The Firefighter (Way of the Master)

The Firefighter is the title of the first episode from season one of Way of the Master.

Episode synopsis
In this introductory episode to the Way of the Master series, Kirk and Ray remind Christians of their Biblical obligations and encourage them to share their faith to the entire world. Promising to equip the believer with effective tools for evangelism, they also emphasize the dire consequences of neglecting this duty by an analogy of a firefighter whose neglect results in the tragic death of a family of five. Ray demonstrates open-air evangelism in action, while Kirk addresses a question about Adam and Eve.

Introduction
Kirk relays the tragic tale of a firefighter whose neglect of duty results in the death of a family of five.
 * "An experienced firefighter was recently charged with grave neglect of duty. Prosecutors maintained that he had abandoned his responsibility when he failed to release rescue equipment. This resulted in the needless and tragic deaths of a family of five. Eyewitnesses were sickened when they discovered that the reason the firefighter remained locked in the emergency vehicle was simply because he was testing a new, hi-tech, CD player which, he maintained, he had bought as a gift for the fire chief.


 * The fire chief immediately distanced himself from the defendant and he dishonorably discharged him from the department. In a prepared statement, the chief said, "There are no words to describe such a betrayal of those he was sworn to protect."


 * The lead prosecuting attorney argued that for more than three minutes after arriving on the scene the firefighter wore earphones and listened to a CD while a family of five was screaming to be rescued from the sixth floor of a burning building. Horrified onlookers related that, as flames licked her clothing, a mother cried out in terror and fell to her death while still clutching an infant in her arms. Other witnesses said that the father was clutching two terrified children as he was engulfed by the massive flames."


 * This terrifying drama took place in full view of the firefighter, as he remained seated in the vehicle, listening to the CD. The defense pleaded "no contest" but added that the defendant went to great personal sacrifice to purchase the expensive gift for the chief and hoped that the judge would take that into consideration as he passed sentence."


 * Kirk, "What do you think is a fitting punishment for this serious crime? Two years in prison? Twenty years? A life sentence? Capital punishment? You be the judge. Please choose an answer because we're going to tell you more about this story, later in the program."

At the end of the program, they compare the above story with eternal damnation in the fires of hell that people are doomed to when they are not converted, and then compare Christians who don't witness to the firefighter neglecting his duty.

Proof of God
Ray makes the claim, which is repeated in other episodes, that he can "prove to you God exists in about 30 seconds." His preferred method is an argument from design:
 * Ray, "When you look at a painting, how do you know there was a painter? The painting exists, get it?" ... "And creation proves there's a creator."


 * Ray, "I mean, you can prove god Biblically, scientifically, without even pointing to scriptures, without even mentioning faith. We're going to teach people how to do that so we no longer need to feel intimidated by so-called intellectualism."

Adam and Eve

 * Kirk, "What do you say to someone, if they say to you that they don't believe that Adam and Eve were real people, that they were just mythical figures? Well, think about it, if Adam and Eve weren't real people then we ought to doubt whether or not their children were real, too...and their children, and their children. In fact, we might need to doubt the first eleven chapters of Genesis. But we know that the Bible is filled with accurate and trustworthy genealogies. History and archeology have demonstrated that."


 * Kirk, "Besides, everyone has to descend from someone. And Jesus descended from his mother, who descended from real parents, who had to descend from more real people - all the way back to Adam. So Adam has to be a real person, because Jesus was a descendant of Adam and you can't be descended from a myth."

Million dollar bill
This episode features a quick mention of their evangelical tool, the "million dollar bill". This tract looks so much like U.S currency that, reportedly, a woman in North Carolina attempted to deposit them. The U.S. Secret Service confiscated 8,300 of these bills on June 1, 2006, from the Great News Network.

External link

 * Google Video