Read it all.

In the midst of Nazi-occupied Paris, an independent-minded Russian Orthodox nun lamented that Christians were not equipped to meet the challenges of the moment. “I look everywhere and nowhere do I find anything that would point to the possibility of a breakthrough from material life to eternity,” wrote Maria Skobtsova in an essay titled “Insight in Wartime.” She did not see around her any forms of Christian life that had the “right voice, the right pathos, the kind of wings” to stand against the terrors of the era.

Skobtsova herself was perhaps the exception. Born in 1891 under the czar, she had by the 1940s been a Bolshevik, a poet, and a refugee. She was almost killed by both White and Red armies during the Russian Revolution of 1917. She fled Russia after briefly serving as the deputy mayor of Anapa, a city near the Black Sea. In exile she returned to the Orthodox faith, and in 1932 she became a nun.

She refused, however, to take up residence in a convent or traditional religious community. Issuing a thoroughgoing critique of monasticism, she insisted that she would seek instead “to share the life of paupers and tramps.”

Read it all.

Today in the Orthodox Church we celebrate perhaps my favorite saint of the last hundred years, Mother Maria Skobtsova (St Mary of Paris). In earlier life she was a radical intellectual and poet, and even served as deputy mayor after the Russian Revolution. Changing political… pic.twitter.com/nhzqWd6z1n

— Jeremiah (@OnAncientPaths) July 20, 2026

O Creator and Giver of Life, who didst crown thy martyr Maria Skobtsova with glory and didst give her as an example of service to the suffering and poor even unto death: Teach us to love Christ in our neighbors, and thereby battle injustice and evil with the light of the Resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who livest and reignest with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God in glory everlasting. Amen.

Today the Episcopal Church commemorates Maria Skobtsova, Monastic & Martyr, 1945

Riga-born; modernist poet in Petersburg; émigrée, intellectual, theologian, nun, social worker & Resistance member in Paris; martyr in Ravensbrück. For more on her life, see: https://t.co/MVr7ERd5ah pic.twitter.com/88DdY2lVVO

— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) July 21, 2023

O Lord God, in whom we live and move and have our being, open our eyes that we may behold thy Fatherly presence ever about us.  Teach us to be anxious for nothing, and when we have done what thou hast given us to do, help us, O God our Saviour, to leave the issue to thy wisdom, knowing that all things are possible to us through thy Son our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Robert W. Rodenmayer, ed., The Pastor’s Prayerbook: Selected and arranged for various occasions (New York: Oxford University Press, 1960)

As for the man who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not for disputes over opinions. One believes he may eat anything, while the weak man eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who abstains, and let not him who abstains pass judgment on him who eats; for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Master is able to make him stand.

One man esteems one day as better than another, while another man esteems all days alike. Let every one be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. He also who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God; while he who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. None of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written,

“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall give praise to God.”

So each of us shall give account of himself to God.

–Romans 14:1-12

Secondly, unless something almost miraculous happens, there will remain deep divisions over where those boundaries of legitimacy are to be drawn and over the implications for church teaching and discipline of drawing them in different places. Related to this are the questions noted above concerning our disagreement about the level of disagreement that we are having to navigate. Here the recent FAOC work must not be forgotten and in particular the implications need to be considered of its strong and clear statement (GS Misc 1406, paper 1, para 139), that 

it is a failure of Christian love for one side to declare what kind of disagreement is being experienced by the other. It must surely be the case that those who disagree with a given decision are themselves determinative of what kind of disagreement is in view, not the content majority. Those who dissent from the majority view or decision get to define the nature of their disagreement: if it is widely held that such-and-such a belief or practice calls into question apostolic communion or ecclesial communion, then the disagreement simply is a first- or second-order disagreement, regardless of whether the majority think it merely strains communion (third order).

This is the deeper problem with the approach of the amendment: it appears that those who conscientiously have come to a position which represents a rejection or expansion or development of traditional teaching seem to be demanding that those who are not convinced by their arguments should nevertheless accept that their view is now within a “legitimate range of theological perspectives” and/or that if a majority can be shown to hold this view as to what is legitimate then church practice needs to adapt to embrace the full range of perspectives. There is an attempt to jump from acknowledgment of an indisputable pluralism in reality (a range of views clearly exists) to a pluralism that recognises that range of views as acceptable, indeed, legitimate.

Thirdly, as noted in the first proposed amendment, part of the remit of the new group set up by the bishops is “pastoral reassurance”. This points to the fact that our disagreements over the previous two areas are such that some form of ecclesial reconfiguration will most likely prove to be necessary if any way is to be found, within the Church of England, for opposing views to be able to be officially approved and for the opposing sides in votes such as that this week in Synod, to be able to co-exist well, even flourish. This might be understood as institutionally enabling some recognised form of principled pluralism that comes to terms with both the pluralist reality and the impossibility of sufficiently widespread acceptance of that pluralism being formally accepted as legitimate within the current episcopal and synodical structures. 

It was the refusal of the bishops to seriously address these matters of “pastoral reassurance” or “good differentiation” that in large part contributed to the winding up of the LLF/PLF process. We could continue with a “head in the sand” refusal to grapple with the ecclesiological implications of our deep disagreements about discipleship and about the legitimate range of discipleship options the Church of England can recognise and bless. The experience of this last, short debate in this recent Synod is, however, a further pointer to the fact that if we do not face this question head-on and with honesty and theological rigour early in the new Synod then, barring a sea-change one way or the other in the election results, and perhaps also now in the House of Bishops, we are simply preparing for continued unresolvable conflict and pain in the next five years.

Read it all.

Andrew Goddard on the Helen King motion discussion at CofE General @synod 'This is the deeper problem with the approach of the amendment: it appears that those who conscientiously have come to a position which represents a rejection or expansion or development of traditional… pic.twitter.com/U3ZkfLUbBN

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) July 20, 2026

The United Kingdom on Monday installed Andy Burnham as its 59th prime minister, the seventh person to hold that position in a little more than a decade.

Burnham, a stalwart of the progressive Labour Party, is expected to bring his center-left perspective as a champion of the working class to address crises of social welfare spending, housing affordability and a sluggish economy. His election marks a major win against the rising tide of Reform UK – a right-wing populist party that has been compared to the MAGA movement in the U.S.

In remarks Monday, he said he was “acutely conscious” of the instability at the top of the British government in recent years and he pledged to provide an alternative.

“I know people at home are fed up with politics,” he said. “I hear you and I want to be honest with you: We have not been good enough and we need to be better.”

Read it all.

The Times
New Prime Minister Andy Burnham purges Starmer loyalists from cabinet on his first day, naming John Healey as chancellor and promising a fully funded package to cut energy bills.
Tuesday 21 July 2026
A look at #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/Xqo6H9CKBa

— Andrew Clifford (@newcastlejourno) July 20, 2026

Patristics, theology, and right sense in public discourse lost a giant. On June 6 of this year, Robert Louis Wilken passed from this life at the age of eighty-nine. He leaves behind his beloved wife of sixty-six years, Carol, their family and loved ones, and many admirers who know him through his books. 

Before he was a prolific author, Robert was an avid reader. He loved books. In an act of great generosity, he emailed me on April 29, 2022: “The time has come to dispose of my library. Is it possible that the Dominican House of Studies would be interested?” My Pontifical Faculty at the House of Studies in Washington, DC was very glad to receive well over 1,500 books and other library materials from him. I told the librarians that if they saw underlining and marginalia inscribed in the books, they should realize that the books were made even more valuable. Those scribbles were the marks of Robert Wilken! 

Robert’s life traces a fascinating intellectual and spiritual journey. Raised in a devout Lutheran family, he wanted at a young age to go into ministry. After attending a Lutheran prep school in Texas, Robert went to Concordia Seminary in St. Louis where he studied under his early mentor, Arthur Carl Piepkorn. Piepkorn himself had done doctoral studies at the University of Chicago, and Robert followed his example. Robert became not only a Lutheran pastor, but also a well-trained professor specializing in the Fathers of the Church. In 1994, in the little St. Thomas Chapel of the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C., Robert entered into full communion with the Catholic Church. By doing so, he became one of the Catholic Church in America’s leading scholars. 

Robert held a unique place in the academy. No other person served as president of these three societies: the North American Patristics Society (1985-86), the American Academy of Religion (1989), and the Academy of Catholic Theology (2012-13). 

Read it all.

Robert Louis Wilken, who died yesterday, was a giant of church history. His work on early Christian thought is incisive & so well-written that it’s a joy to read. I assigned his books in my classes & met him on numerous occasions. A true scholar & a faithful disciple of Christ. pic.twitter.com/fvaAb5GDAA

— Ryan N. Danker (@RyanNDanker) June 8, 2026

Total civilizational collapse is unusual. In the West, ­continuity exists between the Roman past and our contemporary states, despite the invasions of “barbarian” groups. The Franks, that ancient people who settled Roman Gaul, were shaped by Roman culture into the people we now know as the French. But what about instances in which there is no continuity—in which a civilization vanishes, and all that is left is a layer of ash? This is what happened to Roman North Africa, a high civilization, distinctive but immersed in the broader Roman world. The heartbeat of this civilization, the African Church, has no living ­descendant.

The African Church was among the most intellectually formidable of early Christianity. Carthage is said to have had Christians in its streets during the Apostolic age. And no wonder: Carthage was a hub of the Western empire, perhaps second only to Rome in its cosmopolitanism. The early Church found it fertile soil. Carthage gave us Tertullian and St. Cyprian, intellectual giants who helped define the orthodoxy of the emerging Church.

Unlike much of the Latin-­speaking Roman empire, North Africa blended conflicting cultural influences. The dominant Roman culture was always present, but so was the older Punic civilization ­upon which Rome had built some centuries before St. Augustine of Hippo exemplified this cultural split, with his Roman father, Patricius, and his Punic mother, St. Monica.

Read it all.

The Sudden Death of the African Church – First Things https://t.co/aMx4pi30SB

— Allen Mendenhall (@allenmendenhall) July 20, 2026

The United States hosted the World Cup final on Sunday with the world watching — though perhaps nowhere more intensely than in Spain and Argentina, whose teams faced off at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

Emotions ran high from Rosario, Argentina — the hometown of the superstar Lionel Messi — to Madrid, where white knuckles turned to fist pumps as the game wound down and Spain prevailed, dethroning the 2022 champions, 1-0, in extra time.

Read it all.

In the 2026 World Cup final, Spain stood for Europe, and Argentina represented the rest of the world. The Argentinean team, which won in Qatar, in 2022, is a great but flawed side, well into its autumn, inspired by providential causes. The Spanish team, by contrast, is obdurate… pic.twitter.com/w6udv7CWWZ

— The New Yorker (@NewYorker) July 20, 2026

Almighty God, who in thy Son Jesus Christ hast called us in from the bondage of sin to be servants of righteousness: Give us grace to yield our lives wholly to thine obedience; that, being made free from sin, we may have our fruit unto holiness, and hereafter may be made partakers of the life everlasting; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things; for Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things; and the anger of the Lord burned against the people of Israel.

Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-a′ven, east of Bethel, and said to them, “Go up and spy out the land.” And the men went up and spied out Ai. And they returned to Joshua, and said to him, “Let not all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai; do not make the whole people toil up there, for they are but few.” So about three thousand went up there from the people; and they fled before the men of Ai, and the men of Ai killed about thirty-six men of them, and chased them before the gate as far as Sheb′arim, and slew them at the descent. And the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.

Then Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust upon their heads. And Joshua said, “Alas, O Lord God, why hast thou brought this people over the Jordan at all, to give us into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy us? Would that we had been content to dwell beyond the Jordan! O Lord, what can I say, when Israel has turned their backs before their enemies! For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, and will surround us, and cut off our name from the earth; and what wilt thou do for thy great name?”

The Lord said to Joshua, “Arise, why have you thus fallen upon your face? Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant which I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, and lied, and put them among their own stuff. Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies; they turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become a thing for destruction. I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you. Up, sanctify the people, and say, ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the Lord, God of Israel, “There are devoted things in the midst of you, O Israel; you cannot stand before your enemies, until you take away the devoted things from among you.”

–Joshua 7:1-13

O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

On the seventh day they rose early at the dawn of day, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times: it was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout; for the Lord has given you the city. And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction; only Rahab the harlot and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers that we sent. But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction, and bring trouble upon it. But all silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, are sacred to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord.” So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people raised a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. Then they utterly destroyed all in the city, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and asses, with the edge of the sword.

–Joshua 6:15-21

Eternal God, we offer thanks for the witness of Bartolomé de las Casas, whose deep love for thy people caused him to refuse absolution to those who would not free their Indian slaves. Help us, inspired by his example, to work and pray for the freeing of all enslaved people of our world, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who livest and reignest with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

#TalDíaComoHoy de 1566 falleció Bartolomé de las Casas, religioso dominico español. Hoy destacamos esta biografía, disponible en #Simurg, para saber más sobre su vida y su obra, ‘ Oeuvres de Don Barthélemi de las Casas, évéque de Chiapa…’
▶️https://t.co/pILcTitFPb pic.twitter.com/oExXQ5tO9m

— Red de Bibliotecas y Archivos del CSIC (@bibliotecasCSIC) July 17, 2023

O Holy Creator Spirit, on this day come down once more into our souls in Thine own thrilling fire of life and light and heat, kindling our senses with thy light, our hearts with thy love; wash away, stains, bedew our dryness, heal our wounds, bend our stubbornness, guide our wandering, that, thou being the Inmate of our hearts, the Instructor of our reason, the Strength of our will, we may see by Thy light Whom as yet we see not, and know Him Who passes knowledge, and through God may love God, now as way-farers, and, in the day of perfected Redemption, in the beatific vision of our God, to whom, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, be ascribed all honor, power, might, majesty, thanksgiving, and praise, forever and ever. Amen.

—Give us Grace: An Anthology of Anglican Prayers, ed. Christopher L. Webber (Harrisburg: Morehouse, 2004), p. 254 (edited ever so slightly-KSH)

Summertime on the North Yorkshire Moors ❤️🇬🇧❤️ pic.twitter.com/a3Mxo4DC6i

— Pictures from the United Kingdom (@PicturesfromUK) July 18, 2026

Now Jericho was shut up from within and from without because of the people of Israel; none went out, and none came in. And the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given into your hand Jericho, with its king and mighty men of valor. You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark; and on the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, the priests blowing the trumpets. And when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, as soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up every man straight before him.” So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord.” And he said to the people, “Go forward; march around the city, and let the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord.”

And as Joshua had commanded the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the Lord went forward, blowing the trumpets, with the ark of the covenant of the Lord following them. And the armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the ark, while the trumpets blew continually. But Joshua commanded the people, “You shall not shout or let your voice be heard, neither shall any word go out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then you shall shout.” So he caused the ark of the Lord to compass the city, going about it once; and they came into the camp, and spent the night in the camp.

Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. And the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord passed on, blowing the trumpets continually; and the armed men went before them, and the rear guard came after the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets blew continually. And the second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp. So they did for six days.

–Joshua 6:1-14

Sunrise aligned with Baily Lighthouse this morning from Blackrock. pic.twitter.com/yvcOFXS2KO

— Sryan Bruen Photography (@sryanbruenphoto) July 18, 2026

Ms [Lyndall] Bywater encourages clergy to engage regularly in different types of prayer rather than “making prayer in our own image”, she says.

“Church leaders will also often have people coming to them who are struggling with prayer, and it is important to be able to help them understand how their personality interfaces with their spirituality.

“Are they essentially cataphatic: preferring knowledge and understanding? Or are they apophatic: preferring mystery and deep questioning? Do they love the task of prayer most, or the relationship of prayer? Where and how have they previously connected with God in helpful ways?

“If leaders can ask these questions and understand how to help people based on the answers, then many more people would develop a deep love for prayer.”

MOST people feel guilty about prayer, believing that they are bad at it, Ms Bywater says. Part of that comes from a “work hard, be passionate” personality, and part from comparing themselves with others, she says.

While recognising that prayer is a discipline and involves choices about making space in our lives to pray, Ms Bywater says: “What prayer is — the conversation with God — I refuse to believe it’s possible to be bad at that.

Read it all.

"One difficulty that faces ordinands as they leave the formation of their training institutions, is teaching prayer to an unchurched generation." Loved this piece. https://t.co/RfaRNaP3gB

— Madeleine Davies (@MadsDavies) July 17, 2026

The much-discussed disappearance of book readers is a clear symptom of the nation’s attention crisis: Long-form reading, once an ordinary feature of educated life, is increasingly becoming a luxury. But even the shorter forms of writing are losing their audience, with newspapers and magazines struggling to hold readers. It’s a wonder anyone still has the patience for sustained argument.

The older way of consuming media can still be found on the Friday evenings when millions of Orthodox Jews enter a world where printed pages still matter. Stacks of books, tables littered with essays and commentaries, piles of Jewish magazines—these Orthodox homes form one of the few demographics where the printed word still thrives. Parents read and children grow up watching them do so. Conversations stretch for hours without the interruption of a vibrating phone. It is one of the last large communities in America where sustained attention isn’t an aspiration but a habit, born of the prohibition of mechanical and electric technology on the Sabbath, which runs from Friday evening to Saturday night.

Over the past year, with increased urgency from the rise of artificial-intelligence chatbots, voices from well beyond the Orthodox Jewish world have begun calling for some version of a weekly Sabbath. Jonathan Haidt has become a leading advocate for a regular digital detox. Charlie Kirk argued for something similar in his book “Stop in the Name of God.” Earlier this year, President Trump encouraged Americans to embrace a “national Sabbath” and invite “friends, families, and communities of all backgrounds” to step back from their devices for a day of gratitude and rest.

Their instinct is correct. The modern world desperately needs a weekly rhythm of rest. But if unplugging promises greater focus, stronger families and richer communities, why has it proved so difficult? The answer isn’t simply that we’re addicted to our phones. It’s that unplugging isn’t enough. A Sabbath isn’t merely the absence of technology. It is the presence of something richer.

Read it all.

We're loving this thoughtful Wall Street Journal op-ed from @DBashIdeas about one of Shabbat's greatest gifts: the chance to unplug, slow down and rediscover the joy of reading a great book. Sometimes the greatest luxury is simply having time.https://t.co/UqFjZEUmVG

— Jewish Treats (@JewishTweets) July 17, 2026

As many are aware, the Final Order from the trial of Bp. Ruch in 2025 (the 71-page document, not the decision itself) left many concerns about how the trial was conducted. After consulting with the Provincial Executive Committee, our Diocese proposed two resolutions to be considered at Provincial Council. One called for the public release of the full trial transcript. The other called for the public release of the final investigation report already commissioned by the Province. 

The two resolutions to the Council, that were the result of the work of our Bishop and Standing Committee with the Executive Committee of the ACNA, were consequently withdrawn without prejudice on the day they were to be debated and voted upon. This withdrawal was not the result of any attempt to thwart the purpose of these resolutions, nor did it represent a lack of resolve on our part. Rather, God opened a door for us to gain fuller access to the proceedings of the Ruch trial through the above-mentioned agreement with the Court for the Trial of a Bishop. We are now in a very favorable position with our chancellor Ben Hagood taking the lead in the inquiry.

Because all of this happened on the ground in Tulsa and Bishop Edgar was the only one of us present, he took the lead in the negotiations. The Standing Comittee President was informed of the opportunity on Wednesday night and was an early part of the decision to withdraw the resolutions. The Standing Committee and Bishop regret the lack of process these deadlines prevented as well as the void of information that existed in the aftermath. We wholeheartedly believe that the work of this inquiry and its release to the Standing Committees of the Province represents a large step forward in our quest for transparency.

With the trial of the Archbishop currently set to begin on September 7, we will again redouble our prayers for the health and welfare of the Anglican Church in North America and our Diocese. 

Read it all.

The ACNA has posted a "Potential Timeline" for what may happen procedurally after the trial of Abp Wood, assuming it goes ahead with its currently scheduled starting date of September 7. pic.twitter.com/tJraKclI2i

— Arlie Coles (@ArlieColes) July 15, 2026

Gordon S. Wood, the great historian of the American founding, died at ninety-two on June 7, just weeks shy of the 250th anniversary of American independence. This coincidence does not quite possess the providential aura of Thomas Jefferson’s and John Adams’s deaths on July 4, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration. But Wood’s death offers an important opportunity to reflect on his brilliant contributions to American history, and to lament the passing of a great generation of historians, including Wood, who came of age during and after World War II. We’re not likely to see a generation of scholars like Wood’s again, nor would the elite academy welcome them if we did. 

In the mid-1990s, I was admitted to Brown University to work with Wood for a Ph.D. Alas, Brown had no stipend for an iffy candidate from a southern public school, so I went elsewhere. But Wood’s works, especially The Creation of the American Republic (1969) and The Radicalism of the American Revolution (1992), seeped into my bones anyway. As I have returned to my yellowed copies of his books in the days since his passing, I find myself regularly reminded of ideas about the Revolution and the Founders that I first learned from him. Now I just teach them as historical givens. 

Wood’s professional genealogy helps explain his trajectory as a scholar. His career was connected to three other major figures of American historical scholarship. The first was Bernard Bailyn, Wood’s doctoral adviser and longtime Harvard historian who died in 2020 at age ninety-seven. Then there was Edmund Morgan, Bailyn’s contemporary who taught at Brown for a decade before moving to Yale in the mid-1950s. Bailyn and Morgan both studied at Harvard with the legendary Perry Miller, one of the most influential American historians of the twentieth century. 

In this essay there’s no space to summarize the works of these four titans. But if you pick up a book by any of them, you’ll be treated to an intellectual feast. And Gordon Wood was part of a historiographical tradition that began with Miller.  

Read it all.

"Though America’s ideals were riddled with ironies and inconsistencies, the nation still emerged as a global beacon of ordered liberty. No one better explained the history and significance of that American nation than Gordon Wood." My essay at @PublicDiscourse…

— Thomas S. Kidd (@ThomasSKidd) July 17, 2026

O Lord, who in a time of turmoil and confusion didst raise up thy servant William White, and didst endow him with wisdom, patience, and a reconciling temper, that he might lead thy Church into ways of stability and peace: Hear our prayer, we beseech thee, and give us wise and faithful leaders, that through their ministry thy people may be blessed and thy will be done; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Today the Episcopal Church commemorates William White, Bishop, 1836

Philadelphia-born and 1st Bishop of Philadelphia (consecrated at Lambeth Palace in 1787), White was a key architect of the Episcopal Church and its system of government, serving as its 1st & 4th Presiding Bishop pic.twitter.com/knxMwQrBx8

— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) July 17, 2024

Direct us, O Lord, in all our doings, with thy most gracious favour, and further us with thy continual help; that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in thee, we may glorify thy holy Name, and finally, by thy mercy, obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

–Robert W. Rodenmayer, ed., The Pastor’s Prayerbook: Selected and arranged for various occasions (New York: Oxford University Press, 1960)

It’s a warm sunrise this morning and another beautiful glow across the land. #Shropshire pic.twitter.com/OzAk3hGc0S

— Steven Keating (@Aneedtopaint) July 17, 2026

While the people of Israel were encamped in Gilgal they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at evening in the plains of Jericho. And on the morrow after the passover, on that very day, they ate of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. And the manna ceased on the morrow, when they ate of the produce of the land; and the people of Israel had manna no more, but ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.

When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man stood before him with his drawn sword in his hand; and Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” And he said, “No; but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and worshiped, and said to him, “What does my lord bid his servant?” And the commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Put off your shoes from your feet; for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so.

–Joshua 5:10-15

A hazy Peak District sunset – the low sun lighting the swaying grasses, the barn full of gathered hay and swooping swallows, and the quiet country lane stretching away into the still-warm fields. These are my memories of summer as a child and I love that they're still my present… pic.twitter.com/K2mSWv8gd8

— peaklass (@peaklass1) July 17, 2026

An investigation into why the public have lost confidence in the Church of England is required, the General Synod heard on Monday afternoon.

The Rector of St Bartholomew’s, Smithfield, Fr Marcus Walker (London), speaking during a debate on the report Trust and Trustworthiness in the Church of England, observed that all 16 members of the laity interviewed for the report were involved in the Church’s structures (News, 3 July). They comprised six diocesan secretaries, and ten lay chairs or members of General Synod.

“The elephant in the room — the elephant herd harrumphing around the report — is all of those who are outside, alongside, walking with the household of faith,” he said.

“The people who have not lost faith from within the institution of the Church, but who have lost trust in the institution of the Church. Who have lost trust in the Church and its mission. . .

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An investigation into why the public have lost confidence in the Church of England is required, the General #Synod heard on Monday afternoon#trust #churchnews #churchtimeshttps://t.co/mJy7udBTA3

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) July 14, 2026

When Donald Trump proposed peace with Iran, he could hardly have offered better terms. In return for Iran opening the Strait of Hormuz and forswearing all ambitions for a nuclear bomb, America held out the prospect of hundreds of billions of dollars of income and investment in an economy ravaged by sanctions and war. The horrified reaction of Iran hawks in America and Israel tells you that no other American leader would have surrendered so much.

The bleak message from the upsurge in fighting over the past week is that, for Iran, money alone is not enough. The hardliners are in charge. They want something more, and it cannot be good—be it revenge, control over the strait, regional dominance or a nuclear programme. America must not yield.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU), signed a month ago, allows 60 days to bring peace. Halfway through, it has itself become the focus of conflict. It asks Iran to “make arrangements to ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels free of charge for 60 days”. Iran takes that to imply it is in charge; for America it means that Iran must not restrict sea traffic.

The two sides are exchanging missile and drone strikes, and tankers are wary of sailing even with American offers of protection. Thankfully, these military exchanges have so far stopped short of a return to war. But the oil price is creeping back up. Meanwhile, there has been no progress in talks on tricky matters, including nuclear materials and Iranian efforts to enrich uranium.

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America’s president looks bereft of good options for solving the stand-off in the Gulf https://t.co/ZqV1eOixNT

— The Economist (@TheEconomist) July 15, 2026

I’m pre-writing your obituary. I hope it does not have to get published immediately, but I did feel it would be interesting to have you speak to people from beyond the grave, if it does get published. So: Do you have anything you would like to say?

In the past few months, I had to make an interesting choice to go on this clinical trial that’s pretty nasty. And you do a little bit of introspection: What’s the point of extending life a couple of months? My girls are now 24 and 22, so they are launched and are doing well. And my wife is mindful of the truth that death is a wicked thief, but she is not despairing at all through this. So I really think that I made the choice to do this clinical trial and extend the few months of life because my boy’s only 14. I want him to have a dad for a little bit longer and slap him upside the head and love on him.

But it’s really a function of the two great commands, trying to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and love our neighbor as ourselves.

And what does it look like to live well in this time? For me, these months have been largely about my son, Breck, but they’re also more broadly about the challenge of what it means to raise kids in this time and place. We spend so much time talking about the jobs apocalypse in light of AI and the digital revolution. And that’s an interesting question. I care about it a lot. But much more fundamental than just the paid-vocation piece, the jobs piece, is what does it mean to be human in this time when we’ve got technological tools that are distorting reality in such fundamental ways?

I think we have a big, big collective action problem of what it means to raise kids in a world that will be this disrupted this frequently. People who are 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 years old are going to have their world upended again and again. What are the fundamental truths and roots that give life meaning and place meaning? I’ve been reflecting about that a lot.

America works and thrives to the degree that people have thick local communities and places and small platoons and congregations to assemble for worship on Sunday morning and throughout the week. Right now, I think we’re living through a period of institutional collapse, and we’re going to need to go through a wave of Tocquevillian institution-building. We’ve been mostly harvesting the consumer benefits of a technology revolution without acknowledging the production, vocational, and communal costs of burning all the districts where local community happens.

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“I’m better at thanking God for the gifts he gives us. And it makes me more aware of my childlike dependence upon him.”@BenSasse spoke to CT from his hospital room as he underwent cancer treatment, discussing life, death, and our true hope in Christ.https://t.co/YimbwA6InI

— Christianity Today (@CTmagazine) July 14, 2026

As was the case against Switzerland in the quarter-final, Messi’s name was not up in lights. After scoring in nine consecutive World Cup games, he is, by his standards, in the midst of a drought. And yet he continues to leave a mark. In the absence of Angel Di Maria, who is retired from international duty, Messi drifts to the right, the space his old teammate used to occupy, the space Messi first played in as a kid coming through La Masia. He may no longer have the same ability to go at defenders over-and-over again. Not after playing extra-time in two of Argentina’s three knockout games before this. And yet it doesn’t matter. His aura still attracts defenders who, in turn, then leave his teammates wide open just as Fernandez was for his sensationally-hit equaliser.

Fernandez has stepped up just as he did four years ago. He headed in the clincher in Argentina’s comeback against Egypt. Then, in stoppage time, Messi crossed for Lautaro Martinez’s winner against England. Lautaro deserves to be more than an impact sub for the Albiceleste. Nevertheless he has performed the role brilliantly for Argentina since the knockouts began. He was the one who placed the ball on Fernandez’s head against Egypt. He was the one who wrapped things up in extra-time against Switzerland and, after the England game, he could barely get his words out. Each one tripping up over the emotion.

As happened four years ago, Argentina look into the abyss and see what no one else sees. They find light instead of darkness. Qualification rather than elimination. The English fans dressed as knights who threw up their swords when Anthony Gordon gave their team the lead vaporised like those in Raiders of the Lost Ark at full-time. Victoria Beckham comforted Sir David, her husband, the Inter Miami co-owner, the man who brought Messi to America. In the same area, Mick Jagger also looked on as Argentina’s street fighting men moved on.

How do Argentina keep doing it? They continue to go to the well and it is never empty. How long they’ve played this summer never seems to matter. How far they’ve travelled always, inexplicably, counts for little. They draw on reserves most oil-rich countries must envy. Energy is always found in one place deep down inside; it’s derived from giving Messi one more game. Another 90 minutes.

When every game feels like it might be his last the Argentina players make a sacrifice for their football god. They commit bodies to the cause. “We are unique,” Scaloni said. “And it’s not arrogance, it’s heart.”

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🫵🏼🇦🇷 Leo Messi: “It’s crazy what this group has been doing: five finals!”.

“We’re coming off winning the World Cup, we’ve been the best team over the last four years, and today we’re among the two best teams in the world, another final”. pic.twitter.com/93xlF7Xg3x

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 16, 2026

Almighty God, by whose grace your servant Saint Bonaventure was raised up to be a bright light for right doctrine and true holiness, give us by your Spirit, like him, a passion for the truth and a deep desire for learning and wisdom whose end may be our flourishing and wholeness, thorugh Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, ever one God. Amen (moved from Tuesday).

Today, July 15, marks the feast day of St. Bonaventure, who is called “The Seraphic Doctor” of the Church. St. Bonaventure is known for his leadership of the Franciscans and his great intellectual contributions to theology and philosophy.

Sources recount that in his youth, St.… pic.twitter.com/4oJy7JSIvV

— EWTN News (@EWTNews) July 15, 2026

O Lord Jesus Christ, into whose death we have been baptized: Grant, we beseech thee, that like as thou wast raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we may walk in newness of life; that having been planted in the likeness of thy death, we may be also in the likeness of thy resurrection; for the glory of thy holy name.

Met de branding spelen. Fijne donderdag😀 #zonsondergang #Terschelling pic.twitter.com/vy8CnQqfFB

— Tjark Dieterman (@DietermanTjark) July 16, 2026