Texas megachurch is slammed for extravagant Christmas service with 1,000-strong cast, live camels and flying angels
- Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas has been hosting the lavish event for 25 years.
- The show “The Gift of Christmas” retells the story of the birth of Jesus.
- The church did not oppose it, saying it believed “Jesus deserves better.”
A megachurch in Texas has been criticized for an extravagant Christmas service that featured nearly 1,000 performers, several camels and flying angels.
Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas has gone viral on social media for its annual “The Gift of Christmas” show, a Vegas-style performance retelling the story of the birth of Jesus.
Footage from Sunday’s event shows real sheep walking across the stage before flying angels appear above the crowd, followed by hundreds of performers and three live camels taking the stage.
A TikTok video posted by Lawson Martin titled “They Say Everything’s Bigger in Texas” has been viewed more than 10 million times. It showed paratroopers dancing to “The Greatest Show” from the musical “The Greatest Showman.”
The clip sparked widespread backlash, with some ridiculing the event and others expressing anger that the church would host such a lavish event that costs caterers between $19 and $69.
Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas has gone viral for its annual “Gift of Christmas” show.
About 1,000 performers and flying angels took part in the Vegas-style performance.
At least three camels were part of the cast performing the nativity scene on Sunday.
One commenter wrote: “I can no longer tell what is sarcasm and what is a real megachurch.”
Another added: “No taxes, just atmosphere.”
A third said: “Are they handing out a bowl of money before, after or during this???”
Other videos on social media show a performance of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”
“Nothing says Christmas like creepy dolls dancing to MJ Thriller,” the poster wrote.
The TiKTok user replied: “Nothing about this glorifies God in any way. Absolute rubbish.
Another echoed the sentiment, writing: “This is evil.”
But the church faced no backlash and issued a statement saying the event was a registered event, not a service.
“Prestonwood Baptist Church is not ashamed to go above and beyond to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ during the Christmas season,” the church told the San Antonio Express-News.
Footage from Sunday’s event shows real sheep walking across the stage.
The church has approximately 50,000 members across three campuses.
“At Prestonwood we believe Jesus deserves the very best, especially at Christmas time. Unfortunately, the long-standing American tradition of the church’s Christmas program is now drawing criticism. We pray that they too will know the joy of Christmas and the love of our Savior.”
Prestonwood, which has hosted the huge celebration for more than 25 years, also came under fire last year when rehearsals featuring a flying boy drummer band went viral.
The church is known as one of the most powerful in the South.
It is located on a 140-acre complex and has nearly 50,000 members across three campuses.