We’ve
spent more money than we should buying books to pursue a new topic. Now we have
to read them all, extracting the salient points. Some contradict each other,
but all are worth reading. These are well-researched, well-thought-out books,
despite the conflicting views.
We
used the overage from the donation for the expensive book mentioned earlier. We
added a significant amount from our household budgets to buy the rest.
The
topic I’m pursuing is the chain of millennial beliefs from the late 16th
Century until the Russell era. We think this is necessary to refocus
researchers [and other interested parties] onto the true antecedents of Russell
era theology.
A
subset of this topic is the effect of ‘Russellism’ and Brethren belief on mainstream
American Protestant belief. This trail started with a comment by a clergyman
who found Russellism troubling because members of his church were persuaded by
it. Russell Sperry Chafer wrote [in 1915]:
The
country is being swept by “Russellism” (so-called “Millennial Dawn,” “International
Bible Students’League,” etc.), and the appalling progress of this system which
so misrepresents the whole revelation of God can only be accounted for in the
unsatisfied hunger of the people for the prophetic portions of Scripture. Such
a false system, mixing truth with untruth, and designed to interpret all of the
divine revelation, is evidently more engaging to the popular mind than only the
Scriptural presentation of the fundamental doctrines concerning God, Man and
Redemption.
After
finding this we found similar comments from other clergy and a series of really
disreputable acts. This led us to question just how much influence on the
trends among Protestant clergy the Watch Tower had. Snippets of things from
Russell added to our suspicions and questions.
So
all of this – though it requires more intense research than I first expected –
will become part of my introductory essay. The subject really requires a
solidly researched book. As it is now, it is scattered among books making up a
long bibliography. Some of them are wrong, but only because the authors had
limited resources compared to what is available today. Since 1970 a number of
authors have touched on this history or presented in some detail a small
portion of it. My task ‘should I care to accept it’ is to present an overview
in an essay. Others will have to take it from there. I only want to refocus my
academic partners, friends and enemies onto what I believe is the correct trail
and off the Adventist trail that is false. And short sighted.
Some
of those who visit this blog would be perfectly capable of turning my relatively
short essay [still a work in progress] into a book-length treatment. Think about
it.
4 comments:
The origins of Russell's theology interest me greatly. Obviously it goes back to the Bible itself, yet we know that he drew on the work on his immediate predecessors (including Barbour, Grew, Storrs, Stetson and Wendall). Though my knowledge of history is limited, I'm very much on side with the arguments of this blog that Russell's thinking was more in keeping with British Literalism than Adventism and see millennialist thought as an export to the New World. Yet, since four of the five predecessors mentioned earlier had definite Adventist connections, I can also understand too easily why the assumption is made that Russell was also an Adventist.
Straying onto a period I feel more comfortable with (early 20th century), I suspect that for many opposers the animosity felt toward Bible Student teachings coincided with just the opportunity they wanted when America joined the war. Is anyone else researching this subject? Will your essay touch on this Rachael? The resultant trial and imprisonment of Rutherford and his co-directors, and their consequent plans, goals and actions is surely the most defining moment of all Witness history.
No, Garry. That's all work for late volumes in this series, assuming we live long enough to write them. ... I have a very small file of newspaper reports from the period, but nothing substantial that I haven't sent to you. However, a keyword search of the Library of Congress and other newspaper search sites will be helpful.
There wasn't an American state that didn't see Bible Student persecution, and one author suggests that a Catholic archbishop's letter started the persecution in America. I haven't verified that.
Golden Age 27 has an interesting history of the persecution that will lead you to names to research. Persecution was particularly bad in the American south, especially Oklahoma and Arkansas.
The US National Archives has been reluctant to provide documents, but they've past the 100 year mark this year and that may have changed. The Watchtower Society has a large file of letters with first hand experiences from adherents. We have never asked to see them. They are reluctant to share anything. I think I know why, but I'll leave that unsaid. They did NOT answer Bruce's last letter, and I do not expect that to change. Since Wischuk died any cooperation has died too. Not that there ever was much. He was the last of Bruce's friends at Bethel.
It is documented that a significant part of American religious history is permeated from the millenaristic belief. Since the first Pilgrims landed in America (they were millenarist), we find a significant number of Millenarist writers among the principal denominations of America. So I wonder why the clergymen attached Russell and his movement so fiercely when they had numerous theologians of the same idea in their Churches. I suspect it was a concomitance of several manners. I don't think it was just, or only, for his millenaristic ideas.
TRADUZIONE ITALIANA
Abbiamo speso più denaro di quanto avremmo dovuto acquistando libri per perseguire un nuovo argomento. Ora dobbiamo leggerli tutti, estraendo i punti salienti. Alcuni si contraddicono, ma tutti valgono la pena di essere letti. Sono libri molto accurati e ben scritti, nonostante i punti di vista contrastanti degli autori.
Abbiamo speso più di quanto abbiamo ricevuto in dono per il costoso libro menzionato in precedenza. Abbiamo aggiunto un importo significativo prendendolo dai nostri budget familiari.
L'argomento che sto esaminando è la catena di credenze millenariste dal tardo XVI secolo fino all'era di Russell. Pensiamo che questo sia necessario per far capire il contesto ai ricercatori [e altre parti interessate] sui veri antecedenti della teologia di Russell.
Un sottoinsieme di questo argomento è l’impatto che il "Russellismo" e i Fratelli di Plymouth ebbero sul protestantesimo americano tradizionale. Questa traccia è iniziata quando ci siamo soffermati sul commento di un sacerdote che era turbato dal Russellismo perché i membri della sua chiesa ne erano stati persuasi. Russell Sperry Chafer scriveva [nel 1915]:
“Il paese è spazzato dal vento del "Russellismo" (la cosiddetta "Aurora Millenniale", o "Studenti Biblici Internazionali", ecc.), L’inquietante progresso di questa religione che travisa in modo così falso l'intera rivelazione di Dio non può che essere dovuto alla fame spirituale per le parti profetiche della Scrittura che la gente desiderava conoscere. Un sistema di credenze così falso, che mescola la verità con la falsità e progettato per interpretare tutta la rivelazione divina, è evidentemente più coinvolgente per la mente popolare rispetto alla sola presentazione scritturale delle dottrine fondamentali riguardanti Dio, l'uomo e la redenzione.”
Dopo aver trovato questo commento, ne abbiamo trovato altri simili da altri rappresentanti del clero e una serie di atti davvero poco raccomandabili. Questo ci ha spinto a chiederci quanto impatto ebbe sul clero protestante la Torre di Guardia. Frammenti di cose da parte di Russell hanno aggiunto altri elementi ai nostri sospetti e interrogativi.
Quindi tutto questo, anche se richiede una ricerca più intensa di quanto pensassi inizialmente, entrerà a far parte del mio saggio introduttivo. L'argomento richiede davvero un attento studio. Allo stato attuale, questo argomento è sparso tra i libri che ne costituiscono una vasta bibliografia. Alcuni di essi sono sbagliati, ma solo perché gli autori disponevano di risorse limitate rispetto a ciò che è disponibile oggi. Dal 1970 un numero di autori ha toccato questa storia o ne ha presentato in dettaglio una piccola parte. Il mio compito 'dovrei aver cura di accettarlo' è di presentare una panoramica all’interno di un saggio. Gli altri potranno attingere da lì. Voglio solo riorientare i miei colleghi accademici, amici e nemici su quella che ritengo sia la via giusta e portarli fuori dal sentiero che vede un collegamento tra Russellismo e avventismo, che è falso. E miope.
Alcuni di coloro che visitano questo blog sarebbero perfettamente in grado di trasformare il mio saggio relativamente breve [ancora in lavorazione] in un libro a sé stante. Pensateci.
Post a Comment