Save the date: UCA Conference 2024!

February 22, 2024
Conference Preview Video

The UCA Board is pleased to announce that our fourth annual conference will be at the Vines Center in Little Rock, Arkansas, October 17-20, 2024! Registration will open in the coming weeks!

The conference will be all inclusive (connect, eat, sleep, repeat!) so show up Thursday afternoon, October 17, 2024, and settle in for the teaching, networking, and fellowship, till checkout after breakfast Sunday morning, October 20.

The venue has great meeting spaces; look at the comfy seats in the auditorium and the breakout rooms for workshops!

Sleeping accommodations are onsite: choose at registration for single occupancy, double, or triple if you want to save some money and room with new or old friends!

Their food gets rave reviews: 3 square meals a day, plus cinnamon rolls for brunch, popcorn for mid afternoons, and 24 hour beverage service if you need some caffeine to keep focused. (Post-conference diet plan not included.)

There will be plenty of room to relax and fellowship. I can’t decide if I want dibs on the firepit by the lake or the comfy couches more.

Their grounds are beautiful, quiet, and should probably have some fall colors.

The trip from the Little Rock airport to the conference center is about 30 minutes; we’re looking into shuttle ideas – stay tuned . . .

Last year, attendees had the opportunity to attend church on Sunday at one of the unitarian Christian groups in the area. It was a positive experience for many, and it will be an option again this year.

Watch this space for coming announcements about submitting a scholarly paper or an idea for a practical workshop to be considered for inclusion in the program.

Registration will be announced here, and also via the UCA Facebook Group, so stay tuned!

We can’t wait to see you there!

Sean Finnegan – The Deity of Christ from a Greco-Roman Perspective

November 3, 2023

In a paper presentation at the 2023 UCA Conference, Pastor Sean Finnegan addresses the deity of Christ within a Greco-Roman worldview. When early Christian authors called Jesus “god” (or “God”) what did they mean? Did early Christians think Jesus was God because he represented Yahweh? Did they think he was God because he shared the same eternal being as the Father? Did they think he was a god because that’s just what they would call any immortalized human who lived in heaven? In this presentation Finnegan focuses on the question from the perspective of Greco-Roman theologies. Drawing on the work of David Litwa, Andrew Perriman, Barry Blackburn, and tons of ancient sources he shows how Mediterranean converts to Christianity would have perceived Jesus based on their cultural and religious assumptions.

See more presentations from the 2023 UCA Conference.

The-Deity-of-Christ-from-a-Greco-Roman-Perspective-Final-v2Download

10 Ways to Kill Unitarian Christianity

October 29, 2023

Unitarianism had been very popular in the United States of America. In fact, a number of presidents were themselves unitarian Christians. What happened? How did Unitarianism implode? As the UCA continues grow in numbers and influence, Unitarianism is once again on the rise. How can we avoid making the same mistakes our American forbearers made? Join Dr. Dale Tuggy, as he warns of ten ways to kill unitarian Christianity.

See more presentations from the 2023 UCA Conference.

Williamsburg Christadelphian Foundation

October 17, 2023

The UCA is delighted to again have the Williamsburg Christadelphian Foundation as a Conference Partner. They state that their mission is to help “individuals and families grow their faith in God and His Son. . . We help nurture trust in God and Jesus that endures through all the ups and downs of life. WCF sponsors programs and special initiatives around the world that:

  • Root faith in the word of God, learning from the faith lessons of faithful people in the Bible
  • Nurture faith by supplying tools that spur a whole faith to develop – one of head, heart and hands.
  • Inspire stronger growth by connecting people of faith, fostering a spirit that edifies all.
  • Show faith to others by enabling generous service for Christ.”

You’ll want to explore their podcasts and videos. Music is another aspect of their work, from original recordings of hymns to Spotify playlists. Their Newcomers Program gives vital aid to immigrants, and their White Fields mission initiative has placed “over 180 volunteers in 20 countries on 5 continents.”

Be sure to stop by the WCF table at the conference to find out more about how this amazing organization is serving as salt and light in this broken world.

Extracurriculars at the 2023 UCA Conference

There’s more in store than just the workshops, meals, and excellent presentations!

Pre-party at “The Abbey”

Arrive early and drop in at “The Abbey” for the UCA Pre-party, Oct. 19, noon to 5pm. It’s just up the road, so stop in for refreshments, and visiting. Alan Cain shows you around in the video below!

UCA Pre-party Video

Evening Visits

Gather with others after the evening meeting (ending around 8:30). There are restaurants, a brewery downtown, and plenty of space to just hang out and get to know others. If you are a young adult, hang out after the evening session on Thursday and Friday nights for a dedicated time together of encouragement and new friendships.

Baptistry

There is also a baptistry available Saturday lunch for any who want to use it.

Local Attractions

Come early or stay later and take in some local attractions, including the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Cedar Bog Nature Preserve, and more (listed on the Conference page).

See you there!

Allegiance to the King

October 16, 2023

Allegiance to the King (A2K) is once again a UCA Conference Partner. A2K continues their work to connect and fellowship with people far and wide, building faithful followers of our King. 

A2K has two missions:

  1. To promote faithfulness and allegiance to our Lord Jesus and our Father God.
  2. To grow the number of unitarian churches worldwide.

To serve isolated unitarian Christians, A2K has built an online unitarian church called Christian Virtual Fellowship (CVF) which has proven to be a significant blessing to many. Connecting over the internet can be difficult, but A2K has worked diligently to learn and grow through the process, achieving a successful model with members from all over the world. When Christians come to a unitarian view of God through online resources such as the UCA, they often find that there are no local unitarian churches for them to connect to. Christian Virtual Fellowship provides a church home for these isolated brothers and sisters.

A2K also works to both plant and grow local churches including actively supporting the planting and growth of other unitarian ministries’ churches. 

With a host of great teachers, A2K produces many teaching resources and makes them available online. Check out their website (https://allegiancetotheking.org/) to peruse the hundreds of videos they have published on topics from Christian living, teachings on our God and his Messiah, and on the Kingdom of God.

Thanks to A2K for participating and supporting this conference. We are blessed to work alongside you.

Spirit & Truth

October 13, 2023

The UCA is delighted to again have Spirit & Truth as a Conference Partner.

Spirit & Truth provides Virtual Fellowships on Zoom multiple days each week. If you’re not part of a local congregation, consider attending one of their online fellowships, where you will meet fellow believers who want to pray, hear the Bible taught, and follow Christ together.

Spirit & Truth also produces invaluable resources for Bible study, Christian education, and spiritual growth. They have hundreds of teaching videos on the Biblical Unitarian YouTube Channel and Spirit & Truth YouTube Channel, as well as audio teachings on the Spirit & Truth Podcast and the Words of Wisdom Podcast.

One of their best resources is the Revised English Version (REV) Bible, a whole Bible translation that has been an ongoing project for over 20 years now. In addition to the translations, this project has produced an incredible amount of insightful commentary that particularly addresses difficult passages and traditionally misunderstood ones. The REV translation promotes important theological truths, such as belief in the Father as the one God, Jesus as God’s human Son and Messiah, the sleep of the dead, and the kingdom of God. Both the REV translation and the associated commentary can be viewed online or in the app. Check it out and try using the REV alongside other versions to further support your Bible study and enjoyment of the Scriptures.

I first encountered Spirit & Truth via their content-rich, long-running website biblicalunitarian.com. I returned to this site often as I wrestled with disentangling my understanding of Scripture from the distortions of later church traditions. They popularized the helpful term “biblical unitarian” to convey the understanding that God is the Father alone, and that his unique Son Jesus is a man who did not literally pre-exist as a spirit or a “divine Person” before being miraculous conceived and born.

They have recently launched Spirit & Truth Kids, whose goal is to provide children’s books, curricula for parents to teach the Bible to their kids, and Christian resources for children, including coloring books, recommended TV shows, and much more. The first volumes of two different book series have been released, with a third series to be released in early 2024. Each series will see new volumes regularly released over the next couple of years. The two available now are Faith Lessons for Little Ones: Volume 1 and Oliver’s Tales: Seeking Wisdom. Click on a link to check them out. If you know anyone who has kids and would enjoy reading a children’s book from a trusted source where they won’t have to avoid certain sections or re-word sentences that contain errors from church tradition, send them the link and let them know about the Spirit & Truth Kids initiative.

Be sure to stop by the Spirit & Truth table to get to know them and to find out more about what they’re doing.

Compass Christian Church

October 12, 2023

We are thrilled to again have Compass Christian Church from Louisville, Kentucky, as a UCA Conference Partner. You may remember Pastor Will Barlow from his interview with Mark Cain on the UCA podcast (50. Church Plant) where he described how God had directed the formation of this new church. He described the process of faithful planning which took many months, coming to fruition in the Fall of 2022.

To connect with their group of husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, engineers, a nurse, soccer coaches, writers, programmers, Bible nerds (just to list a few), follow them on Facebook where they stream their services. And if you’re in the Louisville area, be sure to check out the Sunday morning service or another event at this dynamic, young church. I have been to a few services there, and I love Will’s preaching, the genuine worship, the welcoming believers, and the whole vision of the church.

We are overjoyed to have a local body of believers represented this year as a Conference Partner. May we return the blessing to them through our prayers and support. Be sure to stop by the table at the conference to meet them and find out how this church plant is going.

New Covenant Press

October 9, 2023

It’s a pleasure to welcome New Covenant Press as a first-time, 2023 UCA Conference Partner! New Covenant Press is a publisher of unique and well-researched theological titles including Little Known Facts About the Trinity, Christological Controversies in the Epistle to the Hebrews, and their most recent release, Scripturae Contra Trinitatem, which is Latin for “Writings Against the Trinity.”

Both the Christological Controversies and Scripturae Contra Trinitatem focus
on the Epistle to the Hebrews, and were inspired by John Locke, the 17th century Enlightenment thinker, philosopher, and physician. Locke once suggested that trinitarians themselves, unawares, have already disproved the doctrine of the Trinity: “There is scarcely one text alleged by the Trinitarians which is not otherwise expounded by their own writers . . .”

Locke claims that if you were to take each proof-text used by trinitarians to support the doctrine of the Trinity (e.g. John 1:1–18, Romans 9:5, Colossians 1:15–16, Titus 2:13, Hebrews 1:2–12), and broadly examine what trinitarian commentators, expositors, and scholars have written, you will discover in nearly every case, there exists a respectful number of dissenters within the trinitarian camp who argue against the “orthodox” interpretation, siding with unitarian Christians’ interpretations of these key texts.

Both Christological Controversies and Scripturae Contra Trinitatem are the fruit of investigating whether John Locke’s claim was correct as it applies to the NT epistle to the Hebrews. Watch for future editions in this series which examine other books of the Bible.

As for Little Known Facts About the Trinity, one reviewer said the author “hurls 38 succinct but devastating arguments against the doctrine of the Trinity.” It’s an easy read, very accessible to the average Christian, and is a great introduction and teaching tool if you want your trinitarian friends to better understand the unitarian
position.

Thank you to New Covenant Press for partnering with us and for the excellent work furthering the truth of the singular and amazing God of our exalted Lord Jesus. Stop by their booth to see these books and more at #UCAcon2023.

Please Register ASAP

October 5, 2023

As I write this more than 150 people are registered for the third annual Unitarian Christian conference! We must give our “final” headcount to the awesome local caterers by the end of afternoon of Thursday, October 5, 2023—so please, if at all possible, register for the conference before then.  

We will still accept some registrations after that, but at some point the food will run short and you may have to pledge to be last in the food line. (And trust me, you don’t want to do that!) 

I’m looking forward to seeing new and old friends in Springfield, Ohio, October 19-21! To learn more about the conference and to register, go here.