Sunday, July 10, 2005

Enthusiastic Christianity? In London?


It’s not just Al Qaeda that is taking over in London. At the Dominion Theatre in the London theater
district is Hillsong, an enthusiastic church for twenty-something Brits who are in to
“praying and swaying.” And they push contributions:
“God wants to give you great riches, [they’ll] say, but you’ve got to prove
first that you’re willing to give to Him.”
Mary Wakefield is not amused.

It’s what I assumed I’d never see in England, the full-on, Texas-style health and wealth gospel with all the trimmings:
plastic cash buckets, talk of leadership and empowerment.

Didn’t you know darling? Sociologist Rodney Stark has found that high-cost churches are also
high-commitment churches.

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