Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-02-17
A CHRIST ON EARTH.
A Peculiar Sect That Has a Dozen
Followers in Minneapolis.
They Worship Minister In FreepOrt, Ill, as
Divine Being"-Two Churches
in Minnesota.
Minneapolis Tribune

named G. C. Whitney. He had been
employed as travelling salesman for
large wholesale firm in New York city.
He soon took up a residence at 3245 Six
teenth avenue south, and at the present
time his home is the center of an interest
ing religious sect that is but little known
in the country, but is remarkable for
some Of its rules and beliefs. There are
about twelve adherents of this faith in
Minneapolis, and they have all accepted
IL since Mr.. Whitney's arrival and
through his efforts. Mr.. Whitney is an
intelligent appearing man of about forty
years Of age. He is a firm believer in
the doctrine he holds forth, the striking
feature Of which is that the true Christ is
now on earth in the presence of Rev.
George J Schwenferth Of Rockford, III.
The sect represented by Mr.. Whitney
call themselves the Church of the Re-
deemed - They believe that Christ has
arrived for the second time. They base
their belief almost entirely on the proph-
estes of Isaiah They hold that the New
Jerusalem was to be personifed by a
woman who would become the mother
in the spirit Of the second coming of
Christ They claim that the woman must
have been one completely filled with the
spirit of the Lord. Such a woman, they
claim, was Mrs. Beekman, the wife of
Rev DR.. Beekman, who was Presbyte-
rian minister in Kansas some twenty-five
years ago.
About that time, it is said, she felt
that she was called by the Lord to be the
New Jerusalem spoken Of This she told
TO her husband, her mother and father,
all of whom told her she was crazy. She
then told an intimate girl friend of her
presentiment, and requested her to keep
the thing secret until the proper time to
give it out.
Rev. George J. Schwenferth is a man
now about thirty years old, Of Ger
man parentage. He was educated ut
Alpena, Mich. college From n boy up
ne had always expressed desire to be
like and live the life of Christ He be-
came Il Methodist minister and was sent
TO Northern Michigan. About eleven
years ago he returned from the wilds of
Northern Michigan to AIpena, Mich.
where he became interested in a series of
Bible lessons conducted by Mrs. Beck
man. He became so imDued with the pre-
sentiment that Mrs Beekman was the
one called of God that he got up during a
meeting and announced his belief to that
effect. Then the lady whom Mrs. Beck
man had years before confided her secret
to, got up and announced that Mrs
Beekman had told her. Mrs. Beekman
Immediately recognized Mr.. Schwein-
ferth as the spiritual son she was 10
mother, and thus is brought about tie
second arrival of Christ, they
claim, for Mr. Schweinferth has since |
been recognized by the followers of Mrs. |
Beckman as the second Christ Heis |
called by the members Of the Church of |
the Redeemed the King of the church - |
He directs personally the movements of |
all the missionaries of the church. He !
is now living at Rockford, III. Mr. |
Whitney, the Minneapolis apostle, came |
here at the request Of Mr.. Schwein- |
ferth from New York He is engaged |
in business, but SAYS that he viii |
cease work for hours or days to talk to |
any one desiring information about spir-
itual matters, and adds that he has never
known his business to suffer by it, He /
holds meetings at 3 O'Clock on Sunday
and 1880 o o'clock on Wednesday of each |
week, mt his residence at the above num-
Der. 1t is said that a large number Of |
ladies Of Minneapolis are conversant with
the new doctrine, and are much inter
ested in it
Mr.. Whitney has attended orthodox
meetings in the city several times, but
has in nearly every instance met with
trouble, as he offered his belief in testi-
mony at the after meetings. He says he
was forcibly elected from a letting in
the Twenty fourth street NJ. +. Church
not long ago. The first church of the
sect was organized at Alpena, Mich.
about ten years ago, and there are about
ten in the country, all in the South and
West. There are two in Minnesota, one
at 81. Charles and one in Minneapolis.
The following are some extracts from
81 sermon delivered by the Rev. Schwein-
ferth at Rockford, H., his present
home, November Il, 1898, and read by
Mr. Whitney at his service last Sunday in
this city The subject Of the sermon
was, Efficacy Of the Amounted One, or
the Mission and Power Of the Amounted
one. - Ii is as follows:
To be the church of the scripture which
has been thought Of as the church Of the
future in all times past to be the church
which the scripture desiguates as without
spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, and
which has been justly and aptly and
called the church triumphant,
the church of the holy people. The re-
deemed of the Lord is the church which
we have aSpired to be-the church ''Be
Of good cheer, l have overcome
the world, was the benediction
spoken by the heroic man Of Nazareth,
the man Of God Ito him that over
will l grant to sit with me on
my throne, is the promise ana incentive
Of the Christ triumphant. To be thus
exalted, to stand triumphant with Christ
is the distinct glory of the church of the
scripture. ''And the gloUy which thou
gavest me / have given them that they
may be one as we are one, - is the de-
-laratiou of the rock Of Israel and the
faith of that people that appreheud
such truth as their destination shall be
rewarded in due time The thought that
we have aspired TO be the church of
brands before ouT eyes this fact,
that the thing said in scripture about the
church viii be the history of the church,
when il does appear. We must come up
10 the fullneSS of the words sent on ahead |
and iii the scripture full of life,
Tuu of meaning. This is
Dur mission as the aspir-
ng church, the Church Triumphant; and
see the evidences in the signs of the
lines that We have actually struck the
rail of glory that leads to the mountain
an my heart feels the iplpulsp tho di-