Hard To Believe

Maybe it should not be too hard to believe. After all, for years many of us have been depressed by the message that was being sent out in the name of Christ from the Crystal Cathedral and Robert H. Schuller. There has to be some kind of delightful irony that the man who talks about positive thinking had to kick his son out because he was not being positive enough.

But what is really hard to believe is the publicly stated reasons why the boy got fired. Robert A. Schuller, the son, was the senior minister from 2006 till 2009. He got the Bobby Bowden treatment when the church leaders decided that his messages were not positive enough. (Perhaps that resulted in there not being enough money sent in in response to his messages) But Robert A. Schuller had actually gone to seminary and studied for the ministry. And here is the real kick in the teeth, "he was criticized by his father because the boy's sermons had too much Jesus talk." A Longtime member of the Cathedral, 83 year old Augustine Remlinger said that the boy relied on the Bible for his sermons. Can you imagine that. A Christian minister who read the Bible and thought it ought to be preached. (My information comes from the magazine The Christian Century for September 7, 2010).

Now they have made the daughter of the founder Schuller the senior minister. When will they discover that it is not a family business? Shouldn't they get a Pulpit Nominating Committee? Have a nationwide search for a new minister?

They wanted positive talk, happy endings, they wanted "the feel good" experience. The members want the "happily ever after" ending, and the son said well, let's listen to the Bible and see what it says. And they were not happy. What delicious irony that the happily ever after ending is not happening at the place where that has been the message for 60 years.