Crystal Cathedral megachurch founder dies
Schuller was also known for ‘Hour of Power’
ARTESIA, Calif. — Rev. Robert H. Schuller, a California televangelist and author who beamed his upbeat messages on faith and redemption to millions of followers from his landmark Crystal Cathedral only to see his empire crumble in his waning years, has died. He was 88.
Schuller died Thursday at a care facility in Artesia, daughter Carol Schuller Milner said. He was diagnosed with terminal esophageal cancer in 2013.
Once a ubiquitous presence on Sunday morning television, Schuller faded from view in recent years after watching his church collapse amid a disastrous leadership transition and sharp declines in viewership and donations that forced the ministry to file for bankruptcy.
The soaring, glasspaned Crystal Cathedral — the touchstone of Schuller’s career — was sold to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange in 2011. Schuller lost a legal battle the following year to collect more than $5 million from his former ministry over claims of copyright infringement and breach of contract.
Schuller led an evangelical Protestant ministry that was a product of modern technology. He and his wife, Arvella, started a ministry in 1955 with $500 when he began preaching from the roof of a concession stand at a drive-in movie theater southeast of Los Angeles.
The church’s motto — “Come as you are in the family car” — tapped into the burgeoning Southern California auto culture and the suburban boom of post World War II America.
Schuller began broadcasting his “Hour of Power” in 1970. At its peak in the 1990s, the program had 20 million viewers in about 180 countries.
Schuller’s message — that “possibility thinking” and love of God overcome hardships — was a uniquely American blend of Bible and psychology. It was inspired by late author Norman Vincent Peale, who wrote “The Power of Positive Thinking.” Schuller also wrote more than 30 books, including several best-sellers.
Schuller was born in Alton, Iowa, in 1926 and ordained in 1950. He was pastor of Ivanhoe Reformed Church in Chicago from 1950 to 1955 before moving to California. Besides his daughter Carol, Schuller also leaves a son and three other daughters. His wife, Arvella, died in February 2014.