Playdate

Today the Jehovah's Witness was supposed to come back, to explain to me from the bible why God allows suffering in the world. I had a good plan. I invited my friend and her 3 kids over for a playdate. She has a degree in Theology from Steubenville and said she would love to talk to the JW. Well, she did not show up! She usually comes on Tuesdays so I will ask my friend to come back next week.

Here was our plan: (from Envoy Magazine)


1. Be friendly at all times, and never lose your temper. Punching is not an effective strategy for evangelism. Witnesses are used to people treating them very rudely. They’ll be surprised and impressed if you greet them with Christian kindness and charity. And, it’ll improve the chances that they’ll stick around when you bring out the big apologetics guns. (I have done this every time she has come. I think she's pleasantly surprised. I really like talking to them.)

2. Control the conversation. They’ll try to start in with a prepared presentation; don’t let them. It’s best to start the discussion off with a question. Then, make sure you’ve got the momentum to keep them from getting you back in their court. (She's pretty good at controlling the conversation. That's why I invited my friend over. I needed back-up.)

3.Begin the discussion by concentrating on the failed prophecies of the Watchtower Society. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe the Society is God’s prophetic voice on earth. For this reason, they’ll automatically discount any scriptural argument you offer, in favor of the Society’s interpretation. In order to get anywhere scripturally, you need to first shake their confidence in the honesty of the Society. Luckily for you, that shouldn’t be hard. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, "God’s prophetic voice," has uttered some serious false prophecies in its 100 years. For example, they declared Armageddon would come in 1914, 1918, 1925 and, to a lesser extent, 1975. Raise this issue with them, and show them Deuteronomy 18:21-22:"And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’ — when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word which the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously, you need not be afraid of him."Going by this test, the Watchtower Society is a false prophet; you need not fear it, much less listen to it. Often, it helps to have photocopies of the actual pages of The Watchtower containing the false prophecies. Otherwise, the Witness may not believe you. A search of the Internet will turn up numerous websites where you can print out these pages.

4. When you discuss a scriptural topic with them, make sure it’s a relevant one (the Deity of Christ, the immortal soul, the reality of the Holy Spirit, etc.). It’s easy to waste time
on minor points (why they don’t vote or celebrate birthdays). When they leave, you want them to be questioning an important tenet of their theology. Also, prepare your position ahead of time. The premiere issue of Envoy has a great Nuts and Bolts on how to prove the deity of Christ. You can pick up that issue by calling 1-800-55-ENVOY. (I need to study up on these things!)

5. Give them your personal testimony about what Christ has done in your life. If you have any stories about miraculous answers to prayer, share them. This will definitely throw them off, since they’ll have a hard time understanding how a non-Christian (which is what you are to them) could have such dramatic results from God. Add to this the fact that many Witnesses don’t feel any real intimacy with the Father, much less Jesus. Often, the personal testimony is the most effective way to evangelize one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. (I have some good stuff. God is good!)

6. Pray before and after the Witnesses come, but don’t pray with them. They’re taught not to pray with non-Witnesses; this could cause a huge faux paus, and possibly cause them to leave. (Weird.)

7. Last but not least, as you’re walking them to the door, bid them farewell, and leave them with the clincher statement: "If there’s ever anything I can do for you, please call, day or night." That will give them something to think about as they’re walking to the car. When a Witness is considering leaving the organization, they often have no-one to turn to. By letting them know they can turn to you, it will give them at least a small sense of security should they decide to leave the Society behind.


I thought numbers 3 and 5 were especially interesting. Good stuff. Too bad we haven't been able to use it yet.