Mark Tooley

Thanksgiving & England's Civil War American democracy and religious freedom were the largely unintentional fruits of what emerged from Britain's civil war and the compromises that followed.

A timely conversation amid America’s Thanksgiving: the pilgrims were ultra-Protestant separatists whose persecution in England foreshadowed the parliamentary Puritan revolt against King Charles I and the established church. @markdtooley.bsky.social interviews Oxford historian Jonathan Healey.

Taking our Rights and Dignities for Granted Those who want the West to ditch Christianity would destroy the foundation of its success, writes IRD President Mark Tooley.

Assumptions of equal justice and social equality are so pervasive that many in the West just assume they are intrinsic, natural, and universal, writes @markdtooley.bsky.social. They fall upon all like an April rainstorm.

Christian Antisemitism Tucker Carlson’s platforming of antisemitic social influencer Nick Fuentes, who proclaims “Christ is King,” evinces the reemergence of antisemitism in...

There’s nothing new about the upsurge in antisemitism among Christians. It’s a very old evil, parcel to fallen humanity’s proclivity to fault others for the world’s ailments, when all of us as sinners are contributors, writes @markdtooley.bsky.social.

Tucker Carlson Is Resurrecting Christianity's Ugly Tradition of Antisemitism In rejecting universalism, the talk show host and his recent guest, white supremacist Nick Fuentes, are rejecting Christ himself

"Antisemitism, in subtle and blatant forms, likely will grow in American Christianity. Discerning American Christians must prepare to counter it. The argument against it is not complex and comes directly from our Savior: Love thy neighbor as thyself, without exceptions."

@markdtooley.bsky.social

Christian Zionism as Heresy? Is Christian Zionism a “heresy?”  Some think so, including a publicized young staffer at the Heritage Foundation, who said: Gen...

The charge that Christian Zionism is "heresy" evinces that pro-Israel Christians need to upgrade their talking points and their theology, writes @markdtooley.bsky.social.

Antisemitism, Christian Zionism & Methodism. Here’s Andy Miller of Wesley Biblical Seminary asking me about antisemitism, Christian Zionism and Methodism. And here’s podcast:

LISTEN: IRD's @markdtooley.bsky.social joins Andy Miller on the More to the Story podcast to discuss how Christians should engage the public square—especially in light of rising antisemitism on both sides of the political spectrum.

Tucker Carlson Is Resurrecting Christianity's Ugly Tradition of Antisemitism In rejecting universalism, the talk show host and his recent guest, white supremacist Nick Fuentes, are rejecting Christ himself

There’s nothing new about the upsurge in antisemitism among Christians and in society. It’s a very old evil. Affirming the dignity of all, intrinsic to Christianity, is not natural. It must be continuously retaught and incarnated.

@markdtooley.bsky.social

Heritage Americans? The moral genius of Anglo Protestants who crafted The Declaration was aspiration of human equality for all, not just for people like themselves.

The moral genius of Anglo Protestants who crafted The Declaration was aspiration of human equality for all, not just for people like themselves, writes @markdtooley.bsky.social. “Heritage Americans” prioritize ancestry over Declaration’s universality. ⁦

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...