O "Cristianismo Descolado": O Complexo Industrial da Moda-Celebridade-Megaigrejas

In this article, I analyse how fashion, megachurches and youth and celebrity culture come together in the 21st century, giving rise to the phenomenon of ‘hip Christianity’. I argue that this Christianity aimed at middle-class young people is not only created by mega-churches in an attempt to attract the younger generation, as is often argued. It is also produced by celebrities, the fashion industry and young Christian entrepreneurs. I argue that this combination of different elements creates an ‘industrial complex of fashion, celebrity and mega-churches’ that makes Christianity attractive to middle-class young people because they don't find belonging in more conservative churches. I use Meyer's (2009) concept of ‘aesthetic formation’ to demonstrate how this industrial complex unites young people, especially in their transition to adulthood. I also show that because hip Christianity is a relatively new aesthetic style, it becomes highly visible and needs to be negotiated with older styles. This article is based on six years of multi-sited fieldwork in person (at the Australian mega-church Hillsong in Australia and Brazil) and online (monitoring and analysing their online services and social media presence and how worshippers interact with them, as well as media reports about the church).