File this in the “could’ve seen this coming” file.

I remember watching the Hour of Power on TV in January, 2006, and seeing, amid great pomp and ceremony, Robert Schuller pass on the gold medal (?!?) that signifies leadership of the Crystal Cathedral to his son…Robert Schuller.  (Freudian therapists take note.)  I don’t make a habit of watching that show, but I remember flipping by and seeing Richard Mouw, the president of my alma mater, Fuller Seminary, on the dias, assisting with the transition of power.

Well, it seems that in the Crystal Cathedral system, the senior pastor (son) doesn’t hold ultimate power.  The chairman of the board (dad) does.  (Or maybe the board of directors, going over dad’s head — it remains unclear.)

In a move that the Robert the Younger calls “surreal,” Robert the Elder ousted his son from the pulpit.

Robert the Younger has announced that he will plant his own church.