A Twisted Crown of Thorns ®

[This is an archive post] Once heralded as one of the epitomes of man’s creative advances into ingenuity, The Crystal Cathedral, the first-ever all-glass church was dedicated on September 14, 1980 “To the Glory of Man for the Greater Glory of God.” Constructed using over 10,000 rectangular panes of glass and its sanctuary seats 2,736 persons. The rectangular panes of glass were not bolted to the structure; instead they were glued to it using a silicone-based glue. This and other measures were intended to allow the building to withstand an earthquake of magnitude 8.0. By all counts this was no feeble feat and a home fit for an emperor.

Dr Robert Harrold Schuller’s intent was to fill his church. As the founding father, to do this he sought to discover to know what people wanted and make them comfortable to come to church. He went from door to door asking them what type of church they would like to attend. His mission was to change his church to a place where non-Christians would feel comfortable enough to come in and then eventually “accept Jesus.” This would be accomplished by preaching only positive messages! This week not even positive messages could keep the congregants from calling on God to Sovereignly intervene.

GARDEN GROVE, Calif. – Crystal Cathedral, the megachurch birthplace of the televangelist show “Hour of Power,” filed for bankruptcy Monday in Southern California after struggling to emerge from debt that exceeds $43 million.
In addition to a $36 million mortgage, the Orange County-based church owes $7.5 million to several hundred vendors for services ranging from advertising to the use of live animals in Easter and Christmas services.
The church had been negotiating a repayment plan with vendors, but several filed lawsuits seeking quicker payment, which prompted a coalition formed by creditors to fall apart, church officials said.
“Tough times never last, every storm comes to an end. Right now, people need to hear that message more than ever,” Sheila Schuller Coleman, the Cathedral’s senior pastor and daughter of the founder, told reporters outside the worship hall.-Yahoo News

Dr Schuller’s sophiscated social gospel and church growth model has been an inspiration to other seeker sensitive church strategists like Bill Hybels and Rick Warren. Perhaps the appeal and allure of self esteem and motivational sessions that spring boarded Crystal church into meteoric mega-church stardom has withered and crunched its own knees under its own fickle weight.
This is sure to be one tough time that may out last the church and a storm that will not end as the Crystal cathedral polishes its glasses one more time for the glory of man. On the flip side, maybe this is a chance to return to the long forgotten Five Solas as a foundation for church growth- By grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus alone, with His Word alone and to His glory alone.

For the greater glory of Him alone.