Foundation Principles

January 1, 2022

True Fundamentalism These two articles, published August 1, 1913, are soul-searching and remain edifying in our day. — Pastor Charles Russell, The Watch Tower, R5284 (both articles) Why There is Diversity Amongst God’s People “Who maketh thee to differ from another? And what hast thou that thou didst not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). WHILE it is true that all men are born with inalienable rights and privileges, yet no man is born without sin. The Scriptures very properly declare that the race […]

A Pastor’s Advice on Profitable Meetings

January 1, 2022

Instruction and Different Views “If in anything ye are otherwise minded, this also shall God reveal unto you” (Philippians 3:15 ASV). The Bible does not specifically tell us what kinds of Bible meetings Christians should conduct. Pastor Russell suggests four kinds of profitable meetings: Discourses, Bible Studies, Different Views Heard, and Testimony Meetings. From Studies in the Scriptures, Volume 6, page 314, we read — “Where the Lord has laid down no positive law it would be inappropriate for us or for […]

News and Views

January 1, 2022

Religious A global analysis of government restrictions toward religion finds that the number of countries with “high” or “very high” levels of government restrictions rose slightly in 2019. The analysis from the Pew Research Center, which included 198 countries, also found that government harassment of religious groups — where government officials single out a religious group with the intent of making religious practice more difficult — took place in nearly all countries. None of the world’s 25 most populous countries experienced large […]

Today in Prophecy

January 1, 2022

The Decline of Moral Principle “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20, scripture quotations from RVIC). We are seeing significant changes in moral standards as new political forces emerge, the reach of social media widens, and special interest groups become more powerful. The Cato Institute observes: “The growth of government has politicized life and weakened the nation’s moral fabric. […]

The Doctrine of Clean Living

January 1, 2022

Clean Living vs. Vain Religion “Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the LORD” (Isaiah 52:11). By Brent Hislop The setting for our theme text in Isaiah 52:11 is fascinating on several levels. Isaiah lived at the time of the Assyrian captivity of Israel. However, he prophesied of the Babylonian captivity to follow (Isaiah 39:5-7), the Babylonian overthrow by Cyrus (Isaiah 46:11), and the restoration of Israel from captivity (Isaiah 52:9). Originally the treasures of the Temple were carried away to […]