© 2001 Meredith J. Sprunger
© 2001 The Christian Fellowship of Students of The Urantia Book
During the first forty-five years of its history the Urantia movement has evolved from a handful of readers in Chicago to hundreds of study groups and tens of thousands of readers throughout the world. Without mass publicity or promotion about 500,000 copies of The Urantia Book have been sold and translations are available in many of the languages of the world. Audio and computer versions of the book are available and numerous study aids have been published. Regional and International Conferences are being held and secondary works are proliferating.
All this is impressive, but of much greater importance is the tempering and structuring of the Urantia movement in preparation for its world-wide mission. The rugged struggle of these early years has established solid foundations for carrying a new paradigm of spiritual reality throughout the earth. The Urantia movement, very early in its history, has encountered most of the challenges that have threatened religious transitions down through history. We have received an experiential vaccination against those viruses which have threatened creative spiritual growth in the past. The Fifth Epochal Revelation has demonstrated its dynamic and power in steering the movement repeatedly between classic Scylla and Charybdis encounters in our journey.
In our pilgrimage we have escaped oligarchical-authoritarian direction in the triumph of participatory democracy and openness. We were challenged by the intrigues of charismatic control and witnessed the emergence of evolutionary-rational decision-making. The Urantia movement weathered the threat of legalistic-power strategies through the dominance of cooperative team work. Our fellowship was endangered by differences of psychic and spiritual guidance and we achieved the spiritual maturity to allow individuals freedom to evaluate the authenticity of their own experience. The Fifth Epochal Revelation was confronted by centralized organizational control and we have observed the power of individual initiative and creative diversity in outreach ministry.
The solid core of the Urantia movement has come through these tribulations with renewed dedication and balance. We have come of age. Spiritual freedom and participatory democracy have taught us that there can be unity of purpose in the midst of intellectual and political diversity. The Fifth Epochal Revelation will make its way and overcome any barriers placed in its way. We are standing at the threshold of “one of the most amazing and enthralling epochs of social readjustment, moral quickening, and spiritual enlightenment” on our planet. The preliminary orienting growth developments of the Urantia movement are largely behind us. The potential of an exciting outreach mission of the Fifth Epochal Revelation is awaiting us. The Most Highs have prepared us and our planet for the most thrilling vision of spiritual reality since Jesus of Nazareth walked on our world. This outreach mission will be many-faceted, pluralistic, and victorious!