Stone in the Shoe Witnessing

Today, we start a new blog series which I’ve entitled, “Stone in the Shoe Witnessing.”

Here’s how it works.

1. Make your points for long-term effect.

Most of the time, when you talk with Jehovah’s Witnesses, you won’t get through to them right away.

The Watchtower indoctrination is too strong.

But have you ever had a small stone in your shoe?

At first, it’s so tiny you don’t realize it’s there.

Some time after it’s entered your shoe, it starts to hurt—just a little bit at first.

But then it gets more and more annoying, to the point that you can’t ignore it any longer.

You have to deal with it.

That’s the sort of impact I want to have on Jehovah’s Witnesses.

I want to get across points they can’t ignore, points that will nag at them until they deal with them and get them satisfactorily resolved.

That’s what I call “stone in the shoe witnessing.”

It’s especially helpful if you only have a few minutes to talk with a Jehovah’s Witness, such as when you encounter them at an airport or on the street where they are handing out tracts.

2. Make your points using memorable soundbites.

By “soundbite,” I mean a brief, catchy comment or saying that convey the essence of your message and sticks in the minds of your audience.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt died before most of us were born, but we can still remember the gist of us his first inaugural address because of this 10-word statement: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

Much of what President Kennedy said in his inaugural address has been forgotten, but those of us who heard it still remember these words: “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

Those are soundbites.

Jesus himself frequently used soundbites.

For example, in Luke 6:46, he asked, “”Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?”

What do those statements have in common?

They are relatively short, and they are memorable.

Like a stone in the shoe, once you encounter them, you can’t forget them.

3. Make your points unexpected.

 Why?

Because if all you do is say what Jehovah’s Witnesses expect you to say, they will go on autopilot and give you Watchtower talking points without ever really thinking about what you have said.

4. Be like Columbo when you make a point—humble, self-effacing, and non-threatening.

Why do we need to do this?

Because the Watchtower has indoctrinated Jehovah’s Witnesses to consider even the slightest opposition to be persecution.

That way, instead of actually thinking about what we say, they can reject us as “opposers of the truth” and dismiss our points out of hand.

We don’t want that.

We want them to think about what we tell them long after our encounter is over.

Proverbs 15:1 advises: “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

Remember how the TV detective, Lieutenant Columbo, did this?

He didn’t confront a person directly.

For example, he didn’t say, “You have to be the killer, because you are the only one who knew where the victim would be at the time of the murder.”

Instead, he would scratch his head and say, “You know, I can’t figure out how the killer knew the victim would be in his office such a late hour.”

The suspect would offer some sort of explanation: “Maybe he didn’t know. Maybe he just got lucky.”

Columbo wouldn’t argue with him. Instead, he would nod and reply, “Yes, yes. I suppose that’s possible, but that seems like quite a coincidence, doesn’t it? You see, loose ends like that, they just bug me. Oh, well, maybe that’s just me. Anyway, thanks for your help. I really appreciate it.”

The person didn’t feel threatened because he hadn’t faced direct opposition.

But he realized that he had no good answer for the point that had been raised, and it bothered him.

Summary

In this series, I hope to give you a lot of examples of how you might prepare a “stone in the shoe” witness on a wide range of Bible topics.

Don’t feel that you need to use the exact wording that I have suggested.

Consider it as a model, not a script.

Be yourself.

Be sure to pray.

Techniques are fine, but ultimately only God can get through to someone with the light of the gospel.