Out of Babylon
There
is almost no record of the internal structure of the earliest congregations or
of the nature of their meetings. A standard meeting format wasn’t introduced
until the 1890s, and nature of meetings varied by place. To understand them we
must rely on comments made in later decades.
While
some of his observations were appropriate to later years, the anonymous author
of the Watchtower series “The Modern History of Jehovah’s Witnesses”
accurately describes affiliated congregations in the period before 1900:
These early congregations were called by the name in
the Greek Scriptures, “ecclesias,” and sometimes “classes.” They were organized
on the congregational and presbyterian style of church government. All members
democratically voted on certain matters of business and also elected a board of
seven or more “elders” (presbyters) who directed the general governmental
interests of the congregation. … These ecclesias were loosely tied together
merely by accepting the leadership and pattern of activity of the Pittsburgh
congregation where Russell and other Watch Tower writers were elders.[1]
The
groups that most closely identified with Watch Tower doctrine followed the
Allegheny congregation’s twice a week meeting schedule. They tended to read Watch
Tower tracts and the magazine closely, discussing the topics raised. Some,
perhaps most, had an open discussion period, an Adult Bible Class that was
free-wheeling and sometimes fraught with controversy. Doctrinal unity did not
exist in this period. Some of their number had been Second Adventists and
others Literalist, Age-to-Come believers. Many of the Allegheny congregation hd
been Methodists. These brought into the movement a huge diversity of belief.
When Watch Tower writers’ belief in the preexistence of Christ became an issue
in mid 1880, Paton wrote:
That we meet with some whom we believe to be
Christians, and in some respects seem to be well advanced, who do not
believe in the conscious or personal pre-existence of Christ, is true. Though
never having doubted this great truth for a single moment, even when reading
the arguments offered against it, yet we have never been disposed to make our
opinions on this subject a test of fellowship. We rejoice that it has been our
privilege to convince some of the truth of our position. We have often said that
the statements of the Bible are on the side of the pre-existence, but
the opposite view has been sustained in many minds by unanswered questions
as to how this or that could be.[2]
Paton defined Christians
loosely, often pointing to behavior rather than doctrine. Russell believed that
atonement by shed blood was a defining doctrine, but also tended to see
behavior as a key determiner. Pointing to 2 Corinthians 11:2, Russell said the
faithful church was a “chaste virgin” committed to Christ. The First Century
church defined Christianity. It maintained its purity for a period, but
“gradually became enamored of the world and the prospects it offered and
finally united with it, constitution the system of Papacy.”[3]
Russell said that church-state alliances were a mark of corruption. Union with
the world marked the abomination, the harlot church.
The Harlot Church compromised
with ‘worldly’ practice. “She claims to be desirous of knowing and doing what
would please the Lord, but actually studies and does what will please the
world. She has a form of Godliness but really is far from God-like-ness.” The
false church attracts and then admits into fellowship the unrepentant and
unreformed of the world. Russell’s description of the apostate church is drawn
from his own experience. (Our readers may want to return to volume one of this
work and review chapter one.) Russell’s experience with church fairs and
raffles found a place in his description of the Babylonish church:
[1] Watchtower Writer: Modern History of Jehovah’s Witnessed
- Part 2 – Small Beginnings (1879-1889),
The Watchtower, January 15, 1955, page
47.
[2] J. H. Paton: Pre-existence of Christ, Zion’s Watch
Tower, June 1880, page 3.
[3] C. T. Russell: Babylon is Fallen, Zion’s Watch Tower,
November 1879, page 1.
1 comment:
Hello,
I am sure you know this article. It deals with some suggestion about meetings.
"A Practical Suggestion". In: Zion's Watch Tower, 1893, October 1, p.296 and 297 (Reprints, 1585; and published again in 1902, October 15, p.308 and 309).
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