How to force a wordpress template to parse code instead of plain-text
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I have recently installed a new template(more specifically SquirrelTheme - a free template) in my wordpress blog. It happens that I would like to have two buttons on my front page. Let's say button X and button Y. For creating these buttons I use a plugin called "MaxButtons" which allows you to easily create and manage a button and it's functions. After creating the said button, it gives you a shortcode that you can insert in your posts and pages - lets say [maxbutton id="1"] - to display it.

Unfortunately, after editing the template to my liking(removing divs I didn't intend to display), I can't seem to display these two buttons as the template parses plain-text, unlike the pages/posts apparently.

In case you are wondering how I am inserting the shortcode for the buttons, the template can be easily modified through the dashboard, in which I inserted the following in the field that dictates what is displayed on the specific part of my homepage:

    [maxbutton id="1"]  [maxbutton id="2"]

Like I said before, instead of showing the buttons as intended, I just see exactly what I type in the box.

I believe this is caused by how the template parses the text, as it uses its own function(? - php _e('...')) to echo the text:

    <div class="full_content">
    	<center>
        <?php if (squirrel_get_option('squirrel_slidehead') != '') { ?>
            <h1><?php echo stripslashes(squirrel_get_option('squirrel_slidehead')); ?></h1>
        <?php } else { ?>
            <h1><?php _e('We are scope, a design firm in England', 'squirrel'); ?></h1>
        <?php } ?>            
        <?php if (squirrel_get_option('squirrel_slidedesc') != '') { ?>
            <h2><?php echo stripslashes(squirrel_get_option('squirrel_slidedesc')); ?></h2>            
        <?php } else { ?>
            <p><?php _e('Newfoundland dogs are good to save children from drowning, but you must have a pond of water handy and a child.', 'squirrel') ?></p>
            <p><?php _e('From drowning, but you must have a pond of water handy and a child.', 'squirrel'); ?></p>
        <?php } ?>
    	</center>    
    	</div>
        
My question is, how can I get it to display the buttons or any other code.

Thanks in advance.