In a culture where even the atheists claim to have a "spirituality," it's time for the church to soul out.

Until March of 1997, the approaching Third Millennium sneaked up on us like some great, fun adventure. For intrepid entrepreneurs, the year 2000 promises huge sales in commemorative junk. Party planners have been plotting big New Year's Eve blowouts for years. Except for those nerdy computer types who are wringing their hands and predicting crash and burn for all computer systems that use just two digits to designate a year, there has been a generally jovial, party atmosphere about the whole event.

But the deadly, misguided, apocalyptic-steeped visions of the "Heaven's Gate" cult have suddenly brought us up short. Thirty-nine sad, strange, purple-shrouded figures have forever tinged…