Posted on 10/18/2010 6:20:21 PM PDT by Jaded
GARDEN GROVE, Calif. – Crystal Cathedral, the megachurch birthplace of the televangelist show "Hour of Power," filed for bankruptcy Monday in Southern California after struggling to emerge from debt that exceeds $43 million.
In addition to a $36 million mortgage, the Orange County-based church owes $7.5 million to several hundred vendors for services ranging from advertising to the use of live animals in Easter and Christmas services.
The church had been negotiating a repayment plan with vendors, but several filed lawsuits seeking quicker payment, which prompted a coalition formed by creditors to fall apart.
"Tough times never last, every storm comes to an end. Right now, people need to hear that message more than ever," Sheila Schuller Coleman, the Cathedral's senior pastor and daughter of the founder, told reporters outside the worship hall decked with a soaring glass spire.
"Everybody is hurting today. We are no exception," she said.
The church, founded in the mid-1950s by the Rev. Robert H. Schuller Sr., has already ordered major layoffs, cut the number of stations airing the "Hour of Power" and sold property to stay afloat.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Window washers will be sad
The land is worth almost that much.
yitbos
The real story here is that all megachurches are suffering, and if this economy lingers on for another twelve months, then I’d say that half of all megachurches will fail by that point. The curious thing...our regular churches...will continue on, with a dent here or there...and maybe that says something for what is going to anchor a church down in rough times.
Negotiations broke down when the creditors refused the church's suggestion that they consider the debt a tithe.
yitbos
Hopefully this means Schuller will stop preaching.
How sad. And it’s all pretty much due to internecine warfare. Unfortunately, it happens often when parents who were called by God think they can arbitrarily pass the Commission on to their children.
Something about a house built upon sand or something........
Hard to sell the prosperity gospel when people are going broke.
Perhaps people will turn to the real good news.
“Hopefully this means Schuller will stop preaching.”
I’m still waiting for someone in his Crystal Cathedral to condemn all abortions and all homosexual behavior. Will I wait till Hell freezes over or until the is cathedral goes kaput?
And then one would think that with his tax exemptions and tons of cash flowing in over the years, that the whole place would be totally paid off! I guess the other prosperity cable tv shysters gave him too much competition for bucks.
Sounds like they’ve been blowing big bucks to put on big shows when they should have been preaching the bible.
What happened to all that Possibility preaching? Suddenly the New Age mumbo-jumbo just doesn’t cut it anymore.
We’re broke, but we feel very positive about it.
I wonder if Dr Shuler has led a single soul to eternal life.
Spent alot of money on window washers. That is an enormous facility.
I believe in avoiding costly middlemen and dealing directly with God.
From Wikipedia (Not one book on Christ):
Schuller is the author of numerous self-help books including:
* Way To The Good Life (1963)
* Move Ahead With Possibility Thinking (1967)
* Self-Love (1975)
* You Can Be The Person You Want To Be (1976)
* Self-Esteem: The New Reformation (1982)
* Tough Times Never Last but Tough People Do (1983), Thomas Nelson ISBN 978-0840-75287-1
* Toughminded Faith for Tenderhearted People (1979), Thomas Nelson, ISBN 0-8407-5329-2
* Prayer: My Soul’s Adventure with God (1995), Doubleday ISBN 978-0385-48505-0
* Living Positively One Day At A Time (1986)
* My Journey: From An Iowa Farm To A Cathedral Of Dreams (2001)
* Hours of Power (2004)
* Don’t Throw Away Tomorrow (2005)
* Success is never ending,failure is never final (1990)
If there is a Christian God, I can't imagine why he would buy into such garbage.
Some aspects of Christianity appeal to me strongly. But the behavior of many self-defined Christians--including some here at FR--makes the religion come off as repulsive.
Alot of truth in that.
Name it and file a claim it.
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