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!
In this post, which has been approved by the UCA Board, I will make a couple of clarifications to help with some misunderstandings of the UCA which crop up from time to time.
Because the UCA is a non-profit organization which aims to promote unitarian Christian theology and to connect like-minded believers, it can best achieve its mission by being neither a church nor a denomination nor a high-control group. Only by protecting its members’ right to hold various beliefs outside of the Affirmation can the UCA most effectively achieve this two part mission.
So, given this mission as an organization, we will not do many things which a Christian church must do. The UCA does not exercise church discipline, and has no spiritual authority over its members. We encourage all UCA members to become members of churches, house-churches, or online fellowships in which all aspects of Christian teaching and practice are taught and lived out, and in which responsible, biblical church discipline is exercised.
It has sometimes been suggested that the UCA elevates knowledge or theological prowess over issues of holiness and good character. This is not and never has been true. Serious character issues, in our view, are grounds for the UCA to distance ourselves from any person, including but not limited to: sexual immorality, sexual harassment, sexually predatory behavior, antisemitism, racism, vicious conspiracy theories, divisiveness, and in general unkind or immoral online or offline behavior. In general, any violation of our terms of servicecan be a sufficient reason for the termination of membership.
The UCA has recently been accused of being a “politically correct” organization. But the UCA does not and will not participate in culture war or political issues: we exist to promote unitarian Christianity and to network and serve unitarian Christians. It seems that some have misinterpreted moderation decisions in the UCA Facebook group, in which people have been admonished or removed for aggressive online behavior, to mean we will tolerate anything. Some also seem to interpret our narrow focus as implying that in our view no other aspects of Christian teaching matter. But of course, they all matter, and all churches must teach them. But the UCA as such (but not its individual members and member groups!) must remain neutral about many such issues which are understood differently by various unitarian Christian groups. In fact, it is to be expected that UCA members and even members of its Board will differ widely on various issues outside of the UCA’s Affirmation.
Another common confusion is noticing that a Board Member has publicly said X, Y, Z, and thinking that therefore it is the position of the UCA that X, Y, and Z. But the UCA has no official policy or statement unless it has been approved by the whole Board, and it will be clearly posted as such at unitarianchristianalliance.org. Board members, like every member of the UCA, have many opinions and interests beyond the scope of the UCA mission and its policies. The views expressed in podcasts, blogs, Twitter feeds, videos are their own, and do not necessarily represent those of the UCA.
In conclusion, bad actors have no safe harbor among us. Nonetheless, it is important for any UCA member to exercise all caution and wisdom in dealing with those who contact you via UCA means (e.g. the Facebook group, the contact boxes in the Directory) for the simple reason that we can’t vet all UCA members or police all such interactions.
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.)
Why the end of October 7 deadline? Because on October 8 we need to give our caterer a head-count. (Yes, the price of admission includes two dinners and a lunch, plus snacks and drinks!)
In recent days the Board and our wonderful conference coordinator Stacey have been tweaking the schedule and making sure we have all the right safety and audiovisual equipment. The speakers are putting the final touches on their cutting-edge presentations, and host Mark Cain has been honing his knock-knock jokes.
We’re very blessed this year to have an incredible line-up of unitarian Christian ministries serving as Conference Partners. By their generosity, we’re able to keep costs low for everyone and to help those to attend who would otherwise find the cost prohibitive. Stay tuned for some upcoming blog posts highlighting our 2021 Conference Partners.
You can meet these amazing people at the conference at their tables at the back of the room and find out what they are doing to advance the cause of Christ in today’s world and how you can be a part of it.
Many will have books or other materials for sale and their table, and there will also be a book raffle, with all attendees receiving tickets to play with.
We absolutely can’t wait to see you at the historic, first-ever UCA Conference in beautiful Nashville!
As we prepare for a terrific weekend full of fellowship, food, and important information, it will be helpful to keep health and safety in mind.
While masks or vaccinations are not required for attending, we are requesting that all attendees be symptom-free and expect everyone to take appropriate measures to maintain their own health and the health of others. If you are concerned, please rest assured that the UCA Board of Directors is committed to maintaining healthy practices, including appropriately spaced seating, attendance limitations, safe food service procedures, free hand sanitization products available on every table, and free masks for those who choose to utilize them. In helping you to monitor your own health, there will also be a thermometer at the front table for your convenience.
We are very much looking forward to seeing you on October 15-17th. Again, seating is limited, so don’t miss out!
We are very excited to announce the debut of a new imprint: Theophilus Press!
Theophilus Press is a publisher of theological, philosophical, and historical scholarship aimed at academic excellence and the advance of new perspectives in Christian thought. In addition to partnering with contemporary scholars, Theophilus Press will also be publishing works from the unsung voices of Christian past, producing updated and critical editions of scholarly works which deserve another look.
Members and partners of the UCA will definitely want to keep their eyes on this new venture, as issues of monotheism, Christology, Trinity, and Church History will be front and center.
Emlyn’s book, which led to his conviction and imprisonment by the English government for blasphemy, is a succinct and erudite argument for the subordination of Jesus Christ to God the Father. Beloved by several generations of unitarian Christians in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, its arguments are no less powerful now than when it was first published. This new updated edition features modernized language, improved citations, a detailed historical introduction, and a treasure trove of fascinating notes by Dale Tuggy and Kegan Chandler. You won’t want to miss Emlyn’s insightful and useful argumentation and the inspiring story of his faithful and courageous passion for the truth!
UCA members who are Partners (those who have graciously donated more than $120 per year) will be receiving this book a thank you gift for their significant help in advancing our two-fold mission to advance unitarian theology and to connect like-minded believers. Those in the continental United States and Canada will receive the paperback version by around the middle of September 2021, and other Partners will receive the ebook in two formats.
If you have not yet partnered with the UCA, the book is now available for purchase here, and will also be available at the upcoming UCA Conference in Nashville, TN, October 15-17. Be sure to grab your copy of this insightful and important book, and be on the lookout for more great books by Theophilus Press.
Thanks to UCA podcast host and Board member Mark Cain, there are excellent, step-by-step tutorials on the UCA YouTube channel. First, how to join the UCA as an individual person.
Second, here is how to add your church, home fellowship, ministry, or internet fellowship.
Please do this today; we want Christians who have reformed their understanding of God and Jesus to be able to find you and your group for fellowship!
Yes – even in your area. As I write this, the UCA has members in 35 countries. But we believe that there are many more unitarian Christians and churches out there. We’re trying to build a sort of online highway to bring people to them.
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unsung voices of Christian past, producing updated and critical editions of scholarly works which deserve another look.