There’s more in store than just the UCA Conference!
Gather Your Team
Arrive early on Thursday with your team or committee and use the building to get some work done, in person! Then enjoy the weekend as a reward for your hard work. Email conference@unitarianchristianalliance.org if you would like a space.
Pre-party at “The Abbey”
Also arrive early and drop in at “The Abbey” for the UCA Pre-party, Oct. 13, noon to 5pm. It’s a mile up the road at an 1865 schoolhouse turned church and then turned house. Take in some singing, refreshments, and joy. Alan Cain shows you around in the video below. Fun!
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.
Baptistry
There is also a baptistry available Saturday afternoon for any who want to use it.
So many good memories here, so many lovely Christ-followers! Will we see you at the UCA Conference this year?
Our venue is better and bigger than last year, but we anticipate that we may fill it up! So don’t delay; you can register now here.
This year we’ll have informative, cutting-edge presentations like last year, but we’ll also have less-theoretical offerings in the form of hands-on workshops and meet-ups. But it won’t be the same without you.
The UCA Conference planning committee and the UCA Board of Directors have been hard at work bringing to life what is set to be a spectacular event full of fellowship, food, and teaching! This year, you’ll get the opportunity to network with like-minded believers; to learn about new ministries, projects, and opportunities; to be challengedby insightful academic presentations; and to be enrichedby a variety of topical workshops hosted by Unitarian Christians from all over!
We had so many join us last year that we’ve had to open more seats for 2022. However, make no mistake, space for this event is still very limited. We are expecting a large turnout this year, so please DON’T WAIT to sign up and make sure you guarantee your place for yourself, friends, or family members.
Please visit the Conference page for information and to register right away!
We can’t wait to see YOU in Springfield, Ohio this October 13-15!
The Board of the Unitarian Christian Alliance is pleased to announce a general call for papers to be presented at the second annual UCA conference in Springfield, Ohio, October 14 – 16, 2022. (Watch this blog for the opening of registration.)
The submission deadline is the end of the day (U.S. Eastern Standard / New York time) of July 1, 2022.
Submissions will be blind-reviewed by a committee of three.
We are looking for scholarly (or at least: informed, insightful, and well-argued) papers which are also accessible to an educated lay audience on topics which can advance the cause of unitarian Christianity.
Topics may include but are not limited to: biblical theology, systematic theology, biblical studies, textual criticism, history of theology, history of unitarian Christianity, apologetics, Christian philosophy, analytic theology.
Authors may submit even if they are neither a member of the UCA nor a unitarian Christian.
Paper submissions should conform to the Chicago Manual of Style (Notes and Bibliography style, with footnotes and bibliography).
The main text should be no longer than 6,000 words, so that the presentation is no longer than 45 minutes.
Submitted papers longer than 6,000 (in the main text – so not including footnotes) will be automatically rejected.
Authors should plan on about 10 minutes of audience Q&A after their talk.
Papers may be read, although authors are encouraged to present the material in an engaging way.
Conference presentations will be video-recorded and may be posted on the UCA YouTube channel, and our social media committee may also snip out interesting “sound bites” for short videos.
By submitting a paper, you agree that your presentation may be filmed and used in these ways by the UCA.
Still, a fully written paper must be submitted; an outline or proposal is not enough.
Authors of accepted papers will be expected to supply a PowerPoint or Keynote or Google Slides (etc.) presentation to accompany their talk by the end of Thursday, September 15, 2022. (This should be emailed to the address below.)
After removing any self-identifying features (e.g. your name, references to your other publications or other work), please email your submission to conference@unitarianchristianalliance.org.
Our conference coordinator will ensure that the papers are suitable for blind review and then pass them on to the committee.
Results will be emailed to authors by the end of Friday, July 15, 2022.
The UCA Board is excited to announce that our second annual conference will be hosted by the Lawrenceville Church of God in Springfield, Ohio!
The Board hopes to have online conference registration open online some time in the next few weeks.
Check-in for the conference will open at 4:00 p.m. EST on Thursday, October 13, 2022, and the conference will end with the last session after dinner on Saturday, October 15, 2022.
Attendees are invited to attend church on Sunday at our host church or at one of some nearby unitarian Christian churches; details to come.
If your unitarian group, ministry, etc. would benefit from an opportunity to gather in person (e.g. a board meeting), the host church has generously offered to make rooms available before the conference starts that Thursday. If your group is interested, please contact us at conference@unitarianchristianaliance.org.
Also watch this space for coming announcements about submitting a paper to be presented. (The deadline for submissions will be July 1, 2022.)
We already know things we can do better next year, but the consensus is that the first-ever Unitarian Christian Alliance Conference was a big hit, an encouragement and a blessing to many. When I wasn’t busy meeting and having meaningful conversations with many people, I did snap a few phone photos, mostly of the presenters.
Thanks again to all the speakers, volunteers, attendees, and Conference Partners who made this an unforgettable event. Over the coming months we will be releasing professionally-edited content from the conference on our YouTube channel. Stay tuned for further conference-related posts.
Thanks to Patrick Navas for the sweet group shot including my wife!
If it wasn’t for our next Conference Partner, I might not be a unitarian Christian. The Trinities.org blog and the Trinities Podcast by Dr. Dale Tuggy were my crash course in all things Trinity, and conversely, a light for my path to unitarianism. I am certain I am not the only one with this experience, as Dale’s youtube channel alone has over 22 thousand subscribers.
The Podcast is now up over 300 episodes chock full of analytic theological goodness, with interviews of the world’s top scholars on the topic, and Dr. Tuggy’s razor sharp analysis of competing Trinity theories.
The podcast also includes interviews with leading modern day unitarian voices, reviews of classic unitarian works, and examination of important relevant texts from early church history. If you want to be able to understand and challenge the best case Trinitarians (both ancient and recent) put forward, the Trinities podcast is your training ground.
You can also come share your own favorite episodes, and mix it up with his guests and and fans on the Trinities Facebook group. It isn’t for the faint of heart, but I can attest to it being a great place to test your views and connect with serious thinkers on the subject.
The UCA is proud to have Dr. Dale Tuggy serving as Chairman of the Board, to have him presenting at the Conference, and I am very proud to call him my friend.
If you haven’t binged all 300+ podcasts, below are my top 11 (yep, couldn’t get down to 10, so I am cheating) favorite episodes to get you started!
21st Century Reformation is a Christian ministry which is dedicated to the Father himself as the only one who is truly God, and to Jesus, not as God, but as the Messiah – the Christ of God (John 17:3). In doing this, 21st CR brings together some of the best in videos, audios and writings by people from around the world who believe that God is truly one.
Husband and wife team Dan and Sharon Gill truly are “helping people to receive the ‘One God Message’ around the world.” If you haven’t heard their testimony about studying themselves out of Oneness Pentecostalism and into unitarian “one God” belief, take a moment to read their story. Hopefully it will make your day as it did mine.
And if you haven’t visited their refreshed website, you are missing out! It is beautiful, and absolutely packed with content. There are sections on:
Additionally, make sure to subscribe to the 21stCR youtube channel, which features a great cross section of collected unitarian material, and is constantly adding new content!
The UCA is very grateful for the Conference Partnership of 21stCR, and proud to be working arm in arm with them, in their mission to continue the Reformation in the 21st century.
A Biblical Education For Truth Seekers, Steadfast Believers, and Future Leaders
At Atlanta Bible College (ABC), faith, ministry, and academics collide into a life-changing, educational experience for all. We strive for students to grow their faith and deepen their relationship with God, our Father, who created us and his Son, Christ Jesus, who redeemed us. Students will also be given the opportunity to connect with like-minded believers which facilitates fellowship unlike any other. Most importantly, students at Atlanta Bible College will learn how to equip themselves to follow the path that God lays out for anyone who chooses to believe in the Messiah.
What I so appreciate about ABC is how they helped me to organize my knowledge of the Bible. Prior to attending, I had a fairly decent knowledge of the Scriptures, having read all the way through once or twice. Sitting in church services and seminars for years had taught me much. In fact, one mentor even questioned what good attending ABC would do for me. So when I came down to Georgia to attend, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Looking back on this 15 years later, I’m so glad I went!
Several huge benefits come to mind. Firstly, my biblical knowledge was like an untamed garden. Sure, I knew a verse here and there, but I didn’t have a very good mental map for how the Bible fit together. Sitting through Old Testament Survey and then New Testament Survey, I was able to see the big picture. I developed a sense for the history of redemption as well as how the prophets fit with the historical books and the epistles fit within Acts.
Taking Basic Bible Doctrine and Systematic Theology helped me immensely as well. Those classes gave me mental shelves on which to put different doctrines so they wern’t a jumbled mess on my mental floor. Learning about categories like soteriology, harmartiology, and ecclesiology expanded my thinking. Approaching theology in a systematic way also helped me to see the dependency and relationship between doctrines.
I could go on and on about how my education at ABC provided me with a welcoming community, introductions to lifelong mentors, and an education I still depend on every day. However, I would leave you with one more benefit that taking college level Bible classes provided me. So much of our church or YouTube education puts little or no responsibility on the student. People are encouraged to sit and listen–and I get that. People are tired from a long day at work or they’re too busy to do homework and write essays. However, at ABC, like any college, the expectations are much higher. You will have homework; you will memorize key information; you will write papers. And to be honest, though writing is hard work, those assignments probably helped me grow more than anything else I did while at ABC.
If you would like to go down to their campus and become a full or part-time student, you can apply to attend here. They’ve also got distance-learning classes you can take from the comfort of your home. Also, check out their Academic Catalog to see what courses they offer and their Academic Calendar to see when classes will begin for next semester.
I’ll leave you with a list of ABC’s objectives. If these sound good to you, you should consider getting in contact with them to figure out how you can become a student at ABC.
Know God and His Word (Bible is our middle name!)
Seek to have a personal, loving relationship with God.
Confidently know the Bible as God’s infallible Word.
Understand that God’s Word relates to every area of life (general education, experience).
Apply God’s Word
Develop a lifestyle that includes personal devotions and regular Bible study, using sound methods in that study.
Develop the skills of sound scholarship in both biblical and secular studies, characterized by a spirit of inquiry, research, and creative thinking.
Recognize the lordship of Christ and fulfill God’s will personally, vocationally, in attitude, and in deed.
Live a life of high moral and spiritual standards at home, in the community, and in church.
Communicate God’s Word (Be in ministry!)
Determine where the Lord is directing the individual to serve–whether as a layman or in an employed ministry.
Carefully evaluate God-given gifts along with accompanying personal talents.
Become proficient in methods of communication, leadership, and ministry.
Become involved in a lifetime of Christian service.
Lastly, I’d be remiss if I failed to mention that you can get ABC swag at their online store and you can support the good work that the college is doing by donating here.
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