The following quote is from a sermon preached by "Bishop" JJG on 1 Corinthians 13
and Luke 18:31-43 ( reference http://www.anglican-lutheran-society.org/AGM%202011%20sermon.pdf ):
"In our lives of faith, which should in turn bring faith and hope to our families, churches and
communities the love of Christ is made manifest. This is true in the small things just as much as in
the big issues. In our interactions with the bus driver and the bank clerk, in our dealings with those
who hate us; in laughing and in loving, as well as in mourning and in conflict, in the seemingly hopeless situation of Palestine; whether in London, Jerusalem, Helsinki or Stuttgart, Christ in his charity
lives in and through us. "
She also told the story of a friend who came to England as part of the Kindertransport. The friend was adopted by 2 sisters who were "regular churchgoers; well-meaning, presumably, but their charity was cold indeed. They treated her with contempt, and forced her to go to church with them; punishments for misdemeanours were harsh; and there was little sign of love or affection. My friend’s experience of Christianity was of a loveless, perfunctory, formal religion; and as a result, she developed a thorough allergy to the Christian faith."
First a marvelous call to action that the love of Christ should be expressed in all of our interactions - big and small - with the charity of Christ in us and through us. God demands that even "in our dealings with those who hate us" "as well as in mourning and in conflict" that our interactions "Christ in his charity lives in and through us." Too bad those are the "Bishop's" marvelous words but do not describe her actions towards anyone who has questioned her, failed to bow to her unreasonable demands and inflated sense of authority and warped vision of obedience.
The story of the two sisters who adopted the little girl from a foreign land describes the "Bishop's" actions better than the her preached words - for JJG has treated those whom God had entrusted with contempt, she has harshly punished for misdemeanours and she has shown little love or affection - especially for children. JJG's practice of Christianity would make most feel "Christianity was... a loveless, perfunctory, formal religion; and as a result, ...develop a thorough allergy to the Christian faith."
