Greetings Mark!
As to the “debate” regarding the presentation of the Jesusonian Gospel given in the 4th and 5th ERs or presenting the FER in total, perhaps the best approach is both? Both have their own appeal and purpose and result.
As I understand the UB teachings, they seem primarily to tell us it is best to understand the universe reality presented for those personal changes in perspective, philosophy, and religious practice which will have the greatest effects in our own expressions of our individual religious experiences. In this way the FER is focused on the individual religionist’s experience with Epochal Revelation and the transformation of each believer who embraces the reality presented by tens of thousands of facts woven into a picturization of history, origin, destiny, relationship, and the details of the universe and our place in that universe. It is given for those who are led to it and committed sufficiently to truth to embark upon the arduous journey of discovery and utilization in personal transformation.
As I understand the purpose of this 5th Epochal Revelation, it teachings are also a social leaven or salt into the stew of planetary progress, destined to slowly provide important, even critical facts and truths to generation after generation of religionists who are led to it and commit sufficiently to truth to embark upon the arduous journey of discovery and utilization in personal transformation. By learning and embracing the actual contents, all 2000 pages of 10,000+ facts presented on universe reality, will our world begin that transformation which inherently results in a unified and (eventually) singular philosophy and perspective OF universe reality which leads to the inevitable brotherhood of the family of God.
I think your proposal “…it is our job to restate the teachings to those who show spiritual interest but do not care to read the book, or who may find it too challenging.”…is not without merit but ignores the many quotes posted here on the subject. Those closest to Jesus personally and coached and prepared by him did have some success….but every generation afterward and every day, year, and generation afterward always resulted in personalized, human distortions of the Gospel….a very simple gospel 2000 years ago compared to the voluminous text book of universe reality facts and truths we have today.
No matter how sincere and highly motivated the evangelist, still will their message be reduced and distorted from the original by their human limitations and myopic perspective of reality. We are given Epochal Revelation to reduce the confusions and eliminate the errors of humanity’s inherent distortions of reality and metaphysics as delivered by evolutionary religion and personal revelation. So the new believer hears the preaching of the evangelist and repeats it in their own zeal of generosity and so on and on….how much does the so called gospel become distorted by each re-telling?? Consider the telling, editing, endless retelling of John’s personal revelation. What a fiasco!!
I think the rulers of Urantia sent us this book form of universe reality facts and truths with a very specific and important purpose – to keep the evangelism ABOUT the Revelation grounded and tethered to the actual presentation OF the Revelation as it is and as it will remain here for its original source and contents to always allow the religionists of today and the future the personal access to ALL the Revelation as written and presented to specifically prevent those human confusions, errors, distortions, blatant revisions, reductionism, and selectivism which would inevitably destroy the Revelation we know as the Gospel and its intended message and teachings over the next 50-100 generations of believers which destroyed the Jesusonian Gospel and replaced it these past 2000 years with the Paulinian doctrines and primitive doctrines and creeds ABOUT the SOURCE of the Jesusonian Gospel.
Nothing wrong with teaching and preaching from the contents of the Revelation, especially the Jesusonian Gospel in its elegant simplicity. But how does one preach or teach the FER without the FER? Not possible or practical and such a notion is without true or effective purpose I think. For those who are too simple or lazy to digest the actual manuscript and text book, and even for those hardy folk who do read the entire Revelation, then secondary and simplified works presented in the form of study aids, story books, cartoons, videos, video games, movies, sermons, radio shows, group presentations at public events, topical studies in classroom settings, discussion and study groups, etc. are helpful, fine, and dandy! All of those are already available!! And more are being created every day. There’s more than one actual church of Urantia started now already for those who desire such congregationalism.
None of this should suggest that the actual text given us as the 5th Epochal Revelation should not be preserved, published, distributed, promoted, and utilized as the central source of all teachings related to universe reality however. Not only was the format of the printed book chosen by our planetary rulers but so was its contents (all of its contents) selected with great purpose and by vigorous consideration and editorial authority. Who among us mere mortals would decide which of its many teachings is less or more important for others? Especially those in the generations to come? The authors of Epochal Revelation are its own best voices…the UB speaks for itself far better and more eloquently than any human voice IMO.
Personally, I am so grateful to those believers who have supported the dissemination of the Urantia Papers for the past decades by the Foundation, the Association, and the Fellowship. There are over 15 translations and readers around the world who socialize and create service ministries of distribution and readership organization and a sharing and caring community of believers who support all of those secondary efforts listed above as very zealous evangels of light embracing the UB as the source of inspiration for their individual expressions of universe perspective and philosophy of living the Gospel OF Jesus….living the Jesusonian Way as best they know how. In my opinion the priority is lead with the actual UB first and then follow up with the about the Revelation second….both of which are centered on the nature of God and our relationship with God which results in the family of God.
As to “….it is our job to restate….”, my opinion is we are taught that it is our job to LIVE the teachings…and that is sufficient to honor and abide by the teachings. We need only share the fruits of the Spirit and give love to others. We are not commanded to share the Revelation or to restate and share its teachings….those are personal choices we may embrace to express our religious experience. Not commandments or measurements of that religious experience. Or so I understand.
Thanks for adding to an interesting topic Mark!! I think the UB offers much to consider on the subjects of preaching, missionaries, and evangelism.
"Live loyally today—grow—and tomorrow will attend to itself. The quickest way for a tadpole to become a frog is to live loyally each moment as a tadpole."
