Thoughtful Reflections on Faith and Life
Today I had my second conversation with a pair of Jehovah’s Witnesses who came to my house. The one change was that the senior witness didn’t bring his assistant but instead brought his wife. At the end of our last visit, we had talked a bit about God’s name (YHWH). I mentioned that I thought … Read More “Conversations With Jehovah’s Witnesses – Part Two A” »
I have started meeting with some Jehovah’s Witnesses. My plan is to share how our conversations go after each meeting. Today we talked about two topics. Much of our conversation was about the kingdom of God. They began by discussing Old Testament statements of the kingdom. They tried to focus on the kingdom as a … Read More “Conversations With Jehovah’s Witnesses – Part One” »
How do you have a conversation with a person with different beliefs? They may be an atheist, a member of a religion like Islam or a sect like the Jehovah’s Witnesses. While I believe it is good to read about their beliefs, you should never go into a conversation telling a person what they believe. … Read More “7 Questions to Ask Someone With Different Beliefs” »
I recently led a workshop at my church, Queen Street Baptist Church, on “Sects Education.” We looked at groups such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Christian Science and so on. I recorded the talk and you can listen to them through the links below. If you want more audio resources, make sure to check out … Read More “The Sects Talk” »
You have probably have had Jehovah’s Witnesses knocking at your door at some point. But do you know what they believe? There is a lot that can be said about the Jehovah‘s Witnesses, but here are seven things that you should know. The Jehovah’s Witnesses were founded by Charles Taze Russell (1852-1916) in the 1870s. … Read More “7 Things You Should Know About the Jehovah’s Witnesses” »
A few years back I wrote a book called the Watchtower and the Word. It started out as a response to the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ book, What Does the Bible Really Teach? However, it grew into more than that. It really is a guide to productive conversations with Jehovah’s Witnesses, pointing the reader to the issues … Read More “What People Are Saying About the Watchtower and the Word” »
Last year I published a book called The Watchtower and the Word, both in print and Kindle. It would be fair to ask about my reasons for writing such a book. I will say that I did not write the book out of intolerance toward Jehovah’s Witnesses. I support the right of individuals to belong … Read More “Why Did I Write the Watchtower and the Word?” »
I have been interested in cults since I was a new Christian. I still remember the first time someone showed me a copy of Walter Martin’s The Kingdom of the Cults. You may or may not realize that interest in cults goes far beyond the evangelical community. There are many scholars who examine cults from … Read More “Cults and New Religions” »
I have been teaching a class on sects at a local church. Over the past two weeks I have taught on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Jehovah’s Witnesses. It has been a fun class, one that I advertise as “Sects Education.” It is easy, when teaching such a class, to … Read More “Suppressing the Laughter: Being Respectful But Honest” »
I am very happy with my new book, The Watchtower and the Word. I think you should purchase a copy (or three) and not just for me to make some money. Here are ten reasons why I think you should buy this book. 1. Jehovah’s Witnesses are people that we should love and it is … Read More “10 Reasons Why You Should Read the Watchtower and the Word” »
That is rather harsh isn’t it? However, saying that Brigham Young was a false prophet is more than just anti-Mormon bias. What is the test of a prophet? “But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of … Read More “Brigham Young Was a False Prophet” »
It was commented that my use of the category ‘cult’ for Christian Science is not the most helpful for dialogue. I must confess that in the past I have been uncomfortable with that term as well. Therefore, I thought it would be worth looking at the issue of cults. Here are some definitions: 1 a … Read More “What is a Cult?” »
We are very fortunate in our area to have a very high quality Christian radio station called Life 100.3. I enjoy the station but I was shocked this morning. At the end of their news broadcast they always have a good news segment. This morning it was promoting a web-site that testified of people getting … Read More “Christian Science is Not Christian” »
