As discussed previously, the careful analysis of our Resident Anglican:

Yep, personally, it is easy to call bullshit on the actions of the AC. It is even easier if you disagree with them, as I do. However, I think that the overriding mind set with regard to cash distribution will remain Mr. Radtke’s response: “We certainly are in partnership with people who disagree with us, and that’s just fine. We give out our money based on the need, and not on the basis of some theological discussion.”

Of course, there is some pie-in-the-sky hopefulness to that. Politics is involved and will be forever. Property debates rage on right now over who owns churches and accounts that were previously associated with parishes that have withdrawn from ECUSA over the gay ordination issue. These issues will be in court for a long time. And, there are groups like Ekklesia who, while funding some of the same sort of mission programs ECUSA funds, blames ECUSA for trying to buy off its critics even while Ekklesia is spending more money on creating more critics as opposed to more poverty elimination. Makes the church look like the beltway. That is unfortunate.

It is enough to make you sick, really. Especially since it is likely that ECUSA will bend on the issue of gay ordination. I think the new Presiding Bishop has already mentioned that. Not sure. I don’t like that too much either. But, progress is slow when you’re trying to convince the world to end their prejudice. In order to keep working on that, ECUSA can’t afford an actual split from the AC lest they find themselves a “fringe” group with no weight to throw around. (Ed: isn’t ECUSA’s weight their cash?)

I guess the bottom line is that I find the waters are much more hopeful for change in the ECUSA camp than anywhere else. That said, the ECUSA camp has plenty of hurdles to cross itself. And, most of those hurdles are in this country. The tide is not overwhelmingly in support of the Very Rev. Gene Robinson, yet. So, we continue to work here and we continue dialogue there. Hopefully progress is being made, in spite of the politics of it all.

Heathen: We’ve got your experts.