Pick a Collah!

The Crystal Cathedral got its latest offer – for $99 million – from an eager buyer in the corridors of the federal courthouse Monday.

The offer came from Robert Lee Tran Truong or King Cuu Long, a self-proclaimed pastor, billionaire and "King of Vietnam."

Truong said he would use the sanctuary for an Episcopal church, but would consider the other buildings for everything from a university to a mall.

A mall?!  I can go to services and get my nails done!  Dayum, maybe I can even attend services via closed circuit TV as I sit in the pedicure chair.
Of course, I might not too excited about an offer that came froma bystader in the hallway outside my bankruptcy hearing, especially when it comes from a self-proclaimed "King of Vietnam."  And for almost double what the highest bid has been.  There is a reason the OC Register is calling this offer "informal."

Truong's background is not very well-known, even in the Vietnamese community, other than his claims of being a pastor, king and billionaire. Hao-Nhien Vu, an editor for Nguoi Viet Daily News said Truong has in the past purchased half page ads in their paper proclaiming himself "President Chancellor of God Bless America," God's Way Institute and the Confucius Institute. Vu said the ads also referred to Truong as a billionaire.

You wait here, I go write check!

Screw it then, it's settled - give it to Truong.  I think the Schuller Saga needs a little more crazy.  And their latest bid fits the bill.

Winthrop said the cathedral's leaders have decided not to pursue a sale.

"They have instead decided to raise funds through contributions and donations to repay the creditors 100 percent," he said. "This is a faith-generated belief that sufficient funds can be generated through this effort."

So, the Schullers will raise $50 million in 120 days.  Something they could not do in the last, oh, two to three years, which led them into this bankruptcy and umpteen unpaid creditors.  As other church members said, the credibility of the Schuller family is shot to hell.  Who would want to give them money seeing how they have basically raided the coffers of the church, pretty much beginning with the first appointment of one of the children to the payroll.  I don't know if this is a stall just to allow them to hide more money or just simply to delay the inevitable death of their cash cow.

An interesting thought . . . you know who hasn't been seen in all of this, even in a sort of "nosing around" capacity?  Rick Warren, pastor of the famous mega-church, Saddleback Church.If he were to buy this, he could have his original church (its parking lot seems as large as Disneyland's) as his "south" campus and the Crystal Cathedral as his "north" campus.  He already leased Schuller's San Juan Capistrano retreat land for Saddleback's use. 

Could he be the miracle the Schullers have in mind?  On December 30, 2009, Rick posted a letter to his congregation, saying that unless he raised $900,000 before midnight on January 1st, the church would be "in the red."  That's not even as big a threat of God striking down Rick as Oral Roberts once used.  However, in the last remaining two days of 2009, the faithful sent $2.4 million in response to Rick's letter.  Imagine what would happen if he sent one out saying that God wanted them to perform a miracle for the Crystal Cathedral to keep it a "house of God" (because y'all know, as soon as the Papists move in, they'll be doing that old Mary worship and serving alcohol, bless their hearts).