Cool Christianity : Hillsong and the Fashioning of Cosmopolitan Identities

This book is an ethnographic account of how Pentecostalism expands globally. It examines the rise of the Australian megachurch Hillsong, its global spread, and its appeal to young middle-class Brazilians. It shows that Hillsong''s adoption of the Cool Christianity style through music, digital media, branding, and celebrity culture, elicits excitement, pleasure, and pride amongst its expanding global following. For Brazilian middle-class youth, the church also gives them a sense of cosmopolitan belonging to a Christian community located in the Global North. By joining Hillsong, they seek to distinguish themselves from the impoverished followers of Brazilian Pentecostal churches and their values.

Hillsong, an Australian megachurch founded in 1983, is now a global phenomenon. It has branches in most global cities and award-winning worship bands that tour the world and whose music is sung weekly by an estimated 50 million people in 60 languages. Moreover, the megachurch and its bands have an immense presence on social media with millions of followers. The scandals around sex and money that have rocked Hillsong in recent times have been reported globally in the mainstream secular media, reflecting the megachurch''s prominence. Hillsong''s style of Pentecostalism relies on a deep engagement with consumer capitalism, as well as celebrity, youth, and digital cultures. In Cool Christianity, Cristina Rocha tells the story of how Hillsong''s “Cool Christianity” aesthetic allowed it to make inroads among the Brazilian middle classes, who adopted Hillsong''s brand of Christianity as a way of becoming cosmopolitan and establishing class boundaries. Rocha draws on the theoretical frameworks of material religion and lived religion to show how religion can be made globally relevant to young people through cool aesthetics, affect, and engagement with consumer culture--from fashion to music to branding--in the digital age.