In Brief...World News Review: The American Era of Suburban Megachurches
Many modern churchgoers do not even understand that the Church is the spiritual Body of Christ and not a physical building.
A curious trend in large church construction has been building up in America for the last several decades. First built in the 1950s, megachurches began to spread across California and the Bible Belt in the '80s. The trend has continued into the 21st century and has expanded into other areas of the United States.
The concept of super large churches can include large auditoriums or amphitheaters, giant office complexes distinguished by crosses, gyms and playing fields of various kinds. Commenting on these religious "Wal-Marts," Scott Humma of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research said, "They're playing on a whole different understanding of religion. It's not something that looks like your parents' faith. They're tapping into the bigger is better, mall-like mentality of America" (The Financial Times, Oct. 25, 2003).
A growing number of these megachurches are nondenominational in outlook and embrace a mixture of conservative and liberal religious values. While supporting the Ten Commandments and decrying abortion, they may simultaneously accept Darwinism and reject creation. This modern approach to church construction is apparently bringing in the large numbers, but is bigger always better in the biblical sense?
God once told ancient Israel that they were "the fewest of all people" (Deuteronomy 7:7, KJV) and Jesus Christ said, "Fear not little flock" (Luke 12:32, KJV). The biblical Church today constitutes only the firstfruits of salvation, being the Israel of God (Galatians 6:16).
Many modern churchgoers do not even understand that the Church is the spiritual Body of Christ and not a physical building. They would be astonished by what the Bible itself says about the Church. Most have either forgotten or never known about the Church in Scripture. For further understanding, please request our free booklet The Church Jesus Built.
An Article from:
World News and Prophecy: November 2003
Course Content
John Ross Schroeder
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
