Anglican Evangelicalism in Sydney 1897 1953
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
!"#$" %"& '! %& ( )!*# ' +!, %! # )-.$"*&*/'$"0$"1-$1/' "*2/('*&, )/3 -&!4$#/' ‘ANGLICAN EVANGELICALISM IN SYDNEY 1897-1953’ The thesis explores the spectrum of Evangelical (Anglican) doctrine taught at Moore Theological College and the Diocese of Sydney, under three historically significant heads of the College – Nathaniel Jones (1897-1911), DJ Davies (1911-1935) and TC Hammond (1936-1953). The principles underlying their thought as well as their specific doctrinal views are explored in historical context. Part I surveys pertinent nineteenth century intellectual and ecclesiastical challenges and the response of contemporary Evangelical thinkers. The development of the College’s tradition is recounted in the light of its founder’s intention. Part II attempts to define Principal Jones’s place in the Evangelical spectrum of the day, including the two additions of the latter half of the nineteenth century, namely a premillennial expectation of Christ’s return and the holiness teaching of Keswick. A fresh examination of the sources does not find the narrow outlook usually attributed to him and to his legacy. Part III, on Principal Davies, locates him in the Evangelical spectrum as broadened by the liberal theological ideas prevalent in Cambridge at the turn of the nineteenth century. It explores for the first time the degree and limits of his liberal convictions. It notes the tensions created, which culminated in a noteworthy election of a new archbishop in 1933, and resistance to him in his early years. Part IV examines the thought of Principal Hammond, whom it locates in the same part of the Evangelical spectrum as Jones, and as sharing with him the Keswick holiness addition, but not premillennialism. His broad-ranging thought and scholarship was not characterised by a sectarian outlook, nor by the same emphasis on piety as Jones. His focus was on what was biblical and Reformation Anglican. The thesis concludes that the thought and influence of the three principals was in clearer harmony, or less, with the College founder’s intention, as each represented a more conservative part of the Evangelical spectrum, or more liberal. These case studies not only caste light on evangelicalism more generally. Since the College played a key role, they also throw light on the Anglican character of the Diocese of Sydney. Table of Contents Acknowledgments............................... iii Abbreviations................................. viii Introduction.................................. 1 Part I. Evangelicalism at Moore College Chapter 1. Challenges Intellectual and Ecclesiastical....................... 29 Chapter 2. Evangelical Responses to the Challenges........................... 69 Chapter 3. Moore Theological College 1856-1953............................ 129 Part II. Nathaniel Jones (1861-1911): Pietist Evangelical Chapter 4. Evangelicalism Embraced – Formation of a Scholar-Pastor................... 165 Chapter 5. Evangelical Doctrine Stated.... 201 Chapter 6. Evangelicalism Maintained...... 247 Part III. David John Davies (1879-1935): Liberal Evangelical Chapter 7. Liberal Evangelicalism Embraced – Formation of an Historian............. 295 Chapter 8. Liberal Evangelicalism Stated and Applied.................... 335 Chapter 9. Liberal Evangelicalism Maintained............................ 383 Part IV. Thomas Chatterton Hammond (1877-1961): Reformation Evangelical Chapter 10. Evangelicalism Embraced – an Apologist-Pastor................... 433 Chapter 11. Evangelical Doctrine Defended and Expounded – to 1935................... 471 Chapter 12. Evangelicalism Maintained and Applied............................... 525 Conclusion.................................... 599 Bibliography.................................. 615 i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This research was motivated first by Janet West’s Moore College Library Lecture of 1988 on DJ Davies. The Revd Dr Bill Lawton’s work on Nathaniel Jones motivated me to find out more, and he personally informed me of important Masonic Lodge source material for Davies. Dr Cornelius Van Til, of Westminster Theological Seminary, by his teaching of apologetics when I was a student of theology, was my incentive for more critically examining TC Hammond’s thought. The late Archbishop Marcus Loane and Bishop Donald Robinson were unstintingly generous in correspondence and interview time. Mrs Carl Hammond, widow of the late Revd Carl Hammond, son of TC Hammond, and Mr William (Bill) Andersen, active in the Sydney University Evangelical Union in the early 1940s, recalled their memories of TC Hammond. The late Dr Stuart Babbage kindly supplied his personal memories of Hammond and Archbishop Mowll. The Revd Noel Pollard of Cambridge located the service books of Holy Trinity Church and helped me record the entries for DJ Davies. I must also mention that Mrs Stephanie Bennett of Newtown, Victoria, granddaughter of Nathaniel Jones, provided me with copies of important published sermons and iii addresses by her grandfather. Also in Victoria, Darrell Paproth provided me with material he had written on turn of the nineteenth century evangelical movements in that state. David Dockrill supplied me some material on TC Hammond’s engagement with Professor John Anderson of Sydney University. Emeritus Professor Brian Fletcher did me the favour of recommending the History faculty at the University of New South Wales. Professor John Gascoigne has been an unfailing help and encourager, who insisted on my finding an overall structure for writing up this research, and patiently pointed to what needed to be done. Geoff Treloar also gave encouraging guidance and invaluable insights as a co-supervisor and, before I had even thought of enrolling, lent me his expertise in the field for my visit to the libraries in England and Ireland. Dr Bruce Winter and his wife Lyn at Tyndale House, and Dr David L Baker and Elizabeth, kindly allowed us the use of their residences during our research in Cambridge, and extended warm hospitality, as did Stuart and Mee Judge in Oxford. At the Irish Church Missions office in Dublin, the superintendent, the Revd Eddie Coulter, was much help in tracing source material on Hammond. Also in Ireland, the Revd Warren Nelson supplied a copy of some unpublished iv material to do with Hammond’s first major book, and (with his wife) gave warm hospitality to my wife Diana and me in their home. Librarians have been unfailingly helpful. They include, in Australia, the librarians of Moore Theological College Library, especially Kim Robinson with his knowledge of the Library’s archival resources; also the librarians of the Leeper Library, Trinity College in the University of Melbourne. In England, I received help from the staff of the University of Cambridge library and the library of the Wren Library of Trinity College, Cambidge, in the Bodleian and Radford libraries at the University of Oxford; in Ireland, the staff of the Manuscript Department of the library of Trinity College Dublin, of the Church Representative Body Library and of the Catholic Library, Dublin, have all helped willingly. Bill Breeze of the College’s IT department has been of great help in keeping the technological side of writing going smoothly. Especially must I thank my wife, Diana, for her diligent help in the search for material in the British and Irish libraries and in the Moore College Library microform material, and for proof-reading the final drafts. Her encouragement and patience has been unfailing. v The research could hardly have been done without the support of Dr Peter Jensen, when still principal of Moore College. He made me a visiting fellow of the College, which entailed full faculty library privileges and, initially, financial help. The College continued to set aside payments while I was for nine months earning as acting dean at St Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney. This money funded my visit to libraries in England (London, Cambridge, Oxford and Birmingham) and Ireland (Dublin). That research had been done before I decided to enroll in the PhD programme of the University of New South Wales. I have enjoyed encouragement and indications of interest from many. They have included Stuart Piggin, who invited me to attend his post-graduate seminars at Macquarie University, and to the Evangelical History Association for affording me the opening to present papers at their conferences, and to Geoff Treloar again, for the opportunity to publish a paper in Lucas. Fellow post-graduate history students of the Intellectual History group brought together by Uraiwan Keodora have provided stimulus and offered comments on material I have written on the subject of the thesis. Most recently I am grateful to Miss Heather McLeod, who in her retirement kindly agreed to vi take on the onerous task of typing up the Bibliography, by searching through all the footnote references. vii ABBREVIATIONS ACR Australian Church Record ACQR Australian/Australasian Church Quarterly Review ACL Anglican Church League ADEB Australian Dictionary of Evangelical Biography AEGM Anglican Evangelical Group Movement AV Authorised Version of the Bible BDE Biographical Dictionary of Evangelicals DNB Dictionary of National Biography DSCHT Dictionary of Scottish Church History and Theology EQ Evangelical Quarterly FEC Fellowship of Evangelical Churchmen ICM Society for Irish Church Missions ICQ Irish Church Quarterly IVF Inter-Varsity Fellowship MitchLib Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales NIDCC New International Dictionary of the Christian Church