Class

The global growth of megachurches over the past three decades has been fueled by a variety of trends. Key among them is the aspirational and consumerist ethos of the expanding middle class in both developed and developing countries. This chapter will examine, with case studies, the contextual theologies and demographics of these megachurches to understand how they have leveraged middle-class growth. It will proceed to argue that these megachurches, in the effort to retain the middle class, will seek to champion issues of public morality and political values, and in doing so will venture increasingly into the fray of identity and cultural politics.