Discerning that there could be value in graphing the history of modern Evangelical Christianity, I set to work.

The graph

Below is what I came up with. I present it here for two reasons:

1) I feel that it has some educational value for those who are interested in learning in this area.

2) I would like feedback on it.

You can enlarge it by clicking on the image and then clicking it again.

Areas of interest

What I find particularly interesting is trying to tie the events of the last decade into the picture of the 20th century. Have I given a fair picture of the composition of the “emerging middle”?

I’m also particularly interested in feedback on whether I’ve been fair and accurate in my approach to Cultural Fundamentalism.

Yet another question is whether I’ve been fair in my definition of Evangelicalism (as represented in the large blue shaded area).

Feedback

I’m aware of the dangers of trying to encapsulate more than a century of Evangelical history into a single graph. Doing so involves the collation of thousands of variables and historical events using broad simplifications and interpretations.

That’s why I would appreciate feedback on this. Please point out any errors of fact or ways in which you feel the ideas could be more effectively charted.

Grace to you.

I would like to discuss church history within the context of the independent church movement from a historian’s perspective.

Independent churches (by nature of their definition) are not connected to formal denominations.  What this means is that the pastoral emphasis is usually on historical personalities or thematic developments correlated to the Bible.  Without association, independent churches are free from denominational positions and historical skeletons in the closet.  The large Evangelical churches on the NSW Central Coast are a good example of independent churches birthed in an Anglican context.

These significant benefits are not without problems.  Firstly, the lack of a denominational context can lead to a detached attitude to the greater work of God throughout the ages.  I recently attended the ordination of a minister into the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland.  The order of service grew out of processes established by John Knox in the Scottish Reformation!  I find that fascinating.  From a historian’s perspective, an even greater problem is that there is no coordinated attempt to record and collate primary sources in the independent church movement in Australia.  There is no Moore College Library for independent churches.  My skeptical readers could immediately come up with five reasons why this could never happen.  Here are some reasons I thought of: 1) who would invest the time? (Passionate conversation preserves primary sources), 2) how could we ever agree on anything, and 3) even if all the data was collected – who would do the writing?

Perhaps step one could be creating a central digital repository of primary sources specific to each independent church in Australia.  Records, events, meetings, and oral history are the building blocks for future work on the independent church movement.  The repository could use a wiki-engine with tagging to make content accessible to curious historians.  I think this is worth further discussion as a positive step towards building up historical data.  Australian denominations could take part in the same repository with similar goals.   Your thoughts?

~ Jeremy

I once read a survey which listed top books recommended by evangelical leaders.  It was fascinating to discover which books had influenced the minds of great pastors and leaders.  Theological titles comprised most of the list, while some were biographical or fictional.

Have you ever considered what books have impacted you?

I browsed the bookshelves (using Delicious Library!) and recalled some titles here.  I haven’t included older works or fiction.

Teaching To Change Lives (Howard Hendricks): when I was a teen, this simple book helped me understand some basic teaching principles.  Hendricks’ conversational style is also engaging and easy to read.  If you are a beginning teacher or looking to refresh your teaching, there is helpful advice here.

Mere Christianity & Chronicles of Narnia (CS Lewis): Mere Christianity is Lewis’ classic apologetic work,  originally written as a series of English radio broadcasts during World War II.  As a former atheist and sympathetic toward Roman Catholicism, Lewis often demonstrated faulty views, such as his understanding of Christ’s atonement, justification, and his claim that God is able to save “those who have not explicitly accepted him in this life.”  These unorthodox views are also reflected in his children’s series The Chronicles of Narnia.  Despite his errors, Lewis also possessed a great ability to lucidly explain and describe truth in ways which speak powerfully both to children and adults, Christians and non-Christians.

Changed Into His Image (Jim Berg): one of the best discipleship tools you can use, for your own personal growth or for helping others.  With practical language and analogies, Berg clearly lays out the biblical way for making progress as a Christian.  Buy this book for yourself.

Decision Making and the Will of God (Gary Friessen): how can I know God’s will for my life decisions?  Well-meaning Christians have struggled with this question by looking to their circumstances or “inner peace” or “the Lord’s voice” in order to follow God’s blueprint for their lives.  Gary Friessen wrote this detailed, extensive work to critique problems with this approach, and he proposed a more accurate alternative which combines God’s moral will (revealed in the Bible), God’s sovereign will, and wisdom.  (read a great review here)  The book is long but it’s worth wrestling through the main concepts.

The Deliberate Church (Mark Dever): before Rouse Hill Bible Church was planted, I found that this book described the kind of church we want to see established: a church that lives on the Gospel.  The Deliberate Church is a handbook for churches, focusing on the biblical approach to church growth rather than using marketing, programs or business strategies.  Recommended for church leaders.

Australian Christian Life from 1788: An Introduction (Iain Murray): as the snooty food critic says in Ratatouille, “You know what I’m craving?  A little perspective.”  Church history gives a sense of perspective, showing God’s work in past generations and confirming His faithfulness to His church.  These stories of past Christians remind us that God has already been at work here, across Australia!  Convicting and inspirational.

Read any good books lately? (theological or not)  Share it with us…

Based on a 2006 federal survey of 10,000 Year 10 students and 10,000 Year 6 students, more than three-quarters of Australian teens did not know that Australia Day commemorates the First Fleet’s arrival and British settlement.  (but YOU knew that, right?)

If you have only a basic or faded knowledge of Australia’s past, but would like to learn more — you would benefit from reading this book.  Here’s a review:

Australia : A New History of the Great Southern Land covers the main themes of discovery, colonisation, exploration, democratisation, and nationalism.  Frank Welsh describes the various discoveries of Australia’s coastline by European nations and the domestic influences in England which led to the transportation of convicts.  (Thomas Keneally provides more human detail and drama on the convicts and Sydney’s establishment in Commonwealth of Thieves)  The first colony’s initial struggles are presented with emphasis on interaction with the Aborigines, noting their mistreatment while also describing the concerns and efforts of various English leaders for their welfare.  

The colonies’ political development revealed the competing interests of the general populace, landowners, governors and the Colonial Office in London.  Gold attracted growth in the nineteenth century, while most newcomers integrated peacefully.  The development of colonies into responsible states is also interesting, including the settlement of “Van Dieman’s Land,” the Sydney-Melbourne rivalry and the slow progress of the frontier: Western Australia and the Northern Territory.  Perceived threats from European and Asian nations, combined with England’s declining governance, led to Federation.  The book notes that Australians established some political freedoms that were not yet available in England.  

Welsh’s awareness of historical context is valuable in critiquing the progress of Australian democracy and society.  In comparison to other former colonies such as India, New Zealand or South Africa, Australia has been hampered by political struggles yet blessed by abundant resources and peaceful development.  Problems were generally mild compared to conflicts in US history, such as the violent California gold rush and Civil War.  Welsh notes that while mistreatment of Aborigines was wrong and often denounced, it was also very difficult to effectively police the vast frontier regions.  (an ironic point, considering the current crisis in Aboriginal communities despite increased government funding)  

Australia’s participation in World War II and the subsequent Korean and Vietnam Wars indicated her dependence on the US.  Welsh is dismissive of the past communist threat to Australia and also points out the scant US support for Australia’s interests.  The prosperous era of Menzies and the controversial Whitlam government are well presented, including the challenges of dealing with Asian powers and the sacking of Whitlam by Governor General Kerr.  Welsh provides interesting descriptions of the Fraser and Hawke governments, also narrating the rise of Paul Keating and John Howard.  The last chapter, “The Coalition Strikes Back,” describes Howard’s eventual political dominance and the nation’s continued prosperity.

Welsh is sometimes witty and often opinionated.  His writing style is detailed and concise so that one must read carefully. Welsh’s background as an international businessman does not detract from his research, which is thorough and well-documented.  If you want to learn Australia’s key events and stories in a comprehensive manner and with a balanced perspective, I definitely recommend this book as a starting point.

Australia : A New History of the Great Southern Land.  Frank Welsh.  Woodstock: Overlook Press, 2004.  768 pages.

Revival in Australia, Part Four
By Jason Harris

This brief series on revival in Australia has not been an overview, but merely a few brief windows into the rich spiritual heritage of our nation. We could yet talk of the great evangelistic works of Lionel B. Fletcher and John G. Ridley, of Chapman and Alexander in 1912, of the great evangelistic work of Billy Graham in 1959 (his Melbourne campaign attendance of 130,000 still holds the record for the largest crowd ever at the MCG). But I trust we have already seen enough to widen our perspective and waken our hearts to the work that God can and will yet do in Australia.

There was a time in Australia, that when the evangelist came to town—even Sydney town—the civil leaders held ceremonies to welcome him. There was a time in Australia when the bars were closed after 6pm. There was a time in Australia when 89% of the population considered themselves “Christian.” And yes, there was a time in Australia when the Spirit of God moved so powerfully in our nation that souls were converted to Christ in amazing and dramatic ways. No, it wasn’t all fun and games. No, it wasn’t easy. And no, we were never a Christian nation. But God has worked here before and there is no reason why He cannot do it again.

We cannot with a good conscience bemoan the lack of revival in our nation if we are not willing to submit to God in our own hearts and lives, for what is revival if it is not God’s people coming to a place of great submission to a great Saviour.

Many hours have been spent arguing about whether revival is the work of God in response to man or the work of man in response to God. One thing is certain, God does not rely on you and I for anything. And yet, how dare we stand back and blame God for our state when we ourselves have not submitted to His clear instruction in our lives. We are responsible to submit. And that means preaching the gospel in our Jerusalem. Right here. Right now. Our country. Our Responsibility.

I dare you to go back to your own church and let God begin His work there. I dare you to believe that God can work in your town, in your church, in your life. Revival begins in the heart of a believer, it grows in the local church as the word is skilfully and powerfully proclaimed, and it overflows into the lives of everyone it comes in contact with. Perhaps there was a time in your past when you were in a state of revival. Do you remember the fellowship with God? The joy of spending time with Him and fellowshipping with His children? It’s time to join me in praying, “Do it again, Lord. Please. Do it again.”

The glowing evangelistic days of Torrey and Alexander’s Melbourne mission in 1902 were not one-off events. There were many campaigns held around the country. One of the most notable was held in 1909 when Charles Alexander returned to Australia, this time with J. Wilbur Chapman. Chapman was one of the most well known evangelists in America at this point. He is also notable for having been a significant influence in the early ministry of Billy Sunday (Billy Sunday and the Redemption of Urban America, 49ff). The Chapman-Alexander Campaign included a month each in Melbourne and Sydney, two weeks in Brisbane, and ten days in Adelaide, as well as shorter visits to Albury, Ballarat, Bendigo, Castlemaine, Moss Vale, and Townsville (A Romance of Soul Winning and Song, 152, 162).

Again in Melbourne, Alexander led his choir of over 1,200 voices. On the afternoon of his first choir rehearsal, the rain was pouring down in true Melbourne fashion. Three men sat questioning whether anyone would come to the practice through the pouring rain, when one of the men exclaimed “You chaps don’t know an Alexander crowd. They’ll come if they have to swim.” And come they did! (Romance, 155)

Once again, Melbourne’s Town Hall and Exhibition Building were packed out day after day as the gospel was preached with power and clarity. Chapman regularly preached to audiences

of over ten thousand people, and the only thing that kept the meetings from being larger is that there was no building in Melbourne capable of holding greater crowds and no speaker capable of speaking to them without amplification.

Again in Sydney, the Town Hall was not large enough to contain the crowds that came to hear the preaching. But once again God worked and many lives were changed and many souls were converted through the ministry of the word in Sydney. Though Chapman was the leading preacher, he brought with him a whole team of workers from Canada, Ireland, Scotland, England, and America. These, in conjunction with dozens of Australian pastors and evangelists, formed a team that preached and ministered systematically in a broad range of ways and places in each city where they ministered.

On the last Sunday of the Sydney Mission, the throngs were so great that the police, fearing accidents among the waiting thousands, ordered the doors to be opened at five o’clock. Word was sent to the hotel where Dr. Chapman and the Alexanders and others of the party were staying, to come at once to the Town Hall. They hurried over and began the meeting at half-past five. An hour later, by arrangement with the police outside, certain doors were opened for the attenders of the first meeting to pass out, while at the other end of the building the waiting crowds poured in to fill it once more for a second service. (Romance, 160)

The Chapman-Alexander campaign lasted for four months, as in each place where they went the believers were strengthened, the word was proclaimed, and sinners were convicted. As I study these missions and read the stories, I cannot help but pray “God, these people hungered for your word. Give us that same hunger. Do it again, Lord. Please. Do it again.”

It was in April of 1902 that R. A. Torrey, the well known Bible teacher and successor to D. L. Moody in Chicago, held his great Melbourne Mission. The churches of Melbourne had been a long time in preparing for the meetings. Their organisation was so strong and their preparation so thorough that every house in Melbourne had been visited twice! The city was divided into fifty sections, each division having it’s own meeting place set up with an Australian evangelist assigned to preach in that meeting. The main meetings downtown were held at first in the Melbourne Town Hall, but after a short time were moved to the great Exhibition Building which could seat 7,000 people.

The schedule was intense with up to four meetings a day being held at the main Exhibition Building throughout the campaign. Charles Alexander, who was personally selected by Dr. Torrey to organise the music for the campaign, led a choir of over 1,200 voices each evening. Alexander would sometimes arrive at the Exhibition Building two hours before the evening service only to find a large congregation waiting for him and eager to sing. He would immediately launch an impromptu song service which would continue until the service began two hours later. (A Romance of Song & Soul Winning, 53)

One man described what the Lord was doing in Melbourne. “Whole families were brought to Christ, as well as infidels, publicans, and actresses. … A policeman averred that since the mission opened in his district, he and his fellow constables had had practically nothing to do. Theatrical managers declared that if the mission continued they would have to close their establishments.” (Spirit of a Nation, 60)

As you might guess, such meetings were preceded by much prayer. Dr. Torrey described the prayer that led up to the meetings: “When Mr Alexander and I reached Australia we found that there was a group of about ten or twelve men who had been praying for years for a great revival in Australia. … We also found that a lady in Melbourne had read a book on Prayer and had been very deeply impressed by one short sentence in the book, ‘pray through,’ and that she had organised prayer-meetings all over the city before we reached the place; indeed, we found when we reached Melbourne that there were 1,700 neighbourhood prayer meetings being held every week in Melbourne.” (Spirit, 60-61)

God worked mightily in the city of Melbourne and by the time the great Melbourne Mission came to a close on 10 May, the weekly attendance was at a quarter of a million people. The population of the entire state of Victoria was only one million at this time. Dr. Torrey reported that 8,642 definite professions of faith had been made throughout the campaign (R. A. Torrey, Apostle of Certainty, 144).

There are those who suggest that it can’t happen in Australia. But it has happened in Australia. May we be stirred with that revival spirit that drives believers to submit wholly and passionately to the work of God in their lives so that God Himself will be lifted up once again in our nation. Do it again, Lord. Please. Do it again.

Revival in Australia, Part One
By Jason Harris

When I was in Bible college, I lived in a suburb of Wollongong nestled on the heights leading up to Mount Kembla. Every time I walked out the front door, there she was, that mountain peak just begging me to climb her. So one day I did. Well, almost. I didn’t really have time to do it just as a hike so I decided to combine it with my running routine. It didn’t take me long to find the small country lane that led up it’s slopes. On the mornings when I’d run, I could make it two-thirds of the way up the mountain in fifteen minutes, but then I’d have to turn around and head home in order to keep my routine to a half an hour. My goal was to get to where I could run all the way to the top and back in a half hour.

Kembla is a quiet mountain. There’s not much that happens up there on the South side of the mountain these days. There are a few homes close to the top, and if you go past those, you’ll come to some old shacks that have fallen to the decay of time. I’m told if you cross over to the back of the mountain, you can visit the town that used to be a thriving mining village. I’ve spoken to a man who used to work in the mines on Mt. Kembla. He told me of the “pit ponies” that would carry the carts in and out of the mines. Evidently Mt. Kembla was one of the last mines to switch over to modern mining techniques. The older miners who just didn’t want to learn the new equipment would be sent there to work using all the older mining methods.

Of course you’re probably wondering what in the world this has to do with revival in Australia. Well, I’ve been doing some reading lately on how the Lord has worked in Australia in the past. I would never have imagined it, but it seems Mt. Kembla was the scene of one of the revivals that God has sent here in Australia. In 1902 to 1903, Ebenezer Vickery, a Methodist from Sydney, financed and organised an evangelistic campaign in rural NSW. It is estimated that 25,000 people were converted during this campaign. The most profound results were seen in the coal mining villages of the Illawarra region with over 2,500 professing salvation in that area alone. And I’m told there were 131 professions of faith made in the little mining village on the side of Mt. Kembla. One person describes the results of the revival: “At Mt Kembla, the Workers’ Club, which was a drinking club, lost many of its members.” (Spirit of a Nation, 63) Pastor D. O’Donnell described four evidences that the conversions were genuine:

First, payment of debts. Tradesmen report the settlement of accounts they had long regarded as bad. Second, a pure language… It is said that in the Mount Keira pit an oath has scarcely been heard since the Mission. Third, a fair days work. The proprietor of one of the mines told me the biggest day’s output of coal they ever had, followed the Mission. Fourth, attendance at church. All the churches report greatly increased congregations and increase in membership. (Spirit, 64)

I would have never imagined as I jogged up that mountainside—praying often for God to work in our nation—that God had already done a reviving work in that very place one hundred years earlier.

When we think about revival in Australia, it seems there’s something inside that tells us it just can’t happen. At least not here. But it has happened and it has happened here! I’d like to do several posts on this topic. There are many revivals in Australian history and I think we would benefit from learning more about them. Perhaps the Lord will work in our hearts to pray that He will do it again. Yes Lord, do it again. Please. Do it again.

By Jason Harris

It has been said that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. Most Christians are familiar with the great British and American missionary martyrs of previous centuries, but perhaps less familiar are the martyrs of Australian missions. The first Australian missionaries to plant their blood in the seedbed of the mission field were two sisters, Topsy and Nellie Saunders, and another young lady, Annie Gordon.

It was 1895 and the anti-foreigner sentiment in China that would eventually break out in the Boxer Rebellion was gathering momentum. On 1 August of that year, the “Vegetarian” rebels carried out an attack on a mission station where the Saunders sisters and Miss Gordon were working (Welch, Missionaries, Murder and Diplomacy in Late 19th Century China: A Case Study, 16).

Nellie and Topsy were woken by three men with trident spears who tipped their beds over and dragged them out. Nellie was stabbed immediately and collapsed at the door. Topsy was marched outside and surrounded by several more men. “Walk! Walk!” they shouted at her, “tell us where you have hidden gold!” “We have no gold,” she replied: “there is money in the bedroom. Go and take it.” Angry, one of the braves dug a spear into her. (Gittings, link)

Eleven missionaries were martyred that day. Among them, the three Australian missionaries.

The next Australian martyrdom occurred three years later. Tensions continued to mount in China as the anti-foreigner sentiment, which would culminate in the Boxer Rebellion just two years later, continued to simmer. In November of 1898, missionary William Fleming, who had been saved through the ministry of the YMCA in Adelaide, was stabbed as he attempted to protect his native assistant, Pan Shoushan, from an attack. Both men died in the attack.

William Fleming was one of over 100 missionaries who were recruited from Australia to serve in Hudson Taylor’s China Inland Mission (Welch, Nellie, Topsy and Annie, 10). Fleming had the distinction of being the first martyr of the CIM. On hearing of Flemings death, Hudson Taylor wrote “How sad the tidings! Blessed for the martyrs but sad for us, for China, for their friends… Doubtless it means fuller blessing, but through deeper suffering” (link).

When the full force of the Boxer Rebellion hit, the violence was unrelenting. Before it was over, 188 missionaries had spilled their blood in cause of the gospel in China (Piggin, Spirit of a Nation, 73). Among them was David Barrett, a young Australian who had been in China for only three years when the rebellion began. On 30 August, as Barrett contemplated the reports of massacres all around him and the prospect of his own death which followed soon after, he wrote these words to a missionary friend:

Our blood may be as a true centre for the foundation of God’s kingdom, which will surely increase over this land. Extermination is but exaltation. God guide and bless us! “Fear not them which kill,” He says, “are ye not of much more value than many sparrows?” Peace, peace to you. We may meet in the glory in a few hours or days…. Let us be true till death. (link)

Indeed “extermination [was] but exaltation” for these heroes of the faith. They are our heritage. Their lives testify that they saw a “better country,” and gave up everything that would hold them back from living for eternity. May we follow in their steps.