Special Effects: When Church Becomes a Blockbuster
Special Effects: When Church Becomes a Blockbuster We love a good show. Explosions, impossible stunts, the hero always winning against impossible odds – it's the magic of special effects. But what happens when these same tactics creep into our churches? In our quest for growth, many churches adopt an "attraction-based" model. Think big stages, dramatic lighting, fog machines, and bands that rival concert performances. It's a spectacle, designed to draw crowds. But at what cost? The Illusion of Reality Think about your favorite action movie. You know cars don't explode from fender benders. You know jumping from a three-story building is a recipe for disaster. But you suspend disbelief, captivated by the spectacle. We crave that "unique inner experience," that thrill, even if it's manufactured. Ed Sikov defines special effects as "any image or element within the image that has been produced by extraordinary technical means…in excess of the ordin...