Knowing next to nothing about what Jehovah’s Witnesses believed, I embarked on a six month “home Bible study” with them. However, what was studied was not the Bible itself, but a small Watchtower book entitled The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life. Unaware of any danger, I passively submitted to this study because I realized my lack of Bible knowledge and because the study conductors were sincere people who were donating their time sharing the Watchtower message free of charge. (pp. 11-12).

Each chapter and paragraph of the Truth book began—not with the Bible’s message in its original context—but with Watchtower doctrine. Unrelated Bible passages and citations were joined together to “prove” the Watchtower doctrines. For example, one chapter combined reference to Luke 8:1 (describing Jesus sending his disciples out to teach and preach) with and John 17:26, a prayer in which Jesus told his Father, in part, “I have made your name known…” From this, the student was supposed to conclude that God commands everyone to go door to door making the name “Jehovah” known. (pp. 12-13)

The Watchtower book contained study questions which were designed to discourage independent thinking. The only acceptable answer was to agree with the point the book was making. For example, a study question related to the foregoing passages asked, “Did Jesus hold back from using the personal name of God or from speaking the truth? What should we do?” (pp. 12-13)

Merely quoting Bible verses doesn’t guarantee right doctrine. There are right and wrong ways to handle the Word of truth. The key to sound interpretation of a Bible passage is context—(1) the book, section, paragraph, and surrounding verses, (2) the person whose viewpoint is being expressed, (3) other Bible passages that deal with the same topic, and (4) the connection or lack of connection between passages. For example, Luke 8:1 (a narrative) and John 17:26 (a prayer) are unrelated, but by isolating those verses and putting them together, the Watchtower made them seem to teach their doctrine. (pp. 14-18)

There are steps we can take to make sure our conversations with Witnesses focus on what the Bible really teaches:

  • Agree in advance on what topic you will be discussing.
  • Using my book, study that topic thoroughly beforehand and decide which of the approaches to prepare and use.
  • Make your own notes on what you want to say and have them with you when you meet.
  • When you meet, stick to the subject you agreed to discuss.
  • Don’t let the Witnesses switch to a topic for which you aren’t prepared.
  • If at any time they try to switch subjects, politely tell them that you will need more time to study your Bible in order to discuss that specific subject with them intelligently.
  • If they insist on discussing the other topic, reschedule the meeting. (pp. 18-20)

In comparing passages from different locations in the Bible, take your time. Don’t let the Witnesses hopscotch the text, rushing you from one part of the Bible to another as they did with me when discussing heaven. When they try to jump to another part of the Bible, say, “I’ll be glad to look at other passages a little later but I want to make sure I understand this one in its context before I look somewhere else.” When you do go to a different part of the Bible, always examine the connection or lack of connection between the passages the Witnesses are citing you. Are they really talking about the same thing? How do we know that the passages are related? (p. 20)

Study Questions

  1. How can knowing Watchtower beliefs and proof texts ahead of time help you in talking with Jehovah’s Witnesses? If you know in advance what they believe but they don’t know what you believe, who should have more confidence?
  1. Why is it important to look up the verses Jehovah’s Witnesses cite you and examine the whole context? (pp. 14-19)
  1. Please read Luke 8:1. Is this verse descriptive or prescriptive? That is, is it describing what the Lord told the apostles to do or is it prescribing this activity for all Christians everywhere and at every time? (p. 16)
  1. What is wrong with this Watchtower statement?
  • “Though others in those days superstitiously avoided using the personal name of God, Jesus did not hold back from making it known. (John 17:26) He always spoke the truth, whether it was popular or not. In what he did he provided an example that we should follow if we want to please God.” (pp. 12, 16-18)
  1. What is wrong with this Watchtower book study question?
  • “Did Jesus hold back from using the personal name of God or from speaking the truth? So what should we do?” (pp. 13-14)
  1. Please read John 17:26.
  • Does “I have made your name known” mean that Jesus called God “Jehovah” in public and told his followers that it was of critical importance to refer to him by that name and to address him by that name when we pray?
  • What else might “making God’s name known” mean?
  • How could the wider context of John 17 help answer those questions? (pp. 16-18)
  1. Does the thought of having to be ready to discuss a long list of Bible topics with Jehovah’s Witnesses seem overwhelming to you? How do these suggestions from Chapter 2 help to make the task more manageable? (p. 19)
  • Whenever you set up a meeting with Jehovah’s Witnesses, agree in advance on what topic you will be discussing.
  • Study that topic thoroughly before you meet and decide which of my approaches to prepare and use.
  • Make notes on what you want to say and have them with you when you meet.
  • When you meet, stick to the subject you agreed to discuss.
  • Don’t let the Witnesses switch to a topic for which you aren’t prepared.
  • If at any time they try to do that, politely tell them that you will need more time to study your Bible in order to discuss that specific subject with them intelligently.
  • If they insist on discussing the other topic, reschedule the meeting.
  1. What might you say or do to prevent Jehovah’s Witnesses from ignoring context by hopscotching you through the Bible? (p. 20)