What is a Christian in Exile?

A Christian in Exile is a person who feels estranged from what passes for Christianity today for any number of reasons. Some of those reasons might include:

1. A discomfort that the word "Christian" is often used in a way that suggests that to be a Christian one must be a fundamentalist extremist, preaching a gospel of spite and vindictiveness that has nothing to do with the God of Love we have experienced in our lives.

2. A discomfort with the lack of integrity seen on the part of many Christian leaders today.

3. A preoccupation with spin and conservative politics by some "Christian" leaders to the exclusion of the 3000 scripture verses that tell of God's concern for the poor and marginalized.

4. A conviction that, despite the behavior of fundamentalist extremists, a theocracy is never a desirable form of government.

5. A recognition that science reveals truths about God's world, and any God whose divinity would be so threatened by scientific advancement that it is necessary to invent "psudo-science" such as so-called "creation science" is a god so small as to not be worthy of our worship or attention.

6. A recognition that the Bible never was intended to be interpreted literally and that such practices only arose in the 19th century and are the product of "Christians" who are more interested in thought and behavior control than the reality of God as experience in and through (among others) Jesus Christ.

7. Christians in Exile identify themselves as Christians, even though they might not be considered Christian by fundamentalist extremists.

Most importantly, Christians in exile seek to build a Church community where all people are truly welcome and respected, where no one is manipulated or coerced into feeling or believing in a particular way but rather are allowed to follow where God is calling them to be - supported by a loving faith community.

What is the Universal Anglican Church?

The UAC is a Christ-centered, Christian body that recognizes and honors its roots in the Anglican tradition while seeking new methods to effectively communicate the love of God in contemporary ways to contemporary people. We are "universal" in that we (1) are catholic with a small "c" and therefore recognize and affirm our connection with the Christian Church throughout history originating with St. Peter in 38 C.E., (2) affirm that religions other than Christianity also lead to God while affirming that, for us, we find God as God is revealed to us in Jesus Christ, (3) do believe that, in the end, God's love will win out over evil and death, and (4) are radically inclusive in belief and practice.

General Assembly 2008 will be held in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Waukesha is located in suburban Milwaukee approximately 20 minutes west of downtown. This General Assembly will be special for a number of reasons! It will be the first GA celebrated in our new denominational headquarters, and we anticipate a number of special guests from NIIAC affiliates (see www.niiac.org to learn more).

The address for GA is 818 W. St. Paul, Waukesha, WI 53188. Please click on the map below for directions!

Welcome to the Website of the Universal Anglican Church!

We are glad you are here! The Universal Anglican Church is a truly contemporary Church that blends the best of historic Christianity with practices and theology firmly rooted in the 21st Century. Our clergy are from diverse backgrounds, and our ministries reflect that diversity. Among those ministries are parishes, counseling ministries, prison ministries, healing ministries, religious orders, and homeless ministries. We believe that our ministries should serve the needs of the communities in which they reside, and to accomplish that we allow those ministries the freedom to design programs that meet those needs.

There is a home for you, and a home for all people in The Universal Anglican Church. We invite you to explore our website and contact us so that we might answer your questions!

Welcome to the Universal Anglican Church!

You truly are welcome here. A lot of Churches talk about being welcoming, but their reality is rather selective. In the Universal Anglican Church, all people are truly welcome. We take seriously the example of Jesus, who ate with and ministered to tax collectors, prostitutes, and sinners. The Kingdom of God is not an exclusive club for one kind of person, but a broad and expansive Kingdom for all people.

Why should the Church be for all people? Simply because Jesus came for all people, because God loves all people, and because God wants all people to come to fullness of life. The Church wasn't created to stand in the way of people coming to God, but rather to act as an agent of healing and reconciliation through which people are exposed to the love that is God.

Another part of being a universal Church has to do with freedom - the freedom of people to ask questions, the freedom to be open to the leading of God in your life, and the freedom to be your authentic self. That means were not here to tell you what to believe, how to think, or how to act. We are here to help you as you seek to find the answers to your questions and to walk with you on life's journey.

Of course, it is not enough to be welcoming. In fact, there is a danger in being welcoming. The danger is that we can become so inwardly focused that we become irrelevant. The Church was never meant to be a country club, never meant to be an organization that was concerned only with the well-being of the people within its walls. Rather it is meant to be an organization that works for the well-being of all people, perhaps most especially those outside the walls of the Church. We are called to meet their needs, to welcome them home, and to work for an end to injustice in our society. A Church that does not care about and work for social justice is no Church at all. And so, The Universal Anglican Church is a Church of inclusion and a Church focused on social justice - for nothing less will do.

If you have any questions, or if I can be of assistance in any way, I invite you to contact me at craig.bergland@gmail.com today!

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