Core Beliefs

The New Church values not only seeing and accepting the Lord’s truth, but also applying these truths to the way each of us lives. Our goal is to help you approach the Lord’s truths so that you are able to feel His peace and love. Here are some of the foundations:

The Lord Jesus Christ is the one God of heaven and earth — the all-powerful Creator and Provider, and the approachable, loving, personal God who reaches out to all of us. The Father is the Soul, the Son is the Body, and the Holy Spirit is the Activity of the One Divine Person. He is intimately aware of the directions of our lives, and works in countless ways to inspire our free response to all that He offers.

The Bible, also known as the Word of God, is how God teaches us about Himself. In the pages of Scripture, He teaches us about Himself, about the eternal life He gives us, and that heavenly happiness (in this life and in our eternal life) can be found by living according to His Commandments. We can read the Bible on many different levels. There is a literal meaning, a history of God’s relationship with His people, and a deeper symbolic meaning which teaches us about our own spiritual lives. On the deepest level it is about His love for all people and His work to bring us close to Himself in heaven. We call this allegory the “internal sense” of the Word.

Jesus said that the two great commandments are to love God and to love other people. What we love determines who we are, and whether we go to heaven. “The whole of heaven rests on love as its foundation.”

Life after death is real, and much more knowable than many people believe. The book Heaven and Hell by Emanuel Swedenborg has inspired people for over two centuries with its detailed description of life after death. It teaches that death is merely a transition from the natural world to the spiritual world, where life continues for all people according to the patterns they have developed in life. Those who have cooperated with God in this life by striving to become better people, find themselves in a heavenly way of life in the next. Those who have chosen to serve themselves above their neighbors gravitate towards others like themselves in the place called hell. People freely choose their eternal destiny. Heaven is for all who love God and live according to His Commandments.

Being "born again", or spiritual rebirth, is not a single event. Having faith and living it are two parts of a journey of change and growth. The New Church teaches that every person is saved (chooses heaven) who acknowledges God and lives according to the Ten Commandments. The Lord makes sure that all people have the opportunity to learn these two most basic principles of religion, working through many churches in many nations.

We open ourselves to the love of God by turning away from evil and learning to do what is good. In acting from that love by living a useful and productive life for the sake of others, the Lord opens heaven within us and prepares us for an eternal life of ever growing love and happiness in heaven.

Love in marriage is a special gift from the Lord. When spiritual principles are applied not only to one’s spiritual growth, but also to the marriage relationship, troubled times can be overcome, and that marriage will grow in friendship, mutual support, and happiness. Genuine marriage does not end with death, but continues to eternity.

Swedenborgian Christianity

The New Church is a Swedenborgian Christianity. As with all Christian churches, our beliefs are founded in the Word of God in the Old and New Testaments. We believe that the Bible is full of inner meaning and allegory and symbolism. Emanuel Swedenborg, an eighteenth century theologian and scientist, provided a framework for understanding the Bible's internal meaning and symbolism, as well as writing many additional volumes which shed light on why we're here and how to develop a functional relationship with God.