Singing Heaven Down to Earth: Spiritual Journeys, Eschatological Sounds, and Community Formation in Evangelical Conference Worship

Abstract

E year, tens of thousands of US evangelical Christians embark on religious journeys in search of a transformative personal experience of God. The vast majority of these pilgrims do not travel to sacred Christian sites in Israel or the Mediterranean, or to important places in US Christian history; rather, they convene at sports arenas and stadiums for multi-day Christian conferences. As they travel to these conferences on planes, buses, trains, and subways, evangelical pilgrims frequently strike up conversations with strangers who often turn out to be fellow travelers. Downtown hotels in major US cities sell out of rooms as large groups of conference-goers fill their lobbies. In anticipation of the conference’s opening session, participants form snaking lines spilling out of the doors of the sports stadium in which it will be held. While standing in line, veterans of previous conferences share memories of their past experiences while new attendees animatedly describe the parts of the conference they are looking forward to the most, whether they be inspiring messages from the speakers, relevant topics of interest addressed in the afternoon seminars, or moving worship times. The atmosphere is both festive and expectant. Although spending time with friends and exploring a new city are certainly draws, most attendees say they have come for a more serious