New Church Life Nov/Dec 2014 | Page 80

new church life: november/december 2014 with your Higher Power, and unlock authentic spiritual joy even at life’s most challenging moments. “Each chapter is structured so that the exercises can be used by individuals working alone or in a group setting. For groups, the book contains additional resources to be used by discussion leaders. For individuals, Rose and Maginel provide highlights of their own group discussions so you can share in their challenges and ‘Aha!’ moments.” The book is available from the Swedenborg Foundation, www.swedenborg. com and from the New Church Bookstore, www.newchurchbooks.org. Joanna Hill, former Director of the Swedenborg Foundation, has published, Spiritual Law: The Essence of Swedenborg’s Divine Providence, through Rock Point Press in New Mexico. The Rev. Dr. Ray Silverman of Bryn Athyn College writes: “With the concision and clarity of a Zen master, Joanna Hill has crafted this quiet gem. Enjoy the essence of Swedenborg in a simplified, concentrated form. Delight in the power and sweetness of fine wine, distilled in the mind and heart of a woman who sees the love of God in the mind of an 18th century scholar. “Emerson once said that it would take whole colleges of ordinary scholars to comprehend Swedenborg. He did not know Joanna Hill, who not only comprehends Swedenborg, but elucidates his central teachings with clarity, precision and love.” A review of the book by Publishers Weekly states: “When Emanuel Swedenborg began his spiritual work, leaving behind a lifetime of scientific and mathematical accomplishment, he knew his ideas would not be well received. As the son of a Lutheran cleric, Swedenborg was expected to follow in his father’s footsteps. “Instead, after claiming to have had visionary experiences and visits to heaven, he began nearly a half-century of writing on religious topics, at first anonymously, and always in Latin. He eventually wrote what he would consider one of his most essential works in 1762: Divine Providence. “He used this concept to describe the entirety of God’s law, an ‘ordering of the universe.’ Swedenborg insisted that God’s purpose and plan were not to exclude people from the Kingdom, but to draw them in and improve them in the process. This argument represented a radical transformation of theology as it was then understood. “Reading Swedenborg can be a challenge, even in contemporary English translations, but Hill does a yeoman’s job of distilling Divine Providence, which is itself a distillation of Swedenborg’s earlier thoughts, into a wonderfully readable and understandable work.” The book is available from www.rockpointpress.com, www.newchurchbooks.org and www.amazon.com. 570