Charles Taze Russell

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Charles Taze Russell (February 16, 1852 – October 31, 1916), also known as Pastor Russell, was a Protestant evangelist from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA and founder of the Bible Student movement. [1] He started the Watch Tower magazine, which is today published to disseminate the views of Jehovah's Witnesses, and also formed the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, which is also today the main legal entity of that religious group.

After having published several articles in various religious journals as early as 1876 he formed his own religious journal Zion's Watch Tower and Herald of Christ's Presence in 1879, as well as establishing Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society in 1881. In 1884 Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society published the first in a series of seven books (six of which Russell wrote himself) entitled Studies in the Scriptures with the first six originally entitled The Millennial Dawn.

In 1908 Russell transferred the headquarters of the Society to its current location in Brooklyn, New York.

Following Russell's death controversy arose over the practices of the new president of the Society, and a widespread schism erupted which divided the movement. The majority of the membership broke away, eventually resulting in the formation of several smaller groups known as Bible Students, while those who remained in fellowship with the Watch Tower Society took on the name Jehovah's Witnesses. Several denominations later formed around, or adopted some style of, Russell's views, among them the Worldwide Church of God, the Concordant Publishing Concern and the Assemblies of Yahweh. Among the numerous Bible Student off-shoot groups include the Pastoral Bible Institute and the Layman's Home Missionary Movement.

Russell was a charismatic figure, but claimed no special revelation or vision to authenticate his teachings and professed no special authority on his own behalf.[2] He wrote that the "clear unfolding of truth" within his teachings was due to "the simple fact that God's due time has come; and if I did not speak, and no other agent could be found, the very stones would cry out."[3] He viewed himself – and all other Christians anointed with the Holy Spirit – as "God's mouthpiece" and an ambassador of Christ.[3] Later in his career he accepted without protest that many Bible Students viewed him as "the faithful and wise servant" of Matthew 24:45,[4] and was described by the Watch Tower after his death as having been made "ruler of all the Lord's goods".[4]

Contents

Early life

Charles Russell in 1911

Charles Taze Russell was born to Joseph Lytel (pronounced 'Little') Russell and Ann Eliza Birney on Monday, February 16, 1852 in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, USA. Charles was apparently the second of five children, and was one of only two to survive into adulthood. The other Russell children included Thomas (1850–September 4 1855), Margaret ("Mae", married name Margaret Land) who died in the late 1940s, Lucinda (1857–July 21 1858), and Joseph Lytel, Jr. (1859–April 25 1860). Their mother died on January 25 1861. The patriarch, Joseph, died December 17 1897, at the age of 84.

The Russells had lived in Philadelphia, as well as Allegheny, before becoming established in Pittsburgh, where the Russells became respected members of the Presbyterian Church. In his early teens, Charles' father made him partner of his Pittsburgh haberdashery store. By age twelve, the young entrepreneur was already writing business contracts for customers and given charge of some of his father's other clothing stores. At age thirteen, Charles left the Presbyterian Church to join the Congregational Church. In his earlier youth he was known to chalk Bible verses on city sidewalks to draw attention to the punishment of hell awaiting the unfaithful in an attempt to convert unbelievers.

At sixteen, a discussion with a childhood friend on faults perceived in Christianity (such as perceived contradictions in creeds, along with medieval traditions) led Charles to question his faith. He then began to investigate other religious views and philosophies, including Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, and Islam but abandoning them in short order. In 1870, at age eighteen, he cautiously attended a presentation by a well-known Adventist minister, Jonas Wendell. Wendell focused on what the young Mr. Russell considered to be rational, logical matters relating to Biblical prophecy and chronology, drawing attention to the future date of 1874 as the supposed date for Christ's return. He later related that the presentation left him with a renewed zeal and the belief that not only was the Bible the Word of God, but that all Christians had a personal responsibility to preach its gospel.

Ministry

Beginnings

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C.T. Russell · William Miller · N.H. Barbour · Jonas Wendell · George Storrs · Henry Grew
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From 1870 through 1875 the Russell family, and others, participated in an analytical study of both the Bible and the origins of Christian doctrine, creed, and tradition. "Millerite" Adventist ministers George Storrs and George Stetson were also closely involved. Russell's group believed they had found significant errors in common Christian belief. As a result of such study, the Russell family believed they had gained a clearer understanding of true Christianity, and were re-baptized in 1874.

In early 1876, while on business in Philadelphia, Russell found a copy of Herald of the Morning, published in Rochester, New York by Nelson H. Barbour. Russell contacted Barbour to set up a meeting in Philadelphia to compare notes. Barbour introduced him to some new views that convinced Russell, amongst other things, that those Christians who were asleep in death would be raised in April, 1878. Russell was moved to devote his life to what he believed were now the last two years before the return of Christ. He sold his five clothing stores for approximately $300,000 (the buying power of $5.5 million in the year 2005). With Russell's encouragement and financial backing, Barbour wrote an outline of their current views in Three Worlds; or Plan of Redemption, published in 1877. A text Russell had written in 1874, The Object and Manner of our Lord's Return, was published the same year. Russell's desire to lead a Christian revival was evidenced by his calling two separate meetings of every Christian leader in Pittsburgh. Russell's ideas, and stressing of the Rapture's imminence, was rejected both times.

Split with Barbour

See Nelson H. Barbour for a more detailed history.

When 1878 arrived, and the rapture of the saints did not happen, Barbour, Russell, their associates, and the hundreds of readers of the Herald of the Morning were greatly disappointed. According to the book Faith on the March. written by one of Russell's associates, A.H. Macmillan,

"While talking with Russell about the events of 1878, I told him that Pittsburgh papers had reported he was on the Sixth Street bridge dressed in a white robe on the night of the Memorial of Christ's death, expecting to be taken to heaven together with many others. I asked him, "Is that correct?" Russell laughed heartily and said: "I was in bed that night between 10:30 and 11:00 P.M. However, some of the more radical ones might have been there, but I was not. Neither did I expect to be taken to heaven at that time, for I felt there was much work to be done preaching the Kingdom message to the peoples of the earth before the church would be taken away.""[5]

Confused by what was perceived to be an error in calculation, Russell re-examined the doctrine to see if he could determine whether it had Biblical origins or was simply Christian tradition. His conclusion that it was tradition led him to begin teaching, through the pages of the Herald, what he believed to have discovered on the subject. However Barbour, embarrassed by the failure of their expectations, rejected Russell's explanation and a debate ensued in each monthly issue of the journal, from early 1878 to mid-1879. In a matter of months Barbour's embarrassment led to a recanting of some of the views he and Russell had previously shared, including any reliance upon prophetic chronology. As their disagreements turned into a debate over Christ's ransom, a split between them resulted. Russell removed his financial support and started his own journal Zion's Watch Tower and Herald of Christ's Presence, with the first issue published in July 1879, while Barbour formed The Church of the Strangers that same year, continuing to publish the Herald of the Morning.

Russell's marriage

On March 13, 1879 Russell married Maria Frances Ackley (1850-1938) after a few months' acquaintance. The marriage was based on a mutually agreed upon celibate partnership established for preaching the gospel.[6][7] In 1897 they separated, following disagreements over the propriety of her role in the management of Zion's Watch Tower magazine.

In June 1903 Mrs. Russell filed in the Court of Common Pleas at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania a suit for legal separation. In 1906, she sued him for divorce under the claim of mental cruelty as a result of their marriage agreement of perpetual celibacy. During the trial she allowed her attorney to allege sexual misconduct between Charles and a teenaged Watch Tower stenographer whom the Russells had long cared for as a foster child. She later admitted that Russell had never committed any sexual infidelity in their marriage.[8]. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle published what was claimed to be segments from the court transcript.[9]

It has been reported that she paid her respects at his funeral in November, 1916 placing on his casket lilies of the valley with a ribbon attached that said "To My Beloved Husband".[10][11] Maria Russell, as she was named in her obituary, died in St. Petersburg, Florida in August 1938 from complications related to Hodgkin's disease.

Major publications

In 1881 Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society was founded for the purpose of disseminating tracts, papers, doctrinal treatises and Bibles. All materials were printed and bound by contract with local printers, then distributed by colporteurs (a person who travels to sell or publicize Bibles, religious tracts, etc.) [12] The Society was officially chartered in 1884. From this point Russell's ministry intensified. His Bible study group had grown to hundreds of local members, with followers throughout New England, the Virginias, Ohio, and elsewhere, who annually elected him "Pastor" and commonly referred to him as "Pastor Russell". Other congregations that eventually formed in other nations also followed this tradition.

Russell devoted nearly a tenth of his fortune, along with contributed funds, in publishing and distributing Food for Thinking Christians in 1881. In the same year followed The Tabernacle and its Teachings, and Tabernacle Shadows of the Better Sacrifices. In 1886, after what was reported to be a financial setback resulting from the immense outlay on these three titles, he published the long promised The Plan of the Ages (later renamed The Divine Plan of the Ages). In the course of preparation, Russell concluded the book was to be merely the first of a seven-volume series. The remaining volumes, originally called Millennial Dawn, but later renamed Studies in the Scriptures to clarify that they were not novels, were:

The delayed publishing of the seventh volume eventually became a source of great anticipation and mystery among Bible Students. Following Russell's death in 1916, a seventh volume – entitled The Finished Mystery – was published in 1917 and advertised as his "posthumous work". This seventh volume was a detailed interpretation of the Book of Revelation, but also included interpretations of Ezekiel and the Song of Solomon. Immediate controversy surrounded both its publishing and contents. In a short time it was established that it was actually written and compiled by two of Russell's associates, Clayton J. Woodworth and George H. Fisher, and edited by Joseph Franklin Rutherford, later to become president of the Watchtower Society.

In 1903 newspapers began publishing his written sermons. These newspaper sermons were syndicated worldwide, eventually reaching an estimated readership of twelve to fifteen million in the United States. Russell, however, had many critics and was often labeled a heretic.[13]

Death and legacy

Pyramid memorial at Russell's gravesite in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

During his return from a ministerial tour of the western and southwestern United States, the already ill Russell died from the result of multiple ailments on October 31, 1916 in a train car as it approached Pampa, Texas. He was buried in Rosemont United Cemetery, Pittsburgh. The gravesite is marked by both a headstone and a seven-foot tall pyramid memorial erected by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society in 1921.[14]

In January 1917 Joseph Franklin Rutherford was elected president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, despite a series of disputes over the election process. Further disputes arose over interpretation of sections of Russell's Last Will & Testament dealing with the future contents of Zion's Watch Tower magazine, as well as who, if any, had authority to print new literature. By the end of the 1920s nearly three-quarters of existing Bible Student congregations had rejected Rutherford's on-going changes in organizational structure, doctrinal interpretations, and congregational practices[15][16][17] some of which began to appear in material printed by the Watch Tower Society as early as 1917. For many Bible Students Rutherford's rejection of Russell's role in the restoration of the "truth", which was printed in the February 1927 issue of the Watch Tower, as well as Pastor Russell's support of the Great Pyramid as having been built under God's direction, which appeared in the November 1928 issue of the Watch Tower, were considered the last straw.[18]

Those remaining supportive adopted the new name "Jehovah's Witnesses" in 1931, and changed the name of the Society from "Watch Tower" to "Watchtower". Rutherford initiated additional changes of the Watchtower Society by shifting the long-held independence of congregations under a centralized control, with Elders and Deacons now being chosen by the Society instead of by the members of the local congregations, an act which Rutherford considered fulfillment of Bible prophecy.

Many of those Bible Students who had ceased association with the changing Watchtower Society attempted to regroup in 1929 with the First Annual Bible Students Convention held in the old Pittsburgh "Bible House" long used by Russell. These conventions were held yearly, but the process of regathering took nearly twenty years.

Main article: Bible Student movement

Theology and teachings

The Chart of the Ages

Following his analytical examination of the Bible, Russell and other Bible Students came to believe that Christian creeds and traditions were harmful errors, believing they had restored Christianity to the purity held in the first century. Such views and conclusions were viewed as heresy by many Church leaders and scholars in his day. Russell agreed with other Protestants on the primacy of the Bible, and justification by faith alone, but thought that errors had been introduced in interpretation. Russell agreed with many 19th century Protestants, including Millerites, in the concept of a Great Apostasy that began in the first century AD. He also agreed with many other contemporary Protestants in belief in the imminent Second Coming of Christ, and Armageddon. Some of the areas in which his Scriptural interpretations differed from those of Catholics, and many Protestants, included the following:

Criticisms and Controversies

As early as 1892 Russell's views and management style were strongly criticized by certain individuals associated with his ministry. In 1893 a paper was written and circulated to Bible Students in Pittsburgh by associates Otto van Zech, Elmer Bryan, J.B. Adamson, S.G. Rogers, Paul Koetitz, and others. It expressed concern that Russell was a dictatorial leader, a shrewd businessman who appeared eager to collect funds from the selling of the Millennial Dawn books, cheated one of them out of financial gains, and issued thousands of Millennial Dawn books under a female pseudonym. A booklet entitled A Conspiracy Exposed and Harvest Siftings was written by Russell and issued as an extra to the April 1894 Zion's Watch Tower magazine in order to preempt attempts to have their views circulated to a wider audience of Bible Students. Russell printed copies of letters he had received from these former associates in order to show that their claims were trumped up, and those involved were guided by Satan in an attempt to subvert his work as a "minister of the gospel".

In 1897 Russell's wife left him, after disagreeing over the management of Zion's Watch Tower magazine. She expressed that, as his wife, she should have equal control over its administration, equal privilege in writing articles, preaching, and traveling abroad as his representative. In 1903 she filed for legal separation on the grounds of mental cruelty, related to what she considered to be forced celibacy, and frequent cold, indifferent treatment. The separation was ultimately granted in 1906, with Russell charged to pay alimony. During the trial her attorney made the claim that Russell had been inappropriately intimate with Rose Ball, a young woman the Russells had cared for as a "foster daughter" since age ten.

Mrs Russell alleged that Ball had told her Russell claimed to be a "jellyfish floating around" to different women until someone responded to his intimacy. Russell defended himself by claiming that not only was she "poisoned" by the women's suffrage movement, but that all her claims were false. Following her attorney's claim, page 10 of the court transcript records that Mrs. Russell was asked by the Judge to clarify if she was, in fact, accusing her husband of adultery, and replied "No". The Washington Post and Chicago Mission Friend reprinted the claim that Russell was a "jellyfish", and was sued by him for libel. The jury voted in his favor, awarding him one dollar. Clearly, all allegations were proved False. After appealing this decision, Russell received a cash settlement of $15,000 (the same buying power as $310,000 in 2005) as well as payment of all court costs, an agreement for an article of retraction defending his character, and an agreement that his weekly syndicated sermons be published in their newspapers.

On March 22, 1911, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle began publishing articles accusing Russell of gaining profit from a strain of wheat named "Miracle Wheat" by its discoverer, K.B. Stoner of Fincastle, Virginia in 1903. Once other newspapers read this claim, many critics began to insist that Russell had deceived and defrauded many by selling this supposedly advanced strain of wheat for $60 a bushel, far above the average cost of wheat for the day. Throughout 1912 and 1913 the Eagle continued to report on this alleged fraud on Russell's part. Russell sued the Eagle for libel, but lost. A Government expert investigated the "Miracle Wheat" and said it "was low in the Government tests". Prior to entering the court the Eagle had published "The Eagle goes even further and declares that at the trial it will show that "Pastor" Russell's religious cult is nothing more than a money-making scheme." [21] Russell defended himself publicly, and in writing, by claiming that the wheat was donated to the Watch Tower Society, and although sold for $1 per pound Mr. Stoner routinely sold it for a $1.25 per pound. Russell claimed to have no financial connection to the wheat, and that any who were dissatisfied by their purchase and donation were offered a refund as much as one year following purchase. No one claimed a refund.

In June 1912 the Reverend J.J. Ross, pastor of the James Street Baptist Church in Hamilton, Ontario, published the pamphlet, Some facts about the Self-Styled 'Pastor' Charles T. Russell which minced no words in its denunciation of Russell, his qualifications as a minister, or his moral example as a Pastor. Russell promptly sued Ross for "defamatory libel". Ross seized upon the opportunity as a means of exposing Russell. During the examination on March 17 1913, Russell admitted that at most he had attended school only seven years of his life at the public school, and that he had left school when he was about fourteen years of age. As Counselor Staunton pressed him further Russell admitted that he knew nothing about Latin and Hebrew, and that he had never taken a course in philosophy or systematic theology, and had never attended schools of higher learning. [22][23] In answer to Ross's accusations, Russell stated through various printed and public sources that he never claimed knowledge of the Greek language, merely the alphabet, and that due to the Judge's objection to the line of questioning, the book was taken away before he could even see it. He believed that his ordination was "of God" according to the biblical pattern, not requiring any denominational approval, and that his annual election as "Pastor" by over 1,200 congregations worldwide constituted him as "ordained", or chosen, to be a minister of the gospel.

After his death, Russell was accused of having close ties with Freemasonry.[24] Such critics have not only attempted to connect him with any of several different rites of the Freemasons, but have also attempted to show that such associations are connected with occult practices. They address that in later editions of his Studies in the Scriptures series a winged solar disk appears on the front cover, which they state is an exclusively Masonic symbol. On the contrary, the Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology says: "The Witnesses have, like many Christian churches, shown a marked aversion to Spiritualism and other occult phenomena. Very early in the group’s history Russell attacked Spiritualism (which he called Spiritism)"[25]. In his writings, Russell stated that membership in Freemasonry, Knights of Pythias, Theosophy, and other similar groups was unscriptural. He denied having direct knowledge of Masonic practices, considering them to be "grievous evils",[26] and discouraged joining such organizations.[27] Freemasons, for their part, have stated: “Russell was not a Freemason. Neither the symbols found in the Watchtower nor the cross and crown symbol are exclusively Masonic.” [28] His use of the winged solar-disk originated from his understanding of Malachi 4:2, which denotes a sun with wings, as a symbol that Christ's millennial Kingdom had begun.

References

  1. ↑ "Encyclopedia Britannica - Russell, Charles Taze"
  2. ↑ George D. Chryssides, "Unrecognized charisma? A study of four charismatic leaders". Center of Studies on New Religions. Retrieved on 23 July 2008.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Zion's Watch Tower, July 15, 1906, p. 229.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Watch Tower, March 1, 1923, pages 68 and 71.
  5. ↑ A.H. Macmillan, Faith on the March, 1957, page 27
  6. ↑ The Bible Students Monthly, issue volume 3 number 13
  7. ↑ Harvest Gleanings volume 1, page 500
  8. ↑ A Great Battle in the Ecclesiastical Heavens 1915, pages 16-19
  9. ↑ Court Trial Transcript of CT Russell & Maria Russell, p. 10—25.
  10. ↑ 1975 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses page 68
  11. ↑ Jehovah's Witnesses Proclaimers of God's Kingdom page 646
  12. ↑ colporteurs Dictionary.com definition of "colporteur"
  13. ↑ Millennial Dawnism: The Annihilation of Jesus Christ by I.M. Haldeman, 1913; "Pastor" Russell's Position and Credentials by J.H. Burridge; Some Facts about the self-styled "Pastor" Charles Taze Russell by JJ Ross, 1912
  14. ↑ Pictures from Russell's Gravesite
  15. ↑ Your Will Be Done on Earth. Watchtower. 1958. pp. 337. 
  16. ↑ Jehovah's Witnesses in the Divine Purpose. Watchtower. 1959. pp. 313. 
  17. ↑ M. James Penton. Apocalypse Delayed—The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses. pp. 61.  Attendance at the annual Memorial (statistics were published each year in the Watch Tower) shows the growth in the period before 1925. 1919: 17,961, 1922: 32,661, 1923: 42,000, 1924: 62,696, 1925: 90,434. 1926 marked the first decrease: 89,278. There are no published statistics from 1929–1934. In 1935, Memorial attendance was 63,146. Watchtower. August 15, 1996. pp. 31. 
  18. ↑ Great Pyramid Passages, by John and Morton Edgar, Forward, 1928 edition
  19. ↑ The Corroborative Testimony of God's stone witness and prophet, the Great Pyramid in Egypt
  20. ↑ 'Zion's Watch Tower' in the following issues: September 1883 page 8; September 1886 page 1; August 1896 page 189; May 1903 page 131; January 1913 page 11
  21. ↑ From originals (now microfilmed in New York) of The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, the following articles with dates and pages can be found: "Miracle Wheat Scandal," January 22, 1913, 2; "Testimony on Wheat," January 23, 1913, 3; "Financial Statements Proving Russell's Absolute Control," by Secretary-Treasurer Van Amberg, January 25, 1913, 16; "Government Experts Testify on 'Miracle Wheat' and Ascertain Its Ordinariness," January 27, 1913, 3; "Prosecution and Defense Closing Arguments," January 28, 1913, 2; "Russell Loses Libel Suit,” January 29, 1913, 16.
  22. ↑ http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/apl/jw/jehwit34.txt
  23. ↑ From Walter Martin's book The Kingdom of the Cults and also Some facts and More Facts About the Self-Styled Pastor - Charles T. Russell (Rev. Ross's second pamphlet).
  24. ↑ "The Watchtower And The Masons" by Fritz Springmeier; "Secrets of the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society"
  25. ↑ J. Gordon Melton, Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology, Gale Group, 2001, Vol. 1, p. 829.
  26. ↑ Zion's Watch Tower, June, 1895, p. 143
  27. ↑ Was Pastor Russell a Freemason?
  28. ↑ "Anti-masonry Frequently Asked Questions", from the web-site of the Masonic Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon. Retrieved in January 21, 2008.

External links

Preceded by
William H. Conley		 President of Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
December 15, 1884-October 31, 1916		 Succeeded by
Joseph F. Rutherford