governing-body
When Did the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses Come Into Existence? A Historical Timeline
Most Jehovah's Witnesses assume that the modern Governing Body has existed continuously since the days of Charles Taze Russell, or even that it is a direct continuation of the apostles and elders in first-century Jerusalem. Current publications present that picture of continuity.
A careful reading of the organization's own literature, however, reveals a more gradual development. Over more than a century, Jehovah's Witnesses changed not only the structure of their leadership but also its identity and authority. The Governing Body familiar today is the product of several significant organizational and doctrinal developments.
This article traces those developments using Jehovah's Witnesses' own published history.
Read morePromises You Can’t Trust: The Watchtower’s Record of Failed Expectations
In the January 15, 2004 Watchtower, an article appeared with the reassuring title "Promises That You Can Trust." Its argument is simple and compelling: human promises often prove unreliable, but Jehovah's promises are different. Jehovah has demonstrated through his record that when he says something will happen, it happens.
Read moreThe Dichotomy of Belief: When Trust in Jehovah Becomes Trust in Men
One sentence in this week's Treasures From God's Word workbook caught my attention because it Is a contradiction. Although in saying that I know not many Jehovah's Witnesses will know it is a contradiction.
Read moreTen Major Changes to the Watchtower Blood Doctrine Since 1945
"Keep abstaining from things sacrificed to idols, from blood, from what is strangled, and from sexual immorality." — Acts 15:29
For Jehovah's Witnesses, these words form the foundation of one of the organization's most distinctive teachings: the refusal of blood transfusions.
Read moreWatchtower Removed the Scaffolding — The Building Still Stands
For decades, Jehovah’s Witnesses were taught to see hidden prophetic patterns throughout the Bible. Nearly every major Old Testament account could become a “type” pointing to a larger “antitype” in modern times. These prophetic parallels were not treated as interesting possibilities — they were presented as evidence that Jehovah’s Witnesses occupied a central role in God’s purpose.
Read moreEverything You Need to Know About “Overlapping Generations”
In 2014, David Splane of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses released a video attempting to explain why Jehovah’s Witnesses still claim we are living in “the last days.”
Read more