The room of four hundred delegates and observers at the 13th Assembly of the Conference of European Churches went hushed and silent as Dr Alison Elliott (Church of Scotland) Moderator of the13th Assembly prepared to announce the results of the essay competition for young European Christians on the Assembly theme of “Hope”. In third place was IBTS Alumnus Joshua Searle, now doing doctoral work at Trinity College, Dublin. The winner a young woman pastor from the French Reformed Church. So the news of the three top places was received with applause by the Metropolitans, Emminences, Right Revds, Professors, Doctors of Divinity, Magisters and all of the Orthodox churches of Europe,…