Opinion of megachurches

[Free Speech Enjoyer]

For me, very negative for the way they draw members from smaller churches and focus more on entertainment than preaching the spiritual message of the Gospel.  Also 'negative' for the churches that have been caught embezzling money and donating to political candidates without losing their tax-exempt status.

[DC Al Fine]

I agree with Scott, but let's presume both little and big churches are on the up and up for a moment.

The megachurch model promotes growth at the expense of theological depth and Christian community, often to the point of making it an idol. Some of these churches may win people for Christ, but much of their growth comes at the expense of other churches.

The most concerning aspect of megachurches is how they take away essential elements of the service that promote spiritual growth in their quest to bring people in. Communion is often abandoned, and the music dumps the deeply theological hymns of Luther, Watts and Wesley in favour of self-absorbed praise choruses.

All in all HP.

[RedSLC]

Negative (non-religious) for much of the same reasons that Scott described.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

The person who voted positive (non-Christian) must either be a troll or at the very least someone who wished to see Christianity fall into disrepute.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Evil.

[H. Ross Peron]

Negative in general for the reasons Scott and DC Al Fine stated except for the few which are theologically solid such as Keller's Redeemer Presbyterian in NYC and MacArthur's Grace Community Church out in Santa Clarita.

[Wiggle Your Yummy Moist Preggers Cake Ben Shapiro]

I'll paraphrase Hank Hill:

"I may as well go to the mall and think about Jesus"

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Evil.

[Oakvale]

Some of the most prominent bastions of Satanism.

[afleitch]

Empty.

[All Along The Watchtower]

Empty.

If only they were....

[DemPGH]

Negative (Non).

So church is primarily social, IMO. It's inevitable that religion would become corporatized in some form, then, which is what the mega-church is. Social-corporate faith. It's probably not enriching to a philosophically inclined person, but it makes its participants happy.

[dead0man]

In general negative (non), but we probably shouldn't assume any specific church fits the negative stereotype.

[7,052,770]

Anyone who goes to church to roll on the floor, cry, and go into a "trance" with their arms stretched out is just trying to look "faithful" and feel superior to their friends.

Why so many Southern Baptist churches have gone done this bizarre Pentacostal-ish path is beyond me.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Why so many Southern Baptist churches have gone done this bizarre Pentacostal-ish path is beyond me.

Pentacostalism puts people in the pews and the Southern Baptists have joined the mainline churches in having declining membership.  That likely is a factor, at least with some congregations.

[DC Al Fine]

Why so many Southern Baptist churches have gone done this bizarre Pentacostal-ish path is beyond me.

Could someone give some examples of this in the SBC?

The reason I ask is that I keep reading these panicky articles about Calvinists taking over the SBC, and we're not exactly known for embracing charismatic practices.