patgund | Interesting......and slightly creepy. (Reply)

celticdragonfly provided this NY Times article on a "Megachurch" near Phoenix. And I think that her and

selenite were right on target.

"The Soul of the New Exurb"

"In fact, everything about Radiant has been designed to lure people away from other potential weekend destinations. The foyer includes five 50-inch plasma-screen televisions, a bookstore and a cafe with a Starbucks-trained staff making espresso drinks. (For those who are in a rush, there's a drive-through latte stand outside the main building.) Krispy Kreme doughnuts are served at every service. (Radiant's annual Krispy Kreme budget is $16,000). For kids there are Xboxes (10 for fifth and sixth graders alone). ''That's what they're into,'' McFarland says. ''You can either fight it or say they're a tool for God.'' The dress code is lax: most worshipers wear jeans, sweats or shorts, depending on the season. (''At my old church, we thought we were casual because we wore mock turtlenecks under our blazers,'' Radiant's youth pastor told me.) Even the baptism pool is seductive: Radiant keeps the water at 101 degrees. ''We've had people say, 'No, leave me under,' '' McFarland says. ''It's like taking a dip in a spa.''

When the church was under construction, people would occasionally ask McFarland if it was going to have stained glass or a steeple. ''No!'' he'd answer. ''We want the church to look like a mall. We want you to come in here and say, 'Dude, where's the cinema?'

The spiritual sell is also a soft one. There are no crosses, no images of Jesus or any other form of religious iconography. Bibles are optional (all biblical quotations are flashed on huge video screens above the stage). Almost half of each service is given over to live Christian rock with simple, repetitive lyrics in which Jesus is treated like a high-school crush: ''Jesus, you are my best friend, and you will always be. Nothing will ever change that.'' Committing your life to Christ is as easy as checking a box on the communication cards that can be found on the back of every chair. (Last year, 1,055 people did so.)"

Reading this article was interesting - because there's a lot of simularities between Radiant and the "Fosterite" movement in Heinlein's "Stranger in a Strange Land". You've got X-Boxes rather than slot machines, and coffee bars rather than alcohol bars. But the video screens, the drive to "be happy", the type of music, discouraging friendships with people outside the church, even the "inner" and "outer" church structure. That's a lot like how RAH described the "Fosterites".

From a cultural viewpoint it's interesting. But some of the simularities are somewhat scary.

On Edit: The more I think about this, the more I wonder if this particular megachurch is also espousing the so-called "Prosperity Doctrine". There's some simularities there as well.