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.
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I’m sorry to hear Chuck Smith lying to Christianity today. I’ve heard about some mis-dealing with Chuck and CSN, and how they had to turn it over to some business man.
I think age and attrition has set in on pastor Chuck, and the most gracious thing he could is to retire without fan-fare, repent of these ungodly attitudes, and fade off unto the sunset of once upon a time.
I wonder not only what happened, but how long has it been happening?
There has been controversies behind:
Skip Heitzig – Money and women.
Steve Mays – Control and manipulation.
Greg Laurie – Endorsing bad teachers, while not teaching what they teach. Such as Kim Clement and Rick Warren.
Chuck Smith Jr. – Apostacy
Chuck Smith Sr. – Money, his car collection (not models either mind you), staff members and sexual improprieties. Not adequately rebuking his son.
Jon Courson – Bad Teaching.
The removing of Roger Oakland broadcast and firing him and locking him out of his office, who merely attempted to criticize some pastors without calling them by name.
And those are the few I know of personally. Your website is bringing some new ones to light.
I really struggle with continuing to hold my tongue about these guys.
I don’t believe a word of this article!! I feel really sorry for the person that wrote it. Pastor Chuck is a human being!!! He is also one of the greatest pastors around. If he lied, which I don’t believe he did, instead of ridiculing and writing about him and trying to slander him, why don’t you just silently forgive him, just like Jesus would do for you. Those without sin, cast the first stone.
Sincerely,
Hope Jeanette
Hello Hope,
Why don’t you believe a word of the article? Because you “know” it’s a lie? How do you “know?” And who don’t you believe? Me, the authors at Christianity Today magazine, and/or the multiple people referenced in the article? Read the response I just posted a few minutes ago to Scott. I’ll ask you a similar question: Why is your faith in Chuck and not solely in Jesus Christ? Why can’t Chuck be capable of lying?
As for forgiveness, pardon me for my little rant here, but this has got to be one of the most misguided and confused ideas many Christians believe. Are you being judgmental when you call sin, sin? And when YOU forgive someone, does that (in your mind) restore full honor, trust and completeness of a person? Because if your answer is yes to that, then you don’t believe that anyone should ever be in prison. A person could for example molest a child, ask for forgiveness and then immediately be put back in charge of watching children. No! That is not the way it works. I am not “judging” Chuck Smith for exposing darkness with light anymore than it is wrong to call sin for what it is. “Silently forgive” to me sounds like silently burry your head in the sand. Jesus didn’t do that and he doesn’t call his disciples to do that. Fact is, many Christians I believe end up covering up evil (and hence allowing it to continue and even flourish) for refusing to deal with sin under some misguided notion of silent forgiveness. (Think Catholic priests here!) You might be forgiven for molesting a child. (Through Christ all sins can be forgiven! Amen!!) That doesn’t mean you don’t belong in prison! As to Chuck, he might very well be forgiven (Through Christ all things are possible!) that doesn’t mean he belongs as “senior pastor” to thousands of churches world-wide. In other words, there is a difference between forgiveness of sin and forgiveness of consequences to sin! Not even God lets us loose of consequences!
Lastly and just as a side note, the verse you are referring to about “those without sin” comes from John 8:7. In case you were unaware, all the early papyri and the best major uncial manuscripts omit John 7:52 to 8:12. In other words, it is generally agreed to by biblical scholars that the story about the adulterous woman was added by a scribe at some point after John wrote the gospel. (This really freaked me out when I first learned it, but I’ve sense come to grips with it.) In any case, my point is just that this is sort of a bad verse to use in shaming other Christians into forgiving someone.
Take care.
This looks like a witch hunt for pastor Smith. It looks like whoever wrote this original blog about Chuck Smith is trying real hard to find something he did wrong and finding it very, very hard to come up with anything. If this is the only thing you can come up with which is a real, real stretch it just shows the kind of life Chuck Smith has lead. It appears that the writer of this blog has an agenda against Chuck Smith and/or the CC movement. The bible warns against slanders and those that would try and divide the church. Even if these weak and insignificant allegations are true it would just show me that Pastor Chuck is trying to protect some pastors who may have fallen into sin. This writer should be ashamed to write this and completely ignore all the amazing good he has done for literally hundreds of pastors and tens of thousands of people if not millions of people. Perhaps instead of trying to find fault with pastor Chuck Smith, the write should ask for forgiveness and try and lead 1/100 of the type of life pastor Smith has lead.
Hello Scott,
Thank you for your comments. It is clear that you are a fan/supporter of Chuck Smith and I am sorry if you are offended by what you read on my blog. I am not clear if your comments are aimed toward me (i.e. the author of 1peter5 blog) or the authors for the Christianity Today article. In any case, I think most of what I’ve already written stands for itself and same for the CT article. Why should I or the author’s of that article be ashamed? In any case, your reply is nothing but an attempt to discredit me and addresses none of the issues raised. You have no idea who I am, the way I live, or the faith I have and yet you are telling me that I should be ashamed and attempt to live 1/100 as good as Chuck Smith. (It is interesting that you rebuke me against the righteousness of Chuck Smith and not Jesus!) You and I Scott, apparently see things differently. I do not idol worship mere men. My “senior pastor” (your Chuck Smith) is the true and living triune God! Should I be ashamed of that!? Absolutely not! I want to bow down in solidarity with fellow disciples of Christ at the foot of the cross and I don’t want mere men standing between me and my savior trying to taint the most amazing gift God has ever given the world. I will not bow down to Chuck (despite how “good of a man” he is) and I will call things as I see them when fellow workers in the faith (which is all Chuck is-a fellow worker) is totally going off the rails. You have no right to call down shame on me when the very purpose of my writing is to expose evil within the church. I am fighting for righteousness, decency and truth. What are you fighting for? Because you have elevated Chuck to a place that you should not, you see criticism of him as blasphemy. I hope and pray for your sake that you are blessed with Clarity and wisdom. I will pray for you! Take care.
When the “movement” began way back in the day – it was a simple model of evangelism (much like the Book of Acts describes):
1. Ask God for help
2. Preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ
3. Invite believes to fellowship with you
4. Watch the Spirit enable the gifts for edification of saints and the Word
5. Reason together the doctrines of God’s Word
6. Sing songs and spiritual psalms
7. Look up – for the deliverer is coming!
Sadly, this same simple moving of the Holy Spirit that draws believers together; has become another denomination with rules and creeds to follow.
I have taught God’s Word for nearly three decades and I can tell you this – a “pastor” or shepherd is not the spiritual head of any fellowship. No. He is gifted uniquely by the Holy Spirit along with his fellow believers.
Even then, a shepherd has the attributes of an “elder” or someone learned in handling God’s Word and having the ability to discern right and wrong – good and evil. And, with this gifting; is apt to teach and at the same time, is a servant to all.
Today, if someone is called a “Pastor” (especially in the American church) he is elevated to a “Moses” like status and apparently, believes he has obtained all the giftings of the Spirit except singing…
I attend a small “Calvary” fellowship here in my little town – but, I am very aware (and concerned) by all those Calvary Pastors who believe the Son rises and falls with their every decision. This lack of accountability with and within the Calvary movement is causing all kinds of liberties to sin occuring.
The problem is this. Calvary “pastors” for the most part; see their accountability toward fellow calvary pastors but not toward and “elder men” of that local fellowship. Secondly, the whole gifting of “pastor” is not even an office – nor is eldership and yet; the Calvary system is formed to resemble a “clergy vs. laity” distinction!
So, why am I fellowshipping in a Calvary fellowship? Simple. As an elder to the church (the Body of Christ Jesus), I have opportunity to help a younger brother study and apply God’s Word correctly based on the apostle’s teachings by the Holy Spirit vs. man-made traditions (including Chuck Smith’s traditions).
I will stay on as long as the Holy Spirit allows and continue encouraging my young “shepherd” friend to God’s Holiness and the understand/application of the Word in truth and love!
Lastly, Calvary Chapel movement has sadly evolved into another denomination full of traditions and frailities. This movement too, will fade in insignificance but the church themselves (true followers of Jesus Christ) will continue moving onto holiness and we await our Great God and Lord, Jesus Christ!
What to do in the meantime? Our brother James said it best, “… to keep oneself from being spotted by the things of this world.” James 1:27
P.S. We have a home fellowship that meets daily in our town – and use the occasion of Sunday fellowship as a way to connect with other believers… just as our brothers and sisters did daily in the early church.
I hate to hear this about Chuck- I love his radio program. I am a new Christian ( 4 about 2.5 years ) My history before Jesus called me to himself is SO dark that it scares me to think about it. IE: Countless drug overdoses ect.) And one morning I was listing to Greg L. and I said the prayer like he told me to and my WHOLE life changed. Everything stopped – drug and achole abuse. As you can see by my writing that I am but a simple man but if there is one thing I have learned about our Lord, is that he was the ONLY perfect sacrifice. My point to this is that Greg L. pastor is Chuck S. and I love them both but I do not worship them and they are not perfect. They are only men.
Jim,
I believe that your story is similar to that of thousands of other people who have come to know the Lord through sermons preached by Calvary Chapel guys. Praise be to God for this! It would seem by your last sentence that you have your priorities clear (and correct). My only further advice is keep asking questions! God is truth and His word is truth. What makes our faith real and true is that it withstands hard questions! Christianity is not just another religion on the smorgasbord of ideas. Christian faith is NOT blind. Biblical faith requires trust and that is built upon knowledge! True godly men have nothing to hide (including the way they run their church).
I attended a local Calvary Chapel for 26+ years. After the pastor’s wife come forward to admit of several affairs,
they divorced and now their son is the senior pastor. It is so sad because the lack of accountability that has been mentioned previously on this page is what caused the downfall of this church. Also, the son has declared that any “counseling” is not his gift so he will only be teaching. Isn’t that a big part of a pastor’s position to take care of the flock? I’ve been a Christian for 31 years now I see the value in accountability within denominations. The lust for power and control is too strong and when it is accompanied by pride, it can be a powerful tool the enemy will use to divide and conquer.
Look up, our redemption draws near.
We need to be cognizant of our own Christian walk rather than pointing fingers at everyone else. If we strive to righteousness, it leaves very little room for fingerpointing. I’ve found in my life that when I’m pointing out the speck in my brother’s eye, there’s a huge log in my own.
I commend Pastor Chuck for his great teaching and knowledge of God’s Word. If he makes a mistake sometimes..that’s okay because there was only one perfect man created…and He died and rose again!
Hello “NonjudgmentalChristian”
I agree that we need to be cognizant of our own Christian walk! That should go without saying. But I am not the type of Christian who buries my head in the sand pretending things are okay when they are not. Many Christians seem to have the same mentality that the leadership within the Roman Catholic Church has traditionally taken with child-molesting priests. I’m sorry, but there is a difference between turning a blind eye to sin (and thereby condoning it) and “finger pointing.” Not being “judgmental” has got to be one of the most misunderstood biblical principles. Maybe it’s time for a new post. It’s been a while. Look soon for a post on “what does it mean to be judgmental.”
Lastly my friend, not to be mean, but your comment of “if he makes a mistake sometimes…that’s okay” is just off the rails. Yes, only Jesus was sinless. But that doesn’t mean that our SIN (what you are conveniently calling “mistakes”) are “okay.” Those sins are SO NOT okay that Jesus had to die for them!! Saying that what Pastor Chuck is doing is okay because Jesus died either diminishes what Christ did or wrongly condones sin. Either way, that comment is off the rails.
(Update: I just posted a new post: “The Judgmental Christian.”)
Wow! There is much wisdom written in these posts and I am somewhat embarassed by what was written about Pastor Chuck. There is one element that we must focus on and that is what is God doing about Chuck’s sin? We may never know but I will assume knowing Chuck, that he did repent of his sin and that he is fully aware of the potential damage caused by his sin. He is truly a vessel chosen and used by God. We have many other examples of “good” men, leaders etc. that have fallen. King David immediately comes to mind as does Moses and countless others. The key word for all of what was written both about Chuck and in the Bible is grace! We must assume that Chuck confesses and repents daily. We much also continue to be “fruit inspectors”. There is no doubt that Pastor Chuck is capable of sin and he like the rest of us sins daily but we must show him the grace that is shown to us daily. I am reminded of what Paul teaches us in Colossians 3:13 “Bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do” It is very sad to me that we find it necessary to point out the sin of others, especially leaders and Pastors. I believe that if the sin did occur as stated in the CT article, then why didn’t you research and confirm that there were or weren’t consequences to that sin? I assure you that there were and Chuck dealt with it as appropriately as he was led by the Spirit. I don’t agree in sharing all of the dirty laundry that is found in churches as if we did, churches would consist of empty buildings. I find it a bit frustrating that you are just assuming that we think Pastor Chuck is perfect or sinless. We don’t. But one thing we do know is that He loves the Lord, is used in a mighty way by the Lord and his good fruit is evident. We also know that he sins too. We knew this before you wrote your article. Please research this a bit further to confirm that Chuck turned a blind eye to what happens in his care. You may be surprised to find out that he does not tolerate sin as you have implied. God bless you and I will pray that you are led to the truth and the whole truth.
Hello Bill,
Please excuse me for taking so long to respond. I have been unbelievably busy lately and have not had much time to check in with the blog. So where to begin. Let me start by thanking you for your thoughts and I appreciate your challenges. I truly wish I had more responses like yours.
In your response, you made two comments that go to the core of my problem with the “Calvary Chapel” movement. You stated, “We may never know but I will assume knowing Chuck, that he did repent…” and “We must assume that Chuck confesses and repents daily.” Twice you used the word “assume.” Why? Why can’t you know? Does anyone know? In the same sentence you say that “we may never know” but then say you will assume. Why do you assume? If CT hadn’t run their article, it sounds to me like you would have just assumed he never did a thing wrong. Once you learned (from CT) that he did do something wrong, you then default to assuming he repented. Again, why? Try assuming for a minute that Chuck is not repentant. Who is he accountable too and how would you know if he ever did sin to begin with and/or if he was ever repentant. All of these things you just assume! Don’t you ever fear that your assuming perhaps is unintentionally a license to sin? The accountability is non-existent and for some reason I do not understand, you have relatively blind faith in Chuck. I say “relatively blind” because in your own words, you “may never know” if Chuck repents from sin and simply assume to believe!
The closest you come to acknowledging accountability is what you call being a “fruit inspector.” That is very tricky and I remember it well when I used to be a Calvary Chapel-ite. Chuck talks about this in his CC-Distinctives book. The way this goes within Calvary Chapel is that if a pastor is “of God” then his church will grow. It is actually amazing how Chuck works both sides of this idea! On the one hand, Chuck seems quite adamant about “not counting heads.” In other words, Chuck is all about telling pastors to simply trust in the Lord to grow His church. But the back side to that is his reliance upon church size to show “fruit.” So long as the church is growing, it’s of God. And by that measure, without question, Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa is huge! But there is a massive (and silent) flaw in that thinking. There are men of God whose churches fail while there are also total heresy churches that flourish.
The key to being a real fruit inspector is transparent accountability to others who have authority. Chuck has no accountability and fairly clearly outlines in his CC Distinctives book that he is only accountable to God! I think that is crazy. Everything about Calvary Chapels seems to be shrouded in veils of secrecy. Just as there are no members and little or no accountability over pastors, so to it would seem is simple transparent honesty. My chin dropped as I read your comment of, “I don’t agree in sharing all of the dirty laundry that is found in churches as if we did, churches would consist of empty buildings.”
My friend, seriously, you have this very wrong. It’s because so many churches engage is systematic cover-ups of sin that so many people in the world see Christians and nothing but judgmental hypocrites. Your comments unfortunately help verify that worldly view of Christians.
To give you some benefit of the doubt, I think you might possibly be confused because Calvary Chapels are not “church” in the sense of being the body of Christ or a family of believers. Calvary Chapels are entities which are almost entirely controlled by one person or a very small group of handpicked lieutenants. The masses of people who would typically comprise the “church” are just regular visitors with no say or relevance to the body whatsoever. I’ve often compared Calvary Chapels to a movie theater with regular patrons. Everything is owned, controlled and operated by an owner while everyone who attends are just visitors. As this relates to what you call “dirty laundry,” you think like the owner of a business entity and not like a family member. When a business messes up, they don’t exactly advertise that. Fact is, they try very hard to hide that fact (and even down play it) to keep customers flowing in. Within a family however it is completely different. When family members hide from one another what they are doing, it is dysfunctional. When groups of Christians engage in routine and purposeful ignorance to in-house sin, it clearly shows dysfunction and problems.
Bill, I do not mean to slam you the way this reply probably sounds. But Calvary Chapels are so big and so influential within the Christian community, that I seriously fear the kind of damage this movement will due to the body of Christ when it all starts to unfold. I will pray for you and the movement as a whole that is turns away from this “Moses model” and submits to real honest accountability.
Thank you again for your response.
Good luck and God bless!
I came to the Lord through Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. I will ever be grateful to Chuck Smith for providing a place that ministered to me, where I understood the Gospel clearly for the first time in my life. Then a place where I could learn the truths of the Bible. One of the first truths I learned was not to place my faith in man but in God alone. Man fails, but God never fails. Chuck is a man, a fallible human being. Its for God alone to judge any shortcomings he may have. As for me, I am thankful and grateful to GOD for Chuck Smith and Calvary and I think your effort to cause division is severely misguided.
Who among us is perfect? Don’t cast stones brother. Only Jesus could…and He did not.
Not clear on where Chuck lied?
When he said he did not remember?
And warning about “touching” God’s annointed, do you know what the whole context of that statement was?
I read the C.T. article…a lot of unamed sources. Is that the way to write an article?
I am a member of the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) for the last ten years, after having been raised in the Church of Christ. My foundation of Jesus Christ is absolutely solid, for I know that He is Messiah, Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace – among many, many wonderful names.
I have been an adult bible teacher for many years, and lately have been utilizing the online Blue Letter Bible for study aids. Chuch Smith is a major contributor, viz-a-viz commentaries. I have always mostly agreed with his interpretation of Holy Scriptures, until this morning:
It concerns his commentary on 1 Peter 2. In his condemnation of false teachers, he continues “….they can always find some Unitarian minister or Disciples of Christ minister or something who take an anti-god, antichrist position.”
Needless to say, Mr. Smith is way off the mark in referring to Disciples ministers as ‘false teachers.’
The Calvary Chapel movement is actually so large that it is a small city of pastors alone. The early church had problems as well and to consider the size and scope of the ministry they Spiritual health is remarkably high. The word is taught, God has the authority in His wordand obedience through submission to Jesus and walking by the Spirit is emphasised. this teaching the bible simply method is one that works. Faith comes by hearing hearing the word of God. This seems like a mud slinging type of reporting. Smith is still a most humble man I see him driving his golf cart accross the grounds and he still stops to remove the trash from the bushes himself. Chuck rocks, he doesnt compromise the truth. My friend, at the church of Christ, Chuck is right to call out your movement as any church that says your baptism must be in their church to be saved is placing themselves as a mediator I went ot a church of Christ and they tried to tell me i wasnt saved unless i joined them…
Calvary Chapel is a cult. No one is to question the pastor, or is it Paxtor? Though they say that they teach the word of God they really subtily distort the scriptures by way of referencing some far out Greek lexicon or dictionary written by an unsaved pagan scholar. Their verse by verse study through the bible is uninspired.
The music is delivered in such a way as to work up carnal hypnotic trance-like states so one is more suseptable to their corrupt doctrines. A very reliable source told me that his friend saw a check for 4,000,000.00 dollars from the vatican to Chuck to start up his music ministry. He really is an arm of the Jesuits. The Roman Catholic bishop of Uganda stated that Chuckie was the Roman Catholic churches’ best hope for the reunion of the protestant churches with Rome.
Chuckie seems to enjoy explaining away the miracle of the ten plagues in egypt and the reformation and key doctrines of the bible.
The largest Calvary (Skull) Chapel in Las vegas was built on land donated by the mob.
We need to expose this cult and reach out in love to save those ensnared therein.
Your fellowservant in Christ
Antipope
Former Chuckite – Completely agree with you that Calvary Chapel is a cult! I am so glad I have extricated myself from their control! Freedom—
Dear I Peter 5,
I was wondering if you are familiar with an expression used in schools fairly often, “a teacher’s teacher,” describing a teacher who is so great at what he or she does, that other teachers learn from them and try to emulate their teaching style and/or methods? I truly believe that is what the pastors are referring to when they call Pastor Chuck their pastor; that to them, he is one of the best models for teaching God’s Word.
A person can have more than one person who pastors them (or “gives spiritual care and guidance”); it does not necessarily have anything to do with how close they are in distance, if they attend the same local congregation, or how well they know them. There are several people I look to in a pastoral role because they are wiser, possess more knowledge, and have more life experience than me.
Do you hold the belief that a church must have members/membership? I would be interested to know how you interpret Acts 2:47b: “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” It does not say that man, by his policies and bylaws, decides who can be a part of the church. God knows each of our hearts; He knows who believes in Him, He knows who truly loves Him, He knows who is saved, and He knows who is truly His child. He does not need to have our names on a church membership roll to know these things.
Would you agree that when any responsible writer prints something as fact, they must have reliable sources cited to corroborate the information and they should give their real name as the writer of that information. The blog that I have read does not include either.
Without corroborating sources, the words in your blog just become gossip and slander, and as a disciple of Christ whose very purpose for writing is to expose evil within the church, you must realize that gossip and slander are evil and just as sinful in God’s eyes as the lying and sexual sin you are alleging. To our heavenly Father, sin is sin; there are no degrees of sinful behavior. If we are guilty in one area of sin, we are guilty in all. We must be very careful when pointing a finger at another, especially a brother in the Lord.
You might say that Christianity Today had reliable, corroborating sources cited in its article, but for me, it’s a matter of who the reader believes. It seems more like a case of he said, she said or he said, he said.
I was raised in two Christian churches and after Bible college served God in the children’s ministry for 27 years at Eastside Christian Church (a non-denominational Bible-believing church) in Fullerton, California. When our youngest was ready to enter high school, you can imagine how earnestly we prayed for God’s will in this matter and that our son would be accepted into the school that was seeking to follow God and the principles and teachings of His Word the closest. God clearly answered our prayers: Calvary Chapel High School in Costa Mesa.
We had reservations, at first, because we had also been told that it was a “charismatic” church and that it was a “cult”. We absolutely did not go in with a blind eye; in fact, we were very careful to investigate and scrutinize. In their teaching and beliefs, they are on the exact same page, scripturally, as the “Christian church.” Although they do not have the word, Christian, in their name, they follow Christ in every way. Isn’t that the definition of Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ?
In the six years we have been part of Calvary Chapel, we have learned so much and nothing has been contrary to the Word of God; not from the pulpit, not from the Bible studies, not from the classes, and not from the radio broadcast. We love the way Pastor Chuck is led by the Holy Spirit to teach straight from God’s Word, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. He does not preach by topics, skipping around various books of the Bible each Sunday and Wednesday. Nor does he need to make up alliterations or acronyms for us to follow his sermons; it is simply God’s Word simply.
If you truly knew Pastor Chuck, you would realize that he loves God with all his heart, that he has a passion for lost souls and always points people to Jesus as the only way, that he acts justly, loves mercy, and walks humbly with our God, and that he tries very hard to practice what he preaches and to lead by example. He would be the first to say that we must fix our eyes on Jesus and not on him.
I believe God has given Pastor Chuck several spiritual gifts, two of which are knowledge and wisdom. He is a man of fervent prayer, going to God for guidance with every decision. It grieves my heart that you think so poorly of your brother in the Lord. I am not certain if you, I Peter 5, are my brother or my sister, but you can be certain that God knows Pastor Chuck’s heart. You can also be certain Pastor Chuck understands that as a teacher, he will be judged more strictly. Aren’t you glad that God in His infinite wisdom, love, and mercy gets to be our judge, and that He doesn’t leave it up to us to judge each other? I know I am.
I am also glad that you are a disciple of Christ. Isn’t it wonderful to know that we don’t have to convince people by telling them we are His disciples, but as it says in John 13:35, “all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” I know if you are devoting as much time and passion in introducing people to Jesus, as you are in writing your blog, heaven will be filled with many more people who love and serve the Lord. God’s blessings to you.
Faith E.
Hello Faith E,
At over 1,000 words, your responses definitely wins for the longest post so far on my blog. Thank you for your time, input and thoughts.
You have raised a plethora of issues, most of which have already been addressed in other responses and postings. To fully respond to your post would require a small book on my part. That is my way of apologizing for not fully being able to respond to all of your points.
As for the rest, you bring up some interesting points. First of all, it has weighed heavily on me, starting this blog on Calvary Chapels. It is a tough situation in that I believe that the Calvary Chapel movement is largely Christian to which many people are being brought to salvation through their churches. The temptation is therefore to label the entire group as “good” and then refuse to ever criticize them. The flip side is to simply label them as bad, un-Christian or a cult and completely disregard all that they do for the kingdom of God. It’s either heresy-bad-church or truth-do-nothing-wrong church. Both are wrong. However, while I acknowledge (right, here and now) that the Calvary Chapel movement is in many ways good; it is important to remember that there are literally tens or even hundreds of thousands of Calvary Chapelites that are promoting and speaking well of their cause. And while good for them, I’m about one of maybe a few dozen who are criticizing them. I hate that the focus of my blog seems entirely negative, but I don’t know of a better way. In my personal life, I do get the balance of both good and bad.
Secondly, you are perhaps the second or third person to mention the “no-name” issue. It is true that I do not have my name or personal info on my blog. This is another issue that I might just start a new posting about. There are a couple of reasons for this. Primarily, I am unimportant. I am not trying to create a “counter-movement.” I’m not claiming to be Moses or someone whom you should follow or listen too. I’m just a knuckle-head sinner like everyone else. So what purpose is there in telling people that my name is Joe Blow who used to attend such-and-so Calvary Chapel? It’s just fodder for you and anyone else to disregard what is being said here. If you want to call that gossip, then fine. But you calling these words gossip still does not answer the questions I pose. I noticed that in your very large post, you don’t respond to any of the things alleged and only attack me for not having a name and being a gossip. My response is to simply use your own mind and draw your own conclusions. Don’t worry about me and don’t quote my blog as a source. Assume that everything you read on my blog is a lie, and then work it out with your bible, your brain and the Holy Spirit. Come to a conclusion on your own that what is being said here is distinguishable from your experiences. If so, great! If not, keep asking why! Perhaps start with the questions I ask virtually everyone. Ask who your pastor is accountable to and do not assume anything.
Lastly to the membership issue. As for Acts 2:47, I likely interpret that verse the same way you do. But what does that have to do with Church membership? How do you turn that verse into a prohibition against membership? And by the way, just so we are clear, Calvary Chapels do have membership! It’s just not for the attendees. It is only for those in leadership. If you don’t believe me (and here is something you can source,) go to the California Secretary of State’s web page and look up corporation searches. Here is the link: http://kepler.sos.ca.gov/list.html. Type the words “Calvary Chapel” in the search for corporations. There are over 300 corporate legal entities in the state of California with the name Calvary Chapel in them. How did those get started? Who set those up and for what purpose? The answer is that your church owns stuff like buildings and bank accounts and most Calvary Chapels incorporate. Did you know that? So big deal right? Who cares? Well ask yourself who runs this stuff and who they are accountable to. And along those lines, how is the money and property accounted for and who does it belong to. Even more importantly, just ask and see what kind of answer you get from your pastor! This stuff is only gossip when it is in the dark. For example, most members of Evangelical Free Churches (who have membership) would find all of the above dull and boring because they are all given, as members, accounting for who owns what and where their money is being spent. It is just being accountable which Calvary Chapels have a serious problem with! It all starts with the Moses model.
Good luck and God bless.
I accepted the Lord when I was 10 years old. I am now 64. I have found the grace and mercy of God, at Calvary Chapel. I know Pastor Chuck personally, a man of God without doubt. My son has been in his house, and most of what he has is very old, and many hand downs. Chuck does not have hidden wealth. During my time at Calvary, there have been many issues over my 30 years, attending there. The reason for that is that we are all sinners saved by God’s grace and sacrifice. Peter fell and look at the act of redemption, between denial and the book of Acts. Everyone has this new formula, the of course the splinter is someone else’s eye are always bigger the the log in ours. Where is the love in the emerging church, and why are the beliefs new every morning?
I accepted the Lord on October 27th 1973 at Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa when I was 27 years old. I am now 63 and living in Panama City, Panama. I have been personally acquainted with Pastor Chuck and his family for many years. I was a personal friend of Chuck Smith Jr. and have been to their family’s home on several occasions. I know them.
It it impossible to be surrounded by 100s of thousands of people for over 40 years and not have some bad apples that will bring disgrace upon themselves and the church they attend or work for. I have know of some improprieties in the Calvary Chapel movement over the years. But none that were created by Chuck Smith. Pastor Chuck is an honorable and good man and his family are good people. We are all sinners saved by grace. But a finer man you will not find. He is true to God and a faithful husband and friend. His intention is to be truthful with every work that comes from his lips. If he has ever said something that was untrue it was not knowingly or intentional. I will never change my opinion of him. I have sat in front of him for hundreds of sermons. Next to Jesus, I owe him my life.
Pastor Chuck Smith is an honorable and good man and his family are good people. Because of Chuck Smith Jr. I am saved today. I will pray for you. Something must have hurt you deeply to attack such a Godly man.
Calvary Chapel and other Denominations: We all seem to want a system to connect to instead of “connecting” to Jesus Christ. To live by Faith, to surrender into the invisible God is difficult, but rewarding. Without faith, utter trust in God heart to heart, we displease God. But to walk by faith is to open one’s heart fully to God!! Much safer to grab onto a man, who seems to be “closer to God” than me….. This is the danger. These men then become the leaders not Jesus. They put on Radio programs about their perspectives…. What about The Holy Spirit’s perpective!!??
I am not going to bash CC. However, I have chosen to seek fellowship elsewhere. Mainly because I am not good enough to follow their repenting of sins and staying abiding philosophy. I guess they will be sitting on high thrones because of their great abilities to stay saved… Except, doesn’t this negate Grace?? Being saved is being called, convicted by the Holy Spirit to believe on Jesus. A surrender of one’s self into Jesus to be my savior!! If truly done, then one is Born again forever. I came in as a wretch and am still wretched in my old man, yet a New creature in Christ. This does not meld with the CC philosophy of having to stay saved etc. Also, they put up a fence to keep people with “sin in their heart” from taking communion. Like they don’t still have sin in their hearts too? It is just too elitist of a club. that is where I see most Mega Christianity today, an “elks club” for people who want to connect, for selfish reason vs. preaching the Gospel in its purity and suffer for it because of the offense of the Cross and its wonderful Grace to the wretched ones who are called out and believe!!
God Bless, Dave