Self-Esteem and Us-Centered Theology

Robert Schuller believes that the Gospel is not really about God, but rather about us:

...classical theology has erred in its insistence that theology be "God-centered," not "man-centered."ⁱ

What we need is a theology of salvation that begins and ends with a recognition of every person's hunger for glory.ⁱⁱ

Unlike what Schuller teaches, Biblical justification lays our glory in the dust. It makes Jesus Christ more, and us less (John 3:30). We have nothing to redeem ourselves with before God. Our best work is nothing but vanity (Psalm 39:5). Throughout the Bible, it is clear that God and God alone saves us, and that He gets all the glory. Nowhere does the Bible teach that we are to be lifted up because of any inherent goodness. Despite this, in 1980, Schuller's Crystal Cathedral was dedicated, "To the Glory of Man for the Greater Glory of God" (emphasis added).ⁱⁱⁱ Even when couched in Christian language, self-focused doctrine is still antiBiblical.

Schuller also says this:

Self-esteem then, or "pride in being a human being," is the single greatest need facing the human race today...Do not fear pride; the easiest job God has is to humble us. God's almost impossible task is to keep us believing every hour of every day how great we are as his sons and daughters on planet earth.^iv

The Cross sanctifies the ego trip. For the Cross protected our Lord's perfect self-esteem from turning into sinful pride.^v

Christ is the Ideal One, for he was Self-Esteem Incarnate.^vi

Schuller further amplified this latter thought on the Phil Donahue Show on December 12, 1980. Schuller said, "Jesus had an ego. He said, 'I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me.' Wow, what an ego trip He was on!"

This statement is simply blasphemy. We have seen how the Bible contradicts this statement. If Jesus had had one iota of sinful pride, He would never have risen from the tomb. His perfect sinless life was the reason why He was successful as the Lamb that took away the sin of the world.

In the antitypical sanctuary system, the Lamb that was killed for the sinner had to be perfect, without spot. Jesus’ perfect life is also a substitute for our sinful stained lives (Romans 3:23-25; 5:18; 6:23). Because of Jesus’ life, we can be covered by His righteousness and be acceptable to God. Scripture tells us that He was "despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" (Isaiah 53:3). Does that sound like a proud man on an ego trip?

In a radio interview, an astute questioner asked Schuller how he is able to reconcile his philosophy with the verses in the Bible that say the opposite:

QUESTIONER: How could the cross, as you write, "sanctify the ego trip," and make us proud, in the light of passages that say, "I hate pride and arrogance (Proverbs 8:13), "Pride goes before destruction" (Proverbs 16:18),"The Lord detests all the proud" (Proverbs 16:5), "Do not be proud" (Romans 12:16), "Love does not boast, it is not proud" (1 Corinthians 13:4). In fact Paul warns Timothy that in the last days men "will be lovers of themselves" (2 Timothy 3:2)...Why should we do anything to encourage people to become "lovers of themselves" if Paul in fact warned others that that would be the state of godlessness in the last days?

SCHULLER: I hope you don't [preach this] because you could do a lot of damage to a lot of beautiful people...if you preach that text, oh man, I sure hope you give it the kind of interpretation that I do or, I'll tell you, you'll drive them farther away and they'll be madder than hell at you and they'll turn the Bible off, and they'll switch you off, and they'll turn on the rock music and Madonna. Just because it's in the Bible doesn't mean you should preach it...it is so difficult to preach some of those texts and not come across as lacking humility.^vii

Ellen White once said, "It is through this avenue of self-esteem and self-sufficiency that Satan will seek to ensnare the people of God" (Review and Herald, June 18, 1889: par. 2). Schuller is doing a cunning job of distorting Scripture, and many are being led astray through his teachings. Read about Schuller's twisted definition of sin

i. Robert Schuller, Self-Esteem: The New Reformation (Waco, TX: Word Books, 1982): 64.

ii. Ibid: 26-27.

iii. "About Dr. Robert H. Schuller," CrystalCathedral.org.

iv. Robert Schuller, Self-Esteem: The New Reformation (Waco, TX: Word Books, 1982): 19, 57.

v. Ibid: 75.

vi. Ibid: 135.

vii. Radio interview with Robert Schuller (November 1992), Rapidnet.com.