Ex-Calvary Chapel???

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I’m looking for the story of anyone who use to attend Calvary Chapel and are now Catholic. Why did you convert? What was the first thing that turned you towards the Catholic Church or turned you away from Calvary Chapel?

Thanks for your time and God Bless!
 
James_2:24:
I’m looking for the story of anyone who use to attend Calvary Chapel and are now Catholic.
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What’s Calvary Chapel?
 
A “non-denominational” Christian Church. Fundamentalist, generally anti-Catholic, Rapturist. That is the best I can describe it. Founded in 1965 in Costa Mesa, CA by Pastor Chuck Smith (whom I believe to be a former Methodist, but i’m not too sure)

The reason I ask is because I have family who have left the Church for Calvary Chapel (please pray for them). I have taken an interest in this Church ever since.

God Bless
 
I know many people who attend Calvary Chapel and the Word of God is taught faithfully, verse by verse. Some of the ministers have a solid Jewish background, with Greek as a major, and are very knowledgeable with the Scriptures, the nuances etc. I would suggest you not worry about your family members attending there, and it is a good idea to go to a few services and see for yourself.

Where I live there are not too many because of the remote location, but in the United States major there are many.

The first site listed below is a Jewish believer and teacher from a Calvary Chapel. His knowledge of the Scriptures is a real blessing. You can listen to him in real audio as well from the broadcasts link on the page.
75bible.com/beliefs/beliefs.html

calvarychapel.org/
 
New Heart,
I know many people who attend Calvary Chapel and the Word of God is taught faithfully, verse by verse. Some of the ministers have a solid Jewish background, with Greek as a major, and are very knowledgeable with the Scriptures, the nuances etc. I would suggest you not worry about your family members attending there, and it is a good idea to go to a few services and see for yourself.
Click to expand...
Where I live there are not too many because of the remote location, but in the United States major there are many.
Click to expand...
The first site listed below is a Jewish believer and teacher from a Calvary Chapel. His knowledge of the Scriptures is a real blessing. You can listen to him in real audio as well from the broadcasts link on the page.
75bible.com/beliefs/beliefs.html
Click to expand...
I’m sorry, but, Calvary Chapel people do not teach the word of Jesus without error. Your post is absolutly amazing to me. If you think that what you are getting from Calvary Chapel is truth, you should run for your spiritual life.

Calvary Chapel is anti-Catholic, and you know it!

John
 
James_2:24:
I’m looking for the story of anyone who use to attend Calvary Chapel and are now Catholic. Why did you convert? What was the first thing that turned you towards the Catholic Church or turned you away from Calvary Chapel?

Thanks for your time and God Bless!
Click to expand...
James 2:24,
Where are you from? Go on offense with your family members. Calvary Chapel doesn’t have respect for the Catholic Church. They don’t believe in the Eucharist, ETC. It’s all about authority. Challenge them. I am from Orange County, Ca. Calvary Chapel members literally run the Bible study at St. Columbans Catholic Church. At least they did 3 years ago. They are Saved and going to Heaven. All of them, and if anyone doesn’t believe that, just ask them. They teach that if you accept Jesus as your personal Lord and savior, say a sinners prayer, you will go to Heaven, and you have absolute assurance of that. If anyone tells you that that isn’t what they teach they would be in error. They teach the Bible out of context, and want to take Catholics away from the Eucharist. They are not wonderful loving sweet christians. The fact is, they are Denominational Protestants. Catholics are Non-denominational Christians. All salvation comes through the Catholic Church. I have been sucessful with entering into dialog with Calvery Chapel members because I challenge them with statments of truth like the preseding statment. if you don’t challenge them you WILL NOT be sucessful with them. They will preach you out of the room. You MUST load your spiritual guns. I mean it. DON’T talk to them unprepared, and without a lot of prayer. ASK THEM QUESTIONS!

I will pray for your family. Teach and preach to them.

John

John
 
In Steve Wood’s conversion story appearing in the book, Surprised By Truth: Eleven Converts Give The Biblical And Historical Reasons For Becoming Catholic, ed. by Patrick Madrid (Basilica Press, San Diego: 1994), page 83-84, he says:To this day, though I strongly disagree with much of his theology, I am deeply indebted to [Calvary Chapel] Pastor Chuck Smith for his systematic Bible teaching. To a large extent, he was responsible for imparting to me a deep love of Scripture and a strong desire to study it. . . . It was during my stint at Bible school that I realized with sadness that I couldn’t remain at Calvary Chapel. My differences with the pastor’s views on prophecy were simply irreconcilable. Chuck Smith and the other leaders at Calvary Chapel championed the doctrine of the “secret rapture,” a special [pre-Tribulation] resurrection and assumption into heaven reserved only for born-again Christians. … After I learned New Testament Greek I saw that the biblical text did not support Smith’s teachings about a “secret rapture.” Also, my study of early Church history showed that the Calvary Chapel idea of a “secret rapture,” was not held by early Christians. This bothered me.

Calvary Chapel prides itself in being “non-denominational” and in its avoidance of the restrictions of a written creed. … The unwritten creed in non-denominational churches is whatever the pastor happens to believe. Woe to the member who crosses the line and disagrees with the pastor.
 
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john654:
Calvary Chapel doesn’t have respect for the Catholic Church. They don’t believe in the Eucharist, ETC.
Click to expand...
Not believing in the Eucharist doesn’t mean you have no respect for the Church. I can tell you, as a former Protestant who at one time didn’t believe in the Eucharist, that I have always respected the Church.
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john654:
All salvation comes through the Catholic Church.
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Nothing comes through the Catholic Church itself John. It just so happens that the Church is God’s true Church, that teaches things correctly. It is through God’s grace that we receive salvation, not the Church itself. The Church may represent God’s will, message, teachings, etc…, but it is not God.
 
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john654:
James 2:24,
I am from Orange County, Ca. Calvary Chapel members literally run the Bible study at St. Columbans Catholic Church. At least they did 3 years ago. …
John
Click to expand...
How do anti-catholic evangelicals rapturist run a Bible study at a catholic church?
 
My wife is ex-calvary chapel, me lapsed Catholic and other. She has come back into the Church a few months ago it was a long and difficult journey.
I believe Calvary Chapel is a non-denominational system (or as its own Calvary Chapel Denomination) that should be taken very seriously. The Calvary Chapels here in Southern California are usually very anti-catholic from my experience.
My wife and I just announced our decision to baptize our kids in the Catholic Church in a month and wow you should have seen the reaction. And they are supposed to be non-denominational? What is the meaning of non-denominational if you only accept what Chuck Smith teaches?
Churches that label themselves non-denominational sound very misleading to me. This might just be personal experience, but is seems to me misleading to hide your denomination until you can convert them to your belief system. Anyways…
I asked my sister-in law what came first the Bible or the Church and she said the Bible of course!
I need to remember to be charitable, so I will not continue on the many things I could say about Calvary Chapel.
Let me just finish by saying that it took 6 years of me being married… sensing something really wrong with Calvary Chapel, rediscovering my Catholic Faith and then working in a marriage where my wife thought that the Catholic Church was evil to now.

By the grace of God we have come home and are fully confident that the Catholic Church is the fullness of the truth.
 
While I’m not Catholic so please keep that in consideration, I have a fondness for most Calvary Chapel churches.

By claiming themselves non-denominational, its basically that the organization doesn’t rule with an iron-fist over the member churches, and are just an association of churches with overall similar beliefs. They’re basically a mix of Southern Baptist and Assemblies of God.

I’ve honestly never heard any blatant or even subliminal Anti-Cahtolic rants by them. In fact I’ve found most of them to have an amazing Love for God, desire to study the Scriptures, and worshipping and praising Him that we should all envy. While not being Roman Catholic may be a serious issue for you, I hope you don’t not consider them Catholic brothers and sisters in Christ.
 
While I’m not Catholic (Roman) so please keep that in consideration, I have a fondness for most Calvary Chapel churches.

By claiming themselves non-denominational, its basically that the organization doesn’t rule with an iron-fist over the member churches, and are just an association of churches with overall similar beliefs. They’re basically a mix of Southern Baptist and Assemblies of God.

I’ve honestly never heard any blatant or even subliminal Anti-Cahtolic rants by them. In fact I’ve found most of them to have an amazing Love for God, desire to study the Scriptures, and worshipping and praising Him that we should all envy. While not being Roman Catholic may be a serious issue for you, I hope you don’t not consider them Catholic brothers and sisters in Christ.
 
As a catholic you shouldn’t be fooled by the friendly exterior of calvary chapel. For one thing go to thier book store look under the cult section you will find the catholic church and severeal anti-catholic books Like the Dave Hunt, Lorainne Bettnere, John Akenberg, John MacArthur. In addition to videos one of which can be found on Jack Chicks website of all places.
They are not blatant in their ant-catholcism but they definitely feel that catholics are not saved.
One of their Pastors. Paul Ries (an ex-catholic of course) has apologetics dealing with catholics. Other pastors implicictly include their sermonds catholic put downs that non-catholics wouldn’t pay much attention too. How do I know this?
I used to attend calvary chapel. Don’t get me wrong there are many great God-loving Christians that mean well in the Calvary Chapel communion but there are many fundamentilist teachings that I find dangerous the impliict anti-catholcism and the rapturist view of the end times that is extremely problematic.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by john654
James 2:24,
I am from Orange County, Ca. Calvary Chapel members literally run the Bible study at St. Columbans Catholic Church. At least they did 3 years ago. …
John
Click to expand...
How do anti-catholic evangelicals rapturist run a Bible study at a catholic church?
Click to expand...
AMAZING, but they do. The Pastor, who is now the assistant to Bishop Tod Brown, is really Protestant. He would not say he is, maybe, he doesn’t know that he is, BUT HE IS!

John
 
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http://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon1.gif Re: Ex-Calvary Chapel???
My wife is ex-calvary chapel, me lapsed Catholic and other. She has come back into the Church a few months ago it was a long and difficult journey.
I believe Calvary Chapel is a non-denominational system (or as its own Calvary Chapel Denomination) that should be taken very seriously. The Calvary Chapels here in Southern California are usually very anti-catholic from my experience.
My wife and I just announced our decision to baptize our kids in the Catholic Church in a month and wow you should have seen the reaction. And they are supposed to be non-denominational? What is the meaning of non-denominational if you only accept what Chuck Smith teaches?
Churches that label themselves non-denominational sound very misleading to me. This might just be personal experience, but is seems to me misleading to hide your denomination until you can convert them to your belief system. Anyways…
I asked my sister-in law what came first the Bible or the Church and she said the Bible of course!
I need to remember to be charitable, so I will not continue on the many things I could say about Calvary Chapel.
Let me just finish by saying that it took 6 years of me being married… sensing something really wrong with Calvary Chapel, rediscovering my Catholic Faith and then working in a marriage where my wife thought that the Catholic Church was evil to now.
Click to expand...
AMEN!
Scylla,
Where do you go to mass now. i lived in OC for 45 years. I know some great catholics. STAY AWAY from the SSPX.

Obedience,
John
 
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http://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon1.gif Re: Ex-Calvary Chapel???
While I’m not Catholic so please keep that in consideration, I have a fondness for most Calvary Chapel churches.
Click to expand...
By claiming themselves non-denominational, its basically that the organization doesn’t rule with an iron-fist over the member churches, and are just an association of churches with overall similar beliefs. They’re basically a mix of Southern Baptist and Assemblies of God.
Click to expand...
I’ve honestly never heard any blatant or even subliminal Anti-Cahtolic rants by them. In fact I’ve found most of them to have an amazing Love for God, desire to study the Scriptures, and worshipping and praising Him that we should all envy. While not being Roman Catholic may be a serious issue for you, I hope you don’t not consider them Catholic brothers and sisters in Christ.
Click to expand...
I don’t know how much experience you have with these anti- catholics but I don’t think you have been to their book store.
QUESTION: Have you been to their book store in Orange County?

John
 
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john654:
I don’t know how much experience you have with these anti- catholics but I don’t think you have been to their book store.
QUESTION: Have you been to their book store in Orange County?
John
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John, I appreciate the consideration shown by how you asked that question. No I have not been to the book store in Orange County. However, with them being a loose affiliation of churches, please do make a presumption on all of them, based on an experience with just one.

May I ask what they had at a book store that you found so offensive? I’ve never been to a “Christian” book store, and NOT found some book that I found to be offensive or just plain bad theology. Actually, to not derail the thread, would you mind pming me.
 
New Heart:
I know many people who attend Calvary Chapel and the Word of God is taught faithfully, verse by verse. Some of the ministers have a solid Jewish background, with Greek as a major, and are very knowledgeable with the Scriptures, the nuances etc. I would suggest you not worry about your family members attending there, and it is a good idea to go to a few services and see for yourself.

Where I live there are not too many because of the remote location, but in the United States major there are many.

The first site listed below is a Jewish believer and teacher from a Calvary Chapel. His knowledge of the Scriptures is a real blessing. You can listen to him in real audio as well from the broadcasts link on the page.
75bible.com/beliefs/beliefs.html

calvarychapel.org/
Click to expand...
Having a Jewish person in your congregation means absolutely nothing. Are you assuming that Jews cannot stray? There are a great many Jews in the Catholic Church as well. A couple notable Jewish-Catholic apologists are Rosalind Moss and Rhonda Chervin. Amongst many others…

I am also an ex-Calvary chapel member; I went to Church with my sister and her family before returning home to the Catholic Church. Although I only spent a short amount of time in that Church before returning home, I did do a more extensive study of it AFTER leaving.

Having said that **there is much to worry about in Calvary Chapel. They do not teach Biblical truth and are causing people to stray from the faith in both Protestant and Catholic circles. They hold to the “rapture” belief and teach a great many wacky things about the “end times”. Listen to Tim Staples and Jesse Romero debate them. You can get the tape “Calvary Chapel meets the Catholic Church” from St. Joe’s Communications. They blow Calvary Chapel theology away in this debate. **
 
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http://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon1.gif Re: Ex-Calvary Chapel???
Quote:
Originally Posted by New Heart
*I know many people who attend Calvary Chapel and the Word of God is taught faithfully, verse by verse. Some of the ministers have a solid Jewish background, with Greek as a major, and are very knowledgeable with the Scriptures, the nuances etc. I would suggest you not worry about your family members attending there, and it is a good idea to go to a few services and see for yourself.

Where I live there are not too many because of the remote location, but in the United States major there are many.

The first site listed below is a Jewish believer and teacher from a Calvary Chapel. His knowledge of the Scriptures is a real blessing. You can listen to him in real audio as well from the broadcasts link on the page.
75bible.com/beliefs/beliefs.html

calvarychapel.org/*

Having a Jewish person in your congregation means absolutely nothing. Are you assuming that Jews cannot stray? There are a great many Jews in the Catholic Church as well. A couple notable Jewish-Catholic apologists are Rosalind Moss and Rhonda Chervin. Amongst many others…

I am also an ex-Calvary chapel member; I went to Church with my sister and her family before returning home to the Catholic Church. Although I only spent a short amount of time in that Church before returning home, I did do a more extensive study of it AFTER leaving.

Having said that **there is much to worry about in Calvary Chapel. They do not teach Biblical truth and are causing people to stray from the faith in both Protestant and Catholic circles. They hold to the “rapture” belief and teach a great many wacky things about the “end times”. Listen to Tim Staples and Jesse Romero debate them. You can get the tape “Calvary Chapel meets the Catholic Church” from St. Joe’s Communications. They blow Calvary Chapel theology away in this debate. **

Go for it James!
 
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