new church life: march / april 2014
Divine Human. Let us dispel the darkness and confusion about three gods and
loudly proclaim the good news that ‘the Lord God Jesus Christ reigns, whose
kingdom shall be for ages and ages.’” (Page 131)
This year’s Boynton Beach Retreat in Florida – formerly known as
Eldergarten – featured three excellent presentations: Dr. Wendy Closterman
on Ancient Greek and Roman Religion; Dr. James de Maine on End-of-Life
Issues and Medical Ethics; and the Rev. Dr. Jonathan S. Rose on Swedenborg,
Scripture, and What the New Church is Going to be Like. Much of their material
is available at www.newchurchboyntonbeach.org. You can read a summary of
all three presentations, beginning on page 137.
Dr. Kristin King, President of Bryn Athyn College of the New Church, gave
the banquet address at the Retreat, focusing on three aspects of the College:
developments at the College; the context of higher education in America; and
the mission and future of the College. It is a clear-eyed assessment of the many
challenges the College is facing, but optimistic about a bright future. (Page
149)
Introducing our Ministers focuses on the Rev. Barry C. Halterman,
chaplain and religion teacher in the Academy Secondary Schools, who was
studying for a career in finance at Temple University when he took a course
of Comparative Religions that changed his life. Now he loves teaching New
Church theology and comparative religions – finding where the distinctions
are and the common ground. (Page 161) We are happy to include a timely
sermon by Barry: Palm Sunday: A Different Kind of Kingdom, A Different Kind
of King. (Page 165)
Doug Webber, a software architect and consultant in New Jersey, tells the
fascinating story of how he came to discover Swedenborg and the Writings –
stimulated by haunting questions and curiosity, and having to overcome his
own doubts. He convinced himself that this was Divine truth, and counsels:
“Do not take the truths that you know for granted. Try to live them, for they
become life changing. They have great value, and many are still seeking for the
answers.” (Page 173)
The Rev. Robert S. Jungé offers Another Way to Look at Women in the
Priesthood by focusing on a sequence of 22 quotes from Conjugial Love on
the distinctiveness of the male and the female. “It is my hope,”