Watching the Gods Play: The Biggest Cathedrals in the World
I am told that the ‘Church’ is dying, but I do not believe it for a minute – and you should not either! In these last few months alone, I have watched legions of the faithful gather in huge coliseum-like structures to watch and enjoy the feeling of joining a single, shared identity. 1 And ... it is not just one denomination either.
In an age tired of faction, the growth of non-denominationalism and the rise of generic-church names ... drop in some time and plan a Sunday visit to one of the grand sanctuaries bearing acronyms like NFL, MLB, MLS, NHL, even CFL ... and you will find the atmosphere among the seated ‘church-goers’ absolutely electric with anticipation. Indeed, the faithful will trek great distances to visit these sacred spaces and some of the ‘cathedrals’ have a capacity for as many as 100,000 worshippers for a single service.
Modernity’s Equivalent to the Medieval Pilgrimage
Pilgrimages were an integral part of Christendom in the Middle Ages. Like those of Chartres, the Jerusalem Way and the Walk to Mary, the pilgrims’ road leaned heavily on seeking renewal and hope in a higher power; to bring purpose and a collective sense of worth and well-being by visiting sacred sites. Today’s religious devotees continue in that pilgrimage tradition.
Folks frequently arrive early, to take in the early rituals preceding ‘the event,’ and actively participate in the practice of singing songs of passion (Brian May’s, “We will ... we will ... Rock You” and offering unceasing praise to the object/s of their worship.
With services scattered throughout the week in large city-centers, Sunday is, not unexpectedly, a particularly favourite day. Unable to attend? Not a problem. Expensive public broadcasting will stream the event right into the homes and armchairs of those unable to attend in-person worship – for a fee of course.
Devotees follow predictable seasonal calendars and, like the parishioners in my PAOC denomination, enjoy the ritualized behaviour of standing for long periods of time, without complaint. The only difference that I can see is that the lights in these massive cathedrals usually stay on; sadly, not the case where I worship ... as I stumble my way through darkness to find an empty seat.
Modern and efficient methods of electronic giving (i.e. Ticket Master, StubHub and SeatGeek) make it easy to support the leaders, workers and all of their public ministries. Giving seems never a problem either. For example, worshippers attending the NHL’s cathedral in Montreal readily fork over a tithe of $220 – for a mere seat a magnifying glass away from the ‘stage.’ Still, sounds like a great deal when compared to the $10,000 - $15,000 it costs to do the Hajj and touch the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
When you sit in the sanctuary and drink in its doctrine and “sacred” ritual, it seems clear that the social, experiential and material dimensions of this gathering, provide an almost mystical union with the divine – something greater than themselves.
In this place of reflection, you will find folks readily lamenting throughout the service, over very public wrongdoings ... others have their need for meaning, identity and purpose fulfilled through positive declarations of faith and victory.
In this sacred place you will find popes (yes, there is more than the one living in Rome) like Rafael Nadal, Lionel Missi and Shohei Ohtani ... priests like LeBron James and Max Verstappen ... even prophetesses, like Serena Williams and Caitlin Clarke.
Devotees understand the virtue in discipline ... the value of ‘believing’ ... and the vitality that comes in fighting the odds and winning against bigger Goliaths - especially when naysayers say it cannot be done.
Just as adoring Evangelicals are strongly attracted to extravagant, super-rich pastors with their multiple private jets, these worshippers come to watch their favourite millionaire deities pass swiftly among the multitudes ... with the fleeting hope of catching a glimpse of their glory, even if only from afar. Yes, there are religious zealots everywhere.
Like all denominations, there are strict sets of codes and rules in these services ... and these rules shape lives, identities, and even countries. To illustrate, in one denomination, to talk of a “No-hitter” is absolutely verboten. In fact, saying or even thinking “No-hitter” ... or any variation thereof, is sowing bad karma, I’m told.
The religious landscape continues to change,
and a new church has been slowly evolving.
Offering a different religious experience to
its worshippers – its performance is polished, contemporary and very welcoming.
While in some mainline churches quiet attendance is a virtue, worshippers here are encouraged to be noisy when expressing their faith. In fact, it is a source of emotional catharsis and spiritual passion; almost ‘Pentecostal,’ if you know what I mean.
When it comes to the main event, there are heroes to verbally celebrate and villains to metaphorically boo, with most adherents drinking from the ‘common cup’ of true belief.
Modernity’s churches go by familiar monikers like “Angels,” “Saints,” “Padres”, even “Devils”
Live broadcasting is an important part of their identity, and they have turned to streaming expansion and social media integration (e.g. Netflix, Apple TV, Prime Video, Paramount+, Disney+) to get their ‘gospel story’ out. Side-line TV personalities offer Cinderella-like, rags to riches stories ... including human-interest tales of peace and triumph, to increase market-share and lucrativeness.
Moments of prayer are routine in these cathedrals – selflessly and almost exclusively directed towards other souls ... in the hope they will persevere and overcome adversary and adversity.
Service lengths are inconsequential to attendees! What is valuable to the faithful is the collective excitement of tribal belonging, a desire for victory, the hugging of complete strangers, connecting with the divine, and the joy that comes from dressing in the liturgical clothing that identifies them with their particular religious tradition. Like most religious experiences, worshippers here cycle through amusement, distraction and being fully engrossed.
AND ... if a worshipper ever experiences the excitement of a successful ‘Hail Mary’ moment, as the service comes to its end ... count yourself part of something special.
So, the idea that folks are de-churching or deconstructing their religious experience is a premature obituary. Indeed, if swelling Sunday receipts, unimaginable staff salaries and proliferation of corporate jets are any indication of health, then these cathedrals and their leaders are absolutely thriving within a pagan environment.
BTW – I should mention that I am intentionally neglecting the more recent growth of that new satellite campus church - the WNBA. Why? Well, because, like the Corinthian church of old with its issues over moral compromises and theological confusion and its sister Church at Galatia which lacked a proper understanding of faith ... this ‘newer’ church (started in 1997) has a consistently dark side as well: publicly abusing other church attendees ... some even expressing racial hostility towards popular, non-black, pony-tailed staff, guilty of nothing more than consistent stellar excellence. Such contentious and polarizing behaviour is damning, does not augur well for the future of this church and frankly, deserves little space here.
Today’s totems or sacred objects go by familiar names like NFL, NHL, MLB and the NBA ... and have become spiritual symbols for the social and
psychological needs of group identity.
Deviating from the Mission: The Danger in Social Distraction
For all of its growth and influence, there is a danger lurking, even within these super-achieving mega churches! It’s the danger of moving from right belief (orthodoxy) and right action that comes out of that shared belief (orthopraxis) ... to what can best be described in the warning words of the Apostle Paul, as “another gospel” (Galatians 1:6-8). It’s the danger of being distracted from ‘The Mission,’ and pursuing secondary, popular populism ... the kind that compromises the gathering and prioritizes political messaging over the sacred focus of the event itself. These distractions are self-evident:
NHL - current theme nights celebrate military veterans and active-duty members, black history, indigenous peoples ... and, to the surprise of few I am sure, the seemingly obligatory, omnipresent LGBTQ+++++ way of life. Speaking specifically to this last example, I find it interesting that a number of employees from its satellite campuses in Philadelphia (Ivan Provorov), Pittsburgh (Andrei Kuzmenko), Edmonton (Connor McDavid), and New York (Marc Staal), have said, “No, thank you” to the propagandizing nonsense of using PRIDE tape or wearing their themed symbols on their sports jerseys during warmups. Consequently ... and more recently, the denomination’s head office has updated its uniform policy, banning such themed symbols on players jerseys. Whoa! Is this what divine intervention looks like? You decide!
These modern denominations of believers, devotees and converts have similar beliefs, sacred saints, ruling patriarchs, high councils and “houses of worship” spread across the country, where millions congregate every week, to bear witness to the manifestations of their faith ... and relics peculiar to their tradition.
NFL – strict apparel regulations have, to date, kept political, social, even rainbow imagery off staff members and on-field apparel. That said, this church is in financial partnership with groups like The Trevor Project, a non-profit that gives crisis help to lesbians, bisexuals, and queers (a good thing seems to me) ... and GLAAD, a media advocacy group that pushes for cultural acceptance of LGBTQ+++++ (not a good thing seems to me). If you want some tee’s, or a mug with Judges 17:6 on it, as a take-home memento, you can shop the NFL PRIDE Collection. My advice to this church is that while their pro-LGB initiatives are intended to influence its reputation, it is a razor-sharp, two-edged sword, because deviating from normative expectations ... and/or a negative reputation of their hard-earned brand identity can easily affect economic, social and cultural capital. I mean, it’s not like their history is free of scandal. 2
The good news, in my view, is that even though this denomination’s cultural reach to affect social change has been largely off-stage, a number of its satellite churches in places like Atlanta (Falcons), Dallas (Cowboys), Kansas (Chiefs), Pittsburgh (Steelers), Tennessee (Titans), and New Orleans (Saints) have rejected any talk of ‘Rainbow Month’ inside their ornate cathedrals. Their decision to ‘Stay on Mission’ shows sound judgment.
Think of this significant cultural activity, as a ‘social form’ of religion, providing existential meaning and a sense of identity and community.
Perhaps the best example of when Sacred Places have succumbed to social distractions, was when that Super-Mega Church FIFA arrived this past summer (June-July 2026) in North American Cathedrals, with its soccer balls ... and ideology ... in the hope of giving those in the West some deserved moral lessons on diversity, equity and inclusivity (DEI). Nothing new! “World Cup Qatar 2022”, a kind of global church service 29-days long, had FIFA flying the omnipresent rainbow flag at their headquarters in Zurich (the first time in its 117-year history) ... and incorporating rainbow branding into their media accounts.
So, not surprisingly, when Church FIFA staged their 2026 World Cup religious celebration across 16 cities in North America, including here in Canada, the gospels of sexual identity and sexual orientation were front and center again. You might recall that in Seattle, adherents from Iran (Shia Islamic Law) and Egypt (Sunni Islamic Law) were unhappy when compelled to perform on stage under rainbow banners — banners not only at odds with their conservative, theological tradition, but fundamentally illegal in their respective countries. Both denominations filed formal complaints, but it hardly mattered. The world-wide church headquarters of ‘Church FIFA’ had spoken ... and the adherents of the ‘Rainbow’ denomination were free to bring all of their supportive symbols and flags ... while the values of ‘other’ denominations, with their deep cultural and religious commonalities were rejected out of hand. 3
Just because we all swim in the same cultural soup does not mean believers can’t resist and flourish in obedience to the one true Sovereign God. We just need to be careful about the ‘church’ we identify the most with.
Some Sage Advice
I learned early on as a pastor that sometimes you have to speak difficult truths without worrying about church attendance. So, if I could offer a word of advice to these super-charged, mega-churches and others, with their smoke machines ... LED lighting ... and Sunday half-time service announcements, complete with prancing dancers and stage-bouncing worship leaders ... it would be this ...
“Don’t Deviate from ‘The Mission.” Stay orthodox and faithful to your roots. Like any decent theologian, stay faithful to the ‘original’ meaning. Don’t look to respond to social faultlines that shift daily and marginalize your church’s committed. Don’t fall to the voices of activists who care less for your product and more for theirs – who see what you do as an opportunity for them to push what they do, at your expense. In my view, the partnership, whether transactional or integrative, brings little value, but significant risk. Resist the trap that other ‘churches’ have fallen into and paid heavily. The existential collapse of the PCUSA (Presbyterian Church USA) ... the UMC (United Methodist Church) ... the EC (Episcopal Church) ... the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) ... and the UCC (United Church of Christ) ... serve as a sobering reminder that social and political activism and entanglement can easily alienate the faithful and lead to significant membership losses and brand abandonment.
As modernity suppresses religious instinct, the longing for community and transcendence remains: community where people feel they are a part of something bigger than themselves and transcendence, where life’s difficulties are manageable. Today’s ‘cathedrals’ offer just such a transformative experience — but without the complicated faith-based belief system.
No wonder people are attending in droves.
To this burgeoning church ... “Resist the temptation to become all things to all people.” Major on the major! Stay in your lane. Don’t drift from your years of branding. Anchor yourself to what is tested and thrilling. Speaking with clarity and credibility, stay rooted to your original purpose ... that original plan that gave birth to ‘your church’ in the first place. Remember with solemnity what happened to Cracker Barrel and their large following, when it ventured too far from its original design. Costing $700 million, it alienated its loyal, nostalgia-driven faithful, and almost overnight caused a $100 million drop in market value.
When you go on Sundays to ‘Watch the gods Play,’ congregants should not be distracted by secondary messages or be ‘bewitched,’ by third-rate sermonizers who are more interested in themselves and advancing their “gospel of a different kind” (Galatians 1:8). “OnlySaying ...”
While globally, over 245 million watched the FIFA final, Canadian viewership topped 30.5 million and 62.8 million in the U.S. It is estimated that 6.2 billion watched across the 39 days.
With the NFL making $14.5 billion in revenue during the 2025 season, the league’s mishandling of issues, such as protests over racial injustices, instances of domestic violence, usage of slurs, and player safety, have come under greater scrutiny. Draper, K. (2022, September 8). “How the NFL stays so popular, despite its many scandals.” The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/08/sports/football/nfl-football-scandals.html
An Israeli flag was confiscated from a worshipper at the SoFi cathedral during the Iran-New Zealand service (June 15, 2026). Nearby waving Palestinian flags were left untouched. I guess you need to be one of the religiously favoured devotees. Such hypocrisy!
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