Christian reality show launches 2nd season

Winner of the 2004 National Religious Broadcasters People’s Choice Award, the reality television program “The Way of the Master” will launch its second season Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. Eastern on TBN.

Co-hosted by actor Kirk Cameron and author Ray Comfort, and commended by John MacArthur, Ravi Zacharias and many other Christian leaders, the program airs on nine major Christian networks and can be viewed in more than 70 countries. In it, Cameron and Comfort blend informal teaching with on-the-street interviews to train Christians how to share their faith “simply, effectively, and biblically … the way Jesus did.”

“We are very excited about our second season,” Comfort said, “because it lifts the series to a new intensity. It is ‘The Way of the Master’ on steroids.

“We wanted to take the gospel into places ‘where angels fear to tread.’ One of the highlights of this season is an interview with a warlock from the Church of Satan in Los Angeles, which made for a very interesting conversation. We also visited the spiritually dark Ozzfest, an Ozzie Osborne heavy-metal concert. There are plenty of ‘bleeps’ in that episode. An eye-opening experience for the entire crew was when we rented Alcatraz Island for the night to film the episode ‘Alcatraz, Al Capone, Alcohol,’ about unbelievers being imprisoned by sin.”

Cameron added, “We also went to San Francisco and West Hollywood to shoot an episode called ‘How to Witness to Someone Who Is Gay,’ and spoke to a number of homosexuals about their beliefs in God. Parts of this show will be shocking. Another episode, filmed at a boxing ring in Long Beach, is called ‘When Things Go Wrong.’ It includes footage of us getting punched, chased, cussed at and spat on while witnessing, as well as almost getting killed while preaching the gospel in Jerusalem. It reminds Christians that we are in a very real fight for the souls of men and women.”

The series even tackles evolution.

“We covered the subject from a completely different perspective,” Comfort said, “by letting evolutionists hang themselves with their own words. We also rented an orangutan and took him to lunch. That was a unique experience.

“We called eight airlines (on camera) and asked if they would let us bring a ‘relative’ on the plane. We said that he needed a wheelchair because he had problems with his feet, and after getting approval we told them the ‘relative’ was an orangutan.”

Additional episodes were filmed in a Las Vegas casino, New York City and other colorful places around the country.

The program’s success has sparked the development of additional teaching tools, Cameron explained. “We were approached by one of the world’s largest board game manufacturers and are working with them to develop an exciting, fast-paced ‘Way of the Master’ board game that equips Christians to share their faith – while having fun. Tyndale House has also published a book titled ‘The Way of the Master.'”

Comfort added, “The television program has generated greater interest in our online School of Biblical Evangelism, which now has more than 4,000 students enrolled worldwide, and is available as a 700-page textbook from Bridge-Logos Publishers. In addition, Genesis Publishing Group is about to release a ‘coffee table’ book called ‘Behind the Scenes: The Way of the Master,’ which contains over 500 on-location photos as well as commentary on the filming, highlights of various episodes, original scripts and viewer questions.”

Work has already begun on the third season of the show. Two episodes will be filmed in India – to demonstrate that the biblically based teaching is effective cross-culturally – and another episode called “What Hollywood Believes” will be based on Comfort’s recently released book by the same title (Genesis Publishing Group).

“The impact of the series has been phenomenal,” Comfort concluded. “Many churches and individuals are writing to tell us that God is using it to transform pew warmers into faithful laborers.” All 26 episodes of “The Way of the Master” television program will soon be released in one comprehensive resource, with available study guides, so that churches can train their members to reach out to the lost. A complete schedule of upcoming programs can be seen at www.wayoftheMaster.com.