by Bobcat 15 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Is anyone familiar with this person and his possible relationship with CTR or the WT?
If you are wondering why I ask, take a look here and scroll down one page and start reading a little.
I could not find any mention of him in the WT Online Library. I wonder if this is something Barbara Anderson would be familiar with?
Interesting book. In my research I have come to a similar conclusion. However, the difference would be that I view it as being a future event.
Hi Vidqun,
If you are referring to the end of the "Gentile Times," I agree. I am of the opinion that they end at Rev 11:15 and the 7th trumpet. (That is, still future. And that they started at Gen 11:1-9. Compare Deut 32:7-8) Curiously, the WT also believes they end at Rev 11:15. But they have a rather skewed view of when the 7th trumpet takes place. Rev 11:14 has the 3rd woe - i.e. the 7th trumpet - coming after the 5th and 6th trumpet. But the WT interprets the 5th & 6th to be post 1914, but the 7th to be at 1914. Go figure?!)
But I was curious if William Redding gained his viewpoint from associating with the Russellites or if it was the other way around, or if the ideas he expressed were something more widely thought of at the time.
That type of question you should ask Vienne. She's an expert on JW history.
Bobcat: But I was curious if William Redding gained his viewpoint from associating with the Russellites or if it was the other way around, or if the ideas he expressed were something more widely thought of at the time.
I don't think Redding had anything to do with the Russellites. End times prophecy was popular at the time and there are many authors who explored the subject, liberally mixing religious thought and politics. And something else that promoted the publication of these authors was the rise of the American publishing industry - lots of books and wanna-be-authors. Money to be made in the publishing world. Late 19th century America saw the rise of pulp fiction and religious/political books.
Here is a link to another book Redding wrote:
The Millennial Kingdom for the American People
You can download the book to read or read it online. I didn't read the whole book - I just skimmed through it and read bit and pieces. His intro in that book describes in detail an illness he suffered early in life and events following that.
I do not get the impression that Chuckie had anything to do with Redding's thoughts and ideology. Their theologies don't match at all.
Russell was a Zionist and espoused a dual covenant theology. He believed that once the Jews returned to the 'promised land', that Bible prophecy would have been fulfilled. Russell believed that the Jews' covenant with God was valid and binding and that the Gentiles' covenant was also binding - the Jews, according to Russell's would not need to convert to Christ.
In Redding's book about the coming millennium, he describes Bible prophecy in very different terms. He is anti-Semitic. And racist. Very much so. It was actually pretty hard to read some of the things he wrote. Basically, his premise is that America is God's chosen people - the Anglo-Saxon race is superior to every other race in the world, especially the Jews, and America is meant to rule the world - cause the Bible says so and he can prove it.
So, in my opinion, Redding and Russell did not cross paths. Redding was just another nut (ex-lawyer) who pulled stuff out his nether regions and mixed it with text from a dusty old book in order to feel important about himself and promote some sort of political agenda.
Hope that helps, Bobcat.
Hang on...I just found something that proves that CT Russell did, indeed, influence Redding's writing...gotta download and copy it.
I was wrong in the above post. Sorry. I spoke too soon.
Here we go.
This is a book Redding published in 1896.
https://ia800307.us.archive.org/2/items/mysteriesunveile00redd/mysteriesunveile00redd.pdf
An expert from his forwarding statement on page 16 of the pdf:
So. Yes. Redding was influenced by CT Russell, among others.
*you may find this interesting as well:
Thank you very much OC, for all that research.
I think Redding had some musical roots also.
He had a song:
I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay, watchin' the tide roll away.
I'm sittin' on dock of the bay, wastin' time.
Rub a Dub
Russell's view of Gentile Times and 1914 came from Barbour and other earlier 19th Century writers, not from Redding. Redding read Time is at Hand and loved what Russell wrote. There was no other association. We discuss the development of Barbourite chronology in Nelson Barbour: The Millennium's Forgotten Prophet.
Thank you Vienne!
Rub, I believe that was William's brother, Otis, singing about "gentle times on the dock of the bay."
