Free Republic

When the Rev. Robert H. Schuller decided in the mid-1970s that his congregation was outgrowing the drive-in, low-slung Garden Grove church that Richard Neutra had designed for him 15 years earlier within earshot of Interstate 5, and that he needed a purpose-built cathedral to accommodate his increasingly popular “Hour of Power” televised sermons, he flew to New York to visit the architecture firm run by Philip Johnson and John Burgee. On the face of it, Schuller and Johnson were a very strange match, the self-made Orange County televangelist and the smoothly moneyed New York architect who was also an atheist...

The Westboro Baptist Church says it will picket the memorial service of the late Rev. Robert H. Schuller on April 20. The group often protests American soldiers' funerals, and has staged nearly 55,000 protests. In a press release posted to its website, the group says Schuller, a televangelist and author, "should have been hated." "He called himself a Bible preacher; he should have been hated of the world, not loved; and he should have preached about hell," the release reads. The 88-year-old Schuller died Thursday, having been diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 2013. He was the host of the "Hour...

From the moment he climbed atop a drive-in theater snack bar to preach to families in their automobiles, Robert Schuller established himself as a different sort of clergyman ... At its peak, his Orange County-based ministry operated the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove and the "Hour of Power" television program, which put Schuller's grinning face and folksy humor before an estimated 20 million viewers a week. But Schuller lived long enough to see the empire crumble. Amid acrimonious family squabbling, his church filed for bankruptcy in 2010 ... "The private Schuller – particularly among strangers but even around his faithful...

ARTESIA, Calif. (AP) — The Rev. Robert H. Schuller, the Southern California televangelist and author who beamed his upbeat messages on faith and redemption to millions from his landmark Crystal Cathedral only to see his empire crumble in his waning years, has died. He was 88. Schuller died early Thursday at a care facility in Artesia, daughter Carol Schuller Milner said. He was diagnosed with terminal esophageal cancer in 2013. Schuller, who preached in a flowing purple robe and outsized aviator glasses, led an evangelical Protestant ministry that was a product of modern technology. He and his late wife, Arvella,...

Once the symbol of a congregation founded by Robert Schuller, the cathedral is now part of a church with rites and traditions that span centuries.Towering like the Emerald City, the cathedral formerly known as Crystal sits at what might be Orange County's nucleus, a trinity of confluencing freeways, the Angels and Ducks stadium and a glimpse of a sacred place of a different kind — Disneyland From that gleaming sanctuary, evangelist Robert Schuller delivered sermons that were beamed to television sets around the world. His ministry became synonymous with the megachurch, designed so the light and the breeze could stream...

Crystal Cathedral founder and former televangelist the Rev. Robert H. Schuller has been diagnosed with cancer, his daughter said Thursday. Carol Schuller Milner told The Associated Press that Schuller, 86, has a fist-sized tumor in his esophagus that has spread to his lymph nodes. Schuller’s oncologists said the tumor was either at or near stage 4—the most serious cancer classification—but it has yet to reach his vital organs and he has been strong enough for treatment. …

Last Schullers Leave Crystal Cathedral Leadership by Steve Eastman, Faith Issues It was a possibility Dr. Robert Schuller may never thought of until recently. This past weekend he and his wife Arvella announced they were stepping down from the church's board. She put it this way, "We cannot continue to serve on the Board in what has become an adversarial and negative atmosphere, especially since it now seems that it will not be ending anytime soon." The two had been disputing with the board over alleged copyright infringement and back pay for services, tied to bankruptcy issues. This puts the...

On Sunday, the Hour of Power television show opened with characteristic optimism, encouraging people who needed a lift to watch the program. But when Senior Pastor Sheila Schuller Coleman began her sermon, she acknowledged that she doesn't always practice the positive thinking that she preaches. "For instance this past week, my attitude was a little down, a little negative," she told the congregation, "making life miserable for people around me, most of all moi, myself." Schuller Coleman is Robert Schuller's daughter, and she, along with the entire Schuller family, is cutting ties with the Crystal Cathedral. Robert Schuller founded the...

GARDEN GROVE (CBS) — The Rev. Robert H. Schuller and his wife, Arvella, have resigned from the board of the Crystal Cathedral, the mega-church he founded more than 55 years ago. Their resignations, announced Saturday “with great sadness,” come less than a week after three of their relatives – including a daughter – were ousted amid ongoing financial squabbles, declining donations and suspension of production on the church’s signature television program, “Hour of Power.” “We cannot continue to serve on the board in what has become an adversarial and negative atmosphere, especially since it now seems that it will not...

The Diocese of Orange has closed on its purchase of the shimmering Crystal Cathedral and surrounding 31-acre grounds, putting the iconic building seen as a testament to televangelism in Catholic hands. The diocese said Friday that escrow proceedings had closed on its $57.5 million purchase of the property, which will become the site of a long-sought cathedral for Orange County’s nearly 1.3 million Catholics. ..“Our goal is to preserve an already cherished religious landmark and to enhance its worship use for Orange County Catholics and all people of faith who may be inspired by this wonderful, now Catholic, cathedral,” Bishop...

Some members of a bankrupt Orange County, Calif. megachurch are expressing outrage after fielding an email request for congregants to deliver food to waiting limos so that it can ferried to the founder's sick wife. The appeal comes weeks after a lawsuit charged that the founder of the Crystal Cathedral house of worship, Rev. Robert Schuller, and his family had been paying themselves lavish salaries and other benefits while the church was in financial straits. "They've completely depleted the church's funds," one member, Bob Canfield, told the Orange County Register. "But they have shown that they have absolutely no remorse...

The Crystal Cathedral, Orange County’s landmark megachurch, now faces an online petition launched by senior members alleging nepotism and a doctrinal shift by founder Robert H. Schuller’s daughters. “It is time to rise up and take our church back!” says the petition, soliciting signatures of Crystal Cathedral members, former members, friends and viewers of Schuller’s Hour of Power weekly show. The petition, which had received over 330 signatures as of Sunday, seeks “a truly independent board,” meaning “no family member, no paid staff, and no paid contractors.” The board of trustees of the Crystal Cathedral currently includes salaried employees apart...

The two lines begin forming outside the Crystal Cathedral before 9 on Sunday mornings. It is a mostly immigrant crowd - Mexicans, Salvadorans, Guatemalans, among others - and they stand patiently, unfurling umbrellas against the sun. When the doors open for the 9:30 English-language service, the lines don't budge. It isn't for a lack of seats inside - so few people are there that cameramen have trouble finding crowd shots for the "Hour of Power" television program, which has been broadcast from the Garden Grove megachurch since 1970.

The Rev. Robert H. Schuller has been ousted from Crystal Cathedral Ministries, the Ocean County Register reports. Schuller, 84, who began his ministry in an Orange, Calif., drive-in theater more than 50 years ago, was voted off the board of the Crystal Ministries, which has been plagued by financial problems and familial discord, according to the paper. Schuller’s son, who was forced from the board three years ago, says his father wanted to enlarge the board, a move that did not sit well with others. "It's a very sad day and unfortunately, I know how that feels," the younger Schuller...

The Crystal Cathedral is being put on the market as the church seeks a way out of its crippling debt. The Orange County church is hoping the sale of its imposing glass building will generate enough revenue to save it from Chapter 11 bankruptcy and make good with some 550 creditors. It has been looking for an exit strategy from its financial woes ever since filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last October. The reorganization plan includes the sale of the 40-acre campus to a real estate group with a guaranteed option of leasing it back for 15 years. After...

The news that the Crystal Cathedral had filed for bankruptcy protection made for an instant sensation. The church established by Robert Schuller, the very prophet of “Possibility Thinking,” was now forced to seek protection from its creditors, listing $55 million in debt, including a $36 million mortgage. The Los Angeles Times ran “Cracked Crystal” as a headline. The New York Times reported that the “landmark megachurch” would continue, even as it sought protection from its impatient creditors. From coast to coast, the news traveled fast. A statement posted on the church’s website dated October 18 was titled, “A New Chapter...

GARDEN GROVE, Calif. – The Rev. Robert H. Schuller, founder of Southern California's Crystal Cathedral megachurch and host of the "Hour of Power" televangelism broadcast, announced Sunday he will retire after 55 years in the pulpit and his daughter will take over. The 83-year-old Schuller told his congregation that Sheila Schuller Coleman will become sole lead pastor, after sharing that role with her father for the past year. Coleman previously served as principal of a private Christian school run by the cathedral and head of the Orange County church's family ministries division. She was ordained just a month before she...

Televangelism empire in chaos over family split By GILLIAN FLACCUS, Associated Press Writer Saturday, January 31, 2009 Once one of the nation's most popular televangelists, the Rev. Robert H. Schuller is watching his life's work crumble. His son and recent successor, the Rev. Robert A. Schuller, has abruptly resigned as senior pastor of the Crystal Cathedral. The shimmering, glass-walled megachurch is home to the "Hour of Power" broadcast, an evangelism staple that's been on the air for more than three decades. The church is in financial turmoil: It plans to sell more than $65 million worth of its Orange County...

I am continually amazed at what passes for Christian teaching these days. Now, I'm sure that Robert Schuller has read the Bible (or portions of it) at some point in his life, but I have yet to hear him convey accurately the truth it contains. The following is an excerpt from his latest "sermon." (FYI, the emphasis is Schuller's): What is the number one problem in the human race? I've thought about it, I've written a lot of books, I've met and listened to some of the most profound thinkers in the world. I have studied under Viktor Frankl, I...

Jan 2, 5:18 AM EST Schuller's Son to Run Crystal Cathedral GARDEN GROVE, Calif. (AP) -- The Crystal Cathedral didn't have to look far to find its next senior pastor. Robert H. Schuller, head of the famed all-glass church southeast of Los Angeles, told his congregation Sunday that his son, Robert A. Schuller, will succeed him. As founding pastor of the church, the elder Schuller, now 79, is considered one of the most influential religious leaders in the country. He plans to remain chairman of the board of international ministries and stay active in the church. Robert A. Schuller, 51,...