The Way of The Evangelical

Evangelical: of, relating to, or being; A Christian church believing in the sole authority and inerrancy of the bible, in salvation only through regeneration, and in a spiritually transformed personal life.

In the past I thought of religion as old. Growing up I was taught about biblical times and people, about their wars and their struggles and the miracles that saved or ended their lives. But just as our modern world is actually more dangerous and war ridden than my imagined world from the bible stories, religion is more relevant today then ever. People seem to be starved for religion, starved for guidance and answers in our increasingly complex society. And just as religious movements of the past, say Judaism, have gathered striking numbers of followers, there are modern movements like Scientology, or more recently Falun Gong, doing the same. Due to the way information spreads today, by exploiting various media outlets a religious group can reach enough hearts and minds to eventually be identified on the religious map, and in turn can claim to have answers to our most pressing of life’s questions about faith, rights and wrongs, and the afterlife.

One such recent religious invention is, The Way of The Master, an Evangelical Christian sect operating out of Bellflower, California. It is deserving of particularly close examination because of its calculated approach to conversion using and interactive website and television program to broadcast its fundamentalist beliefs.

The Way of The Master movement is headed by charismatic New Zealander, Ray Comfort, and, Kirk Cameron. That’s right, Kirk Cameron, the same Kirk Cameron who played Mike Seaver on the 80s hit sitcom Growing Pains. Towards the end of the show’s life span Cameron withdrew from the cast and ultimately from Hollywood due to his apparently extreme religious beliefs. Together, Comfort and Cameron travel mostly the southern states and California preaching there updated version of Evangelical Christianity harping on the pivotal claim that any new evangelical movement must make; that all other religions, even other Christian sects, even other Evangelical Christians sects, are wrong. And more, that those sects create a false sense of righteousness and savior in those who follow them. This claim leads to their conclusive statement that if you want true bliss on earth, and forever in heaven, that you must exclusively follow this one way, The Way of The Master (which of course includes buying their videos and books conveniently available on the website www.wayof themaster.com).

As I entered the website for the first time, even before getting to the home page, I was presented with the question, “Are you a Christian?” After answering no, I was directed to a series of questions about my life decisions and relating them to the exact text of the 10 commandments with the only options for answer being, “innocent”, or “guilty”. After I was deemed in need of sevior, I finally entered the home page.

As a first time viewer it was suggested that I take another test called, “The Love Test”, a multiple-choice questionnaire about faith. After completing the love test, step two of my introduction was to listen to 2, hour long, streaming audio sermons given by Kirk, and then Ray Comfort. I must admit that upon embarking on this audit I was a little concerned that the sermons would get to me in a way I did not want them to, but I quickly got over my fear, hoping it was unrealistic, and entered into an extended explanation of the philosophy of The Way of The Master.

Kirk opened with his story about becoming a Christian, a 5 minute account of his life as a celebrity who had all the material possessions he wanted, and leaving it behind when he was saved by Jesus after hearing the scripture read for just the first time. In his description of his life before being saved he used words like, “guilty”, “filthy”, and “dirty”. More generally, he applies these descriptors to all people, speaking with the overtone that we as human beings are naturally bad and that only in repentance through Jesus may we be saved from, “ourselves”, “the tribulation”, and “the wrath of g-d”. He used a series of overly simplified metaphors and anecdotes about judges and one about sinking cars to prove his point to the intently silent crowd.

Kirk’s sermon crosses into the realm of ridiculous and extreme, but his mission partner Ray Comfort takes an even harder line. Comfort attacks other forms of Christianity calling people who follow them “false converts” and “weak”. He calls the mind, “an unfaithful instrument that is not to be trusted”, and calls evolution and other scientific endeavors “irrelevant”. He also continues the theme of self disgust that they both suggest we should all have. Comfort refers several time to morbid images like “…bring them to the foot of a bloody cross”, about false coverts. He talks about the anti-Christ and the tribulation with such confidence in their arrival that the crowd begins to respond out loud with whoops and cheers. The use of fear as a tool of education and control is most easily recalled when Comfort refers back to Evangelical leaders of the past like Moody and Billy Graham.

After I listen to the words of Comfort and Cameron the third step of my introduction forwards me to www.livingwaters.com, the carrier for all TWOTM merchandise, audio CD’s, books, bibles, and even on line courses are offered. This is a truly comprehensive approach to reaching the masses where all media outlets are exploited. They even have a TV show.

The web site says, “The Way of the Master television programs are scheduled to air via satellite to over 100 nations every week. This is a new look at reality TV. Each program is 30 minutes of Ray and Kirk teaching Christians how to share their faith effectively and inoffensively. Learn how to speak with your unsaved family and friends, and then see Kirk and Ray go onto the streets and demonstrate how to do it. This is real- life witnessing in action. Watch as Kirk and Ray share the gospel with teenagers, intellectuals, atheists, Moslems, Jews, Cults, backsliders, and the self-righteous. We will follow Jesus’ example by going to the highways and byways, malls and movie theaters, college campuses and local coffee houses, answering the 100 most common questions and objections of the Christian faith. Kirk and Ray will talk about difficult questions, difficult situations, and put powerful tools in the Christian’s hand that will replace his/her fears with courage.”

Trinity Broadcasting Network has aired 2 full seasons of, The Way Of The Master, the show. There are plans for a third 13 episode season. After countless attempts, I couldn’t access the television show and watch it for myself (very Moses not being allowed entrance to the promise land of me), but the few clips I saw really just looked like Comfort and Cameron harassing people about there faith and confronting them about how they live their lives. Wikipedia.com says, “The Way of the Master series employs logical fallacies against the public” and, “that it asserts as fact many suppositions that are at best conjecture and at worst complete falsehoods”, in their criticism section.

More interesting than the content of the show is the simple fact that it exists. The Evangelicals have a long history of using new media technology to reach the masses they feel it is their responsibility to convert. This is just one example of how the lines of religion and media can blur. For Kirk Cameron, achieving notoriety as a television personality has lent him credibility as a religious leader. And really, anyone who can have the appearance of religious legitimacy and stability through television or the Internet can achieve the same thing.

When will people look for clarity on who is providing them their information, and what that information really means? For many people, the media is like g-d, or at least looked to with religious fervor. Media is our new glowing light in the sky with a booming voice that we trust to teach us everything we know. The Evangelicals insist on pushing this misconception ahead for it is the very thing that gives them their power.

Question 4 of the love test read,

“The fact that anyone could suffer in hell forever…”

a) doesn’t worry me.

b) concerns me

c) horrifies me.

d) Isn’t my problem.

I couldn’t help but think,

e) all of the above.