Cristina Rocha Knihy

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.

This book investigates the growing number of Western followers of John of God, a faith healer who has drawn hundreds of thousands of people, including Oprah Winfrey, to his healing center in Brazil by purportedly performing miraculous surgeries on people with a kitchen knife and no anesthetics.