Welcome to the Swedenborg Library in Chicago
Above: Lecturer Jerry Leitner addresses a group during a Swedenborg Library program.
Our circulating book collection offers a range of contemporary books on spiritual topics, as well as the work of the 18C Swedish scientist and theologian Emanuel Swedenborg.
The Swedenborg Library is located at 77 W. Washington St, 17th floor, Chicago, Illinois (in the Chicago Temple Building at the southeast corner of Clark St. and Washington St., across from Daley Plaza.) The library is open on Wednesday and Friday afternoons, from 1–5 PM Central Time, and by appointment.
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For upcoming programs, click on the "Coming Programs & Events" button at left, and view the brochure PDF. Coming up next: ______________________________________________
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Zoom: Thursday February 12 at 6:000 pm central time: The New Apostolic Reformation: From British Israelism to the White House, with Dr. Keri Ladner
When more than 80% of white evangelicals cast their votes for Donald Trump, journalists and scholars grasped for reasons why a religious group that has historically espoused public morality and family values, would help elect a libertine who violently castigated women, people with disabilities, and even former prisoners of war. This presetationn describes the history and ascendancy of the New Apostolic Reformation, a hyper-charismatic movement that began as a cousin to the Ku Klux Klan and leapt into the evangelical mainstream around 2010 before spearheading the evangelical support of Trump. It explores how faith-healing and catchy worship music have served as the rocket fuel to draw more and more people into a movement whose central teachings are about authoritarianism, beginning inside the church and extending to every aspect of civil society.
Zoom Meeting Room: 558 403 3057
Password: Swedenborg
Link for Feb. 12 program (Zoom room opens at 5:45 PM central):
Zoom link for The New Apostolic Reformation
Dr. Kari Ladner studied political theology with a focus on fundamentalist politics at the University of Edinburgh. Her book, "End Time Politics: From Moral Majority to QAnon," explores the role of Jerry Falwell' apocalyptic beliefs and conspiratorial worldview in forming the political agenda for the Religious Right. Her upcoming book, "American Dominion: The Rise and Radicalization of a New Christendom" describes the history of various dominionist movements, including the New Apostolic Reformation and Reconstructionism, to show their common origins in the Lost Cause of the Confederacy, and how they came together to lead white evangelicals to elect Donald Trump.
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Sunday February 15 at 3:30 pm central: 12 Gates: A Journey To the Heart of the Swedenborgian Tradition, with Dell Rose
On February 15, we will continue our deep dive into Swedenborgian theology in our 12 Gates series, with a review of Swedenborg's experience of angels.
Zoom Meeting Room: 558 403 3057
Password: Swedenborg
Link for the Sunday February 15 session (room opens at 3:15 PM central):
View videos of the earlier sessions:
Our first session discussed the origin and compilation of the New Testament, as well as Swedenborg’s doctrine of the Word. For the pdf, click the "Readings" tab in the left-hand column navigational bar, or click here: 12 Gates Readings
In the second session, we compared theological definitions found in Frederick Buechner's book "Wishful Thinking: a Seeker's ABCs" with those of Swedenborg. To view the presentation video on Youtube, click here:
“It had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.” (Rev. 21:12)The second session of our course on Sunday, January 25 will continue our discussion of the Word, and will be more reflexive and we welcome the experiences and thoughts of our participants. To stimulate some of this discussion, see the four following meditations found under "12 Gates" on the Readings page of this site. Photo at right: Emanuel Swedenborg. "12 Gates" leader Dell J. Rose develops and hosts programs for the Swedenborg Library in Chicago. Dell holds the position of Swedenborg Doctoral Fellow with the Swedenborg Society in the United Kingdom, and he is a doctoral candidate at the Centre for the History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents at the Universities van Amsterdam. His research focuses on the intersection of Western esotericism and political reform, particularly with Swedenborgianism in 19th century Britain.
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“It had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.” (Rev. 21:12)
The Twelve Gates is a year-long, immersive introduction to Swedenborgian spirituality, inviting students to journey through Emanuel Swedenborg’s visionary theology as a pilgrim bound for the New Jerusalem. Weaving together biblical exegesis, theological reflection, and the imaginative world of medieval pilgrimage, the course uses the metaphor of “gates” to structure a sustained exploration of prophecy, the human self, the Word, heaven and hell, judgement, charity, and salvation.
The course is suitable for ministers, lay readers, and seekers who desire more than an introduction yet less than formal theological training. Its aim is not merely to present Swedenborg’s ideas, but to accompany participants as they discern what it might mean, here and now, to live as citizens of the heavenly city. The program may be followed in congregational study groups or online cohorts, with brief weekly reflections and larger monthly syntheses helping travelers to notice how the journey is transforming their prayer, perception, and use.
2026 will be the first run of the Twelve Gates, and the ultimate goal will be to provide a stand-alone curriculum that will help to integrate individuals interested in learning more about Swedenborgianism and for confessional Swedenborgians interested in deepening their faith. So please come join us; your opinions will be essential to helping us establish this curriculum, and to help future souls join in their own procession to the Holy City.
“It had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.” (Rev. 21:12)
The Twelve Gates is a year-long, immersive introduction to Swedenborgian spirituality, inviting students to journey through Emanuel Swedenborg’s visionary theology as a pilgrim bound for the New Jerusalem. Weaving together biblical exegesis, theological reflection, and the imaginative world of medieval pilgrimage, the course uses the metaphor of “gates” to structure a sustained exploration of prophecy, the human self, the Word, heaven and hell, judgement, charity, and salvation.
The course is suitable for ministers, lay readers, and seekers who desire more than an introduction yet less than formal theological training. Its aim is not merely to present Swedenborg’s ideas, but to accompany participants as they discern what it might mean, here and now, to live as citizens of the heavenly city. The program may be followed in congregational study groups or online cohorts, with brief weekly reflections and larger monthly syntheses helping travelers to notice how the journey is transforming their prayer, perception, and use.
2026 will be the first run of the Twelve Gates, and the ultimate goal will be to provide a stand-alone curriculum that will help to integrate individuals interested in learning more about Swedenborgianism and for confessional Swedenborgians interested in deepening their faith. So please come join us; your opinions will be essential to helping us establish this curriculum, and to help future souls join in their own procession to the Holy City.
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Zoom: Thursday, February 26, 6 PM Central time: Saving the Salamander: ETA Hoffman and Joseph Smith Jr. with Tommy P. Cowan
The relationships between "popular" literature and institutional religion can become very controversial. In the 1970s, with the advent of the New Mormon Studies, the esoteric influences on early Latter-day Saint theology, like divination, Freemasonry, and treasure-hunting became more widely known and generally accepted by Mormon scholars, despite many reservations.
This esoteric theological renewal in the Church eventually led to the 1980s scandal of the Salamander Letter, an infamous rare document forgery that culminated in a bizarre murder case which still haunts Mormon consciousness. But the Salamander Letter unleashed a fringe theory on the possible relationship between The Book of Mormon (1830) and ETA Hoffman's novella Der GoldneTopf (1814.)
While Mormon scholars have vehemently rejected this hypothesis, this talk will examine the possibilities of literary influence between Smith and Hoffmann, and analyze some of the complicated issues that the Hoffmann-Smith theory's reception brings up for scholars of theology, literature, and esotericism studies.
Zoom Meeting Room: 558 403 3057
Password: Swedenborg
Link for the February 26 Zoom:
Tommy P. Cowan is an alumnus of the University of Amsterdam (Research MA in Religious Studies, 2019), where he wrote his Master's thesis on the spirituality of William S. Burroughs II. He grew up in California, and is currently a PhD candidate in literature at Florida State University. His dissertation is about Burroughs and Shakespeare.
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For more upcoming programs, click the "Coming Programs and Events" tab in the left-hand navigation bar.
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New Video: Goethe's Faust: Art As Religion, with Dr. David Kretz
The video of this Zoom program from January 22 available on our Youtube channel (search Swedenborg Library Chicago) on Friday, January 23 after noon central time. Here's the link to save you time searching:
Goethe's Faust: Art As Religion
Dr. David Kretz is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Humanities Program at Yale University. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago’s Committee on Social Thought and in Germanic Studies.
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Scholar Dell Rose joins the Swedenborg Library
Dell J. Rose develops and hosts programs for the Swedenborg Library in Chicago. Dell holds the position of Swedenborg Doctoral Fellow with the Swedenborg Society in the United Kingdom, and he is a doctoral candidate at the Centre for the History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents at the Universities van Amsterdam. His research focuses on the intersection of Western esotericism and political reform, particularly with Swedenborgianism in 19th century Britain.
To read Dell's latest article, click on the "Readings" navigational tab at left, and you will find his article "The House of David" at the top of the PDFs there, or click here: Readings.
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To join online discussions of others who are reading Swedenborg's work, or to view video presentations, visit one of the sites below:
Off The Left Eye videos (organized by topic area:) Click Here.
For blog discussions of Swedenborgian and contemporary topics, or to download books:
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See Events & Programs for information on our upcoming programs. We look forward to seeing you then. Use the Contact Us form for information on our collection.
If you will be in downtown Chicago and would like to visit the Swedenborg Library, we are open Wednesday and Friday afternoons from 1:00-5:00 pm, and by appointment. Click on the Calendar link in the top left column for our hours and schedule.
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For more info on upcoming programs, click on the "upcoming events" bar in the left-hand column.
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PAST SPEAKERS AT THE SWEDENBORG LIBRARY INCLUDE:
Dr. Kagan Arik, Julia Bachrach, Marc Ian Barasch, Denise Breton, Herbert Bronstein, Sophy Burnham, Kanjin Cederman Shonin, Rabbi Menachem Cohen, Phil Cousineau, Rev. Jikai Dehn, Rev. Dr. George Dole, Tim Evans, Matthew Fox, Rev. Kuni Fumioka, Barbara Geiger, Mercy Gilpatric, Jack Gilroy, Terry Gunnell, John Haller Jr., Dr. Kelly Hayes, Fatima Imam, Kenneth James, Sunny Dawn Johnston, Jim Kenney, Dr. David Kretz, Christopher Largent, Stephen & Robin Larsen, Erik Larson, Rev. Dr. James Lawrence, Jerrol Leitner, Dr. Tiina Mahlmäki, Dr. Wayne Martindale, Rev. Robert McCluskey, Rabbi Dr. Jay Michaelson, Ron Miller, Dr. Raymond Moody, Dr. Avery Morrow, John Moulder, Dr. Bjarke Nielsen, Sarah Odishoo, Dr. Vadim Putzu, Paul Quinn, Dell Rose, Rev. Dr. Jonathan Rose, Ahmad Sadri, Kristen Schaffer, Ann McNamara Smith, Richard Smoley, Dr. Jason A.J. Storm, Edward Sylvia, Brother Wayne Teasdale, Dr. Alfred Thomas, Dr. Brandon Underwood, Dr. Mariano Villalba, Pauline Viviano, Rev. Wilma Wake, John Wasik, Dr. Drake Williams
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