Comments for Modern Pulpit

Comment on Why I Left Calvary Chapel: a non-denominational denomination by cynthia curran

cynthia curran — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 01:56:57 +0000

Actually, the orthodox church spilt in the age of Justinian. The monophysites or now the oriential well there way. Jacob Braedius with the help of empress Theodora started churches without the approval of the emperor Justinian. The writings of Serveus of Antioch were ban by Justinian and he was exile. The oriential Church still doesn’t accept Chalecdon while the eastern do. And Justinian after alienated some of the western Church by imprisoning Victor Tunna who didn’t accept his view on the three chapters.

Comment on Why I Left Calvary Chapel: a non-denominational denomination by Matt

Matt — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 18:16:25 +0000

Love expository preaching when it is doctrinally correct, but CCs focus on it exclusively is flawed. None of the preaching recorded in the Bible by any of the prophets or the Lord himself was done in the manner CC does it, it was mainly topical. The reason is simple. preaching by itself is never meant to be merely educational, it is meant to illuminate doctrine and bring the hearer to a decision point to follow right doctrine.

Comment on Chuck Smith, Calvary Chapel & the end times fascination by Rayla

Rayla — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 02:14:49 +0000

Randy-you do make a lot of sense on this issue and I appreciate your comments.
All I can say about CC and their obsession with the end times is that the constant reference to it and how bad things are going just depressed the heck out of me. I mean why start anything when you know that any minute..poof! You’ll be gone! And to then, all your unsaved friends and family whom you love dearly get to stay and be tortured by the anti-Christ. Oh but wait, while that’s happening, you and all your evangelical pals (there won’t be any Catholics, or Orthodox up there anyone) are gonna have a great big party. A 7 year party-kinda like a religious Disneyworld. And then when the 7 years is up, you get to come back with Jesus to Armageddon where the blood is flowing like a river. Yep–that sure sounds like fun to me.
Like hell it does.
Now that I am out of CC I feel like a huge weight has been off my shoulders. I really didn’t know how depressed I was until I left and I still haven’t gotten over it yet. But I will.

Comment on 15 Signs That You Might be a Modern Evangelical by Rayla

Rayla — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 16:53:14 +0000

Randy-yeah. You got it down. And I was an evangelical Christian until I saw the folly of all of it. One thing I realized after I left evangelical Protestantism for Eastern Orthodoxy; all this talk about the end of the world stuff just depressed the heck out of me. I didn’t realize how depressed I was until I got out of it. Thank you so much for this blog. It has been a blessing to me.

Comment on Why I Left Calvary Chapel: a non-denominational denomination by Rayla

Rayla — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 16:29:57 +0000

One more comment about Orthodoxy. Most Protestants, especially of the evangelical type, do not know the difference between Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism. When the great split occurred in 1054 because the Roman patriarch wanted to be the head guy, the rest of the patriarchs said no and they split (that and the fililoque clause caused it.) Anyway, the Eastern church just kept going and didn’t change. The Roman branch with it’s pope became the Roman Catholic Church with all it’s additions and changes. Then it split further in 1513 with Martin Luther and now we have all these denominations and their countless divisions, and strange doctrines.
But Orthodoxy has never seen a split and has not changed in any significant way since the very beginning. It is Orthodox, but not Jewish. It is Catholic, but not Roman. It is evangelical, but not Protestant. It is not denominational, but pre-denominational.

Comment on Why I Left Calvary Chapel: Introduction by Rayla

Rayla — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 17:41:40 +0000

I left Calvary Chapel and Protestantism and converted to Eastern Orthodoxy. I agree with the comment from a poster here about CC’s obsession about the end-times. Year after year of it just depressed the heck out of me. Of course, that’s not the reason I converted. It’s all of Protestantism that’s off, not just CC. I wanted to be a member of the church with the faith and TRADITION that was handed down to the Apostles. Orthodoxy is the faith that has not changed in a significant way in almost 2000 years. There is a book called Thirsting for God in a Land of Shallow Wells by Matthew Gallatin, a former CC pastor. This book rocked my world and got me seriously questioning all my religious suppositions.

Comment on Why I Left Calvary Chapel: a non-denominational denomination by Kelly

Kelly — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 22:00:03 +0000

My husband and I have left a rather large and very popular CC due to doctrinal issues and having been called elsewhere by the Lord. We also know many people who have left and they are by far the more biblically studious and doctrinally sound people we know.

The CC we attended was full of jokes and was also full of Bible teaching. It was also guilty of glossing over hard verses, especially 2 Thessalonians 2:3, which rather flies in the face of a pre-trib doctrine, one which CCs hold to dearly. Our pastor said of this passage that “people think it speaks against pre-trib rapture, but that is a mis-read”. That’s all he said about it. Never went into WHY he’s so sure it’s a mis-read or WHY he’s so sure it supports his pre-trib side.

We are not anti-Calvary, but they, and by they I mean some of the big name pastors, are sliding away from solid Biblical teaching into heresies of a grand scale — including Chuck, who even said abortion was right for one woman in a radio call in show.

Would we go back if the Lord called us there? Of course. MANY churches are falling away and many have some doctrinal issues. They’re all taught by men, so of course there will be errors in teaching. In fact, our CC pastor always told us to check out what he taught if we thought it was wrong. Doesn’t mean he’d recant if we showed it to him, however, for whatever that’s worth.

Comment on Why I Left Calvary Chapel: a non-denominational denomination by Calvary

Calvary — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:52:49 +0000

“Sadly Calvary thinks reading whole chapters at a time and then making funny jokes, and telling stories is expository teaching.”

As someone who was in a leadership position at a very large Calvary Chapel for years, I must say I agree with this statement. This is what you get when you make electricians and plumbers pastors. They have not attended seminary, and in most cases have not even earned an undergraduate degree. Not surprisingly, there is a serious lack in the abilities of the pastors to think critically and present the gospel in an organized manner. Attendees are left with personal stories and useful anecdotes from relatively-charismatic-yet-alarmingly-simpleminded guys.

Comment on Why I Left Calvary Chapel: a non-denominational denomination by Rick Gross

Rick Gross — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 15:43:58 +0000

Mike, I’ve been attending CC for 10 years. Several weeks ago, I provided to my pastor and the board- John Pillivant at CC-Bartlett, TN – with documentation about CC-Bartlett’s support for unscriptural divorce in the and “respecter of persons” bias. I provided court testimony attesting to said conduct and scriptural justification for my concerns to back up the legal documents. Within 24 hours, I was kicked out of the church via a phone call from one of the pastor’s board members. The following Sunday, people tell me that I was publicly accused of many sins including rebellion (Titus 3:10) and my excommunication was announced from the pulpit by Pastor John.

I’ve been a Christian for 37 years and have walked consistently with Christ since conversion – and I know my Bible. Calvary Chapel is NOT a cult – but it is cult-like in leadership and practice. And you can blame it all on Calvary Chapel Distinctives and the Moses Model which fosters a belief that church leaders are above “ordinary Christians” and do no sin like the rest of us.

Comment on Why I Left Calvary Chapel: a non-denominational denomination by Cathryn

Cathryn — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 02:58:58 +0000

One commentor was saying that CC teach Jesus as Savior but not as Lord and Savior.

I disagree that doctrinally that is what is taught after all my years with CCs. I was always taught by CC pastors that Lordship is just as much required as Jesus being Savior.

However I have seen in more recent years an entertainment driven church bent on materialism and luxury worship and lacking in personal ministry to the poor, the hungry, and evangelism. I am not saying that is what is taught or that the churches don’t minister in such ways as a body. But I see, where once a CC would have folks going out to the streets now many are giving money to the local mission instead. So the money is given and used but the people are not actually persuing doing these things because instead they’re going bowling, to the movies, and on vacation, oh and to Israel, while the rest of the world is going down to the pit.

I know, maybe I sound like a pharisee or legalistic but I see a marked change in the church of today compared to 20, 30 years ago. I don’t know that the problem is the leadership or CC distinctives. I think people just think Christ is their warm fuzzy psycholigist that gives them anti depressants rather than being Lord.

But I try to avoid the subject around other believers lest I be stoned.