By Douglas V. Gibbs
I remember in the seventies hearing a few members of "legalistic" churches complain about a new brand of non-denominational churches that played that "rock and roll" music, instead of traditional hymns. I remained silent, as a child, but found the idea of upbeat music, and an enthusiastic church service preferable to the stuffy ones I was attending. In 1979 my family discovered Greg Laurie's Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California, and we began attending. The stories about the rock and roll were true, as was the appealing style of teaching that stuck to biblical text, and reached out to unbelievers with a positive message of salvation. The environment was a little bit spirit-filled, but not so much that people were dancing in the aisles and speaking in tongues. At the same time, the Calvary Chapel associated church in Riverside was not marching in lockstep with the strict nature of traditional congregational churches, either. It was a happy medium that emphasized presenting a more casual atmosphere, while providing a message that evangelized to the masses, whoever they were. Early on, Chuck Smith epitomized this attitude when, as the story goes, at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, old guard trustees posted a sign in their renovated sanctuary: "no bare feet allowed." Smith tore it down with a promise to reach young souls for Christ, even it meant throwing out new pews and carpeting and bringing in steel folding chairs.
Chuck Smith was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2011. In 2012, recognizing his time might be short, he established a 21-member leadership council to oversee the Calvary Church Association, a fellowship of some 1,600 like-minded non-denominational congregations in the United States and abroad.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Chuck Smith, 86, Dies After Cancer Battle - Christianity Today
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