Russellism And The Bible Student Movement

By Raymond Jackson


In the late 1800s and early 1900s, there were a number of religious establishments and organizations. One such group were those whom followed RUSSELLISM and the BIBLE STUDENT MOVEMENT. A movement which would later be known as Jehovah's Witnesses throughout the world. As such, the founder Charles Russell left quite a legacy when passing in 1929.

Charles Russell was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania into the family of a shopkeeper. Ms. Russell passed away when Charles was only 9 years old. As a result, the Russells relocated to Pittsburgh in hope of a better life. As a teenager, Charles helped as a part-time shopkeeper in a new family run store while also studying scriptures on a regular basis.

The family then moved to Pittsburgh and joined the local Presbyterian church. As Charles did not feel a connection to God through the church, the young boy left and joined the Congregational Church. During this time, Charles would chalk chapters and verses of the Bible on sidewalks and fence posts hoping to convert non-believers.

At the age of 16, the future pastor discussed religion with a friend. At the time, the friend actually persuaded Russell to believe that there were faults and holes in the faith. After which, Charles questioned the Christian faith. Then, after hearing an Adventist Minister by the name of Jonas Wendell speak, Charles went through a rebirth and renewal of faith. In the process, Russell also found the faith needed to believe the Bible to be the word of God.

Russell then became involved in the Bible Student Movement and became the original publisher of the Zion's Watch Tower, now known as the Watch Tower and a publication called the Herald of Christ's presence. After which, Charles co-founded the Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society with William Henry Conley.

Having written a number of pamphlets, sermons, tracts and books, Russell published a six series bible study known as Millennial Dawn which was provided as a complete course of study. While the series later became known as A Study Of The Scriptures, the content and 7th chapter which would be added at a later date provided even more details with regards to the scriptures. In some cases, Christians of other branches and denominations have suggested that the publication lacks a sense of truth.

A pastor by the name of Rutherford took over the movement when Russell passed on. Still, even with a new leader, the organization faced a crisis. For, Russell was a beloved leader whom many found hard to replace. As a result, a number of other individuals left the group and began starting small individual religious organizations in which different policies and procedures were implemented.

While there were a number of reasons provided as to why those whom departed from the group did so, there have no official reasons provided to date. While there were several individual groups, two which were most popular and well known were that of the Laymen's Home Missionary Movement and the Pastoral Bible Institute. While different in organizational procedure, both groups provided members with a very similar structure to that of the Bible Study Movement.




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