Challenge of being an early Western Australian bishop

“On the other side of the continent in Western Australia, Bishop Riley difficult struggles, because of the huge distances he had to travel, sometimes on foot, more often on horseback or camel, and rarely in the comfort of a ship, let alone a coach, or train, when roads and bridges were so rare.

“RILEY WAS ONCE LOST FOR FOUR DAYS [my caps]. Entrepreneurialism and public relations skills, which few English bishops needed to acquire, were essential to survival in the colonies.”

Ian Breward, A History of the Churches in Australasia

The importance of succession of a duty of leaders

One of the three duties of kingship that Thomas Aquinas talks about, alongside ‘restraint of evil’ and ‘protection from attack’ is ‘succession’. Interesting to contemplate the duty of succession as a very important one when thinking about church leadership.
Just as moral dissolution or an invading an army are threats. So also the mortality of the leadership and the potential for incompetent successors are also big risks.

Second experience of the Spirit was a mainstream view in early 20th century Australian evangelicalism

I have been getting a read on just how much the theology of a ‘second experience of the Spirit for empowered service’ was tolerated or agreed upon by evangelicals at the turn of the 20th century.

Although both JC Ryle’s ‘Holiness’ and BB Warfield’s ‘Studies in Perfectionism’ had Keswick in their sights,  it appears to been a big part in mainstream evangelical life, at least in Australia, at the turn of the 20th century.

The father of compromise

“Vanity, with an eye toward history, is the father of compromise”. Speaking of how Newt Gringrich’s concern for his historical legacy, as Speaker of the House, motivated him to make deals with Bill Clinton in the attempt to do Great Things. Quoted in this West Wing Weekly podcast episode.

 

‘Compromise’, in this context, seen as a good thing: principled compromise.

Late 19th century ministry Fundraising

Intriguing little factoid on late 19th century ministry fundraising:

“In Christchurch, the congregation of St Andrew’s wrote home for a clever minister who was not only a good preacher… but capable of ‘giving an occasional week evening lecture on Astronomy, Geology, Natural History or other subjects of popular and instructive interest.’ Such lectures were very popular & often an important source of fundraising.”

Breward, History of the Churches in Australasia

Unfair characteristics of Calvinism

When I hear critical characterisations of ‘Calvinism’ or ‘evangelicalism’ or ‘complementarianism’ or even ‘Christianity’… Sometimes the criticisms are clumsy, ignorant, unfair or paranoid.

Sometimes they’re just critical. They might understand these well but and just disagree with me about their nature and value. It’d be fragile of me to dismiss these second type by lumping them in with the first.

I think the same dynamic is at work with criticisms of more ‘left’ ideologies like ‘Critical Theory’, ‘Cultural Marxism’ or whatever. Some criticisms are indeed educated and fair. They just might be less sympathetic than the champions of these sensibilities/outlooks are.

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