"Many have jettisoned formal rituals such as organs and hymns in favor of Christian rock music and overhead projection screens that display lyrics and prayers."
What sort of representatives do these areas send to Congress?
People who support abortion? Euthanasia? Embryonic stem-cell research?
(Don’t know, just asking if they ever consider the lives of the unborn and the elderly are worth anything, and vote accordingly)
They probably have full bar just outside of the main area of the church, and allow sex and drugs in secluded rooms where the sermons can be watched via webcam....
We have alot of megachurches around here. I just dont see the point of going somewhere where nobody really knows anybody (thats my personal impression based on personal experience). Alot of these people probably go to these churches because it helps their businesses to have many contacts and what not. Most of these places are really pretty shallow.
LOL People! Not every where in California is friggin’ Berkley.
There are a lot of red, even deep red, areas in the state.
The coastal part of the state tends to be deep blue (with the exception of Orange County and to an extent San Diego), but with few exceptions the inland counties tend to be Conservative like Bakersfield, Central Valley, and the Eastern and Northern suburbs of Sacramento.
Obama did do well in a lot of red and purple districts in 2008 but that will be hard for him to repeat. Just look at a county by county breakdown on cultural issues like the prop 8 vote. Even LA County voted Yes!
There are a lot of sane folks in CA, the problem is the coastal cities. The vote is just too lopsided Democrat in LA and San Francisco to be overcome most of the time.
The 25-year-old bank teller said the formalities of her former church -- including the robed clergy, hymnals, organ and repetitive liturgy -- left her uninspired.
At the San Dimas church, she found what she called a fresh approach to her Christian faith that emphasizes a joyful, free-flowing worship and the importance of maintaining a relationship with Jesus seven days a week rather than only on Sundays.
At church, she also met fellow Lutherans, along with Presbyterians and Methodists, all searching for new ways to express their spirituality.
"I've become a lot more comfortable in my faith and willing to share that with people," said Rief, who now volunteers at the church Thursday nights, greeting college students who are treated to dinner and lively worship services.
A friend showed me a video of his sons band performing a “call to worship” at their megachurch. It was an instrumental of the Heart classic “Barracuda.”
Speechless does not begin to describe my response.
Don’t rush to judge something which sounds strange to you.
Back in the ‘70s in downtown Minneapolis, a church named “Jesus People” sowed the seeds of what is now a extremely strong pro-life movement all over Minnesota. I know 3 pastors which came out of JP and spread its bible based teaching all over the state.
I’ll reserve judgment until I hear and see the fruits.
ping
I don’t think the negative comments here are warrented. I have attended Saddleback and everything I’ve heard indicates a strong opposition to abortion, euthanasia and other concerns of ‘conservative’ Christians.
50% of the members are former Catholics. Just because we have chosen to worship in a manner that doesn’t appeal to you, doesn’t mean that you are ‘correct’ or that we are ‘correct’.
Would you rather that the thousands of folks who find a connection to God in a megachurch just stay home and read the funny papers on Sunday?
As to the disdain for ‘mega’ churches; have you ever visited St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue in NYC? Especially on Sunday?
Being a traditionalist who prefers churches small enough to know at least the majority if not every single member of the body I truly struggle to understand or affirm the megachurch phenomena. Both Hitler and Obama drew crowds. Numbers do not impress me. However, I do wonder if the attendees are developing a growing faith that they will hand down from generation to generation or are they in a here for the moment mode. I wonder if the music will withstand the test of time that the classic hymns have. I wonder if the participants are caring for one another or if they will simply move from building to building where the stage is brighter and the music grander. The only question that matters is ...is God pleased? Is he the one being worshipped or is it the stage presenters? One observation that cannot be ignored is if these “churches” are thriving in California then Hollywood, government programs and the glitz and glam of the secular world is not filling the void in the way that only the indwelling spirit of God can do.
I attend a “mega-church”, although not in California. Any church can be dead or church-lite, no matter what the size.
You can tell a tree by its fruit.
When you have folks like RW singing the praises of Barack Hussein Obama, then you ought to be very careful about listening to their theology.
RW has done the church a service in emphasizing the need for Christians to open up and help their neighbors--the service of Christ. I fear, though, his embrace leads to an unthinking open-mindedness that results in a "all things are acceptable" attitude.
RW praised the government of Syria, IIRC. And he doesn't seem too concerned about his friend Hussein's attitude about abortion. He also apparently backed off his opposition of the gay marriage ban in California. That is bad news.
Good works are fine--and Rick's church does perform them. I think the cost is on the teaching side.
I also, by the way, am critical of churches that rail and scream against abortion and gays...but do NOTHING to show the unwed mothers or people struggling with their sexuality the love of Christ.
We have to be strong on BOTH sides--embrace and defend the truth, but in love. IOW, be like Jesus. :)
I belong to a mega church. There are small groups inside the church to join. It thrills my heart to gather with a huge crowd of Christians and sing praise and worship on Sunday Morning. I have been to churches all over the country. In the Northeast, many of the churches are small and dying. I have attended some and the music is nothing to write home about. Some people get all bent out of shape if you dare to play anything but an organ or piano or if you sing something wrote in the last 50 years. I say lets sing a new song unto the Lord.
As long as the focus is on Jesus Christ and his gospel, the type of music used or the size of the church is unimportant.