subject.


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Actually, there is so much material it's hard to know where to begin.
     So let's go back to our second lesson this morning, right back to the Old Testament, and start there. 1 Samuel 16 describes how the prophet anointed the young shepherd David to be King of Israel, and then how "the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul" and "an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him." Now this is quite a challenging statement, reminiscent of the exodus, when "the Lord hardened Pharoah's heart" and then sent plagues throughout the land because of what he did. In fact it's so challenging that our New King James translation of the Word calls it "a distressing spirit" rather than "an evil spirit," presumably because it casts the burden of responsibility for this trouble on Saul rather than the Lord.
     But the truth, as the Writings explain, is that it was an evil spirit, and even though the Lord doesn't exactly send such spirits, it: definitely feels as if He does because in the order of His Divine Providence He permits it for the sake of our salvation (see HH 292-295). Here's how it works.

With every individual there are good spirits and evil spirits. Through the good spirits people have conjunction with heaven, and through the evil spirits with hell. These spirits are in the world of spirits, which lies midway between heaven and hell .... When these spirits come to a person, they enter into his entire memory, and thus into his entire thought, evil spirits into the evil things of his memory and thought, and good spirits into the good things of his memory and thought (HH 292).

     So when the human memory and thought are actively concerned with good things, the connection with good spirits is strengthened, described in some places as if they were drawing closer (even though there is no physical space in this process); and when the memory and thought are concerned with evil things, the connection with evil spirits is strengthened, so it appears as if they were drawing closer.

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It's a little like a tug o' war: good spirits come closer, evil spirits recede; evil spirits come closer, good spirits recede. Rut it is all done according to the state of the affections at the time, and the balance among the spirits shifts as the affections change (see HH 298).
     The evil spirit came to Saul, therefore, when his affection was evil. And although the Lord did not send this spirit directly, He did provide for it because without this provision, as we noted earlier, Saul would have had no spiritual life at all, and would have ceased to exist as a man (see HI-I 293, AC 5993). On the other hand, remember that when David played his harp "Saul would become refreshed and well, and the evil spirit would depart from him." This is a perfect illustration of the "associate spirits" being changed according to the change in the affection that attracts them, for it was the music that made Saul feel better, and when he felt better the evil spirits left.
     It is exactly the same in our lives today. Only now, as we look back at this story about Saul. we can understand that he represents the rule of literal, natural or external truth in our lives, whereas David represents the rule of spiritual truth. As a shepherd David also reminds us that the rule of truth comes from the realm of good, and nourishes our good affections, for sheep represent those good affections. Also the music of his harp represents the acknowledgment or confession of spiritual truth (see AE 323:12), that is, the affection for such truth.
     The point is that when we are focused on external things, or on the external appearance of things, we call easily become disappointed, discouraged, disillusioned or even really depressed, because for the most part when we are in this state we do not make wise decisions and we then suffer the consequences. Living superficially makes our lives become sort of hollow, empty and meaningless--like Saul's life. Then the evil spirits come to us, or rather strengthen their hold on us and aggravate the misery we already feel.

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     But when we find ourselves in that state of mind, if we can bring ourselves at least to acknowledge or confess the spiritual truth that we have from the Lord, and especially if we can appreciate the fact that this truth comes from what is good, we may be able to change our focus, the Lord may be able to help us change our attitude, and then we will become refreshed and well, so that the evil spirits depart from us.
     Remember this: "There is nothing that a person thinks or wills that can originate within himself. Rather, everything flows into him; goodness and truth flow in from the Lord by way of heaven, thus through the angels present with the person, evil and falsity from hell, thus through the evil spirits present with him. And what flows in enters his thought and will .... There is only one life, the Lord's. It flows into everyone. but is received in varying ways, its reception being determined by the character a person has given his soul through the life he leads .... This may be compared to light flowing from the sun into different objects which modify and variegate the light in many ways, depending on the form their constituent parts take, and in this way the light is converted into colors that may be either dull or bright. While a person is living in the world, he is providing an outward form for the most pure substances that constitute his interiors, so that one may speak of his brining form to his own soul, that is, fashioning its character" (AC 5846-7, emphasis added).
     Just think for a moment about the tremendous potential in this teaching! Not only are we in freedom because of the equilibrium the Lord provides between heaven and hell, but we actually determine the quality of our souls by what we decide to do from day to day. And since the quality of our souls rests primarily on the affection there, it is clear that love is a choice; it is not just a feeling over which we have no control!
     But what does this mean? Well, for one thing, it means that we can determine whom or what we will love. We can help it; we can change it; we are not bound to be miserable unless we act on the feelings we have at any given time.

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Feelings come from spirits, and the spirits are associated with us according to our consciences, our choices, our disciplines--in effect what we do each day.
     And here's a comforting teaching. although it may sound strange at first: "It has been stated already that spiritual temptation when it takes place in someone is a conflict between the evil spirits and the angels residing with that person, and that he ordinarily feels that conflict in his conscience. As regards such conflict it should be recognized in addition that the angels are protecting a person constantly and are warding off the evils that evil spirits direct against him. [And] they protect even the falsities and the evils with a person, for they are fully aware of where the person's falsities and evils come from, [namely] evil spirits and genii. [But when a person has no faith in the Lord he doesn't understand this, and so] he inevitably believes that the evil is from himself. Consequently he makes the evil his own and becomes like those evil spirits residing with him .... And as the angels are aware of it, they protect even a person's falsities and evils while he is undergoing the temptations that are part of regeneration. Otherwise he would go under... "(AC 761, emphasis added).
     Essentially, what this and other paragraphs like it (AC 5854, 5993, HH 293) are saying is that since so much of our natural life is tied up in things that only evil spirits could enjoy, it is absolutely necessary that they be allowed to associate with us to sustain that life until it can be corrected. And this is done gradually in the freedom produced by the equilibrium between the influences of heaven and hell.
     But it can't be done without the Lord. Going back to our lesson from Mark, it was the Lord who rebuked and cast out the evil spirits, and it is the Lord today who gives His disciples power over them (see Matt. 10:1). We are His disciples if we remember Him, and follow Him, and do as He teaches.
     Indeed, at the end of Mark the Lord sent His disciples into all the world telling them to "preach the gospel to every creature, saying, "... these signs will follow those who believe: In My name [among other things] they will cast out demons ... " (Mark 16:17).

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"In My name they will cast out demons." Needless to say, this involves all the qualities represented by His name, which are the principles of love and truth we take from His Word. But note, if we believe, we will succeed in this work, for the Lord will be in it, and His angels will reinforce the effort. No, it won't be easy, because we identify ourselves with many of the evils and falsities that the demons inspire, but we will do it, and they will go, and the blessings of heaven will come as a result. We can--and do--bet our lives on it. Amen.
     Lessons: Mark 1:21-34; 1 Samuel 16:12-23; AC 6190, 6192
     
Arcana Coelestia

6190. As the subject here treated of is influx, and this is mentioned so frequently, it is necessary to say in advance what influx is. What is meant by spiritual influx cannot be better seen than by means of the natural influxes which take place and appear in this world--as by the influx of heat from the sun into all things of the earth, with all variety in accordance with the seasons of the year and the climates of the earth; and by the influx of light into the same, with all variety likewise in accordance with the times of the days and also of the years, also in a varied manner according to the climates. From the influx of heat from the sun into all things of the earth, whence comes vegetative life; and from the influx of light into the same, whence comes support to that life, and also colors and displays of beauties; in like manner from the influx of the same heat into the surface of our bodies, and also of light into the eye; likewise from the influx of sound into the ear; and from other instances of a similar kind, it may be comprehended what is
the influx of life from the Lord, who is the Sun of heaven, from whom come heavenly heat, which is the good of love, and heavenly light, which is the truth of faith.

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The influx of these is also plainly felt, for heavenly heat, which is love, produces the vital heat which is in man, and heavenly light, which is faith, produces his understanding, because the truth of faith which proceeds from the Lord enlightens his intellectual; but in both cases with much variety, for it is according to the reception on the part of man.

6192. It has been shown me to the life in what manner spirits flow in with someone. When they come to him, they put on all things of his memory, thus all things which the person has learned and imbibed from infancy, and the spirits suppose these things to be their own. Thus they act as it were the part of the person in the person. But they are not allowed to enter further with a man than to his interiors, which are of the thought and will, and not to the exteriors, which are of the actions and speech; for these latter come into act by means of a general influx from the Lord without the mediation of particular spirits and angels. But although the spirits act the part of the person with a person in respect to those things which are of his thought and will, they nevertheless do not know that they are with a person, for the reason that they possess all things of his memory, and believe that these are not another's but their own; and this for the reason also that they may not injure the person. For unless the spirits from hell who are with a person believed these things to be their own, they would attempt in every way to destroy the person both body and soul, because this is the infernal delight itself
BOOK ABOUT EVIL SPIRITS 2000

BOOK ABOUT EVIL SPIRITS              2000

     As a companion volume to Conversations with Angels, the Swedenborg Foundation has published Debates with Devils-What Swedenborg Heard in Hell. The passages from the Writings are freshly translated by Lisa H. Cooper.

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SOME TESTIMONIES ABOUT THE ASSEMBLY 2000

SOME TESTIMONIES ABOUT THE ASSEMBLY              2000

     "I think teens/children are an important inclusion. These additions provided challenges, but we must serve the youth of the General Church. While dispersed locations make for a logistical challenge, it is good to have assemblies in many places outside of Bryn Athyn. The General Church is much broader than one location, and should reflect that."
     "Fine offerings to select from. We even had some hard choices."
"Including teens/children is good. It moves with the times, but the cost is not all adults receiving the same doctrinal stretch marks, while uniting tremendously. The Lord unites, for He is Doctrine itself."
     "The Bishop's wisdom in leading the General Church as a whole, without causing any anger or falling away from groups is to be acknowledged. The 2000 Assembly is a victory for Bishop Buss."
     "We B. A. people love to go to assemblies outside B.A. We can participate like everyone else. It is a strengthening thing for any society that does host it."
     "The Thursday evening 'family concert' had a wonderful sphere of innocence and joy. Brought the world-wide membership together as no other event."
     "Do General Assemblies still have a governmental part to play in the church? Do 600 adults attending an assembly fairly represent a membership of 4,000?"
     "We must be careful as a church not to be overly influenced by worldly trends. When there are so many important and solid doctrinal topics, why waste assembly time on 'fluff'?"
     "A huge menu of offerings! Inspirational and hopeful messages. Use of music, pageant and dance in connection with doctrinal studies or worship. A chance to see many faces, many ages and cultures in action. All in all a good assembly!"
     "I'd like to acknowledge the charitable dealings with tough issues like women is the priesthood."
     "The Thursday evening entertainment was a real treasure. I know it took planning, but the sphere of innocence surd spontaneity was beyond all measure.

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One of the precious gems of the assembly for me."
     "Having children and teens included in the assembly and actually participating was a real gift to them, and to all the rest of us. Their youthful enthusiasm now will evolve into enthusiastic participation as church leaders in the future:
     "I loved tapping into Canada's energy."
     "I'd like to acknowledge the many opportunities for lay participation in presenting workshops. The hells don't like what has been happening here, and they will be lying in wait for us when we return to our daily lives. I pray for the Lord and His angels to be with us. Thank you!!"

     "Love assemblies outside B. A. Neutral turf!"
     "I acknowledge the displays, wonderful organization, incredible worship services, women's roles (wow), women's roles part 2 (wow). Job well done, good and faithful servants."
     "We loved the whole thing, but the music programs with family singing were a special delight. Everyone was so helpful and friendly, and even though not everything went smoothly, the doctrine of charity was in full swing."
     "The plenary and mid-level sessions were outstanding. It was heartwarming to see the comradery among the ministers and laity."
     "Just try to make the next one as great as this one--anything better would be out of this world! The entertainment was outstanding--but that's not what we came here for. The sessions were mostly superb, and I have nothing negative to say in this regard."
     "Including teens and children .... I consider this to be progress. It benefitted the children, adults and families--thus the church, thus the future of the world. I loved the Bishop's opening session. I loved everything I attended. Did I just happen to pick the best or were they all that good?"
     "Very happy so many young teens attended--I know many parents happy to bring their children. We enjoyed seeing the youngsters and babies."

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     "Good balance of doctrinal presentations, art, music, relaxation, children's programming."
     "It was fun to have all the different age groups present, since each contributes its own sphere. The inclusion of all varieties of music and the frequency of music was delightful. The organization, with attention to detail, was very impressive. I think the schedule was great with adequate breaks. The sphere of friendliness and informality helped to make the assembly a great joy."
     "I feel the usefulness of assemblies should be questioned carefully. I loved the assembly, seeing Friends, sharing doctrine and even the exhausting walking."
     "I'd like to see more worship services led by women or co-led by a man with a woman. Thanks for a loving sphere, for warmth and incredible organization and beauty and informality and welcoming of lay men and lay women to lead sessions. It was wonderful and a spiritually inspiring assembly. It would be nice to have an assembly in a multi-racial culture, so the Africans, for example, didn't always have to feel like visitors."
     "I have no children here but the presence of children is very positive for me. I can hardly believe they are here because they are so well supported."
     "Great mix of mini/mid/plenary sessions. Teen inclusion was great! And great for the church. Children's inclusion was exciting, but more problematic for parents. Assemblies outside B.A. are good, and appropriate and important if we are going to envision ourselves as a growing church for all."
     "Great assembly. I loved every minute. Singing was wonderful. Wished I could be in three places at once. Felt like heaven."
     "I came to this assembly with a negative attitude, expecting the worst. It has been fantastic in every regard. I do think assemblies in B.A. are extremely useful, and I also think that those outside of B. A. serve a vital use. Living in B.A. can make us feel that the church is about B. A. at times. Outside assemblies really show the global nature. It was great seeing so many children.

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Ours are grown, but I love the age spread and particularly the even distribution of age groups. I hope all future assemblies will offer this opportunity."
     "It was hard choosing among so many great minis. Please tape everything! Music was wonderful. The variety and quality of the presentations were excellent."
     "Outside assembly was great, but I'm not sure I'd want them all that way. Every session I attended was superior. The organization of events was excellent. My hat is off to the committee and all those who made it a truly inspirational event. The sphere of charity was truly wonderful!"
     "If there were improvements, we would all be in heaven."
     "I'd like to acknowledge the Holy Supper service; seeing different ministers from all over the world give blessings was magnificent and powerful, showing the great growth the Lord is accomplishing."
     "Great job by coordinators. Great representation of diversity and variety. Great music and displays! Best part: many voices.
     "No people/ministers of color were involved in a plenary session. The celebrated variety was not evident in the structure. The plenary sessions need to represent the church, not just the priests. We need to think what is wanted as a result of assembly besides fellowship and connection. What is the particular goal or aim of each particular assembly? This was a beautiful, humbling, inspiring and hopeful event. I can't thank you enough for all the hard work and sacrifice that made it possible."
     "From the point of view of a non-involved senior, it appeared to be very successful to include teens and children. A useful venture and a positive step toward re-uniting the generations. The children's choir prior to one of the morning sessions was outstanding. The committee deserves congratulations. It was an excellent and well organized assembly with its theme delightfully and commendably carried along throughout."

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GOSPELS AND SECULAR HISTORY 2000

GOSPELS AND SECULAR HISTORY       Rev. ERIK E. SANDSTROM       2000

     Introduction

     We know the gospels and we imagine the scenes of the Lord's Advent. What were those beginnings like? The Christian belief has conquered the world! What was the "cause" sufficient to accomplish this? The Writings teach that "the Lord who saved souls [and] had come into the world ... would never be received by anyone without miracles" (SD Minor 4724). Christianity was established by miracles (see Coronis 1). Salvation involved the Lord's resurrection. Many scholars agree: being eyewitness to the actual historical resurrection of Jesus can alone account for the rise and continuance of Christianity. Jesus is accorded historicity by the dramatic consequences, even if no other evidence of His physical presence is deemed valid by historians. But through exhaustive tapping of all historical sources, a supportive picture of the Lord's time emerges. What was it like witnessing the era of the Lord on earth? The Christmas tableaux remind us. Movies dramatize it. The historical circumstances presented in this article of the time when the Lord glorified His Human and saved the human race are given in the hope of validating our view of the well known gospel stories.
     The Old Testament Word existed first, and the Lord came to fulfill the whole of it, from Alpha to Omega. "He has revealed Himself and has also fulfilled all things contained in the internal sense, which treats especially of the glorification of His Human" (AE 36). Thus the "Lord's glorified Human," from first being a "form recipient of life from the Divine," in the end became "the very being of life; and that which proceeds therefrom is life" (AC 5256). For the Lord exists from eternity, but was also "born in time." He entered history. The gospels describe when and where the Lord was doing this, and they are the only "first-hand" record we have of it. Here now are our belief in the Lord and in the gospels, and some historical reflections which may help corroborate it.

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The Primitive Christian Church

     First, what was the spiritual quality of the Christian Church, established by the Lord Himself? 'The Writings describe that church as a "new star" which soon dimmed (see TCR 176): It began in charity (see TCR 727), but was beset by heresies which tore it apart (see TCR 378, (Coronis XXXII, XXXIII). It is meant by the first white horse in Revelation 6, but the horse was replaced by red, black and pale horses, showing this sundering. In fact the first Christian Church never became "Christian enough" for a new heaven to be formed from it (see Coronis xxxi). That is why Christian history has been rather murky, as, for example, the Dark Ages which have given birth to the Arthurian legends! The New Church, meant by the second white horse in Revelation 19, renews the true Christian elements as they were in those early days, and stands for "genuine Christianity"' (see TCR 668, 700). If we met those early Christians, we hopefully would all fit right in.

The Sources for the Gospels

     How did the gospels come to be written? Back in 1985, the "Jesus Seminar" was held, attended at various times by 200 or so Christian and non-Christian scholars. Their question: "What did Jesus actually say?" We find some useful information from their inquiry. They counted 1500 sayings of Jesus (including the gospel of Thomas), and considered each one in turn. They voted by casting one of four different colored beads: only 15% of the 1500 sayings ended up being credited as direct quotes or actual sayings. The rest, or 850/0, they thought were put into the mouth of Jesus by followers and the gospel writers! But the New Church looks at this another way.
     The New Church agrees that the gospels were not written while the events themselves occurred but afterwards. On that particular subject the Writings say: "While the Lord was in the world, He Himself taught Divine truth; but when He was glorified, which was after the resurrection, He taught it through angels and spirits" (AC 9818:14).

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We derive from this the conclusion that the four Gospels and Revelation were the Divine Truth "taught through angels and spirits."
     It is clear that the Lord first lived His life, and spoke the Word: "While in the world, He Himself taught the truth ...." All His words had meaning (see AE 405:24). But after the resurrection, the Word of the New Testament was inspired into writing by the Holy Spirit. There is a difference between a) acting out the actual historical events and speaking the words, and b) recording those deeds and words under inspiration some time later! All of revelation passes through these two stages: 1. seeing, and then 2. writing. They are not the same: "'The Word was not revealed in a state of vision" (AR 36e, Lord 52). First, things were seen or witnessed, then they were written!
     So historical data match the Writings' verdict here. The gospels were written decades after the events themselves. But whereas many scholars believe that the gospel writers "put words into the mouth of Jesus" (see Funk, p. 26), the New Church sees the gospels as inspired by the risen Lord Himself. He was now the "Divine Human, an essence by itself throughout the universal heaven'' (AC 3061). Angels were once again used, as in the Old Testament dictation, but the speaking was now done by the Lord Himself, whose mouth is the Holy Spirit. "The holy thing... flowing through angels and spirits ... is the Holy Spirit" after the resurrection (see AC 9818:14). The Divine Human revealed both the New Testament (see TCR 730) and the Writings (see TCR 791), and perhaps we call also include providentially inspiring the Qur'an (see DP 255).
     And the fact that the Acts and Epistles were written first (40-50 AD), and the gospels later (66-90 AD) makes it an even more poignant point that the latter contain an internal sense and the former do not. The eyewitness of living persons counted more at first, but after they had died, then the internal sense of an historical record was needed. Thus because the actual composition of the gospels took place later, the original events may have occurred in a different sequence from the later written record.

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     That was already the rule for the Old Testament: "No other historical events are recorded in the Word, and in no other order, and no other words are used to express them, than such as in the internal sense may express these arcana" (AC 1468e). The order of the record of the events dances to the tune of the internal sense, not the original sequence. The original events represented spiritual things, and the later words came to signify the same things as were represented by original events; so both the original events and the records of them relate the church by the same rule of correspondence to the same heavenly things. But the original events could hold force only in the persons who actually remembered them, and knew those events "by heart." That would preclude any need for a written record.
     So not until the spokespersons began to die were the gospels written. Their "hearts" were then Divinely inspired to write out their oft-repeated accounts. AC 1468 shows that the "order" of the original events may not always be carried over into the written record of them, although on the whole the sequence would be similar. Four different "gospels" emerged out of all the material available. All the truth necessary found a home. All New Testament texts have been selected just so that there can be an internal sense contained in them. The Writings "reveal this internal sense" (SS 4). Armed with these clues, we can reconcile any literal inconsistencies.

"Q" for Quelle

     Scholars postulate this jumbled scenario for the origins of the gospels from simply lining the gospels side by side in long columns, and by making direct comparisons of verses. They see that out of the total 678 verses constituting the gospel of Mark, Matthew incorporates almost verbatim about 90% of them, and Luke about 50%. Even the sequence of contents remains mostly the same.

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That makes Mark/Matthew/Luke the "synoptic" gospels, "seen together." John repeats nothing from any of them. Based on such precise information, scholars postulate the existence of a mysterious source of information which has been used by the synoptic gospel authors: Mark wrote first. Then Matthew used Mark, but he had his own unique material, repeated in no other gospel; likewise Luke used Mark and his own unique material. Plus Matthew and Luke share about 200 verses not found in Mark! It is the source for these 200 verses that scholars call "Q" for the German word Quelle, meaning source. By considering all repetitions. "V" is spotted as an enigmatic phantom gospel in the background. It has even been experimentally extracted and published as the hypothetical Q! This is seen as the prime source, and is thought to have been a proto or first edition of a "Gospel of Jesus' Sayings," now lost. The gospel of Thomas is often held up as the kind of gospel that Q was: just a list of "Jesus said ... Jesus said," without historical interpolation. Matthew's own source M, Luke's own source L, and John's own source J make 5 sources: Q, Mark, M, L and J (see Funk pp. 15-17).
     Armed with these views, scholars tend to tear the historicity of the gospels to shreds, reveling in their multitude of inconsistencies. There is in fact a prize of $10,000 offered by an atheist publication for anyone who can reconcile all inconsistencies in the four gospel accounts of the Lord's arrest and crucifixion. That trend began in Swedenborg's day, with for example Reimarus (1756): "Jesus was a mere human with messianic illusions"; and later many others, including Hegel, Schleiermacher and Kant, took up the refrain: find the historical Jesus. Yet all inconsistencies are present only in the literal text, which is for the sake of a spiritual sense, and this always makes perfect sense! Armed with the internal sense, perhaps the New Church can claim the prize!
     And in any case, how could several sources limit Divine inspiration? AC 9818 explains that on earth, the "Lord Himself taught the Divine truth." His words rang in the ears of the followers and His deeds were remembered.

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There could be early written collections of sayings, like cue cards for the apostles. But "after the resurrection," the Lord Himself is the Holy Spirit: "The Lord taught by means of angels and spirits .... This is the Holy Spirit (Ibid.).
     Also in John, the Lord said: "The Helper, the Holy Spirit ... will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you" (John 14:26; although spoken around 36 AD, this was first recorded in its present form around 90 AD!). Still, after the resurrection, the Lord Himself is the Divine Human speaking, and is the Holy Spirit or Divine Truth. This could happen only "... after the resurrection ... as in John 'the Holy Spirit was not yet, because Jesus was not yet glorified' (John 7:39) .... From the Lord's Divine Human itself proceeds Divine truth, which is called the Holy Spirit" (AC 6993). After the resurrection, the Divine Truth proceeding from Divine Good, or Jehovah in the Human, is the Holy Spirit! It is the Lord's Divine Human speaking! It could well have taken several earlier documentary sources to supply the "data" requisite for a final written record divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit to contain a spiritual sense in every word. The Lord as Holy Spirit could select His own verbal housing, from as many sources as necessary, to make a complete revelation. He would also have a "Divine recollection" of what He Himself had actually said, when "He Himself taught Divine truth" on earth. And He must have repeated the same message to several groups of people, to account for various renditions in the gospels. Several contributing sources do not remove the Divine authority of he internal sense found in every text. Thus everything the gospels record as coming from the Lord's mouth, in fact did.
     There could, therefore, well be a "Q," i.e. an earlier source of sayings of Jesus. Some scholars suppose that Mary herself could be "Q": "She pondered these things in her heart" (Luke 2:19). Many details in Luke could have come only from her.

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Some even fancy that "Luke" was written by Mary herself, using a pseudonym, seeing it as a very "feminine" gospel!
     But a final reflection gives yet another possibility. When the Lord was on earth, He willed to "instruct Himself in nothing else but the Word" because "its most inward things have regard to Him,... and had first come from Him" (AC 1461). The Lord can of course reveal the Word without the use of man, and speak what is in the hearts of any people, without recourse to documents. Still, the Lord does make use of humans, as with Moses chipping out the second tables of stone. Swedenborg wrote the words of the Writings, but the Lord Divinely inspired him.

Previous Era

     Any gospel inconsistencies were not present while the Lord Himself walked the earth and "He Himself taught the truth" (AC 9918:14). "When the Lord was in the world He was Himself the Divine truth; He Himself taught the things that were of love and faith" (AC 6993). Everything the Lord "did in the world was representative, and whatever He spoke was significant,... so that He might be in the lowest things of heaven and the church and at the same time in their firsts" (AE 405:24). However, the teaching was "at that time not [done] by the Holy Spirit." It became the Holy Spirit only "after the resurrection" (AC 6993). His post-resurrection Holy Spirit and Providence operate in a world prepared for it by His teachings given while on earth. The judgment also cleared the world of spirits, and for the first time gave a heaven of their own to all the people who had been in the world of spirits since the flood! That was the spiritual heaven (see AC 8054).
     The situation in Palestine from 4 BC to about 36 AD, which includes the Lord's whole life, took about three centuries for Divine Providence to "set up"! The Greek culture after Alexander the Great's conquest of the whole Holy Land in the 4th century BC resulted in such a great infiltration of' Greek ideas among the Jews that many of them lost interest in Judaism, same even undoing their physical distinguishing marks.

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But a Jewish backlash came around 170 BC, and the Greeks retaliated by slaughtering the Jews in unimaginable ferocity. Women were hanged and their infants hanged from their necks. This led directly to the Maccabee revolt, headed by Judas Maccabeus; it was successful! The Greeks were thrown out of the Holy Land, out of Jerusalem in particular. Jubilation!
     The Zadokites, priestly descendants of Zadok the high priest of Solomon, expected then to be restored to the running of the temple. Not so. In protest, they went off and formed a desert-community. This was Qumran, and its inhabitants the Essenes. They maintained their purity in the strictest possible monastic way of life, even adopting boys to become new acolytes to perpetuate their order, since offspring were never conceived by them. Another branch of the "Zadokites" became the "Sadducees"! They did not believe in any resurrection. The Pharisees, on the other hand, after experiencing what we read in Daniel during the Babylonian captivity, had seen and heard enough to believe in the spiritual world and the resurrection.
     After Rome conquered Greece, Gnaeus Pompeius conquered Judea in 67 BC, adding a new Jewish diaspora to previous ones. Any remnants of the old Jewish sacrificial practices were replaced, although Joseph and Mary still brought doves to sacrifice (see Luke 2:24). Rabbinical Judaism began around this time, and was as new a movement as Christianity itself! One scholar calls the two religions "the birth of twins" (Shorto, p. 49). The Lord was one of the very first rabbis in this new movement.
     As part of "new movements," John the Baptist was seen as a Jewish "radical": free baptism replaced costly sacrifices at the temple. Because of the ease and appeal of conversion, common people flocked to the river banks, and with a simple dip joined ranks with the elite! And the Lord ate out in the open, and handed out the food Himself! (see Crossan, p. 399).

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Abandoned were all the kosher rules on eating, washing hands, etc. later recorded in the Talmud (circa 150 AD).The Lord condemned such rules: "Hypocrites, Pharisees! You have made the Word of no effect by your traditions" (Mark 7:13, Matt. 15:6). Because rabbis could gather their own following, Jesus did so also: His message in secular terms was free healing for all and a common table for eating. This contradicted the super-rigid hierarchies of both Roman and Judaic culture. The change was startling--and popular!

Normal Life

     Before the destruction of Jerusalem, and in spite of Roman control and taxation, normal life was just going on. An example of this was found in Alexandria, Egypt, of a family around 20 AD, thus contemporary with the Lord. The Tryphon papyri tell the story of five generations of one family: a weaver from the lower classes named Tryphon in a local census of 11 AD grew up in a family of weavers and handicraft makers. In 30 AD, Tryphon married Demetrous, but she was a no-good wife who left him, taking a lot of goods on her way out! He sued her.
     He then married Saraeus, but once bitten twice shy, he took out a "prenuptial agreement": they lived together, but her dowry was held by the bank; they got a monthly payment, but there was a 50% penalty in case this wife too left Tryphon! But the second marriage went well, and all accounts were settled. The dowry reverted to the happy couple.
     Later parts of the story involve Tryphon's failing eyesight and some descendants' being excused military service to help the business because of it. So they had military service then too! We also read of the weaving business's doubling its income, allowing more apprentices to be hired (see Crossan, p. 30).
     These Jewish quarters enjoyed normal day-to-day activity in Alexandria during the very time the Lord was on earth. We can imagine similar situations in villages and towns all through Palestine: banks, commerce and trade, businesses, agriculture, military drafts.

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Even with an astronomically high taxation, "normal life" must have existed everywhere. The whole of the Lord's life was an era of peace: the "Pax Romana" from Britannia to the North Africa, from Gaul to Galilee. The Mediterranean Sea was "Mare Nostrum" (Our Lake!) to Rome. There was no war, just rebellions or insurrections. There had already been Spartacus, whom Pompey helped put down. Vercingetorix (in Gaul), Bate, Arminius (in Germania), Boudicca (in Pritan or Brittania), and Julius Civilis were other main national rebels throughout the empire.
     The Jewish revolt, which led to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, by contrast was a religious conflict. Other than these uprisings, there was just piracy and banditry for the Romans to control. Parables like the Good Samaritan could well have been yesterday's news, showing how the Lord addressed current issues in His teaching. But one can see why the Romans were most anxious to control the situation in Palestine, especially in Judea, which was then under direct Roman rule.
NEW CHURCH BOOKLET ON THE GOSPEL ACCOUNT 2000

NEW CHURCH BOOKLET ON THE GOSPEL ACCOUNT              2000

     The title of this 33-page booklet is And the World did Not Know Him. The writer, Rev. Don Rose, says in the preface: "The purpose of this book is to present a sweeping glance at the public ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, looking for a significance in the sequence of words and works .... here has been a fashion with some Bible critics to relegate certain things in the gospels to mythology, but we doubt that their theories and detractions will long be remembered. The actual words of the gospels with the wonder that is in them have stood the centuries, and history still beats out what is said in Isaiah: ''The Word of our God shall stand for ever.'"

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FATE OF THE UNBORN 2000

FATE OF THE UNBORN       EMILY JANE A. LEMOLE       2000

     (Conclusion)

     Dr. Iungerich presents his view of the unborn and their spiritual future in his book The Soul and Its Representations, Part 2 entitled "Divine Mercy Towards the Unborn." Very much like a Memorable Relation, a lively debate in the other world takes place between Garland and Gulielmus. Garland speaks Dr. Iungerich's view, and Gulielmus the commonly held belief in the church.
     Gulielmus begins: "A considerable difference of opinion," he says, "has arisen in the church with regard to when the soul is fixated and becomes immortal. It is acknowledged by all that the body is from the mother and the soul from the father and that the soul, so long as it is still in the father's seed and not yet enshrined in the ovarian cell of the mother, is perishable, neither eternal not immortal. All are agreed, too, that a man must first be created on some earth before he may live in the spiritual world; that during pre-natal life and so prior to the opening of the lungs at birth the embryo has no human will or understanding, thus no mind, the mind being the man: and that inflowing activities never produce anything permanent before there is a reactivity or a reciprocality as of one's self" (n. 534). Citing Genesis 3:7, Gulielmus states that when the lungs open, the soul becomes fixed, human, and eternal, as seen by Jehovah's breathing into man the breath of lives and "man becomes a living soul." His point is that before this the unborn was not a living soul. And From the Word Explained Gulielmus quotes: "By the vital spirit or the soul of lives that Jehovah God breathed into man by his nostrils is meant in the proximate sense not a rational soul but the air admitted into his opened lunge in order that by their respiration his bodily life might be given him. This is confirmed ... from his inspiration or inhalation by the lungs; and from the genuine life of the body, or of its senses and motions, which is not excited until the lungs have been opened ..." (WE 1:22).

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     Garland responds to Gulielmus' argument based on passages in Genesis. "Now the point I would make is that you quoted three passages which treat in the proximate sense, as you admit, of a man's physical birth or when his lungs open to receive atmospheric air. This they definitely State, and also then positively declare that they are not talking about the creation of any rational soul. Yet in spite of this, and in the very teeth of this positive declaration, you are suggesting that at the time the rational soul, that is, the immortal soul, is being created for the first time. I insist, therefore, that these three passages give you no support for your contention (n. 543).
     Gulielmus: "The reason why I cited them was because they show that life commences and depends altogether on the opening of the lungs and the admission of air, infants not living before this occurs; and also that up till then the superior lives, or the life of the superior and interior senses, were not living" (n. 544).
     Garland: "You originally quoted the passages correctly but in what you are now saying you have left out an important qualifying adjective that limits every statement they make. It is not life which commences and depends on the respiration of the lungs, but bodily life. For they did not say that infants were not living prior to that but that they do not live on in the body without it. These passages, far from stating that the superior lives are still then inexistent, that is, not yet immortal, merely indicate that they are not yet operative in the body until the latter has entered into a reactivity corresponding to their activity" (n. 545).
     Gulielmus: "But I maintain that before they have been ultimated, these superior lives have not yet been fixated within the things of nature to permit them to live on immortally after the death of the body. Remember that no angel or spirit can be immediately created in the spiritual world but must first be born a man on earth" (n. 546).
     Garland: "I am fully aware of pour ideas on that point but I would also remark that not one of the passages you quoted says anything about the need of the soul to be fixated so as to become immortal" (n. 547).

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     The heated debate continues as Gulielmus quotes Divine Wisdom regarding the will and the understanding not beginning until the lungs have been opened. "I know," said Garland, "that you consider this as a sort of key passage for all your thoughts about prenatal life, and as favoring your contention that the immortality of the soul begins at the moment of physical birth. You solemnly adjure men to bow before the Divine Authority of the Writings, and then you try to extend a Divine sanction for a human deduction from this passage that it in no wise authorizes. The passage says nothing about the annihilation of a fetus whose lungs had never opened, or that his soul in such a case would not continue to live to eternity. Just like the other passages you cited, it simply affirms the need of lung-breathing in order that the soul may have a basis in a body on earth for its temporary existence in the world; adding that the mind which did not exist previously arises then. Far from sanctioning your contention that the soul would cease if it had not this ultimate lung-breathing, the only reference to what would happen is a positive and unqualified asseveration that life would go on" (n. 550).
     Garland continues: "Possibly you were not struck as forcibly as I was by the statement that: 'Only life from the Lord, by which the man will live thereafter, excites the formation.' This statement is without qualification or reservation whatsoever. Nothing is said in it about the need of a preliminary lung-breathing to enable the soul to live" (n. 551). "Permit me also to interrupt the thread of your argument a little longer in order to contravene from this your key passage two other points for which your followers argue" (n. 552). "They have the habit of saying that the fetus is not a man and that his life is not human. Yet this key passage of yours in its mention of pre-natal life declares with regard to the fetus that 'without the cooperation of understanding and will there is no life proper to the man.'

412


The Divine Wisdom, from which this passage is taken, had also previously affirmed this point by declaring in the titles to one of its sub-heads that 'THE LORD CONJOINS HIMSELF TO MAN IN THE MOTHER'S WOMB FROM CONCEPTION. AND FORMS HIM'" (n. 553).
     "Your followers also, in order to weaken the force of four passages which declare that fetuses go to heaven and are educated there, insistently argue that wherever fetus is mentioned by Swedenborg it must be rendered in the classical Latin sense of offspring in general, or else of an infant who had already breathed. But in this very key passage of yours fetus is twice mentioned in the ordinary sense of embryo, for it says: 'But this movement does not come from any life proper to the fetus.' And again, 'From these things a conclusion can be made as to the quality of life the fetus has in the womb'" (n. 554).
     Gulielmus directs his next point to the mind of man. "Let no one believe that man is man from having a human face, body, brain, or organs and members, for this he has in common with
brutes .... But man is man from the fact that he can think and will like a man, and thus receive what is Divine, that is, what is from the Lord (AC 4219). Further--the mind of man is the very man (DLW 388) and 'There is no angel nor spirit, neither could there be any, who was not born a man in the world' (DW VIII)."
     Garland interrupts here with "Mark well that it is not said 'born into the world, in mundum,' which would require lung-breathing and some bodily life; but 'born in the world in mundo' which means 'created within worldly surroundings' as is the case with the fetus while still in the mother's womb."
     Garland then emphasizes that conatus, or "the endeavor to a thing" (567), even when its ultimate realization is thwarted by obstacles, still remains as a spiritual reality as much as if it had been realized. He cites that true motives such as lust and hatred, while in the heart, are in the New Testament said to be reality and declared as sin as if they had ended in adultery and murder. "I therefore maintain that the fetus in the womb who is in the conatus to be born, even if some obstacle prevents a lung-breathing and his having a whiff of body life by a physical birth into the world, will yet not cease on that account to be a spiritual reality nor fail to live on immediately and eternally in the spiritual world."

413



     The rest of the debate is high-spirited, stimulating, exacting and demanding of its two participants and of its listeners. From first and second finites, to the definition and use of fetus in the Writings, the argument continues. I will attempt to summarize Garland's points since they represent Dr. Iungerich's view and the passages which he feels are essential to his view. "The Lord conjoins Himself to man from first conception and forms him" (D. Wis. subhead). This conjunction is not given to animals but only to man. "Conjunction pre-supposes the power to receive and react on the part of him who is conjoined" (571).
     "It is not granted to love anyone and to be conjoined to him unless there be a reciprocal nor to enter into anyone and abide there unless there be a reception" (Doct. of Life 102).
     "How can there be a conjunction with the Lord by love and wisdom unless the man have some reciprocal for conjunction, since without a reciprocal no conjunction can be effected?" (CL 132).
     "In the face of all this evidence it seems singularly strange that some persons make such a fetish about lung-breathing and even reactivity in the ultimate body, inasmuch as the membrane of the soul at conception already enjoys elasticity and reactivity, and the degrees of the mind-to-be are already receptive of the Lord or else resistant to Him. Because of this notion of theirs they even talk about the conditional eternity of the pre-natal soul, the favorable condition being lung-breathing and the pressure of the outside air. At a certain time not so long ago ideas from the Universalist Church found favor among some of the New Church. According to these it was possible to do away with the doctrine of an eternal hell by postulating a conditional eternity of the soul, the favorable condition in this case being not lung-breathing and air-pressure but regeneration. All who did not regenerate were just snuffed out and ceased to be. In my opinion neither theory has much to recommend it" (655).

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     When Garland was asked what use these pre-natal humans would perform in the spiritual world, he answered "The same as that of those who die infants, though more deeply and inmostly. A striking analogy may in fact be made between the fetus and the celestial men of the Most Ancient Church. Both were naked, their skin being the main channel to absorb nourishment, which came from the surrounding effluvia. The fetus, as is known, after a certain stage of development reabsorbs the amniotic liquid. Neither had articulated speech. Nor had they either any external respiration by the lungs, the Most Ancients having what is called a tacit breathing. With both, the formative Love and Wisdom were not separated. Neither were the recipient will and understanding divided, though with the fetus these are but delineations of the mind to come. The consonance between both parts of the mind was also represented with both in that of their corresponding bases in the body, the heart, and the lungs. The course of the breathing of the Most Ancients (AC 1118) suggests also the figure 8 with its two loops that is followed by the circulation of blood in the fetus, brain and heart and what little respiration there then was being synchronous. While some change must have occurred in the transition of the Most Ancient man from the pre-natal to the post-natal stage, still it was so much less than what it is today that he was more like the fetus than like modern adults" (n. 668).
     "On the basis of this resemblance between the fetus and the Most Ancients, who likewise had all three degrees of the mind open and whose heaven is entirely distinct from all others; and because the heavens not only rest upon beings in the world but will never cease to be recruited from them, it seems to me that the Lord permits one-twentieth of human beings never to be born (the number estimated at the time of discussion) in order that the celestial heaven of the Most Ancient Church may continually have a seminary from which to grow.

415


This is the Lord's Divine Mercy towards the unborn. The view maintained by Gulielmus seems then by contrast to make the Lord appear inexorable and merciless. I feel that if the Church should insist on adopting it, harm would ensue almost as fatal as the notion in the Christian Church that unbaptized infants were damned, or, when not that, were at least forever deprived of the beautiful vision, never able to see the face of their Heavenly Father" (n. 669).
     "These celestial angels, innocent of heart like infants, appearing from afar off as infants, present with infants in the womb, caring for these fetuses under the Lord's auspices so that they may be nourished and perfected (AC 5052) and tenderly educating them in the spiritual world (SD 3152), are the same angels who resuscitate the dying (AC 181; SD Minor 4702). Only by a comprehension of their love for these innocent ones can we win some realization of the depths of the Lord's, who pleaded that the little children be allowed to come unto Him, and so perceive something of His Divine Mercy towards the unborn. For 'a love such as the Lord has transcends all human understanding, and is especially incredible to those who do not know what the celestial love is in which are the angels. Those angels to save a soul from hell think nothing of death, yea, if they could, they would undergo hell for it. The inmost of their joy is then to transfer into heaven anyone who is rising from the dead. But they confess that this love is not a whit from themselves, but that all and single things thereof are from the Lord alone. Yea, they are indignant if anyone thinks otherwise' (AC 2077). Would they not, then, ardent as they are to save from hell and raise from the dead, be at hand to perform such a service for every fetus who cannot be fully formed for birth into the natural world, in order that he may be taken by his very brief way to heaven, and there prepared for his superlative use?" (n. 695).
     "How can it be supposed that some merely physical obstacle could tear this little creature from the arms of Him who is conjoined to man from first conception, who makes him to receive the Divine Proceeding, inscribes on him the deepest remains of innocence, and leads him ceaselessly to strive out into a human form?

416


Is He incapable of safeguarding him from such a mishap so that he may enter among the angelic uses in the spiritual world? At the moment of conception a man has his hereditary evil, his sex, and his eternal use of service to the Lord already inscribed on his soul. If one out of twenty fetuses normally perished, as Gulielmus suggested, because of not successfully passing the critical ordeal of lung-breathing, we would have to suppose that Omnipotent God had prepared a Procrustean bed by which one-twentieth of the uses of the Gorand Man that had begun are inevitably amputated. As no two persons are ever identical, those uses are then inevitably lost, and collective humanity is mutilated to that extent" (n. 666).
     Both Dr. Iungerich and Mr. Holm, intelligent, sincere, and fine men of the priesthood, held different views from the one commonly held, and even from each other. They both see the pre-born as having eternal life but in a different place. I had grown up with teaching that the heavens are constantly filling. Only on occasion was it mentioned that the Most Ancient heaven was closed. I believe this came from the passages such as: "And since those times heaven has never been open in the way it was to the man of the Most Ancient Church. It is true that many afterwards spoke with spirits and angels: as Moses, Aaron, and others but in an entirely different way" (AC 784, emphasis added).
     It goes onto describe how communication between heaven and man was closed, and even the knowledge that heaven (or hell) is all around us. Thus closure took place because man lacked truth, the truth of faith and charity, and without these essentials, which ended with the Most Ancients, direct communication ended.
     But it was otherwise after those times when evil and falsity began to reign; for then, as there was no longer any correspondence, heaven was closed, inasmuch that men were willing to scarcely know that there was anything spiritual; and at last even that there was a heaven and a hell, and a life after death (see AC 2995).

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     It appears to me that the Most Ancient heaven never closed to the constant replenishment of their own kind, but to fallen mankind. After the fall, because man was not original man any more, but a rebuilt version with great differences, this communication with and knowledge of it were closed to them.
     In Heaven and Hell we are taught that "the heavens are ever filling. Every society of heaven increases in number daily, and as it increases it becomes more perfect." And it continues: "As heaven gains in perfection by increase of numbers, it is evident how mistaken those are who believe that heaven may be closed by becoming full; for the opposite is true, that it will never be closed, but is perfected by greater and greater fullness" (HH 71).
     What better could balance our wicked world than the purest, most innocent angels of all--those of the Most Ancient Church? Even the most regenerate of us cannot change the fact that our will began as "prone to evils of every kind." The Most Ancients turned their faces to God. We were born looking away from Him to self. We are "entirely different." We may hope to go to the celestial heaven, but there must be different places there for those who lived before and after the fail.
     I think the reason that this subject continues to be raised over the years is the perception with many women that this commonly held belief of the church seems inconsistent with our loving and merciful Father. Saddened with the loss of miscarriage, concerned over the tragedy of abortion, or just reflecting on the Lord's purpose and eternal Providence. women have continued to question and challenge this position. We know far too much about feminine perception to just brush this off as sentimentality or wishful thinking.
     Gulielmus suggested in this discussion that one in twenty fetuses naturally perishes. Although not changing the truth of the matter, it must give us pause to consider this, that today in the United States:
- Since 1973 there have been more than 35 million abortions in the U.S. alone.

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- Daily there are more than 3900 abortions performed, 1 every 23 seconds.
- There are 321 abortions for every live birth.
- Every year, more unborn children die from abortion than all the Americans who died in the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Korean, Vietnam, and Persian Gulf Wars combined, Pennsylvanians for Human Rights
     Either a lot of wasted souls once conjoined with the Lord are perishing and going to nothing, or the Most Ancient heaven is filling to balance our pathetically evil world with the purity and beauty of untarnished souls. In her article "Don't Turn a Mistake into a Disaster," printed in the Theta Alpha Journal, Spring 1980, Becky Fuller Cooper reports that in her group after studying the Writings, "some came to the conclusion that the embryo life was eternal and others thought it was not eternal. But all agreed that abortion was ending a life of some kind and therefore an evil."9
     In 1974 the Rt. Rev. Willard D. Pendleton gave a doctrinal class on abortion. At the start he makes a powerful statement regarding the General Church's taking a position on controversial issues such as abortion and divorce. "I would again remind you that the question is not what is the position of the General Church in regard to abortion, but what do the Writings teach? In making this distinction, another question arises which has already been asked, 'Does the General Church take any position?' The answer is that it does. From the beginning, the General Church has taken the position that the Writings are the spiritual sense of the Word and that, as such, they are the only authority within the church. It follows from this that in response to any further question, our only recourse is to the Writings and whatever is said in the Writings is, or should be, the position of the General Church. We recognize, however, that what the Writings say is subject to different interpretations depending entirely upon the understanding of the individual.

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So it is that differences have arisen among us in regard to many of the teachings of the Writings, but where there is unity in regard to essentials, these differences need not divide. These essentials are: The acknowledgment of the Lord in His Divine Human, the acceptance of the testimony of the Writings concerning themselves, and the life of charity."10
     He proceeds to look at AC 1834 regarding the primitive church following the Lord's coming on earth. At first they lived in love as brothers, but as time went on, "charity diminished and ceased." With its end, evils took over and with them falsities and from them schemes and heresies. The Writings say that if charity had continued to exist, these differences would not have even been called schisms or heresies, but "a doctrinal matter in accordance with each person's opinion; and this they would have left to each person's conscience, provided such doctrinal matter did not deny first principles, that is, the Lord, eternal life, and the Word; and provided it was not contrary to Divine order, that is, to the precepts of the decalogue."
     Paramount is the freedom of the individual to determine the meaning of the teachings of the Writings. "Under no circumstances is the organized church, acting through the priesthood, nor in any other way, to bind the conscience of the individual" (from previous class on divorce).
I believe it is essential that we allow other viewpoints regarding spiritual or doctrinal matters to happily exist. Although our own bias may color our motives for holding the views we do, until we all have a clear, beamless eye, I think we are admonished to give others' intentions the benefit of the doubt. "But they who are in charity scarcely see the evil of another, but observe all his goods and truths, and put a good interpretation on what is evil and false. Such are all the angels, which they have from the Lord, who bends all evil into good" (AC 1079).
     All said, it is a matter of life and death--a matter of vital importance. In the case of one's believing that the fetus has eternal life from conception, one has the comfort that the baby will go to heaven and even perhaps those who love each other may meet some day.

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Or in the case of abortion if one believes the same, then actually it is murder to abort the unborn, as the Catholics believe.
     If one believes that the fetus has only pre-human life until the first breath, at which point spiritual life is given, then isn't taking that life before the breath tantamount to worse than murder--depriving one of spiritual existence? When one is conjoined with the Lord, can we unjoin that? Mrs. Kenneth Rose, in her article in the Theta Alpha Journal, expresses similar concern. "If we don't look for such explanations, then we conclude that we can destroy a human soul, which idea, to me, is absolutely unthinkable." The soul "is the human form which nothing can be taken away from and to which nothing can be added ... " (CL 315). Would it be more merciful to let the baby be born, breathe and then kill it? Or can we see this unborn as pre-human--having no spiritual life of its own yet--as something that is similar to all the seeds in a man's semen--just pre-life--that can be disposed of without consequence? Or more complex, higher than the seed, but just a developing but not yet human pre-human?
     This is not an easy subject. It brings with it the age-old arguments about when human life begins, as well as apparently conflicting passages in the Writings. I feel that it is important that Dr. Iungerich's book and Mr. Holm's paper be available and offered to those who inquire, in the same spirit my Uncle George responded to me." This is not my view, but it may be what you are looking for." With respect and charity we can all accept that the Lord's way is the true way, and a merciful one, whatever our shallow understanding of it might be.

God from His love contemplates the continuous perfecting of that form by myriads of beings still to be born, His mercy sustaining each soul thereof from the moment of conception that it may continue immortal and enter freely into that communion. The dower given to each at this exordium is an unfailing promise of the achievement of the end.

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For that is why ... the Lord conjoins Himself to man in the mother's womb from first conception, and forms him (Iungerich, The Soul and Its Representations, n. 741).

     ENDNOTES

     9 Cooper, Becky Fuller, Theta Alpha Journal, Spring 1980
     10 Pendleton, Rt. Rev. Willard D., doctrinal class, January 1974

     BIBLIOGRAPHY

Acton, Rev. Alfred, "Providence and the Unborn." Notes and review of The Soul and Its Representations by Eldred Iungerich, New Church Life, October 1937, p. 497.
Acton, Rev. Alfred, "Let's Apply" Theta Alpha Journal, Fall 1983, p. 29.
Acton. Rev. Alfred, "Notes on Passages on When Life Begins," unpublished, Bryn Athyn, PA, The Academy Book Room 1953.
Cooper, Becky Fuller, "Don't Turn a Mistake into a Disaster," Theta Alpha Journal, Spring 1980, p. 23.
de Charms, George, The Growth of the Mind, A New Church Interpretation.
Gandrud, John T, "A Duty of Love," Theta Alpha Journal, Spring 1982, p. 23.
Goodenough, Rev. Daniel, "Let's Apply," T. A. Journal, Fall 19831 p. 30.
Holm, Rev. B. David, "The Eternal Life of the Embryo," New Church Life, May 1990, p. 153.
Iungerich, Eldred E., A Review of The Soul and Its Representations, The New Philosophy, 1 93      7, p. 301.
Ingerich, Eldred E., "The Safeguarding of Foetuses and Infants for Heaven," The New Philosophy, April 1931, p. 344.
Iungerich, Eldred E., The Soul and Its Representations, Bryn Athyn, PA. Published by the author,      1936, and to be had at the Academy Rook Room.
Junge, Rev. Robert S., "Respect for Life," a sermon, Bryn Athyn Cathedral, Bryn Athyn, PA, December 1975.
Maynard-Moony, Steven, The Dilemma of the Fetus: Fetal Research, Medical Process and Moral Politics, New York, St. Martin's Press, 1995.

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McQueen, Lisa, "Abortion: Another Point of View," Theta Alpha Journal, Fall 1977.          
Odhner, Linda Simonetti, "Correspondences of the Developing Human Form," The New Philosophy, January-March 1985, p. 447.
Pendleton, Julie de M. and James Pendleton, "Abortion," New Church Life, 1982, p. 471.
Pendleton, The Rt. Rev. Willard D., "Abortion," A Doctrinal Class, Bryn Athyn, PA, January 18, 1974.
Rogers, Rev. N. Bruce, "Preaching by Women, a communication in New Church Life, June 1997, p. 282.
Rose, Mrs. Kenneth, "Abortion: Is it a Permission? Does it Destroy a Soul?" Theta Alpha Journal, Spring 1983, p. 17.
Sandstrom, Rev. Erik, "Sanctity of Human Life," 1985.
Verny, Thomas, M.D., with John Kelly, The Secret Life of the Unborn Child, New York, 1982, A Dell Publishing
DEMOCRATIC RELIGION 2000

DEMOCRATIC RELIGION       Rev. KENNETH J. ALDEN       2000

     (Reprinted from the British Newsletter.)

     One of the beauties of democracy is that it does not set one group of people above another. It endeavors to treat all equally, so that one class of people does not get a set of rights while another class is deprived of those rights.
     This principle of democracy could derive its beauty from the idea that we should love our neighbor as ourselves, and do to them as we wish they would do to us. It may remind us that we should call no one our father but our Father in heaven.
     There is, however, a fallacy in the democratic ideal. It shows up when we move from loving our neighbor equally (i.e. "as ourselves") to treating them equally.

423



     Most people recognize that the simple democratic ideal does not wholly apply, for example, to children, people see that adults should love and respect children just because they are human beings, but that children must not be given the same rights and responsibilities as adults because they do not have the maturity to handle them safely and wisely. Further, most people recognize that parents have a responsibility to restrict the freedom of children for the sake of their safety and well-being, and that of others.
     The simple democratic ideal can be very destructive when misapplied. I was struck by this "dark side of democracy" when reading the three-part paper by Rev. Brian W. Keith in New Church Life entitled "The Secularization of Religious Colleges and Universities." There he reviewed research which showed a tendency for religious colleges and universities to broaden their base to be inclusive of an ever-greater diversity of faculty and students. In giving an answer to the question "Why did churches let this happen?" Mr. Keith writes: "A large part of the answer lies in the fact that the pietistic movement emphasized external behaviors over any creed or belief. With such an emphasis upon the kind of life a person led, to the exclusion of any belief system, it was relatively easy for institutions to pay less and less attention to the philosophy or beliefs that distinguish them from other denominations, religions, and even non-belief. So the gradual shift from the denomination's faith, to being called 'Christian,' to being 'religious,' to finally being 'socially responsible' did not arouse any worries in the denominations. By reducing religion to morality and sentiment, the churches overlooked fundamental changes in their colleges and universities" (NCL, April 2000, p. 165).
     It seems that people easily justified this shift by recognizing that deeds are more telling than creeds, and life is more important than faith.
     A New Church onlooker might feel that this recognition is a good thing, because where charity is regarded as essential, doctrinal differences should not divide, and besides, people of all religions can go to heaven.

424


In fact, it may be difficult to notice that a fallacy has been operating in this line of thinking until we notice that not only is the dirty bath-water gone, but so is the baby! There's no religious intolerance because there's no religion! Something good has been destroyed.
     Although faith alone is evil and wars of hatred in the name of religion are wicked, we must not forget that faith has a vital role to play in life.
     Life without faith is like a body without lungs or a mind without understanding. Faith is that which is needed to make good spiritual, and to make a moral life saving. We need to shun evils as sins against God to enter heaven. We need to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to enter into the higher joys of heaven. For example, the principle of monogamous marriage could not be integral to the founding of the Jewish Church or Mohammedan Religion, only to the founding of the Christian Church; nor could the full hope of true married love be revived with the Christian Church, only with the Second Advent of the Lord.
     The full strength of the Lord's redemptive power is needed to withhold us from the evils and falsities that preclude monogamy and true married love. The Lord had many things He could not reveal to the disciples (see John 16:12), but which He has revealed at His Second Advent. These things, when lived, use that strength and allow a fuller reception of His blessings--including the restoration of that love into which are gathered all joys and delights from first to last. Faith does give quality to good when good is formed by that faith and fills it.
     Living as we do in a democratic society, there is constant reinforcement of the idea that we should define things according to the lowest common denominator so that we can be as broad and inclusive as possible. And we do want to be one through charity, and not be divided by differences of doctrine! But because charity is charity only when married to faith, the dismissal of doctrine in order to eliminate doctrinal differences only destroys charity and leaves us with natural good.

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     On this level, the moral atheist is as respectable as the moral believer. If no distinction is seen, salvation is lost to all those who become as the moral atheist.
     If I may confirm this point by an analogy, we might say that differences between birds should not prevent them from flocking together. But if birds paired off without regards to species, no eggs would be hatched and all species would have none to replace them when they died off.
     The fact is, charity is strongest and most loving when it is married to faith and guided by true doctrine. Like the organs of the body which have distinct forms and functions, the churches of the world and the societies in the churches ought to have distinct doctrines and uses. And like the body whose health is not threatened by the existence of distinct: organs, so a country's or the human race's health should be strengthened by the presence of distinct churches.
     May we contribute to the health of society in the United Kingdom by learning well the doctrine of the New Church, by holding fast to the general and distinctive truths we see there, and by doing the good to which those truths lead. Let us not be caught out by the fallacy of the simple democratic ideal and define our religion in such broad terms that its distinctiveness, its uses and its spirituality are lost.
IN FINLAND, A BOOK RELATING TO THE WRITINGS 2000

IN FINLAND, A BOOK RELATING TO THE WRITINGS              2000

     We do not know of any book relating to Swedenborg to be published in Finland in more than half century. It is good news that a new book has now been published. The title is Clavis Hieroglyphica (The Hieroglyphic Key). The author, Jyrki Siukonen, writes, "I wanted to introduce Swedenborg to the academic public ... and offer a possibility to understand Swedenborg's work in the context of 17th and 18th century philosophy."

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DON'T SCORN TO SERVE 2000

DON'T SCORN TO SERVE       Editor       2000

     In our August editorial we spoke of the persistent illusion that having power will bring happiness, and we alluded to the saying in the Doctrine of Charity that one should "not scorn to serve" (Char. 172). It is a kind of paradox. One can have a longing to be in a position of power and authority, and one can at the same time find the thought of merely "serving" as humiliating--something to be scorned.
     The Lord once posed the wonderful question: "Who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves', Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves" (Luke 22:27).
     In a human relationship, who is boss and who is servant? I have some old memories of dealing with "civil servants" in European countries. A generalization I once entertained was that in one country a civil servant felt free to insult you and order you around. In another country the same official would be "at your service." This was probably an oversimplification on my part.
     I recently spent some days in hospital. Is your attending nurse your boss or is she at your service? She can choose either attitude. I was impressed with a notable willingness to be of service, which brings out the best in all concerned.
     We may have our illusions about power and service, but the Lord is inviting us to a better understanding of what it is to function in this world and in the heaven which He intends.
TRANSLATIONS OF HEAVEN AND HELL 2000

TRANSLATIONS OF HEAVEN AND HELL       Editor       2000

     On the second floor of the Swedenborg Library in Bryn Athyn, one can find volumes of the Writings in several tongues. In the section devoted to the book Heaven and Hell one finds the French, Du Ciel et De L'enfer; German, Himmel und Holle; Hungarian, Menny es Pokel; Spanish, El cielo y sus Marvavillas yel Infierno; in Zulu, Nezimangaliso Zala Nesihogo; Swedish, Himlen och Helvetet.

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From Brazil there is a relatively new volume in Portuguese, O ceu eo Inferno; in Icelandic, Himminn og el. (I have seen a copy of this book in Arabic.)
     The Swedenborg Society in London is the best source of copies of the Writings in different languages.
     When the work was translated by John Ager a hundred years ago, he inserted this translator's note: "It might be inferred from the title of this work that it deals simply with the phenomena of the spiritual world and its three distinct regions. But it will be seen that in its deeper meaning and purpose it sets forth the true relations and the disordered relations between man and man, or the heavenly life and the internal life as exhibited in human experience everywhere."
TRANSLATION OF THE LORD'S PRAYER 2000

TRANSLATION OF THE LORD'S PRAYER       David B. Fuller       2000

Dear Editor:

     Thank you for encouraging the recent discussion of the Lord's Prayer in New Church Life. I find the topic timely, interesting and applicable (particularly the June editorial "History of a New Church Version of the Lord's Prayer").
     I am particularly interested in the use of the terms "debts" versus "trespasses." In the same issue, the alternative of "sins" was also mentioned.
     My wife and I recently researched the topic. We grew up with different English versions of the Lord's Prayer and wanted to come together with a version to recite with our young children. We have found another term as an alternative to "debts," "trespasses'' or "sins" that works well for us.

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     I grew up with the traditional New Church version of the Lord's Prayer. My wife grew up with a traditional Roman Catholic version. Each of us is deeply attached to our own version of this important prayer. I cannot find anywhere Swedenborg spells out a complete New Church version of the Lord's Prayer. We first wrestled with the common disparity of "debts" versus "trespasses" and then the Luke version versus the Matthew version. We quickly realized that many of the differences arose from different translations of the Lord's Prayer into English. Unfortunately, neither of us has the scholarly background to read this text in the original language.
     We researched different translations of the Lord's Prayer. As you know, one of the obvious differences in the New Church version is the sequence "as in heaven, so upon the earth" rather than the more common (outside the New Church) "on earth as it is in heaven." The same editorial in NCL mentions that the word order in the original Greek is the reason for the New Church version.
     Searching through different translations of the New Testament, I found one that interested me immediately because it followed the same sequence as the New Church "on earth as in heaven" (most translations did not). This translation is by George M. Lamsa.* I am not a biblical scholar. However, I found this translation particularly interesting because of two phrases in the Lord's Prayer that are different from the New Church version that I am familiar with. These phrases have proven very useful for our household prayer.
* George M. Lamsa, Holy Bible--From the Ancient Eastern Text, Harper, San Francisco, 1967.
     Firstly, instead of "forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors," this translation reads "forgive us our offenses as we forgive our offenders." I find this much easier to apply to my daily life. While I am sure the term "debts" is accurate, I believe the term has come to be more limited in current use, perhaps coloring the meaning differently than in earlier usage.

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     Secondly, instead of "lead us not into temptation," this translation reads "do not let us enter into temptation." To me this different translation changes the request significantly. Instead of asking the Lord not to lead us into temptations that we cannot endure, this different form asks that we ale not let into temptations that are beyond us.
     We want to have an English version of the Lord's Prayer that is scripturally correct yet inspirational to our family. These phrases seem to be helpful in that pursuit.
     I welcome any insight, correction or constructive criticism from the readers of New Church Life on this important topic.
     David B. Fuller, D.O.,
     Bay Minette, Alabama
OAK ARBOR POSITION AVAILABLE 2000

OAK ARBOR POSITION AVAILABLE              2000

     The Oak Arbor Church Board of Directors has formally approved the establishment of a part-time position and job description for an employee who would be responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of society-owned facilities, particularly the new church, school and social hall.
     The board asked that I serve as its representative to receive and review applications and r?sum?s from interested persons, conduct interviews, and essentially present a very short list of recommended candidates for final board approval and employment.
     As the new building is nearing completion, we are interested in filling the position as soon as possible, but will keep it open until a suitable candidate is found. Interested persons are encouraged to respond promptly. Please contact Michael P. Tyler, Treasurer, 340 Oak Arbor Drive, Rochester, MI 48306, or phone 248-650-1917; e-mail [email protected]; fax 248-650-0598.

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CHARTER DAY 2000 2000

              2000




     Announcements






     October 20-22

The Academy of the New Church welcomes back alumni, students and friends to renew old memories and create new ones during the celebration of the 123rd anniversary of the granting of the Academy charter.
     The theme for this year's program will be community service in our secondary schools and college and how it illuminates part of the rainbow spectrum of charity. The toastmaster will be the Rev. Dr. Reuben Bell, and the program will feature students and their service projects.
     A complete agenda for the weekend will be mailed to alumni and friends as an insert in the Alumni Update, scheduled to be mailed in early September.
     Banquet tickets--$15.00 for adults and $6.00 for students--may be purchased from Mira Yardumian at the Academy Development Office, P.O. Box 708, Bryn Athyn, PA or by calling 215-938-2663.

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Notes on This Issue 2000

Notes on This Issue              2000


Vol. CXX          October, 2000           No. 10
New Church Life


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     In November of 1998 we had an article by Dr. Reuben Bell called "Lillian Beekman, Unfinished Business." Dr. Bell encouraged further exploration of the story of this brilliant woman of the early 1900s. We have resolved to print material by Miss Beekman, and we readied one of her studies for this issue. We could not quite fit it in, and it is slated for the next issue. Now we invite admirers of Miss Beekman to see if there are particularly interesting items by her which we may also consider for publication.
     We are still in the afterglow of this past summer's assembly in Canada. We start this issue with the address to the assembly by Rt. Rev. Alfred Acton.
     Sometimes writers who submit articles for our pages wait a long time. This is especially true if the article is a long one. We would like to thank Louise Beebe-Thornton for her patience as well as for the article, which was originally written for another purpose but which we have adapted for this magazine.
     We would call attention to two announcements in this issue. One on a women's gathering to be held next February is on page 475). The other is a description of a job opportunity at the Bryn Athyn Cathedral (p. 480).
     Three books are reviewed in this issue. They are The Story of Christendom by Erik Odhner, Spirituality That Makes Sense by Douglas Taylor, and Debates with Devils by Don Rose.
New Church School Dedicated in Colorado 2000

New Church School Dedicated in Colorado              2000

     We can add one more New Church elementary school to the nine schools we usually report on in our December issue. To the schools in Bryn Athyn, PA; Durban, South Africa; Glenview, IL; Kempton, PA; Kitchener, Ontario, Canada; Oak Arbor, MI; Pittsburgh, PA; Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and Washington, DC, we now add the new school in Boulder, Colorado, which was dedicated in September.
UNITY IN VARIETY 2000

UNITY IN VARIETY       Rev. ALFRED ACTON       2000

     AN ASSEMBLY ADDRESS

Bishop Buss, Friends.
"Many Faces, One Heart." Thank you, Doris and Company.1
1 This address at the assembly was preceded by a song written by Doris Ferr that was accompanied by snapshots of people in our world-wide church displayed in sync on two large screens.
     Assemblies in the New Church both in the past and today serve the same essential uses as social gatherings in the early Christian Church. Listen to this passage from the True Christian Religion: "In the primitive church of such as called themselves brethren in Christ [social gatherings] were ... assemblies of charity, because there was spiritual brotherhood. They were also a consolation in the adversities of the church, seasons of rejoicing on account of its increase, recreations of mind after study and labor, and at the same time opportunities for conversation on various subjects; and as they flowed from spiritual love as from a fountain, they were rational and moral from a spiritual origin" (TCR 434).
     Consolation in times of adversity! Think for a minute of the first General Church Assembly. The church had just completed a bitter separation from Bishop Benade, the man who had spearheaded the Academy movement from which we take our spiritual principles. Was there not real need then for "consolation in adversity"?--a time to rally around a new leader, Bishop W. F. Pendleton, who would soon put the principles of the Academy into written form, principles which are best summarized by the slogan "The Writings are the Word."
     Today we may take exception to some of Bishop Pendleton's formulation, but the slogan remains. There is but one single source for leadership in our church: the Lord God Jesus Christ, now visible in His Word which establishes His kingdom that will endure for ages of ages. We have but one constitution, the Writings themselves. Change in the church must rest on our understanding of this New Revelation or the church will perish.

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     The rejection of Bishop Benade actually reinforced this simple truth: we follow no man. We follow the Lord as revealed in His Word. As such we expect those individuals whom we have chosen to lead our church to be our servants. They help us achieve the Lord's purpose in our creation: a heaven from the human race. To succeed in this goal we need: first, a strong adult membership dedicated to spiritual growth based on doctrine; second, an emphasis on promoting the welfare of those young people born into the sphere of the church; and third, an equal emphasis on inviting people from the world around us to enter into the life of our church. All three of these objectives must be bound together by a fourth factor: an appreciation of the varied talents of all our membership; and fifth, by a spirit of charity among us, which looks to utilizing this expertise in the practice of the uses our church has undertaken, and in the development of new uses.
     Without these basic ingredients our gatherings actually would be more like those described later in the same passage from the True Christian Religion, which reads: "But social gatherings where friendship emulating charity does not bring minds together are nothing but pretenses of friendship, deceptive attestations of mutual love, seductive insinuations into favor, and sacrifices offered to the delights of the body, especially the sensual, whereby people are carried away like ships by sails and favoring currents, while sycophants and hypocrites stand in the stern and hold the helm" (TCR 434).
     It's easy to think of other assemblies where "consolation in times of adversity" was the dominant need. For example: the Joint Council meetings of 1916 where there was great controversy in the church over the nature of the spiritual world, and in 1937 when the assembly elected Bishop de Charms, only to see this act lead to the separation of the Nova Hierosolyma from our midst.
     But tonight it is not my purpose to dwell on adversity. Instead I want to ask you to rejoice with me in the steady increase of our church.

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Obviously our church is still with the very few, but I believe we can rejoice in the steps we have taken so far to master the tasks necessary for us to reach out to the many. We are a church in the wilderness, a church seeking to establish love to the Lord God Jesus Christ in a world more concerned with fellowship, a church with a celestial message in a world which at best is spiritual. But we trust that the Lord is with us. He is guiding our efforts to restore to people the celestial qualities of innocence based on wisdom and peace found in the life of true usefulness as we delight in the restoration of love truly conjugial.
     Looking at our history, we can rejoice in the steps that we have taken to meet the gentiles who, revelation assures us, will become the "many" as the church grows. We now have a clear understanding of the nature of the Word with us. Its threefold structure is our inspiration, the source of our spiritual life. We have a governmental form that is flexible and can meet the demands of growth. We have a structure for church government that will provide for the voluntary nature of our church and the spirit of freedom that has followed the Last Judgment, without destroying the ability for the exercise of leadership through council and assembly. We believe in government by influx, a government that allows the presence of the Lord to fill the various uses that the church is now able to undertake. Also our structure has the necessary checks and balances that curtail the individual propriums of our membership. We need not fear various fads which, when viewed from doctrine, cannot prevail. Nor do we fear our inadequacy in proclaiming the new gospel. We no longer wish to hide behind the appearance that we are just another Christian sect. We have begun to forge the sword of doctrine as it applies to life issues with a message of celestial love which appeals to those the Lord has prepared to join us, namely the gentiles, both those born in our midst and the many unconfirmed Christians in the world around us. Gentiles are not interested in fighting the heresies of the former faith. Truth that fights evil is what is necessary for them, the truth of our New Revelation as applied to life.

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We stand ready to embrace newcomers, to involve them in the life of the church, not just as new members who will serve us.
     The holy city New Jerusalem has twelve gates, where: "twelve" means all things constituting the faith that belongs to charity, that is, faith springing from charity. The twelve ways to be a part of the church reflect all possible ways. In other words, as the church grows, there will be greater and greater variety within it. Already we can see this variety blossoming. Tonight let us rejoice in this variety. For ill variety there is perfection. Hear this passage from Heaven and Hell: "It is worthy of mention that the greater the number in any society in heaven and the more these make a one, the more perfect is its human form, for variety arranged in a heavenly form is what constitutes perfection, and number gives variety. Moreover, every society of heaven increases in number daily, and as it increases it becomes more perfect. Thus not only the society becomes more perfect, but also heaven in general, because it is made up of societies. As heaven gains in perfection by increase of numbers, it is evident how mistaken those are who believe that heaven may be closed by becoming full; for the opposite is true, that it will never be closed, but is perfected by greater and greater fullness. Therefore, the angels desire nothing so much as to have new angel guests come to them" (HH 71).
     The same spirit must rule in our church. We welcome those who join with us in love to the Lord.
     The Word gives us several examples of variety that brings unity. Consider the rainbow given as the Lord's covenant with Noah. Think of the rich blend of colors that come together in the sky, a single thing formed from the harmony of many parts. Or think of a beautiful garden here on earth and then of those in paradise as described by Swedenborg in the Arcana. "As regards the gardens of paradise, these are breath-taking. Such gardens are to be seen, of vast extent, consisting of trees of every kind, and so beautiful and lovely as to surpass everything imaginable.

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These are presented so vividly before the eyes of spirits of angels that they not merely see them but even perceive the details far more vividly than the sight of the eye can take such things in on earth. To prevent my having any doubt about it, I too have been taken there .... Every single thing growing there appears at its loveliest as in spring and blossom-time, with astounding magnificence and variety" (AC 1622)--one garden, great variety!
     Or consider the beautiful harmony of angelic choirs: "Angelic choirs were once praising the Lord and doing so with heartfelt joy. Their praises were heard sometimes as sweet singing, for to one another, spirits and angels have resounding voices and they hear one another as well as people hear one another. But no human singing, however heavenly its sweetness and harmony, can compare with that of those angelic choirs. From the variety of sound I perceived that there were many choirs" (AC 3893)--many voices, one choir!
     But the most marvelous example of variety establishing unity is the human form. Think how all our different parts, each filled with the soul, enter into a single action under the direction of the mind seated in the brain.
     Heaven is in the same human form. It is called the maximus homo, usually translated "grand man," but meaning the most complete human. This heavenly body consists of all angels, but it is the Divine of the Lord that makes it one. The Lord is as the soul in the body, giving life to all its varied members. But there are governors in heaven, people who direct the various societies in the performance of their uses. Governors as a part of the body serve as the nervous system that directs action. But of course the variety of heaven covers all the uses of heaven. As a single body has many cells, tissues, organs and the like, so heaven has its own indefinite variety. So we read: "In addition it should be realized that [in heaven] one community is never utterly and completely like another, nor one member within a community like any other member. Instead, unanimous and harmonious variety of all exists, and these variations have been so ordered by the Lord that they strive toward one single end, which is attained through love and faith in Him.

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From this arises their unity. For the same reason one heaven and form of heavenly joy is never utterly and completely like another. Indeed, variations in love and faith are what determine the nature of heaven and its joy" (AC 690).
     The church on earth, like heaven, is in the human form. The Lord is its soul flowing into the hearts of all its members with life-giving love. The uses of the church rest in its collective mind, while the governors of the church are its nervous system. So the church is perfected by variety that has its unity in love to the Lord.
     But we are warned not to embrace variety just for the sake of variety. There is destructive variety as well as heavenly variety. In one passage destructive variety is termed diversity and is contrasted with heavenly variety as follows: "The angelic heaven hangs together as a unified whole, yet it exhibits an infinite variety, in that no two people there are ever entirely alike--not in their souls and minds, nor in their affections, perceptions and consequent thoughts, nor in their inclinations and consequent intentions, nor in the sounds of their voices, facial features, physical characteristics, gestures or manner of walk. But still, even though there are millions of them, they have been organized and are continually being organized by the Lord into a single body, in which there is complete unanimity and harmony. This would not be possible except for the fact that all those various sorts of people are led, universally and individually, by the same one God. That is what we mean here by variety. By diversity, on the other hand, we mean the differences in contrast to those varieties which exist in hell. For the people there are collectively and individually diametrically opposite to those who are in heaven, and the hell formed of them is held together as a unified whole by variations among them completely contrary to the variations in heaven, thus by their perpetual disparities" (CL 324). Love to the Lord and the neighbor make heaven, while the loves of self and the world produce the diversity of hell.

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This latter diversity is illustrated in the story of the tower of Babel. People trying to reach heaven without the Lord's help lose their unity of language in the diversity of many tongues. They babble.
     Of course, the human body does not begin with perfect variety except in potential. The soul begins its differentiation at conception with a single cell and a genetic code that will guide its development.
     At first, as cells divide there is a great deal of sameness. The same thing was true with the early New Church. Its members at first were all of European Protestant heritage. Forms of worship were based on a single Protestant source. The church saw itself isolated in the wilderness, a holding action linking heaven with earth. Its way of life was similar around the world. For example, do you recall the "New Church whistle"? It was a special whistle used in the early nineteen hundreds to identify oneself as a New Church person in a crowd. It worked because the church was so small everyone knew it. Take another example: In the early General Church, to be a "real" New Church person you had to be a homeopath, use a Wilcox and Gibbs sewing machine, and vote Republican if you lived in the United States--certainly examples of sameness!
     Next, as the body is being formed, the head with its brain becomes the dominant feature. It seems much too big for the person who will eventually appear. It is again the same with the New Church as an organization. In looking at our history we see our small church with a passion for everyone to do "head" stuff. And our organization seemed far too top-heavy. But this stage is passing. Just as the embryo becomes a fetus and its many parts develop, so the church even now is adding new variety to its form. We must welcome this variety, trusting that it is not mere diversity. But as we continue to grow, we need not be upset should various forms not suit us. The heart would never be happy in trying to serve as the stomach. In fact, the greater the variety, the greater the freedom to find one's own niche in the church.

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     Take another example: the first European settlers in North America were a tiny enclave. They had to fill all their needs, serving as their own doctors, their own farmers, their own blacksmiths, etc. As more and more settlers arrived, the people could give up the tasks they did not enjoy and welcome those who allowed them to specialize in their own loves. Of course some kept moving west, not choosing specialization, but newcomers actually allowed perfection in uses just as newcomers to the church will allow for perfection in our reflection of love to the Lord. Each of us gains as the church increases.
     Eventually a baby is born and grows to adulthood. So also with the church. Eventually we will have gained sufficient variety to reach out to the great number of gentiles still ignorant of the Writings, and so grow to adulthood.
     We know that it is not permitted to see the operations of Providence in the present, but we are indeed able to see them as we look at our history. As we see how our church has followed the pattern of normal organic growth, our numbers need not discourage us. Instead we can rejoice in the increasing variety within the church as the celestial of love to the Lord thrives.
     The Lord Himself has told us why church growth will be slow. "There are several reasons why this New Church that is called the Holy Jerusalem will first begin with a few, afterwards to be with more, and finally to reach fullness. First, its doctrine, which is the doctrine of love to the Lord and charity toward the neighbor, cannot be acknowledged and thus received except by those who are interiorly affected by truths, and those only can be interiorly affected by truths who have the ability to see them, and those only see truths who have cultivated their intellectual faculty and have not destroyed it in themselves by the loves of self and of the world. A second reason is that the doctrine of that church cannot be acknowledged and thence received but by those who have not confirmed themselves by doctrine and at the same time by life in faith alone; confirmation by doctrine alone does not prevent reception, but confirmation by life also does prevent, for such do not know what love to the Lord is, nor what charity toward the neighbor is, nor are they willing to know.

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A third reason is that the New Church on the earth grows according to its increase in the world of spirits, for spirits from that world are with people, and they are from such as while they lived on earth were in the faith of their church, and none of these receive the doctrine but those who have been in the spiritual affection of truth; these only are conjoined to heaven where that doctrine is, and they conjoin heaven to man. The number of these in the spiritual world now increases daily, therefore according to their increase does that church that is called the New Jerusalem increase on earth. These also were the reasons why the Christian Church, after the Lord had left the world, increased so slowly in Europe, and did not attain to its fullness until an age had elapsed" (AE 733:2, 3).
     It seems as though we are now at the stage of "the more.'' If we at this stage of our growth work with the Lord, He will lead us in our increase to fullness.
     The Crown of Revelations is with us. Its gems of truth, like the gates of the holy city, are there for all people. Most assuredly He will come quickly, where "quickly" means for certain. Hear His voice: "'Behold, I come quickly' signifies that this is certain. This is evident from the signification of 'quickly' as being certainty and fullness. 'Quickly' signifies certainty and fullness because time and all things pertaining to time in the Word signify states; therefore 'quickly' and 'speedily' signify a present state of affection and of thought therefrom, consequently certainty and fullness" (AE 216).
     The Lord's words "Behold, I come quickly" are followed by the phrase "hold that fast which you have that no one take your crown." Each of us has our own understanding of the Word. Each of us contributes to the crown that is the New Church. Our crown has great variety with its shilling gems. Its variety will increase as the church does.

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But the crown is held together by gold, the gold of celestial love to the Lord and mutual love to one another. Let us pray that our crown will increase as we hold fast to that crown which the Lord has given us.
NEWS ON LINCOLN 2000

NEWS ON LINCOLN       RICHARD R. GLADISH       2000

     Here we present a description of a Fourth of July celebration at which Abraham Lincoln delivered two speeches or addresses never printed or otherwise described. Our informant for this event is (or was) a New Church minister, the Rev. John Randolph Hibbard (1815-] 894), who described the event in his "Reminiscences of a Pioneer" in the New Jerusalem Messenger of January 30, 1884, p. 67, found in the Swedenborg Library, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009. We quote from his account as follows:
     "At Springfield we remained for a week or more to rest after our long and fatiguing journey. Here I first met that remarkable man, Abraham Lincoln.
     "The Fourth of July occurred during the week after our arrival, and was celebrated by a 'barbecue' and Sunday School festival. Mr. Lincoln was the orator of the day. The adult population from far and near assembled in the hall of the House of Representatives where the oration was to be given. Hon. I. S. Britton, state superintendent of common schools, and the most prominent New Churchman in Springfield, and an intimate friend of Mr. Lincoln, accompanied me.
     "We arrived early at the hall, and found Mr. Lincoln in one of the ante-rooms, and after an introduction we remained in conversation until the time arrived for the exercises to commence.

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After prayer by a clergyman present, Mr. Lincoln rose, set his chair before him, his hand on the back of it, unconsciously raised his right leg over the chair back, set his right foot in the chair, and began to speak. He soon changed his position and stood erect. He appeared to me at first to be embarrassed by the magnitude of his subject and the greatness of the thoughts that came to him. But I soon forgot his awkward manner, and became entirely absorbed in the subject 'Our Country and Its Destiny' .... I have heard many Fourth of July orations, but never one that so deeply interested me. After the address, all formed in procession and marched a half mile to a grove where the children of the Sunday Schools in the vicinity were gathered with their teachers. Here several short addresses were made to the children, and among others, Mr. Lincoln was asked to address them, and did so. The other addresses were tame compared with his. I was astonished at the man. I had never seen nor heard of him until that morning. He was then unknown to fame. But his address to those three hundred children, if it had been printed and published as delivered, would have made his name immortal in the admiration and love of parents and children....
     "After the addresses came the feast. The fire pit in which the sheep and the 'young ox, tender and good' were roasting was uncovered, and the contents served by ready and willing hands to the children and adults seated in long rows on the grassy slopes ... cool[ed] by the shadows of the trees."
     In his hitherto unpublished study, Abraham Lincoln 's Fourth of July Addresses and His Encounters with Swedenborgians, Dr. Wayne C. Temple, Chief Deputy Director, Illinois State Archives, author of Abraham Lincoln: From Skeptic to Prophet (Mayhaven Publishing, Mahomet IL) notes that no other description or notice of the 1845 Springfield Fourth of July addresses of Lincoln is known. He also records information on Rev. John Hibbard, the New Church, and its operation in the midwest of 1845-1876.

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Graduate Nursing Research--A Phenomenological Approach: THE EXPERIENCE OF ANGER IN ADULT CHRISTIAN WOMEN1 2000

Graduate Nursing Research--A Phenomenological Approach: THE EXPERIENCE OF ANGER IN ADULT CHRISTIAN WOMEN1       LOUISE ANN BEEBE-THORNTON, R.N., B.S.N., B.A       2000

     All human beings experience anger. Ekman (as cited in Thomas, 1990) found that "anger is included in almost all listings of the primary emotions of human beings, and it is one of the six emotions with identifiable facial expressions across cultures, along with fear, sadness, surprise, disgust, and joy" (p. 204). Thomas (as cited in Smith, 1996) defines anger as "an emotional reaction to an event, situation, or behavior that is unwanted and offends one's values, beliefs, or human rights" (p. 22). Webster's Dictionary defines anger as a "strong feeling of displeasure and usually of antagonism" (p. 44). The continuum ranges from irritation through hostility to rage. Dictionary synonyms include ire, rage, fury, indignation, and wrath.
     1 A pilot qualitative research study was conducted of the experience of anger in two adult Christian women. The results indicated anger was incompatible with Christian doctrines, similar to the relationship of oil and vinegar. Their experience evolved over a lifetime and was characterized by an ongoing struggle between these two conflicting factors.
     Understanding anger is of concern to nurses for several reasons. There is a major void in the knowledge and understanding of this phenomenon, although the association of anger and health risks is known. Nurses lack proficiency in dealing constructively with this emotion (Thomas, 1997). As nurses encounter angry patients, they need to understand how the individuals perceive, interpret and react to this experience. Finally, as the vast majority of citizens in our culture are Christians and women, it is appropriate to study the experience of anger in adult Christian women. According to the 1997 Statistical Abstract of the United States (1997, p.70), a total of 83% of Americans professed to be Christians in 1995, 58% Protestant and 25% Catholic.

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If approximately five out of six Americans are Christian, perhaps five out of six patients are also Christians. Based on the 1990 Census, the U. S. Bureau of the Census reported that women comprised 51% of the total population. Of these women, 36% were between ages 25 and 54.2.
     2 http://wwwcensus.gov/statab/frq/98s0014.txt
     The purpose of this pilot qualitative study was to gain an understanding of the relationship of Christian women's anger to doctrine, beliefs, and practices. The research question explored was: What is the experience of anger in adult Christian women? Two adult Christian women participated in this research study.

     Literature Review




     What is the adult Christian woman's experience of anger? It is unknown. While the key words "anger" and "angry" can be found in the Bible hundreds of times according to Eerdmans Analytical Concordance (1988), the experience is never described. A literature search of the Medline and CINAHL (health care professional) data bases shows that anger has been studied extensively. The number of qualitative research studies is sparse compared to the vast majority of quantitative studies. Most important, none of the qualitative or quantitative studies of anger identified include any mention of Christianity.
     Why is the subject of anger important? Because it is associated with known health risks that have potential personal implications. The most frequently encountered topic in the literature relates anger to some form of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The American Heart Association (AHA) categorizes CVD as coronary heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, rheumatic fever heart disease, congenital heart defects, or miscellaneous conditions such as arrhythmias. It has been the number one killer every year in the United States since 1900 (except for the 1918 flu pandemic) and kills annually more than the next seven leading causes of death combined.

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One out of every 14.5 deaths is due to stroke. Approximately one fifth of Americans have one or more types of cardiovascular disease (for example, 50% have coronary heart disease). As specifically related to women, in 1 996 47.3% of CVD deaths were of women, 64% of the women who died suddenly of coronary heart disease had no prior symptoms, 42% of women with a diagnosed heart attack died within one year, and 60.9% of deaths due to stroke were of women. The AHA estimated the 1999 direct and indirect costs of CVD at an eye-catching $286.5 billion.3
     3 http.//www.americanheart.org.statistics.htm
     Limited research has been conducted specifically for the purpose of identifying if an association exists between anger and cardiovascular disease in women. The results are mixed. Some research does point to an association. Suppressed anger and hostile attitudes predicted women's carotid atherosclerosis in midlife (Matthews, 1998). Gender affected diastolic blood pressure cardiovascular reactivity (Shapiro, 1995). Anxiety and anger at baseline, along with a parental history of hypertension, predicted a later onset of hypertension in middle-aged women (Markovitz, 1991). Higher waist-to-hip ratios in middle-aged women were associated with higher anger levels, anxiety and depression, and were an integral component of a cardiovascular risk profile (Wing, 1991). Hostile attributes, fasting insulin, and midlife weight gain may have contributed to developing visceral adipose tissue (obesity) in healthy Caucasian women, and influenced cardiovascular morbidity and mortality (Raikkonen, 1999). Other studies showed no association. Hostility was related to personality and cardiovascular response to stress in men, but not women or boys (Engebretson, 1992). Heightened hostility ratings of men more than women may have accounted for increased coronary heart disease risk in men (Matthews, 1992). There were no interactive effects of hostility and anger on blood pressure in women (Spicer, 1996). A correlation existed between men's coping style (including anger expression) and cardiac autonomic function, but not in women (Ramaekers, 1998).

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Anxiety and anger predicted later hypertension in middle-aged men, but not women (Markovitz, 1993).
     In general, studies report overall results without a specific breakdown by sex. A poor ability to experience and express emotions (alexithymia) was associated with elevated blood pressure (Jula, 1999). There were no significant differences in anxiety and expression in patients with life-threatening ventricular anhythmias (Keren, 1991). The easily aroused anger and hostility found in Type A behavior may be critical in predisposing individuals to coronary artery disease (Dembrowski, 1985). Suppressed anger was related to hypertension even after controlling for age, social class, and obesity (Dimsdale, 1986). Normotensive individuals at risk for future hypertension with a tendency showed heightened cardiovascular responses to stress (Vogele and Steptoe, 1992). In a study of anger-coping types, blood pressure and all-cause mortality, individuals who suppressed anger toward their spouse were 2.4 times as likely to die versus those who expressed their anger (Julius, 1986). Anger-hostility was one of the most important coronary-prone behaviors of Type A behavior, and that suppressed anger expression may have been the strongest modifier in the relationship between job stress and hypertension (Julius, 1986). Patients with essential hypertension and high plasma renin activity correlated with suppressed anger (Perini, 1992). A significant association existed between atherosclerosis and anger (Deffenbacher, 1996).
     Other research on anger is identified with other health problems. The stress-disease process is multifactorial (Cottington, 1986). Suppressed anger was associated with increased rates of alcohol intoxication, spouse/partner violence, high blood pressure, and heart disease (Deffenbacher, 1996). Patients with intractable pain exhibited a higher incidence of anger inhibition in Pilowsky's (1996) study of pain, anger, and illness behavior. Difficulty in expressing emotion was a major feature of depression.

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Moon (1983) noted anger suppression or release was implicated in cancer where serum IgA levels may have been correlated with tumor mass.
     From a qualitative perspective, Munhall (1993) said women's anger was unrecognized (masked) and instead transformed into more socially acceptable psychosocial and physiological forms of expression. Smith (1996) conducted a literature search and found no studies on nurses' anger. This prompted her to conduct a study of the anger of registered nurses, which found it was used as a shield or weapon for protection from constant attacks in a hostile work environment. She noted the anger was frequently either inappropriately directed or expressed in the extreme. Thomas (1997) concluded that nurses need to learn how to deal constructively with anger to empower them to deal with inequitable assignments, poor institutional policies, and current health-care system stressors. A hostile work environment was the greatest source of anger for male nurses in Brooks' study (1996). Private displays of anger were acceptable but public displays were considered unprofessional.

Christian Doctrines about Anger

     Eerdmans Analytical Concordance (1988) lists the words "anger" or "angry" in more than 275 biblical passages. Ordinary people, priests, kings, prophets, Jesus, and God were said to be angry. (It should be noted that the biblical passages quoted in this paper are all referenced from Eerdmans Analytical Concordance located under the key words "anger" or "angry.")
     The general exhortation is for individuals to refrain from anger. "Now put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander" (Col. 3:8); " ... let every man be quick to hear,... slow to anger, for the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God" (James 1:19, 20); "Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath" (Psalm 37:8); "He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty" (Proverbs 16:32); "Man given to anger causes much transgression" (Proverbs 29:22); "Be not quick to anger, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools" (Ecclesiastes 7:9);

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" ... do not let the sun go down on your anger" (Ephesians 4:26); " . .. let not your anger burn against your servant" (Genesis 44: 18); "Cursed be their anger" (Genesis 49:7); "He who is slow to anger has great understanding" (Proverbs 14:29); " ... a harsh word stirs up anger" (Proverbs 15:1); " ... he who is slow to anger quiets contention" (Proverbs 15:18); "Good sense makes a man slow to anger" (Proverbs 19:11); "Make no friendship with a man given to anger" (Proverbs 22:24); "A fool gives full vent to his anger" (Proverbs 29:11); and " ... lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling" (1 Timothy 2:8).
     The Old Testament frequently mentions the fierce anger of God over His chosen people's delinquent behavior, as well as their fear of its consequences and destructive power. For example, " ... save his life from the fierce anger of the Lord" (Jeremiah 51:45); "On the day of the anger of the Lord none escaped" (Lamentations 2:22); " ... when I execute judgments on you in anger and fury" (Ezekiel 5:15). Psalm 85:5 asks if God will "prolong thy anger to all generations?" While God's anger was frequently kindled against the Jews in the Old Testament, 1 John 2:13 in the New Testament says "he is gracious and merciful and slow to anger."
     Anger is generally associated with negative situations as seen in such passages as "perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger" (2 Co. 12:20), "idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger" (Gal. 5:20), "wrath and anger and clamor and slander" (Eph. 4:31), and "backbiting tongue, angry looks" (Prv. 25:23).
     It appears that being angry is a conscious decision as shown by "thy anger turned away, and thou didst comfort me" (Isa. 12: 1), "for my name's sake I defer my anger" (Isa. 48:9), and "I will be calm, and will no more be angry" (Ezk. 16:42).
     However, some statements seem contradictory, as in "be angry, but sin not: commune with your own hearts" (Ps. 4:4) and "be angry but do not sin" (Eph. 4:26), "because of... his covetousness I was angry" (Isa. 57:17). The reason is that the Bible identifies two types of anger. Although they present similarly, there is a key distinction in that one type arises from evil and the other from good.

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The latter is called zeal or righteous anger. Anger is allowable if righteous, as in the rage of a mother protecting her children from an abductor, or a man protesting he was denied club membership because of racial prejudice.
     One area of agreement between the Catholic and Protestant Christians is that anger is generally associated with evil. For example, Eerdmans (1988) lists the passage "if he is angry, then know that evil is determined." In fact, the Catholic Church considers it one of the seven deadly sins,4 a mortal sin. In the book titled Catechism of the Catholic Church (1994), "By recalling the commandment 'You shall not kill,' our Lord asked for peace of heart and denounced murderous anger and hatred as immoral. Anger is a desire for revenge. To desire vengeance in order to do evil to someone who should be punished is illicit," but it is praiseworthy to impose restitution "to correct vices and maintain justice." If anger reaches the point of a deliberate desire to kill or seriously wound a neighbor, it is gravely against charity; it is a mortal sin. The Lord says, "everyone who is angry with his brother [without a cause] shall be liable to judgment" (p. 554).
     4 http://www.catholic.org/prayer/sin.html
     Catholics and Protestants agree that two biblical forms of anger exist: righteous anger (zeal) arising from good, and unrighteous anger from evil which "cannot be justified." The Writings provide further clarification and explain both types of anger in impressive detail. From Arcana Coelestia 357: "Anger is a general affection resulting from whatever is opposed to self-love." Evil spirits have "a general anger against the Lord, in consequence of evil spirits being in no charity but in hatred, and whoever does not favor self-love and the love of the world excites opposition, which is manifested by anger."
     However, while anger has evil as its origin, zeal has good as its origin. From Apocalypse Explained 693:2: " ... everyone is inflamed with wrath and anger when his love is assaulted, and the delight of his love, for hence comes all wrath and anger, the reason whereof is that the love of everyone is his life, wherefore to hurt the love is to hurt the life, and when this is hurt, a commotion of the mind takes place, which produces wrath and anger.

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The case is similar with the good when their love is assaulted, but with this difference, that with them there is no anger nor wrath but zeal; this zeal is indeed called anger in the Word, although it is not so in reality, but is so called because it appears similar thereto in the external form, while notwithstanding, it is inwardly nothing but charity, goodness, and clemency; wherefore the zeal which appears as anger does not continue any longer than till the person, against whom it was enkindled, repents and turns himself away from the evil. Anger with the evil is of a different nature, for this inwardly conceals in itself hatred and revenge, which they love, wherefore it continues and is rarely extinguished. Hence it follows that anger belongs to those who are in the loves of self and of the world, for such are also in evils of every kind, but zeal belongs to those who are in love to the Lord, and in love toward their neighbor, wherefore zeal regards the salvation of man, but anger his damnation. The evil man, who is angry, also intends the latter, but the good man, who is zealous, intends the former."
     From Arcana Coelestia 8598: "They who are in zeal fight, yet not from any enmity and hostility, but rather from charity; for zeal differs from anger in the fact that zeal has within it the good of charity; and therefore when zeal fights, it merely removes those who are in falsity and evil, to prevent them from hurting those who are in good and truth. On the other hand, anger not only removes them, but also pursues them with hatred and revenge. For from the charity that is in it, zeal wishes well even to those who are in evil and falsity, and also does well to them so far as they do not injure the good. Whereas anger, from the hatred and revenge which are within it, wishes harm to all with whom it fights, whether they be good or evil."

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     From AC 9144: "Evil loves, which are the loves of self and of the world, are consuming fires, for they consume the goods and truths which belong to the life itself.... When these loves are assailed, then fire from the will breaks forth into the understanding and kindles a flame there. This flame is what is called 'anger.' Hence it is that when he is angry, a man is said to 'become heated,' to 'take fire" and to be 'inflamed.' The state of an evil man when angered resembles that of smoke, which, when fire is applied to it, kindles into flame; for the falsity of evil in the understanding is like smoke; and anger is like the flame of the ignited smoke. There is also a correspondence between them, and therefore in the Word 'smoke' denotes what is false, and its 'flame' denotes anger."

     Methodology

Stance of the Researcher

     This study originated from the researcher's lack of understanding of the phenomenon, and an inability to reconcile Christian doctrine with a need to constructively express anger both to avoid health risks and to solve problems. While anger was easily recognized, a German/English heritage granted expression of only positive emotions. Negative emotions were suppressed. As I was the daughter of an Air Force major, displays of anger were considered inappropriate for a lady. The researcher was convinced that other adult Christian women experienced a similar dilemma.

     Research Design

     This pilot study utilized Streubert's(l991) phenomenological method. According to Streubert (1998), "phenomenology is as much a way of thinking or perceiving as it is a method. The goal of phenomenology is to describe lived experience" (p. 45). The phenomenon of anger in a Christian adult woman must be described before it can be understood.
     Qualitative studies, by their very nature, involve few people. The qualitative purposive pilot sample consisted of two professional, married, middle-class, white, American adult (ages 28 and 51), religious Protestant Christian women living in suburban Philadelphia and known to the researcher.

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They were contacted privately by the researcher, making Institutional Review Board approval unnecessary.
     Data collection involved telephone contact and two interviews with each participant. After the initial contact describing the pilot study, each woman received a protocol to review. Verbal and written consent were obtained. Fictitious names (Erica and Joanie) and unique numerical codes (participant 1 and 2) were assigned to protect confidentiality. All data were stored in a secure location. Meetings were held at a location selected by the participant. The first meeting reviewed the inclusion and exclusion criteria. After eligibility was established, a semi-structured interview was conducted. Additional open-ended clarifying questions were asked during the first and other meetings. Each conversation was tape recorded. Verbatim transcripts describing the participant's Christian experience of anger were prepared, coded, categorized by essence, interpreted and analyzed to reach agreement on themes and meaning. These were independently reviewed by colleagues and professors. Credibility was enhanced by providing the participant with a transcript either before or at each subsequent meeting and reviewing essences for confirmation. Dependability and confirmability were achieved via keeping researcher logs and recording notes.

     Research Results

     These Christian adult woman revealed a private and complex experience of ongoing conflict between anger in themselves and Christian teachings to refrain from anger. The metaphor "the unmerry go round" was developed to characterize the situation. The women went "round and round" and "up and down" over a life-time, struggling to reconcile these two opposing forces. The overall similarity of their qualitative themes (essences) and relationships was remarkable as follows:

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     Anger in General
          Anger is negative, evil, and hurtful
          Compatible definitions
          Recognized and unrecognized anger in self
          Force for good or evil
     Anger and Christian Women
          Oil and vinegar co-existence
               Black-and-white biblical interpretation
     No biblical role models
     Cognitive choice
     Reactive behaviors vary
     An evolving experience

     Anger in General

     Anger is negative, evil, and hurtful. Both women described anger as negative, evil, and hurtful. Joanie said it was "something that comes from the devil" and "from original sin." "Everybody is going to have anger to some degree or another." "I don't want to hurt anybody else expressing anger." Erica said, "You could name anger causing people to hurt each other and even cause people to kill each other and start wars and all kinds of things." When angry, she found her thoughts and emotions to be "very negative." "Christians aren't supposed to hurt people, so therefore you don't want to be angry." She recalled being taught "that anger could hurt other people so it was basically bad."
     Compatible definitions. The participants defined anger in ways compatible with the dictionary and researcher definitions. According to Erica, "I would define it in terms of emotion, a range of intense feelings of rage, of hostility, where you are sort of taken over by this negative emotion." Joanie defined it as "a reaction to an event, a behavior, attitude that goes against my grain, my belief."
     Recognized and unrecognized anger in self.

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One area of notable difference between Erica and Joanie was the ability to recognize anger in themselves. Erica freely used the word "angry" during the interviews. It presented as "raising my voice," "feeling clenched," "tightening," "going through negative emotions," "heart racing," face "getting flushed," "being frustrated." Joanie's experience was very different. "Anger is a tough word for me." "I have difficulty in dealing with the word 'anger.' I can't remember when I have felt so much anger as I did frustration, or hurt, or bitterness over something that happened." Joanie confirmed the word "frustration" as a synonym for her anger. When asked how she recognized her anger, "Certainly not that my blood pressure goes up. I guess I cry a lot. That's probably how I express, and not always in front of the person I'm angry or frustrated with." "In my own quiet moments, I think and cry." "I don't sob uncontrollably, but I get quivery. My first reaction is to cry when I get these feelings." "I don't feel like I flush, or get that queasy feeling in my stomach, or anything like that." "I'll never have an ulcer because I don't get upset over things. A lot of people have said they have never seen me angry about anything."
     Force for good or evil. Both women thought of anger as primarily a force for evil. They considered that it could be a force for good only after being asked. "Anger as a force of evil is pretty easy to think about." "As a force for good, it could motivate people to do something good if they were angry about the way other people were treated or they felt justice wasn't being done." Or, if in danger "you got angry, you may actually react better than if just paralyzed with fear." Joanie thought anger could be directed "into a constructive thing instead of a destructive thing."

     Anger and Christian Women

     Through their discussions, the women provided insight into understanding their experience in the context of an adult Christian woman.
     Oil und vinegar co-existence.

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The participants were asked how they would link the words "anger" and "Christian." Joanie responded, "anger and Christian may be opposite forces." "It's God and the devil working in us." "They are poles apart." Erica concurred. "Anger and Christian don't seem to go together at all." She pictured the stereotypical Christian woman as "this kind of docile, sweet, even-tempered, loving, giving person who would never get angry at another person." "Kind, gentle words" would be used to "soothe the beast of the other person." Joanie's approach was somewhat different. "I can't say we shouldn't feel anger, or as I chose to use before, hurt or frustration. I don't think there is a person alive who doesn't have some form of it. It's all in the handling of it."
     Erica reported she didn't "reconcile it [being angry as a Christian woman] very well." "Something I always took for granted was that I had a temper." "It was just who I was." As she became more interested in religion, she felt "it was not a good thing to have a temper" and she "should really try to either control it or suppress it in some way or find another way to express my anger differently than in the past."
     Black-and-white biblical interpretation. Both Joanie and Erica confirmed the researcher's interpretation of their paradigm. If a Christian woman was not angry, she was a better Christian and closer to heaven and vice versa. The interpretation was black or white. There was no middle ground.

     No Biblical Role Models

     Neither participant recalled any adult female biblical Christian role models for anger. Therefore, Christian family and friends filled the void. Joanie learned from her mother "to be a sounding board for others when they were expressing their anger and not to express my anger, at least not at the time." When her walk of faith began in her mid-teens, she learned that "it's not always good to suppress or express anger, that you have to find the right way of dealing with it through faith and prayer life."

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"Maybe I do suppress things more than I should." In the second interview, Joanie provided clarification by saying "It's just that I don't show it to the person I'm angry with. I might suppress it to that person, but don't suppress it in total." "I think I came by a lot of my belief and faith through my church and [women's] circle." "We discuss things." Erica expressed related sentiments. "If we were angry, my mom always tried to get us to work things out, apologize. She never really talked to us about being angry at all, but was more like: be sure you reconcile whatever was the issue. Just go and make peace again. With my dad, he didn't want us to be angry at all. So he taught us that anger was just not allowed--period--as an emotion. Although he could be angry, he saw anger as a sign of disrespect toward him as a parent, whereas my mother saw it as something that caused disharmony in relationships."

     Cognitive Choice

     The element of consciously choosing to be angry or not angry was reported by both women. Joanie said, "You have to step back from the situation, analyze it (from a Christian viewpoint), and ask for help (through prayer) in analyzing it." Erica directly said, "You may choose to be angry or not to be angry," and "because it's a choice, you have control over it." Bottom line, Joanie commented, "Life is too short to spend time being mad at somebody." She would also choose whether or not to express her feelings to the person who caused her frustration.

     Reactive Behaviors Vary

     As mentioned earlier, Joanie would remove herself from an anger-producing situation, reflect and pray before responding. Prayer was a very important element to her. "I try not to count on myself for an answer. I'm asking for that higher being to give me knowledge, strength, and ability." "I don't say it's wrong for a Christian woman to express anger," but "it's how you deal with that anger that depends on your Christian faith." She also said, "I think women are taught to suppress their anger.

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And by reason of our Christian faith that may be even more so." Joanie would also cry and eat in response to her frustration. Erica occasionally used prayer to "ask for help in controlling my temper, or finding new ways to relate." Both struggled with whether to suppress or express their anger.

     An evolving experience

     The experience of anger was evolving, not static. Erica acted out her anger as a child. As an adult she made conscious behavioral decisions and sought new ways to manage the emotion. As she grew older, she felt it was "less and less" acceptable for her to be angry. For Joanie, the key change since her adolescence was learning through her circle of church friends to rely heavily on prayer for guidance and answers.

     Discussion

     Erica's comment that anger is "generally not something I think most people tend to think about" may be true for many women. However, this topic is important enough that adult Christian women need to consciously examine their experience of anger, Christian doctrines, and beliefs. Stress, ineffective interpersonal and problem-solving skills may compound the need for masking and transforming their anger. It also deserves more attention from the pastoral and nursing communities because of the potential health risks and spiritual turmoil generated.
     This study has significant limitations in terms of a small qualitative sample size and insufficient time to reach data saturation. However, the experiences the participants discussed are sufficient to identify key essences and make an important contribution to generating knowledge about the phenomenon. It has been a new experience for these women to consciously consider their Christian anger, participate in a research study, share very private feelings outside their intimate circle, and have their conversations taped and transcribed.
     As practicing Christians, their honesty is presumed.

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The strong similarities in their Christian experiences, consistency of definitions and types of anger with the information reported above are notable. Even so, contrasts do exist, indicating the experience is not uniform across adult Christian women. Joanie uses prayer significantly more than Erica to deal with anger. Erica appears to express her anger more openly and more often than Joanie. Joanie's crying in private supports Brook's conclusion (l996) that public displays of anger are unacceptable. It is unknown to what extent these differences can be attributed to age or a specific denominational theology. The impact of their struggle in the "unmerry go round" mirrors that of the researcher. However, while both participants lean toward suppressing their anger, the researcher's experience is changing toward choosing expression.
     The New Testament strongly emphasizes love toward God and the neighbor. The researcher has known only two women in her life so filled with Christian love and charity that they never appear angry. It is possible that Joanie also has this spirit of grace versus the researcher's initial reaction that her anger was transformed into frustration because of a lack of recognition of anger per se.
     The two women have assimilated a belief that anger can be reconciled with Christian doctrines. If they are unable to do so, they feel less of a Christian woman and farther removed from heaven. The researcher believes this paradigm is erroneous and needs to be challenged. If the conflict of good and evil has continued over millennia, how can mere mortal Christian women expect to reconcile their conflict of anger with Christianity? Peace and harmony cannot coexist with war. The paradigm can be constructively reframed to one where the adult Christian woman's struggle with the experience of anger mirrors her spiritual combat. Further, experiencing anger is considered an ongoing, normal part of life, sometimes with intense battles or minor skirmishes and ground gained or lost. If women can feel more comfortable about anger, this shift may reduce efforts to suppress or transform it into other forms (Munhall, 1993) while they try to regenerate into better Christians.

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     If these study findings resonate with the reader's experiences of anger, then other Christian women may find them applicable in other contexts.

     Implications for Nursing and Future Research

     The results of this study provide a preliminary idea of how anger may be experienced in Christian women. There is great variation in identifying anger, the labels applied, the role of prayer, the level of comfort in experiencing this emotion, the perception of Christian beliefs and female role models. As perhaps five out of six patients are Christian, it is important for nurses to become educated about Christian doctrines on anger and existing literature on anger, and also to seek out new research with religious themes. Christian and non-Christian nurses need to examine and understand their own paradigm of anger and the religious woman. In promoting health, nursing care must be sensitive and based on an understanding of the conflicts Christian women patients may experience in trying to reconcile this emotion with religion. Anger may present in many different forms, and may not be recognized as such by the patient. Nurses can enhance the knowledge and understanding of this phenomenon by conducting further research in settings where they encounter adult Christian women.

     Conclusion

     This study provides important, early steps in understanding the experience of anger in Christian women. Significantly more research and knowledge is needed. Just as with other religious and cultural groups, specific holistic nursing care needs to be developed and implemented. These new nursing approaches will promote health, support women in their spiritual struggle with anger and Christian dogma, and minimize negative health risks from either its suppression or expression.
     Is there any other information the reader would like to share regarding the experience of anger as a Christian woman?

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APPROPRIATE USE OF THE WRITINGS 2000

APPROPRIATE USE OF THE WRITINGS       Rev. FRANK S. ROSE       2000

"You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take anything from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you" (Deuteronomy 4:2; see also Deuteronomy 12:32 and Revelation 22:18, 19).
     Revelation has been given to establish a connection with the Lord, and to provide the means for regeneration. The Word is sacred and has a vital role to play in the Life of individuals and the life of the church. This is why we are not to lake away from the Word of God. At times it requires a good deal of self-examination to see if we are doing this.
     What we think of as accommodating the Writings may really be taking away from what the Lord has said. This is an ongoing challenge.
     There is another danger, that of adding to the doctrines. We are encouraged to reexamine our traditions, and correct those that do not seem to be in harmony with the Writings as we now understand them. Further study has shown that certain ideas long thought of as taught by the Writings were later found to be not from them after all. We have seen doctrinal studies on church government, for example, that have actually led us to doubt some of our traditions without adding any new ones. This is healthy.
     We are at times very conscious of the ways in which some people in the Christian world have added to the Old and New Testaments. We wince when we read of people preparing for the end of the world as we enter the third millennium. The Word does not support the hysteria, and we conclude that the message being given by some Christians about "the last times" involves a serious misreading of Scripture. The people who hold views about the end of the world think they take them from the Bible. The fact is that they take some passage and add meanings that are not part of revelation.
     Of course this is not new.

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The Torah spelled out what was meant by keeping the Sabbath day holy, but so many questions arose as to details, and so many changes took place in society, that by the time the Lord came into the world, traditions had become as important as the initial statements given through Moses. In many cases the traditions "made the Word of God of none effect." One of the most remarkable things about the New Testament is the absence of any further dictates from heaven on matters of ritual observance. It seems that the last time God set forth exact commands about forms of worship, church government, church architecture, and so on, was in the time of Moses, and this was done because the people were by nature so external! The Lord did not set out forms of worship, so the Christians were forced to evolve these forms over time.

What the Writings Do and Do Not Teach

     One of the most impressive things about the Writings is the absence of specific instructions about how the church should be set up, what kind of organization it should have, how it should worship, what activities its congregations should engage in and so on.
     Let's take just a few examples.

     Government

Do the Writings teach Congregational government?
I don't think so.

Do the Writings teach Episcopal government?
I don't think so.


Is it acceptable for a church to have Episcopal government?
Yes, so long as it is understood that it does so out of choice, and not because the Writings demand it.

Do the Writings teach a specific form of church government?
I don't think so. They teach about attitudes toward leadership, the importance of leading from a love of the salvation of souls, etc., but they do not teach about specific forms of government.

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     The Priesthood

Do the Writings teach three degrees of the priesthood?
The Writings indicate that there should be order and there are passages that suggest three levels. They also say that there should be subordination. Subordination implies some kind of hierarchy, but this does not necessarily mean that there should be different ordinations for different levels (see New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine 311-325).

Do the Writings teach what offices, rites and sacraments are appropriate to each degree?
In the General Church, first-degree priests are not allowed to perform weddings. They may officiate at baptisms. These and other distinctions are not taken directly from the Writings. We have changed them in the past, and I would not be surprised if we change them in the future. If we do change them, it will not be doing a disservice to the Writings, since what we have now is not really from the Writings anyway.

Do the Writings teach that priests should wear robes and stoles?
I don't think so.

Do the Writings teach the appropriate color for the stoles of degrees of the priesthood?
No. There are some passages that show the correspondence of different colors, but none that say that certain colors are to be associated with different levels in the clergy.

     Worship Services

Do the Writings teach us how worship should be performed?
The emphasis in the Writings is on attitudes and principles, not forms. They teach the spirit in which the Lord should be approached, but do not give specifics about how rituals should be performed. Certain elements are mentioned, such as prayer, the singing of hymns, and sermons, but nothing about the order of worship.

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We do not even have a clear message from the Writings saying that the Word should be opened at the beginning of a service and closed at the end (some people like to leave it open). They do not indicate anything about the sequence of events in a service. There is nothing about types of hymns, numbers of prayers, time of service, responsive readings, or any other details in the sequence of events in worship.
     It is interesting that one thing is clearly stated, and that is about the need for variety (see Heaven and Hell 56), and that is the one thing that the General Church has not had during most of its history. Variety of worship is now emerging in the church, and some people are concerned that we are going against the Writings!
     Worship should express love to the Lord and to the neighbor and other spiritual qualities.

The quality of the worship is derived from the goods and truths of the doctrine; for worship is nothing but an external act in which the internal things that are of doctrine should be. Without these, worship is without its essence, life, and soul. Now because all the things that are of the doctrine relate to the goods that are of love and charity and to the truths that are of wisdom and faith, and those goods and truths are celestial, spiritual and natural in accordance with their degrees of order, this also is the case with all things of the worship (Apocalypse Revealed 777, Coulson translation, emphasis added).

     In his Notes and Papers on Ritual back in the twenties, Bishop W. F. Pendleton asks: "Is the New Church to have a new ritual peculiarly its own, and entirely distinct from the forms of worship in the old Christian Church?" Part of his answer is that "There will not be a new external, except that there will be in the external a new spirit and a new life" (p. 8, Academy of the New Church, 1956 reprinted from articles in New Church Life, 1919-1922).

     Rites and Sacraments

Do the Writings teach us how to perform the sacrament of baptism?
Not that I can see.

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Concerning the Holy Supper, do the Writings tell us at what age individuals should be to participate, how frequently it should he held, what elements should be used, etc.?
The Writings mention the use of bread and wine, but do not indicate how old people should be, or how frequently it should be held.

Do the Writings indicate the proper age for the Rite of Confirmation?
The Writings do not seem to speak about the rite of confirmation at all.

     Church Architecture

Do the Writings give teachings about the design of church buildings?
The Writings give certain principles, but no real details of design. The studies made in connection with the building of the Cathedral in Bryn Athyn came up with some interesting concepts, but nothing that is so convincing that all of our congregations have followed suit. Part of our church's cultural heritage is the richness of variety in buildings of worship. Each one reflects loves and concerns of the worshipers at the time it was built.

     New Church Education

Do the Writings mandate that we should have New Church schools?
I don't think so. And this is a relief, since many of our congregations do not have schools.

Do the Writings mandate that we should have evangelization?
I think they do.

     Problems with Having Doctrinal Studies about Any of the Above

If someone makes a doctrinal study and comes to conclusions about government, ritual, architecture, etc., the study can have one or more of the following effects:

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     1.      Some people will accept the conclusions and think that the Writings teach them, even if the conclusions are shown later to be false. Sometimes these misunderstandings last for generations.
     2.      Some people will reject the conclusions, and feel bad because they think that in doing so they are rejecting the Writings.
     3.      Some people will reject the conclusions, decide that they are not really from the Writings, and feel disappointed with those who produced them.
     4.      Some people will say: "If that is what the Writings teach, I guess I don't believe in the Writings" and will leave the church (emotionally if not in act).

     What Is the Problem?

     The problem is very simple. If we go to the Writings with the wrong kinds of questions, we run the danger of inappropriate use of the Writings, and this inevitably hurts the church.
     What Are the Right Questions?
If we want to know about the Lord, the Word, the spiritual world and the life of regeneration, it is right and proper to go to the Writings for answers. This will serve the three great uses of the
Word--connection with the Lord, connection with heaven, and living a spiritual life. Limiting our focus in this way helps the church come closer to its essential use, and protects us from mixing up issues with our study of the Writings that do not belong there. It enables the church to be much broader in its outlook.
DESIRE TO BE LED OUT OF HELL 2000

DESIRE TO BE LED OUT OF HELL              2000

No one can be withdrawn from his hell by the Lord unless he sees he is in it and desires to be led out of it.     Divine Providence 251

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REVIEWS 2000

REVIEWS       Rev. Robert S. Junge       2000

The Story of Christendom by Erik Odhner (A first-draft textbook)
     Scholarship takes many forms. One of the most directly useful forms is the research and writing necessary to produce a good and useful textbook for high school students. Case in point: Erik Odhner, a history teacher in the Academy of the New Church Boys School, has produced a broad-gauged summary for the sophomore boys' use as a textbook. He calls it The Story of Christendom, which covers a history of Christian Europe from the 4th to the 18th centuries, from Emperor Constantine's sweeping conversion to Christianity to the period of the Enlightenment He pursues Rome through its slow-motion fall, carefully describes the Medieval world, and with continuing great care nurtures the progressive development of Europe through the Renaissance in its various forms, and carries the complex story up to the dawn of the modern era.
     Mr. Odhner is particularly strong in his simplified explanation of economic history in its many complexities, and he is able to present a clear picture of the otherwise confusing story of the Muslim empire, the growth and decline of various European empires, the age of discovery and, over all, the rise and dominant position of the Roman Catholic Church.
     Having taught this sophomore audience many years ago, I enthusiastically welcome Mr. Odhner's textbook. There were many things in my old textbook that caused me discomfiture, and Mr. Odhner has solved most of the problems. Although this book is still in draft form--and he has already used it in the classroom--he welcomes critiques from all sources. Its specific outline is clear enough. And he is to be congratulated on this splendid effort.
     At this point Mr. Odhner has not written about the Writings' observations of some historical characters, e.g., Paul, Louis XIV, Charles XII, Martin Luther, and John Calvin. Given the definite, or probable, ultimate destination of these individuals in the next world, Mr. Odhner is inclined to be a bit gentler on Louis XIV and Martin Luther than on the others aforementioned.

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     Mr. Odhner now faces a decision about what to include in the next draft. As a New Church teacher and scholar he might choose to open his pages to a discussion of the impact of Divine Providence on history. Some of this would be easy; for example, the Writings discuss Martin Luther's response to angelic warning. Another interesting discussion could revolve around the "why" of the timing of the Lord's Second Coming in the Writings.
     We are familiar with the "why" in the spiritual world, when the Lord called His disciples together; but the "why" in the timing of the event in the natural world could develop into an interesting discussion of the period of the Enlightenment. Other aspects would be more difficult and demanding, requiring protracted study by Mr. Odhner of Providence in history. Ground has already been broken in the area by others, most notably by Rev. Daniel Goodenough, sometime history professor and currently President of the Academy. Rev. Prescott Rogers would also have many fruitful ideas.
     Whatever Mr. Odhner's decision, this book should serve as a stimulant to his colleagues on the Academy faculties to produce their own textbooks. At least we ardently hope so.
     Dr. Lawson A. Pendleton

Debates with Devils: What Swedenborg Heard in Hell by Donald L. Rose, Chrysalis Books, Swedenborg Foundation, ISBN 0-87785-385-1, $12.95
     This fulfilling companion piece to the Swedenborg Foundation's Conversation with Angels by Donald Rose adds greatly to the New Church's comprehension of the miseries and ugliness of hell, although it is based on testimony of those who freely chose it rather than the beautiful and happy realm for which we were created. Swedenborg waxes eloquent in his descriptions of the netherworld, but its inhabitants reveal the depths, perversion and falsity in their own words, especially in the new translations from the Latin by Lisa Hyatt Cooper. The arguments and reasonings forcibly remind us of much that we encounter in the modern media, such as the familiar rationalizations of one asked to prove that he was insane, which he could do but chose not to.

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     Mr. Rose has deftly organized about forty encounters into topics and situations, adding his illuminating observations and comments. They vary from short, pithy exchanges to the familiar perverted blurrings of our time about marriage and blatant promiscuity. Throughout these debates we sense the Lord's mercy in permitting free choice, yet they illustrate the contrast between truth and falsity. We better understand that hell's torments do not arise from hot coals and pitchforks but from false ideas and perverted loves. Valuable supplemental material is included, as well as a chapter devoted to the Lord's encounters with devils during His ministry. A pertinent introduction, "From Whence Evil?" is provided by scholar Leonard Fox. The headings and titles guide us and enhance our appreciation of the countless teachings in the Writings of the Second Coming.
     Leon Rhodes

Spirituality That Makes Sense by Rev. Douglas Taylor, Swedenborg Foundation, West Chester, PA, $14.95
     Spirituality That Makes Sense is an outstanding addition to our church literature. Mr. Taylor found the church as an adult; hence his sensitivity to the need to understand yet not be overwhelmed. We are reminded of those converted from their own religious background who are carefully taught in the other world by angels.
     The book moves step by step, accommodated to states which grow and change only gradually. His broad and generous use of Scripture appeals particularly to those who sincerely want to be guided by the Bible. Such readers will find that the generals and often some of the particulars of doctrine are both illustrated and confirmed by aptly selected quotations from Scripture.

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     Before discovering the church, Mr. Taylor was a teacher, and the structure and careful interrelated sequence of the subjects reflect this. For example, the logical sequence of the first part flows beautifully from Creator to Redeemer, through the spiritual world to the need for redemption at the first advent. Mr. Taylor's background as a teacher is also evident in his willingness to take time to illustrate and explain in simple terms. There is no sense of haste or pressure. The line of thought is carefully reasoned without being argumentative It carries the spirit of inquiry and avoids being dogmatic. For example, it leads up to the second coming.
     Using the Writings extensively, but doesn't belabor the issue. The book carefully avoids the common error of trying to dump the whole load all at once in one place. The occasional repetition is in the form of review and is not redundant. This reader particularly appreciated the straight-forward simple presentation of the doctrine with illustrations from ordinary life, without the psyche-babble s, often present in so-called self-help books of the day. The book's conversational tone makes easy reading, lending itself to reading chapter by chapter or at one sitting. It invites the fun of give-and-take that obviously was present in the many classes which became the basis for the book. Though it can certainly be read individually, hopefully new readers will find opportunity for discussion with others.
     Finally, as a priest and long-term pastor, Mr. Taylor invites the reader frequently to think about applications to life. Religion is not presented in any sense as an arm's-length intellectual exercise. The theological structure of the book is loosely based upon the first volume of True Christian Religion. As such, one has real confidence in the integrity of the doctrine itself. All in all, this reader believes Spirituality That Makes Sense is one of the best introductions to the doctrine available today. For many I believe it would be the best.
     Rev. Robert S. Junge

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USED-BOOK STORES IN SYDNEY 2000

USED-BOOK STORES IN SYDNEY       Editor       2000

     Something important has been happening in Sydney, Australia, and I am not referring to the Olympic Games.
     It has to do with getting books of the Writings to people who will read them and benefit from them. It is useful to be reminded that there are millions of people who have no idea of the existence of the Writings. How are we to reach them? We can stock them in our own little book stores, but we want to reach more than just a few people. I can remember in my first work assignment as an energetic young bachelor in Sydney, Australia, pondering ways in which I could bring the Writings to the attention of more people.
     When I was advertising the Writings in various publications in Australia, there was scant success, but some people were introduced to the Writings, and in some cases, this was a life-changing experience. Their expressions of gratitude were encouraging. Mr. Basil Later eventually obtained every book of the Writings, and made it his number-one priority in life to help others discover them too. Mr. Later left a sum of money to devote to that cause, and that money is being used right now in a new enterprise.
     New Church people from the Hurstville Society have been contacting used-book stores in Sydney and getting them to stock books of the Writings which they have obtained from the Swedenborg Foundation. In each book they have put addresses where further information can be obtained. It has been working like a charm. The largest used-book store in Sydney has been displaying the Writings prominently. One store owner says that currently Swedenborg is his best-selling author!
     Two young ladies have just gone to Australia to help with various uses in the Hurstville Society. Adriane Junge and Maddy Glenn will be helping out with this new enterprise. We congratulate them and Rev. David Ayers and Mr. Michael Lockhart and the others who are enjoying success in this important effort.

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BIOGRAPHY UNFAVORABLE? 2000

BIOGRAPHY UNFAVORABLE?       Rev. Ian Johnson       2000

Dear Editor:

     What ever got into William White? If only one had the time to research all such intriguing questions thoroughly! But no doubt there are more important things to spend our limited time on. Still I would feel guilty to let Rev. Kurt Nemitz (or rather R. L. Tafel) have the last word.
     I am puzzled now as to how many biographies of Swedenborg White really published. The only one I have at hand is Emanuel Swedenborg: His Life und Writings (second edition, revised), published in 1868 in one volume. Inevitably the references given in Mr. Nemitz's letter don't fit my copy, but I begin to wonder whether this revision isn't really a whole new book!
     In my earlier letter I indicated that White's final conclusion is hardly unfavorable. Let me quote it so that readers can form their own view:

My end will be gained if I induce even a few to leap the barriers of prejudice which environ Swedenborg, and break through the thickets of his own verbiage, and so reach his most precious and invigorating wisdom .... One by one the lights of last century grow dim or disappear, but time only adds to the power and clear shining of my Author's fame. He testifies of this light, that it is the New Jerusalem as to doctrine, yea the second advent of the Lord Christ, the Truth. To many this seems an awful claim, yet the more I study his writings, and learn to disregard their extraneous encumbrances, the more credible does the claim become (p 741).

     For those of us who believe these Writings to be heavenly, phrases like "thickets of his own verbiage" and "extraneous encumbrances" may at first seem offensive, yet is this so different from Swedenborg's saying that the sense of the letter seems to contradict itself, is like the disconnected fragments in a kaleidoscope, or appeals to those who are engrossed in worldly things?

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Or from his implication that some Old Testament authors were evil men?
     Did Tafel's indignation blind him to anything positive in White's views? Or could it be that he never read to the end and so missed White's whole point? Or that White forgot to edit out some of the complimentary bits? Or did White recant some of his views and pen "a third biography"? I do hope somebody can give us the answers!
     Rev. Ian Johnson,
     Croydon, England
CAPITALIZATION 2000

CAPITALIZATION       Walton Coates       2000

Dear Editor:

     It may be that enough or too much has already been published on the issue of whether or not to capitalize every pronoun referring to Jesus (or God). However, permit me to suggest: The purposes of Holy Scripture are to reveal the qualities and will of the Lord for humanity so that mankind may rightly serve and honor God by love-filled lives, preparing folks to be true and acceptable friends/disciples of Christ in this life and in the world to come.
     The Scripture's holiness is not dependent upon the issue of capitalization of pronouns. It is holy when read by humble people seeking to perceive the Divine intent of the written words.
     So--capitalize or not, it matters not. What is important is whether you and I perceive, or don't perceive, the Divine intent revealed in Holy Scripture for our service as Christians in this life and in the life hereafter.
     But I still think the reading is easier and just as reverent and meaningful without all the capitalizations.
     Walton Coates,
     Jenkintown, PA

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FALSE PROPHETS 2000

FALSE PROPHETS       Wendy Hoo       2000

Dear Editor:

     Bruce Rogers' article on false prophets of our times spoke directly to me. He condemns the influence of the sixties' cultural revolution, and cites several "dangerous" ideas from that era. As a sixties cultural revolutionary, I will respond to the points he makes, since I feel the phenomenon was, and is, a sign of the second coming.
     The message of the sixties is a return to peace, understanding, and love of one another, as well as rejection of materialism and competitive, selfish living. From this emerges a resurgence of honesty in relationships, leading to a new kind of marriage that allows women freedom. This has occasioned strained relations, but also stronger, more equitable relationships between partners. We have not yet seen the final outcome of this upheaval, but the dynamics of caring relationships are now explored more extensively.
     The concept of loving one's self before one can love others is an attempt at correcting the false idea, from perverted Christianity, that we must love others more than ourselves, rather than as God says, as ourselves. Healthy self-love provides a basis for self-care, which results in the ability to be of use to others, while self-hatred leads to being a burden on society.
     As sad as abortion is, leaving other people in freedom is a powerful teaching in the doctrines. Finding ways to understand other people's dilemmas and creating safe alternatives to unwanted pregnancies is the goal of the pro-choice movement. Part of the sixties message is accepting others' choices, even if we don't agree. We are told in the doctrines that angels look to the good in others, and find ways to lead toward heaven through this good.
     The pro-choice movement looks to empowerment of the disenfranchised. The anti-capital punishment sentiment comes from a knowledge of how humans are rehabilitated, and an understanding of the social inequities that force the underprivileged to end up in jail, not a wish for evil to be tolerated.

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     The heart of this movement is to allow men to develop softer qualities such as tenderness without ridicule, and for women to learn to stand up for what they believe, in spite of others calling them harsh. As the second coming becomes manifest, people are looking more to the internal, and are seeing the true nature of love and wisdom, masculine and feminine qualities.
     I am continually heartened by the effects of the sixties revolution as the world embraces spiritual influences, and continues to question power structures which stress earthly values, oppression of the weak, and logic over love. Miracles are happening which emphasize community, sharing, equality, introspection and honesty. The real false prophets are the evil spirits who tell us to hate one another and to punish those who do not agree with our views.
     As we are watchful for the negative things that emerge in history, we can also be awake to the positive blessings of providence.
     Wendy Hoo,
     Brookline, MA
RE: AN APOLOGY 2000

RE: AN APOLOGY       Thomas H. Bramel       2000

Dear Editor:

     In Rev. Ottar Larsen's letter to the editor "An Apology," which concerns women in the ministry, he asks why no one challenged his question: "Why do I get the strong sense that the present struggle is not about serving the Lord but about gaining and having a certain kind of power?" Could the reason that the statement has gone unchallenged be related to the fact that Mr. Larsen mentioned only "gaining and having" power? He did not mention "sharing and giving it up." The full and extended issue concerns the "powerful" as well as the "power hungry." Perhaps the answer to why his comment has gone unchallenged is that no one wishes to make an accusation directed at the clergy similar to the one made by Mr. Larsen.
     Thomas H. Bramel,
     Rockville, MD

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WOMEN'S GATHERING 2000

WOMEN'S GATHERING              2000




     Announcements






     A Place to Worship, Sing, Listen, Speak and Celebrate
     Where: Bryn Athyn, PA
When: We will meet with the Men's Gathering Friday, February 16, 2001, to listen to Robert Bly. The women's program is Saturday, the 17th. Sunday morning, February 18th, we will join the     men for closing.
     If you are interested in giving a workshop, please call Jill King 215-947-6076 or Laurie Curtin 215-659-8754 as soon as possible.

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EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY AT THE BRYN ATHYN CATHEDRAL 2000

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY AT THE BRYN ATHYN CATHEDRAL       Frank Vagnone       2000

     Director of Education

     The cathedral staff is vibrant and active. We value and honor creativity and personal initiative. The person filling this position will be a self-starter, personable and social, capable of working alone as well as working with cathedral staff and volunteers. This opportunity calls for an individual who has shown active interest in all aspects of New Church education and is capable of:
- Organizing specialty tours
- Forging relationships, inside the General Church organization as well as outside, with teaching institutions
- Designing and promoting outreach educational programs to Bryn Athyn and the larger community
- Acting as cathedral educational liaison with Glencairn Museum, Cairnwood, and other church bodies
- Maintaining and regulating growth of the cathedral web site (will train if needed)
- With the assistance of the cathedral staff, organizing programs for elementary age students through college age graduate students
- Managing a staff of volunteers
     Ideally the applicant should have at least a college undergraduate degree and experience that will assist in the production of this job. Additional training is possible. Pay commensurate with experience. Employment to begin the spring of 2001. Please send r?sum? and letter of intent to:
                    Frank Vagnone
               Director, Bryn Athyn Cathedral
               Box 277-C
               Bryn Athyn, PA 19009
               [email protected]

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Bringing people Together GENERAL CHURCH SOUND RECORDING by spreading the spoken word 2000

Bringing people Together GENERAL CHURCH SOUND RECORDING by spreading the spoken word              2000

     
Vol. CXX November, 2000 No. 11

New Church Life

     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 25 cents 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: PO Box 743 0 Bryn Athyn, PA 190090743 (215) 914-4980 - FAX (215) 914-4935 - E-mail: [email protected]

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Notes on This Issue 2000

Notes on This Issue              2000

Rev. B. David Holm, who wrote the sermon on the opposite page, died in 1982. Lillian Grace Beekman died in 1946. As noted in the last issue, we have been looking at some of the things written by this brilliant woman from the Academy's past.
     We are publishing a lengthy address from this year's assembly in Canada. We regret having to divide it over two issues, but our space is limited.
     This month marks the publication of the New Century Edition of Heaven and Hell. Not only has Dr. Jonathan Rose worked on such things as the index; a number of his students at Bryn Athyn College have also participated. You will learn on page 507 that there are some three hundred endnotes in this volume.
     This year in the Olympic Games the standard of play in women's softball was remarkable. Why should we have an editorial implying that boys play better? It is because there are matters of gender (not only in the United States) in which decisions have to be made. The decisions relate to the idea on the one hand that no distinction is to be drawn between the sexes, and the concept on the other hand that men and women are completely different. What will be learned from deliberations on something as unimportant as softball?
     In the June issue we anticipated discussion at the assembly on the subject of principles of worship. Dr. Reuben Bell provided an article in that issue to promote further discussion. In this issue Rev. Grant Odhner takes up the subject (p. 514).
     We have not since February printed the addresses and phone numbers of people to contact on places of worship and doctrinal classes. The last four pages of this issue are devoted to the most recent information we have on that.
     Take note of the celebration to take place in Glenview on December 3rd (p. 508). We also announce in this issue the dedication of two church buildings in Ghana (p. 521), and we note that on September 8th Bishop Buss officiated at the dedication of the New Church school in Tema, Ghana. This is wonderful news with a promise of good things to come in the future.

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FAMILY 2000

FAMILY       Rev. B. DAVID HOLM       2000

     (Preached in Bryn Athyn in June 1979)

"Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it" (Psalm 127: 1).

     The literal sense of the two psalms which were read as our lesson from the Word describe the blessedness of genuine family life.
     Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is His reward. As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, so are the children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them . . . . Blessed is everyone that feareth the Lord, that walketh in His ways. For thou shalt eat the labor of thine hands; happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. Thy wife shall be a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table . . . . The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion, and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. Yea, thou shalt see thy children's children, and peace upon Israel (Psalms 127 and 128, parts).
     Thus are the blessings of family described in the Word. And the beauty of these words causes us to reflect upon the wonderful blessings of marriage and home. But they are said to be a reward limited to those who walk in the Lord's ways. "Behold that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord." True, there are those who try to walk in the Lord's ways and yet through no fault of their own have not received the happy blessings of marriage and home. But still these words apply, for those may prepare and look forward to them in the other world. For we may be sure that no one can enter truly into the uses and joys of home life, either in this life or the next, unless he tries to live in the holy sphere of love to the Lord-unless he strives for regeneration.
     This is a most important point: unless a person lives a spiritually active life, he cannot hope to attain to the conjugial principle and establish a home based upon heavenly things.

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For marriage and home in themselves are spiritual things. Their uses-their joys-are the privileges of those who look to the Lord and who keep that spirit as the ruling love. Without that vital ingredient of mutual love to the Lord, marriage becomes merely an earthly union, and the home becomes a house. Of a truth, then, "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it."
     How important this acknowledgment is, and the need for its revival and strengthening in the world, can be seen from the general sphere of the world around us-the sphere of broken homes, easy divorce, the flippant and even immoral attitude toward marriage. These degrade marriage and the home -degrade that which should be held as most sacred. Indeed we live in an age where the simple and homely things are cast aside, and the things which glitter falsely are preferred.
     There is real danger here. And we of the New Church must face it if we are to preserve ourselves and our church from its effects. For in a very real sense the church depends upon its individual homes for survival. Insofar as these are strong, so far the church is strong. Insofar as they are weak, so far the church is weak. For the home is ever the bulwark of the church.
     It is our duty, then, as New Church people to make our homes strong units of the church. And this does not happen of itself. It takes patient dedication, firm effort, and often sacrifices of worldly things, to bring it about. And it takes courage-courage to resist the current life-styles which make a mockery of marriage and home. But most important, we cannot establish a true home unless there be love-love of the Lord, love of the church and its teachings, and mutual love of the members of the family for each other and the desire for their spiritual welfare. This last, of course, looks to the conjugial love between the husband and the wife as its center, and indeed depends upon the conjugial. For how can there be mutual love and respect among the other members of the family if the husband and wife are not united by that tender and mutual love of the Lord and each other?

485


This alone can make husband and wife one in soul, mind and body, which in turn produces the sphere of unity, cooperation, order and tenderness, which can then enter the household and affect each thing of its life, and each of its members.
     The quality of each home then depends directly upon the husband and wife and their attitude and efforts in regard to the conjugial. To build a home in its real sense the married partners must work together and individually toward this highest of human loves-work for it daily by resisting all the evils that weaken and destroy, and thereby shunning lasciviousness, strife, love of rule and all other evils that destroy marriages.
     While the chief responsibility of building and maintaining the sphere of family life does depend upon the husband and wife, still it is not limited to them. All other members of the household who have to some degree reached the age of responsibility also have their part to play. For by their attitude toward the home they can either add to its sphere, to its uses and joys, or take away from them. And if they learn early from parental instruction and example to put away selfish thoughts-learn to take delight in willing obedience and earnest cooperation, learn to shun those filthy things which are against chastity - then they will not only add to their home life, but will also prepare themselves to be better fitted to one day find their conjugial partners and establish their own homes as true units of the New Church.
     There is a real need for us to seek for the way to establish our homes in the sphere of the church, and where could it be better to look for this knowledge than in the internal sense of that part of the Word where blessings of family life are described?
     When we look into the spiritual meaning of these two psalms, it would at first seem as if there was little or no connection with family life, for it deals chiefly with each individual's regeneration. Thus within the literal description of the blessings of home there lies an internal account of the man who is beloved of the Divine - the man who receives and applies all the blessings of heaven because of his love and worship of the Lord.

486


That this is the case we will see shortly, and it is most suitable, for household or family in the Word is the direct correspondent of the internal things of man-his mind. Thus any description of home and family is in reality a description of the household of man's mind (see AC 917, 3020). And the reason for this is that all things in man's mind are related, united and ordered even as is a family. Thus "husband" signifies the ruling affections of good, and "wife" the affections of truth, while children signify the goods and truths themselves which are the offspring of the mind.
     Yet there is more than this in the correspondence between mind and family. The person whose mind is one united household - worshiping the Lord and doing His will-is the person who can best establish a genuine home upon earth, a home that is a church in smallest form. Let us then see what things concerning the regenerate mind are told us in the spiritual sense of the psalms we are considering.
     Briefly, this is what is here taught: that all good and truth is from the Lord and not from a person of himself. For if a person strives for what is good and true from his own power alone, he has no hope of attaining them, but must sink back into obscurity. This is because all good and truth one receives are gifts from the Lord, and He bestows these together with tranquility and rest upon those who love Him and do His will. Such men are given truths in abundance from which they have intelligence, and many goods from which comes their happiness. Their truths are truths of innocence-that is, love to the Lord-and so they have power over what is evil and false. Therefore they are called happy who have derived such truths from the Word, for they have no fear of the evils which arise from hell. Such a man is in blessedness of life, for he both loves the commandments of God and does them. Thus he worships the Lord in his Life. He has an affection of spiritual truth which pervades all that he thinks and does, and from this affection he is able by self-instruction to learn new truths, and from these new truths he sees new goods which are then able to live.

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Truly he receives the blessings of heaven, for he dwells in the truths of doctrine and makes them his own to the fullest extent. Thus he is receptive of all the peace and security of the Lord's kingdom in heaven and on earth (see AE 340:13, 357: 10).
     From this we can see that the man or woman who wants to establish a real home and be a suitable parent must enter into regeneration. Only as one orders the things of his mind can he order the things of his household. Only as he derives the benefits of regeneration, the blessings of peace and joy which stem from worship and dedication to use, can these things enter into the sphere of the home and affect it. Indeed the home serves as a stage upon which the results of our regeneration (or their lack) can be seen most clearly. For where does our true character show itself more openly than in the home? For there we feel free to act as we please.
     In this picture of the regenerate man, as given in these psalms, there is a continual emphasis upon love and worship of the Lord. "Blessed is everyone that feareth the Lord, that walketh in His ways." Such love and worship is an essential to family life, but it can come into the various forms of church support, family worship and doctrinal discussion which are so needful, only if it has been established in the hearts of those who are the heads of the home.
     It is clear, then, that true homes can be established only by those who seek after the Lord. And yet they themselves do not build the house, for all of the perception and wisdom they receive in forming the home is not their own but a free gift from the Lord; so are their heartfelt desire to form a home and the joy they perceive in doing it; all are gifts from the Lord. From first to last it is the Lord who builds.
     How far from the mark, then, is society of the present day. It sees the dangers confronting the homes of the world, but they labor in vain to repair the damage, for they seek not the Lord in the truths of His Word. True, there are those who call for a return to religion, but to what religion? To one that is preoccupied with external matters and corrupted with falsity.

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It is the New Church that holds the answer to this so present danger of family disintegration. And this we say without egotism, but with humility and thanksgiving. For it is the New Church alone, with its Divinely rational understandable truths that can cause religion to again become a family matter. With its emphasis upon individual regeneration-upon the spiritual combat against evils-it alone can form the true principles, the genuine ideals which must rule in the home and protect and nourish the offspring of that home.
     All New Church homes should be such, and we must often make new our desire and effort for this, for the world is constantly making inroads. No, it is not easy, but New Churchmen do have goals. And these are the goals for which we must work. Our homes must be centers of active striving for conjugial love. How else can our children appreciate the quality and nature of conjugial love if they do not live in its sphere? How can we expect our children to remain pure if we do not strive for real marriage? And our homes must be centers of the church, where a love of spiritual things exists. This includes family worship and instruction and mutual discussion. Only if our homes are such can the church grow and increase in strength. For if the church is not in the home, it is most difficult for the members of that family to realize its importance and their need of it, and they might even drift away. But if our homes are centers of conjugial love and centers of the church, then they will also be centers of love, delight, warmth, happiness and use. They will be places where their members prefer to be, not merely houses to eat and sleep in. In true homes the problems and fears accompanying the raising of families will be lessened greatly. For they will be homes that are protected by the sphere of the Lord and the church. They will be New Church homes, the basic unit of a new society and a new church, homes built by the Lord.
     Let this be our goal and our prayer and our earnest effort. Amen.

Lessons: Psalms 127, 128; Apocalypse Explained 340:13

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ON SLEEP 2000

ON SLEEP       LILLIAN G. BEEKMAN       2000

     The Relation Which Subsists Between the Infinite, I Am, and the Vortex-Ring Primitive of Matter

(Reprinted from The New Philosophy, 1944)

     What name may we give, understandingly to express the eternal relation which subsists between the primitives of matter-of which all those masses and compounds which we term "matter" are composited-and their God-substance-ground?
     These "primitives," these "natural points," are produced as minutest vortex-rings, whirling in that ineffable Supreme of the very Substance, the Substance in se of the Infinite.
     Consider, I beg, what supreme treasure may be held in this, if it stands true, that the beginnings of matter were thus produced, in Him, of Him, and of Him inseparable part, and forever remaining so; and that else, all this basic world of ours, this world of suns and stars in the ether-filled stretches of space, would cease to be.
     What name may we understandingly give? What known analogy carries for us the likeness and the world which will express the Relative, thus subsisting, between these primitives of matter, thus produced as minutest whirling vortex-rings, in that sacred and supreme of Substance in se, the Self-Substance or the Infinite, the One? Consider! The production of these primitives of matter itself was no mechanical thing. His foreseeing desire moved along some greatest Idea-Pattern, to the end verily attained.
     Now, I think, we can begin slightly to know of the organic End, God-visioned, in bringing into existence this creation we know-the End He moved toward, in and by these primes of creation; the End He moved toward and attained-since He has assured us that no creative word of His going forth returns to Him void, but accomplishes that whereto it was sent. I think we can begin a little to know this End, because we are it! and of it. For, as human beings, we are at once its product and its summary; and it remains the ground of our growing development still.

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     The key to some little, yet genuine, understanding seems to be the bipartite key of the consort phenomena of Sleep and Food, the basic daily requirements of organic life, and forever inescapable.
     Consider Sleep! Once in every twenty-four hours, for a considerable time, the organic being becomes unconscious, immobile, helpless. Swedenborg says that it is during these hours of self-helplessness and unconsciousness that God, who wove this organic being in the womb in the first place, now puts the brain of that creature into the same state (flaccid, and therefore unconscious) in which it was in the womb when God was weaving for it the complicated pattern of its particular constitutional whole. And during this time of the nightly sleeping hours, He who first wove that creature in the womb again takes it in hand, so that He now mends and restores for its renewed use all that its hours of self-chosen and self-determined activity have worn away or damaged.
     "The Soul concurs with the body"- Swedenborg and St. Thomas both say it, I think. Both, certainly, wove the basic idea of it into a pattern of their theological thought, as part of its very layout. "The Soul concurs with the body." The soul makes common cause with the body. In this consortship of soul and body, during the waking hours of a living creature, the brain and its body lead. They dictate the objectives of life, activity, desire, and the imaginative dramatic previsioning which at once embodies and motivates its endeavor and its action. And the soul concurs by ruling and administering the entire anatomical and physiological complex of that creature's constitution, so as to instrument and sustain its agent movements toward the particular objective that creature has in view at the given moment. Then, after that, the organic creature must again pass into a period of unconsciousness, or helplessness; for no living form, no living organic creature, continues long to exist without sleep!
     Yet, between these times of unconsciousness, the self-guidance, the self-choice of the objectives of its bodily powers and actions are turned over to its individual brain. Then the change comes.

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For only for a short time can the bodily whole be run as of itself, by the individual's own brain, idea, and will, before those recurrent hours of sleep must intervene- "Sleep, that knits up the raveled sleeve of care."
     Now for the second basic condition for creature continuance! This is the inescapable daily necessity for food. And this basic condition concerns and underlies not our immediate selves alone; it concerns every particle, every unit-form, of living substance, and has concerned each and every individual of the long line of the seried productions of organic forms upon earth, even from the living, pulsing substance foams of the first amoebic creation, afloat upon the warm sea in the primitive ages of our globe; the warm sea, thick with the rising substance-particles-grosser "finites," to use Swedenborg's word, and little microscopic masses of them -which were unraveling off, as it were, from the solid core of our globe, that primeval earth mass broken off from the thickened crust of the sun.
     Consider, I beg, that even from the beginning of the globe's movement in an orbit of its own, living and individuated being began to be shaped into existence by God. Nor may you consider the idea of these, the first or living plasma, these protoplasmic amoeboid foams, as a mere theory, and confined to the far-off event of creation. As at the period of this first primitive actuality, exactly the like thing occurs again. At the beginning of the womb-life of a creature, God today is shaping it for a structured organic individual existence in the world of air and earth.
     The initial weaving of that complex form-to-be starts even thus-with a fine foam plasm. Starts even before. For the liquid lymph-ground and field, wherein the first draft of the constitutional pattern must come into this foam-existence before the living foam-plasm can itself come into existence, is Itself the Living carrier, the liquid fine moulding hand of God at work; and at that same time, it also carries in its vital, purposeful tide, the matter particles of mother earth, which it uses in building, upbuilding, and restoring the integrity of the organic pattern proper to that precise type of creation.

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     Moreover, whenever a wound occurs-if it recovers, it is God who is doing it: God, bodied and instrumented by the flowing lymphs. And at night, when He mends any hurt or depletion of the living working organism, the mode and the means He uses are the same. And in all this, there is featured a certain fundamental plan and will of God as Creator and Former.
     Now the fundamental idea and will of the Creator God, which begins and is apparent forever in all organic formations and growths, is that, during its waking hours, each and every organic Unit-whole shall possess a self-determined activity of its own; a self-handling and use of that anatomical and physiological organic whole, that complex-patterned form, belonging to its genus and species, which was woven by God in the womb or egg; for God alone is the Knower and the Former of the patterns of organic form. This His agent-presence and relation with His living creatures is what Swedenborg terms His "immediate influx"; and its products-all the organic products-come under Swedenborg's term "the celestial kingdom."
     All this is done by God for the creature immediately, that He may prepare for it an organic whole, of visible form, which shall possess in itself a certain small province of sensitive motive substance nervous cells and their prolongations -which small province can be turned over, as it were, to its own rulership. Thus, during waking hours, it possesses the rulership of the general structural and functional potentialities of that larger complex, that organized whole, which we term its body.
     That is, during the waking hours of the living creature, the rulership of the whole is committed to that small portion of the brain and nervous system, with its sympathetic sense organ, resilient with tremors and impacts coming to it from cosmic sources outside itself, and with its kinaesthetic awareness (sensation) of all tremors or vibrations thus communicated to its own constituent substances, which makes the sum of its life experiences, and is the primary and basic asset of its stores of memory.

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It feels these tremors and vibrations as an intrinsic experience of its own; that is, its substance is kinaesthetic. It is not until long after such experiences have played upon it, as it were, educated it, developed it, that it begins to be aware that the source of them is outside itself, and that they are communicated to it by ethers and airs and the lymphs which make common cause with the world of auras.
     Let me repeat: God Himself weaves and prepares, in womb or egg, the large organic pattern-whole of the particular species proper to a creature. This He does, as He prepares it for birth-for existence proper to the earth-environment. When He does this, He frames coincidently, in its head and brain, a certain part (indeed, parts) capable of receiving and sensitively appraising, for memory storage, the tremors and impacts which come to it from that environment. And as a part of this part, God provides a small section of the brain and nervous system, able so to communicate with the whole of that large organic form wherein it is set, that it can run it, as it were, can utilize the interlocking play of that greater whole, and, for a short period of time, have motor and usage jurisdiction and powers over it. Such periods, necessarily alternating with periods when it comes again unconscious and self-helpless-come again under God's moulding and restoring hand, even as when it lay unconscious in the womb or egg, during the time of its weaving into a formed actuality.
JOHNNY APPLESEED PHENOMENON 2000

JOHNNY APPLESEED PHENOMENON              2000

     Johnny is more popular now than he has ever been. We applaud the Swedenborg Foundation for publishing the book Johnny Appleseed: A Voice in the Wilderness. Edited by William Jones, it is a timely volume, very pleasing and appealing. The cost is $9.95.

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ATTEMPTING TO REFLECT A GENUINE FACE OF THE GENERAL CHURCH IN A JUNGIAN MIRROR 2000

ATTEMPTING TO REFLECT A GENUINE FACE OF THE GENERAL CHURCH IN A JUNGIAN MIRROR       S. PELLE ROSENQUIST       2000

     Part I

     (Presented to the 33rd assembly of the General Church in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, June 23, 2000)

     How is your attention best aroused and its continuance assured? Perhaps by either reminding those of you who have read it recently, or astonishing and perplexing those of you who haven't, with a brief quotation from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell.
     Swedenborg has not written one new truth . . . . [A]ny man of mechanical talents may, from the writings of Paracelsus or Jacob Behmen (Boehme), produce ten thousand volumes of equal value with Swedenborg's, and from those of Dante or Shakespeare an infinite number.
     Before you become too riled against our dear old Mr. Blake, I hasten to add the concluding paragraph of his observation:
     But when he has done this, let him not say that he knows better than his master, for he only holds a candle in Sunshine. [!]
     In summary, Blake is saying that despite all that others have written or may write, whatever they have or will have written will be as a mere candle compared to the "sunshine" radiating from the Writings of Swedenborg.
     I begin this presentation with this quotation because I have lately been witness to the truth of both aspects of Blake's observation. I can confirm that the prevailing thought among those with whom I associate is that Swedenborg has written nothing "new," and I can also confirm that despite this seeming "fact," what Swedenborg did write does indeed compare to life-giving, life-sustaining sunshine. The fact is, I have been exposed to the candles for ten years now, and beautiful as we all know candlelight is, I have, just as angels are ever turned toward the spiritual sun, managed to remain turned toward the sunshine Blake acknowledges is provided by the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg.

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     It is my hope that this will become clear as we progress through this presentation.

     We are all familiar with the enlightening power and lucidity of the first chapter of Conjugial Love entitled "The Joys of Heaven." The chapter contains a beautiful balance in which a variety of misconceptions about what constitutes "heavenly joy" are first dealt with in series and then compared to and superseded by what actually are the components of genuine heavenly joy.
     In the midst of this extremely important discussion, we find, in a portion of n. 10, a statement so clear, so compelling, so thrilling that I intend to use it as the theme of this presentation today. We read in Conjugial Love 10:

Everyone who becomes an angel carries his heaven within him, because he carries the love of his heaven; for man is by creation the least effigy, image, and type of the great heaven. The human form is nothing else. Therefore, every man comes into that society of heaven of which he is the form in individual effigy. Therefore, when he enters into that society he enters into a form corresponding to himself; thus, as it were, from himself he enters into that self, and as from that he enters into it within himself, and inhales its life as his own, and his own as its life.

     With this number as a theme and tone setter, I intend, when and where applicable, to speak in terms of attainment, not aspiration. By that I mean I will at certain times speak as though I am one who has or is experiencing the supremely exhilarating achievement of having found, entered into and actually begun functioning in a society of heaven in a "form corresponding to myself." Please do not mistake this technique as a poorly veiled attempt to claim angelic status for myself It is simply the best way I know to present the ideas and experiences to follow without the constant and confusing need to weave back and forth between striving and what is being striven for.

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     As the quotation from Conjugial Love 10 has its setting in heaven, I intend to divide this paper into four sections, just as heaven is divided into four quarters.
     Section 1-We will look briefly at the event we are all sharing in this week, with particular emphasis on what the assembly theme "The Faces of the General Church" does or should mean.
     Section 2-A sweeping background statement describing the geographic and historical milieu in which I've been blessed to attempt to set forth my particular "face" of the General Church.
     Section 3 -A somewhat more detailed account of the Jungian community in which I participate and liken it to the heavenly society spoken of in our introductory number, Conjugial Love 10.
     Section 4 -Some reflections and conclusions.

     I want you to know at the outset that I am not going to include a critique of Jungian thought or compare the Writings of Swedenborg with the writings of Jung. Such a comparison would certainly be interesting, but it would not be in keeping with my purpose today.

     Section 1

     In a recent and highly acclaimed biography of Abraham Lincoln, his opportunity to alter U.S. history was referred to as a "molten moment of history to recast" the social structure of the United States.
     A "molten moment"-what a glorious way to emphasize the importance of every moment in our lives as well as the peak moments we share today. It is a phrase so descriptive of our opportunity, responsibility and challenge to seize the moment and shape it to not only modify the future but be ready to contain it.
     Therefore it is truly a privilege to be part of this great event-the 33rd General Assembly-for it surely will be looked back upon as a "molten moment" in the history of our glorious church.

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It will indeed be seen to have contributed immensely to the shaping of the future-not only of the church and everyone in it, but in a larger sense, of the whole of humanity.
     While the theme of this assembly is well known to you, and we may think we know what reflecting the face of the General Church means, I believe it is important to clarify just what kind of "human" that face is, as it were, attached to or reflects. We all know what it means because it is common anthropomorphic speech to use anatomical aspects to represent abstract ideas. So, let us "conjure" a bit with the concept of the human before we proceed to the heart of the matter.
     We are all grounded in the fundamental concept that God is the One and Only Human-the Divine Human; that heaven is in the human form; that the church, too, is in the human form as it is (or should be) the presence of heaven on earth; and that each of us is (or should be) similarly human because we are (or should be) a church in least form-created, indeed, in the image, after the likeness of our Lord, the One and Only Human.
     But there lurks in this a grave danger. Because the progression from God to heaven to church to the human is so beautifully logical and cohesive, we may assume our automatic place or role in it. This is a dangerous assumption, for we are thus assuming the attainment or possession of something we must strive for, and nothing stifles effort more than the misbegotten belief that goals have already been attained. To think we are human, when indeed we are only potentially so, can prevent the potential from ever being realized. Arcana 49 tells us that those of the Most Ancient Church, cognizant of this danger, refused to call themselves "man" or "human," recognizing that only one was truly such-God! Thus they kept themselves ever mindful of the regenerative tasks before them.
     For me, one of the most challenging yet inspiring teachings of the Writings is contained in Divine Providence 43 and 44:

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The more distinctly a man appears to himself to be as if he were his own, the more clearly he recognizes that he is the Lord's, because the more nearly he is conjoined with the Lord, the wiser he becomes . . . . [H]e appears to himself more distinctly as if he were his own, because the divine love is such that it wills its own to be another's, thus to be the man's or the angel's.

     Imagine: the more we strive to acknowledge our nothingness, the more the Lord infills us with a genuine sense of our identity and, remarkably, vice versa in a wonderful circle of evolving insight and emerging "humanness." And with this, one of the great, over-arching concepts of the Writings is manifest-the "as-of-self"-the result of the Lord's Divine Love which yearns to give of Itself to transform His images into His likenesses -into humans! But, of course, there must be a starting point. Is it not that "little something" within that observes, often aghast at what is "going on" in us-that "something" which watches in disbelief our lusts, rages, bitterness, silliness and confusions-all the non-human attributes we usually live with internally, which when manifested are often mistakenly described as a result of the so-called "human condition" or "human nature" or arising out of "just being human," while in fact it is just the opposite. It is the result of the absence of what is truly human and is in actuality a manifestation not of our shared humanity but our despicable shared bestiality.
     The teaching of Divine Love and Wisdom 11 that thought proceeds in heaven "according to the form of heaven" and that form is the human form leads us to the fact that each angel is an integral part or component of that form-a heaven, therefore a thought, and therefore a human in "least form," thus so beautifully illustrating Conjugial Love 10 as it describes how each "fits" into a place or form created for himself-but also, as it were, by himself!
     And further, that great and all-important Swedenborgian trilogy -affection, perception and thought-so clearly descriptive of spiritual evolution, illustrates how the true human manifests itself.

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For as all thought in heaven proceeds according to the form of heaven which is the human form, that thought emerges Out of a prior perception which, in turn, proceeds out of a still more prior affection, each of which must also be proceeding according to the form of heaven, for the most external always contains within it what has gone before and of which it is the ultimate embodiment.
     Given this background of how thought proceeds in heaven, that the church is heaven on earth, that the "man" of the church is heaven in least form, it is clear that how thought proceeds through us as a heaven, as a church, defines Our humanity. This is made possible only when we put aside our proprium so that the Lord may replace it with something of Himself, for His constant effort is to give what is His Own to others-in this case this genuine sense of self which is really the true human in action. And action, of course, is what genuinely creative truly human thought produces-use. Now, this process is marked by the absence of rigidity, but the presence of order. All that springs into being out of this creative human impulse must reflect something of the model of the human (the Divine Human) out of which it comes forth.
     So, in contemplating "The Many Faces of the General Church" we must keep ever in mind that true human form upon which we manifest those "faces," else they become mere masks. A face, any genuine face of the church, must be a human face in the sense that it be reflective in some way of its source-the Divine Human-from which all else comes. And it is this sense of "coming" that is, for instance, imbedded in the Christmas story-confirming the Lord's imminent Coming by His having come!
     When He does come and is welcomed into each Of Our lives, He will find and look to His Own in us as in a mirror, assuring at last that we will reflect that truly human face then so genuinely mirrored and consciously manifest.

     Section 2

     As Swedenborg entered a new state at age 57, so did I. He entered a state of enlightenment; I entered the state of Maine.

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I don't mean to sound too silly, but both involved an "eye-opening" experience. Swedenborg's eyes were opened into the spiritual world; mine opened to a world just as new to me-one in which the General Church was not externally present. For I had grown up in Bryn Athyn, graduated from both the Boys School of the Academy of the New Church and the Bryn Athyn College, and continued to remain in the Bryn Athyn orbit, almost literally in the shadow of the beautiful Bryn Athyn Cathedral for the first 57 years of my life.
     Then I moved to Brunswick, Maine, almost exactly ten years ago-early June 1990.
     Briefly, Maine is still a largely under-developed state. It has over 4000 miles of coastline and over 20 million acres of standing timber. It is said that some areas still remain unexplored! It is sparsely populated Oust in excess of a million souls); its largest city, Portland, has a population of fewer than 75,000. Its leading industries are lumbering, papermaking, fishing, shipbuilding, lobstering and tourism. Only now is it beginning to emerge as an important center of the cyber-space revolution. But more than anything else, it is a beautiful state to be in!
     Brunswick itself is a relatively small, outwardly typical, picturesque New England seacoast town of approximately 25,000, incorporated in 1739-six years before Swedenborg's spiritual eyes were opened.
     During the last 250 years Brunswick has seen its day as a major shipbuilding community, building and providing captains and crews for clipper ships that sailed the world over. It has been a leading mill town and center of commerce. It has been the home of such notables as Harriet Beecher Stowe, who wrote her classic Uncle Tom's Cabin just five houses up the street on which I live. On the same street have lived Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. On a parallel street lived the Civil War general Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, who received the surrender of Lee's Army at Appomattox in 1865. In the early years of the 20th century it was the summer home of Helen Keller.

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Her little "camp" still stands today on a beautiful promontory overlooking the sea- a sea she could not see!
     Brunswick has a remarkable number of churches of virtually every denomination. I've counted 27, some of which I have "sampled," with varying impressions. One particularly interesting church-The First Parish-has had guest speakers ranging from Jefferson Davis to Ulysses S. Grant, Eleanor Roosevelt to Martin Luther King, Jr.
     In the midst of this vibrant, ever-changing community, the first college in northern New England was established in 1794Bowdoin College-just 22 years after Swedenborg's death in 1772. Among its illustrious graduates are the previously mentioned Hawthorne, Longfellow and Chamberlain; and of late such as William Cohen, current U.S. Secretary of Defense, and George Mitchell, until recently U.S. Senate Majority Leader and even more recently, negotiator of the still fragile peace treaty in Northern Ireland.
     I highlight Bowdoin College because it is the setting in which much of the Jungian activity I'm about to describe in what follows has taken place and is continuing to do so.
     Incidentally, I cannot resist interjecting here that Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961) himself actually visited Brunswick in 1936 and gave a series of lectures on an island just off the coast-Bailey Island. He had been invited by three prominent New York City analytical psychologists, one of whom was a Kristine Mann, described in a recent Vassar College alumnae publication as, " . . . the daughter of a radical Swedenborgian clergyman." (!!)
     Now, back to the narrative leading into the Jungian community. As I really knew virtually no one in the town of Brunswick, I soon began, as you would imagine, to feel somewhat exiled and alone. One day as I was casting about to find some sort of suitable wedge into the obvious vitality of the town, I saw a notice in the local newspaper announcing that an analysis of Tom Brown's Dream was going to take place in the faculty room of Bowdoin College on a particular Tuesday afternoon in November.

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As I'd always been mildly interested in dream interpretation, I decided to attend, and marked my calendar accordingly. I knew nothing about what Tom Brown's Dream might be, but I suspected it was some well known or classic dream which may have received much attention and interest over time.
     That fateful November Tuesday afternoon arrived and I made my way to the beautiful Bowdoin College campus, entered the building in which I had learned the event was to take place, ascended to the third floor on a wonderful 200-year-old spiral staircase, and opened the door to a new and profoundly exhilarating phase of my life!
     Within the room I entered were about 75 people, with more continuing to stream in. I soon learned it was a group of incredible diversity of age, education, occupation and origin. But what took a little longer to become evident was their truly incredible unity of purpose-the inner development of themselves, and more importantly a sincere concern for the inner development and growth of one another!
     I will elaborate on all this in a moment in Section 3, but first I will conclude this section by simply saying that this event turned out to be a regularly scheduled weekly meeting of the Bowdoin College Jung Seminar sponsored by the College's Department of Religion and open to the public. These meetings had been held regularly for the past ten years, attended by persons not only local but also from up and down the coast from distances as far away as 75 miles or more!

     Section 3

     It was not long after entering that room that I slowly began to realize I had entered a milieu that was about to change my life, because it was going to change me. Or, more properly, I was going to discover myself in the multiple mirrors comprising this most remarkable group of people I had ever encountered.

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Before elaborating on that, let me devote just a moment to describing something of who it was, who I was, who entered that room on that momentous day in the autumn of 1990.
     If you were to page through the books I've read over the last quarter of a century, you would find the number 53 written in the margins of literally hundreds of those pages. This has been my "shorthand" way of labeling any passage in any book that might help me to understand Divine Providence 53. The portion of that number which has perplexed me so for so many years, reads as follows:
     One can look to another only from what is his own in himself.

     Simple enough, one might say. What is so perplexing about that? What caused me the most difficulty is the context. The statement 64 one can look to another only from what is his own in himself" is offered as an illustration to, as it is said, more fully understand the fact that the Lord looks to the Divine, that is to Himself, in us as a person "looks at his image in a mirror." Since the Lord looks to His Own in us, which I think I understand, when I reflected on the implication, by analogy, of what that meant when I regarded others, I was horrified! For "my own" was of course, my proprium seething with all my pet evils, and here I was being told that that is what I was looking to in others. Certainly there were times when I "saw" annoying traits in others, realizing they were most likely traits in myself that I refused to recognize and was projecting on others. That is "old hat," and perfectly understandable. But what of those to whom I looked and "saw" good things -kindness, etc.? Certainly that was no mirror, for I knew myself too well. What was it? Let us see.

     When I first entered the room I've already spoken of, I was enthusiastically greeted by two women of extraordinary warmth and was made to feel immediately at ease. These two women soon became, and remain to this day, dear friends.

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And speaking of "day," you will recall what brought me to that room on that day was the scheduled analysis of Tom Brown's Dream. Well, it soon became clear that Tom Brown's Dream was not some classic dream about to receive another interpretation. No, Tom Brown himself was right there in the room. He was simply a member of the group and brave soul enough to have volunteered to describe one of his dreams for the group and permit it to be dissected by his peers.
     Thus began my regular attendance at these meetings which in the last ten years number in excess of three hundred, and in which we have interpreted an incredible variety of dreams, including several of my own, and heard superb presentations on a vast array of topics.

     The "Mission Statement" of the Brunswick Jung Center states, in part:

Our purpose is to provide a setting where people interested in analytical psychology and related Subjects may deepen their understanding of Jungian thought and experience and where, through reading, discussion and seminars, they may explore areas which would have interested Jung himself.

     And since Jung was interested in virtually everything, we have been, over the years, treated to an extraordinary diversity of subjects-some presented by visiting practitioners, experts or scholars, others by members of the group.

     Here is just a sampling of the titles of some recent presentations:

Art as a Means to Spirituality e Tracks in the Wilderness of Dreaming

- Everyday Kabbalah and Depth Psychology Emotional Intelligence and Active Imagination
- Seeing with an Alchemical Eye
- Evil and the Archetypal Shadow
- The Transcendent Function in Jungian Psychology

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- Exploring the Tao Te Ching
- Integrating Science and Religion
- Becoming a Tibetan Buddhist
- Walking the Labyrinth as a Meditation Practice
- Spirituality in Healing-the Mind/Body Connection
- Tarot Symbolism
- The Goddess as an Archetype for Feminine Spiritual Development
- Images of the Soul
- Body Work, Psyche and Soma
- Becoming a Contemplative for the Sake of the World
- Spiritual Convergences in the Abrahamic Traditions
- Viktor Frankl and Existential Phenomenological Psychology
- Firewalking
- Energy Field Therapy Soul
- Making by the Light of the Moon

As you can see, the range of topics is extraordinary, the quality of the content of each is equally extraordinary, and the discussions which routinely follow are no less extraordinary. Sometimes they are absolutely breathtaking! Unfortunately, I have neither time nor intention to be more specific here.
     What I do intend is to focus briefly on several of the presentations I have made to the group, especially on the reactions to them.
     (To be concluded)
MINISTERIAL ANNOUNCEMENT 2000

MINISTERIAL ANNOUNCEMENT       Peter M. Buss       2000

     The Rev. Robert S. Junge will become the pastor of the Baltimore Society, effective November 1. He will reside in Baltimore part-time. He replaces the Rev. Douglas Taylor, who has been serving Baltimore, and who will help him on a part-time basis.
     Peter M. Buss, Executive Bishop

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NEW TRANSLATION OF HEAVEN AND HELL 2000

NEW TRANSLATION OF HEAVEN AND HELL       Rev. JONATHAN S. ROSE       2000

     The Swedenborg Foundation is undertaking a new set of translations of Emanuel Swedenborg's theological works known as the New Century Edition. As series editor I oversee the content of the series.
     The New Century Edition could be called the new readership edition. It is aimed at new readers of two kinds: those with a spiritual hunger, and those with an academic or intellectual interest in the Writings. In all decisions, the six other members of the New Century Edition committee and I have kept new readers uppermost in our minds. My fondest hope is that the New Century Edition will join the many other efforts to spread the message of the Writings all over the world.
     The first volume of the New Century Edition to come Out Will be Heaven and Hell, available this month (November 2000). It is translated afresh by Rev. George Dole. Although he translated the work once before in 1976, he translated anew for this edition, since the guidelines and approach are quite different.
     One of the aims of the New Century Edition is to mirror the tone and style of Swedenborg's first editions. While some seasoned readers may miss a few items of vocabulary they treasure from the standard edition, many will enjoy the disentangled word order and the higher readability of the new version. To my ear and eye, the new translation conveys the simple beauty of the Latin original.
     The new Heaven and Hell has a lengthy introduction by Professor Bernhard Lang of Paderborn University, co-author of Heaven: A History (Yale University Press 1988). A scholar who has studied and published on views of the afterlife throughout history, and who gave a paper in Bryn Athyn for the "Swedenborg and His Influence" seminar in 1988, Professor Lang highlights Heaven and Hell's unique perspective, comparing and contrasting it with pre-existing and contemporary thought. The volume also includes a translator's preface, three bibliographies, four indexes, and just over three hundred endnotes, all aimed at helping those who are relatively new to the Writings.

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     The New Century Edition volumes were expressly designed to recreate in a contemporary mode the look and size of Swedenborg's first editions. They feature generous margins on a seven- by ten-inch page of handsome off-white paper, embellished with the original ornaments, and with numbers and chapter headings in red.
     As an aside, I have just begun translating True Christian Religion, producing one version for the anticipated General Church set unveiled by Bishop Buss at the recent assembly, and another version for the New Century Edition, each adapted to the different markets and needs of the readers. It is a pleasure to be part of both of these projects. Although to some, multiple translations may seem unnecessary duplication, in my view, until the Writings are everywhere known and loved, there is still work to be done.
SERMON DISTRIBUTION, INCLUDING LARGE PRINT 2000

SERMON DISTRIBUTION, INCLUDING LARGE PRINT              2000

     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.

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GLENVIEW'S "FOCUS ON THE FUTURE" BUILDING PROJECT 2000

GLENVIEW'S "FOCUS ON THE FUTURE" BUILDING PROJECT              2000

     The Glenview congregation's "Focus on the Future" building project is nearing completion. The complex includes a fully equipped teen center and an upper level auditorium that will accommodate contemporary and festival worship services, as well as community programs. This has been a major undertaking for the church in Glenview, representing one facet of a program of expanded outreach activities designed to welcome our neighbors to all that the New Church offers. We are planning a simple celebration service on December 3 as we begin using the facility, and a formal dedication service for the month of April 2001. Spring can be a time of renewed energy and newness of life, a fitting time to ask the Lord's blessing on an endeavor we hope will benefit not only our present congregation but those who will become part of this church in the many years ahead. Friends of the Glenview congregation are warmly invited to join us in our dedication celebration. Please stay tuned for further details.
SECRET OF SWEDENBORG (A Biography) 2000

SECRET OF SWEDENBORG (A Biography)              2000

     Those who can read Swedish have testified that the biography by Mr. Lars Bergquist is an important and excellent piece of literature. We have learned that a translation into English will soon be complete, and we can look forward in the future to its publication.
POWER OF PRAYER 2000

POWER OF PRAYER              2000

     A new small hardback book has just been published by the Templeton Foundation entitled The Power of Prayer around the World. It is by Glenn Mosley and Joanna Hill. The Swedenborg perspective is provided by Ms. Hill. Every other page is devoted to a statement about prayer by a famous person. The first of these is a quotation from the Arcana Coelestia.

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BOYS IN A GIRLS'SOFTBALL LEAGUE 2000

BOYS IN A GIRLS'SOFTBALL LEAGUE       Editor       2000

     It is observed in the book Conjugial Love that there are many people who believe that women can perform the offices of men if only they are introduced to them at an early enough age. Those who so believe are not said to be bad people. No blame is attached to them. They just naturally assume that girls with early training can do what men do. This understandable belief has emerged in different forms in different eras. In the 1970s it was popularly thought that gender differences were only matters of culture. In fact, at that time you could get into trouble by suggesting that men and women are innately different.
     A study published in Time magazine in 1992 said that in the seventies "talk of inborn differences in the behavior of men and women was distinctly unfashionable, even taboo." People expected at that time that scientific studies would show that men and women are the same. "Once sexism was abolished, so the argument ran, the world would become a perfectly equitable, androgynous place, aside from a few anatomical details" (Ibid).
     Many believed that parents were the ones who conferred masculine and feminine traits by giving dolls to girls and trucks to boys. But since then, careful studies have been done on boys and girls. Studies showed that little girls do like dolls regardless of what parents may do to influence them otherwise. The current scientific view seems to agree with the Writings that men and women differ greatly "from their very birth" (CL 218).
     In our own era there are earnest people who are eager to have girls do anything boys do. Yes, they are different, but it seems to be a matter of justice and fairness that they should do the same things. Some feel that the cause of goodness in the world is best served if the two genders do the same things. Shouldn't women serve on submarines along with men? Some feel strongly on this, thinking that no matter how impractical it may be, it must be progress. In the United States, gender inclusiveness has taken on legal sanction. Girls can and do join masculine wrestling teams, and then there is the inevitable reaction.

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Sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. Shouldn't boys be allowed to join girls' sports teams?
     That brings us to the subject of softball. The softball Little League, created in 1974, was intended to be an all-girl softball division. Four hundred thousand girls were enjoying the activity. But boys demanded to be able to play in the league, and they won lawsuits in California and Vermont. The number of boys in the league is very small. There is one boy for every 400 girls. This year was the first year that boys made it to the softball world series (for players aged 16-18).
     Two foreign teams forfeited rather than play against American teams that included boys. The winning team from Arizona included five boys. What should have been the final game was a forfeit for gender reasons.
     What will happen next? What should happen next? This is not a theoretical question. It has to be dealt with on the practical level. An Associated Press article on this by James Prichard says that "the gender issue needs to be settled before next year's tournament." A spokesman for the Little League said, "Our position is that providing an athletic program like softball specifically for girls is a very valuable thing for girls." He feared that the present trend will see far fewer girls enjoying the benefit intended for them. Again, what should happen next? It is just a game, but are there lessons to be learned? When a practical question like this is faced realistically, it can result in bringing people closer together. As they look for solutions that make sense and are helpful to the people concerned, the dialogue becomes more wholesome, and theoretical differences are given a new perspective.
     We have learned that an American university is being threatened with a $2,000,000 suit for cutting a player from its football team. She claims the action was gender-motivated.

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ASSEMBLIES IN TORONTO AND ADELAIDE 2000

ASSEMBLIES IN TORONTO AND ADELAIDE       Philip Richards       2000

Dear Editor:

     While it is still fresh in my mind, I would like to share a few impressions of the General Church Assembly 2000 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in June, and make some comparisons with the Uniting Church of Australia Assembly in Adelaide in July 2000.
     I come from an "Old" Christian Church background, and the General Church assembly in Toronto was my first assembly. The whole experience was wonderful, with good food, comfortable accommodations, warm and interesting people. What excited me most was the rich variety of stimulating spiritual insights that came across at the various presentations-clearly the fruit of much devoted New Church scholarship.
     One presentation explained how the story of Daniel was, at a deeper level, the story of human regeneration. For me this transformed the book of Daniel from a story which I remembered imperfectly from my early years to a story which I can now see is of immediate application to our lives here and now. Two other excellent presentations drew on different levels of meaning in the same story of Abraham in Genesis. The one by Rev. Eric Carswell called "The Path of Wisdom" dealt with human spiritual development, while the one by Rev. Geoffrey Childs was an outline of the process of the Lord's Glorification.
     The General Church assembly is structured to appeal to a wide range of interests, and participants are required to make their attendance choices from a large number of presentations. Several presentations were on at the same time slot, so some hard decisions had to be made. All of them are, of course, based on the Word, and tapes of these presentations are available for purchase. While the church assembly also has a church business aspect, its main purpose is to assist people in their understanding of spiritual matters based on the Lord's revelation given in the Writings of Swedenborg.
     This experience was in stark contrast to the reported events of the 9th Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia held in July, this year in Adelaide.

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Here the themes were largely social concerns-reconciliation with Aborigines, progress in ecumenism, care of the aged, mission to the broader community, environmental concerns, effects of economic rationalism, and so on. With this kind of focus, it is no surprise that the chairperson of the Task Group on the Bible reported to the assembly that the church was in trouble and cruelly divided about biblical interpretation. He later noted sadly that the assembly ignored the Bible Task Group report and the report of the Doctrine and Liturgy Work Groups despite their status as core functions of the assembly.
     This neglect of spiritual matters in favour of social concerns by the Christian Church is not new, and its preoccupation with social matters has come to be known as the "Social Gospel." It is a constant theme every Sunday when I attend the local Uniting Church service in Canberra, and of course it does not satisfy spiritual hunger.
     My New Church experience leaves me in no doubt that the General Church is on the right track with its continuing focus on the Word in all its activities. After the highs of Assembly 2000 and the lows of worship services in Canberra, I can't help wondering if New Church people realise how well off they are with their abundance of spiritual truths and a clergy dedicated to leading to the good of life through teaching these truths.
     Philip Richards
     Canberra, Australia
REACTION TO "THE FORGOTTEN TRANSLATOR" 2000

REACTION TO "THE FORGOTTEN TRANSLATOR"       John Abele       2000

Dear Editor:

     Aubrey Odhner says that the following was an astonishing statement: "When he stopped trying, when he no longer worried about success, then he succeeded."
     Astonishing? That's hardly the word for it. This statement stopped me dead in my tracks.

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Of course we are not to imagine that Dr. Tucker stood there with his hands hanging down awaiting influx-and then received some. Yet it does seem to imply a striking paradox. It's hardly the way we are brought up in this world, to think we should stop trying and stop worrying about success in order to succeed. Actually, the quotation goes on to explain that Dr. Tucker in fact never stopped working. But, yes, he did stop trying. He stopped trying for the things that apparently were blocking his ability to succeed in what he was doing.
     This is definitely food for thought. The Writings say: [H]e who is content in God regards honors and riches as means for uses; and when he thinks of them and at the same time of eternal life, he regards the honor and riches of no importance, and eternal life as essential" (AC 4981). The Heavenly Doctrines tell us that when we are content with the state of honor and wealth we are in and not seeking merit and reward for selfish reasons, we receive the "blessing of Jehovah."
     It is hard for some of us to imagine that anyone could be fully in such a state while still living in this world. Worldly pressures can be intense at times.
     The point is not to judge Dr. Tucker's spiritual state from a few worldly external observations, but rather to search for an ideal - a state that the Writings seem to imply is possible in this world. Dare we imagine that Dr. Tucker may have received the "blessing of Jehovah"? Can we believe that his intention was sincerely, purely and devotedly to shun all fame and financial reward in his service in the Lord's work? As with most things in this world, it could be that his motives were a mixed bag of political pressures, financial and family situations coupled with an earnest longing to follow the Lord's commands. Or is this the key he found that any of us can use if we wish to be successful?
     We thank Aubrey Odhner for her revealing and inspiring story about Dr. Tucker, the forgotten translator.
     John Abele
     Willow Grove, PA

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PRINCIPLES OF WORSHIP 2000

PRINCIPLES OF WORSHIP       Rev. Grant Odhner       2000

Dear Editor:

     Dr. Reuben Bell's engaging rhetoric ("Principles of Worship," NCL, June 2000) about our current culture is powerful. It immediately stirred my greatest fears about losing things that I do not want our culture to lose: the ability and inclination to examine ourselves, attention span for matters of weight, thoughtfulness, sincerity in ritual, etc. The general effect of his article on me was to cast doubt on whether any of the changes that have happened in our culture could have a place in New Church ritual. It was a fine article and it's good to be challenged. However, upon further consideration, I don't believe that everything that has evolved in our culture and has affected our worship is bad,
     Specifically, I disagree that "performance" and "entertainment" are always inappropriate to worship. Isn't entertainment an aspect of all art and teaching? (Our best preachers and teachers in the past-e.g. our bishops-have been good entertainers.) And performance too is a part of some arts and certainly part of teaching. Art and teaching both involve selecting truths (ideally genuine ones), truths seen in human experience, and presenting them in a way that engages and holds the mind's attention, affection and thought. Ritual has always involved art and teaching-and thus entertainment and performance-in the form of human movement, in the form of architectural and decorative detail, in the form of discourse or other ways of conveying important ideas.
     Dr. Bell seemed to speak disapprovingly of the idea that television evangelism is "aimed directly at the senses as the doorway into a person's affections." Worship does legitimately involve and use the senses. It takes us from external states to internal states. And I think it takes us from internal states back to external ones too. (Otherwise, why would the angels have external aspects of worship; and why would "representations" accompany their reading of the Word?) Internal things rest in external ones and enter their delight there.

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     "All worship in its beginning is natural, and afterwards by truths out of the Word, and by a life according to them, becomes spiritual" (AR 161). There is nothing wrong with engaging the senses and its delights. "External delights allure the internal to consent and also to love" (DP 136:5). That is why children in heaven are led into angelic wisdom and into heavenly love by means of delights and pleasures (ibid.). I do not see why worship cannot involve things that are attractive and entertaining. I would, however, argue that our worship should always contain an appeal to the understanding's delight in the truth (see the DP 136 reference in context). And I think many of the ways that I have seen the senses of children (young and old) engaged and delighted in worship do appeal at the same time to the imagination and understanding and its love of truth.
     It is difficult for older people (and I include myself in this context) to deal with change in ritual. We are comfortable with what we know and with what has become meaningful to us. But a lot of our security here is a matter of our cultural comfort level. When I judge from that, I pretty much rule out all forms of exuberant preaching, singing, praise, or practically any show of personal warmth or spontaneity (let alone dancing). I tend to "read" most of these things as "insincere." Fortunately, my educated self has come to surmount this gut reaction (though the old feelings have a way of resurging at times) and I have come to value and even enjoy some of these elements in ritual.
     I have come to appreciate New Church ministers who are good entertainers: who engage me with humor (from the realizing of contrasts) and good story-telling. I have not found that this keeps me from self-examination Oust making me "feel good"). I have not found that it prevents humility and reverence. And it certainly hasn't prevented a spirit of praise. Rather, effective teaching enhances the sight of truth, and therefore the ability of that truth to cast light on the old will; and this is the basis for self-examination, humility, and praise.

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     I have also come to appreciate having musicians in a visible place in a worship service, leading the music and performing sacred music. The human face and bearing communicate affection just as the voice does. I have found myself delighted with the presentation of music in worship partly through this aspect of visible presentation. And I think the quality of congregational singing and praise can be greatly enhanced by inspired and competent music leaders. Yes, there is entertainment and performance involved here. No, it does not perforce detract from the essentials of worship. I have enjoyed the recent dialogue about worship in the General Church. I have found it refreshing to see and practice worship in new ways (and grow accustomed to them). Right now I sense a bit of a cautionary backlash on the part of people with more traditional tastes in worship. I am benefiting from both points of view. Interestingly, what the "contemporary" worship efforts, and the recent backlash, have done for me is make me more content with our traditional forms. I find myself appreciating more the thought that went into our traditional service. I also appreciate the ways in which it promotes a special kind of reverence, submission of the self, humility, de-emphasis of person, and opportunity to reflect rationally on an extended subject (not that this last thing does not happen in some forms of less traditional services).
     The biggest concern I have with some of our newer forms of worship relates to reverence. A worship service does not have to be solemn and serious at all times. But it should always offer opportunities for submission, silencing of the self, allowing for the "sensing of the holy." "Contemporary" services do offer such opportunities (they certainly have when I have led such worship). But because of the more free-form atmosphere, they do not require the worshiper to be "quiet" to the extent that our traditional worship does. There are some solemn times, but the worshiper must take them. The worshiper must require them of him- or herself-and of his or her children.

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It is not hard for an adult who has been initiated into a sense of reverence to take a moment to feel and express submission to the Lord; it is harder for children, especially when this is not modeled by parents and required. I have not enjoyed the kind of informality in worship that allows children to talk and wander off in search of the refreshments without restraint. I have seen this.
     What I have not seen yet is people being led away by "theatricals" "from true Divine worship, or from churches to playhouses" (TCR 320)-a very suggestive phrase that Dr. Bell applies to performance in worship. Note, however, that the passage is not speaking to the subject of performance in worship. It is a comparison used to illustrate what people are like who teach falsities and persuade others that they are true. At most we might say that this passage suggests that it is wrong to use performance in worship to lead people astray.
     The essentials in worship are love to the Lord and love to the neighbor. Formal worship should center on these and on teaching the truth that leads to those loves and to their fulfillment in life. There can be no genuine love for the Lord or neighbor, or real learning from Him, without a spirit of humility. And how can we say we know Him and love Him if we don't feel and express adoration or praise? These are the essentials of worship taught in the Heavenly Doctrines. If these can be present in our ritual, then worship can take place. Let's not allow our personal prejudices and cultural comfort levels to cause us to define ritual too tightly.
     Rev. Grant Odhner
     Rochester, MI
FATE OF THE UNBORN 2000

FATE OF THE UNBORN              2000

Dear Editor:

     "The Fate of the Unborn" by Emily Jane A. Lemole is a masterly presentation of a viewpoint seldom presented in my reading in the church literature. The view that human life begins only at birth has been widely disseminated.

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Thank you for this alternative outlook. She presents a convincing case.
     Obviously, birth is an event that makes some kind of difference. Here is a theory that gives a very plausible sort of explanation of what that difference may be between a child born alive and one that is not. The realms of human life need not all be "life as we know it," as the scientists say.
     Rachel D. Odhner
     Perkiomenville, PA
Title Unspecified 2000

Title Unspecified              2000


[Photograph]

The baptism in Boulder, Colorado, of Katherine Canfield (93 years old), Rev. David Roth officiating

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CAMP AT JACOB'S CREEK 2000

CAMP AT JACOB'S CREEK              2000

     The New Church Family Camp at Jacob's Creek in western Pennsylvania was once again a most successful three-day event, held in early August. Sixty adults and fifty children participated.
     As is the tradition, the camp opened with an evening family service atop the mountain that crowns the hilly and forested terrain of this Mennonite property. People either trek up on foot or are conveyed by a tractor-pulled wagon. Rev. Patrick Rose, our presiding minister, always leads this moving service-reading from Scripture and the Writings in his powerful voice that well complements the scene. For it is an incredible vista at sunset with mountains, valley and sky surrounding us. Lovely flute and guitar music accompanied our hymn singing.
     The subject for study this year was "The Spiritual World," with a different minister addressing each of the related topics: the world of spirits, hell and heaven in the three morning lectures. These were each presented twice so that adults who were charged with care of children during the first presentation could attend the second.
     Additionally, there were three additional papers offered in the late afternoon. See the list at the end of this report indicating what is available on tape.
     The children, grouped according to age, received the same subject matter from volunteer teachers. Follow-up crafts and other fun activities rounded out the children's daily program.
     Afternoons at camp were free for everyone to enjoy a variety of sports including swimming, hiking on the trails, or just relaxing. One big attraction for the younger children was the petting zoo, a small menagerie of ducks and rabbits, a goat and a cow, conveniently close to the dining hall.
     As is the tradition, every adult volunteers in advance for one duty or more, such as child care or teaching, to promote the smooth running of the camp. Some folks organized the sing-a-long around the bonfire on the first night. Other talented musicians provided accompaniment at services. Still others helped with snacks.

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Lots of families and individuals contributed entertaining skits or poems on talent night.
     Once again the Mennonite organization served us excellent meals cafeteria style, three times daily in the large and pleasant dining hall.
     We who attended the camp felt the spirit of charity and joy in old and new friendships. We will remember the excellent lectures and ponder long on newly perceived facets of the teachings. We also appreciated the stimulating questions provided, and subsequent discussions that followed each lecture.
     One may not write of Jacob's Creek Family Camp without mentioning the lady who has coordinated and managed it for the past four years. Pat David and her committee have devoted many hours to the camp, and we acknowledge this with our deep gratitude.
     Anyone listening to the tapes of these presentations would be well rewarded.

- "How the World of Spirits Corresponds to the Digestive System," by Rev. Reuben P. Bell

- "How Conjugial Love Relates to Loving the Lord," by Rev. Bradley Heinrichs

- "Hell (Infernum)," by Rev. Patrick Rose

- "The Myth of Diversity in a Feminized Church," by Rev. Reuben P. Bell

- (Heaven) "Receiving Heavenly Delights in This World," by Rev. Frederick M. Chapin

- "A New Approach to Evangelization," by Dr. Kurt Simons

To order copies of any or all of this series, please contact the Sound Recording Library at 215-9144980 or [email protected].

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CHURCH DEDICATIONS 2000

CHURCH DEDICATIONS              2000




     Announcements
     At Abelemkpe, Accra, Ghana, September 3, 2000, Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss officiating.
     At Asakraka-Kwahu, Ghana, September 10, 2000, Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss officiating.
POSITION IN TORONTO SCHOOL 2000

POSITION IN TORONTO SCHOOL              2000

     The New Church school in Toronto will be hiring a new principal. If interested in applying, phone Rev. Michael Gladish at 416-239-3054.

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GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEMContact Persons forPUBLIC WORSHIP AND DOCTRINAL CLASSES 2000

GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEMContact Persons forPUBLIC WORSHIP AND DOCTRINAL CLASSES              2000

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) 5741617.

Arizona:

Phoenix

Lawson and Carol Cronlund, 5717 E. Justine Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85254. Phone: (602) 9530478.

Tucson

Rev. Frank S. Rose, 9233 F. 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.

Northwest Arkansas

Rev. Daniel Fitzpatrick, 1001 N. Oriole Ave., Rogers, AR 72756. Phone: (501) 621-9011.

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 (949) 586-5142.

Sacramento/Central California

Bertil Larsson, 8387 Montna Drive, Paradise, CA 95969. Phone: (530) 877-8252.

San Diego

Rt. Rev. Louis B. King, 7911 Canary Way, San Diego, CA 92123. Phone: (858) 492-9682.

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, 3421 Blue Stem Ave., Longmont, CO 80503. Phone: (303) 485-2720.

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 Rd., Boynton Beach, FL 33437. Phone: (561) 736-9235.

Jacksonville

Kristi Helow, 6338 Christopher Creek Road W., Jacksonville, Fl, 32217-2472.

Lake Helen

Mr. and Mrs. Brent Morris, 264 East Kicklighter Rd., Lake Helen, FL 32744 Phone: (904) 228-2276.

Pensacola

Mr. and Mrs. John Peacock, 5238 SOUndside Drive, Gulf Breeze, Fl. 3256 1. Phone: (904) 934-369 1. Georgia:

Americus

Mr. W. Harold Eubanks, 516 U.S. 280 West, Americus, GA 31709. Phone: (912) 924-922 1.

Atlanta

Rev. C. Mark Perry, 10545 Colony Glen Drive, Alpharetta, GA 30022. Phone: (678) 5663972. Illinois:

Chicago

Rev. Arthur W. Schnarr. 2719 Park Lane, Glenview, IL 60025. Phone: (847) 729-8204.


Glenview

Rev. Eric Carswell, 73 Park Dr., Glenview, IL 60025. Phone: (947) 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.

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Maine:

Bath

Rev. George Dole, 876 High St., Bath, ME 04530. Phone: (617) 244-0504.

Maryland:

Baltimore

Rev. Robert S. Junge, 8G Cedar Tree Court, Cockeysville, MD 21030. Phone: home (410) 666-8468.

Mitchellville

Rev. James P. Cooper, 119 10 Chantilly Lane, Mitchellville, MD 20721. Phone: home (301) 8059460; office (301) 464-5602.

Massachusetts:

Boston

Rev. Reuben Bell, 138 Maynard Rd., Sudbury, MA 01776. Phone: (978) 443-3727.

Michigan:


Detroit

Rev. Grant Odhner, 395 Olivewood Ct., Rochester, MI 48306. Phone: (248) 6527332.

Mid-Michigan

Lyle and Brenda Birchman, 14777 Cutler Rd., Portland, MI 48875. Phone: (517) 647-2190. E-mail: MidMiNC0a iserv.net

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) 896-0293.

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 Munitbrd Rd., Garrettsville, OH 4423 1. 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,

Eric

Mrs. Paul Murray, 5648 Zuck Road, Erie, PA 16506. Phone: (814) 833-0961

Freeport

Rev. Clark Echols, 100 Iron Bridge Road, Sarver, PA 16055. Phone: office (412) 3532220.

Harleysville

Rachel and Oliver Odliner, 750 Perkiomenville Rd., Perkionienville, PA 18074. Phone: (610) 754-7020.

Hawley

Mr. Grant Genzlinger, Settlers Inn #25, 4 Main Ave., Hawley, PA 18428. Phone: (800) 833-8527.

527




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. Philadelphia New Church Korean Group, 851 W. Bristol Rd., Ivyland, PA 18974. Pastor: Rev. John Jin. Phone: (215) 4432533 or (215) 947-83 17.

Kempton

Rev. Lawson M. Smith, 171 Kunkel Dahl Rd., Kempton, PA 19529. Phone: (6 10) 7560093.

Pittsburgh

Rev. Nathan D. Gladish, 299 Le Roi Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15208. Phone: church (412) 731742 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: aaron.gladish(a)amd.com. Virginia:

Richmond

Mr. Donald Johnson, 13161 Happy Hill Road, Chester, VA 2383 1. Phone: (804) 748-5757. Washington:

Seattle

Rev. Christopher D. Bown, 19230 Forest Park Drive NE, Apt. 13-107, Lake Forest Park, WA 98155. Phone: 206-368-9531.

Washington, DC: See Mitchellville, MD. Wisconsin:

Madison

Mr. Warren Brown, 130 Greenbrier Drive, Sun Prairie, Wl 53590. Phone: (608) 8253002.

OTHER THAN U.S.A. AUSTRALIA

Sydney, N.S.W.

Rev. David Ayers, 26 Dudley St., Penshurst, NSW 2222. Phone: 61-02-95944205.

BRAZIL

Rio de Janeiro Rev. Cristovao Rabelo Nobre, Rod Mendes Vassouras, kin 4 1, Caixa Postal 85.7 11, 27.700-000, Vassouras, RJ Brasil. Phone: 55-024-471-2183.

CANADA

Alberta

Calgary

Mr. Thomas R. Fountain, 1115 Southglen Drive S.W., Calgary. Alberta T2W OX2. Phone: (403) 255-7283.

Debolt Laviria Scott, RR 1,Crooked Creek, Alberta FOH OYO. Phone: (780) 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. V I G 3N3. Phone: home (250) 843-7979, office (250) 782-8035. Ontario

Kitchener

Rev. Michael K. Cowley, 58 Chapel Hill Drive, Kitchener, Ontario N2G 3W5. Phone: oftice (519) 748-5802.

Ottawa

Mr. and Mrs. Donald McMaster, 684 Fraser Ave., Ottawa, Ontario K2A 2R8. Phone: (613) 725-0394

Toronto

Rev. Michael D. Gladish, 279 Burnhamthorpe Rd., Etobicoke, Ontario M9B IZ4. Phone: church (416) 239-3054. Quebec

Montreal

Mr. Denis de Chazal, 29 Ballantyne Ave. So., Montreal West, Quebec H4X 2B1. Phone: (514) 489-9861.

DENMARK

Copenhagen

Mr. Jorgen Hauptniann, Strandvejen 22, 4040 Jyllinge. Phone: 46 78 9968,

ENGLAND

Colchester

Rev. Kenneth J. Alden, 8 Stoneleigh Park, Lexclen, Colchester, Essex C03 5EY.

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London

Rev. Frederick Elphick, 21 B Hayne Rd., Beckenham, Kent BR3 4JA. Phone: 44181-658-6320.

Oxford


Mr. Mark Burniston, 24 Pumbro, Stonesfield, Witney, Oxford OX8 8QF. Phone: 01993 891700

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. 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, Sai.ioh-Nishiotake, 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 13528 1. Phone: home 82-(0)2-658-7305; church 82-(0)2-555-1366.

NEW ZEALAND

Auckland

Mrs. H. Keal, 4 Derwent Cresc., Titirangi, Auckland 1007. Phone: 09-8178203.

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 85 1, Kwa Xuma, Soweto 1868. Plione: 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, Pineiville 1808. Phone: 27-11-938-8314, KwaZulu-Natal

Clermont and Enkumba

Rev. Ishborn BUthelezi, P.O. Box 150, Clernaville 3602. Phone: 27-3 1-707 1526.

Durban (Westville)

Rev. Erik J. Buss, 30 Perth Rd., Westville, 3630. Phone: 27-3 1-2629043.

Eshowe/Richards Bay/Ernpangeni

Mrs. Marten Hiernstra, P. O. Box 10745, Meerensee 3901. Phone: 035 1-323 17.

Impaphala and Empangeni

Rev. B. Alfred Mbatha, 110 Box 60449, Phoenix, Durban, 4080.

Kwa Mashu and Hambrook

Rev. Chester Mcanyana, H602, Kwa Mashu, 4360.

Midlands

Rev. Erik J. Buss, 30 Perth Rd.,

Westville, 3630. Phone: 27-3 1-2629043.

Westville (see Durban) Western Cape

Cape Town

Mrs. Sheila Brathwaite, 208 Silverriline Village, Private Bag # 1. Noordhoek, 7985. Phone: 27-2 1 -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.

529


Debates with Devils What Swedenborg Heard in Hell 2000

Debates with Devils What Swedenborg Heard in Hell       Rev. Donald L. Rose       2000

     Designed as a companion book to Conversations with Angels, this new book presents subjects such as: What the Bible Says about the Devil, The Enemies of Our Peace, Hell's Paradoxical Cunning, and Madness and Evil Spirits.

Included are many memorable relations about Swedenborg's encounters with evil spirits. These have been newly translated by Lisa H. Cooper.

A substantial introduction by Leonard Fox examines historically the question of where evil comes from, and explains how different religions have approached the matter of Divine justice and the existence of evil.

Published 2000 by Swedenborg Foundation

Paperback U.S. $12.95 Shipping U.S. $1.20

General Church Book Center Cairncrest Box 743 Bryn Athyn, PA 19009

Hours: Mon-Fri 9-12 or by appointment

Phone: (215) 914-4920 0 Fax: (215) 914-4935

E-mail: [email protected]
Bringing people together GENERAL CHURCH SOUND RECORDING by spreading the spoken word 2000

Bringing people together GENERAL CHURCH SOUND RECORDING by spreading the spoken word              2000


Vol. CXX December, 2000 No. 12

New Church Life


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 25 cents 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: PO Box 743, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009-0743 (215) 914-4980 - FAX (215) 914-4935 - E - mail: [email protected]

530


Notes on This Issue 2000

Notes on This Issue              2000

We publish this month only a small part of Part 11 of the study by Rev. Erik E. Sandstrom called "The Gospels and Secular History." The first part appeared in the September issue. This study brings together gospel events and what is known of the history of that time.
     The word "gospel" is the same as the word "evangel," and it means good tidings, as noted on the opposite page.
     The December issue usually contains directories and reports. We have had to defer some of these to the next issue. It is a luxury having so much material to print.
     In the conclusion of the assembly address by S. Pelle Rosenquist there is a quote from AC 3425 which says that things which appear to be opposed are not opposed in themselves. They only seem that way because people are opposed. The author relates an interesting application of this teaching.
     The membership of the General Church is reported at 4585 as 134 new members are added. Their names and locations are given on pages 551-553.
     It is good to see that the enrollment in all General Church schools now approaches 1,200. See page 550 where you will see that the high school in Bryn Athyn has almost 300 students while the Bryn Athyn College has 136. Among the elementary schools, the largest after Bryn Athyn is the one in Kempton, Pennsylvania, which has 78 students.
     In this issue you can find the names of the teachers in all General Church elementary schools. See pages 547-550.
     We would insert here a message from the New Church school in Toronto. That school is seeking a teacher for the school year beginning next September. If interested, contact Rev. Michael Gladish, whose phone number is 416-239-3054.

Correction: On p. 507 of the November issue we noted that sermons distributed by the General Church are available in large print. Mrs. Aldvin Nickel's correct address is 428 Enchantment Road, Rapid City, SD 57701-9200. We apologize for this error.

531


GOSPEL, THE GOOD TIDINGS 2000

GOSPEL, THE GOOD TIDINGS              2000

     When you read in the Word of "good tidings" or of "good news," it is the same original word. It is the "gospel" or "evangel."
     In the Christmas story the angel said to the shepherds, "I bring you good tidings." This is in Luke 2. In Luke 4 we have Jesus quoting Isaiah: "He has appointed Me to preach the gospel . . . " (verse 18). In the book of Revelation an angel has everlasting good news. The angel was seen "flying in the midst of heaven having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth-to every nation, tribe, tongue and people."
     The Writings say that to "evangelize" or "to declare good tidings" is about the Lord's coming. It is interesting to see the Scriptural passages that are given to illustrate this. The following is found in Apocalypse Revealed 478.
     First there is Isaiah 40 on Jerusalem's declaring good tidings. Then Isaiah 52 on how delightful upon the mountains are the feet of him who declares good tidings. Then Psalm 96 on declaring the good tidings of the Lord's salvation. Then Isaiah 61 (quoted above in Luke 4:18).
     Then Gabriel's saying in Luke 1: "1 am Gabriel who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring these glad tidings." Then the Christmas story's "good tidings of great joy." Then several passages are mentioned which speak of the gospel of the kingdom or the glad tidings of the kingdom (Matt. 4, Mark 1, Luke 7). "Jesus also said to the disciples, Go into all the world; preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). And finally, "This also is 'the everlasting gospel' which the angel had that was flying in the midst of heaven."
     Those passages in AR 478 give us a good feel for the word "gospel," and they help us appreciate a striking sentence in the Arcana answering the question, When is the Lord's coming? "The coming of the Lord . . . exists whenever the gospel is preached and what is holy is thought of" (AC 3900).

532


GOSPELS AND SECULAR HISTORY Part II 2000

GOSPELS AND SECULAR HISTORY Part II       Rev. ERIK E. SANDSTROM       2000

     (Continued from the September issue.)

     Herod, Galilee and the Shepherds

     One image that sticks with us from the Christmas tableaux is the shepherds and the manger, the pastoral scene. It all began with worshipping the Jesus infant as Christ, the "anointed one" or king. In the past, among "Mediterranean pastoralists . . . the land and the family were so inextricably linked that . . . women [were] contested resources . . . , so much so that kidnappings, abductions, elopements and capture . . . appear to have been frequent occurrences" (Crossen, citing Schneider, p. 14). "Hence the almost mythological importance of virginity in Mediterranean codes of honor and shame." Marriageable women were regarded as the most precious resource of all (p. 15).
     Crossen continues: "It is easy to understand the importance of Mary as Virgin-Mother in such circumstances." Joseph married Miriam and they lived in Nazareth on the edge of an incredible fertile valley, where land was tied to heritage and family and there was great productivity.
     Into this rich pastoral setting had come Herod the Great. After Pompey had captured Jerusalem in 63 BC, he saw just an empty room in the Holy of Holies of the second temple. No statue? No god? In disgust, in effect he had told Antipater, Herod's father, "You can have it if you can take it." Herod grew up in this favored situation. By 48 BC Herod had won his own war against the bandit Ezekias. Also, the Parthians invaded in 40 BC, and he had to fight them. In three years he took Galilee. Octavian (Caesar Augustus) and Anthony obtained for Herod the throne of Jerusalem. Octavian was so impressed by Herod's control that in 20 BC he named him procurator also of Syria.
     Herod is indeed recognized for his brilliant leadership and understanding of commerce in turning Judea into a trading nation, almost like a pocket empire.

533


He harnessed its fertility and natural resources, forging it into a wealthy land, building cities on the Greek model, e.g. Sepphoris, only four miles from Nazareth. Sepphoris was a major cultural center and metropolis from the very time of the Lord's infancy and all through His ministry. It is never mentioned in the gospels.
     And Herod rebuilt the temple at Jerusalem-on a mammoth scale. It was started in 22 BC, and was not completed until about 20 AD, long after his death. Jesus as a boy of twelve saw it all still under construction. It was in effect a brand new temple when the Lord's public ministry began, but was destroyed in 70 AD by Vespasian and Titus-a grand but short-lived temple.
     At the time of a census or tax collection for Rome, Joseph and Miriam came to Jerusalem, and the Lord was born. Herod died soon after, in 4 BC. Herod's cruelty was so well known that all Jews celebrated with joy.
     The fighting among Herod's sons over the inheritance started practically in the funeral train. Rebels broke into the arsenal in Sepphoris and terrorized the Galilean countryside, inciting people against the tax. It was so savage that the Jews begged Rome to intervene. Quinctilius Varus came down with his legions from Syria. The savagery and reprisals were incredible. Hundreds were crucified. This can at least show the kind of "usual cruelty" taking place in the very same year as the "death of innocents" in Bethlehem recorded in Luke. The reason why Herod's slaughter of innocents is not recorded in secular history may simply be because "it disappears among the cruelties of Herod. It cannot . . . surprise us that history does not speak of it" (Catholic Encyclopedia). Such cruel things happened.
     With peace settled at terrible cost by Varus, the three sons of Herod could divide their father's domain: Herod Archelaeus became the ethnarch of Idumea and Samaria, including Jerusalem, and ruled from 4 BC to 6 AD (see Matt. 2:22).

534


But then the rebellious nature especially of the Galileans, and their banditry targeting Judea around Jerusalem, made this Herod give up, and the people requested that Rome take direct charge. That was in 6 AD, which is also when the only historically certain Roman census took place.
     Some scholars believe 6 AD was when Caesar Augustus sent out his decree, because Publius Sulpicius Quirinius, mentioned in Luke 2:2 as the governor of Syria was not governor in 4 BC, but in 6 AD. However, that would put the birth of Jesus ten years "off" from the death of Herod the Great in 4 BC. Only some scholars mention a census also in 4 BC when Varus intervened, and the three Herod brothers were set up to be puppet rulers. If there were two censuses, one in 4 BC and one in 6 AD, they occurred after two different "Herods," with two different rebellions taking place. For there was a rebellion also against Herod Archelaus in 6 AD. The record of the Lord's birth in Luke of course is concerned only with the internal sense. Whatever the case, in 6 AD Herod Archelaeus lost control of Jerusalem and was exiled to Gaul, there was a census, and Rome assumed direct control in Jerusalem by means of a procurator, more accurately "prefect." Pontius Pilate became the fifth such prefect to hold this office, which of course was at the time when the Lord was crucified.
     Another of Herod the Great's sons, Herod Antipas, became tetrarch of Galilee and Peroea from 4 BC to 39 AD. He ruled in peace and prosperity all his reign, and Rome left him alone; but he was exiled in 39 AD, replaced by Agrippa 1. Herod Philip was the third son, and he was tetrarch of the north and northedst of Galilee from 4 BC to 34 AD. It was against Philip that John the Baptist railed because of his adultery, and who executed John by the Herodian method of beheading. Other scholars believe it was Herod Antipas, not Philip, who did this.

     (To be continued)

535


ATTEMPTING TO REFLECT A GENUINE FACE OF THE GENERAL CHURCH IN A JUNGIAN MIRROW 2000

ATTEMPTING TO REFLECT A GENUINE FACE OF THE GENERAL CHURCH IN A JUNGIAN MIRROW       S. PELLE ROSENQUIST       2000

     Conclusion

     (Presented to the 33rd assembly of the General Church in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, June 23, 2000)


     My first presentation to the seminar was a paper entitled "Observations on Regeneration, Transformation and Individuation," in which I both contrasted and correlated their meanings.
     It was during the lively discussion which followed that I firs became convinced of the seeming truth of Blake's initially inflammatory statement that Swedenborg had written nothing new, at least insofar as my listeners were concerned. Everything I said Swedenborg had written about regeneration, members of the group countered with similar things having been said by an array of others ranging from Meister Eckhart (1260-1327) to St. Theresa of Avila (1515-1582). This was clearly not done in a spirit of denigration but to, as it were, unify us in some way. But I felt increasingly agitated. Couldn't they see the difference between random speculations and cohesive revelation?
     Reflecting that evening, I began to become aware of the unconscious arrogance out of which I had prepared and spoken. I knew all the answers and expected to awe the group and hear exclamations of "aha" as I spoke! I blush even now to recall what a frankly 64 non-human" face of the church I had reflected in my inaugural presentation to this wonderful group of seekers. Surprisingly, the fact is they had actually appreciated my remarks and many asked for copies of my paper and expressed the hope I would address them soon again. I was humbled and frustrated nevertheless, and remained formally silent for about a year.
     During the ensuing year of self-imposed silence, the Jung Center continued to present a breathtaking array of topics and speakers, and I became increasingly swept up in this whirl of tantalizing spiritual diversity.

536


Slowly I began to discern what I considered at the time a growing danger particularly to myself-of immense distraction. All this fascinating material was occupying more and more of my internal attention and diverting me from my continuing study of the Writings.
     About that time I was asked to give another paper. I consented, addressing myself to the need at some point to take a spiritual "stand" to, as one Buddhist speaker had said during the year, "stop searching and start finding." I chose as my theme Jonah's being swallowed by the whale, using a line from that story as my title: "Out of the Belly of Hell." I tried to illustrate through the inner meaning of this story how too much truth can drown one and how one must guard against expecting information, no matter how captivating, to "add up to" a faith in or path to God; how it was necessary to choose a path, virtually any path, and sincerely follow it rather than remain forever stuck at the trailhead of a myriad paths, intrigued by them all.
     While this presentation was particularly well received-some still speak about it to this day-I again was not satisfied at first, for as I said earlier, I was really addressing my own fears of being too distracted by the dazzling array of spiritual alternatives. But it slowly began to dawn on me that that was perhaps more a sign of the fragility of my own faith than a cause for alarm as to what may or may not be occurring in the internal growth of others -though many were appreciative of the "warning," as some gratefully called it.
     Overall I was encouraged by the response to "Out of the Belly of Hell," and readily consented to deliver another paper some months later. Due to several deaths within the group there was a mounting interest in the question of life after death. As a result of occasional comments I'd made over the years, it was known I had some definite opinions on the subject, so I was asked to address the matter. Now I was in my element, as you might imagine! I need not describe to you what I said because you all know what you would have said in similar circumstances.

537


I'll just say that I first attempted to authenticate Swedenborg as a reliable source, drew those remarkable parallels between how Swedenborg describes the dying process and so-called "near-death experiences," and went on to reveal a variety of details pertaining to the spiritual life to come, with particular emphasis on the life of heaven.
     All I can say is that this paper was extremely well received; dozens of copies disappeared from the table at the exit, and from many who had been unable to attend, I received calls requesting copies. What seemed most appealing to many was the high degree of detail I was able to offer. (I had provided everyone with a copy of the Table of Contents of Heaven and Hell.) And particularly, they said, what impressed them most was the absolute certainty with which I spoke.
     As I walked home that late afternoon I was elated and full of gratitude to the Lord for having given me this precious opportunity to serve Him and our church. Though I did not think of it in such terms then, I believe I had, at last, begun to manifest a genuine face of the General Church.
     Not long after this opportunity, another arose. Bowdoin College Museum was mounting an exhibit centering on Dante's Inferno in connection with a new translation thereof by the Poet Laureate of the United States Robert Pinsky.
     Since I had given a paper on the life after death with particular emphasis on heaven, the Jung group asked if I would be willing to address, in more detail, the subject of hell. I readily consented, of course.
     Feeling it advisable to tie in as much as possible with the Dante exhibit, I made a "quick study" of the Inferno and, to a lesser extent, Milton's Paradise Lost. The result was a presentation contrasting the "classic" view of hell, and how one may find oneself in it, with Swedenborg's description of it and how one may consign oneself to it, the basic difference being, as you know, choice rather than condemnation.

538



     Once again I was very encouraged by the response, and many, I believe, departed with a new and meaningful way of contemplating the reality and likelihood of hell. Unfortunately, I was unable to disabuse several of the sentimental notion that a merciful God would never allow anyone to remain in hell forever. "God, in His mercy, will always find a way to raise everyone into heaven" was the all-too-typical comment of the few so disposed. They were apparently unable or unwilling to grasp the idea that God has nothing to do with condemning anyone to hell, that it is purely a matter of choice, and in a very real sense that heaven would be an even more severe hell to those so inclined-thus illustrating a different aspect or side to the true meaning of mercy. I'm pleased to say copies of this paper were widely distributed.
     My most recent presentation, during this past Easter week, was entitled "Male and Female Created He Them-From Eden to Easter." I chose this subject to address what I had observed to be a growing attention to opposites-a subject of great significance to C.G. Jung-but while he considered them essential and complementary, there seemed a growing sense of conflict rather than complementarity, especially between the sexes. The seeming male/female dichotomy was my theme and the comparison to the apparent differences between love and wisdom, good and truth and other similar dualities. Of course I quickly pointed out how in fact all these dualities were totally dependent on one another for completion, for wholeness, for full human expression. And from this I expanded into the whole realm of seeming opposites with their reconciliations, up to the Easter Story and its obvious implications of how both life and death are essential components of the ultimate attainment of truly human consciousness and experience. This presentation was received with great enthusiasm, and I truly feel it had a calming and yet stimulating effect.
     Throughout almost the entire time I've just described I felt myself growing into something into which I "fit."

539


The more I reflected on the environment in which I was functioning, the more I learned from it, the more I contributed to it, the more certain I became I was where I ought to be and doing what I ought to do-so much so that I've come to consider this extraordinary assemblage of people as comprising a society astonishingly similar to that described in Conjugial Love 10 which, you will recall, established the theme of this paper. It assumed the role of a heavenly society in which, as described in that number, "one enters a form corresponding to oneself . . . and inhales its life as one's own." Let me modify that impression with a word so in vogue today, the word "virtual." I have become convinced I've been blessed to have found that "form corresponding to myself" in and among this remarkable group-a virtual heavenly society. And once I began to so think, the face of the General Church I was trying so hard to reflect became a human face, and slowly the quarter century of perplexity I cited earlier concerning the true meaning of Divine Providence 53 ("One can look to another only from what is his own in himself") melted away. For as I felt myself becoming imbued with a sense of my own humanity, so I began to regard or look to others. For as thought in heaven does indeed proceed according to the human form of heaven, such is the form in which one contemplates God, others and oneself. For in that state one can think of them in no other way, because that is the form of one's thought!
     How did this seeming "transformation" come about? I don't believe it was mere coincidence that during this time I had encountered and had devoted considerable time to Arcana 3425, in which the apparent opposition or conflict between the internal and external senses of the Word is discussed. While the specific context of this number has to do with that conflict -between the internal and external senses-I finally saw its applicability on the level of my relationship to the Jungian community; my differences with them need not be experienced or expressed in terms of "opposition." Arcana 3425 reads in part: "[T]hings which appear opposed are not opposed in themselves; but they appear so because men are in what is opposed."

540


It became clear to me that I had to stop thinking of myself as being in opposition, and as I slowly succeeded in doing so, any sense of conflict ceased. Differences, of course, remain, but conflict disappeared. The remaining differences took on an entirely new meaning-one of enrichment-and the whole matter resolved itself into a deep sense of gratitude to the Lord for having led me to this place, to these people, at this time.
     A wonderful corollary result of all this is a veritable alteration of the past. For all the vicissitudes of life which had to occur to ultimately bring me into the midst of this virtual heavenly society became essential and thus transformed from negatives to positives. I became grateful, rather than regretful of the past, and this just intensified the sense of genuine humanity, both in and around, For yet another obstacle to "looking to" the human in myself, in others and in God had thus been removed.
     Let me hasten to add a word of caution. We must not confuse the human form with the human shape. The best way I know to assure such confusion does not exist is to keep ever mindful of the profoundly important distinction which the Writings often make between how angels think of the Lord and how they see the Lord. They think of Him as the Divine Human, but see Him as the Spiritual Sun! What is so important about this distinction is how it guards against confusing oneself with God. The angel functions with the God-given human form, the "as-of-self," as a heaven, as a church in least form, but keeps ever mindful of his "nothingness" by, as it is said, his constantly being turned toward and seeing God as the Sun-with which one can never equate oneself. Thus is preserved the genuineness of the "as-of-self" out of which each angel experiences the sensible, conscious life of love, use and joy -the only satisfactory definition of what it means to be truly human.

     Section 4

     We spread the church by becoming a church. It is really a simultaneous act.

541


To strive to expand the church without becoming one is useless; to become a church without radiating it is impossible. So, a few observations on the process follow, all based on the need to do both.
     William Blake, in a far more benign statement than that with which I began, but nonetheless from the same work The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, wrote: "Truth can never be told so as to be understood and not be believed."
     In our efforts to propagate the church, our way of expressing the truth may be inadequate for a variety of reasons. Foremost among them may be the fact that we do not actually understand what we are presenting. I've certainly often observed this failure in myself, I know that I've encountered the most opposition or reluctance in those areas where my understanding is shallow at best, or even nonexistent.
     If we do not succeed in shaping the truth in a human form, it will not be recognized by a truly human mind, a searching mind, a mind capable of understanding the human form of truth. Such a "receiving" mind must be the active amalgam of that most exciting of trilogies mentioned earlier-affection, perception and thought. To present the truth to such a mind in a way which can be understood leads inevitably to belief. It cannot be otherwise!
     But "belief can mean many things. The fact is, I've met little "opposition" to the teachings of the Writings. Rather, and somewhat frustratingly, I've had readily accepted the fragments of truth that I've been blessed to understand and so to impart, but often merely as confirmations of what others have said, as I described to you earlier. I've learned not to be disappointed or discouraged by such a response. I take solace from the fact that a seed has been planted.
     Then there is another side to would-be belief, we've all experienced it. Some upon hearing, let us say, our absolute certainty of a life after death will express their admiration for our certainty, sincerely wishing they could share such a certainty because it conforms to what they would like to believe, but for some reason cannot. So they say.

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     I no longer concern myself with such responses. Those who are so disposed are on the brink of belief, in the affection stage of the trilogy mentioned a moment ago, in the realm of stirred remains. I now feel confident that if the expressed wish to so believe is genuine, the true human process of unfoldment-affection to perception to thought-will occur with such individuals and thus understanding will become one with the longed-for belief.
     Another, somewhat different kind of observation: Earlier I mentioned that one of the guiding principles of the Brunswick Jung Center is to give attention to anything which might have interested Carl Gustav Jung himself. And since Jung was interested in anything which may contain or lead to the "numinous," so too the center is determined to be. This wide range of interests also involves a deep respect, even reverence, for all the genuine myths and traditions which Jung encountered during his long life.
     Let me cite only one powerful example of this and relate it to what might be called a New Church "myth" which I'm sure Jung would have found not only interesting but compelling.
     In Jung's truly fascinating autobiography Memories. Dreams. Reflections, he describes a visit he made to Taos, New Mexico, in 1924. There he met and became friends with a Pueblo chief named Ochwiay Biano or Mountain Lake. Among the many things that Jung learned from Mountain Lake was the fact that they, the Pueblo, believed they were responsible for the rising of the sun which could be assured only through the devoted practice of their sacred tribal rituals. Mountain Lake expressed it to Jung as follows: "If we were to cease practicing our religion, in ten years the sun would no longer rise. Then it would be night forever . . . . [W]e do this not only for ourselves but for the whole world."
     Do we not have a similar "myth"-a teaching which, as it were, "burdens" us with a strikingly similar responsibility for the very survival of mankind? Let me remind you of passages from the Writings such as:

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- ". . . if there were not always some with whom the church, or true faith, remained, the human race would perish" (AC 468).

- " . . . if the Lord's church should be entirely extinguished on the earth, the human race could by no means exist, but one and all would perish" (AC 637).

- "For when there is no church, there is no longer any communication of man with heaven, and when this communication ceases, every inhabitant perishes" (AC 931).

- "Without a proper idea of God no communication with the heavens is possible" (DLW 13).

Think of it! The parallels between what we all know to be our responsibility and what the Pueblo believe to be theirs are clear and indeed compelling.
     Jung observed that the Pueblos' simple belief in their indispensable role in human survival "raises the human individual to the dignity of a metaphysical factor" and "underlies that enviable serenity of the Pueblo Indian. Such a man is in the fullest sense of the word in his proper place."
     Our essential role in preserving the connection between the spiritual and the natural is the paramount reason I've interwoven throughout this presentation the ever-present need to become ever more fully human. All else having been said, it is this act, this genuine striving to individually fulfill our providential role-to enable us to present a truly human face of the General Church to the world-which will ultimately transform each of us from a unique image of God into the potential and promised likeness-into a shared humanity, the human not only shared with others so engaged but into a finite reflection of the Divine Human Itself, into a church in least form. Thus the serenity of the Pueblo of which Jung spoke so admiringly may be experienced by us as "heavenly peace." And what Jung described as the Pueblo's reward-finding himself "in his proper place"-will result for us as finding ourselves in that place described in our recurring theme (see CL 10)-a place or form in heaven "corresponding to ourselves."

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For we will have attained, at last, "the essential human [which] is to think and to will from God" (DP 293). There will be no need ever to call oneself human, for God will have bestowed that "name" upon us, and in our new and heavenly situation we will be unable to think of the Lord, of the church, of ourselves in any other way!
     Let me conclude with a somewhat recent and truly wondrous experience. It was mid-June of a prior year and I was driving home alone from the annual Joseph Campbell festival in Milford, New Hampshire.
     I was nearing Brunswick as darkness of night began to fall over the rolling fields and valleys leading up to town. Because one is never far from the sea, it is not unusual to encounter such valleys filled with low-lying, fast-moving clouds, sometimes called "sea smoke" in the winter and simply "fog" at other times of the year.
     On this particular evening it was remarkably without such phenomena when suddenly about a quarter mile ahead of me there was indeed a cloud, but oh so different! -not a cloud that enshrouds, but a cloud of sparkling light! I watched in absolute bewilderment and amazement as the one and only car ahead of me (about 1/10 of a mile ahead) followed the road as it cut through the meadow and right into the midst of this cloud. Suddenly that car was enveloped, engulfed by that cloud and for the first time I was able to determine what comprised it-it was a vast, slowly moving aggregation of millions of fireflies! Would one call it a "school," a "pride," a "gaggle," a "flock" of fireflies? I don't know the proper descriptive term. I doubt there is one. I'll settle for an "incandescence" of fireflies.
     As I said, the car ahead of me was totally enveloped by this incandescence, and appeared to dissolve into a myriad sparkles of light. I was fortunate that there was a car ahead of me to, as it were, serve as a mirror for how I and my car were going to appear in the next few seconds.

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Sure enough, soon I was in the midst of this stunning sphere of pulsating light. Having observed moments ago how the other car had appeared to dissolve into points of light, as I entered their midst I imagined myself being transformed into countless sparks of light and, as it were, "beamed up" by a Star Trek-like transporter into realms of glory!
     Imagination, of course, but I was struck by the symbolism. These twinkling fireflies could, like the candles Blake referred to, inspire awe, stir the imagination, grip one's thought to a degree akin to transformation, but they obviously could not actually uplift nor in Star Trek-like fashion re-assemble one on another plane of reality. It takes the sunshine to do that! In Blake's quotation, it is the Writings which provide that sunshine. They alone are capable of re-assembling, reforming and regenerating our spirit in the place which awaits each of us in that heavenly society in which, as Conjugial Love 10 says, we will find and enter into a form, a human form, corresponding to ourselves!
     One final note: I just recently received a letter from a beloved friend and fellow member of the Brunswick Jung Center. He was responding to a note I had written him after his wife's death. In my note I had expressed my sympathy and gently reminded him of some of the concepts mentioned in my paper on the life after death, in which I recalled that he and his wife had shown particular interest when it was first given several years before.
     I will quote for you the first lines of his letter: "Dear Pelle-Your note was so sweet, so tender and so filled with the confident certainty that your life radiates these days that it was and is an important gift."
     If he is right-and knowing him, he meant it-if, in fact, my life does "radiate a confident certainty," perhaps it means I've been blessed by the Lord to at last join so many of you who already are reflecting or are about to reflect something of the truly human face of our glorious church.
     Let me leave you with this: Ultimately we are all striving to see the Visible God-the Lord-the Divine Human.

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Hence, our striving to become ever more truly human is the threshold to that manifestation, arising out of the sought-for and resulting gift of understanding the full and profound import of Arcana 3324, which teaches in part: "Love to the Lord is the Lord."
     Think of it. When we finally are blessed with the conscious experience of love to the Lord-willingly radiating and returning His Love to Him-we will indeed and at last see Him, for listen again to Arcana 3324 with emphasis added: "Love to the Lord is the Lord"!
     What a wonder-full face of the church each of us will then reflect-a truly human face. Imagine the expression on such a face-the expression of His Love!
APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION TO THE ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH GIRLS SCHOOL AND BOYS SCHOOL 2000

APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION TO THE ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH GIRLS SCHOOL AND BOYS SCHOOL              2000

     Requests for application forms for admission of new students to the Academy Secondary Schools should be made by March 1, 2001. Letters should be addressed to Mrs. Robert Gladish, Principal of the Girls School, or Mr. R. Scott Daum, Principal of the Boys School, 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 April 15, 2001.
     All requests for financial aid should be submitted to the Business Manager, Academy of the New Church, Box 711, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009, by June 1, 2001. 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 or Students on the basis of race, color, or national or ethnic origin.

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GENERAL CHURCH SCHOOLS DIRECTORY 2000-2001 2000

GENERAL CHURCH SCHOOLS DIRECTORY 2000-2001              2000

     Office of Education:

Rev. Philip B. Schnarr      Director
Carol Buss           Assistant Director
- Jill Rogers           Curriculum Coordinator; School Support
- Gretchen Keith           Resource Center Coordinator
- Rachel Glenn           Executive Coordinator

Bryn Athyn:

Rev. Prescott A. Rogers     Principal, Religion
Barbara Doering           Vice-Principal
Linda Kees                Kindergarten
Kit Rogers                Kindergarten
Christine DeMaria      Grade 1
Robin Morey           Grade 1
Carla Reuter           Grade 1
Aline Brown           Grade 2
Lois McCurdy          Grade 2
Erica Stine               Grade 2
Kris Irwin               Grade 3
Alex Rogers           Grade 3
Judy Soneson           Grade 3
Melinda Friesen           Grade 4
JoAnne Hyatt           Grade 4
Richard Mansbach           Grade 5
Stephanie Schrock      Grade 5
Kay Alden                Grade 6
Heather Klein           Grade 6
Carol Nash                Grade 7-Girls
Reed Asplundh           Grade 7-Boys
Gail Simons           Grade 8-Girls
Greg Henderson           Grade 8-Boys
Melodie Greer           Algebra; Computers
Robert Eidse           Physical Education
Leanne Mayer           Physical Education
Margit Irwin           Music
Dianna Synnestvedt      Art
Judith Smith           Librarian
K Harantschuk           Science
Ceri B. Holm-Stein      Director of Student Support Center
Steven Irwin           Curriculum Coordinator
- Gretchen Glover          Kindergarten Aide
- Amy Jones           Kindergarten Aide

548



- Elizabeth Childs      Grades 4 and 6 Aide
- Sandra Pellani           Grade 5 Aide
- Sonya Carter          Grade 5 Aide
- Louise Eidse          Grade 8 Boys Aide
- Eva Mergen           Grade 8 Girls Aide
- Jennifer Kuhl          Student Support Center
- Janna Lindsay          Student Support Center
- Lori Nelson           Student Support Center
- Eileen Rogers          Student Support Center
- Lisa Synnestvedt     Student Support Center
- Clare Engelke           Student Support Center
- Rev. Thomas H. Rose     Religion
- Rev. Jeremy F. Simons      Religion
- Kenneth Rose           Math Enrichment

Boulder: Barbara Ebert      Kindergarten, 1 and 2

Durban: (2000 school year: January 1 - December 31, 2000)
Rev. Erik Buss                Pastor, Principal, Religion
Vivienne Riley                Grade 1
Marie Rose Sparg                Grades 2-3
Kathryn Kloppers                Grade 4
Jane Edmunds                Headmistress; Grades 4-5
Heather Allais                Grades 6-7
- Oonagh Chaning-Pearce      Afrikaans; Zulu; History
- Bridget Garrett           Teacher Aide
- Stuart Merson-Davies           Music
- Bruce Edwards               Sports

Glenview:

Rev. Eric H. Carswell           Pastor/Headmaster, Religion
Jeryl Fuller               Co-principal; Grades 7-8
Rebekah Russell                Co-principal; Grades 3-4
Laura Barger                K-2 (team)
Sarah Berto                K-2 (team)
Philip Parker                Grades 5-6
Yvonne Alan                Grades 7-8
- Jennifer Overeem           Art
- Rev. Peter M. Buss, Jr.      Religion
- Rev. Terry Schnarr           Religion
- Susan Bellinger           Music
- Sarah Berto                Learning Resources
- Dragona Navratil           Learning Resources

549



- Janis Post                Physical Education
- Pamela Olson                Physical Education
- Lucinda Edmonds               Physical Education; Math 3 and 4

Kempton:

Rev. Lawson M. Smith           Pastor, Principal
Mark Wyncoll               Vice Principal; Grades 7-10
- Lori Friend                    Kindergarten
Kathy Schrock                Grades 1-2
Kaernmerle Brown                Grades 3-4
Louis Synnestvedt           Grades 5-6
Barbara Karas                History
Eric Smith                     Grades 7-10
- Rev. Andrew J. Heilman      Religion; Science; Hebrew; Computer
- Kate Pitcairn                Science; Latin

Kitchener:

Mr. James Pafford           Principal/Grades 5 and 6
- Suzanna Hill               Jr. and Sr. Kindergartens
Linda Eidse                    Grades 1-2
Nina Riepert               Grades 3-4
Josephine Kuhl                Grades 5-6
Elizabeth Longstaff           Grades 7-8
- Mary Jane Hill                Grades 7-8
Rev. Michael K. Cowley           School Pastor
Rev. Bradley D. Heinrichs      Asst. Pastor; Religion
Muriel Glebe                French

Oak Arbor:

Rev. Grant H. Odhner           Principal, Religion
Karen Waters               Grades 1-2
Nathaniel Brock               Grades 4-5
- Nancy Genzlinger           Grade 3
- Julie Elder                Grade 3
- Rev. Jong Ui Lee           Religion

Pittsburgh:

Rev. Nathan D. Gladish           Pastor/Principal/Religion
Rev. Amos Glenn                Religion
Jennifer Lindsay                Grades 1-3
Cynthia Glenn                Grades 4-6
- Elise Gladish                Jr. and Sr. Kindergartens

Toronto:

Rev. Michael D. Gladish      Principal, Pastor
Rev. Barry C. Halterman      Religion
Jessica Myatt                Grades 1-2

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James Bellinger                Head Teacher, Grades 6-8
- Sara Gatti                Grades 6-8
- Gillian Parker                Jr. and Sr. Kindergartens
Gabriele Pulpan                Grades 3-5
- Marlene McDonald           Playschool
- Judy Todd                    Playschool

Washington:

Rev. James P. Cooper           Principal; Religion
Karen Hyatt                Kindergarten; Misc.
Kim Maxwell                Grades 1-2
Jean Allen                     Grades 3-4
James Roscoe                Grades 5-6
Kathleen Johns                Grades 7-8
Carole Waelchli                Grades 9-10
- Erin Stillman                Music/Art/Misc 9-10
- Rev. Frederick M. Chapin      Religion

- Major Part-time
SCHOOLS ENROLLMENTS 2000-2001 2000

SCHOOLS ENROLLMENTS 2000-2001              2000

     The Academy

Theological School (Full-time)                10
Theological School (Part-time)                3
Theological School Masters Program (Full-time)      2
Theological School Masters Program (Part-time) 13
College (Full-time)                          136
Girls School                               146
Boys School                               147
                                             457
     Midwestern Academy

Grades 9 and 10 (Part-time)                          5

     Society Schools

Bryn Athyn Church School                    362
Boulder New Church School                     3
Immanuel Church School (Glenview)                42
Kempton New Church School                     78
Carmel Church School (Kitchener)                39
Washington New Church School (Mitchellville)      54
Oak Arbor Elementary School (Detroit)           16
Pittsburgh New Church School                     18
Olivet Day School (Toronto)                     41
Kainon School (Durban) - 1999                    65
     Total Society Schools                         718
     Total Reported Enrollment in All Schools          1180

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ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM 2000

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM       Susan V. Simpson       2000

     Between July 1, 1999, and June 30, 2000, 134 members were received into the General Church.
     During the year the Secretary's office received notice of the deaths of 62 members.
     Eight members resigned during the year, and nine members were dropped from the roll.

Membership July 1, 1999                4529
New members (Certs. 8917-9050)           134
Deceased                               -62
Resigned                               -8
Dropped from Roll                     -8
     Membership June 30, 2000           4585

NEW MEMBERS

AUSTRALIA
Carosin, Genevieve Elsie Louise

CANADA
British Columbia
Fabok, Marka
Friesen, Robert Henry
Myatt, Howard Eric

Ontario
Battista, Candace Elizabeth Raymond
Bradfield, Claire
Carley, Audrey Marie Stroh
Delyea, Jeffrey Fredrick
Delyea, Susanna Telin
Hasen, Jared Regan
Kobayashi, Midori
Lambertus, Michael Paul
Millar, Virginia Louise McDonald
Roche, Shirley Anne Herman
Song, Takeo
VanDerMeulen, Florence Lesley Nankivell

GHANA
Agbebiokou, David Edem
Agnes, Sylvain Apoh
Akomaa, Cecilia
Akpengble, Mercy Awusi
Ankra-Badu, Angelo Ofei
Anku, Jerry Komla Mensah
Appreku, Joycelyne Vinolia
Attengbley, Freeman Kofi
Attengbley, Roland Kojo
Boateng, Laurice Afrakomah
Botchey, William Benjamin
Djorsu, Samuel Kofi
Hagan, Robert Kwesi
Houetognon, Kobla Edoh
Karikari, Sylvanus Charles
Kwabeng, Grace Asiedua
Otieku-Boadu, Samuel
Sekle, Alice Ama
Yankah, Mercy Reina

KOREA
Jeong, Dong Sun
Lee, Mihyang Sok

552



Seo, Jeong Nam
Yoon, Ji Young

THE NETHERLANDS
van Genne, Marian

SOUTH AFRICA
Gauteng
Cele, Prudence Sibusisiwe Mthalane
Wallis, Bryan Lovell

KwaZulu-Natal
Allais, Heather Joy
Chamane, Sipho Michael
Dhlamini, Nokusa Elizabeth
Khulu, Mamkazi Albertina Mthembu
Khulu, Ntokozo Eugene
Kunene, Nelisiwe Daphney
Mbatha, Adelaide Peggy Mkhize
Mncube, Favourite Nokulunga
Mthalane, Happiness Bathabile
Ncwane, Cuthbert
Ndlovu, Bongiwe Petronella
Sithole, Sinenhlanhla Zamajobe
Sithole, Thandabantu Phillip
Stadler, Carmen Bonita Wolkers
Stadler, Willem Ludolph

SWEDEN
Sigstedt, Olle Inge Emanuel

TOGO
Adade, Amenounve Kokou Gagnon
Annie-Honorine, Byll Ahlimba
Djatougbe, Kouduovor Reine
Dzobokou, Kotoka Appony
Efoevi, Agbokou Apeti
Kalipe, Florencia
Komlan, Amouzouvi Ablam
Messanvi, Amenounve Komlan

UNITED KINGDOM
Sneddon, Rebecca Amy

UNITED STATES
Arizona
Andrews, Arleen H. Harris
Andrews, Everett Seymoure
Babcock, Mary Sue Chaffee
Babcock, Wesley Mark
de la Torre-Tubb, Mary-Jane
Moeller, Nenah Ann Nikiforow

Arkansas
Lawson, Emily Brooke

California
Hamm, Ammon
Junge, Patricia Chaffin
Tasem, Maury Gene

Colorado
Ireland, David Arthur
Johnson, Nancy Leigh
Smith, Laurinda Diane Hughey
Smith, Shayn S.
Vadas, Sharon Lynn

Illinois
Coffin, Laurie Jean Fischer
Doench, Stephen Robert
Edmonds, Gregory Duff
Fraser, Meghan Carswell
Frost, Benjamin Randall
Ribskis, Algimantas Alex
Richter, Glenn Christian
Thomas, Wendy Seckelman

Maryland
Cooper, Wendy Elisabeth
Haworth, Donald Robert, Jr.
McCardell, Ethan Derek
Smith, Aaron Lansing
Smith, Eva Marie Wilcox


Michigan
Elder, Susan Diane Mulholland
Steen, Dale Conrad
Steen, Pamela Ann Geiger

553




New Mexico
Pfeiffer, Dorothy

New York
Hotson, David Baier

Pennsylvania
Andrews, Erin Tavis
Block, Jennifer Lauren
Bongers, Caira Bevan
Bongers, Garth Frank
Carroll, Jeremy Blain
Cha, Kyung Keun
Cha, Sung Eun Kim
Cook, Stephen Eustice
Cooper, Rey Warren
Cutts, Brian Neal
Engelhardt, Edward Louis
Frumkin, Lilia Valentine
Glenn, Diahnne Halterman
Hauptman, Tuan
Irwin, Christina Anne Bales
Keal, Trevor John
Kronen, Katherine Laura
Kronen, William Lauren, Jr.
Lindsay, Travis Heilman
McGrother, Charles Francis, Jr.
Ravotti, Jennifer Brown
Sheer, Sarah Acton
Simons, Galadriel Desideria Echols
Simons, Stephen Restyn
Smith, Burgandy Alden
Smith, Gregory Larkin
Synnestvedt, Eric Huard
Synnestvedt, Miriam Jan Shepherd
Tang, On Jung

Virginia
Buick, Amy Childs
Buick, Brooke Elizabeth

Washington
Cummings, Wesley Alan
Ferrell, Michael Eugene
Lawniczak, Paul Edward

DEATHS

Allen, Edward Franklin, Sr.; 92; February 19, 2000; Phoenix, Arizona
Asplundh, Emilie Mae Kessel; 95; March 20, 2000; Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania
Atterbom, May Bartoft; about 85; About 1997; Saro (?), Sweden
Barnitz, Harryet Boal; 97; June 6, 2000; Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania
Bayne, John Marr, Jr.; 53; October 6, 1999; Los Angeles, California
Bowyer, John Appleton; 83; October 8, 1999; Colchester, Essex, England
Boyesen, Arne Thorvald Fritjof; 92 December 20, 1999 Stockholm, Sweden
Brewer, Beverley Blackman; 71; January 4, 2000; Silver Springs, Florida
Brown, Helen Louise Pollock; 82; January 30, 1999; San Diego, California
Carlson, Martha Eva Schroder; 91; July 22, 1999; Plantation, Florida
Childs, Heather; 44; January 17, 2000; Calistoga, California
Chubb, Phyllis Ann Tyrrell Hartford Breda; 73; January 1993; Saint Joseph, Indiana
Cole, Phyllis Isabelle Livingstone; 76; March 25, 2000; Salt Lake City, Utah
Cooper, Mabel Lillian Lewin; 97; April 19, 2000; Torquay, Devon, England
Cooper, Philip Grant; 90; August 21, 1999; Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania
Cornell, Geraldine Fusselman Pleat; 73; November 8, 1998; West Chester, Pennsylvania
Cronlund, Donald Dandridge; 83; July 15, 1999; Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania

554



Dice, Marian Eleanor Drinkwater; 83; February 14, 1998; Denver, Colorado
du Quesne, Felix; 94; 1993; Quebec, Canada
Echols, Alonzo McDaniel, Jr.; 88; October 2, 1999; Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania
Elder, Bruce Edward; 69; August 24, 1999; Rochester, Michigan
Finley, David Charles; 73; May 25, 2000; Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Fiske, Kendall; 73; April 22, 2000; Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Frazier, Janet Elizabeth McKinley; 86; November 22, 1999; Melbourne, Florida
Frazier, John Wilson; 89; January 3, 2000; Melbourne, Florida
French, Arthur William; 83; April 8, 1999; Place unknown
Fritz, Alice; 87; March 19, 2000; Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania
Glebe, Janna Synnestvedt; 71; June 13, 2000; Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania
Griffith, Freda Gertrude Clubb; 89; December 28, 1999; Orpington, Kent, England
Gyllenhaal, Diantha Davis; 75; April 15, 2000; Glenview, Illinois
Healy, Paul Edward; 89; February 21, 2000; Glenview, Illinois
Hussenet, Rolande Herteler; 94; October 30, 1999; Paris, France
James, Lucile Schnarr; 88; January 29, 2000; Kitchener, Ontario Canada
Longstaff, Helen Marsland Nixon; 90; June 20, 2000; Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Lovin, Tore Emil; 93; November 20, 1999; Stockholm, Sweden
Ludwick, Elwood Mark; 72; December 6, 1999; Abington, Pennsylvania
Lundstrom, Margaret Fine Saranto Coulson Crittenden; 81; May 31, 2000; Hoquiam, Washington
Mauch, Grant Eugene; 68; May 21, 2000; Tucson, Arizona
McQueen, Daniel Bruce; 73; March 11, 2000; St. Petersburg, Florida
Merrell, Frederick Ehrman, Jr.; 79; March 1, 1998; Vero Beach, Florida
Merrell, Harriet Dodson Beals; 80; January 7, 1999; Place unknown
Miller, Robert Dundore; 84; June 16, 2000; Abington, Pennsylvania
Murr, Virginia Kendig Smith Stoudt; 74; May 4, 2000; Doylestown, Pennsylvania
Nelson, Lewis III; 74; November 27, 1999; Tampa, Florida
Parker, Celia Aimee Jean Casalis; 75; September 12, 1999; Himeville, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Perry, Audrey Enid Bull; 87; November 25, 1999; Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Pitcairn (Wampler), Star; 38; April 23, 2000; Boulder, Colorado
Powell, David Sylvanus; 92; September 21, 1999; Abington, Pennsylvania
Rempel, William Richard; 85; October 18, 1996; Castlegar, British Columbia, Canada
Richardson, David Kendall; 82; November 25, 1999; Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Richter, Richard Kent; 66; July 30, 1999; Winter Haven, Florida
Riepert, Kathleen Rueffer; 73; July 18, 1999; Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Ripley, William Paul; 95; December 18, 1998; Auburn, California
Sandstrom, Gerda Kerstin Sofia Fr6din; 79; June 21, 2000; Stockholm, Sweden

555



Schold, Brita Kristina Loven; 92; May 22, 2000; Stockholm, Sweden
Thompson, Theresa Elizabeth Walter; 79; February 19, 2000; Bristol, Pennsylvania
Thurnell, Elenora Amy Brown; 84; September 20, 1999; Tucson, Arizona
Umberger, Patricia Ann Gyllenhaal; 67; November 5, 1999; Glenview, Illinois
Van Doren, Jaqueline Hicks; 81; April 30, 1998; Indian River, Florida
Wilkinson, Tina Unger; 71; October 4, 1994; Pouce Coupe, British Columbia, Canada
Wilson, Gladys Viola Burton; 87; March 1996; Riverside, California
Wilson, Lambeth Lovick; 90; April 25, 1996; Riverside, California

RESIGNATIONS

Caturano, Terry Caroline Cowley; December 15, 1999; Bowling Green, Kentucky
Cooper, Bronwin King; May 30, 2000; Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania
Cooper, Rebecca Rae Fuller; June 6, 2000; Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania
Crompton, Ronald Douglas; 1996; Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Crompton, Sandra Jane de Chazal; 1996; Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Dyck, Vera Goodenough; May 25, 2000; Richmond, Indiana
Wilkinson, Eugene Douglas; May 10, 2000; Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada
Zotique, Jonathan Vardon; Date unknown; Toronto, Ontario, Canada

DROPPED FROM THE ROLL

Arima, Jun'ichi; date unknown; Japan
Campbell, Frederick; September 21, 1999; Bowie, Maryland
Jones, Dennis Daniel; June 27, 2000; Cinnaminson, New Jersey
Machado, Washington Luiz Pinto; April 4, 2000; address unknown
Mendenhall, Fredericke Hans; May 8, 2000; address unknown
Paxton, Mary Lucille Irene St. Amant; May 8, 2000; address unknown
Smith, David Matthew; May 19, 2000; address unknown
Spencer, Janice Lee; January 8, 2000; Tucson, Arizona
Yaneff Yvett Kanev; September 27, 1999; Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada


     Respectfully Submitted,
          Susan V. Simpson,
               Secretary

556





COUNCIL OF THE CLERGY REPORT: 1999-2000

The Rev. David H. Lindrooth, Secretary

MEMBERSHIP

1999-00
Episcopal degree                          3
Pastoral degree:
     General Church employment     3
     ANC employment               10
     Pastoral work               51
     Retired                    17
     Unassigned                9          90
Ministerial degree:
     ANC employment               1
     Pastoral work               4
     Unassigned                3          8
Ministers Associated with the General Church     4
Evangelist                                    1
     Total                                   106


     Prepared with Judith M. Hyatt, Ass't. to the Secretary
OUT OF SILENCE 2000

OUT OF SILENCE       Kara Tennis       2000

     A new issue of Out of Silence, the New Church newsletter for survivors of sexual abuse and those who want to support them, is now available. Topics covered include: a message of healing from Bishop Buss; several articles of hope from women in troubled marriages; definitions of sexual abuse; the story of a man who was abused as a boy, and a companion piece from his wife; a report on sexual harassment prevention in the church; and a testimony of the power of the Lord's love guiding a cruelly abused woman to the healing truths of the Word. The newsletter is painful to read but ultimately uplifting.
     Out of Silence is not only for those who have been abused. Anyone who wants to understand the topic or help protect innocent children can write to Out of Silence, P.O. Box 274, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009, or email [email protected]. Each issue is $6.00. Our work is entirely volunteer, and we welcome subscriptions and contributions to cover costs. Thank you.

     Kara Tennis, Editor
     and Out of Silence Staff

557


DIRECTORY 2000

DIRECTORY              2000

     GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM 2000-2001

Officials
Bishop:                     Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss
Assistant to the Bishop:      Rt. Rev. Alfred Acton
Bishop Emeritus:                Rt. Rev. Louis B. King
Secretary:                     Mrs. Susan V. Simpson

Consistory
Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss

Rt. Rev. Messrs. Alfred Acton, Louis B. King, Rev. Messrs. William O. Ankra-Badu, Kurt Ho. Asplundh, Eric H. Carswell, Geoffrey S. Childs, James P. Cooper, Michael D. Gladish, Daniel W. Goodenough, Brian W. Keith, Thomas L. Kline, David H. Lindrooth, B. Alfred Mbatha, Donald L. Rose, Frank S. Rose, Grant R. Schnarr, Philip B. Schnarr, Christopher R. J. Smith 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. Alfred Acton
Secretary:                Mr. John A. Kern
Treasurer/Chief Administrative Officer:      Mr. Daniel T. Allen
Controller:           Mr. Ian K. Henderson
Assistant Controller:      Mrs. Margaret I. Baker

     BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE CORPORATION

Linda F. Abelkis, Debra G. Accomazzo, Thomas R. Andrews, David J. Appleton, Stewart L. Asplundh, Maxwell Blair, Jill A. Brickman, R. Andrew Darrim, Justin D. Edmonds, Cathfin D. Goerwitz, Glenn H. Heilman II, Nancy L. Heilman, D. Lee Horigan, Jr., Justin K. Hyatt, W. Bergen Junge, John A. Kern, Denis M. Kuhl, William L. Kunkle, Thomas N. Leeper, Eva S. Lexie, Wendy S. Lindquist, Fay S. Lindrooth, Paul C. P. Mayer, Tracy L. McCardell, Duncan B. Pitcairn,
Lois D. Spracklin, James G. Uber and Candace N. Zeigler

Ex-officio Members:
Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss
Rt. Rev. Alfred Acton
Mr. Daniel T. Allen

     BISHOPS

Acton, Alfred. Ordained June 19, 1964; 2nd degree, October 30, 1966; 3rd degree, May 16, 1999. Continues to serve as Assistant to the Bishop with oversight responsibilities in Australia, Canada, the Far East, the Southeast United States, and California; Chairman of the General Church Translation and Research Committee and Professor in the Bryn Athyn College and Academy Theological School. Address: P. O. Box 743, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

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, 195 1; 2nd degree, April 19, 1953; 3rd degree, November 5, 1972. Retired. Bishop Emeritus of the General Church. Continues to serve as Acting Pastor of the San Diego Society in San Diego, California. Address: P. O. Box 743, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

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     PASTORS

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, Canada. Address: 9013 8th Street, Dawson Creek, B.C., Canada V I G 3N3.

Alden, Kenneth James. Ordained June 6, 1980; 2nd degree, May 16, 1982. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Colchester Society in Colchester, England, and Visiting Pastor of the Oxford Group in England. Address: 8 Stoneleigh Park, Lexclen, 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-Abelemkpe New Church in Ghana, West Africa and Visiting Pastor to the Kumasi Group in Ghana and Loma Group in Togo, West Africa, and Principal of the New Church Theological School 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 Pastor of the Dome New Church in Ghana, West Africa. Address: c/o The New Church, No. 2 Rocky Road, Dome, P. O. Box TA687, Taifa, Ghana, West Africa.

Appelgren, Goran Reinhold. Ordained June 7, 1992; 2nd degree, July 3, 1994. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Stockholm Society in Stockholm, Sweden. Address: Aladdinsvagen 27, S167 61 Bromma, Sweden.

Asplundh, Kurt Horigan. Ordained June 19, 1960; 2nd degree, June 19, 1962. Retired. Continues to serve as Bishop's Representative to the United Kingdom. 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 of religion in the Academy Secondary Schools. Address: P. O. Box 707, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

Ayers, David Wayne. Ordained May 23, 1999; 2nd degree, November 12, 2000. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Hurstville Society in Hurstville, Australia. Address: 26 Dudley Street, NSW, Penshurst, 2222 Australia.

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 Society in Kempton, Pennsylvania; Visiting Pastor to the Wallenpaupack, Pennsylvania Circle and the Wilmington, Delaware Group; translator. Address: 37 Sousley Road, Lenhartsville, PA 19534.

Bell, Reuben Paul. Ordained May 25, 1997; 2nd degree April 11, 1999. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Boston Society in Boston, Massachusetts. Address: 138 Maynard Drive, Sudbury, MA 0 1776.

Bown, Christopher Duncan. Ordained June 18, 1978~ 2nd degree, December 23, 1979. As of July 1, 2000, serving as Interim Pastor of the Cascade New Church in Seattle, Washington, and Visiting Pastor to the United States Northwestern District. Address: 19230 Forest Park Drive NE, Apt. B107, Lake Forest Park, WA 98155-2460.

Boyesen, Ragnar. Ordained June 19, 1972; 2nd degree, June 17, 1973. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Jonkoping, Sweden Circle, and Copenhagen, Denmark Circle and Visiting Pastor to Oslo, Norway. Address: Oxelgatan 6, S-565 33, Mullsjo, Sweden.

Burke, William Hanson. Ordained June 7, 1981; 2nd degree, August 13, 1983. Retired. Continues to serve as Visiting Pastor of Pensacola, Florida Group. Address: 755 Arbour Glenn Court, Lawrenceville, GA 30043.

559




Buss, Erik James. Ordained June 10, 1990; 2nd degree, September 13, 1992. As of July 1, 2000 Pastor of the Durban Society in Durban, South Africa and Principal of the Kainon School. Address: 30 Perth Road, Westville, 3630, South Africa.

Buss, Peter Martin, Jr. Ordained June 6, 1993; 2nd degree, June 18, 1995. Continues to serve as Assistant Pastor of the Immanuel Church Society in Glenview, Illinois. Address: 2700 Park Lane, Glenview, IL 60025.

Buthelezi, Ishborn M. Ordained August 18, 1985; 2nd degree, August 23, 1987. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Clermont Society in South Africa. Address: P. O. Box 150, Clernaville, 3602, 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, 198 1. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Immanuel Church Society in Glenview, Illinois, President and Principal of the Midwestern Academy, Headmaster of the Immanuel Church School, and Regional Pastor of the Midwestern District of the United States. Address: 73 Park Drive, Glenview, IL 60025.

Chapin, Frederick Merle. Ordained June 15, 1986~ 2nd degree, October 23, 1988. Continues to serve as Assistant Pastor of the Washington New Church Society in Mitchellville, Maryland, Visiting Pastor of the Charlotte Circle in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Visiting Pastor of the Raleigh/Durham Group. Address: 13720 Old Chapel Road, Bowie, MD 20715.

Childs, Geoffrey Stafford. Ordained June 19, 1952; 2nd degree, June 19, 1954. Retired. Address: P. O. Box 550, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

Childs, Robin Waelchli. Ordained June 6, 1984; 2nd degree, June 8, 1986. Continues to serve as a religion teacher, chaplain and counselor 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. Unassigned. 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 a teacher of religion in the Bryn Athyn College, teacher in the Academy of the New Church Theological School and working for the General Church in compiling a history of its doctrine. Address: P. O. Box 717, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

Cooper, James Pendleton. Ordained June 13, 1982; 2nd degree, March 4, 1984. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Washington New Church Society in Mitchellville, Maryland and Principal of the Washington New Church School. Address: 119 10 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. 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 in Ghana, West Africa and Visiting Pastor of the Madina Circle in Ghana, West Africa. 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 a teacher of religion in the Academy Secondary Schools. Address: P. O. Box 707, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

Dibb, Andrew Malcolm Thomas. Ordained June 6, 1984; 2nd degree, May 18, 1986.

560


Continues to serve as Pastor of the New Church Buccleuch in Buccleuch, South Africa, Visiting Pastor of the Cape Town Circle, and Dean of the South African Theological School. Address: P. O. Box 816, Kelvin, 2054, 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 in Freeport, Pennsylvania. 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 in Boynton Beach, Florida, 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, England, and The Hague, Netherlands Circle. Address: 21 B 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, Ontario, Canada; 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 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Principal 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 Ofiramase Groups in Ghana, West Africa. Address: The New Church, P. O. Box 10, Asakraka-Kwallu, E/R, Ghana, West Africa.

Halterman, Barry Childs. Ordained June 5, 1994; 2nd degree, September 8, 1996. Continues to serve as Assistant Pastor of the Olivet Church in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and Visiting Pastor 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 in Kempton, Pennsylvania. Address: 1050 Mountain Road, Kempton, PA 19529.

Heinrichs, Bradley Daniel. Ordained May 23, 1999; 2nd degree, November 19, 2000. Continues to serve as Assistant to the Pastor in the Carmel Church in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, and Visiting Minister to the General Church in Canada (Calgary Group, Edmonton Group and Canada at large). Address: 157 Chapel Hill Drive, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada N2G 3W5.

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 Assistant Professor of religion in the Bryn Athyn College and of theology in the Academy of New Church Theological School; and Visiting Pastor to the Jacksonville Group, Lake Helen Circle and Tampa Bay Group, all in Florida. Address: P. O. Box 717, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

Howard, Geoffrey Horace. Ordained June 19, 1961; 2nd degree, June 2, 1963. Retired. Address: 17 Cakebread Drive, Sudbury, MA 0 1776.

Jin, Yong Jin. Ordained June 5, 1994; 2nd degree, June 16, 1996. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Philadelphia Korean New Church, and responsible for outreach to the Korean-speaking community in the United States.

561


Address: P. O. Box 743, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

Junge, Kent. Ordained June 10, 1979; 2nd degree, June 24, 1981. Unassigned

Junge, Robert Schill. Ordained June 19, 1955; 2nd degree, August 11, 1957. Retired. As of November 1, 2000 Visiting Pastor to Baltimore, Maryland 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. On leave of absence. 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 in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania. 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 Seoul, South Korea (on special assignment). Address: # 102 Searim Apt. 657-4, Balsan 2-dong, Kangseo-Ku, Seoul, Korea 157-282.

Larsen, Ottar Trosvik. Ordained June 19, 1974; 2nd degree, February 16, 1977. Unassigned, 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 in Ivyland, Pennsylvania, 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, South Africa. Address: P. O. Box 261, Pilliville, 1808, South Africa.

Mbatha, Bekuyisc 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 in South Africa. Address: P. O. Box 60449, Phoenix, 4000, 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; Continues to serve as visiting pastor to various groups of the Church and teaching part-time in the Academy Boys School. 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. Address: 1 Somerset Place, Topsham, ME 04086.

Nobre, Cristovao Rabelo. Ordained June 6, 1984; 2nd degree, August 25, 1985. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Rio de Janeiro Society, Brazil; and Visiting Pastor of Campo Gorande and Teresopolis Groups in Brazil. 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 New Church Society in Rochester, Michigan, 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, California, and Visiting Pastor to San Francisco Bay Area Circle in California. Address: 5022 Carolyn Way, La Crescenta, CA 91214.

Orthwein, Walter Edward III. 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 of theology in the Academy Theological School, and Visiting Pastor of the Central Pennsylvania Group.

562


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, 199 1; 2nd degree, May 29, 1994. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Phoenix Society in Phoenix, Arizona, and Visiting Pastor to the Albuquerque Circle in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 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 in Atlanta, Georgia, and Visiting Pastor to Macon, Georgia and Birmingham, Alabama. Address: 10545 Colony Glen Drive, Alpharetta, GA 30022.

Riley, Norman Edward. Ordained June 14, 1950; 2nd degree, June 20, 195 1. Recognized as a priest of the General Church January, 1978. Retired. Address: 69 Harewood Road, Norden, Rochdale, Lancs., England, OL11 5TH.

Rogers, Prescott Andrew. Ordained January 26, 1986; 2nd degree, April 24, 1988. Continues to serve as Principal of the Bryn Athyn Church School, and Assistant to the Pastor of the Bryn Athyn Society, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania. 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 in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania. 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 in Tucson, Arizona, 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 Translator, Chaplain and Assistant Professor of Greek and religion at the Bryn Athyn College. 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 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Visiting Pastor to the Twin Cities Circle, Richmond Group and the isolated in South Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. 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 in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, and religion instructor in the Bryn Athyn Church School. 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 Circle, in Colorado. Address: 3421 Blue Stem Avenue, Longmont, CO 80503.

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 Bryn Athyn College and of theology in the Academy of the New Church Theological School; Head of Religion and Sacred Languages Division in the Bryn Athyn College; Curator of Swedenborgiana; Visiting Pastor to the New Jersey Circle. Address: P. O. Box 740, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

Schnarr, Arthur Willard, Jr. Ordained June 7, 198 1; 2nd degree, June 19, 1983. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Chicago New Church in Chicago, Illinois, and Assistant to the Pastor of the Immanuel Church, Glenview, Illinois, and as a Visiting Minister in the Midwest and Central Western United States. Address: 2719 Park Lane, Glenview, IL 60025.

Schnarr, Frederick Laurier. Ordained June 19, 1955; 2nd degree, May 12, 1957. Retired. Chairman of the General Church Eldergarten Programs for the Office of Education. Address: 11019 Haiti Bay, Boynton Beach, FL 33436.

563




Schnarr, Grant Ronald. Ordained June 12, 1983; 2nd degree, October 7, 1984. Continues to serve as Director of the Office 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 in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania. 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 Executive Vice President of the General Church of the New Jerusalem in South Africa. Address: 11 Winslow Road, Westville, 3630, South Africa.

Smith, Lawson Merrell. Ordained June 10, 1979; 2nd degree, February 1, 1981. As of July 1, 2000, Pastor of the Kempton Society in Kempton, Pennsylvania and Principal of the Kempton New Church School. Address: c/o 583 Hawk Mountain Road, Kempton, PA 19529.

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. Teacher in the Kempton New Church School and Visiting Minister to various places in California. Address: 151 Vole Hollow Lane, Kempton, PA 19529.

Taylor, Douglas McLeod. Ordained June 19, 1960; 2nd degree, June 19, 1962. Retired. 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, South Africa. Address: 303 Corlett Drive, Kew, 2090, South Africa.

Tshabalala, Njanyana Reuben. Ordained November 29, 1992; 2nd degree, September 18, 1994. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Balfour Society, South Africa. Address: P. O. Box 85 1, Kwa Xuma, 1867, South Africa.

Weiss, Jan Hugo. Ordained June 19, 1955; 2nd degree, May 12, 1957. Unassigned. President of New Church Outreach. Address: 1020 Marina Drive, Placentia, CA 92870.

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, 3830, South Africa.

     MINISTERS

Barry, Eugene. Ordained June 15, 1986. Unassigned. Address: 116 High Street, Clawson, MI 48017-2185.

Fitzpatrick, Daniel. Ordained June 6, 1984. Unassigned. Address: 1001 Oriole Avenue, Rogers, AR 72756.

Glenn, Robert Amos. Ordained May 28, 2000. As of July 1, 2000, Assistant to the Pastor of the Pittsburgh New Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Visiting Minister to the Erie Circle in Erie, Pennsylvania, and offering some help in the Freeport Society in Freeport, Pennsylvania. Address: 7128 Card Lane, Pittsburgh, PA 15208.

Guerra, Vinicius Reis. Ordained November 16, 1997. Unassigned. Address: Oswaldo Pereira Lyra, 30, Campo Gorande, Rio de Janeiro RJ, 23,070-060, Brazil.

Lee, Jong-Ui. Ordained May 31, 1998. Continues to serve as Assistant to the Pastor of the Oak Arbor Society in Rochester, Michigan, and Visiting Minister to the North Ohio Circle. Address: 380 Oak Arbor Drive, Rochester, MI 48306.

Nzimande, Edward E. Ordained November 14, 1999. Serving as Visiting Pastor to the Enkumba Society and to groups in Hammarsdale, Hillcrest and Laniontville, South Africa.

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Address: P. O. Box 848, Pinetown, 3600, South Africa.

Rogers, Norbert Bruce. Ordained January 12, 1969. Continues to serve as a General Church translator; 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

Ayi, Segno Kodjo. Address: P. O. Box 717, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
Borketey Kwaku, Jacob. Address: P. O. Box 717, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
Conroy, Stephen Daniel. Continues to work half-time in Tucson, Arizona assisting the Rev. Frank Rose by preaching, and being active in the youth and young adult programs. Address: 8072 F. El Toro Circle #518, Tucson, AZ 85715.
Genzlinger, Matthew Laird. Address: P. O. Box 717, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009. Johnson, Martie. Address: P. O. Box 717, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
Keyworth, David Richard. Address: P. O. Box 717, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
Pack, Sung Won. Address: P. O. Box 717, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009,
Walsh, Garry Brian. Address: P. O. Box 717, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.
Waters, Gerald Gilbert. Address: 9 Chiltem Gardens, 39 Pitlochry Road, Westville, 3630, 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 Lip 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. Continues to serve as Pastor of the Americus Circle, Georgia. Address: 516 US 280 West, Americus, GA 31709.

     SOCIETIES AND CIRCLES

     Society                          Pastor or Minister
Alexandra, South Africa                Rev. N. Albert Thabede
Atlanta, Georgia                          Rev. C. Mark Perry
Balfour, South Africa                     Rev. N. Reuben Tshabalala
Baltimore, Maryland                     Rev. Robert S. Junge
Bath, Maine                          Rev. George Dole
Boston, Massachusetts                     Rev. Reuben P. Bell
Boynton Beach, Florida                     Rev. Derek P. Elphick
Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania               Rev. Thomas L. Kline
                                   Rev. Jeremy F. Simons, Assistant Pastor
                                   Rev. Prescott A. Rogers, Assistant to Pastor
                                   Rev. Donald L. Rose, Assistant to Pastor
                                   Rev. Thomas H. Rose, Assistant to Pastor
Buccleuch, South Africa                Rev. Andrew M. T. Dibb     
Chicago, Illinois                     Rev. Arthur W. Schnarr, Jr.
Cincinnati, Ohio                          Rev. Patrick A. Rose
Clermont, South Africa                    Rev. Ishborn M. Buthelezi

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Colchester, England                     Rev. Kenneth J. Alden
Detroit, Michigan (Oak Arbor Church)      Rev. Grant H. Odhner
                                   Rev. Jong-Ui Lee, Assistant to Pastor
Diepkloof, South Africa                Rev. Jacob Maseko
Durban, South Africa                     Rev. Erik J. Buss
Enkumba, South Africa                     Rev. Edward E, Nzimande
Freeport, Pennsylvania                     Rev. J. Clark Echols, Jr.
Glenview, Illinois                    Rev. Eric H. Carswell
                                   Rev. Peter M. Buss, Jr., Assistant Pastor
                                   Rev. Arthur W. Schnarr, Jr., Ass't. to the Pastor
Hambrook, South Africa                     
Hurstville, Australia                     Rev. David W. Ayers
Impaphala, South Africa                Rev. B. Alfred Mbatha
Ivyland, Pennsylvania                     Rev. David H. Lindrooth
Kempton, Pennsylvania                    Rev. Lawson M. Smith
                                   Rev. Andrew J. Heilman, Assistant Pastor
                                   Rev. Arne Bau-Madsen, Associate Pastor
Kitchener, Ontario, Canada (Carmel Church)     Rev. Michael K. Cowley
                                   Rev. Bradley D. Heinrichs, Assistant to the Pastor
Kwa Mashu, South Africa
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
                                   Rev. R. Amos Glenn, Assistant to the Pastor
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil                     Rev. Cristovao R. Nobre
San Diego, California                     Rt. Rev. Louis B. King, Acting Pastor
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 and/or Resident Pastor or Minister
Albuquerque, New Mexico                Rev. Mark D. Pendleton
Americus, Georgia                     W. Harold Eubanks, Evangelist
Boulder, Colorado                     Rev. David C. Roth
Cape Town, South Africa                Rev. Andrew M. T. Dibb
Charlotte, North Carolina                Rev. Frederick M. Chapin
Connecticut                          Rev. Raymond J. Silverman
Copenhagen, Denmark                     Rev. Ragnar Boyesen
Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas                Rev. Arthur W. Schnarr, Jr.
Dawson Creek, B. C., Canada                Rev. Glenn G. Alden
El Toro, California                     Rt. Rev. Alfred Acton
Erie, Pennsylvania                     Rev. R. Amos Glenn
The Hague, Holland                     Rev. Frederick C. Elphick
Jonkoping, Sweden                     Rev. Ragnar Boyesen
Lake Helen, Florida                     Rev. Willard L. D. Heinrichs
Madina, Ghana                          Rev. S. Kwasi Darkwah
New Jersey                               Rev. Erik E. Sandstrom
North Ohio                              Rev. Jong-Ui Lee

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Sacramento, California                     Rev. Louis D. Synnestvedt
St. Paul/Minneapolis, Minnesota (Twin Cities)      Rev. Patrick A. Rose
San Francisco, California                Rev. John L. Odhner
Seattle, Washington                     Rev. Christopher D. Bown
Surrey, England                          Rev. Frederick C. Elphick
Tema, Ghana                          Rev. S. Kwasi Darkwah
Wallenpaupack, Pennsylvania               Rev. Arne 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 November p. 525).

     New Assignments for Ministers

     Effective July 1, 2000

The Rev. Erik J. Buss has accepted a call to become Pastor of the Durban Society.

The Rev. Christopher D. Bown has accepted a call to become the Interim Pastor of the Cascade New Church in the Seattle area.

The Rev. R. Amos Glenn has been appointed to be the Assistant to the Pastor of the Pittsburgh New Church, Visiting Minister to the Erie Circle, and is offering some help in the Freeport Society.

The Rev. Lawson M. Smith has accepted a call to become the Pastor of the Kempton Society.

As of November 1, 2000 the Rev. Robert S. Junge became Visiting Pastor of the Baltimore, Maryland Society.
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY AT THE BRYN ATHYN CATHEDRAL 2000

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY AT THE BRYN ATHYN CATHEDRAL              2000

     The cathedral staff is vibrant and active. We value and honor creativity and personal initiative. As Director of Education the person filling this position will be a self-starter, personable and social, capable of working alone as well as working with cathedral staff and volunteers.
     Ideally the applicant should have at least a college undergraduate degree and experiences that will assist in the production of this job. Additional training is possible. Pay commensurate with experience. Employment to begin the spring of 2001. Please send r6sumd and letter of intent to: Frank Vagnone, Director, Bryn Athyn Cathedral, Box 277-C, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009. E-mail at [email protected].

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DOING SOMETHING FOR THE GLORY OF GOD 2000

DOING SOMETHING FOR THE GLORY OF GOD       Editor       2000

     The subject is undertaking something and having as your purpose the glory of God. Of course you could write a hymn or poem of praise to God. And you might build or decorate a house of worship for that purpose. Many of us have seen stone altars set up for worship (for example at a summer camp) that are quite beautiful and may be the result of considerable work.
     Swedenborg saw some angelic spirits working with diligence (and with great enjoyment) to fashion a lampstand "in honor of the Lord" or "to the honor of the Lord." It is a delightful scene. "After some hours they said that they had formed a very beautiful representative candelabrum in honor of the Lord" (AC 552).
     But what about doing something that is not of a religious nature, and doing it for the glory of God? Suppose you did something momentous that would benefit the human race, perhaps an invention or a medical discovery. If it was a glorious accomplishment, you might say that it was to the glory of God. And what if it was just some ordinary deed which benefited one individual, and not a very important individual? Paraphrasing Matthew 25: "If you did it for one of the least of these, you did it for Me."
     These thoughts are occasioned by some teachings in the Writings about motivation. Someone might seem to be doing something for his community or country when his underlying motivation is for himself. One of the passages on this subject contrasts doing something "for the sake of profit, honors, and reputation as ends" as compared with doing it "for the sake of the welfare of the neighbor and the glory of the Lord" (AC 10309).
     Think about playing a musical instrument, painting a picture, teaching a class, preparing a supper, planting a tree and so forth. Although God does not need glory from us, and although the things we achieve may not be glorious, there is a special feeling of putting your heart into what you do, and this for the glory of God.

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FALSE PROPHETS 2000

FALSE PROPHETS       Mark H. Wyncoll       2000

Dear Editor:

     Regarding the letter from Wendy Hoo in the October issue, I do not see abortion as a sign of the second coming. Is it a return to "peace . . . and a rejection of selfish living"?
     How can it be that an act that ends a potential human being's life can be seen as helping the "disenfranchised"? I am appalled at this reasoning. Who is more disenfranchised, the potential baby, with no one to act on its behalf, or the person who will commit an abortion? Yes, abortion is sad, and even more than sad.
     "Looking to the good in others" does not mean that we should color evil good!
     Mark H. Wyncoll
     Kempton, PA
APPROPRIATE USE OF THE WRITINGS 2000

APPROPRIATE USE OF THE WRITINGS       Rev. Derek Elphick       2000

Dear Editor:

     I wish to respond to the article by Rev. Frank Rose, "The Appropriate Use of the Writings," in the October issue of New Church Life. I agree with the observation that "one of the most impressive things about the Writings is the absence of specific instructions about how the church should be set up, what kind of organization it should have, how it should worship," etc. (p. 464), but I question his analysis of this phenomenon and respectfully disagree with the conclusion.
     As Mr. Rose correctly points out, the Writings do not "mandate" New Church education or speak about the rite of confirmation (to cite two of his examples), but this does not mean there are not clear guiding principles in the Writings which support these chosen uses of the General Church. The fact that the Writings do not address every one of our customs and practices by name does not automatically nullify their use or importance. Practices such as slavery, racism, gambling, or abortion are never mentioned by name in the Writings, and yet many clear teachings can be found which shed considerable light on those practices.

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     One of the most remarkable aspects of the Writings is that they transcend time, place and person. They reveal spiritual principles and laws that can be used by people today, tomorrow, or two thousand years from now! Church organizations will always be free to set up their own traditions, customs and practices according to their understanding of these Divinely revealed principles (which is what the General Church has done). This is why I cannot accept the proposition that if the Writings don't mention a custom or practice by name, then it holds little or no value, as the article seems to imply. Surely the time-honored practice of using guiding principles to support our church uses and forms is an appropriate (and legitimate) use of the Writings.
     Rev. Derek Elphick Boynton Beach, FL
BRYN ATHYN COLLEGE APPLICATIONS 2000

BRYN ATHYN COLLEGE APPLICATIONS              2000

     Applications for Fall-term admission to Bryn Athyn College of the New Church should be received by February 1. If you need an application or desire further information, please call the college office at 215-938-2543, write to the Admissions Office (Box 717, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009), or send an email to [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!
SPI NEWSLETTER 2000

SPI NEWSLETTER              2000

     You can receive the latest newsletter of Swedenborg Publishers International. Contact Dr. Erland Brock, Box 717, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

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CHURCH DEDICATION 2000

CHURCH DEDICATION              2000

     At Oak Arbor, Rochester, Michigan, October 1, 2000, Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss officiating.
Out of Space and Time? 2000

Out of Space and Time?       Rev. Christopher Hasler       2000

     Introducing Spiritual Concepts of Emanuel Swedenborg

This new booklet is the transcription of a talk presented in Australia in 1997. It is an easy-to-read presentation of the idea that we should learn to think spiritually, for we are all preparing to live in the spiritual world.
     Sacred time is when we transcend time and space and are free to explore, or get lost in our thoughts. We have all experienced "space apart from space" or visions of beauty of imagination, and "time apart from time" when we are unaware of time passing quickly. Mr. Hasler says these are what are real and a foretaste of heaven. He points out the teachings of Swedenborg that say we need to stop thinking naturally. Instead of thinking from time and space, we need to think from state. And this is not as difficult as it may seem.
     Published by Swedenborg Lending Library and Enquiry Centre North Ryde, Australia

Price U.S. $2.00 plus postage U.S. 55C

General Church Book Center Cairncrest Box 743 Bryn Athyn, PA 19009

Hours: Mon-Fri 9-12 or by appointment

Phone: (215) 914-4920

in Fax: (215) 914-4935

E-mail: [email protected]