Dr. Reuben Bell, President of the SSA: Intelligent Default. Natural forms are
not “designed,” nor do they appear by accident. Every organic form is a “default
setting,” as it were, established according to parameters inherent in matter, in
response to environmental conditions, but dependent on reciprocal, functional
interaction with a spiritual cause as well. These parameters are analogically
reflective of the human form, manifesting itself in continual creation, by
means of processes described by Swedenborg’s doctrines of Degrees, Forms
and Correspondence. Evolution of new forms and adaptation of existing forms
to changing conditions, occur in the crucible of the “randomness” of nature,
into which, at its inmost level, flows the template of divine human form. Book
available in 2017.
Ben Cole for Steve David: Huh? What’s this basket still doing here, covering
our lamp? There are a couple of billion people who are trying (or used to try)
to read the Word [Bible] – but without enough light. In the New Church, we’ve
got more light, but there’s this inadvertent basket over it. We’ve tried to get rid
of it, but it keeps hanging around. How can we break through?
Dr. Kristin King: Gardens of Heaven and Earth. This title plays on the idea
both of location and of content: gardens in heaven and on earth, but also
gardens made of heaven (or what the Writings call “substance”) and gardens
made of earth (or matter). The talk focused on some connections between
textual gardens in the revelatory language of correspondences, and earthly
gardens in history and our own backyards.
Dr. Jane Williams-Hogan: The Call of Charismatic Books: Swedenborg,
Artists, Writers, and Spiritual Seekers. This talk discussed the Writings
as “charismatic” books and one artist, one writer, and one seeker: American
Landscape painter, George Inness (1825 -1894), Argentinian writer, Jorge Luis
Borges (1899-1986), and American humanitarian and spiritual seeker, Helen
Keller (1880-1968).
Books can be purchased on www.Amazon.com (search books for “NCAP
Swedenborg”) and/or the Bryn Athyn Cathedral Bookstore. NCAP book
catalogs can be obtained at the Bryn Athyn Cathedral bookstore or by emailing
ncapbooks @gmail.com and also at www.Swedenborg.com for the Swedenborg
Foundation’s catalog.
289