Crystal Cathedral had its day

The Guardian ^ | Nov. 5, 2010 | Harriet Baber

[hiho hiho]

On 18 October 2010, Southern California's landmark Crystal Cathedral, the prototype of all late 20th Century American Megachurches, filed for bankruptcy. I drove up the following Sunday to get a look at the place while it was still in operation.

The Crystal Cathedral proper, a spectacular glass structure designed by Philip Johnson and completed in 1980, dominates a landscaped campus that includes the congregation's original church building, designed by Richard Neutra, Richard Meier's "Welcoming Center", and a variety of other buildings, reflecting pools and religiously themed statuary. A German tourist prevailed on me to take a picture of him and his wife posing in a larger-than-life tableau of Jesus as Good Shepherd.

The campus and decor are the culmination of a high-church revival in American Protestantism that began in the 19th century. It was then that evangelical Christians, who had traditionally assembled in meeting houses and preaching halls, constructed faux-Gothic edifices, dressed their preachers in gowns, and "beautified" their services, exchanging tedium for vulgarity. By the mid-20th century, they had appropriated all the "potent symbols of cinema secularism" theologian Reinhold Niebuhr described in his rendition of an evangelical Easter service conducted, as was not uncommon, in a movie theatre:

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I thought religion was a window into heaven, into another world of power, glory and intensity, to the contemplation of divine beauty. When I got religion, I never imagined this flat, dull evangelicalism.

[Cronos]

But, isn’t the “prosperity gospel” a pentecostal idea? And Schuller is/was Reformed? I don’t get the connection, or is it just preaching “God’ll give you money” and ignoring the basic theology of salvation etc?

[caww]

The prosperity gospel has raised it’s ugly head in many churches. We need to remember that Christ did say people woud raise up teachers to tickle their ears...tell them what they want to hear. People want ‘prosperity’ in our world, over and above that of following Christ, which certainly does not guarantee a comfortable ride...in fact I have found we are often stretched beyond what we could handle without Him.

I also think we are being prepared both for now, as our years here pass, and that in the future...there is nothing I read in scripture that denotes prosperity prepares one for the future times....perhaps if one is generous and God equips one to do so with the idea of transfering their wealth to where Christ would desire it be used. But that is not the preaching of prosperity I have heard preached, rather the fous is on the individaul.

Aas far as where the idea of the “prosperity Gospel” beginning...Anninias and his wife comes to mind.

[presently no screen name]

I suppose the same must be said about Westminster Abbey, St. Peter’s, the Duomo in Milan and St. Isaac’s in St. Petersburg

Don't know anything about those listed - any than what you said - megachurches/buildings.

a building created by man to glorify God with soaring spires, grand internal spaces and architectural artwork telling us humans that there are better things that the mundane to worship and aspire to.

If one KNOWS God - nothing is mundane. Soaring spires/internal spaces and artwork ALL burn in the end - they are nothing!

God resides in His Own, our body is His tabernacle. We worship God all the time - no 'cathedrals' are needed. A fancy building does not glorify God IN ANY WAY - they glorify 'look what I did'. Pagans can do that. A fancy building does not make those in it any closer to God - it's all for their own pride and comfort.

One gives glory to God by praise and worshiping Him - solo or with others. We give glory to God by being thankful for everything He has down for us - not what we 'think' we can do for Him. We give Him glory for who HE IS! Anyone wanting a positive message needs to know The Gospel - the good news! Can't get any more positive than that!