In Africa, as the White Nile enters South Sudan, it flows strongly toward the north. Then, about halfway through South Sudan, it enters a shallow basin. The river becomes sluggish and forms a massive delta, covering some 50,000 square miles (130,000 square kilometers). It branches into innumerable channels that meander among lagoons, lakes and backwaters. Choked with vegetation and infested with biting insects, this section of the Nile is true to its name, the Sud (Arabic for “barrier”). It has turned back the best explorers and still blocks navigation. Many have been lost in the Sud’s vast, maze-like swamps.
From a bird’s eye view, does the current state of Christendom look like the Sud? Branches that sociologists can identify exceed 40,000. Though using the name Christ, beliefs range from traditional to innovative, from Bible-based to experiencebased, and from atheism to the many gods of pantheism and animism. Even the best-willed person might become lost in such a maze.