Bobby Schuller is praying about a decision and wants your help. He’s trying to decide if he should invite all the Presidential candidates to come to his televised morning worship service to give their testimony and pray. “I’d like to hear them pray” he said on Sunday’s TV program.
He knows this could be controversial. For decades Poppa Schuller
has invited rich and famous
This is why Bobby took a vote Sunday. In what we leadership professors call
manipulation-voting Bobby told his congregation Sunday that he was feeling led
to do this and was praying about it. Then with Christmas-type anticipation in
his voice out burst, “Would you like that?”
The congregation nodded. Then he called for an immediate poll vote, “If
you’d like to hear these testimonies raise your hand.” Hands shot up all across the Crystal
Cathedral in fame-crazed
My wife and I disagree on this one. She teaches leadership at the doctoral level and thinks he is only faking getting advice from the people and is manipulating them. But she also thinks it is a bad idea altogether. I disagree though admit she is probably right about the danger of turning worship into a political horse race. I hope he’ll do it anyway and here’s why: I am looking for a new “broker” of evangelical influence besides Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. I’d prefer Rick Warren or Bill Hybels, but I’ll settle for Bobby Schuller.
I like the notion of inviting the candidates to pray and give their testimonies on TV. I don’t count Schuller’s program as “worship” so much as Television anyway (though he now is recruiting people to “tithe” direct—even supplies tithe envelopes to his listeners). And I don’t automatically vote for the “most saved” candidates, but I admit it figures into my vote.
But deciding on how to vote isn’t the real reason I want to see this political spectacle—it is for entertainment. I’d love to hear these guys pray though I do feel a bit awkward about a “candidacy prayer.” We here at my University interview candidates all the time for professor opening. Almost every one has to give their testimony (usually called “your spiritual journey”). And we often ask them to pray. Indeed occasionally one has a “great testimony” but cannot pray. When asked to pray they are baffled and mumble something like, “I’d like to keep prayer personal.” Of course they are D.O.A. after that. Even testimonies that would be good enough to get them into local church membership can eliminate them here. We call it “mission fit” which is our shorthand word for “fitting into our ethos and values.” So I’m open to hearing testimonies and prayers from political candidates too—even on the Hour of Power. When Bobby asked for the vote I obediently raised my hand too, though I was sitting on the couch at home. But I must admit that my “vote” has some twisted motivation. I think testimonies and prayers from the candidates will really mix up the campaign for evangelicals and the result will be fun to watch.
As for Republicans, it will be like fingernails on the blackboard to hear the adulterer Rudy Giuliani give a personal testimony and pray. Or (if they know the facts) evangelicals will shudder when conservative Newt Gingrich testifies about his moral stance so recently after admitting he was having an adulterous affair himself while trying to get Bill Clinton impeached for his. But evangelicals will also have Sam Brownback who can give a wonderful and passionate testimony, though he converted to Roman Catholic faith which will bother some Evangelicals. John McCain would have to practice carefully to recite a testimony that sounds true—he will sound like a fake evangelical. Mike Huckabee, the Baptist minister would win the testimony race I bet. Mitt Romney would come in second, though he’s a Mormon.
As for democrats, I bet Hillary won’t go. She could probably fetch up a teen-testimony though if she did. She could talk about how she was spiritually transformed when she was in a Methodist youth group and her youth pastor took her on a missions trip. She could tell how she heard God’s call to help the poor and unfortunate while on this mission trip. That might get her several votes. And, she could finger the tiny gold cross she’s taken recently to wearing around her neck which might get her another twelve votes. But it wouldn’t be believable to most evangelicals—they think she’s evil. I don’t think she’ll go. Seeing Hillary on the Hour of power would send many of Hillary’s supporters up the wall. So I don’t expect to see her there. Who I’d love to see is Barack Obama. Now here is a guy who can pray like us—better than Bobby Schuller! What if Obama does on Hour of Power what he did in his watershed speech, “Reconciling faith and politics?” He would tell the gripping story of how he was saved and exactly how he “walked the aisle” as an adult and how it changed his life. That would be hard to reject as fake. His positions might be as “undeveloped” as Rudy’s, but his Christian experience would be hard to reject. Boy that would mess things up. And I like messy things.
I think my wife is right about one thing. Bobby Schuller already has his mind made up and all this voting is really only “getting buy-in.” We watch Bobby early Sunday morning-with-coffee mostly because Sharon gets her fix of pipe organ music there and I like to chuckle during Bobby’s latest preaching (recent series: exposition of the “Twelve Steps”). But now I have another reason to watch: political entertainment with a religious theme!
So what do you think? How would you vote?
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