The Hillsong Movement Examined

"The best book on Hillsong I have read: we have history, probing cultural analysis, evaluation of music, brand, leadership style, ethical engagement and much more. There is something here for everyone, and it casts light on 21st century as a whole. A 'must read!" (William K. Kay D.D., Professor of Theology (Emeritus), Wrexham Glyndwr University, UK) "Riches and Wagner have given us the go-to book on Hillsong. Their book provides the encyclopedia we've needed on this church and its worldwide impact. Unwilling to consider Hillsong from only a single methodological or topical viewpoint, The Hillsong Movement Examined provides an essential resource for a range of readers and researchers." (Lester Ruth, Research Professor of Christian Worship, Duke Divinity School, USA) "In an age of simple two- (sometimes one) dimensional stereotypes of contemporary Christian movements, Tanya Riches and Tom Wagner have provided us with a richly multivalent resource focused on the Hillsong Church and the global Hillsong movement. Offering multiple points of entry and a variety of perspectives, this volume succeeds where so many others fail-by trying to start a fair and balanced conversation rather than end a conversation definitively. In terms of both contents and methods, this volume is a must read." (Todd E. Johnson, Brehm Chair of Worship, Theology, and the Arts, Fuller Theological Seminary, USA)

This interdisciplinary volume brings together leading writers and thinkers to provide a critique of a broad range of topics related to Hillsong Church.

This interdisciplinary volume brings together leading writers and thinkers to provide a critique of a broad range of topics related to Hillsong Church. Hillsong is one of the most influential, visible, and (in some circles) controversial religious organizations/movements of the past thirty years. Although it has received significant attention from both the academy and the popular press, the vast majority of the scholarship lacks the scope and nuance necessary to understand the complexity of the movement, or its implications for the social, cultural, political, spiritual, and religious milieus it inhabits. This volume begins to redress this by filling important gaps in knowledge as well as introducing different audiences to new perspectives. In doing so, it enriches our understanding of one of the most influential Christian organizations of the late 20^th and early 21^st centuries.