After describing the long evolution of the church building sanctuary, the authors describe the pulpit, which “elevates the clergy to a position of prominence… it puts the preacher at center ’stage’ – separating and replacing him high above God’s people.”
http://blendedworship.wordpress.com/2008/08/30/viola-and-barna-pagan-church-buildings/

 

We're wrapping up our coverage of the $130 million building plan at First Baptist Dallas with a very special interview.  Dee and her family lived in Dallas for eleven years, so she understands the demographics, religious life, and dynamics of this Southern metroplex.
 
Deb:  Thanks for agreeing to answer ten candid questions regarding the expansion plan of FBC Dallas. Dee.  I will never forget the first time we met.  You had come to North Carolina from Dallas to checkout the area and to visit the Christian school where both of my daughters attended.By divine providence, I happened to be at school serving the teachers lunch as a member of a prayer ministry called Moms in Touch.  We love pampering our teachers and staff!  I remember vividly the charm necklace you were wearing because I had never seen sterling silver charms on a necklace before.  What a great idea!  I'm so glad you made it to God's Country (North Carolina)!  It really is incredible that we became friends and that we are now co-bloggers for The Wartburg Watch.
 
Dee:  Funny how things happen in God's country. I remember you that day. I so wanted to be back in North Carolina and was so grateful for the opportunity to have my kids in such a good school. Little did I realize there was much, much more to all of this. How strange to find another woman with an MBA who stayed at home with her kids and loved to write! Also, we had similar thoughts on church life! You also liked to write letters to the editor! You also seemed to get as upset as me about injustice, both secular and church related.

I just went upstairs and looked at that necklace. Any Dallasite would recognize it-a James Avery invention. That necklace and its charms embodied many of the happier memories of those days- soccer balls, clowns, telephones, babies, girly things, church and Christmas. So a necklace was the harbinger of a friendship!
 

Deb:  Have you ever been to First Baptist Church of Dallas?
 
Dee: Yes. I went at the invitation of friends who attended there. I went for assorted Christmas programs, performances of kids, etc. For some reason I remember the parking garage the best. It was rather startling to me to see such a big garage for a church.
 

Deb:  Is FBC Dallas in a good location?    
 
Dee: Yes, at least when I left 8 years ago. There is a very nice hotel across the street and assorted buildings that make up the distinctive Dallas skyline. In other words, I felt safe in that area.

 
Deb:  What do you think about the new worship center that FBC Dallas plans to build?
 
Dee: I strongly believe that it is misguided. It seems more like a Donald Trump casino than a church. (I told you I would be blunt)! Also, did you know they already spent $49 million on the Criswell Center which opened in 2008? This has nothing to do with the college. So, add that to the proposed $130 million and these guys will be spending close to $200 million on the church.
 

Deb:  Why do you believe FBC Dallas is proposing a $130 million expansion?
 
Dee: I believe they are building it precisely because they have become part of the secular Dallas culture. I came to Dallas from North Carolina and lived there for 11 years. I needed to live it to understand it. More precisely, I needed to come in as a nonnative in order to see clearly see the culture. Its kind of like my former church. I had to live it in order to understand it. Most people spend lots of money on the externals. Fancy houses, clothes, watches, cars, trips, etc Unfortunately, the Christians adopt the culture and can be just as showy as the average non Christians. Here are a few examples

-I moved to a new house to be closer to the kids' Christian school. One lady at the school approached me and asked how many square feet was the house! I told her and she then said that her house was 5,000 square feet. I am not kidding. I then told her she had won and quickly walked away, once again praying for God to get me out of Dallas.

-A group of "Christian ladies decided to form a group fro teen age girls in order to teach them to do "charity" work. They invited only a select few out of the school to join. When they invited one of my daughters, I decided to confront the situation. I asked them if Jesus would select only the prettiest and the most "well off "girls to do this? I also asked why this national organization had a rule about "no religious" talking and absolutely no volunteering at pregnancy crisis centers. Needless to say, I was not well received and was told that this organization was not for my daughter. At least they got that right. I also told them I would tell all f the families at the school that this was going on so that they would not be hurt by this picking and choosing. Thank heavens we were getting ready to exit stage left (to quote Snaggletooth)..

-I went to pick my son up at his friend's house. This house was absolutely beautiful. But, as I walked in, I heard the sound of jackhammers. The beautiful, multicolored slate floor was being ripped up. Astonished, I asked why. The mother told me that tumbled stone was more fashionable and that was what she was installing!  It never ceased to amaze me when people would move into a beautiful, perfectly decorated home and begin to tear it to pieces. The typical comment was "I had to gut the house because I hated the (fill in the blank)!

-Finally, my daughter recently applied to Baylor and was accepted there although she chose to go to a college closer to home. When we were on our walking tour, we saw the incredible student athletic center with a very high climbing wall. Our tour guide said the height for the wall was determined by finding out how tall other climbing walls were at other colleges and they decided to make this one just a bit taller than the rest. Although this is an amusing story, it is indicative of a Texas culture that likes all things bigger and better.

Unfortunately, there are many folks who felt they need to play the game in order to be accepted. We know of many folks who were in hock up to their eyeballs trying to maintain the veneer of Dallas wealth.My husband called it the "Big hat, no cattle"syndrome. Did I mention that all of these examples involved Christians?

Until this new endeavor, Prestonwood Baptist, in Plano (approximately 25 minutes from First Baptist via the Tollway), was considered the mother ship of church building projects. Its enormous green roof can be seen for miles away and was used by me to find my way home when lost.  When it opened, it attracted many Dallasites wanting to be the first to attend this gorgeous new complex. Zig Ziglar and others left First Baptist for Prestonwood. I believe that FBC is trying to regain its lost sheep and plans to do so by building it bigger and more extravagant.

There is one more reason they might be building. One of our favorite whipping boys, Ed Young Jr., recently opened a $12 million satellite to his Grapevine monstrosity in downtown Dallas!
 

Deb:  Will this expansion help reach those who do not know Jesus Christ in Dallas?
 
Dee: Absolutely not. The day we begin to think that $130 million is what brings people to Christ is the day we have lost the faith. People find Jesus in huts, during episodes of Star Trek (me), a casual witness, the Bible, on beaches, etc.
 

Deb:  I have heard that there's a church on just about every street corner in Dallas.  Is that true?
 
Dee:It is absolutely true. I attended Bent Tree Bible Fellowship which is across the street, literally, from Prestonwood Baptist. On one of the other corners is the very large Prince of Peace Lutheran Church. This area is know as God's Green Acres. However, this pattern is repeated all over Dallas. Frankly, if you can't find a church in Dallas, you aren't looking very hard.
 

Deb:  What is religious life like in Dallas?
 
Dee: Going to church is part of the culture of Dallas. It calls itself the Buckle of the Bible Belt. I became a Christian in the Boston area. I was viewed as a bit of an oddity. Declaring oneself to be a Christian is akin to saying that you have joined some sort of cult. I remember overhearing my parents talking one evening after I had informed them of my newfound faith. My father asked my mother if she thought if it came from her side of the family, clearly believing that this was some sort of genetic problem. When I arrived in Dallas, however, I found myself having a hard time relating to many Christians who seemed very different than me. I finally spoke to a dear man who functioned as an elder in my church. He said that he had come to the conclusion that there were far fewer Christian than he once thought. He told me that it was actually easier to have become a Christian up North because I had to take a stand since the culture was not at all Christianized. In Texas, he claimed, everybody has walked the aisle and think they are Christian but have never had to differentiate themselves from others. They fit in precisely because the believe they are Christians.

Divorce is very common. In fact, I knew of many couples who would be church leaders, divorce, remarry others, and move dow the street to a different church and start teaching and leading again without missing a step. There is no accountability when churches are involved in trying to get as many members as possible.
 

Deb:  Should FBC Dallas be expanding to "keep up with the Jerry Joneses" — the Dallas Cowboys?
 
Dee: Of course not. But telling them they shouldn't keep up with the Jerry Joneses is like telling a camel not to spit. It is part of the genetic makeup of Dallas.
 

Deb:  How do you think the church will raise all the funds to pay for this expansion?
 
Dee: Pete Briscoe, my awesome former pastor of Bent Tree Bible Fellowship told a funny story in church one Sunday. It went something like this. During the state fair, a strong man squeezed the juice out of an orange. He then said that anyone who could squeeze out more juice would win $100. All sorts of muscled men tried but to no avail. Then, a small, skinny man walked up, grabbed the orange and began to squeeze the orange. To everyone's amazement, a few drops emerged, then a stream of juice filled a cup. Astonished, the strong man asked for his secret. He calmly replied, "I'm Baptist. Have you ever been through a building campaign?"

There will be sermons, utilizing Old Testament examples in an unBiblical manner to guilt trip the congregation. He will bring in Baptist heavies who will let them know how they will be an example to the rest of the world. There will be Christian recording artists, Pledge Sundays, fancy dinners for potential heavy donors, emotional manipulation, and then, the ultimate, "This will be the biggest and best building campaign in church history and you will be part of it." Not only do they already have some private commitments, obtained in some private fundraising events, but, I think they have already explored selling off property and that is why the President of Criswell College has stepped down. One of our readers, Lydia, has some "insider" info which seems to indicate that Paige Patterson, the great Safari leader and President of Southwestern Baptist Seminary would like to roll Criswell College into the seminary because, allegedly, the seminary is not attracting enough people to attend their institution, in spite of a massive campaign to institute a BS degree in housekeeping. Criswell occupies some very valuable downtown real estate.
 

Deb:  What will be the long-term implications for this expansion at FBC Dallas?
 
Dee: About nine years ago, Chuck Swindoll, was the President of Dallas Theological Seminary. However, he decided to start a church in Frisco. He claimed that he missed pastoring a church but there are those who think he wanted to help his son-in-law to have a mega church to lead. In fact, his son-in-law was given day to day responsibilities at the church and was to preach a fair number of sermons. Swindoll maintained his title at the seminary but then decided to step down as president and take on the quasi leadership title of Chancellor. Frisco is about ten minutes north of Plano (and Prestonwood Baptist). It is important to understand that Frisco was the fastest growing suburb of Dallas and is now fully developed. His choice of location for the church was prime. By this I mean that it was central to a number of already established evangelical churches.

Now, this is Dallas and those Dallas folk love their famous people. Swindoll's church, Stonebriar, had thousands of people waiting the day it opened. Instant mega church, ta dah!!! However, this action devastated many smaller churches in the area which were just getting off the ground. Heck, why stick around with a no name when you can be with the big boys. Many churches in the area, including Prestonwood and Bent Tree saw some of their membership move to this new church. At the Christian school that my kids attended, there was the typical "I am going to Chuck Swindoll's church, don't cha know. I saw all of my friends and did you see x Dallas Cowboy player there? It is already a mega church. It's in all the newspapers. I even shook Chuck's hand."

Here is my prediction. When the new FBC 'flash in the pan' opens, they will have a bunch of new people in attendance. They will be simply leaching off established churches. The members will be a grow a bit more snobby and somewhat crasser for this emphasis on money and buildings. I have a hard time believing that one person will become a Christian because of this ridiculous building campaign. Note: I am not saying that no one will become a Christian through the witness of the folks who attend that church. I just do not believe that the building will contribute one bit to the salvation of the unsaved.

Ed Young Jr. will kick into high gear and fuss and moan about how FBC is stealing people from him. He, of course, will need a bigger building downtown and a much bigger building in Grapevine. The people of Prestonwood will begin to clamor for a new building campaign to rival FBC or they will leave and attend FBC.

Oh, and the pastor will become the new "darling" of the SBC and will be the "go to " guy for the rest of the pastoral gliterati to learn how they, too, can be the biggest and the best. His salary will increase, he will write lots of books, speak at lots of conferences and make lots and lots of money. Meanwhile, the atheists will gain ground and the faithful will grow stupider. And this is the kingdom of heaven? Egads!