No one likes to be rebuked. A rebuke feels as a disregard of one's accomplishments. It rarely is accepted for what it is--an urgent call for change, and a reminder of the location of the goal post. When a team is playing a competitive sport, rarely do they make the mistake of scoring a point at the goal post for the opposing team. They are acutely aware of who they are and of their mission and purpose as a member of the team. They also are aware of the mission and purpose of the other team members and they support them in their mission.
The idea that someone could claim to be a member of a spiritual team, yet daily endeavor to score points for the opposing team is blasphemous. It suggests that the lines of demarcation are sufficiently fluid so that no one really knows the location of the goal posts. It also suggests that at least one of the teams is not as committed to winning as they should be. When a team has lost its sense of identity, the only possible solution is to dissolve it and reconstitute the team, possibly with new members. Modern Christianity has lost its sense of identity and needs to be reconstituted. Either the church as a body can seek to re-engage its constituents, or God will remedy the problem. When God remedies a problem, his primary instinct is to dismantle its components. There are three ways in which churches, synagogues and mosques can re-engage their constituents. First, they can decide that they are on the same team. Second, they can decide that they will defend each other whenever the devil's team tries to score a goal against one of them. And third, they can decide that they will accept even the most scathing rebuke, provided it enables them to maintain the team spirit, refocus their mission and recognize their Messiah. When all three faiths are expecting a Messiah and only one person is scheduled to return, one must necessarily question whether he is the same for all three. When they decide that he is, they will have accomplished a major feat.
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