The True Christian Religion by Emanuel Swedenborg

Description

The True Christian Religion is a book by Emanuel Swedenborg, first published in 1771. In this work Swedenborg sets out a systematic theology intended as a practical and spiritual summary of his earlier revelations: it treats the nature of God and Christ, the authority and inner meaning of Scripture, the Ten Commandments, faith and charity, free will, repentance, baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Written as a comprehensive guide for readers of his day, it is both apologetic — answering contemporary Lutheran objections — and prophetic, presenting the idea of a renewed or “New Church” founded on internal spiritual life rather than external formality. Measured in a traditional register yet forward-looking in its claim to a new era of spiritual understanding, the book has been influential beyond Swedenborg’s immediate circle. It became the theological foundation for the Swedenborgian (New Church) movement and has attracted attention from writers, theologians and mystics who were intrigued by its insistence that lived charity and inner faith are the true marks of Christian devotion. Thoughtful and occasionally polemical, the work sits at the intersection of 18th-century religious controversy and a continuing conversation about how doctrine must meet the needs of the soul.

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