Posted: 07/08/08

Ray Comfort Should Not Share The Platform With Word Faith Wolves

By Ken Silva

Apprising Ministries

If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds. (2 John 10-11, NASB)

Let me begin by stressing that this piece is not at all in the same vein as much I have written at Apprising Ministries, which is by necessity of a more polemical nature due to the subjects I must cover, e.g. Contemplative/Spirituality/Mysticism. In this case, being that I am a pastor, according to 2 Timothy 4:2, I also sometimes have the unpleasant task of correcting people within the Faith.

I do appreciate Ray Comfort's obvious passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and his love for reaching those still lost in their sins. His Way of the Master has trained multiple thousands to use a Biblically based method of presenting that Gospel. In On Ray Comfort and Word Faith Heretics I pointed out that everyone agrees Comfort certainly preaches the Gospel, he doesn't water it down, and he doesn't teach heretical doctrine. This is not at issue.

What is at issue however is Comfort sharing the platform next week at the Inspiring Excellence conference (IEC) with John Avanzini, Jesse Duplantis and Rod Parsley among others. [1] No one can correctly say that any of those men preach the historic orthodox Christian faith. Rather, each is clearly aligned with the cult of the Word Faith movement. And as brothers and sisters in Christ we should be able to discuss issues like this without it wrongly being perceived as an attack upon Ray Comfort himself.

If this was the first time that Comfort had been publicly yoked with these men by sharing their platform with them that would be another matter entirely; but this will be the third time he is involved with IEC. The facts show that Ray Comfort spoke at this conference in July of 2005, as did Avanzini and Duplantis, along with Word Faith cult leader Kenneth Copeland. [2] In addition Ray was also a "Special Speaker" in 2007. [3]

Concerning verse 10 of my opening text Dr. John MacArthur has written down the proper Biblical understanding when he informs us:

John's prohibition is not a case of entertaining people who disagree on minor matters. These false teachers were carrying on a regular campaign to destroy the basic, fundamental truths of Christianity. Complete disassociation from such heretics is the only appropriate course of action for genuine believers. No benefit or aid of any type (not even a greeting) is permissible. Believers should aid only those who proclaim the truth. [4]

In addition the Bible also tells us - "Do not be bound together with unbelievers," [5] the unregenerate, which is quite likely the case with the aforementioned Word Faith teachers. No doubt Ray preached his usual WOTM presentation at IEC. And being that he is an evangelist I wouldn't expect him to be able to fully articulate what the Word Faith wolves teach and I know he did put in a couple of veiled references against it in his message.

However, having been in the Word Faith early in my Christian life I would have said amen to everything Ray taught because the Word Faith people don't see themselves using God as Santa, etc. The vital issue which is being missed here is actually the same one that Billy Graham slid by on for years with the Roman Catholic Churches, which were always involved in his crusades.

In this case Ray would come in and preach the Gospel as the evangelist and the sheep are then left with the wolves without any clear warning of the grave danger they are in. When they have been called out by name the curses and threats come rolling forth toward men such as Mike Horton, Walter Martin and R.C. Sproul who have criticized various Word Faith wolves. But because this is now the 3rd year Ray has been asked back it's stretching to the point of credulity to think that he has attempted to correct these Word Faith heretics in such a way to catch their attention.

If I was asked to go speak at this conference I would tell these Word Faith wolves that I will come speak provided I not be censured in any way; and, because I do not agree with your version of Christianity, I do not want my name associated with yours in any promotion for the event. This clearly Ray did not do and his name is being used to bring in funding for what looks to me to be a Word Faith college [6] after which this event is named and very likely helps support in some way.

That Comfort says in his statement here at CWN he isn't bound together with these Word Faith vipers doesn't change some facts. 1) He is yoked to them in the advertising for the conference; 2) somebody at WOTM gave me misinformation about Ray's previous involvement with IEC, and 3) if it hadn't been for me contacting WOTM privately 2 days prior to bringing this before the Body of Christ publicly very likely there would have been no statement. As it is it took Ingrid Schlueter of Slice of Laodicea and later AM posting on it before Ray made that statement.

The truth is that Ray Comfort would be sending a much better message by immediately disassociating himself from these men and then telling them why; because in the end, there are those who will wonder - Do two men walk together unless they have made an appointment? (Amos 3:3, NASB) May Ray reconsider.

By Ken Silva Click here for bio and archived articles