I appreciate all of the recent posts quoting or citing Mr. Spurgeon, a clarion voice for two full centuries.
“Spurgeon warned that many were turning the church into a “play-house,” allowing the values and techniques of the theater to invade the sanctuary of the Lord.”
This was the ring in the preaching of Bible-believing Baptists, Plymouth Brethren, and other prophetic preachers of his day.
Search the Internet for THINGS TO COME, A JOURNAL OF BIBLICAL LITERATURE, published periodically in England from 1894 to 1915. In every issue there were brief pieces exposing the worldly trends in the churches even in that day. Using the world’s entertainment to attract people is nothing new. In those pieces you will find interesting parallels to what is happening today in the megachurches in America and elsewhere. It is the APOSTASY. It was recognized and innunciated by the true in-depth Bible students and preachers at the turn of the 20th century. The warnings have been ignored by the denominational churches and their training institutions since that time, especially since 1950.