THE "HE GETS US" CAMPAIGN, THEN & NOW 1

New School systems do not change in their basic form with time.  In this series, we will demonstrate this. ed.

New Schoolers, of any denomination, still hold to money as the critical factor in "bringing people to Jesus."

In a letter sent by Hezekiah West to the Signs of the Times, dated June 26, 1845, West cites the Albany Weekly American Citizen as stating that Benevolent Societies in America in 1845, totaled 5,000,000 pounds (English Money), which today would equal $22,220,000.

By 1848, Gilbert Beebe in an editorial dated July 15, cited the following numbers from the Annual Report of Statistics of Religious and Benevolent Institutions the following figures:

1.  British & Foreign Bible Society - $3,000,000 (Gross Expenditures)
2. Church Missionary Society 116,000 pounds ($17,055,000)
3. Society For the Propagation of the Gospel - 95,000 pounds ($13,967,000)
4. Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge - 90,000 pounds ($13,232,000)
5. Society for Building Enlarging, and Repairing of Churches & Chapels - 24,000 pounds ($3,529,000)
6. Church Pastoral Aid Society = 45,000 pounds ($6,616,000)
7. British and Foreign School Society 15,000 pounds ($2,205,000)
8. Religious Tract Society - 57,000 pounds ($8,380,000)
9. Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society - 116,000 pounds ($17,055,000)
10. London Missionary Society - 75,000 pounds ($11,027,000)
11. Baptist Missionary Society - 28,000 pounds ($4,117,000)
12. London City Mission - 14,000 pounds ($2,058,000)
13. Methodist New Connection Mission - 3,000 pounds ($441,066.97)
14. Newfoundland Schools Society - 4,000 pounds ($588,089.29)
15. London Society for Promoting Christianity Among The Jews - 28,000 pounds ($4,117,000)
16. Colonial Church Society - 4,000 pounds ($588,089.29)
17. Home Missionary Society - 8,000 pounds ($1,176,000)
18. Irish Evangelical Society - 2,500 pounds ($367,555.80)
19. Naval & Military Bible Society - 2,500 pounds ($367,555.80)
20. Colonial Missionary Society - 600 pounds ($88,213.39)
21. Christian Instruction Society - 600 pounds ($88,213.39)
22. Indigent Blind Visiting Society - 1,200 pounds ($176,426.79)
23. Protestant Association - 1,500 pounds ($220,533.48)
24. Sunday School Union - 1,600 pounds ($220,533.48)
25. Adult Deaf & Dumb Institution - 900 pounds ($13,320.09)
26. British & Foreign Sailors' Society - 1,200 pounds ($176,426.79)
27. British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society - 1,850 pounds ($271,991.30)
28. Orphan Working School - 12,400 pounds ($1,823,000)
29. New Infant Orphan Asylum - 2,800 pounds ($411,662.50)
30. Clergy Orphan Corporation - 4,500 pounds ($661,600.45)
31. Friends of Foreigners In Distress - 2,500 pounds ($367,555.80)
32. Trinitarian Bible Society - 1,500 pounds ($220,533.48)
33. Cheltenham Training School - 6,500 pounds ($955,645.09)

So if we add these totals from both America and Britain in today's dollars, the total would be $142,507,102.39!

Not counting the Roman Catholic Church, the Protestant churches in America, received these amounts during the anniversary week in New York City in 1847.  The number in parenthesis is the previous amount in today's dollars:

1. Magdalen Female Benevolent Society - $1,694  ($60,669.42)
2. American Seamen's Friend Society - $17,515 ($627,390.15)
3. Foreign Evangelical Society - $14,820 ($530,854.81)
4. Presbyterian Missionary Board - $95,628 ($3,425,000)
5. New York Bible Society - $1627.13 ($58,824.06)
6. American Anti-Slavery Society $8,797 ($315,109.97)
7. The American Society for Ameliorating The Condition of the Jews - $6,609.14 ($236,740.47)
8. The American Tract Society, for eleven months - $166,131 ($5,736,000)
9. American & Foreign Anti-Slavery Society - $12,635 ($425,587.76)
10. New York Colonization Society - $5,183 ($185,655,90)
11. American Bible Society - $210,286.66 ($7,533,000)
12. Home Missionary Society - $116,717.94 ($4,181,000)
13. American Sunday School Union -  $24,500 ($877,593.99)
14. Old School Presbyterian Board of Education - $35,000 ($1,254,000)
15. New York American School Union - $2,196 ($78,661,08)
16. American Temperance Union - $1,522 ($54,518.29)
17. Old School Presbyterian Board of Education - $35,000 ($1,254,000)
18. New York American Sunday School Union - $2,196 ($78,661.08)
19. American Female Moral Reform Society - $6,693.17 ($239,750.44)
20. American & Foreign Bible Society - $31,739.94 ($1,137,000)
21. Baptist Home Missionary Society - $48,324.59 ($1,731,000)

The amount contributed to Benevolent Societies in 1846 was $1,562,450.75.  In Today's dollars that would be $55,967,000!

 

The purpose of all this accumulation of money (besides the desire for power) was the belief that men could do something to produce the new birth Jesus spoke about in John. That the number of the elect might be increased through human effort. The idea is that if money was not spent to pay for missionaries, many, who might have gone to heaven will be condemned to hell.

In. our next installment in this series, we will cover the present descendants of these societies.  Stay tuned.