This Could Be Your Hour of Power

The Hour of Power is a weekly religious television broadcast that featured the preaching of a man named Robert Schuller whose weekly messages were given from a place in Garden Grove, California he calls the Crystal Cathedral. Schuller, is likely one of the best known television evangelists in America.  He is famouse for his teachings on “self-esteem” and “positive thinking,” and he uses these  philosophies in his preaching.

Dr. Schuller has written at least 35 books over the years, including titles like: Success is Never Ending, Failure is Never Final, (1990) Self Esteem: The New Reformation, (1982) If It’s Going to Be, It’s Up to Me , (1998) Move Ahead With Possibility Thinking (1986) and many more.  He is also the founder of the Institute for Successful Church Leadership which he says is established (since 1970)  in order to build "successful church leaders."  He stopped holding the conferences in 2005, (this, after doing them for 35 years,) saying that now he was going to prepare for something new.

But "doing new things" is nothing new for Schueller.  He has over the years taken a lot of disapproval from many fellow Christians who emphatically believe that Schuller, instead of preaching Christianity, preaches something new; New Age Theology.

As evidence of Schuller's "New Age Christianity", they cite his statements in books and magazine articles.  They cite, for example, his lack of talk about sin.  Schuller said in Time magazine, March 1985; “I don't think anything has been done in the name of Christ and under the banner of Christianity that has proven more destructive to human personality and, hence, counterproductive to the evangelism enterprise than the often crude, uncouth, and unchristian strategy of attempting to make people aware of their lost and sinful condition.” They say he endorses eastern religious practices, like Transcendental Meditation.  In his book, Peace of Mind Through Possibility Thinking, pg 131 and 132, Schuller tells his readers, “The most effective mantras employ the "M" sound... Transcendental Meditation or TM... is not a religion nor is it necessarily anti-Christian.” And, while there may be some naysayers, many people give testimony to the help they receive from his preaching.  The congregation at Christial Cathedral, estimated at about 10,000 is still growing and his books are selling, so obviously, there are a lot of people who approve of Schuller's message.

January 24th, 2007, Schuller announced a new idea for conferences for Church Leaders to attend, this time on satellite and with a new name.  He called it the Faith Forward Forum (FFF) and told the pastors and leaders who would come to the conference that he was about to do something new.  He said,  “You will not be inspired to preach sermons. We’ve done that for over 30 years. No, this is a Faith where you will be inspired to think, think, yes, THINK! – theologically, like you never have before!”

Schuller also warned interested parties saying, “But do not come unless you are prepared to hear ideas that you have never heard or read anywhere before.”  One can only wonder if that would include the Bible.