Hollywood Faith: Holiness, Prosperity, and Ambition in a Los Angeles Church (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: church growth, emerging creative class, Los Angeles, African Americans, Oasis Christian Center (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This cutting-edge analysis of where religion may be heading is theoretically sophisticated and yet highly readable." - Donald E. Miller, Executive Director of the Center for Religion and Civic Culture, University of Southern California"

Product Description

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.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Rutgers University Press (September 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813543495
• ISBN-13: 978-0813543499
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #222,219 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Starting Point, May 22, 2009

By	Gordon W. Marchant (McLean, VA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I may be wrong. I truly HOPE that I am wrong. But, I suspect that some readers will not appreciate this book. It is academic. It includes sociological terminology. The scope of the author's research is to profile only one Californian church. It is definitely not a "how to" book, nor is it a particularly easy read.

Yet -- this is an EXCELLENT book. Here is the key to unlocking this book's value: "Hollywood Faith is not a comprehensive social history of Oasis, and it is not a how-to manual for spiritual revitalization. This book is a sociological interpretation of a church I believe IS SIGNIFICANT FOR UNDERSTANDING VITAL RELIGIOUS TRENDS TODAY" (page 19, emphasis mine).

For example - here's a trend. Throughout 2009, we have been dealing with a global recession. The bubble has burst. A critical question to be answered by Christian leaders today is: "How should our ministry adapt to the needs of our people during an economic time such as this?" Now, read: "Hollywood Faith". Here is a church where economic hardship and broken dreams has been a part of their context for years. These Christians "challenge laborers to reconsider their self-identity and their self-worth" (186). This Church has become a model of building authentic community among those who had huge dreams, but now are coming to terms with life's realities.

Other vital religious trends? Seeking as Christians to make a positive difference in reference to secular morality (e.g. Hollywood), rather than running and hiding from it. Or, developing multi-ethnic ministry that is truly welcoming and fun! Or, relating to 20-30's unchurched singles so that they feel connected to a local family.

Sincerely, thank you Gerardo for using the gifts God has given you. I cannot wait to read your next book!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book Reviews of Hollywood Faith, April 29, 2009

By	praxishabitus "reader, researcher, reflector" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Religion and the Creative Class, October 11, 2008

By	World Traveler (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

Part history, part ethnography, part economic analysis - this is a rare book about American religion amidst changing race relations, advanced capitalism, and evangelicalism. Marti shows himself in this book to be a sociologist with keen insight to where Christianity has been in the past 100 years and vivid insight to where it might be in the next hundred. Favorite chapters on a quick read: 1, 6, 8, & 9.

Table of Contents

Preface and Aknowledgements

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 Pressure 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

Also check out A Mosaic of Believers: Diversity and Innovation in a Multiethnic Church -- a new paperback edition is due 2009.