Highlight: Jehovahs Witnesses and The Language Barrier

The Language Barrier in Conversations with Jehovah’s Witnesses

But one of the things that Walton Barton always talked about specifically when it whether it's a cultist or someone who's a Hebrew Israelite or really any sort of Form a counterfeit christianity. There's always a language barrier you have to scale.

Because they try and have the appearance That they are christian, but they'll use words like jesus, right? Jehovah. Bless you. Uh, bless you, brother.

Yeah, all that. Amen. All that hallelujah all that. Yeah.

So explain to everyone like what's what would be some good tactics as we jump into this to be aware of the language barrier, uh between cultures because in a sense It's like we're speaking when we talk to someone of say, you know, uh, jehovah's witnesses.

They had they have their booth. Um, or if he has someone who's in clocks close proximity, they haven't really been going door-to-door that much since covid. But you're if you do get in contact with them, you know.

What are some ways you can understand. Because we'll be speaking christianese, right? And they'll be speaking jehovah's the language of jehovah's witnesses using the same terminology. How do you think we make those distinctions, right?

Defining Terms Clearly Rather Than Making Accusations

I think that's a great question. You might notice that even when I did the intro I said we can demonstrate that jesus is jehovah god. Like that's an example. Yeah, because depending on who you're talking to if you say jesus is god, they might go.

Yeah, we agree.

You know, he's a he's a smaller god or a lesser god, you know. And then you got to get into this whole semantic on what they mean versus what we mean. No, jesus is jehovah god aka god almighty when I say jesus is god.

That's what I mean. I'm being clear, right? If i'm just talking to you about sunday school, I wouldn't have to do all that because you understand that but no. Uh, i'm talking to a jehovah's witness or if there's a jehovah's witness who's watching this and they're curious.

Yes, that's what i'm saying that jesus is god Almighty, he is the jehovah that your bible talks about that created everything. You know not a secondary version who was created and then created some stuff no, yeah, he is jehovah god.

So I really just think it's being clear and I like to define virtually everything, you know, uh for a presentation. Like we're about to talk about right now. I think the fact that we're talking about the holy spirit a being a person and b.

That person being jehovah god is clear for the purposes of what exactly we're talking about right now, but just generally speaking. Define things, you know, what do you mean? What do you mean by inerrant?

I don't know what you like help me understand what you mean so that I can properly respond.

Yeah, like asking questions, but more looking for clarity. Looking for clarifications versus making an accusation.

Communicating in Good Faith and Avoiding Unfair Assumptions

Yeah, and and honestly that should be something that we do anyway, right? Because you know, we want to communicate in good faith. We want to be clear. Communicators and we want to represent people even folks who we disagree with, you know.

We don't want folks who we disagree with to hear us say that they think xyz and they go actually. That's not what we believe at all, right, you know, so. That's just and greg coco, you know talks about that a lot, you know in his tactics book but and and also the other thing that i'll say is it's important to Not assume that the last jehovah's witness you talk to Is going to go about the conversation that the next way.

You know the the way the next person that you talk to it is what I mean, you know I like to allow them to say it which is why even when we start to get into the text. And we're going to read and you'll hear me say, okay.

Well, what is this saying? Uh, that's saying that this is god. Okay, great. You know, I this is exactly how I talk through the bible with them, right? I like for them to say yeah, we're in the old testament text and this is talking about jehovah god.

Okay, great. Now i'm about to show you how your bible was saying that that's jesus. Exactly, you know.