LUCKY SEVERSON: They arrive by the hundreds as if they were on a weekend shopping spree at the local mall. Except this is Sunday and the building that could pass for a mall is the McLean Bible Church in Northern Virginia, a stone's throw from the nation's capital. This is a non-denominational mega-church.
Reverend LON SOLOMON (Pastor, McLean Bible Church, greeting the faithful): Hey ladies. How are you? Thanks for coming today. Thanks for getting up early.
SEVERSON: There are upwards of 800 mega-churches in the U.S. Many are evangelical and conservative. Beyond that, some have different missions, but few are as ambitious and focused as the Mclean Bible Church, and its pastor, Reverend Lon Solomon.Reverend SOLOMON: Our vision, our mission is to make an impact on secular Washington with the message of Christ.
(speaking on stage): Well, good morning. We are glad to have everybody here.
SEVERSON: The day we were here, most of official Washington was out of town. But the McLean Bible Church has more than its share of movers and shakers -- senators, congressmen, lobbyists, and other well-connected Washingtonians.(to Rev. Solomon): I think you have been quoted as saying, "Change this city, Washington, and you can change the world." You believe that?
Rev. SOLOMON: I do. I believe Washington's the only city left that you can honestly say, "Change this one city and the reverberations of that would change social policy across America and would change the world."SEVERSON: He's built the church into a Washington powerhouse with about 9,000 people who believe God is behind the ambitious mission of their pastor. But, religion scholar Shaun Casey, says if Lon Solomon is like the leaders of many mega-churches, he wouldn't be where he is if he wasn't who he is.
Dr. SHAUN CASEY (Professor of Christian Ethics, Wesley Theological Seminary): You have to be something of an entrepreneur. You have to be a leader. You have to be a great preacher. You have to be able to connect to people and motivate them in very strong ways, and he seems to have those attributes.Rev. SOLOMON (speaking from pulpit): This is not make-yourself-feel-good flattery. This is not psychological babble, friends. This is biblical truth.
SEVERSON: His message is simple: the Bible is the word of God and Christ is the Savior.
HELEN LINK (Parishioner, McLean Bible Church): I think that Lon is very good at applying what the Bible says to our lives today. And I don't think it is particularly Bible thumping.Rev. SOLOMON: We tell people Jesus is the only way to get to heaven.
SEVERSON: Solomon wants to convert not only every secular person, not only every non-Christian in Washington, he seems especially determined to convert Jews.
Rev. SOLOMON (speaking at podium): At the age of 21, I was an emotional and psychological disaster zone, well on my way to self-destructing.
SEVERSON: It's a story he tells time and again: the prodigal son, the prodigal Jewish son converts to Christianity. It happened when he was a student at the University of North Carolina, majoring in chemistry.Rev. SOLOMON: I joined a social fraternity, and we drank hard and we partied hard and we womanized hard. I started doing a lot of drugs, including a lot of psychedelics and then began pushing drugs.
SEVERSON: Finally, sinking to the bottom, he encountered Bob Eckhart, a persistent street preacher driving a white van. Eckhart gave Solomon a copy of the New Testament.
Rev. SOLOMON: Finally I got to Matthew, Chapter 11, where Jesus said, "Come to me all you who are burdened and heavy-laden and I will give you rest. You will find peace for your soul." And as soon as I read that I went, "Bingo!" And within a week, all I can tell you is, man, Jesus Christ moved into my life.
SEVERSON: And now he wants to move Jesus into the lives of other Jews. This is a national Christian missionary program called "Jews for Jesus" that Reverend Solomon has embraced with a passion.
Rev. SOLOMON: I am passionate about Jewish people because being one, still today, I realize what adding the Messiah into the Jewish faith does. It's the missing link.
SEVERSON: It's a link many Jews, like Larry Dubin, find offensive.LARRY DUBIN: They don't practice traditional Judaism. In fact they are ex-Jews. It's a lie, it's offensive and they ought to be called on it.
SCOTT HILLMAN ("Jews for Judaism"): Is it possible to be an atheist for God? Is it possible to be a meat eater for vegetarians, you know, or a vegetarian for meat? It's doesn't work. This is an oxymoron.
Rev. SOLOMON: I'm sorry if it offends people. I'm only delivering the message that Jesus gave. And, you know, you could call it intolerance if you want, but let's face it. I mean, truth is intolerant. Truth is truth. They miss heaven.
Mr. LINK: What I like about Lon's sermon is it's very straightforward -- he really doesn't leave a lot of ambiguity. And so, I think it is easier when you know exactly where we stand as a church -- exactly where Lon stands as a minister.
SEVERSON: On this day, the featured musician is a renowned harpist. The sanctuary is adorned with huge flat screen TVs that make the people on stage a little less distant. It's all part of the package. And that includes Starbucks Coffee.
Rev. SOLOMON: I feel my life's making a difference for eternity and that there are going to be a lot of people in heaven because of what I did and that you know, that gives me great satisfaction. I'm looking forward to the Lord saying to me when I get to heaven, "Well done Solomon, you didn't get it all right, but you did a pretty good job. Well done, good and faithful servant."
