(Revised and updated) Hewitt's fascinating account of growing up in the Jehovah's Witness cult has been revised to reflect recent developments. More than 40,000 copies in print.
Joe B. Hewitt, Background Information
MINISTRY
Founding pastor of Richardson East Baptist Church, Richardson, Texas.
Vocational Evangelist four years.
Pastor of First Baptist Church of Fate, Texas
Founding pastor of Princeton Park Baptist Church, Rowlett, Texas. Retired in 2001.
Certified by North American Mission Board, Southern Baptist Convention, as expert on Cults.
DENOMINATIONAL AFFAIRS
I have been active in denominational affairs, attending every Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) except two, 1979-2001, and have been active in the Dallas Baptist Association (DBA) and Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT). I served as president of the Dallas Pastors' Conference. I served three years as chairman of the DBA's Evangelism Committee, which coordinates association-wide evangelistic efforts and missions. I led the association's mission partnerships with Russia, New York, and the Virgin Islands, and Idaho.
I previously served as chairman of the Media and Public Relations Committee, and organized a state-wide Media and PR Workshop for pastors and church leaders, held in Dallas in March, 1994. My church received the Texas Baptist Communications Award for 1995. I also served as chairman of the Interfaith Witness Committee, whose function was to help churches bring the gospel to people enmeshed in cults and false religions. I was named "Interfaith Witness Associate of the Year" by the North American Mission Board of the SBC and the BGCT for 1999.
MISSIONS WORK
I 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. I 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.
WRITING EXPERIENCE
I worked as a reporter, including police beat and courthouse beat for the Lima (Ohio) News. On one occasion I went "underground" and did an expose' on vice and crime. I was routinely assigned the sensational stories and those that required investigative reporting. I wrote many feature articles and took photographs for many picture pages. I was promoted to national and international news editor and slot man on the city desk.
I owned and published the following Texas weekly newspapers, Throckmorton Tribune, and Springtown Review. While in seminary, I served as editor and publisher of the Richardson Digest.
I wrote a nonfiction book on personal experience that has sold 45,000 copies, entitled, I Was Raised a Jehovah's Witness, (Accent Books, Denver, 1979; Kregel Publishing, Grand Rapids, 1997) It has also been translated into Chinese and is published in Taiwan by the China Sunday School Association.
I wrote for ENCOUNTER!, the youth devotional guide, and Open Windows, the 1.1 million-circulation adult devotional guide, and ALife and Work@ teachers' commentary curriculum for youth, all published by Lifeway Christian Resources, publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, as well as commentaries for adult Sunday school teachers.
I ghost-wrote a book on Bible prophecy for a radio preacher, for 10 years wrote columns for the Rockwall Success, and Rowlett Lakeshore Times, local newspapers. My magazine articles have been 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 I was police reporter.).
My 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.
For six years I served as editor of the Christian Crusader, a magazine published by Texas Alcohol Narcotics Education, (TANE) which I served as public relations director. In that capacity I also wrote and produced radio and television public service spots, some of which were voiced by Dale Rogers and Steve Allen.
AFFILIATIONS
Member of First Baptist Church, Rockwall, Texas. Member of Mystery Writers of America, Texas State Bar, ADR Section, Association for Conflict Resolution, and Texas Association of Mediators. I am a Texas Mediators Credentialing Association Distinguished Credentialed Mediator. I have been mediating for courts in Dallas and contiguous counties since 2002. Member of Mensa, the high IQ society.
TRAVEL
I have traveled extensively throughout all 50 of the United States; Mexico, Canada, England, Scotland, Wales, and have visited Cypress, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Greece, Israel, Brazil, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Spain, France, Italy, Malta, and several Caribbean islands. I made three trips to Russia, including Nyabrisk and Muravlenko, Siberia, about 1,650 miles E-NE of Moscow at 64 degrees N. latitude; Chelyabinsk and Yekaterinburg and surrounding areas in the Eastern Urals; and Moscow.
EDUCATION
I received a BD degree from Arlington Baptist College, and an MA degree in Biblical Studies from Dallas Baptist University. Each year I have continuing education in mediation as required for credentialing as well as continuing education in the counter-cult ministry. I attended a workshop on Jehovah's Witnesses, all in Spanish, May 21-22, 2010. I have conducted many workshops on the cults and Islam.
