Image:  So, who is best served by a ceasefire? The people of Gaza certainly, but so would Hamas who would then use the time to rearm and reposition themselves in Rafah for an extended war that would make it harder for IDF forces to eliminate. And Hamas has already dropped the number of hostages they said they would release from 40 to 20. They are playing the long game. They know the longer they drag the war out and not surrender all the hostages in one sweep, the more world opinion sides with them. It's clever and devilish at the same time. Welby outlined the imminence of famine in Ga ..read more

Image:  As the Communique itself acknowledges, however, multiple Anglican Primates did not attend the gathering. To be specific, 12 primates did not attend this meeting in Rome, which means that those who did attend represented 30 of the 42 recognized provinces of the Anglican Communion. Such numbers are misleading, however, since the Primates of the three largest Anglican provinces (Nigeria, Uganda, and South Sudan) were among those absent. Those Primates who did attend represent a minority, perhaps 30%, of active Anglicans worldwide. The Communique makes no mention of how unrepresen ..read more

Image:  The Rev. Everett Lee, a deputy from the Diocese of Oklahoma, said: "A top-down approach is not the structure that the church needs. We're network-driven and network-based, and we ought to support that work and the way in which we are gathered." "We need governance and administration, clearly, for some things -- but we sure do have a lot of it," said the Rev. Tim Baer, also an Oklahoma deputy. Committee members were skeptical. "Where would you suggest we cut $2 million per annum to do this?" asked the Rev. Patty Downing. The annual budget is about $100 million. Downing also cha ..read more

Image:  The figures show a decline on almost all fronts from 2019 to 2022, including a 12 per cent decrease in the total number on parish rolls, 26 per cent decrease in average Sunday attendance, and 17 per cent decrease in regular identifiable givers. The biggest drops came in the number of people attending services on major holy days: a 45 per cent decline in Easter attendance, 37 per cent for Pentecost and 47 per cent for Christmas. Declines were also seen in the number of pastoral services, with 25 per cent fewer baptisms, 13 per cent fewer confirmations and 10 per cent fewer marr ..read more

Image:  2. Our gathering was shaped by pilgrimage in Rome, at the threshold of the apostles, Saints Peter and Paul. Beginning in the footsteps of St Paul, we visited the Abbey of Tre Fontane, traditionally believed to be the site of the saint's martyrdom. Amid readings from Scripture, we walked from the steps of the Scala Coeli church, dedicated to Our Lady of Martyrs, into the Church of St Paul's martyrdom, and then the adjoining Cistercian abbey church, for an extended period of silent prayer and reflection. 3. At the Papal Basilica of Saint Paul outside the Walls, the site of St Pa ..read more

Image:  "We didn't know what to expect," he added. "We were praying for God to have a really big move." ***Please sign up for CBN Newsletters and download the CBN News app to ensure you keep receiving the latest news from a uniquely Christian perspective.*** The church had invited more than 30,000 people to Raymond J Stadium where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play and the place was packed. "It was amazing to see it happen and be a part of that experience," Black described. Legendary former NFL coach Tony Dungy shared a message with the crowd. "My mom was a Sunday school teacher, so I hear ..read more

Image:  This is the first time I have been denied credentialed press access to General Convention. I have covered seven Episcopal General Conventions -- 1982 in New Orleans on site for the Hammond Vindicator; 1991 in Phoenix on site for the Episcopal Synod of America; 2009 in Anaheim (Mickey Mouseland) on site for VOL; 2012 in Indianapolis, 2015 in Salt Lake City, 2018 in Austin, and 2022 in Baltimore online virtually for VirtueOnline. But this time I have been denied even virtual online accreditation for the 2024 General Convention. I had hoped to cover the event offsite via the Inte ..read more

Image:  The Rev. Martin laments the decline of The Episcopal Church witnessing the large loss of the Great "GI" Generation which Texas Bishop Andy Doyle called the "tsunami of death." If current trends continue, using Bishop Doyle's sea imagery, the receding tide of Boomers will mean that by 2035, Christianity in North America will drop to 10 percent or less of the population, says Martin. Martin himself participated in something called 2020, an attempt to double the Church by 2020, a project which spectacularly failed. Among those responsible for this idea was Frank Griswold then PB ..read more

Image:  There are nine colonial-era schools, seven of which are in the prestigious Ivy League. One other Ivy League school was founded in the days following the Civil War. WHAT MAKES AN IVY LEAGUE SCHOOL The Ivy League schools are considered to have academic excellence, with a highly selective admissions process, and hold to social elitism. They are -- according to their founding dates -- Harvard (1636); Yale (1701); University of Pennsylvania (1740); Princeton (1746); Columbia (1754); Brown (1764); Dartmouth (1769); and Cornell (1865). The two other colonial colleges William & Ma ..read more

Image:  "It has been a very emotional week," Welby said at a May 2 press conference, noting that he had been moved to tears by discussion of some of the challenges that fellow primates are facing. "Although we are divided by so much -- and I'm talking about culture, language, history, background -- one thing we have in common is a profound love for Jesus Christ. That is shared by all of us, regardless of our views on other issues." "It has been quite sad that some of the members of our family are not here, for a variety of reasons," Archbishop Albert Chama of Central Africa. "We feel ..read more