Jeff, I agree with you wholeheartedly. Not sure where the phenomenon started, but today's culture sure has a structural problem between the audience and the entertainer in congregations. (I know that I do. I sit and wait to be entertained, or amused, stimulated, energized, enthralled, charmed, or galvanized - synonyms from MerriamWebster.com) I am often hard pressed to accept where the choir is like the star entertainment, applause is contrived to be praise worship, and there is little to no spontaneity. Perhaps, of course, the reason is that I am blind and/or separated from the intimate behind-the-scenes activities... (Probably, this is also a case of me working on the speck of sawdust in other people's eyes...) Still, the full production nature - even when present in a "service" - seems estranged from the little group where I was introduced to Jesus...