Editor’s note: Since this essay was first published, the Chrystal Cathedral really isn’t what it used to be. In 2019 it became Christ Cathedral, the seat of the bishop of Orange.
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Christianity Today reports that the Crystal Cathedral is experiencing a serious financial crisis.1One is tempted to have a little fun at the Cathedral’s expense. The possibilities for possibility thinking here are interesting. What is more interesting, however, is that the congregation that is arguably the source of much of the Church Growth methodology for American evangelicalism finds itself in such a state. After all, without the Cathedral, there would be no Willow Creek or Saddleback.
A couple of months back we had occasion to visit the Crystal Cathedral on the Lord’s Day. We attended the early service (9:30 AM). I have seen Bob Schuller preach on television but never in person, so we made the drive to Orange County. Given the influence Schuller has had among American evangelicals and given that he is semi-retired and preaches only occasionally now, it seemed like a good idea to see him while it is still possible.
Frankly, I was shocked at what I saw. It is not what you think. I expected the fountains, the cameras, and the show. What I did not expect to see was the number of ordinary folks from Orange City, Sioux Falls, and Grand Rapids. In fact, if you know what to look for, underneath the therapeutic veneer and show biz glitz, there was still a bit of the old Reformed liturgy. To be sure, the words to hymns were all changed (forget about psalms, are you kidding?). There was a crisp, professional-sounding praise band but there was also an organ. The announcements had an Orange City feel to them. Even though there were several large HD television cameras mounted around the auditorium (and several mobile cameras rolling about the place), the first part of the service had an almost homey quality. There was a hint that the congregation was facing significant financial difficulties.
Then Bob Schuller rose to preach. In the first couple of moments, he looked every bit of his eighty-four years. He seemed a little disoriented. They were marking the thirtieth anniversary of the Hour of Power television show, and he did not seem sure about some of the details. That is to be expected. I am a little more than half his age and I struggle for names constantly. After a few minutes, however, he regained form and he came to life, and suddenly the charismatic preacher was his old self again. He began speaking by asking rhetorically what he was doing. Was it a sermon? No, no one likes to be preached to. Was it a psychological study? Well, yes, in part. What was it? It was a message of HOPE! Of course, I have no recollection of what biblical text (if any) was read. The message did not mention sin. It featured several of touching illustrations and it was well-delivered and rhetorically skillful.
Throughout the service, as we could see Schuller in person and on the big screen, I had the impression that there were two services happening simultaneously: one for the screen and one for the congregation. On the screen (which, I assume, is what will be shown on television) Schuller appeared to be speaking extemporaneously. Off-screen he had notes—which I saw him turn but which I never saw him actually consult. How did he do that? I did not see a teleprompter. The backdrop appeared somewhat differently than it did to us off-screen. In other words, there were two realities, the on-screen reality and the off-screen reality. That was a little disconcerting. There was a touch of Hollywood but not as much as I expected. We were on a television set but were also in a congregation. There was a dual reality.
After the service we explored the remarkable complex of buildings. What impressed me the most about them all was the thoroughness with which everything has been planned and how consistent everything is. This is a place with a message, and everyone knows what the message is, and everything is organized around that message: You can do it, and God will help you. Jesus wants the best for you.
The Crystal Cathedral is not what it used to be. It is still shiny and amazing. The jumbotron screen in the auditorium looks a little dated now but it was still quite impressive. Bob Schuller is aged, but he can still deliver a message with vigor and clarity that would shame men half his age. The power of his personality is still evident, but he is not there every Sunday. With the departure of his son—who was dismissed in a way that any gruff Dutch dairy farmer would understand; you can take the boy out of Orange City, but you cannot take Orange City out of the boy—the Cathedral features a rota of visiting preachers. Clearly the transition has been awkward, and things are not exactly flourishing.
The Cathedral is not what it used to be. When it began it was the only thing of its kind. Like television producers, American evangelicals are copy-cats, and it was not long before everyone and his brother was studying Schuller’s success and imitating it. Indeed, the Cathedral trained thousands of pastors how to do in their towns what Bob has done in his. Today one can see some version of the Cathedral almost anywhere. It is no surprise that the Cathedral is struggling. The familiar and comforting preacher is not there, at least not every week, and apparently the other fellows are not getting it done. More to the point, their brand is not their brand anymore. You do not have to tune in to the Hour of Power any more to get what Bob is selling. You can get it from Joel Osteen or from Rick Warren or Bill Hybels or in any one of hundreds of ostensibly “confessional” Reformed/Presbyterian congregations. In the last several months I have heard more than one Schuller-esque message emanate from a Presbyterian platform.
The Cathedral is not what it used to be, but it does not have to be because it has become ubiquitous. America may not need the Cathedral anymore, except as a sort of museum, a way of remembering what happened to American evangelicalism (and to “evangelical” Presbyterians) in the late twentieth century.
Notes
- Sarah Pulliam Bailey, “Crystal Cathedral Apologizes for Debts,” Christianity Today, April 12, 2010.
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on the Heidelblog in 2010.
©R. Scott Clark. All Rights Reserved.
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R. Scott Clark
R.Scott Clark is the President of the Heidelberg Reformation Association, the author and editor of, and contributor to severalbooks and the author of many articles. He has taught church history and historical theology since 1997 at Westminster Seminary California. He has also taught at Wheaton College, Reformed Theological Seminary, and Concordia University.He has hosted the Heidelblog since 2007.
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