Swedenborg Philosophy and Theology

Philosophy and Theology

The Swedenborgian Church bases its teachings on the Bible as illuminated by the works of Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772), a Swedish scientist, inventor, and theologian who made significant discoveries in many of the natural sciences, including astronomy, anatomy, geology, and mineralogy.

At age fifty-five, his intensive search for answers to ultimate questions culminated in an awakening that gave him a unique insight into the workings of the spiritual world. Swedenborg envisioned a new Christianity coming into being, revitalized by the Spirit of the Lord. He spent the remainder of his life writing about his experiences and how human beings can come to a deeper awareness of the divine.
Swedenborg's ideas have influenced people as diverse as Helen Keller, Johnny Appleseed, William Blake, Henry James, Ralph Waldo Emerson, D.T. Suzuki, Jorge Luis Borges, and Dr. Mehmet Oz. The continuing appeal of his thought undoubtedly lies in his insights into the afterlife, concepts of divine love, and focus on personal and social development.

We believe that there is one God, known by many names. We worship Jesus Christ as our Lord and our God. The Christian trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are aspects of God just as soul, body, and activities are aspects of each one of us.

We believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God. In its pages we find two parallel stories: the historical account of people, places, and events; and within that account a deeper, spiritual reflection of our individual journeys. Thus the Bible is alive and fresh today, speaking to us directly and personally about our spiritual growth, and showing us the way to live better and more fulfilling lives.
We believe that people are spirits clothed with material bodies. At death our material body is put aside and we continue living in the spiritual world in our inner, spiritual body, according to the kind of life we have chosen while here on earth.

We believe that religion touches all areas of our lives. Our responsibility is to put what we believe into practice in our daily lives. All who do this, of whatever faith, are saved since they are living in the spirit of Christ's name.

The Swedenborgian Church exists to help people be more open to the Lord's presence and leading, to facilitate the spiritual well-being of people, and to work to further awareness of the new age in which we live. A haven for seekers who share Swedenborg's quest for a religion that interconnects with all of life, and for a system that allows reasoned questioning of life's deepest religious issues, the Swedenborgian Church encourages inquiry, respect for differences, and acceptance of other traditions of life and religion.

Swedenborg shared in his theological writings a view of God as infinitely loving and at the very center of our being, a view of human life as a continual rebirthing as we participate in our own creation, a view of the Bible as a story of inner-life stages as we learn and grow, a conviction that life continues - following the transition we call death - to an eternity of growing fulfillment, and a central commitment to live so as to help other people.


We invite you to participate with us as we deepen our inner life and spiritual journey.
Our Affirmation of Faith

We worship the one God, our Savior Jesus Christ:
Creator, Redeemer, Regenerator; who brings us
into being, frees us from evils, and seeks to give us
the full humanity for which we have been created. Today the Lord comes to us anew in the spiritual
understanding of the Holy Word. With its enlightenment
and renewal of life, this disclosure is the Second
Coming in Spirit, making possible a new and larger
life as we love God in all people.

So far as we honor the Lord in worship and in life
as the visible God in whom is the invisible Divine,
we walk in the light of the Holy City, New Jerusalem.
Amen.

Recommended Introductory Reading

Please visit our Bookstore & Free Downloads page. A Scientist Explores Spirit: A Biograhy of Emanuel Swedenborg,
with Key Concepts of His Theology
By George F. Dole & Robert H. Kirven

Further Studies

Heaven and Hell by Emanuel Swedenborg translated by George F. Dole The Design of Existence by Wilson Van Dusen
The Essential Swedenborg by Sig Synnestvedt

Advanced Studies

Emanuel Swedenborg: Visionary Savant in the Age of Reason by Ernst Benz The New Church in the New World by Marguerite Block
Download Wilson Van Dusen's Chapter on Advanced Swedenborgian Theology.