Congregationalism is being “silently endorsed” in the Church of England, a new report warns, because the leaders of new worshipping communities (NWCs) are writing eucharistic texts for their communities without the theological support of the wider Church.

The Communion Dilemma: The challenges of leading eucharistic New Things draws on a survey of 63 NWCs across 20 dioceses. It reports that 39 per cent of them are using texts not authorised by the General Synod.

“The problem is not just [that] new things are breaking the rules, but they are seeking to exist outside of the ecology of the wider Church, in which all can be benefit and learn from one another,” the report says. One way forward would be to designate some New Things as “centres for liturgical experimentation”.

The report is by the Revd Dr Joshua Cockayne, director of the Bede Centre for Church Planting Theology at Cranmer Hall. The term “New Things” was used in an earlier report by the Centre, which found that dioceses had jettisoned the use of the word “church” in describing the various new worshipping communities being established in their parishes (News, 16 August 2024).

Read it all.

Congregationalism is being “silently endorsed” in the Church of England, a new report warns, because the leaders of new worshipping communities (NWCs) are writing eucharistic texts for their communities without the theological support of the wider Churchhttps://t.co/KXm27fBSKs

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) October 14, 2025

Trinity Anglican Seminary is offering an in-person and live-stream lecture at 7:00 p.m. on October 30 by Dr. Matthew Barrett, Research Professor of Theology. Part of the 2025 John Rodgers Lecture Series, this year’s lecture, “The Legacy of Nicaea & the Future of Anglicanism,” marks the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea and explores the vital role of creedal Christianity in our time. Register here to receive the live-stream link.

Read it all.

The Latest Edition of the Anglican Diocese of #SouthCarolina Enewsletter https://t.co/NrndEYbzzv #parishministry #anglican #news #southcarolina #lowcountrylife pic.twitter.com/BvRsQ1TKc8

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) October 14, 2025

From cars and computer chips to tanks and fighter jets, China’s new export restrictions represent a sweeping effort to control global commerce and have set off a renewed trade fight that pits Beijing against not only the United States but also Europe.

The new regulations, which take effect in stages on Nov. 8 and Dec. 1, apply to the entire world, sharply escalating China’s sway over critical manufacturing at a time of increased international fractures over trade. The restrictions led President Trump on Friday to threaten to impose new 100 percent tariffs on Chinese imports starting Nov. 1.

The rules go far beyond China’s limits since April on the export of rare earth metals, which are mined and processed mainly in China, as well as magnets made from those metals. In a series of announcements on Thursday, China extended its restrictions to worldwide shipments of electric motors, computer chips and other devices that have become central to modern life and are now manufactured mainly in China.

The regulations prohibit exports from China to any country of materials or components for use in military equipment. Among the items banned are the small yet powerful electric motors in missiles and fighter jets and the materials for crucial range finders in tanks and artillery that are used to zero in on distant targets.

Read it all.

China’s New Export Curbs May Level a Heavy Blow Worldwide https://t.co/CX91lkUldK "The new rules apply to any shipments across national borders…European automakers, in particular, face a daunting task of seeking Chinese export licenses to move car parts within Europe"

— David Mulroney (@David_Mulroney) October 13, 2025

On October 15, 1906, Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewsky, the Jewish-born, rabbinical school-trained, former Anglican bishop of Shanghai, died in Tokyo, after a lengthy illness, at age 75. Apart from the novelty interest of a converted Jew becoming a church official and serving in the exotic East, Schereschewsky is remembered for having produced a much-respected translation into Mandarin Chinese of the Hebrew Bible, among other sacred texts, which became the standard 20th-century translation.

Samuel Schereschewsky was born on May 6, 1831, in Tauroggen, a Jewish shtetl in the Russian empire, in what is today southwest Lithuania. Both of his parents ”“ the former Rosa Salvatha, of Sephardi-Jewish heritage, and Samuel Joseph Schereschewsky ”“ died when he was very young. Samuel was apparently raised by a much older half-brother, a timber merchant who was the product of his father’s first marriage.

At age 15, he left his brother’s home, and held jobs as a glazier and as a Hebrew tutor before entering the rabbinical seminary in Zhytomir, in Ukraine.

Read it all.

Today the Church remembers the Apostle to the Chinese, Bp. Joseph Schereschewsky. Born to the Jews, he was training to become a rabbi when the Lord brought him out from them by the enlightening of his mind, when upon reading the New Testament he recognized it as the word of God. pic.twitter.com/5uVUriVvG5

— Joe – Young Anglican ⚓️ (@Young_Anglican) October 14, 2025

O God, who in thy providence didst call Joseph Schereschewsky from his home in Eastern Europe to the ministry of this Church, and didst send him as a missionary to China, upholding him in his infirmity, that he might translate the holy Scriptures into languages of that land: Lead us, we pray thee, to commit our lives and talents to thee, in the confidence that when thou givest thy servants any work to do, thou dost also supply the strength to do it; 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 Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewsky, Bishop and Missionary, 1906 pic.twitter.com/F0xkkbLRRH

— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) October 14, 2023

Take from us, O Lord God, all pride and vanity, all boasting and self-assertion, and give us the true courage that shows itself in gentleness; the true wisdom that shows itself in simplicity; and the true power that shows itself in modesty; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Every morning we open a window to the Yorkshire Dales National Park and share some of its special qualities, like this view of moorland at Oxnop in Swaledale.

📸 Wendy McDonnell | #YorkshireDales #StepIntoNature pic.twitter.com/Mf5oCZ0jYs

— Yorkshire Dales National Park (@yorkshire_dales) October 14, 2025

Make love your aim, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, he who prophesies speaks to men for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than he who speaks in tongues, unless some one interprets, so that the church may be edified.

Now, brethren, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how shall I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? If even lifeless instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will any one know what is played? And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle? So with yourselves; if you in a tongue utter speech that is not intelligible, how will any one know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air. There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning; but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I shall be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me. So with yourselves; since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.

–1 Corinthians 14:1-12

Each time is different, a journey up on Kinder #PeakDistrict

🗓️ Last Sunday morning pic.twitter.com/5poHHIXSQs

— Sarah Lister (@ABTheAdventure) October 14, 2025

The announcement of the choice of the Bishop of London, Dame Sarah Mallally, to be the next Archbishop of Canterbury has been accompanied by frequent references to the Archbishop of Canterbury as the ‘head of the Church of England’ or the ‘head of the Anglican Communion.’  In this post I shall explain why both of these statements are misleading, what roles the Archbishop of Canterbury actually has in the Church of England and the wider Anglican Communion, and the implications of the fact that these roles are very limited.

What do we mean by ‘head?’

When thinking about these topics, the first thing we need to be clear about is what we mean when we say that someone is the ‘head’ of something. When we use the word head in this connection we are using analogical language. An analogy is being drawn between the role of the head (and more specifically what is inside the head, the brain) in the human body and the role of an individual in a particular organisation.

The analogy is between the role of the brain in determining how a human body shall act and the role of an individual in determining what happens in an organisation. Calling some the head in this way (as in the terms ‘head of state,’ ‘head teacher’ and ‘head of the armed forces’ ) means that they are the person who has the authority and ability to govern the life of the state, the school, or the armed forces. They have the right to say what will happen.

By extension, when it is said that the Archbishop of Canterbury is head of the Church of England or the Anglican Communion, what is being claimed is that the Archbishop of Canterbury has a similar governing authority over these bodies. The problem with this claim is that it is untrue for three reasons.

Read it all.

Martin Davie–'The…problem with this statement is that the idea that the Church of England does not have a ‘straightforward statement of doctrine’ is simply untrue. The Church of England does have a straightforward statement of its doctrine, and this is found in the Thirty Nine… pic.twitter.com/8jtUCwrQDb

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) November 21, 2024

Once again the history of the church is instructive; any kind of acceptance of same-sex unions was unknown to Christianity before about the last hundred years, and has only found widespread traction in about the last thirty. (Of course, popes, televangelists and many others have had their moral failings, but these were always recognised as failings and a subject of scandal when revealed.) And once again this is in part because of extremely plain statements in Scripture. Such behaviour is an “abomination”; those who practice these things “will not inherit the kingdom of God”. There is a famous story about Sodom and Gomorrah with which you may be dimly aware. Scripture is at pains to point out that this sin, like all others, will be forgiven for anyone who repents; but it is a sin, and forgiveness does require repentance. (Of course, for all the creative reinterpretations that have flourished here as well, the real reason for the church’s shift is evident to anyone with half a brain: the culture moved, and the church wanted to move with it.)

Here there is an important difference from the issue of women’s ordination. While Scripture is clear on that topic, it is silent on its precise seriousness; most conservatives would not suggest that disobedience around women’s ordination is necessarily the death of faith. But the matter is very different with sexual immorality (of which same-sex unions are of course only one example); here God repeatedly warns us that unrepentant disobedience means judgement. To our culture, obsessed with sex and thereby cheapening it, this seems a strange overreaction. In reality, however, God could hardly do otherwise. Sex is deeply significant, the closest you can get to another human being and therefore an act with enormous power. Any parent can testify to its life-giving strength; any victim of sexual abuse, to its destructive force. God takes it seriously because it is serious.

Read it all.

Why Christians have an issue with Sarah Mullally — by @petermileach https://t.co/S0KODGQZhf

— The Critic (@TheCriticMag) October 11, 2025

Oh God, who called your servant Edward to earthly throne, that he might advance your heavenly kingdom, and give him zeal for your Church and love for people. Mercifully grant that we who remember him this day, may by your Spirit be fruitful in good works and attain to the glorious crowns of your saints, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with thee and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns with you as one God in glory everlasting, Amen.

Everyone is welcome to join us in worship as we stream the First Evensong of the Translation of St Edward the Confessor at 3pm (BST) today.

The service will be sung by @WAbbeyChoir with music by Weelkes, Gibbons and Bruhns, and you can watch live or on demand at:… pic.twitter.com/BDeeSNDL9o

— Westminster Abbey (@wabbey) October 12, 2025

Happy Thanksgiving to our ATU members and their families across Canada.#Thanksgiving #Solidarity #Thankful pic.twitter.com/oN3P5kRTS5

— ATU Canada (@atu_canada) October 13, 2025

O God, our refuge and strength, true source of all godliness: Graciously hear the devout prayers of your Church, and grant that those things which we ask faithfully, we may obtain effectually; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

Peterborough Cathedral, in its misty magnificence. pic.twitter.com/J3LHiaV0Um

— Gawain Towler (@Towler) October 12, 2025

Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree
    planted by streams of water,
that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.

The wicked are not so,
    but are like chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked will perish.

–Psalm 1

Autumn view overlooking the town of Brigus Newfoundland. pic.twitter.com/4fTAjHlXOG

— Gord Follett Photography (@gord_follett) October 12, 2025

Almighty God,
you have made us for yourself,
and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you:
pour your love into our hearts and draw us to yourself,
and so bring us at last to your heavenly city
where we shall see you face to face;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.

In the fourth year of Jehoi′akim the son of Josi′ah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josi′ah until today. It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I intend to do to them, so that every one may turn from his evil way, and that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.”

Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neri′ah, and Baruch wrote upon a scroll at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord which he had spoken to him. And Jeremiah ordered Baruch, saying, “I am debarred from going to the house of the Lord; so you are to go, and on a fast day in the hearing of all the people in the Lord’s house you shall read the words of the Lord from the scroll which you have written at my dictation. You shall read them also in the hearing of all the men of Judah who come out of their cities. It may be that their supplication will come before the Lord, and that every one will turn from his evil way, for great is the anger and wrath that the Lord has pronounced against this people.” And Baruch the son of Neri′ah did all that Jeremiah the prophet ordered him about reading from the scroll the words of the Lord in the Lord’s house.

In the fifth year of Jehoi′akim the son of Josi′ah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, all the people in Jerusalem and all the people who came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem proclaimed a fast before the Lord. Then, in the hearing of all the people, Baruch read the words of Jeremiah from the scroll, in the house of the Lord, in the chamber of Gemari′ah the son of Shaphan the secretary, which was in the upper court, at the entry of the New Gate of the Lord’s house.

–Jeremiah 36:1-10

Holy God, no one is excluded from thy love; and thy truth transformeth the minds of all who seek thee: As thy servant Philip was led to embrace the fullness of thy salvation and to bring the stranger to Baptism, so grant unto us all the grace to be heralds of the Gospel, proclaiming thy love in Jesus Christ our Savior, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Today we keep St. Philip the Deacon. One of the Seven Deacons appointed by the Apostles to serve the early Church, he was “a man of good repute, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom” (Acts 6:3–5).

Faithful, bold, and tireless, he carried the Gospel from Jerusalem to Gaza and… pic.twitter.com/kSsi5zWj7X

— Bishop Stephen Smuts (@BishopSmuts) October 11, 2025

O God, with whom a thousand years are as one day, and who hast called us whose lives pass as a watch in the night unto thy service; Grant that we may so do our work that it shall not need to be undone.  Stay, we beseech thee, the fever in our hearts, and help us to walk in the light of thine own eternity, 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)

Milan Cathedral, Italy 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/w2c4z0UQXD

— Éarth (@Earthdreams_) October 11, 2025

Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Go and say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will you not receive instruction and listen to my words? says the LORD. The command which Jon’adab the son of Rechab gave to his sons, to drink no wine, has been kept; and they drink none to this day, for they have obeyed their father’s command. I have spoken to you persistently, but you have not listened to me. I have sent to you all my servants the prophets, sending them persistently, saying, ‘Turn now every one of you from his evil way, and amend your doings, and do not go after other gods to serve them, and then you shall dwell in the land which I gave to you and your fathers.’ But you did not incline your ear or listen to me. The sons of Jon’adab the son of Rechab have kept the command which their father gave them, but this people has not obeyed me. Therefore, thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing on Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them; because I have spoken to them and they have not listened, I have called to them and they have not answered.” But to the house of the Re’chabites Jeremiah said, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Because you have obeyed the command of Jon’adab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done all that he commanded you, therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Jon’adab the son of Rechab shall never lack a man to stand before me.”

–Jeremiah 35:12-19

"There were ghosts in the stones, in the trees, and the walls, and each field and hill had several." – Laurie Lee

One of the (many) things I love about the #peakdistrict is the sense that the past is never very far away. It breathes and peeps around every corner, lingers in the… pic.twitter.com/NbBg2CS6Yi

— peaklass (@peaklass1) October 11, 2025

For a young adult coming to church for the first time, simply getting to and through the first service is a daunting prospect. Churches’ online presence, where it exists, describes their beliefs and practices in euphemisms that make sense only to those already familiar with the smorgasbord of Church of England options.

Jargon and out-of-date websites unite to confound the uninitiated. My local churches advertise everything from “Catholic Worship” through to “English Missal Eucharist” and “liturgy inspired by the Iona Community”, and detail membership of the Evangelical Alliance, The Society, or the Inclusive Church network, without explanation. For a generation used to finding information online, clear and accurate websites or social media make church significantly more accessible.

Once you are at church, the average service is an hour of the unknown: so much to follow, so many unwritten “rules”, and so (potentially) intellectually challenging or emotionally taxing. At better-resourced churches, you might be greeted at the door, have a well-produced service booklet handed to you, and have your moment to ask questions. Finessing the church “user experience” is difficult on a shoestring, but such small operational improvements could make coming to church for the first time infinitely less baffling.

Read it all.

How churches can adapt to the ‘quiet revival’@WinifEvans, a recent convert, suggests some ‘operational improvements’ that parishes can make #quietrevivalhttps://t.co/tvmo0NSdpS

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) October 3, 2025

Mullally, 63, who was confirmed Oct. 3 as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, is the first woman ever to hold the post. Formerly the Bishop of London and before that Chief Nursing Officer for England, she now succeeds Archbishop Justin Welby as the spiritual head of the Anglican Communion, which represents some 85 million members worldwide.

“The election is a double jeopardy,” Ndukuba said. “First, it disregards the conviction of the majority of Anglicans who cannot accept female headship in the episcopate; and second, it is more disturbing that Bishop Sarah Mullally is a strong supporter of same-sex marriage.” 

“It remains to be seen how the same person hopes to mend the already torn fabric of the Anglican Communion by the contentious same-sex marriage, which has caused enormous crisis across the Communion for over two decades,” the Church of Nigeria statement said.

The statement continued: “This election is a further confirmation that the global Anglican world could no longer accept the leadership of the Church of England and that of the Archbishop of Canterbury.”

Read it all.

The Church of Nigeria Breaks from Canterbury: A Bold Stand for God’s Word

The Church of Nigeria, the largest Anglican province in the world, has officially declared spiritual independence from the Church of England. This historic move comes after the appointment of Bishop Sarah… pic.twitter.com/aYfgWubXpI

— The Canberra Declaration (@TheCanDec) October 9, 2025

Ari Emanuel, the Hollywood talent agent and sports tycoon, has raised almost $3bn from investors for a new events venture in a bet that artificial intelligence will shrink the working week and give people more free time. 

The world could be “down to four-day work weeks” in the coming years, he told the Financial Times. This could go “down to three with AI” as more people use the technology to expedite everyday tasks, he said. “There’s going to be more free time.” 

MARI, Emanuel’s new company, will house the Madrid and Miami tennis Opens, as well as the Frieze art fairs, which Emanuel bought out of Endeavor, the sports and entertainment group he co-founded. The company announced on Wednesday that it had also agreed to acquire Barrett-Jackson, the collector car auction company, from Endeavor.

Read it all.

Ari Emanuel bets AI will boost leisure time with three-day working week https://t.co/tkaSMs2V7c

— Financial Times (@FT) October 8, 2025

Hard plastic made from bamboo is as strong and durable as conventional plastics for uses such as household appliances and car interiors, but is also recyclable and biodegrades easily in soil.

Plastics derived from biological matter, or bioplastics, are increasingly popular, but they still only make up around half a per cent of the more than 400 million tonnes of plastics produced each year. This is, in part, because bioplastics lack the mechanical strength of many oil-based plastics and also can’t be easily used in common manufacturing processes.

Now, Dawei Zhao at Shenyang University of Chemical Technology in China and his colleagues have developed a way to produce plastic from cellulose derived from bamboo, which can replicate or surpass the properties of many widely used plastics.

Read it all.

Hard plastic made from bamboo is as strong and durable as conventional plastics for uses such as household appliances and car interiors, but also recyclable and biodegrades easily in soil. https://t.co/POqQscIGEe

— New Scientist (@newscientist) October 7, 2025

Grant us O God, thy grace to follow the example thy faithful servant and bishop Paulinus, who sought to turn those from the dominion of darkness and by your Holy Spirit be transferred to the kingdom of your beloved Son; Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Today's the feast of St Paulinus, 7th Century Roman missionary to the Anglo-Saxons. Fourth from the left in glass by Leonard Evetts, 1969, at Monkwearmouth, Sunderland, with St Aidan, St Bede, St Peter and St Cuthbert. First Bishop of York and later Bishop of Rochester, Paulinus… pic.twitter.com/obRGuv3omH

— Simon Knott (@SimoninSuffolk) October 10, 2025

O God, author of the world’s joy, bearer of the world’s pain; Make us glad we are men, and that we have inherited the world’s burden; deliver us from the luxury of cheap melancholy; and, at the heart of all our trouble and sorrow, let unconquerable gladness dwell.

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

Narrow Morning Lanes. 8°C and blue skies. Elderberries. pic.twitter.com/omW4im3vLi

— Yorkshire Wolds Weather (@WeatherWolds) October 10, 2025

And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly charged them, “See that no one knows it.” But they went away and spread his fame through all that district.

As they were going away, behold, a dumb demoniac was brought to him. And when the demon had been cast out, the dumb man spoke; and the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.”

–Matthew 9:27-34

#Autumn set her leaves ablaze with
sunlit colour on the sky’s blue face.

~ Angie Weiland-Crosby#October #Autumn2025 🍂❤️🍁 pic.twitter.com/Rh3bjAMNDU

— Margaret O'Connell🌻 (@MargaretOC6) October 10, 2025

Yaroslav Pavlivskiy waved his hands as he sprang from his car, pleading for mercy with the operator of a Russian drone circling overhead as he drove home from a market in the southern city of Kherson.

The operator flicked a switch to release a grenade, which exploded and tore into the legs of the 69-year-old pensioner. A passerby used a belt as a tourniquet to stop him from losing too much blood, saving his life.

In the hospital the next day, the doctor showed Pavlivskiy a Russian video of the incident, which was set to techno music and carried a caption: “A drone operator spotted another ‘civilian.’ After reconnaissance, the target was eliminated.”

Russian drone operators have turned daily life in Kherson into a terrifying gauntlet. A year ago, from the other side of the Dnipro River, they began sending drones, in addition to using bombs and artillery, to take potshots at civilians.

Now the attacks have intensified to such an extent that Ukrainian authorities, civilians and human-rights groups say it has become a systematic effort to keep people off the city’s streets under threat of execution from the skies.

Read it all.

“There will be no more mercy.”

“No one deserves pity. Spare me your whining.”

Those are captions to videos of Russian drone operators attacking civilians in Kherson city and oblast.

Living in Kherson means risking execution from the sky.https://t.co/Otunmnekn8 (read free)

— Jane Lytvynenko (@JaneLytv) October 9, 2025

Despite many advantages of demography, immigration, finance, vigorous evangelical church-planting networks and prominent traditionalist expressions of worship such as the work of Revd Marcus Walker at St Bartholomew-the-Great, during the years Mullally was its diocesan bishop, the Diocese of London has managed to not just buck the growth trend but to shed 17% of its regular attendance.

Perhaps this shrinkage should come as no great surprise given what Sarah Mullally served-up at the announcement of her appointment – it would have starved any generations’ hunger pangs for ‘full-fat Christianity’.

It was more a diet of John Major channelling George Orwell – “warm beer” and “old maids bicycling to Holy Communion through the morning mist”– than any attempt to satisfy present spiritual cravings.

Having delivered a pre-written prayer, as if reading from an autocue (a schoolboy’s later counterpart was noticeably less wooden), Bishop Mullally spoke of how, “In the apparent chaos which surrounds us, in the midst of such profound global uncertainty the possibility of healing lies in acts of kindness and love… I hear parishioners ringing bells and inviting people to pray. I hear the quiet hum of faith in every community the gentle invitation to come and be with others and the welcome extended to every person. In all of this I see hope because I see the person of Jesus Christ reaching out to us all”.

Dished-up was, “The rhythms of Anglican worship echoed with familiar grace… made real in global diversity… joining their voices in advocacy for those in need,” and a portion of “people fleeing war and persecution to seek safety and refuge”, “communities that have been overlooked and undervalued”, “the ever-worsening climate crisis”, “the misuse of power in all its forms”, “Love one another- our source and our standard”,  “quieter but stronger”, “If we want to go fast, go alone but if we want to go far, go together”.

Dame Mullally said that she wanted her legacy as archbishop to be “…to nurture and cultivate confidence in the gospel” but, unlike at the Charlie Kirk memorial, what was noticeably absent was any real explanation at all, let alone a ‘confident’ one, of what that gospel is. “Jesus Christ is the life-changing hope that brings us together as church, even in our own brokenness and messiness – and sends us out into the world to witness to that Love” or “Hope is made of the infinite love of God, who breathed life into creation and said it was good. Hope shimmered in the courage of Abraham and Sarah and the challenging call of the prophets. Hope resounded through Mary’s ‘yes’ to God’s call to bear His Son. Hope is found in Christ’s triumph over sin and death” are not meaty explanations of the gospel.

Read it all.

Some thoughts on the new Archbishop of Canterbury – perhaps the worng choice for Gen Z who are looking for full fat faith?https://t.co/1R9PE8evXU

— Anglican Futures (@AnglicanFutures) October 3, 2025

The Internet has Google. Now biology has MetaGraph. Detailed today in Nature¹, the search engine can quickly sift through the staggering volumes of biological data housed in public repositories.

“It’s a huge achievement,” says Rayan Chikhi, a biocomputing researcher at the Pasteur Institute in Paris. “They set a new standard” for analysing raw biological data — including DNA, RNA and protein sequences — from databases that can contain millions of billions of DNA letters, amounting to ‘petabases’ of information, more entries than all the webpages in Google’s vast index.

Although MetaGraph is tagged as ‘Google for DNA’, Chikhi likens the tool to a search engine for YouTube, because the tasks are more computationally demanding. In the same way that YouTube searches can retrieve every video that features, say, red balloons even when those key words don’t appear in the title, tags or description, MetaGraph can uncover genetic patterns hidden deep within expansive sequencing data sets without needing those patterns to be explicitly annotated in advance.

“It enables things that cannot be done in any other way,” Chikhi says

Read it all.

Metagraph: the new search engine that can quickly sift through the staggering volumes of biological data housed in public repositorieshttps://t.co/Q4qtiAq8AF

— nature (@Nature) October 8, 2025

Israel and Hamas on Thursday edged closer to ending their devastating two-year war, agreeing on the initial terms of a deal that could pave the way to an imminent cease-fire and bringing relief to the families of Israeli hostages and to two million Palestinians in Gaza.

The two sides were preparing for an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners this weekend after reaching an agreement overnight, the culmination of sustained pressure from President Trump and Arab mediators. Mr. Trump suggested that he would travel to the region over the weekend, and Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said he had invited him to address Israel’s Parliament.

Though details were scarce, and the text of the agreement had not been made public, it promised at least a cease-fire if not a permanent end to a conflict that has set off a humanitarian catastrophe and widespread hunger in Gaza, battered Hamas militarily and left Israel exhausted and isolated internationally. 

Read it all.

Israel-Hamas ceasefire | Israel, Hamas agree to ‘first phase’ of peace plan, hostage-release, Trump says
Follow live updates here: https://t.co/fuAdxyAumN

— The Hindu (@the_hindu) October 9, 2025