Way of the Master

[Chris_LaRock]

Oh yeah, and this is what he thinks of the Roman Catholic Church:

livingwaters.com/articles_ray_archive/articles_ray_04-03-16_venompreachers.shtml
livingwaters.com/helps/faq.shtml#17

What a horrible man…he does not preach the true Gospel message of love.

The second link:

1. How do you witness to a Roman Catholic?
   The problem is that he is most likely not born again. It is because of this, that there is contention. I have found that it is often a futile exercise to try and convince a Roman Catholic that the teachings of his church are erroneous. Instead, I open up the Law (the Ten Commandments), then say that if he is not born again he is not a Christian (I show him John 3 and say that Jesus said it–in the Catholic Bible). Unless that happens, he is unsaved and cannot enter Heaven (and there is no purgatory). I then spread it out by letting him know that if someone is a Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, Salvation Army, Catholic or “whatever,” and is not born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. When he is truly converted, the Holy Spirit will lead him into all truth and away from the error of Roman Catholicism.

Disagreeing with Catholicism makes one ‘horrible’?

 

[Chris_LaRock]

Stay away from this program and Ray Comfort. I was actually interviewed for this program and Comfort is a very strong anti-Catholic who hates the Church very much. …and for those who see the clips of people crying, etc., it’s because he talks to people in a judgmental manner calling them adulterers and theives.

All Ray does is go through the commandments so that people can see that thier sin is serious and offends God, so they can see thier need for Jesus. He himself doesn’t call people theives and adulterers. He asks them if they have stolen or looked with lust. When the people say, ‘yes’, Ray asks, ‘what does that make you?’ It’s all geared toward making the person think about thier own sins in a more personal and serious way.

People cry sometimes when the pain of conscience kicks in. And sometimes they try to counter thier feelings of conviction by lashing out angrily. Like when someone storms out of the room when they don’t want to admit they did wrong. Anger is used to cover thier pride.

 

[JPUSC]

Yeah, he uses the 10 Commandments bit, but when he finds out you’re a Catholic he has a different set of questions for you. I bet
he has met a lot of lax Catholics since the questions seemed geared towards tricking them.

Being opposed to Catholic teachings is one thing, saying to someone Catholics are going to hell is another thing. That’s the problem with some of these evangelical groups who judge people…only God has the right to judge someone.

I’m getting a little tired of some of these people. Just last Sunday, one of them showed up at our church parking lot after Mass trying to convert people. Also, one of my evangelical friends showed me a prayer book of his which asks christians to pray for all the people in Catholic countries so that they will convert.

We’re all Christians, why don’t the evangelicals focus on Atheists instead of their own brethren.

 

[Chris_LaRock]

Being opposed to Catholic teachings is one thing, saying to someone Catholics are going to hell is another thing. That’s the problem with some of these evangelical groups who judge people…only God has the right to judge someone.

Don’t Catholics think that all non-Catholics are hell bound?

Also, Ray goes through the commandments so that the people can examine and judge for themselves the seriousness of their sin. He doesn’t just go up to people and shout, “Liar! Thief! Adulterer! You’re going to hell unless you become anti-Catholic!”

I actually have seasons 1 & 2 of their show on dvd.

 

[JPUSC]

The Catholic Church teaches that while it is normatively necessary to be a Catholic to be saved (see CCC 846; Vatican II, Lumen Gentium 14), there are exceptions, and it is possible in some circumstances for people to be saved who have not been fully initiated into the Catholic Church (CCC 847).

And about your dvd collection, you do know that they edit out a lot of stuff, right? He has his list of questions folded in his hand and when his trickery doesn’t work, he asks different questions.

 

[NotWorthy]

Don’t Catholics think that all non-Catholics are hell bound?

Where does the Church teach this?

Also, Ray goes through the commandments so that the people can examine and judge for themselves the seriousness of their sin. He doesn’t just go up to people and shout, “Liar! Thief! Adulterer! You’re going to hell unless you become anti-Catholic!”

I actually have seasons 1 & 2 of their show on dvd.

 

[Jake1975]

I personally found the style of Way of the Master offensive and unnecessarily insulting to non-Christians. I don’t recall any anti-Cathoolic slurs, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t any.

It was being aired on our local Calvary Satellite Network but it was removed because it wasn’t very edifying. I shared my concerns with the station manager and he agreed.

 

[Chris_LaRock]

The Catholic Church teaches that while it is normatively necessary to be a Catholic to be saved (see CCC 846; Vatican II, Lumen Gentium 14), there are exceptions, and it is possible in some circumstances for people to be saved who have not been fully initiated into the Catholic Church (CCC 847).

And about your dvd collection, you do know that they edit out a lot of stuff, right? He has his list of questions folded in his hand and when his trickery doesn’t work, he asks different questions.

Trickery? Was Nathan using trickery when he appealed to King David’s conscience with regard to the adultery and murder he had committed? Going for the conscience to create true remorse is a good thing, since it creates genuine repentence.

I just think that the methods used by Ray and Kirk have been GREATLY misrepresented here.

 

[brosam]

I personally find it interesting that they meet someone on the street, argue with them, get them to come to Jesus, and then leave them standing there: No Bible, No Church, nobody to help them move further along the path. Sounds like a OSAS deal to me.

Actually, nothing could be further from the truth.

You’ve got to remember that it’s only a two hour show and they have other people and other topics to get to.

The truth is that they do give Bibles out. If you’ve ever heard the show, then you know that Todd always asks them if they have a Bible and if they say no, he always tells them “talk to the young lady who handed you the phone”.

Aaron always takes a box of Bibles with him.

I happen to have had much correspondence with Tony Miano, who listeners of the show know as “Lawman”, and he does give Bibles to those who don’t have them.

In addition, they’re almost always there in conjunction with a local church, be it through Transformed, GreatNewsNetwork, or some other organization and if somene is led to Christ, they do make sure that person is followed up with and given a good opportunity for discipleship.

 

[brosam]

Yeah, he uses the 10 Commandments bit, but when he finds out you’re a Catholic he has a different set of questions for you. I bet
he has met a lot of lax Catholics since the questions seemed geared towards tricking them.

I listen to the show every day and, every day, they have at least one Roman Catholic on. The questions don’t change from one to another.

We’re all Christians, why don’t the evangelicals focus on Atheists instead of their own brethren.

Because an unsaved Roman Catholic needs the Gospel just as much as an unsaved atheist.

 

[brosam]

Kirk Cameron is Rapture believer. He starred in the first movie in the Left Behind series…that in itself speaks of Anti-Catholicism…based on the belief of it’s author Dr. Tim Lahaye.

I see. He’s an actor who starred in a fictional movie that never mentions Roman Catholicism one way or the other. Therefore, he must be anti-Roman Catholic. Well, certainly can’t argue with that logic.

 

[brosam]

Not just a possibility…a fact.

For example…?

 

[brosam]

Does anyone out there have experience with this show? I am familiar with it, but I was wondering if anyone had seen them do anything that we might consider anti-Catholic?

Thanks.

Brad

I love the show and listen every day.

We started our church right about the time the show started and I’ve got to be honest with you, they really inspired a lot of people in our church to get out and get hot sharing the Gospel.

I’ve been in regular contact with a couple of people from the show, as well as two off-air staff members. Todd and I used to converse regularly, until the show got so big that he didn’t have time for little ol’ me anymore, and Tony and I still talk.

I’ve got to say that I’m really impressed with their dedication to the Gospel, to sound doctrine, and to standing up for truth.

Like I said, I’ve been listening to the show from the beginning, and I’ve never heard any thing that could be considered “anti-Roman Catholic.”

 

[losh14]

Stop going to Church, stop believing in Christ altogether, do anything, become Jewish just dont continue going to a Catholic Church.

That’s not even rational. That’s just anti-Catholicism, aka 16th century Germany recycled.

 

[RetMar]

Ray Comfort and “Way of the Master” are pro-Calvary and not focused on being anti-religion, anti-denominational, anti-church. The late Dr. D. James Kennedy of the evangelical community once said (paraphrasing) that “the vast majority of (evangelical) church members are not saved, and I say that after 24 years of counseling and observation.” What Dr. Kennedy and Ray Comfort are saying is that we need to be true to the Bible and to what Jesus Christ said…“that no one is good, but God” (Matthew 19:17) and that “all our righteousness (good works) are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). Even Mary knew that she wasn’t good (no one is, remember?) and needed her Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 1:46-47). It is so amazing, yet very sobering and worth my seeking out God’s guidance with a humble heart because I need to focus on Christ the Lord and not on my own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). All the best.

 

[Roman_Catholic_1]

Ray Comfort and “Way of the Master” are pro-Calvary and not focused on being anti-religion, anti-denominational, anti-church.

I couldn’t disagree more. I have read Ray Comfort’s *Way of the Master *book and I listen to Todd Friel on what use to be called Way of the Master Radio (The show, ironically, changed its name to Wretched Radio when it broke ties with the WOTM ministries).

I would say that they are extremely anti-whatever and whoever does not hold to what they consider are the “essentials” of the faith. And of course they are the ones who decide what the “essentials” are.

God bless

 

[losh14]

I would say that they are extremely anti-whatever and whoever does not hold to what they consider are the “essentials” of the faith. And of course they are the ones who decide what the “essentials” are.

Like a number of ministries (evangelical or otherwise), Ray Comfort’s focuses on one aspect as a central theme. While that’s not bad as a launch point, it needs to be done within balance, and that balance needs to be Divine Revelation as a whole. If you believe that nothing worth reading was written after John wrote the Book of Revelation, then you still need to keep your message reflecting the fullness of Scripture.

What Comfort gets right is turning away from relying on yourself and turning towards Christ.

What Comfort gets wrong is applying this approach to every single person he evangelizes to. It is correctly applied to someone who believes they can get into Heaven on the basis of being a good person. It comes off as an odd question to those of us who’ve read enough Scripture to reliably say what is stated therein in terms of what is required for salvation and what God wants from us. And it comes off as annoying to those of us who hear the same bloody question from every person who subscribes to Comfort’s movement.

Besides, the nature of the approach itself is absurd. It may “work”, if the goal is to get someone to break down on camera. But if a WotM proselytizer goes up to someone with the “Are you a good person?” question and gets the response “In God’s eyes, I’m a sinner, but I believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I confess my sins to Him, and try to model my life in imitation of Him.” what would be the next response? To go over a list of the Ten Commandments anyway (this is the response I received from a co-worker, much to my chagrin as he interrupted my lunch), and tell the person that no, he or she is not trusting Christ but himself or herself. By what virtue in the WotM movement does such a person have such clairvoyance? Trust in Christ is neither observable nor demonstrable except internally. It’s part of the dialogue that goes with an intimate relationship.

Kirk Cameron’s public face on this project should be enough to dismiss it off-hand from the get-go.

 

[losh14]

The late Dr. D. James Kennedy of the evangelical community once said (paraphrasing) that “the vast majority of (evangelical) church members are not saved, and I say that after 24 years of counseling and observation.”

Was DJK a doctor of clairvoyance? Did he have unique access to the Father to determine the state of one’s soul?

In his video “Hell’s Best Kept Secret”, Comfort blames the high defection rate in evangelical churches on so-called “false conversions” (again, as if this was observable or could be tracked statistically) stemming from false promises of worldly benefits.

Respectable research by actual researchers finds that most people leave a given church because of personal conflicts with a pastor or other authority figure, including statements made by hierarchic leaders as well as personal face-to-face problems with even small group leaders.

Comfort, like Lindsay and Van Imp, discuss only what bolsters the perspective of his own movement, or spins actual events in such a way as to fit in with his own bent.

 

[RetMar]

“Perception isn’t everything, the Right Perspective is”

We all need to realize that while on earth we’re really living in a matrix…a matrix full of lies and deceptions in regard to truly understanding life eternal and death eternal. Or as Ray Comfort calls it: “Hell’s Best Kept Secret”. Some of these deceptions include believing that most of us are generally good people (but we forget that “no one is good, but God”), that good works help us get to Heaven like being baptized or by acts of contrition (but then what do we do with Ephesians 2:8-9…?), and that we are saved when we confess our sins to the priest and to Mary and ask Jesus into our hearts (see the link below).

These are all huge deceptions because so many of us have fallen into trusting in what we have been told by others and in trusting in our own efforts and in our own understanding without searching out the Scriptures ourselves, and without checking out Scripture against Scripture.

For example, many of us have heard John 3:16 quoted which says that “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” It sounds like if we believe (trust) in Jesus Christ we will be saved. That is a true statement, and yet what about Mary? (but then what do we do with Acts 4:10-12…?) And is anything else required of us before we are ready to be saved? Must we **prepare our hearts **before we trust in Jesus and by transformed by His Holy Spirit? These critical questions and more are faithfully answered by Ray Comfort in the Evidence Bible that provides supplemental material throughout.

Here’s one for you – Is Repentance Necessary for Salvation? The online answer can be found at (evidencebible.com/pdf/04_John.pdf), then scroll down to page 323 (John 3) and read Comfort’s explanation on repentance. Make a sincere and earnest effort to check out this extract on repentance and then prayerfully consider it with a humble heart. It should help remove the deception of accepting verses out of context and should add to forming the right perspective on the way of salvation. You might even want to get your hands on an Evidence Bible and seek out these truths yourselves because whether we are Catholics or Protestants or are none of the above – unless we first repent and then trust in Jesus Christ alone so that we can be born again by His Holy Spirit nothing else we will have done or will have believed will matter on Judgment Day.

“But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” (II Cor 11:3)