News
Crystal Cathedral a cautionary tale T
he cash-strapped Crystal Cathe- dral’s pending transformation
from a Protestant megachurch to a Roman Catholic cathedral should teach pastors not to spend millions on ornate buildings, a megachurch scholar says. A bankruptcy judge recently
approved the sale of the iconic worship facility to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, Calif., for $57.5 million. Scott Thumma, a sociologist of religion at Hartford [Conn.] Semi- nary, said the huge debt that led officials of the Southern California ministry to accept the sale of the 35-acre campus reflects what hap- pens when a prominent pastor, a TV ministry or an iconic structure becomes the focal point. Leaders retire and die; television gives the congregation an unrealistic larger- than-life image; and buildings become a drag on finances. After a bidding war between nearby Chapman University and the Diocese of Orange, the judge agreed with the cathedral board’s choice to take the latter’s offer—even though it was $2 million less—to ensure that the campus continues to have a religious purpose.
The diocesan deal permits the 11
leadership and feminist approaches to theology and practice,” she said. Another challenge is the misunder- standing of gender as “only being connected to and concerned with women’s issues,” she said. What’s needed are opportunities to share and “come to a better understanding of the roles and responsibilities of both women and men in church and soci- ety,” Neuenfeldt added.
Good deeds
Members of a London synagogue celebrated international Mitzvah Day, Nov. 20, by planting bulbs and performing good deeds. Members walked through a British shopping center speaking with merchants, keeping streets safe and helping people. After last summer’s rioting in London, the South London Lib- eral Synagogue plans “to hold these
For more news, visit
www.thelutheran.org/feature/january 12 The Lutheran •
www.thelutheran.org
walks regularly” so “streets will feel safer,” said organizer Tom Chigbo.
congregation to worship on-site for three years. Sheila Schuller Cole- man, senior pastor and daughter of founder Rober H. Schuller, said the decision “breaks my heart.” Bishop Tod Brown of the Dio- cese of Orange acknowledged the “difficult circumstances” fac- ing the megachurch, founded in 1955. “Those challenges have now enabled the Diocese of Orange to protect this wonderful structure as a place of worship and will soon provide our Catholic community with a new cathedral, pastoral cen- ter, parish school and more,” he said in a statement. Known for its Hour of Power
TV broadcasts and elaborate holi- day pageants, the glass-walled Crystal Cathedral has been mired in family, leadership and financial turmoil in recent years. Thumma said the trend of large
churches using multiple satellite sites instead of one large edifice is validated by the outcome of the bankruptcy deal. “To fill this space and maintain this space takes over the effort to spread the gospel and to live out the Christian mission,” he said.
Religion News Service
Orthodox tackle HIV Government agencies in Russia rely on the Russian Orthodox Church for help in providing services to those who suffer from HIV/AIDS and their families. The church’s work grew out of its drug treatment programs. Vladimir Shmaly, an Orthodox priest in the church’s Department of Exter- nal Church Relations, holds monthly prayer services with those who are HIV-positive.
COURTESY OF NEWBERRY [S.C.] COLLEGE
Luther’s many greats grandson Christian Priesmeier, a 13th genera-
tion descendant of Martin and Katie Luther, spoke at Newberry [S.C.] Col- lege’s 2011 Founder’s Day Convoca- tion last November. Priesmeier is a seminary-trained licensed lay minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany. He also serves as secretary of the governing board of Lutheriden Vereinigong, a genealogical society of documented Luther descendants.
Corrections The New England Synod has had one congregation take a vote to disaffili- ate from the ELCA, but the bid failed (November, page 12). The former colony of Northern Rhodesia should have been identified as today’s Zam- bia (October, page 49).
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