A New Chapter in Urantia Book Education

Urantia University Institute is pleased to announce that one of our courses, the “Urantia Book New Reader Course,” will be taught by Marvin Gawryn at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI). Funded by the Bernard Osher Foundation, OLLI offers noncredit courses with no assignments or grades to adults over age 50 at 120 universities and colleges throughout the United States. At the University of Nevada, OLLI serves more than 1,100 retired and semi-retired adults who are committed to broadening their horizons and sharing knowledge and life experiences.

The opportunity to share the Urantia revelation at a major university is a landmark achievement, not only for UUI, but for the movement as a whole.

With this course begins the legitimization of study of The Urantia Book at established and accredited universities.

The course has been tailored for an audience who are interested in expanding their knowledge of other spiritual traditions and may have encountered The Urantia Book, but have been somewhat overwhelmed by its size and complexity. The course is rooted in the profound relational context of spiritual family. It is designed not only to familiarize new students with the structure and basic themes of The Urantia Book, but also to introduce them to the spiritual truth that we are all children of God—a reality that transcends any and all religious, philosophical, and cultural differences.

The first part of the course will take place over Zoom for 7 weeks from May 30 - July 18. The second half of the course will be offered over 9 weeks in the Fall. You can find the course catalog detailing OLLI’s offering of the “Urantia Book New Reader Course” here…

The course is open to the public, however, there is a fee involved to take the New Reader Course through OLLI. Scholarships may be available. Learn more here…

UUI has offered the New Reader Course 8 times since 2020, serving over 200 students. The original format of the course is a 10-week intensive designed for new readers of The Urantia Book who were also interested in becoming serious students and potentially joining the Urantia community. You can find copies of the weekly materials here on UUI’s website…

Interested in taking the “Urantia Book New Reader Course” free and online through UUI?

The course will likely be offered again in Fall 2025.

Join the Waitlist here...

About Marvin Gawryn

Marvin Gawryn considers himself incredibly lucky. More than fifty years ago, when he was seventeen and barely sentient, at his high school job at one of the first metaphysical book shops in Los Angeles, he stumbled upon The Urantia Book. It has shaped his entire adult life from that day forward. Marvin is the author of Reaching High: The Psychology of Spiritual Living, and has presented workshops at many conferences. He is semi-retired after 30 years in practice as a Family Therapist, and currently works as the Executive Director of the Interfaith Council of Southern Nevada. He completed a two-year Certificate of Theological Studies in 1988 from the Graduate Theological Union in the history and sociology of religion.

Marvin is a

and co-hosts a weekly conversation and worship service called Homecoming. It is a place for people to gather over Zoom to enjoy the experience of sharing in spiritual family, and to prepare ourselves more effectively to share “this higher symbolism of a higher civilization” (87:7:6 (966.1)), the universal Family of God, with our spiritually hungry sisters and brothers. Learn more about Homecoming here…