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Ray Comfort

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Ray Comfort
October 2010
Born
Ray Comfort[1]

(1949-12-05) December 5, 1949 (age 74)
New Zealand
Occupation(s)Christian Evangelist, author, television host
Known forThe Way of the Master, Living Waters Publications, Christian Evangelism
SpouseSue Comfort[2]
ChildrenRachel, Jacob, Daniel[2]
WebsiteLiving Waters

Ray Comfort (born December 5, 1949) is a New Zealand-born Christian minister and evangelist.[4] Comfort started Living Waters Publications and The Way of the Master in Bellflower, California and has written a number of books.

Early life

Comfort was born December 5, 1949 in New Zealand[2] to a Jewish mother and a father whom he has described as "a Gentile [who] was open to the things of God". According to Comfort's autobiography, his parents put "Methodist" on his birth certificate because his mother feared the possibility of "another Hitler", but he was given no religious instruction as a child.[2][5]

Career

After finishing high school at 17, he worked in a bank, and began a successful business when he was 20. According to Comfort, he converted to Christianity on 25 April, 1972, when he was 22.[4] He then began seven years training at a local church, after which he was ordained as a full-time pastor. Comfort then spent three and a half years pastoring in Christchurch, New Zealand, and 12 years preaching open-air in the city's Speaker's Corner.[6] He has no formal training nor theological degree.[7] In his mid-20s, he began receiving invitations to speak internationally. In 1989, he accepted an invitation to join the pastoral staff at the non-denominational Calvary Chapel in Southern California.[6] Comfort identifies himself as a Jew.[3]

The Way of the Master ministry

Comfort says that evangelism is the main reason the Christian Church exists and that many of the evangelistic methods used over the last century have produced false conversions to Christianity. Comfort often uses the Ten Commandments to speak about sin before presenting the gospel of Jesus. In the mid-1980s he formulated two sermons entitled "Hell's Best Kept Secret"[8] and "True and False Conversions."

Comfort speaks professionally at churches and evangelism seminars, and preaches in Huntington Beach, California. As well as co-hosting the former The Way of the Master Radio with Kirk Cameron, he is co-host of The Way of the Master Television Show, and the "Creationism Examiner" on The Examiner.[citation needed]

Comfort and Cameron were also involved in rewriting parts of the film, Left Behind II: Tribulation Force.[9]

Debates

Comfort, seated behind Kirk Cameron, at a debate on the existence of God at Calvary Baptist Church in Manhattan, 5 May 2007

On 13 April 2001, Comfort appeared at the 27th National Convention of American Atheists in Orlando, Florida, where he debated Ron Barrier, the National Spokesperson for American Atheists.[10] Comfort later stated that "they laughed at my humor, and although there was unified mockery at some of the things that I said, I was able to go through the Ten Commandments, the fact of Judgment Day, the reality of Hell, the Cross, and the necessity of repentance, and no one stopped me."[10]

On 5 May 2007, Comfort and Cameron participated in a televised debate with Brian Sapient and Kelly O'Connor of the Rational Response Squad, at Calvary Baptist Church in Manhattan. The debate focused on the existence of God, which Comfort claimed he could prove scientifically without relying on faith or the Bible. Nightline correspondent Martin Bashir moderated the event.[11] During the debate, Cameron and Comfort repeatedly referenced the Ten Commandments and denounced the theory of evolution.[12]

In February 2009, Comfort challenged Richard Dawkins to a debate, offering to donate $10,000 to him.[13] Dawkins, who had previously stated a general policy not to debate with creationists,[14] said he would agree to do it if Comfort made a $100,000 donation to the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science non-profit organization. Comfort raised his offer to $20,000, which according to PZ Myers was "not enough."[13]

Publications

File:KirkRay.jpg
Ray Comfort with collaborator Kirk Cameron in 2008

Tracts

According to Comfort, he has designed dozens of gospel tracts since the 1970s, and sells millions of Living Waters tracts each year.[15]

In October 2010, The New Zealand Herald reported that elderly people received "appointment cards" by Comfort's California-based publishing company, Living Waters, asking them to fill out information regarding the date and time of their deaths, and advising them to contact evangelists in order to avoid hell. Recipients of these cards expressed anger and horror over receiving them, and contacted police over the matter, with one of them commenting, "It's disgusting. It was quite spooky. I just couldn't comprehend why anyone would ask you to predict the date of your death." Living Waters spokesperson Lisa Law stated that the cards were a way of raising awareness of human mortality in order to spark discussion about Jesus, though she stated that anyone could order them from their website, and did not know who sent them.[16]

Books

Ray Comfort has authored or compiled more than 60 books.[17] Some of these books include: The Way of The Master, God Doesn't Believe in Atheists, How to Know God Exists and Evolution: a Fairy Tale for Grownups. His 2009 book, You Can Lead an Atheist to Evidence, But You Can't Make Him Think, ranked #1 in Amazon.com's atheism and apologetics categories when it debuted in February 2009.[18][19][20]

Abridged version of On the Origin of Species

In November 2009, Comfort released an edited and abridged version of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species, with a 50-page foreword detailing creationist arguments against the theory of evolution.[21] Stan Guffey, a biologist at the University of Tennessee, has alleged that most of Comfort's section on Darwin's life was plagiarised from his work.[22][23] The book was given away for free at selected schools around the United States.[24]

According to Comfort's website, "nothing has been removed from Darwin's original work",[25] but Eugenie C. Scott, executive director of the National Center for Science Education, noted that Comfort deleted four chapters by Darwin that described the evidence for evolution, adding that two of the omitted chapters, Chapters 11 and 12, showcased biogeography, some of Darwin's strongest evidence for evolution.[26] She wrote that Comfort's foreword is "a hopeless mess of long-ago-refuted creationist arguments, teeming with misinformation about the science of evolution, populated by legions of strawmen, and exhibiting what can be charitably described as muddled thinking".

On his website, Comfort said that the four chapters were chosen at random to be omitted in order to make the book small enough to be affordable as a giveaway, with the absent chapters available for download, and that the missing chapters were included in the second edition, which had a smaller text size that made printing the entire book as a giveaway affordable. The second edition still lacks Darwin's preface and glossary of terms.[27][28] The National Center for Science Education arranged a campaign at colleges across the US to distribute an analysis of the Comfort introduction, a one page flier,[21] and "the NCSE Safety Bookmark" in the shape of a banana, a reference to Comfort's presentation of the banana as an argument for the existence of God.[29][30]

List of books published

According to Amazon.com Author Central, Comfort is author of more than 70 books, which include:[31]

  • Comfort, Ray (1989). Hell's Best Kept Secret. Whitaker House. ISBN 978-0883682067. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
  • Comfort, Ray (1993). How to Make an Atheist Backslide. Bridge Publications. ISBN 978-0882706771. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
  • Comfort, Ray (2002). God Doesn't Believe in Atheists. Bridge Logos Publishers. ISBN 978-0882709222. {{cite book}}: External link in |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
  • Comfort, Ray (2004). What Hollywood Believes: An Intimate Look at the Faith of the Famous. Genesis. ISBN 978-0974930015. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
  • Comfort, Ray; Cameron, Kirk (2006). The School of Biblical Evangelism. Bridge Logos Publishers. ISBN 978-0882709680. {{cite book}}: External link in |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
  • Comfort, Ray; Cameron, Kirk (2006). The Way of the Master. Bridge Logos Publishers. ISBN 978-0882702209. {{cite book}}: External link in |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
  • Comfort, Ray (2007). Hollywood Be Thy Name. Bridge Logos Publishers. ISBN 0882703943. {{cite book}}: External link in |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
  • Comfort, Ray (2008). Evolution: A Fairy Tale for Grownups. Bridge Logos Publishers. ISBN 088270432X. {{cite book}}: External link in |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
  • Comfort, Ray (2008). How to Know God Exists. Bridge Logos Publishers. ISBN 978-0882705859. {{cite book}}: External link in |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
  • Comfort, Ray (2008). World Religions in a Nutshell. Bridge Logos Publishers. ISBN 978-0882706696. {{cite book}}: External link in |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
  • Comfort, Ray (2009). You Can Lead an Atheist to Evidence, But You Can't Make Him Think: Answers to Questions from Angry Skeptics. WND Books. ISBN 978-1935071068. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
  • Comfort, Ray (2011). The Evidence Bible, NKJV: All You Need to Understand and Defend Your Faith. Bridge Logos. ISBN 978-0882705255. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
  • Comfort, Ray (2011). The Defender's Guide for Life's Toughest Questions: Preparing Today's Believers for the Onslaught of Secular Humanism. Master Books. ISBN 978-0890516041. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
  • Comfort, Ray; LaHaye, Tim (2012). Hitler, God, and the Bible. WND Books. ISBN 978-1936488247. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
  • Comfort, Ray (2012). Made in Heaven. Master Books. ISBN 978-0890516690. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
  • Comfort, Ray (2012). The Beatles, God and The Bible. WND Books. ISBN 978-1936488551. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
  • Comfort, Ray (2013). God Speaks: Finding Hope in the Midst of Hopelessness. Regal. ISBN 978-0830766246. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
  • Comfort, Ray (2013). Jaws Without Teeth-Quick Answers to Complex questions. Bridge-Logos. ISBN 978-1610361163. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)

Film

Ray Comfort open-air preaching at a Great News Network evangelism boot camp in 2004

In 2011, Comfort wrote and produced a 33-minute documentary film called 180: Changing the Heart of a Nation. The film gained some attention online, and was criticised by The Huffington Post for its comparison of abortion to the Holocaust.[32]

Filmography

References

  1. ^ Comfort, Ray (1986). In Search of New Jawbones. Living Waters Publications. ISBN 0908751001, ISBN 9780908751006. Google Books. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d "About Ray Comfort". RayComfortBooks.com. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  3. ^ a b Ray Comfort (1 September 2009). Nothing Created Everything: The Scientific Impossibility of Atheistic Evolution. Jesus was Jewish. All the disciples were Jewish. The first eight thousand Christians were Jewish. I am Jewish. Christianity came from the home of the Jews. ISBN 978-1-935071-23-5.
  4. ^ a b "About Living Waters", Living Waters, 2008, Retrieved 30 March 2011.
  5. ^ Comfort, Ray (2003). Out of the Comfort Zone: The Authorized Autobiography. Bridge-Logos Publishers. pp. 123, 202. ISBN 978-0-88270-943-7.
  6. ^ a b "Ray's Blog".
  7. ^ Bashir, Martin (17 March 2006). "Kirk Cameron, From Sitcom Star to Evangelist (page 3)". Nightline. Retrieved 17 May 2007.
  8. ^ Comfort, Ray. "Hell's Best Kept Secret". WVCY-TV 30. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  9. ^ http://www.christiananswers.net/spotlight/movies/2002/leftbehind2.html
  10. ^ a b Ireland, Michael (16 April 2001). "Atheists National Spokesman Debates Christian Author on Good Friday at National Convention". AssistNews.net. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
  11. ^ Bashir, Martin; "Prepare for a Conflict: The Nightline 'Face-Off' No-Holds Barred Battle Over the Existence of God"; 7 May 2007
  12. ^ Bashir, Martin (7 May 2007). "The Nightline Face-Off". ABC News. Retrieved 22 January 2009.
  13. ^ a b PZ Myers (16 February 2013). "Bananaman". RichardDawkins.net.
  14. ^ Dawkins, Richard (15 May 2006). "Why I Won't Debate Creationists". RichardDawkins.net. Retrieved 24 February 2009.
  15. ^ Comfort, Ray (May 2004). Out of the Comfort Zone: The Authorized Autobiography. Bridge-Logos Publishers. p. 21. ISBN 0-88270-943-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  16. ^ Carroll, Joanne. "'Appointment with death' cards shocking for elderly".The New Zealand Herald. 31 October 2010
  17. ^ "Speakers: Ray Comfort". Living Waters. Living Waters Publications. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  18. ^ Thompson, Dorothy (16 February 2009). "An Interview with Ray Comfort, Author of You Can Lead an Atheist to Evidence, But You Can't Make Him Think". Blogcritics. Retrieved 17 February 2009.
  19. ^ "Book appeals to atheists, Christians alike". OneNewsNow. 18 February 2009. Retrieved 3 March 2009.
  20. ^ "Christian Evangelist's Book Ranked Bestselling 'Atheist' Item". The Christian Post. 14 February 2009. Retrieved 3 March 2009.
  21. ^ a b "The Don't Diss Darwin Institute". Analysis and synopsis. National Center for Science Education. 2009. Retrieved 20 November 2009.
  22. ^ Miller, Laura. "Creationism vs. atheism: It's on!" Salon.com; 23 November 2009
  23. ^ Rikki Hall, "UT Professor Considers Legal Action Over Use Of Charles Darwin Bio", Metro Pulse, Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group, 2 December 2009
  24. ^ Comfort, Ray (29 October 2009). "Exclusive: Ray Comfort Defends His Creationist Edition of 'On the Origin of Species'". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 31 October 2009.
  25. ^ "Origin Into Schools". Living Waters. 2009. Archived from the original on 9 November 2009. Retrieved 31 October 2009.
  26. ^ Scott, Eugenie (30 October 2009). "How Creationist 'Origin' Distorts Darwin". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 31 October 2009.
  27. ^ Press Kit, Livingwaters.com
  28. ^ Ray Comfort; Darwin, Charles (2009). Origin of Species: 150th Anniversary Edition. Bridge-Logos Foundation. ISBN 0-88270-919-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  29. ^ "Got Comfort? Get protection! | NCSE". 9 November 2009. Retrieved 20 November 2009.
  30. ^ Comfort, Ray (2006). Atheist Nightmare - YouTube.
  31. ^ "Books by Ray Comfort". Amazon.com. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  32. ^ "'180' Documentary Compares Abortion To Holocaust, Goes Viral Among Pro-Life Groups". The Huffington Post. 12 October 2011. The film, which shows a series of graphic images, is gaining attention not only because of its controversial comparison, but because it highlights 14 people who do not know who Adolf Hitler was
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