But most interesting is that people I have known for many years, people with good educations, and better than average jobs are going to these things. I get the sense that they are a little embarrassed to tell me when they first have to. In conversation I often learn that they no longer know much about the news, although years ago they did. And they act, as in vote, by what they think they do know. We talk and if I can keep from getting to self-righteous I make serious headway in getting them back on track. Many of these people were people who were into new age sort of things in the past. Remember the "harmonic convergence" thing that never happened. People faded away from that stuff over time. I wonder if a lot of this middle class evangelical stuff won't pass when it turns out that it really doesn't deliver peace of mind?
Steve
----- Original Message ----- From: <jthorn65 at sbcglobal.net> To: <lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org> Sent: Friday, February 25, 2005 1:44 AM Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] The Rapture Index & "white trash"
> At one of the largest churches where I live they do the speaking in
> tongues routine. It is
> one of those monstrously hugh suburban churchs with a theater and bowling
> alley and
> high-tech lights and sound. A few thousand in the congregation. No snakes
> though.
> They do have what looks like a hot tub behind a plexi-glass window for the
> full emersion
> baptism ritual.
>
> John Thornton
>
>>
>> >Wow, are you still in Mississippi? Did you read my post? My def of
>> >middle class did not include the poor revivalists, but the very 3
>> >bedroom 2 car "protestants" you refer to. Perhaps the South (and a
>> >many of the flyover states) have changed from your experience,
>> >because I'm talking about white middle to upper middle class 3, 4,
>> >5, 6 and beyond bedroom home folks driving SUVs, Lexus and BMWs
>> >crowding into the evangelical super-churches in urban/suburuban
>> >metroplexes like Houston, Atlanta, DFW and beyond.
>>
>> They don't handle snakes and speak in tongues at the megachurches, do
>> they? Aren't we talking about two different social sets and religious
>> practices?
>>
>> Doug
>> _______
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