When the Church Fails to Launch

What happens when Christians are not fueled, programmed and on the right course? The church crashes and burns.

Picture a rocket on a launch pad. A clear blue sky. The white shell of the spacecraft, gleaming in the sun. Five ... four ... three ... two ... one ... blast-off!

A thrilling moment.

Except when the rocket experiences a failure to launch.

Exactly 21 years ago, on June 4, 1996, a cluster of four spacecraft were launched on the maiden flight of a rocket called Ariane 5. Unfortunately, the rocket flew off course just 37 seconds after launch. Disintegration began, and then its flight termination system caused it to self-destruct. Ka-boom! The four spacecraft were lost -- no people were aboard, fortunately -- when the rocket failed to achieve orbit.

The problem? An error in the software design. It became one of the most expensive software bugs in history, resulting in a loss of more than $370 million. Since that time, the Ariane 5 has become one of the most reliable of rockets, with more than 90 flights.

Of course, not all rocket failures are tragedies. Last October, North...