This Expanded Edition of Up Close completes my philosophical description of The Urantia Book's holistic character by adding the new chapter relating science with religion - The COSAR Principle - A Revelatory Proposition. The Coordination of Science and Religion (COSAR) as revealed in The Urantia Book breaks down the barriers between religion and science. This new chapter with the accompanying spiritual message prepares the ground for a higher order of spiritual and social living.

This priceless and inexhaustible resource is the ultimate synthesis of science, philosophy and truth, of reason, wisdom and faith, and of past, present and future. This book comes in either red or blue.

Jesus comes to life in this fascinating modern biography excerpted from The Urantia Book. Many of these historical stories are familiar to readers of the New Testament but dozens are new, including the missing years not found in the Bible. Here you discover Jesus presented as never before, both as divine Son and human hero whose matchless life inspires, comforts, and transforms you. It is beautifully written in modern, page-turning prose and complemented with 106 paintings from 35 renowned artists, including 42 originally commissioned works you will see for the first time. The paintings run the gamut of fine art celebrating the life of Christ, both classic and modern. These artists poured their souls into these portraits of higher spiritual reality. Our deep appreciation and humble gratitude go out to each one of them. These paintings illustrate Jesus' life journey from his humble birth and childhood to adolescence and manhood; from private to public ministry and on to his death, resurrection, and ascension. The artwork celebrates his diverse life as son, father-brother, carpenter, boat designer and builder, tutor, translator, caravan conductor, teacher, healer, minister, and friend. No one knows what Jesus looked like, but these artists painted their soulful interpretations to spark our imagination of these scenes from the Master's life. Our intent is to give you a visual communion with Jesus that complements the enthralling narrative. This impeccably designed book provides relevant and empowering spiritual insights, helping you navigate the challenging yet promising conditions of the 21st century. We live in an exciting era of unprecedented improvements in our material lives brought about by scientific, industrial, and social achievements. Yet despite all this progress, many souls feel lonely and displaced. We need God and have an innate thirst for spiritual answers because of that "still, small voice" that lives within us. Finding God by living the personal religion of Jesus satisfies that thirst. The search for the genuine Jesus continues to intrigue humanity. Since the Bible only records an estimated 50 days of his life, it follows that there is more to his story. You will find it here in this detailed history of the Master's entire life, including the public ministry recorded in the Gospels. It provides a coherent and seamless biography of this magnificent personality who continues to shape spiritual progress in our world. The story of Jesus is one of the most enthralling chapters in human history. The closing passage of the Apostle John's gospel speaks to a life larger than even the world itself. How fitting that the last words of his gospel should be the first words of this book: "But there are also many things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself would not contain the books that would be written." In John's day the Word was made flesh. In these days the Word is made book. The Untold Story of Jesus reveals the living Christ to members of the church that bears his name, as well as to worshipers of all world religions. It is sure to become a favorite volume for all who seek God.

Published in 1955 under the direction of psychiatrist William Sadler, The Urantia Book is the largest and most sophisticated work of New Age literature ever produced. Well-known skeptic and acclaimed popular science writer Martin Gardner presents a complete history of the Urantia movement, from its beginnings in the early 20th century to the present day.

The book consists of three essays and is an extension of Freud’s work on psychoanalytic theory as a means of generating hypotheses about historical events. Freud hypothesizes that Moses was not Hebrew, but actually born into Ancient Egyptian nobility and was probably a follower of Akhenaten, an ancient Egyptian monotheist. Freud contradicts the biblical story of Moses with his own retelling of events, claiming that Moses only led his close followers into freedom during an unstable period in Egyptian history after Akhenaten (ca. 1350 BCE) and that they subsequently killed Moses in rebellion and later combined with another monotheistic tribe in Midian based on a volcanic God, Jahweh. Freud explains that years after the murder of Moses, the rebels regretted their action, thus forming the concept of the Messiah as a hope for the return of Moses as the Saviour of the Israelites. Freud said that the guilt from the murder of Moses is inherited through the generations; this guilt then drives the Jews to religion to make them feel better.

“Every pastor should read this. . . . Every believer who has ever despaired of church, been tempted to quit, or struggled with guilt over leaving should, too” (Rod Dreher). Americans still believe in God, but they are leaving the church in record numbers. Why are the faithful fleeing? Julia Duin, a veteran journalist and a Christian, has collected the research and added insights from interviews with disillusioned followers, as well as from her own story. In this engrossing account of churches in decline, Duin visits numerous churches and explores a number of factors underlying the social shift away from church: irrelevant teaching, the neglect of singles, the marginalization of women, and a lack of authentic spiritual power. She also journeys into house churches and emergent congregations. Duin’s careful analysis is sure to help church leaders and churchgoers examine how they might better serve their communities and create inviting spiritual homes for people of all kinds. “Engaging . . . as religion editor for the Washington Times, [Duin] is in her element marshaling statistics, interviewing authors and clergy, and commenting on the trend of faithful evangelicals who increasingly vote with their feet by leaving their churches.” —Publishers Weekly

Dr. William S. Sadler professed that a group of celestial beings began to communicate to him through a sleeping man in Chicago from 1911 until 1923. He and his wife, Lena Sadler, both well-known and highly respected local physicians, claimed there were "probably 250 night sessions," during which these celestials spoke through their patient. The identity of the patient was never revealed. From 1924-1934, the Sadlers held a Forum in their home to study the voluminous notes and to compose questions for the celestial beings about human origins and destiny. The result was The Urantia Book, which claims to be the fifth epochal revelation to humankind. Published in 1955, it has sold over 750,000 copies by word of mouth. Although translated into 17 languages, relatively few people know about it or the amazing story of its creation. The History Of The Urantia Book explores the professional lives and spiritual pursuits of the Sadlers and the extraordinary role that Dr. Sadler played in bringing this 2,097-page tome to the world. It compares the "origin story" with the scholarly discovery of relevant facts and circumstances that led to its publication. It also sheds new light on the fiercely protected identity of the "patient" and likely scribe for these revelations.

"From the author of City Poet, the biography of Frank O'Hara, now comes an account of thriving forms of spirituality in what is being called a "post-denominational" age." "As the nineties were drawing to a close, Brad Gooch set out on a journey to explore traditional and nontraditional forms of spirituality that took him across America and to India. Gooch's quest - partly personal and partly investigative - took him to Chicago to read the mysterious Urantia Book; to Goa and La Jolla to experience the talks and treatments of Deepak Chopra; to Ganeshpuri and South Fallsburg, New York, to listen to the charismatic leader Gurumayi Chidvilasananda; to Bardstown, Kentucky, to observe the quiet solitude of the Trappists and to Dubuque, Iowa, to see the Trappistines; to Dallas to worship with the members of the gay congregation of the Cathedral of Hope; and to New York to talk with Muslims and Sufis. As Gooch proceeded on this unique spiritual odyssey - from fringe to mainstream - he witnessed diverse movements and religions and their strong appeal to a broad spectrum of followers." "Brad Gooch has written a revealing, richly detailed document of our time. In Godtalk, character, dialogue, and setting come together in an irresistible, fast-paced narrative that is both engaging and informative about the unexpected nature of spirituality in America today."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This book contains 367 accounts of how early readers found the Urantia Book and what it means to them.The Urantia Book is a superhuman revelation of truth given to the peoples of our planet, which they call Urantia. It teaches us about God, the structure of the universe and its divinely planned development, angels, life after death, the origin and history of our planet, the life and teachings of Jesus, and our eternal destiny as perfected citizens of a friendly universe. It provides an enlightening picture of reality in which science, religion, and philosophy are unified. The authors are a corps of celestial beings who were authorized to reveal this information to us, which was mysteriously transmitted through the mind of a "sleeping subject." When the 2097-page Urantia Book was first published in 1955 it was decided not to advertise it, to let the message spread from one reader to another. This book of testimonies traces how 367 readers discovered the revelation, from pre-publication days in 1924 to the coming of the popular Internet in the late 1990s.