Although it is not our normal practice to speak publicly while proceedings are ongoing,
because the communication from the former Prosecutor was made public, the Court finds it
requires a limited response. This is particularly true when it calls into question the integrity of
the Court and the fairness of the trial in In the Matter of the Rt. Rev. Stewart Ruch, III.
The full seated Court has reviewed the recent publication of the letter by the former
Provincial Prosecutor concerning testimony and internal proceedings of this Court. The letter
includes commentary on confidential deliberations, public criticism of a sitting member of the
Court, and a call for the release of trial records—despite a standing order that the proceedings be
conducted in camera. These actions have contributed to public confusion, diminished trust in the
process, and placed pressure on a tribunal still actively engaged in the work before it.

The full Court has met to review, in detail, the exchange referenced in Mr. Runyan’s
letter. We affirm without hesitation that the questions posed by every member of this Court to the
witness in question were appropriate and fell squarely within our responsibilities. The line of
questioning, in fact, was based upon questions concerning the Province’s own exhibit directed to
his own witness. The former Prosecutor, who was present, invited to redirect the witness, and
given multiple opportunities to speak, raised no objections at any time during the line of
questioning he now complains of to the Archbishop. In fact, the objections he did raise in
response to defense questions were heard and, on multiple occasions, sustained.

Read it all.

Ruch tribunal president rejects resigned prosecutor’s allegations of misconduct https://t.co/hVAUCpXwnz via @Anglican Ink © 2025

— George Conger (@GeorgeConger8) July 23, 2025

Almighty God, beautiful in majesty and majestic in holiness, who dost teach us in Holy Scripture to sing thy praises and who gavest thy musicians Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frederick Handel and Henry Purcell grace to show forth thy glory in their music: Be with all those who write or make music for thy people, that we on earth may glimpse thy beauty and know the inexhaustible riches of thy new creation in Jesus Christ our Savior; who livest and reignest with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

28 July 1750. Johann Sebastian Bach died (aged 64). He’s one of the greatest classical composers of all time. His best known works include the Brandenburg Concertos and the Goldberg Variations. pic.twitter.com/YHHSxMZFko

— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) July 28, 2025

O Lord Christ, by whose single death upon the cross the members of thy body also die to servitude and sin: Grant us so to crucify the old man, that the new may daily rise with thee in the immortal power of thy free Spirit, who liveth and reigneth with the Father and thee, one God, world without end.

King Herod heard of it; for Jesus’ name had become known. Some said, “John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; that is why these powers are at work in him.” But others said, “It is Eli′jah.” And others said, “It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” But when Herod heard of it he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” For Herod had sent and seized John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Hero′di-as, his brother Philip’s wife; because he had married her. For John said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” And Hero′di-as had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and kept him safe. When he heard him, he was much perplexed; and yet he heard him gladly. But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and the leading men of Galilee. For when Hero′di-as’ daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will grant it.” And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.” And she went out, and said to her mother, “What shall I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the baptizer.” And she came in immediately with haste to the king, and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” And the king was exceedingly sorry; but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. And immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard and gave orders to bring his head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb.

–Mark 6:14-29

Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve: Pour down upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Savior; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Sunrise horizon – Folly Beach pic.twitter.com/Ollk4ERzQU

— Charleston Daily (@ChuckTownDaily) July 27, 2025

Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in.
Who is the King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle!
Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory!

–Psalm 24:7-10

Une vue magique, Anzère 🤩🏔️🤩🇨🇭#suisse #switzerland @valaiswallis @Anzere365 @MySwitzerland_e pic.twitter.com/EReU0YMsCv

— Délèze Dominique (@DelezeD) July 27, 2025

Almighty God, heavenly Father, we remember in thanksgiving this day the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary; and we pray that we all may be made one in the heavenly family of thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, for ever and ever.

1/16 🧵
Today, we remember two quiet figures—so quiet, their names never appear in Scripture.
But their lives shaped the woman who said yes to God.
Today is the memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Let’s walk with them. pic.twitter.com/jmyu8sF1IJ

— Fr. Chris Vorderbruggen (@FatherChrisVor1) July 27, 2025

O God, give me strength to live another day.  Let me not turn coward before its difficulties or prove recreant to its duties.  Let me not lose faith in my fellow men.  Keep me sweet and sound of heart, in spite of ingratitude, treachery, or meanness.  Preserve me from minding little stings or giving them.  Help me to keep my heart clean, and to live so honestly and fearlessly that no outward failure can dishearten me or take away the joy of conscious integrity.  Open wide the eyes of my soul that I may see good in all things.  Grant me this day some new vision of thy truth, inspire me with the spirit of joy and gladness, and make me the cup of strength to suffering souls; in the name of the strong Deliverer, our only Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

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

torrent#river #rain #hiking pic.twitter.com/5ojVL7K1YZ

— Portmann Carrick (@PortmannCarrick) July 26, 2025

He went away from there and came to his own country; and his disciples followed him. And on the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue; and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get all this? What is the wisdom given to him? What mighty works are wrought by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.” And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands upon a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief.

And he went about among the villages teaching.

And he called to him the twelve, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. And he said to them, “Where you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. And if any place will not receive you and they refuse to hear you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet for a testimony against them.” So they went out and preached that men should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them.

–Mark 6:1-13

Mostly Cloudy. 21°C. Potatoes in flower. pic.twitter.com/Q5GnRWi1Je

— Yorkshire Wolds Weather (@WeatherWolds) July 26, 2025

O gracious God, we remember before thee this day thy servant and apostle James, first among the Twelve to suffer martyrdom for the Name of Jesus Christ; and we pray that thou wilt pour out upon the leaders of thy Church that spirit of self-denying service by which alone they may have true authority among thy people; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Today's the feast of St James, Apostle and patron saint of Spain. In art he's usually depicted as a pilgrim, as at Cawston, Norfolk, 1490s, with pilgrim staff and scallop shell, the badge of those who've been to Santiago de Compostela. 1/3

Cawston: https://t.co/ARfPwBoMyq pic.twitter.com/EhcOYzDxjg

— Simon Knott (@SimoninSuffolk) July 25, 2025

O Lord Christ, who dost call thy disciples not only to follow thee but to become fishers of men: Give to us and to thy whole Church grace to obey thy word and to engage in a bold and adventurous evangelism; and grant that, attempting great things for thee, we may also expect great things from thee; to whom be glory for ever and ever.

Peace and quiet. pic.twitter.com/vzvRv86ahF

— Jim Scott (@jimscottphoto) July 25, 2025

Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilbo′a. And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan and Abin′adab and Mal′chishu′a, the sons of Saul. The battle pressed hard upon Saul, and the archers found him; and he was badly wounded by the archers. Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and make sport of me.” But his armor-bearer would not; for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword, and fell upon it. And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword, and died with him. Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together. And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook their cities and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.

On the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilbo′a. And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines, to carry the good news to their idols and to the people. They put his armor in the temple of Ash′taroth; and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. But when the inhabitants of Ja′besh-gil′ead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, all the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan; and they came to Jabesh and burnt them there. And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

–1 Samuel 31:1-13

Nearly the #Weekend! 💚 Who recognises this well-known #Wensleydale hill?

Snapped from the roadside – with the Rosebay Willowherb in the foreground, we think the scene has a great #SummerVibe even if the weather doesn't always match the season! 🌸#LadyHill #FridayFeeling pic.twitter.com/nDlqPsDUhn

— Yorkshire Dales National Park (@yorkshire_dales) July 25, 2025

Six months ago, few people would have anticipated that the United States would place a 15 percent tariff on exports from Japan, one of America’s closest and most longstanding allies. President Trump had campaigned on the idea of a 10 percent universal base-line tariff, plus a higher levy on China, but it was not clear whether he would follow through.

But on Tuesday, when Mr. Trump announced a trade deal that included a 15 percent tariff on Japanese products — the highest rate those goods have faced in decades — there was a palpable sense of relief. Stock markets in Asia and Europe rose. The Japanese Nikkei 225 surged by over 3.5 percent, while shares of Japanese automakers, which will also be charged a 15 percent tariff on their exports to the United States, jumped more than 10 percent. The reaction is a testament to just how quickly and completely Mr. Trump has transformed the world’s expectations regarding tariffs.

Read it all.

Trump’s Tariffs Are the Highest in a Century. But After His Threats, They Seem Like a Relief. https://t.co/eevtXIQ4cC via @NYTimes

— ISMAIL (@iamaniku) July 23, 2025

Read it all.

Grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Last night I wrote to you about a concerning development in the ecclesiastical trial of Bishop Stewart Ruch III. As noted, I received a resignation letter from the provincial prosecutor late yesterday.  While I know that news is unsettling and my first note did not include a full explanation as the situation was still developing, I wanted to be sure you heard this news from me before the Court issued any rulings about its next steps in light of this unprecedented action.  I now want to offer a more thorough explanation.

It is fair to be asking: What happened?

As many of you know, I was elected to serve as your Archbishop just over one year ago. At that time, Bishop Ruch was pending trial, but a date had not yet been set. One of my first priorities as your Archbishop was to seek closure to this painful and unresolved situation. In my letter dated September 23, 2024 I announced the trial date of July 14 and also requested that all actions of the Court be public to improve visibility and transparency in the process. Bishop Foley Beach had appointed Alan Runyan as the Provincial Prosecutor, and I re-affirmed that appointment to avoid any delays in the process.

In the intervening months, both parties worked to prepare for the trial. In early June, the Court issued a statement of its intent to host the trial on a secure internet-based platform, and that it be closed to the public. On June 20, the Court hosted a pre-trial conference to determine the scope of the trial, including what would be included as evidence and how the proceedings would be organized. At this time, it was estimated that the trial would commence on schedule and last approximately 5-10 business days.

Last Monday, the trial commenced as scheduled and the prosecution began its case under the direction of Provincial Prosecutor Alan Runyan. I was not involved in these proceedings. When a trial is underway, neither I nor the provincial office is in communication with the court.

According to the prosecutor, on Friday afternoon as a witness was being interviewed, a line of questioning developed that drew on material that he did not believe was within the scope of the trial agreed upon in the June 20 pre-trial conference. In response to this concern, the prosecutor returned from a court recess and announced his intention to resign. Following this announcement, Bishop Ruch’s team filed a Motion for a Directed Verdict of Not Guilty. The court has not yet ruled on this motion.

I became aware of Alan’s announcement on Friday, however I did not receive a formal resignation letter from him confirming his intention until late yesterday afternoon. I’ve asked our Chancellor, Bill Nelson, to share that letter with you as well as some clarity and context regarding procedural matters.

Read it all.

C. Alan Runyan, the Provincial Prosecutor for the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), resigned effective 18 July 2025, in the midst of the high-profile trial of the Rt. Rev. Stewart Ruch III, bishop of the Diocese of the Upper Midwest. 

In a letter addressed to the Most Rev. Stephen D. Wood, Mr. Runyan expressed “great regret and deep spiritual sadness,” citing “irredeemable taint” introduced into the trial process by a member of the ecclesiastical court who, according to Runyan, improperly questioned witnesses and drew on materials not entered into evidence.

In his letter to Archbishop Wood, Runyan detailed that the court member’s actions introduced “unwarranted suspicion of provincial investigative bias” and violated the court’s own previous order to keep focus strictly on the charges against Bishop Ruch, rather than the prior investigative process. He stated that attempts were made to cast doubt on the investigation itself, even though no evidence of impropriety had been presented in the trial record.

The prosecutor stressed that “a trial process that bears within it the seed of impropriety, no matter the outcome, must change,” and called for the full, redacted trial transcript to be made available both to any successor prosecutor and to the broader church for transparency. Runyan concluded by expressing his sorrow at the development and a hope for God’s glorification in the ultimate outcome.

Read it all.

Holy Father, who hast nourished and strengthened thy Church by the writings of thy servant Thomas a Kempis: Grant that we may learn from him to know what we ought to know, to love what we ought to love, to praise what highly pleaseth thee, and always to seek to know and follow thy will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

✝️ Today we remember Thomas à Kempis, a 15th-century monk best known for “The Imitation of Christ”, a spiritual classic urging humility, inner devotion, and following Jesus above worldly praise.

His quiet wisdom still guides many seeking a deeper faith. pic.twitter.com/q21gRzPi0e

— St. Jude & St. James Church (@SJSJChurch) July 24, 2025

Set a watch, O Lord, upon our tongue, that we may never speak the cruel word which is not true; or being true, is not the whole truth; or being wholly true, is merciless; for the love of Jesus Christ our Lord.

—Daily Prayer, Eric Milner-White and G. W. Briggs, eds. (London: Penguin Books 1959 edition of the 1941 original)

River Lagan. pic.twitter.com/INeEqTiprD

— Sharon Welby📷 (@sharonwelby1) July 24, 2025

But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” And when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoeni′cia and Samar′ia, reporting the conversion of the Gentiles, and they gave great joy to all the brethren. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up, and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to charge them to keep the law of Moses.”

The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. And after there had been much debate, Peter rose and said to them, “Brethren, you know that in the early days God made choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God who knows the heart bore witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us; and he made no distinction between us and them, but cleansed their hearts by faith. Now therefore why do you make trial of God by putting a yoke upon the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we shall be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”

–Acts 15:1-11

#sunrise pic.twitter.com/JQA5bBQ5yE

— Darius Aniunas (@dariusaniunas) July 24, 2025

For the first time, the bishop of a non-metropolitan diocese has been elected Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia.

The Bishop of Canberra & Goulburn, Dr Mark Short, was elected last Saturday to succeed the current Primate, the Archbishop of Adelaide, the Most Revd Geoffrey Smith, (News, 16 May). Archbishop Smith’s resignation will take effect on 31 October. Dr Short will assume his duties on 1 November, while remaining Bishop of his diocese. After an initial term of six years, he could be re-elected for a further three.

All former Primates since the inception of the office in 1872 have been bishops or archbishops of the five metropolitan dioceses: Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth.

Read it all.

The Rt Revd Dr Mark Short has served as 11th Bishop of Canberra and Goulburn since 6 April 2019. He will DV assume office as 17th Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia on 1 November 2025. The first time a diocesan who was not also an Archbishop has been chosen for the role. pic.twitter.com/eO4JttNGwN

— AustralianAnglican (@AustAnglican) July 19, 2025

Who (or what) has shaped your faith the most?” 

As a campus minister, I have asked this question to many college students over the years. Lately, I have noticed a shift in their answers. 

Last fall, I sat across from a freshman at Vanderbilt University. We were chatting over tacos when I posed the question. I watched the gears spin in his head. Would it be a church from back home? A great book? An older mentor who discipled him? Maybe his parents? 

He leaned back. 

“YouTube.” 

I stared blankly, trying my best not to show my surprise. 

It hit me: What we were doing—eating lunch alongside one another—discipler and disciplee—might be an entirely new experience for him. In the digital age, disembodied social interactions have become the norm.

Read it all.

Intuitive Surgical, an American biotechnology company, introduced DaVinci surgical robots in the late 1990s, and they became groundbreaking teleoperation equipment. Expert surgeons could operate on patients remotely, manipulating the robotic arms and their surgical tools based on a video feed from DaVinci’s built-in cameras and endoscopes.

Now, John Hopkins University researchers put a ChatGPT-like AI in charge of a DaVinci robot and taught it to perform a gallbladder-removal surgery.

The idea to put a computer behind the wheel of a surgical robot is not entirely new, but these had mostly relied on using pre-programmed actions. “The program told the robot exactly how to move and what to do. It worked like in these Kuka robotic arms, welding cars on factory floors,” says Ji Woong Kim, a robotics researcher who led the study on autonomous surgery. To improve on that, a team led by Axel Krieger, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at John Hopkins University, built STAR: the Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot. In 2022, it successfully performed a surgery on a live pig.

But even STAR couldn’t do it without specially marked tissues and a predetermined plan. STAR’s key difference was that its AI could make adjustments to this plan based on the feed from cameras.

The new robot can do considerably more….

Read it all.

Experimental surgery performed by AI-driven surgical robot https://t.co/dO71bcrw7z

— Ars Technica (@arstechnica) July 21, 2025

As anybody who has ever taken a standardised test will know, racing to answer an expansive essay question in 20 minutes or less takes serious brain power. Having unfettered access to artificial intelligence (AI) would certainly lighten the mental load. But as a recent study by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) suggests, that help may come at a cost.

Over the course of a series of essay-writing sessions, students working with (as well as without) ChatGPT were hooked up to electroencephalograms (EEGs) to measure their brain activity as they toiled. Across the board, the AI users exhibited markedly lower neural activity in parts of the brain associated with creative functions and attention. Students who wrote with the chatbot’s help also found it much harder to provide an accurate quote from the paper that they had just produced.

The findings are part of a growing body of work on the potentially detrimental effects of AI use for creativity and learning. This research points to important questions about whether the impressive short-term gains afforded by generative AI may incur a hidden long-term debt.

Read it all.

Having unfettered access to artificial intelligence certainly lightens the mental load. But as a recent study suggests, that help may come at a cost https://t.co/uBZ5B6v8ZB

Illustration: enigmatriz pic.twitter.com/7yf9rgXVmk

— The Economist (@TheEconomist) July 18, 2025

Holy and Mighty One, whose beloved Son Jesus Christ blessed the pure in heart: We offer thanks for the life and teachings of John Cassian that draw us to a discipline of holy living for the sake of thy reign. Call us to turn the gaze of the eyes of our soul always toward thee, that we may abide in thy love, shown to us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who with thee and the Holy Spirit is one God, living and true, to the ages of ages. Amen.

St. John Cassian icon, written by George Kordis, 2012 pic.twitter.com/tbbg3UAuum

— Solas (@solas_na_greine) August 29, 2024

Grant, O blessed Lord, that thy Church in this our day may hear anew thy call to launch out into the deep in the service of thy glorious gospel; that souls for whom thou hast died may be won for thee, to the increase of thy kingdom and the glory of thy holy name.

Ich wünsche euch einen guten Tag!

(Samstag auf dem Seehorn, im Hintergrund der Große Hundstod) pic.twitter.com/okdVaHS1Bo

— Die Bergziege (@brauchtfreiheit) July 23, 2025

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great storm of wind arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care if we perish?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?” And they were filled with awe, and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?”

–Mark 4:35-41

Morning everyone I hope you are well. Waiting for the bit of light to illuminate Tarn Hows. Have a great day.#LakeDistrict pic.twitter.com/IFBdITN0wE

— Rod Hutchinson (@lakesrhino) July 23, 2025

The Bishop of Sheffield, Dr Pete Wilcox, is to chair a statutory inquiry into the violence at the coking plant at Orgreave, Rotherham, in 1984, when 6000 police officers, many on horseback, confronted a protest of striking miners who had responded to a call by the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) for a mass picket of the pit.

The inquiry will be “thorough and fair”, Dr Wilcox said on Monday. The NUM has promised him “any assistance that he requires to ensure that the inquiry uncovers the truth about who orchestrated the events at Orgreave . . . so that precautions can be put in place so it never happens again.”

The miners were striking over the National Coal Board’s plans to close 20 collieries, with the loss of 20,000 jobs: 120 injuries were recorded as riot squads pursued fleeing miners into Orgreave village, and 95 picketers — assembled to prevent lorries conveying coke to the Scunthorpe steelworks — were arrested and charged with riot and violent disorder. All the charges were later dropped after the evidence was discredited.

Read it all.

The Bishop of Sheffield @PeteWilcox1564 is to chair a statutory inquiry into the violence at the coking plant at Orgreave, Rotherham, in 1984 https://t.co/ygOdxWmV8d

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) July 21, 2025

American missionary Caleb Rowen has witnessed firsthand China’s tightening restrictions on religious faith and practice.

From 2006 to 2016, government policies prohibiting missionary work did not feel strictly enforced, Rowen said. Cross-organizational outreach, partnerships, and Bible translation projects took shape and flourished in this season.

The Chinese government “just turned a blind eye,” he said, “until they didn’t.”

In 2014, the Chinese government started cracking down on Korean missionaries and went on to expel entire Western mission agencies in 2018. In the same year, it shut down prominent house churches and arrested pastors like Wang Yi of Early Rain Covenant Church. It seemed as if overnight, half the missionaries whom Rowen knew had left China. CT is using a pseudonym for Rowen, as he is concerned about his safety for speaking with Christian media. 

Read it all.

“[God] laughs at restrictions, and so do we, because we know that no system on earth can keep the lid on this thing—this chain reaction that God initiated with the cross,” said an American missionary in China. https://t.co/LgaThcpSgw

— Christianity Today (@CTmagazine) May 11, 2025

The militants are using the quadcopters to drop improvised explosive devices or mortar shells on their targets, five security officials said. They said these explosive devices were packed with ball bearings or pieces of iron.

Provincial police chief Zulfiqar Hameed said the police lacked resources to meet the new challenge.

“We do not have equipment to counter the drones,” he told the local Geo News channel on Sunday. “The militants are better equipped than we are,” he said.

No militant group has claimed responsibility for the drone strikes.

Read it all.

Pakistani Islamist militants use drones to target security forces, officials say https://t.co/b8OU8lkc1R

— Reuters Asia (@ReutersAsia) July 21, 2025