From CHOICE Reviews April 2009:
Marti (Davidson College) follows up his 2005 book on multiethnic congregations in Los Angeles (
A Mosaic of Believers: Diversity and Innovation in a Multiethnic Church, CH, Jan'06, 43-2867) with this study of the contrast between Christianity and the often-perceived amorality of the media industry in Hollywood. Oasis Christian Center provides the setting for this study in contrasts.
Symbolically housed in an old movie theater with an ersatz Hollywood star on the sidewalk in front of the building dedicated to "Jesus Christ, the Son of God," Oasis unexpectedly combines two streams of members -- a diverse collection of people seeking solace from the stress and frustrations of careers in the increasingly fragmented and transitory world of the film industry, and a substantial African American group of worshipers.
Marti uses Oasis as a starting point to review Hollywood's social archaeology, tracing its early history as a quiet, decidedly religious haven to its transformation into Tinseltown and beyond. He finds an explanation for the combination of movie people and African Americans at Oasis in their shared lives of ongoing marginality, stress, and uncertainty in US society.
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.
Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries.
-- E. Carlson, Florida State University
From Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion June 2009
Hollywood Faith is an engaging ethnography that makes multiple contributions to the sociology of contemporary U.S. religion.
Oasis is the epitome of what scholars have recently named "new paradigm" churches, especially in its creative use of contemporary culture.
Drawing from current studies in work and occupations, Marti locates the majority of Oasis members as creative workers whose occupations leave their employment contingent and often exploitative.
Members are offered a new purpose and fresh identity; through worship and church relationships, individuals come to believe that they are not alone as they engage in self promotion. Instead, personal fame takes a back seat to a common Christian moral purpose.
We feel the power of collective worship, music especially, as rejuvenating ritual.
Hollywood Faith...is provocative in suggesting how contemporary religious organizations might help members negotiate and manage uncertain and exploitative labor markets.
Additionally, the chapters on Hollywood and evangelicalism will certainly be of importance to anyone interested in media and religion.
Finally, 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.
-- Kathleen E. Jenkins, The College of William and Mary
From Religion in American History blog August 2009
Southern California is a different animal... The entire culture confuses me.
Thank goodness for Gerardo Marti. An incredible interpreter of congregational life... Oasis is a fascinating congregation for so many reasons - seated near the heart of Hollywood, racially diverse, and full of population of individuals who aspire to the entertainment industry.
Marti has not only identified a remarkable congregation, but he analyzes them, their history, and the relationship between Hollywood and religion with incredible insight, sensitivity, and theoretical savvy. After an excellent historical survey of the relationship between evangelicals and the film industry, Marti launches into his examination of the congregation itself. He shows how the church ministers and markets to its niche - individuals who love performance and the theater, who prefer fun over fundamentals, and who will fail in their careers far more than they will succeed. For these reasons, the church leadership outfitted an old movie theater into their sanctuary; they style the service and the church's ministries after trends in the entertainment industry, and they address how to keep your dreams alive when they seem statistically impossible.
I think Marti is at his best analyzing how Oasis appeals to aspirants in the entertainment industry in ways similar to how historically black churches have appealed to embattled African Americans who often experienced economic problems, setbacks, and frustration more often than whites. Marti suggests, I think brilliantly, that Oasis bridges the gap between older black congregations that looked to "advance the dignity and rights of African Americans as a racial group" and the newer black churches that emphasize "individual upward mobility." Oasis seems to have filled the gap not only for its African American members, but also for the others whose life experience may have resonances with people of color.
Marti's book is a great read; it taught me a great deal about contemporary evangelicalism and Southern California.
-- Edward J. Blum, San Diego State University
From H-Net Reviews in Humanities and Social Sciences, H-Pentecostalism December 2009
Throughout Hollywood Faith, Marti contributes to the study of Pentecostalism and contemporary Christianity by drawing attention to topics too often overlooked by scholars of religion: the relationship between religion and work, multiracial Christian congregations, and the Word of Faith movement.
Though the Word of Faith movement is global in scale, Marti offers scholars a case study that connects the teachings of Word of Faith to the success of Oasis Christian Center and helps us understand why the church appeals to members who are working to fulfill dreams of fame and fortune.
In an effort to contextualize Oasis, Marti pays close attention to the historical relationship between Hollywood and Christianity, as well as to the growth of the entertainment industry in secular and religious communities. The impact of Hollywood's history and suspicion of Hollywood within Christianity become important lenses for understanding how members of Oasis are able to negotiate the dreams of Hollywood with the maintenance of their conservative Christianity.
Another of Marti's key contributions in the book: Oasis is on the vanguard of not only Pentecostal Christianity but also perhaps American religions in general, because it provides a religious venue for dealing with increased job insecurity, economic casualization, and the flexibility of the American workforce that is an increasing part of the American economy. In such an unsettled economic environment, congregations like Oasis provide a sanctuary of stability and community to individuals who increasingly experience the isolation of working temporary project-based jobs, and not feeling allegiance to any particular organization or work-based community.
Of primary interest in the text is Marti's attention to the multicultural and multiracial composition of the community. According to Marti's study, members of Oasis tend to downplay race and racism as factors in their lives. Instead, they emphasize the importance of individual choices and actions over potential constraints that might be a result of prejudice or systematic inequality. Interestingly, in the absence of race-based religious community Marti notes that elements of "the black church" remain visible at Oasis. As a community of primarily lower-class and middle-class workers, many of Oasis's congregants look to the church for assistance in networking, finding employment opportunities, and having "strength and empowerment to face the ongoing struggles of day to day life" (p. 161). Moreover, Oasis's worship services rely heavily on the African American musical tradition.
-- Kathleen Hladky, Florida State University
