Errors of Russellism, by J. E. Forrest (HC, 1915, $10, which is 1/3 the internet price.)
So, you are all asking, what is Russellism...
Pastor Charles T. Russell caused all kinds of ruckus at the end of the 19th Century, and the beginning of the 20th. He had no formal Bible training, but thought only his beliefs were the true ones. He believed Christ had returned to earth in 1874, and that the end of the world would come in 1876. When that did not work out, he recalculated and discovered his error. Now he expected the world to end in 1914. When that did not work out, he decided the right date was actually 1915. In 1916 he died, with the end of the world still not quite there.
He was always suing people for libel. He usually lost. His wife successfully divorced him. Supposedly he had forced her to be celibate, while he had "improper" relations with their foster daughter. He was also accused of selling regular wheat as "Miracle Wheat", and charging $60 a bushel for it, which sounded a lot like fraud to most people. He did, though, have a following. It split after his death, one part morphing into what is now called the Jehovah's Witnesses, though without most of Russel's beliefs.
The author of this particular book, Forrest, found "Russell had made a number of fundamental errors relating to the doctrines of the gospel and involving the final destiny of thousands of souls,[ and so] I have decided to set these errors, in their true light, before the public."
Does anyone see a parallel here to a current commotion? Look for this book on the new non-fiction table, avail. 1/25. (Later: religion)
