Vol. 9, No. 1, 1992

New Book released by Former JW Governing Body Member Ray Franz

Raymond Franz, a former member of the Watchtower's Governing Body, has released a new book, In Search of Christian Freedom published by Commentary Press in Atlanta.

Franz, the nephew of the current Watchtower President, Frederick Franz, is a third generation Jehovah's Witness and spent over forty years in the organization.

As a Governing Body member for nine of those years, he was one of about a dozen men responsible for the doctrinal and policy-making decisions of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society.

This book is a sequel to Franz's, Crisis of Conscience, which gave outsiders a stunning first glimpse behind the closed-doors of the Watchtower's hierarchy.

Christian Freedom promises more of the same -- much more. The new book contains 732 pages including an excellent index.

Franz describes his heartbreak and anguish with the Watchtower's inner-workings that led him to resign from the Governing Body saying:

"...I found it increasingly difficult to harmonize the organizational self-approval, self-praise, and self-identification as God's channel, with its simultaneous calls for humility and meekness on the part of everyone else."

"Most of all I felt deeply disturbed at its interposing of itself between the individual and God...."

"There seemed to be a definite infringement upon Jesus' divine role. If no one comes to the Father except through him, then -- according to the published statements already presented -- it was being claimed that no one comes to Christ except through the Watch Tower organization, which thus inserts itself between the individual and God's Son" (pp. 110-11).

The book also chronicles Franz's own search for "Christian freedom" after leaving the Jehovah's Witnesses.

The Watchtower's autocratic hierarchy and dictatorial control left Franz cautious of organized religion in general. He is especially wary of areas of the Christian community that he perceives to have similar forms of legalism.

Since leaving the Society, Franz has maintained a discerning and discrete attitude -- not simply embracing the whole of evangelical Christian theology.

This is quite evident in his section on the Trinity doctrine.

While he neither tries to prove nor disprove it, he argues that acceptance of the doctrine should be a test of faith.

This is not to say that he is totally committed to the Watchtower's view of the Trinity and the deity of Christ.

He says, "There is no question that deity is attributed to the Son, for the term theos is applied to him in certain texts. What deity means is ultimately the question" (p. 707).

Concerning the Watchtower's stance on the nature of Christ, Franz says, "I have no interest in defending those views, for I believe that some are defective" (p. 708).

Franz' chapter, "Salvation by Faith Not Works", is excellent.

There, and in subsequent chapters, he makes a powerful case that the Watchtower, while "saying" they believe in salvation by grace, actually preaches that door-to-door literature distribution and other "good works" are in effect necessary for eternal life.

He says: "A Christian's not being under law does not, certainly should not, make him lawless. Because of being under God's grace his freedom from subjection to law should result, not in a lack of righteousness, but in a superior righteousness, a righteousness from God, based on faith, love and truth, rather than on obedience to a religious code" (p. 179).

Franz devotes lengthy sections of his book to rebuttals of the Watchtower's practices of abusing authority, forbidding blood transfusions, promoting legalism, breaking up families through disfellowshipping, and hypocrisy in the leadership.

Throughout his book, Franz relates the challenge of balancing conscience, loyalty, responsibility and freedom in his search for Christian freedom -- a quest that has led him to refrain from joining any structured church or denomination (p. 695).

While evangelical Christians will disagree with some of his conclusions, they will walk away from the book with a greater empathy for and understanding of the millions who are in the bondage of the Watchtower.

Readers will also know the heart of Raymond Franz when he says:

"I am convinced that the one true religion is Christianity itself, not some religious system claiming to represent and exemplify it, I also believe that the truth is found in the Scriptures, not in any particular set of interpretations that men have developed or may yet develop....

"We will almost inevitably differ in our understanding on some opinion but, if governed by God's Spirit, should have no great difficulty in agreeing on those teachings clearly and plainly stated (p. 711).

In Search of Christian Freedom is available in bookstores through Commentary Press or through the Watchman Fellowship Resource Guide.