A Texas megachurch has been slammed for its extravagant Christmas service, which featured nearly 1,000 performers, several camels and flying angels.
Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas has gone viral on social media for its yearly The Gift of Christmas show – a Vegas-style spectacle that retells the story of the birth of Jesus.
Footage of the event on Sunday shows real sheep walking across the stage before flying angels appear over the crowd, followed by hundreds of performers and three live camels entering the scene.
A TikTok video posted by Lawson Martin – titled ‘They say everything is bigger in Texas’ – has been watched more than 10million times. It showed airborne performers dancing to The Greatest Show from the musical The Greatest Showman.
The clip sparked massive backlash, with some mocking the event and others expressing anger that a church would hold such a lavish affair, which costs attendants between $19 and $69.
One commenter wrote: ‘I can no longer tell what’s sarcasm and what’s an actual mega church.’
Another added: ‘no taxes just vibes.’
A third said: ‘Do they pass the money bowl around before after or during this ???’
Other social media videos showed a performance to Michael Jackson’s Thriller.
‘Nothing says Christmas like creepy dolls dancing to MJ’s Thriller,’ wrote the poster.
A TiKTok user replied: ‘Nothing about this glorifies God in anyway way. Absolute trash.
Another echoed the sentiment, writing: ‘This is evil.’
But the church was not faced by the backlash, and issued a statement saying the event was ticketed and not a service.
‘Prestonwood Baptist Church is not ashamed to pull out all the stops in celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ during the Christmas season,’ the church told San Antonio Express-News.
‘At Prestonwood, we believe Jesus deserves our absolute best, especially during Christmas. It’s unfortunate that the perennial American tradition of the church Christmas program now draws criticism. We pray that they, too, may come to know the joy of Christmas and the love of our Savior.’
Prestonwood, which has held the massive celebration for over 25 years, was also slammed last year when rehearsals showing a flying pack of drummer boys went viral.
The church is known as one of the most powerful in the South.
It sits on a 140-acre complex and has nearly 50,000 members across three campuses.
Watch the video below:
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I hope all the money raised will be donated to feed the homeless🎅
We hope the homeless will get off drugs and get jobs…
The “sheep” are the psychotic members of the church…
People did pay to see the show. A lot better than the Nutcracker. I have never seen the Nutcraker live in person but have never been able to sit through an entire video presentation. I don’t think I would have put zebras in the show but looks like an immersive experience. Better then a lot of other secular shows out there and appeals to a wide audience, people who might never go to a Christmas pageant.. Different strokes for different folks.
Some people can’t wait to complain. This was an extravaganza performance. Those who attended, did so purposefully, expecting to see an encompassing retelling of the true Christmas story, including artistic liberties with some of the history so that they can get a broader portrayal in the one shot (for example, Jesus was a toddler or child when the kings arrived to the family home probably at least 2 years later). Every year, Branson, MO, puts on similar “extravaganzas” to illustrate beloved Biblical events. People who want to experience it, pay for tickets. The clapping demonstrates that the audience loved it. What’s not to like? Offended people won’t purchase tickets; it’s a choice.