Spiritual Fellowship Journal i

SpiritualFellowshipJournali
BasternOrthodoxy and The UrantiaBook
Byron Belitsos
A Urantia Church?
Dick Bain
The Scienceof SerendiPitY
Carol Hav
The Questionof Angels
The Lessonsof Historv
Scienceand Religion
Just Another Source?
The AdventureHas Begun
Aphorismson Prayer & Worship
More PsalmsTodav
The Spiritual Fellowship of Students of The Urantia Book
A Spirituallradership Network InterestedinThe Urantia Book as a Resourcein Living,
CreativeService,Teaching,Preaching,and Writing.
Guiding Network Principles
l. We believe The Urantia Book canmake a significant contribution to the stimulation of
spiritualcreativity in churches,synagogues,
and otherreligiousinstitutionsand their people.
2. We believethatatthepresentstageof spiritualdevelopmentit is wisefor ministers,priests,
and rabbis to use The Urantia Book as a resource for preaching and teaching rather than
referring to the book itself or directing attention to it. Almost every concept in The Urantia
Book canbe associatedwith sometheologian,philosopher,or scientistin the past or present.
3. We believethat,althoughone shouldnot be secretiveaboutinterestinThe Urantia Book,
one should use discretionin recommendingit to people. The light of enhancedtruth can
frighten and blind as rvell as guideand illuminate.
1. We believe The Urantia Book's claim to a revelatory sourceand statusis not germaneto
its usefulnessin the presentationof spiritualtruth. Truth hasan inherentappeal,regardlessof
its source,and can be usedto enrich one's preaching,teaching,and living.
5. We believethe Spirit of God u,orksamongus in a differentialand evolutionarymanner;
therefore,we recognizethat for rvhateverreasotlsome clergy ma)' not w'ish to read and
critically evaluateThe UranlictBook. This diversityshouldin no rvaystandasa barrierto our
mutual respect,fellou'ship,and love.
6. We believethe leaveniugpl'ocessof creativitystimulatedby The Uranlia Boo,tshouldbe
ecumenicalin naturc.
7. We believeThe Urantia Book will eventuallS'be recognizedby the greatmajority of the
world's religious leadersas one of the most constructivespiritual messagesour world has
receivedsinceJesus'ministry'oneafth.
Network Recommendations
l. Readthe entireUrantitr Book to get its srveepinguniverseview of realiry'. Many of us
startedreadingthe book at PartIV, The Life and Teachingsof Jesus.if you shouldlike to get
a quick overallvierv of the book 1'oumight read"The Gift of Revelation,"a twenty-two page
summary of the basic facts and truths of The Uranlia Book.
2. Havethe Concordexof The Urantiu Book avallableto help in researchingtopics on which
you are preachingor teaching.
3. Usethe Parannny, rvhichis a paralleland harmonl'of the Bible and The Urantia Book,to
locate Uranlia Book materialon the Biblical text ) ou are using in sermonpreparation.
TheSpiritualFellowshipJournal
Spring,1995
TheSpiritual Fellowship
Volumn5, No. 1
Editorials
Journal
Editor
MeredithJ. Sprunger
AssociateEditor
MerlynCox
Editorial Committee
BudBromley
JudySmith
IreneSprunger
JackWilliams
ResourceConsultants
Vivian Albert
MarilynBuchanan
NancyLong
MarvelZuercher
PaulZuercher
The Spiritual Fellowship
Journal is an ecumenical
publicationpublishedtwice
yearly by The Christian
Fellowshipof Studentsof The
Urantia Book of Fort Wavne,
Indiana.
orders,changes
Subscription
and edilorialcorreof address,
shouldbesentto:
spondance
TheSpiriual FellowshipJournal
4IO9PlazaDr.,
Fort Wayne,IN 46806
(21e-74s-4363)
rate:
AnnualSubscriplion
overseas.
U.S.A.,
$5.00
$7:00
The Questionof Angels............
....................4
of History.............
The L,essons
....................)
Mainline Christian theologianshave had little to say about angels;
credibilityprimarily
however,their exislencehasgaineclcontemporary
by the popularpressandbooksin
becauselhey havebeenchampioned
secularbookstore.
............--..........4
Scienceand Religion.............
that scientificfactsare neverin
Our cultureis beginningto understand
obsolescent
oppositionto spiritualtruthandtheyoftenhelpustranscend
religiousconcepls.
Weareliving in oneof themajortransitionperiodsof history.Our world
neeclsa new vision of spritualreality that is relevantand meaningfulto
raryexperience.
contempo
Articles
EasternOrthodoxyandThellrantia&ook....................................7
in EasternOrthotloxyandUranliaBooktheologyareexamined
Parallels
alongwith issuesin churchunity.
A UrantiaChurch?
...................15
one of lhemostcomplelepicturesoflheology
TheUrTntiaBookpresents
anclreligion to humankind. Many studentsof the book refer to its
"Wlll The
as their religion. Increasinglythe queslionarises.,
teaching-s
institutions?"
religious
new
of
ihe
organization
inspire
Urantii Booft
...............'18
The Science of Serendipity.........
is
fascinaling.
accidenl
by
things
valuable
finding
of
The happenstance
Canthii iaculty becultivated?CarolHay discoversthatthegrowilg ldge
of sciencefurnishesinsightsfor creatingconditionswhereseredipitous
eventsaremorelikelY1ooccur.
Columns and Features
..............'.5
............"""""'6
TheAdventureHas Begun
Book.
urantia
with
The
hisongoingdialogue
A laypenr:ndescribes
..,,.....,,......22
0 Culture and Values...............
Aphorismson Prayer& WorshiP
"""24
il Psalms Today
,,.
il Interface:JustAnotherSource?
n
Copyight @ 1995, All RightsResewed
About the Editors
Meredith Sprungeris a unitecl church of christ minister,and college
teacher, retired. He served pastoralesin the Midwest and laught at
ElmhurstCollegeand IndianaInstituteof Technology.Merlyn Cox is a
UnitedMethoclistministerservingin the North IndianaConference.
Spring,1995
J
Edirorink
The Question of Angels
Inmodern timesmainlineChristiantheologianshavehad
little to sayaboutangels.The scientific-rationalatmosphere
of ourculturehascausedmanyofthe faithful to regardangels
as a figment of religious imagination.Like SantaClaus and
the Easter Bunny, they are mentioned at Christmas and
Easterbut are not taken l'ery seriouslf in everydal'life"
Angels,hou'ever,havemadearemarkablecomeback,
not
becauseof the hundredsof referencesto them in the Bible, or
through the endorsementof clerg1,,although tuo decades
ago Billy Graham $'rote a popular book about angels.The
existenceof angelshasgainedcredibility'primarill' because
they havebeenchampionedb1'the popularpressand books
in secularbookstores.N{anypeoplehaveexperiencesofhelp
and guidancewhich thel' attributeto theseheavenl5'heIpers.
Christian theology has no systematicvieu' of spiritual
cosmology,ahigherorderof personalities,or lil'eafterdeath.
The Urantia Book presentsa sSstematicandcredible picture
ofall of thesethatmakessenseoftheentirespiritualuniverse
which mustesistif life afterdeathandtheChristianconcept
of heavenhave an1'validitl'. The description of the manl'
categoriesof spiritualpersonalitiesfrom theParadiseT rinitl'
to the various ordersof angelsgives a senseof authenticitl
and rational order to celestial reality. Guardian angelsare
assignedto individuals and the description of their
responsibilities
is a fascinatingstor]'.
No doubt becarseof the contemporarfinterestin angels,
the October, l99l issueof TheologyTodayis devotedto the
study of angels.Readingthesearticlesu'ritten by mainline
theologians and comparing them u'ith the orderll' and
meaningfulpictureof the missionof angelsinThe Urantia
Book makesthem appearthreadbareand almost childish.
Peoplehave a great hunger for this spiritual dimension of
realityand,asu'ehaveseen,u ill createit if it is not available
in religiousinstitutions.The church despratell needstcr
discovertheenlar_eed
spiritu.rlvisionpresented
in lhe Uranti a
Book.Whenthis happenstherervill be a renaissance
in the
Christianlaith rvhichrvill bethe,greatest
stimulusto spiritual
gron,thsince.Iesus'
gospelprecipitated
\\'esternClivilization.
-,ITJS
Scienceand Religion
Therearesignsthat the historic conflict betrveenscience
and religion may be changing.An article in the November,
199-lissueof Omni entitled"ScienceandReligion: Blurring
theBoundaries"by lt,Iargaret\\'ertheim describesa grou,ing
body of theologiansand sciehtistsfor rvhomreligious faith
and scientific reasonare not incompatible.Robert Russell,
who is botha scientistanda theologian,in l9Slfoundedthe
Center for Theology' and the Natural Sciencesw'hich is
1
located at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley.
CTNS hasreceivedNational Institutesof Health funding to
eramine thetheologicalimplicationsof the HumanGenome
Project. The Center, in addition to its academicactivities,
offers public lecturesandprovidestraining andguidancefor
Christian ministersoiall denominations.Dr. Russellpoints
out that no conternporary religion can afford to ignore
sciencew'ithoutbecomingan anachronism.Modern science
can provide"scopeand insighttor faith."
The November l-1, 199-lissueof l/te Wall Sn'eetJournel
reviev'ed OfPcrndcscmdPeopleby DeanKenyonandPercival
Davis. The book attempts to bridge the gap between
evolutionistsandcreationistsby presentingan "intelligentdesigntheory" of the ori-ginof humankind.Critrcsseeit as
disguisedcreationismbut the authorsdenythis accusation,
aftirrning that both creation and evolution are involved in
humanorigin.
hou' relevant
Studentsofl/rc UrantictBook n'ill recogxrize
and insightful The Urantia Book is in integratingthese
contemporaryproblemsbetvveenscienceand reiigion. The
authorsdescribetheworkof the Life Carriersincreatingiife
on our planetandrelatethe evolutionarydevelopmentof life
fc'rrms,closely parallelingthe scientific picture,culminaiing
of humanbeings.The book alsopresages
in the appearance
contemporarl developmentslike the Center for Theolo-11'
andthe Natural Sciencesin its superbinte.qrationoi science,
philosophy',
and religion.
\\'e arecurrently goingthrough a time of questioningand
debateregardingthenatureof reality rvhichThomasiiuhn in
TlrcStrut:tut'eof Scientif c Ret'olutiortspints outcharacterizes
of anew paradigminthe
theperiodjustbeforetheemergence
of the unil'ersein which rve live. Frank J.
understanding
of Intmortal/ry,Doubleciay,1991,
Tipler'sbook,TltePlwsir:s
makesan interestingcontributionto this paradigmshift. Dr.
Tipler is not onll a scholarll' physicist, he display'sa
remarkableknou'ledgeof thehistory'ofscience,pillosophl ,
anempirical
andtheologl'.His OmegaPointTheorl'presents
argumentfcrrthe eristenceof an omnipresent,omnjscient,
omnip-rtentGod andthe future resurrectionof every human
to a host
beingn'hoeverlived.Tipler alsoadvancesans\r'ers
giousquestionsanddeclaresthattheologl'
of theological-reli
is a branchof ph1'sics.
human
TheOmegaPointTheorl reducesevery'thin-gabout
beings-life, mind, personalitl',and soul-to physical
descriptions.Dr. Tipler's extensiveand astute scientitlc
argumentremindsone of the observationthat Gociis "the
the mostreaiof all facts."
of all presences,
mostinescapable
( Li.B. p. I 127)Throughouttheintellectualhistoryof Western
insightful
Civilizationa greatmanyof themostbalancedand
phrlosophersand scientistshaveassertedthattherearemore
factsandreasonsto postulatean intelligent First Causeat the
ground of reality than randomchance.
For thosecontemlrcrarypeopleivho acceptonly empiricai
of Intntortalit y-may
evidencefor u'hat is real, Tlrc Ph y-sics
significantlfinfluencetheir viervof irumanliie anddestiny.
The Spiritual FellowshipJournal
The book hasreceiveda wide-spreadreadershipin Europe.
Although Dr. Tipler contributesconsiderablewisdom to
humankind'ssearch for reality, his basic error, in my
judgment,is his assumplionthat thehumanmind hasaccess
to only one form of reality: physical phenomena.But,
suqprisingly,he arrives at conclusionswhich undergirdthe
basictruth affirmationsof the major religionsof lhe world.
Thesetruths,however,areviewedin a quitedifferentconlexl.
All of thesedevelopmentsadd to the growing evidence
that we arein the throesof a major shift in the understanding
of reality. I believethe capstoneof this new paradigmwill
inTlte UrantiaBook.
bethespiritualuniversepicturepresented
-A4TS
Interface:
JustAnotherSource?
I recently spoke with a friend who was interestedin
shared
obtainingacopyof TheUrantiaBook.I hadpreviously
in
difficulty
people
have
that
many
with her the opinion
reply
Her
mind.
but
open
thebookwith a criiical
approaching
was thatit "wasjust anothersource."
I foundthe commenlrefreshing'Many peoplein religious
malters appearmotivatedmore from fear than from faith.
Many, both lay andclergy,seemunableto trustthemselvesto
critically evaluatesourcesoutside lhe mainstream. I-aity
The Lessonsof History
oftenfeellhe neeclfor permissionfrom authorityfiguresto do
of
our
The most pervasiveand undisputedobservation
so, while clergy appearafraid of being seducedby such
times is that we are living in one of the major transition material,or vulnerableto criticismfrom otherclergyor laity'
periodsof history.Astutephilosophersof historylike Oswald
Suchfear, I believe,hashelped1omaintainthe idolatrous
attitudethatmanyChristianshavewithregardto thescriptures.
Spengler,Albert Schweitzer,Pitirim A. Sorokin,andArnold
However,thereisalsoadangerofUl ania Book readenfalling
Toynbeeobservethat we are witnessing the decline of
aswe maybewith
cuhure
that
all
observe
They
also
intothesamekindof idolatry.As impressed
WesternCivilization.
aswe mayfind it,
compelling
ancl
when
as
authoritative
ils content,
cyclesareempoweredby a grealspiritualvision and
or warnings
anathemas
no
and
perfection
thatspiritualview ofrealitylosesits relevancyandcentrality, thereis no claimto
critical
it
invites
aimedat thosewho wouldcriticizeit. Indeed,
All agreethat only a
the culturedeclinesanddisintegrates.
found.
inquiry an<lemphasizesthat truth is where it is
new vision of spiritualreality can renewand revitalizeour
ThroughoutTheUrantia Book thereare many commenls
civilization.
authorssuchas"we arenotsure,butwe think..." or "We
the
by
Loren B. Mead,an Episcopalpriestwho is founderand
simplydon'l know...." It certainlydoesclaimto havecome
presidentof TheAlbanInstitute,saysin TheOnceattdFuturc
Church, "We are at the front edge of the greatesl from high sources,andthatthespritualcontentof its message
will bearthetestof time. But it alsoclearlyinvitesthoughtful
transformationof the church that has occurredfor 1'600
interactionand criticism' As Jesusis quotedas saying to
years....it may eventuallymakethe Reformationlook like a
antagonistsand would be defendersalike, "The truth never
ripplein thepond."(p. 68).It is commonplacefor writers to
suffersfrom honestexamination."(U'8.' 1711)
referto our timesasthe postmodernandpost-Christianera.
The Urantia Book indeed,will not suffer from honest
The hunger for spiritual truth has increasedbut the old
criticism. Suchcrilicismwill eventuallyhelpsort the essence
Christianparadigmhasoutlivedits relevancyandability to
truth from its conceptualcontainen'
communicateandinspire.Its seclariantheologyabottt Jesus from the accessory,the
fathersseldomerredwith regardto scripture
is losingits appealfor thinkingpeopleto theuniversalgospel Theearlychurch
the way latter day Christian fundamentalistshave' They
o/Jesus,a theologythat highlightsthe Fatherhoodof God
believeclGod condescendedand provided a very human
and the brotherhoodof humanity and transcendsdogmatic
containerfor the Word lhroughthe Scriptures.They believed
theologyandsectarianinstitutionalism.
underlyingunity ofpurposeguidedand revealedby the
Our world desperatelyneedsa new vision of spiritual in an
Spirit,but that unity andperfectionof purposedid not rely on
reality that is basedon the foundationsof contemporary
the perfectionof its outwardform.
knowledgeanda universeview that is meaningful1opeople
The Reformers almost reveled in cataloging the
today. ThetJrantia Book,which purportsto be a newepochal
and flaws to be found in the Scriptures'They
inconsistencies
revelation,hasthepotenlial,in my judgment,to serveasthe
so becausethey discountedthe outwardform as
do
could
spiritualfoundationof a new culturalcycle,andthespiritual
secondaryandevenunimportant.LutherlikenedtheScriptures
of theChristianChurchfrom
dynamicfor thetransformation
to a manger,a very commonlhinghavingno outwardbeauty
instilutioninlo a universalfellowship.It obviously
a sectarian
in itself,but holdingwhat was precious,evendivine'
takes time to test and acclimateto a new and inspiring
Wewoulcldo well lo soregarclTheUrantiaBoo&' Tieating
spiritual paradigm.The history of scientific and cultural
it, isvery rnuch
farfromdemeaning
it as".justanothersource,"
revolutionsdemonstralethat many peoplenevermake the
in keepingwith ils own messageand a healthyanlidoteto
transition.It may take generations.But for thosewho are
idolatryand fetishism.We shouldconfidentlyinvite people
ofspiritual
hungeringfor a new andlargerconceptualization
to evaluateit on its own merits.In the endit will betlerserve
realily, The UrantiaBook canbe a liberatingand inspiring
the purposeit claimsto serve.
_MerlynCox
-I4JS
experience!
)
Spring,1995
TheUrantinBook
andSpirifualRenewal
TheAdventureHasBegun
Paul Herrick
When I first consideredthecolumn heading"TheUrantia
Book andSpiritualRenewal,"I felt like I couldn't respondto
thatdirectlybecause
theremustbea "newal"beforetherecan
be a "renewal."But asI thoughtmoreaboutit, I realizedthat
therewasindeeda "newal."WhenI wasveryyoungI actually
did havesomespiritualleanings.The problemwas that my
intellectualdevelopmentovertook them very quickly. My
fascinationwith both scienceandadventure,
combinedrvith
a rapidrealization
of thefallaciesof "Christianity,"tendedto
underminetheseleaningsand relegatethem to the bottom of
my priority list. WhenI relumedto collegein 1960,atier rhree
yean in thearmy,I waswell on my way throughthetransition
from "believer"...toagnostic...to
alheist.
WhenI retuntedto collegein 1960,after thrceyears
in thearmy,I waswell on my way through the n'ansition
from "believer" ...toagtostic...toatheist.
Two identifiableeventsoccunedduringthenext two years
which gadually turnedthisprocessaround.In Octoberof '60,
shortly after aniving at IndianaTech,I experienceda "full
streamer"on a parachutejump. I had had severalclosecalls
during my previoustwo hundredoddjumps, but this was the
fint time I hadfeelingsof remorsefbr thelackof meaningand
significancein my life. As my main parachutestreamedover
my head,andasI went throughtheemergencyproceduresto
get my reseryechuteopened,I rememberthinking to myselt',
"Well Henick, you've been screwingaround and screwing
aroundand it finally caughtup to you." Of course.those
feelings quickly subsidedafter my reservechute opened
successfullyand I lapsedinto the familiar adrenalinehigh
which nearlyalwaysfollows an excitingbrushrvith death.
Thesecondeventoccurredin Januaryof'62 when,during
an electivecoursein philosophy,my prot'essor
(OneDoctor
MeredithSprunger)assigned
readingfrom anominouslooking
tomecalledTheUrantiaBook (theWHA|?). Having beena
readerall of my life,I instantlyrecognized
thal thisbook was
different.I wasn't surewhal to makeof il, but it clearlywas
worth investigatingfurther. I would go to Dr. Sprunger's
officeand pump him for information,but it was like pulling
teethto get anythingout of him. He just sat therewirh that
smileon his face,knowing frill well thathe had"hookeda bis
one."
I graduatedthatJuneandbeganmy careerasan aeronautical engineer.I didn't have a Urantia Boolg but it was
lingeringin thebackof my mind. Oneday my new bossand
I go1into a bull sessionat lhe coke machine,and I casually
in what liule
mentionedit to him. He becamevery interested
I couldtellhim aboutit, andhisinterestrekindledmy interest.
Wechippedin six bucksapieceandorderedthebook. It came
1omy houseon a FridayandI spenttheweekendwith my nose
buriedin it. I took it to work with me thatMondayandsaid,
"Here it is. You takeit homefor a few daysand look it over.
But eitherl'mgoingtobuvyououtoryou'regoingtobuy me
out becauseI rvantonefor myselt-."He broughtil backa few
dayslaterandsaid,"l don't carewho buysout who,bul I want
and
oneformyselftoo."He wasa worldclassspearfisherman
feet
breathing
diver,and he diedin 1991while diving ar?30
heliumandoxygen.He hadplannedto retirethalsummerand
lookingfor thetint Gardenof Eden.
dive the Meditenanean
TheUrantiaBookhad "hooked"him too.
I started rcadingfiotn page one during the sttmmer
of 1962, andfinished it about three-and-a-halfyears
later I lorcw it was hog wash, bul it was wonderful
sciencefictiort....1startedreadingit again, andwhen I
was about half way through it, ./ suddenlyknew itwas
all true.
I startedreadingirom pageoneduringthesummerot1962,
yearslater.I knewit was
andtlnishedit aboutthree-and-a-half
hog rvash,but it was wonderful sciencefiction. When I
finishedit, it occunedto me thatit might not be hog wash.I
startedreadingit again,and when I was about half way
through il,l sufulenlyknew it was all true.I haven't wavered
from thatopiniontbr onesecondsincethen, andI've readit
sevencompletetimesto date,often spendinghoun on one
paragraph.
My life of adventurehascontinued(I can't stop)andI've
but I am slowly
had many more near fatal experiences,
portrayedin the
realizingthat my most thrillingadventures,
just
gettingunderway.
pagesof my beloved(lrantiaBook,are
PaulHerrick is an AeronauticalEngineerand a long
ime sftdentof TheUrantiaBook.
Do not n), n satisfythe curiosity or gratify all the
latentadt,enttn'esLn'gingwithinthesoul in oneshort
life in theflesh. Bepatient! ... Harnessyourenergies
and bridle your passions;be calm while you await
the majestic wfolding of an endlesscateet' of progressit,eadt,entureand thrillirtg discovery.
Journal
TheSpiritualFellowship
EastemOrthodoxvand
The Urantia Book
by Byron Belitsos
Slowly but surely,The U'antia Book is becomingmore
widely disseminatedwithin Christendom. As we watch its
reception by liberal Protestants,and a few Catholics, a
fascinatingquestionarisesconcerningits future impacton
EasternOrthodox Christians.
lheUrantia
sources,
Drawinguponhumanandsuperhuman
Papenclaim to providethetruestory of thelife of thehistoric
Jesus.But how do thesewrilings squarewith thebeliet'sof the
htstoicchurch,whosefoundenactuallywifilessedJesus'life?
TheEasternChurchtracesitsbishopsandits "Holy Tradition"
in an unbrokenline back 10theseearliestbelievers---+vento
theApostlesthemselveswho first preachedat Jerusalemand
Antioch. How thenshould UrantiaBooft readersregardthis
ancientinstitution,whosepatriarchsstill sit in Jerusalemand
onwhatbasismightOrthodoxChristians
Antioch?Conversely,
approachthisclaim of a new andstrangerevelationof thelife
of Jesus?Are therepointsof contactbetweenOrthodoxyand
The Urantia Book or are the two anathemato one anolher?
Drawing upotthumanand nperhtnnan soutces,lhe
(Jrantia Papers claim to provide the true story of the
lfe of the historic Jesus. But ho',vda thesewritings
square with the beliefs of the historic church, whose
foundersactually witnessedJesus' life ?
The Rising Importance of Orthodoxy
aremoreimportantnow thanever.One
Suchquestions
in theprimary
obviousreasonis thecollapseof communism
OrthodoxChurch:RussiaandEastern
sphereof theEastern
thesecountrieshavea
of repression,
Europe.After decades
theirt-aiths.
significantopportunityto reconstruct
thathad
churches
On a recentvisit to Russia.I witnessed
oncefalleninto neglectnow filled to overflowinglI spoke
with peoplefrom all walksof life who wereinvolvedin a
richOrthodoxtradition.
of Russia's
passionate
reappropriation
wholivesinMoscow,aformerC-ommunist
Oneisaprofessor
Partymemberwho is now an Orthodoxconvert. He has
TheUrantiaBookaswell,
andembraced
recentlydiscovered
findinga strongaffinity betweenthe two faiths. Another
friendin Moscow,a magazinepublisherwho hasbeenin
isnowdeeplyinvolved
theUrantiacommunity,
dialoguewith
projectto rebuilda historicchurchin the
in a complicated
in religion,
nointerest
Onceanatheistwith
Moscow.
centerof
sheis nowa praclicingOrthodoxbeliever.
Spring,1995
In theU.S.,OrthodoxChristiancommunitiesategrowing
in membership,unlike many other church denominations,
now lhat they are emergingfrom their old-world elhnicity.
There is also a significant movement of converts from
Protestanlismto Orthodoxy. In 1987 the bulk of the
membenhip of the evangelicalCampusCrusadefor Christ
convertedto Orthodoxy. Other evidenceof the growing
interestof Protestan8is a remarkablenewbook documenting
the conversionto Orthodoxyof eighteentbrmer clergy from
I
backgrounds.
diverseProtestant
h the IJ.S., Orthodox Christian communitiesare
growing in rnernbership,unlike many other chttrch
denominations,now that theyare ernergingf-rotntheir
old-world ethnicity. Therc is also a significant
ma,ementof convertsIrom Protestantisrnto Othdary.
Scholarsandjournalistsare alsogiving more noticeto
Orthodoxy.Karen Armstrong'sbest-sellerA H istoryof God,
to the
treatment
sympathetic
(Knopt',1993)givesespecially
on
the
Reader
Ume
in
the
article
to
an
tradition.According
Orthodoxy
that
notes
Armstrong
cunentrevivalof Orthodoxy,
"is rootedin mysteryandparadox,ratherthanlegalisticdo's
Orthodoxyhasarichtnditionofmystical
anddon'ts....Eastern
'ChrislianYoga'.":
practicethalArmstrongrefers10asa
lsThe lLrantia Book Protestant?
es of.TheUrantia Bookthinkof
Whenmostreader-believ
they otlen look to likral or
with
Christians,
dialoguing
At fint glancethisseemsquite
churches.
mainlineProtestant
sensible,for it certainlyrequiresan environmentfree of
to beableto heartalkof a "newrevelation."
dogmatism
SomemightalsoarguethatlheBookitselfis partof the
oratleastmostconsistent
thought,
of liberalProlestant
stream
with it. For example,it is generally"fideist'"as is the
andcriticizes
tradition.It attacksecclesiasticism
Protestant
it
doesinstitute
although
andsacramentalism,
ceremonialism
"sacrament
of the
a new tbrm of the Eucharistin lhe
to praisethe
p.I9a\ And it appears
remembrance."(U.8.
passages
several
to
it
in
ret-ening
by
Retbrmation
Protestant
"reiuvenation"
even a
and
as a "rehabilitation"and
'After
"resurrection"of the church. (See Paper 195,
Pentecosl.")
Still, thereare manyimportantelemenlsin the Book's
to interfacewith Orthodoxy.
thatlendthemselves
teachings
whereliberal
Orthodoxtheologytodayhasstrengths
Eastern
thereis a
example,
For
weaknesses.
has
thought
Protestant
of Jesus,
divinity
the
queslion
to
in seminaries
risingtendency
of the divine'lo abandon
the transcendence
to deconstruct
Tiinitariantheology. By contrast,the slaunchOrthodox
may
lraditionsof historicChristianity
to thesacred
adherence
opendoorsto dialogue,for the Urantiarevelationstrongly
Orthodoxy and The Urantia Book, cont.
affirms the historicChristianfaith in the Incarnationandthe
Trinity.
Mystical traditions are not lacking in R'otestantismand
certainlynot in Catholicism,but Orthocloxl'contains
a vast,
rich, andunbrokentraditionof m1'sticaltheologl'andpmctice
which is of directlineagefiom theearl5,church.Oneevidence
is the superbcollectionof Orthodor my'sticalu'ritingsknorvn
as the Philokalia, the cream of over a thousandyears of
experientialm1'sticism.3
The Easternchurch inheritedthe fullnessof the "desert
spirituality"traditionofthe earlychurchm1'sticsandascetics,
which harkensback so vividly' to the prophetic strain of
Judaism.N{agnificentliturgy,resplendent
symbolism,ml,stical
art, and experientialreligion have alrvayshad a privileged
placein Orthodor religiosity'.
The Doctrinal Basis for Dialogue
One beginning place for dialogue rvould be Eastern
Orthodoxdoctrine. It may amazemanl'Orthodox believers
to discover that the doctrines of the Church "Fathers"
(or,"Fatristics")thatrequiredcenturiestoevolvearcaffirmed
asgenerallycorrectby The UranriaBook.This stronglink at
the doctrinallevel meansto me that both Orrhodoxbelievers
and adherentsof The Uranlia Bookhat,e much to sharcand
much to leam from eachother.
Onebeginningplacefor dialoguey'ould be Eastern
Orthodox doctrine. It nny anutaemuny Orlhodox
belia,ers to discover thal the doctrines of the Church
" Falhers" (or," Palrislics" ) tltut reqtired centuriesto
et,olteareffinned asgenerall.vconectbvThe Urantia
Book.
Therearcperhapsthrcekel,elementsof Orthodorbeliel:
thetheologyoftheTrinitl', thedochineofthe Incarnatic-rn,
and
the rvorshipfulvenemtionof icons. The first tu,oarestongly
echoedandamplified in the teachingsof ?"fteUrantia Book ,
and I personallyfind that the der.otionaluse of icons that
pervadesthe Eastern churches provides a "satisff ing
symbolism"thatcan"symbolizethat u'hichis permanentin
the prcsenceof unceasingchange."(See"The Natureof
Cultism,"UB p %5-6)
The core beliefs of Orthodox, \\'ere spelled out in the
Seven Ecumenical Councils of the earll' centuries of
Christianity,u,hichmetbetu'eenA. D. 32-5and787.r Thegreat
Patristicageof speculativemy'sticaltheologf is long over,but
latentin"HolyTradition" arcimages,practices,anddoctrines
that caneasilylend themselvesto creativedevelopment.For
example,a geat revivalof'RussianOrthuloxf in the l9h
centurythat wasinduced(at leastin part)by thetmnslatiorrof
ThePhilokaliainto Russianquickll'reachedneu'heightsof
innovative theology (such as Solovier', Bulgakor,, and
Berdal'ev)and of religiousart (iuch as Dostoevskl). The
8
creativetheolog5,of this period in Russiaeven anticipa[ed
later developmentsin the \Vest such as processthmlogy
(rvhichhasa strongaffinity rvith The Urantia Book's concept
of the SupremeBeing) and the re-integrationof feminine
imagesof deity in Soloviev's schoolof "sophiology" (which
echoesimpo(ant themesin The Urantia Book ).It is very
possiblethata world renaissance
of Orthodoxlife andthought
might har,efollou'ed in the 20th centuryhadthis revival not
beenstampedout b1,lrnin and Stalin.
Christolog;r and Trinity
But let usreturnto theoriginal periodof creativeOrthodox
theology. It seemsa miraclethat the theologiansof the early
church rvereable to establishphilosophicallythe truth that
Jesuswas "homoousius" (one in essence)with the Father,
while alsop(v human.We aretold i n The UrantiaB ook that
without the valiant effortsof oneof theseGreek"Fathers"of
the Church,this greatand savingtruth would havebeenlost:
Cluistianityoll'esmuch,very much,to the Greeks.It
lvas a Greek, from Egypt, who so bravely stood up at
Nicaeaand so fearlesslychallengedthis assemblythatit
darednotsoobscuretheconceptofthe natureofJesusthat
the realtmth of his bestorvalmiglit havebeenin dangerof
wasAthanasius,
bein-g
losttothen'orld.ThisGreek'sname
andthelo-eicof thisbeliever,the
andbutfor theeloquence
persuasions
of Anus u'ould have triumplrcd.(U.B p
2070\
Thehistoricalrecordshou'sthatAthanasiusledtheCouncil
of \icaea (325)to repudiateArianism (thebelief thatGod the
Sonis fundamentallyinl-eriorto God the Father)andto adopt
the view'thatJesusasSonu'as"light fiom light, trueGod of
trueGtxl," thatis, ontologicalll'equalto the Father.
Arnazingly,the earliestChristiansarrivedat a doctrineof
theTrinity'thatalsomatchesin key pointsthatof The Urantia
Book. Agaiq this u'as not achievedby direct revelatioubut
throughthesamecircuitous,evolutionaryrouteasthedogma
ofthe Incarnatiou.Severalcenturiesofdoctrinal debatewere
necessar)'because,accordingto The Urantia Boofr,Jesus'
teachingsto his Apostlesaboutthe true natureof the Trinity
s,erelost.
tlrctntthregardingthepersons
Jesustau-ththisapostles
of the ParadiseTrinity, but they thought he spoke
first Trinity of
figuratively and sy,mbolically....The
Christianityu'asproclaimedat Antioch andcorsistedof
God.his Word. andhis Wisdorr...TheClristianconceptof
theTrinity',rvhichbeganto -qainrecognitionneartheclose
of the first centur)'after Christ, was comprisedof the
Universal Father, the Creator Son...andthe Mother
p. 1141)[Emphasis
added]
Spirit....(LI.B.
Of coume,all of theseconceptsu'erefinally codified in the
NiceneCreedin 325.
The Spiritual FellorvshipJournal
unbrokenif thesechurcheswereeverto embtaceTheUrantia
in 381,the SecondCouncil
In addition,in Constantinople
Book;it is at leastmy hopeasone who wasraisedwithin this
spokemoreclearlyof theHoll'Spiritas equaltothe othertwo
tradition. The EasternChurchhasalsospentthe greaterpart
andis"...rvorshippedtogetherrviththeFatherandthe
Persons,
of 20001'earspraisingGod forthe giftof the Incarnation,and
Son." This essentialteachingof the equalitl'of the third
this is a legacl that could certainly be preserved. I would
personof theTrinitl is alsoaffirmedandgrcatl) e\pandedb1'
suggestthat such sublime notions of fianscendenceand
The Urantia Book.s
immanenceneedonly be supplementedby the new nanative
thatthe\\risdomor"Sophia"
As a sidenote,it isregrefiable
teachingsof Jesusin orderto createa robustnew
conceptof the earliestChristianTrinitariansat Antioch (see of theIife and
2lst century.
for
the
religion
emphasis,lastquote)fadedinto the lost pagesof earll' church
historl. This imageof Sophiais in cefiainwaysatl accurate
Two Views of Salvation
depictionof the local universe\lother Spirit conceptof The
Feu' Christians realize that there is a wide divergence
UrantiaBook. By the fourth century,Scrphian'as largell'
betrveenthe ancientchurchand its successorchurchesin the
into
genderless
Spirit,
or
merged
Holl
droppedin favor of the
West (both Catholic and Ptotestant)in the understandingof
the Theotokos ("God-bearer" or
the rising cult of N,1ar1',
hos' man is saved. By the sametoken, few Urantia Book
"N{otherof God"). But there is greathope that sheu'ill be
readercr'ealizethat the soteriology of the Eastem church is
retrieved. As u'e noted previousll', through the visionarl'
closerin spirit to The Urantia Bookthanthatof the Westem
of
Orthodox
theology of Vladimir Solovier', a school
church.
"sophiology" arosein Russia in the nineteenthcentury to
ThedifferencesbetweenEastandWestcanbesummarized
explore this ancient notion once again, and this revivified
asfollorvs:The Westemtradition is essentiallythejuridicalboth in
Sophiaconceptis, curiously',enjoying a tettaissattce
Augustinian vierv that since human will is shackled by
Russiatoday and in the United Statesamong eco-feminist
original sin, we can be savedonly by uneamedactsof divine
thinkersandcreationtheologians.Is it possiblethat creative
gracethat are ultimatelypredestined. Calvinism is perhapsits
Orthodoxtheologiansmight somedal'revivethe cultic basis
most e\treme fotm, but this Augustinian teaching-along
for the venerationof the N{otherSpirit and eventhe Infinite
rvith the closely allied doctrine of blood atonementwhose
Mother Spirit?
roots ar€ in Paul-has enduredin all branchesof Western
Christianitl'. Nlainline hotestaut thmlogians have only
As a side note, il is regretlable lhat the Wisdomor
recentll'abandonedthe Augustinianpremisesof original sin
" Sophia" conceptof theearliestChrislian Trinilarians
and atonement.
at Antioch(seeernphasis,lastqttote)fadedinto the lost
The Eastem position derives from the very different
pagesof earh church histo-u.This imageof Sophiais
teachingsof St.NlaximustheConfessor,the seventhcentury
in certain wov-salt a(curate depiclion of tlte local
Greek theologiauand mystic. Along with St. Gregory of
universellother Spiril conceptofThe Urantia Bmk.
of the essential
N1'ssa,Nlarimus is one of the s1'stematizers
("deification").
Maximus'
theosis
of
doctrine
earll' church
\\:hateyerthe casema1'tre,our ke1'prointhereis that the
distinguished
by
the
below
vies' of salvationis summadzed
trinitarianismof the EcumenicalCouncilstvas,accordingto
historian,JaroslavPelikan:
The Uranliu Boo,t "spiritualll'" corrcct:
An epitomeof thecontrastis thefomrulaof N{arimrs:
of theTrinitl'ered in
Clristian ccrucept
But thou-ghtlrc
'Our sah'ationhnalll' dependson our own will" The
fact, it rvas practically'true n'ith respectto spiritual
clichotomy representedby the antithesis between
relationships(LIB p. I l-15)
Pelagianism[the rejectedl-atin doctrine of salvationby
The ChurchFathers'high conceptof theTrinitl'has been
on humanrvill] andAugustinianismwasnot part
relizurce
preservedintact dou'n to this daf in the Eastem Church,
thouglrt.Instead,hisdoctrineof salvationis
\
Iar
imus'
c'rf
especialll,inits spiritualsense.In no placeon earthis thrs
baseclon the ideaof participationandof communionthat
"practicallytrue"conceptof theTrinitl r'enemted,
u'orshipped,
ercludesneithergracenorfreedon\whichwereestablished
'two rvills' '6
artd
meditatedupon,symbolized,sensed,celebrated,chanted
onceandfor all in theincanrateWord andhis
sung about u'ith as much energl and faith as in Ofthodor
\\ihat is imporlantfor ushereis that St.Maximus' position
churchesu'orldn'ide."Glory to theFather,andtothe Son,and
on salvatiouis remarkablyclosetothat ofJesusin Ifte Urantia
retrainin theOrthodoxliturgl' Boafr. Jesusteachesthat salvationis a free gift of God that is
totheHoly Spirit!"isaconstant
of John Chrysostom,the standardliturgy throughout the
frcel1,rcceived.But our freewill is not "fallen" or "crippled"
Orthodoxrvorld.
in the Augustinianview; human will' says Jesus,is an
The liturgy of the Ftstem Churchcreatesa cosmictheater essentialfactor in choosingto receivesuchgrace:"I declare
for the adorationfor the Trinity. It is m5'r'ieu'that this
that salvationis first a mafier of your personalchoosing."
couldcontittue
of u'orshipands1'mbolism
exuberanttmdition
Spring,1995
Orthodoxy and Tlte Urantia Book, cont.
(U.B. p. 1828) Elseu'herehe sa1s,"The transformations
of
gracearewroughtin responseto theliving faith of thoservho
p 1685)Similarly,St.N{asimus
arethebeneficiaries."(U.B
writes:
TheSpiritdoesnotgenerateal,illthatisnotn'illing,but
hetransformsintodeilicationa n'ill thathasthedesire[for
salvationl.T
Accordingto Pelikan,thecontinuinglegacl'of N{arimus
in the Easton the problemof salvationr,vassuchthat "...the
antithesisbetn,eendivine graceand humanfieedt-rm,u'hich
dogged\\restemtheologyforman5'centuries,did not present
a problem in that fonn for EastemChristianthought."8
Thusit shouldcomeasno surprisethattheEasternchurch
rejectsassimplisic andurongheadedthejuridicalimplications
of the atonementdoctdneadheredto in the \\t'est.\\'e knon',
of course,l"fte UrantiaBoofttakespainstoretutetheatonement
doctrine,callingit "a barbaricidea."(U.B. p. 60) Likeu,ise,
the earll' Fathersv'ilh the exceplion of Augt.tslinedid not
thePaulinevien'that.Tesus'
emphasize
deathrvasa "ransom."
...it shotrld cone os no surprise thal the Easlern
church rejecls as sitrtplistic and v.,ronghettdedthe
juridical intplicationsof theatonementdoctrineadhered
lo in the West.
As we u ill seein thenestsection,theEastemchurchsees
salvation,muchas The UrantiaBook does,as a coutinuing
processof "progress-grou'thin gmce."(SeeU.B. p. 1682.)
Certainly both teachingsu'ould considera tragic enor the
simplistic evangelisticProtestautformula that salvation
dependson being "bom again" b1' r'irtue of the belief that
"Jesusdied for our sins."
"Theosis" in Ofthodoxy and Tlw Ursntia Book
In the 60's and 70's, the C-ampus
Crusadefor Christled
ofcollegestudentsinto the"born again"brandof
thousands
conversione:iperiencety'pical of todal"s elaugelical
Christianitl'. A former Crusadeleader,Frank Schaeffer,an
Orthodox conve(, contmststhe bom-againerpedencen'ith
Orthodoxtheosisin his bookDancing Alone. Schaefferrvas
perhapsmostresponsiblefor leadingtheCampusCrusadefbr
Christ into the Orthodoschurch.
Tlrc American Protestantalso looks tbr a magical
"silr.erbullet" solntionto sin. He callsthis
instantaneons
the "bom again" esperience. But accordingto Holl'
Tradition,justsay'in-e
thatoneis bomagainisnrezuringless.
It doesnot entailthe necessarl'...rue
of our free n'ill to
chooseGod's wa1'againald again.u'hichthe historical
Churchtaughtis theoull rvay'ri'ecar beconrelike God,to
striveto become"deified"- in otheru'ords.i mitateCluist
andthroughimitationto becomeGcxl-likeourselr,es.e
l0
Schaeffer's hrok is a sustained polemic against the
nan'orvingof the theologicalhorizon that is representedby
modernProtestantismrvhencontrastedwith Orthodoxy.
GeorgesFlorovsky,writes:
ThemodentRussiantheologian,
"The ultimateaim and purposeof humanlife wasdefined in
thePatristictraditionas/fteosis, divinization." I0Similarly,the
Jesusof The Urantia Bookalsourgedbelieversto dareto be
God-like, to love with afatherf love. Much like the central
Orthodox doctrine of the progressive"deification," Jesus
taughthis follou'ersto engagein a "...gloriousprogression,to
becomeperfect,evell as your Father in heavenis perfect."
(Lr.B.p. 16tH)
Like the other Fathersof the Church, \4aximus sarvthe
practiceof unceasingprayer(rvhichrven'ill soonexamine)as
essentialto deification. Notably,his teachingon theosiswas
defended
intotheChristologyhesuccessfully
alsoincorporated
at the Sixth EcumenicalCouncilin 681.rt
culminatestheline of
Nfarimus' theologicalachievement
andhisforbears.
PatristicthoughtbeginningrvithSt.Athanasius
Histodansnorvpointout thatAthanasius'centralargumentto
Councilof Nicaearvasthebasisofthe laterdoctrineof theosis;
he declaredthat if Jesusis not both fully God and fully man,
then rve cannot logically share in the divine nature. His
famous line aboutthe Incamationepitomizesthe Orthodox
coucept of theosis: "He became man so that man might
becomeGod."
Hesychasm and Ofthodox Spirituality
The Greek Fathers' teaching of theosis is not just a
theologicalabstmction.It is actuallythedoctrinalexpression
of a rich tradition rvithin Orthodoxy of specific worshipful
pmctices.Arising from the expedmentsof the mysticsof the
earll'church,thesepmcticesarecommollly knon'n underthe
term"hesl'chasm"or"hesl'chia."Theliteral translationof the
Greek rvord fresl'cftiais "quies" in latin and "stillness" in
English. For theearlychurch,hesychiaprovidedlhe methd
of can5'ingout the Biblical injunctionof "unceasingpra)'er,"
u'hich St. Paul urgedtbr all believers.
Bishop Kallistos Ware, kcturer in Eastem Orthodox
Studiesat Oxfcxd University, summarizesthe practicesof
hesy'chasm:
A heslchastisonerl'hopunueshesl'chia,irulerstillness
or silenceof theheart,in particularthroughtherse of tire
constantlyrepeated,
Jesu ha1'er.Thisisashortinvocatiou,
'l-ord JesusChnst,Sonof God,have
usrnlll in theform,
merc): oll me.' Through iruter attentivenessand the
repetitionof this pra)'er,sometimesaccompaniedby a
the
ph1'sical
tecluriqueinvolvingthecontrolof breathin-s,
a visionof divine
tlrattlrc1'attained
hesl'chasts...believed
light andso unionwith God.'2
.lohn\ Ieyendorffexplainsthe realpurposeof the prayerto
the hesl'chast:
TheSpiritualFellowshipJournal
The Jesusprayer is at the center of all hesychast
spirituality. The Nameof the IncarnateWord is boundup
in the essentialfunctionsof being: it is presentin the
"heart,"it is linlied to the breath....The
monkis calledto
becomeconsciousof the actual presenceof Jesusin the
anf images.13[Ernphasis
inteior ofhisownbeing...without
addedl
It seemsto me that the hesychasticpracticeof the interior
of the presenceof God stronglyechoesJesus
consciousness
in his SecondDiscourseon Religion inThe Urantia Book:
Many of your bretluen haveminds rvhich acceptthe
theory of God while they'spiritudlll' fail to realizethe
presenceof God....Itis not so importantthat you should
know aboutthefactof Godasthatyou shouldincreasingly
grow in the ability to feel lhepresenceof God. (U.8. p.
1733)
Hesychasmevolveddirectlyout of the"desert"traditionof
theearliestChristiananchoritesof thefourth centuryin Egypt
and Syria. The desert spirituality of these innovators is
regardedbymosthistorianstobethehistoricfontof Christian
experientialmysticism,bothin theWestandtheEast.Westem
mysticsfrom lr{eisterEckharttoThomasNleftondrcw deeply
from this source.
By the sixth centurl', the various stmndsof early desert
n,ercdraun togetherin a theologicalsyrthesisof
hesy'chasm
its Neo-Platonicand Biblical elements. The Hellenistic
influence, coming through Neo-Platonicthinkers such as
EvagriusPonticus,emphasized"mental prayer" and tended
toward a Platonicdualism of body and spirit. The Biblical
approach,epitomizedby St. Macarius, a contemporaryof
and holistic.'a
Athanasius,u'as heart-centered
in thesixth
Hesychasticheart-spiritualit!\r'ass)'stematized
centuryby St.JohnClimacusof Sinai. Climacusessentialll'
usedNeo-Platoniccategoriesto evokea holistic approachto
unceasingprayer. Striking a theme that becamecrucial in
later theological developments,Climacus and his
contemporariesdid notposea contrast betweenlhe body and
mind or spiril as developedlater in the Wesl. They did not
privilegeanyaspectof the humanorganismasbeingcloserto
the divine vision than any other. Instead,they depictedall
elementsof the humanpersonas equally"fallen" in the face
and therebyall parts-bod1',
of God's utter transcendence,
(compositely
as"the
represented
mind,imagination,andsoul
-as
eqm lk benefring fromthegiftsofgraceconfened
heart')
upon the believerpracticingheslchia.
Seenfrom the psl'chologicalpoint of r,iew, hesl'chasm
involvesa practiceof stilling theentire being,bthbody and
mind.rsThe contemporaryGreek mystic and ps1'chologist,
HierothosVlachos,summadzesthe teachingsof the Fathers
in this respect:
St. Gregorl' tlte Theologianregardedhesl'chasmas
Spring,1995
essentialforattainingcommurionwith God' "It isnecessary
to be still in orderto haveclearconversewith God and
graduallybringthemindbackfiomits wanderings."With
stillnessa rum purifies his senseand his heart. So he
knou'sGod,andthis knowledgeof Godis his salvation.r6
VlachosquotesJohnClimacusfrom his classicwotkThe
htdder of the Divine Ascenton the techniqueof stillness:
Stillnessof the soul is "Accurate knowledge and
of thesoulis a
of one'sthoughts....Stillness
managernent
scienceof thoughtsandof an inviolable mind. Braveand
determinedthinliingis afriendof stillness.It keepsconstant
vigil at the doors of the heart, and kills or repels the
thotrghtsthatcome."r7
'6Hesychiarr and TIu Urantia Book
ofthe
Ifit is truethat suchpracticesleadto a consciousness
presenceof God,how would JesusasdepicteAinThe Urantia
Bookregardhesychasm?
TheUrantiaBoot revealsthatJesususedvariousmeditation
techniquesin his practiceof the presenceof God. The Greek
AlexandrianphilosopherRodandepictsJesusasa man fully
devotedto a "habit" or "technique" that he "so consistently
practices....theisolation of rvorshipful meditation." (U.B.
p.1771)
later in the passage,we seethat this possiblyinvolves a
ph1'sicaland mental discipline, and it certainly involves a
form of stillness:
customofJesrsin going
I amdeeplyimpressedlviththe
apart by himself to engagein theseseasonsof solitary
surveyof theproblemsof living...andtodo all of thiswith
an e)'esingleto the glory of God-to breathein sincerity
y,our\,Iaster'sfavoriteprayer,"Not my will, butyours,be
done...".Thisrvorshipfulpracticeof your Masterbrings
that relaration which renewsthe mind; that illumination
rvhich inspiresthe soul....Therelarationof worship,or
spiritual communionaspracticedby the Master,relieves
tension, removesconflicts, and mightily augmentsthe
total resourcesof the personality.
Not unlike the hesychasts,we can see in this quote an
emphasisott stillness("relaxationwhich renewsthe mind"),
breathing ("breathe in sincerity"), and inner attentiveness
("an eye singleto the glory of God").
RememberalsothatRodanpoltraysrelaxationor stillness
as an essentialfeatureof worshipful communion:
Fromthehumanstandpointitis aquestionofcombined
meditationand rela;iation.Meditation maliesthe contact
of mind with spirit; rela:iationdeterminesthe capacityfor
spiritualreceptivity.(tJ.B. p. lTlT)
We readelseu'herein the Book that worship is "effortless
attention,true and ideal soul rest, a form of restful spiritual
exertion."(U.B.p. 1616)
ll
Orthodoxy and lhe Urantia Book, cont.
Thus,thereseemsto be manl'elementsof teachinginThe
UrantiaBookthatprovidea bridgeto hesychasticspiritualitl'.
But much mole researchis neededin this area. There are
important theological similarities betrveenOrthodoxl and
TheUrantia Booft; it is notsurprisingthattheyteachcomparable
techniquesfor practicingthe presenceof God.
Hesychasmis treatedin more depth in my column that
appearslaterinthis issueof TheSpi r i ttnl Fellou'ship Journal.
As a final point it is importantto notethat the hesychastsput
stress on (l) repentanceand (2) observanceof the
Commandments
concomitantsto thehesvchastic
,asnecessarv
practiceof stillness.
The Palamite Synthesis
and Modern Secularism
It fell to Gregory Palamas,a brilliant abboton the "Holy
N{ount,"to articulatea responsefrom the perspectiveofthe
Patristictraditionagainstthe"nominalism" and"apophatism"
amongthe
of Balaam-whobythis timehadmany'supporters
humanisticintelligentsiaof B1'zantium.
The resultof hislaborswastheultimatedoctrinalsynthesis
of hesychasticmysticism with Patristictheology. Palanas
shorvedhorvthe most sublimenotionsof the unknowability
(i.e.,apophatism),
were)'etconsistent
of God in hisessence
rvith the doctrineof theosisand the Christ-mystictsmof the
The Ofthodox Synthesis of
of God
hesl'chasts.He distinguishedtheunknowableessence
from the knorvable"energies"of God as manifestedin his
Mysticism and Theolog;r
to usandasexperiencedby the hesychasticsaints;
revelations
A closer look at Orthodox mystical theology will help
and
yet
provided
unityofGod'sessence
fortheparadoxical
he
underlineits dissimilaritieswith Westemtheologyand u'hat
energies.
I believeis a conespondingtheologicala7finiryu'ith the spirit
This is an oversimplifying summary of a great thinlier.
of The Urantia Book.
Suffice
it to say that PalamassavedChristianity in the East
The Urantia Book frequentlyemphasizesthat theology
fatein theWesl thesunderingoftheologv
fromrvhatbecameits
must be experientiallybased. It definestheology as "...the
study of the actions and reactions of the human from religi ousexperience. Corollaryto thiswastheseparation
science from
spirir...Theologyisalu'ay'sthe
studl of-rorrreligion;thestudy of philosophy from theology, and later of
thought.
The
\Vestern
earmark
of
that
is
uo\r'
an
religion,
of another'sreligionis ps1'cholog)"(t'r.B.p. I 135)
began
in
the
synthesis
splinteringof the \Vestemmedieval
in the
andrvascompletedin theEnlightenment;
Renaissance
The Llrantia Book frequentlv-entphasi:esthctl
of theWestemmind
endit led tothe completesecularization
theolog-t nntst be experientialh based. It defnes
in moderntimes.\\'hile rr'eall undoubtedil'enjol'the fruits of
theologt as "...thestud+of thectoionsttnd reat'lionsof
scienceand liberal philosophl'thatresultedfrorn secularisna,
the hunnn spiril....Theolog: is zrlua-tslhe stud"- of
the u'orld has paid a heavl'price indeedfrom the "d.eathof
your religion; the slud,- of another's religion is
by-product.Thus,writing some
God" that$'asits iner-itable
pstchologv."(U.8.
p. I 135)
time in the 1930's,theauthorsof The UrantiaBook uarned:
Inthis samespirit,Patristictheologiarrs
fromthe trcginning "Tn'entieth-centuryseculadsmtendsto affirm that manioes
saw theology's purposeas initiating the believer into an
not needGod. But bervarelthis godlessphilosophyof human
experienceof God.t8Hesychasticm1'sticismhas continued societyrvill leadonll'to unrest,animosity,unhappirless,
\l'ar,
almostuuceasinglfin theEastemchurch,nuftutingtheological and rvorld-rvidedisaster."(L;.B.
p. 2081)
trends in almost every genemtion.Orthodox theoiogians
from Athanasiusto the plesenthaveconsidercdasaxiomatic
The splintering of the Westernntedievalsvnthesis
the famous dictum of EvagriusPonticus,u'ho said "lf I'ou
began in the Renaissanceand u,as contpletedin the
truly pray, you are a theologian, and if you are a true
Enlightenntent; in lhe end it led to the complete
theologian,you will know how to pray."re
seculari:ation of the Western nind in modern times.
While vveall tmdoubtedh enjo,t thefruits of science
The first great challenge to this long tradition of the
and liberal philosoph,-that resulledfroni secularism,
infusionof mysticismandtheologl'aroseirrthe l-lth century'.
the u,orld has paid a hearry price indeed front the
Itwas issuedbya renownedscholarinConstantiuople
named
"deathof God" thal v,as its inevitablefo-product.
Balaam,who was influencedby the Renaissance
humanism
then blossomingin ltaly.2oThe full story of the fascinating
disputesthatfollowed is fartoo intricateto nanatehere.\\;hat
is importantfor us is that Baalam'sprovocationsarousedthe
entire monastic community' of the EasternChurch, nou'
concentratedat
lv{t.Athos,in a passionate
defenseofhesychasm
and the mvsten'of deification.
t2
If it u'erenot for thePalamitesynthesis,andits subsequent
adoptionin the Council of 1351,it is very possiclethat a
secularizinghumanismmight havetakenhold in Byzantium
amongtheHellenisticintelligentsia-justasit hadin Europe.
This w'ould have eventualll' marginalized the unique
t-rfPatl'istictradition.\Ve canspeculatethatthe
achievements
rcsult or-er time might have been the substrtutionof the
The Spiritual FellowshipJou:lal
Othodox mysteryof deification u'ith a paganhumanismof
se(-deifcation. This of course, is u'hat happenedin the
succeedingcenturiesin the \\rest:
The victory of Palamasu'asthe victory of Clristian
humanismover thepaganhumanismof theRenaissattce.
canbe
Thefull measureof thecontrovers)"ssigruficance
graspedonly in thelight of u'hatfollos'ed [in the\\;est]'
An ineluctabledecisionn'as set before the Orthodox
Church in the fourteenthcenturl': a choice betn'eetta
unitarl' (integral)conceptof man basedon the Bible,
affirmingthe immediateefficacl of redemptivegtaceitt
every sphereof human activitl', or the choice of an
for
intellectualizedspiritualisn claiming independence
the humanintellect,or at leastatltonom)'from all matter,
and denying that any real deificatioll rvas possiblehere
of themodernage
below.Thereis nodoubtthesecularism
choice.:r
second
ofthe
is the directconsequence
Church Governance and Christian Unity
I would like to close by shifting gears and noting the
contributionthat might bemadeb1'theEastemChurchto the
reunification of Christianity. The Uranlia Boort blasts
OccidentalChristianityfor its disunity:
Christianityis seriouslyconfrontedu'ith the doom
embodiedin one of its orvn slogaus:"A housedivided
x'orld rvill
againstitselfcarurotstand." Thenon-Christian
hardly capitulateto a sect<lividedChristendom...[the]
agraveweakness....(U'B'
divisionofChristendompresents
p.2085-6)
hotestantism now prcsentsthe u'ot'ld u'ith thousandsof
competing"churches"to chooseftom. Onecould arguethat
it hassacnficedunity for the sakeof avoidingthe problemsof
diversity.
By contmst,the Orthodor churchhasretainedmuchof its
original doctrinal and organizationalunitl'. Bishops rnake
just as
policy'andptonouncedocttineb1 convenings1'rrcxls,
they did in the earll'centutiesof the churchbetbrethe riseof
the Papacy. The Orthodor church has alnays been
characterizedby an atmosphereof delibemtionand a search
for consensusamongthe bishopsof lhe entire chttrch, along
with input from laitl'and clergl'.The EcumenicalPatriarchof
Constantinopleis knorvn onll' as firct amorg equals in a
decentralizedchurch order; therc is no pope in Eastern
Orthodoxy.
This relatively decentralizedform of administration
providesone modelfor horvto achievechurchunitl'u'itht-rut
overmuchuniformity: the Orthodo:ichurch'sconciliar style
betn'eenPapismandthee\cesses
e isamiddletr,a'l'
of govenranc
mcxlelsof "middle u'ay"
Sirnilar
sectarianism.
of Protestant
governanceare also exemplified in older Protestant
denominations,suchas the Anglican and Episcopal.
Spring,1995
In the West, Catholic tyranny begat the rebellion of
uniformity.
protestantismagainstaniutolerableecclesiastical
Tragically, this in turn shattered the unity of Western
Christendomfor the foreseeablefuture' The Fasternchurch
hasnever genemtedt)'rann)'or rebellionon sucha scale'
Perhapsif theEastemChurchcouldbeinducedto seeJesus
on"" uguinu. helived hislife on earthamongmen if it could
beholJtheliving Jesusas depictedinThe UrantiaBook
upholderofthe
pelhapsthenit, thehistoricchurchof .Tesus,the
sacredtruthsof the IncamationandtheTrinity, the preserver
of integtalChristiantheologyovertwo millennia,may beable
to assist in leading Christendom toward its eventual reunificationasdepictedin this crucial passageinThe uranlia
Book:
ThelivingJesusistheonlyhopeof apossibleunification
of Christianiil'.Thetmechurch-the Jesusbrotherhoodby lnif' not
is invisible,spiritrnl, and is characterized
by unforntity.lJniformityistheeannarhofthe
necessarill'
nature'Spiritualunityisthe
of mechanistic
rvorld
physical
Jesus'Thevisiblechurch
living
with
the
imit of faitnunion
should refuse longer to handicap the progressof the
of thekingdomofGod'
invisibleandspiritualbrotherhood
And this brotherlroodis destinedto becomea living
organisnt in contrastto an institutionalizedsocial
It maywell utilizesuchsocialorganizations'
organizatiou.
by them' (U'B' p' 2085)
but it mustnot be supplanted
Notes:
l. ComingHorne: Whv Protes{antClerg'- are Becoming
Orthodox e<l.,PeterGillquist' Conciliar hess, Ben ['omand'
C;\: 1992.
2." ^\ \\iestem[hstem Wa1"' UtneReader(Nov'Dec 1991)'
pp.32-3.
3. The Philolailia'originalllcompiledby St' Nikodemas
(Three
of the Holy \lountain and St. \lakarios of Corinth'
Faber&Faber'
volumesintranslation.)Publishedby London:
SeealsoWrilings From thePhilokalia on Prayer of the
198-1.
Heart, fiom Faber& Faber.
-1.Orthodoxl'definesthe eutirc streamof eventsin the life
of theearll'church- life, deathandresurrectionof Christ'the
crcation of liturgical practicesand church govemance'the
adoptionof the icriptuml canon(settledin 3&7 at the Third
Council of Carthage),and the seven great councils of the
Church-as oneunified"HolyTradition" guidedbythe Holy
Spirit.
-5.The personalityand attributesof the third personof the
Paradisefmity, the Infinite Spirit, arepresentedin papers8
andgof TheUranriaBook. The Infinite Spirit' slocal u:riverse
"The l'ocal Liniverse
f<xalizationis describedin paper3-t'
N{otherSpirit."
t3
Orthodory andThe Urantia Book, cont.
It is notablethattheChristologl'proclaimedat Nicaearvas
revisitedin severalother EcumenicalCouncils in language
parallelingthatof TheUrantia Book TheChalcedonCouncil
(451) affirmed Christ as "perfect in Godheadand perfectin
humanity," and "is made knolvn to us in trvo natures.The
differencebetweenthe hvo naturesis in no rvay destroyed
becauseof the union." Furthercontroversyaroseregarding
thenatureof thehumanityof Christin view of this union. The
sixth Ecumenical Council (681) ascribedto Christ "tw,o
naturalwills." This doctrineis comparableto theteachingsof
The UrantiaBook. (Seepp. l33l and 1510.)
6. Jaroslav Pelikan, The Spirit of Eastern ChristendonL
(Chicago:Universitl of Chicagohess) pp. 18l-2.
7. Ibid.,pp. ll-12.
8. Ibid.
9. FrankSchaeffer,D ancing Alone: TheQuestfor Orthodox
Fait h in anAgeof FalseReli gions,(Boston:Holy CrossR.ess,
199-l)p. 205.
10. Georges Florovsky, Bible, Church, Tradition: An
EasternOrthodoxVieu',pp.l1+15.
11. Against the lr,'{onothelites,
lv{aximusarguedthat the
two naturesof Christ are not abstractideas,but existentially
real. Believerscan achievedeificationonly if a humanu'ill
or "energy" existed in its fullness in Jesus;this permits
Christiansto conformto thedivine u,ill by unitingthemselves
sacramentallyand mysticalll, to the dei{ied human rvill of
Christ.
12.TheOxfordI IhtstratedHi ston- of Christi anity e/., John
"
(Oxford:Oxford Llnir,ersityhess, 1990)p. 156.
McN4anners,
13.Iv{eyendorff,p. 58.
I 4. Macariusregardedsinasa forcethatbreaksuptheunity,
of thepersonunderstoodasasingle
organisnt.Dmu,ingfrom
theholisticimageof theChristphysicallyincarnate,N{acarius
emphasized
theparticipationof theu'&oleperson inpra)'erthebody,mind,imagination,soulandfeelings,all compositely
represented
as "the heart."
Christcameto reestablish
theuniq' of thehumancomposite;
and by constantlyrecallingthe nameof Jesusthe hesl'chast
makesthegraceof redemptionlive u'ithin him. Thatthis grace
may be truly efficacious,he mustmake"his spirit retum into
his hearl," the centerof the psycho-physicalorganism,and
thusreconstitutetheoriginalharmonl'betu'eenthepaftsof the
organism.(Nlelendorff, p. 88 )
15. See the chapter on hesychia,pp 3ll-326, in
ArchimandriteHierotheosVlachos,Orlr odoxPrychotherapt :
The Scienceof the Fathers, (t evadia,Greece:Birth of the
TheotokoslUonastery,l99l).
18. "What is remarkableaboutearly Christianthoughtis
that boththeOrtho<loxFathersandtre "heretics" hadbasically
the sameview of theology'spurpose:to initiate the believer
into a genuinegnosis,an experientialknowledgeof God."
to theCosmos:
FridofCapra& David Steindl-Rast,.Belonging
Explorationson lheFrontierof ScienceandSpiritualif. (San
Francisco:HarperCollins,1991),p. 48.
19. Evagrius Ponticus., The Praktil<os & Chapters on
Prayer, (Kalamazoo:CictercianPublications,1931),p. 65.
20. Balaamrvasbom and educatedin Italy, and migrated
to Constantinoplein 1338,gaining renown at the Imperial
Courtthroughhisbrilliantscholarshipinnumerousdisciplines.
Balaam rvas fleeing the hyper-rationalistic Thomistic
environmentof medievalRomanCatholicism,andsawhimself
asembracinginsteadthe profoundHellenismof the East,and
therebyretumingto the true faith of the Fathers.Againstthe
rationalism of Aquinas, he propounded (at the imperial
academy in Constantinople) the "apophatic"(imageless)
theology of Pseudo-Dionysius- a crucial strand in the
theologicalsynthesiscomprisingthe doctrineof deification.
Donysius taughtthatGod wasradicallyunknowablethrough
any natural human faculties, fully transcendentto all
understandingand knowledge.
But Balaamw'entevenfurther. By now hehadgainedsuch
renorvnthathew'asappointedby theEmperorto representthe
EastemChurchin reuniondialogueswith PopeBenedict. He
thercfore sought a theological basis for overcoming the
differencesof the contendingchurches.
In Dionysius [Balaam]found a metaphysicalbasisfor the
reunionof thechurches:sinceGod is unknowable,why go on
disputingabouttheprocessionof theHoly Spirit? The Greeks
hold thattheSpirit proceedsfrom the Fatheralone;the latins
defend their seveuth-centuryaddition to the Creed (the
Filioque) by claiming that he proceedsalso from the Son.
[Balaamthought] this was sheerpresumptionon both sides,
but especiallyon that of the l,atins.(Meyendorfl p. 88.)
On onesideBalaamattackedtheover-confidentrationalism
of the Thomists;on the other, he assailedthe overconfident
m1'sticismof the hesachastthmlogians, who presumedto
basethe dogmasof their Trinitarian theologyonexperiential
m"-slicisnt,
21. N{elendorff, p. 171.
Byron hasbeena journalist and televisionproducer
and ispresent$a consultantin lhe telecontntunicalions
industry. He is a long tinrc Urantia Book reafur and a
mentberof the Easlern Orthodox Church.
16.Ibid.p.312.
17.Ibidp
. ,. 3 1 5 .
L4
The Spiritual FellowshipJournal
AUrantia Church?
Dick Bain
The {Jrantia Book presentsone of the most complete
picturesof lheologyand religion availableto humankind.
Many studentsof the book refer to its teachingsas their
religion.Otherreadersareuncomfortablewith any reference
to traditionalreligion.Increasinglythe questionarises,"Will
The Urantia Book inspirethe organizationof new religious
institutions?"Shouldtherebe a Urantiachurch?
religion or church wilh its own holy book, will this inhibit
them from looking at The Urantia Book? Will we thereby
limit thegrow thof.UrantiaBook readership?Do theadvantag€s
of a Urantiachurchoutweigh the potentialproblems?
If sorne Urantia Book readers find the idea of a
Urantia religion objectionable,then they would no
tlotrbt t,iew the idea of a Urantia church as a terrible
turn ofetents!
The Powerof Institutions
of aUranliachurch
Somepeoplewill seethedevelopment
andthedeath
ofbureaucftlcy'
asagreatsell-out,thebeginning
The terms"church" and"religion" areoften usedto mean
of suchfolks:How
of realreligion.I wouldaskthisquestion
the samething, so I will definewhat I meanwhen I use the
The Gnosticsin
you
know?
do
manypracticingGnostics
terms. I take my cues from Webster's New Collegiate
of a
development
the
earlyChristianitywereopposedto
Dictionary. By church, I mean socializedand organized
overmuch
proiessionalclergy and they were against
religion with buildings and clergy. By religion, I mean a
But withoutorganiutiontheyhadno power'
organization.
community in which the individualssharea common set of
Gnosticismwilted away as a resultof the power of the
spiritualbeliefsandattitudesrelatingto God. EarlyChristianity
Christianchurch.Humansareinstitutionbuilders
organized
was a religionbut only laterbecamea church.
thatcarryout thegreat
arethemachines
institutions
because
will havedifficulty
tasksof civilization.TheUrantiamovement
By church,I tneansocializedand organizedrcligion
thepower
without
programs
large,longterm
accomplishing
with buildings and clergy. By rcligion, I mean a
church.
of a well-organized
communityin which the indit,idualssharca cornmorl
On Page1076,theauthorsof TheUrantiaBook offeran
set of spiritual beliefsand auirudesrelating to God.
religious
of asocialized
forthedevelopment
reason
additional
Early Christianity was a rcligion but only lata'
persisted
religion
"The
Jewish
institutionsuchasa church:
becamea chtnch.
of its institutions.It is difficultfor religionto
alsobecause
surviveastheprivatepracticeof isolatedindividuals'"And
..wtriteit istruethattheinstitutionalization
againonPagetogg:
The Questionable Influence of the Church
fromitsspiritualquality,it is
of religionhasusuallydetracted
If some Urantia Book readerstind the idea of a Urantia
in surviving
aboalao rhatnoreligionhasthusfarsucceeded
thentheywould no doubtview theidea
religionobjectionable,
degee'
some
of
organization
institutional
of
aid
withoutthe
of a Urantiachurchasa terribleturn of events!The distaste
developing'
or
is
exists
religion
greateror lesser."If a Urantia
of manypeoplein theUrantiamovementfor a churchcr even
ttrenit seemsit will eventuallyneedto organizeto survive'
for a religion is underslandable.Some ratherdespicable
thingshavebeendonein thenameof religion.Thechurchhas
often beena roadblockin the way of social,scientific,and
even spiritual progress.Warshavebeenfought and people
overtheology.
ofdisagreements
because
havebeenpersecuted
On the other hand,socializedreligionas embodiedin the
or mosquehasa1timesbeena conservator
church,synagogue
of values and even of valuable knowledge. It has also
provideda communityof loving supporttbr manyin timesof
trouble. And becauseof its conservativenature'the church
has at times been a governor on the enginesof changeto
in one
preventtoo rapid or too radicalchanges'Weaknesses
be slrengthsin othersettings.
situationcansometimes
Anotherobjeclionthat peoplehaveto socializedreligion'
especiallyasseenin thechurch,is that it isolatesgroupsfrom
one another;it promotesthe "us vs. them" syndrome. If
peoplebegin to seethe Urantiamovementas just another
Spring, 1995
'iftttions
*
tasl<sof
g'eat
the
out
cany
arc the machines that
diffiailty
have
wi|I
civilization. TheIJrantiatnovetnent
accomplishinglarge, Iong terntprograms without the
power of a well-organizedchurch'
We Live in a PluralisticSocietY
of
manystudents
churchdevelops,
Butevenif a Urantia
ThelJrantiaBook willnot rushtojoin it' Sucha churchwill
only be one aspectof the Urantiamovement'I seethree
Thefint type is the
difierenttypes of.(JrantiaBook teaders.
haveanri-institution
person.Manyreaders
torallyind;pendent
do with a Urantia
to
nothing
have
would
and
sentiments
the
to
church.Thesepeoplewill bevaluable Urantiamovement
thebookto peoplewho
theywill befreeto introduce
because
Thesecondtypeof Urantia
likeftemselves.
areindependenl
15
A Uranita Church?cont.
Bookreaderis one who embracesthe teachingsof the book,
but remains a loyal member of his or her religious
organization.Thispersonis an assetto the spreadof Urantia
Bookteacbinssbecausethey are positionedto introducethe
bookto peopleof theirchurchor otherreligiousorganization.
Theyaremissionariesofa
sort.Thethird typof UrantiaBook
studentis onew'holongsfor a churchthat providesthe sofi of
supportandorganizationalfunctionsthattheChristianchurch
provides,but a churchcomposedof studentsof the book and
achurchthatfully embodiesrheteachings
of TheUrantia Book.
What of those v,ho entbrace the tecrchingsof The
Urantia Book but choose to rennin a part of the
tradilional Christian church? Cctnctnyonebe intenselvinvolved in this enlargedpicture of spiritual realitland be a Christian (tr{oslent,Jev,,elc.) as u'ell?
What of thoseu,hoembracethe teachingsof Zfte (Jrantict
Book butchooseto remaina part of the traditionalChristian
church?Can anyonebe intenselS'involvedin this enlarged
pictureof spiritual realitl'and be a Christian(Nloslem,Jeu,,
etc.)aswell? Maybe.It dependson the brandof religion u'ith
which they are involved. The fundamentalistsectsof the
variousreligionshave verl little tolerancefor ideasoutside
their theology'.The ferv peopleI havespokento n ho areboth
shdentsof thebookandmembersof Christianfundamentalist
churcheschooseto concealtheir involvementu,ith the book
to avoidproblemsrvith theirchurch.On theotherhand.based
on personalexperience,a liberalChristianhaslinle difficulty'
in this religiouscoexistencebecausethetheologl'ofthe book
is basically compatible u'ith that of the liberal Christian
church.Thiscoexistence,
ofcourse,requiresasharingoftime
and resources.
The feu' people I have spoken to v'ho are both
sludents of the book and nrcntbers of Christian
fundanrcntalist churt:hes choose to conceal their
involvententwiththebookto avoidproblens yviththeir
church. On lhe other hand, based on personal
experience,a liberal Christian has little dfficulty in
this religious coexistencebecctusethe theologvof the
book is basicall,- cotnpatible v,ith that of the tiberat
Christian church.
When a Urantia Boofr studentis a part of an established
religiousorganizationsuchastheChristianchurch,I suspect
that in mostcasestheorganizationor churchgetsmole of the
person's money, time, and lo1'alty than an1' ttrantia
organizationgets. Of course, there is a good reason the
Christianchurchgetsthelion's shareof ever)thing.It hasthe
infrastructurervhichthe Urantia movementiu generaldoes
not have. It offers u'onhip sen'iceson Saturday.orSunday,
and a professionalclergl' rvho can counselpeople,perform
l6
rveddings,and representthe Christiancommunity to the rest
of the rvorld. At its best,the church offers a socialispiritual
structurcu,ithin u'hich peoplefeel they havea placeand an
identitl'. The Urantiamovementstrugglesat a disadvantage
becauseit lacks much of this structure:thereforeit cannot
commandthe loyalty andresourcestheChristianchurchcan.
Furlhermore,in a culture that is so largely Christian, the
Christianchurchhastheapprovalandsanctionof society;the
fellorvshipof Urantia Bookreadersis still largely unknown.
Whenthe religion inspiredb7'TheUrantia Book doesdevelop
suchan infrastructure,thenit will beginto commandmoreof
the loy'alryand rcsourcesof studentsof the book. For those
rvho long for a church that embodiesthe teachingsof The
Urantia Boo,t,thereis an unmetneed. It appearswe already
have a Urantia religion; I believeit is only a maner of time
beforesomesortof f jrantiachurchemereesfrom thisreli sion.
It appears u,e already htre a Urantia religion; I
believeit is onl,- a nntler of titne beforesontesort of
Urantia church ernergesfrotn lhis religion.
What will be the relationshipof a Urantia churchto other
religiousorganizations,especiallytheChristianchurch?It all
dependson perceptions.It's not horvthis Urantiachurchsees
itself thatcounts;it is hon' the dominantcultureperceir,es
it.
Becausethe Urantia Book readershipis small and not prone
to the sortof sensatiornlismthat attmctsthe press,thereis no
geneml a\\'areuessof The Urantia Book at this time.This
anon5,'mit1
rvill notlastforever.WhengroupsofUrantiaBook
studentsorganizechurches,thel'u'ill becomevery visible. If
thischurchmovementremainssmall,itcan no doubtmaintain
cordial relationsrvith all but the most conservativeChristian
churches,muchasLinitarianUniversalistsdo. If it grows into
a real pou'erhouseand begins to pull in large numbersof
membersfrom Christianchurches,it may be seenasa threat
andperhapssometensionswill develop.If, ontheotherhand,
this postulatedLlrantiachurchis or is perceivedas a splinter
Christian church, then it may blend into the Christian
backgroundso u'ell that it's hardly'noticeable.
The Future Developmentof the Chruch
In addition to groupsof Urantia Book studentsforming
churches.how u'ill The Urantia Bookinfluenceinstitutional
religion?If u'elooktotheexampleofthe Christianchurchand
.Iudaism.$'e note that the Chnstian church was built on the
foundatiousof Judaism,butu'asfar morethanjust a refonned
.Iudaism.Butthedifferencesbetw'eenJudaism
andtheemerglng
Christianreligion rveremuch greaterthanarethe differences
betw'eentheteachingsof The LlrantiaBook andChristianity.
The theologl' of the book could almost be seenas Christian
theologl'purgedof its negativeaspects.Willthe Urantia Book
fiame of rcferencegrorv rvithin the cocoon of the Christian
churchandeventualll'splitoffto form its own Cenomination?
TheSpiritualFellorvsirip
Journal
I feelthatthereisa strongpossibilityofa spin-offsect.Or rvill
the Christianchurch- or a segmentof it - evolvebecauseof
itscontactwith Urantia Booftteachingsandbecomearcformed
and revitalizedChristian Church'/This is rvhat mauy of us
hopewill happen.The authotsof The UrantiaBook indicate
thateitheraneu'churchn'ill emergefrom rvithintheChristian
church,or that theChristianchurchitself u'ill betransfotmed
from within. Possibll bothof theseeventswill takeplace.On
page 1866thel'tell us, "Thus doesthe so-calledChristian
church becomethe cocoonin s'hich the kingdom of Jesus'
conceptnorvslumbers.The kingdomof thedivine brotherhood
is still alive andwill eventuallyandcertainlycomeforth fiom
surell'asthebutlerflyeventually
thislongsubmergence,justas
emergesasthebeautifulunfoldingof its lessattractivecreature
" It mal' be u hat n'ill emerge
of metamorphicdevelopment..
doesnot resemblethe Christianchurch,but it u'ould be hard
to believethat it would not at leastbeartracesof its ancestry.
...will the Christian church-or a segnent of itevolve becauseof its contacl v'ilh Urantia Book
teachings and beconrc a refonned and revitalized
Christian Church? This is v'hat nutnv of ttshope u'ill
happen.Theauthors ofThe UrantiaBcnkindicate that
either a nerv church u'ill entergefront tyithin the
Christinn church, or thal lhe Chrislian r-hurclt ilse(
u,ill be transfonnedfront v'ithin.
It seemsthat ritesand ritualsal€ a ltecessarypalt of most
religions,andI amsureaUrantiachurchu'ill beno erception.
The rites and rituals that arc a patt of the Christianreligion
have a long historl' and a strong identitl' and might be
appropriatedby'anemergentchurchstructuredby Urantia Book
teachings.Unfofiunatell', some of the rituals, such as
communion,have traditional atonementmeaningsthat are
buttheycouldbe
not in harmonyrvith Urantitr Booktheolc'rg1',
positive
teachingsof the
more
redefinedso the)' reflect the
book. Evenif a Urantiachurchdevelopstotalll'outsideof the
Christianchurch,I suspectthattheren'ill bemanl' similarities
betweenthe Lirantiachurch and the Christian church. It is
mucheasier,faster,andgeneralll'thenaturalhumantendency
to adaptexistingritesandritualsratherthanstar1from scratch.
Symbolsmay'be more of a problem.
On page 966, the authorsinform us that "..'even the
restatementof the religion of Jesusmust developa nervand
appropriatesymbolism."What then becomesof the primary
symbolof traditionalChristianitl,the ctoss?It cerlainll has
quite a different meaningfor thoseu'ho arc studentsttf The
s1'mbtrlbepurged
UrantiaBook CanthisvenerableChristian
andrehabilitatedto s1'mbolizethe
of itsatonementcorutection
and
death?The problemis thatthe
life
realmeaningof .Tesus'
crossis primarill' a s1'mbolof Jesus'death,not his life'
Perhapsa shepherd'scrcnk u'ould be a more applopriate
Spring,1995
symbol. Another symbol that will surelybe appropriatedby
alhantia churchis thatof thethreeconcentricbluecircles,the
banner of Christ lv{ichaeland the symbol of the Paradise
Trinity. I suspectthat a Urantia church will long use wellknos'n slmbols beforedevelopinga uniquesymbolism'
The proliferation of churchesreflecting the teachingsof
The Umnlia Bookmaybe a long rvay in the future' It rvill of
necessitybe precededby the widespreadsocialawarenessof
the teachingsof The Urantia Book. I feel that the Urantia
movementalreadyis a religion rvhetheror not Urantia Book
studentsrecognizethemselvesas such.The early Christians
probablydid not perceivethemselvesasa new religion; they
namethemselves,someoneelsedid' When there
didn't
"t'"n
comes to be a rvidespreadconsciousnessof the Urantia
communitl', perhapsit rvill also be namedby outsiders'
A casecould bemadethata Llrantiachurchof sortsalready
exists. Consider: Church-goersmeet periodically for
fellow shipandworship. Studentsof ZfreUrantia B oot gather
periodically for fellorvship and occasional worship at
ionferences.They do not havepermanentbuildingsfor these
functions,or apriesthood,buttherearethosetalentedteachers
and leademwho organizeconferences,lead workshopsand
w'orship. And thereis an undergroundchurchof sortsin the
studygroupsu'homeetin people'shomes'Thesegroupsare
generally educationaland social, but they certainly have
"house church"
spiritual ovettones. There was a so-called
movementin thetlS a feu'decadesago.The proponentswere
trf ing to movethechurcharvayfrom theconventionaichurch
UultOingsand into the hometo pray and rvorshipasthe eariy
Christiansdid.ThoseUrantiastudygroupswhich havea more
spiritual focus cefiainly have the flavor of a housechurch'
When a Urantia church emerges,even if it originatesfrom
u'ithin the Christianchurch'the real sourcecould be from the
seedsof themorc spiritualstudl'gloups'We mal'conjecture
aboutrvhereor hou' a nervreligiousorganizationu'ill emerge
asa resultof the Fifth EpochalRevelation,butthe authorsof
TheUranriaBookmakeit clearthatsomethingrviilemergenot if, but when!
"The greathopeof Urantialies in the possibilityof a
presentation
neu'revelationofJesuswitha newandenlar-{ed
q'ould
ruritein
spiritually
of his savingmessagewhich
present-day
loving sen'icethe uumerousfamiliesof lus
professedfollowers."(P.2086)
Dick Bain is an electrical engineerand an editor of
InnerfaceInternational.He is a long tinrcsudentof the
The Urantia Book.
t7
The Scienceof Serendipity
Carol Ha1
Sciencehas alu,a1'sfascinatedme. I'r'e beenespecialll.
intrigued b1'the storiesof horv someof the most important
discoveriesoccunedthroughsereudipitl',suchas someoue
accidentally knocking over a bt'rttlein the laboratory and
finding the solutionto a perplexingproblem,or hou some
scientistw'ould be u alking the streetsin the middle of the
night,unabletosleepbecause
ofa problemshecouldn'tsolr.e,
and some totally unrelatedacti\-it).,like sitting on a park
bench,u,ouldsuddenll'dispelherconfusionandbring her a
crystalclear ansn'erto the problern.
man'eledover the sciences,but I neverbelievedthat science
could help me accessthe insightsto rnakemy life rvork more
in harmoul'n,ith reality'or to helpme betterco.Jperate
with the
indn'ellingSpiritof Gcxl.Now, it seemsincrediblyobviousto
me. I kneu' I u'as c-xrthe right tmck rvhenI readthat in the
quantumn'orld, et e51fti11g
is basedon relationships.
. . . I found that bv-looking at the principles and
potlerns of science,v;e open ourselveslo the guiding
influencethal God eslablishedfor all of his creation.
Serendipitvcttn be a v,ai' of lik.
The Importance of Relationships
All of uslive in variouskindsof communitieswith multiple
relationships.
Theseareliving communitiesthatareeverybit
Thedefinitionof serendipitlis thelacult5or happenstance as much a ph5'sical,cohesive s)'stem as a thunderstonn
of findingvaluablethingsby'accident- like thethreeprinces moving overhead.Thel'are as vital and interrelatedas the
of Serendip in the Persian fairl' tale. \\ihat a u'onclertul human bod1. Religious communities,in particular, are
coincidencelSurely,I thought,thercmust be somewa)'to
characterizedby u'arm and loving fellou,ship. We are all
developaprocessto accessserendipity',
to beableto expenence connectedin a faith family.
it moreoften.So I beganto researchthis pheuomena.I came
The neu' science,asit is called,hasmuchto teachus about
aclossmany books that told storiesabout peopleu.ho had
relationships.
for instance,
is actuallyquite
Quantumphy'sics,
experiencedit, but no one seemedto knou' hon serendipitl'
different in methryl than the linear reductionism model
happens.
describedin the old sciencewhich hasdominatedscientific
A friendu'ho lovesthe philosophl'ofscienceu'ouldgir.e
thinking for thelastthreehundredyearsandis still largelythe
me booksand tell me, "Carol, this krck u'ill realll help 1't.ru basis of the $,a)' people design arrd managethings today.
understandmorc of the processof serendipitl than 1ou
Computerscau uo\r, take three-dimensionalmathematical
realize."But it u,ould be a book on quantumphl.sicsor
equatiousand feed thern back into themselvesmillions of
somethingsimilar,and I couldn't elell readit. \{ean*'hile,
times and seeprccisepattemsrcpeatover and over again,
anotherfiiend preseutedme with the gift of a b,txrkentitled
*'herebefbre,briefobservations
hadonlyrevealedchaos.The
I-eadershipandthe Ne:'l,'
Scienceb1'\ Ialgaret\\;heatley..Since
neu sciencehasalsodetectedunseenforcesthataffectliving
I u,asn'treadinganlthingthatw'ashelpingme getan1'closer s) stems.Thel are called "fields," and spaceis filled rvith
to the phenomeuou
of serendipitl,I decidedto sit dol.n aud
them.In thepastfeu'decades,
sciencehasdiscovered
thatthe
readsomeof this book.As I readthroughthe book,I realizecl universeis irrdee'J,asTlte
UrantiaBooktellsus,full of guiding
that I had stumbledonto the alls\\'er fcrr u'hich I had been
priuciplesandpatterns.
searching.
Thereit u'as,serendipit5,explained.
But it didn't
The rcceutdiscoleriesof relationships
in energysystems
cometometheu'ay'lthoughtit u'ould.^{ndit didn't ltxrklike
have fcrrcedscientiststo redefineliving sy'stems.
A living
what I had expected.Even so, it made perfect sense.I had
system seemsto be anlthing that reacts and intrarelates
expenencedserendipitl'!
organicalll'.It can be anlthing from an aloevera plant to a
As I follou,edlr,largaret
\\'heatlel''sjournel.throughthe
massol particles,c-rr
agroupof peoplelike a Urantia Boofrstudy
nervsciences,I u'asintroducedto the startlingfact that many. group,or a churchcongrcgation.Sciencehasdiscoveredthat
of the principlesthat are being discor.ercdin the scientillc a tinl' elementin a living s1'stemcan affect the wholervorldareerdcl/vthesameprinciplesthatarc
prcsentinhuman sometimesdramaticalllso.\\'hen
)'ou expressan opinionin
life andhumanrelationships.
I discor-ered
thatserendipityis
oneof thesesocialor religiousgroups,1'ouareinfluencingthe
notsomemysteriouseveutthatoccursu'henI'ou happento be
rvhole living s1'stemin some $'a1,.If there are problems
shoun a momentaryglimpseof the secretsof the universe. betw'eenor among individuals in the group, the way they
Rather,I foundthatb1'lookingat the principlesandpaftems respoudto the situationinfluencesthe u'hole system.We can
of science,\te openourselvesto the guidinginfluencethat
iearnaboutthe n'a1'living humansystemsact and reactb)'
God established
for all of his creation.Serendipitl.canbe a
observingother living systems.That's rvhy I believethat
way of life.
examiningsomeof thenervsciences
canhelpanswerquestions
I found rvhatI w,aslooking for, but not in the n'a1',shape, that arisein the Lrrantialv{ovementand the church.
or form I thought I would. I har.e alrval's respectedaud
l8
The Spiritual Fellou'shipJourual
asits ultimatepattern.\'ou see,because
nucleusaudParadise
onr universehasa spirit nucleus,it rvill ahvaysrespondto
One of the common erperiencesof stud5'groupsaud
disruptionb1 reconliguringitself,reorganizing,adapting,and
churchesis a deteriorationof interestand pulpose.Such a
in u'a1sthatarchatmoniousrviththe spiritnucleus.
is sometimes
increased
b1cc-rntrovers)', glc-xving
dispiritedatmospherc
splits,andchaoticconditions.\ Ianl peoplel'eeln e arelir-iug
T'hatis n'hy the authorsof The Uranlia Booftteachthat the
on the borderlandof spiritualchaosin our l'orld. Ht'rn'drxs
unir-erseis structurcd to allon' evil to run its on'n selfcourse.T'heyprrintoutthatthegoodresultingfrom
sucha s)'stemreorganizeitself?In lW7 , a scieutistnamed destructir-e
IlyaR'igogineu ontheNobelPrizelirrhist'orkdemonstratiug the Lucifer rebelhonis a thousandtimesthe evil it caused.
the capacitl'of certainchemicals) stemsto regenerateto
Luciter's greaten'oris notv clear.His plan had no spiritual
i u les[xrnse
tr)enr-ironmeutal nucleus,uo gteatattlactor,no LiniversalFather.Therewere
highellevelsof sell'-organization
"dissipative.
theterrn
Chaos no autheuticspiritualvaluesto setthe patternand guidethe
demauds.
He coine.d
structures."
lieedomw'ithoutspiritual
n a1'.Cosmicinsanitl'may'sirnplS'be
theorl'andthe principlesof dissipatilestructuresassureus
violin sttinglying
Considera
or
tneaning.
that an open,participatives1'stern
can emergcll'om chaos purprse,directiott,
betterand stlongerthanit n'astrefirreit lost its equilibriurn. ou a table.It is fiee, but it hasno pul'pose,no meaning.In a
But for this processto work, a s)stem must cclrnmunicate violin rt is partof a s) stemthatis dedicatedto beauty,andas
rvithin itself. .\ll too c'lften*'hen there is controvelsl'and
a part of that s),stefiiit comesto magnificentlife.
division,communicationstops.Suchdisruptionsiu a living
Restructuring and Growth Assured
cantakeon a l'hole nen lightn heuu e lcxrk
sl stem,horvever,
by the Spirit Nucleus
at themthroughthe insightsofthe neu' science.
Thehistoryof ourl'orld isthestoryof dissipativestructures.
thethingsthatmakea s5sternl-all
In a dissipativestructure,
The great spiritual lessonof historf is that our imperfect
apaftare the verl' factorsthat areirnlx'rrlantiu creatingnerr
morlal stluctul'esn'ill disintegmtebut \r'e are involved in
forms of order.hnagine!llere's hon it n'orks.\\-hen uetv
rcorganizethemselvesin
living systemsthatn'ill eventuall5.'
informaticluentel'sa slstern,it entelsas a srnalllluctuaticln
Our faithin thisprocess
a higherspiritualpattentandpurpt-rse.
thatvariesfiom *'hat thes1stemhasso far beendoing.If the
is ollen l'eak. \\re forgettheSpirit \ucleus andtry to shoreup
system pa1,sattention to the fluctuation, the infonnation
living sl stemsevettu'hettthel'no longerserveculrentneeds.
grou'sin sfiengthas
it interactsn'iththes5'stemand
is fedback
tar ortestthem.\\re imposestructures
\\,'eavoidsituatic'rnsthat
on itself. Flnally',the inforrnationgrons to sucha level of
aud make them strong aud complex becauserve fear
disturbauce
thatthes1sterncauno krugeriguoretheevent.-\t
lluctuatiortsthat rvould knmk us off balance.The tlpical
in its currcut
thispoint,n'ith somuchdisturbance,
thes1'stem
the p1'ramid,
structurethatis usedin busiuessorganizations,
form falls apafi. Here is the most importaut part: this
is madethat n a1.It is designedto u'ithstandany disruption'
disintegrationdoes not necessarill'mean the deathof the
\\:h)''/ Becausea great ttumber of us believethat living
s)'stem.In mostcases,the s)'stemcaurccoufigureitself at a
s)'stems,whether thel' are religious gloups or business
higherlevelof organization
iu a u a1'thatmakesit benelahle
needtclpro tect then selt'es againslflttcluation
organizatic-rtts,
to dealu'ith the envirt-xrment.
und change.\\'e belier-ethat things haveto happenin an
Tlte Urantia Book desciption of the Lucifer rebellionis a
sothatever)'one
auotderthatis predetetmined
orderlrfashit-tu,
ziu-u knorvsiu advancen'hattheirjob is, u'hatbehavioris proper
gurderarnpleof t'hat happnsu heuatesilient,selt-orgatf
slstem is disrupted.Lucrl-erdeleloped his \lanifesto of
anclapproled.Peoplehaveverl little confidencethat living
Liberty'andbeganto promoteit throughoutthelocals] stem. s) stems,suchasgroupsof people,candealw ith fluctuations
Becausehe nas u'ell respected,this mauif-estoreceived aud change,reactittgto informatiottand reorganizing
attention,and the disruptile irrfluenceof hrsideasbeganto
themsellesiu a mattttetthatis faithfulto a higherideal.
w herethe s)'stem,as
gron'..\ud thentherebellioncrccuned,
t}om that tve haveto hold the
\\'here did this belief cc-rme
it uas cunentll identiliable,beganto fall apart.\\'e ma1
rvorldtogether,thatliving sl sternsaresofragile?According
*'onderhow'intheu'orldtheleadersof oul krcals1stemtvho
century
from seventeenth
to \Iargarct \\-heatlel',it ct-rmes
wereloy'alto the t-niversalFathercould havestuxl b1 and
was
w'odd
w'hich
the
scieuce,\etvtottian rcductionism,in
allorvedu hatappearcdto be a majordisruptionto cc-rntiuue
seeuasan incrediblemachinesetin motiotlby God' a closed
withoutreelingin the rebels'l
s)'stemlike a giganticclock.It n'asdangelousto tamperwith
goingoun asaIilirrg s1stembeginning thernechanisrn.
Butu'hailr'asrcal11'
I{umanityu astold bf its leadersthatthiswas
to react to ne$, disruptile infcllmatitln,and reorgauizin-r a unilersethatcouldnotbetrustedn'ithchattge,rejuvenation,
authorities
estimate
thatthirti tirnesthenumber grouth. \\'e tverc uartted that u'e had to control a living
itself.Celestial
joined
hadbeen s) stembecauseottceit rl'asdisrupted,it rvouldlall apart.
of beingsn ould hale
I-ucif'erif suppression
is still reorganizing
itselfaccordingtcr
attempted.
Our s1'stem
its ou'n naturalintegritl'as a s)'stemthat has Chr-istas its
Insights from Chaos Theory
Spring,1995
t9
TheScienceof SerendipiN,t-ottt.
But u,e are slou'ly learniugthat u'e do not live in a
mechanisticuniyerse:"The unilerse is not like the larvs,
mechanisms,
andtheunilbnnitiesn'hichthescientistdiscovers,
and rvhichhe comesto rcgardas science,but ratherlike the
curious, thinking, choosing, creative, combiuing, and
discriminatingscrenlrs/
u,hothusobsen'esuniversephenomeua
andclassifiesthe
mathematical
factsinherent
in themechanistic
phasesof the materialside of creation."(Lr B. p. 2080)
Changeandgrou'tharcindigenous
inthe universe.Fluctuation
and modificationarepart of the vel')'pilress by'u'hich order
is created.Insteadof valuing stabilitl', u.'eshouldbe valuing
resilienc-v.
throughtimesofchaosmakingdecisionsandinitiatingactions
of crcatile resiliencl.Thesearcnot "far out" ideas.Our own
erpedencesin personalspilituality'givecredenceto these
coucepts.\\'hen u'e lcxrk back over our lives, we can see
patternsof meaningand form that emerged.Thesepatterns
usualll'didnot comethroughour carefulplanning,but oiten
in spiteof it. Indeed,u'hat u'e seein retrospectis that rvhich
n,eucftrebecomesthatrvhichwenn nifesl in all thismagnificent
unpredictability'
and seemingchaos.
The Mystery of Self-organizing Systems
a noted scientistin the field of dissipative
Erich .Tanstch,
u'hat he consideredto be a profound
stl'ucturcs,discc-n'ered
What makes a slstem capable of being resilient and
teachirrgernbedded
in theliving s)'stemshe studied.He said,
reorganizingitself/ \\'hat is thekel characteristicofa healthy,
"The naturaldllamics of simpledissipattvestructuresteach
self-organizings1'stem?
The ansn'eris "self-rcfereuce."
ht
the optirnistic principle of u'hich rve teud to despairin the
responseto environmentalor internaldisturbances
thatsignal
human rr'orld. the more fieedom in self-organization,the
theneedfor change,
a s1'stem
canchangein a u,a1'that
remains moreorder."Isn't it remarkablethatthe tu'o lbrceswe have
n'ith itsessential
consistent
nature.As it changes,
it dcres
sob1' aln'a1'splaced in oppcrsitiouto c-uteanother,freedom and
referringto itself, u'hateverchaugesit dcxs rnaken'ill be
order, tum out to be paftuers.Freedom and otder have a
u'ithitsalreadlestablished
consistent
identit)'.Self-ref-erence sl rnbiotic relationship in living organizations.Selfis u'hatfacilitatesorderll'change.
\\'hen 1ou cut l ourself,for
organization succeedsu'hen the system supports the
example,hou'does1'ourbodl'knon'thatit's supposedto
glo\t'
independentactivit) of its membersby giving them a strong
skin in that spot insteadof hair? Becausethe kxl1' refersto
r,lsronof the gloup's serr.icepotential.
itselfand findsthe ans\\'erin 1'ourD\\. The bodf is a selforganizingslstemthatispaftofamuchmorccomple\s)'stem
Freedontand order lutvea s\mbiotic relationshipin
of a holistic humanbeing.Personalitland the ind*'elling
living orgctni:ations.Self-organi:ation succeedsu:hen
Spiritof Godarcthenucleithatareour unchanging
refereuce
lhe system suppo$s the independentactit'inn of its
points.Whenu e pral'orl'orship rr'earcselt'-referencing
n'ith
nrentbersbt givingiltem a slrong vision of the groutrt's
our ultimatesoulcesof being.
sen,icepolentittl.
Hos' do lve self-relerellceas membersof the Lrantia
is the
lV{ovementor the church?85' u,ayof the valuesu e embrace
Anothercharactedsticof self-organizings1'stems
aswe normalll'think
notleadership
from theteachingsof .Tesus,
impofianceof leadership,
b5 focusingin on a visionof u'hat
of it-heroes on u'hite horses-but leadershipin the sense
andwho \r'eare,b1'accessing
our talentsandour skills,and
by refeningto our past.Thesestabilizeus in the midst of a
that,rvithinanl' group,at anl givenmomellt,individuaisrise
"\-ou
changingenvironment,
foriust that momentand makea differcnce.On page1959of
shall luro*' the outh and the
truthshallset1'oufree." (Jn.8:32)^\ndn'hens'e live thehuth,
The UrctntiaBooft,Jesusis speakingto JamesZebedee,and
"In m1'universe
universes,
we do so aspercoualagentsof thosevalues.
andinmyFather'suniverseof
say's,
are dealt with as individualsin all their
our brcthren-sons
If we can't find enoughinlbrmationto self-refemce u'ith,
we unfailingly
butin all grouprelationships
spiritualrelations,
then perhapsue needto consciousll'createa visic-lnof the
is a realm of
Our
kingdom
provide
leadership.
for
definite
u'ithu'hichu'eidentifl . Ifn'etrustthew'orkirrgs
organizations
cooperatiott,
u'ill
actitt
order,andu'heretu'oc'lnnore crcaturcs
of thechaostheorl',sa1's\ Iargaret\\rheatle1,,
u'e rvill seethat
Ina selfleadership."
providedtheauthoritS.'of
thereisalrl'a1's
thedominautshapeof our olganiz.ations
canbe maiutainedif
of large
the
influence
is
usualll'
not
s)'stem,
it
organizing
rveretaincladty'aboutthepurpose,
r'ision,anddirectionofthe
but
numbersor lavomble rnajoritiesthatcreatechange, often
organization.
If n'esucceedin rnaintairingfocus,
ratherthan
it is the actionof a lone indir idualthat getsamplifiedb1 the
hands-oncontrol, ne also create the flesibilitS' and
responsiveness
thateveryt'rlgauiz-ation
craves.\\:hat leaders s)'stem.
are called upon to do in a chaotic l'orld is to shapetheir
organizationsthroughcoucepts,not throughelabomtemles
or structul'es.
\leaning and purposeu'ork handin handn'ith valuesto
ser"r'e
as faithful points of reference.As long as n'e keep
purposein focusin a living slstclm,ne l'ill be ableto live
?0
In somem1'stedoustva)'\\'e arelearningthatthoughtsand
acticrusarc often couuectedin the rvorld eventhoughu'idely
separatedin space.Somethingstl"nge has beendiscovered
about spacein the quantum u'orld. In agreementu'ith The
Urantia Book, spaceis uou'thought to be everyu'herefilled
x'ith llelds,invisiblenonmaterialsttucturesthatareparlof the
TheSpiritualFellowshipJournal
u,a1'u'hattheothermoleculesaredoing.If informationis not
available,the slstem cannotfunction conectll'.
thatwe developa u'holeneu't elationship
\Vheatl)'suggests
a famouserpedment n'ascottductedb1 a French
In 19132
rvith inft-xmation that requircs us to embrace its living
physicist named Alain Aspect u'hich proved that even
properties,not to openourselvesto itldiscriminatechaos,but
that exist
elementaryparticlesarc affectedb1'couttectic-rtts
If we are
t$'o
rather to facilitate alivenessand responsiveness.
uuse€lracrosstime and space.In these erperiments,
is
resilient,
that
s5'stem
open
of
an
state
electrons,apparentl5'linked bl non-r'isibleconnectiotts, seekingthe desirable
so
informationueedsto beour ke1'ally.We areoften engaged
that thel' arc, in fact, an indivisibleu'holethat
demonstrate
in trying to conhol inlbrmation that our organizatiottshave
caurot bebrokeninto patts,evenb1'spatialseparation.\\rhen
beeudf ing,literalll', for information thel'could feed upon,
we attemptto measurethemasdiscreteparls,bothrcactto the
inf ormationthats'asdiffercnt,discomforting,andfilled with
attemptedmeasurement.Scientistsare stl'mied b1' the
enoughinstabilitl'to knock the s1'steminto new life.
electrons'unseelrfabric of connectedness.
basic substanceof the unir-erse.Scienceder-elopedlield
theoryto erplain actionand reactioual a distance.
Itlainline Christian churchesare a current example of
organizatiottsu'hich are suffering for lack of information.
Thel'have beensteadill'decliningin numbersandvitality for
decades.The clergf in thesechurchesare highly educated,
1et,in geneml,they haveneglectedto sharewith parishioners
u'hattheyhavebeentaughtintheir seminarytrainingregarding
sensitile areassuchas the origin of the Bible and the blood
atonemelrttheory'.Sharingthis information rvould, indeed,
shockmanl'ofthefaithful.But itrvouldalsolaythefoundations
for restructuringthe church into a more relevant and vital
\\ihatcanrvedoto supportthequattturrprocessin l'acilitating spiritualfellotvship.
Thesesamemainlineclergl'have'b)'andlarge'refusedto
spiritualgrorr'th?Firstof all, \\'ecall changeour perspective.
seriousll'examineThe UrantictBaok. .\lthough the h>ok's
shift in r ision ftom the small,
\\'e could makea couscicrtts
rcr'italizethechurchaudttansfottnour
u ill someclay'
message
discrete,r-isiblestructulesandpeopleitt out liles to the last
of mentalandspirituallieldsu ithconttectit-ttts *'orld, churchleadersareati'aidof facingthis possibility'.We
invisibledt-rrnain
thata threatto traditionalorthocloxfis not
neerJto unclerstaud
everlu'herc.Secoud,n e could ct€atestructurcin clurlives,
it can bring s ith it the oppoftunitl' for
that
bad,
our studl'gloups,andour churchesn ith theprirnarl'purpose necessarill'
shou'usthatlivittg
signiticantgouth. Dssipativestructures
\nd linalll , beforen'ecatt
relationships.
of facilitatingquality
trull' avail ourselvesof thesenon-materialfields itt cottcett s)'stemsarc constantll' moving in and out of stability and
fluctuatiou.\Ve shouldnot beafraidof theinevitablechanges
rr e needto teleaseotte
w'iththespidtualforcesof theuniverse,
that occur in a lir-ing s)'stem.The church hasa clear core of
secrettrcasurc\r'e are f-amousfor hoarding:Intirrmation.
identitf in Christ n'ith u'hich to self-referenceand establish
The Importance of Information
crcative order. The church also has an unprecedented
Informationis the energl thal fills the field. It is the life
opportunitf iuourtimes forthe serendipitousdiscoveryofthe
blood of persoualand organizatitualgton'th.In too manl
greatestupsteppillgof rcr'elatiottsinceJesuswalked on our
informationis doledout to members
humanorganizatious,
planet.
according to hol impofiant or strategicalll placed the
From the new'sciencesI havelearnedthat life is infinitely
member'spositionin the organizationis perceivedto be.
more integrateclthan I had ever imagined.When rve wrestle
Peoplet1'picalll think that informaticrttshouldbe restricted.
s'ith elents that efl'ectour lives, u'e often move so far away
Those "higher-up" in organizations tend to keep ttetv
from the guiding principlesand pattemsof the universethat,
it
informationto themselles,as if b1'rcleasinginlirrmatic-rn,
u'hen u'e bump into them, mostly by accident,rve have a
mi ghttriggerchaosin thes) stem..'\ndthel'areng ht.Btttthut' s
serendipitousexpedence.Theseserendipitouseventsare a
exacllv-v'lnl a svslemneedsto sta\:alit'e.
glimpseinto $'hat life could be like if rve havefaith that our
In order for a sy'stemto legenerateitself, it must have
lir-esarein GsJ's hands.The scienceandaft of serendipitfis
information.Thenit canchange,adopt,attdtnole fbrt'ard.If
engagecltvhentve e:ietcisethis faith b1'activelycooperatiug
the only infotmationit has is the inlbnnationthat metell'
s'ith God's call to rcspondto a larger vision of Realitl'.
thats) stemrvill die.The luel of
confirmsthestatusquo,thertt
Carol Hav, erlortglinrcstudent ofThe Urantia Booh
enhancedlife is nerl information.Like love, it canncrtbe
speaksexlensivel\ to church grottps onpersonal religious
Infonnationis a lir ing propfi) , nota commtxlitl.
contained.
"kuorvs"
groulh, crnd is ttn edilor of The Invisible Fellou'ship
iu solne
In biologicliving slstems,eachlnolecule
British physicist David Bohm commentedon this
phenomena
by'safing,"The notiouthatall thesehagrnentsal€
sepamtelyexistentis evidentll'anillusion,and this illusion
cannotdo otherthanleadto endlessconflict andconfusion."
Even more significant arc the ullseell mental and spiritual
fields that link and influencepeopleacrossspace.These
invisible fields prepareentire populationslbr changeand
grouth. This quantum-like prccessis basedon a shift of
of quantitl'.\\'e rreedto be verl'
quality, not ail accumulatit'ru
seriousaboutthekind of mentalandspiritualfieldsrvecreate.
\Iagazine.
Spring,1995
.l
eulture andValues
Aphorisrnson Prayer& Worship
Inspired in part by EcrslernOrthodox Heslchasnt
It is especiallf in the rclaxatiottof n'orship that everdeepeningchannelsof spiritualreceptilitl' arecreated.Sal's
Rodan:"The secret...isu'rappedtrp in spirilual cotrttrtttnion,
in ryorship. From ct lnnmn standpoint il is a question of
conbined meditationcrndrelaxation. Aleditationnnkes the
conlat'tof ni nd v'ithspiri | ; reIaxctli on detenrinesthecapaci N
for spiri tutrl recept ivit)-." (lB: 1777)
Corsecmtionof l'ill lneansa u'illingnessto continually
discemthedivinen'ill. \Ieditative relaxation- or hesychia
* emptiesthe rnind of irrelevantthoughtssothat the divine
A child strolling in the park u'ith her fathermcesau'a1,for
"\Vhen throughinner
a momentto chasesomedovesin.thegmss. Suddenll'she n'ill can be scrughtwithottl dislrcrr'liorz.
boundsbackto hirn andgrabshis hugehand. Shelcxrksup at
atterrtion,the mind c-trheafi attaitts hestchia or rest ftom
"Daddl',canL. .." He gazesback, passionatethoughts, it [is] able to contemplateGod
him in anau'edinnoceuce.
listening affectionatell' as she recites her simple desires. unceasingly'."r
Finishing,shelooksupathim fora momentin silentau,e...and
I George\ laloney, S.J.,Praler r:frheJJean,p. 3 l
racesa\r'a)'againto play in the grass.
"Wordscrreinelevantto pr(t\er..."(tlB: 1616)"Happf is
"Except as )'ou tum about and becomemt-rrelike this
the spirit that attainsto perl-ectlormlessttessat the time of
u'ebecorne pral'er."r
child...." (UB: I 76I ) To enteriu (iul's prcsence,
humbleandtrustingand inuocentarrdplaylul. Sta)'trueto
IEvagriusPontictts,IhePtakikosChaptet's
c.
suchchildlikepuritl'andu'e u'ill be blesseds ith a visionof
l
t
7
.
Gcd:" H app'"ctreIhep ure i n hear l,for IhevshaII see God." (See
UB: 157-land\lt 5:8.)
"The1'asked
.{bbot\ Iacatius:Hou shouldonepray?The
old manansn'ercd:Thereis uo tteedto u'astetime u'ith rvotds;
The pureof heartarc blessed,but the mind is the gates'a1'
't
it is enoughto hold our 1'ourhaudsandsa1': ord,according
to theheart.Therefore,purig of heartimpliespuritl'of mind.
havemercl'."' ' And this
to 5'ourdesircaudto 1'ourn'isdc'rm,
perceited
ditine
nalure
nutvbe
onfi'v'ith
the
of
the
e;es
"The
of "pure"pra)er
teachingofi\ Iacarius,oneofthellrstteachers
nind. Bttt lhe mind lhat reallt' discerns God, hears the
in thedeserttraditionof Christianitl , thatis at theorigin of the
dv'ellingAdjusler,is lhepure ntind." (UB:l105)
delelopment of the "Jesus Pral'er" u'ithin the hesychast
tradition.
But hou'?Hou'does one achievethis childlike purit5'of
'
mind and hearl? Onll' b1'continualpractice. That is, b1'
Qucfiedin.Tohn\fey'endorfT,St. Gregor]'Palamasand
practicingthe prcsenceof GoJ alu al s, b1'becomingfarniliar
Onhmlor Spiritualit),
, p.21.
with the rvaS'sof Gul, by shiving for unbrokerrpm1'erand
Faithlul pral er er-etttualllemptiestheheaf of all concerns
communion." Thesecrelof his unparalleledreIigiouslife :,i''as
andevenall thoughts,sothatit may'befilled by communion
lhis consciousness
of lhepresenceof God; nnd he atttrinedil
s'ith theOne. Oncethechild hasaskedfor all shervants,once
o'\ intelligent prav-er and sincere u'orsltip
unbroken
overtoherfather,hermindis preparcd
sheturnsallherdesires
conununi
on v'iIh God...(-t'B:
2089)
to contemplatehirn in silent au'e. In the early heslchast
"Llnbrokencommunion"meansthatthemind is purein its
to entersilentll'
traditicrn,
onesirnpll'callson Jesus'presence
focuson God. "Llndistractedpral'er is the highestact of the
into one'sheafi,ct-rntinualll'.'
intellect...Thestateof pral'er can be aptly'describedas a
' See\le1'endc'rrff,pp. 20-lO.
habitualstateof imperturbablecalm." I
'EvagriusPouticus,The PraktikosCfu$rtersOn Pra),er,c.
But n'hatif our I'ounggirl cotnesof agein a u'orldbuilt on
false
needsand inllated desires'/ Then her desiresal€ no
3-l & 52.
longersosimple.\\-hattheun'ill sheaskof herFather'i\\'ill
practices
particular
Ts'o
in
support the undistracted thercbean endto herdesircsandhertroubles?Horv thencan
arvarcness
of thepresenceof God: meditatilc,rclaxation,and
pla)'er,evenunbtokeucommuttiott
sheachieveundistracted
consecrction
of n'ill. "The spirituulpresenceof Difinin...is
u'ith GtrJ?
detentinedby thespiritualcctpacitrforret'eptit'ifi andbt the
Jesustaughtthat slaveryto the desiresof the flesh - the
degreeofconsecrotionofl lte creature's fi II to thedoi ng oft he
bondagec'rfself - is att obstaclethat must be overcomenot
ditine u,i//." (LtB: 6l)
andself-denial,but b5'aretumto simplefaith
b1'suppression
inthe irrdn'ellingspiritu'ithrcpentance." It isIheven-goodness
B1'ronBelitsos
1''
.Tournal
TheSpiritualFellon'ship
ofGod that leadsnrcninto lrue andgenuinerepenlonce."(See
"lrsson on \lastery", UB: 1609f0
TheGreekrootfor repentanceispenthos.-\ccordingto the
hesl'chasttradition,true penthosis accompaniedb1,"thegiti
of tears" - the heartfelterperienceof sortou't-tvermisspettt
passiouu'hichtrull'cleansesthe soul. "Pra1'first for the gift
solro\\')'ouma1'soften
of tearssothatb1'meansof
1t'rurttative
.Pml n'ithtearcand1'ourrcquestu'ill firrda headng.
rudeness..
Nothing so gratifiesthe Lord as supplicationoffered in the
midstof tears."'"The deserttraditionclaimsa srcatdealfbr
the porrer of tears." r
rEvagriusPonticus,The PraktikosChaptersOn Pra)er,c.
5,6.
2AlanJones,Soul
Spiritualiq;
lt'faking- TheDesert\\:a)'of
p.82.
" Happ-vare thosev'ltov'eep,forthet'shallreceitethespiril
lhe
ofrejoicing." (UB: 1570)" Thecn ofthe righteous...otrtens
(LtB:
1639)
door of theFather'sslorehouseof goodness..."
"Godis distressed
irnagen'hichhasbeenlost
becauseofthe
to him. A soulis far dearcrto him thantherestof hiscreation.
Throughsin it becomesdead,and1'ou,siruter,think nothing
of this! \'ou shouldgrieveforthesakeoftheGodrr'hogrieves
for 1ou. \-our soulis deadthroughr-ice;shedtearsandraise
it up again!"I
' St.Ephrern,quotedin Alatt Jottes,Soul \ {aking- The
fbsert \\:a)'of Snirituaiig;p lZ
of the Father. "Behold, \ Ic'rc) u aits
Tearsenlistthe lc-rve
for your ey'esto shedtears,to purif1'andrcnen'theimageof
lhe
the disfiguredsoul."r "The cry-of the righteous...opens
door of the Fcrther'sslorehouseof goodness,trulh, emd
nrcrcr..;'(t-B:1639)
I St. Ephrernin Jones,p. 97.
\\ihat of our child, theburdenedonen'ho hasnotvcomeof
age? Her tears,one at a time, n'ill shol' her the differcnce
bets'eeuhertrueand lalseneeds.
"Weeping, then, has a triple function. It softensthe
anddried-outsoul,makingit receptiveandalive.
hardended
It clearsthemind. It openstheheart.Teamsoften,clarifl'and
open.\\'e w'eepall themorc u heun'e seeuhat andrrho tve
arcin the light of *'hat \\'e ale calledto be." '
I Alan Jones,Soul \laking - The ftesett \Va)' of
Spiritualit)-_p.
96.
it is madepure.
Oncethe heartis softenedby'repeutance,
Non' one may consect'aletlte l'i1l. Pm1'erand thanksgiving
u'ill quickl5escortthe heartton ardn'orshiplulcommunion,
for themind is no longerdistracted.This u astheteachiugof
Spdng,1995
thehesl'chasttradition,in u'hichmind andheafiaremadepure
b1'penthosaud b1'meditatives'orship(or hesychia).t
' See\lalone1',S J., Ra)'er of the Heart,chapters3-5.
The UrantiaRrrckmakesa helpful distinctionatthis point:
Rayer is not in itself u'orship. Llnlike prayer,worshipmakes
no requestfor self; it is the antidole to the urge of self' The
praf ing heart is still distractedb1' the collcems of self, but
u'orship is the true communion of the pure heart with its
\laker. "The ntonrcntthe elementof self-interestintrudes
upon v'or ship, l httt i nstant devotion translatesfront worship
lo pra)-er..."(SeeLIB: 65)
Plal'eris a ladderto a highervista. But thebestviervcomes
after the summit is achieved." Prayer is indeed a part of
religiotrs experience,bttt it has beenu,rongly entphnsizedby
nndern religions, nntch lo the neglectof the ntore essential
conmnmionof v;orship."(LtB:1l3)
\\:orshipful communion is the ultimate relationship'an
eflortless,restful,soulful,anddelightfulsharingof lovefor its
ou'n sake.(SeetiB: 1616) "Hesychiais cotttinualadoration
of the ever-preseutGod." I
' St.JohnClimacus,quotedin Nlalonel',p. 32.
Sources:
Spidtuality,
\ taking- TheDesert\Va)'of
AlanJones,Soul
(Harpersanfiancisc,
I 985).
GeorgeltlaloneS',S.J.,BaferofrheIeafr,
Ave ltlaria Press,l9t3l).
(Notre Dame:
Johu Nlel'endorff, St. Gtegory Palamasand Orthodox
Sfriritualit),,(Nen'\'orli: St.Vladimir' s Press,197-l).
Er-agriusPottticus,The R'aktikos chante's ctn Prayer'
truns. b1' .lohn Eudes Bamberger,(Kalamazoo:Cistercian
Publications.1981).
\\:hat agenciesled her to abandonher pureheart? To the
child of faith, theseareall one thing: simply'demons' To the
adult of knorvledge,theseagentsarc social systemsbuilt on
ignomnce,fear,grced,and delusion.
Overcomingthedemonicagenciesof "this world", then,is
theke1'toa pm1'erpracticethatleadsto truecommunion.The
inn ard practice of irurer refotm has prccedenceover the
outrvardpmcticeof socialteform, for"The kingdom of God
is rvithin5't-ru".
speak'As themind
Non' in stillnessmay'thefeeling-heart
is stilled,sotheemotionalself is purified,throughthegift of
tears,thtough the catharsisthat separatestrue needsfrom
false. ^\nd no\\'ma)'thepureheartshine,for surell'u'ill our
Fatherseeto our /rtte needs.
-Byron Belilsos
23
PsohnsTo{ny
Give us spiritual insight and cosmicintuition to
Planetary Progress
envisionthe etemalrealitiesof your kingdom
of
UniversalFather,among)'our vastassemblage
that we may be energizedby living faith to
celestialagenciesand penonalities,n'e
acknowledgethe Nlost Highs as the
bring spiritual pressurefrom aboveto shape
our humandestiny.(82)
overcontrollersof our planetarl'progress.
We rejoicethat they usethe limitlessresourcesof
the cosmosto curb our miSdircctionsand
stimulateour grou'th.
N,Iayyour Spirit of Truth guideus pastthe false
securityof militarism into the sureinfluencesof
socialbrotherhoodestablishingpeaceon earth.
Inspireintellectualaud artisticcross-fertilizatiou
that w'ema1'discoverthe percnnialr'aluesof
true philosophy.
Stir us to courageousethicalau'akeniugthat
goodnessand righteousness
ma)'becomethe
standardof the land.
Enlightenour political u isdom that n,e mal' select
competentnationalleadersand public serr.ants
who rvork tou'ardintemationalcoopemtion
"Never should a righteous cause be
pronnted bvforce; strtiritualvictories can be
v'on onll bt spiritual pott:er. This injunction
agai ns| |he emp Io,vnenI of nnl eriaI infl uences
refers to ps,-chicforce as u'ell as to physical
force. Overpov'eringargtnlenls and ntenlal
superiorit.y-are nol to be employed lo coerce
nren and v:otilen into the kingdom. IIan's
nind is not lo be crttshedby the nrcre v'eight
of logic or overatred bv-shrewd eloquence.
While entolionas afactor in huntandecisions
cannol be wholl,- elininated, il shottld not be
directlv-appealedto in the teachingsof those
v'ho n'otrldadt,ancelhe t'auseof the kingdom.
.l'lttke ,-ourappeolsdirectlv to the dit'ine spit'il
thtrtdv,eI|su'ithin theninds ofnrcn." (I765 :4)
and world government.
Urantia Book Resources
fieldofadvel'tising,overlnan)
Cl1'deBedell(189U-1913-5),arvidelyrecognizedauthorandspeakerinthe
)'e3rs
Hepublished
compiledanindex-concordanceofs'ords,concepts,ideas,topics,andthemesfouttdinTheUrantiaBook
thefirsteditionof theConcordexin1971.Thethirdeditioncameoutinlg86andhasover110,000rcfercnces.The
and studyingtopics in The Urantia Book.
Concordexis an indispensableresearchtool for finding passages
compiling
tiriversitS'schoolof Lau',spentsix 1'ears
Dr. DuaneL.Fau',Professorofl:u,emelitus of Pepperdine
25,000
and
contains
publishedin 1986
a parallelandharmony,ofZfte UrantiaBoo&andtheBible. The Paral,ra?'r'\\'as
Dr.
cross-referencesrcvealingthesimilaritiesanddilferencesbets'eenthefaclsandconceptsoftheset$'ogreatbooks.
Faw hasbeena teacherof adult Bible classesfor {O 1'earsanda certified la1'speakerin the United \ {ethodistChurch
for over 25 years.The ConcordexandPartunor?t'caube purchasedfrom The GooclCheerPress,P. O. Box 1876-1,
Boulder,CO 80803.
'rantia Foundatiortin 1913. If
An exhaustive (Jrantitt Book Concordctnceu'as publishedby' the f
1'ou:'locai
thel can be orderdtrom the Lrrantia
bookstoredoesnot carryThe (JranliaBook or The (JrttnlitrBook Con<:ordttnce,
Foundation,533 Diversel'Partu'ay,Chicaago,IL 6061-t.The LirantiaFoundationalsopublishesFrench,Spanish,
and Finnisheditionsof TIte Uranlia Book.
21
The Spiritual Fellou'ship.Iournal