Fashion dominates the world of evangelical Christianity and its therapeutic penumbra. The Crystal Cathedral, that glitzy architectural marvel, has become a 1980s nostalgia item. Now Rick Warren is the anointed leader of America’s “People of Faith” and, for the time being, Orange county crowds are flocking to Saddleback’s dull preaching halls.
But there is nothing new under the sun. Saddleback and the Crystal Cathedral, Willow Creek and all the other evangelical megachurches that have had their time in the sun sell the same product: mind-power through talk-magic, which in secular packaging is just what all the innumerable therapies and self-help programmes on the market promise.
In the US, where school psychologists are almost as common as school nurses, we are obsessed with talk therapies because they are in fact ecumenical and secularised versions of evangelical Christianity, our old time religion. Twelve-step programmes, beginning with Alcoholics Anonymous, appropriated the conversion scenario of revivalism, eliminating references to Jesus in favour of appeals to a generic “higher power”. Later self-help programmes and therapies dispensed with supernatural intermediaries altogether. Learning the right tricks and gimmicks, thinking the right thoughts and acquiring the proper attitudes would directly, by a law of nature, make good things happen for you.
I am inclined to think that if Dr. Robert Schuller had the vigor of his younger years his ministry would still be prospering. My take is that none of his associates quite match his personal magnetism. As for comparing his power of positive thinking with the Gospel preaching of Rick Warren, I think there is no real comparison except that both ministries derive much of their strength from the personalities (and perhaps character) of their founders.
#1 Agreed, most evangelical/charsimatic megachurches are NOT “the power of positive thinking” and feel good messages. I also agree that many of these churches do depend on the personality of the person at the top.
“….for the time being, Orange county crowds are flocking to Saddleback’s dull preaching halls.”
well, the content of the message is always going to (eventually) win out over the grandeur of the setting. we see this not just here but in many, many ECUSA Cathedrals across the country.
I always [i]loved[/i] the “dancing waters” down the center aisle! Well, not really … but it [i]was[/i] something to behold.
And having Fred Swan at the organ was nice … even if the choice of music was less than thrilling to an Anglican.
Wow, what a choice. Either Dr. Schuller and his “positive Christianity” or Rich Warren’s “Purpose Drivel”. (Note-that is not a typo!!).
Neither truly express the entire Gospel but both are popular with some people. We and several other folks in my parish are refugees from churches which became “Purpose Driven” and it worked, it drove out all the serious people!!
What ever happened the the virtues of poverty, simplicity, humility, mercy, etc. For nearly a thousand years St. Francis was the model of Christianity. None of these evangelicals have given a moment’s reflection on the pursuit of Christ-like sanctity.
St. Francis, the most admired and least imitated of the Saints. On his death bed he asked be stripped naked so that he might die owning absolutely nothing on this earth so that he might own everything in Jesus. On the orders of Br. Elias he was loaned a habit and ordered to wear it so that he might die clothed, yet still owning nothing of this world.
It is true that money is the muscle of ministry, but we must approach as did St. Francis.
There’s a space constraint for Guardian articles, and they get edited so my fundamental point might not have come out. My objection to evangelicalism—not just the megachurch variety but all evangelical Christianity—it that it’s a religion of TALK, of meeting houses and preaching halls rather than holy places and holy things. At least Schuller has a taste for good architecture.