© 2006 The Christian Fellowship of Students of The Urantia Book
Volume 15, Number 2, Spring-Summer, 2006
- Urantia Brotherhood — Origin, History, and Destiny, Mark Kulieke
- Spiritual Practice and Individual, Lectio Divina, Nancy Long
- A Tale of Two Orvontons, Richard Bain
- The Call to Ministry, Meredith Sprunger
- Gifts and Graces of the Urantia Community
- Christianity in Transition
- Jesus’ Confrontational Technique
- The Art of Teaching
¶ The Spiritual Fellowship
The Spiritual Fellowship is a Religious Organization Whose Mission is to Bring the Spiritual Teachings of the Urantia Papers to All People.
We believe that the Fifth Epochal Revelation will enculturate the grass roots of society through new religious organizations and help lay the foundation for an interfaith movement that will eventually involve all of the religions of the world. The history of religion shows that spiritual value systems are always established and promoted by some kind of religious organization. We invite you to join us in this pioneering effort to establish new religious organizations that have the potential to bring a spiritual transformation to our world.
¶ Guiding Principles
An Appropriate Symbolism and Socioreligious Expression of the Fifth Epochal Revelation Should: [1]
- Be based on the Fatherhood of God and the brother-sisterhood of humankind.
- Be the outgrowth of love.
- Foster sentiment, satisfy emotions, and promote loyalty.
- Facilitate spiritual progress through cosmic meanings, moral values, social development, and personal living.
- Provide supreme goals of living that are both temporal and eternal.
- Be based on the biologic, social, and religious significance of the family.
- Symbolize the permanent in the midst of unceasing change.
- Glorify that which respects and unifies the diversities of society.
- Promote higher meanings, beautiful relationships, and the highest values.
- Embody some masterful mystery and connote some worthful unattainable.
- Be meaningful and serviceable to both the individual and the group.
- Serve as the skeletal structure for dynamic personal experience.
¶ The Purpose of Religious Institutions is to:
- Dramatize the loyalties of spiritual experience.
- Magnify the lures of truth, beauty, and goodness — supreme values.
- Enhance the service of unselfish fellowship.
- Glorify the potentials of family life.
- Promote religious education.
- Provide wise counsel and spiritual guidance.
- Furnish and promote group worship.
- Encourage friendship, neighborhood welfare, and moral values.
- Spread the gospel of eternal salvation.
¶ Religious Institutions Should Avoid Dangers, Such As:
- Fixation of ritual and theology.
- Developing vested interests and secular involvement.
- Serving the institution instead of serving God and ministering to people.
- Forming competitive sects and developing a “chosen people” attitude.
- Developing authoritarianism, dogmatism, and false ideas of sacredness.
- Venerating the past while ignoring present needs and timely spiritual interpretations.
- Failing to hold the interest of youth and grow with the times.
- Losing sight of spiritual ministry and the saving message of salvation.
¶ Central Objective
The central objective of those interested in initiating a new religious organization based on the teachings of the Urantia Papers should be to create a polity with maximum flexibility, function with both small groups or larger congregations, utilize lay leadership and/or ordained clergy, exhibit cross-cultural adaptability, and express broad theological inclusiveness.
Such a religious organization would be “a gathering of persons who have accepted a common purpose, and a common discipline to guide the pursuit of that purpose, to the end that each involved person reaches higher fulfillment as a person, through serving and being served by the common venture, than would be achieved alone or in a less committed relationship.”
¶ The Spiritual Fellowship Journal
Editor
Merlyn Cox
Associate Editor
Meredith J. Sprunger
Editorial Consultants
Richard Bain
Larry & Joan Mullins
Nancy Long
The Spiritual Fellowship Journal is an ecumenical publication published twice yearly by The Spiritual Fellowship. Its purpose is to support the larger Urantia Community, especially as it seeks to interface with the cultures and religious institutions of our world. It also seeks to address issues of special concern in the establishment of new religious institutions with roots in the Fifth Epochal Revelation.
Subscription donations, changes of address, articles and editorial correspondence should be sent to:
The Spiritual Fellowship Journal
P. O. Box 9118
Fort Wayne, IN 46809
merlyncox@earthlink.net
MJSprunger@aol.com
Suggested annual donation — .
¶ Content
Editorials and Commentary
- Gifts and Graces of the Urantia Coummunity
Reflections on how our gifts and talents shape our calling in life-as well as our perspectives. - Christianity in Transition
Evolutionary developments are working together to change the character of Christianity and will help lead to the discovery of the teachings of The Urantia Book.
Articles
- Urantia Brotherhood — Origin, History, and Destiny
Mark Kulieke presents an overview of the origins of the Brotherhood, from the days of the Forum, to the present. - The Call to Ministry.
Meredith Sprunger lists challenges and principles that are important for those seeking to be engaged in ministry and service to others. - Spiritual Practice and the Lectio Divina.
Nancy Long explores the values of spiritual disciplines gleaned from her personal experience. - A Tale of Two Orvontons
Dick Bain explores issues in assessing the relationship of the Milky Way Galaxy to the superuniverse of Orvonton.
Features
- Jesus’ Confrontational Technique by Lynn Rhoderick
- The Art of Teaching by Lee Loots
¶ Notes
See UB 87:7.6-10 ↩︎