Has anyone seen the budget? While the expenditures would be nice, too, since this story broke, I've wanted to know what they were thinking before asking "Whatever were they thinking?!"

Has a breakdown of the costs of the Lambeth Conference been made available? I've participated in organizing largish international conferences, and the conference organizers and conferees together spent only the tiniest fraction of what the Lambeth Conference cost.

While I hope Anglican churches throughout the world will be as gracious as possible, I have to wonder what was the cause of the overrun.

In the previous article, Richard Lyon wondered if we should ask the Institute for Religious Development to pony up. I think he means the Institute on Religion and Democracy. The Rev. George Conger seems to think that the Anglican Communion is doomed. That's too bad, because the good folks at the IRD have no shortage of money.

http://www.theird.org/NETCOMMUNITY/Page.aspx?pid=748&srcid=748

"the shortfall points to is a serious level of mismanagement. It is the height of financial irresponsibility to run a massive international conference venture without being sure that the necessary finance is in place…"

Another paraphrase opportunity. "... the shortfal points ot a serious level of mismanagement. It is the height of irresponsibility to run a massive international salvation without beng sure that the necessary grace is in place..."

Those who purport that Jesus has "completely" fulfilled scriptures with no regard to the feminine, or beasts, or non-Christians have fallen short of God's grace. Those who deny the significance of Jesus' overture to the Daughter of Zion not to be afraid because he is gentle, have forgotten that Jesus was trying to repair 1000 years of abuse.

Those who claim they continue 2000 years of scriptural authority have failed to realise that Jesus was trying to heal 1000 years of abuse and the consequences of the broken relationships that come from that.

Contemplate this. Jesus is meant to fulfill the Davidic messianic principle - which of necessity involves accepting the consequences of the "stupid" "sinful" woman. Which includes Ruth, the Moabite, Judah's offspring from his sons' wife (who he thought was a temple prostitute at the time of copulating and conceiving the Davidic heir), to Leah - the rejected wife that Esau ignored and Jacob opportunistically used, Mary who conceived a child whilst a "virgin" and out of wedlock.

To be a member of the Sanhedric council involves proving that experiencing the "impure" does not void one's membership. Maybe all these "impure" women in the Davidic ancestry is God's way of trying to heal the breach with Cheva?

Perhaps the ABC should reconsider Presiding Bishop Schori's invitation to come to America for a fundraising tour.
I'm sure American Episcopalians will be delighted to contribute and very generous.
I'm ready with my checkbook right now!

Maybe the Irish are more concerned about the future. After all, the outlines for the smaller but purer Anglican Communion of the future seem to suggest that there will be much more curial and synodical kinds of meetings. And with the Americans and the Canadians gone, who's going to pay for them? Maybe the Irish are saying, "Not us!"

Paying heavy Anglicans to play closed minded Lambeth games, cleverly finessed by keeping the genuine voices of modern queer folks definitively outside Lambeth - only reveal the pattern of mis-management that may indeed have affected finances and financial planning for Lambeth.

Is anybody else in the progressive believer communities tired of paying for conservative realignment yet, thanks exactly to folks just like IRD, George Conger, and the whole busload of conservative operatives trying to shift the communion or bring down the historic Anglican global big tent? It's a realignment or bust plan, folks.

That Anglican institutions of unity should have to waste time and money taking these folks spin doctored grievances for doom and danger (mainly about queer folks, it seems?), while blaming the drummed up crisis on anybody who has dared - what foolish adolesecent rebellious chutzpah? - to read the empirical and other literatures and be changed by reading them. Well, enuff iz enuff.

I still do not disinvite conservative believers from the table, for God is indeed infinitely gracious or none of us would be breathing. But I do advise that severe caution be exercised in asking this realignment campaign to do modern church life curriculum planning, let alone asking them to exclusively teach us all, just what is what in flat earth religion and intellectual realms. Those who grasp that barking dog, conservative Anglican realignment, by the ears may well be bitten, hard.

I would be most interested to see how the ABC would be received in the USA - I doubt he would have the directness to make the journey and test the waters in person since he strikes me as one who is quite cautious in all arenas. I am reminded of the African Bishop (name escapes me) who was reportedly afraid to go to the UK for fear of being confronted by demonstrators who might pose a personal risk. Truly a shame since I believe much good could come from such a visit.