Sun, 15 January 2006 Twelve episodes in, I figured it might be time to wrap up why I'm even doing this, in the form of a list of issues that I'm grappling with about the church. This week's featured artist is Fluid, from their album Five Star Fall, courtesy of Magnatune.com. The intro song is Headphones, and the outro numbers are Sonic Boom and 5 Star Fall. Comments[3] |
Z - there's lots for me to agree with among the beef. But one thing I wonder about is whether Calvary Chapels really are a good place to learn or not. Two points:
1) The teaching style is VERY precise in terms of what each verse means. Chuck and the boys can't possibly have scripture THAT wired, can they?
2) The pastoral authority problem is HUGE in Calvarys. Insiders call it the "pope model."
Put those two together and you've got a potential perfect storm. The Pastor teaches THE PRECISE MEANING of each verse. And the church member has no path for questioning because of the Pastor's outsized authority.
Personally, I didn't find it to be a healthy environment for teaching. Then again, maybe that was just one bad experience for me.
1) The teaching style is VERY precise in terms of what each verse means. Chuck and the boys can't possibly have scripture THAT wired, can they?
2) The pastoral authority problem is HUGE in Calvarys. Insiders call it the "pope model."
Put those two together and you've got a potential perfect storm. The Pastor teaches THE PRECISE MEANING of each verse. And the church member has no path for questioning because of the Pastor's outsized authority.
Personally, I didn't find it to be a healthy environment for teaching. Then again, maybe that was just one bad experience for me.
posted by: Craig Bob on Sun, 1/15 09:28 PM EST
Thanks for this excellent podcast! Your concerns with the church mirror mine, and you so eloquently put it into words. I'd love to share a document with you that I wrote as part of the vision statement behind a faith-based nonprofit that I launched with a friend. Let me know what you think, if you have time. Thanks again for what you do. Podcasting can be a thankless job. Know that what you do has meaning for me!
posted by: Sandy J on Wed, 1/18 12:58 PM EST
I sure concede your points Craig, and that as seriously as they take the Bible at CC they do teach it under color of excessive authority and from a pretty absolutist perspective. But at least they're citing chapter and verse instead of using Scripture as color commentary for pastoral sermons.
posted by: Zeke on Wed, 1/18 05:51 PM EST
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