O God, who hast commanded us to walk in the Spirit and not to fulfill the lusts of the flesh: Perfect us, we pray thee, in love, that we may conquer our natural selfishness and give ourselves to others.  Fill our hearts with thy joy, and garrison them with thy peace; make us longsuffering and gentle, and thus subdue our hasty and angry tempers; give us faithfulness, meekness and self-control; that so crucifying the flesh with its affections and lusts, we may bring forth the fruit of the Spirit to thy praise and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

An early morning SpaceX rocket launch out of Cape Canaveral, Florida has left a really cool vapor trail in the sky over Charleston! pic.twitter.com/Gwx2AX41DW

— Joey Sovine Live 5 (@JoeySovine) September 25, 2025

“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved by anything. “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who joins himself to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two shall become one flesh.” But he who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Shun immorality. Every other sin which a man commits is outside the body; but the immoral man sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Good Morning World…

Have a great Thursday! ☕️😎 pic.twitter.com/DNTfWot0SH

— Cloudymamma (@cloudymamma) September 25, 2025

Amid cuts to statutory services, churches are well placed to serve as early responders to families in need, “before thresholds are met, before trust is broken, and before families reach breaking point”, a new report says.

The report, More than Sundays, was produced by the Children and Families Alliance, comprising three Christian charities working with vulnerable children and families: Safe Families and Home for Good (Features, 27 March 2023); Transforming Lives for Good (News, 27 August 2021); and Kids Matter (Features, 27 September 2019).

It describes the current landscape for early intervention. Local-authority spending on this fell by 46 per cent in real terms between 2010-11 and 2021-22, according to a study by Pro Bono Economics. In contrast, spending on “late intervention”, such as youth justice and children in care rose by 47 per cent over the same period, making up four-fifths of spending on children’s services.

“This shift is not just fiscal,” the report says. “It reflects a fundamental transformation in how the system operates . . . locking councils into a reactive mode that responds only once harm has occurred.”

Read it all.

The report, More than Sundays, was produced by the Children and Families Alliance, comprising three Christian charities working with vulnerable children and families: #SafeFamilies and #HomeforGood; @Tlg_org; and @KidsMatterUK

Read more 👇https://t.co/lIIHaLqOwl

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) September 24, 2025

US debt investors have raised the alarm over lax lending standards in credit markets after the unravelling of two companies that just weeks ago were deemed to be in strong health.

The failure of subprime auto lender Tricolor Holdings at the start of this month followed by the exploration of bankruptcy proceedings by car parts supplier First Brands Group have wrongfooted investors. Tricolor had won pristine triple-A ratings as it borrowed in credit markets, while First Brands may have amassed as much as $10bn in debt and off-balance sheet financing and was close to raising even more last month.

Investors were ready to dismiss each as one-off incidents, but taken together, the two offer signs of cracks within credit markets, which have become a critical source of funding for consumers and businesses as traditional banks have retreated since the financial crisis.

Read it all.

US debt investors have raised the alarm over lax lending standards in credit markets after the unravelling of subprime auto lender Tricolor Holdings and car parts supplier First Brands Group that just weeks ago were deemed to be in strong health. https://t.co/42lt425W6Y pic.twitter.com/MIgeF7QhsF

— Financial Times (@FT) September 24, 2025

But today conservative Christians are eager to tell a different story, and Charlie Kirk’s memorial service on Sunday — a gathering of political figures where politics was subordinated to preaching, culminating in Erika Kirk’s extraordinarily moving message of forgiveness for her husband’s killer — was a stage for a narrative of revival, recovery, conversion, Christian strength.

Trump was there, of course, and still very much his un-Christian self. (His off-script comments about his inability to feel anything but hatred for his own enemies were funny in the Trumpian way, but also plainly true.) But the idea that the future belongs to a post-Christian right, a subject we’ve considered in this newsletter, seemed not just absent but almost absurd, as the leaders of the Republican Party lined up for a memorial that doubled as an evangelical revival, complete with altar calls.

Religious history invites us to expect the unexpected, and there’s no reason to rule out a future where Kirk’s martyrdom provides the impetus for a genuine revival. The story of the last five years, at least in my reading of the religious tea leaves, is one of secularization arrested, and a culture reconsidering religion — but not yet becoming notably more religious. That’s an equilibrium that could be tipped by dramatic events or examples, and to the extent that Kirk is remembered and emulated primarily for his faith, maybe we’ve just seen a tipping point.

Read it all.

Christianity After Charlie Kirk:https://t.co/BDyr2lTfW0

— Ross Douthat (@DouthatNYT) September 23, 2025

Loving God, who didst call Anna Alexander as a deaconess in thy church: Grant unto us the wisdom to teach the gospel of Christ to whomever we meet, by word and by example, that all may come to the enlightenment thou dost intend for thy people; through Jesus Christ, our Teacher and Savior. Amen.

Today the Episcopal Church commemorates Anna Ellison Butler Alexander, Educator and First African-American Deaconess, 1947 https://t.co/inGI4Lb1mB pic.twitter.com/SeGiXEJ5rI

— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) September 24, 2021

O Eternal Lord God, without whose aid we cannot do the things that we would: Look mercifully upon the waywardness of our hearts, and strengthen us against evil; that as citizens of thy holy kingdom we may walk henceforth in the power of the Spirit, and bring forth fruit to thy glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Good Morning All…

My Wednesday sunrise over the Moray Firth 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 pic.twitter.com/wmVH9ATJVE

— Cloudymamma (@cloudymamma) September 24, 2025

“You have heard that it was said, ”˜An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; and if any one would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well; and if any one forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you.

“You have heard that it was said, ”˜You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

–Matthew 5:38-48

Exurge, glōria mea, exurge — “Awake, my glory, awake” pic.twitter.com/EcxLQjHu9s

— Learn Latin (@latinedisce) September 23, 2025

The Representative Body (RB) of the Church in Wales has come under fire for the statement that it issued on 1 July in response to the situation at Bangor Cathedral.

Critics suggested that the action had been beyond the RB’s remit, and had given the then Archbishop of Wales and Bishop of Bangor, the Rt Revd Andrew John, little option but to retire with immediate effect (News, 28 June).

On 23 June, Archbishop John issued an unqualified apology for his part in the failings at Bangor Cathedral. Two reports commissioned by the Archbishop had recorded concerns about “weak financial controls” and “inappropriate behaviours” (News, 27 June).

The following day, the situation at Bangor was discussed by the RB, and a brief note was issued: “After extensive and detailed discussions, the meeting has been adjourned, and a statement will be issued in due course.”

Archbishop John announced his retirement three days later.

Read it all.

The Representative Body (RB) of the Church in #Wales has come under fire for the statement that it issued on 1 July in response to the situation at #Bangor Cathedralhttps://t.co/ObU1OOrCJx

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) September 23, 2025

The Crown Nominations Commission needs to put forward a genuinely pro-parish successor to Justin Welby or thousands of churches will be at risk

The Crown Nominations Commission, tasked with choosing the next Archbishop of Canterbury, is expected to make its recommendation this week. For the sake of England’s parish system, let us hope it chooses wisely. The Church of England hierarchy talks a good game on parishes but the evidence shows that, unless there is a significant policy shift, small and rural churches are doomed.

During the General Synod’s July meeting, the Bishops of Hereford and Bath & Wells, supported by Chelmsford and others, mounted a rescue bid. They proposed that 1 per cent of the asset value of the Church Commissioners’ £11.1 billion endowment should be apportioned each year directly to parish ministry.

The commissioners can surely afford £110 million per annum for the endowment’s intended purpose: supporting poorer parishes. Yet the plan was foiled by a wrecking motion and absurdly alarmist speeches from senior Church Commissioners.

Read it all.

Next Archbishop of Canterbury must be pro-parish churches | ✍️ James Burnell-Nugent
https://t.co/NcdkXtTzwg

— The Times and The Sunday Times (@thetimes) September 22, 2025

This summer, the Office of the Archbishop received credible complaints regarding Bishop Derek Jones, alleging abuse of ecclesiastical power. These complaints did not involve physical or sexual misconduct, nor did they involve any doctrinal concerns.  Nevertheless, they were concerning because abuse of ecclesiastical power violates the trust that is essential for effective ministry.

After prayerful discernment, and in accordance with Title IV of our canons, on September 12, Bishop Ray Sutton, Dean of the Province and Presiding Bishop of the REC, and I met with Bishop Jones to issue a Godly Admonition. This directive required Bishop Jones and his subordinates to cooperate with a formal investigation to determine if any of the complaints against him rose to the level of a presentable offense, a step that is in accordance with the standard disciplinary procedures outlined in Title IV of the ACNA Constitution and Canons. Regrettably, Bishop Jones refused to comply with this directive. On September 21, I issued a temporary inhibition to Bishop Jones that restricted him from ministry for sixty days.

The following day, September 22, the Executive Committee of the Jurisdiction of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy (JFAC)sent a letter to the Archbishop announcing its withdrawal from the Province. While this action is deeply disappointing and particularly unsettling for our chaplains, I want to be clear: the Special Jurisdiction itself remains a canonical ministry of the Anglican Church in North America that was created and is sustained by our canons. The JFAC has purportedly withdrawn from the ACNA under Article II.3 of the Constitution, which pertains to dioceses or groups of dioceses organized into distinct jurisdictions.  However, because the Special Jurisdiction is not a diocese, but a canonical ministry established under Title 1, Canon 11, it does not have canonical authority to withdraw from the Province. The Special Jurisdiction, under which the chaplains serve,  continues to exist within the ACNA regardless of  Bishop Jones’s withdrawal or the withdrawal of any entities under his control.

Read it all.

"The Special Jurisdiction itself remains a canonical ministry of the Anglican Church in North America that was created and is sustained by our canons."
Read Abp Wood's full letter to the Province on the JAFC & Bp Jones's inhibition https://t.co/zI4T8IHvMh

— ACNA (@The_ACNA) September 23, 2025

The research is sprawling and interdisciplinary, but it is beginning to align around a provocative hypothesis: Shifts in everyday exposures may be accelerating biological aging, priming the body for disease earlier than expected.

“We’ve changed what we’re exposed to considerably in the past few decades,” said Patti, a professor of chemistry, genetics and medicine at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

The sheer complexity of modern life makes it difficult to pinpoint specific culprits. But advances in rapid, high-volume chemical screening, machine learning, and vast population datasets have made it possible to look with unparalleled depth and detail into the human body and the world around it. These methods test thousands of variables at once, revealing some never-before-seen patterns.

Last year, researchers released findings from a 150,000-person study at the annual American Association for Cancer Research meeting that took the cancer community by surprise. They found that millennials — born between 1981 and 1996 — appear to be aging biologically faster than previous generations, based on biomarkers in blood that indicate the health of various organs. That acceleration was associated with a significantly increased risk — up to 42 percent — for certain cancers, especially those of the lung, gastrointestinal tract and uterus.

Read it all.

NEW: The rates of cancer among millennials are rising, and researchers now think it can't be explained by genetics and lifestyle choices alone. Check out the latest in our young cancer series, by @arianaeunjung @alvarovalino and @dtkeating https://t.co/YUosFbFpgq

— Juliet Eilperin (@eilperin) September 23, 2025

There’s a great deal at stake in the upcoming Czech election — for Russia. So perhaps it’s no wonder that Czechia has been flooded by pro-Russian disinformation of late.

A victory by populist right-winger Andrej Babiš, who is ahead in the polls, would see him join Viktor Orbán and Robert Fico around the EU table. The Hungarian and Slovak leaders are on friendly terms with Russian President Vladimir Putin and have consistently torpedoed EU unity on Ukraine.

Incumbent Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala has framed the Oct. 3-4 vote as no less than a battle over the country’s geopolitical future.

Read it all.

Russia has flooded the Czech election with disinformation as populist right-winger Andrej Babiš leads in the polls. https://t.co/em6KI3M9Mf

— POLITICOEurope (@POLITICOEurope) September 23, 2025

O Our God, we believe in thee, we hope in thee, and we love thee, because thou hast created us, redeemed us, and dost sanctify us. Increase our faith, strengthen our hope, and deepen our love, that giving up ourselves wholly to thy will, we may serve thee faithfully all the rest of our life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

—The Narrow Way, Being a Complete Manual of Devotion with a Guide to Confirmation and Holy Communion (London: J. Whitaker and Sons, 1893)

But when Na′aman had gone from him a short distance, Geha′zi, the servant of Eli′sha the man of God, said, “See, my master has spared this Na′aman the Syrian, in not accepting from his hand what he brought. As the Lord lives, I will run after him, and get something from him.” So Geha′zi followed Na′aman. And when Na′aman saw some one running after him, he alighted from the chariot to meet him, and said, “Is all well?” And he said, “All is well. My master has sent me to say, ‘There have just now come to me from the hill country of E′phraim two young men of the sons of the prophets; pray, give them a talent of silver and two festal garments.’” And Na′aman said, “Be pleased to accept two talents.” And he urged him, and tied up two talents of silver in two bags, with two festal garments, and laid them upon two of his servants; and they carried them before Geha′zi. And when he came to the hill, he took them from their hand, and put them in the house; and he sent the men away, and they departed. He went in, and stood before his master, and Eli′sha said to him, “Where have you been, Geha′zi?” And he said, “Your servant went nowhere.” But he said to him, “Did I not go with you in spirit when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Was it a time to accept money and garments, olive orchards and vineyards, sheep and oxen, menservants and maidservants? Therefore the leprosy of Na′aman shall cleave to you, and to your descendants for ever.” So he went out from his presence a leper, as white as snow.

–2 Kings 5:19-27

You graduate from a college, I think you should get, automatically as part of your diploma, a green card [permanent residence in the United States],” promised Donald Trump on the campaign trail last year. As president, on September 19th, Mr Trump headed in the opposite direction. He proposed a charge of $100,000 on new applications for H-1B visas, a favourite of technology firms hiring foreign graduates. Each year 85,000 are issued by lottery (demand far outstrips that quota). Hitherto the cost of securing one has been about $2,500 in legal and filing fees.

Big tech firms dominate the visas (see chart 1). Amazon alone received more than 14,000 approvals in 2025 (renewals do not count against the 85,000 quota). Indian IT-services giants such as Infosys, Wipro and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), also routinely rank among the top sponsors. And Indian citizens scoop most of the visas—about three-quarters of them in 2023. Apart from China (12%), no other country secures more than 2%. Many of Mr Trump’s supporters complain that this means jobs that could go to talented Americans go to Indian graduates instead. But the effects of the new charge may be more complicated than they expect.

Over the weekend many of America’s tech giants scrambled to advise employees on H-1B visas not to leave the country until the rules are clarified; whether exemptions will be made for some groups remains uncertain. The announcement has been most keenly felt, though, in India. In August Mr Trump imposed a 50% tariff on Indian goods, sparing only essentials such as electronics and pharmaceuticals. Now he has hit the country’s most successful sector. According to Goldman Sachs, services exports grew from $53bn to $338bn between 2005 and 2023, almost twice the global rate. That growth was driven by a boom in India’s population of engineers, particularly in computer science. The IT firms relied on sending engineers to America under the H-1B programme to serve clients, a cornerstone of their business model. For decades H-1Bs offered Indian techies a route to better-paid jobs in America. That path now looks far less certain.

Read it all.

The perverse consequence of America’s $100,000 visa fees https://t.co/AbOuOhgZi6 via @TheEconomist

— Adi Gaskell (@AdiGaskell) September 23, 2025

Read it all.

Archbishop Wood inhibits Bishop Derek Jones https://t.co/bionOIAOuc via @Anglican Ink © 2025

— George Conger (@GeorgeConger8) September 22, 2025

omething more powerful than philosophical argumentation is on display here. You can’t argue someone into seeing the Grand Canyon’s beauty. But you can point and say, “Look.”

Perhaps morality is like that. Encounters with both betrayal and loyalty, selfishness and self-sacrifice, greed and generosity—these are the experiences that shape our moral views. Philosophy simply refines them.

This means that weighing the validity of moral realism is never merely an academic exercise. It’s one of the most urgent and consequential tasks we can undertake.

If moral realism is false, then our deepest moral convictions—about justice and kindness, oppression and cruelty—are just preferences. How we treat others is negotiable. The Holocaust isn’t evil, and the abolition of slavery isn’t progress. All this leaves victims of abuse, persecution, and exploitation not only with the pain of their suffering but also with the silence of a universe incapable of calling it wrong.

But if moral realism is true—if there really is a moral structure to the universe independent of human opinion—then the picture changes completely. Our longing for justice is not naive. Charity and love are truly good, and cruelty and deceit are truly bad. Each human being has inestimable worth.

In this way, The Good, the Right, and the Real is not only a philosophical argument but also a gentle plea for moral attention….

Read it all.

'If moral realism is false, then our deepest moral convictions—about justice and kindness, oppression and cruelty—are just preferences. How we treat others is negotiable. The Holocaust isn’t evil, and the abolition of slavery isn’t progress. All this leaves victims of abuse,…

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) September 22, 2025

We thank thee, heavenly Father, for the witness of thine apostle and evangelist Matthew to the Gospel of thy Son our Savior; and we pray that, after his example, we may with ready wills and hearts obey the calling of our Lord to follow him; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Today is the Feast of St. Matthew. Jesus called him from life as a tax collector to be an Apostle.

(The Call of St. Matthew, by Caravaggio) pic.twitter.com/vUuiB7BcVs

— Christian Culture (@Christian8Pics) September 21, 2017

Almighty God,
whose only Son has opened for us
a new and living way into your presence:
give us pure hearts and steadfast wills
to worship you in spirit and in truth;
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.

“I see quite clearly that all good things must come to an end. The summer has been splendid, but it has lasted long enough. This morning I welcomed the chill in the air and viewed the falling leaves with cheerfulness.” ~A.A.Milne #Autumn #AutumnEquinox 🍁 pic.twitter.com/JoFHoWwgVV

— A.A.Milne (@A_AMilne) September 22, 2025

Already you are filled! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings! And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you! For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are ill-clad and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become, and are now, as the refuse of the world, the offscouring of all things.

–1 Corinthians 4:8-13

Sunrise On The Equinox. 4°C and a slight frost. Geese. pic.twitter.com/mi3B8lmBNC

— Yorkshire Wolds Weather (@WeatherWolds) September 22, 2025

O Lord, you have taught us that without love, all our deeds are worth nothing: Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of charity, the true bond of peace and of all virtues, without which whoever lives is counted dead before you; grant this for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Anani′as. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Anani′as.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for a man of Tarsus named Saul; for behold, he is praying, and he has seen a man named Anani′as come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” But Anani′as answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to thy saints at Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call upon thy name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” So Anani′as departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came, has sent me that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized, and took food and was strengthened.

For several days he was with the disciples at Damascus. And in the synagogues immediately he proclaimed Jesus, saying, “He is the Son of God.” And all who heard him were amazed, and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called on this name? And he has come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests.” But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.

When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night, to kill him; but his disciples took him by night and let him down over the wall, lowering him in a basket.

And when he had come to Jerusalem he attempted to join the disciples; and they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists; but they were seeking to kill him. And when the brethren knew it, they brought him down to Caesare′a, and sent him off to Tarsus.

So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samar′ia had peace and was built up; and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit it was multiplied.

–Acts 9:10-31

Almighty God, who didst call thy faithful servants John Coleridge Patteson and his companions to be witnesses and martyrs in the islands of Melanesia, and by their labors and sufferings didst raise up a people for thine own possession: Pour forth thy Holy Spirit upon thy Church in every land, that by the service and sacrifice of many, thy holy Name may be glorified and thy kingdom enlarged; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Today the Church of England celebrates John Coleridge Patteson, First Anglican Bishop of Melanesia, and his Companions, Martyrs, 1871

Image: Carte-de-visite (1860s-70s), © National Portrait Gallery, London (CC BY-NC-ND) pic.twitter.com/CJuuyG6zpV

— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) September 20, 2024

Almighty God, who hast given us powers which our fathers never knew, to probe thine ancient mysteries, and to discover thy hidden treasures: Quicken our conscience, we beseech thee, as thou dost enlighten our understanding; lest, having tasted the fruits of knowledge, we perish through our own pride and disobedience.  We ask it for Jesus Christ’s sake.

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

NGC2070 Tarántula nebula in The small Megallanic cloud by James Weeb telescope #NASA #ESA pic.twitter.com/6YtZlh7md4

— Julio Maiz (@maiz_julio) September 20, 2025

‘When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars.’

—Psalm 75:3

Morning everyone I hope you are well. Oak Howe Farm nestled in the Langdale Valley. Have a great day.#LakeDistrict pic.twitter.com/lfOyQjoSIA

— Rod Hutchinson (@lakesrhino) September 20, 2025

While the identity of the next Archbishop of Canterbury remains unknown, staff at Lambeth Palace refer to their incoming boss as “106”, after the next Archbishop’s position in the lineage of the see of Canterbury. There is a touch of The West Wing about it: the same system is used for Presidents of the United States, which explains why Donald Trump often had “45” on the side of his red baseball cap, and now has “45-47”. Just as the code name is redolent of American politics, the precariousness of the situation that 106 will inherit is comparable to the one faced by an incoming US administration.

Top of the to-do list is safeguarding. This is the issue that forced the resignation of 105, and will loom large in the public’s mind when 106 is announced. The new Archbishop’s first order of business will be defending their own record. The CNC, led by a former spy-chief, Lord Evans of Weardale, will be conscious of this, and whoever is chosen will have been carefully vetted. Any blemish that is uncovered after the announcement, though, will have the potential to scupper the ship before it is out of the harbour.

After the new Archbishop’s personal record has been pored over, and the Archbishop has said the right things about the need for continued structural reform in church safeguarding, they will be under intense pressure to see that such reform actually takes place. The General Synod delivered a somewhat unclear mandate in February for partial outsourcing of the Church’s safeguarding to a new independent body (News, 14 February), but there is still no firm timeline for its creation. Gaining the trust of survivors, and prominent church commentators, will be vital to winning confidence on this issue.

Read it all.

Francis Martin considers the most pressing issues that are awaiting the attention of the next Primate https://t.co/JORYRmAoZW pic.twitter.com/xQJhBfcmD0

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) September 19, 2025

You are a citizen of the 2020s. Device in hand, ear buds in, you wander the lanes of a strange world. You can make a trip to the shops without talking to another human being, but you can’t walk through a city without being filmed. You are never far from a screen, you can’t afford to be, and why would you want to be? The screen gives. It has abolished time, distance, boredom, longing. Is anything you see on it real? But then, what is “reality”? Who decides? Do you find this or that notion oppressive, restricting? Redefine it. Make everything new. Make yourself into what you want to be. The app is available to download.

Robot bodies may soon fight wars, robot brushes make art, robot minds write sentences like this one. Babies might emerge from artificial wombs, their mothers finally free to work and consume and play so that they may be fully liberated. There are codes to scan to access things that only yesterday you never knew you needed. Soon you might need to scan the codes to do anything at all. Soon your children will be taught STEM by a bot, and they will laugh at its jokes. The algorithm will know them better than they know themselves.

Everything, it can seem, has shifted in the 2020s, in ways that we can’t quite pin down. The surface eruptions come in the world of politics or culture, but the shift seems deeper than either. It seems, somehow, as if the world around us has fundamentally changed. But how?

The philosopher Jeremy Naydler attempts an answer in his book “In the Shadow of the Machine” (2018)….

Read it all.

WSJ Opinion by Paul Kingsnorth is excellent.https://t.co/W1Doq1EAXv

— Jonathan Greer (@greerjon) September 19, 2025

In an escalation of its already tight grip on religious freedom, China introduced a sweeping set of regulations that strictly control how clergy of officially recognized religions can operate online.

The new rules – released by the State Administration for Religious Affairs on Sept, 15 – are a continuation of Beijing’s long-term campaign to control religious practices in an effort to reshape faith so it aligns with the Chinese Communist Party.

The 18-article document, titled “Code of Conduct for Religious Clergy on the Internet,” outlines what religious leaders in China are allowed to do in the digital space. More significantly, it focuses on what they are forbidden from doing.

The rules apply to clergy of all five officially recognized religions — Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Protestantism — allowed to practice within China.

China’s policy of “sinicizing” is an effort by the CCP to control and assimilate ethnic and religious groups into a state-approved — and largely Han Chinese — identity.

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#China tightens digital grip on clergy with sweeping new rules https://t.co/mBrRyxLl9q

— Clemente Lisi (@ClementeLisi) September 19, 2025