Sophia Lee (3)

Six mega-pastors in Southern California star in the new Oxygen reality show. They claim to live for God, His people, and His kingdom. But halfway into an episode it becomes clear that they are the gods--though they sure do love the people for their adoration, and they've built a nice earthly kingdom for themselves. One preacher even has a guy who irons his shirts.

The material symbol of God's blessing at Thanksgiving time is a table laden with food, but many of us have trouble accepting grace. As legitimate concerns about obesity rise, so does the danger of turning healthy eating into an idol. As modern culture disengages itself from religion, an obsession of self--how I look, how I feel, how long I live--has filled that void. Self is our God.

Many praise street evangelism, others dislike it. Our reporter watched and spoke with many street evangelists, compared those who discuss with those who rant and discovered more variety than meets the eye.

Finding sal and light in the middle of revolting urban decay