n e w c h u r c h l i f e : j u ly / au g u s t 2 0 1 6
Thanks to Fred Haas, the
Cathedral Directors, and GurneyKerr Contractors for helping to
bring this project to fruition. Our
warmest congratulations go to Steve
Hendricks and Historic Doors LLC,
and the team of people who made
this project a success.
swedenborg and the arts
A first-ever academic conference
on Emanuel Swedenborg and his
impact on the visual and literary arts
is planned for June 6-9, 2017, on the
The prize-winning façade for the Bryn
campus of Bryn Athyn College.
Athyn Cathedral pipe organ
The Swedenborg Foundation,
one of the sponsors, says: “The conference will go beyond questions of
historical influence to examine how artists across many disciplines – from
visual arts, such as painting and sculpture, to literature, music and beyond –
translated Swedenborg’s theological vision into aesthetic presentation. What
are the similarities and differences in the ways that artists like William Blake,
Honoré de Balzac, George Inness, Czeslaw Milosz and Jorge Luis Borges
responded to Swedenborg’s thought? And what does Swedenborg’s impact on
the arts suggest about the broader relationship between religion, science and
the aesthetic?”
The conference will include three plenary speakers:
• Wou ter Hanegraaff, professor of the history of Hermetic philosophy at
the University of Amsterdam
• Linda Dalrymple Henderson, professor of art history at the University
of Texas at Austin
• Massimo Introvigne, founder and director of the Center for Studies on
New Religions (CENSUR)
Potential presenters are asked to submit:
• Paper title
• Abstract of the proposed paper (no more than 400 words)
• Short paragraph detailing the presenter’s professional CV
Submissions should be sent no later than September 30, 2016, to
[email protected].
Co-sponsoring the event are Bryn Athyn College, the Center for
Swedenborgian Studies, CENSUR, Glencairn Museum, the Swedenborg
396