If she were alive in the 2020s, there is no doubt she would be featured alongside Lentz on the “ Preachers and Sneakers” Instagram account, which shows how a “celebrity-centric approach to Christian ministry” is often accompanied by conspicuous consumption. “She clings to white,” observed one sarcastic attendee, “and the fabric clings to her.” While Lentz raised Joe Rogan’s eyebrows with his carefully sculpted and frequently exposed physique, McPherson wore form-fitting sequined gowns that enhanced her sex appeal. Long before Lentz drew hipsters to Hillsong NYC, McPherson attracted flappers who were dazzled by her glamorous persona and theatrical productions. People pray during a service at Hillsong Church on Oct. Almost a century before Lentz used bestselling Hillsong music and his friendship with pop superstar Justin Bieber to reach the masses, McPherson inspired many musicians, illustrators, actors and set designers in Hollywood to help her get her messages out to the world. A transplant from Canada, McPherson moved to California and set up shop in Echo Park, a Los Angeles neighborhood known for its artistic residents. Women and men alike enjoyed his ultra-masculine preaching performances.įew experienced the high highs and low lows of Pentecostal celebrity like 1920s preaching sensation Aimee Semple McPherson.
Hellfire and brimstone preacher Billy Sunday understood this well and had suits tailored to display his athletic physique. The attractiveness of the preachers - their body, voice and demeanor - often went hand in hand with their success. The 20th century brought enterprising American preachers new media outlets for spreading the good news. Presbyterian Charles Finney’s worship spaces of the 1800s resembled theaters as much as they did sanctuaries, and he popularized “new measures” of engagement, like emotive preaching and stirring music, which entertained and revived the spiritual feelings of the faithful. George Whitefield was an actor in England before he crossed the pond and used his gifts for self-promotion and reputation for good looks to win young admirers and become the celebrity preacher of the colonies in the 1700s. America's affinity for dramatic preaching, sex appeal and celebrity predates the American republic.
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