By Kirk Petersen A group of dioceses have launched a coordinated effort to reduce the assessment they are expected to pay to the Church Center from 15 percent to 10 percent, over a period of years, arguing that the dioceses can make better use of the funds for mission and ministry. In an online legislative hearing April 30, the joint Committee on Governance and Structure heard testimony for and against the idea, put forth in separate but similarly worded resolutions from the dioceses of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, and Oklahoma. Most of the resolutions call on General Convention to make an imme ..read more

By Mark Michael Primates representing 31 of the Anglican Communion’s 42 member churches discussed possible changes to the Anglican Communion’s 90-year-old definition, shared stories of mutual struggle, and met with Pope Francis at a Primates Meeting held in Rome April 29-May 3. Archbishop Justin Welby said that the leaders of nine member churches from the Global South had stayed away for reasons of conscience. This triples the number who absented themselves from the 2022 Primates Meeting in London, likely making this the most unrepresentative gathering since the primates began meeting in 1979 ..read more

By Kirk Petersen It’s a time of transformation for the Episcopal Church in Wisconsin. On May 4, barring some unforeseen change of heart, the three dioceses that encompass the state will vote to reunite and reclaim the name of the historic Diocese of Wisconsin. If the General Convention approves in June, the dioceses of Eau Claire, Fond du Lac, and Milwaukee will combine to form a statewide diocese. A “Trialogue” has been working toward the reunion since 2021. Less than 10 days before the vote, Bishop Matthew Gunter, who already leads all three dioceses under separate contracts, announced that ..read more

Mother of the Lamb: The Story of a Global Icon By Matthew J. Milliner Fortress, 298 pages, $28 As an Amazon Associate, TLC earns from qualifying purchases. By Tyler Hummel  Images of the Mother of God are affecting and draw something out of the viewer about the nature of Christ and his sacrifice on the cross. Among the most affecting of these images is the icon of The Virgin of the Passion, also known as Our Lady of Perpetual Help, which depicts the Virgin Mary holding the hand of the infant Christ, who embraces her as he looks over his shoulder to behold an angel carrying the cross ..read more

The Faith Code: A Future-Proof Framework for a Life of Meaning and Impact By Terry Brisbane and Rusty Rueff Morehouse, 256 pages, $28.95 As an Amazon Associate, TLC earns from qualifying purchases. Review by Nicholas Knisely  The Rev. Terry Brisbane, a Bay Area pastor, and Rusty Reuff, a prominent technologist in that community, have written a book meant to be used to foster conversation in small groups that will lead, ultimately, to a personal rule of life for participants.  The book is centered on lessons or chapters with discussion questions. Each has a primary theme, which ..read more

Lying and Truthfulness: A Thomistic Perspective By Stewart Clem Cambridge, xiv + 213 pages, $110 As an Amazon Associate, TLC earns from qualifying purchases. Review by Matthew Levering In this marvelous book, Stewart Clem argues that interpreters of Aquinas on lying have misjudged him. Augustine had set the tone for the Latin West by strictly condemning all lies, even if Augustine recognized that some lies were worse than others. For Augustine, Christians cannot tell a lie in any situation, because lying is against the eighth commandment. Aquinas is often seen as simply carrying on the A ..read more

This is the first of two columns from the April 28 edition. Appointments The Rev. Dr. Rian Adams is priest in charge of St. James, Port Saint Joe, Fla. Mr. Jon Barrett is the Episcopal Church in Delaware’s secretary of convention. The Rev. Sarah Berlin interim rector at St. Mary Magdalene, Boulder, Colo. Ms. Tiffany Blade is bishop’s assistant and communications officer for the Diocese of Spokane. The Rev. Lew Bradford is priest in charge of St. Alban’s, Glen Burnie, Md. The Rev. Ian Burch is rector of St. Chrysostom’s, Chicago. The Rev. Susan Byler is deacon at St. Michael and All Angels, Mis ..read more

By Douglas LeBlanc and Mark Michael The United Methodist Church’s General Conference has agreed by a 95 percent majority to accept a proposed full-communion agreement with the Episcopal Church. The Episcopal Church’s General Convention must also approve the agreement before full communion becomes a reality. Diocesan ecumenical officers Mariclair Partee Carlsen and David Simmons of the Episcopal Church take a lighthearted pause with cartoon cutouts of Methodist pioneers John Wesley, Susanna Wesley, and Charles Wesley. | Episcopal Diocesan Ecumenical and Interreligious Officers/Facebook Resoluti ..read more

By Kirk Petersen When the 81st General Convention gathers in Louisville, Kentucky, in late June, there will be no shortage of uncertainty on the agenda. Who will be the next presiding bishop? Will the House of Deputies oust its leader? What changes are coming for Title IV, the clergy discipline process that is widely considered to be broken? But here’s one outcome you can take to the bank: Increased self-determination for the Episcopal Church in Navajoland (ECN). On April 30, the convention’s joint committee on governance and structure unanimously approved Resolution C009, which is quite short ..read more

Creation Care Discipleship: Why Earthkeeping Is an Essential Christian Practice By Steven Bouma-Prediger Baker Academic, 244 pages, $25.99 As an Amazon Associate, TLC earns from qualifying purchases. Making a Case for Environmental Responsibility  As an Episcopal priest with a call to ministry that included care for God’s creation, I often had members of my flock approach me quizzically about caring for God’s creation as part of the Church’s mission. “Isn’t that the work of groups like the Sierra Club?” they would ask. “Why would this have anything to do with the Church?” If you wer ..read more