Jehovah’s Witnesses. A religious body originating with Charles Taze Russell, also known as The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc. The movement grew out of an independent Bible study started in Pittsburgh by Charles Taze Russell in 1870 and acquired its present name in 1956. Russell, who had privately studied Scripture for years and come to radical Adventist conclusions, soon became the group’s pastor and in 1876 began the publication of a small magazine, Zion’s Watchtower, which eventually became today’s Watchtower (over 18 million copies published bimonthly in 106 languages). Russell’s organization became the Zion’s Watch Tower Tract Society in 1884, and in 1909 he moved its headquarters to Brooklyn, New York, where it has remained. The original theology of the movement was worked out by Russell in his seven-volume Studies in the Scriptures (1886–1917), which over the years has sold millions of copies. The final volume appeared a year after Russell’s death and led to a schism in the organization. Most of Russell’s followers joined J. F. Rutherford, to form the Millennial Dawnists, who adopted the name Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1931. A smaller group rejected Rutherford’s leadership and became the Dawn Bible Student’s Association and in the late 1980s had a membership of about 60,000. During the same period the Jehovah’s Witnesses proper reported around 2,842,531 members worldwide with over 800,000 in North America. Following Rutherford’s death the movement was led by Nathan H. Knorr, who was succeeded by Frederick W. Franz (1893– ). Theologically the Witnesses are confusing, due to their lack of a well-defined systematic theology and frequent, though officially unacknowledged, changes in their teachings. In many respects, however, they resemble traditional Roman Catholicism rather than Protestantism because of their understanding of doctrinal and ecclesiastical authority, which is the key to their theology. From at least 1895 onwards “Pastor Russell,” as he is known, functioned more as a prophet than pastor. His prophetic office was given official recognition as a result of challenges to his authority by dissident members in 1895. At that time his wife, Maria Russell, answered her husband’s critics by arguing that he was the “faithful and wise servant” of Matthew 24:45. This notion was later applied to Russell’s successors, and to the leadership of the Witnesses collectively, to give the group a doctrinal stance almost identical to the magisterium of Roman Catholicism. Equally important for the development of authority has been the role of tradition, ascribed first to Russell and then to his successors as the medium through which Scripture is to be interpreted, thus indicating a form of apostolic succession. Similarly, the spiritual obedience demanded by the leadership of the Witnesses is like the Roman Catholic understanding of the pope’s ability to speak ex cathedra. Finally, the authority of the leadership is bound together by an understanding of progressive revelation whereby the leadership receives both direct revelation from God and an authoritative understanding of Scripture through their function as the “faithful and discreet slave,” which is a prophetic class within the organization. The early works of Russell were characterized by a rationalism and the occasional use of typology and allegory. Since Russell, the leadership has concentrated more on typology and allegory. While the movement constantly expresses a strong formal hostility to biblical criticism, which is seen as evidence of the apostasy of established churches, it has been quick to follow Russell’s lead in using the results of biblical criticism to discredit orthodox interpretations of Scripture. Theologically the Witnesses deny orthodox teachings about the person and work of Christ, arguing that Jesus was “a god” who died on a “torture stake” as a ransom to the devil. Their Christology is thus pseudo-Arian, emphasizing Jesus as the “Second Adam” who was essentially a perfect man. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are not sacraments. Baptism, by total immersion, is a “witness” to God which all members must undergo. In addition there is a “baptism into Christ” which consecrates the 144,000 (see Rev 7 and 14) elect believers who will attain heavenly glory. The Lord’s Supper is an annual feast which can only be fully participated in by those Witnesses who know themselves to be among the 144,000 who represent the totality of Christians who go to be with Christ. According to the society’s statistics there were 9,601 of these “blessed” individuals alive in 1981. By contrast, most Witnesses have to be content with eternal life on earth. Three other doctrines form an essential part of Witness doctrine and have brought them notoriety. First is their eschatology which, due to their habit of setting dates—Russell himself maintained that Christ had spiritually returned to earth in 1874 and would begin his visible reign in 1914—has repeatedly proved false. Second, their belief in the sacredness of life and refusal to imbibe blood in any form has led to a rejection of both military service and blood transfusions. Third, the preaching work whereby Witnesses are expected to proclaim their gospel as a means of obtaining salvation by works has made their presence known in many North American communities. In recent years the movement has been split by schisms and continual accusations of harsh treatment meted out to ex-members. During the 1930s and 1940s the Witnesses fought and won many court cases, forty-three in the U.S. Supreme Court, in the interest of their religious freedom. BIBLIOGRAPHY. H. Botting and G. Botting, The Orwellian World of Jehovah’s Witnesses (1984); M. J. Penton, Apocalypse Delayed; The Story of Jehovah’s Witnesses (1985); A. Rogerson, Millions Now Living Will Never Die: A Study of Jehovah’s Witnesses (1969). I. Hexham
Posted on: Sun, 25 Aug 2013 06:41:30 +0000
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