"The New Church" in Dawson Creek is not a new building, but a whole new kind of Christianity.
In fact we've been here for 50 years, and the ideas, or teachings, that distinguish us from other churches were first penned by a Swedish man nearly 250 years ago in England! Still, we're new in the larger scope of history, and we hope you will find our approach refreshingly different, emotionally uplifting and intellectually satisfying.
Here are some of our basic ideas: –
■ God is love, and that love is expressed in perfect wisdom, so that nothing but good can come from Him – although that good may be perverted. For what is the use of knowing unless what is known to one be also known to others?" - Swedenborg (ISB #18)
■ God came into this world and clothed Himself in Human form as Jesus Christ. The Divine Trinity is in Christ as love, wisdom and power, not as three distinct “persons.”
■ The Bible is the Word of God and as such has many layers of meaning, the most important being a symbolic spiritual sense that reveals His own nature and describes in vivid detail the process by which we may enter into spiritual life.
■ All religions teach fundamental truths, and so they all have value and can provide the essentials for salvation. There is no one exclusive path to heaven.
■ Indeed, heaven is for everyone who really wants to live there. But the heavenly state is one of loving God, loving the neighbour and loving to be useful without concern for reward. Some religions are of more help with this than others!
■ In any case each of us continues life as a complete person (male or female) in the spiritual world immediately after the death of the physical body.
■ The Last Judgment predicted in the Bible is not about the physical world; nor does God impose His will on us, but He affirms the judgement we make upon ourselves according to the way we choose to live.
■ A marriage between a man and a woman can last forever provided that the couple enjoys a deep spiritual commitment and connection. In that case the two “become one flesh.”
■ God’s providence governs every least detail of creation but looks always to eternal things, permitting human error and abuse for the sake of our freedom and the lessons bad things can teach us.
What you are now reading is part of an extensive, American-based website that gives you an opportunity to access far more information about these things than we could present on our own. It also puts us in context. The larger site (see above, to the left and to the right of this message) offers you a range of opportunities to access material and services from a large centre in Philadelphia. But if you write to us directly here in Dawson Creek, we may be able to provide everything you need.
Then again, why not come and join us? As you'll see in this site we meet regularly in Dawson Creek and in Grande Prairie, Alberta to worship, study, discuss and apply all these things in practical ways, and we sincerely welcome you to meet with us.
This is an earnest invitation, but your freedom is key. You won't be asked to stand and be recognized at church. You won't be asked for money (we don't even "pass the plate" during services - although we do provide for private offerings upon entrance into the church, if you wish). And you won't be pestered afterward. But if you find what we have enlightening or helpful, we will support your interest in any way we can.
We would also be happy to answer any questions that you may have about the tremendous spiritual revelation contained in the works of Emanuel Swedenborg. There is no obligation, no one will call, we just want to share the "good news" with you.
