The Latest on The Smith Family Battle
The Christian Post has a new article with a bit more on this family feud.
Chuck Smith Jr. spoke to some of the issues in the suit, beginning with the controversy over his late fathers caregiver.
“She did everything that a live-in caregiver would do,” Smith told CP. “I hope that in all of this that she is fully vindicated because she is a wonderful person and does not deserve to be maligned.”
As to the finances for his mother, Smith Jr. clarified that issue as well and removed Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa and the Brodersens from guilt.
“In regards to the financial claims against CCCM, Smith said that his parents had been paid through a program known as Rabbi’s Trust for quite a while and the church was not responsible for his dad’s salary. He said that if there was a lapse in what his mother was now receiving, it was due to “either negligence or ineptitude in part of the executor of the trust.””
Kay Smith also gets royalties from The Word For Today.
“Again, if my mom was slighted in funds from Word For Today, it wasn’t Calvary Chapel that did it,” Smith, Jr. said. “If I had heard that my mom was not receiving adequate compensation or care I would have inquired into it and if there was any problem there I would have taken her into my home.”
Janette Smith Manderson, who is bringing the suit, told the reporter, there are “other issues, but TWFT is the heart of the matter.”
Editorial comment:
Thank God for Chuck Smith Jr.
If he had not spoken up so strongly, clearly, and quickly this story and all of it’s accusations would have exploded over the lives of those accused.
It is a reflection of his character in my opinion that he has not allowed the caregiver to his father to become collateral damage in a bitter family dispute.
My hope is that if she is vindicated that it is reported as widely as this mess.
Legal wrangling over who owns what is expected and necessary…destroying an innocent persons reputation isn’t.
It’s all quite sad, but Chuck Jr, again is a voice of reason and grace.
Wow! This is Disgusting, is this really what American Christianity is about? Who the Hell thinks they have a Right to profit off the Gospel? Wolves in sheep’s clothing who think Godliness is a means of Gain! Chuck profiting off his Word for Today Ministry says all you need to know about him and Calvary Chapel! The Word of God is to be given free of charge not Pimped out so the Family can live soft and Luxurious lives while there are sheep in their midst barely surviving. If you have material wealth and don’t share them with those in need your midst do you even have the spirit of God in you?
it’s obvious that Chuck was building his empire not God’s! No Pastor is called to live soft and luxurious and now the families are fighting over the $$$ left behind. Calvary Chapel is so corrupt it is not even funny. They protect known child abusers such as Bob Grenier! No church should have that amount of money. What happened to sharing with those in their midst. It’s clear now that Calvary Chapel was about building an Empire via the Moses Model. The love of money is the root of all evil, Shame on them all of them, Brian Broderson especially. Ridiculous how they thought that godliness was a Means of Gain. False Pagan Church! Even Kay shouldn’t be getting profits form the TWFT. It’s God’s word FREE OF CHARGE!!!
There is no Honor among Thieves!
I am confident the caregiver will be vindicated. It will be evident she followed hospice protocol to the t and acted entirely with compassion and professionalism in the face of all the emotional family dynamics that encompass a family during this trying season of life. My heart goes out to her having to endure these baseless accusations. I too am grateful for CS Jr’s grace & wisdom in addressing this painful situation. I can understand Bradley’s high emotions surrounding his gpa’s passing. I have a harder time understanding the plaintiff’s motivations especially as I remember the Jan I knew in earlier years. Sadly, I long ago accepted Jeff’s tendency towards greed. May all parties involved find healing for all the factors that led up to this situation and the further pain this action has caused.
Anne. Well said.
Dr D. Big man speaking out prophetically against the evil, pagan church. Anonymously. A true keyboard warrior.
I remember Dr. D from when I used to watch professional wrestling as a kid. Sometimes went by Dr. Death. Wore a mask then and apparently still does.
LOL! Too funny in an ironic way – picking on Dr. D while using YOUR blogging nom de plumes. While I do not have any appreciation or agreement with his statements, I support his right to posit them anonymously as long as our web host allows. And the rights of all giving him pushback, anonymously as well
Gotta admit #7 has me chuckling.
Dr.D, can I assume your comments were offered in love? It sounds to me like they were just more noise. It must be a big burden to carry to know everything as you seem to.
I wonder if all this could have been prevented if Chuck Sr. had made plans well ahead of time regarding his estate, care for Kay, and what, if anything, would have been left to his children and grandchildren. It seems to have been a colossal blunder on his part. Maybe that’s the fruit of believing the “rapture” is about to happen any second.
The real question is, outside of just plain old harmony – does anyone really care if the Smith family is dysfunctional or not? Why should they be different than the rest of us?
In my observations/opinion, CS Sr. took greater care in settling his final wishes and provisions for his family than he did for the movement. Always mindful in my opinionating that people can all be eyewitnesses to, even intimately involved in the same events (example auto accidents, family history etc) and have vastly different memories and opinions.
This is different than the Bryson/McClure battle over CC Assoc and the future of CC.
Per Chuck Jr. who seems to certainly be telling the truth, If there is a rabbi’s trust…if there is a royalty agreement on TWFT, then that is self-evident that these things were prepared in advance. Legal contracts
Look…as we all know, a person can sign a will, have it properly witnessed, be in sound mind, and there is nothing in American to stop any potential (or even imagined) heir from getting a lawyer, filing a suit against the will, and causing a lot of trouble after death comes.
Ain’t that America, for you and me. Ain’t that America, something to see baby.
In my observations/opinion, CS Sr. took greater care in settling his final wishes and provisions for his family than he did for the movement
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As it should be.
When one believes in the independence of the local church under the direction and guidance of the Holy Spirit, one can justify “leaving it to the Lord” to work out.
Any man who said that about his surviving widow though would be a selfish, uncaring individual….and I met MANY such men when I sold insurance.
I thought Dr. D raised a few good points that many here have said before in various forms. Won’t pick on his ‘name’ either, as few know my ‘real’ one. Good for the goose and gander. Nor will I nitpick about tone or attitude, as there is plenty of that here to go around. Welcome aboard the leaky, tilting, some-what seaworthy vessel PP, Dr. D.
besides, the view from the crow’s nest is always better than in the bilgeworks.
Yeah, well I know all the parties. I’m on the side of honor and truth, of which if you look too deep you will find little of that here. Chuck Jr. is a man who speaks the truth in love. Brodersen isn’t a bad guy with evil intentions using his wife’s familial connections for strictly self advancement. He is a guy who married a pretty girl who had a famous dad and he has benefitted from that relationship as he entered into the same line of work. And Senior always made sure his family had job security, part of the perks so to speak. That’s not a Calvary thing, nepotism happens all over the place. But Brian certainly didn’t create a ‘Scheme” to knock Chuck off in his final days. And the nonsense that Kay is not sufficiently taken care of financially is ridiculous. I’m not an attorney and I don’t give a rats ass about the complaint which reads like a Freshman attempt at a lawsuit. What tears at me is the very real issue of whether or not the dissemination of the Gospel message by a figurehead is a protected intellectual property that can and SHOULD be monetized. It seems quite evident that in spite of Senior’s history (and the mythology that Calvary perpetually promotes that it is and always has been an institution of humility and servitude) the facts show that a long time ago several of them figured it was the family business and that as family members they were entitled to whatever profits came as a result of it. And those with a lesser conscious in the DNA strain learned they could profit nicely from the positional authority that came with the gifting of their father, a gifting which was God given. That’s what really troubling here. What Paul, Jan and Jeff don’t know is they unwittingly have pulled the sheets off their own inner workings, and pretty much everybody sees what is really going on here. And if this is true then the damage has already been done not only to them, but to the precious legacy of which they now speak. As a result the people of the church are hurt. And God very much cares about that. And He very much cares that a decent human being who was a nurse and caregiver, whose heart is quiet and subtle, and someone who suffered long hours out of love for Chuck and Kay, is now being vilified. She is an innocent. And God, has a lot of things to say about that one…
Those who know me know I’m no fan of cc or Chuck but these folks are not “in it for the money”. Brian, Chuck, and the rest of the pastors always seemed pure in their motives. The system they set up is what this mess is born from.
I have knowledge that letters have gone out to all cc pastors siding with the lawsuit and attaching youtube links discrediting Chuck Jr.
“Discrediting ChuckJr”
…for being what the rest of us outside of the Calvary Chapel Bubble would call “normal”?
How can Chuck Jr. be descredited? Descredited from what? He isn’t asking for anything and his position has been passive and loving. Chuck Jr so far has been the voice of reason.
Not wanting to continue in the family tribe isn’t a sin.
I find this dynamic a bit fascinating. Wasn’t it Chuck Smith jr. the one that got booted out of CC 8 years ago because he was way too liberal for CC? Now he seems to be discrediting his own brother and sister and siding with the institution that had him defrocked in the first place. Has Chuck Smith jr changed or CC changed theologically that a possible reconciliation of Chuck Smith jr to CC as a whole is on the horizon? Maybe this has nothing to do with anything but I am just curious if Chuck Smith jr is motivated at all to rejoin the CC ranks with Broderson as the likely man to re-instate him?
Andrew, you seem to be very consistant with speaking about things that you know nothing about. Try looking at this as a family in need of restoration rather than your typical, “I hate all things CC and most other pastor’s as well” attitude.
Covered. I love CC but CC appears to be what ever anyone wants it to be at this point. But I do hate the Mose Model. That is for sure. But I have been told that is no longer a distinctive of CC, so how can I complain? Of course the family needs restoration but try looking this as the church here in America needs restoration as well.
I am pretty sure that Chuck Smith Jr has no interest in returning to Calvary Chapel I would love to hear informed news otherwise
Rather than trying to assign ulterior motives that are apparently based on nothing more than blind speculation, we should just be grateful for the way Chuck Jr. is seemingly speaking truth with graciousness.
Whether Chuck jr has a desire to return I don’t know, but its obvious that some CC pastors that post here are enamored by him. That in itself is kind of interesting.
You need to think a bit broader Andrew. This isn’t about siding with the group that “defrocked” Chuck, it is about siding with the truth. And BTW, if my memory serves me correctly, Chuck wasn’t kicked out, he walked out.
Chuck Jr. walked away from the organization. He was not defrocked and he did not walk away from his parents. It’s not necessary to be enamored by him in order to see that he is being a voice of reason in the midst of an unreasonable mess.
@30
I agree with you Steve.
Chuck Jr. walked away from the organization. He was not defrocked and he did not walk away from his parents. It’s not necessary to be enamored by him in order to see that he is being a voice of reason in the midst of an unreasonable mess.
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Pretty sure he was asked to leave the affiliation by Papa Chuck who at one time was the voice of reason for all of CC. How incredible strange that is…
Jr. chose to leave.
CK was correct.
Jr. chose to leave after Papa Chuck asked him to. I’m glad he did it peacefully and willingly. Otherwise I am pretty sure it would have gotten real messy for both.
Andrew,
You have no clue what you’re talking about.
Paul Smith had a problem with Jr.
Chuck would not have defrocked him…nor did he.
Chuck and Jr. were just fine in later years according to my sources.
“You have no clue what you’re talking about.”
http://articles.latimes.com/2006/sep/02/local/me-smiths2/3
“Paul Smith had a problem with Jr.”
Are you saying Chuck didn’t?
“Chuck would not have defrocked him…nor did he.”
Are you trying to insinuating that Chuck Sr. had no problems what so ever with the direction his affiliate and his own son were taking in CC?
“Chuck and Jr. were just fine in later years according to my sources.”
Agreed
The very article you link says that Paul Smith was behind this.
It also says that Jr. chose to leave.
It also clearly quotes Chuck as saying he has no issue with his son.
Funny how it is, but wasn’t it Brian Broderson that was instrumental in getting rid of Paul Smith. Its almost as if things have gone full circle.
No one is disputing Jr. chose to leave. The question is how much resistance he got and prodding he received to leave.
Chuck obviously loved his son very much and vice-versa
Andrew,
Chuck fired Paul.
Had nothing whatsoever to do with Brodersen.
Chuck fired Paul.
Had nothing whatsoever to do with Brodersen
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Really? I thought the decision for Paul to go was a board decision that Chuck was forced to go along with. And Broderson was on that board.
This is what I read on the subject.
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=222