The Judgmental Christian

Being “judgmental” might be one of the most misunderstood biblical ideas around.  Non-Christians have glommed onto this as a counter to any argument for biblical truth and frequently use it to justify other’s obnoxious or sinful behavior.  Even Christians do this!  For example, just try explaining to your unsaved friend why any of their certain behaviors are sinful and you’ll immediately be met with being called judgmental.  Within churches, try removing a pastor engaging in an extramarital affair and see how many people are more afraid of being “judgmental” than concerned with the pastor’s sin.  I have frankly been shocked by the number of people who criticize me on this blog for shining a light on the sins of the Calvary Chapel movement.

 

So let’s briefly examine this.   The words “judge”, “judging” and “judgment” happen well over 100 times in the New Testament alone.  Depending on the context, these words mean very different things.  Judgment brings with it a finality or ruled upon decision.  For example the “final judgment” (i.e. Acts 17:31 and John 5:22) is where Jesus determines the fate of your soul!  That’s big!  The words “judge” and “judging” are far more liberally used.  In many contexts, these words refer to decision making (i.e. Luke 12:57: “Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?” and John 7:24: “Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.”) 

 

When throwing around so-called biblical prohibitions on being judgmental, most people are referring to Matthew 7:1-2, which says, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”  Notice this does not say, “Do not judge period.”  In other words, the passage is about hypocritically judging, not eliminating your God given ability to discern right from wrong!  It’s not saying to turn a blind eye to sin or think ignorantly!  That would itself be sinful!

 

It actually goes without question that we, as Christians, are called at times to be judgmental!  Jesus Himself says in John 7:24, “Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.”  What is a right judgment if we are never allowed to judge in the first place?  In Matthew 18:15-17, Jesus also outlines what to do with a fellow church member who is sinning.  Specifically, Jesus says in verse 17 that ultimately (after being counseled and refusing to stop) you should treat that fellow sinning church member “as you would a pagan or a tax collector.”  What is that!?  Jesus Himself is clearly outlining model “judgmental” behavior.  Finally, Paul in writing to the Corinthian church makes being “judgmental” clear as a bell.  In 1 Corinthians 5:1, Paul refers to a member of the church who was sleeping with his father’s wife!  In response to this, Paul emphatically says to kick this man out of their fellowship!  He goes so far as to say in verse 5, “hand this man over to Satan!”  Was the great apostle Paul being Judgmental!  You bet he was!  You might be surprised to read 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 where Paul says, “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?  God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”

 

In conclusion, please don’t confuse Christian discernment of sin with being “judgmental.”  Sin is sin and there is nothing sinful about saying so.  Obviously, be Christ-like in your judging.  Show compassion, mercy and forgiveness.  But for heaven’s sake, don’t bury your head in the sand to sin!

 

 

Some Rules re Posting Here!

I started this blog in July 2008 and have not done much with it.  I’ve posted a few thoughts about the Calvary Chapel movement and have responded to a few posts.  Today I deleted, for the first time, a response on the blog.  I deleted it because the post essentially said nothing other than “Chuck Smith is a godly man” and you are not (along with some choice words).

If you post on my blog, feel free to criticize me or my ideas.  (You’ll notice quite a few that are very negative toward me.)  But for heaven’s sake, be constructive, intelligent and possibly even thought provoking.  Comments that have no point and are insulting will be removed.

Chuck Smith Caught Lying to Christianity Today Magazine

If you have not yet had the chance to read the article “Day of Reckoning” in Christianity Today (I have it linked) about Calvary Chapel you need to!  Though the article was written in February 2007, it is very much relevant today!

 

Chuck Smith is sort of like the Pope of Calvary Chapels.  He is the founder of the “movement” and at the very top of the organization.  I have attended a number of Calvary Chapels and a common practice among many Calvary Chapel pastors is to call Chuck Smith “their” pastor.  I was at the one-and-only Calvary Chapel in Oklahoma City last year and listened to the preacher there call Chuck, “his” pastor.  The Calvary Chapel that I was in service at (here in Los Angeles) routinely called Chuck “his” pastor.  A friend of mine who last year was at a Calvary Chapel in New York said that they did the same thing.

 

You get the sense when talking with Calvary Chapel pastors that Chuck Smith is almost a prophet or well, Moses.  To be honest, for nearly two years this did not bother me.  I knew Chuck Smith was an important guy in the CC movement and that he was probably a very good preacher.  As time developed however, I started to wonder why every CC pastor I’ve ever met calls this guy “my” pastor when they live thousands of miles away, don’t attend Chuck’s church and have a limited (if any) relationship with him.  As I started looking into Chuck, a number of things began to emerge about him that was a bit “eye-raising.”

 

Exhibit A, if you will, is Christianity Today’s article from February 2007.  God bless Christianity Today magazine for their exposé of Chuck Smith, Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa and the CC movement as a whole!  If you are currently an attendee of a Calvary Chapel (they don’t have membership or “members” at Calvary Chapel) you need to read this article.  It should scare you as it did me!  It should also scare you that thousands of pastors look to this man as “their” pastor.

 

Chuck Smith is not some low level flunky within the Calvary Chapel movement.  He is the head hancho!  He is the guy that every other Calvary pastor is mentored by, reveres, and is ultimately accountable too!  If Calvary Chapel were Mormonism, this guy would be Joseph Smith.  When this guy speaks (at least about the happenings of Calvary Chapel) you should listen.  When this guy is caught lying to one of the most well established Christian publications in America, you should take notice!

 

By my count, Chuck Smith was twice caught in a lie to a reporter for Christianity Today magazine!  And not just any little white lie.  According to Christianity Today’s article, a number of pastoral staff at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa have been involved in a slew of various sex related problems over the years.  The accusations include everything from child molesting  to a pastor having an affair on church property!  Despite all of this, Chuck told Christianity Today that they at Costa Mesa have “never had problems with sexual sin among staff members.”  The article reports that in one example, a CC Costa Mesa pastor was arrested and later convicted of having sex with a 15-year old girl (the daughter of another pastor)!

 

When the interviewer from Christianity Today asked Chuck about a pastor who reported to the police an incident involving another pastor molesting a 12-year old girl, Chuck’s response was that he “couldn’t remember it.”  At some point later in the interview Chuck apparently made reference to the pastor who had gone to the police by calling him “disgruntled.”

 

This is appalling!  And if you think this is limited to two incidents, Chuck himself in the interview with Christianity Today says otherwise: “I can tell you of many ministers, … [where] fortunately the problems never became public and so people are not even aware of them.  I feel that that’s an honor to God.”  God only knows how many sexual and other sins have taken place by pastors at the very church that is the head of the entire Calvary Chapel movement!

 

The real low point of the article for Chuck was when he vaguely threatened the reporter!  It’s no joke, here’s the quote: “During the investigation for this article, Smith cautioned CT’s reporter: ‘The Lord warns, ‘Don’t touch my anointed.  Do my prophet no harm.’ I think that you are trying to do hard to the work of God.  I surely wouldn’t want to be in your shoes.”  Whoa!  What kind of preacher says this to a reporter for a Christian magazine?  (The answer to that by the way is a preacher who is walking in darkness who thinks the light is getting a bit to close for comfort.)

 

Like I wrote above, God bless the folks over at Christianity Today for their (almost) year long investigation into this group.  My personal gratitude goes out to all at Christianity Today magazine for watching out for those of us you were not aware of this wolf in sheep’s clothing.

 

As for the reader of this blog, if you are an attendee at a Calvary Chapel, ASK QUESTIONS!  ASK ASK ASK!!  Chuck Smith seems like one of the nicest and most biblically centered men around and yet even him, the head of the CC movement, is walking in darkness and accountable to no one but God.

Intro to Calvary Chapel (the Moses Model)

My First Post.

 

For the last two years I have been very blessed by the teachings of a number of Calvary Chapel pastors.  If you are unfamiliar with the Calvary Chapel “movement,” there is a lot to know.  I would encourage you to go to Calvary Chapel’s web page directly and then perhaps to something less credible like Wikipedia and search “Chuck Smith” and “Calvary Chapel.”

 

For me, Calvary Chapels are a strange dichotomy of church experience.  When it comes to much of their bible teachings, they are solid and amazing.  Guys like Greg Laurie, Jon Courson and many other Calvary Pastors are awe inspiring to listen too.  The stuff you hear from them blows most “mainline” liberal churches out of the water.  As a Christian, if you want good preaching on the life of Jesus, salvation, hell or many things practical (i.e. sex, drugs and rock-n-roll) then these guys are just mind blowing (in a good way). 

 

So for all my Christian brothers and sisters reading this, what’s the problem?  The problem is that Calvary’s entire church structure is setup like a cult!  It’s no joke!  It took me two years of attending (and serving) in a number of Calvary Chapel churches to figure this out.  I will save much of my ramblings for future blogs-but for now, I have put my first link up and it is to an article by Christianity Today Magazine (published in February 2007).

 

Though the article is old, the information isn’t.  Read this and ponder it.  I will write my take on the significance of CT’s article in my next posting.