Do you have fond memories of televangelist Rev. Robert Schuller who died today at the age of 88?
Asked by
ibstubro (
18804
)
April 2nd, 2015
Even as an agnostic, I always appreciated that his ministry was positive and upbeat without all the ‘fire-and-brimstone’.
On the other hand, I always had disdain for the excess of The Crystal Cathedral. When I saw it, I always thought, ‘Man, look at all the good works that money could have funded.’
Not surprisingly now owned by the Catholic church.
Fun fact:
Schuller began preaching from the roof of a concessions stand in a drive-in theater where his motto in 1955 was “Come as you are in the family car.”
A pioneer, for sure.
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7 Answers
Pfft. That church is an eye sore. All I can think of is how much he dwindled to build that horrid place.
I agree it was pretty damned distracting, @tinyfaery, as an edifice of excess.
I drove by it once when I was in southern California. A truly truly ugly building.
As for the death of this guy? No feelings at all. He made his fortune peddling fairy tales.
Nope. Never heard of him till his megachurch went bankrupt under his daughter’s watch a few years ago. That’s when I read this big NYT Sunday thing about his retirement, installing his son as head of this monstrosity in LA or Vegas or somewhere like that, then kicked his son out and said his ministry wasn’t about the Schullers, it was ministered “by the greatest minister of all, Jesus Christ!” Then he installed his daughter as head, then they all went bankrupt…
I figured it was just more base materialism in the name of Jesus, the man found a lucrative schtick among the gullible and injured, like Tammy Faye and Jimmy and the PTL dog and pony show. Praying for Cadillacs. Makes the Catholics look classy. Never gave the guy much thought after that.
He was a fixture during my youth.
As a friend said today: “In the days of two channel TV, it was the choice of Schuller or Meet the [de]Press[ed].”
As a kid from the rural Midwest, it wasn’t that much different from watching Science Fiction. Later I would sometimes run across the program and be mesmerized by the choreography. Watching the cameras, lights and action. I was a theater minor in college, and most of that stuff was, then, usually hidden by dark.
My grandmother, who was not a church-goer, watched his show. I thought his “I have met with my personal friend God and this is what he wanted me to tell you” style and “The Crystal Cathedral” was more than a little over the top. WAY over! I was amazed that my grandmother actually bought into it!
No; I don’t have fond memories of him or the show. Never watched more than three minutes of any of them. I was turned off by his fake, dramatic lifting of his arms out to the side like he had just left an acting class. Then swoop and they’d come down again. As if he were saying, “look at me and at this fine new costume!” If I go to a church or even watch a sermon I want sincerity from the heart. He was boring.
As far as the building is concerned I thought it was impressive and attractive.
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