http://biblebeltblogger.com/index.php/religion/a-shake-up-at-the-crystal-cathedral Religion editor Frank Lockwood's spirituality blog Thu, 09 Sep 2010 14:22:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 http://biblebeltblogger.com/index.php/religion/a-shake-up-at-the-crystal-cathedral/comment-page-1#comment-13938 Caleb Powers Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:49:32 +0000 http://biblebeltblogger.com/?p=527#comment-13938 This is what happens when you run a church based on a personality cult rather than as a long-term organization. Just like the Catholic disease of secrecy, which breeds all manner of ills, the evangelical protestant disease is the cult of personality, which breeds its own set of ills. Among them is this kind of thing. I'm frankly not much on Schuller; he's too liberal for most evangelicals and too flamboyant for most mainstreamers, and appears to be in love with every bumper sticker saying out there. You'd think the Reformed Church would have gotten enough of that with Norman Vincent Peale, one of Schuller's predecessors, but no . . . This is what happens when you run a church based on a personality cult rather than as a long-term organization. Just like the Catholic disease of secrecy, which breeds all manner of ills, the evangelical protestant disease is the cult of personality, which breeds its own set of ills. Among them is this kind of thing. I’m frankly not much on Schuller; he’s too liberal for most evangelicals and too flamboyant for most mainstreamers, and appears to be in love with every bumper sticker saying out there. You’d think the Reformed Church would have gotten enough of that with Norman Vincent Peale, one of Schuller’s predecessors, but no . . .

]]> http://biblebeltblogger.com/index.php/religion/a-shake-up-at-the-crystal-cathedral/comment-page-1#comment-13290 José Sun, 26 Oct 2008 18:09:01 +0000 http://biblebeltblogger.com/?p=527#comment-13290 How does this church operate? Under what rules of governance? According to Wikipedia, the <a HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_Cathedral" rel="nofollow">Crystal Cathedral</A> is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America and is governed by a group of elders, at least in theory. However, everything in this article seems to indicate that Rev. Schuller makes the decisions. I really hate to see that kind of thing in organized religion-- the concentration of power and a lack of transparency. It's just not healthy. How does this church operate? Under what rules of governance? According to Wikipedia, the Crystal Cathedral is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America and is governed by a group of elders, at least in theory. However, everything in this article seems to indicate that Rev. Schuller makes the decisions. I really hate to see that kind of thing in organized religion– the concentration of power and a lack of transparency. It’s just not healthy.

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