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Robert took a deep breath before opening the door - it wasn't every day that you got to meet one of the five most powerful men in the world. He glanced at his info pad. The time was now ten o'clock 7^th December 2049. He reached out and grabbed the metal door handle. It felt cool to the touch. He pulled the door open and walked through. He couldn't help but gaze out of the massive floor to ceiling window that was the far wall of the office he had just entered. The Parisian skyline, with its dozens of skyscrapers, was spread before his eyes. He could just make out the tip of the Eiffel Tower, a few hundred metres below. There was a full moon tonight and a moderate amount of moonlight flooded through the window. The only light on in the room was a small desk lamp that sat on the imposing desk belonging to the newly appointed Emperor of France - Pierre Annace. He could make out a handful of picture frames on the walls, but it was too dark to actually see any of the paintings.

"Please sit down, Robert," said a booming voice from the chair behind the desk.
"Sir?" he replied a little nervously as he sat down in the armchair in front of the desk.
"Please call me Pierre - like you used to when we studied at York so many years ago."
"Pierre... I was wondering why you summoned me here."
"I have had an idea," replied Pierre. His voice softened a little but now he sounded excited - like a child waiting to tell a parent of some new discovery.
"I'm sure one of your many advisors..."
"No. I wanted to speak to you," was the decisive reply.
"We only knew each other for a few months. I'm really not sure what advice I could offer." Pierre appeared to ignore his response and said, "Remember the discussion we had in that café in York?"
"I think we had several such discussions."
"I'm sure you remember each of them - you always had a fantastic memory. Anyway the one I'm referring to is the one where we pondered the decline of Christianity in the modern world."
"That does sound familiar," replied Robert a little cautiously.
"Well I seem to remember that we couldn't think of any solutions."
"You think we could come up with a solution in one afternoon?"
"Well I've given this a great deal of thought. And I believe I have the answer."
"The answer?"
"Society has lost its way. We used to have a few wise people who would lead the rest of the population. Figures that commanded respect and in turn obedience. In the last hundred years or so that has ceased to be the case. And so without these figures the ordinary people have no one to turn to. In their place we now have soap operas, magazines and 'the network'. But I believe I have identified the root problem - the thing that makes all of this possible. The one group behind it all."
"I think it's obvious..."
"Yes! The philosophers! They are the ones who justify anything. Who are the source of all misguided worldviews. Perpetually asking questions. They who have replaced God by the question of whether he exists or not. The irony! The question of whether God exists as god. That is the idol they worship at! Of course that is the few who actually reach that point. Most devote their time to other questions, unwilling to answer the question that would define whether any of their questions actually mattered. I even think it was one of them who said that 'there is no purpose without God'."

Pierre paused as if waiting for some form of congratulation on his marvellous theories. Robert remained silent, pondering how to convince Pierre that he was wrong. After a few seconds Pierre continued.

"And what, do you ask, is my plan? I will tell you. My plan is to crucify them. Not figuratively, but literally! I will have them gathered together and along the L'Arc de Triomph I will have crosses built. And then they will be nailed there - and die a most horrible death. For that is what they deserve. All of France, all of the world even will watch this powerful display. It will be the beginning of a revival."

Robert was taken aback. "You... you can't do that - it's..."
"Perhaps you should let me explain myself. Initially I thought they should just be rounded up and imprisoned or perhaps just be placed under house arrest. But I pondered it for a while - if they are guilty of the most serious crime possible - why should their punishment not be equally as serious? They reject God! There is no greater crime. For that I must punish them as best as I am able and as Emperor of France I am in that very position. I believe I have been chosen by God for this role, this task. I must do this." His voice sounded forceful but considered.
"Where does this plan stop?" challenged Robert.
Pierre replied quickly, barely pausing between statements. "Well this is a first step of course. Unfortunately rooting out the source of the problem won't solve the problem completely. We will destroy all books filled with such dangerous ideas. We will control broadcasts. But I admit there may have to be more crucifixions. But once that is over we will have constructed a perfect society - as it will be one that follows God's laws, not our compromises. And on that day the world will turn to me. They will listen to me. And I will guide them to God. Through me the world can be saved. Through my teachings. For over two thousand years Christianity has barely taken a step forwards. Did you know that only three percent of people go to Church in this country? Three percent! I will make that one hundred percent. I will change the world."

"If this is some sort of elaborate joke..."
Pierre stared straight back at Robert, his eyes conveying a sense of deadly seriousness. "I know it will be difficult," said Pierre.
"Pierre, please listen carefully to me. This might be difficult to hear but I must say it. I cannot possibly agree with what you are saying. What you are proposing is some sort of twenty-first century Inquisition. I am unsure as to where to begin with what I find unacceptable about your plan. To start with you simply can't force people to love God. Love must be given out of choice - as a response to love. Jesus when tempted to take direct authority over the world by Satan refused. To do this would have been to serve Satan's will not God's will. I suggest you follow his example."
"I suppose I accept some of what you are saying but surely if we get them in the doors of our Churches - is that not a good thing?

"We cannot accomplish good by doing evil." Robert paused letting the statement sink in, then he continued. "And as for your selection of one group, in your case those who you label the philosophers, as the source of our problems - that is simply wrong. Admittedly it is a temptation that many groups have fallen prey to recently and indeed over the centuries. What people must realise is that they must first fix their own problems and that in fact judging others is in most, if not all cases a bigger problem than what the group they are judging is doing. I believe that Christians should avoid judging non-Christians. Why should we expect them to achieve the standards that we so often fail to reach ourselves? We must place our efforts into nearing perfection, not demanding it of others. You also seem to be aiming for some form of society-wide perfection. Surely you accept the self evident truth that such a dream is not achievable by human hands. I believe that one day God will make a perfect world, but it will be a new Earth. As long as there is any imperfection in just one individual you cannot have a perfect society. All humans are imperfect. Therefore, I'm sure you'll see that such an idea is unachievable. Even a plan of a utopia must be imperfect; as such a plan must be conceived by a human."
"Well perhaps complete perfection is unobtainable, but we can get closer than we are now."
"Yes I agree with you there. We can and should do a lot better, but this is not the way to do it. The closer we get to perfection, that is the more Christ-like we become, the better our part of society and in turn society as a whole will become. Feudalism, Fascism, Communism and most recently Capitalism have all failed. None created a utopia and so we rejected them. What is needed is for humanity to act in love. In that way we can solve the problems of inequality, conflict and division."

Robert paused to catch his breath. He then continued.
"The problem is not that of a world whose thought is led by a few evil men. The problem is one of sin. Sin is rejection of God. The philosophers that you single out may reject God with their mouths but all of humanity has rejected God. I rejected Him today. You rejected Him today. Every time we fall short of perfection we reject Him. But that does not matter - not if we repent. Salvation is freely offered to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Surely you know all this? All our rejection, our sins: past, present and future forgiven. The world cannot be saved through a set of teachings. People cannot be saved through a set of teachings, no matter how 'good' they are. Teachings can point the way to God but they can-not be the way. Spiritual leaders cannot simply teacho f their own experiences, people must seek God themselves - not just learn about the experiences of another."
"Then what of the Bible? Is it just a set of teachings?"
"I leave that question for you to answer yourself. What I will point out is that the Bible is quite clear that faith in Jesus is what is necessary for salvation."

Pierre remained silent. He appeared to be deep in thought. Finally he spoke. "What then do you propose? Surely you admit that we have been failing for the last two millennia?"
"We have acted imperfectly. In our free choice we have chosen self more often that not. But that does not mean we have failed entirely. It is out of failure that God will bring victory. In France, in the entire West we have seen church numbers drop. We have seen a population reject God and embrace the meaningless philosophies. The reality is that no such philosophies can satisfy them. But the overall picture is not so bleak. In the East, in countries like China and India we have seen massive increases in the number of Christians. As a society we have gained wealth through exploitation and corruption. We are wealthy but spiritually poor..."