Sorry to seem so negative but I watched a bunch of folk from here in SA go to this conference and listened to them bemoan the plight of the poor etc. etc.

Well what if they had not gone to this conference and gave the money they spent running there on the poor right in their own community?

It is all a sad joke as far as I am concerned.

Why do people have to run across borders to get to other people who perhaps think the same way they do – in the process they spend thousands that could have gone to better use?

I had this same discussion with a friend in the USA who was off to a conference to see Brian and Phyllis etc. –
I asked the average cost for someone attending and was told about $250 – $1000 depending where you stayed etc.
Now if you took 1000 delegates x $1000 = Somewhere between $ 250 000 – $1 000 000 was spent on flights and accomodation alone.

Yet just the week before this same friend was complaining about the folk in their community that are suffering because of the recession and some of them battling to get food.
Then they were off to Kenya to go visit, then to Uganda – all these things cost money that could be used more responsibly.

Sorry Graeme, but all this hype about the Gospel of transformation is just that – hype!

I imagine someone asking Jesus: “Can we go to this conference?”

Jesus: “Why? You already accept that more must be done, so why do you want to hear it all over again for the umpteenth time? I suggest that we stay at home, take the money you save for the trip and let’s go help someone close by? How do you feel about that idea? Oh, and tell you what, while we are on the topic. Let’s stop buying all the books you can on subjects that you are all ready convinced about and let’s give that money to Wycliffe Bible Translators or Bible Society so they can get more translations of the Bible done into peoples own languages who do not even have one singe verse of Scripture in their own language- how’s that for an idea?”

Now that would be transformation Graeme!