So, I have been attempting to The Way of the Master by Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron. The book along with some other materials were given to me by a young person in our church. I managed to read about 9 of the bizzilion chapters in this book and had to call it quits.
I have read several evangelism over the years and have never run into a book quite like this one. Most, if not all of the books I have read on evangelism have been written from the standpoint of being one of many effective ways to share the gospel. Unfortunately this book and the teaching that goes with it arrogantly claim to be the only Biblical way to lead someone to Christ.
I am also a person that believes very strongly that in the current culture of the United States, evangelism happens best when it happens within the context of a relationship. Study after study reveals that the majority of lasting decisions for Christ happen because someone had a relationship with them first. This book, on the other hand completely ignores a relational aspect to evangelism, resorting instead to a confrontational presentation of "the Law" that only puts someone on the defensive.
I could really write forever about everything I disagree with about this book, but I will just leave it at the fact that I couldn't even finish it.
By the way, I truly believe that the way Jesus shared faith was that he assessed his culture and used the method that worked best in each setting.
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Wednesday, October 22, 2008
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2 comments:
Actually, I loved the book "Hell's best Kept Secret" by Ray Comfort and have had evangelistic outreaches using this process of the Law. I have found that it shows quite effectively that people are dependent upon an external source other than "being a good person" to enter heaven which is a great segue into a presentation of salvation through Jesus Christ.
I agree that telling people they need Jesus without showing them why they need Jesus is actually counter productive. The beauty of this style of evangelism is that is has nothing to do with economic, social, sexual, or any other specific demographic/status/class/etc.. it deals with every person's need for a savior before a God that requires perfection.
I do respect your position, and I believe that ANY evangelism is better than No evangelism (which is what a lot of churches practice) so keep up your efforts and telling people about the Lord!
I agree with you Tim. I don't know about the book, but if it is like what they do on TV, I would never do that - walk up to someone on the street and start an evangelistic conversation with them.
I hate it when another religion tries to do that with me. Why would someone welcome me disrupting their day when they don't know me? It seems to be a great way to turn people off from Jesus.
If we can show them we love them where they are at, won't they think maybe Christ has something to offer them?
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