Years ago, my wife and I went to Willow Creek, outside of Chicago.
It was definitely quite an experience. If you’ve ever gone to a football or baseball game you have the basic idea. LOTS of traffic cops, cars backed up for miles..
The church itself was run rather well, didn’t seem to be too materialistic, but then we didn’t attend that much.
I called one time to request a second baptism(to be really sure), and they refused on the grounds that the first one was all I needed.

If people get off on the ultra-big worship experience(what a great place to find a girl!), there would be something for everyone there, meetings, support groups, bible studies, you name it.

Another mega-experience -which was in a football stadium (Chicago Bears) , was Promise Keepers, same traffic jam, mobs of people, but did seem to have other agendas, as we all now know.

But nobody has beat Jim&Tammy yet….

Sounds to me like the Walmartization of religion. Stick in a McDonalds and a pharmacy and make it one stop shopping.

but why not? where’s the harm?

Apparently when Christmas falls on a Sunday, mega-churches don’t hold services… one church send home a vd with a special christmas tale that the family can sit down and watch together.

and this is a bad thing because . . . .? they’re encouraging people to stay in with their families on christmas sunday. how is this something that’s laughable?

i guess i’m starting to realize that a lot of the arguments against megachurches are pretty empty, especially since nobody here has ever *been* to one. it’s like, everyone’s saying stuff like ‘they’re too commercial,’ or, ‘they’re too impersonal,’ but what does that really *mean*? *how* are they too commercial, and if they are, why is that a problem? *how* are they too impersonal? are they too big? why can’t someone have a valid spiritual experience in a big crowd of fellow believers? are we requiring people to interact one-on-one with clergy now?

can anyone articulate an anti-megachurch argument that leads somewhere instead of just rehashing tired old anti-fundie cliches? and, more importantly, is there any good reason to do so, when none of us even attend megachurches? why are they such a big deal?

The problem is that Megachurches promote and empty, consumerist spirituality that leaves no room for self-reflection. Or that’s what they say.

Yeah, I mean, I know that’s the classic argument… but maybe we should all just shut up and dance. Maybe that’s the only theology that matters.

Falsedoctrine.com is TAKEN!

seriously, though, i’m with you, tim– i don’t see this as a problem. i see it as fun! i’m also not quite sure what the problem is that this fellow has with the megachurch phenom. the only *real* critique he gives is that ‘false teachings’ enter the church that way, but he only offers it as an aside. what’s the real deal here? is it the commercialism of spirituality that bothers him? is it the shameful dancing and awful fun? hm.

i seriously want to start a gnostic-hoodoo megachurch.

atleast some people care enough to get off their ass to go praise jesus, even if it is by getting a back massage and a latte.

They could even have fire-breathers, BDSM shows, and Gwar concerts to show the terrors of Hell that await the sinners of the world.

OMG! Like a present-day version of the renaissance Mystery Plays. That would be awesome.

That said, if I was an evangelical Christian, I would become a member of one of those megachurches. Who wouldn’t leap out of bed every Sunday to be saved if church was that awesome? They could even have fire-breathers, BDSM shows, and Gwar concerts to show the terrors of Hell that await the sinners of the world.

Ah the birth of consumerist religion
where every megachurches are opening
like Starbucks. Chirst will save you,
with just a kind donation $20 or so

PLEASE! This is BULLSHIT!
We’re living in a sick world.

This is not the first time I’ve encountered a Christian group (although this “group” seems to have just the one member, admittedly) using the name Laodicea and promoting itself as some sort of authority on “real” Christianity, whereby they are the only real Christians and all else are false. It’s kind of ironic, because in Revelation ch.3, Laodicea is the last church that Jesus writes to, accusing it of being lukewarm and saying he will vomit them out of his mouth. In other words, Jesus is far more displeased by Laodicea than any of the six other churches, even the ones he’s critical of, which is why I’m amused by the sight of these people invoking Laodicea’s name to posit themselves as the only true way to the Way and the Life…