Fellow Councilors:

There are two parts to this report to the General Council. The first has to do with my view of the status of URANTIA Brotherhood today from the perspective of two years of service in the functional role of President. The second is my expression of the future in terms of my vision of what it is possible for us to achieve, and how. While I have attempted to be as objective as I am able, I urge you to evaluate what I have to say as the expression of one opinion from one person only. To insure the best response to our problems and opportunities, our views must be joined.

THE CURRENT STATUS OF URANTIA BROTHERHOOD

URANTIA Brotherhood, in my opinion, like the world community at large, suffers from the malaise of cultural and value relativism. We give lip service to the vision of transcendence offered in The URANTIA Book, but in misplacing the integrity of personal choice from inner and spiritual absolute to outer expressions of individual liberty, we are devoid of real community. We do not ask enough of ourselves--not just in terms of work ethic, or intellectual assent, or social and cultural accommodation--but in the only terms which are enduringly meaningful: are we to truly LIVE the teachings we are so privileged to hold in our hands and hearts, or are we simply to talk about what that means?

While the past is prologue and cannot be changed, it has always been true that once we learn how we can be better, we lose the excuse of ignorance. We know that teamwork and cooperation are mandatory ingredients for our progress together; we know that relinquishment of some measure of personal sovereignty for the betterment of the whole is a self-conscious recognition of our commitment to our evolutionary imperative; we know that the injunction to "live in the world but not be of it" requires personal transformation and transcendence of bias, prejudice, ignorance, hatred, fear, disrespect and more; we know that The URANTIA Book is more than just a way to make our lives a little easier; that it is a personal and collective challenge that requires the deepest commitment we have ever made. Yet, although we give intellectual attention to these ideals, I feel that our actions suggest that few in our reader community have truly accepted the challenge given as the motivation for real transformation.

It is my contention that our constant predilection to confront each other (e.g. Brotherhood versus Foundation) is a control and authority reaction to the apprehension which comes with our (perhaps subconscious) awareness that "become perfect as is your Father" is no idle talk. I believe that our unwillingness to recognize the deep spiritual benefits of cooperation on "our" terms rather than the compromise of "my" and "your" terms is a failure in our real comprehension of the higher levels of the golden rule (consider that if we truly see God in others, that unselfish cooperation IS the Supreme expression of making God and man one). I am convinced that in emphasizing individual prerogatives (and I do not mean in an inner and spiritual sense) in our outward relationships we are actively defeating the principle that "personality relationships are ends; everything else is means to that end."

URANTIA Brotherhood, so far, has not begun, in my opinion, to manifest the spiritual fragrance and fruits which will truly inspire humankind, but has languished in ruts that the wheel of evolution, weakened on our planet by a rebellion and a default, have left behind. We kid ourselves if we think that we are on the frontier of human development as an association of religionists; it is my view that we are only passably average in comparison to other high-intentioned groups now working on Urantia.

Brotherhood myth has it that after working with the early Forum for some time, one of the beings involved in actualizing this revelation on our planet commented that there was amazement both at how little realization there was of the true meaning of what was happening, and at how little the lives of those who were fortunate enough to be involved had been affected by the teachings. Can we honestly say that those observations could not still be made with great accuracy and poignancy today? -- Think of the infighting in our community; think of the lack of true support one for another; think of the unresolved chaos in family life among readers; think of our inability to transcend national, cultural, social, and linguistic obstacles to forge a diverse, yet unified expression of these teachings; think about how our lives have not yet begun to show how these teachings point to our place in a higher order of humankind on our planet, and how that higher order points in turn to humankind's place in a higher order yet of beings ascending to our common Father. This recognition, not as an idea, but as the empowerment of personal motivation, can enable us to reach upward to a higher realization of these teachings, and to grow past the attempt to capture them like fireflies and bottle them in our old ways of being.

Those who came before us did the best they could, and our attitude must be one of gratitude for securing our footing. But now we have our own challenge--to forge ahead into unknown territory and carve out a path for our planetary peers to travel. Our awareness of and commitment to the teachings of The URANTIA Book is proof of our having been given this responsibility.- The potentials therein WILL be actualized. Our choice is either to help blaze this path for the fifth great epoch of evolutionary growth on Urantia, or to follow others who will surely be commissioned to do this work. There is but one outward requirement for success: WE MUST PRACTICE WHAT WE PREACH TO OTHERS.

A VISION OF URANTIA BROTHERHOOD CIVILIZATION IN THE FIFTH EPOCH

It is my belief that the blueprint for what our global fellowship can and must become is contained in the pages of The URANTIA Book. While the fourth epoch, made real by Michael's living presence among us as Jesus of Nazareth, demonstrated the awesome opportunity to live wholly according to the will of our God, the fifth epoch builds onto this inner imperative the manner in which each unique, spirit-led individual must live in relation to each and every other unique and spirit-led individual. True unity is the inner and progressive 'experience of oneness with God; true diversity is the simultaneous existence of each and every unique child of this same Father. The active and increasingly loving recognition of the God in each person is our way, in a supreme sense, of realizing that, in God, unity and diversity are one and the same. Thus, while personal and inner transformation IS the very essence of our work, it must also become increasingly actualized in the outer spheres of our lives together as human beings. And that is the service the fellowship we call URANTIA Brotherhood can provide for us and for every person on our planet.

I believe that the individuals who comprise URANTIA Brotherhood must strive together to become a GLOBAL CIVILIZATION OF LIGHT AND LIFE in the larger world community in order to demonstrate in a living and profound way what it is possible to achieve in this fifth great epoch. The URANTIA Book states that: "At first life was a struggle for existence; now, for a standard of living; next, it will be for a quality of thinking, the next great earthly goal of human existence." (p. 910:2) Our fellowship can serve that purpose by evolving an ever-progressing expression of community which transcends animal nature (fear and mistrust), environmental circumstance (cultural, national, linguistic), hypocrisy of inconsistent words and deeds, and acceptance of what-is-as-necessary to flourish as a higher order of culture and civilization expressive of fifth epoch principles and ideals:

1. God is our personal Father and the Father of every person who is. This recognition is not just an observation of fact, but rather, an empowerment of each and every person to seek the God in each and every other, and to manifest it in a high order of balanced living: true inward spiritual brotherhood and true outward social brotherhood.

2. The willing commitment of a measure of outward sovereignty to an ever larger social expression of this eternal brotherhood is the supreme gift each unique individual may bestow on his fellows. Ultimately, this will lead to the true realization of man and mankind as spiritual values.

3. URANTIA Brotherhood, if it can increasingly express the ability of the teachings of this fifth epoch to enable humankind's growth to a new, more inclusive level, will become a mighty force in the transformation of the peoples on our planet toward light and life, not so much by the words we speak or carry to others, but by the way in which our lives are led--alone and together with our friends.

4. All phases of the realms of human experience must be uplifted in our community: the arts, science, philosophy, marriage, home, and family life, religious instruction, morality and ethics, politics, education. The quality of thinking must be uplifted so that it positively affects the realms of action. This will give living recognition of and opportunity to the presence of the Adjuster in the human mind, thereby expressing our choice to allow our Father's hand to evolve us from our heritage of animal reaction" as motivation to "spirit-led action" as a stimulus to living.

5. We must take the injunction to "live in the world but not be of it" more seriously as a present choice and not a future event. Our culture, language, nation, race do not define us as persons, but only define the circumstances of our natures. While once these shared characteristics served to socially unify, ennoble, and evolve humankind from tribe to nation, their utility in this fifth epoch is in the potential of the teachings to facilitate our transcendence of them to attain a new order of cultural expression-- a community of religionists united not by the externals of nature and environment, but by the indwelling of our God. If URANTIA Brotherhood cannot overcome these differences and move humankind toward the one language, one race, one culture of light and life, some other group will. The paradox in transcendence is that the good is preserved at a higher level; thus, if cultural or national expression is of value, it will be retained in the heightened appreciation of the uniqueness of each and every individual.

6. Our collective drive would be to aid each person in the realization and expression of ever-higher experiences with the God who is the very heart and soul of our community: bringing man to God and God to man. As such, we would not just "allow" our associates to express the meaning of the teachings of The URANTIA Book in their own unique way using the gifts of their intelligence, experience, expertise, and training, but, we would EMPOWER them to do so. In this way, our community would be expressive of the true diversity of humankind and our personal and collective commitment to the underlying unity in our Father it reflects.

7. While Light and Life is a future accomplishment in a planetary sense, URANTIA Brotherhood should be committed unswervingly to the principle that an individual and groups of individuals in association CAN live today in the world in a manner increasingly expressive of Light and Life. Adherence to this principle would give our community a living goal which, though perhaps not perfectly attainable in our lifetimes nor in those of our children or theirs, would be a motivating "worthful unattainable." (See "The Nature of Cultism," pages 965-966 in The URANTIA Book).

ATTITUDE AND PLANNING IMPLICATIONS

If this or some other larger, yet actionable, vision of our work together is accepted by our community as a worthy means of accomplishing the tasks which were given to us as human members of the planetary team assembled to uplift Urantia into its fifth great epoch, we can begin at once to take steps to facilitate its realization.

1. It is necessary to communicate to our reader community this vision of URANTIA Brotherhood as a multi-faceted, higher level cultural expression of fifth epochal principles ever more broadly inclusive of individuals and groups (members and non-member alike) associated in a magnificent march toward a higher order of mankind, Light and Life, fueled both by the inner desire to live as we envision God would live in our midst and the obvious attempt to actually do so.

2. The teachings of The URANTIA Book would become our guiding manual--not as an expression of dogmatic determinism, but as a window through which to see what is possible. This would be a visible commitment far beyond intellectual comprehension and assent since it would motivate our lives.

3. The thrust of our relationships and our work together would be wholly directed toward service. As individuals and groups we would focus not on "what I or we need," but rather on "how can I or we help you become what you can be?"

4. In order to expand the capability of our minimal organizational structure to help in the accomplishment of this great task of uplifting civilization to higher cultural achievement, our emphasis would be more heavily directed toward programs designed to empower increasing numbers of individuals and groups in this work. For example:

a. Instead of an attitude of tolerating, accepting, or permitting others to filter and express this revelation in their own unique way, we would work to empower persons to do so by offering resources, training, and outright encouragement, asking in return only their fullest cooperation with the limited restrictions needed to augment cooperation and facilitation (e.g., protection of marks, copyrights). Some examples might be:

--The Education Committee might develop a grant program to help groups like The Boulder School and The School of Meanings and Values get started.

--Special Projects might work with interested persons in setting up informal Commissions to consciously work in realms similar to the Seraphic Government: Epochal, Progress, Religion, Nation Life, Races, Future Thinkers, Health, Home/family, Industry, Diversion and Play, etc. Their purpose could be to raise the quality of thinking in these areas to motivate higher living.

--Charter Committee might work to develop broader mechanisms of belonging to URANTIA Brotherhood as a means of both organic and symbolic involvement with this higher order of civilization ("...it is regrettable that so many modern believers in moral standards and spiritual ideals have no adequate symbolism--no cult of mutual support--nothing to belong to." 965:7). One idea already surfaced is that the sole requirements for at-large membership be a commitment to continued study, sharing, and service. Any additional requirements would be attached to the particular organizational function desired (e.g., reading and agreeing to abide by the Constitution would reside with consideration for constituted organizational functions).

--A video tape program might be developed and used by several of the committees to more broadly stimulate study, provide training, share ideas, stimulate fifth epochal arts, expand reader knowledge of other religious expression, scientific advances, and facilitate some measure of personal contact for those unable to travel to other countries (international study groups by video and audio tape interchange?).

Central Office support services could be more integrated to better serve overall needs today and future expectations. Foundation and Brotherhood staffs could be combined into one service group reflecting the cooperative principles which would motivate our Brotherhood. This restructuring could maximize the effectiveness of our resources (human and material) by facilitating personal growth, increasing capabilities, enhancing organizational performance of functional responsibilities (book distribution, inter-communication, etc.), and maximizing the spirit of cooperation in doing OUR work as the human corps in a broader planetary program.

Our policies and structure would be geared to support and aid those individuals and groups who would organize from time-to-time to perform certain needed services, e.g. ASOKA, Boulder School, C.E.R.O.H, etc., assuming that these groups evidence an active willingness to assume the responsibilities of real cooperation, an unselfish commitment to the higher principles we are seeking, and a willingness to abide by the minimal restrictions either required by URANTIA Foundation in the execution of its Trust or those developed through the representative process of the General Council and the Triennial Delegate Assembly.

SUMMARY

URANTIA Brotherhood, from my perspective, is struggling to free itself today from the necessary controls and restrictions which protected it in its infancy. In order to break this inertia and take a major growth step toward productive maturity as a living and organic vehicle of the teachings of this fifth epoch, we must reach for a higher and motivating vision of what it is possible for us to achieve. What you have read is my vision; you may have another and better one. What seems clear, however, is that we need something to give us a real and achievable mission for our fellowship which is both responsive to and expressive of the teachings we profess to represent.

Clearly we are told that "the eyes [not the ears] are the windows of the soul" yet we are so far unable to say to someone who asks how this book has affected our lives together, "Come see." Instead, we apologetically say "do as you read or as we say, not as we do." If children are impressed less by words than by the loyalties of their parents, we know what will ultimately impress our brothers and sisters on this planet. Unless our lives reflect the transcendent values of the words we speak to others, the work we do for this revelation may end as dis-service, not service. The disintegration of too many reader families is hardly proof of our dedication to the universe value of family life expressed in The URANTIA Book! And, as the clamor for more public outreach grows, one might well ask who among us is truly qualified to speak these truths abroad, and what is it that has so qualified them?

This paper is not a completed planning document; however, if the vision it presents or one like it can be shared by those of us in functional service roles today, we can use it as the basis to develop far-reaching yet practical plans and mechanisms to facilitate our work. URANTIA Brotherhood CAN become a GLOBAL CIVILIZATION OF LIGHT AND LIFE (albeit imperfect, yet progressive) in the larger world community if we commit to the work of its actualization, not as an end, but as a means to aiding in the upliftment of our fellows into the planet's fifth epoch. Our personal and group transcendence of all barriers, the quality of our thinking, and the virtues of our marriages, home and family lives, our political interaction, our mental, physical, and emotional health, our business lives, and, most importantly, our deep, inner, and personal commitment to our God within and the God in each other, are characteristics which will speak louder than our words in making a difference on our world. I am sure that none of us doubts that it will be done; the question is whether we will consciously take our places as the privileged members of the planetary team assembled to undertake this task, or will another group be commissioned-to do so. The choice is ours.

"God is not only the determiner of destiny; he is man's eternal destination. All nonreligious human activities seek to bend the universe to the distorting service of self; the truly religious individual seeks to identify the self with the universe and then to dedicate the activities of this unified self to the service of the universe family of fellow beings, human and superhuman." (67:2)