Calvary Chapel

They are probably as close as you can come and not be a baptist. They basically differ with respect to some spiritual giftings. However the manner and place they use them is largely different that your average or normal charismatic Assembly's of God and very different from the Churches of God.

I used to listen to a broadcast in Arkansas, for 2 and half years, called "To every man an answer". THe concept was to have at least 2 to 3 pastors on the show at all times and it was an show open to any and all serious call inquestions, even some that disputed the existence of God. During that time I very rarely heard them saying anything I considered unbiblical but listened as they took everything in context of the surrounding passages and the basic concept of the book being looked at. They go into the historical, cultural aspects but never to the detriment of the meaning of the text in question. IOW - assuming the passages are mearly for a certain time (cultural) and bypassing them altogether. If I remember correctly they do not allow women to pastor a church, though I might be in error, but I think that is correct.

 

Calvary Chapels tend to be a little bit more on the legalistic side and light on religious liberty, whereas mainline Baptists hold to religious liberty as a distinctive. As noted above, they also tend to have greater emphasis on spiritual gifts.

 

I have come to know a few Calvery Chapel pastors and a few people from that group in different states (well 3 actually), and can honestly say I have never encountered or heard of any of them being 'legalistic', biblical yes, but not legalistic.
As far as christian liberty I can say this with even more assurance than the first, baptist are lighter on christain liberty than they are.

Not necessarily arguing but stating from my experience as well as listening to them, their sermons, and teachings from the radio and computer.

 

There's a disparity between doctrine and application. Calvary Chapel doctrine is definitely more legalistic than Baptist doctrine, but many CC churches practice liberty (whereas Baptist doctrine holed to liberty, but many batist churches practice legalism).

I was big into Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa (Chuch Smith's church) for a while in college. My wife left a CC church when we married.

 

Straight from the horse's mouth:

Calvary Chapel Distinctives: The Foundational Principles of the Calvary Chapel Movement by Chuck Smith

A sample:

"You know the beautiful thing about being called Calvary Chapel? People don't know where you really stand."

"...concerning the ministry of the Holy Spirit. We don't take a typical Pentecostal view, nor do we take a typical Baptist view. The minute you set your position one way or the other, you've lost half of your congregation. Why would you want to lose half your congregation?"

"When you're marketing something, you want the largest market appeal possible."

 

I'm not a big CC fan, but it's important to be fair. I haven't found all of the three quotes listed. Here is the second quote within context --

[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]"An important characteristic of Calvary Chapel Fellowships is our desire not to divide God's people over non-essential issues. This is not to say that we do not have strong convictions. When the Bible speaks clearly, we must as well. But on other issues we try to recognize the Scriptural validity of both sides of a debate and avoid excluding or favoring those in one camp over the other.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]An example of this kind of inclusiveness is found in our approach to the debatable issue concerning the ministry of the Holy Spirit. We don't take a typical Pentecostal view, nor do we take a typical Baptist view. The minute you set your position one way or the other, you've lost half of your congregation. Why would you want to lose half your congregation? Our desire is to be able to minister to as broad a group of people as possible. The minute we start taking hard-line positions on any of the non-foundational controversial issues, we alienate part of the people. In the essential doctrines of the faith, we must take a firm stand. But in the non-essential areas, we accept that people may have differing views, and we accept these in the spirit of grace. It's important to recognize that we can agree to disagree and still maintain a spirit of unity and love.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]We do believe in the validity of the gifts of the Spirit, and that these gifts can be expressed today. But we don't believe in excesses that so often accompany a freedom in the use of the gifts of the Spirit. So we avoid the controversy.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]If people want to speak in tongues, we encourage them to do so in a private devotional setting to assist in communicating their love, their praises, and their prayers to God. We look to I Corinthians 14 as our biblical example. We don't insist that a person speak in tongues as the primary evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. We believe that there are other evidences that are more credible than speaking in tongues. As Paul said, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal." (I Corinthians 13:1). We don't emphasize tongues as the primary manifestation of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but we look for love as the fruit of the Spirit. I believe that we can stand on a solid Scriptural basis doing that and, at the same time, encourage people to receive the gifts of tongues.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]As Paul explained, you may use it for your personal prayer life and for your devotional life, singing unto the Lord. "For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?" (I Corinthians 14:14-16). If you're in a public assembly with no interpreter present, and someone is speaking in tongues, how is a person sitting in the seat of the unlearned going to understand? You might well be praising God, but the other people aren't edified. We need to do all things decently and in order. In this area, we don't fit in the Pentecostal category, nor do we fit in the cessionist category that would deny any valid experience of the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit today."[/FONT]

 

I am Baptist and Chuck Smith is one of my favorite radio teachers.

He is excellant