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I first came to faith under the teaching of Chuck Smith back in 1974, and was even baptized in the ocean at "pirates cove" in Corona del Mar. I, and A LOT of folks like me were really searching for something better than the drug culture of southern California. I cannot fault a lot of "pastor Chuck's" teaching as it points to Jesus as being the only way to salvation. God used Chuck and Calvary Chapel (CC) as a tool to bring many of us to him, and I praise Him for the work He performed in me during that period of my life. Chuck was also a personal friend. We surfed together more than once.

Nevertheless, I always had a problem with the dogmatic eschatology espoused by CC, and I let Chuck know that I believed that it was contray to the teaching of scripture, and was risky business, specially when those predictions failed to materialize. He listened to what I had to say, and never made me feel that I was any less of a Christian for believing the way I did (and still do). It seemed to me during that time that Chuck was not really setting dates or prophesying events, but was rather conjecturing as to a possible scenario for the return of Christ. That fit with the dispensational premillennialism that was (and still is) prevalent in protestant circles. Personally, I was staunchly Calvinistic at the time (I am even moreso now), though I didn't know enough about it to realize it. It really didn't matter anyway back then, because all we cared about was loving and serving Jesus, and one another.

I cannot speak to the years since I left CC in 1982. About the only remnant I have of that time are a few Maranatha Music CDs and tapes.

You can fault Chuck Smith on his eschatology, but bear in mind that he is not the only practitioner of the form. His preaching that Jesus is the only way to God, falls right in line with scripture.

Conjecture: that is the key word. Conjecture is NOT date-setting.

Calvary Chapel tapes while I was overseas in the military as a young man in 1972 was the first Christian teaching I ever received after coming to Christ. Chuck Smith was line-by-line, clear, and convincing. He ably explained his model of eschatology, and I still consider it my favorite model.

The problem with conjecture is that those who disagree with your model and those who agree with your model can be your worst nightmares.

Those who disagree with you will not hear your use of modifiers like "might" or "maybe" or "possibly", and they will assert that you have taught that certain things WILL be, when you've really only said that they "might" be, as based on scripture.

Many of those who agree with your model also will not hear your "mights" and "maybes." They will then use your words to take them to outlandish biblical conclusions that you never would have supported.

The bottom line is that Christians must know and appreciate more than one model of biblical eschatology and keep track of them all. Future things have always involved a bit of interpretation.