Iran’s leading underground church planter tells of a remarkable turn to Christ from Islam by his people. 3,600 churches formed.   A WORLD EXCLUSIVE   The following is an interview with Reza (not his real name), a Christian leader in Iran’s underground church. He is a convert from Islam; one of millions. Tens of thousands of Iranian Muslims who have come to faith in Christ; more accurately, Christ has come to them in dreams, leading them out of the bondage of Islam into the li

COMMENTARY By David W. Virtue, DD www.virtueonline.org January 9, 2026 An astute observer of the travails of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) offered this assessment: "The gravest error now afflicting the ACNA is not misconduct, nor even scandal, but a fundamental category mistake: the confusion of institutional defensibility with ecclesial fitness. Whether allegations are true or false is, at this stage, almost irrelevant. The Church does not require bishops who a

Archbishop Mbanda Corrects Anglican Ink Report on Trial Outcome By David W. Virtue, DD www.virtueonline.org January 8, 2026 The Archbishop of Rwanda, the Most Rev. Laurent Mbanda, has clarified that a bishop previously reported as acquitted of corruption charges remains incarcerated and is serving a three-and-a-half-year sentence. The archbishop's statement corrects a report by Anglican Ink claiming that the Rt. Rev. Samuel Mugiraneza Mugisha had been found not guilty of corr

By David W. Virtue, DD www.virtueonline.org January 2, 2026   The appointment of London Bishop Sarah Mullally as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury—making her the first woman to lead the worldwide Anglican Communion—ranked among the top religion news stories of 2025. However, her upcoming consecration is facing opposition over allegations of safeguarding failures during her tenure as Bishop of London.   Petition Calls for Consecration to be Halted A petition on Change.org , i

SPECIAL REPORT   By David W. Virtue, DD www.virtueonline.org December 25, 2025   Anglican chaplains from the Joint Armed Forces Chaplaincy (JAFC) who were ousted from the Anglican Church in North America have formed a new Anglican denomination—the Anglican Reformed Catholic Church (ARCC)—dedicated to "preaching the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ."   The JAFC Bishops, in consultation with the Executive Committee and Futures Planning Group (comprised of staff and ministers at

By David W. Virtue, DD www.virtueonline.org December 24, 2025   Jurisdiction of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy ( JAFC) filed an amended complaint against the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) in Federal Court on December 22, adding new counts alleging conspiracy, theft of proprietary information, and theft of personnel records. Link here: file:///C:/Users/david/Downloads/ECF%2035%20-%20Verified%20Amended%20Complaint%20for%20Permanent%20Injunctive%20Relief%20and%20Damag

By David W. Virtue, DD www.virtueonline.org December 21, 2025 Bishop Stewart Ruch III and his supporters feel vindicated by a unanimous trial court decision finding the bishop not guilty on all safeguarding charges. Detractors, however, express concern that the verdict constitutes a deliberately reasoned and coverup, leaving ACNAtoo women—the most aggrieved group—unsatisfied by the outcome. The 71-page final order absolved Bishop Ruch of the Diocese of the Upper Midwest of al

By David W. Virtue, DD www.virtueonline.org December 18, 2025 The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) now faces a sobering reality: ten of its bishops—past and present—have been inhibited, deposed, placed on leave, or departed the College of Bishops under contentious or controversial circumstances. In a relatively small communion with just 49 active bishops (out of 86 living bishops total), that number represents over 20% of its current episcopal leadership—a deeply troub

Complainants say acquittal is based on incomplete evidence and secrecy in a process that was irreparably flawed from the start COMMENTARY By David W. Virtue, DD www.virtueonline.org December 17, 2025 Survivors of sexual abuse in the trial of ACNA Bishop Stewart Ruch III say they feel "denied and crushed" by the verdict that found the bishop not guilty of multiple charges. "It is devastatingly clear that if an abuse victim wants to report abuse in the ACNA, they must now bear

By David W. Virtue, DD www.virtueonline.org December 16, 2025   Mount Pleasant, SC - The Court for the Trial of a Bishop has issued its verdict in the ecclesiastical trial of The Rt. Rev. Stewart Ruch III, Bishop of the Diocese of the Upper Midwest. The Court unanimously found Bishop Ruch not guilty on all four charges, citing the prosecution’s failure to meet the canonical burden of proving the charges by clear and convincing evidence. The 70-page final order with verdict, w

570 Twin Lakes Rd, P.O. Box 111, Shohola, PA 18458 * Ph. 484 888 8094   December 2025 VIRTUEONLINE is preparing for our biggest and best year yet, and we need your support to make it happen. With my new Substack davidvirtue2.substack.com on the Middle East, we are expanding our coverage in 2026 to include: The rise of Anglicanism in the Global South as it separates from the Global North The decline of liberalism and progressive theology, and the growing threat of Islam to ou

By David W. Virtue, DD www.virtueonline.org December 1, 2025   An exclusive interview with the Rev. Jerry Kramer of Love for the Least, a global mission to Muslims in the Middle East and East Africa. He and his wife Stacy have been actively serving as missionaries for more than 25 years. They were briefly in the US before returning overseas, where I had an opportunity to interview him.   VOL: It is growing clearer by the day that the West is spiritually dying—churches are cl

COMMENTARY By David W. Virtue, DD www.virtueonline.org November 21, 2025   The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell—an archbishop who should have resigned over failed safeguarding issues—now feels it his duty to lecture Israel on "genocidal acts" while the nation fights for its survival against Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, and Iran.   Cottrell, the second-most senior bishop in the Church of England, has become the first senior CofE prelate to deploy such inflammatory language s

By David W. Virtue, DD www.virtueonline.org November 17, 2025   There are two conflicting views emerging among ACNA bishops over Archbishop Steve Wood and how he should be treated, and whether or not he should be inhibited as he faces presentment charges related to alleged sexual misconduct, plagiarism and abuse.   Bishop Chris Warner, Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic (DOMA) has come out with a statement saying, “at the outset let me remind you at this stage, these are allegations

Our Vows and the Protection of the Flock Demand it, they say     By David W. Virtue, DD www.virtueonline.org November 16, 2025   Some 150 concerned laity have written an open letter to the ACNA College of Bishops saying Archbishop Steve Wood must be inhibited.   “We suggest that the archbishop be inhibited until the conclusion of the trial that will determine his guilt or innocence,” they argue.   Vows are not small matters in the Anglican tradition, they contend. The exhorta

Anglican Bishop David Parsons chats with just-confirmed Ricky Nayoumealuk (center) and his fiancé, Alacie Niviaxie, at St. Thomas Anglican Church in Inukjuak, Quebec.   By Julia Duin www.virtueonline.org November 16, 2025   He was the bishop who disappeared.     In the world’s largest Anglican diocese — at least in terms of land area — retiring bishops have typically been present when their successor is chosen. Sometimes they pass on their crozier to the next man in line. Oth

COMMENTARY   By David W. Virtue DD November 13, 2025   An insider told Virtueonline that the situation in ACNA is worse than we all know. I suspect he is right.   This week ACNA Archbishop Steve Wood stepped back from his job as archbishop, his bishopric and his pastoral charge. It was needed and necessary.   Two women have stepped forward alleging inappropriate sexual contact. One we know by name, the other we do not. The optics are horrible even if Wood beats the charges as

By David W. Virtue DD www.virtueonline.org November 12, 2025   Bishops in the Jurisdiction of the Armed Forces & Chaplaincy have publicly accused Anglican Ink blogger George Conger of “publishing numerous untruthful stories about Bishop [Derek] Jones and the JAFC/SJAFC.”   An article on Anglican Ink’s website titled “SC FEDERAL COURT HANDS JONES A LOSS IN HIS BATTLE WITH THE ACNA,” is just the latest. “The reporter, George Conger, misstated facts and proposed conclusions that

COMMENTARY   By David W. Virtue www.virtueonline.org November 10, 2025   In the world of fantasy ecclesiastical politics, calling for unity in a global church that is bitterly divided over homosexuality, is a bit like asking Bibi Netanyahu to surrender his IDF forces to Hamas in the hope that peace would come to Gaza.   Elected in July, Cherry Vann, who is also the Bishop of Monmouth, became the first female leader of the Church in Wales, as well as its first lesbian in a sam

By David W. Virtue, DD www.virtueonline.org Nov. 8, 2025   A second sexual harassment complaint has emerged against ACNA Archbishop Stephen Wood, just weeks after reports of a first allegation erupted, leaving clergy and parishioners stunned nationwide that he was elected with knowledge by the bishops of this and other charges against him.   The Washington Post which broke the first story reported the new complaint, submitted anonymously to the church Nov. 6 by “Jane Doe 1.”