Comments on: Calvary Chapel San Diego

By: Bob

Bob — Sat, 14 May 2011 01:10:19 +0000

Correction
Dino Cardillo
Should read
Dino Cardelli

By: Bob

Bob — Sat, 14 May 2011 00:38:23 +0000

The Assistant Pastor at CC In the City in Boston Ma Scot Richardson said to me in the month before I was booted that all the calvinists in his seminary at CC had backslide and fell into sin, every single one of them, implying that they were not saved. As time goes by I have seen more CC pastors fall than any other pastors anywhere, the latest one Dino Cardillo is in Jail on charges of molesting a 14 yr old he had adopted

By: Bob

Bob — Fri, 13 May 2011 02:14:25 +0000

correction

I felt God telling him very clearly that this was not a good church, and it was time to leave
should read
I felt God telling ME very clearly that this was not a good church, and it was time to leave

By: Bob

Bob — Thu, 12 May 2011 01:47:24 +0000

John 1 1-13 correction not John 1-13

By: Bob

Bob — Thu, 12 May 2011 01:09:52 +0000

I too was warned about talking against Gods annointing, and I want to restate that the reason I was given for being booted calling C. Smith a false prophet based on 1981 statements as well as the fear that I would tell others. They told me I was a divisive person, but I went through proper channels and never spoke up until asked, honoring their wishes up to a point. But what if I had the truth how could anyone approach CC? Their pastor would not even discuss issue after initial response, also a point of alarm, and indicative of cultish mentality. I warn people now that if you are one who explores God and lets Holy Spirit teach you, then you will be challenged at CC.

By: Bob

Bob — Sun, 08 May 2011 16:37:20 +0000

I attended a CC, in Boston, In The City in 2003 – 2005 and stayed in community until booted in 2006. Steve Cole was pastor then, he also worked for as a lawyer for Biggest Mutual Fund Comany in World. I am scarred from the shunning that took place there because of asking questions as I was working through free will vs sovereignty of God issue, and I also discovered the 1981 prophecies and read Smith himself even saying in his own words that if someone suggests a date and it doesnt come to pass, they are a false prophet. I even ended up doing a phone interview with a person in that church in the 70′s and he said that for 7 years Smith had everyone convinced that there would be no life after 1980.

C C has no place for dissent or even honest exploration of theological issues, yet they stress reading the bible. This is mind control. I found “Distinctives” to be extremely full of double talk, and felt it was representative of a 0 point calvinist instead of 3.5, and also as someone above suggests there are really a 5 point arminian. I do agree with above danger of moses model, where pastor is person you must always agree with, and a de facto God figurehead. As I was lliving with other CCers I ended up leaving church but staying in house to attend a Reformed fellowship, but even though my roomates agreed with me regarding Calvinism, they asked me to leave and threatened me to leave within 30 days or all must stuff would be on sidewalk. They were afraid I would tell others i guess, I only brought it up when asked actually. I was confronted by a bully type brother who asked me if my new church evangelized, I guess he never heard of Evangelism Explosion, I thereupon asked him about 1981, he then asked me if he could tell the pastor and I said its fine with me, then within 2 or 3 weeks I was booted and threatened. The fellowship was great there, but there was always a spookiness of distrust and spying. If you didnt serve you were marked and targetted as not being doing Gods will and helping God. You never felt good enough, I clearly felt God telling me i had to leave despite what I thought was awesome fellowship. When pastor Cole closed out a service by reading John 1-13 and claimed that we still had free will despite God saying there that its not of a mans will that we get saved, I felt God telling him very clearly that this was not a good church, and it was time to leave. I know there were at least 7 calvinists there who didnt leave as I left…as James White says in his critique of CC thats what happens when you ask people to read the bible, romans 9 and the golden chain of redemption in Romans 8 which Smith absolutely mishandles in his youtube video are sometihng White goes into…and claims that there are many many many people coming out of CC as calvinists.

Since then my life has been not perfect as I have suffered in this life, i look forward to next life and try to redeem each day.

By: Millie

Millie — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 17:18:49 +0000

I was involved in a Calvary Chapel for 9 years and enjoyed to Word being taught as will as the closeness with Jesus. Still, every so often, it seemed something was amis.
For example, I would be talking to some people after a bible study and suddenly right beside me a pastor/elders would suddenly grab someone and escort them off of church grounds. Others would look onward. As the flock we we were given either no explaination or told that the person was not living biblically. This should have been a red flag that something was wrong with this “church”
In the 20 years that I have been away from calvary, I have not seen anyone being thrown out of a church. Furthermore, I have had time to read the the testimony of many who were shunned and found that many times it was because they questioned the pastor on something he did or said or they found evidence of financial corruption and made the “mistake” of confronting those in charge.
Another point…don’t blame the sheep for “worshiping” a pastor at CC. The CC authority structure puts pastors in a place of “Authority” and are often treated as having a “special” connection with God. This is due to theCC structure, not the human fraility. In Churches were pastors have accountability, people have no problem seeing the pastor as just a man.
All Calvary Chapels follow the “Moses Model” This means all are dangerous. Just cuz you’re feeling blessed and close to God at a CC, do no be decieved!!! The many incidences of ABUSE, CORRUPTION, and COVER UPS are rapidly coming to the surface.
Also keep in mind that if a CC pastor behaves unappropriatly toward you, he will get away with it. There is no one to report the matter to unless he breaks the law. Otherwise, your only recourse is Chuck Smith and you risk being kicked out of the church by doing so…after all now YOU are the one who is “unbiblical”
Of Course, you can still tell your story on the internet which thousands have done.

By: Megan

Megan — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 06:50:11 +0000

Calvary Chapel destroyed my marriage. I am a devoted Christian and have been since the day dot. I grew up Methodist/Presbyterian, but attended ANY Christian church with the same fundamental beliefs even Calvary Chapel though I didn’t agree with everything and never expect to. No church is perfect; to err is human and forgiveable. God is the Foundation of my life; Jesus my Shepherd. Then I married a wonderful Christian man. He was very involved in Calvary Chapel. I started becoming belittled, accused and broken by him and the church. The “pastor” told my husband that woman are like wild horses that need to be broken in. My husband had developed strong CC beliefs of a wife’s submission to him as the church to Christ. He bought me a recording about respecting husbands. By nature he was a beautiful person. But, he was brainwashed by this cult. I started calling it Cultary Chapel. My husband visited my church (prior to our marriage) to meet with my female minister to question her why she was preaching when this role is only for men, according to CC’s interpretation of the Bible. She had some great, and more truthful answers for him, but we was so brainwashed by CC, he was blinded and deaf too. I adored him, but he continued to treat me like something lesser than him. I could no longer play ‘normal’ music; only gospel. Could only see family TV and movies. Was encouraged to read “christian” books, with the same brainwashing nonsense. Many more stories! God stood by me and I stood close to Him throughout. After marriage counceling, my husband walked out on our life and moved far far away and refused to ‘divorce’ me – said it says nowhere in the Bible that a man should divorce and that he could stay married to me indefinitely. I went to the courts and processed the whole divorce. What a loss, thanks to Cultary Chapel. I am so sorry my dearest husband – not how he grew up. They ‘sound’ so convincing. I forgive them in their innocence of not knowing anything differently but I will never go back to a CC; but enjoy attending worship elsewhere where I can lift up my heart and voice to our Awesome God with pure joy and praise! Thank you Jesus!

By: Nick

Nick — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 01:57:05 +0000

I have attended varying CCs for all of my saved life. Although I have never attended the CCSD congregation, I find it a little bothersome that the author would judge all CCs based on this experience, or based on selected quotes from Chuck Smith.

I see CC as a congregation of believers. A congregation that focuses on the Bible as the sole source of God’s revelation to humanity. Surely, anyone can achieve salvation on their own without a church. No church has the truth. Only the Bible has the truth. Hence CCs focus on the Bible, as opposed to fallible constructs of man like “doctrine” (the lack of which in CC has been lamented by some on this topic). There is no one-way of thinking amongst believers, other than our agreement that our salvation is through JC.

Members of CC are one part of the Church. A Church which is composed of all believers around the globe. CC offers a friendly, all-comers welcome community. And sermons, in my experience, are devoted to revealing the nature of God and His plan for mankind through examination and study of His Word. A great place to start? Of course. A great place to stay? Definitely.

By: Cathy

Cathy — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 06:45:08 +0000

I’ve attended CC for many years and a few churches, due to moving. While I loved the worship and was glad to hear the Bible taught, each of the leaders was arrogant and had no accountability, which is a result of the CC style of church government, “The Moses Model.” Their stories sound like they started out well-meaning, but each had gone into ministry at young ages, which is what I think contributed to their downfall.

Though things seemed fine as long as people were not involved, I began to notice that those who got involved suffered when issues arose and the Pastors would refuse to deal with the offending leader, even when he agreed the person had an ongoing problem. The same eventually happened to me.

The pastors had creative subtle ways of shunning people. They also overworked their staff and volunteers to the point of forcing them to neglect their families. The community was considered the “world” so many “caught” the idea that they should not love their neighbor, they shouldn’t even interact with them.

If you are in a CC that doesn’t have these issues then you are either in a small church, in a small town, or in a pocket of a large church that is unaffected for now. But the leadership structure, lack of accountability, and tendency to draw maverics that are arrogant as leaders is still a grave issue in the culture of most CC’s.

Just google Calvary Chapel Abuse and that will keep you busy for a long time.