Here is the question and paragraph.
[Start quote]
10. How is transformation different from improvement?
Actually, being transformed involves more than making progress or improving. A product may be labeled or advertised as “improved,” but essentially it is still the same product. There might be just one new ingredient, and the packaging might be more attractive. As to the expression be transformed,” a note in Vine’s Expository Dictionary explains: “In Rom[ans] 12:2 being outwardly conformed to the things of this age [or system of things] is contrasted with being transformed (or transfigured) inwardly by the renewal of the thoughts through the Holy Spirit’s power.” Hence, the transformation that a Christian must make is not simply the putting away of harmful habits, unwholesome speech, and immoral conduct. Some people who have no knowledge of the Bible endeavor to keep their life more or less free of such things. What, then, is involved in the transformation that Christians must undergo?
[End quote]
The point the paragraph makes is valid, if unremarkable.
The "note" can be found in Vine's Dictionary under "Fashion," under the "C. Verbs" section.
The OP raises an interesting point. Other churches would not quote the WT to prove a point. (It would be interesting to see the reaction if they tried.) The WT, on the other hand, roundly condemns other religions, and especially the clergy (of which Vine would be included), yet turns around and quotes them as authorities.
Yet a final twist is to leave out the source of the quote (or in this case the exact location within the source) to dissuade the reader from researching it. 'Oh what tangled webs we weave!'
It is also noteworthy that when the quote is on an agreeable point, the quoted person is a "scholar." Otherwise, he/she is one of "Christendom's" despicable "Clergy."
As a side 'note,' I've noticed that when the WT quotes unreferenced material, every once in a while I will answer the question at the WT Study and include in my comment the location of the quote. I get the feeling that the elders (or at least some of them) resent that. As if, 'The Society didn't want us to know that detail, so why are you including it? (And to be honest, I guess I do it to say, "You didn't hide anything from me, monk." The more I think about it, maybe they should be resentful. :)
Oh, and pardon my 'french.' Not "The Society," but "The Faithful Slave."
