Extract of Chapter One - Vol 2 in very rough draft

THIS is up for Comment.

Russell again invested in a large printing, announcing in the September 1882 issue: “The October number of zion's watch tower will partake of a missionary character. We will be sending out a very large issue to new readers – about two hundred thousand in all. If you desire you may share in the work of scattering the ‘good tidings of great joy,’ by sending copies of this missionary number to your Christian friends. Order as many as you can use judiciously, or send us their addresses and we will supply them.”[1]

            The issue was a combined issue, dated October-November 1882. Russell ‘introduced’ the paper to the Sunday-School Superintendents for whom it was intended:

Inasmuch as this number of ZION'S WATCH TOWER will go to each of the ninety thousand Sunday School Superintendents of all denominations in the United States, it is proper for us to introduce our paper to them specially.

The special mission of ZION'S WATCH TOWER is to clearly and forcibly elucidate and present truth on all religious topics, without fear or favor of any except our heavenly Master. It is strictly unsectarian and follows no formulated creed. Its method – comparing Scripture with Scripture, we believe to be the correct one for the elucidation of truth. Thus getting God's own explanation of His will and plan, we realize that God is his own interpreter, And He will make it plain.

While desirous of the esteem and fellowship of every child of God and loath to offend any, we yet stand ready to offend all, if a clear and forcible presentation of any Scriptural teaching shall have that effect. We discuss all Bible doctrines, not shunning the most abstruse – an uncommon thing among Christian journals.

This feature makes our paper valuable to Sunday School Superintendents and Bible teachers, and advanced Bible scholars, in this day when infidelity is challenging nearly every doctrine held by the churches. Surely there never was a time when an open and fearless examination of every point of doctrine was so much more needed than practiced. An intelligent understanding of Scripture was never more necessary than now.

We desire to assist in this great work, and with others to raise up the standard of truth against error in every form. We make no claim to defend every theory and creed of Christendom – this would be impossible, since many of them contradict each other – but we endeavor to draw direct from Scripture its uncolored and unbiased teaching on all questions. Believing that the true basis of Christian Union is a correct understanding of God's Word, rather than an ignoring of differences, we seek for this.

This sample copy is sent you in order that if desired, it may be one of your assistants in seeking for Scriptural truths. We will send it on trial.

THREE MONTHS FREE.

to all Sunday School Superintendents, teachers and Bible scholars. We therefore invite you to send in your names at once.[2]

            Russell included an explanation of his motive in sending out this missionary issue:

A very large edition of this issue has been sent out in hope of awakening thinking Christians from the lethargy and worldliness which has so largely overspread Christendom. The topics presented will be new to many of them, and we trust that all thoroughly consecrated readers will test it, and decide on its truthfulness, not by their prejudices, not by any sectarian creed, but by the Word of God, the only proper and infallible test; remembering, that the cause of divisions or sects is, that each party defends its creed, instead of laying aside tradition or accepting the harmonious testimony of Scripture.[3]

            Russell and Watch Tower adherents continued to send out literature to clergy and evangelists until near Russell’s death in 1916, perhaps afterward as well. The Word and Witness, a Pentecostal paper published in Malvern, Arkansas, opposed publishing the names and mailing addresses of their preachers. Some were young and not stable and others who were “supposed to be stable, even old men, have been led astray with Russellite and Millennial Dawn teaching.” The paper’s editor said it was “astonishing what inroads the devil is making by watching for such addresses, and sending these hungry but untaught hearts such destructive tracts.”[4] Russell inserted a notice in the January 1883 Watch Tower inviting those who received the sample copies to subscribe:

We offered the Tower three months on trial, free. Many availed themselves of the offer and others sent us lists of names of friends they thought would be interested by the papers. With this number we complete the three numbers to about ten thousand such trial readers. [Oct., Dec. and January.] All of these who are interested, we hope to hear from at once. The Lord’s poor who are interested, but unable to pay, should remember that they are welcome to the Tower free, but must ask for it. We have extra copies of these three issues.[5]

            We do not know how many of the “about ten thousand” trial readers subscribed. Offering the paper free to the Lord’s poor is unique to the Watch Tower as far as we can uncover. Later, in 1912, William T. Ellis, a Presbyterian Clergyman, would dismiss this, writing: “Russell's people do not go out into the field of evangelism, reclaiming the unchurched. One searches his record in vain for anything about the rescue of the outcast and the sinning. Neither  
is there any trace of interest in the thronging social problems of our time. Ministry to the poor, visitation of the sick, care for the orphaned – these are outside of the pale of Russellite activities.
The limit of his benevolences is to send his literature free to ‘the Lord's poor.’”[6]

            Ellis’ comments are a series of lies that would not be worth addressing except that he is quoted by modern opponents of Jehovah’s Witnesses. We are not writing a polemic; this is not written to support or condemn the descendant religions of the Russell era Watch Tower. But if you oppose them, you should do so honestly. You should fact check. Those who quote Ellis do neither. In other chapters [among them “Out of Babylon” and “In the World but Not of It.”] we touch on these issues and present evidence that Russell era congregation structure was such that support for the poor, evangelism of the ‘unchurched sinners’ and concern for social issues were part of Russellite belief and practice. We give examples of the conversion of that class to Watch Tower belief. What Ellis objected to was Russellite belief that the full rule of Christ was at hand. Ellis was a post-millennialist. He believed that human efforts would bring any Kingdom of God. This was a view that was dieing among Protestants, but which persists among some until today. Despite this viewpoint conflict, Ellis simply got it wrong, and appealing to Watch Tower literature without reference points was fakery of the worst sort. As we said, he lied.

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[1]               Untitled Announcement, Zion’s Watch Tower, September 1882, page 1.

[2]               C. T. Russell: Sunday School Superintendents, Zion’s Watch Tower, October-November 1882, page 1.

[3]               C. T. Russell: View from the Tower, Zion’s Watch Tower, October-November 1882, page 1.

[4]               A Warning, The Word and Witness, December 20, 1913.

[5]               Untitled announcement, Zion’s Watch Tower, January 1883, page 1.

[6]               W. T. Ellis: Investigating and Instigator, The Continent, September 26, 1912, page 1342.