Tuesday, June 07, 2005
The Demon-haunted World
Red State Rabble was raised as a Catholic. Having grown up in that great conveyor belt to skepticism, we are depressingly familiar with guilt, but know little about the Bible or the born again Evangelicals who believe so ferverently -- and against overwhelming evidence to the contrary -- that every word in the good book is literally true.
That is why we were so facinated by Jeff Sharlet's article in Harper's Magazine, "Soldiers of Christ I: Inside America's most powerful megachurch" about the New Life Church in Colorado Springs and its founder, Pastor Ted Haggard.
This is a long article that will repay close reading. One of the details that caught our eye -- and made us self-consiously aware of our ignorance in these matters -- was the organizational structure of the Evangelicals -- apparently adapted from the Koreans:
Then, there's the revelation that Evangelical ministers have developed a conscious business plan to market Christianity to the masses:
There's too much packed into this piece to do more than just whet your appetite but, if you invest your time in Sharlet's eloquent profile of Evangelism you will also learn that cities are dangerous places because, "[y]ou could walk by sin—a murder, a homosexual act—and a demon will leap onto your bones."
That is why we were so facinated by Jeff Sharlet's article in Harper's Magazine, "Soldiers of Christ I: Inside America's most powerful megachurch" about the New Life Church in Colorado Springs and its founder, Pastor Ted Haggard.
This is a long article that will repay close reading. One of the details that caught our eye -- and made us self-consiously aware of our ignorance in these matters -- was the organizational structure of the Evangelicals -- apparently adapted from the Koreans:
"The true architectural wonder of New Life, however, is the pyramid of authority into which it orders its 11,000 members. At the base are 1,300 cell groups, whose leaders answer to section leaders, who answer to zone, who answer to district, who answer to Pastor Ted... "
Then, there's the revelation that Evangelical ministers have developed a conscious business plan to market Christianity to the masses:
New Lifers, Pastor Ted writes with evident pride, “like the benefits, risks, and maybe above all, the excitement of a free-market society.” They like the stimulation of a new brand. “Have you ever switched your toothpaste brand, just for the fun of it?” Pastor Ted asks. Admit it, he insists. All the way home, you felt a “secret little thrill,” as excited questions ran through your mind: “Will it make my teeth whiter? My breath fresher?” This is the sensation Ted wants pastors to bring to the Christian experience.
There's too much packed into this piece to do more than just whet your appetite but, if you invest your time in Sharlet's eloquent profile of Evangelism you will also learn that cities are dangerous places because, "[y]ou could walk by sin—a murder, a homosexual act—and a demon will leap onto your bones."
