Since the 1970s, the number of so-called megachurches -- churches that attract at least 2,000 people to weekly services -- has been exploding in the United States and abroad, particularly in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Many of the more than 1,200 U.S. megachurches sit on large suburban campuses and boast vast sanctuaries with multiple large TV screens and other high-tech amenities. Several serve meals at their own sprawling food courts and cafŽs and offer gymnasiums and other facilities. Megachurches are typically Protestant evangelical and espouse conservative positions on social issues. Church leaders are often charismatic ministers who preach the "prosperity gospel," stressing personal fulfillment and success as much as theology. Some researchers suggest megachurches are a unique, collective response to people's needs amid sweeping cultural and societal changes. But critics say megachurches are straying from their traditional religious mission by focusing on helping parishioners get rich rather than worshipping God.

Alan Greenblatt has been writing about politics and government in Washington and the states for more than a decade. As a reporter at Congressional Quarterly, he won the National Press Club’s Sandy Hume award for political journalism. Since joining the staff of Governing magazine, he has covered issues of concern to state and local governments, including budgets, taxes, and higher education. Along the way, he has written about politics and culture for numerous publications, including the Washington Post and the San Francisco Chronicle.

Tracie Powell is a freelance writer in Washington, D.C., and a 2007-08 American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow. She has been a reporter for the Austin American-Statesman and the Augusta Chronicle, where she won the Georgia Associated Press' Freedom of Information Award. Her work also has appeared in Newsweek, People and The American Prospect. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor of arts in journalism.