The AP reports that the massive Crystal Cathedral and its television ministry is having financial trouble. “Members often tie their donations to the pastor, not the institution, said Nancy Ammerman, a sociologist of religion at Boston University.”
If I were a Christian, I would wonder whether such fancy spending is really what Christian living is all about. I mean, have you seen the place?
People should be free to give away their money to whomever they please. But the fact that many seem to give it away to a forceful personality raises questions about their motives. It’s pretty sad if you’ve got nothing better to do with your l life than sit around watching some demagogue ask for your money to do “God’s” work.
From what I’ve seen, it’s gorgeous. Too bad, lol ;-o
Are you excluding God from the list of powerful personalities? Aren’t Schuller, Robertson, Graham et al just his stand-ins? I think belief in God is the need for people to quell their fear of taking the responsibility for enjoying their “gift’ of being alive and their willingness to suppress the natural desires they experience.