Hollywood Faith
Holiness, Prosperity, and Ambition in a Los Angeles Church
Rutgers University Press
In Christianity, as with most religions, attaining holiness and a higher spirituality while simultaneously pursuing worldly ideals such as fame and fortune is nearly impossible. So how do people pursuing careers in Hollywood's entertainment industry maintain their religious devotion without sacrificing their career goals? For some, the answer lies just two miles south of the historic center of Hollywood, California, at the Oasis Christian Center.
In Hollywood Faith, Gerardo Marti shows how a multiracial evangelical congregation of 2,000 people accommodates itself to the entertainment industry and draws in many striving to succeed in this harsh and irreverent business. Oasis strategically sanctifies ambition and negotiates social change by promoting a new religious identity as "champion of life"-an identity that provides people who face difficult career choices and failed opportunities a sense of empowerment and endurance.
The first book to provide an in-depth look at religion among the "creative class," Hollywood Faith will fascinate those interested in the modern evangelical movement and anyone who wants to understand how religion adapts to social change.
Drawing on rich ethnographic data from his study of Oasis Christian Center in Hollywood, Gerardo Marti describes an emergent style of neo-Pentecostal worship and religious community that speaks to members of the 'creative class' of youthful Millennials who are in their 20s and early 30s. This cutting-edge analysis of where religion may be heading is theoretically sophisticated and yet highly readable.
Drawing on rich ethnographic data from his study of Oasis Christian Center in Hollywood, Gerardo Marti describes an emergent style of neo-Pentecostal worship and religious community that speaks to members of the 'creative class' of youthful Millennials who are in their 20s and early 30s. This cutting-edge analysis of where religion may be heading is theoretically sophisticated and yet highly readable.
Addressing the perspectives of students of religion, media and the film industry, and ethnic differences, the book speaks to all three subjects, combining them in a novel, interesting fashion. Highly recommended.
Hollywood Faith is an engaging ethnography that makes multiple contributions to the sociology of contemporary U.S. religion. Marti's analysis of Oasis, a fast-growing multiracial church in Hollywood, CA, contributes much to our understanding of multiracial churches in a nation whose religious landscape has long been divided by race and ethnicity. The careful attention to congregational dynamics and how they support a multiracial congregation make this a valuable addition to literature on religion, race, and ethnicity.
Gerardo Marti is an assistant professor of sociology at Davidson College in North Carolina.
Preface and Acknowledgments
1. Introduction: Negotiating Holiness and Hollywood
2. The Making of a Star: Hollywood as Destination and Dream
3. Love and Hate between Hollywood and Christianity
4. Save the World, Starting in Hollywood
5. Celebrity, Heartache, and the Pressue to Make It
6. Religion: Playing at a Theater Near You
7. Fade to Black
8. Becoming Champions of Life
9. Conclusion: Religion in the Era of Identity Commodification
Appendix: Research Methodology
Notes
Bibliography
Index
1. Introduction: Negotiating Holiness and Hollywood
2. The Making of a Star: Hollywood as Destination and Dream
3. Love and Hate between Hollywood and Christianity
4. Save the World, Starting in Hollywood
5. Celebrity, Heartache, and the Pressue to Make It
6. Religion: Playing at a Theater Near You
7. Fade to Black
8. Becoming Champions of Life
9. Conclusion: Religion in the Era of Identity Commodification
Appendix: Research Methodology
Notes
Bibliography
Index
