Table of Contents

Chapter 1 – The Australian Church

The Australian Church
A ‘Godless Nation’?
Church and society
A unique church
Jesus the foundation
Church history: A multicultural journey
‘The Church?’
The state Church
The English Church

We have an astonishing number of different churches in Australia, including Catholic, Anglican, Uniting, Baptist, Seventh Day Adventist, Brethren, Orthodox, Coptic and Christian Revival Crusade churches. They all represent distinct religious communities. Each one has its own set of doctrines and style of worship. Each one has its own administration and program of social welfare. Some cling to a distinct language or nationality (like Greek Orthodox or Spanish Baptist churches).

Even with so much diversity, we can speak of ‘the Australian Church’, meaning the entire body of Christians in this country. Australian Christians are unified in their beliefs about Jesus as Son of God, the Saviour of the human race and the Head of the Church. These beliefs not only unify Christians in this country, but Christians throughout the world.

Yet we also speak of ‘the Australian Church’, to distinguish Christians in Australia from those of the wider Church body. There are many factors that make the Australian Church experience unique. In only two centuries, this ‘remote’ Church has developed an amazing amount of multicultural diversity. It also has a significant impact on the greater Australian society, especially in the area of social welfare.

A ‘Godless Nation’?
‘Church is no big deal for us. We only attend services at Christmas and Easter.’

‘Christianity has no more influence than any other religion. It’s just one out of many in multicultural Australia.’

‘The Church is out of touch with modern society. No wonder people are dropping out.’

‘There’s no such thing as the Australian Church. It’s really a bunch of individual denominations, and they’re always squabbling over different doctrines.’

Australia has often been described as a secular nation, one without a strict religious influence. As a rule, Australians are not overawed by the Church, even if they belong to it. Many of us are just as willing to joke about religion as we are about politics. Books written for the Australian Church sometimes have ‘irreverent’ titles such as The Sunburnt Soul or The Day the Grog Ran Out. One book title poses a blunt question: Australia – ‘The Most Godless Place Under Heaven’?

Even so, it is incorrect to say that Christianity is ‘just another religion’ in Australia. The Church has exerted an amazingly significant influence during the short span of European settlement, more so than any other organised religion. Christianity is still the largest religion in Australia, with more than 12 million followers. Christianity also reflects the multicultural nature of Australia, with denominations from all over the world, and their services in a great diversity of languages, from German, Spanish and Greek to Arabic, Coptic and Chinese.

Church and society.
Christianity is a faith that affects our life and relationship to others, including the greater Australian society. This does not mean that Christians are just out ‘to win souls’. Church-run charity organisations, like St Vincent de Paul, the Brotherhood of St Laurence and the Wayside Chapel, exist to help any member of society, not only Christians. Some Church influences are so common that we take them for granted. For example, many of our holidays originate from Church tradition (the word ‘holiday’ even means ‘holy day’). The majority of Australians - including atheists - join in with these annual holiday festivities, especially at Christmas. A similar attitude applies to Sunday as a Sabbath day. True, most Australians do not go to church on a Sunday, but few want to give it up as their ‘day of rest’. Imagine the uproar throughout Australia if Christian holidays and Sabbath days were suddenly banned!

Christianity affects the way we speak. The expressions ‘God Save the Queen’, ‘godspeed’ or ‘godforsaken’ are not as common as they were half a century ago, but they still can be heard. For years it was customary to refer to a person’s first name (Cathy, Michael, Jane, etc.) as a Christian name – regardless of that person’s religion. Today Christianity has a notable presence in our slang, as in ‘bible-basher’, ‘Jesus Freak’ and ‘Godzone’. Words are frequently borrowed from the Church, creating familiar expressions like ‘baptism of fire’, ‘worship of money’ or ‘unholy trinity’. Even swearing can follow a ‘Christian’ pattern, with profane expressions incorporating ‘God’ or ‘Jesus’.

Reread the opening comments on page 2. Which comments do you agree with? Disagree with? Do any of these comments apply to your own church community? Why or why not?
What are some of the ways your church or denomination has impacted on society? How has it affected your personal life?

A unique church
It is impossible to stereotype the nature of Christianity in Australia. Some denominations have clung to ancient traditions, while others have ‘moved with the times’, embracing more contemporary styles of worship and prayer. Of course, the Church has had its share of bigotry and intolerance in our history – even against other Christians – but just as often Church leaders have joined the front ranks of those crying out for justice in our nation, over issues of employment, education and social welfare.

Several factors combine to make the Australian Church experience unique. One of these factors is the ‘non-religious’ setting of this Church. It almost seems puzzling how our country, with such a large Christian majority, could be so thoroughly secular in its laws and traditions. This situation is not necessarily brought about by laziness on the part of Australian Christians; it is more a reflection of our democratic way of life and respect for religious freedom. Few members of the Australian Church would try to force people of other faiths to adopt Christian beliefs. Most of us are quick to acknowledge the legal equality of all religions.

Denominational harmony
The same principle of tolerance applies to the many different Christian denominations – just look at the number of churches there are and the size of their congregations. The Catholic and Anglican churches are by far the largest Christian bodies in Australia, with their combined numbers adding up to around half the country’s population. Yet Catholics and Anglicans typically have no higher ranking than members of much smaller denominations, like the Seventh Day Adventists or the Church of the Nazarene. Nor do we have neighbourhoods or ghettos that are occupied exclusively by members of one denomination (or where members of all others are banned). There is a strong spirit of dialogue between the members of different denominations. We do not have the kind of religious hostility seen recently in places like Northern Ireland, the Balkans or the Middle East. Most Australians do not allow denominational differences to break up their families or stop them from making friends. And it is not unusual for someone to switch his or her denomination (sometimes for rather casual reasons like ‘the Uniting Church is closer to home’ or ‘all my friends now worship at the Assembly of God’).

Constant challenge
Australia’s modern Church does not foster a spirit of blind faith or unquestioning obedience. Christians are normally allowed to ask questions about our faith, even touchy questions like ‘how do we know that God exists?’ or ‘are all the stories in the Bible true?’ Of course, certain questions lead to heated debates, sometimes challenging church authority (such as the debate over birth control in the Roman Catholic Church). Some debates have led to change within a denomination, while others remain in dispute.

In some countries, women are forced to take a secondary role in their religion. This has also been the case in some Australian Christian denominations, but not as a rule. Australian women often take prominent positions in the Church – as lay leaders, ministers, priests, writers, theologians and teachers – and have done so since the first century of European settlement.

There is also a significant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander element in the Australian Church. During the 1700s, these people were considered an inferior, ‘unredeemable’ race. Today indigenous Christians provide a dimension in the Church that is unlike any other in the world. In addition, there is the multicultural element from the waves of immigration over the last fifty years. More than anything else, the Australian Church is one of increasing diversity.

Jesus the foundation
The Australian Church is founded on Jesus Christ. Jesus is the central focus of the Church’s sacraments, prayers, hymns and teachings. To Christians, Jesus is more than a great prophet – he is both human and divine, the living Son of God. This principle has guided the Church throughout history, despite other points of disagreement.

Jesus was born about 2000 years ago, and grew up in the Jewish community of Galilee. He followed a long line of Jewish prophets, including Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel. Yet Jesus was profoundly different from the other prophets. He performed many miracles, such as walking on water or healing the sick. He preached with simple stories known as parables and he asked questions that confounded the religious authorities. Most significantly, Jesus claimed that God was his father. The religious leaders considered his ideas blasphemous, and plotted to have Jesus killed. This led to his agonising death by crucifixion. However, this was not the end of Jesus. His death, according to Christian belief, was necessary to pay the price for human sin. Three days after dying on the cross, Jesus rose from the dead and commanded his followers to ‘go and make disciples’. This small band of followers became the early Christian Church.

Church functions
The Church has always provided the same basic functions, even from its earliest days. These functions are based upon the teachings of Jesus. The Church looks after the spiritual needs of the community, including worship, prayer and counselling. It also has an important role in social welfare, offering food or medical care to the needy (the Church often has its own schools, hospitals, charity programs and thrift shops). Another important function is evangelism and missionary work. This means sending Church representatives to local, national and international communities to teach about Jesus and invite others to follow him. Evangelism and missionary work have enabled the Church to expand into a worldwide body of believers.

What’s the difference?
Christianity distinguishes itself from other faiths by the way its members recognise Jesus. To most religions, Jesus was just another prophet, dead and buried. Only Christianity recognises Jesus as being alive today, as the risen Son of God. To Christians, Jesus is the essential reason for human existence – the way, the truth and the light.

Church history: A multicultural journey
Looking at the past, it is remarkable that Christianity has reached Australia at all. In order to do this, the Church had to expand from a tiny band of Jews to the world’s largest religion, with around 1 000 000 000 followers. (Today Christianity is the world’s largest religion.) It also had to survive through two thousand years of world history, a time full of persecutions, conquests, heresies and schisms. Many religions died out during this time, but not Christianity. The Church translated its literature into hundreds of languages and adapted its ways into as many cultures, from indigenous communities to highly developed nations. Missionaries took Christianity across the world, first from the Holy Land to other parts of Asia and Africa, then to western Europe, and finally across the seas to the Americas and the South Pacific. Australia was one of the last countries in the world to be settled by Christians.

Christian settlement in Australia has never been static; it has always changed with the times. For example, in the late 1700s, Christian settlement was dominated by English Anglicans. By the 1800s, Irish Catholics and a number of Anglo-Celtic Protestant groups also became abundant. In the mid to late 1900s large numbers of southern Europeans began to emigrate to Australia, such as members of the Orthodox Church from Greece and members of the Roman Catholic Church from Italy, Malta and Croatia. In our multicultural society today, Christianity has become a microcosm of the Church’s international character. It is not unusual to find Christian groups in Australia representing any denomination, culture, language or nationality – in a wide variety of combinations. Some are listed below:

Use a phone book or street directory to look up the different denominations in your area. Which denominations are the most typical? Which are more unusual? Which denominations appear to be the most multicultural? Which location has the greatest variety in denominations? Which has the least?

Catholic and Protestant
We often speak of the Church as being divided into ‘Catholic’ and ‘Protestant’ bodies. Both these bodies play key roles in the Australian Church, and have done so since the beginning of European settlement. Since the time of the Reformation (the 1500s) there has been a great deal of hostility between these two divisions - including open warfare. Australian history includes some hostility between Catholic and Protestant, although their relationship has improved greatly over the last century. Today the relationship is friendly.

Catholic
The word ‘Catholic’ means ‘universal’. The Roman Catholic Church is one of the oldest denominations (Catholics believe it was established during the time of Christ, with the apostle Peter as its first pope). Today it is the world’s largest Christian body, with 585 million members. As its name suggests, this church conducts its main affairs from its Vatican headquarters in Rome. Roman Catholicism is based on the Bible and on the traditional laws and teachings this denomination has developed over the centuries. Other denominations, like the Armenian and Maronite churches, are also considered Catholic, although their style of worship is different from that of Roman Catholics.

Protestant
‘Protestant’ comes from the word ‘protest’. Protestant churches are denominations that have broken away from Roman Catholic tradition. The first Protestant denominations were established during the 1500s, but many others have formed since that time. Typical Protestant denominations in Australia include Lutherans, Churches of Christ, Baptists and the Salvation Army. The Anglican Church is also considered to be a Protestant denomination. Protestants usually put more value on the teachings of the Bible than on church tradition. There is no centralised Protestant administration in the style of the Vatican. Each separate denomination runs its own affairs on matters such as doctrine, membership and style of prayer or worship. Some Protestant denominations, like the Salvation Army, have their own centralised administration. Others, like the Baptists, allow each individual congregation to operate independently.

Other groups
It is important to remember that the terms ‘Catholic’ and ‘Protestant’ do not include all Christian denominations. For example, the Eastern Orthodox Church is neither Catholic nor Protestant. Sometimes the Anglican Church is also listed separately from these two divisions. Although the Orthodox and Anglican denominations broke away from the Roman Catholic Church long ago, they both retain many similar traditions, such as the central role of priests and the formal style of worship and prayer.

‘The Church?’
Considering such great variety within Christianity, any concept of ‘the Church’ can be somewhat misleading. It is wrong to suggest that Christians share absolute unity over all matters. Just as cultures and nations differ from each other, the many Church denominations often differ with each other – especially over issues such as baptism, holy communion, days of worship and the interpretation of scripture. Even within a single denomination, there can still be profound differences between individual members, such as between those who are ‘born again’, ‘charismatic’, ‘liberal’ or ‘fundamentalist’. Yet Christians often point out that these differences show diversity within the Church more than true division. There is a great movement within the modern Church to emphasise points of agreement – rather than points of difference – between Christians.

One in Christ
The Bible commands Christians to emphasise our oneness, not our differences.
‘. . . and you are, all of you, sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ. All baptised in Christ, you have all clothed yourself in Christ, and there are no more distinctions between Jew and Greek, slave and free, male and female, but all of you are one in Christ Jesus.’
Galatians 3:26-28 The Jerusalem Bible

Fundamental beliefs
Throughout the Church’s long history, its members have shared the same fundamental beliefs:
• Christians are followers of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Jesus died and rose from the dead, to provide salvation (forgiveness of sins and a right relationship with God) for the entire human race. Compare with religions like Islam and Buddhism, where the founding prophets lived and died as mortals.

• Christians recognise the importance of the Bible and its teachings, including the Old and New Testaments. Although the Bible was originally written in ancient Hebrew and Greek, it can be translated into any language. Compare with the Jewish Torah or the Muslim Koran, where Hebrew or Arabic is still the preferred language.

• the Christian gospel (good news) of Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection should be shared with other people. Compare with Judaism and Hinduism, where there is no attempt to convert people belonging to other religions.

• Christianity is a religion that anyone can embrace, regardless of race, gender, nation, culture, age or career status. Compare with Judaism and Hinduism, where it is difficult to become a member unless a person is born into the religion.

• Christian social organisation is based around a local church (also known as a parish, congregation or corps). This means that a church is not just a building for worship but a community of believers and all their activities. Compare with the roles of a Hindu or Buddhist temple.

Discuss the important beliefs according to your particular denomination. Would you modify or add to any of the beliefs listed above? Can you think of a few differences between your denomination and some of the others? Is your denomination accepting of a wide range of beliefs or does it draw a firm line as to ‘true’ and ‘false’ beliefs? Do you personally agree? What beliefs could you accept that are different from your own? Where would you draw the line?

The state church
In modern Australia, we are accustomed to the idea of religious tolerance. This means that we respect the rights of others to have their own religion, whether we accept their beliefs or not. Religious tolerance not only applies to Christian denominations, but to those that are non-Christian, such as Judaism, Islam and Buddhism.

Less than three centuries ago, religious tolerance was not widely accepted throughout the world. Each Christian nation usually supported only one particular denomination, such as the Catholic Church in Italy and Spain or the Orthodox Church in Greece and Russia. This denomination, favoured by the majority of the people and supported by the government, was known as the state religion or state church. Some Christian countries still have a state church, but such institutions are no longer as powerful as they used to be. Early state churches often had control over a nation’s government, and could influence its laws. Few people believed in the separation of church and state. Instead they insisted that their religious principles were the essential foundation of a just and righteous government.

‘Enemies of the State’
Not only did government leaders believe that they should run their country according to the laws of their state church, they believed they should limit the spread of other denominations – then regarded as dangerous and heretical. Governments passed laws that persecuted those who did not belong to the state church, preventing them from owning property or holding jobs. Harsher laws had these people tortured or burned at the stake. Instead of protesting, religious leaders often agreed with such measures. They believed that anyone outside the state church should be considered an enemy, and the state was justified in getting rid of its enemies.

Around the 1700s and 1800s, democratic governments around the world began to adopt the principles of religious tolerance. State churches began to lose their absolute control over governments. Old laws that forced citizens to belong to a state church began to break down. These events greatly influenced Australian Church history. By the time Europeans began to settle in Australia, denominational persecution was already on the decline, paving the way for our modern freedom of religion. But this did not happen overnight. A significant level of conflict still plagued the Australian Church, right from the beginning of settlement.

The English Church
England during the 1700s was an example of a European country with a state church and religious laws. Most of the first Christians to settle in Australia came from England, and thus were influenced by the English Church. From this church - and its relationship with other churches of the British Isles - Australia inherited its first religious conflicts.

An important denomination in the British Isles during the 1700s was the Church of England, and its members were called Anglicans (this denomination is also called the Anglican Church). The Church of England had separated from the Roman Catholic Church in 1534, and was considered Protestant. Nevertheless, it retained the priesthood and a Catholic style of worship. The Church of England became the country’s state church and it enjoyed a higher status than any other religion in the country. The church also enjoyed a higher status in areas of the British Isles that were controlled by the English Government, like Ireland (even though the majority of the Irish population was Catholic). In addition, many assumed that the Church of England would become the state church of Australia, since the new colony was controlled by the English Government.

Non-Anglicans
The laws of England repressed non-Anglicans before the 1800s, especially Catholics. Non-Anglicans were often barred from taking certain jobs and sometimes were not even allowed to worship in their churches. By the time of Australian settlement, however, this repression was already breaking down. As early as 1689, the English Government granted freedom of worship to certain other Protestant denominations, including Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Baptists and Quakers. Unlike Anglicans, these groups did not have a priesthood or an elaborate form of worship. English Christians belonging to these groups were collectively known as ‘dissenters’ or ‘nonconformists’, since they did not follow – or conform to – the Anglican majority.

The English Government tolerated nonconformists, because they were Protestant. But it did not show the same level of tolerance for Catholics. Catholics were considered the arch-enemy of all Protestant denominations, including the Church of England. After being involved in several wars against Catholic armies, the English Government still regarded Catholicism as a threat to its security. As a result, Catholics all over the British Isles suffered great repression during the 1700s. They were not allowed to enter universities or hold public office. They were not guaranteed freedom of worship till 1791. The ill-feeling between Catholics, Anglicans and the other Protestant groups continued to divide the Church, even in Australia, an island continent that lay thousands of kilometres from the British Isles.

Contents
Chapter 1 The Australian Church
A ‘Godless Nation’? 2
Church and society 2
A unique church 4
Jesus the foundation 6
Church history: A multicultural journey 8
‘The Church?’ 11
The state Church 13
The English Church 15
Chapter 2 Australia’s first churches 17
Pre-Christian Australia 18
The Church comes to Australia 20
Richard Johnson (1753-1827) 22
Convicts and clergy 24
Samuel Marsden (1765-1838) 25
Catholic convicts 27
Catholic priests 28
The Irish rebellion 29
The Church and Aboriginal people 30
First missionaries 32
Chapter 3 The Church expands (early to mid-1800s) 35
Catholic revival 36
Growth of nonconformists 39
A radical Presbyterian 41
Anglican leadership 43
Finance and education 45
A non-Christian lifestyle 47
Moral leadership 48
Chapter 4 The Church in the early Colonies 50
Settlement patterns in the Colonies 51
The end of transportation 59
Caroline Chisholm (1808-1877) 60
New denominations 62
Chapter 5 Boom to bust 65
Gold rushes and the Church 66
Other cultures 67
Church school funding 69
Cardinal Moran (1830-1911) 72
The 1890s depression 73
Peak of the temperance movement 76
‘A Christian people’ 79
Chapter 6 Slow to change 82
Women in the Church 83
Radical groups 86
Catholic religious orders 87
Bush ministries 92
Renewed work with Aboriginal people 94
Sectarianism 99
Chapter 7 World events and the twentieth century 102
Federation 103
Denominational union 104
World War I 106
Daniel Mannix (1864-1963) 109
The Depression 110
World War II 113
Women in the workforce 114
Communism 115
The Vietnam War 118
Chapter 8 Diversity in worship 120
Increased immigration 121
Orthodoxy 126
Protestants and migrants 128
Pentecostals 128
Jehovah’s Witnesses and other groups 130
Judaism and other non-Christian religions 132
Chapter 9 Changing trends 138
Before the changes 139
Catholics of the 1950s 140
Vatican II 143
Churches in turmoil 147
The Uniting Church 153
Chapter 10 The modern Church 155
An Australian identity 156
Indigenous participation 158
Widening roles for women 161
Multicultural issues 163
Human reproduction and bioethics 164
The rise of secularism 165
Where are we headed? 168
Endnotes 171
Appendix 1 Time Line 173
Appendix 2 Statistics 178
Further reading 180
Index 181