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	<title> &#187; Fringe Blog &#8211; Writing on Film, Culture, and Things on the Fringe</title>
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	<description>The fringe is where the real resides, where substance and style are made one.</description>
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		<title>Obedience</title>
		<link>http://www.fringeblog.com/2005/07/obedience/</link>
		<comments>http://www.fringeblog.com/2005/07/obedience/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 Jul 2005 03:06:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>jelewis8</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Zen Musings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[adherents]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[audiences]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crowd]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dissertations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heart]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hearts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[listeners]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nichiren]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[priest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[respects]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[scholastic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sect]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sects]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[self centered]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[side step]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sutras]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wait a minute]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[zen students]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[zen teacher]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[The master Bankei&#8217;s talks were attended not only by Zen students but by persons of all ranks and sects. He never quoted sutras nor indulged in scholastic dissertations. Instead, his words were spoken directly from his heart to the hearts of his listeners. His large audiences angered a priest of the Nichiren sect because the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The master Bankei&#8217;s talks were attended not only by Zen students but by persons of all ranks and sects. He never quoted sutras nor indulged in scholastic dissertations. Instead, his words were spoken directly from his heart to the hearts of his listeners.<br />
His large audiences angered a priest of the Nichiren sect because the adherents had left to hear about Zen. The self-centered Nichiren priest came to the temple, determined to debate with Bankei.<br />
&#8220;Hey, Zen teacher!&#8221; he called out. &#8220;Wait a minute. Whoever respects you will obey what you say, but a man like myself does not respect you. Can you make me obey you?&#8221;<br />
&#8220;Come up beside me and I will show you,&#8221; said Bankei.<br />
Proudly the priest pushed his way through the crowd to the teacher.<br />
Bankei smiled. &#8220;Come over to my side.&#8221;<br />
The priest obeyed.<br />
&#8220;No,&#8221; said Bankei, &#8220;we may talk better if you are one the right side. Step over here.&#8221;<br />
The priest proudly stepped over to the right.<br />
&#8220;You see,&#8221; observed Bankei, &#8220;you are obeying me and I think you are a very gentle person. Now sit down and listen.</p>
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		<title>We Are They, They Are Us</title>
		<link>http://www.fringeblog.com/2005/01/we-are-they-they-are-us/</link>
		<comments>http://www.fringeblog.com/2005/01/we-are-they-they-are-us/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 24 Jan 2005 21:51:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>jelewis8</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Religious News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[american christianity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[american population]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[barna group]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[born again christians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[distinguishable]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[evangelical christians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[findings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gallup organization]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hedonistic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[highly respected]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jesus is lord]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[laments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[materialistic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[michael horton]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[money sex]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[national polls]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[self centered]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[self fulfillment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[theologian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[unwashed masses]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Evangelical Christians are hardly distinguishable from the unsaved, unwashed masses, reveal findings from nearly every polling organizations making these kinds of surveys. Scandalous behavior is rapidly destroying American Christianity. By their daily activity, most &#8220;Christians&#8221; regularly commit treason. With their mouths they claim that Jesus is Lord, but with their actions they demonstrate allegiance to [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/bc/2005/001/3.8.html">Evangelical Christians</a> are hardly distinguishable from the unsaved, unwashed masses, reveal findings from nearly every polling organizations making these kinds of surveys.</p>
<blockquote><p>Scandalous behavior is rapidly destroying American Christianity. By their daily activity, most &#8220;Christians&#8221; regularly commit treason. With their mouths they claim that Jesus is Lord, but with their actions they demonstrate allegiance to money, sex, and self-fulfillment.<br />
The findings in numerous national polls conducted by highly respected pollsters like The Gallup Organization and The Barna Group are simply shocking. &#8220;Gallup and Barna,&#8221; laments evangelical theologian Michael Horton, &#8220;hand us survey after survey demonstrating that evangelical Christians are as likely to embrace lifestyles every bit as hedonistic, materialistic, self-centered, and sexually immoral as the world in general.&#8221; Divorce is more common among &#8220;born-again&#8221; Christians than in the general American population. Only 6 percent of evangelicals tithe. White evangelicals are the most likely people to object to neighbors of another race. Josh McDowell has pointed out that the sexual promiscuity of evangelical youth is only a little less outrageous than that of their nonevangelical peers.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Christians today suffer from severe spiritual drought and famine, lacking in Christian principles and values, embracing worldly pursuits and pleasures, and most importantly and regrettably, the absence of Jesus-centered lives. In many respects, I&#8217;m just as guilty of contributing to these horrifying statistics as the next Christian.<br />
I think <a href="http://soularmageddon.blogspot.com/2005/01/so-i-talked-to-my-brother-tonight-and.html">my brother</a> may be right. We are approaching a nexus of time, where the final showdown between good and evil takes place and the allegiance of all is called into question. Who will we follow? What lord will we serve? The world takes no prisoners, only slaves, and too many of us are slaves to what makes us feel good, to what gives us earthly comfort and delight. Too many of us fail in every way to engage the spirit. We live by our flesh and scorn extremes on both sides. We are Laodicea.<br />
Fortunately, Jesus does make it possible to make our lives testaments of His work. And He does forgive, even when we can&#8217;t forgive ourselves. The truth of our backslidden nature can be overcome by the truth of salvation, despite our flesh. If there is grace, there is grace in abundance, and like a rope, must be used to pull us over the brink of the abyss to the stable ground of repentence.<br />
I recommend reading the entire article, as it is a sad picture of the state of evangelical Christianity in America today. Pray for changes, not only in the body, but in your own life. I know I will be.</p>
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