Jesus built bridges between the divergent unities of his day. The church must do the same.

On September 13, 1987, two unemployed young men trying to make a living entered a partly demolished radiation clinic in Goianaia, Brazil, an 18-hour bus ride from Rio. They discovered and then dismantled a cancer therapy machine, the parts of which they peddled to various junk dealers. One junk dealer in particular purchased for 25 reals a stainless steel cylinder, about the size of a gallon paint can. Inside the cylinder was a cake of crumbly powder that emitted a mysterious blue light.

The dealer took the seemingly magical material home and distributed it to his family and friends. His 6-year-old niece rubbed the glowing dust on her body. One can just imagine her doing the bossa nova while she gl…