new church life:
september/october 2015
Mr. Bamouni leads several churches and has a religious school. He was
exceedingly friendly, highly entertaining and filled with useful information
about the culture and people of Burkina Faso. We then headed for the airport
and our extended trip home.
As usual, it was a stimulating and full trip. It is amazing to see the great
strides they are making in both countries. The energy they devote to spreading
the New Church and how conscientious they are about teaching the Heavenly
Doctrines is inspiring.
Sylvain’s leadership is tremendous – building from the ground up in a
conscientious way. It is hard to describe how significant it is for them to feel
part of a larger whole. Much fanfare was made of the fact that the Executive
Bishop was making a visit. Symbolically, this included them in the General
Church and affirmed their dedication to the New Church.
While we can never predict how things might develop in the future, if the
past is any indication then we can expect continued growth in all aspects of
the Church there.
(See photos by Gretchen Keith on pages 532 and 533.)
O U R N E W C H U RC H V O C A B U L A R Y
Part of a continuing series developed by the Rev. W. Cairns Henderson, 1961-1966.
DIVINE
By this term is meant in the Writings the Infinite and Eternal which is called in the Word
“Jehovah” and “the Father”; the Divine love and wisdom itself which is the esse of good and
truth. Thus it is the source from which all things are. The Divine with man is love to the Lord
and charity toward the neighbor.
The term Divine occurs in many compound expressions, but always with reference to
the Divine in the Lord or to what is from Him, namely, the good and truth of the rational and
the natural. An important compound which may be specially noted is “Divine proceding,”
which means Divine truth within which is Divine good flowing from Divine love, as light
within which is heat proceeding from the fire of the sun. The Lord’s Divine is distinguished
into good and truth because these can be received separately by men. (See Arcana Coelestia
5134, 2023, 4696, 3704; Divine Providence 48,49; Heaven and Hell 7.)
490