Revival is Uneven // The Vanishing Church // TEC's Priority Failures // Mullally's Muddled Mission // Iran's Massive Church Growth // SS Blessings Banned in CofE

Without the Holy Spirit, Christian discipleship would be inconceivable, even impossible. There can be no life without the life-giver, no understanding without the Spirit of truth, no fellowship without the unity of the Spirit, no Christlikeness of character apart from His fruit, and no effective witness without His power. As a body without breath is a corpse, so the church without the Spirit is dead. – John Stott

Resistance to law enforcement is reframed as compassion. The mutilation of children is called care. The destruction of women's sports is defended as inclusion. Fraud on a massive scale is excused as necessity, while any demand for transparency is dismissed as hatred or racism. – Virgil Walker

The Church stands at a crossroads. One path leads toward sanctified outrage, moral theater, and the erosion of order in the name of compassion. The other leads toward a harder, quieter faith—one grounded in Scripture, truth, lawful authority, and trust in God's governance of history. Christianity did not conquer the ancient world through riot. It will not renew the modern one that way either. – Rev. Dr. Ronald Moore

Galatians 3:28 has been used to justify the innovation of women priests: "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." In the fourth century, St. Epiphanius remarked that the heretical Cataphyrgians (Montanists) employed Galatians 3:28 to elevate women as "bishops and priests and they say nothing makes a difference 'For in Christ Jesus there is neither male nor female.'" Reading Galatians 3:28 in context, it is apparent that Paul is speaking of the unity of the body of Christ. He is not promoting gender equality as it is framed today. As the Supper was intended to unite the participants to the Head, Jesus Christ, the idea of a woman presiding at the Feast would have been unthinkable. – Dr. Alice Linsley

We speak often of revival, awakening, and transformation, yet we behave as though the Kingdom of God were a project dependent upon our speed, our methods, or our reach. We count clicks, measure growth curves, track engagement, and anxiously ask whether we are "making an impact." Beneath it all lies an unspoken fear: What if we run out of time? That fear is understandable—but it is misplaced. The Church was never charged with managing outcomes. She was charged with faithfulness. – Rev. Dr. Ronald Moore

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

www.virtueonline.org

January 16, 2026

Is the West Experiencing a Christian Revival?

The answer is yes and no. Gen-Z churches are packed in New York City, and a monastery renaissance is unfolding on a remote island off the coast of Scotland. Revival is happening online, in many Catholic churches, and in some Orthodox traditions.

Yet the revival is uneven. Across America, mainline Protestant churches—American Baptists, Episcopalians, evangelical Lutherans—are dying. Sanctuaries once full of people worshipping side by side, without concern for political or cultural differences, now sit half empty. Political scientist, American Baptist pastor, and statistician Ryan P. Burge has a theory about why.

In his new book, The Vanishing Church, Burge argues that the political polarization of American society has seeped into the pews, causing many to leave the kinds of churches long known for welcoming doubters and rejecting dogma. The consequences for the country, he warns, could be catastrophic.

Meanwhile, independent evangelical churches are on the rise. They are, for the most part, small but orthodox in faith and morals.

TEC's Misplaced Priorities

The Episcopal Church has a problem with its priorities. It's mid-January, and TEC still has not released the full Table of Statistics for 2024—only the Analysis Report. The last complete Table of Statistics was from 2023, leaving us without 2024 data on Baptisms, Confirmations, and Sunday school numbers.

The recently released 2024 parochial report data revealed that very few parishes rebounded from Covid, with fewer growing beyond their 2019 Average Sunday Attendance. Most dioceses showed a 23-45 percent decline over the past 10 years.

Revisionists blame lower birth rates among Episcopalians after World War II for the decline. Conservatives, however, believe that liberal theology compounded with woke talking points, the continued push to normalize homosexuality, and the denial of Scripture's authority are the real causes.

Last year's parochial report asked: "What is one program or initiative at your Church that represents your hope for the future of your congregation or the greater Episcopal Church?" Out of 4,444 responses, the top reply (2,345 parishes) was Social Justice Initiatives: addressing social inequality through programs and collaborations like hosting food pantries, clothing exchanges, and recovery groups like AA, as well as offering meals and showers to the unhoused, and Narcan training.

The second-highest response (1,091) cited "youth and children's ministry" as the future. The third-highest response (758) claimed "worship and music" as the key.

In fourth place, only 548 parishes (out of 4,444) marked "Christian Education and Lifelong Discipleship" as the means by which the Church will grow. Put simply: only 12 percent of responding parishes said that making disciples is how we'll grow the church, according to The Living Church.

No gospel proclamation. No mention of the Great Commission. No call to move from sin to salvation—just the social gospel. The Episcopal Church might just as well be a branch of UNHCR rather than a church more concerned with proclaiming the Good News that Jesus saves than with the feelings of homosexuals and trans folk.

And the church wonders why it keeps hemorrhaging members year over year.

One Episcopal priest described it as a "spiritual lethargy spreading its ugly mantle over most of our parishes, with consequent systemic decline." Jesus did not say, "Go and make social workers." He said, "Go and make disciples." Yet 53 percent of parish leadership believes that stressing the social gospel (and Narcan training?) is how the Church will grow. Fiction dies hard.

Discipleship is out the window—the very thing making Iran blossom as the fastest-growing church in the world while TEC is among the fastest dying.

Iran is experiencing rapid growth in its Christian community, with reports that the number of Iranian converts to Christianity is surging to over 1 million—all converts from Islam. Jesus said, "Leave the fishing and follow me." Jesus calls us to be apprentices in his kingdom, not to recite the 12 steps, as useful as they might be. Twenty-one times on 12 different occasions Jesus said, "Follow me." He called us to apprentice with him.

The handful of orthodox parishes in TEC won't turn the church around. That day is done. No single diocese can pull the church out of the demographic slump it finds itself in, with aging Episcopalians and only a handful of young people. The only parishes that can hire a full-time rector must have an endowment. More and more parishes are resorting to part-time and retired priests to keep them going until they die of spiritual exhaustion. Service projects won't save TEC—only the gospel can do that, and that has long since gone by the board. Putting the cart of social justice before the horse of faith will see the Episcopal Church continue to shrink, effectively out of business by 2040, with its cathedrals either sold or reduced to tourist attractions.

The 12 percent of parishes that put "lifelong discipleship" as their top priority will not change the overall direction of the church, especially when the leadership is totally committed to woke works and woke theology. Ranting about racism, gay marriage, immigration concerns, and Trump bashing will not fill churches. When the Bishop of Washington, Mariann Budde, lit into Trump, it made for interesting soundbites but did not suddenly fill pews.

JAFC Confronts ACNA: An Institution in Crisis

The following is an update from the JAFC in its confrontation with the ACNA. Here are the highlights:

The JAFC's disaffiliation from the ACNA was not an attempt to evade accountability, but a recognition of the ACNA's fundamental unsuitability as an ecclesiastical home for orthodox Anglicans. The decision emerged from:

Broken promises on Canon 11 that demonstrated leadership's bad faith

Theological incoherence on women's ordination that embarrasses orthodox Christianity globally

Selective non-enforcement of sexual ethics, tolerating drift while punishing orthodox resistance

Departure from affirming life in the womb

Infiltration of Critical Theory that undermines biblical authority and anthropology

Irregular and non-canonical processes targeting faithful bishops while ignoring widespread theological deviation

You can read their full report here: https://www.virtueonline.org/post/a-crisis-of-integrity-and-broken-promises

Is the end of the ACNA in North America now in sight? My full report on the state of the church can be found here: The End of the Anglican Church in North America?

Iran's Church Growth: A Discipleship Model

The truly good and big news of the week was an exclusive interview I obtained with one of Iran's leading Christians. Reza (not his real name) answered questions about why Iran is the fastest-growing church in the world. HINT: discipleship, discipleship, discipleship—something almost forgotten in the Western church world.

There are no pew warmers in Iran. Over one million Christians, former Muslims, meet in homes led by 25 "apostolic" leaders. They read the scriptures, distribute communion, and disciple one another, reaching out to family, friends, and neighbors with the gospel.

As a result, 2,000 Iranians become Christians every day, meeting in nearly 4,000 homes, "gossiping the gospel" to all who will hear. With 50,000 of the 75,000 mosques officially closed and atheism proven a dead end, Christianity is making inroads into a land where Christian communities existed in late antiquity, even as Zoroastrianism and later Islam became the official state religions. Today, Iran hosts one of the oldest continuous Christian presences in West Asia, with various Christian minorities contributing to its diverse religious landscape.

Christ is coming to Iranian Muslims in dreams, Reza told me. There are supernatural healings and more. You can read the full interview here: https://www.virtueonline.org/post/muslims-turn-to-christ-through-dreams

Church of England Blocks SSM Blessings

Church of England bishops cannot legally introduce same-sex marriage blessings due to canon law. Lawyers reportedly forced this correct advice. Bishops must obey the law, resulting in a victory against unauthorized blessings. Homosexuals are outraged, of course, and conservatives are wary that 'local option' will kick in, with bishops allowing these blessings without official pushback. It was the case in the Episcopal Church.

Canon law states that marriage is between a man and a woman. Bishops attempting to bypass the requirement of canon law—that any change to the liturgy would eventually require 2/3 majorities in each House (Bishops, Clergy, and Laity), which they knew they could not achieve—were warned at the time that they were acting ultra vires, among many other concerns. They were ignored.

There is therefore no need for additional DEPO arrangements (although some additional flying bishops would be useful), a source told VOL. "Some bishops will connive at breaking the law, turning a blind eye to clergy carrying out such blessings. (This has been happening for a long time.)"

One of former Archbishop Justin Welby's first projects was to approve the Living in Love and Faith process. Later, Welby said he was 'being thick' to believe the Bible's teaching on sexual ethics. He said faithful and stable same-sex relationships are 'a huge blessing', trading on his delusionary idea that he was an expert on reconciliation.

"Finally, we have a victory. The lawyers have been forced to do their job correctly, and the bishops must obey." You can read more here: https://www.churchofengland.org/media/news-and-press-releases/house-bishops-shares-letter-church-living-love-and-faith-approaches-conclusion

Scottish Episcopal Bishop Faces Bullying Allegations

Anne Dyer, the first female bishop of the Scottish Episcopal Church, can't seem to stay out of the news or trouble. She has been credibly accused of bullying. In December, she faced bullying accusations, and then new complaints of alleged misconduct emerged, a BBC investigation has found. The news follows previous complaints alleging that Dyer had bullied various clergy within the denomination.

One case involves a priest in Aberdeen who says he has nightmares because of how he was treated by Dyer.

Now additional complaints of misconduct have been filed against the bishop. The most recent complaint, one of at least six filed in the past 12 months, was made by Isaac Poobalan, rector of St Andrew's Cathedral in Aberdeen.

Poobalan, whose congregation initially resisted Dyer's appointment, reportedly urged church members to support Dyer. Despite Poobalan's efforts, Dyer recently announced the closure of the Cathedral due to claimed structural issues. As part of the announcement, Dyer stated that a nearby church would become the Cathedral and that she, not Poobalan, would serve as its provost. At a subsequent meeting, Poobalan alleges that Dyer adopted a loud and angry tone toward him. Dyer later suspended him.

The church subsequently overturned the suspension following adverse publicity and a formal grievance procedure, but Dyer continues to ignore calls for Poobalan's reinstatement. Why she has not been removed is the real question.

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