Bible Student movement: Encyclopedia - Bible Student movement

Bible Student movement

The Bible Student movement is a religious movement that sprang from the teachings and ministry of Pastor Charles Taze Russell, whose followers generally call themselves "Bible Students"). Following a schism after Russell’s death, several offshoot groups formed, some of which have today moved away from the doctrines of Pastor Russell. The most prominent group of the movement today is the Jehovah's Witnesses, although there are still thousands of Bible Students worldwide.

Bible Student movement - Early History

Apart from Charles Taze Russell early figures and influences included:

• Nelson H. Barbour (1824-1908)
• Henry Dunn (1801-1878)
• Dunbar Isidore Heath (1816-1888)
• George Stetson (1814-1879)
• Jonas Wendell (1815-1873)
• R. E. Streeter (1847-1924)
• Dwight L. Moody (1835-1899)

Bible Student movement - The Jehovah's Witnesses

The Jehovah's Witnesses have gained the most attention, and been the "main branch" of the movement, due to the fact they remained in control of the legal entities founded by Pastor Russell (such as the Watchtower Society). Other groups formed after his death disassociated themselves from the leadership of the Watchtower Society.

Bible Student movement - The New Covenant Bible Students

In 1909, Pastor Russell more pointedly expressed that faithful Christians, as the "true church", were not being called and developed under the New Covenant, but rather that the New Covenant was future, a covenant applied to the nation of Israel.

This, and controversy over other doctrines, led some to leave the movement in 1910. The result was the formation of the New Covenant Bible Students, who began to hold their yearly Christian Believers Conferences, teaching that Christians were being called and developed under the New Covenant. Among the membership was E. C. Hennings, formerly Australian Branch Manager of the International Bible Students Association. He published The New Covenant Advocate and Kingdom Herald magazine, which continued to be published until 1944. The New Creation Bible Students formed out of this group, and began publishing the New Creation magazine in 1940, eventually leading to another offshoot group - the Christian Millennial Fellowship, which became a publishing house for the New Creation Bible Students.

M.L. McPhail, Pilgrim member of the Chicago Bible Students, disassociated himself from Russell's movement at the same time as the New Covenant controversy emerged, and led the New Covenant Bible Students in the United States, founding the New Covenant Believers in 1909. The group published The Kingdom Scribe magazine until 1975. The group still exists today under the name Berean Bible Students Church.

In 1928, the Italian Bible Students Association in Hartford, Connecticut withdrew its support from the Watchtower Society and changed its name to the Millennial Bible Students Church, then eventually to Christian Millennial Fellowship, Inc.. They eventually rejected many of Russell's writings as erroneous. The group is now located in New Jersey.

Bible Student movement - The Associated Bible Students

Many of the Bible Student congregations which hold to the writings and views of Pastor Russell refer to themselves under the generic title "Associated Bible Students". All congregations are autonomous, and despite use of this title, may not necessarily have contact with others. Those using this name are the largest segment of the massive exodus from the Watchtower Society in the decade following Russell's death in 1916. This occurred after Joseph Franklin Rutherford was elected the new president, and began changing the doctrinal platform Russell had supported.

In 1918, four former members of the Board of Directors for the Watchtower Society that had been expelled by Rutherford held a Bible Student Convention independently of the Watchtower Society. At the second convention a few months later, the informal Pastoral Bible Institute was founded. They began publishing The Herald of Christ’s Kingdom, edited by R. E. Streeter. The magazine continues to be published today [1], but the Pastoral Bible Institute is essentially defunct, with only an editorial committee publishing the magazine.

The Australian Berean Bible Institute also formally separated from the Watchtower Society in 1918. They published The Voice and the People's Paper magazine. Offshoot congregations of the BBI still exist, but the full number of Bible Students in Australia is estimated at less than 100.

In December 1918, Charles E. Heard and some others, considered Rutherford's recommendation to buy war bonds to be a perversion of Russell's pacifist teachings. As a result, they founded the StandFast Bible Students Association in Portland Oregon. The name originates from their decision to “stand fast" on war principles that Pastor Russell had espoused. Opposed to public witnessing, they eventually dwindled in numbers, and then completely dissolved, but not without giving birth to a splinter group known as the Elijah Voice Society, founded by John A. Herdersen and C. D. McCray in 1923. They were especially noted for their witnessing and pacifist activity.

In 1928, Norman Woodworth, cousin of C.J. Woodworth, left the Watchtower Society after having been involved with their radio ministry, to create the independent Bible Student radio program Frank and Earnest. Funding was provided with the help of the Brooklyn congregation of Bible Students. In 1931, the Dawn Bible Students Association was founded (by Norman Woodworth among others) for the sole purpose of once again publishing the "Studies in the Scriptures" series which the Watchtower Society had officially ceased publication of in 1927. The Dawn began publication of a leaflet called The Bible Students Radio Echo as a method of following up interest in the radio program. This publication was soon made into a magazine and renamed "The Dawn and Herald of Christ’s Presence". It was initially a bi-monthly, and then later a monthly journal. Today, they carry on with publishing work, as well as radio and television programs. In recent years, controversy has surrounded the Dawn as they began to espouse more liberal points of view, pulling away from Charles Russell's viewpoints, and alienating many Bible Students as a result. In 1974 a group of Bible Students as a Convention in Fort Collins, Colorado formally decided to break fellowship with the Dawn Bible Students Association for this very reason. Although not an offshoot group per se, they refer to themselves as “Independent Bible Students”. A committee that had been formed at this Convention decided to begin publishing a monthly non-doctrinal Bible Student news and information magazine, called “The Bible Students Newsletter”. It has grown to be what is now the most widely distributed publication amongst Bible Students worldwide.

Although nearly all congregations, known as “Ecclesias” (based upon the Greek word for “called out ones”) are under no central leadership, most of the well established Bible Student congregations and members remain firmly united and strongly linked. Many Ecclesias sponsor yearly or bi-yearly conventions, usually held from April through October. Attendance comes from Bible Students both from surrounding areas, and abroad. The yearly Dawn General Convention (held in late Summer/early Fall), Chicago Bible Student's New-Years-Eve Convention (held on December 31st), and the Indiana-Ohio Convention (held in June or July) see the largest overall attendance.

Bible Student movement - The Layman's Home Missionary Movement

Paul S. L. Johnson, eventually founded the Layman's Home Missionary Movement in 1919. Johnson's death in 1950 lead to internal disagreements, and resulted in the formation of splinter groups, such as the Epiphany Bible Students Association, and the Laodicean Home Missionary Movement. Johnson believed he was the last member of the 144,000, and that with his death all chance for a heavenly reward of immortality offered to the faithful had ceased. His associate and successor, Raymond Jolly, taught that he was the last member of the "great multitude" of Revelation 7. Upon his death all remaining members of this group ceased any thought of entering heaven, and believed they would instead live upon a perfected earth in God's Kingdom as a group referred to as the "modern worthies", associates of the “ancient worthies” – the ancient Jewish prophets which God will resurrect to guide the world in his Kingdom.

Bible Student movement - Other groups

In 1917, Alexander F.L. Freytag, Branch manager of the Swiss Watch Tower Society since 1898, founded the Angel of Jehovah Bible and Tract Society (also known as the Philanthropic Assembly of the Friends of Man and The Church of the Kingdom of God, Philanthropic Assembly). When he started publishing his views he was ousted from the Watchtower Society by Rutherford in 1919. He published two journals, the monthly The Monitor of the Reign of Justice and the weekly Paper for All.

Jesse Hemery was one of the most prominent Bible Students of England, and had been appointed president of the International Bible Students Association by Pastor Russell in 1901, holding that post until 1946. In 1951, he was disfellowshipped by N.H. Knorr and then founded the Goshen Fellowship. He died in 1955, and the group, with a small fellowship, is currently led by Frank Lewis Brown.

See also

• Jehovah's Witnesses splinter groups

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Bible Student movement", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki