Swedenborgian Church of North America
Encyclopedia
Beliefs
The Swedenborgian Church draws its faith from the Bible as illuminated by the teachings of Emanuel SwedenborgEmanuel Swedenborg
was a Swedish scientist, philosopher, and theologian. He has been termed a Christian mystic by some sources, including the Encyclopædia Britannica online version, and the Encyclopedia of Religion , which starts its article with the description that he was a "Swedish scientist and mystic." Others...
(1688-1772). In 2003, the Swedenborgian Church of North America had about 1,800 members, almost identical to the membership it had in 1981 but rather less than the 5,440 it had in 1925.
As a loose affiliation of regional associations, the Swedenborgian Church does not make any statements as to the exact authority of Swedenborg's writings on the Bible or to the correctness of either. Each Society and member is given the responsibility to arrive at their own conclusions, and the denomination allows for discussion and debate. It is also liberal on social issues and sexual ethics, such as the ordination of women
Ordination of women
Ordination in general religious usage is the process by which a person is consecrated . The ordination of women is a regular practice among some major religious groups, as it was of several religions of antiquity...
, homosexuality, and abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
.
Structure
The Swedenborgian Church has a congregational form of governance. Local churches, often called societies, form regional associations and those associations send delegates to an annual convention.Affiliations
The Swedenborgian Church in North America is a member of the National Council of ChurchesNational Council of Churches
The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA is an ecumenical partnership of 37 Christian faith groups in the United States. Its member denominations, churches, conventions, and archdioceses include Mainline Protestant, Orthodox, African American, Evangelical, and historic peace...
USA. It also operates the Swedenborgian House of Studies
Swedenborgian House of Studies
The Swedenborgian House of Studies is the seminary of the Swedenborgian Church of North America at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California...
at the Graduate Theological Union
Graduate Theological Union
The Graduate Theological Union ' is a consortium of nine independent theological schools, and eleven centers and affiliates. Eight of the theological schools are located in Berkeley, California. The GTU was founded in 1962. It maintains the Graduate Theological Union Library, one of the most...
in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
.
See also
- Church of the Open Word (Newtonville)Church of the Open Word (Newtonville)The Church of the Open Word is an historic Swedenborgian church building located at 19 Highland Avenue in the village of Newtonville, in Newton, Massachusetts. The congregation was organized in 1860 and a wooden chapel was erected on the rear of this property. The stone Gothic Revival building was...
- Swedenborg Chapel
- Swedenborgianism
- Swedenborgian Church Webpage