The History of the Australian Church: Charles Strong’s Religious Activity and Aspirations

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Table of Contents

Article Information
Page Description
Titles of Sections and Their Brief Descriptions
Annotations with Justifications
Works Cited

Article Information

WikiID:

The Stub Title: The Australian Church

The Stub URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Church

Page Description

The Australian Church, which had existed for about seven decades, was founded in 1884 by Charles Strong, a minister with liberal views, whose ideas were considered heretic (“Australian Church (1884-1957)”). This social institution of Australia was ardently committed to social justice, which was particularly evident during its anti-draft campaigns during World War I. First of all, the article aims at covering Charles Strong’s religious activity and aspirations. Furthermore, the role of Bernard O’Dowd in the development of the Australian Church will be outlined. Finally, the Church’s anti-conscription ideas during the Great War will be highlighted. Although the Australian Church lasted for only seventy-three years, its impact on the country’s social and religious life should not be underestimated.

Titles of Sections and Their Brief Descriptions

Church in Australia at the turn of the century (Australia’s church life on the verge of the 19th and 20th centuries)
Charles Strong (the founder of the Australian Church)
Bernard O’Dowd (a famous poet and activist, one of the earliest members of the Australian Church)
The anti-conscription movement (a movement that stemmed from the Australian Church’s ideology)

Annotations with Justifications

Bongiorno, Frank. “Bernard O’Dowd’s Socialism.” Labour History, vol. 77, 1999, pp. 97-116.

The author discusses the establishment of Bernard O’Dowd as a radical intellectual. Rather than analyzing O’Dowd’s poetic legacy, Bongiorno focuses his academic research on the activist’s participation in the pre-Great War period. Specifically, the author draws attention to the topics of class, gender, race, and democracy in the works of those Australians who took part in the labor movement at its formative stage. Bongiorno notes that O’Dowd’s radicalism allowed the activist to proclaim his socialist, radical, and liberal ideas. All of these facts are important indications of O’Dowd’s predisposition of becoming a member of the Australian Church founded by Charles Strong. Bongiorno notes that O’Dowd was an atheist, but he never stopped believing “in the immortality of the soul” (101). The source is highly credible and authoritative since it was published in a scholarly journal specializing in Australian history and was authored by a renowned academic and historian. The article will be used to write section 3, focusing on O’Dowd’s participation in the Australian Church. Although the source’s primary focus is not O’Dowd’s religious activity, it will help point out that prominent contemporaries supported Charles Strong’s ideas.

O’Brien, Ann. “‘A Church Full of Men’: Masculinism and the Church in Australian History.” Australian Historical Studies, vol. 25, no. 100, 1993, pp. 437-457.

In the article, O’Brien focuses on the masculinism in Australia’s church at the end of the 19th – the beginning of the 20th century. The author notes that there existed uneasiness in the relationship of males to church during that period. Apart from that, O’Brien analyzes the requirements of the clergy that persisted in Australia at that time. Specifically, the author remarks that clergymen were contingent “for their salaries on the generosity of their congregations” (440). This information will be useful when explaining the possible reasons why Charles Strong was opposed to the rules by which the church was operated and expressed more liberal views on that issue.

The source is credible and authoritative since it is published in a highly-regarded academic journal highlighting various aspects of Australian history. The author is a Professor of History in the School of Humanities and Languages at the University of New South Wales, and she specializes in the culture and history of Australia. The article will be utilized to complete section 1 since it discusses church life in Australia on the verge of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Roe, Jill. “Challenge and Response: Religious Life in Melbourne, 1876-86.” Journal of Religious History, vol. 5, no. 2, 1968, pp. 149-166.

The source dwells on religious life in Melbourne at the end of the 19th century. This period is of special interest to the intended Wikipedia article since it marks the beginning of Charles Strong’s initiative of establishing the Australian Church. Roe mentions that religion was the second most popular topic of discussion among people in Australia at that time. Roe notes that Strong was a “controversial” minister with “liberal” views on theology (152). The scholar also analyzes how Strong’s oppositional views led to his expulsion from the Victorian Presbyterian Church.

This article is highly credible and authoritative since it was authored by a prominent Australian academic and historian. Jill Roe was a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and was awarded the Order of Australia as a recognition of her meritorious service. The journal in which the article was published has been issued for over six decades, which signifies its reliability. The source will contribute to section 2, which is going to be the main and the longest part of the article. This section concentrates on the personality of Charles Strong, the founder of the Australian Church.

Saunders, Malcolm. “An Australian Pacifist: The Reverend Dr. Charles Strong, 1844-1942.” Biography, vol. 18, no. 3, 1995, pp. 241-253.

The article is a valuable source for finding out about Charles Strong’s first steps as a “leading pioneer” of the Australian peace movement (Saunders 241). The author describes the reasons for forming a new church in Australia and discusses the first congregation of Strong’s church. Further, the source dwells on the pacifist views promoted by Strong, especially on the verge of the Great War. Saunders also mentions the journal founded by Strong and the religious leader’s support of other pacifists, including William Jones, the English Quaker.

The source is highly credible and authoritative due to having been published in an international academic journal dedicated to the history, arts, social sciences, and other fields, as well as prominent people working in these spheres. The first issue of the journal was published in 1968, so it has a long and rich history. The author, Malcolm Saunders, is a renowned Australian historian and author who has published a great number of articles on the history of Australia. Saunders’s article will be useful when completing sections 2 and 4 of the Wikipedia article. The author discusses the personality of Charles Strong, as well as mentions the connection between the Australian Church and the anti-conscription movement.

Wade, Chris. “Practical Idealists: The Free Religious Fellowship, the Great War and Conscription.” The La Trobe, vol. 99, 2017, pp. 95-107.

The source focuses on the activity of the Free Religious Fellowship, which was founded in Australia in 1911. The author notes that the Fellowship expressed opposition toward the Great War and supported the anti-draft movement, arguing that the government could not send people to war without their wish or decision. The author remarks that the number of free religious or social groups in Australia at the beginning of the 20th century was rather limited. Charles Strong’s Australian Church is mentioned as an example of one of such rare communities. In his article, Wade describes the anti-conscription ideas of the Free Religious Fellowship. The source is authoritative and credible because it is published in The La Trobe Journal, which has been active since 1968 and is known for featuring research studies of prominent Australian scholars. The article will be used to complete section 4, which concentrates on the anti-conscription movement, which stemmed from the Australian Church’s ideology.

Works Cited

“Australian Church (1884-1957).”Reason in Revolt, 2005, Web.

Bongiorno, Frank. “Bernard O’Dowd’s Socialism.” Labour History, vol. 77, 1999, pp. 97-116.

O’Brien, Ann. “‘A Church Full of Men’: Masculinism and the Church in Australian History.” Australian Historical Studies, vol. 25, no. 100, 1993, pp. 437-457.

Roe, Jill. “Challenge and Response: Religious Life in Melbourne, 1876-86.” Journal of Religious History, vol. 5, no. 2, 1968, pp. 149-166.

Saunders, Malcolm. “An Australian Pacifist: The Reverend Dr. Charles Strong, 1844-1942.” Biography, vol. 18, no. 3, 1995, pp. 241-253.

Wade, Chris. “Practical Idealists: The Free Religious Fellowship, the Great War and Conscription.” The La Trobe, vol. 99, 2017, pp. 95-107.