How come it was Our Kingdom Ministry then it was Our Kingdom Service then it was changed back to Our Kingdom Ministry?

by hoser 19 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  hamsterbait

  Service in the liberalising days of Ray Franz included other things like helping the sick and elderly, looking after the fatherless child - in other words any truly good work.

  There were too many taking the view that they were serving God by following the scriptural statement of what defines undefiled worship from God's viewpoint. (See the Commentary on the letter of James by Ray)

  Notice in the Drama a couple of years ago where Scolios(?) was spreading the idea that Christians should be doing good works, to the detriment of the preaching work. (He was shown up a bad bad bad)

  They wanted everybody to view their service as only one type of Ministry: Going door to Bore hawking the Litterature and getting money from the gofors. Ministry nowadays carries only one connotation to a dub, so they returned to their own vomit.

  HB
• 

  journey-on

  In my parents' day, it was called the Informant. Sounded like some kind of undercover operation.
• 

  Mad Sweeney

  Wobble is right.

  It is the same reason they created the Insight books when they already had a perfectly good (by Borg standards) Aid book. Ray Franz was responsible for a large part of the Aid book so they replaced it. Same reason they never refer to the Commentary on James book because Ed Dunlap wrote it.
• 

  RayPublisher

  "Kingdom Service" denoted that our ministry and sacred service are more than just knocking on mostly-empty houses all day. Ray may have recognized this and been instrumental in getting this changed. I'm gonna do some research and get back to you if I find out more- great topic BTW.
• 

  Finally-Free

  Flickering light.

  W
• 

  Quendi

  Others have noted that with the purge of Ray Franz, Ed Dunlap, et al., the WTS went on to effectively erase all of their contributions. One particular example that comes back to me is the audiocassette recording of the Gospel of John. Ray Franz did the original reading. After he left Bethel, the Gospel was re-recorded with a different voice. I don't recall who was the next reader, but the move to replace the Franz recording reminded me of what was done in the old Soviet Union to people who were no longer in official favor. The WTS followed the same route.

  Quendi
• 

  factfinder

  @Quendi- I'm glad you mentioned the John tapes. I remember they came out with a new version of it- I liked Ray's reading of it better. I guess since they were quick to put out of print the James book and the Choosing book they must have been written by those whom Bethel expelled. The Happiness book did not seem to last as long as other books either.
• 

  thaisun

  Earlier it was mentioned the name used to be The Informant.

  How inappropriate as was in use right after World War II, if not earlier!
• 

  Lady Lee

  ahhh yet another example of "tacking into the wind."

  Mind you I don't know of any sailor that would consider going backwards as progress.
• 

  RayPublisher

  Was able to find out from someone that was there during those years the reason it was changed. Here is the gist of the conversation:

  ---------------------

  "An outline was prepared for the district convention by Grant Suiter either in 1974 or 1975, stressing the matter of "ordained minister," which is what all associated baptized persons were designated as being. Ray [Franz] saw a problem with it, and discussions followed in the GB. Thereafter Ray wrote the articles that resulted in a shift, with "service" replacing "ministry." The WT article that set forth this change and the reason for it was, "What Does It Mean to Be a 'Minister'?" This was published in the December 1, 1975, magazine. That is why the title of the KM was changed, but the change was not "popular," and there was considerable agitation about it.

  The other main articles Ray wrote for the 12/1 issue are most interesting, especially in view of what has developed since then." --------------------- Fascinating. Makes sense too. Everything that may have helped swing the ORG back to sanity and Christianity has been stomped on and discarded over the years...