Warren Smith at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa in 2008 (photo: 2-second clip of video from YouTube
Former New Age follower and Lighthouse Trails author Warren B. Smith has a new YouTube channel created by Chris Lawson of Spiritual Research Network. Lawson will be adding numerous talks over the next several weeks that Smith has given over the past twenty-five years. Two particular videos on the channel took place in 2008 when the late founder and pastor of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, Chuck Smith, invited Warren Smith to speak at his Wednesday night church service to warn about the New Age and the Purpose Driven movement. After that service, Chuck Smith asked Warren to speak at the 2008 Senior Pastor’s Conference in Southern California where he warned Calvary Chapel pastors about the New Age coming into the church and about Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven movement. While Warren Smith is of no denominational affiliation, he was attending a Calvary Chapel church in central California at the time Chuck Smith gave these invitations.
What many people may not know is that from 2006 to 2008, Chuck Smith was showing great support for the work at Lighthouse Trails in its efforts to warn about the emerging church and Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven movement. He told an editor at Lighthouse Trails that he found great value in the warnings of Roger Oakland, Ray Yungen, and Warren Smith. Chuck Smith had also issued a Pastor’s Position Paper in May of 2006 denouncing the emerging church as you can read about in a report we issued then. Shortly after releasing the Position Paper, Chuck Smith publicly rejected the Purpose Driven movement saying it was in direct conflict with the Calvary Chapel movement as you can read about here. Chuck Smith’s warnings about these deceptions started to wane in 2009 when he began having serious health issues. He passed away in 2013 at the age of 86, and many people new to discernment may not be aware that he stood against these deceptions and said he did not want them to enter the Calvary Chapel movement.
To watch the talks that Warren Smith gave at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa and the Senior Pastor’s Conference from 2008, click here.
**We hope you will consider subscribing to Warren Smith’s YouTube channel, and if you know people who are involved in the New Age movement or other deceptive beliefs, please refer them to Warren’s talks as they can really help answer important questions. To subscribe to the channel, just click the subscribe button on his channel.
I think maybe the 2008 crash may have been an issue. I heard Chuck say then that many churches were really struggling and may not make it but Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa was doing ok.
Sometimes we have to make sure we let go and let God even if it seems things will fall apart. If we obey God He will make things right. Could it be maybe Chuck got his eyes on surviving no matter the cost rather than on Jesus , his word and trusting obeying? Just a thought. I was one who questioned him directly ( through his secretary) about what happened at Harvest crusade and Rick Warren.
If we hold on too tight?
Like any denomination, every pastor has his study and perspective. I grew tremendously in solid bible teaching from several Calvary Chapel pastors. I’ve been to several different ones as the Lord moved my family around. The point is, there are still great solid teachers in Calvary and other denominations, but there are those, sadly who have turned away to teaching for itching ears. Brian Broderson does not reflect the Calvary Chapel the Lord used to grow me up in Him. Bottom line is we are to follow Christ and His movement, not men of God as we are all subject to being led astray. We need discernment and wisdom from God and we need to test everything we hear to the word of God. No matter how much we love a certain teacher.
Thanks for the share Sandra, I know others who have come out of the extreme reformed movement.
Hi it’s scary to hear that I have been going through some very disturbing things in my life and sometimes with my eyes closed I can see light getting brighter and brighter and feel like I’m being controlled😭 please pray for me God knows without Jesus I’m lost
If I may offer up some hope in the midst of this dark time. The LORD is sovereign. He called my family and I out of a Reformed church only two months ago. Not knowing exactly why, the Lord has been guiding our paths to look for the Truth behind this movement. Hence, I found myself here. The LORD is GOOD. May we all be diligent in seeking HIM. I am thankful for these men that sounded the alarm.
Anna Rosa,
That was not the case with Pastor Chuck in the earlier years. Chuck was always dealing with certain fires within Calvary, as this is our constant warfare. He was surrounded by strong, Godly influences for the sake of accountability in those days. If you look up his brother Paul, you’ll have greater insight into the ‘path’ that Chuck took in the last years. I think he became overwelmed through his physical weakness, because he couldn’t war, single handedly, with the ongoing dynamics infiltrating Costa Mesa.
Nobody understood why Rick Warren was on that stage, and I’m not sure he didn’t get setup for that moment. That was Chuck taking the highroad for the crusade, imo. Accountability was on its way out at that point. The quest for takeover was in. Warren Smith and Roger Oakland were sounding the alarm years past. But the ship must roll on.
So I disagree that this was a deliberate path with Chuck’s full endorsement. Again, Paul Smith would be a start. But out of respect and great love for The Lord and his brother, he has been very careful not to speak out directly on the Calvary ministry. When Chuck made his radio statement about Catholics; I listened live to that broadcast where he stated “they’re good people too”, that was around the same period.
Welcome to era of the Brodersans.
Chuck Smith did not want his son-in-law to take over Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa on his death. Brian Broderson made himself the head pastor against the wishes of C.S. Bad things happened after his death.
Amen Anna Rosa! I grew up listening to C.S. and enjoyed his sermons. Later in life, I stopped being “spoon fed” and realized much of his theology was off. After researching him in-depth it was easy to see he was a player in the ecumenical movement. Why people like C.S. and Billy G. go this direction just flabbergasts me. Could it be that they were Jesuit infiltrators?
Eileen, Chris was replacing the 10 minute preview with the entire talk, which we decided to have up there. It should be working now.
Anna Rosa – I agree with you!
Not sure if this is the right place to ask, but I’m wondering why the video(s) on the subject of ‘Quantum’ has been deleted? It’s something I am interested in as I watched videos by Chuck Missler some time ago that I had a big question mark over ….
Praise the Lord Jesus Chris! I refer to Warren and his experience all the time on various websites , so it will be great to have a one stop shop for his videos.
I really enjoyed Warren Smith’s talk. Very informative and believable, since he and his wife both came out of the New Age movement. Evil spirits are real and often tangible. My son’s church group went to Guatemala on a missions trip. His friend, a believer experienced the light above his head one night and became paralyzed; he could not move for a few seconds. It was a very frightening experience for him. Satan is alive and well.
Let’s not leave out the key detail that at the 2009 Harvest Crusade, Chuck Smith called Rick Warren a BROTHER…(who was invited and sat right next to Chuck Smith and Greg Laurie, photos are still out on the internet). This was no coincidence or oversight due to illness, but part of the great ‘paradigm shift.’ He was also never opposed to the Catholic church, going so far as calling them Christians. These are simply facts and the truth should not be swept under the rug, but the whole truth brought out into the light.