But, at the same time - and, I think, due largely to his still being a Christian (just a more normal one), whose critique therefore lacks the animosity and scorn many a Christian-to-atheist writer might have engaged in - Penton is never unduly harsh on the people or even the leaders of the religion. Penton is predominantly critical of his subject - much more so than he apparently was in his previous book, which praised the Witnesses as champions on free speech (they are, I didn't realise, one of the most persecuted of all Christian peoples around the world today). That is: the history, the doctrines, and the organisation of the Jehovah's Witnesses, or "Bible Students", as they were once less conspicuously called. Penton - a former Jehovah's Witness who was disfellowshipped four years prior to this critical biography of the Witness movement - tackles the vast subject by deeply examining the Christian sect from four overarching angles, each arranged in parts. This book is an absolutely stellar example of impeccable research.
This edition features a revised and expanded bibliography.
Penton considers changes in doctrine, practice, and governance on issues such as medical treatment, higher education, apostates, and the apocalypse. In this second edition, an afterword by the author brings us up to date on events since Apocalypse Delayed was first published in 1985. From them he has created a penetrating study of a spreading world phenomenon. Penton has combined the special insight of an insider with the critical analysis of an observer now at a distance from his subject. Others involve internal controversies, including political control of the organization and the handling of dissent within the ranks. Some of the issues he discusses are known to the general public, such as the sect's opposition to military service and blood transfusions. His book is divided into three parts, each presenting the Witnesses' story in a different context: historical, doctrinal, and sociological.
As a long-time member of the sect, now expelled, Penton offers a comprehensive overview of a remarkable religious movement. They distribute a billion pieces of literature annually, and continue to anticipate the end of the world.Īpocalypticism is the key issue in this detailed history, but there are others. Ever since that time, Jehovah's Witnesses have been predicting that the world would end 'shortly.' Their numbers have grown to many millions in over two hundred countries. The first prophecy was not fulfilled, but the outbreak of the First World War lent some credibility to the second. Russell, their founder, advised his followers that members of Christ's church would be raptured in 1878, and by 1914 Christ would destroy the nations and establish his kingdom on earth. Since 1876, Jehovah's Witnesses have believed that they are living in the last days of the present world.
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