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James_2_24
Guest
please respond and tell why you converted from Calvary Chapel… and what your advise would be to someone who has a loved one in Calvary Chapel…
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The_Augustinian
Guest
You could technically call me a “convert” from Calvary Chapel, although there was a considerable lapse of time between my reception into the Church, and the last time I attended a Calvary Chapel service. In between I studied different aspects of Christianity, looking for something that I didn’t really find at Calvary Chapel. However, at one point I nearly lost my faith totally, harboring deistic and even agnostic views. Thankfully that past is behind me!
From what I remember, Calvary Chapel services are very evangelical and charismatic, and orthodox Christian in a general sense. Perhaps a Catholic Charismatic and bible-based approach (treating them like any other Evangelical Protestant) is in order.
Pax Vobiscum,
The Augustinian
From what I remember, Calvary Chapel services are very evangelical and charismatic, and orthodox Christian in a general sense. Perhaps a Catholic Charismatic and bible-based approach (treating them like any other Evangelical Protestant) is in order.
Pax Vobiscum,
The Augustinian
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nicoleanne
Guest
Two of my best friends have converted from Catholicism and are now attending Calvary Chapel, so I’d be very interested in helpful comments as well.
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brianberean
Guest
I left the RCC and now fellowship at a Calvary Chapel. How can I help you? 
Brian
Brian
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La_Chiara
Guest
So why did you leave the Catholic Church? What appealed to you about the Calvary Church? Also, as a former Catholic, did you need to get re-baptized, or born-again, or agree to a Statement of Faith?I left the RCC and now fellowship at a Calvary Chapel. How can I help you?
Brian
I am struck by your use of the verb to “fellowship” rather than “worship” or “attend” or “a member of.” What does “to fellowship” mean? I thought fellowship is what Protestants did at church related social gatherings.
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carol_marie
Guest
I left the RCC and now fellowship at a Calvary Chapel. How can I help you?
Do you still believe that Jesus is actually present in the Eucharist or do you believe it’s only symbolic? How often do you have communion at Calvery? I’ve had friends who went to a Calvery Chapel and they were pretty anti-Catholic - so much so that they were anti-Lutheran because they thought that was “so close” to being Catholic. Do you find that attitude common? Do you miss anything about the Catholic Church? Just curious. God Bless you, CM <><
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brianberean
Guest
La Chiara:
I didn’t even know what a Calvary Chapel was when I decided to leave the RCC. What I like most about Calvary Chapel is the life of the body and how they teach through the bible book by book, verse by verse.
I was re-baptized because God called me to do.
Brian
Why did I leave the RCC? How much time do you have? Lets just say that I was lead by the Holy Spirit to read Scripture, then to examine the history, doctrines, dogmas, etc. of the RCC.
I didn’t even know what a Calvary Chapel was when I decided to leave the RCC. What I like most about Calvary Chapel is the life of the body and how they teach through the bible book by book, verse by verse.
I was re-baptized because God called me to do.
The verb “fellowship” is simply taken from Scripture: Acts 2:42, 1 Cor 1:9, etc. I also worship, attend, and am a member of… “To fellowship” can mean all those things.
Brian
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brianberean
Guest
I believe Christ is present in the same way He is present whenever two or more gather in His name. Do you beleive Jesus is “actually” present when two or more gather in His name?
First Sunday of the month. However, I do wish we’d have it every week.
How do you define anti-Catholic? Our pastor calls a spade a spade. Once in a while errors of catholicism is touched upon, also errors of mainline Protestantism. However, our pastor focuses on the error not on the group. He teaches that mainline Protestants and the RCC are all part of “the church”. Is that anti-catholic?
I miss my family being with me. My wife and kids are still catholic.
Brian
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La_Chiara
Guest
That is sad to have a divided family. I gain great strength in my faith to worship as a family in the Catholic Church. I absolutely never considered marrying outside my faith because my faith means so much to me.
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SojournerOf78
Guest
James_2:24:
I became ill because of the confusion they promote, each Calvary Chapel pastor is able to formulate his own opinion on certain doctrines and being a good Chapelite I used to listen to KWVE all the time. Hearing conflicting stories about major doctrines from different Pastors got me to question how I could be sure of anything they taught, it made me fear for the validity of my faith, nobody seemed to know anything for sure.
Also, whenever I would go to the Pastor with my troubles I was told to read my bible more and pray more, I was always given pat answers for any problem or question, small or great, this happened at different Calvary Chapels I attended and in fact happened with Chuck Smith when I drove to Costa Mesa to speak with him, I caught him going in a door and told him I needed to speak with him and he said, oh sure, ill be right back out. I sat there for an hour until a secretary asked me if I needed help…lol…Im not bitter about that or anything, I stayed with Calvary 2 years after that, it is just another example of the way many are treated in the Calvary system. Youre either a good Christian or youre not reading your bible enough, get into the Word man!!
CC did a lot for me in other ways, although I have had to deprogram myself from many of their belief systems, they are very detrimental to your well being.
If you have a loved one in CC you should start looking into the people that are speaking out about what their doctrines actually do to people and how they treat eachother, its amazing to see the fruit of what seems to be great Protestant Christianity…I am leaving for Mass now, if you want I can do a web search and locate some of the Documents I had found on the subject, or if you want you can search yourself.
I converted from Calvary Chapel.
I became ill because of the confusion they promote, each Calvary Chapel pastor is able to formulate his own opinion on certain doctrines and being a good Chapelite I used to listen to KWVE all the time. Hearing conflicting stories about major doctrines from different Pastors got me to question how I could be sure of anything they taught, it made me fear for the validity of my faith, nobody seemed to know anything for sure.
Also, whenever I would go to the Pastor with my troubles I was told to read my bible more and pray more, I was always given pat answers for any problem or question, small or great, this happened at different Calvary Chapels I attended and in fact happened with Chuck Smith when I drove to Costa Mesa to speak with him, I caught him going in a door and told him I needed to speak with him and he said, oh sure, ill be right back out. I sat there for an hour until a secretary asked me if I needed help…lol…Im not bitter about that or anything, I stayed with Calvary 2 years after that, it is just another example of the way many are treated in the Calvary system. Youre either a good Christian or youre not reading your bible enough, get into the Word man!!
CC did a lot for me in other ways, although I have had to deprogram myself from many of their belief systems, they are very detrimental to your well being.
If you have a loved one in CC you should start looking into the people that are speaking out about what their doctrines actually do to people and how they treat eachother, its amazing to see the fruit of what seems to be great Protestant Christianity…I am leaving for Mass now, if you want I can do a web search and locate some of the Documents I had found on the subject, or if you want you can search yourself.
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MJE
Guest
In 25 words or less what is Calv. Chapel’s theology? Who founded it?
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James_2_24
Guest
Chuck Smith founded Calvary Chapel in 1965. They are heavily Rapture centered. They believe in Faith alone and are VERY VERY Anti-Catholic… you can read more about them elsewhere or go to www.saintjoe.com and buy the debate entitled:
“Catholicism meets Calvary Chapel”
it is great and exposes their many many errors.
God Bless.
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Genesis315
Guest
That’s odd. That’s what usually causes the opposite kind of conversion. You didn’t get your history, doctrine, dogmas, etc. from a Chick Tract or Lorraine Boettner’s “Roman Catholicism” did you?
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NightRider
Guest
Hi nicoleanne!
Me, too, a few of my good friends have gone from Catholicism to Calvary Chapel, and I find it sad. I also live in the Seattle area, Maple Valley actually, but I come in to Seattle all the time. I attend Blessed Sacrament parish in the U District. You?
Many blessings,
Geraldine
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NightRider
Guest
Hi Sojourner,
That is so rude what that Chuck Smith did to you, after you drove all the way to Costa Mesa to see him. I find it really, really sad.
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sparkle
Guest
Hello and God Bless you Brian:
I do think you will find sooner or later, that Calvary Chapel, in all it’s overwhelming emotional-ness, the “feel-good” services, etc., and the dynamic feeling you get will pass–that it really misses soooo much, it misses, well, really, the heart of our faith, the history, the Truth, the knowledge of The Body and Blood of our Lord in the Eucharist. People there just seem to live on the “high” it gives them. I wonder if this resides with you, brother. I know CC seems to meet a need, for you, I felt the same, and still, my husband and sons feel the same. I just converted at Easter Vigil.
But now I truly see, it is soooo lacking in the fullness of our Christian Faith. There is no better way to say it. Yes, their music is inspiring, and the in-depth Bible study is neat too, why I still like to go on Wed. nites with my hubby and sons for this, and one son loves to play the drums for the youth band. But the way I feel is, we can still be a Catholic and encompass the fullness of our faith and still go to other churches as well, like a CC. Perhaps many there have never known the Love of our Blessed Mother, or even known that there can be a Patron Saint, to be with them along their Christian journey. But we Catholics know this, and embrace it. And as John Paul II, we must all strive for unity, I feel this is one way we can all do such. We can actually be “witnesses” of all Christ left us in our Catholic faith–to places like CC. They need us. When I go, I wear my beautiful silver crucifix and I’m so proud to do so. Once, a worship leader asked me: “If you’re Catholic…why do you come here”? I said–because we’re all believers in the same Lord, aren’t we?..he didn’t know what to say.
So, I say to you Brian, speak up, don’t lose your Catholic richess of your life, or throw any of it away, rather perhaps God will use you in this circle of friends for His glory. Yes, I do think so.
God Bless You~~
I do think you will find sooner or later, that Calvary Chapel, in all it’s overwhelming emotional-ness, the “feel-good” services, etc., and the dynamic feeling you get will pass–that it really misses soooo much, it misses, well, really, the heart of our faith, the history, the Truth, the knowledge of The Body and Blood of our Lord in the Eucharist. People there just seem to live on the “high” it gives them. I wonder if this resides with you, brother. I know CC seems to meet a need, for you, I felt the same, and still, my husband and sons feel the same. I just converted at Easter Vigil.
But now I truly see, it is soooo lacking in the fullness of our Christian Faith. There is no better way to say it. Yes, their music is inspiring, and the in-depth Bible study is neat too, why I still like to go on Wed. nites with my hubby and sons for this, and one son loves to play the drums for the youth band. But the way I feel is, we can still be a Catholic and encompass the fullness of our faith and still go to other churches as well, like a CC. Perhaps many there have never known the Love of our Blessed Mother, or even known that there can be a Patron Saint, to be with them along their Christian journey. But we Catholics know this, and embrace it. And as John Paul II, we must all strive for unity, I feel this is one way we can all do such. We can actually be “witnesses” of all Christ left us in our Catholic faith–to places like CC. They need us. When I go, I wear my beautiful silver crucifix and I’m so proud to do so. Once, a worship leader asked me: “If you’re Catholic…why do you come here”? I said–because we’re all believers in the same Lord, aren’t we?..he didn’t know what to say.
So, I say to you Brian, speak up, don’t lose your Catholic richess of your life, or throw any of it away, rather perhaps God will use you in this circle of friends for His glory. Yes, I do think so.
God Bless You~~
R
Ryniev
Guest
James_2:24:
I wish she’d go back to the Catholic Church, she was much more “real” back then.
I had a dear friend who was a lapsed Catholic and converted to CC. Her converting got me interested in the Catholic faith and that’s how I found the book Catholicism and Fundamentalism. She is so anti-Catholic now and 3 of her siblings got “saved” but her mom is still “lost” (Catholic). Her friend that brainwashed ( I mean converted) also told my husband and I that we were going to hell for being Lutheran. I find it really interesting that they through certain jargon out in their conversations to see who is really “Christian” (by their definition of course). I visited their fellowship maybe 3 times and was not comfortable although I did enjoy the in-depth bible teaching. Big on trite praise songs and they think the Our Father is bad because it’s just words being “repeated”. When I pointed out that Jesus gave us this prayer, I get a blank stare. Interestingly enough, the Calvary Chapel they belong to has split up several times and almost died. They made my friends husband a deacon because they need an extra man. He has no qualifications whatsoever. I’m not being mean, I’ve typed his resume, LOL! Anyway, I’ve never spoken ill of her faith but our friendship has become almost non-existant since she joined this “fellowship”
I wish she’d go back to the Catholic Church, she was much more “real” back then.
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Maccabees
Guest
If you really did examine history you would note the catholic church was founded in 33AD by Jesus Christ and that Calvary Chapel was founded in 1965 by a man named Chuck Smith.
While its certainly noble that Calvary Chapel teaches from the Bible how do you know their interpertation out of the many protestant interpretations are correct. All protestant denomination use the Bible for their conflicting interpretations.
OF couse Calvary Chapel teaches a rapture doctrine that was invented in the 1800’s.
You said you were rebaptized? Well the Bible says their is one baptism. So already your calvary chapel pastor has instructed you unbiblically when he asked you to be rebaptized.
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padreden
Guest
Actually, the doctrine of the rapture in its pure form is taught by the Apostle Paul in 1st Thessalonians 4:17 from the word “harpagesometha” (“to seize up”). But I think what you are referring to is the teaching of dispensationalism in the 1800’s.
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cestusdei
Guest
The Church has always taught the second coming, but the “rapture” is an invention.
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