Urantia Book Evangelism

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By MaryJo – A Pilgrim Ponders

Urantia Book EvangelismWhat do you think of when you hear the word “evangelism?” Do you think: conservative? preaching? Bible? Christianity? Is evangelism a good thing? Is it effective in gaining souls for God? This article: Evangelism isn’t just for the Evangelicals by The Revd Dr Miranda Threlfall-Holmes is written from the perspective of “progressive” Christianity. My blog is below with some Urantia Book-based observations, but first, here are a few snippets from the article, which is a good one.

“It seems to me that liberal, progressive Christianity really is good news: I have seen lives and faith transformed by it. But our theology and practice of evangelism need to be shaped by the liberal nature of the Christianity — indeed, the Christ — that we seek to spread.

“The heart of liberal Christianity, for me, is, fundamentally, very orthodox: the belief that God’s love is unconditional, and is enough. This is news that people want and need to hear … We know enough from the insights of psychology to know that knowing yourself to be loved is, itself, transformative.”

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And I say – Amen! More about that below…

Evangelism in The Urantia Book

The word “evangelism” is not contained in The Urantia Book.

We are his hands; we are his feet

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By MaryJo – A Pilgrim Ponders

We are his hands we are his feetAre you a Bible-believing Christian? A Urantia Book reading Jesusonian? Do you believe that the Spirit of Truth is real? Do you believe that this Spirit inspires us to act in Godly ways and minister as Jesus did: as we pass by? This Christian-oriented article: A thrilling Christianity vs. a boring one by Nolan Harkness caught my eye. My Urantia Book-based blog follows below. But first, here’s a tantalizer from the article, which I recommend…

“To me there is nothing more exciting in all of Christian-dom than to be led by the Spirit of God. The scriptures declare that “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” (Romans 8:14 KJV)

“…how sad it is to see professing believers stuck in a religious rut. Boring, boring, boring! I was asked some time ago to teach the Adult Sunday School class in my home church. The topics were revival and being revived by the Holy Spirit in our personal lives. One morning I asked the question, “How many of can aremember when God recently impressed on our hearts something specific He wanted us to do?”

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We are his hands; we are his feet

A dear friend and spiritual sister of mine who has since passed away said something to me once that has stuck with me for many years.

A Good God

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By MaryJo – A Pilgrim Ponders

A Good GodI found this article very refreshing: Jesus mugs you with his love by Adrian Warnock. This sweet article echoes the parable of the Prodigal Son – a most beloved parable in all Christian circles, and also in Urantia Book circles. It is an amazing story; and we’ll blog about it below, but here’s a little teaser:

“What does the father do? He doesn’t wait for the confession to be over. He says, “Okay, enough, enough. Enough. Servants, bring a robe. Put it on my son. Put a ring on his finger. Kill the fatted calf. My son was dead and now he’s alive again.”

“This is a God of grace. “We love him not because we first loved him but because he first loved us.” God doesn’t just offer salvation; he goes and gets you. He pounces on you. He mugs you with his love. The Scripture says so.

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And so does The Urantia Book say so…not only that, but in The Urantia Book, you’ll never be taught the error that God the Father is a vengeful, jealous deity – a God who loves, but a God that you must have a nagging fear about, lest he become angry with you.

Jesus and the parenting experience

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By MaryJo – A Pilgrim Ponders

I love this article about Jesus early years, about which the world knows so little: Don’t forget the family of Jesus by Leslie Criss. My Urantia Book-based blog is below, but here’s a charming little snip from the article:

“Interesting, isn’t it? “Someone had to change his diapers.” Someone had to teach him Scripture and prayer. And yes, he had to learn love from somewhere. “Jesus grew wise and became strong. God was pleased with him and so were the people” (Luke 2:52). And it’s safe to assume it started because of what he learned from Mom, Dad and others. Wonder how the story might be different if Jesus had not grown up in a loving home?”

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One of the best things about The Urantia Book is its revelations regarding Jesus early life – the years of his infancy, childhood, adolescence, young manhood, and adulthood – all before his public ministry which is pretty well-known.

I love the mental image in the paragraph above of Jesus having his diapers changed, his years of schooling, the loving home life that he enjoyed with Mary and Joseph. And it was a loving home.