Call for UCA Conference Papers: deadline of August 1, 2023

March 3, 2023

The Board of the Unitarian Christian Alliance is pleased to announce a general call for papers to be presented at the third annual UCA conference in Springfield, Ohio, October 19–21, 2023. (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 August 1, 2023.
  • Please do not submit multiple papers.
  • 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 must 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 must supply a PowerPoint or Keynote or Google Slides (etc.) presentation to accompany their talk by the end of Friday, September 1, 2023. (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.

The committee’s decisions will be emailed to authors by the end of Friday, August 15, 2023.

Save the date: UCA Conference 2023!

February 24, 2023
UCA Conferences Preview – Come join us!

The UCA Board is pleased to announce that our third annual conference will be hosted again this year by the Lawrenceville Church of God in Springfield, Ohio! The venue is excellent and the hosts are gracious. Stay tuned for plans to expand the locations and reach of future conferences.

Registration will open in the coming weeks.

Check-in for the conference will begin at 4:00 p.m. EST on Thursday, October 19, 2023, and the conference will end with the last session after dinner on Saturday, October 21.

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

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 team is already coming to the conference, get some extra work done! Please contact us at conference@unitarianchristianaliance.org.

Watch this space for coming announcements about submitting a paper to be presented. The deadline for submissions will be August 1, 2023 (one month longer than last year).

We hope to see you there!

He gets us because he’s one of us.

February 12, 2023

In present day American culture Jesus has to a large extent become an empty, comic character, a guy who occasionally appears in a robe and sandals who seems nice and harmless, and who is often thoughtlessly co-opted for political gain. This is tragic. We applaud the He Gets Us campaign for highlighting the many noble and endearing human qualities of the Lord Jesus Christ. We agree with them that Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), who is coming back to rule the world under God (1 Corinthians 15:12-28). Someday every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:11). Jesus cannot remain an irrelevance.

But the He Gets Us campaign virtually ignores the confused and confusing catholic traditions about the Lord Jesus being a “godman,” an eternal divine person mysteriously united to an impersonal human nature (body and soul), the Second “Person” of the Trinity. This they sum up all-too-briefly by saying that in their view Jesus is “fully God and fully man.”

These traditions clash with the Bible and urgently need to be reformed. The New Testament, rightly understood, does teach Jesus to be “fully man,” i.e. a real human being. But it doesn’t teach that he’s “fully God.” Rather, in the Bible, the Father alone is the one true God (John 17:1-3). And being “fully God” clashes with Jesus being a real man, and with his having some of the very qualities which so endear Jesus to us, such as his faith in God, his victory over real temptation, his cooperation with and empowerment by God, and his real death for us.

Truly, Jesus gets us – and this because he really is one of us, a real human being. To help you to see the real Jesus of the New Testament, clearly distinguishing him from his and our God (John 20:17), we’ve created some short new videos inspired by the work of “He Gets Us.” In them we show how the New Testament Jesus is “One of Us.”

For more about the Unitarian Christian Alliance, see these videos below, or this podcast episode, or the Unitarian Christian Alliance podcast.

Nothing “Mere” about a Man in the Image of God

In this insightful presentation from the 2022 Unitarian Christian Alliance conference, Anna Shoffner Brown explains a biblical perspective on the dignity and value of human nature. Proponents of speculations about Jesus having “two natures” have traditionally derided human-only christology as involving “a mere man.” She shows why this lazy accusation is wrongheaded.

Compass Christian Church

Christian Centered Counseling

Sean Finnegan’s Restitutio podcast

2022 UCA Conference Videos Playlist

UCA Fundraising Request

December 3, 2022

Thank you UCA members for a great 2022! As the year ends, and you consider you charitable giving, would you prayerfully consider contributing to the UCA?

Your donations allow us to spread unitarian theology, and connect unitarian Christians, by putting on a yearly conference, hosting the UCA website, publishing unitarian works, producing the UCA Podcast, making unitarian apologetics videos, and more. The Christian world needs the truth we unitarians have to offer, and your generous donations make that possible!

To donate, or make changes to your current giving, go to the donate page on the UCA website, and click the Donate Now button.

Donate

You can set any monthly or one time amount. We value all donations, including the proverbial widow’s mite. We give thanks for donations of $10/month or greater, by identifying you as a UCA Partner, who receives a free yearly gift from us, as well as a discount to our yearly conference.

And in December of 2022 and January of 2023 we have a generous benefactor, The Grace Fund, who will match your giving – so your monthly or one-time gift will have double the impact! Your $100 will become $200, or your monthly $10 will for the first year be multiplied to $20 a month. If God has blessed you financially and you would consider donating more, either once or monthly, this would be a great time to do it.

The Grace Fund, a charitable equity foundation serving as a multi-generational granting mechanism for unitarian Christian churches and ministries, has already donated generously to unitarian bible translation projects and other unitarian ministry efforts, and we’re all looking forward to watching how the Grace Fund continues to help unitarian Christian ministries do big things!

Thank you again to The Grace Fund for partnering with the UCA, and thank you to all of the UCA members. The year 2023 promises to be fruitful for the unitarian movement because of you!

Living Hope International Ministries

October 11, 2022

Living Hope International Ministries (LHIM) is one unitarian Christian ministry with both a global vision and the diligence to bring it to life.  A network of biblical unitarian churches and home fellowships, LHIM has passionately pursued Christ’s mandate to make disciples of all nations through its teaching, missions, publishing, and church-planting programs.

One of the most significant aspects of LHIM’s ministry is the wide variety of means by which it engages our world with the gospel, curating a range of educational content in the form of online classes, live-streams, recorded video series, podcasts, articles, and books (both in print and electronic).

From its headquarters in Latham, New York, USA, Pastor Sean Finnegan faithfully leads weekly church services, while large-scale community events welcome both LHIM members and also unitarian Christians from all backgrounds and denominations—countless families have been served by their annual Family Camp, Teen Camp, and Kingdom Fest (fantastic ways for unitarian groups and families to bond closer together and also to meet new like-minded believers!). LHIM also supports local fellowships in the U.S. (in the home and/or online), as well as global communities of unitarian Christian believers. Of special note is LHIM’s progress on the African continent.  In the Congo, for example, LHIM directly supports local ministers and coordinates an educational program for children.

How can you get connected to the incredible work that LHIM is doing for the message of the one God and his human son? LHIM’s resources include the Living Hope Webcasts (live-streamed church services), Weekly Bible Teachings, free online classes on a variety of biblical topics—all of which can be delivered to you via email updates so you don’t miss out on new content (sign up here: https://lhim.org/email-updates/).  

If you’d like to meet some of the invaluable talent behind LHIM’s efforts, including Pastor Sean Finnegan and Anna Brown (LHIM marketing and publishing), stop by their booth at the UCA Conference. You’ll also get to hear both Pastor Finnegan and Mrs. Brown speak on historical and theological topics related to unitarian Christianity during our Main Sessions at the conference!

A tremendous Thank You to Living Hope International Ministries for both partnering with the UCA’s 2022 Conference and for standing alongside the UCA and its members to share the unitarian Christian message far and wide!

YahwehTV / The Grace Fund

October 10, 2022

Another Partner of the Unitarian Christian Alliance and a much-appreciated sponsor of the 2022 UCA Conference is YahwehTV!

YahwehTV is an exciting new unitarian Christian streaming platform currently in development by long-time biblical unitarian activist and friend of the UCA, Gary R. Anderson.  The channel will be accepting content submissions from unitarian churches and ministries in order to support its mission to spread the unitarian Christian message to the world.  Those familiar with the UCA’s own mission will understand why we are all excited about Gary’s vision of a 24/7 channel constantly showcasing the best unitarian Christian content online!

While at the UCA Conference this year, be sure to stop by and see Gary, who would love to gather interviews with conference-goers!  We can’t wait to see where God takes Yahweh TV in the coming years.  The channel is currently in development and is now preparing to expand to various streaming outlets. Be on the lookout for future announcements related to this exciting project!

We’d like to thank Gary also for his efforts with The Grace Fund, a charitable equity foundation serving as a multi-generational granting mechanism for unitarian Christian churches and ministries. TGF has already donated generously to unitarian bible translation projects and other unitarian ministry efforts, and we’re all looking forward to watching how the Grace Fund continues to help unitarian Christian ministries do big things!

Thank you again to Yahweh TV and The Grace Fund for partnering with the UCA to facilitate this year’s conference!

Allegiance to the King

Allegiance to the King 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.

For isolated unitarian Christians, their Christian Virtual Fellowship has proven to be a significant blessing. Connecting over the internet can be difficult, but A2K has worked diligently to learn and grow through the process. They have a successful model. A2K has helped put together a workshop for this conference called “How to Create and Lead an Online Fellowship.” If you are coming to the conference and looking to benefit from the lessons learned by those who have gone before you, this workshop is for you.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Edgardo Gavino (54. This Fire in Me) from the Philippines on the UCA podcast this last May, 2022. The ministry that is taking place there is amazing, as is God’s utilization of the humble, supportive, and encouraging people of A2K who work with Edgardo.

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.

Integrity Syndicate

The Integrity Syndicate, founded by bible student and theological researcher Theophilus Josiah, is a group focused squarely on reviving a “first-century” and “apostolic” perspective on Christian theology—an outlook centered on a message about the one God and his human son Jesus. 

In addition to promoting unitarian theology and Christology, the IntegritySyndicate.com website covers a wide variety of biblical and theological topics and analyzes the fundamentals of Christian belief via dozens of articles and recommended resources.  The site also features an interconnected array of twenty-six apologetics web portals focused on key issues of Christian theology.  These include TrueUnitarian.com (The Foundations of Biblical Unitarianism), ApostlesDoctrine.net (Apostles doctrine of repentance, baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit), WayOfChrist.faith (a social site) and many more.  Fifteen of these websites are focused on unitarian Christian issues, including UnderstandingLogos.com, BiblicalAgency.com, IamStatements.com, and TrinityDelusion.net. For a full list of websites, see https://integritysyndicate.com/about-us/.  Students and participants in the ongoing theological debates between unitarian, trinitarian, and modalistic theologies will no doubt find such resources invaluable.

While emphasizing acting in Love, Truth, and in the Spirit, the Integrity Syndicate makes a strong, restorationist call for Christians to believe that the Bible is primary, intelligible, and cohesive. At the same time, it reminds us that biblical study and the process of theological restoration may disrupt widely-popular ideas.  One of the things which I have appreciated the most about the Integrity Syndicate is their willingness to consistently pursue and embody these values, boldly challenging our biblical, theological, and historical assumptions for the sake of the truth.

A sincere ‘thank you’ is owed to Integrity Syndicate for both their diligence in forwarding the message of unitarian Christian theology, and also for their generous sponsorship of the 2022 UCA Conference! I can’t wait to see what great material the Integrity Syndicate will be producing the rest of this year and in the years to come!

Church of God General Conference

October 4, 2022

Helping Churches. Spreading truth.

Founded in 1921, the Church of God General Conference (COGGC) is a denomination of churches active in North America, Central America, South America, the Caribbean, Asia, and Africa. Their largest concentrations of churches are in Mozambique (400), Malawi (100), and the United States (80). COGGC provides resources and support to pastors, churches, youth, missions, and the Atlanta Bible College. For more than a century now, they have provided a stable and experienced platform to help individuals and churches spread the truth about the kingdom gospel and the name of Jesus Christ.

Pastors

The Church of God (COG) provides pastoral education and training through the Atlanta Bible College. Once prospective ministers graduate, they participate in a hands-on internship program, serving at a local church. Next they apply for licensing, which involves a comprehensive process that takes into account the applicant’s personal history, doctrinal beliefs, references, and the recommendation of their mentor. Once getting a license and finding a church to serve in, pastors are encouraged to join the annual ministers’ conference, the monthly prayer group via Zoom, and the Facebook group for mutual encouragement. Lastly, the ministerial leadership team provides a “pastor’s pastor” to provide individual confidential counseling.

Churches

Over more than a century of ministry, the COG has always and continues to provide a wide range of resources to member churches. These include low-interest loans, funding for building projects, church health surveys, and free background checks for volunteers. Churches also benefit from literary resources, including biblical articles (Restitution Herald), ministry updates (Progress Journal), Sunday school lessons (Adult Quarterly), evangelism tracts, as well as several in-house published books. Additionally, churches can participate in a wide range of events, including Christian Workers’ Seminar, FUEL, and General Conference. Also, the COG keeps track of the history of their churches and noteworthy individuals over the years through maintaining archives, holding the annual Heritage Conference, and publishing a biographical encyclopedia.

Youth

The most exciting week of the year for youth in the COG is FUEL. Held at Manchester University in Indiana, FUEL is a high-energy event with 200 teens and youth workers. Campers participate in sermons, classes, worship, sports, and lots of other activities. Counselors meet with the youth a couple of times each day to develop relationships and mentor them. In the fall and winter, youth can attend reFUEL and the Young Adult Getaway. Additionally, the Atlanta Bible College invites high-school students to stay on campus and attended classes during their annual invitational.

Missions

The missionary agency of the COGGC is called Lord’s Harvest International (LHI). The organization supports churches and individuals in ten countries around the world. Some of these are war-torn, others are afflicted with chronic governmental corruption, and still others have oppressive policies towards biblical Christianity. LHI sends missionaries on short-term trips, provides resources to build churches, helps with humanitarian support, and supplies translated literary resources, including Bibles, books, and tracts. For more information about LHI, visit lhicog.com.

Atlanta Bible College

Currently there are two campuses in Georgia: (1) at McDonough the main building serves as the hub for English-speaking in-person and online instruction, (2) at Johns Creek the Korean extension provides classes in the Korean language. The goal is both to train future pastors as well as educate anyone who wants to know more about the Bible and Christianity. Students can earn a one year foundation certificate, an Associate’s degree, and/or a Bachelor’s degree with focuses in Bible, theology, or missions. Apply online or check out the fall semester schedule.

If you would like to learn more about the Church of God General Conference, visit them at COGGC.org. You can sign up to receive the Restitution Herald either digitally or in the mail for free. If you would like to donate to the work they are doing, you can that here.

Personal Note

I would be remiss if I didn’t include a note about how much the COG has benefited me personally. Although I’m part of an independent ministry, I have benefited immensely from attending COG events, graduating from their Bible college, and associating with their pastors. The organization strikes the balance between providing support to those both inside and outside the denomination without controlling individuals or groups. The executive director, Seth Ross, is a competent leader who genuinely seeks to serve God courageously and authentically. I’m excited to see what the Church of God does now that they have begun their second century of ministry!