n e w c h u r c h l i f e : m ay / j u n e 2 0 1 6
“This, Swedenborg refers to as repentance.”
On the front cover of the daily workbook for the program there is a note
that reads: “A daily workbook exploring five of life’s gifts, with teachings from
Emanuel Swedenborg.” It would be far better if it read: “with teachings given
through Emanuel Swedenborg.”
There are many more references I could give from other programs and
collateral works but that hardly seems necessary as they are simply similar to
what I have mentioned.
My grave concern is that, as a church and perhaps unwittingly, we are
giving the impression to those not so well read and those seeking the truth that
the New Church – or the General Church if you like – is all about the teac hings
of Emanuel Swedenborg with little reference to the second coming of the Lord
and the fact that these are the Lord’s teachings, NOT Swedenborg’s teachings.
To entrench this, some of our church members proudly refer to themselves
as Swedenborgians! We all know that Swedenborg was a very gifted, intelligent
and humble man chosen by the Lord as the medium through whom His new
revelation could be given. For that we respect and honor him greatly, but that
is as far as we should go. To regard him as the author of the Writings is a
misconception, and to refer to the Writings as his teachings is a falsity which
can and will lead to confusion in the minds of those seeking the truth and will
greatly deter from the growth of the Church.
It is not my intention to point fingers at the authors of these lovely Journey
Programs and other church literature. They do a wonderful job and perform a
great use and we are very much indebted to them.
The bottom line of what I am trying to get at is that if we keep stressing
the importance of and belief in what Swedenborg says or teaches, we will be
undermining the growth of the Lord’s New Christian Church on earth and will
give the “dragon” that wishes to destroy the infant child continued opportunity
to label the New Church as a cult. A cult is defined as, “a system of religious
worship especially as expressed in ceremonies; devotion or homage to person
or thing.” (From the Concise Oxford Dictionary)
We all, most dearly, want to help the Lord grow His Church on earth and
in the heavens. To do that let us be sure that we pay tribute to Him and not
Swedenborg.
The Rev. Gerald G. Waters began studying to be a minister of the General Church at age
65 after retiring from a banking career in 1997. He was ordained in 2002 and has been
active with the New Church Westville and with isolated groups in South Africa. When the
South African Corporation of the General Church was established in 1994, he served on
its board from the inception, first as Administrator then as Executive Vice President. He
retired as an active minister in 2014 and lives happily with his wife Gay in a retirement
village close to the Durban church. Contact: [email protected]
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