David Stark

The Megachurch as an Experience Good

9 pages · 2.91 EUR
(June 2013)

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From the introduction:

Lights dimmed, spotlights, stroboscopic effects, and loud rock music. The camera on a large boom arm swings toward the audience who can now see themselves, clapping and cheering, displayed on one of the enormous screens above the stage. The warmup act is over and the headline performer bounds onto the set amidst frenzied applause. We are at VictoryChurch.tv, one of several megachurches that I have been studying in Oklahoma City. In 1904, German sociologist Max Weber traveled to Oklahoma where he conducted field research, leading to an article, "Church and Sect in North America," and his most influential book The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. A century later, the megachurches of Oklahoma City seem an appropriate setting to witness recent developments in the relationship between religious experience and contemporary capitalism. Evangelical, non-denominational megachurches (defined as congregations with more than 2,000 members) are the fastest growing segment of religious affiliation in the United States. VictoryChurch.tv and LifeChurch.tv are two such Oklahoma City megachurches.