Evangelist Daniel Rodriguez has been witnessing to Jehovah`s Witnesses for over 22 years. He says, "I have found that the average JW that comes to the door has not been in the Watchtower all of his life. Most have been affiliated for less than 10 years." That means, in attempting to bring a JW to accept the gospel, most have some background in other beliefs.

Rodriguez says that it is essential to find out this background early in the conversation. Then you know the frame of reference of the individual. The majority of converts to the Watchtower Society come from Roman Catholicism. Most of the rest are liberal Protestants, or have no religious background. A few are former evangelicals, Baptists, Methodists, or Pentecostals.

Once you know their background, you can use it in showing them how the Watchtower Society is not inspired of God and how dangerous it is to accept only the Watchtower interpretation of Scripture.

Rodriguez says that he occasionally meets a JW who has been in the Watchtower for life. These require a much more patient approach because they have no previous biblical exposure to use as a point of reference in the discussion. Their total perspective is only that of the teachings of the Watchtower. They have no other world view and the discussion has to be a careful introduction to another way of thinking.

Rodriguez has authored two books to help the soul winner deal with the Jehovah`s Witnesses. The first, Winning the Witnesses, describes how to avoid confrontation with them over biblical issues by first destroying their confidence in the teachings of the Watchtower.

The second, The Watchtower`s Coming Crisis, provides backup in confronting the contradictions in Watchtower Society teachings. One such contradiction is their doctrine of the 144,000. In 1931, JW leadership determined that not all members of the Watchtower Society were true Jehovah`s Witnesses. Extracting the verses in Revelation chapter 7 about the 144,000 from all logical context, they announced that this group was actually the leadership of the Jehovah`s Witnesses. And since they were "sealed" in the Scripture, then membership in that group was complete in 1935. All the rest of the members of the Watchtower Society were part of the "great multitude" in Revelation 7:9. This "anointed" 144,000 were the only ones who would go to heaven when they died. All other JWs, who formed the "great crowd," were destined to inhabit "paradise earth" after an Armageddon that was expected shortly.

Since several dates prophesied for this Armageddon have failed, Rodriguez points out a serious crisis facing the Watchtower Society. If the membership in the 144,000 was closed in 1935, most of them must be dead or very old. From the Watchtower`s own literature, he shows how the numbers have been quietly altered to cover this problem. Also, he shows quotes from very recent Watchtower literature that try to gloss over the crisis.

This is just part of the witnessing help that is contained in Rodriguez`s books for those who try to reach Jehovah`s Witnesses. His approach avoids disputing over the Bible and strikes at the heart of their confidence in the teachings of the Watchtower. Once that trust is destroyed, they become open to the true gospel.

Both books by Rodriguez are available from Chick Publications.