New Covenant Fellowship
[1909 - 1944]

In 1908/1909, E.C. Henninges, the Australian Branch Manager of the International Bible Students Association, and M.L. McPhail, Pilgrim for the IBSA and a members of the Chicago Bible Students, withdrew their support causing the second largest split in the Society's history, next only to the 1917 split. He produced a monthly journal The New Covenant Advocate and Kingdom Herald and numerous books, booklets and tracts. After Henninges death, his work continued on for some years, the group and magazine folded by 1944. Most of the New Covenant Bible Students were left to fend for themselves. Many of them did not survive, and splintered off into non-existence. The Free Bible Students as they are called today, do however, make up the largest Bible Student group in Australia. In recent years there has been a resurgence of Free Bible Student rallying under the new leadership of the Christian Millennial Fellowship.


The above article was copied and pasted from www.biblestudents.net's history section under Daughters of the Tower:

I post it so that I might ask the following questions of you all.

Have any of you ever heard of E.C. Henninges? If so, have you ever read any of his writings? Did you know that his writings are still in circulation today?

I didn't have any idea of who he was until just last week a box from Australia arrived at my front door with the cloth-bound books entitled "Bible Talks for Heart and Mind", "Daniel...In the Latter Days", and "Comparisons and Contrasts: A Detailed Study of the Epistle to the Hebrews" showed up on my front door with various copies of the New Covenant Advocate, and various other booklets and tracts sent to me by the Christian Bible Students-Melborne Class of Australia.

I am interested in these publications because in the front of the Bible Talks book is a chart much like the chart used by the Pastor, but with some differences, and I was wondering if any of your much more mature brethren have any knowledge of him and his works and did P.S.L. Johnson speak of him at all?

I will now consider his writings and compare them with those of the Pastor and then 'prove all things, and hold fast to that which is true.' as we're encouraged to do, with Jehovah's help of course and your prayers.

Any and all answers are much appreciated.

In Christian Love,

Eric

yes... bro Johnson did write extensively regarding this person... He married the young girl Bro and Sr Russell raised... and I believe he was the accuser, insinuating Bro Russell molested her...

He led the 5th sifting re: sin offering/ mediator/ covenants from 1908 to 1911...

The other main brother in this sifting was McPhail

Why don't you throw those things in a closet and begin to study the writings of Pastor Russell? Satan is throwing one thing after another in your pathway and you are sucking in to it. Wake up! Get your nose in the Volumes!

Concerned about you, Bob Jones
Psalms 145:18-20 50:5

Hey Eric! Take Bob's advice! He is quite correct in what he advised!
Bro. Harold

May I add, take the advice my uncle gave me. Always study with your Bible at hand. Check EVERYTHING with the Word of Truth. Not only will you discover the truth, you will make it your own.

Check the text, check the context. Build an unshakeable foundation. Wear the pages of your Bible out if need be, you can always purchase another. You will soon see for yourself the harmony within it's pages.

Dear Friends,

Thank you all for the information regarding this variation of Bible Student.

Brother Jon,

If you would care to share more regarding this man via private email, and what exactly the 5th sifting is, I would be interested to learn more about this if you have the time to share it with me.

Also, if you can provide references to where PSLJ wrote about E.C. Henninges in his ESITS, I will gladly look them up to see for myself what was going on there.

Shirly, AJ and I are making plans to attend the March 2006 Convention in Jacksonville, Florida, we hope to see you there.

We'd thought about attending the Ohio convention this year, but we're unsure if we can afford the long drive, plus the logdging expenses on top of the traveling expenses, as we realize there is no Bible house around wherein we could sleep while at the Convention.

Yes, it is great again to be able to express my Christian love to each of you via the Net.

It appears E.C. Henninges group is still strong in Australia and that they're still publishing new books, in fact, they sent us copies of their own commentary on Daniel and Revelation, but I haven't taken the time to read them, I figure that I need to read the Volumes first and get grounded.

I still have Brother Jones commentary on Revelation that he sent me back in 2003 while I was serving in Iraq...it's right here on my bookshelf in our new home we've purchased since we last met. I haven't read it yet though.

I believe the Lord has placed us in this neigbhorhood to help out a dear friend named Don, he's a neighbor of ours who is an ex-Jehovah's Witness, he was baptized a JW in 1965 and remained so until 1985 when he, his wife, and his entire family left the JW religion after reading the writings of one ex-JW, and they disassociated themselves, so they were never official disfellowshipped, but they're treated the same nonetheless. However, this dear brother felt as if he had been lied too for all of 20 years while in the JW religion, and although he now host a Baptist minister in his home each Sunday, he still holds to the truth teaching on hell and the immortality of the soul, but he now believes in the Trinity teaching for some strange reason, and he is the one who keeps me on my toes, becuase he likes to come over at least weekly and try and 'prove' something from the Bible too me.

This past week he came over trying to use Revelation 1:8 to try and prove that Jesus was the 'Alpha and the Omega' speaking in this verse; however, the red-letter Bible he was using didn't have those words in red, proving that the NWT's rendering of Jehovah's name in that verse is correct. Anyway, that's another story, he's a good man and although he constantly bombards me with challenges to my beliefs, it is good for me and it is sharpening me I believe.

Why I ever left the LHMM I'll never know, but I do know that my relationship with the Lord just hasn't been the same since I left off my consecration and sought sectarianism with the Mormons again, and I'm glad to be out of them and on my way back to the Truth.

I am truly the least of all the Lord's servants and I wish for each of you to know that I thank you one and all for your prayers on our behalf.

I look forward to hearing from Jon and Bro. Harold via private email should they find the time to provide some encouraging words to me.

Thank you one and all.

In regard to Revelation 1;8, I suggest you look it up in the book I gave you.
Bob Jones Psalms 145:18-20

I reckon there are other places indeed, but primarily I would suggest EVOL 5 Chapter 2... the 5 siftings are discussed there in detail.

Good luck.

Thank you, RR, for your candid advice.

I don't suppose I have 'itchy ears' of which to speak as the basic doctrines of the Truth movement have always gladden this heart of mine like no others have ever done so, and these basics as I call 'em are namely:

(1) No Trinity- a clearer understanding of Who God and His Son are, and of what the Holy Spirit is has truly been of much help in life.

(2) No Immortal Soul- a clearer understanding of who we are, what we are, and not what we wish we were [i.e. an immortal spirit as most hope that they are] has also been a boon from heaven for my soul.

(3) No Eternal Torment- a clearer understanding of what Hell is, and what it is not, and of what happens to us when we die has also gladden this poor heart of mine.

(4) The Ransom for ALL- a clearer understanding of just WHO Jesus corresponded too, and how that we're involved in that Ransom price has also gladden this heart of mine.


I do admit that I do not understand all the other intricate details involved in the Truth movements, such as the Covenants and when they're in affect, or what Class of believers are currently being called out and polished up for the upcoming Restitution of all things...but this I do know, that God will work out all the explaination of all these things in due time, and that I'm responsible to Him to 'prove all things' and to 'hold fast that which is true' to the best of my ability.

Frankly, I still consider myself to be among the Epiphany Truth people, and in accord with them, Bro. Herzig who is now the E.T. of the LHMM gave my baptismal talk in 2000 and I still have it here on VHS for my viewing over and over again, and he's a great man indeed. There is a place for me and I have not given up hope of finding it.

Others may have given up on me years ago, but the Lord has not given up on me, and therefore, I cannot either. He knows my heart, He knows my longings and my weaknesses and He knows me, and He's dealing with me the way He sees fit and will continue to do so.

Thank you again, for your comments.

Eric posted this:
Frankly, I still consider myself to be among the Epiphany Truth people, and in accord with them, Bro. Herzig who is now the E.T. of the LHMM gave my baptismal talk in 2000 and I still have it here on VHS for my viewing over and over again, and he's a great man indeed. There is a place for me and I have not given up hope of finding it.

I guess you are still in the U S Navy, right? we wish you well and a stable life in the truth.
Psalms 145:18-20 Bob Jones

Yes, Brother Jones, I'm still in the Navy until December 2014, or until the commencement of the physical phase of the Kingdom, whichever comes first.

I stated that because I know the Epiphany brethren the best and there is a local class here in our area and when I think of paradise, I still think of an earthly paradise, not one up in heaven, but one down here on the earth.

And I am sure the Lord has a place for me to serve Him in the earthly phase of His Kingdom.

Thank you much for your kind remarks,

Eric