February 2008- 4 PAGE PDF FORMAT

Jehovah’s Witnesses Challenged
Watchtower Magazines now
Available Online!
M
any ministries to the Jehovah’s Witnesses have been frustrated
that the Watchtower and Awake! magazines are not available by subscription to the general public. Although it is possible to obtain the magazine
by an active member in good standing in person, none-the-less having it
sent to you by a member is difficult. I advertised on the internet and found
several witnesses willing to send me the magazines. However, after a few
issues they linked my name to our ministry and changed their mind.
While the new policy sounds good there is a catch. Rather than being
able to glance through the digitized version cutting and pasting interesting
articles in your word processor, ALL articles are SOUND files. You can
February 2008
“listen” to articles but you can’t search for key words or paste pieces
in your personal files.
Furthermore, huge search engines such as GOOGLE, won’t be
able to search articles and place the contents in gi-hugic databases for the
world to search. Capturing embarrassing statements like false prophecies
etc. will be more difficult to document. It would take several hours to
listen to one magazines contents, where you could search for key words
like “Jehovah” in seconds if the contents were in a text format.
Ministries will probably find that a hard copy of the Watchtower
will be easier to review than these new sound files.
Interesting, you can hear the April, 2008 Watchtower, several
months before it’s printed as you can see from this screen capture from
their site. This may be an error since their help files state that the audio
files are released after the magazines are published. Also, the “Terms
of Use” linked to the page obligates you not to share, publish, or edit
these files.
I downloaded the last article for April 15, 2008 from the Watchtower and found it was about 13 minutes long. The file name is “Jehovah’s
Word is Alive - Highlights From the Book of John.”
After a quick scrubbing through the file I noticed that Jesus is
inferior to God and the Holy Spirit is not a person. From the file name
it would be impossible to know these things without listening. It was a
males voice with no music or sound effects at all and was rather droll.
Personally, I wouldn’t be able to listen very long without falling
asleep, but apparently the governing body feel otherwise.
The Watch Tower is obviously using extreme caution when using
the net but from their stand point there is the potential to reach the world
with their message with little effort.
W
e have already this year sent out 2 cases (80 copies) of
Peter’s “The Watchtower in Light of Scripture” book at no cost. One
case is going to Haiti as the witnesses are so successful there. The other
is to a ministry by an ex-witness striving to get the word out.
We are determined to give away 500 copies this year to further the warning of Watchtower errors and promote the true gospel.
We covet your prayers and financial support. All donations are tax
deductible.
Challenge Ministries
P.O. Box 20195
El Cajon, California 92021
Continued Next Page...
Fishers of Men
I
Joel Osteen
critical view of Joel. Furthermore, you’d have to read nearly a full column
to realize that it is exposing Joel’s prosperity message.
n our November Newsletter we mentioned our first outreach for
2008 would be the Joel Osteen speaking engagement at the San Diego
State Cox Arena just 15 miles from our home.
Because of the delay in printing and sending out of the newsletter
this is the first opportunity we have had to report on what happened.
Before I tell you about the event I want to once again clarify why
we felt Joel’s message needed to be addressed.
The theme of Joel’s sermons and books is clearly man centered rather
than God centered. Positive, feel-good messages of assurance that God
always rewards human effort and virtue with happiness, success, health
and wealth. His essential message is, “You can have this NOW!”
Anyway, after nearly 2 months of work writing the tract and communicating with the Oakland publisher, the tracts arrived THE DAY
BEFORE THE EVENT. We had almost given up hope that they would
arrive in time but the Lord answered our prayers.
6 of us arrived at the Cox arena an hour and a half early to hand
out the tracts. We weren’t sure how close to the entrance we could legally
go so we just “followed Dianna” right to the turnstiles where people
walked in! I simply held my breath waiting to be asked to leave but IT
NEVER HAPPENED.
Within 30 minutes we had given out ALL 1,000 tracts!!! Although
there was still almost an hour to go before the event we felt blessed that
we were able to accomplish what we had hoped to do.
Dianna gave the most out with her
charming smile and “Welcome to Joel”. Mine
was similar with “Have a nice evening.” Of
course we were glad they came, how else could
we ask them to consider what we had to say?
The amazing Ricky, son Luke, Mike and wife
Jaime had a similar generic approach.
We prayed together before and after giving out the tracts and then went to a nearby restaurant for a meal of fellowship and praise.
We pray that God will bless these efforts to point towards Him as the only real
happiness.
Joel tract cover.
After Joel at Marie Calendars, R to L.-- The Amazing
Ricky, Son Luke, Jerry, Dianna, Mike, wife Jamie
Sadly, you won’t hear the heart of the Christian Gospel that Jesus Christ and His shed blood on the cross is the solution
to man’s moral bankruptcy. Nor will you hear about a Holy God who must
punish sin or a life of submission to Jesus Christ. The gospel that Joel
preaches can be summed up in one word, “prosperity”.
The printer printed about 100 extra
tracts which we kept aside for our use. If you
would like a FREE copy (while supplies last)
please write.
Printing costs for this tract was nearly $500. If you can help with
these costs we would appreciate it. Contributions are tax deductible.
Joel further teaches the error of the “Word-Faith” movement that
speaking words of faith will motivate God to act in your behalf.
Joel’s message is simply man-centered materialism, spawned in
the richest country in the world. It is appealing to the flesh but is not the
message of the Bible. It seduces millions who eagerly accept what they
want to hear. The prosperity gospel bends the ear from the true gospel that
saves to “broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jeremiah 2:13).
To begin, let me tell you about the tract called “Joel” that we prepared and handed out.
I felt the easiest way to document what Joel teaches is to quote from
his 2 books, “Your Best Life Now”, and “Become a Better You”. I further
felt that this tract must not “appear” to be negative since we wanted people
to take it and read it.
Therefore Joel’s photo is on the front with both his books. This would
be the most expensive and time consuming tract we have ever published
and the only one if full color. The tract looked more like a program than a
Dianna, “Welcome to Joel.”
Moving? Please send your change of address to Challenge Ministries, Box 20195, El Cajon, Calif.
Mormonism Challenged
T
7th East Press
he recent change in the introduction to the Book of Mormon brought back memories of a newspaper that was frequently
quoted by “the Tanner’s” (now Utah Lighthouse Ministry) in Salt
Lake City in the early 80’s.
Although the 7th East Press was not an anti-Mormon newspaper, in a short time their honesty in journalism found the ire of
the President of the Quorum of 12 Apostles, Ezra Taft Benson. The
paper was soon banned from all campus distribution. Within a few
months, the 7th East press dissolved and no longer exists.
The 7th East Press only existed for a couple of years and its 16
page paper came out twice a month. It was a student paper printed
off the BYU campus but was distributed in the BYU bookstore as
well as in news stands on and off campus.
This is a long time practice of the leadership of the LDS
church; squash or suppress critical thinking. Truth must be determined by the leaders and never questioned.
The paper had it’s beginning right about the time the Mormon
Church made over 200 “word changes” (1981 edition) in the Book
of Mormon. Unlike the recent change to the Introduction, which
LDS leaders explain away, these changes were in the ACTUAL
TEXT to the Book of Mormon.
Although most changes were rather insignificant, several were
doctrinal changes. The 7th East Press reported on these and soon
afterward printed nearly 100 changes and compared them with
earlier editions to the Book of Mormon. I received my newspaper
from the 7th East Press (photocopied here) over 25 years ago!
This ban compliments the churches official position clearly
stated 40 years previous:
“He {Satan} wins a great victory when he can get members of the church to speak against their leaders and to do their
own thinking. When our leaders speak, the thinking has been
done. When they propose a plan--it is God’s Plan. When they
point the way, there is no other which is safe.” (Improvement
Era, June 1945)
How contrary to the guidance of the Holy Bible, “Believe not
every spirit but try the spirits whether they be of God for many
false prophets are gone out into the world.” (I John 4:1)
Challenge Ministries
P.O. Box 20195
El Cajon, CA 92021
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. Postage
PAID
EL CAJON, CA
PERMIT NO. 339
Odds and Ends
Just a reminder that we will keep the 4 page Newsletter
layout and that NO ONE at this time will be dropped from our
database. The newsletter will continue to be FREE without
subscription. If you wish to be “removed only” please let us
know. Also, feel free to encourage others to write us if they
are interested in our evangelistic efforts and wish to receive
our newsletter.
Although the challengemin.org web site has been
somewhat neglected in favor of other efforts, we were able to
update the “Christians Challenged” link over the Christmas
Holidays with a new look. We’ve also placed our newest tract
“Joel” in this area which will be available to read online. There
is also a PDF version where you could print it on your own
printer and have a full color tract nearly like the original. Just
print one side and flip the paper over and print page 2. Fold in
thirds and you’ve got your own color tract on Joel.
A week before this newsletter was mailed out we mailed
donation receipts for last year, 2007, to all our supporters. If for
some reason you have not received yours please write us.
We thank God for your kind interest in this ministry and
your faithful support as we “earnestly contend for the faith”
(Jude 3).
NEWSLETTER
Challenge Ministries
is a non-profit Christian ministry dedicated to the defense and proclaimation of the Gospel and Biblical truth.
Founded by . .................. Jerry & Dianna Benson
E-mail:[email protected]
web site:............................ www.challengemin.org
Challenge Ministries
P.O. Box 20195
El Cajon, California 92021
All contributions are tax deductable