Rev. Schuller Has Minor Heart Attack

The Rev. Robert H. Schuller was recovering from a minor heart attack Saturday, rendering him unable to preach today at his Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove and making it questionable whether he will appear in the pulpit for a scheduled globally televised Christmas Eve sermon.

Schuller, 71, was in “very good condition” and in good spirits at UC Irvine Medical Center, where he was visited by his family Saturday afternoon, said his physician, Dr. Tom Cesario. The high-profile televangelist, whose “Hour of Power” broadcast draws about 30 million viewers, is expected to be released within three or four days, though he may not fully recover for a month, doctors said.

His son, Robert A. Schuller, will substitute for him in the pulpit at the 10,000-member Crystal Cathedral in the two scheduled services this morning, said Schuller spokesman Michael Nason. The cathedral staff includes other pastors who often substitute for Schuller when he is traveling.

Nason said Schuller began feeling chest pains about 2:30 p.m. Friday after a meeting at the cathedral and called his doctor, who told him to go to the hospital. After he arrived at the medical center, Schuller called his wife and told her he would drive himself home that night to get materials to prepare for today’s sermons.

But doctors overruled him. Cesario said they found that one of the pastor’s arteries was blocked, and performed an angioplasty to clear it Saturday morning.

Cesario said this averted a “more serious” attack. “We think that we have prevented any significant damage.”

“He takes very good care of himself and probably this is genetically programmed,” Cesario added. While he remains at the hospital, Schuller will be on a standard post-coronary diet, the doctor said.

Cesario said it is unclear how much work Schuller will be able to do as he recuperates in the coming weeks. “On general principle, we don’t want to stress him for a while,” Cesario said.

This is a busy time of year for Schuller. On Christmas Eve he preaches seven sermons. One of this year’s--which would be Schuller’s 200th consecutive Christmas Eve sermon--is scheduled to be broadcast to 154 countries.

“We’re going to have to work on that,” Nason said of the holiday sermons. He said it was too early to rule Schuller out for the holidays. “Here’s a guy who walked in here having a heart attack, and he was ready to go home and pick up his sermon materials so he could work on it while he had his tests.”

Nason said Schuller’s attack, though minor, brought back unpleasant memories of a 1991 trip to Amsterdam when Schuller hit his head on a car door. A blood clot formed in Schuller’s brain and he fell into a coma, recovering only after emergency surgery.

“It was emotional for me,” said Nason, who has worked with Schuller for 20 years and discovered his comatose body in Amsterdam. “This’ll be much more joyous. This is not as serious as 1991.”

Cesario said Schuller has not had any other serious health problems.

The televangelist has been in the news this year for advising President Clinton and for allegedly assaulting an airline attendant in a dispute during a transcontinental flight.

After the latter incident, Schuller pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge but apologized in court, paid a $1,100 fine and agreed to six months under the supervision of a federal case officer.