Imagine my surprise when my wife shows me the cover of the October 2004 Guideposts with Serena Williams photo on it and the caption, "Serena Williams Serving The Spirit." For those that have not heard of the Guideposts, from its own pages, "Guideposts is a monthly inspirational, interfaith, nonprofit magazine written by people from all walks of life. Its articles help readers achieve their maximum personal and spiritual potential."
The magazine carries a four-page article by Serena Williams. I thought it was an offence against the WTS to read published material by others. What is the WTS stance on writing for other publications?
Did she submit this article to the Guideposts because the WTS would not publish it? Here are some thoughts as to why they may not have.
1. First the title: Serving The Spirit. Is this not serving two Gods in the WTS's eyes
2. Actually the title is misleading, in that she is not talking about serving The Holy Spirit, but is she talking about serving or lifting up her own spirit. This sounds self serving and against WTS doctrine.
3. The name Jehovah is never used; God (4 times) and Lord (once) are used when mentioning the Deity.
4. She admits that she prays for herself.
"And I pray, Help me stay strong out here. Help me stay calm and do my best. Thank you, Lord."
Understand that I see nothing wrong with this prayer. It is just not what I understand a good JW to be asking for themselfes.
5. No mention of her work as a JW anywhere in the article.
My next letter is to the Guideposts and find out what they were thinking. They say interfaith, but I had always found that to be inter-Christian-faith.