Sunday, November 30, 2008

Start Here!

Hello, and welcome to "Watching the Ministry"!

I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses and a Christian Witness of Jah. Both are the same thing, really, in that both "Jehovah's Witnesses" and the "Christian Witnesses of Jah" from a biblical perspective have to do with those people who bear witness to the God Jah, apart from the traditions of men (compare Isaiah 29:13; Galatians 1:10). Of course, many who hear "Jehovah's Witnesses" think immediately of those who bear witness to the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. That is not what makes one a Jehovah's Witness, and the Christian Witnesses of Jah reject any attempt to equate bearing witness to Jah with bearing witness to men.

Jehovah's Witnesses who are trying to be loyal to God only accept beliefs that are based on the best available reasons. We don't coerce or pressure anyone to believe anything, but we will try to convince others of what we believe is true based on the best available reasons.

We do not push speculative interpretations of Bible chronology or of Bible prophecy. We teach basic Christian doctrine in all its simplicity and complexity, as well as how to live best by following Christian teachings. Our motivation is love for God and a desire to see his will take place "on the earth as in heaven."--Matthew 6:10.

We don't claim to "know" everything, or even to "know" anything (or at least not most things) absolutely. Who does? But we don't have to "know" something in order to have good enough reasons to "believe" it (compare the definition of "faith" given in Hebrews 11:1).

In fact, we believe things all the time that we do not know, such as whether we'll be hit by another car driving through a motor vehicle traffic intersection. Not knowing for a certainty whether a car coming through the intersection will hit us, most if not all of us proceed through intersections according to shared rules that we believe for good reasons will not result in our getting hurt or even killed. So, too, should our most precious beliefs be based on the best available reasons.

If you would like to learn more about the Christian Witnesses of Jah, start here! You can also review an introductory article I wrote about the "Christian Witnesses of Jah," and there is much about us in my Jehovah's Witnesses Defended: An Answer to Scholars and Critics, Third Edition (Murrieta, CA: Elihu Books, 2009), in Chapter 10 and throughout the book.

I will also be talking more here on this Blog about our beliefs, why we believe what we believe, how we can better ourselves and our communities, and how we all can individually and together help those in need. Family is central to our ministry, for "if anyone does not provide for those who are his own, and especially for those who are members of his household, he has disowned the faith and is worse than a person without faith" (1 Timothy 5:8 [NWT]). From here, we reach out to others wherever possible, bringing the good news of God's kingdom and of life through Jesus Christ to as many as possible.

If you have questions about the Christian Witnesses of Jah, Jehovah's Witnesses, or about anything published here or on the Elihu Books web site, email me using elihubooks@gmail.com. I will try to respond to as many questions as I can either directly, here on this Blog, or through the Elihu Books Chat With Us! forum.

Best regards to you all, and may you enjoy the information presented here and the discussions and activities we have planned in the near future through Elihu Books and through the Christian Witnesses of Jah!