8th annual Night of Worship set for March 15
March 3, 2026 - Union University’s music department will present the eighth annual Night of Worship March 15 at West Jackson Baptist Church. The event is entitled “My Testimony” and features classic gospel hymns, popular contemporary songs and Scripture reading, led by Union music students, that speak to what God has done and his faithfulness for the future. The service will begin at 6 p.m. It is free and open to the public and will also be livestreamed at youtube.com/live/TQlM22cAQbk.... READ MORE
Green to give 10th annual Dockery Lectures March 19
March 3, 2026 - Brad Green, professor of theological studies at Union University, will give the 10th annual David and Lanese Dockery Lectures on Baptist Thought and Heritage at Union University March 19. The lecture series, named for former Union President David S. Dockery and First Lady Lanese Dockery, is an annual event designed to examine the importance of the Baptist heritage, the distinctives of Baptist thought and the influence of the Christian intellectual tradition. Green is the author of several books, including “The Gospel and the Mind: R... READ MORE
Hoskins to give annual Powell Missions Lecture March 10
March 2, 2026 - Ben Hoskins of the International Mission Board will deliver the W.D. Powell Missions Lecture, entitled “From Everywhere to Everyone: How the Global Church Is Taking the Gospel to the Nations,” at Union University March 10. Hoskins, a 2002 and 2007 graduate of Union, serves as the IMB’s cluster leader for global Chinese ministry. He graduated from Gateway Baptist Theological Seminary in 2022 with a Doctor of Ministry degree. Appointed by the IMB in 2008, Hoskins has served in East Asia planting churches, leading teams and training go... READ MORE
Butterfield: Homosexuality a ‘fruit of unbelief’ rooted in rejection of God
February 26, 2026 - Rosaria Butterfield told Union University students Feb. 25 that her former identity as a lesbian activist was not the root of her sin, but rather the “evil fruit” of a deeper unbelief in God. Speaking in the G.M. Savage Memorial Chapel as the featured guest for this year’s Crabtree Family Life Series, the author and former Syracuse University professor shared the narrative of her radical conversion from a prominent leader in the LGBTQ movement to a Christian and a pastor’s wife. She cautioned students against a “half-gospel” that offers f... READ MORE
Union to host Butterfield for Crabtree Family Life Series
February 23, 2026 - Author Rosaria Butterfield will speak at Union University Feb. 25-27 as part of the Crabtree Family Life Series. Butterfield is a former tenured professor of English and women’s studies at Syracuse University. Raised and educated in liberal Roman Catholic settings, she adopted a lesbian identity and specialized in queer theory. But Butterfield converted to Christ in 1999 after reading through the Bible multiple times and developing a friendship with a pastor and his wife. Her book “The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert” detai... READ MORE
Stewart to headline annual Ryan Center Bible Conference March 20-21
February 18, 2026 - Robert Stewart, professor emeritus of philosophy and theology at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, will be the plenary speaker at Union University’s 2026 Ryan Center Bible Conference March 20-21. The conference will focus on “Contending Earnestly: Becoming Faithful Stewards of the Word of God” and will be held in Union’s Carl Grant Events Center. “Many of us are unsure or at least a little unsteady in our ability to defend the Christian faith, especially when it comes to evangelism,” said Mike Garrett, director of the Ryan C... READ MORE
West Tennessee pastors and wives reminded at Valentine’s banquet to love Jesus
February 16, 2026 - Jesus should be Christians’ one great love, Tommy Vinson urged pastors and their wives at the West Tennessee Pastors Conference Valentine’s Banquet Feb. 10 at Union University. “I’m convinced that some people are in love with the organization of the church,” said Vinson, president of Tommy Vinson Ministries and guest speaker for the night. “But the thing is, Peter does not ask, ‘Do you love the church?’ or ‘Do you love preaching?’ He says here that we ought to love Jesus Christ.” The annual Valentine’s Banquet is an opportunity for ... READ MORE
Whitacre shares journey from ADM price-fixing scandal to faith at Union luncheon
February 13, 2026 - At age 32, Mark Whitacre was the fourth-highest ranking executive at Archer Daniels Midland. In the 1990s, he would become a whistleblower in the largest price-fixing scandal in American history. Whitacre, who spent eight years in prison for criminal misconduct during his time at ADM, shared about his involvement with the price-fixing scheme and his testimony of restoration during Union University’s Faith in the Marketplace luncheon Feb. 10. Having earned a doctorate from Cornell in biochemistry, Whitacre entered the corporate world... READ MORE
Union pharmacy students score nation’s 12th best NAPLEX pass rate
February 12, 2026 - The Union University College of Pharmacy’s class of 2025 scored a 95.8 percent pass rate for first-time attempts on the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination, giving Union the second highest pass rate in Tennessee and 12th highest nationally. The 95.8 percent is Union’s highest pass rate in the last five years. The Tennessee average this year was 90.9 percent (up dramatically from 77 percent last year), while the national average was 86.8 percent, compared to 75.9 percent last year. Union was also the highest performing p... READ MORE
Union EDGE program moves into new home
February 6, 2026 - Union University’s EDGE program dedicated its new lab space Feb. 5, officially opening the renovated home for students with intellectual or developmental disabilities. “Ultimately, a space like this helps people to learn how to extend hospitality,” Union President Samuel W. “Dub” Oliver said. “We want our students to be able to show Christian hospitality, to love others in their homes, to cook a meal and share a meal with people. So, what a blessing to have a place that’s going to allow them to do that.” The Union EDGE program encou... READ MORE