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"God intends us to penetrate the world. Christian salt has no business to remain snugly in elegant little ecclesiastical salt cellars; our place is to be rubbed into the secular community, as salt is rubbed into meat, to stop it going bad." – John Stott Dear Brothers and Sisters, www.virtueonline.org October 17, 2025   Historic Shift: GAFCON Announces Separation   The long-anticipated moment arrived Thursday morning. At 5am, my inbox contained a headline that will reshape Anglican history: "The future has arrived."   GAFCON has declared formal separation from the current Anglican Communion structure. "As has been the case from the very beginning, we have not left the Anglican Communion; we are the Anglican Communion," declared GAFCON chairman Archbishop Laurent Mbanda of Rwanda.     The organization announced it will reform and reorder itself as the Global Anglican Communion . "Our GAFCON Primates gathered this hour to fulfill our mandate to reform the Anglican Communion, as expressed in the Jerusalem Statement of 2008," Mbanda said.     Eight-Point Resolution The archbishop outlined the following framework: 1.   Foundation : The Anglican Communion will be reordered with the Holy Bible as its sole foundation 2.   Rejection of Current Instruments : The so-called Instruments of Communion—the Archbishop of Canterbury, Lambeth Conference, Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), and Primates Meeting—have failed to uphold doctrine and discipline 3.   Separation from Revisionism : Communion cannot continue with those advocating a revisionist agenda that abandons biblical authority and overturns Resolution I.10 of the 1998 Lambeth Conference 4.   Restored Structure : GAFCON has reordered the Communion by restoring its original structure as a fellowship of autonomous provinces bound by Reformation Formularies, as reflected at the first Lambeth Conference in 1867 5.   Non-Participation : Global Anglican Communion provinces shall not participate in meetings called by the Archbishop of Canterbury or the ACC, and shall neither make nor receive monetary contributions from these bodies 6.   Constitutional Amendments : Provinces are encouraged to remove references to communion with the See of Canterbury and the Church of England from their constitutions 7.   Membership Requirements : Provinces or dioceses must assent to the Jerusalem Declaration of 2008 as the contemporary standard for Anglican identity 8.   Leadership Structure : A Council of Primates will elect a Chairman as primus inter pares to preside and "contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3)     Archbishop Mbanda stated that the absence of repentance by predominantly Global North provinces necessitated this action to advance a future where the Bible is restored to the heart of the Communion. Read full details here     GSFA Response: Caution and Concern The Global South Fellowship of Anglicans (GSFA) has not endorsed GAFCON's statement. A senior GSFA archbishop told VOL that GAFCON acted hastily without consulting other orthodox groups.     However, another source suggested GAFCON's patience had worn thin. "GAFCON has been waiting for GSFA to take action. Some GSFA leaders prefer polite conversations with sophisticated (and generous) liberal English and Americans over coordinating with their Nigerian and Australian counterparts." The source noted that Archbishop Mbanda has felt disrespected by certain GSFA leaders, particularly Archbishops Chung and Anis.   The tension reflects different approaches: GSFA emphasizes process and consensus-building, while GAFCON prioritizes decisive action. Some GSFA members reportedly listen to Church of England evangelicals who suggest the situation could improve when Archbishop-designate Mullally retires in six years. After Mullally's appointment, GAFCON decided enough was enough.     Understanding the Mullally Controversy For those outside Anglican circles, the concerns about Sarah Mullally's appointment as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury may seem puzzling. Peter Leach of The Critic offers valuable perspective: "Most negative commentary is either written for a church audience without explaining why specific positions are problematic, or it attacks her identity politics and charisma—charges applicable to any public figure. But for Christian believers, the Church of England isn't simply a state institution. The theology, integrity, and gender of the incumbent are central to leading the Anglican communion."     Three Theological Perspectives: Archbishop Sarah Mullally represents the culmination of revisionist gains in the Church of England, confirming that traditionalist groups like CEEC and Forward in Faith have no viable future within the institution. – Anonymous observer   The Church has always insisted on the maleness of the ordained minister. Christ was incarnate not as generic humanity but as a man—not because masculinity is superior, but because in the divine economy of salvation, His male humanity is integral to His identity as the Bridegroom who lays down His life for the Bride. The nuptial mystery between Christ and His Church is inscribed in the structure of Holy Orders. – Rev. Dr. Ronald H. Moore   By choosing Sarah Mullally, the Church of England has effectively distanced itself from the vast majority of Anglicans in the Global South, who have upheld traditional Christian teachings on marriage and ordination. Many hoped for healing and reconciliation within the fractured Anglican Communion. Instead, this decision closes that door and signals affirmation of the unorthodox direction taken by the Church of England and several Western provinces. – Archbishop Mouneer Anis Read Peter Leach's full analysis   Is the West Experiencing Religious Revival? Some believe Western culture is experiencing—or desperately needs—a spiritual awakening. Proponents point to Gen Z leading a movement away from technological narcissism and social media toward Christian hope. However, cultural Christianity and orthodox faith are not synonymous. Many conservatives embrace traditional values and "the American Way" without genuine submission to Christ.   As Rev. Dr. Ronald Moore observes: "In the early Church, there was one Body, one faith, one baptism. If you walked away from the Church, you walked away from the faith. Today, we have a buffet. If First Baptist offends you, try another. If Baptists are too much, there's a Presbyterian church. And if they preach anything uncomfortable, there's always a non-denominational place with better coffee and a rock band."   Young generations are indeed spiritually bankrupt and desperate for transcendent meaning. Any signs of authentic spiritual life are hopeful. Yet Paul's advice to Timothy remains relevant: "Lay hands on no man suddenly" (1 Tim. 5:22)—wisdom applicable when new leaders emerge rapidly. Americans perpetually seek the next "new thing"—the latest guru, the newest spiritual enlightenment. Most possess minimal spiritual depth.     Troubling Survey Data Significant numbers of evangelicals hold concerning theological positions: 53% believe the Holy Spirit is a force, not a personal being (2025 State of Theology survey) 30% agree Jesus was a great teacher but not God (Ligonier Ministries) 18% believe the Holy Spirit can command actions forbidden in Scripture 65% believe Jesus is "the first and greatest being created by God" 46% believe "everyone sins a little, but most people are good by nature" 42% believe "God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam"   These findings reveal substantial theological confusion among those identifying as evangelical.   The MAGA movement's attempt to portray its leader as Christ-like faces challenges from Donald Trump's recent statements about hatred and his prospects for heaven, testing evangelical support. Mary Ann Mueller has written a moving reflection: Three Words That Shocked the World     ACNA-JACF Legal Dispute Continues The public conflict between the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) and the Joint Anglican Communion of Forces (JACF) has escalated into lawsuits with no clear resolution in sight.   Timeline: JACF Bishop Derek Jones faces charges of "credible complaints alleging abuse of ecclesiastical power" from ACNA Archbishop Steve Wood Jones denies charges and withdraws JACF diocese from ACNA ACNA claims JACF belongs to ACNA and cannot separate ACNA installs a new bishop JACF sues to retain name and chaplains ACNA files response     The ACNA requests the court deny JACF's motion for temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction, arguing that JACF is not entitled to presumptive ownership of its marks, that ACNA has common law rights to its marks, and that the court should honor the immunity doctrine established in Milivojevich .   One lay woman's perspective on how this conflict has impacted her local JACF congregation: We the Uncommon in Communion: A Lay Woman's Lament     Bishop Ruch Trial Concludes The trial concerning Bishop Stewart W. Ruch III has concluded, and the court has adjourned for deliberations. Confidentiality prevails as the outcome remains uncertain. Latest report available here     Anglican Watch Interview I was recently interviewed by Eric Bonetti, editor of Anglican Watch. Despite our differing views on issues including same-sex marriage, Eric has been a valued friend and trusted colleague for years. He has never accused me of homophobia, and I admire his honest handling of sexual abuse cases (both homosexual and heterosexual) in The Episcopal Church. Read the interview here     United Methodist Split: A Preview? Three years ago, the United Methodist Church split over same-sex marriage and LGBTQ clergy ordination. More than 7,600 congregations disaffiliated, joining the newly formed Global Methodist Church—a theologically conservative denomination that launched in 2022 with dozens of congregations and now oversees more than 4,600 worldwide.   The Anglican Communion may follow a similar trajectory. The numbers will be larger, but the outcome likely the same. Light and darkness cannot coexist.     Church of England Pauses LLF Process Church of England bishops have suspended progress on the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) report. While maintaining that church doctrine on marriage remains unchanged, the blessing of same-sex marriages is now on hold indefinitely.   One prominent evangelical commentator told The Living Church he was "not surprised," suggesting factors include "weariness, a new archbishop (Archbishop-designate Sarah Mullally), and recognizing how hard it will be to push this forward." Read more here     Canterbury Cathedral Installation Draws Criticism US Vice President JD Vance criticized a new installation at Canterbury Cathedral featuring red graffiti-style writing on ancient stone walls with questions to God such as: "Why did you create hate when love is by far more powerful?"   Vance wrote on X that the exhibit made "a beautiful historical building really ugly." Others praised the temporary installation, with Dean of Canterbury David Monteith saying it "intentionally builds bridges between cultures, styles and genres." Details here   Recommended Reading: Three New Christian Bloggers Rev. Dr. Ronald Moore – Writing as Southern Anglican, Dr. Moore's thoughtful analysis appears on VOL's website and his Substack: southernanglican.substack.com   J. Neil Daniels – An aspiring theologian and historian, author of multiple books on doctrine, history, and polemics with deep appreciation for Scripture and the Reformation's legacy: irishbaptist@substack.com   The Biblical Man – Creating raw, KJV-focused content to equip Christians with truth and conviction: biblicalman.substack.com     Reflections on Six Archbishops Having lived through the reigns of six Archbishops of Canterbury, I've reached some conclusions that may interest readers. Read my reflections here   Support VOL's Ministry VOL reaches readers in 55 countries with hundreds visiting our new website daily. I take no salary, but employ staff and maintain our online presence. Please consider a tax-deductible donation: Online: PayPal donation link   Mail: VIRTUEONLINE P.O. Box 111 Shohola, PA 18458 Thank you for your support.   Yours in Christ,   David   Middle East Coverage My Substack on Middle East affairs continues to draw global attention. I strongly support Israel's right to exist and prosper while confronting both foreign and domestic enemies. Access here: davidvirtue2.substack.com Latest report: Israel Controls the Narrative Commentaries by David Virtue Viewpoints by David W. Virtue

17th October 2025 My brothers and sisters in Christ, I write , first and foremost, to thank you for your kind messages on my appointment as the next Archbishop of Canterbury. It means a great deal to me to have your encouragement as I respond to the call of Christ and prepare for this new ministry. This is a call that I accept with a sense of peace, because I trust not in myself, but in God, who has called me to the service of his Church. I am grateful for the support of my family – my husband, Eamonn, and our adult children. I will also be grateful for your support, as we minister together to God’s people across our Communion. I am deeply conscious that this shared ministry takes place across very diverse contexts – and for some in profoundly difficult situations, witnessing to Christ’s love in places of war, persecution and extreme poverty. I know that each ministry brings its own particular joys and challenges, as we serve the Church across the world. Please be assured that I am praying daily for each of you, and I will continue to do so. My Christian journey began at the age of 16. Encouraged by a friend, I took a step of faith, making a personal commitment to follow Jesus Christ. Throughout my life, this relationship has been my anchor, holding me fast throughout every storm, firmly tied to the truth of the Gospel. Since then, I have had one single vocation: to follow Christ, wherever he might lead me. I did this first as a nurse, caring for and washing the feet of people at the most vulnerable points in their lives – to embody, as best I could, the hands of Christ on earth. I carried the same vocation with me, and the same duty of care, into my priestly ministry, and I carry it with me now as I move from London to Canterbury. I strongly believe that this new ministry is not mine alone. It is a shared with you, my colleague primates, together with bishops, priests and congregations all across our Communion. There is a proverb to which I hold: if you want to go fast, go alone; but if you want to go far, go together. I rejoice in sharing this journey with everyone in our Communion. In London, perhaps the most theologically diverse diocese in the Church of England, I hope I have learned how to work even with those who cannot accept my role as bishop or priest – and to do so in a way that is respectful, allowing me to do all I can to support them in their ministry as fellow Christians. This approach will not change when I become Archbishop. Naturally, the announcement of my appointment has brought renewed attention to the Church of England’s decision to allow churches – at their own discretion – to offer prayers of blessing for people in same-sex relationships. I welcomed the introduction of the Prayers of Love and Faith, while also affirming the Church of England’s decision to maintain its doctrine of Holy Matrimony as a lifelong union between one man and one woman. These decisions, taken by the General Synod in February 2023, remain the position of the Church of England. Last week the House of Bishops agreed in principle that any further decisions relating to these questions would require additional synodical and legislative processes. I recognise that these are matters of deep theological conviction for many across our Communion. I remain committed to listening with humility, and travelling together to the highest degree possible, as we continue to discern the truth of God and to make room for one another. I am now studying The Nairobi-Cairo Proposals of the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order published last year. They present a vision of Anglican life together that, rather than expecting a structural or theological uniformity, envisions space for confessional and geographical groupings set within the shared life of the Instruments of Communion. I encourage you to reflect on these with me in preparation for our deliberations and decisions at the Anglican Consultative Council in Belfast next year. Jesus Christ himself would hold us all together, calling us not to be conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, so that we may be able to test and approve the good and pleasing and perfect will of God (Rom 12:2). We do so in part by accompanying one another in patient prayer and friendship, even when we disagree. Over the past two years, in the company of Anglican brothers and sisters in diverse settings, from Mozambique to Barbados to Brazil, I have found myself rejoicing in our shared rhythms of worship, our shared historical inheritance, our shared focus on Sacrament and Word, mission, and advocacy for those in need. By God’s grace, in the power of the Spirit, I pray that we can continue, as well, to reach agreement about important matters whenever possible, and to make space for conscientious differentiation when necessary. In the Church of England, our history of safeguarding failures has left a legacy of deep harm and mistrust. As Archbishop, I will remain committed to listening to survivors, caring for the vulnerable, and fostering a culture of safety. It is in God that we find our rock, our place of shelter, and it is our duty to enact this same protective love – to be that place of safety for everyone. Thank you once again for the gift of your collegiality. I look forward to meeting many of you at my installation next year, and to working with representatives from your provinces at ACC-19. I give thanks for the Anglican Cycle of Prayer that encourages us to pray for one another each day. You and your Churches are daily in my prayers. Please do keep my ministry, and that of the Church of England, in yours. Yours in Christ, The Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally DBEBishop of LondonArchbishop of Canterbury-designate

Pastoral Letter to the Clergy and People of God The Future Has Arrived — The Reordering of the Anglican Communion “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.” – Jeremiah 6:16 (ESV) Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. On October 16, 2025—the day the Church commemorates the martyrdom of Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley —my brother GAFCON Primates and I, gathered as the GAFCON Primates’ Council, released a declaration that will, I believe, mark a decisive moment in the life of the Anglican family.   With sober joy we said together: “The future has arrived.”     For almost twenty years we have prayed and labored toward this day. From Jerusalem to Kigali, from Sydney and soon, Abuja, we have sought one end—that the Word of God might again stand at the heart of Anglican fellowship. What began in 2008 as a plea for repentance has now become, by God’s grace, the reordering of the Anglican Communion itself.       As a colleague wrote me yesterday, “This is not a revolution. It is a restoration.”         Why We Spoke         When we first gathered in Jerusalem in 2008, the generational leadership of that era called the Anglican Communion back to its biblical and apostolic foundations. Their hope was that those who had departed from the authority of Scripture would return.         That call went largely unheeded.          Over the years, the very institutions once charged with guarding the faith—Canterbury, Lambeth, the Anglican Consultative Council, and the Primates’ Meeting—have too often become agents of confusion rather than clarity.         As we met and prayed together last week, we knew the time had come to act. We therefore declared what has long been true in conscience and conviction: the so-called “Instruments of Unity” have failed to guard the faith once delivered to the saints. They have failed us, and are indeed inadequate to renew us.         Structures cannot bring revival. Bureaucracy cannot breathe life into dry bones. Only the Word of God and the Spirit of God can renew the Church. As Ezekiel learned in the valley of dry bones, reformation begins not with organization, but with proclamation: “Prophesy to the breath… and the breath came into them, and they lived” (Ezek. 37:9–10).         The future of Anglicanism will not be secured by repairing broken machinery, but by returning to our first love and our final authority—the living Word of God. For our identity is not institutional; it is biblical. And our communion is not defined by geography or politics, but by shared submission to the Word of God.         The Global Anglican Communion         In our statement we affirmed that “the Holy Bible, translated, read, preached, taught, and obeyed in its plain and canonical sense,” is the one true foundation of our fellowship. This language reflects both the Jerusalem Declaration and Article VI of the Thirty-Nine Articles: “Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation.”         We therefore recognized and named what already exists among us: a renewed fellowship of biblically faithful provinces that we call the Global Anglican Communion.         This is not a new denomination. It is the historic Anglican family restored to its original pattern—autonomous provinces united by the gospel, by our Formularies, and by a shared commitment to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord.         Together we will be governed by a Council of Primates, choosing from among ourselves a  primus inter pares —a first among equals—to serve in collegial oversight. The bonds that unite us will be those of truth, prayer, and mission, not hierarchy or bureaucracy.         A Word About Canterbury         You may well note that our declaration made no mention of the newly appointed Archbishop of Canterbury. That silence was deliberate. To single out a person would have been to suggest that our identity still revolves around that See.         This moment is not about personality or politics; it is about principle. By our silence we proclaimed a deeper truth: the See of Canterbury no longer defines who we are.         The Challenges Before Us         Though we rejoice, we are not naïve. The future will undoubtedly test our resolve. Every reforming movement begins with unity of purpose and soon encounters the trials of endurance.         We will have to guard against the danger of fragmentation. We must remain centered not only on what we reject but on what we affirm—the gospel of grace, the authority of Scripture, the mission of Christ’s Church.         We will have to guard against the danger of organizational drift. Having released one human center of authority, we must not replace it with another. Our Council must remain conciliar, not corporate—led by prayer and governed by the Spirit.         We must guard against the danger of doctrinal narrowness. True Anglicanism is both catholic and reformed—biblical, creedal, liturgical, and sacramental. If we lose that breadth, we lose the beauty of our heritage.         Perhaps, however, the greatest threat is triumphalism—mistaking fidelity for superiority. This movement began on its knees in Jerusalem; we must remain on our knees. The Global Anglican Communion must be marked by repentance and humility.         The Hope of Renewal         What we are witnessing is part of a larger work of the Holy Spirit. Across the world the Lord is renewing His Church—calling it back to its first love, its first mission, and its first authority. Institutions that once seemed unshakable are faltering, while new expressions of faithful witness are taking root.         The world may see division; Providence sees pruning. What remains will bear fruit.         A Call to Gratitude and Forgiveness         For all who love the Church, this is a time for gratitude, not gloating.         We give thanks that the Word of God endures.         We give thanks that the gospel still saves.         And we give thanks that the Anglican family, once adrift, has rediscovered her compass in Christ.         Now we must live what we proclaim—grounded in the Word, alive in the Spirit, and sent into the world for the sake of the gospel.         The future has indeed arrived.         And by God’s mercy, it looks very much like the past—biblical, prayerful, global, and free.         A Prayer for the Church Almighty and everlasting God, who by Thy Holy Spirit didst guide the apostles and hast promised to lead Thy Church into all truth: Keep, we pray, the Global Anglican Communion steadfast in faith, humble in spirit, bold in witness, and holy in life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with Thee and the same Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen. Faithfully in Christ, The Most Reverend Steve Wood Archbishop and Primate | Anglican Church in North America

From: Mary Ailes, Truro Church, Fairfax, VA   Saturday, January 10 Plano East Conference - Day Two   When I got up this morning in the dark, the temperatures outside in the single digits, I asked myself, why are you doing this?  Haven’t I heard it all?  How many of these things have I gone to?  Will I really hear anything new?  Does anyone really have any idea what is going to happen?  Wouldn’t it be better just to stay in the warmth of this bed and let someone else do it? Why don’t I just become a Quaker? But I got up. And out into the dark I went.  What I found when I got to Plano East were now 3,000 Episcopalians - all fired up for Jesus.   Imagine this.  I feel like I have been able to stand on tiptoe and look through a small window and catch a glimpse of what may be coming.  And friends, it looks real good.  Come look through the window with me.   Imagine this.  I am rushing through a quick lunch today at a local Potomac Mills Burger King and a young man walks over to me at the beverage counter. May I ask you a question? he asks tentatively, as his two young children run to join his wife at their table.  I said sure, thinking he must have seen the name badge I was still wearing.   Who are all those people over at Hylton Chapel? he asked me.  Ive never seen so many cars over there before.   Oh, that 3,000 Episcopalians. I answered simply.   His eyes opened wide.  Episcopalians? he whispered incredulously.   His wonder, his amazement mirrors exactly how I feel right now as I write to you.  I did not expect - at all - to go to this meeting today and come home feeling as though I have been on a major spiritual retreat.  I am now so use to living in the valley that I forgot there are mountains.  I am so excited by what God is doing in our midst - and this is really happening - that I hope we can build strong bridges between us, though the miles may separate us.  It looks like it could be a Second Reformation.  And to think I almost turned over and went back to sleep.  It might be cold.  But it is warm.   The Revd John Yates, rector of the Falls Church Episcopal in Falls Church, VA, opened the day with an exhortation on the primacy of the Scriptures in the church.  The church has always through the ages submitted to the Scriptures as God's informative guide, he said.  In the last few generations our church has tolerated leaders who have jettisoned the Scriptures.  We now have to say enough is enough.  We bow to the authority and the total trustworthiness of Scripture.  We remember Ridley, Latimer, and Cranmer who held fast to this authority even though it cost them their lives. Ridley, I think, the one who was tied to a burning fire with Latimer in the First Reformation.  Ridley, the one whom Latimer encouraged in their last moments with the immortal words Be of good cheer, Master Ridley, and play the man.  For today shall light such a candle ... that shall never go out. The candle is lit, the winds blow strong, they blow cold here in Virginia - but the flame still burns.   I am up in the balcony in the full to capacity hall.  Richard Crocker is at the podium and introduces David Bickel, president of the Washington DC Chapter of the American Anglican Council to welcome us to this conference. Many in the Washington diocese cannot see what causes the alarm from General Convention.  They see it as a cafeteria plan - why should it impact anyone else?  The DC-AAC has worked to show what corporate accountability means from the biblical perspective.  ECUSA is not an island.  We are in relationship with all the Christian community throughout the world.   Kendall Harmon, Canon theologian to the Diocese of South Carolina and editor of the Anglican Digest.  He looks like he just walked straight out of Hobbiton.  Richard Crocker says Kendall is the Leader of the Re-asserters. I think he Samwise Gamgee.  He is also the one who wrote the Minority Report of One at General Convention opposing CO51, the Resolution endorsing Same Sex Unions.  Kendall takes the podium and speaks on Anglican Essentials, from a talk he gave at Plano I.  I know his talk is now available at his website http://titusonenine.blogspot.com .  But here are some highlights:   ANGLICAN ESSENTIALS   We are catholic Christians: What it means above all is a sense that we stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before.  Take the time to pay attention to the history of the Holy Spirit.  What does Augustine say about idolatry  - Augustine said idolatry was to worship anything that ought to be used and use anything that ought to be worshiped.  Catholics are those who plead for order.  God put together the universe in an orderly way.  Order has an important place in the work.  We find order in the liturgy.  The liturgy becomes and obstacle to worship because it becomes a Baskin Robbins liturgy - each week a different flavor.  Crammer sat down to write a book of COMMON prayer.  The more important the decision the more we should consult because we are a conciliatory church.   Charismatic - Kendall says he learned a lot from St. Paul Darien, CT. Drove five hours one way to worship.  God exists. So He is to be worshipped for who He is.  Worship Him in Spirit and in Truth for the full glory of Him.  The charismatic movement is a wakeup call to the church.  Terry Fullum also taught that in addition to worship, there is the power of the Holy Spirit.  Dynamite.  God is a God who places the same power in His people the same power that God uses to resurrect His Son from the dead.   Canonical - We believe in the authority of the Bible.  1958 Lambeth Conference Report: The church is not over the Holy Scriptures, but under them.  In this sense that the process of canonization of the books of the Bible possess authority.  The books were recognized by giving witness of the Apostles of the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord ... To that apostolic authority the church must ever bow.  We have a problem in the Episcopal Church - God is apparently doing a new thing but God does not do new things that are at odds with who God has revealed himself to be.   Christ - it is really about Jesus, Kendall said.  Jesus Christ is the center of it all.  Jesus is the most interesting person of all.  The Life of Jesus, the Crucifixion of Jesus, the Resurrection of Jesus - this is Jesus born, died, risen for you - what are you going to do about it?   Cross - To be a Christian does not mean one starts with the world and oneself and moves into the cross, but one starts at the foot of the cross and then from there move out to oneself and the world, Kendall said.  The cross is the center of it all.  The author enters His own story.  Jesus is God with skin.  But we took that wonderful gift and we said no.  I will rule this world, I will be as God - Crucify Him!  But the very same God who is refused by the world on Good Friday uses it to transform the world that crucifies Him.  He has taken upon himself the rejection of Himself by the world.   Conversion - Just moving people into the community and getting them excited about liturgical worship.  That's not it!  It is about rescuing the lost. We must be reconciled to God - meaning you are not reconciled to God now.  We are in a church where the liturgical common life is set increasing at odds with the world view.  How many people in this parish have met Jesus Christ personally and have been transformed by His love?   Conclusion - There must be a realignment in Anglicanism.  In Minneapolis the Episcopal Church decided to risk the church - all four authorities - Lambeth, the Primates, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Anglican Consultative Council said don’t do it.  We did not consult them and we did it anyway.  It is not catholic it will not stand.  The Spirit of God was grieved, a way of life that is in contradiction of holiness was celebrated. This is not catholic it will not stand.  The Holy Scriptures were quickly dismissed or deliberately twisted - this is not catholic, it will not stand. In Minneapolis, the Gospel of Jesus Christ was replaced with a therapeutic Gospel, a gospel of affirmation in the hands of a satisfied therapist.  If we embrace the biblical Gospel we are a threat to this new gospel - they see it as unjust and unchristian.  There are two Gospels clashing in Anglicanism and we have only been given One Gospel.  We must stand together.   The assembly rises to our feet in sustained applause.  Yes, we will stand together.  We must.   Then comes another memorable moment at Plano East.   The Revd Tom Logan. Rector of Calvary Church of Washington.  Comes to the podium and sings boldly Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.  The hall joins him in the song.  We have been bamboozled, run amok and we need to declare the authority of the world of God.  It is not a doctrine of inclusiveness that will save us, but Jesus who will save us - we know this because the Bible tells us so.  Where is your faith?  The Word of God, the message of hope has gotten the African Americans through the darkest days, Tom told us.  He confesses that he has been complacent because he thought there were more pressing issues of what he has to face.  Calvary Church is surrounded by these issues and thought he was complacent.  All this discussion about sexuality was for the white community, he confesses. Very moving.  Very moving. He is so transparent as he speaks. How do I know there is a healing power in Jesus? He asks.  The Bible tells me so.  We need to get the light of the Word shine in our lives, in our discussion, in 815, in Lambeth Palace, in this little light of mine.  He concludes with the entire place breaking out into This Little Light of Mine.  The place starts rocking.  Awesome!   The question is asked: Is this crisis really different from other crisis?   Kendall Harmon comes to the podium.  The ordination of women is brought into this discussion about ordaining non-celibate homosexuals.  But it is very different.  We see that England used the New Testament, the Scriptures, to make their case for women ordination.  There was a scripturally based argument.  There are New Testament passages that were used to make this case.  But there are no scriptural grounds to uphold the consecration of Gene Robinson or the passage of C051.  Some tried to take the Bible and maintain that what we think that what the Bible says is not really what the Bible says.  So they tried to reinterpret the Bible culturally and say that this book doesn’t apply to us.  But this didn’t work.  Walter Wink grants the fact the Bible is overwhelming against it so let just cast the Bible aside.  Please provide me a solid biblical argument to make this change, Kendall said.  The Word of God is brought by the Spirit of God into the Church of God.  The Church is the means into which the Word is brought into the world.  The Anglican Communion has said something different about sexuality than the ordination of women.  The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Primates, the Lambeth Conference, and the ACC all said not to consecrate Gene Robinson, but this was not the case in the women ordination.  They are not the same, don’t be fooled by that argument.   Diane Knippers President of IRD talks about exposing three myths about what happened at General Convention:   #1 This Represents the Future - This is not true, Diane said.  The sexual ethics are not new but from the 20th century. It is the timeless standards of Scriptures that matters.    #2 For the Poor & Oppressed - The actual victims of the sexual revolution are racial minorities, the poor, and our children.    #3 Undermining Christian Unity - the truth is that General Convention dealt a terrible blow to Christian unity.  Relations with the wider Anglican Communion, evangelicals, Orthodox, Roman Catholics, charismatic, etc., were broken.  Denominational lines do not mark the boundaries of Christendom.  We dissenters have learned our lessons well.  The big lie is that one must choose between truth and unity. They are the different sides of the same coin.  Genuine truth defines our unity, genuine unity protects the Truth.   Martyn Minns - The Network of Anglican Dioceses and Parishes: The network is a network of Anglican dioceses and parishes within the Episcopal Church.  It is not a part of official structure, but a structure to be reckoned with. This network was discussed with Archbishop of Canterbury prior to his meeting with Primates.  The name was his suggestion.  A network of confessing churches, not dissenters.  There will be a meeting in Plano on Jan. 19-20th.  Writing bylaws.  12 Dioceses represented.  They will come to agree set of convictions.  How do you join?  Individual dioceses will join by action of their own standing committees and diocesan councils. Individual parishes will join by an action of their own congregation - congregational meetings.  Some parishes need adequate oversight.  Geoff Chapman is working with at least 100 parishes that have asked for oversight and the network will provide this.  What will do it for us?  Our hope it will give everyone a community of faith - a community with a renewed emphasis on mission, to not be ashamed of being Anglican.  It will give parishes new orthodox leadership to our churches, along with new partnerships in North America (including Canada - like New Westminster).  It will give parishes a place to stand and fellowship.  Some may participate without agreement from diocesan bishop. This may cause some controversy - but it is not our intent.  What about members of parishes who have supported GC?  Build your own network within your own congregation - you are not alone.  Connect through the internet, meet together and pray and seek the Lord decision.It may be that you are called to remain a faithful remnant or perhaps not.  We also hope to encourage the planting of new churches. Planting churches is a proper way to propagate the parishes.    Uganda wrote a stinging letter to the Presiding Bishop disinviting him to the consecration of a new bishop.  We prefer to be poor.  We would like to welcome a member of the network instead, they told Griswold.  Bishops Duncan and Stanton are going instead.  That is radical stuff.  Southern Cone has also embraced the network.  We see this happening around the Anglican Communion.  Will the network divide the Episcopal Church?  No.  That division has all ready occurred.  The network will give hope and a place to belong.  Could it become a replacement for ECUSA.  Only God knows - but we will be ready.   Hugo Blankingship - He is the former chancellor of the Diocese of Virginia. At Plano I a group of lawyers met to discuss the critical issues that could confront parishes, including property rights, redirecting of funds, clergy pensions, assets, protection of clergy.  More than 70 lawyers came at 7:30 a.m. in Plano and have signed up to help.  More have come forward and more are invited to join the pool.  We live in a complex society - legal ramifications in what we do or don’t do.  Many clients say they are tired of being told not what to do.  All this talk about hiring lawyers sounds as though we are advocating lawsuits.  Not so.  Great majority of lawsuits are instituted by liberal dioceses.  Hope is that we can resolve difficulties peacefully.  It should be the last resort.  It compels us though to be ready.  Catch the excitement of our time, dangerous times, and yet there seems to be building up a quiet confidence that God is in charge and a good day is in front of us.  It could be that we are entering a Second Reformation.  Why would anyone want to miss out on what God is going to do?   We broke for lunch and my head was spinning.   International Missions The Revd Tad de Bordenave, Director of Anglican Frontier Missions: Missions must remain a priority - how will we be known, we will be known as the missionary churches.  We do much of the Great Commission very very well. But there is a major piece that is scarce.  The notion of all.  Each and every one - go and make disciples of each and every nation.  Are there disciples in that nation, are there structures, is there Scriptures, are there pastors, Christian education, health care in that nation.  Jesus expects and calls us to go to the nations.   Jim Oaks - Five Talents.  Craig Cole is in the Philippines and then is going to India to spread the word about Five Talents.  Jim says we are rich beyond imagining.  The cost of our lunches - even if it was a modest lunch - would feed an African child for a week.  Jesus talks a lot about feeding the body as well as the soul.  Jim says we have skills about business that are invaluable.  He then tells his story.  He was invited to go to Africa and he had a good laugh about that.  He had just started a new business and thought it was impossible to go to the Sudan for two weeks and told his wife, his Home Group, his family, and God that.  And that was that.  Three months later he was in the Sudan.   It very dangerous business to dare God to do things.   Edwina Thomas - SOMA.  Edwina tells the story of a church in Pakistan that she visited that was built in the center of the city.  It was built to blend in with the rest of the city, you really couldn’t tell it was church while it was being built.  Edwina was taken up to the top of the tower.  She learned that when the church was built and finished the time came for them to place the cross on top of the dome.  They gathered in the tower after the completion of the church, Edwina was told, and a man went out to the top of the dome to lift high the cross.  As he started to get it into place, he was shot and fell to his death.  Time passed and another man went up to the dome to lift high the cross, and he too was shot to death.  This went on and on - one by one.  Edwina could see the bullet holes.  Then one day, the Muslims stopped shooting.  They learned that the Christians wouldn’t stop, they would keep at it, lifting high the cross.  And so the cross is there.  Tears stream down my face.  And I am not the only one.  I am a member of the Order of the Daughters of the King.  Lift High the Cross is our official hymn. I will never be able to hear it again without thinking of that church in Pakistan.   Time to Pray : And so we start to pray.  People split up into groups of six. The first part of the prayer is dedicated to repentance.  We begin by repenting for the pride and arrogance of our church.  There is a hush over the room as thousands break into small groups and begin to pray for repentance.  Then we pray asking God to give us humility in place of pride. Father we repent that we have seen ourselves as a church that gives dollars, that we have it all - but what we really need is to receive from other parts of the Anglican Communion, the great contribution of our faith.  Forgive us for the ways we have dishonored our brothers and sisters around the world. Father, we ask you to forgive us in Jesus Name.  We then were asked to pray for martyrs who are suffering around the world for their faith.  Father, we ask you that you will protect those who suffering for Jesus' sake around the world.  Forgive us for our inactivity in the mission, we have been more concerned about our issues and not for the salvation of the lost.  We then pray for the missions that have been presented this afternoon.  Father, here we are before you.  We do have some energy, some money, some time.  Father, change us - help draw us, change us, to choose to give generously to fulfill your great commission.  We want this DNA of the Great Commission in this emerging network.   Local Missions Jenny Noyes - Alpha Course.  What exactly is Alpha?  Jenny outlines the Alpha Course, now called the most effective evangelism tool today.  Alpha is friendship-based evangelism.  How can churches find out more about running an Alpha Course?  We are going to have the Alpha Conference in April 19-20 at the National Presbyterian Church in Washington with Nicky Gumbel.   Bob Ragan - Regeneration.  Vice President of Exodus International.  What are the lies we typically battle with?  The same time we bless the lie, we curse the truth.  It is a lie that it is genetically predetermined.  Science has never proven this is true.  These studies are not repeatable.  Identical twins study - where one twin does, and one twin doesn’t.  Not a solely genetically caused disorder.  My creator knows me best.  We need to promote in our churches the truth.  When the truth is not spoken the lie is too easily believed.  We need the testimonies in our church - not the political but the redemptive.  What does healing really mean?  Sanctification is a better word for it - a process that we are all involved in.  How do we define success for those who are sexually broken? We all go through the sanctification - we all go through death-styles that God brought us out of in His redemption.  This does not change overnight, by daily choices.  Bob is asked do you still struggle?  He is no longer overwhelmed, but he must maintain his health and if he doesn’t he becomes vulnerable.  It not sexual, it emotional.  His perspective has changed.  How do we pastorally help those who are caught in sexual brokenness?  Allow God to search your heart first.  Before we pick out the spec on others eyes - gay specks with straight planks.  Great quote.  We can take off our masks.  Sexual brokenness and identity are one - shame and self hatred are one.  And so when one was attacked, the other was attacked as well.  Talk to those who have been there.  Be the image bearer of Jesus Christ.  God Truth -speak with compassion.  God Love with boundaries.  Bob looks over the thousands and says, I can begin to have hope that I wont have to apologize for being an Episcopalian.  When Bob went to sit down the applause began and kept going and going and going and then the people rose to their feet.     Steve Schlossberg - LAMB Center for the Homeless, Fairfax City: There was a problem in our church.  Strangers came to the church with needs and left as strangers.  Strangers don’t come to the Episcopal Church.  The LAMB Center was created.  There is a table where people are met, food is shared, the Bible is studied, people who are strangers to one another, to county services, to the church and to themselves - people are met.  The rest of the story is that we need them.  We will parish without them.  They are broken, and they know it.  We are broken and we forget it.  This is at least half the reason God calls us to the poor - we need to know our own poverty.  And when we meet those who know impoverishment we are going to be changed, carried to the foot of the cross by the people we came to save.  When you meet people on the street they are very good at surviving.  It is impossible not to admire how they survive, but it impossible to keep that admiration up because they are not surviving, they are not living.  One of our temptations is to go into survival mode and not really live.   The Revd Tom Herrick - Church Planting: Why do we do Church Planting?  The reasons that come to mind begin with the Great Commission.  Evangelism has to happen in such a way that it changes people lives.  Reach new generations is another reason to do Church Planting.  New churches are like adding new registers at Best Buy before Christmas.  If there was a way to add more registers, even more people will go to Best Buy.  That just about sums it up.  Think about it the next time you’re at Best Buy.   Time to Pray Once again people are gathering into groups for prayer.  First to pray and give thanksgiving for Alpha and for the Alpha Ministry, the Regional Office in Washington and for Nicky Gumbel.  The people begin to pray for the Alpha.  This is very cool - to see, after all these years, people praying for the Alpha Course.  What a mighty work of God - to see how this tool for evangelism has become a staple in what is happening in the Episcopal Church.  Then the people begin to pray for the April Conference. Imagine, 3,000 people are now praying for the Alpha Conference.  This is just totally amazing!  Totally amazing!  Then we pray for the issue that Bob brought up - for forgiveness for sexual immorality.  The issue is not sexual, it is emotional.  Until we are committed to a lifestyle of emotional healing, not only in our physical bodies, but in the Body of Christ.  This was followed by a time of prayer for the homeless.  Pray for ministries like the LAMB Center and pray that they will prosper.  We then asked the Lord to open our eyes to the problem of homelessness around us, as individuals and as the church.  Then we are asked to sit down.  The vicars of church plants and missions are asked to stand and we pray for them.  Build up in them faith, the power of Your Holy Spirit, and the ability to see beyond the normal to that of what you want to do, gather around them key lay leaders and laity to build up Your church in a new place.  Pray for their families who have also put themselves on the line.Thank you Father that you are in the business of multiplying us.Take your law of sanctification and so make us holy so that we will be made attractive to those who are hurting and lost and will find the Church.   And now comes the part where the window opens.   The Mission of the Church : The Next Generation The Youth lead a time of contemporary spirit-filled worship.   David Young, Youth Leader from Christ the Redeemer: Shares about the vision for the Next Generation, followed by a skit.  A really good skit from the youth - how is the issue affecting our young people in our churches?  They open the door for us.   Ashley Barker - College student - William & Mary - major of neuroscience - went to Minneapolis General Convention and member of All Saints Episcopal Church: College is a time for social, spiritual, emotional, and philosophical growth.  She been spending time thinking about why she believes what we believe.  College students are seekers of Truth and seekers of God.  The life of a college student is a time of transition, purpose, and potential.  But a great and successful life awaits on the other side.  God promises to get us through this hard and exciting time.  College students are excited to get through and become the leaders of God Anglican Church. The audience roared and jumped to their feet in resounding applause.   Christopher Douglas - High School student: The problem is not just homosexuality, but adherence to Scripture.  It is there so that we can continue to transform into Christ-like people.  We need to stop trying to save the Episcopal Church as we’ve known it to be - we have been trying to save a church that has not been following God for a long time.  We need to turn to kingdom work - focus away from the politics, the titles, the buildings of the church and to a God who is bigger than these things.  Awake O sleeper, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.  Do not let yourselves be taken in by fools who are filled religious sales talk. Everything is exposed by the light.  The image of Christ: Christopher is teaching from the Scriptures!  We need to live and walk as a transformed church, not a human church that will once again die.  Let us rise from the dead not as a church that will die and perish but as a transformed church.   Yes, it happens again.  The place jumps to its feet and the applause roars.   And then we sing - led by the youth:   I will bless the Lord forever I will trust Him at all times He has delivered from all fear He has set my feet upon a rock And Will not be moved And I’ll say of the Lord You are my shield My strength My portion Deliverer My shelter, Strong tower My very present help in time of need. We bow our hearts, we bend our knees O Spirit make us humble   Time of Prayer We gathered around all the young people under the age of 22. It was awesome.  I feel like I have gotten a glimpse of the future church and it is AWESOME!   Final Address - The Revd Martyn Minns, Rector, Truro: Do you believe that God has a plan for you?  A Hope for you?  A future for you?  Are we willing to talk into God plan, claim God hope, and go into God future?  Tells the story of the life saving service that saved people shipwrecked off the coast.  After a while the life saving was replaced by a comfortable club that forgot it original mission - to save shipwrecked people.  When we invite Jesus into our lives he brings his rowdy friends into his churches. The Gospel is radical inclusion and profound inclusion. The Gospel is radical inclusion and profound transformation - instead of accommodation and acclamation.  So many of our leaders want to rewrite it or ignore it.  We must stand firm in our faith in the confidence in our God who has began a work in our lives will finish.  We do not stand alone but are surrounded a vast majority of Christians throughout the ages and throughout the world.  We must come together with different denominations who share our passion for Christ and His redeeming love, from across the nations and around the world.  What we are experiencing a global realignment - removing old institutions and new structures.  Old power base of the North and West with new leaders from the South and the East.  Do it.  Stay engaged in the work of the gospel and let God deal with the structures.  Stay engaged as a witness of Christ as an ambassador of Grace.  Pray.  Pray is what we do before, during, and after we act.  Prayer does more than we can ever imagine - only source of power to transform our lives as well as others, face to face with the power that transformed the evil of the cross with the glory of the resurrection.  Behold I know the plans I have for you.   Final Prayer - Bishop Mpango of Tanzania He reminded us that there are 45 million Anglicans standing with you and praying for you.  And then he gave the final prayer and blessing.   And this is just the beginning!   I hope this is helpful and encouragement to you.  We are not alone.  The candle continues to burn - and it will never go out.  May we have the courage of the Pakistani Christians who would not fail in lifting high the cross.  May we not fail and lift high the cross.  For it is there, at the foot of the cross, that we find our hope.   Mary Ailes Truro Episcopal Church

By David W. Virtue   CHARLESTON, SC--There is a need for mechanisms of order and discipline in the Anglican Communion if it is to survive, says the president of the Anglican Communion Institute, Dr. Christopher Seitz. Addressing several hundred attendees at a conference here, Seitz, Professor of Divinity at the University of St Andrews, Scotland said, one can actually hear the timbers of our Communion boat creak, and there seems to be little sign that the winds are calming. The Communion has been hit by a tsunami, and we are salvaging what we can and hoping things have not gone beyond the possibility of repair.   At virtually every level of our life, we have been affected by the events of the past six months. The stress and strain has left no one-lay person, clergy, theologian-untouched, he said.   We are heeled way over, shipping water, the seas are rough, we are working hard on deck, there is much activity, much worry, much concern, some people have been washed off deck, some have jumped into lifeboats, the boat is stretched to the limit, and there is concern about sustainability: of the boat and of ourselves.   Seitz told the conferees of theologians, Episcopal clergy and concerned laity, that any talk of a federation must be rejected. We are a Communion, unlike the Lutheran World Federation, which consists of independent national churches. Anglicanism has found its life and mission in a genuine Communion of accountability and interdependence. Within the US, we have tried to emphasize this with the language for a network now forming: Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes.   If some leaders in ECUSA wish to be a local American denomination, one among many others claiming new truth in a New World setting, we at ACI have maintained a different vision: an Anglican Church true to its Communion past and present as the Body of Christ, and not an assemblage of body parts with different goals and different Masters. Seitz expressed puzzlement, though not surprise, at the failure of the post New Hampshire Episcopalianism to declare itself no longer bound by the promises and responsibilities of Communion life.   With all the talk of fresh insight and conviction and new Holy Spirit teaching, why does this talk not find its logical end-point: a kind of declaration of independence from Communion promises and common life? Since its actions indicate a wish to be independent, logic would demand that talk of a genuine Communion-a single body in Christ, as He is our single and only Lord-cease.  And indeed, after New Hampshire, it is hard to imagine that next year Primates meeting, or the Lambeth Conference in five years, will look as they once did, ever again.   We are facing an unprecedented moment in the life of the Anglican Communion. At no point in its long history can a direct analogy be found which would help us determine what kind of response is required. We are at a moment of reckoning with fateful consequences for the identity of Anglicanism as an international Communion of Churches.   Seitz expressed concern that the Communion would devolve into a federation of independent national bodies internally divided and denominated according to individual preferences and wishes.   Dr. Philip Turner, former Yale theologian and Episcopal priest asked, will we divide into two bodies - one composed in large measure of white people from the United Kingdom, North America, Australia and New Zealand and another composed in large measure of people of color from the Global South?   Turner argued that it was still possible to have a Communion of churches that was self-governing, self-supporting and self-propagating. But unless the Archbishop of Canterbury and the primates are willing to impose some form of discipline on the Diocese of New Westminster and ECUSA, there is virtually no hope of maintaining Anglicanism as a communion.   Turner said the actions of New Westminster and ECUSA constituted a direct attack upon this tradition, and in so doing threatened to subvert the basic identity of the Anglican Communion.   Turner argued that Anglicanism could remain a communion if ecclesial integrity and tolerable diversity could be maintained.   Citing reasons against that possibility, Turner said using Scripture proofs, formularies, creeds or confessional statements, political or legal authority, Episcopal, canonical or otherwise, or referring to historical or social developments would not work.   But under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, ecclesial integrity and tolerable diversity could be sustained if the whole of the Bible and historical circumstances functioned in an ordered fellowship of worship and prayer, disputes were resolved through shared will to unity and shaped by the cross, free and open theological debate with mutual correction, inhibited changes in practice until wide agreement about novelties is reached and that there are limits upon the autonomy of any given parish, diocese or province within the Anglican Communion.   Turner cited Cranmer (rather than Hooker) as his model, saying that Cranmer grounded his vision of the prayers of the church in Holy Scripture and the practice of the early fathers rather than in ecclesial authority, doctrinal propositions, or canon law. Cranmer insisted on the communal reading of Holy Scripture in the context of ordered worship which lead to edification and Godliness.   I believe that ecclesial integrity and tolerable diversity are best held in balance by communal reading of Holy Scripture in the context of worship and the ancient prayers of the church, and by the ordering authority of bishops who insure constancy of practice in the midst of a communion of people whose lives manifest the virtues present in Christ own life.   Turner rejected the Roman Catholic answer, which combined the notion of the development of doctrine with Papal teaching authority. He also rejected the Lutheran and Presbyterian notion that sought to bridge the gap between the original witness of the Apostles by means of doctrinal summary of Scripture witness as well as the Evangelical answer in the reading of Scripture controlled by a fixed interpretive grid.   Drawing on the history of Cappadocian Trinitarianism, Scottish theologian Dr. Thomas Smail said that the future of Anglicanism, is learning to live with the Holy Spirit, is the particular challenge that is confronting us now and will continue to confront us in the years ahead.   A Cappadocian Trinitarianism (as opposed to an Augustinian Trinitarianism and the West with its relativizing of the distinctiveness of the divine persons) opens the door to a recognition of the distinctive ministry of the Holy Spirit in the Church. This has implications for theology, for pastoral practice, for worship, and gives us hope that through the confrontation of clashing convictions, the Spirit will yet lead his people into all the truth that the Father gives us through the Son.   END

BOSTON (AP) Archbishop Sean P. OMalley yesterday urged Catholic lawyers to oppose same-sex marriage, saying the institution of marriage and the family are under assault and lawyers need to help protect them.    The social cost of the breakdown of family life has already been enormous, Archbishop O'Malley said at the annual Red Mass, which is dedicated to judges, lawyers and others in the legal system.   It is not a question of live and let live, it is a question of right and wrong, Archbishop O'Malley said.   Later, in an interview, he said: We hope that [Catholic lawyers and judges] will use their profession and their understanding of the law to defend marriage. They’re in a better position than any of us to understand what needs to be done to correct a very complicated situation that the court has put us in.   The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in November that the state cannot deny marriage rights to same-sex couples, a ruling applauded as a civil rights milestone by homosexual activists. The court gave the Legislature six months to pass a law that complies with the ruling.   At a Catholic Lawyers Guild luncheon following the Mass, former Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork assailed the Massachusetts ruling, calling it untethered from the state and federal constitutions.   If anything justifies the term judicial tyranny, this one does, said Mr. Bork, who converted to Catholicism last year.   Gary Buseck, executive director of Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment on Archbishop O'Malley statements.   Archbishop OMalley was installed July 30 as the head of the Boston Archdiocese, which has an estimated 2.1 million parishioners.   His first priority was to settle hundreds of clergy sex-abuse lawsuits filed by people who accused priests of molesting them, and the archdiocese of covering up the scandal. In September, the church agreed to an $85 million settlement.   http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20040112-123616-4956r.htm   END

By David W. Virtue   CHARLESTON, SC--The rectors of one of the largest parish churches in the Diocese of South Carolina has sent a letter of personal regret to AMIA Bishop Chuck Murphy and to the rector of All Saints Church, Waccamaw for its decision to withdraw from the diocese. The Rev. Marc Boutan, associate rector of St. Philip Church, a flagship parish in the heart of Charleston, said some 15 clergy and laity signed a letter saying, We, some of your fellow clergy of the Diocese of South Carolina, gathered coincidentally for the Anglican Communion Institute at St. Philip Church, wish to convey our deep sorrow over this loss.   Although we have been separated to some extent by the legal actions you have taken against the Diocese over the land issue, your friendship, your talent, your vitality and leadership in the cause of Jesus Christ over the years have been wonderful gifts to us -- not something we can relinquish easily. We hate to see our alliance come to this end. We will miss your participation in our common life.   We wish you would reconsider your decision. We need your voice along with ours to stand for the historic Christian faith against the tide of revisionism. We appeal to you give the Anglican Communion an opportunity to discipline ECUSA, and then move together toward the best solution.   Fondly in Christ,   Rev. Haden McCormick, rector Rev. arc Boutan, Associate rector   (15 Signatures followed after this letter.) END

No business-as-usual Global South will not compromise   Archbishop Gomez Address to Anglican Communion Institute   The following address was given by Archbishop Gomez (Primate of the West Indies) at the Anglican Communion Institute Future of Anglicanism Conference held in Charleston, SC on January 8-9, 2004.   By The Most Rev. Drexel W. Gomez   Recent events in North America have placed the entire Anglican Communion into a state of crisis.  We are, as Anglicans, at a critical crossroad in our pilgrimage as a Communion.  I refer, of course to the actions of the Bishop and Synod of the Diocese of New Westminster in Canada where same sex blessings were officially endorsed and authorized by the Synod and subsequently implemented as a matter of diocesan policy.  These actions in New Westminster must be considered against the background of an existing official policy that forbids such actions and a Provincial authority that refuses to enforce the policy.  Meanwhile many Anglicans in New Westminster are suffering and enduring spiritual persecution simply because they have elected to remain faithful to the historic teaching of the Church which prohibits homosexual practice in conforming to the universal teaching of Holy Scripture. In the United States, four actions have contributed to the growing state of chaos in worldwide Anglicanism.  They are:   1. The action of the Diocesan Convention in New Hampshire in electing a non-celibate homosexual living in an openly gay relationship as the Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire.   2. The confirmation of the election by the General Convention.   3. The Consecration of Canon Gene Robinson. These actions must be viewed in the context of: a. The declared official teaching of the Anglican Communion as stated in Lambeth 1:10. b. The repeated affirmation of Lambeth 1:10 by subsequent Primates Meetings. c.    The specific condemnation of same sex blessings from the Primates   Meeting in May 2003.   4. The approval of General Convention [2003] in regard to same sex blessings. There are persons who admit that we face a problem but wish to minimize the impact by reminding us that, Anglicanism, since its beginning has been forged on the anvil of ecclesiastical controversy (Philip Thomas in Sykes, Booty and Knight, page 250).  Paul Avis, The problem of [Anglican Identity] is perennial.  It is as old as Anglicanism itself, but it has surfaced particularly strongly at times of greatest stress and conflict (page 11).  [The Anglican Understanding of Church].  In its mid-16th century efforts of Bishops Jewel and Parker to determine Anglican Identity over and against rival claims of Roman Catholicism.  At the end of the century, Hooker - Of the Laws of ecclesiastical polity in which he defended and defined the integrity of Anglican polity over and against the radical puritans.   The work of Cosin and Hammond led to the restoration of monarchy in 1660 - 62.  19th Century Oxford Movement - the conservative theological and politically conservative defense of Anglican Identity in the face of an emerging secular state.   While we cannot deny that the identity has been our constant companion of our Anglican ecclesiastical journey, we are presently faced with an acute challenge as the nature and future of Anglican Communion, the worldwide family of legally autonomous but spiritually and pastorally interdependent churches that are in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury.   In 1930, the Lambeth Conference defined the Anglican Communion as follows: The Anglican Communion is a fellowship within the one holy catholic and apostolic church, of those duly constituted dioceses, provinces, or regional churches in communion with the See of Canterbury, which have the following characteristic in common:   They uphold and propagate the catholic and apostolic faith and order as they are generally put forth in the Book of Common Prayer as authorized in their several churches. They are particular or national churches and as such, promote within each of their territories a national expression of Christian faith, life and worship; and they are bound together not by a central legislative and executive authority but by natural loyalty sustained by the common counsel of the bishops in conference.   Alongside is the 1930 Lambeth statement we must place the Lambeth 1948 declaration on the dispersed nature of Anglican authority regarded by some as a classical definition of the nature of Anglicanism.   The positive nature of the authority which binds the Anglican Communion together is moral and spiritual, resting on the truth of the Gospel, and on a charity that is patient and willing to defer its common mind.   Authority, as inherited by the Anglican Communion took the individual church of the early centuries of the Christian era, is single in that it is derived from a single divine source, and reflects within itself the richness and historicity of the divine Revelation, the authority of the eternal Father, the incarnate Son, and the life-giving Spirit.  It is dispersed among Scripture, Tradition, Creeds, the Ministry of the Word and Sacraments, the witness of saints, and the consensus fidelium, which is the continuing experience of the Holy Spirit through the faithful in the church.   It is then a dispersed rather than a centralized authority having many elements which combine, interact with and check each other; these elements together contributing a process of mutual support, mutual checking, and redressing of errors of exaggerations in the many-sided fullness of the authority which Christ has committed to His Church.    Where this authority of Christ is to be found mediated not in one mode but in several we recognize in this multiplicity of God loving provision against temptations to tyranny and the dangers of unchecked power.   In respect of this dispersed authority at the very heart of Anglicanism we should note that ECUSA actions, sighted above, displayed a distinct lack of charity and an unwillingness to defer to the common mind of the Anglican Communion as declared at Lambeth and reaffirmed by subsequent Primates Meetings.    In addition ECUSA has violated the process of mutual support, mutual check up by taking unilateral action without conference with other members of the Communion.    Indeed the contempt towards the other members of Anglican family displayed by ECUSA, clearly demonstrates an inherent weakness in our Anglican system that offers no clear guidelines for holding each other accountable and for admonishing one another.    While many have found solace in the absence of a central authority, there are many voices within the global community insisting that the time has come for us to introduce some mechanism in our common life to prevent each Province from going in separate directions without reference of the fellow members of the Body.   Some of you may recall that Archbishop Sinclair and I raised this issue in To Mend the Net. Despite the urgency of our appeal, the document has not been debated on the level of the Primates, having been relegated to the Standing Commission on Doctrine.  Copies have been supplied for the new Commission appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury to advise on the structural and judicial issues which have arisen out of the actions taken by ECUSA and the Diocese of New Westminster.   One of the factors that has blocked clear focus on the authority issue in Anglicanism is the fear of a Vatican-style central authority coupled with a dread of the Archbishop of Canterbury assuming the role of pope with the implicit dangers of unchecked power and authoritarianism and monolithic conformity.   The existence of these phobias have led some in our midst to refuse to face up to the reality that we have no established mechanism, as Anglicans, for dealing with the resolution of the conflicts for the building up of the Body of Christ. II. Our present crisis in the leadership led many Anglicans to question the merits of the highly acclaimed comprehensiveness and diversity at the heart of Anglicanism. As members of a culturally diverse worldwide communion of churches, Anglicans are habituated to the idea that communion can co-exist with considerable diversity of belief and practice.   The varieties of faith and practice that are a feature of Anglicanism are held together at a fundamental level in the communion that Anglicans have with one another across divisions of churchmanship that does not mean that all varieties of belief are equally valid, or that the differences do not matter, or that Anglicans should not be striving for greater coherence and cohesion; only that there is something that is greater, deeper and stronger than all these differences- the fact that all the baptized belong to the one Christ and in Him to one another.   This idealistic portrayal of Anglican diversity and comprehensiveness does not address the situation created by contradictory and mutually exclusive teaching and practice within the one body as presented in our present crisis that challenges us to accept the validity of contradictory and mutually exclusive teaching and homosexual practice.    Furthermore, our incorporation into Christ at baptism issues us a common life, a common faith and a discipline of Christ-like lifestyle. Our Anglican devotion to its diversity of comprehensiveness obscures very often the need for boundaries.  There are patterns of behavior which place us outside of the boundaries of the Christ-like life.  There are too many advocates of Anglicanism without boundaries.   III  The challenge to the Catholic tradition   Anglicanism has always maintained its allegiance to its catholic tradition, its historical continuity in the life, worship and ministry of the Church, and to the authority of the undivided church of the early centuries. The catholicity of Anglicanism has been justified historically - Ecclesia Anglicana represented at the Council of ARLES 314.  In addition, the Celtic Church existed before the arrival of Augustine of Canterbury in 557.    The English Church existed before the Reformation and all Anglican Churches trace their origins to the Church of England and thereby to the historic catholic tradition. The catholicity of Anglicanism is justified theologically because Anglicanism incorporates an upholds the ancient structures of the catholic church, the canon of Scripture, the historic creeds, the dominical sacraments of holy baptism and the Holy Eucharist (put in the context of liturgies that trace this lineage to the liturgies of the early church) and the historic episcopate.  These structures of catholicity are enshrined in the Chicago Lambeth Quadrilateral (Lambeth 1888).   The catholicity of Anglicanism can be supported polemically by its acceptance of the General Councils of the undivided church and its commitment of its council on Catholicism.  Despite the fact that the Roman Catholic Church does not recognize Anglican orders, eucharists and authority, Anglicanism affirms its membership within the one, holy and catholic and apostolic Church along with the Roman Catholic Church and the historic churches of Orthodoxy.   Our present crisis poses a threat to our catholic heritage because the acceptance of homosexual practice as a holy pattern of living represents a departure from the historic tradition.  Representatives from the Roman Catholic Church and some segments of the Orthodox churches have already indicated their opposition.  It is noteworthy that the Presiding Bishop has resigned from ARCIC and the Vatican has suspended the meeting of IARCUM until further notice.  The Oriental Orthodox have cancelled the bilateral meetings with the Anglican Communion and the Russian Orthodox Church has issued a strong condemnation of ECUSA actions. IV   Threat to our reformed heritage.   Although the English Church predated the Reformation, it was strongly influenced by the Reformation especially in regaining its Biblical center of gravity.  The central place of the Bible in the life of the Church has been jeopardized by the actions of ECUSA and New Westminster.  It has been clearly demonstrated by several scholarly works that the Bible does not support homosexual practice.  I refer you especially to the treatment of this violation of Scripture in our booklet entitled, Claiming our Anglican Identity - The Case Against ECUSA. V. A departure from Anglicanism appeal to reason and sound learning.   Under normal circumstances, one would have expected the authorities in ECUSA, out of respect for this Anglican proclivity for sound learning, to have initiated serious and diligent inquiry into the theological and ethical dimensions of the issues related to homosexual practice before embarking on a deliberate course of action to promote change in the church historic and Biblical teaching and practice.    Instead we observed a refusal to travel the road of serious theological dialogue.  All too often, we were informed by the leadership of ECUSA that there were several views within ECUSA in respect homosexuality without any attempt to examine each approach with a view to arrive at a consensus.    I am convinced that the leadership of ECUSA is not interested in a serious theological approach to the issues since they are driven by a secular cultural agenda. In this regard, we note that our two publications - True Union in the Body and Claiming Our Anglican Heritage have not received any formal response form ECUSA.    In both of these publications, we have set out in an orderly and well-reasoned manner the arguments for the retention of the Church historic teaching on homosexual practice.  In addition, we have detailed ECUSA violations of the teaching and historic order of the Church.  In my opinion, we must place some pressure on ECUSA to mount a reasoned response by circulating our material to all and sundry. VI. Our present crisis requires some major realignment within Anglicanism -   1. Within ECUSA - According to its own self-definition, ECUSA is a constitutional member of the Anglican Communion. is communion with the See of Canterbury.  The emergence of the Network of [Anglican Communion] Dioceses and Parishes should lead to the determination as to which grouping fulfills the terms of ECUSA declared self-definition. In addition, it should agitate for a critical and objective assessment of ECUSA violation of its constitution and  self-definition as an integral member of the Anglican Communion and in communion with the See of Canterbury.  We hope that that this aspect will not escape the attention of the new commission.   2. Within the South/South bloc of Anglican Provinces, where the overwhelming majority of Anglicans reside (at least 50 million of 75 million).  A majority of the Primates and Provinces have firmly declared an altered status of relationship with ECUSA ranging from impaired communion to a complete break of communion. Within the grouping there is 100% agreement that the actions of ECUSA   are unacceptable.  In addition, there is a strong consensus for some form of discipline to be applied. It is quite clear that there will be no possibility of business as usual without repentance and disavowal.   In a real sense, the future of the Communion will be determined by the response of the Global South to the proposals from the new commission.    The Global South is not prepared to compromise on the non-acceptance and repudiation of the actions of ECUSA and New Westminster.    While we hope and pray for the continuation of the Anglican Communion, we of the Global South cannot and will not accommodate the numerous violations of ECUSA within our ongoing life.   As a member of the new commission, I request your prayers for all members as we begin our formal work on the 9th of February.  We must present our report by September 30 [2004].  We are all cognizant of the fact that so much rides on our recommendations and their acceptance by the decision-making instruments of the Communion.    Please pray that the Spirit of God will lead us to a positive determination that will enable the worldwide Anglican Communion to prosper in mission and ministry in this century and for the foreseeable future.   END

Report from the President of the Standing Committee Regarding All Saints Parish   January 09, 2004 Following the actions in December 2003 of the Vestry of All Saints Parish, Waccamaw, to change their Corporate Charter, to leave the Diocese of South Carolina, and the Episcopal Church, the Standing Committee met with the members of that vestry.  We met in the hope of reaching a positive resolution, and in an effort to avoid the actions that ultimately took place at the January 8, 2004 meeting of the Parish. As evidenced by the resolutions passed at the Special Convention of the Diocese of South Carolina held in October of 2003, the Diocese, including the members of All Saints, are deeply concerned about the crisis in the Episcopal Church.  We strongly believe that our working together is the best witness in this struggle.   At our meeting on January 5th, the Standing Committee, in an effort to find common ground made the following proposal:   1.) Recommend to the Bishop that he consider dropping the appeal to the lawsuit filed by All Saints against the Diocese.   2.) Recommend that seat, voice and vote be given to All Saints at the upcoming Diocesan Convention.   3.)  Recommend the reinstatement of the Vestry   4.)  Recommend the restoration of Parish Status   5.)  Recommend the scheduled meeting with a replacement vestry be cancelled.   We asked the Vestry simply to a) rescind their vote and to b) put on hold the proposed Parish vote on the resolutions altering their Charter and severing their relationship with the Diocese until at least January of 2005.   Following that meeting, we shared our proposal with Bishop Salmon, who immediately acted on our request by canceling the scheduled meeting with the replacement vestry.  In light of the fact that the appeal of the lawsuit has already been heard, and the ruling from the court is still pending, the Bishop's discernment was to wait for the courts ruling.  However, the Bishop was more than willing to engage in all manner of discussions regarding the use, and ownership of the Church property.  In addition, Bishop Salmon was willing to reinstate the vestry and restore All Saints to Parish status. He also supported the Standing Committee recommendation that All Saints be given seat, voice and vote in the upcoming Convention.   Our efforts included the support of the Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan, Bishop of Pittsburgh, and Moderator of the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes; as well as the overwhelming majority of the clergy of the Diocese, who urged All Saints not to take this action. Sadly, despite the efforts on the part of the Standing Committee and the willingness of the Bishop to find some common ground, the vestry of All Saints was unwilling to rescind their vote, or to delay the Parish meeting so as to avoid the tear in the fabric of our Diocesan Common life. We recognize this is a difficult time for all faithful Orthodox Anglicans. We continue to offer our love and prayers for the members of All Saints Parish, whom we know to be our brothers and sisters in Christ.   Faithfully,   The Rev. Craige N. Borrett, President The Standing Committee (END)   END

Special Report   By David W. Virtue VIRTUOSITY   TO THE BISHOPS AND STANDING COMMITTEES OF THE CHURCH   Dear Brethren:   It is with great heaviness of heart and deep personal distress that I write to provide you with the following information. Under date of November 30, 2003, I have received a letter from Gregory K. Hotchkiss in which he officially vacates his episcopal office and renounces his ministerial orders in the Reformed Episcopal Church. In his correspondence he cites changes in his moral and theological understanding which have resulted in a growing distance between himself and the Reformed Episcopal Church. In particular he makes reference to the official statements issued by the bishops of the Reformed Episcopal Church in response to the 2003 General Convention of the Episcopal Church and in response to their consecration of a practicing homosexual to the episcopate. He affirms his disagreement with our church stated position, and states that he can no longer continue in good conscience as an ordained clergyman in this denomination.   Accordingly, in conformity with Canon 31, Section 1 (d) of the Canons of the Reformed Episcopal Church, I have accepted his voluntary renunciation of all gifts, authorities, prerogatives and duties which were conferred upon him at the time of his ordination and consecration. As a consequence, he is no Longer a minister of the Gospel, or a bishop in the church of God. I commend him and his family to your intercessory prayers.   May God enable us to see beyond the distress and disappointment of these events to the good purpose for which He has called us to Himself in Christ Jesus, and which He is working out among us from day to day. And may we dedicate ourselves anew to the unchanging truth of His eternal Word, to the imperative of  uncompromising Gospel witness, and to the privilege of working together to build this portion of His Kingdom as that opportunity has been entrusted to us in this promising day and time.   Faithfully yours, in Christ,   (The Most Rev.) Leonard W. Riches Presiding Bishop   END

Rev. Dr. Ronald Moore www.virtueonline.org October 17, 2025                 There are passages of Scripture that condense vast theological truths into a few short lines, and Romans 10:14–17 is among them. In four tightly linked verses, St. Paul articulates the divine logic behind evangelism, the vocation of the Church, and the very means by which faith is born. He traces a chain of necessity — from proclamation to hearing, from hearing to belief, from belief to calling, and from calling to salvation — showing that the Gospel is not merely a message to be believed, but a Word to be spoken and heard. “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!’ … So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:14–15, 17 NKJV)   The Golden Chain of Salvation Paul’s argument here is both simple and profound. Salvation begins with calling upon the Lord (v. 13), but no one calls on a God they do not believe in. Belief, however, is impossible without hearing — faith is not innate; it arises in response to something external. And hearing requires a preacher, someone to proclaim the truth aloud. Each link is dependent upon the previous one. If proclamation fails, hearing ceases. If hearing ceases, belief does not arise. Without belief, no one calls upon the Lord — and without calling upon the Lord, there is no salvation. Paul’s logic leaves no room for a silent Church. The Gospel is not a private possession; it is a spoken Word meant to be heralded.   Sent by God, Not Self Paul goes further still: “How shall they preach unless they are sent?” The preacher’s authority is not self-appointed. The word he uses — apostalōsin — shares its root with “apostle.” To preach is to be commissioned, to be a bearer of a message that is not one’s own. This is why the Church’s mission is more than activism or enthusiasm. It is a continuation of the sending nature of God Himself: the Father sent the Son (John 3:17), the Son sent the apostles (John 20:21), and the Church, in turn, is sent into the world as Christ’s ambassador (2 Cor. 5:20). Paul quotes Isaiah 52:7 to underline the dignity of this calling: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.” In its original context, the verse referred to the herald announcing Israel’s return from exile and the reign of God in Zion. Paul applies it to the preacher of the Gospel, for the ultimate “good news” is not political liberation but reconciliation with God and the dawn of His Kingdom in Christ.   The Tragic Refusal Yet even as Paul builds this exalted vision of Gospel proclamation, he tempers it with realism: “But they have not all obeyed the gospel.” (v. 16). Even when the Word is faithfully proclaimed, not all will receive it. The Gospel must not only be heard but obeyed — a word that in Greek (hypakouō) means “to listen under,” or to hear with submission. Many will hear with their ears but resist with their hearts. This is no failure of the Word itself. It is the perennial reality of human rebellion. Isaiah asked, “Lord, who has believed our report?” (Isa. 53:1), a question that echoes through the centuries. Even Christ Himself, the Word made flesh, was rejected by many. The sower scatters seed on all types of soil (Mark 4:3–20), but not all will yield fruit. Our task is not to guarantee results — it is to sow faithfully.   Faith Born of Hearing Paul concludes his argument with one of the most profound statements in the New Testament: “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (v. 17) Faith (pistis) is not conjured up by human willpower. It does not emerge from reason alone or from moral striving. It is born — mysteriously, powerfully — when the human heart encounters the word of God (rhēma Theou). This is why the preaching of the Gospel is so central to the Church’s life. It is not the preacher’s eloquence that awakens faith, nor the cleverness of his arguments, but the Word itself, carried on human lips and empowered by the Holy Spirit. This principle undergirds the Church’s liturgy, her preaching, her catechesis, and her evangelism. Christianity is not a philosophy that can be silently contemplated into existence. It is a Word that must be heard — a proclamation that confronts the human heart, calls it to repentance, and offers it life.   The Church’s Indispensable Vocation Romans 10:14–17 is, at its core, a reminder of who we are and what we are for. The Church is not an institution that exists merely to preserve tradition or provide social services. She is the living Body of Christ sent into the world to speak the Word that saves. A silent Church is a disobedient Church — and a disobedient Church is a powerless one. In every generation, the temptation arises to substitute proclamation with quietism — to retreat into the safety of private faith, to assume that people “know the message” already, or to hope that our actions alone will preach the Gospel. Yet Paul makes it clear: without the spoken Word, there is no hearing. Without hearing, there is no faith. Without faith, there is no salvation.   A Word for Our Time The Western Church today faces a crisis of confidence in proclamation. We are told that evangelism is offensive, that truth claims are arrogant, that preaching is outdated in an age of dialogue. And yet, God has not altered His chosen means of saving souls. Faith still comes by hearing, and hearing still comes by the Word of God. This means that every pulpit, every catechist, every missionary, every parent teaching their children Scripture is participating in the divine economy of salvation. Our words — when faithful to His Word — become vessels of grace. Our preaching — when rooted in the Gospel — becomes the means by which the Spirit births faith in the hearts of men and women.   The Feet of the Church Paul’s rhetorical questions leave us with no room for complacency. The Gospel must be spoken. It must be proclaimed, heralded, and announced from rooftops and pulpits, across tables and into microphones. It must be declared in season and out of season, for the stakes are eternal. The feet that go, the lips that speak, and the ears that hear — all are woven into the mystery of God’s redeeming work. And the Church, if she is to be faithful to her Lord, must once again find joy and boldness in her calling: to speak the Word that awakens faith, to sow the seed that God alone can cause to grow, and to stand upon the promise that “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” END

A woman praying at a service held in the Liberty Tree Mall in Massachusetts. Credit: Getty   By Joel Kotkin UNHERD.COM 16 Oct, 2025   Nearly 60 years ago,  Time  magazine, then an important publication, posed a discomfiting question on its cover: “Is God Dead?” Yet today, a spiritual hunger grips America, with roughly two-thirds of religiously unaffiliated Americans still believing in God or a universal spirit, according to  Pew . Overall, young people are drawing closer to a higher power, and new research reports that most Gen-Z teens are more interested in learning more about Jesus, often using the internet to find new commitments.     There is even some sign of revival in  decidedly secular Europe , with 45% more people being  baptized  in historically anti-clerical France compared to last year. And, notes  The Spectator , there’s a “ boom biblique ”: a rapid rise in sales of the Bible. More broadly, religious bookstores report a 20% percent increase in purchases since 2024. In Britain, of course, there is the “quiet revival,” with the church-attending share of the population rising to nearly 6 million in 2025, up from 3.7 million in 2018, with much of the energy seen among young men.   In modern sociology, conventional wisdom holds that religious people are generally less curious, less ambitious, and less intelligent than their nonbelieving peers. But this view is out of tune with current realities. On the contrary, a  deep dive into the data  shows that, over the last 15 years, religiously engaged people have become more likely to be well-educated, while atheists are less so. In the United States, religious groups outperform atheists and agnostics.   Overall, religious enthusiasm is most concentrated among middle-income professionals. An analysis of the 2022-2023 Cooperative Election Study, surveying nearly 85,000 Americans, found a positive correlation between education and weekly religious attendance. The rate of attendance rises from 23% among high school graduates to 30% for those with graduate degrees. This trend is supported by the sociologist  Philip Schwadel’s research , which found that each additional year of education increases an American’s likelihood of attending religious services by 15%.   At the same time, the nature of worshippers has changed, and taken on increasingly conservative character. This has much to do with the rise of Gen Z, notes  religious commentator Aaron Renn . Today’s young believers have arrived at faith amid a decidedly hostile environment for religion. They have, moreover, embraced political positions on race, immigration, and transgenderism that are vastly different from those held by older liberal Catholics as well as mainline Protestants.   Indeed, progressive ideology has proved catastrophic for houses of worship that embrace it. In 2019, more Protestant churches closed than opened in the United States, as mainstream Protestant denominations lost 5 million members in the past decade. Once dominant mainline Protestant churches now count barely 9% of Americans in their flocks, down from a peak of 50%. Progressive-dominated sects like the Presbyterians, the Episcopalians, and the United Church of Christ are experiencing what  one analyst  described as “a bloodbath,” with membership down at least 30% since the Nineties. In Canada,  the once-dominant Anglicans have lost roughly three-quarters of their worshippers and could go extinct by 2040, according to some church leaders. Even in its ancestral home, the Church of England, fashionably liberal and dismissive of many of the concerns of its congregants about such problems as Islamic militancy or grooming gangs, has been in secular decline and may be surpassed by Islam within a decade. Liberal Catholicism is similarly graying and out of touch.   The progressive hierarchs of all denominations, in short, face the challenge of an increasingly conservative customer base, both in the West and even more so in Africa, the crucible of the Catholic future. Traditionalist faiths, such as Greek Orthodoxy, seem to be doing better. A  survey of Orthodox churches  around the country found that parishes saw a 78% increase in converts in 2022, compared with pre-pandemic levels in 2019. The average age of attendees is 42, with 62% between 18 and 45. That’s significantly younger than other major traditions.   Among Jews, reform and even conservative synagogues are struggling while those of Orthodox Judaism, particularly  the thriving Chabad  movement, have gained both members and influence, enjoying the greatest growth in engagement since Oct. 7.  Some reform Jews  (including yours truly) have been shocked by the turn toward anti-Zionism among leading reform rabbis. Given the overwhelming support among Jews for Israel, these Leftist-oriented clergy can only alienate most congregants and can only survive as useful idiots for those who wish to destroy the Jewish state.   If there’s an epicenter for the new religious revival, it’s Africa, which is the one continent with a growing population and enormous, largely untapped economic potential. Historically, Christian missions were central to establishing formal education on the continent, forging a lasting link between faith and upward mobility. Today, Pentecostalism is a major driver of this trend, offering a version of Christianity that promotes values such as individualism and a strong work ethic, providing followers with the spiritual and social tools to pursue economic advancement and a better future.   Widely ignored by Western interests, Africa is far from a hopeless basket case. It is home to 11 of the world’s 20 fastest growing economies. In the span of a single century, Africa has undergone a religious revolution in tandem with its economic growth. While Islam has expanded its footprint in Africa, doubling its share since 1900, the preponderant growth is among Christians. The Chrisitan faith has won the adherence of nearly 57% of all Africans since 1900, compared to 29% for Islam.   “Nationwide, enrollment in private Christian schools has risen in recent years.”   Clearly Africa’s demographic exceptionalism will drive the future of religion. The population of sub-Saharan Africa grew by an extraordinary 31% between 2010 and 2020 alone, reaching 1.1 billion people. UN projections indicate that this population will increase by two-thirds by 2050, a period during which Europe and North America are forecast to remain largely static. By the end of the century, seven of the world’s 15 most populous nations are projected to be in Africa, a stark contrast to 1950, when only one African country made that list.   Ultimately, then, Christianity’s future lies in Africa. As of 2020, there were 697.4 million Christians in sub-Saharan Africa. This growth now accounts for most of the numerical increase in Christians globally. A century ago, two-thirds of the world’s Christians lived in Europe. Today, that figure is roughly a quarter. By 2050, projections indicate that 4 out of every 10 Christians in the world will live in sub-Saharan Africa. The region’s share of the global Christian population is expected to rise to 38% by 2050, up from a quarter in 2010; while Europe’s share is projected to plummet to just 16%. Africa’s Christians are also young, with a median age of 20, compared to a global Christian median of 30.   In Africa, Christianity also tends toward  social conservatism  and takes traditionalist stances both inside mainstream groups like the Anglicans or the Catholic Church, or in fast-growing  evangelical, charismatic, and Pentecostal denominations.   This tie between religious faith and growth, so visible in Africa, could also shape the West. Education, long dominated by Left-leaning secularists and radicals, will be a crucial inflection point. In the South Bronx or Houston’s heavily immigrant Sharpstown, religious educators are having success with young people from very poor backgrounds where secular education is failing. Inner-city boys who attend religious schools, notes Tulane University sociologist Ilana Horwitz, do far better and are twice as likely to graduate from college than those in public schools. Critical here, she notes, are the attributes of religious engagement, such as respect for elders and learning. Even guilt has its efficacy, helping to restrain the worst impulses that often lead adolescents into dark spaces.   Nationwide, enrollment in private Christian schools has risen in recent years. In New York, as city schools are emptying, Catholic-oriented charters have doubled their enrollments. The K-12 enrollment at the Association of Christian Schools International, described as “one of the country’s largest networks of evangelical schools,” increased 12% between the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 academic years, even as more families migrate out of the public-school systems. The rise of voucher programs, including in such large states as Texas and Florida, has largely benefited religiously oriented schools.   It is becoming increasingly clear that religious faith provides critical social benefits. For instance, just 10% of religiously observant people today say they have no close friends; the share almost doubles for those who have no faith. Participation in church generally also correlates, according to a 2022  study in the  American Journal of Epidemiology , with better health outcomes. Equally well-established are the links between religious participation and longer lives, greater financial generosity, and more stable families.    Christian talk show host Justin Brierley predicts “the fall of the New Atheism.” Richard Dawkins’s vision of a universe driven by “blind, pitiless indifference” is being challenged by a generation of conservative intellectuals like Jordan Peterson, JD Vance, and Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who embrace religion’s resurgence as counterweight to the current declines in marriage, family, community, and civil society.         Even some in the tech elite are having second thoughts. Most scientists tend towards secularism, but there seems to be a trend among scientists to embrace faith. Most notably, the expanding Society of Catholic Scientists counts more than 2,100 members and has 28 regional chapters.     Even in the technological heartland of secular America, Silicon Valley, there are religious stirrings. The world’s most important innovator, Elon Musk, has recently become more public in his embrace of Christianity, which he described  as “ a religion of curiosity” and “greater enlightenment.” Other executives and investors like Pat Gelsinger, former head of Intel, Gary Tan, CEO of Y Incubator, and Peter Theil have likewise embraced the faith.   In Silicon Valley — where, as one observer notes, religion is “borderline illegal” — the congregation of the Catholic Our Lady of Peace church has burgeoned to more than 3000 families. And, according to Fr. Brian Dinkel, who hears an estimated 50,000 confessions a year, “People who may be doing well also want something more. Our people work at Google and Apple, but there’s a real search for the truth beyond tech.”       Ultimately, the religious may prevail due to their higher birthrates. The places where  Americans have children  tend to be in the South, the Plains, and parts of the Intermountain West. These are also centers of conservative Christianity. The presence of children is all the more important in an  era where the population bomb has morphed into the population deficit.     It seems likely that more Americans, seeing the benefits of faith and community, will continue to take on a more religious cast of mind in the future. News of the death of God, it turns out, was greatly exaggerated.   END