The New Church
The New Church teaches that there is one God who we know as the Lord God Jesus Christ. We look to Him as a being of unconditional love who neither judges nor condemns. We believe that God created the universe and everything in it with an ultimately loving purpose. Each thing that happens, even if it appears to be bad, is in service of the greater good of humanity — that is, drawing us closer to the Divine and evolving in spiritual consciousness.
Doctrine is immediately practical and deeply spiritual: it is a religion to be lived, not just believed. The New Church helps you to explore the Bible in ways that can have immediate application to your life.
A New Christianity
New Christianity possesses an unprecedented depth of understanding about God, the inner meaning of the Bible and life after death. The New Church is a spiritual framework to live by, containing truths applicable to everyday life. Here is a summary of key beliefs:
Swedenborg Theology

The New Church bases its doctrine on the Bible, with insights from the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg, an eighteenth century theologian and scientist. This theology is founded on the belief that God used Swedenborg as a vessel through which to spread His teachings to people on earth. During a process of divinely inspired revelations, Swedenborg wrote thirty-five volumes of theological books, referred to as the Writings or Heavenly Doctrines, addressing the mysteries of human life which had previously gone unexplained or been misunderstood.
One of the prime purposes for his work was to reveal an inner meaning in the Bible, thus uncovering new relevance and hope for mankind. Within the Writings, Swedenborg describes the nature of the Divine, the function of creation, and the life which awaits us after death. He also provides practical guidelines for having a relationship with God and bringing religion into everyday life.
Above all, Swedenborgian theology seeks to make God accessible to humankind:
"Linking with an invisible God is like linking the sight of the eye with the expanse of the universe, the bounds of which are not to be seen. Or it is like looking out in the middle of the ocean, when the gaze falls on the air and sea and is frustrated. But linking with a visible God is like seeing a man in the air or the sea opening His arms and inviting you to come into His embrace."
The mission of the New Church is to carry out this purpose in the modern-day world.
The New Church Today
The ‘General Church of the New Jerusalem’ is the legal name for our church organization.
It exists to provide for the worship of the Lord Jesus Christ, the sharing of New Church teachings throughout the world and the promotion of a useful life of service to others. The church is governed by an executive bishop and its headquarters are located in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, USA, which has a Cathedral and Theological College.
