|
| The Way Of The Master: How to Share Your Faith Simply, Effectively, Biblically-- The Way Jesus Did | 
 enlarge | Authors: Ray Comfort, Kirk Cameron
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Category: Book
List Price: $12.99
Buy New: $1.97
You Save: $11.02 (85%)
New (7) Used (23) Collectible (1) from $0.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  27 reviews
Sales Rank: 469239
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 240
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.6
ISBN: 1414300611
Dewey Decimal Number: 248.5
EAN: 9781414300610
Publication Date: February 9, 2004
Promotion: Data not available Terms and Conditions
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Mint condition! Has never been read! We will ship within two business days of your order or your shipping is free! Customer satisfaction is our #1 priority! If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please let us know and we will do all in our power to fix things!
|
| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 1-5 of 27 | | NEXT » |
WAY OF THE MASTER January 3, 2007
THE WAY TO WITNESS EFFECTIVELY THE WAY CHRIST DID ON EARTH!!!!!!
 Law and Gospel Paradigm for witnessing October 28, 2006
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron are professional missionaries and also develop training materials for Christians who want to purposefully share Christ with others (even though Cameron is best known for playing Mike Seaver on "Growing Pains"). The book was written to present and advance a new paradigm for witnessing: using the Law when sharing the Christian faith.
Comfort and Cameron recognize that most modern evangelistic programs (indeed, the sermons of popular preachers) can be summed up as follows: "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life, all you have to do is let him work his will with you. Give your heart to Jesus and things will go well for you." This, however, distorts the Biblical message; it is a half-truth (and is thus not faithful) and it does not bring people from unbelief to a saving faith in Jesus. Comfort and Cameron argue that this misleading message be discarded and replaced by a more Biblically-based message of Law and Gospel. They argue that a more effective and Biblically faithful method is to 1) show the hearer that there exists a Law (the Ten Commandments) which the hearer has broken, 2) show them that when they are judged by God, they will be judged guilty, 3) the punishment for their guilt is eternal punishment in hell, 4) Jesus loves you so much that he has taken the punishment of hell for you, 5) it is necessary to respond to this great love by repenting and amending your life so it is characterized by prayer, Bible reading, and showing love to your neighbors.
The book has many positive aspects. The authors are correct in their argument that the overarching Biblical message is both Law and Gospel. They are correct in their observation that the degree to which they experience the joy of the Gospel is directly related to the degree to which they experience the terror of the Law (if they take the Law lightly, the Gospel won't mean that much; if they are utterly crushed by their guilt, the Gospel will joyous life-long foundation). They also present several helpful analogies, anecdotes, and illustrations throughout the book to make their points.
The book does, however, contain weaknesses. These weaknesses stem from a still-underdeveloped understanding of Law and Gospel. I was shocked as I read through this book and found Cameron's multiple exclamations of disbelief and awe as he discovered the Law. Equally shocking was the appendix: testimonies of Christians who have never heard the Law or realized that they are guilty of sin! While this is a new discovery to Cameron, Comfort, and many other Christian denominations, the Law-Gospel paradigm is a hallmark, a foundational building-block, a centerpiece of my denomination: the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. We have multiple volumes on this paradigm and all of our denominational materials flow from it, so I can recognize that Comfort and Cameron still have a little wrestling to do with this subject.
Specifically, while they present the Law accurately, the Gospel is underdeveloped in "The Way of the Master." Comfort and Cameron routinely say two things about the Gospel: 1) it is not a "health, wealth, and prosperity" Gospel, intended to make your earthly life happy, complete and comfortable 2) it is presented only using the analogy of the courtroom, where Jesus pays the fine the judge lays on you. Throughout the book, the Law predominates and the Gospel is not presented in a way that even comes close to giving the reader comfort. Even in example witnessing dialogues, Comfort and Cameron go into great detail showing how the Law convicts, then end saying something like, "and then you share the Gospel with them." The one anecdote given where the authors bother to explain the Gospel is one given by Cameron in which he witnesses to a man on a golf course. He tells the man that in order to receive forgiveness for his sins, he needs to pray a "sinners prayer," read his Bible daily, and make Jesus the centerpiece of his life. This really bothered me because Cameron (in his sincerity) shows the man the freedom Christ has won for him, only to heap more burdens on him. Throughout the book, Comfort and Cameron show contempt for Christians who live up to their lifestyle standards by questioning whether they were ever Christians to begin with. This mocking and jeering not intended to be judgmental (in my estimation), but again shows that the authors have not come to a full understanding of the difference between Law and Gospel, Faith and Works, Justification and Sanctification.
While I do recommend this book and find it helpful for its easy-to-read analysis of popular theology and a good introduction to Law and Gospel (especially as it relates to evangelism), it is incomplete. To supplement it, I would recommend "Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel" by C.F.W. Walther (it's a tough read, but worth plowing through), "God's No and God's Yes" (a simplified version of Walther's book by Walther Pieper), "The Hammer of God" (a novel by Bo Giertz), and "By Faith Alone" by Martin Luther. One can also visit an LCMS church or listen to some programming on[...]. I look forward to seeing how Comfort's and Cameron's theology develops in the future.
Insightful book June 8, 2006
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
With good examples on how Ray uses the law to share the Gospel. I also ordered the traning materials and sample tracts for my fellowship to study together.
Praise Ray! April 25, 2006
2 out of 16 found this review helpful
I think there's a moment in everyone's life when they realize that the things they want and the things they need are two different things. Except, when I read this triumph of a book I finally found something that I both wanted to read and needed to read. So, I sat down with a large glass of root beer schnapps and a carton of Luckys and forced my way through it. Now, after completing this creative tour de force, I'm not ashamed of walking up to people on the street and praising the way of the Master. I'm also not averse to ringing a few doorbells to testify to the greatness of the Master. Also, I try to flag down cars on the parkway, but have not had much luck ... and I actually hurt my foot when a 93 Duster ran over it, but it's all worth in service of the Master. Of course, when I say Master I'm not referring to God. I mean Ray. This book has thoroughly cleansed my soul of independent thought. I now look to the sunrise each morning as a sign of Ray's benevolence and purity. If only he could help me with the horrific back pain that plagues my every waking minute. Oh Ray, why do bad things happen to good people? Why did Kirk Cameron's Hollywood career go careening and tumbling, never to be resuscitated? Why did the so-gorgeous and inspiring Chelsea marry him? Is there any hope for me there?
This is eye-opening! March 16, 2006
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
I was very skeptical at first when reading the book but it made more sense as I read. Then I actually tried to witness like this and I was AMAZED! People are not offended but are struck silent by what comes out of their mouths. Most of the Evangelical American church does not realize they are preaching a modern gospel. I am doing what I can to preach the truth in love.
|
|
|
Copyright © Hip-Edge.com 2006. All rights reserved. Information about prices, products, services and merchants is provided by third parties and is for informational purposes only. Hip-Edge.com does not represent or warrant the accuracy or reliability of the information, and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. We are an Amazon.com Affiliate proudly selling Christian T-Shirts by Kerusso.
| |
