This is commonly called the no-lordship stance. Some Calvary Chapel’s hold to it. They believe that Christ can be your savior, but that Lordship is entirely optional. Their view of salvation is purely post-mortem fire insurance. They fail to recognize that salvation reconciles us to God.

As God’s people we are saved from our sinful state that we might live for Christ, enjoying Him and worshiping Him now and for all eternity. This is why scripture commands all men to repent and put their faith in Christ.

I believe that a Christian, after the “moment of being saved” must continue in faith and trust on God for everything. (health, healing, finances etc.). But I can tell you that CC pastors in Philadelphia do not believe that.

When I was younger, I attended “college nights” (i think they were called) and the pastor teaching those nights kept hitting on a subj. about being saved no matter what. It kept peaking my interest so I emailed him and he asked me to stay afterward the next week and I did.

After we talked for a half hour i was still confused about his belief, so I put it just like this.

“So you are saying that in your opinion, a person at age 18 could confess his sins and accept Jesus as his Savior, and you would say he is saved. (we agreed to that point) And then in later years, he could fall away from faith in God, he could denounce God, curse God, murder, rape, and become a drunkard and in that current state with no desire to repent of any of those, he dies. Where would his soul spend eternity?”

This pastor’s answer was “Without a doubt, Heaven”. And he said it was because he has that moment of repentance and accepted Jesus as his Savior. I was blown away!

My follow up question was “So what about all those verses that say “if you deny me to men, I will deny you to my Heavenly Father”

or the one about all drunkards and liars will spend eternity in hell.

I names many and his response was “Those are for the unsaved to get them to repent”.

So I gathered from his responses that you can have a moment of saving faith, say you give your life to the Lord and then go on living in sin and debauchery, you can do what you please, including the things Hitler did, or Ted Bundy, and still receive eternal life in Heaven.

I was blown away at this teacher’s response I stood up and said “We would agree to disagree” and walked out of that God lacking building

I have spent the last two months or so reviewing Chuck Smith’s book, “Calvary Chapel Distinctives” on this blog. In it I cite page numbers and quote him. I also spend time showing how the scripture he quotes is taken out of context and how he continually contradicts himself. You can see for yourself the blatant twisting of the Word, scripture taken out of context, and modern evangelical influence. Aside from that, Calvary Chapel IS dispensational, a doctrinal framework for interpreting scripture invented in the 19th century. I have posted text from Chuck Smith’s 1978 book where he predicts the year the rapture will take place and have scanned it in on the blog (http://www.modernpulpit.com/2010/06/23/chuck-smith-calvary-chapel-the-end-times-fascination/). I have also documented Chuck Smith stating that God will return to taking pleasure in animal sacrifices from Christian’s during the millennial reign (http://www.modernpulpit.com/2010/03/29/the-millenial-reign-of-christ/). What more do you want from me? Until you get out of your modernistic presupposition you’ll never be able to see how off kilter Calvary Chapel really is.

In this post I highlighted the fact that Calvary Chapel boasts of doctrinal ambiguity to attract people. Here are some snippets from his book:
“You know the beautiful thing about being called Calvary Chapel? People don’t know where you really stand… Calvary Chapel has a sort of mystique about it. “What do these people believe?” “I don’t know, but let’s go find out.” And the whole field is ours. You want to fish in as big a pond as you can find. When you’re marketing something, you want the largest market appeal possible. So don’t chop up the market and say, “Well, we’re just going to fish in this little market here.” Keep the market broad. (pg. 49, 50)”

You wouldn’t have a problem with my writing if I was criticizing Benny Hinn unless you were a follower of Benny Hinn. Do you not realize you are taking offense to my criticizing Chuck Smith because you are his follower?

More Smith, “Some people object because they feel that I gloss over certain passages of Scripture, and they’re correct. But glossing over controversial issues is often deliberate because there are usually two sides. And I have found that it’s important not to be divisive and not to allow people to become polarized on issues, because the moment they are polarized, there’s division. (Pg. 48)”

Do you think it is right that Chuck Smith gets to decide what is clear and what isn’t clear in scripture? Isn’t that what all cults do? “ohh, I don’t think church government is clear in scripture… therefore… I run the show.” (Pg. 17-26) (http://www.modernpulpit.com/2010/06/21/calvary-chapel-distinctives-church-government/) In it find links to Christianity Today articles documenting the gross immorality in Calvary Chapel as a result of this terrible theology.

Here is Chuck Smith bashing education. In fact he takes a scriptural concept out of context. The concept of having begun in the spirit and now being perfected in the flesh is reference to salvation by works. On Page 96 of Calvary Chapel Distinctives Chuck Smith asserts that going to school is being perfected in the flesh! “It’s interesting that having begun in the Spirit, so often, we then seek to be perfected in the flesh. Some of the Calvary Chapel pastors have gone back to school.”

Wake Up! Open your eyes and read a bit about the denomination you are in and its context in the history of the entirety of the church.

I believe Calvary Chapel is as much a part of the body of Christ as Christian’s are in Rick Warren’s church. Lots of error, lots of things missing… The majority of judgment will be on the teachers, but the congregation has itching ears too.

You haven’t backed up any of your statements. That is the difference between you and Paul the apostle. You are on what seems to me (and maybe i’m wrong but this is my impression of what you’re saying) a lashing out of bitterness because you had a bad experience at a Calvary Chapel.

I’ve had a bad experience at one too, but i don’t label them all because of one bad experience. That would be wrong. But that is a side story for another time.

When Paul would write letters of correction (not with any other intent other than correction), he would call out exactly what the problem was so that way it could be fixed… not just complain about stuff that he saw of heard of and never saying exactly what the problem was.

You say that Calvary Chapel “distorts the gospel” and “They do not teach the bible, they read it and then talk about unrelated stories and ideas under a pretense of teaching the bible”, yet you have failed to provide proof or exact times when you witnessed this.

And again, perhaps i am way off, but the tone of your article seems very angry. And your response to my last post gives me the feeling that you don’t see any of the Calvary Chapels as actual members of the church body? If i am wrong on these, please feel free to correct me because i don’t want to have the wrong impression.

So my basic point is, in the context of this article (sorry i haven’t read the others yet) you have not established fact in the wild claims that you have made which is one thing that troubles me a lot. With a subject of the magnitude, you should have this article stand alone filled with fact so that there will be no misunderstandings or strictly opinions being stated because on ones distaste for a particular group.

My recommendation to you is to take a look at my posts regarding Chuck Smith’s book, “Calvary Chapel Distinctives.” You tell me if that is what you mean by replacing the word of God with the traditions of men. You point out the fact that Paul even criticized churches and people in scripture for their false doctrine. Often he had very strong words for them, even desiring some to be cut off. Why then do you find fault when I clearly demonstrate Calvary Chapel’s false doctrine and stances?

It’s not a matter of slandering a part of the body of Christ. In one sense you admit it’s ok, “the bible does it.” In another you claim it is slander. Was Paul slandering? Or was Paul warning the body of false teachers and doctrine? Calvary Chapel distorts the gospel and Christian’s would do well to avoid it. They do not teach the bible, they read it and then talk about unrelated stories and ideas under a pretense of teaching the bible. This was not a local Calvary Chapel, it is Smith himself. Listening again to Smith I am amazed at how much I thought he was a great bible teacher.

Calvary Chapel IS a place of theology, but false theology if that. You said, “we don’t try to speak where the bible is silent.” Yet Calvary Chapel distinctives is an attempt to draw false distinctives in areas where the bible is plain and clear. He is constantly saying in his distinctives that the bible is not clear, and how much liberty we have to then come up with our own ideas. Who is Calvary Chapel to decide all of a sudden that what the bible says is not clear? You are absolutely right though, there are MANY things in scripture that is impossible to understand under a 19th century dispensational framework. Scripture would make a lot more sense if Calvary Chapel adopted the Covenantal hermeneutic presented in scripture. Until then, they will continue to cross out portions of the bible and note them as mysterious portions Christian’s should not bother with.

I have spent quite a bit of time examining the doctrine put forth in Chuck Smith’s book Calvary Chapel distinctives. Calvary Chapel is just as dangerous in some ways as Joel Osteen, TD Jakes and other modern evangelicals and it should be pointed out. If you have biblical warrant otherwise, please present it.

Do not pretend the issue is a matter of taking our eyes off Jesus however. Modern evangelicals love that fallacy.

This is sad, but is found in every different denomination and even found in different churches throughout the bible. If you look at Paul’s prison epistles, Paul writes to each one correcting them in their own unique needs for improvement.

Calvary Chapel is a place of theology, but we don’t try to speak where the bible is silent because some theology really is man’s poor attempt to falsely describe God how they picture Him to be. We do believe in the doctrines of salvation, imputation, and the trinity. But what we don’t do is we don’t replace the Word of God with man’s doctrine. It is actually possible to replace the truth of God’s Word with the false doctrine of man twisting scripture to fit his own needs which would make it a cult (which i find ironic because that is what you are accusing CC to be).

We also hold truth in the highest, unchanging, regard.

Anyway, I thought this was a very poor and vague attempt to slander another part of the body of Christ. As a part of the body of Christ, which I’m sure you are, I would have expected a little more maturity and less maliciousness towards your brothers in Christ. You may have disagreements, and that is fine, but what you are falsely accusing here is wrong.

Remember that we should not be trying to tear down what God is trying to build up.

Now I ask if the “Lords annointed” would be found adding the name of Elijah to the book of Revelation in support of their pretrib rupture doctine?

Calvary Chapel claims to be a movement of the Holy Spirit, but you need to ask yourself if it is really of the Spirit that they (Chuck Smith, really) add to the book of Revelation. Jesus gives His last command in Rev 22:18-19 — ever considered this angle?

What does Jesus warn of in Matthew 7:15? “Watch out for false prophets.”

“by their fruit you will recognize them” Matt 7:20. Violating Jesus’ commands in Rev 22:18-19 is certainly a “fruit” of Calvary Chapel pretrib rupture teachings!

And what does Jesus eventually tell them that do not do the will of the Father, in Matt 7:23? “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”

How is their disposition in Matthew 7 any different than the disposition of them that add or subtract from Revelation?

18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.
19 And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. Revelation 22