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Essay / The Megachurch in America: Missionary or Unbeliever
The Megachurch in America Missionary or UnbelieverThe size of the Christian megachurch is evident in its title, which demonstrates that this typically stupendous and resplendent edifice supports weekly attendance of at least two people. a thousand faithful; and that the majority of mega-churches are Protestant, whose doctrine is fundamentally the antithesis of the authoritarian structures of Catholicism, as well as the other major religions of Islam, Hinduism and Old Testament Judaism (Hartford Seminary). Over the years, there has been not only a huge emergence of megachurches here in the United States, but also many disparaging remarks from the public, comedians, books and media, about this institution . Some claim that these types of churches don't really care about people's souls, and are only prodigious because of greed, misrepresentation of Jesus Christ, and manipulation. of people's hearts, in conjunction with gross neglect of spiritual practices. direction. The truth is that in some cases there is malfeasance, but in others the Church is led by the Spirit of God with vigor and integrity. The Church or Ecclesia, as it is called in the original Greek language, regardless of its size, is the called ones who assemble to represent the Body and life of Jesus Christ. They participate in meetings of praise, worship and listening to the Word of God, taken from their manual called the Holy Bible, or the Scriptures; those who bring the message are considered God's spokesmen and are usually called preachers (KJV, Eph 5:23-32). According to the Bible, the Church, which includes preachers, should strive to exemplify the type of life that Jesus...... middle of paper ......veland, Anne C. and Otis B. Wheeler: From Meetinghouse to Megachurch A Material and Cultural History. Missouri: University of Missouri Press, 2003. PrintMegachurch Definition. Hartford Seminary, The Hartford Institute for Religion Research, NP, 2000 -2006. Web Nov 11, 2011McElvaine, Robert S. Grand Theft JESUS: The Hijacking of Religion in America. NewYork: Crown Publishers, a division of Random House Inc., 2008. PrintMoore, Laurence R. Selling GOD American Religion in the Culture Marketplace. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994. Print Thumma, Scott and Dave Travis. Beyond the Myths of Megachurches, What We Can Learn from America's Largest Churches. California: John Wiley & Sons Inc. Published Jossey-Bass.2007. Print