Sharing the Gospel with a Jehovah’s Witness

by Tony Brown

They knock on your door, unannounced often when you're just sitting down for your evening meal, and are keen to talk to you about the state of the world. If you choose to listen to them you will no doubt find yourself agreeing with much of what they say. But aware of this danger, and perhaps feeling ill-equipped to deal with their slippery arguments, many of us would rather hide behind the curtain and pretend we aren't home... letting these evangelistic opportunities pass us by. In this comprehensive guide to what you need to know about Jehovah's Witnesses, ex-Jehovah's Witness, Tony Brown, shares his extensive knowledge and experience of the teachings of the Watchtower Society. He explains what Jehovah's Witnesses believe, why their message is so compelling to so many, and how their doctrines differ from those of biblical Christianity. He provides many practical tips for ways in which we can seek to share the gospel with these neighbors. If you've ever wanted to share the gospel with a Jehovah's Witness, but not known where to start, then this book will give you the practical knowledge you need to come out from behind the sofa and open the door.

Genres: Christian

117 pages, Paperback

Published February 8, 2019

About the author

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Reviews

[Alan Wilkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the author provides unique insight into how to respond to Jehovah’s Witnesses I found this book to be very mechanical. The book revolves around a sequence of questions to ask the Jehovah’s Witness. While not intended, some of these questions feel like ‘gotcha’ questions, however I do not doubt the accuracy or validity of the author’s writing.

The author states “unless you have memorised this book, you will probably not be ready for an in-depth discussion on the trinity” (with a witness). I feel this does the Christian a disservice as this is a fundamental part of Christian belief.

Chapter 12 on the new world translation was by far the most helpful as this signposts us to actual discrepancies in the NWT translation of the text. The chapter also encourages the reader to wisely check the credentials of those who translate original languages.

Overall this is a bite size effort which leaves the reader wanting a lot more. While informative, I found the book to be a little impractical. More focus could have been put on the fleshing out chapter 12 into the overall theme which would have made for a more interesting read.

[David Couch · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great primer on Jehovah's Witness theology and how to share the gospel with them.

[Dougal Burrowes · Rating 5 out of 5]

6 stars if there was one.

[Phil Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful, easy to read and well structured book. Excellent scripture references. Deals with the importance issues. Recommend.

[Theo Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

- Sharing the Gospel with a Jehovah's Witness is a guide about what you need to know about Jehovah's Witnesses, and Tony Brown shares his extensive knowledge and experience of the teachings of the Watchtower society. He explains why he believes their message is so compelling to so many, and how their doctrines differ from those of protestant Christianity. He provides practical tips for ways in which we can seek to share the gospel with these neighbours.
- What I liked
- The book was concise and easy to read, making it perfect and accessible for people to gain knowledge about this topic. I read it fairly quickly, and although there was often Bible citations and explanations about Greek translations it was never hard or boring to read.
- The information and advice given was always given from the Bible, the NWT bible, the watchtower society and others. This meant the information generally felt truthful. bit also up for interpretation from the evidence provided.
- What I disliked
- I would have liked more information, especially more personal anecdotes. The author described JW as a cult, which I think is probably due to his personal experiences having been brought up in a JW family, but he didn't really give much evidence for why he thought they are a 'cult'. From a bit of research on their website they don't seem to be particularly cult-ish, although of course it is biased from their point of view. He told the reader to be cautious of every going to a JW bible study because of being indoctrinated, but he didn't really give evidence as to when this has happened. I would have liked more evidence, but also he sounds like a very interesting person and reading about his personal experiences with leaving JW would have been really interesting, although it may be personal.
- The advice was very clear and logical, and often used bible verses, which is great but I'm not going to be able to know exactly all the counterpoints to what they're saying backed up with what the bible says, all the references I can give to their Bible to question things based on things they already believe in. Maybe with the book with me I would, and certainly I have more general knowledge about Jehovah's witnesses so would be better at thinking on my feet in those situations
- I would recommend this book to people wanting to share the gospel with Jehovah's witnesses themselves, or ex-jehovah's witnesses wanting to find out more about they were once a part of.

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The devil is in the details” is certainly true when discussing the differences between biblical Christianity and the inventions of the Watch Tower. However, I am unable to accuse the adherents of this cult, because the face value claims made sound reasonable, and dare I say it, scriptural. However, deliberate omissions, language changes and the odd “ tweak” to the scriptures evidenced in their NWT translation demonstrates a monstrous perversion of truth, chief among them are the denial of Christ’s deity and a salvation by works. These modifications have eternal significance. This book affords the reader practical tools to counter a variety of JW conversion tactics across a variety of doctrines, while also balancing a loving and faithful Christian affection towards those whose eyes are covered in scales. The book inspires confidence for the next time the doorbell rings, urging you to know the Bible, be strong in your defence, and be bold enough to answer the door!

[Deborah-Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think many of us how experienced the awkwardness of a Jehovah's Witness coming to our door and us not knowing exactly how to respond. I recently had such earnest visitor's myself and once allowed in, they are very unlikely to leave. How do we match their passion and enthusiasm while simultaneously telling them we are not interested and yet also witnessing? Tony Brown is a former JW himself and so he knows first-hand the impact of being in this cult. In his step-by-step book he exposes many of the false beliefs that JWs believe and how to counter each one in a civil way using reason, logic, and Scripture. Above all, he reminds us to care about the state and soul of the JW, thinking for example, of such implications as leaving the fold. I think this is a vital resource for any Christian, as at some point, we are likely all to encounter a JW.

[Joel Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve had this on my shelf for ages but prompted again to read after another knock at the door. I can recognise so many things I’ve experienced when talking to Jehovah’s Witnesses in this book, it’s quite funny how accurate it is! And there is lots of encouragement that all the techniques can be responded to and have no basis.

My only critique is that the book, as short as it is, is pretty overwhelming. Even the author admits you will not be able to memorise the whole thing. But there is great confidence that JWs will not necessarily shipwreck your faith, and that they can be lovingly brought into the truth of the gospel.

[Chelsea Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m grateful for Brown’s testimony and desire to help us share the gospel with Jehovah’s Witnesses. This book was informative, and I learned a lot. While I appreciated its brevity, reading this book(let) felt a bit like drinking from a firehouse. I’m not sure how much I’d be able to recall in a conversation with Jehovah’s Witnesses. I also found the constant switching between NWT and other translations of the Bible to be confusing. Perhaps letting the reader know ahead of time which translation they’ll be reading instead of following each passage up with the translation source in parenthesis would be helpful. (3.5 stars)

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to understand what a JW believes or have family/friends who JW's this is an excellent book! It is easy to read, very easy to remember and very concise. I recommend it to all who are interested. Very well written.

[Helen Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book which gives clear arguments to encourage us to engage with Jehovah's Witnesses

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent and practical book dealing with Watchtower teachings which shows the reader ways of approaching Jehovah's Witnesses to show them the true teachings of the Bible.