Sentence:  To be sure , when this is pointed out , a common response among certain churchmen <WSD>is</WSD> to fulminate about `` the little flock '' and `` the great crowd '' and to take solace from Paul 's castigation of the `` wisdom of the wise '' in the opening chapter of First Corinthians . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  be identical to; be someone or something