© 1999 Merlyn Cox
© 1999 The Christian Fellowship of Students of The Urantia Book
| Contemporary Theology Anticipates The Urantia Book | Spring 1999 — Index | Psalms Today: Beyond Tradition and Orthodoxy |
As many in the Urantia movement consider and begin to work toward new forms of religious structure and community, there will no doubt be many different approaches. As a pastor in a mainline denomination for over 30 years, I’m constantly reminded of the diversity of the churches. That includes being embarrassed by, and at times ashamed of, the lack of unity in essential matters of the Spirit, and the contention and competition that often creeps into relations among churches, even within the same denomination.
Many in the Urantia community would like to avoid the obvious pitfalls of such diversity, and show the world a more unified spirit and common understanding on behalf of the Fifth Epochal Revelation. Many, including myself, hesitate to venture too quickly into this new future for fear of adopting too easily and uncritically models we have grown comfortable with. We would like to see new and fresh models — “new wineskins” — in which to express our faith.
At the same time, I’m aware of some profound strengths in the community that gave me spiritual birth and sustenance. Despite all the more obvious imperfections of the community that one well known church leader once called “that fractious gang of adolescents,” there are some transcendent graces that regularly appear.
One of them is in worship. How pedestrian, pretentious, or just plain awkward, is so much of what we do. I’m convinced that 90% of the people 90% of the time would, in a heartbeat, trade real soul searching, Spirit led, and God conscious worship for entertainment. And yet, how often have I been surprised by grace, and ushered into a sense of the transcendent within the framework of a common liturgy. There is something to being a part of a community at worship that ushers us into the presence of God, if we come to it, and work at it, with any real sincerity and humility. It indeed often seems to come in spite of our efforts, rather than as a result. God’s Spirit both leads us and enables us to worship, and the practice of the presence of God here on earth surely foreshadows the divine worship and true “Holy Communion” that so captivates the souls of all creatures in the higher realms.
Because it is so important, we would do well to listen for insights from the historic Christian community, even as we seek new avenues for expression. In the past year I’ve read, and re-read many parts of, a book on worship by Marva Dawn entitled, Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down. [1] It is an analysis of worship in our contemporary culture and the idolatries and popular misconceptions that “dumb down” and numb our capacity for transcendent worship.
It is, in my opinion, the most insightful and helpful book on worship I’ve ever read. Most of it’s basic affirmations mirror those of The Urantia Book. I think this is a resource for dialogue with the best insights of the Christian tradition, a tradition whose treasures should not be ignored. I urge every Urantia Book reader to enter into that dialogue, and to use Marva Dawn’s book as one of the resources.
| Contemporary Theology Anticipates The Urantia Book | Spring 1999 — Index | Psalms Today: Beyond Tradition and Orthodoxy |
Dawn, Marva J. Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down. Grand Rapids: William Eerdmans, 1995 ↩︎