On October 6th Tammy Wang attended an evangelical church, New Life Fellowship of Elmhurst Queens, that didn't exist when she arrived in the city in the Fall of 1975. Furthermore, she hadn't heard of the church until recently. And yet today this congregation of 1400 regular attenders was inaugurating a leadership succession to the founding leaders Pete and Geri Scazzero. This congregation is one of several thousand such evangelical churches that have grown up since her move to the city.

Contemplative service at New Life Fellowship, Elmhurst, Queens. Photo: Tony Carnes/A Journey through NYC religions

Scazzero told the congregation that New Life Fellowship's multi-class, multiracial, international community (37+ nationalities) with its contemplative, emotionally reflective life-style "is a gift of hope to many around the world. Our community offers a glimpse of what is possible by the power of God, and is a taste of heaven itself."

A New York City church "a taste of heaven itself'? A place that has become an inspiration for churches around the world? What is happening here? What does it mean for the future of the city?

In the last couple of years Scazzero has partnered with the largest church network in the world to spread his church's message of the contemplative life and emotionally healthy spirituality. In Brooklyn A.R. Bernard's Christian Cultural Center grew from a storefront into a 31,000 member congregation. Now, Bernard is mentoring pastors in Asia and Africa. From the BronxFernando Cabrera and his allies led the fight against the discrimination against churches in the rental of public school space, along the way creating an alliance with the next mayor of the city, Democrat Bill De Blasio. Tim Keller of Manhattan has become one of the most popular preachers in the country and his model of sophisticated, culturally engaged Christianity is an inspiration to thousands of church planters in cities around the world.

I spent some time thinking about this a few years back, and came up with seven reasons why God-centered preaching is better than human-centered preaching:

1. It glorifies God — One reason to preach God-centered sermons is that it brings glory to God, especially in comparison to human-centered sermons. It reminds us that God is the hero of each text, and he gets the glory. Human-centered sermons still talk about God, but place undue emphasis on our role and our needs. God does not yield his glory to another. This is ultimately a form of idolatry: putting anything else in God's rightful place.

2. It is more accurate — God-centered preaching emphasizes accuracy in the study and communication of a Biblical passage. Scripture itself is God-centered, and preaching must be God-centered if it is to stay consistent with Scripture. Human-centered readings misinterpret the text and lead to sermons that, while seemingly biblical, fail to recognize that the Father, Son and Spirit are the key characters, and we are participants, not the main players. When the God-centered purpose of the text governs the sermon, then that sermon is more accurate to the meaning and the purpose of Scripture.

3. It tells a better story — God-centered preaching also exposes the false stories that hold people captive, even within our churches. The North American story promises happiness and peace to those who are successful, famous, and rich. This worldview holds people captive in the never-ending quest to accomplish more, earn more, and win the respect of others. In contrast, God-centered preaching invites us into an alternate story in which peace does not depend on accomplishments, money, or the praise of people. God-centered preaching likewise exposes the prevailing worldview as a lie, unfurls reality as God sees it, and proclaims the truth that leads to freedom. It does not try to improve our lives within a false story; it tells a true story that leads to freedom.

In our of-the-minute culture, Santa seems old-fashioned. But Christians are exploring far older ways of observing the holiday.

In the living room this week along with the pile of presents, there's more likely to be a wreath or calendar marking Advent, the month leading up to Christmas that symbolizes the waiting period before Jesus's birth. Christmas services largely dominated by contemporary music are mixing in centuries-old chants and other a cappella sounds. Holiday sermons on topics such as prayer, meditation and finding a way to observe the Sabbath are becoming more common.

These early — some use the term "ancient" — spiritual practices are an effort to bring what feels to some like greater authenticity to perhaps the most thoroughly commercialized of religious holidays, say pastors, religious music experts and other worship-watchers.

"It's the recognition that Christianity didn't start when someone got an electric guitar," said Ed Stetzer, a pastor and church consultant who runs Lifeway Research, a Christian polling firm. "I think particularly among younger Christians, they're drawn to smells and bells and history in a way that boomers weren't on the same level."

Mary Ellen Barringer, a fundraising consultant from Silver Spring, always liked Christmas and contemporary Catholic music, but started listening less to pop Christmas songs on the radio and more to Renaissance and Baroque-era chants after her Catholic church started doing more of what some call "sacred music." She likes the haunting a cappella sounds of the Benedictines of Mary, an order of monastic Missouri nuns whose two albums this year topped Billboard's classical traditional chart. This month she listened to the sisters' special Advent CD.

"It helps put a boundary between me and all the commercialism of Christmas," she says. The older music emphasizes better the entire message of Christmas, which includes the discomfort and the waiting before Christ's birth, not just the celebrating. "I'm trying to find more places to be quiet and meet God in my life, because we are so busy."