The Way of the Master

The Way of the Master (WOTM) is a United States-based Christian evangelism ministry, founded in 2002 and headed by American former child actor Kirk Cameron and New Zealand-born evangelist Ray Comfort. The organization produces a television show, a radio show, books and tracts, an online course in evangelism, and counterfeit currency.

The ministry's logo incorporates the letters, WDWRJSTD, standing for "We Do What Republican Jesus Says To Do" and a reference to George 16:15:

"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and annoy and confuse people, until they shall agree with whatsoever ye say unto them."

The Way of the Master ministry

In the mid-1990s, the sitcom Growing Pains was canceled. Kirk Cameron found himself out of work, and decided to become an evangelist. Cameron teamed up with Ray Comfort to form an organization called The Way of the Master, with the intention of recruiting people to preach the message of Republican Jesus. They follow the teaching of Republican Jesus to "confuse and annoy people into agreeing with you".

Teaching by example

The Way of the Master. Follower of Republican Jesus annoys and confuses a non-believer.

The organization often uses videos of actual encounters with non-believers as teaching tools for how to present the Gospel of Republican Jesus, using the technique of "annoy and confuse". The following transcript of one such video is a typical example of the technique:

Hello there! What's your name?

Linda.

Linda, would you mind if I ask you a few questions?

Well...

Great! First question: Have you ever stolen anything?

No.

Do you mean that when you were little, you never even tried to steal a cookie?

Well...

Of course you did! And you lied about it just now! So that makes you a lying thief! Your poor mother worked hard to bake those cookies, and you dishonored her by stealing those cookies, and then lying about it! So you've broken three of the Ten Commandments!

Wha...?

You are a lying, thieving, parent-dishonorer! That's three strikes, Linda! You're on your way to Hell, unless you accept Republican Jesus into your heart!

oh god...

[grabs Linda's arm] What did you just say? Did you just take God's name in vain?! That's another Commandment you just broke! Do you know what happens to people who break God's Holy Commandments? They have to spend eternity in Hell, working to pay off their fines for Commandment-breaking!

Uh, could you please let go of my arm?

I don't want you to end up in Hell, Linda! And you don't have to go to Hell, because Republican Jesus will pay all your fines! All you have to do is accept Him into your heart! Please say you accept Republican Jesus!

OK... whatever... Now please let go of my arm!

Don't say "whatever", Linda! Say "Republican Jesus, I admit I am a worthless sinner, and I deserve Hell, but I accept your payment for my sins. Please come into my heart and take over my mind, and I will serve you forever!" Say it, Linda! Say it! Say it!!

OK! OK! What you said! Now please let go of my arm!!

The way of the banana

An inedible wild banana, cut to expose its many seeds and the fallacy of Comfort's banana argument.

In 2006, Comfort recorded a segment for The Way of the Master's television show in which he claimed that the banana was an "atheists' nightmare", arguing that it displayed many user-friendly features that were evidence of intelligent design. When told that the banana is a result of artificial selection by humans, and that the wild banana is small and unpalatable, Comfort proceeded to annoy and confuse his detractors by saying:

• There is no proof that the modern banana is descended from the wild banana, since we cannot observe wild bananas evolving into modern bananas.
• If the modern banana is descended from the wild banana, then why are there still wild bananas?
• Richard Dawkins refuses to debate with me about the origin of bananas, which proves he knows that I know more about bananas than he does. So I win!

Living Waters Publications

Living waters prints Gospel tracts and counterfeit money

Living Waters Publications (LWP) acts as an online store for WOTM. Their primary mission is the spreading of the Gospel of Republican Jesus using the "confuse and annoy" technique.

On June 6, 2006, the United States Secret Service seized 8,300 copies of the "million dollar bill" tract printed by Living Waters Publications from the Great News Network headquarters, after believer Jane Doe of North Carolina attempted to deposit the tracts as legal tender. Jane explained that she was confused. The Secret Service said they were annoyed. Comfort noted how, once again, the "confuse and annoy" method has proven successful at spreading the Gospel of Republican Jesus.

Debate with Rational Response Squad

Kirk Cameron, speaking at the debate at Calvary Baptist Church, May 5, 2007.

Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort participated in a debate with two members of the Rational Response Squad (RRS) atheist activism organization at Calvary Baptist Church in Manhattan, on May 5, 2007. Nightline correspondent Martin Bashir served as moderator at the event. Cameron told the audience he would prove the existence of God scientifically, without resorting to faith. In reporting on the debate, Slate magazine pointed out that Cameron's declaration to prove God would have made him the first to accomplish this feat in many centuries of religious thought, besting scholars such as Thomas Aquinas. To show their skill at theological debate, Comfort and Cameron presented three main arguments as proof of God's existence:

a) Republican Jesus is revealed in the Gospel of Republican Jesus.

b) The existence of the human conscience shows that there is a higher moral power, and that gives us reason to believe in the existence of ancient alien cultures.

c) Everything has a maker, therefore god has a maker, and that maker has a maker, and that maker has a maker, and that maker has a maker,and... (At this point Bashir, realizing that Cameron was stuck in an infinite loop, reached over and pressed the reset button on Cameron's back.)

RRS conceded the accuracy of arguments a) and b), but insisted that neither argument had anything to do with a god's existence. And since argument c) resulted in an infinite loop, Bashir refused to allow Cameron to return to it, citing time constraints.

Christian believers claimed that Comfort and Cameron went to the debate "well-intentioned but unprepared". However, as followers of Republican Jesus, Comfort and Cameron were not intending to win an intellectual debate, but to annoy and confuse people into agreeing with them.

See also

• Republican Jesus
• Ray Comfort

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