I Was Raised a Jehovah's Witness, 4th Edition

by Joe B. Hewitt

Overview

I Was Raised a Jehovah’s Witness is the personal story of Joe B. Hewitt who escaped from the Watchtower Cult at age 15. The first half of the book is a narrative of how the author came to the realization that he had been lied to and had repeated lies to others. He explains the heartbreak of being shunned. After he left the Jehovah’s Witnesses his mother was forced to declare him dead and to shun him.
This biography narrates Hewitt’s journey from spiritual bondage to spiritual limbo to Christian liberty, his call to the ministry, and his 39 years of pastoral ministry. It also has accounts of many Jehovah’s Witnesses Hewitt encountered that later escaped the Watchtower mind control and became joyful Christians. He also presents a point by point refutation of the peculiar doctrines of the Watchtower Society such as: denial of the deity of Jesus Christ; denial of his literal and physical resurrection; and denial of the Christian’s hope of heaven. A brief section, “Rational Proof for the Existence of Hell,” and an explanation of the Trinity will help any Christian’s understanding.
1st Edition of I Was Raised a Jehovah’s Witness, was published in 1979, by Accent Books, Denver, sold 40,000 copies; 2nd Edition 1983, translated into Chinese, China Sunday School Association, Taiwan; 3rd Edition, Kregel Books, Grand Rapids, sales with 1st Edition totaled 45,000 copies.The latest edition, 2013: I Was Raised a Jehovah’s Witness, 4th Edition, Revised and Updated 6X9 Paperback 224 Pages or e-book. ISBN-13:978-1492909156.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940046228670
Publisher:	Joe B. Hewitt
Publication date:	10/11/2014
Sold by:	Smashwords
Format:	eBook
File size:	316 KB

About the Author

Author Joe B. Hewitt started writing as a newspaper reporter for the Lima, Ohio, News. He covered the police beat, courthouse beat, and was an investigative reporter. He went under cover for three months and published an expose of vice and crime. He served as national and international news editor and “slot” man on the city desk. He owned and published the following Texas weekly newspapers, Throckmorton Tribune, and Springtown Review, and was a stockholder, editor and publisher of the Richardson Digest. His newspaper career ended when he was called into the ministry. While still a seminary student he started the Richardson East Baptist Church, Richardson, Texas. By the time he graduated from seminary his new church had bought land on Main Street and built a building. During the first several years at that church he worked as public relations director for a church-supported temperance organization. In that capacity he wrote teacher in-service training manuals on drug abuse, designed catalogs, edited a monthly magazine, wrote and voiced public service radio announcements, and appeared on television interview shows regarding drug abuse education, and spoke at high school assemblies and churches. He enlisted others to voice public service announcements including Steve Allen and Dale Evans. He turned down an offer to become associate executive director of the organization and pastored the church full time. During that time he ghost-wrote a book on Bible prophecy for a famous radio preacher. He served the Richardson church 13 years. He resigned that pastorate to go into vocational evangelism. However, during those four years he was called by Christian leaders in many communities to lead special election campaigns. Of 13 major campaigns, he won 11. He turned down an offer to manage a US Congressman’s re-election campaign. Feeling a need to get back into the pastorate and following a desire to move to Rockwall County, Texas, he accepted a call to Pastor First Baptist Church of Fate, Texas, where he served 13 years. He built a home on 7.5 acres in rural Rockwall County where he has lived since 1985. He then became founding pastor of Princeton Park Baptist Church, Rowlett, Texas, where he served 9 years and retired in 2001. During those years in the pastorate he wrote a nonfiction book on personal experience that has sold 45,000 copies. He wrote curriculum for Bible study teachers and teachers commentaries for LifeWay, the publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention as well as the youth devotional guide, and Open Windows the 1.1 million-circulation adult devotional guide. For 10 years wrote columns for the Rockwall Success, and Rowlett Lakeshore Times, local newspapers. His magazine articles were published in Mature Living, The Baptist Standard, and Leadership magazine (published by the Baptist General Convention of Texas), Faith for the Family, Reproduction Methods, and the Christian Crusader. Photographs have been published by Associated Press, United Press International, Popular Mechanics, and several detective magazines (from the days when he was police reporter.). His travel articles and pictures have been published in The Dallas Morning News, and the Houston Chronicle's Sunday Magazine. Guest editorials have been published in The Dallas Morning News and Spirit of 76, publication of Fort Worth, Texas, Mensa. Hewitt was certified by North American Mission Board, Southern Baptist Convention, as expert on Cults. He conducted seminars and workshops on Cults, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormonism. Islam, Marriage Enrichment, Conflict Resolution, and Parenting. Hewitt served as a temporary missionary in Mexico, Brazil, Russia, Oregon, Idaho, New York, and pastored a church in England for a month in an exchange with the pastor of the English church. He served as volunteer chaplain and coordinator of jail ministries for the Rockwall County Sheriff’s Department for 10 years. I also served two days a month as volunteer chaplain at Lake Pointe Medical Center in Rowlett for 10 years. On one of his three trips to Russia, Hewitt preached in Muravlenko, Siberia, a city of 40,000, built on 600 feet deep permafrost located 1650 miles east-northeast of Moscow. The nearest airport was 100 miles south at Nyabresk where the Aeroflot plane broke down and Hewitt and his wife were stranded two days. In addition to the mission trips, Hewitt visited Cypress, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Greece, Italy, France, Spain, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, and many Caribbean islands. Hewitt has traveled extensively throughout all 50 of the United States, Mexico and Canada. After retiring from the Pastorate in 2001, Hewitt began training as a mediator and has served Dallas and area courts as a court-appointed mediator to settle lawsuits. He is a member of First Baptist Church, Rockwall, Texas, State Bar of Texas, ADR Section, Texas Association of Mediators, and Mensa, the high IQ society. He is rated by the Texas Mediators Credentialing Association as a Distinguished Credentialed Mediator. Hewitt received a BD degree from Bible Baptist Seminary, and an MA degree in Biblical Studies from Dallas Baptist University.