Centralised Authority and Religious Exclusivity: A Theological Critique of Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Self-Understanding as the True Church

Abstract

This study critiques the theological perspective of Jehovah’s Witnesses (JW), which shapes their self-understanding as the only true church, with a primary focus on the centralised authority that promotes religious exclusivity. The study employs a qualitative critical review design based on documentary and textual analysis of historical, doctrinal, sociological, and theological literature, including peer-reviewed scholarship, relevant JW publications, and biblical texts. The literature was thematically and comparatively assessed to trace the origins of JW in the 1870s Bible Student movement led by Charles Taze Russell, its officialisation in 1931, and the development of claims associated with the restoration of first-century Christianity and the distinction of JW from other religious traditions. The analysis considers mechanisms associated with exclusivity, including doctrinal modifications (new light), avoidance behaviours, the New World Translation, centralised interpretive authority, and the psychosocial implications reported in scholarship on former members. Comparative perspectives situate JW within restorationist traditions and examine the distinctive interplay among restorationist identity, centralised authority, and social enforcement. The article further evaluates these developments in relation to biblical ecclesiology, particularly the New Testament understanding of the church as a universal community of believers (e.g., 1 Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 3:28). The article suggests balanced criticism of JW sincerity and criticises the dangers of isolation, hermeneutical dislocation of the human mind and mediation of human authority. The implications of interfaith dialogue and ethical religious practice are considered, along with suggestions for future interdisciplinary research. This study offers an integrated theological, historical, and sociological interpretation of JW exclusivity by synthesising doctrinal development, authority structures, social practices, and ecclesiological perspectives.