In June of 1996 some 37,500 men converged on the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y. They had come from all over the East Coast and Canada to learn how to be better Christian men.
    But the crowd -- mostly white and in their 30s and 40s, with a smattering of younger men and some boys -- acted more like sports fans than church-goers. At times the gathering seemed like a giant pep rally for Jesus. Thousands at a time chanted such lines as "We love Jesus! Yes we do! We love Jesus! How about you?" Even the emcee laughed.
    It was an easygoing summer afternoon, not a three-piece suit or a clerical collar in sight. An enormous sound system brought a 12-piece band and 20-man a cappella gospel choir to all parts of the stadium. Between sets of bouncy anthems and updated traditional hymns, big-name evangelists wearing blue-and-purple striped polo shirts held forth on how to be better husbands and fath