[missourimary]

I didn't read the whole article, but I do wonder where the author of the article had his head stuck in the sand at for the last decade. Missouri Youth Conventions have used smoke, lighting affects, very rock concert style music and staging, and so forth for years. The last one I went to was about 1998. Headquarters attends, approves, and in many cases at least a few of them help foot the bill. And I believe it was actually a General Conference that I attended in the early '90s where I first saw the sorts of things described here. And the most conservative meetings I've been in (in Kansas) incorporate a massive speaker system: four stacks approximately 15' tall, plus monitors and smaller speakers around the platform. Believe me, your clothes move with the vibrations, even during the preaching but especially during the music. And not just in front of the speakers. Professional sound technicians are paid to come in and operate it. I know some deaf people who can hear in those services. Literally. And that's in the ultra-ultra-ultra conservative movement!

Where has this guy been?