- Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas has been hosting this lavish event for 25 years
- The show Gift of Christmas tells the story of the birth of Jesus
- The Church Didn't Face It Saying They Believe 'Jesus Deserves the Best'
A megachurch in Texas has been heavily criticized for its extravagant Christmas service, which featured nearly a thousand 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 spectacle that retells the story of Jesus' birth.
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 to the stage.
A TikTok video posted by Lawson Martin – titled “They say everything is bigger in Texas” – has been viewed more than 10 million times. It featured aerial performers dancing to The Greatest Show from the musical The Greatest Showman.
The clip sparked a huge backlash, with some mocking the event and others expressing anger that a church would host such a lavish affair, which would cost attendees between $19 and $69.
Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas has gone viral for its annual The Gift of Christmas show
The Vegas-style spectacle featured nearly 1,000 performers and flying angels
At least three camels were part of the cast that performed Sunday's nativity scene
One commenter wrote, “I don't know what sarcasm is and what a real megachurch is anymore.”
Another said: 'no taxes, just atmosphere.'
A third said: 'Are they passing the money bowl around before or during this???'
Other videos on social media showed an appearance in Michael Jackson's Thriller.
“Nothing says Christmas more than creepy dolls dancing to MJ's Thriller,” the poster wrote.
A TiKTok user replied, “Nothing about this glorifies God in any way. Absolute trash.
Another echoed this sentiment, writing, “This is bad.”
But the church didn't face the backlash and issued a statement saying the event was ticketed and not a service.
“Prestonwood Baptist Church is not ashamed of going all out during the Christmas season to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ,” the church told the San Antonio Express-News.
Footage from Sunday's event shows real sheep walking across the stage
The church has nearly 50,000 members spread across three campuses
'At Prestonwood we believe that Jesus deserves the very best, especially at Christmas. It is unfortunate that the eternal American tradition of the church's Christmas program is now being criticized. We pray that they too may come to know the joy of Christmas and the love of our Savior.”
Prestonwood, which has been organizing the grand party for more than 25 years, also faced criticism last year when rehearsals with a flying pack of drummer boys 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 spread across three campuses.