Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772) was the theologian who set in motion the principles that guide the Swedenborgian Church today. He was a Swedish scientist and theologian who looked far beyond the problems of his time toward a new era in which what he called True Christianity would reign among the often competing and troubled religious institutions of his day. He claimed to have had astonishing and instructive experiences of the spiritual world and the inner meanings of the Bible. Yet he applied to them a very disciplined mind, honed by his very productive years in a variety of sciences. In 1745 he was commissioned by the Lord to explain the Scriptures and present a higher point of view about salvation, the Christian faith, and life after death to those who would listen. No one is required to believe these things; instead, they depend on what their good conscience finds of value in them.