Aimee Semple McPherson became a star evangelist while living in L.A. Despite a mysterious disappearance that tarnished her reputation in 1926, her legacy lives on in the city. (Bettmann Archive via ...

Los Angeles has always been a city that prefers reinvention to tradition, making it the ideal incubator for new religious movements. From the beginning, its distance from the centers of institutional ...

In Claire Hoffman’s first book, “Greetings From Utopia Park,” she describes growing up as a follower of Transcendental Meditation. Her second book, “Sister, Sinner” (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) is a ...

Before the Hillsong scandal, before the prayer apps fronted by A-listers, there was Aimee Semple McPherson. The evangelist was a one-of-one figure for her time—a harbinger of what was to come in today ...

Worship service at Angelus Temple during 14-hour Holy Ghost service led by Aimee Semple McPherson, Los Angeles, by Los Angeles Times on Wikimedia. Who built the first megachurch in the United States?

Prologue -- Faith in the City of Angels -- The Foursquare Gospel -- Marketing the old-time religion -- Kidnapping the bride of Christ -- Unraveling the mystery -- Wilderness wanderings -- The long ...

There are two kinds of Angelenos: Those who’ve heard of Aimee Semple McPherson and those who should. She was a showperson, a radio star, a publisher and writer, a beloved figure and a celebrity — hard ...

Los Angeles has always been a city that prefers reinvention to tradition, making it the ideal incubator for new religious movements. From the beginning, its distance from the centers of institutional ...