Mark Tooley

Anglican Chaplains Face Choice as Bishop Departs A dispute between the leadership of the Anglican Church in North America and its endorsing body for chaplains resulted in the latter unilaterally cutting ties with the church.

Is the Anglican Church in North America a "woke" church? As the bishop of the endorsing body for chaplains unilaterally cut ties with the North American church last week, some warn that it is deflection from a straightforward misconduct investigation.

Could the Presbyterian Church in America be an Established Church? Could the Presbyterian Church in America be the official religion of the United States of America?

Would historic Reformed thought permit the Presbyterian Church in America to be an established church?

Resurgence and the Future of the Church If stewarded wisely, this moment could mark the beginning of a new chapter in American Christianity, shaped by the unexpected faithfulness of those once thought least likely to return.

American congregations of the future may be younger and more male than at any point in recent history, writes Lauren Knights.

Methodist Pastor Discusses Reaching Out in Anxious Times Here’s third generation Methodist pastor Andrew Forrest of Asbury Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma discussing his new book Love Goes First:...

Third generation Methodist pastor Andrew Forrest of Asbury Church in Tulsa joins IRD's @markdtooley.bsky.social to discuss his new book Love Goes First: Reaching Others in an Age of Anxiety and Division.

This week IRD welcomes College of William and Mary graduate and intern Rafa Albolote. Rafa discovered IRD through his interest in religious liberty and serves with the Fourth Fellows, a young adult leadership program at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Bethesda. Welcome, Rafa!

This week IRD welcomes University of Virginia graduate Miranda Mobley, whose love for literature, theology, and international relations drew her to work at IRD. She serves at The Falls Church Anglican in a 9-month spiritual formation and leadership program. Welcome, Miranda!

Grace & Power of Methodist Theology Here’s my conversation with Methodist theologian Kenneth Collins of Asbury Theological Seminary about his new book Generous Divine Love: The...

Podcast with Methodist theologian Kenneth Collins of Asbury Seminary on his new book "Generous Divine Love: The Grace & Power of Methodist Theology."

Satan & Politics In polarized political times there is temptation to ascribe almost unlimited power to evil, and to assume political adversaries are themselves evil. Divine sovereignty is often forgotten.

Reinhold Niebuhr: “The sad experiences of Christian history show how human pride & spiritual arrogance rise to new heights precisely at the point where the claims of sanctity are made without due qualification.”

Church Officials Respond to Charlie Kirk Death Some church officials characterize Charlie Kirk’s death as a blow to democracy and the foundation of America, and many offer and solicit prayers on the behalf of Kirk's family.

Some church officials characterize Charlie Kirk’s death as a blow to democracy and the foundation of America. IRD's Miranda Mobley surveys Baptist, Anglican, Catholic, Lutheran and Pentecostal responses.

The Transformation of Christian Worship Worship is not validated by zeal or creativity, but by obedience to God’s commands.

If worship becomes a concert, we may gain an audience but lose the altar, writes IRD's Lauren Knights.

Trump’s Censorship Binge After Kirk’s Killing Is Part of an All-Out Effort to Crush the Opposition He is rapidly consolidating his power so that no one can even challenge his authoritarian takeover

"Trump's attack on free speech and free elections are two sides of the same coin, and we can’t treat them as separable." — @andycraig.bsky.social in @theunpopulist.net

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My weekly email: Religious Left demise, Methodist righteousness, Mother of Jesus, John Calvin, Catholic statecraft, Wesleyan baptism, etc. mailchi.mp/theird/split...

Contending for Righteousness Recently an account with over one million followers on Twitter/X exclaimed: “To Kill a Mockingbird was blood libel against the...

juicyecumenism.com/2025/09/12/c... To Kill A Mockingbird, a 1960 popular novel by Harper Lee that became a popular 1962 film starring Gregory Peck, is not “woke” or leftwing or political. It’s America’s premier Methodist novel.

Contending for Righteousness Recently an account with over one million followers on Twitter/X exclaimed: “To Kill a Mockingbird was blood libel against the...

juicyecumenism.com/2025/09/12/c... To Kill A Mockingbird, a 1960 popular novel by Harper Lee that became a popular 1962 film starring Gregory Peck, is not “woke” or leftwing or political. It’s America’s premier Methodist novel.

Orthodox Patriotism American Orthodox churches have been strained by the pull between filial loyalty to their coreligionists in Russia and respect for the liberal democratic values that drive U.S. support for Ukraine

American Orthodox churches have been strained by the pull between filial loyalty to their coreligionists in Russia and respect for the liberal democratic values that drive American support for Ukraine.

Focus on Formation Boston's Church of the Advent is engaging faithful scholars to work with the church as they go deeper into the Christian faith.

When IRD founded the John Wesley Institute, we saw need for deeper formation in the broad Wesleyan family, to dive deeper into the Scriptures, to provide training in the historic Christian witness, the “faith once delivered to the saints,” and to promote the Christ-like life, scriptural holiness.

Shut Up About Pope Leo As Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate finds its footing, remember that the chatty, media-savvy pope is a modern invention, not a Catholic necessity.

“Woke pontiff”? “The most based Pope ever"? The faithful have become conditioned to consume the papacy as spectacle. Yet Leo’s pontificate may offer the chance to recover a quieter, older form of devotion.

A Wesleyan View of Baptism For John Wesley, as for the historic church, baptism communicates the salvific remedy that the sinner so desperately needs.

The claim that infant baptism and infant dedication are of equal value is to move well beyond what Wesley taught, and arguably to offer an ahistorical Wesleyanism that bears little resemblance to the namesake, writes Ryan Danker.

Personal Freedom Absent God? Our culture often tells us we can build life on comfort, progress, or personal freedom alone. But without God, these collapse under the strain.

Without faith, meaning collapses, and with it the will to endure.

The Demise of the Religious Left? There will always be religious voices on the political and theological left of course. But its main institutions are all...

Where did the Religious Left go? Few under a certain age can even identify it. Some think it's non-MAGA evangelicals.
@markdtooley.bsky.social recalls the late great Religious Left.

As the West Capitulates to Hamas, America Must Have the Moral Resolve to Stand Alone - Providence As other Western nations yield to pressure to recognize a Palestinian state, the US must have the courage to stand alone against Hamas's regime of terror

As other Western nations yield to pressure to recognize a Palestinian state, the US must have the courage to stand alone against Hamas’s regime of terror - Ed Tarnowski
providencemag.com/2025/08/as-t...

Virtue and the Classical Education Renaissance - Providence In "Teaching the Virtues," David Hein argues that education must be aimed at cultivating the moral imagination necessary for the formation of virtuous citizens

In “Teaching the Virtues,” David Hein argues that education must be aimed at cultivating the moral imagination necessary for the formation of virtuous citizens. providencemag.com/2025/09/virt...

Do Americans Still See Themselves as the ‘Good Guys’? - Providence As the global threat environment worsens, it is crucial that Americans believe that the founding ideals of their nation are still worth fighting for

As the global threat environment worsens, it is crucial that Americans believe that the founding ideals of their nation are still worth fighting for - providencemag.com/2025/09/do-a...

Has mainline Protestantism fallen? In 10 years, most mainline denominations will likely still legally exist but most of them will be little more than shells

The collapse of denominational loyalties in America may actually be good news for many mainline congregations, writes IRD's @markdtooley.bsky.social in The Christian Post.

International Adoption Trends Epitomize America’s Declining Soft Power - Providence American adoptions of foreign-born children have declined by 94% since 2004, weakening the US's cultural and familial connections with nations around the world

American adoptions of foreign-born children have declined by 94% since 2004, weakening the US’s cultural and familial connections with nations around the world - providencemag.com/2025/08/inte...

The New Right is Wrong about Taiwan - Providence The American people understand that Beijing is the problem, not Taiwan, and that alienating allies empowers America’s enemies

The American people understand that Beijing is the problem, not Taiwan, and that alienating allies empowers America’s enemies - providencemag.com/2025/08/the-...

Using Human Rights as a Weapon Against Iran - Providence The best way to destabilize Iran's theocratic regime is to support the Iranian people in their struggle for freedom of religion, speech, and assembly

The best way to destabilize Iran's theocratic regime is to support the Iranian people in their struggle for freedom of religion, speech, and assembly - Tzvi Kahn
providencemag.com/2025/09/usin...

Virginia Wesleyan Becomes Virginia Batten University The old denominational age is ending, in higher education and much else. What will replace it?

Virginia Wesleyan University removing “Wesleyan” from its name evinces further decline in denominational higher education, writes @markdtooley.bsky.social⁩.

Virginia Wesleyan Becomes Virginia Batten University Virginia Wesleyan University is changing its name, deleting “Wesleyan” in favor of honoring a currently living large donor. It will...

juicyecumenism.com/2025/09/02/v... Mainline Protestantism’s role in higher education meaningfully ended many years ago, with the reality now more directly acknowledged. In this new post denominational age, it is unclear to what extent specific Protestant denominations can maintain their own schools.

Meeting Monsters? - Providence The monsters of this world, whether Khrushchev in 1959 or Putin today, must be dealt with. But there should never be confusion about what they are.

The monsters of this world, whether Khrushchev in 1959 or Putin today, must be dealt with. But there should never be confusion about what they are - @markdtooley.bsky.social providencemag.com/2025/08/meet...