Westboro Baptist Church says it will protest Schuller funeral

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The Rev. Robert H. Schuller preaches at the Crystal Cathedral in 1997. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Robert H. Schuller in 1967 at the Orange Drive-In theater, where he preached atop the snack bar. (Ray Graham / Los Angeles Times)

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Robert Schuller in 1963.

(Cliff Otto / Los Angeles Times)

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In June 1957, the Rev. Robert Schuller held his Garden Grove Community Church service at the Orange Drive-In. The church had no permanent building and rented the drive-in each Sunday. (Los Angeles Times / Los Angeles Times)

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The Rev. Robert H. Schuller stands on the balcony of the Richard Neutra-designed Arboretum at the Garden Grove Community Church, where worshipers could walk in or drive in during the early 1960s. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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In 1961, architect Richard Neutra designed for Schuller the world’s first “walk-in-drive-in” church building in Garden Grove. The controversial $5-million structure, deemed undignified by some, caused 40 members of his congregation, including some of the leadership, to leave in protest. (Los Angeles Times / Los Angeles Times)

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Some of the 10,000 windows being installed in the new Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove in December 1979. (Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times)

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On opening day of the new Crystal Cathedral on Sept. 14, 1980, trumpeter John McIntyre of Westminster sounds a voluntary during dedication ceremonies. (Deris Jeannette / Los Angeles Times)

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The Rev. Robert H. Schuller in 1983; he later saw his ministry shattered by family discord and financial ruin.

(Marsha Traeger / Los Angeles Times)

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One of Robert Schuller’s legacies is the Crystal Cathedral -- since renamed Christ Cathedral -- a Philip Johnson-designed structure made of steel and 10,000 panes of glass. (Deris Jeannette / Los Angeles Times)

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The Rev. Robert Schuller created the weekly “Hour of Power” television show that at its peak attracted an international audience of millions. (Christine Cotter / Los Angeles Times)

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Those who didn’t want to come into the Crystal Cathedral could view the service from cars on a giant video screen. (Gail Fisher / Los Angeles Times)

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A statue of Moses with the Ten Commandments at the Crystal Cathedral mega-church in Garden Grove, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2010. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

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Robert Schuller conducts a pre-concert tour of the new Crystal Cathedral on May 14, 1980. (Tony Barnard / Los Angeles Times)

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The Rev. Robert H. Schuller in 1987.

(Don Kelsen / Los Angeles Times)

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Angels take flight above the audience during “The Glory Of Christmas” pageant presented at the Crystal Cathedral in 1998. Suspended from thin cables, the angels are costumed actresses that appear to float through the cavernous building during the theatrical production of the story of Christmas.

(DON BARTLETTI / Los Angeles Times)

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One of the Kings rides atop a camel during a performance of “The Glory of Christmas.”

(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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For the drive-in sanctuary, the Crystal Cathedral re-dedicated its famous drive-in church with the unveiling of a giant mobile television screen on March 24, 1985. (Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times)

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The Rev. Robert H. Schuller in 1983; he later saw his ministry shattered by family discord and financial ruin.

(Marsha Traeger / Los Angeles Times)

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The Rev. Robert H. Schuller, left, is consoled by his son, Robert A. Schuller, in 2006 after announcing that he was stepping down and that his son was taking his place. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Inside the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove during a service in 1987. (Gary Ambrose / Los Angeles Times)

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Schuller and his wife, Arvella, in 2012. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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Robert Schuller, his daughter Carol Milner and his wife, Arvella Schuller, leave the Edward Roybal Federal Building in Los Angeles in 2012. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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Robert H. Schuller on a giant video screen along Chapman Avenue in front of the Crystal Cathedral in 2010. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

By Emily Foxhall

April 7, 2015 12:15 PM PT

A fire-and-brimstone congregation that has made headlines and drawn scorn for its protests at soldiers’ funerals has announced that it will protest the public memorial services for Crystal Cathedral founder the Rev. Robert H. Schuller.

Westboro Baptist Church announced on its website that it will picket the funeral later this month for Schuller, who the Kansas-based group claims promoted tolerance and failed to warn against the “sins” of same-sex marriage.

“He should have preached about hell,” the group said in a statement.

Since 1991, Westboro – which contends end times are imminent and that Obama is the antichrist – has staged 55,000 protests, often drowned out by far greater numbers of counter-protesters.

Westboro members picketed at a staging of the musical “Rent” at Corona del Mar High School in 2009, where they were met by hundreds of students – some dressed in rainbow shirts -- who protested the congregation’s arrival.

Schuller, whose weekly sermons were once broadcast to more than 150 counties and whose sunny brand of religion set a tone for the mega-church movement, died last Thursday at the age of 88.

A public service is planned April 20 at 10 a.m. at the Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove -- formerly the Crystal Cathedral.