The world lost a great man the other day, Pastor Chuck Smith. You can find out all sorts of things about him on the Internet. He played key roles in bringing Christian music into the late twentieth century, and also in the mega-church movement. You can find out more about those two legacies all over the place. However, two things loom the largest in my picture of Pastor Chuck…

1. He opened the church doors to people other than clean cut, middle class folks. Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, Ca. was one of the first, if not the first in America, to make everybody feel welcome. Even long-hairs. And barefoot people. With dirty feet. And these people were not pushed to the periphery of his church, they were welcomed with open arms.

2. He emphasized teaching through the Bible, line by line, verse by verse. This prevented teachers from…