the status quo challenged at every turn. To me this means that the world is
ready to welcome a presence of Swedenborg and the New Church, even if to
some newcomers the Writings would be just academic knowledge. Others
may embrace the doctrines. Either way it would be good for those who are
searching to have this knowledge readily available.
Yet, in a world of 7.5 billion people, how many have heard or seen the
name Swedenborg? I would guess the number is minuscule, maybe 1 million.
Some people may say more, but not much more and certainly far from 1%,
which is 75 million.
So, does the New Church laity have a duty and a role to play in the growth
of the Church? And if so, can that duty be defined? And how is it to be fulfilled?
We live in a secular world, where it is often not acceptable to speak of
religion. If people do so, it is usually to their detriment, socially and in business.
For those who may think the laity have a duty – yet to be defined – and a
desire to act in promoting the Church in some acceptable way, I propose two
ideas:
1. Encourage people to send brief items to as many news publications as
possible. Each item would include the name Swedenborg and a quote.
Or it could be asking a question for which the reader could order a
pamphlet for the answer. This could be done very modestly.
2. Send a letter and a New Church book to people who might be
interested. I believe the late Rev. Don Rose used to do this. This could
be a standard cover letter. The lay person would pay for the book
and sending the letter – a modest contribution with potentially great
ripple effects.
In addition to these suggestions, I am sure there are many other ways in
which lay people could band together in giving the world more opportunities
to learn about the beautiful teachings that been given to establish the New
Church. This is the time to act. Let’s not miss it.
Denis de Chazal
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
A Beautiful Book
To The Editors:
Thank you for the article by the Rev. Willard Heinrichs on Earths in the
Universe (New Church Life September/October 2017). In a way, Earths in
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