Pittsburgh New Church

Blessed are… …the poor in spirit Humble—“Do I acknowledge my need for the Lord’s help? Do I recognize I’m not better than other people?” …those who mourn Repentant—“Do I admit mistakes I have made? Am I willing to learn from my mistakes?“ …the meek Submissive—“Am I willing to ask for help? Do I trust in the Lord’s help? “ …those who hunger [...]

In the stories of the Word, worship can seem almost magical. When the Israelites bow before Moses’ bronze serpent, they are healed. Blind men who believe that the Lord can heal them are given their sight with a simple touch. We have a liturgy that defines every single piece of our worship—allowing us to simply [...]

After the Children of Israel conquered Canaan, they and the Philistines were almost constantly at war—alternately subjugating but never conquering. Because the Philistines correspond to evil spirits who know truths but to not apply them to life, we do read stories of people sojourning with the Philistines to represent the learning of truth. But there [...]

The Rephaim are a nation of giants. Their height corresponds to how great they think of themselves. Their size and strength correspond to their power over the minds of others. Related to Nephilim—the giants living before the representational “flood” who are now prevented from influencing anyone—the Rephaim are dangerous evil spirits who have the ability [...]

The evil spirits that correspond to the Assyrians are those who would use our rational minds to pervert the doctrines drawn from the Word into false ideas. Unlike the Moabite-like spirits, who attempt to lead into falsity from our experiences in the world through our senses, The Assyrian-like spirits attempt to look like pious and [...]