The real shift toward spectacle came much later. In the 19th and 20th centuries, revivalism and the rise of mass media reshaped worship. Camp meetings and tent revivals emphasized emotional experiences. By the late 20th century, evangelical megachurches adopted the aesthetics of pop culture—stadium seating, amplified bands, and stage lighting. Concert “worship” became just as viable in many eyes as the Eucharistic worship passed down by the Church.
Measured against this history, the Vatican’s Grace for the World concert is not an isolated anomaly but part of a broader trend: churches adopting the language of entertainment to reach the world. But if worship is meant to be sacrifice, then what does it mean when churches offer God a show in its place?
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