Douglas Olsen
The Bible Student movement is a Millennialist Restorationist Christian movement that emerged in the United States from the teachings of Charles Taze Russell, also known as Pastor Russell. In 1881, Russell founded the Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society, which later became known as the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. The Watch Tower Society is the main legal entity used by Jehovah's Witnesses to direct, administer, and disseminate doctrines and is often referred to simply as the Society. Over time, several schisms developed within the congregations of Bible Students associated with the Watch Tower Society, with members referring to themselves as International Bible Students, among other names. While there are some differences between the two groups, the Watchtower is said to own the International Bible Students Association, and they are both part of the broader Bible Student movement.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Bible Student movement | Millennialist Restorationist Christian movement |
| Origin | Teachings and ministry of Charles Taze Russell |
| Year of emergence | 1881 |
| Other names | Bible Students, Associated Bible Students, Independent Bible Students |
| Schisms | Between 1909 and 1932 |
| Significant split | 1917, after the election of Joseph Franklin Rutherford |
| Rutherford's actions | Replacement of four Society directors, publication of "The Finished Mystery" |
| International Bible Students Association | Incorporated in Britain in 1914 |
| Association management | Directed and managed by the People's Pulpit Association |
| Watch Tower Society | Main legal entity used by Jehovah's Witnesses |
| Headquarters | Warwick, New York |
| Watch Tower Society printing branches | 39 worldwide as of 1979 |
| Watch Tower Society publications | "The Watchtower" and "Awake!" magazines |
| International Bible Students Association ownership | Owned by the Watchtower, according to some sources |
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What You'll Learn
- The Bible Student movement was founded by Charles Taze Russell in 1881
- Russell introduced the name International Bible Students Association (IBSA) in 1910
- The Watch Tower Society owns the IBSA and its copyright
- The Watch Tower Society is the main legal entity used by Jehovah's Witnesses
- The Dawn Bible Students Association was founded in 1931 to resume printing of the Scriptures
The Bible Student movement was founded by Charles Taze Russell in 1881
The Bible Student movement, also known as the Millennialist Restorationist Christian movement, was founded by Charles Taze Russell in 1881. Russell, also known as Pastor Russell, was born in 1852 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to parents of Scotch-Irish descent. As a youth, he attended the Presbyterian Church with his parents and later joined the Congregational Church and the Y.M.C.A.
In 1869, Russell began studying the Bible with George Stetson and George Storrs, which shaped his belief in the "Lord's work as our ransom price" and the "foundation of all hope of restitution." Storrs, the founder of the newspaper "Bible Examiner," had a significant influence on Russell's early thinking. In the mid-1870s, Russell wrote and published 50,000 copies of a pamphlet titled "The Object and Manner of Our Lord's Return." He also published other tracts and small books, including "Tabernacle Shadows" and "Food for Thinking Christians."
In 1881, Russell founded the Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society, which was later renamed the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society in 1896. The Society was formed to disseminate tracts, papers, doctrinal treatises, and Bibles, with William Henry Conley as president and Russell as secretary-treasurer. In 1884, the Society was legally incorporated, and Russell became its president. Under his leadership, the Society intensified its ministry, and Russell's Bible study group grew to hundreds of local members with followers throughout New England, the Virginias, Ohio, and elsewhere.
In 1886, Russell began publishing a six-volume Bible textbook series called Millennial Dawn, later renamed Studies in the Scriptures, which presented his fundamental doctrines. In 1910, Russell introduced the name International Bible Students Association to identify his worldwide community of Bible study groups. Members of the Bible Student movement referred to themselves as Bible Students, International Bible Students, Associated Bible Students, or Independent Bible Students.
After Russell's death in 1916, a schism formed within the movement due to disagreements over his teachings. As a result, several groups were formed, including the Jehovah's Witnesses, who adopted the name in 1931, and the Dawn Bible Students Association, founded in 1929. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, now known as the Watch Tower Society, is associated with the Jehovah's Witnesses and is involved in writing, publishing, and educating Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide.
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Russell introduced the name International Bible Students Association (IBSA) in 1910
The Bible Student movement is a Millennialist Restorationist Christian movement that emerged in the United States from the teachings and ministry of Charles Taze Russell (1852–1916), also known as Pastor Russell. In 1881, Russell founded the Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society, also known as the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. Members of the movement have referred to themselves as Bible Students, International Bible Students, Associated Bible Students, or Independent Bible Students.
In 1910, Russell introduced the name International Bible Students Association (IBSA) as a means of identifying his worldwide community of Bible study groups. He explained that the Association would be directed and managed by the Peoples Pulpit Association, which represented the Watch Tower Bible. Russell wrote:
> Now in the Lord's providence we have thought of a title suitable, we believe, to the Lord's people everywhere, and free from objection, we believe, on every score—the title at the head of this article (IBSA). It fairly represents our sentiments and endeavors. We are Bible students. We welcome all of God's people to join with us in the study. We believe that the result of such studies is blessed and unifying. We recommend therefore that the little classes everywhere and the larger ones adopt this unobjectionable style and that they use it in the advertising columns of their newspapers. Thus friends everywhere will know how to recognize them when visiting strange cities.
All Bible Student classes using Watch Tower Society publications could consider themselves identified with the Association and were authorized to use the name International Bible Students Association in connection with their meetings. The name was also used when advertising and conducting Bible Students conventions.
In 1917, two months after Russell's death, Joseph Franklin Rutherford was elected president of the Watch Tower Society. This led to a significant split within the movement, as Rutherford replaced four of the Society's board of directors and published "The Finished Mystery". By mid-1919, about one in seven Bible Students had left, forming groups such as The Stand Fast Movement, the Paul Johnson Movement, and the Pastoral Bible Institute of Brooklyn. In 1931, Rutherford's faction of the movement retained control of the Watch Tower Society and adopted the name "Jehovah's Witnesses".
Today, hundreds of Bible Student congregations worldwide continue to identify as International Bible Students, upholding the original early Watchtower beliefs taught by Pastor Russell.
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The Watch Tower Society owns the IBSA and its copyright
The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, often referred to as "the Society" by Jehovah's Witnesses, is the main legal entity used by the religious group to direct, administer, and disseminate doctrines. It was founded in 1881 as Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society by Charles Taze Russell, also known as Pastor Russell, and was incorporated in 1884. In 1896, the society was renamed the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, and in 1918, following Russell's death, it became known as the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania.
The International Bible Students Association (IBSA) was introduced in 1910 by Russell as a means of identifying his worldwide community of Bible study groups. The Association was directed and managed by the People's Pulpit Association, which represented the Watch Tower Society. Bible Student classes that used Watch Tower Society publications were authorised to use the name International Bible Students Association in connection with their meetings and advertising.
In 1914, the IBSA was incorporated in Britain to administer affairs in that country and became a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania parent organisation. The editor of 'The Watchtower' magazine was the President of all three Societies, and all financial responsibility was managed by the Pennsylvania corporation.
The Watch Tower Society has been the subject of controversy, with some claiming that it has lied about a schism that occurred following the election of Joseph Franklin Rutherford as president in 1917. Despite claiming that the board of directors left at this time, it is alleged that they simply restructured themselves. The Watch Tower Society has also been criticised for introducing centralised control and regulation of Bible Student congregations worldwide, with Rutherford declaring the need for congregations to "get in line" with the changed structure.
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The Watch Tower Society is the main legal entity used by Jehovah's Witnesses
The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania is the main legal entity used by Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide to direct, administer, and disseminate doctrines for the group. It was founded in 1881 as Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society by Charles Taze Russell, also known as Pastor Russell. In 1884, it was incorporated as a non-profit corporation under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, USA. The purpose of the corporation, according to its charter, is "religious, educational, and charitable," specifically to "preach and teach the gospel of God's Kingdom under Christ Jesus." Membership in the corporation is by invitation only and is not based on donations.
The Watch Tower Society is the parent organization of several subsidiaries, including the Watchtower Society of New York and the International Bible Students Association. It conducts various schools for Bible instruction, such as the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead, which has trained over 10,000 Jehovah's Witnesses since 1943. The Society is also involved in writing and publishing, having printed 253 million Bibles and making its publications available in over 1,050 languages. Their website, jw.org, offers free access to the Bible in more than 300 languages and provides answers to Bible questions.
The International Bible Students Association, also known as IBSA, was introduced in 1910 by Russell as a means of identifying his worldwide community of Bible study groups. Bible Student classes that used Watch Tower Society publications were authorized to use the name International Bible Students in connection with their meetings and conventions. The Watch Tower Society owned the copyright to the magazines and allowed the Bible Students to reprint Russell's original writings after his death in 1916.
The relationship between the Watch Tower Society and the International Bible Students Association is complex. While the Society owns the copyright and trademark associated with the Association, there have been claims of a schism between the groups. Some sources allege that the Watch Tower Society has called the split an act of apostasy and that believing Russell's teachings is grounds for disfellowship. Despite this, the two groups have continued to work together, with the Watch Tower Society permitting the reprinting of Russell's works and the use of the IBSA logo.
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The Dawn Bible Students Association was founded in 1931 to resume printing of the Scriptures
The Bible Student movement, also known as the International Bible Students Association, was founded by Charles Taze Russell (Pastor Russell) in 1881 as Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society. Members of the movement referred to themselves as Bible Students, International Bible Students, Associated Bible Students, or Independent Bible Students.
In 1931, Woodworth and others founded the Dawn Bible Students Association to resume the printing of Studies in the Scriptures, which the Watch Tower Society had ceased in 1927. The Dawn Bible Students Association is a Christian organization and a branch of the Bible Student movement. It was founded as a publishing house to print and distribute the first six volumes of the Studies in the Scriptures series written by Charles Taze Russell.
The Dawn Bible Students published a leaflet, The Bible Students Radio Echo, which was developed into a 16-page magazine and renamed The Dawn—A Herald of Christ's Presence. They continue to publish this magazine, along with radio, television, and Internet radio programs.
Over the years, the Dawn Bible Students Association has promoted more liberal points of view, which has caused controversy and alienated some Bible Students who still accept Russell's views. In 1974, a group of Bible Students formally ceased their spiritual fellowship with the Dawn Bible Students Association.
The Watch Tower Society, also known as the Watchtower, is the primary administrative body for Jehovah's Witnesses, and their beliefs and organizational structure have diverged from Russell's original teachings. The Watch Tower Society claims that those who broke affiliation with them during Joseph Rutherford's presidency constituted the "evil slave" of Matthew 24:48–51.
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Frequently asked questions
The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania is a non-profit organisation that is the main legal entity used by Jehovah's Witnesses to direct, administer and disseminate doctrines for the group. It was founded in 1881 by Charles Taze Russell, also known as Pastor Russell. It is a major publisher of religious publications, including books, tracts, magazines and Bibles.
The Bible Student movement is a Millennialist Restorationist Christian movement that emerged from the teachings and ministry of Pastor Russell and the founding of the Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society in 1881. Members of the movement refer to themselves as Bible Students, International Bible Students, Associated Bible Students or Independent Bible Students.
The International Bible Students Association (IBSA) is a subsidiary of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. It was incorporated in Britain in 1914 to administer affairs in that country. The editor of The Watchtower is the President of all three Societies.
Yes, the Watchtower owns the International Bible Students Association. The IBSA is a bloodline of Masons and the Watchtower is a shell company to bring in money.
