30 Years a Watchtower Slave The Rutherford Plan
When William J. Schnell joined the Bible Students in the early 1920?s, the group he joined was a place where they found "a goodly measure of brotherly love and happiness in fellowshipping." The Bible Students were "entirely independent fro a central control". People went to meetings to be "edified, and to contribute toward such edification themselves. The meetings were true feats of fellowshipping and Christian love. They were highly instructive?never authoritative and arbitrary?"
They were focused on "not only concerned with each other?s spiritual welfare, but arrangements were made for the visits to the sick and the needy?" In fact not only did they offer physicall help to the others in the congregation but also to others who needed assistance. It was only after they had taken care of their physical needs that they would turn their attention to their spiritual needs.
This was the organization that later came to be called Jehovah?s Witnesses under the leadership of Rutherford. While Russel?s focus was on spiritual matters and serving God Schnell found that Rutherford had a very different view of the direction the organization would take. And organization was key to his plans.
Many of us bemoan the organization we left for its lack of love and true Christian spirit with a focus on spiritual growth. We have seen first hand how attention to the selling of books and magazines has weakened the spirituality of the organization as a whole and of the individuals trapped within. And many of us wish the WTS was the way Russell viewed it ? a path to a stronger connection with God.
While there has been some criticism of Schnell?s book and what some see as his anger at the WTS I think there are some very valuable insights that he shares about Rutherford?s plan for his organization and how that plan has been fulfilled.
Schnell wrote is book before 1956 when it was first published. Even at that time he saw how the organization had strayed from its early beginnings. And he speaks clearly of the plan that Rutherford had. Today we see the results. But back in the 1950?s Schnell would have no reason to be able to look ahead to our time to see the culmination of the plan. Personally I found this to be a fascinating read into Rutherford?s plan and its fulfillment.
I will be going through the book again and pulling out excerpts that detail the plan as Schnell saw it and helped carry it out.