<div dir="ltr"><div>A Biblical quote I remember from a Breakfast-news Conversation in Academy 72</div><div>"if you love me", Jesus said, "feed my sheep."</div><div><br></div>A reader comment in today's <span class="" id=":3i1.1" tabindex="-1" style="background:yellow"><span class="" id=":3i1.7" tabindex="-1" style="background:yellow">NYTimes</span></span> article about the decline of Christianity in the US<div><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/12/upshot/big-drop-in-share-of-americans-calling-themselves-christian.html?&target=comments&hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&modref=HPCommentsRefer&module=second-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&abt=0002&abg=1#commentsContainer">http://www.<span class="" id=":3i1.8" tabindex="-1" style="background:yellow">nytimes</span>.com/2015/05/12/upshot/big-drop-in-share-of-<span class="" id=":3i1.9" tabindex="-1" style="background:yellow">americans</span>-calling-themselves-christian.html?&target=comments&hp&action=click&<span class="" id=":3i1.10" tabindex="-1" style="background:yellow">pgtype</span>=Homepage&<span class="" id=":3i1.11" tabindex="-1" style="background:yellow">modref</span>=<span class="" id=":3i1.12" tabindex="-1" style="background:yellow">HPCommentsRefer</span>&module=second-column-region&region=top-news&WT.<span class="" id=":3i1.13" tabindex="-1" style="background:yellow">nav</span>=top-news&<span class="" id=":3i1.14" tabindex="-1" style="background:yellow">abt</span>=0002&<span class="" id=":3i1.15" tabindex="-1" style="background:yellow">abg</span>=1#<span class="" id=":3i1.16" tabindex="-1" style="background:yellow">commentsContainer</span></a><br clear="all"><div><br></div><div>Here is a comment from a  Portland Oregon reader usa999</div><div><br></div><div>"<span style="font-size:13px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:nyt-franklin,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:20px">Raised in a mainline active Protestant family and a conservative Republican for decades I nevertheless <span class="" id=":3i1.2" tabindex="-1" style="background:yellow"><span class="" id=":3i1.17" tabindex="-1" style="background:yellow">abhore</span></span> the opportunistic appropriation of Christianity for political purposes by people with no commitment to its spiritual or ethical values. It is for show and exploitation, capitalizing on the mentally-impoverished and fearful to project claims of moral significance when in fact political Christianity is primarily about mobilization in support of rapacious economic elites. The Bible tells us Christ drove money-changers from the temple while today's make-believe Christians embrace them and offer a favored place near the altar. They are usurpers preying on the weak-minded, not believers letting their behavior bear witness to their faith".</span></div><div><span style="font-size:13px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:nyt-franklin,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:20px"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:13px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:nyt-franklin,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:20px">My own recent experience</span></div><div><span style="font-size:13px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:nyt-franklin,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:20px">An <span class="" id=":3i1.3" tabindex="-1" style="background:yellow"><span class="" id=":3i1.18" tabindex="-1" style="background:yellow">ICA</span></span> study group</span></div><div><span style="font-size:13px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:nyt-franklin,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:20px">So Far From Home online book study of Meg <span class="" id=":3i1.4" tabindex="-1" style="background:yellow"><span class="" id=":3i1.19" tabindex="-1" style="background:yellow">Wheatley</span></span> book on emergent change</span></div><div><span style="font-size:13px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:nyt-franklin,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:20px"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:13px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:nyt-franklin,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:20px">Meg: Many of us -certainly I'd describe myself in these terms - were anxiously engaged in "the ceremony of innocence." We didn't think we were innocents, but we were. We thought we could change the world. </span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:nyt-franklin,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:20px">We even believed that, with sufficient will and passion, we could "create a world." on that embodied our aspirations for justice, equality, opportunity, piece, a world where, in Paulo <span class="" id=":3i1.5" tabindex="-1" style="background:yellow"><span class="" id=":3i1.20" tabindex="-1" style="background:yellow">Freiee's</span></span> terms.</span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:nyt-franklin,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:20px"><br></span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:nyt-franklin,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:20px">Steve: One of my best friends Bill-the-potter: Steve, how do you engage disagreements in your life, tell me a story. I did. I told a story about engaging the project of actually getting <span class="" id=":3i1.6" tabindex="-1" style="background:yellow"><span class="" id=":3i1.21" tabindex="-1" style="background:yellow">ICA</span></span> Archive materials available somewhere besides the 6th floor of a building located somewhere in Chicago.USA.  </span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:nyt-franklin,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:20px"><br></span></div><div><font color="#333333" face="nyt-franklin, arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="line-height:20px">The Breakfast News Question, today only?</span></font></div><div><br></div><div><font color="#333333" face="nyt-franklin, arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="line-height:20px">Do you, how do you engage disagreements in your life?</span></font></div><div><font color="#333333" face="nyt-franklin, arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="line-height:20px">Do you, how do you  </span></font><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:nyt-franklin,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:20px">"Opportunistic Christians"?</span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:nyt-franklin,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:20px">Share  a SHORT story?</span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:nyt-franklin,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:20px"><br></span></div><div><font color="#333333" face="nyt-franklin, arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="line-height:20px"><br></span></font></div><div><font color="#333333" face="nyt-franklin, arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="line-height:20px">Steve Harrington</span></font></div><div><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:nyt-franklin,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:20px">  </span></div><div><span style="font-size:13px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:nyt-franklin,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:20px"><br></span>-- </div><div class="gmail_signature">Steve Harrington</div>
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