We can be sure that a lot of famous people – like the seven men Eric
Metaxas writes about – are in heaven. But we can also be sure there are no
famous people in heaven. No one is famous there. And that is the beauty of
the life of the angels – no one is set above anyone else, and no one even thinks
about self, but just loves and serves God and other angels.
(BMH)
THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR A CHURCH
Just as our mind works through our physical body, so the Church as a spiritual
entity, or the Church in heaven, needs a body to carry out its uses and maintain
its influence in the world.
Doctrinal truths, and discussions of them, can be disseminated in various
ways, including online, but there is no substitute for actual, material houses of
worship (and when possible, schools and communities) in which believers can
get together and interact fully.
Facebook, for example, is no substitute for actual face-to-face gatherings.
And without the Church as an organized body in the real world there would
be no coherent, well-informed and responsible presence of the faith to
communicate in cyberspace. Nor could we count on New Church books being
published, because the publishing bodies, such as the Swedenborg Foundation,
were established by the Church and are supported mainly by church members.
Societies in the spiritual world, we are told, have a sphere around them
that affects both those in the society and, to a lesser degree, those around it.
It is the same regarding the Church in this world. An essential element in a
baptism, wedding, or the Holy Supper, is the sphere of holiness that surrounds
the event; this can’t be duplicated online. And although the world might hardly
notice the disappearance of our little church body, its influence on the world
far exceeds its size, and the world would be vastly poorer spiritually without it.
Moreover, parents recognize that the Church is the most effective vehicle
for transmitting the faith – that has meant so much to them – to their children.
It may be true that young people are currently not joining the Church in the
numbers we would wish, but at least there is a church for them to join.
(WEO)
CHANGE AND THE CHURCH
The world is ever changing. But the Word of the Lord endures forever. The
changes that matter most are changes in the way our world relates to the
kingdom of God in heaven. Are we moving closer to it, or further away? This
is the true measure of human progress at each moment in history.
In comparison with the advance of faith, the ever-changing fashions in
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