© 1998 Robert Crickett
© 1998 The Christian Fellowship of Students of The Urantia Book
| An Introduction to the New Mission of The Spiritual Fellowship Journal | Spring 1998 — Index | Spiritual Affirmations to Enhanced Religious Living |
Spiritual and religious expressions of the Fifth Epochal Revelation are in their infancy, mere buds responding to the first warm currents of a wholly new Spring. The initial appearance of the Urantia Papers has been in a Christian culture. As we evolve a spiritual experience in the context of the Fifth Epochal Revelation, it is helpful to realize that the authors fashioned its teachings to rest on the foundations of the best insights of the Christian experience. To understand the Fifth Epochal Revelation in its historic relation to Christian spiritual experience, one must realize that Christianity rests on the authorities of the Holy Spirit, the Bible, and two thousand years of church history. In the promotion of the Urantia Papers to Christians, however, these formidable authorities are not easily countered. The Urantia Papers have no pedigree or authority except the leading of the Spirit of God in the hearts and minds of individuals. Since most people require the support of their fellows in religious experience, the initial growth of epochal revelation is always a slow, grass-roots movement.
The Urantia Papers have no pedigree or authority except the leading of the Spirit of God in the hearts and minds of individuals. Since most people require the support of their fellows in religious experience, the initial growth of epochal revelation is always a slow, grass-roots movement.
Furthermore, the spread of the Fifth Epochal Revelation differs enormously from the personal, faith-filled evangelism of the early Christians. The dissemination of the teachings of a book often tends to be intellectual rather than transmitting a life-changing spiritual experience with a grace-filled personal God. The enlarged spiritual vision of the Urantia Papers has great world-transforming potentials; however, the heralds of this Good News need to exhibit the same inspiring spiritual enthusiasm that motivated the early Christian evangelists.
From a Urantia Papers’ perspective, we are at a unique time in history, a time of overlap between revelations. It resembles the time when John the Baptist was still preaching but Jesus had already been baptized. The old heritage of Melchizedek was still powerful, but the new power of the Father in Michael had emerged from its chrysalis and was quickly drying its wings. Questions arise now about the Urantia Papers supplanting the Bible’s authority that would have arisen then, such as: “What shall become of John and his followers and the ways of the old prophets? And what will emerge among Jesus followers?”
Today, Christianity has little witness of the new spirituality which will emerge from the spiritual potentials and leadership inspired by the Fifth Epochal Revelation.
John is, as it were, still preaching, and Jesus has only now departed for the Perean hills and his time of planning.
Today, all Christendom appears to be looking either for the return of Christ, or some expression of spiritual renewal. The Christian world senses the immanence of a spiritual renaissance. Its attention rests upon the only option provided by their leaders — the return of Christ or spiritual renewal within the parameters of tradition. Within the church, Christians have no evidence of anything else which effectively challenges their own experiential standards and expectations.
But surely, as in the days of John and Jesus, the disciples of the old ways are being exposed to a new and enlarged truth that is largely ignored or rejected. And the ever-prevailing spiritual gravity toward the Father’s purposes of growth is giving increase to the new and causing a decline of the old. Just as spiritual evolution shepherded the dominance of the Fourth Epochal Revelation, I expect the same process to prevail between the enlarged teachings of the Urantia Papers and biblical traditions.
The struggle to seed-sow the Urantia Papers throughout our world is an endeavor to win influential spiritual allegiances. Christian spiritual allegiances will long look to a self-styled biblical authority and will not yield to an “impostor” scripture; that is, unless they are provided an authentic spiritual witness of their own Jesus Christ in the context of that new scripture. When they are effectively exposed to this enlarged life and teachings of Jesus, the truth of their own convictions will impel them to rush to this Christ they have long worshiped.
I believe the Urantia movement has an obligation to be pro-active in developing religious vocations so that the revelation is not only spread but also evangelized by living spiritual witnesses.
The spiritual spread of the Urantia Papers depends on men and women who personally know and who will dare to make a stand for the Christ Michael of the Fifth Epochal Revelation in the face of the compromised religion about the Jesus of Christianity. In this universe plan for the propagation of the Urantia Papers on earth, we can expect Nebadon’s spiritual forces to provide for religious vocations so that new ministers are raised up who will develop new religious groups as a witness of Christ Michael and the Universal Father, in spiritual “power from on high.”
In the overlap time, while the winning of Christian allegiances may be slow in coming, the new religious groups, with their Michael inspired ministers, will also win people of other faiths to a fuller understanding of the kingdom. But, whether or not upstepped Christians flock to it, the family of God will indeed grow spiritually through the power of the Fifth Epochal Revelation.
I believe the Urantia movement has an obligation to be pro-active in developing religious vocations so that the revelation is not only spread but also evangelized by living spiritual witnesses. Whether that can be achieved to any degree in the current political climate, or with members of the current generation of readers who seem largely indisposed to a display of public religiosity, provides for interesting speculation. Study of the Urantia Papers will, however, inevitably move out of the lounge room and into the public halls of inspiration and worship. And human beings must ultimately emerge, who are guided wholly by the inspirational life of Jesus and his magnificent gospel, and by spiritual empowerment from on high. The predominant forces will seek the institutionalization of the Fifth Epochal Revelation. They will draw its heralds into the great diversity of religious vocations currently extant in the world. Churches and religious groups will start as small, personalized, but effective socioreligious expressions of the Fifth Epochal Revelation.
Robert Crickett was introduced to The Urantia Book in 1972. It enhanced his vocation as a Buddhist monk and was influential in his work in the field of substance abuse treatment. He currently pastors the Church of Christ Michael in Melbourne, Australia.
“Religion does need new leaderes, spiritual men and women whowill dare to depend solely on Jesus and his incomparable teachings. If Christianity persists in neglecting its spiritual mission while it continues to busy itself with social and material problems, the spiritual renaissance must await the coming of these new teachers of Jesus’religion who will be exclusively devoted to the spiritual regeneration of man. And then will these spirit-born souls quickly supply the leadeership and inspiration requisite for the social, moral, economic, and political reorganization of the world.” (UB 195:9.4)
| An Introduction to the New Mission of The Spiritual Fellowship Journal | Spring 1998 — Index | Spiritual Affirmations to Enhanced Religious Living |