The Islam Forum, founded and promoted by Essi Zahedi (UTS’91) and Dr. Abdou Gaye (UTS’97 and ’16), held its latest presentation on the campus of SUNY New Paltz on November 18, 2016 as part of the 22nd Annual Multicultural Education Conference. The conference, which ran from 8:30 AM-3:00 PM in the Student Union Building, offered a morning and afternoon session with eight different topics presented in each session. The Islam Forum’s topic was entitled Islamophobia: The Impact of Media Bias on Students, was well received by the audience that filled the room and spilled over into the...

Dear Alumni/ae and Friends of UTS, Happy new year.  I hope you and your family had a good holiday season.  At UTS, the Spring Semester has begun (yes, Spring!), and I want to update you on several developments. First of all, thank you to those who attended the December 14, 2016 Alumni meeting in NYC, either in person or online.  We had a dynamic discussion that was focused on the status of the Barrytown campus. If you haven’t yet had the chance to watch the video recording of the session, I think you will find it instructive.  We conducted the meeting in an open way where people could...

Modern day life is now often filled with words and phrases that reflect the culture and society we live in. Words or phrases such as “multi-task,” “entrepreneurial” and “cutting edge” are as common in everyday speech as a weather forecaster calling for snow in Buffalo in December. It should come as no surprise then when these same words crop up in a casual discussion between seminary students and professors or people involved in some form of religious study or activity. Although easily overlooked – or merely dismissed – in a society more often centered on riches and...

UTS administrators often attend Association of Theological Schools (ATS) events. Experience shows that it is important for UTS to stay current with the conversations which are part of the theological landscape in North America. Robin James Graham, UTS Director of Advancement and Communication Four troubling numbers in our future You may have heard the story of a man who lost his keys one night outside and was looking for them under a street light. A passerby asked him if he could remember the last place he had them, to which he responded, “Down the street.” Asked why he didn’t...

There are few stories or events happening in the world that has as much impact on our lives as that which is taking place in Syria today. The civil war that has been raging there since 2011, has cost hundreds of thousands of lives, and appears to have no end in sight nor the chance of peace to ever prevail. With this very clear knowledge and understanding, the Universal Peace Federation (UPF) organized a conference sponsored by the International Leadership Conference (ILC) from December 17-19, 2016 in Larnaca, Cyprus under the title: Opening Lines of Communication and Soft Power...

The Journal of Unification Studies is a forum for committed engagement with Unification theology and practice, published annually by the Unification Theological Seminary. Its articles address concerns of the theological community and the professional ministry, as well as contemporary social, cultural, political, scientific and economic issues, from a Unificationist perspective. In addition, the Journal promotes dialogue and understanding by presenting papers from diverse viewpoints that engage Unification theology and practice. In his article Hermeneutics and the Meaning of...

This is the third article on some of the various non-profit groups which have offices at 4W43rd St. in Manhattan, where and the Unification Theological Seminary’ (UTS) has its New York campus. Eckankar is a spiritually-oriented group. Eckankar, which literally means “Co-worker with God,” was started in 1965 and currently has members in over 100 countries. They publicize themselves as the “Religion of the Light and Sound of God,” and practice the singing of the word “HU,” an ancient name for God, to uplift and enlighten and bring one closer to God. My main job is to awaken the...

UTS administrators often attend Association of Theological Schools (ATS) events. Experience shows that it is important for UTS to stay current with the conversations which are part of the theological landscape in North America. Robin James Graham, UTS Director of Advancement and Communication 8 competencies and support structures that bi-vocational ministers need. Bi-vocational ministry can play out in a variety of ways. Some choose to do graphic design or hold a retail job with a flexible schedule. Some hold traditional day jobs in business. In my case, bi-vocational ministry...