© 2004 Meredith Sprunger
© 2004 The Christian Fellowship of Students of The Urantia Book
All progressive living begins with the motivation and courage to explore new possibilities and the unknown. It requires effort and determination and is safeguarded by wisdom. Living in the shelter of traditional frames of reference and values permits one to largely avoid challenge and conflict.
Social scientists have discovered that all human activities are characterized by what is known as the normal curve of distribution. A small percentage of people are pioneers, and there are always a few individuals, the fundamentalists, who refuse to change. The rest of society fall into a graded continuum between these two extremes. All human progress, sooner or later, follows the same evolutionary dynamics. Thomas S. Kuhn, in The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, describes the basic nature of changes in scientific paradigms, which is basically the same as changes in spiritual paradigms. These changes have a long historical background that culminates in crisis situations. When the new gestalt or revolution occurs, it comes in its entirety displacing the old view. The transformation takes place not by convincing the authorities of the old view but by new people shaping the future. Kuhn quotes Max Planck saying, “a new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it.” (p. 151)
The Fifth Epochal Revelation will follow a similar pattern. There will be a long period in which more and more progressive people discover the larger view of the Urantia Papers. No doubt, in time, a crisis will take place when the religious fundamentalists will make a major attempt to refute the teachings of the Urantia Papers. This confrontation, along with the passing of the older theologians, will result in a major religious paradigm shift to the new universe view.
We are now entering an extensive historical interval when the Fifth Epochal Revelation appears to be more or less dormant, but is actually undergoing a gestation period when developments are taking place preparing our world for a new age.
We are now entering an extensive historical interval when the Fifth Epochal Revelation appears to be more or less dormant, but is actually undergoing a gestation period when developments are taking place preparing our world for a new age. Those of us fortunate enough to be active in the womb of time have the joyful opportunity to contribute to the edge of spiritual enlightenment. It is a time of freedom for creative activity, a time to enjoy the subtle events shaping the future, a time of joy anticipating the advent of a new age.