Burned-Over District: Mr. Robert Schuller and Crystal Cathedral

An excellent article by Mr. (Rev. Dr.) Kim Riddlebarger on Mr. Robert Schuller.

The OC -- A New Burned-Over District? Part Four -- Robert Schuller and the Crystal Cathedral

Tuesday, July 23, 2013 at 07:51AM

 

Calvary Chapel may have created most of the Christian "buzz" in the OC, but surely the OC's most famous church is Robert Schuller's Crystal Cathedral.  The sheer scale and grandeur of the Cathedral dominates the heart of the OC.  In an area with few tall buildings, the Crystal Cathedral is clearly visible from three of the freeways which pass through central Orange County.

In one sense, the Crystal Cathedral and Robert Schuller were not really part of the OC "buzz."  Schuller's message of "self-esteem," and the Cathedral's highbrow manner of worship, were much more typical of the Protestant mainline than the evangelical and charismatic churches which did generate local buzz.  But if you had family coming to town from the Midwest or the East Coast, they wanted to see the Crystal Cathedral and they knew all about Robert Schuller, even if they had never heard of the two "Chucks" (Smith or Swindoll) who were much more appreciated by the local evangelicals.

Robert Schuller first arrived in the OC shortly after I did (1955).  He came by car, I came by stork.  He began preaching to people in their cars from the roof of the snack bar of the Orange Drive-In theater.  The place was soon packed.  Schuller went on to build the Tower of Hope in 1968, and by 1970, Schuller's "Hour of Power" was the most popular religious broadcast in the United States.  In 1978, work began on the now world famous glass cathedral.  It was the perfect stage for Schuller's psychologized message.  I'll bet that the Hour of Power brought more people to Southern California than anything but the Rose Parade.  The Cathedral was the perfect OC showcase.  His was the perfect message for an affluent middle class growing tired of their local stucco church, boring sermons, and "Erma," the kindly but elderly organist attempting to play the offertory correctly just one time before going to glory.




Schuller's pulpit (or better "stage") was turned over to countless celebrities ranging from Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda to former Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev, all of whom were willing to endorse Schuller's non-gospel of "Possibility Thinking."  The Cathedral was the stage for the elaborate pageants, "the Glory of Christmas" and the "Glory of Easter."  Ironically, it was the church's inability to pay the vendors and animal handlers which led to the local bankruptcy courts.  The Cathedral was also home to a magnificent 16,000 pipe Ruffatti organ capably manned for many years by Frederick Swann.  Famed pianist Roger Williams played there for thirty years.  The contrast between the worship services of the Crystal Cathedral and the CCM of Calvary Chapel could not be greater!  One local wag spoke of the difference between the two churches as the "Jesus People versus the Blue Hairs."  Maybe the real battle of style was more like OP versus Amway. 

For more in this excellent article, see:  http://kimriddlebarger.squarespace.com/the-latest-post/2013/7/23/the-oc-a-new-burned-over-district-part-four-robert-schuller.html#comments