Question: Due to personal reasons, my wife and I haven’t been able to attend church for a while. During this time, women from JW have been visiting our home, mostly my wife. She attends church with them. They provide a ride. I’ve met most, if not all of those who visit. They seem very nice. My wife says they DO NOT deny the divinity of Christ. They offer help in many instances and I’m very impressed overall with those I’ve met and talked with. Is there a problem with attending church with them? Is there anything I should be concerned about? Has their doctrine changed lately? I don’t know all the questions to ask so address anything you feel is important. Please excuse my spelling and as time permits, I would appreciate a personal reply. What do you know about the beliefs they now teach and practice?

Thank You!

Mike

Answer: Dear Mike,

I assume that the initials JW you use refers to the Jehovah’s Witnesses – Watchtower Publications. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not accept the core teachings of the historic Christian faith – including the divinity of Christ and the nature of God – the Triune God. These are essential teachings of Christianity, not minor matters, but central to our faith as Christians. Failure to understand and teach these biblical beliefs leads to many errors in faith and practice, and it would be well to consider what the J.W.’s actually believe. If the J.W.’s had actually changed their teaching and accepted the divinity of Christ, shock waves would have reverberated throughout the Christian world – we would all have heard about it. They have not.

I do not have the time here to detail all J.W. teachings and how they deviate from biblical teaching – in some respects the J.W. resemble Roman Catholics, because of their emphasis on doctrinal and ecclesiastical authority, mainly that coming from Charles Taze Russell (deceased) and J.F. Rutherford, who succeeded him (also decreased). They have a teaching of apostolic authority, that the leader can speak in a similar way to the pope (ex cathedra). The J.W.’s are well-known for setting dates for the Second Coming (all dates have failed, of course), their belief in salvation by works (completely contrary to the New Testament teaching of grace), in addition to completely unbiblical ideas about the Godhead. A book available in most Christian book stores, published by Baker Books, Why You Should Believe in the Trinity – an Answer to Jehovah’s Witnesses is extremely helpful, and I recommend it to you.

In Christ,

Greg Albrecht