"Cynicism used to be really cool to me, until I realized it to be a mental illness. Understanding God’s amazing plan of ascension for his far-flung children of time and space is the great elixir and antitode for pessimism, frustration and despair about the human condition. It is my hope that this book will guide you to this realization." -- from the Introduction

Jim Cleveland’s battle of faith was tinged by persistent cynicism. A long-time Urantia Book reader, Jim decided to take on the celestial world in the guise of a classic cynic. Gently and clearly, interlocutors calling themselves the OneTeam route the diehard cynic in all of us, and bring Mr. Cleveland to a renewed vision of faith. Beyond Cynicism clearly identifies the sources of evil in planetary history, while serving as an introduction to the friendly universe depicted in the Urantia Revelation.

"One of the greatest lessons that humankind should know is that God resides within each and every one of you of sound mind, an indwelling spirit fragment of God that experiences life with you ... Attunement to your inner higher selves, this spiritual spark, is the great quest of mankind." -- from Chapter 1

Jim Cleveland has had a 40-year career as a prize-winning writer, editor, marketing executive, photojournalist and publisher, including presidencies of several national and regional professional organizations. Now director of public relations for Central State University in Ohio, he has served in this role at both Mississippi State University and the University of Mississippi, where he earned a master's degree in journalism. Cleveland is now executive editor of the Light and Life Journal and publisher of www.lightandlife.com, as well as a founding director of both the Stillness Foundation and the Harp of God Foundation. A long-time student of the The Urantia Book, since 1992, Mr. Cleveland has been an active participant in the Teaching Mission, a nationwide movement of celestial contact that is associated with the Urantia Revelation.