Hillsong's explosive growth is driven by an extra layer of intense positivity — the "Happy Meal" model of Christianity

Mike uses the McDonald's Happy Meal analogy: the gospel (burger/fries) is still present, but the real draw is the toy (intense positivity). He argues this emphasis on positivity requires deemphasizing less marketable aspects of Christianity (suffering, cross-bearing, persecution), not eliminating them. Other ministries copy this model because they conflate numbers with success.