A Sydney Anglican talks about the lack of money being donated by parishoners

I don't think Australians think that promoting sexism, homophobia, religious intolerance and gambling away diocesan assets on the stock market is value for money.

The Briefing, has published an article about finance. This is very apt as everyone knows that Sydney Anglicans have had a lot of experience in the area of finance...what with their stock market loss of in excess of $160 million of diocesan assets... and the Matthias Media push for donations, to help move the publishing company into the $21st Century, whilst still producing material that promotes the predjudical values of the 1950s.

Phil Cogin writes...Sadly, statistics from the Australian National Church Life Survey (and the like) suggest that there is not an overwhelming outpouring of generosity in our churches, at least in regards to people giving to their church. We are nowhere near hitting an average giving of 5%, let alone a tithe of 10%. What does that say?

Some would say we need to send our ministers off for fundraising training. Others suggest that our training colleges need to be more practical. No doubt some of this would be helpful—but what this says to me is that there is a deep spiritual problem in our churches.

Phil goes onto criticise working mothers in a way that only Sydney Anglicans know how, when he says... we need to ask why the mothers of our children are going back to paid employment. It’s certainly not a sin, and sometimes it’s financially necessary. But if it’s not necessary to pay for our daily bread and for a roof over our family, then why do we so often do it? Is it because it gives a sense of worth and contentment that is not found elsewhere? If that is the case—and it will require some honest reflection to work out—then that needs to be challenged, because our contentment and worth should come from knowing and serving Christ. We need to ask if this work is actually to pay for a level of living that we think is our right but that God would really call greed (and therefore idolatry)? 

My contentment and worth does come from knowing and serving Christ but Sydney Anglicans and the like, won't allow me to fulfill my calling.