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Distributed for Swedenborg Foundation Publishers

The New Church in the New World

A Study of Swedenborgianism in America

Fourth Edition,New edition

With an Introduction and Epilogue by Christopher Barber and Robert Kirven
A history of the development of the Church of the New Jerusalem in the United States.

The Church of the New Jerusalem, or New Church, is a Christian denomination that developed in the late eighteenth century, based on the writings of Swedish visionary Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772). In this book, Marguerite Block explores the church’s beginnings and traces how it spread through the United States, from its introduction in Philadelphia after the American Revolution to its development through the nineteenth century. Originally published in 1932, this volume remains the most comprehensive book on New Church history in print. This 4th edition contains a new introduction and epilogue by Christopher A. Barber.

600 pages | 6 x 9 | © 2024

History: American History

Religion: American Religions

Sociology: Social Institutions


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Table of Contents

CONTENTS

AUTHOR’S PREFACE
INTRODUCTION TO THE 2024 EDITION

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG: HIS LIFE AND MISSION
“THE HEAVENLY DOCTRINES”: AN OUTLINE OF NEW CHURCH THEOLOGY
RECEPTION OF THE DOCTRINES: THE BIRTH OF THE NEW CHURCH
THE NEW CHURCH IN AMERICA: THE PIONEERS
BEYOND THE ALLEGHENIES: THE NEW CHURCH ON THE FRONTIER
THE INTELLECTUAL ENVIRONMENT: THE NEW CHURCH AMONG THE “ISMS”
THE GENERAL CONVENTION: THE DEVELOPMENT OF ECCLESIASTICISM
THE ACADEMY AND THE GENERAL CHURCH: THE SCHISM OF 1890
THE “CONJUGIAL LOVE” CONTROVERSY: THE KRAMPF WILL CASE
THE GENERAL CHURCH AND THE COMMUNITY AT BRYN ATHYN
LIBERALISM IN THE NEW CHURCH
THE NEW CHURCH AND THE SOCIAL GOSPEL
THE GENERAL CONVENTION SINCE 1890
CONCLUSION: PRESENT SCENE AND FUTURE PROSPECTS

EPILOGUE TO THE 1984 EDITION
EPILOGUE TO THE 2024 EDITION
INTRODUCTION TO THE 1984 EDITION (WITH NOTES)
ABBREVIATIONS
NOTES
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX

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