No more Gloria Jeans

Categories: lord-have-mercy

Date: 17 March 2008 01:45:40

Yes, it is a chain coffee shop, but I rather liked what they had on their menu, and when and where I bought mine the coffee was generally strong and well made. But no more.

One report from The Sydney Morning Herald's investigations; from the article:

A SECRETIVE ministry with direct links to Gloria Jean's Coffees and the Hillsong Church has been deceiving troubled young women into signing over months of their lives to a program that offers scant medical or psychiatric care, instead using Bible studies and exorcisms to treat mental illness.
I am the first to admit, as a Christian, that I believe the Bible is important, and, I will admit that I do believe in the power of demons in this world[*], but I also believe God gave us the studies of psychiatry and psychology for a reason: they are there to be used. Locking unwell women away and giving them over to untrained students, as well as the harsh regimes implemented, can only be described as inhumane: and an afffront to the Gospel.

Lord, have mercy.

[*] if good can influence us, I would say evil can: naïve? perhaps. But I do believe it and believe that if good can influence us, so can evil -- in whatever form.