Like burglar alarm merchants, splinter churches play to people's fears and make scapegoats of homosexuals, women and modernity. In the name of one whose arms opened wide to all humanity, churches build walls and invite the fearful to retreat behind them. In the short run, anger and a sense of superiority will build attendance. But when anger fails to nourish the soul, anger tends to escalate and to seek new targets, turning eventually against its own advocates. In our personal lives, wilderness experiences tend to help us grow.
Illness can draw a family closer.
Financial hardship can clarify a family's values. Being forced to deal with our addictions and personal failures can draw us close to God. On the societal level, wilderness moments can prove beneficial if wise leaders help us focus on common values and our need for mutual sacrifice. But in the absence of wise leaders, we are as likely to form a mob as a cleanup crew. This should be religion's finest hour.