are valid, and that Mr. Klein has misunderstood him and is now taking what
he said out of context. It seems to me that Mr. Boericke was not querying
the underlying doctrines on which the General Church is based but the
interpretation of doctrine by fallible men and other attitudes which may be
counterproductive to growth.
The second issue I would like to comment on is that raised by the Rev.
Gerald Waters (May/June 2016 – “Surely We Are Not Swedenborgians”) and
now responded to in the July/August issue by Heulwen Ridgway and Joseph
David. Mr. Waters is concerned about the increasing use of terms such as
Swedenborg and Swedenborgianism rather than the New Church, The New
Christian Church or the Word. As he states, the “bottom line 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 . . . “
I completely endorse Mr. Waters’ comments and also those made by
Heulwen and Joseph. I would add that we should not use the term “the heavenly
doctrines” as a pseudonym for “The Word.” Increasingly in recent times the
former has been used and it is a move away from the strength of using the
term “The Word.” It implies man’s interpretation and perhaps a desire to make
the General Church blend in more with other religions. “The Word” on the
other hand proudly proclaims the truth, which is the very basis of the General
Church: they are the Word, they are the Lord in His Glorified Divine Human.
I am, of course, talking about the general descriptor “the heavenly
doctrines” as a term for the Word as a whole. I recognise that some books of
the Word use the term “doctrine” in their titles, but even so, I would suggest
they not be given the descriptor “the heavenly doctrines.”
I have been most concerned over many years at the way in which the
General Church has been moving away from that very principle of faith that
gives it the very reason for its existence. It is this which Mr. Waters is concerned
about. It seems to me that our increasing failure to strongly acknowledge the
Divinity of the New Word is either from a lack of understanding of what the
so-called Writings of Swedenborg really are and a lack of appreciation of our
prime belief, or that it is thought that by hiding our light we will blend in with
others and so attract more membership.
Whatever the reason, I do hope that the church leadership, which has
done nothing for a long time about this, now takes strong action to rectify
matters. I hope, too, that many others will express their concern and support
for Mr. Waters in New Church Life so that perhaps the church will take notice.
The third matter I wish to raise is the review by the Rt. Rev. Peter M.
Buss Sr. in the July/August New Church Life of the book, The Abridged Arcana
Coelestia, written by Dr. Willard Mansfield.
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