Robert H. Schuller says he's against
asking members of the Crystal Cathedral's choir to sign an anti-gay
covenant.
Schuller founded the Orange County,
California-based Protestant megachurch that is now being led by his
daughter Sheila Schuller Coleman.
According to the Orange County
Register, members of the church's choir have been asked to take a
firm stance against sexual minorities by signing an anti-gay
covenant.
“I understand that Crystal Cathedral
Ministries teaches that sexual intimacy is intended by God to only be
within the bonds of marriage, between one man and one woman,” the
covenant reads.
Coleman told the paper that the
document is intended to “clarify expectations placed on them as
ministry leaders.”
The elder Schuller said he wasn't aware
of what his daughter was doing and doesn't approve.
“I have a reputation worldwide of
being tolerant of all people and their views,” Schuller said. “I'm
too well-educated to criticize a certain religion or group of people
for what they believe in. It's called freedom.”
He added that everyone is welcome in
his church: “We don't test anyone who comes to our ministry. We
don't require them to be Christian. We would not demand that they be
born-again Christians.”
Last year the board of the Crystal
Cathedral filed for bankruptcy protection, citing debts of more than
$43 million.