Crystal Cathedral does damage control

In response to the OC Register’s report that the Crystal Cathedral board of directors had pushed out founder Robert H. Schuller, the church shot back by saying that their former pastor, Schuller’s son who knows a thing or two about being pushed out, misrepresented the situation.

The LAT reports:

“He [Robert H. Schuller] was not voted off the board,” said John Charles, the Garden Grove church spokesman. “He is still board chairman emeritus.”

The church released its statement a day after Schuller’s son, Robert Anthony Schuller, said his 84-year-old father had been ousted because he had proposed adding new members to the board.

“Recently, the board of directors of Crystal Cathedral Ministries voted to change Dr. Schuller’s position from that of a voting board member to the honorary Chairman of the Board Emeritus, a non-voting position,” the statement read.

In other words, the elder Schuller is still welcome at board meetings, but he can’t vote. So why leave him on the board in an emeritus status? To save face for Schuller or the board?

More interesting is the way this the Schuller family’s personal drama and relationships have played out publicly like a Shakespearean play.