Los Angeles is synonymous with the glitz and glamor of the film industry. Yet, beneath the surface lies another powerful force: Hollywood’s brand of Evangelicalism. How did a city known for its secular events become the unofficial capital of American Protestant Christianity? You can learn more about this phenomenon and the evolving relationship between city politics and the church on layes.info.
The History of Evangelical LA
The form of Christianity now known as Evangelicalism began to emerge in Los Angeles in the 1920s. However, it took decades for the movement to reach a truly massive audience. Key figures like Aimee Semple McPherson, Bob Shuler, and Charles E. Fuller helped pave the way.
The movement’s ascent began in the first decade of the 20th century with the founding of the Los Angeles Bible Institute (Biola) and the famed Echo Park Angelus Temple, along with the rise of Aimee Semple McPherson herself. Historian Matthew Gordon called her the first religious celebrity of the mass media age. Aimee expertly utilized print, radio, and film to advance her evangelistic mission.
She set precedents for the century’s most popular ministers, including Billy Graham, Oral Roberts, and Pat Robertson. McPherson masterfully merged the impulses of modernism with traditional religious fervor, making a significant, lasting contribution to the cultural and political landscape of Los Angeles.
It’s worth noting that Aimee Semple McPherson’s fame was cemented by her mysterious kidnapping in 1926, an event that captured the entire nation’s attention.
The Rise of Evangelicals
The number of American Evangelicals continued to grow, eventually exceeding approximately 60-80 million followers. Megachurches became major institutions, and the public perception of religious leaders, such as Pat Robertson, dramatically evolved.
Interestingly, Evangelicalism thrived in Los Angeles right alongside numerous other faith communities. These included mainline Protestantism, Judaism, Catholicism, Buddhism, and even occult groups. Authors of a 1940 city guide noted that the diversity of beliefs in Los Angeles was unlike any other city on earth.
This religious melting pot differentiated LA from cities like San Bernardino. However, the Evangelical faithful in Los Angeles felt compelled to spread their ideology with even greater zeal. Perhaps local fundamentalists were motivated by an underlying concern for the future of their faith in such a diverse and rapidly changing environment.
The Los Angeles Bible Institute
Lyman Stewart, a millionaire with the Union Oil Company, funded the founding of the Los Angeles Bible Institute (Biola). The institution took up an entire city block at the corner of Hope and Sixth Streets, featuring a 4,665-seat open-door church and a 683-room dormitory. Biola trained Christian men and women in fundamentalism and later established its own publishing house. By 1923, they were printing 42,000 copies of “The King’s Business” magazine.
By 1917, the Los Angeles Bible Institute (now Biola University) had already held 6,417 evangelistic meetings, conducted 9,912 classes (structured teaching of the Bible, theology, and missionary methods), and distributed over 17,000 Bibles, Testaments, and Gospels—a direct campaign to supply the public with scripture. They also circulated over 213,000 religious tracts, demonstrating a truly massive literary evangelization campaign. These efforts led to the conversion of nearly 5,000 new believers in that time.
These figures illustrate an incredibly dynamic and aggressive evangelistic push. Biola’s initial mission focused not just on education but on widespread, practical missionary work. These metrics are characteristic of large religious organizations determined to transform Los Angeles into a bastion of conservative Christianity.
KTBL Radio Station
In 1922, radio station KTBL was founded, allowing preachers to reach their congregations wirelessly. One of the most popular radio evangelists over the next 25 years was Charles E. Fuller, a Los Angeles native. Starting in 1925, the young pastor began preaching on local radio. Then, on October 3, 1937, his famous program, “The Old Fashioned Revival Hour,” began broadcasting. Fuller aimed to help people who couldn’t attend services due to work or illness. Although the program was pulled in 1944, it managed to secure an independent station and air live from Long Beach on Sunday afternoons, showcasing the resilience of media-based ministry.
The First Evangelical Church
In May 1966, a community of foreign students from the Philippines and Taiwan registered a non-profit organization in California: the First Evangelical Church (FEC). The Reverend Eddie Lo served as its lead pastor. With the blessing of the mother church, the Evangelical Formosan Church (EFC) was subsequently revitalized on October 11, 1970.
This event underscores how the Evangelical movement in Los Angeles was amplified by successive waves of immigrants. These communities brought with them Los Angeles’ rich history of immigration and faith, which quickly adapted and grew in the new environment.
Evangelicalism in Los Angeles has always had a dual nature: the high-profile movement (megachurches, celebrity preachers, and media marketing) and the low-profile movement (focused on specific ethnic and linguistic communities). The Evangelical Formosan Church (EFC) is a prime example of the latter approach.
The Relationship Between Power and the Pulpit
Hollywood Evangelicalism serves as a powerful model of how the church can become a dominant spiritual and political force. In Los Angeles, church leaders have gained access to levers of influence that extend far beyond their congregations. This complex relationship can be seen from several angles:
- The Mediatization of Faith: LA pastors transformed sermons into visually appealing, marketable content. This is why pastors with millions of followers often become influential political figures. Their sermons, books, and podcasts frequently contain veiled or direct political messages.
- Lobbying Power: Church leaders often maintain close ties with Hollywood stars, successful business people, and political donors. In this context, the church often functions as a powerful lobbying organization, sometimes disguising political activity as religious ministry.
- Political Theater: The relationship between church and state can take the form of political theater. For example, politicians may invite popular pastors to public events to signal their commitment to “traditional values” and gain a blessing from a well-liked spiritual leader. For the church, this is a form of legitimization and a confirmation of its cultural significance.
In Los Angeles, the church and the political establishment are intricately intertwined, creating a potent religiopolitical complex.
Modern Religion
Hollywood Evangelicalism has paved a path of adaptation, innovation, and media-marketing, establishing Los Angeles as the city where modern religion is forged (eg Mosaic, Shepherd Church or others known for their Hollywood connections that demonstrate media influence).
Religious organizations use media marketing, social media, film, and music to disseminate their message. Traditional forms of preaching are transformed into professionally packaged content, giving religious leaders and organizations enormous cultural power and influence.
Another key aspect is the commercialization of faith, where various business strategies are applied to religious practice for financial growth and expansion.
Ultimately, modern religion in Los Angeles is a dynamic, media-driven phenomenon. It adapts and transforms because the influence of religion in the contemporary world is measured not just by the number of parishioners, but by cultural presence and media domination.
