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.
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