A Correction to Separate Identity, Volume One

 As most of my readers know, I'm committed to accuracy, and I've noted on this blog a few points needing correction or elaboration. Robert M. Bowman Jr. recently emailed me to correct a comment and footnote on page 79. I attributed something to him that is the work of another, and my comments were quite critical. In fairness to myself the book I cited attributed the material to Bowman, but in fact the editor was responsible. Bowman was not.

Bowman's email says:

It has come to my attention that on page 79 of your book A Separate Identity, you criticize Alan Gomes and me for referring to Jonas Wendell's influence on Charles Taze Russell as that of Seventh-day Adventism. To be honest, I had no idea this statement had been made. The book you quoted was Truth and Error, by Alan Gomes; I was not its author. What you were quoting was Gomes's summary of my book in the series, entitled Jehovah's Witnesses, and in this instance Gomes inaccurately summarized what I had written. In my book, I never called Wendell a Seventh-day Adventist. I associated him with the Advent Christian Church (p. 10), not with the SDA Church. I noted some similarities between SDA and Russell, but I never attributed any of Russell's beliefs to SDA influence.

I plan to bring the matter to Gomes's and Zondervan's attention, but since the publication is 25 years old and has never been revised I doubt Zondervan will be willing to edit the statement. The error is regrettable. Your caustic comment about the authors and publishers does not fairly apply to me. I make every effort to be accurate in what I write and am quite dismayed by this mistake, even though I am not the one who made it, since unfortunately my name is attached to the mistake. I will note, on the other hand, that had you consulted the book Gomes said he was summarizing you would have discovered for yourself that I did not make that mistake.

In Christ's service,

Robert M. Bowman Jr.

President, Institute for Religious Research

When the revisions to volume one are complete - sometime after vol. 3 sees print - I will correct this. In the meantime I correct it here with my apologies to Mr. Bowman.

Again, I express my apologies.

B. W. Schulz, FRHistS