© 1992 Merlyn Cox
© 1992 The Christian Fellowship of Students of The Urantia Book
The Urantia Book and Spiritual Renewal
This feature is written by ministers. Since The Urantia Book at this point in time is potentially controversial, the name of the author is sometimes withheld so as not to interfere with his or her rapport in ministry.
I remember one day several years ago sitting in the church office looking over the lectionary lessons for the coming week. As I read and re-read the Gospel text, I experienced that renewed sense of the truth and reality of Christ behind the text that often comes with serious and prayerful study. At the same time, however, I felt very strongly, almost palpably, the veil of history and human interpretation that hung like a shroud between myself and the fullness of that reality. I found myself desiring deeply and fervently for some way to see behind that veil. I recall vowing that I would give anything to have a truly accurate account of just one day of Jesus’ life and teachings. At that moment it did not seem unreasonable or disrespectful to pray for more than the Scriptures could give.
Some weeks later I received a mailing inviting clergy to borrow a copy of The Urantia Book. I had never heard of it before and would normally have tossed such an invitation in the waste basket. But I was impressed by its calm and assured tone, and because of the aforementioned event, among others, I sent for a copy and anticipated its arrival.
The day it arrived I sat down and began looking through it, reading from various sections, particularly those dealing with the life and teachings of Jesus, and those dealing with the philosophy of religion and religious experience. The ring of truth was so strong and immediate that it both startled and intrigued me.
The day it arrived I sat down and began looking through it, reading from various sections, particularly those dealing with the life and teachings of Jesus, and those dealing with the philosophy of religion and religious experience. The ring of truth was so strong and immediate that it both startled and intrigued me.
I have come to believe that there is an inner “knowing center,” a kind of epistemological intuition, that registers the truth of things beyond immediate reason or perception. In mechanistic terms, it is like having a built in truth meter that registers from “ 0 ” to “ 100 .” And at that moment, I found myself in the strange situation of having the needle immediately registering near the top concerning a matter about which I was so inherently skeptical. Since I trusted no one more than myself to be critical of supposed revelatory material, this came as a remarkable surprise. I had no accounting for it; it was just there. And the more I read, the closer the dial came to being “pegged.” Within a couple of hours I found myself, on the one hand, convinced and mysteriously assured that the book was what it appeared to be, while at the same time I knew that another level of critical study and testing would have to follow. Would the two methods converge in their findings?
They have. The book indeed invites such critical study, and nothing I have ever read has been both so challenging and so endlessly rewarding. It seemed almost overwhelming at first, with each page bringing new questions as well as new insights. But the conviction also grew that patient study would always yield even more. It has. After careful and systematic study of every page and chapter many times over, it still continues to yield fresh, life giving insights.
I have never ceased to be awed by this, and I still have no adequate words to describe it — although I have dusted off a few, like thrilling, that I had long abandoned as too emotional to engender trust.
So how does one deal with such a discovery? I had prayed and vowed I would give anything for a truly accurate record of just one day in the life and teachings of Jesus, one that revealed his true innermost thoughts and meaning. What was I to give in return, then, for a record of his whole life, day by day, not to mention a magnificent universe and spiritual cosmology? I felt like a thirsty soul looking for a cup of cool refreshing water who suddenly found himself looking out upon a great fresh lake that stretches beyond the horizon. How do you respond to such a thing? Will you even allow yourself to believe it, and if you do, how do you communicate it with others who are still inwardly convinced that such a thing cannot exist?
For me, simply accepting it was the first act of thanksgiving and commitment. Great declarations and human gestures in response to such an amazing gift somehow seemed pretentious and out of keeping. Beyond that, of course, there is the desire to live a life worthy of the magnificent calling and destination revealed in this revelation. And finally there is the desire to share it with others. Few things could ever be as satisfying as sharing it with family and friends and those I love. At the same time, I once wondered if I would be able to share it with anyone. I was well aware of the suspicions and assumptions that both our secular age and our tradition-bound religions have produced. Idecided I would simply continue to give thanks, to become a diligent student, and as opportunity afforded, seek to share it with others in much the same way that Philip did with Nathaniel regarding his belief in Jesus — by inviting them to come and see.