10 Reasons Why I Respect Ray Comfort

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Back in March I went to a seminar break-out session at The Shepherd’s Conference, a yearly teaching/preaching/sharpening extravaganza held at Grace Community Church and hosted by Pastor John MacArthur, one of my favorite Bible teachers. The session, “The Ways of the Master” was taught by Pastor Jesse Johnson and was quite critical of the ministry and methods many of the evangelists on this blog appreciate. I will post all the articles, including the criticism in future weeks, but it all ended on a very positive note when Ray Comfort and his team wrote a wonderful defense of the reason why we evangelize the way we do, topped off by a ringing endorsement from John MacArthur, essentially, canceling out Jesse Johnson’s criticism. Here’s the first of the posts from Pastor Johnson’s blog, The Cripplegate.


WHY I RESPECT RAY COMFORT
By Jesse Johnson

A few weeks ago I gave a critique of the The Way of the Master evangelism at the Shepherd’s Conference. I plan on posting that critique here in the coming weeks. However, I want to make clear that I have tremendous respect for Ray Comfort and those at Living Waters. I personally have benefited tremendously from them and their ministry. So before I post that critique, I want to explain why (even in light of my critique) I am such a Ray Comfort fan.

I hesitated to post this because I don’t know how to do it in a way that doesn’t make it seem superficial. If I post it after my critique, it will look like I’m back-peddling and softening what I was saying. If I post it now, it will look like I’m not being sincere. But I think posting this list now is the best approach, simply because I want my critique to be read through the lens of respect for Ray and his ministry. You can have enormous respect for someone, and still disagree on theological issues.

So, with that said…here are my top ten reasons I admire Ray Comfort and his ministry: Click here to read the rest.

Comments (37)

  1. Ryk

    Reply

    I can not think of a single reason to respect Ray Comfort. He combines hatred and bigotry, with ignorance and greed. He is probably not the worst human being in the world but there is nothing admirable about him in any way.

      • Ryk

        .o coincidence at all, I see them in all sorts of wicked self aggrandizing types like Comfort. They are sadly very common.

      • Steve L.

        Steve:
        I was thinking about your choice of adjectives as in “qualities”! “Inferior characteristics” seems more like what RyK is in tune with! Ray is a “quality” fellow and hatred, bigotry, ignorance and greed just don’t describe the “distinguishing” characteristics that belong to this great man of God!
        I have yet to see him do anything that would shame his Lord!

      • Nameless Cynic

        Steve L.,

        Really? “I have yet to see (Ray Comfort) do anything that would shame his Lord!”

        He’s admitted that he understands evolution, but prefers to base his arguments around common misconceptions of it.

        http://raycomfortfood.blogspot.com/2010/07/not-completely-ignorant.html

        So he’s lying about evolution.

        On his July 9, 2010 entry, Ray admitted that he isn’t willing to look up any information that conflicts with his beliefs, even if they’re basic science. He calls them “winding rabbit trails that I don’t have time to follow. They lead nowhere.”

        (Oh, and he ends with “It’s about as powerful as me listing all 66 books of the Bible and thinking that I have just proven the existence of God.” Which is basically what he does.)

        http://raycomfortfood.blogspot.com/2010/07/grandiose-ambiguous-nebulous-validation.html

        He includes the fascinating argument “Where on earth (or in the fossil record) are humans with tails? We don’t even have a ‘tail bone’ as some maintain.”

        It’s called a coccyx. I know, because my daughter broke hers. You can’t cast that – it took an operation to fix. (Because that sounds like Intelligent Design to me…)

        So he admits that he is not only ignorant, he is actively ignorant. He believes that God gave him a brain, and he is avoiding the use of it.

        And you think God approves of this behavior? God doesn’t want man to use the gifts that you believe He gave us?

        How do you think God feels about this?

    • Schmader

      Reply

      Ryk says:
      May 5, 2012 at 4:32 am
      I can not think of a single reason to respect Ray Comfort. He combines hatred and bigotry, with ignorance and greed. He is probably not the worst human being in the world but there is nothing admirable about him in any way.

      Rykerman,

      What you said is 1,000 % false. You can’t prove any of it. Ray doesn’t need your admiration, he doesn’t care for that sort of earthly thing. He cares about spreading the gospel and preaching to the lost, the sinful and people that sit in darkness aka atheists.

      • perdita

        Ray’s ignorance is pretty easy to prove. Besides the tailbone, he had no knowledge that the eye has a blindspot, that light is visible, and that pictures of a ‘giant’s leg bone’ was faked. There are many other examples but those were the ones at that come to mind.

    • Ryk

      Reply

      Comfort?

      Well he sure is worldly, but king? No. Jester maybe. Kung of lying for orofit seems more likely.

      • Steve L.

        “KING OF THE WORLD!” I thought it was rather funny!

        Remember, here at Stone the Preacher it’s, “Evangelism with an edge, and a sense of humor”

      • theB1ackSwan

        I’m struggling to find one person who found that remotely humorous.

      • Whateverman

        “KING OF THE WORLD!” I thought it was rather funny!

        Remember, here at Stone the Preacher it’s, “Evangelism with an edge, and a sense of humor”

        Wasn’t it Schmader accusing atheists of having “invented” passive aggressiveness? Is it possible he’s overlooking nuanced examples of this behavior in his own camp?

        Naw. Couldn’t be.

  3. Really?

    Reply

    Me: “Ray, have you ever lied”
    Comfort: “No. But yes…Um it is a long story. In the mean time I do enjoy coaxing stupid Christians into donating to my TAX-EXEMPT ministry to produce excellent, scholarly tools such as the greatest proof of creation: THE CROCO-DUCK!”

    • vintango2k

      Reply

      Ahhh the crocoduck, it doesn’t matter how many times this is explained to Ray about why its wrong and why promoting it is dishonest he just keeps on doing it…. sort of like when one says false things about Laminin and doesn’t bother to correct oneself… I’m not sure what you call it though…
      any help on this one?

      • vintango2k

        Steve, do you know how paternity testing and phylogeny works?

      • Ryk

        You can always tell a Christian from a cultist, just bring up the subject of evolution. The ones who call it a lie are pure Jonestown Kool Aid drinkers. I know Christians who have many takes on Evolution. Some are theistic evolutionists who see evolution as part of Gods plan. Others like my best friend do not accept evolution exactly but aknowledge that it is the best scientific explaination, that it is unfalsified, and that it is neccesary to biology. His thought is that whether evolution is true or not biology looks the way it does because of Gods will and we should use what works, denying evolution is not a work that is required for salvation. Others have varying degrees of understanding of the subject. However one thing is consistent, rational Christians do not deny that evolution is supported by science, regardless of how literal they think they must take the Genesis story they see that the study of biology universally supports the fact of evolution.

        The cultists to the contrary, simply hand wave that away and call the science of biology a lie or a myth or say it is “just a theory” (even though it is better supported than the theory of gravity which is also just atheory) Most of the culties don’t even have a middle school education in biology yet feel qualified to dismiss the unrefuted facts of evolution.

        Believing that a God created the world does not make one a mindless cultist,or even stupid but hand waving away hard science that you barely understand because your cult leader says so sure does.

      • vintango2k

        You mean like the whole silly lie of evolution? <—- The Assertion
        Step 2 is to demonstrate the veracity of your assertion, you can do this by providing evidence. This can done in a variety of ways, one such way can be to show evidence for people who have lied about aspects of biology that can only be explained in contrary to the theory of evolution. Another method would be to find evidence for a system in biology that explains descent with notification better than evolution, something like common archetypes. Since this was the last challenger to the theory of evolution and was defeated in the 1800's and then thoroughly smashed with the discovery of DNA I wouldn't hold my breath.

      • theB1ackSwan

        Steve, do you concede the point that Ray *constantly* lies about what the Theory of Evolution actually states?

      • Whateverman

        You mean like the whole silly lie of evolution?

        Have your children been to a doctor recently, Steve?

      • Schmader

        EVILution is a theory that was conceived in the bowels of hell by Satan himself to mislead humanity into believing that they were the offspring of what Charlton Hesten said were “Damned Dirty Apes.” If you believe in evolution you are on the path to damnation. That is the truth.

      • vintango2k

        Schmader, I swear you have to be a poe, no evangelical could say something like that and seriously believe it. In case you’re serious though, can you back up your assertion with any evidence?

      • Beth Renee

        Schmader,

        I 110 percent agree with that.

      • Whateverman

        EVILution is a theory that was conceived in the bowels of hell by Satan himself

        Stormbri.. er, Schmader, have your kids been to a doctor recently? A simply Yes or No will suffice…

      • Nohm

        Vin, I completely agree; Schmader’s comment reeks of Poe-ness.

      • perdita

        Schmader, you finally made me laugh. That was a good one.

    • Steve Sanchez

      Reply

      Poe-lar bear. Poe-boy sandwich. Poe-tato. Poe he’s a jolly good fellow. Or my favorite:

      P.roselytizer
      O.f
      E.volutionists.

    • perdita

      Reply

      “Without a winking smiley or other blatant display of humour, it is impossible to create a parody of fundamentalism that someone won’t mistake for the real thing.”

      That was a parody, right? ‘EVILution’ and Planet of the Apes in the same comment sort of tipped your hand.

      • perdita

        Sorry, that quote explains Poe’s Law, though I’m sure others have responded to that and are awaiting moderation.

    • Nameless Cynic

      Reply

      From Poe’s Law: Without a winking smiley or other blatant display of humor, it is impossible to create a parody of Fundamentalism that SOMEONE won’t mistake for the real thing.

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