The man so responsible for driving the theology of the English Reformation, Thomas Cranmer, declared that the Lord’s Supper was “no vain ceremony, no bare sign, no untrue figure of a thing absent” but “the communion of the body and blood of the Lord in a marvellous incorporation, which by the operation of the Holy Ghost, the very bond of our conjunction with Christ, is through faith wrought in the souls of the faithful, whereby not only their souls live to eternal life, but they surely trust to win to their bodies a resurrection to immortality.” Thus, the Reformers spoke of the sacraments as means of grace, not in the sense that they were works of merit by which we may obtain grace, but that they were the ordinary means by which God communicates grace freely to his people, without regard to any merit but Christ’s.
This understanding of the sacraments was at the heart of the alternate enchantment offered by Protestants. They did not seek an end of all enchantment but the triumph of true enchantment over false enchantment. For the view that the sacraments do not communicate Christ and the world does not exist under his perfect providence, we must look to the Radical Reformation, which was as much opposed to the Magisterial Reformation as it was to any doctrine of Rome. There we find the transformation of the sacraments into bare signs that testify to human decision, along with a suspicion of the body and physicality. The disenchanted world in which we live is more the child of the Anabaptists than it is of Luther, Calvin, or Cranmer.
The Future of Rural Churches: Challenges, Opportunities, and Hope - Webinar Replay
Nearly 9 in 10 rural pastors believe their churches will be stronger 10 years from now. What fuels that optimism, and what can church leaders learn from it?
Join Carol Pipes, Lifeway's director of communications, for a conversation with Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research, and Jason McConnell, director of Rural Church Institute at the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College, as they unpack findings from a nationwide study of Protestant pastors serving in rural communities. Together, they'll explore the realities rural pastors face, the relational ministry strategies making the greatest impact, and practical takeaways for strengthening churches and reaching communities for Christ.
Also See: Rural Churches Today Insight Report PDFReligious observance in US ‘stable,’ combined research says
Religion is showing signs of “strength and stability” in the U.S. while attendance at religious services has increased from the lows of the COVID-19 era, according to a study released Oct. 28.
The analysis conducted by Pew Research Center and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation presents a synthesis of polling this year and last year in addition to surveys tracked since 2020.
Researchers found 70% of adults identify with a religious tradition, a figure that has held steady over the past six years. Similarly, Americans who report praying daily has held steady in the upper 40% range, with 47% saying that in 2026.
Also See: Religious identification, service attendance remains steady after years of decline: PewFive dioceses receive assessment waivers as Episcopal Church approaches full compliance
The Episcopal Church is approaching full compliance with payments of its diocesan assessments, which are the largest source of revenue supporting the churchwide budget.
Each of the church’s 106 dioceses, after an exemption for its first $200,000 in annual revenue, is required to contribute 15% of the rest of the income to the wider church. Only five dioceses — Albany, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Florida and Navajoland — requested and received waivers from that requirement in 2026.
The five previously had received assessment waivers for 2025 as well, as did New Jersey and Southwest Florida. Those two additional dioceses did not request new waivers for 2026 and are expected to pay their full assessments for the year.
UMC bishop removes ministers from Dallas’ Highland Park; church says they will stay
In yet another escalation, the bishop said he was removing the Rev. Matt Tuggle, senior minister, and the Rev. Paul Rasmussen, former senior minister, ‘from all positions’ at the church.
Also See: UMC Bishop appoints new pastor to Texas megachurch that voted to disaffiliateGun Violence is a Public Health Epidemic
The nation watched in horror as reports from Bend, Oregon, brought news of a much too frequent tragedy occurring in the United States. Again, a catastrophic shooting kills and injures children and teachers at school. It traumatizes everyone involved and their whole community. The country grieves, and we seem powerless as a nation to stop such violence and death.
If the Church Did Its Job, Would the Parachurch Exist?
The parachurch exists because God’s commands naturally generate institutions beyond family, church, and state.
Neo-monastic community to launch in diocese of Niagara
Bishop Susan Bell has wanted to support a neo-monastic religious community in Canada for years—even before she became a bishop. Now, the diocese of Niagara has begun work to make that dream a reality..
Neo-monastic communities are groups of people who live out a commitment to religious devotion and contemplation—such as that described in the Rule of Saint Benedict for monks—in forms adapted to the needs and challenges of the modern world. They often observe offices of prayer, take temporary or permanent oaths and gather for worship, though they are less likely to be cloistered or sworn to celibacy than traditional monks or nuns..
The Rooted Leader: Eric Geiger on Leading Like Nehemiah
Shallow roots can spell disaster for people as well as for trees. When those people hold leadership positions, their “toppling” is often public and painful. Eric Geiger proposes a way to prevent that: by building up leaders who stay firmly rooted so they can produce lasting fruit. The senior pastor of Mariners Church in Southern California applies his business background, leadership training and ministry experience to strengthen leaders of churches, organizations and families. In his new book, The Rooted Leader (Tyndale), Geiger shares lessons from Nehemiah with modern-day leaders who face their own tasks of restoration and heart-change. For each of seven leadership fruits—vision, conviction, servanthood, perseverance, credibility, transformation and resolve—he delves into the intermingling roots that must thrive below the surface.
Here, Geiger discusses pastoral challenges, plus the perks of leading from a faith foundation. Church leaders who feel discouraged and at risk of being uprooted will benefit from his Bible-based wisdom.
Clergy opinions run gamut on AI use in sermons
Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in writing sermons has sparked a wide range of responses among Anglican clergy, from enthusiastic embrace of the technology to pledges totally opposing its use.
More than 150 preachers and church leaders, including about a dozen Canadian Anglicans, have signed the Saint Dunstan Pledge for Preachers, committing not to use generative AI to write sermons, homilies or reflections. The Rev. Emily Garcia, an Episcopal priest in the diocese of Massachusetts, created the online pledge on May 19—the feast of St. Dunstan, patron saint of metal workers and other craftspeople.
Half of Christian questions on ChatGPT are attempts to understand the Bible
Figures from OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, have shown that every week the AI chatbot receives around 70 million enquiries on the subject of religion.
Unsurprisingly it is the world’s two largest religions, Christianity and Islam that receive the lion’s share of interest.
The analysis, which looked at requests from September 2025 to September 2026 found that 45 per cent of religion-related interactions were about Islam and 34 per cent were concerned with Christianity.
Five Ways to Pray for Persecuted Christians
Sunday, Nov. 1, marks the annual International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. It’s a day for believers across the globe to unite in concentrated prayer for Christians suffering for the gospel.
Here are a few biblically-based ways to pray for the persecuted, along with a guide to a few specific nations to remember.
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