Prolific author and outspoken evangelist Ray Comfort boldly speaks the name of Jesus in his books, films, and, frequently, on the streets. In his book Faith is for Weak People: Responding to the Top 20 Objections to the Gospel, Comfort, as the title suggests, offers answer to questions he gets from people when he's witnessing.
Comfort's sometimes confrontational street evangelism is where I became familiar with him. With actor Kirk Cameron, he founded The Way of the Master ministry. Oversimplifying, their method of evangelism starts with asking someone if he thinks he or she is a good person. Of course, he will say yes. Then Comfort will go through some of the 10 Commandments. "Have you ever lied? Stolen? Looked at a woman lustfully?" When he admits he's done some of these things, Comfort will talk about his need for a savior.
Throughout Faith is for Weak People, this theme repeats. Even as Comfort responds to questions about why a good God would send someone to hell, why there is suffering in the world, why religion causes wars, why some non-Christians are better people than some Christians, and other issues, he brings the discussion back to sin and our need for salvation.
Comfort may be oversimplifying the gospel, and using a message of fear to goad people into becoming Christians. I think that criticism is unfair. Comfort makes a great point: we can talk all day to someone's intellect and get nowhere, but speaking to his conscience may move him to a decision.
I have always believed in a more relationship-based evangelism, but if I'm honest, I'm not even doing that with consistency. Even if you don't embrace Comfort's "preceding the message of the gospel with the law of God," you must appreciate his passion for sharing the gospel with a lost world. This book inspires me to be more deliberate about evangelism and reminds me of the urgency with which I should be introducing people to Jesus.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
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