Are Swedenborg’s teachings biblical?

Though followers of the Swedenborg's teachings and churches are often upright, conscientious and decent people (and though they portray themselves as Christians), nevertheless they are not Christian according to the word of God. After extensive research through the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg and sifting through the organizations website we find that this is a false religion, preaching a false gospel that cannot save men, and is outright contrary to God's word. As we go through this article, the statements in [italics] are false teachings pulled directly from the Swedenborgian website (swedenborg.org) or from Emanuel Swedenborg's writings, which we will refute using God's word alone.
 
Emanuel Swedenborg was born January 29, 1688 in Stockholm, Sweden. Initially one of the most renowned natural scientists of Europe, he experienced a transcendental awakening that led him on a quest of spiritual exploration, which he recorded in his numerous mystical works. Although he never intended for a church, religion, or sect to be founded or named after him, reading groups and spiritual organizations began forming in England soon after his death in 1772. American groups eventually founded what is now the General Convention of Swedenborgian Churches, a progressive, inclusive, democratically governed denomination.
 
Taken directly from their website the Swedenborg Churches are a result of Swedenborg’s spiritual questioning and insights which exist to encourage that same spirit of inquiry and personal growth, to respect differences in views, and to respect and embrace the wisdom of all traditions. The Swedenborgian theology attempts to reconcile spirituality and rationality. For example, Swedenborg understood scripture as containing an “inner meaning” which corresponds to personal spiritual development, rather than reading the text literally. The Swedenborgian Church of North America (SCNA) avoids making definitive statements on doctrine, in order that all people of faith might come to their own conclusions. 
 
At VBVMI we believe God's word is to be read and understood in a plain and straightforward manner. This means understanding that literal history is literal history, metaphors are metaphors, poetry is poetry, etc., throughout the many books of the Bible. Letting the correct context of the Scriptures guide interpretation is key for study. 
 
When interpreting scripture the Bible gives rules of interpretation (Golden Rule; when the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, we seek no other sense.):

PROV. 8:8 All the words of my mouth are just;
    none of them is crooked or perverse.
PROV. 8:9 To the discerning all of them are right;
    they are upright to those who have found knowledge.
PROV. 8:10 Choose my instruction instead of silver,
    knowledge rather than choice gold,
PROV. 8:11 for wisdom is more precious than rubies,
    and nothing you desire can compare with her.
 
2COR. 4:2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 

Furthermore, Swedenborg shared in his theological writings a view of God as infinitely loving and at the very center of our beings. In his view, God is Love and Wisdom itself, quite literally incapable of judgment, punishment or anger. It is our call to be vessels of this love, and to share it, whatever form it may take. The emphasis is not on accepting particulars of doctrine, but rather on leading a life of love towards the Divine and all beings.
 
First, God proclaims in scripture time and time again that man is fully sinful and in need of a savior:

ROM. 8:9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin;
ROM. 8:10 as it is written:
“There is no righteous person, not even one;
ROM. 8:11 There is no one who understands,
There is no one who seeks out God;
ROM. 8:12 They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt;
There is no one who does good,
There is not even one.”
 
ROM. 8:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Likewise, God made promises of judgment to all people, believers and unbelievers alike. The Old and New Testament Books (Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Revelation) speak plainly of a coming judgement over Israel. The Lord promises to bring Israel through a time of judgment and inspection (i.e., passing under the rod) so that He may purge Israel's sin and rebellion thereby bringing them back into the bond of the covenant. The covenant mentioned in the verse below is the Old Covenant delivered through Moses:

EZEK. 20:36  “As I  entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you,” declares the Lord GOD. 
EZEK. 20:37  “I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; 
EZEK. 20:38  and I will purge from you the rebels and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Thus you will know that I am the LORD. 

Since this period is appointed for Israel, the Church will be removed prior to the beginning of the final seven years of God's judgment. This is why Paul says the Lord will return to remove the church prior to the beginning of the Tribulation:

1THESS. 1:10  and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come. 

The following articles on our website may shed light on Israel's judgement in-depth:
Why the Tribulation?
Why will Israel be judged during the Tribulation?
Why is Israel special?
 
Scripture also indicates that God will judge a believers' works after death. The believer's judgment, called the Judgment Seat of Christ in 2 Corinthians, is a judgment for the purpose of assigning eternal rewards based on our service to Christ and is not contingent on our sin, for Christ paid for all believers' sins, past, present and future. Paul gives us a detailed description of the Judgment Seat moment in three different passages:

2 COR. 5:9 Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.
2 COR. 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

ROM. 14:10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.
ROM. 14:11 It is written:
 “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
    every tongue will acknowledge God.’”
ROM. 14:12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

1COR. 3:10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care.
1COR. 3:11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1COR. 3:12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw,
1COR. 3:13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.
1COR. 3:14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward.
1COR. 3:15 If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

The following articles on our website offer a full explanation to a coming judgment for believers:
How will God judge our works?
What does the Bible say about eternal rewards?
 
Further proof that God embodies judgment and wrath:

PS. 7:11 God is a righteous judge,
a God who displays his wrath every day.

PS. 75:7 It is God who judges:
    He brings one down, he exalts another.

ROM. 2:5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.
ROM. 2:6 God “will repay each person according to what they have done.”
ROM. 2:7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.
ROM. 2:8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.

HEB. 4:13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

2PET. 2:9 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment. 

After a brief reading through the Swedenborg beliefs stated on their website, we must hold to our prior statement that this is a false religion responsible for leading many astray; italics are taken directly from their website.
 

Swedenborg Bible/ Word of God Beliefs: 

The Bible is a symbolic story of our inner lives, and speaks to us on many levels.
 
The entire biblical story unfolds as a personal spiritual journey from the Garden of Eden in the book Genesis, to the Holy City in the book of Revelation. The many twists and turns found in the stories depict the journey we all must take if we are to be spiritually regenerated. This means that problematic or difficult statements in the Bible do not need to be taken literally.
 
Biblical Justification: 
VBVMI takes a high view of scripture. We believe the Bible is the authoritative Word of God, not based on the testimony of any man or even the church, but rather upon God Himself, Who has revealed Himself in the hearts of believers by His Spirit to be the Author of Scripture:

1COR. 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 

 In many cases, the text of Scripture actually offers both a figurative and a literal meaning. For example, Genesis 1 teaches that God created all things in six literal days and rested on the seventh day. While this chapter should be interpreted as a literal truth (when interpreted according to the Golden Rule), the text also uses the reality of a seven-day creation as a symbol to teach other truths. The Bible is not a personal, mystical journey rather it is the truth that literally sets man free.

Swedenborg Angel Beliefs: 

Heaven is a place of mutual love and variety. Angels are people who have lived in this world.
 
Swedenborg reported back that angels were not another species of being, but are all people (of any faith) who have lived good lives by the best that they know and now find their place in heaven. In heaven, angels live in community; they marry, work, play and enjoy diverse pleasures and joys. They also interact with this world, watching out for us, bringing us love and comfort, and helping us to overcome spiritual battles. 
 
Biblical Justification: 
There are three ranks of angelic beings in the Bible: angels, seraphim and cherubim. Angels have the physical appearance of a man, and they are never seen with wings or as women or children. Only two angels are mentioned by name in the Bible: Michael and Gabriel. They are ministering spirits to the Church. 
 
Seraphim are creatures that worship God before the throne and possess unique characteristics including six wings while Cherubim are creatures that guard God’s glory and serve Him in various ways including at His throne and temple. Seraphim are higher than angels and Cherubim are higher than Seraphim. Before his fall, Lucifer (Satan) was the highest cherub and therefore the most powerful angelic being of all. The angels are never described to be humans that have died.
 
Angels are secondary to God's creation, therefore, the Bible doesn't offer too much explanation with regard to angels. Nevertheless, we do find some details in the Bible: 
 
First, we know that the Lord created the angels prior to the Creation of the physical Universe, therefore, these angels could not have been physical people, according to Job 38:

JOB 38:4  “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? 
    Tell Me, if you have understanding, 
JOB 38:5  Who set its measurements? Since you know. 
    Or who stretched the line on it? 
JOB 38:6  “On what were its bases sunk? 
    Or who laid its cornerstone, 
JOB 38:7 When the morning stars sang together 
    And all the sons of God shouted for joy? 

 The sons of God in v.7 refers to angels, just as it does earlier in the book of Job and in Genesis 6. The role of angels, prior to the Creation, seems to be to praise the Lord singing before His throne. 
 
Additionally, while the human body is temporary and eventually dies and disintegrates, the human spirit (also called the soul) is eternal but is never referred to as an angelic being. Angels were created as angels while humans were created as a completely different species all together. Scripture makes it abundantly clear that angels desire to know the Gospel, yet it was not for them:

1PET. 1:12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

Further, Paul explains exactly what happens at a believer's death (there is no mention of humans becoming angels):

2COR. 5:4 For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.
2COR. 5:5 Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.
2COR. 5:6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord —
2COR. 5:7 for we walk by faith, not by sight —
2COR. 5:8 we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.
2COR. 5:9 Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. 

Once we join in God’s presence in our resurrected bodies we will likewise join with the angels in our service and worship of the Lord as explained in Luke:

LUKE 20:34 Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and the women are given in marriage,
LUKE 20:35  but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage;
LUKE 20:36 for they cannot even die anymore, for they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

If we look at these verses in context, Jesus is talking about life in the Kingdom, and that in our resurrected bodies we will not enter into marriages or even die…much in the same way that angels are not married and do not die. This passage is not talking about an equality of superiority between angels and humans but rather the resurrection state (about which the audience of Sadducees did not believe in).
 
For an in-depth teaching on angelic beings, please see the following articles on our website:
What does the bible say about angels?
Are there angels? Is the devil real? What are demons?
Are humans the equivalent of angels in Heaven?

 

Swedenborg Hell Beliefs:

Hell is a not a punishment but a reflection of our own states of selfishness; we are not cast into hell but choose it freely.

 

Biblical Justification: 
Hell is a physical place, at the center of the earth as seen in scripture. Every time the Bible discusses the holding place for the spirits of unbelievers, it speaks of a place "in the earth" and "below" us. For example, consider this Old Testament reference to the place of the ungodly after death (called Sheol in the OT):

Num. 16:30 “But  if the LORD  brings about an entirely new thing and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that is theirs, and they  descend alive into  Sheol, then you will understand that these men have spurned the LORD.”
Num. 16:31  As he finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split open;
Num. 16:32 and  the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and  all the men who belonged to Korah with their possessions.
Num. 16:33 So they and all that belonged to them went down alive to  Sheol; and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly.

Notice these men were sent to Hell, and they went "down" and the earth "closed over them." These are clear indications that Hell is below our feet. Likewise, every other reference to death and the afterlife in the Old Testament indicates that the holding place for the dead is below our feet in the earth.
 
In the New Testament, Jesus was said to go down when He went into the grave:

Eph. 4:7  But  to each one of us  grace was given  according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
Eph. 4:8 Therefore  it says,
“WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH,
HE  LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES,
AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN.”
Eph. 4:9 (Now this expression, “He  ascended,” what  does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth?
Eph. 4:10 He who descended is Himself also He who ascended  far above all the heavens, so that He might  fill all things.)

Jesus descended into the lower parts of the earth, Paul says.
 
Finally, Hell is not the eternal abode of the unbelieving. Rather, the Lake of Fire is their eternal home, and it will last for eternity, as Jesus says:

Matt. 25:41  “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;
Matt. 25:42 for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink;
Matt. 25:43 I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’
Matt. 25:44 “Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’
Matt. 25:45 “Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’
Matt. 25:46 “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

These scriptures refute both the belief that God is only love and doesn't cause eternal punishment on those who do not know Him, while also explaining that Hell is not a reflection of ones state, in terms of selfishness. God is sovereign over all, even those who are eternally separated from Him. While we understand this may be a hard topic we can offer some assurance when the scriptures indicate that one must believe in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sin:

1COR. 15:1 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.
1COR. 15:2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
1COR. 15:3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
1COR. 15:4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

Which leads us into the Swedenborg Salvation Beliefs: 

People from all religions (or no religion) go to heaven if they live a life of integrity and kindness, in alignment with what they understand to be true. Salvation is about engaging with an ongoing process of transformation, rather than believing the “right” thing.
 
A God of love would never condemn people to hell for not having the “right” faith. The most important part of our spiritual process is how we use what we know, and how open we are to learning. What we believe only becomes real when we act according to our belief. It is important to know truth and to seek truth about God, but the development of our inner spiritual character depends upon us using the truth we know to love our neighbor. And not just love in an abstract way, but to do good things for their benefit. Salvation, therefore, is an ongoing process of transformation. By serving our neighbor in mutual love, we create an ever larger capacity within ourselves to love God, and we are “saved” from our own worst tendencies.
 
Biblical Justification: 
Biblical salvation is in fact believing in something, the man of Jesus Christ. It is not a topic the Bible leaves room to dispute or disagree with. The Bible’s standard for salvation remains unchanged:

ROM. 10:8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” — that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,
ROM. 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
ROM. 10:10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

A person who believes the Gospel truly is born again spiritually, Jesus says. The person is forever spiritually new, adopted as a child of God, and nothing that comes before or after this moment will change the person’s eternal destiny, as Paul says:

ROM. 8:38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
ROM. 8:39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

On the authority of scripture, we can assure you that salvation is not obtained by human works nor do human works "keep" or ensure our salvation. Paul himself rebuked the Galatian church for thinking they could maintain their salvation or become "perfected" by their works:

GAL. 3:1  You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?
GAL. 3:2 This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of  the Law, or by hearing with faith?
GAL. 3:3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

Paul calls the Galatians "foolish" for believing that their flesh (i.e., their works) could contribute anything to a salvation that is by grace alone.
Those who believe a Christian can "lose" salvation do not understand the nature of salvation itself. When a man is saved by God's grace, he is given the gift of faith, according to Ephesians 2.

EPH. 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
EPH. 2:9  not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Our salvation is a supernatural, spiritual change, not something obtained nor maintained by the thoughts in our head nor by the works of the flesh, but by the power of God.
 
In the Swedenborgian writings he indicates that salvation is an ongoing process in a person's life. This disputes the very words that Jesus Christ said as He took his last breath:

JOHN 19:30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

When Jesus uttered those words, He was declaring the debt owed to His Father for sin was wiped away completely and forever. Rather, sanctification is the ongoing process in a Christian's life.
 
For an in-depth teaching on salvation, please see the following articles on our website:
What is the Bible's standard for salvation?
Explain Ephesians 2:1-10
Did Jesus say we can lose our salvation?
Can someone continue in sin and still be saved?
Were Adam and Eve saved by grace through faith?
 

The Second Coming Beliefs:

The Second Coming is an unfolding spiritual reality, already occurring and continuing to occur within us.
 
Swedenborg reported that the Second Coming had actually begun to take place in his lifetime – and in fact is still taking place. It is not an actual physical appearance of the Lord, but rather a returning of spirit and truth within each of us. 
 
“At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.” Mark 13:26 refers not to a physical spectacle but to the way God will come out of the ‘clouds’ or our own foggy understanding to be more clearly revealed to us. This is continually happening as the world grows in love and wisdom.
 
Biblical Justification: 
The Bible makes clear that the second coming of Jesus has not happened thus far in history, nor is this to take place within people. Jesus Christ will physically come back in the same way He left. We know this because the Bible says that at Jesus’ departure, angels declared that Jesus will return at His Second Coming with power and glory:

ACTS 1:6 So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”
ACTS 1:7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority;
ACTS 1:8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
ACTS 1:9 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
ACTS 1:10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them.
ACTS 1:11 They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

Only after Jesus was taken up into Heaven was the first coming of Jesus complete. Now the world awaits His second coming, which will be a moment unlike any other:

ZECH. 14:3 Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle.
ZECH. 14:4 In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south.
ZECH. 14:5 You will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him!
ZECH. 14:6 In that day there will be no light; the luminaries will dwindle.
ZECH. 14:7 For it will be a unique day which is known to the LORD, neither day nor night, but it will come about that at evening time there will be light.
ZECH. 14:8  And in that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter.
ZECH. 14:9  And the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the only one.

For a more in-depth explanation of a literal second coming we suggest doing our Daniel or Revelation study. We also encourage you to look over the following articles concerning the second coming of Jesus:
Timeline for Christ's Second Coming
Explain the Second Coming
 

Standing Resolution on Welcome and Support of LGBTQ+ Community:

The Swedenborgian Church of North America ordained their first female minister in 1975, and their first openly gay minister in 1997. The organization in North America consists of many different churches who follow Swedenborg’s theology. Its spiritually rich and inclusive ministries can be found throughout North America and online. 
 
The Swedenborg Churches of North America (SCNA) understands the message of love and inclusion taught to us through the Bible and insights of Emanuel Swedenborg to affirm diversity in all its exciting complexity, offering equal value and worth to all people with a variety of God given gender identities, gender expressions, sexual orientations, and loving relationships. The SCNA will seek to interpret the Bible and the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg in ways that honor the equal value and worth of all sexual orientations, genders, gender identities, and gender expressions. We will support everyone who is engaged in the regenerative journey—individual or partnered. We affirm any partnered relationships that are entered into freely, are grounded in mutual fidelity and respect, and have as their end the well being and spiritual growth of each partner. We acknowledge that living in truly loving and wise ways is possible for finite and fallible human beings only with the Lord’s leading.  
 
Biblical Justification: 
We need not side-step the clear teaching of Scripture: homosexual behavior is a form of sexual sin and is not compatible with a position of leadership in any congregation. Numerous Scriptures teach this fundamental truth, but as an example, Paul lists homosexual behavior among many serious perversions and sins when he writes to Timothy:

1TIM. 1:8  But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully,
1TIM. 1:9 realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers
1TIM. 1:10 and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching,
1TIM. 1:11 according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.

Paul lists homosexual sin as contrary to sound teaching, and Paul includes this sinful behavior among other serious sins to reflect how seriously God views this form of rebellion against His natural order. Any church congregation that condones homosexuality – much less elevates its practitioners into positions of leadership – is itself in rebellion to God's word and to the Lord Himself.
 
For further understanding on Biblical principals concerning inclusion or support of the LGBTQ community, please see these articles:
Is it ok to be homosexual and a Christian?
Homosexuality in the Church
 

Standing Resolution on Abortion:

That the General Convention support the legalization of abortion in cases where it is responsibly applied for the physical and emotional welfare of those involved. 
 
Biblical Justification: 
Any unlawful killing of another person is murder, according to Scripture, and the Bible only allows the killing of a human being under very limited and specific circumstances. A person may be killed by the government for a violation of law (i.e., capital punishment) or in self-defense or in defense of another. Beyond these reasons, any killing would be murder. 
 
Clearly, a mother killing her own child (whether in the womb or outside the womb) does not fall into any of these allowable categories, and therefore abortion is always murder. There are no set of circumstances in which such a killing is permissible. The word of God tells us this type of cruelty comes about as a result of man’s depravity:

ROM. 1:24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.
ROM. 1:25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
ROM. 1:26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones.
ROM. 1:27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
ROM. 1:28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.
ROM. 1:29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips,
ROM. 1:30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;
ROM. 1:31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.
ROM. 1:32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

This is the result of exchanging the truth of God for a lie, for suppressing the truth in unrighteousness. Note that God tells us this results, in part, in murder (v. 29). Not only that, those who know that these things are wrong and that people who do such things are worthy of death, the depraved mind gives “hearty approval to those who practice them”. It’s obvious we know these things are wrong, because we arrest people who do these things to babies outside the womb. But when it comes to the same action done inside the womb, the depraved mind actually approves! 
 
Additionally, it is key to note that Romans 1 clearly notes that mans depravity is the reason we exchange natural relations (heterosexual) for unnatural ones (homosexual), refuting any claim that gender fluidity is acceptable and celebrated along with murder in the form of abortion.
 
You may find these articles helpful in addressing abortion:
Abortion and the depravity of man
Is abortion for medical reasons ok?
 
In our research we found that secular humanism plays a huge role in the Swedenborg writings and beliefs. Secular humanism is just the latest label for an age-old perspective that maintains human reason and wisdom are higher truths than religious faith. Once we start trading the word of God for the word of man we have fundamentally lost our way. Paul put it this way:

ROM. 1:20 For  since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen,  being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
ROM. 1:21 For even though they knew God, they did not  honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became  futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
ROM. 1:22  Professing to be wise, they became fools,
ROM. 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and  crawling creatures.  

The Swedenborgian church originated from the personal enlightenment's of a sinful man, Emanuel Swedenborg. In the early 1700s Swedenborg claimed to have received the "mystical visions" from an angel. This testimony reminds us of 2 Corinthians 11:14, where Paul warns believers that Satan often comes disguised as an angel of light to deceive the unbeliever. This is Swedenborg's own testimony.
 
Simply put, these teachings were delivered to an unbeliever by Satan, appearing as an angel, with the purpose to corrupt the minds of unbelievers. His fraud has succeeded spectacularly, resulting in thousands being deceived as a result.
 
To summarize, we actively participate in seeking the lost by proclaiming the good news of the Gospel and discipling the saved because our Lord commanded us to do so. We serve Him obediently in these ways in expectation of success because we know He has purposed to work through men to bring the lost to faith, and because we understanding we have opportunity to gain reward for our faithfulness. 
 
We leave you with these final thoughts: 

2TIM. 4:3 For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires,
2TIM. 4:4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths.
2TIM. 4:5 But as for you, use self-restraint in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

2PET. 2:1 But false prophets also appeared among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.
2PET. 2:2 Many will follow their indecent behavior, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;
2PET. 2:3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
2PET. 2:4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, held for judgment;
2PET. 2:5 and did not spare the ancient world, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;
2PET. 2:6 and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example of what is coming for the ungodly;
2PET. 2:7 and if He rescued righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the perverted conduct of unscrupulous people
2PET. 2:8 (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds),
2PET. 2:9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from a trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,
2PET. 2:10 and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt passion, and despise authority. Reckless, self-centered, they speak abusively of angelic majesties without trembling,
2PET. 2:11 whereas angels who are greater in might and power do not bring a demeaning judgment against them before the Lord.
2PET. 2:12 But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, using abusive speech where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed,
2PET. 2:13 suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions as they feast with you,
2PET. 2:14 having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having hearts trained in greed, accursed children;
2PET. 2:15 abandoning the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the reward of unrighteousness;
2PET. 2:16 but he received a rebuke for his own offense, for a mute donkey, speaking with a human voice, restrained the insanity of the prophet.
2PET. 2:17 These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved.
2PET. 2:18 For, while speaking out arrogant words of no value they entice by fleshly desires, by indecent behavior, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error,
2PET. 2:19 promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what anyone is overcome, by this he is enslaved.
2PET. 2:20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.
2PET. 2:21 For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them.
2PET. 2:22 It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A dog returns to its own vomit,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”