The New Calvary Chapel Movement the Sinking of the Titanic

A letter posted by the Calvary Chapel Association (CCA ) was signed by fourteen senior pastors and sent out to clarify what the Calvary Chapel movement represents.

Since the death of Chuck Smith and the takeover at CCCM by the Brodersen team, the modernization and the reinvention of Calvary Chapel have been very clear.

Over the years, the changes implemented at Costa Mesa have been obvious to many, and the numbers who once attended there have dwindled.

Brodersen has become more and more outspoken regarding the new direction he wants to go. And his words and actions have led the way for what is called the “New Calvary.”

This article speaks volumes about the New Calvary Association and movement. We have re-posted a few paragraphs below, the rest is here . Read the article and draw your own conclusions.

Some of these changes include:

· No longer is there an emphasis on Bible prophecy

· Women are given a place in the leadership and allowed to teach men

· No longer verse by verse Bible teaching which is now called idolatry

· Old Testament teachings are no longer relevant

· Sunday morning messages present topical thoughts

· “Worship” music promotes sensual stimulation with lights and smoke

· Promotion of Purpose-Driven methods promoting ecumenical unity

· A definite tendency to reach the youth at the expense of the truth

Letter from CCA Oct 31, 2016 at 8:15 PM Letter to the Movement

Dear Calvary Chapel Pastors,

1.Recently, a group of the Calvary Chapel Association Council members gathered together in the Pocono mountains in Pennsylvania for a few days to seek the Lord, worship, and ask Him for direction as to the Calvary Family. Our time was truly blessed with a great unity, a rich sense of the Lord’s presence, a fresh sense of direction, and a peace together like we have not experienced in years. There were a number of issues that we discussed that we want to pass on to the movement.

2. As we discussed our foundation and core values as a family of churches we realized that along the way, through the years, there have been those that have decided that their values were different, and they have gone on with another group such as the Pentecostals, or Acts 29, or Gospel Coalition, or Vineyard, or Hillsong, and that is truly fine. All these ministry families have their core values just as we do, and Pastor Chuck often simply looked at these situations as an opportunity for churches to find their most comfortable environment.

3. Since Chuck’s passing there may be pastors who have thought about some of our values, such as expository teaching, and no longer hold to the Calvary Chapel approach. There may be pastors who no longer embrace our leadership style, or our view of the Lord’s soon appearing and our emphasis on preaching about the rapture of the church, or our view of male leadership and the New Testament’s prohibition of women teaching men, or the errors associated with prosperity theology, or our need for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the gifts being for today, or any other core values that we have held. Corinthians 1:12 reads, “See that you all speak the same thing.” One of the great blessings of our family has always been a likemindedness toward our distinctives. When someone goes to a Calvary Chapel affiliate church there are things they go looking for. Just as when someone goes to a Pentecostal church, or a Hillsong church, or an Acts 29 church, or a Lutheran church. We completely respect their family’s philosophy of ministry, and we also love ours.

4. For the past three years, the Council has taken the time to seek the Lord together and try to move forward in unity. As individual pastors we have spoken in support of our core values, but we now feel the need for the Council members to speak with one voice. As our signatures to this letter attest, we are steadfastly committed to our roots, and want to clear up any confusion caused by those who have questioned the Calvary Chapel doctrine and philosophy of ministry statements.

5. To further speak to these issues we have scheduled an International Senior Pastors and Wives Conference, November 6-8, 2017 at Calvary Chapel St. Petersburg, Florida. The conference speakers will be the members of the Council and we want to reaffirm our core values, seek the Lord for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon us, and look forward to His coming. As the ministry of Calvary Chapel has grown to over 1600 affiliate churches around the world, we realize that there are many second, third, and fourth generation ministries that have joined our family, and we need to clarify what makes us Calvary Chapel. Above all, we are seeking the Lord to give us what we so deeply need and desire, a fresh filling of His Spirit.

Read the rest of this in-depth article here .