New Church

The New Church, also referred to as Swedenborgianism, is a Christian denomination that developed from the religious movement started by Swedish scientist and theologian Emanuel Swedenborg. Swedenborg claimed that God revealed to him the truth of the Sacred Scriptures in a vision. Swedenborg claimed to have witnessed Judgment Day on Earth in 1757. He also believed Jesus Christ was actually God who came to Earth in human form to overcome evil. The New Church emphasizes love and goodness and believes in a heaven and a hell. The New Church has congregations around the world.

The New Church is classified as a New Christian denomination and orients itself within Swedenborgian traditions, which adhere to the teachings of Swedenborg. Membership has been minimal throughout history and generally does not exceed a few thousand. The church does not call Swedenborg's writings its doctrines; rather, the church uses his work as inspiration in its teachings. Swedenborg's writings derived from visions he claimed to have had about God's truth. The New Church's principles are fairly similar to other Christian teachings, with a few variations. The church believes the Bible tells literal stories that help people learn about God. The church also believes that God is love and wisdom itself and eliminates the distinction between the three divine beings of the Holy Trinity. The church's liturgy is modeled after Anglican services, which include receiving the Eucharist and the practice of baptism. The church believes that these sacraments strengthen a person's spirituality.

History

Emanuel Swedenborg was born in 1688 in Stockholm, Sweden, the son of a Swedish Lutheran bishop. He spoke nine languages and was skilled in many sciences. In 1736, Swedenborg began experiencing strange visions in his dreams. He claimed to have been visited by God, who revealed the truth of the Bible and scripture to him. He also claimed the scripture contained hidden messages that could only be interpreted by enlightened individuals. Swedenborg said he traveled to spirit realms and conversed with angels and spirits, continuing this contact for twenty-seven years. He also said he witnessed Judgment Day in 1757.

After his death in 1782, Swedenborg's writings were translated into English and became popular in England. His British followers established the New Jerusalem Church in 1787, which later became the New Church. An American chapter of the New Church opened in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1792. Swedenborg's teachings garnered some notable followers throughout the 1800s, including John Chapman, also known as Johnny Appleseed; Andrew Carnegie; Robert Frost; and Helen Keller. Swedenborgianism also spurred American interests in communicating with spirits and the belief that spirits could affect the material world. The New Church grew larger in the United States throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries as the group opened schools and headquarters in various regions.

Beliefs

The New Church has a number of core beliefs that are meant to give members a better understanding of God and to answer questions about love, life, and death. According to teachings, anyone can be saved and choose heaven by simply acknowledging God and obeying the Ten Commandments. The church believes that Jesus Christ and God are one and the same and teaches that God came down to Earth in the body of Jesus Christ. Additionally, the church espouses that Jesus is the all-powerful Creator of Heaven and Earth and is the sum of all parts of the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus gives all people free will while being fully aware of all directions a person's life takes.

Swedenborgianism believes that the Bible contains literal stories that teach people about the story of God and his promise of eternal life. The Bible has literal meaning in recounting the history of God and his people, but it also has a deeper, symbolic meaning intended to encourage followers to examine their own spirituality. The church teaches that the scripture of the Bible is based in complete love, and the love followers show for God and each other makes up the essence of heaven. Followers of the New Church believe that by living a life of love and goodness and turning away from evil, they will achieve happiness and salvation, preparing them for their afterlife in heaven.

According to the New Church, heaven, hell, and angels all exist. The church bases its ideas of the two realms on Swedenborg's book Heaven and Hell (1758), which describes life after death in great detail. The church teaches that after death, people transition to the spiritual world, where they continue their existence in either a heavenly paradise or a hellish underworld. People's lives after death are dependent on the goodness of their actions during their lifetimes.

Organization

Into the mid-2020s, the New Church had thirty-eight congregations across the United States, as well as locations in Africa, Europe, Canada, the Asia/Pacific region, and South America. The church also maintains several parochial schools across the world. The New Church operates the Swedenborg Society and several other publishing houses as a means of printing and circulating Swedenborg's writings.

Bibliography

"About the New Church." The New Church, about.newchurch.org/about. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.

“Our Locations.” New Church, newchurch.org/contact/locations. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.

"Swedenborg’s Life." Swedenborg Foundation, swedenborg.com/emanuel-swedenborg/about-life/. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.

Weber, Nicholas. "Swedenborgians." New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia, www.newadvent.org/cathen/14355a.htm. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.