I’d like to welcome you on this journey, reading Emanuel Swedenborg’s Heaven and Hell. Many people encountering Swedenborg’s work for the first time begin here, with his most well known book. It certainly captures the popular imagination, as illustrated by the recent
Read More
“The Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach wrote the initials “S. D. G.” at the end of all his church compositions and also applied it to some, but not all, his secular works.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soli_Deo_gloria) “Soli Deo gloria emphasizes the glory of God as
Read More
The third in our series on the Five Solas of Protestant Christianity. “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.” (John
Read More
Isaiah chapter 40 begins with familiar words, used by Handel in his oratorio, Messiah, and often associated with the Christmas story: “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” But if anything, the words that end the chapter, in verse 31, are even more well-known:
Read More
The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche … was a famous critic of Christianity, and thought that it needed to be transcended by modern men and women. But at the same time, he granted that there were some “advantages” to the Christian understanding of
Read More
Recorded on Sunday 18th October, 2020. It seemed like a natural progression, having considered Jesus’ commands, to move on to think about the teachings of our church. What demands does your faith place upon you? You may find it useful to reflect
Read More
Our last in the series, The Commands of Jesus, exploring what it means to “believe”. Recorded on Sunday 5th October, 2020. 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though
Read More
The Commands of Jesus: Do not Judge. 12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” 13 The Pharisees therefore said
Read More
The Commands of Jesus: Forgive. Continuing the journey, we look at Matthew 18:15-35, and John 8:1-11. Recorded on Sunday 16th August 2020. Watch on YouTube: An article from Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-blame-game/201510/forgive-me-forgive-me-not Martin Luther King’s sermon on Forgiveness: https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/draft-chapter-iv-love-action Swedenborg’s discussion of forgiveness,
Read More
Is it more important to make a public confession of faith and to take a firm stand for the truth, or to live a private religion? Continuing our series on the Commands of Jesus. Recorded on Sunday 2 August 2020. “when you
Read More