One of my favorite churches that I've attended many times in the past is once again in the news, but not for good reasons, as this article notes. The Reverend Robert H. Schuller, founder of the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California, who retired from the ministry and left one of the most well-known churches in the world in the hands of his son, Robert A. Schuller (later kicking him out for leading the church in a direction that differed from the original beliefs of its founder), has taken the pulpit back to make a strong statement against a recent anti-gay Covenant that church choir members were asked to sign.
The document, "which offended some choir members, expresses a commitment to the 'biblical view' of sexual intimacy and marriage. A church spokesperson
denied that gay people would be unwelcome in the choir."
"Schuller’s daughter, Carol Schuller Milner, responded to the comments by suggesting that her father’s voice and that of the organization are “no longer seamless” now that he is less involved in management. The church has been wracked with financial problems in recent years, including a filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October."
Schuller contacted the Orange County Register to advise them that he was unaware of the document and never would have approved of it to begin with; although he does believe in the biblical concepts of the document, he disagrees strongly with choir members being asked to sign a covenant that "contradicts his group’s principles of 'tolerance, acceptance and positive thinking'. ”
It's unfortunate that the longest running TV ministry that stands on the principle of the Power of Positive Thinking is in such disarray since the retirement of it's founder and leader. The Crystal Cathedral is best known for the Hazel Wright Organ, one of the largest in the world, and it's building built entirely of glass panels that open the church to the outside during services.
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