Robert Schuller

popular name: Robert Schuller

date_of_death: April 2, 2015

age: 88

cause_of_death: Esophageal cancer

claim_to_fame: Religous Figures

best_know_for: American Christianity has been nothing if not a graveyard for once-powerful preachers who fell under the weight of their own hubris, but few "holy men" fell harder and farther–and more deservingly–than the religious leader, televangelist, author, grifter and con-man Robert H. Schuller. The ministry started innocently enough in the late 1950s preaching from atop the snack stand at a local drive-in movie theater in Orange County, California. The ministry grew into an international empire with the Hour of Power broadcast, the iconic glass Crystal Cathedral, and elaborate seasonal pageants. However, unsustainable production costs, declining donations after the 2008 recession, and poor financial oversight pushed the church into $55 million+ in debt, leading to a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in October 2010. While 140 staff members faced layoffs, the church cut its orchestra and choir, and small-business vendors were left unpaid. All the while Schuller family members continued drawing high salaries, generous compensation packages, and tax-exempt housing allowances. In 2012, Robert Schuller sued his former ministry for $5 million over intellectual property rights to his sermons and name (he lost). Later that year, the iconic Garden Grove campus was sold to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange for $57.5 million and renamed Christ Cathedral.

popular name: Robert Schuller

date_of_death: April 2, 2015

age: 88

cause_of_death: Esophageal cancer

claim_to_fame: Religous Figures

best_know_for: American Christianity has been nothing if not a graveyard for once-powerful preachers who fell under the weight of their own hubris, but few "holy men" fell harder and farther–and more deservingly–than the religious leader, televangelist, author, grifter and con-man Robert H. Schuller. The ministry started innocently enough in the late 1950s preaching from atop the snack stand at a local drive-in movie theater in Orange County, California. The ministry grew into an international empire with the Hour of Power broadcast, the iconic glass Crystal Cathedral, and elaborate seasonal pageants. However, unsustainable production costs, declining donations after the 2008 recession, and poor financial oversight pushed the church into $55 million+ in debt, leading to a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in October 2010. While 140 staff members faced layoffs, the church cut its orchestra and choir, and small-business vendors were left unpaid. All the while Schuller family members continued drawing high salaries, generous compensation packages, and tax-exempt housing allowances. In 2012, Robert Schuller sued his former ministry for $5 million over intellectual property rights to his sermons and name (he lost). Later that year, the iconic Garden Grove campus was sold to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange for $57.5 million and renamed Christ Cathedral.

popular name: Robert Schuller

date_of_death: April 2, 2015

age: 88

cause_of_death: Esophageal cancer

claim_to_fame: Religous Figures

best_know_for: American Christianity has been nothing if not a graveyard for once-powerful preachers who fell under the weight of their own hubris, but few "holy men" fell harder and farther–and more deservingly–than the religious leader, televangelist, author, grifter and con-man Robert H. Schuller. The ministry started innocently enough in the late 1950s preaching from atop the snack stand at a local drive-in movie theater in Orange County, California. The ministry grew into an international empire with the Hour of Power broadcast, the iconic glass Crystal Cathedral, and elaborate seasonal pageants. However, unsustainable production costs, declining donations after the 2008 recession, and poor financial oversight pushed the church into $55 million+ in debt, leading to a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in October 2010. While 140 staff members faced layoffs, the church cut its orchestra and choir, and small-business vendors were left unpaid. All the while Schuller family members continued drawing high salaries, generous compensation packages, and tax-exempt housing allowances. In 2012, Robert Schuller sued his former ministry for $5 million over intellectual property rights to his sermons and name (he lost). Later that year, the iconic Garden Grove campus was sold to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange for $57.5 million and renamed Christ Cathedral.