High on God by Wellman, James; Corcoran, Katie; Stockly, Kate;

How Megachurches Won the Heart of America

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Product details:

Publisher OUP USA
Date of Publication 9 April 2020

ISBN 9780199827718
Binding Hardback
No. of pages352 pages
Size 163x236x33 mm
Weight 680 g
Language English

Short description:

High on God offers a fascinating study of the rise of megachurches and the reasons that these churches have conquered the American church market. The authors reveal the emotional and social dynamics that pull thousands of people into megachurches and keep them there.

Long description:

"God is like a drug, a high, [I] can't wait for the next hit." This direct quote from a megachurch member speaking about his experience of God might be dismissed as some sort of spiritually-induced drug riff. However, according to the research in this book, it was not only sincere, but a deeply felt, and sought-after sensibility. Megachurch attendees desire this first-hand experience of God, and many report finding it in their congregations. The book focuses on the emotional, social and religious dynamics that pull thousands of people into megachurches and how those churches make some feel like they are 'high on God' and can't wait to get their next spiritual 'hit.'

High on God gives the first robust and plausible explanation for why megachurches have conquered the churchgoing market of America. Without condescension or exaggeration, the authors show the genius of megachurches: the power of charisma, the design of facilities, the training of leaders, the emotional dynamics, and the strategies that bring people together and lead them to serve and help others. Using Emile Durkheim's concept of homo duplex, the authors plot the strategies that megachurches employ to satisfy the core human craving for personal meaning and social integration, as well as personal identity and communal solidarity. The authors also show how these churches can go wrong, sometimes tragically so. But they argue that, for the most part, megachurches help their attendees find themselves through bonding with and serving others.

The title might suggest that the book's major theme is that megachurches generate an addiction of sorts or provide a pain-dulling opiate. The analysis, built on field research by the authors, is, however, more sophisticated.

Preface: Am I High on God?
Acknowledgements
Part I: Desire is the Heart of Religion
1. Megachurch the Drug that Works
2. The Problem of Cooperation and Homo Duplex
3. Interaction Rituals and Embodied Choice Theory
4. Defining Religion: The Profane and the Sacred
5. Megachurch: An American Original (Almost)
6. Congregations in a Time of Change
Part II: Pistons of Desire and Power: Cracking the Megachurch Code
7. The Micro-Sociology of Interaction Rituals within Megachurches
8. Desire for Acceptance and Belonging
9. Desire for WOW or Hacking the Happy
10. Desire for a Reliable Leader
11. Desire for Deliverance
12. Desire for Purpose in Service
13. Desire to Re-member
Part III: The Dark Side of American Megachurches: How They Blind and Bind
14. Dissecting Megachurch Scandals
15. Conclusion: Havens of Health or Habitats for the Prosperity Gospel?
Postscript from the Pews
Appendix A: Megachurch Data and Methods
Appendix B: How is God ?like a Drug??: Exploring the Evolution of Social Affects and Oxytocin
Appendix C: Megachurch Scandals
References
Index