Scholars, pastors, students, church leaders, and members from across the North American Division (NAD) will gather October 14–17, 2026, at Union Adventist University in Lincoln, Nebraska, to examine how Adventist prophetic identity should shape the church’s witness amid the challenge of Christian nationalism.
“The Remnant and the Republic: Prophetic Identity, Public Witness, and the Challenge of Christian Nationalism” is the 2026 NAD Research Conference, organized by the North American Division Archives, Statistics, and Research — this year in partnership with NAD Public Affairs and Religious Liberty.
“Adventists have a distinctive history of thinking about religious liberty, political power, and the relationship between church and state,” says Michael W. Campbell, director of Archives, Statistics, and Research. “As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, this conference gives us an opportunity to revisit that history and ask what faithful Adventist public witness should look like today.”
Featured speakers at the four-day conference include nationally recognized authors and academics such as Matthew Taylor (The Violent Take it By Force, 2024), Randall Balmer (America’s Best Idea: Separation of Church and State, 2025), and Katherine Stewart (Money, Lies, and God, 2025). Adventist scholars Jeffrey Rosario, Kevin M. Burton, Maury Damon Jackson, and Douglas Morgan are among the other presenters, along with authors Dwight K. Nelson and Leslie N. Pollard.
Bettina Krause, editor of Liberty magazine, says the conference comes at an important moment for the church. “As Adventists, we have an incredibly rich heritage of religious liberty advocacy,” she says, “but we need to go beyond just celebrating that history. This conference is an opportunity to look at the political, religious, and cultural movements that are testing the prophetic framework we’ve historically brought to questions of church and state.”
“This is an event that’s open to all — not just academics or pastors,” says Melissa Reid, associate director of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty. “We believe our church’s prophetic message has particular resonance today, in the America of 2026, and we’re praying that the conversations begun at Union will continue in churches throughout the division.”
“The Remnant and the Republic” will take place October 14–17, 2026, at Union Adventist University in Lincoln, Nebraska. Registration is open through AdventSource. Early-bird registration is available through September 23, and student registration is free.
