After public family feud, another Schuller steps up
Christian author Carole Lewis stands at the front of the congregation, sharing her tale of woe—bankruptcy, a daughter's death, a husband's prostate cancer, a home destroyed by a hurricane. Pastor Sheila Schuller Coleman stands nearby, listening attentively.
Neither Coleman nor the congregation seems particularly fazed by Lewis's litany of tragedies. Instead, they wait for what everyone seems to know is coming: a positive message. Then, as if on cue, Lewis delivers. "God has been so faithful to our family," Lewis says, as Coleman and others nod in agreement.
It's an ordinary Sunday at the Crystal Cathedral, the gleaming Southern California megachurch built on a message of transforming misfortune into blessings. The hundreds of parishioners seem to crave the optimism. It's also a philosophy the Crystal Cathedral needs now more than ever.
