Territorial Bloggings

Something of note, from a bright, sunny Saturday in Valparaiso…

We got a visit from some wandering Watchtower folks this afternoon. A nice enough lady, and what looked to be her tween-age daughter. Now, I’m not a huge fan of these visits from the non-Christian sects, largely because I really don’t like the adrenaline jolt I get from the confrontation of beliefs. I’ve read the CPH How To Respond books, and read the reports from other Lutheran folks about how they’ve dealt with similar visits. But that pesky adrenaline jolt tends to cloud my mind & tie my tongue.

The Watchtower lady led off with a question about if I thought we might be in the end times, as described in the Bible. I responded by stating that we’ve been in the ‘end times’ ever since Jesus ascended into heaven after dying on the cross for our sins & rising from the dead. This didn’t seem to throw her, as she then moved into some of the Watchtower tract offerings.

I stopped her, having recalled a tactic that others have reported using, and said that I didn’t have time to continue the conversation, but that I’d be glad to schedule a time for another discussion, and that I’d like to have my Pastor there to participate in the discussion. This threw her a bit. She responded by saying that they’d love to come back, but that she didn’t see any reason why my Pastor needed to be there - that they’d prefer to discuss things solely with me, and not bother having someone like a Pastor there who would not be open to their message. And, oh by the way, just why did I think my Pastor needed to be there?

Well, I responded by stating that my Pastor has been charged with my spiritual well being. He is the undershepherd to whom I have been entrusted. Thus, I would not be comfortable engaging in this type of discussion without him there to help the discussion stay productive & beneficial.

At this point, she quickly began disengaging from the sales pitch, asking if I’d be interested in taking any of the Watchtower tracts for further reading. I declined.

What I found most interesting in this whole exchange was the bold, and bald-faced, way in which this friendly, but sadly & horrifically misguided, woman was attempting to steal me away for her non-Christian sect (dare I say, cult), and how she wanted no part of a more open discussion, when such a discussion involved a Christian Pastor. Nope, she wanted the beginnings of a brainwashing process, by which a sheep is taken away by a wolf. Shameless.

I thank God that He protected me, and gave me the words and awareness by which I could fend off Satan’s attack.

-ghp