Inter-Varsity Fellowship Research Articles

Wesleyan-Holiness Churches in Australia: Hallelujah under the Southern Cross

Wesleyan-Holiness Churches in Australia is a welcome addition to the published resources on Methodism in the South Pacific. In this 242-page hardcover, Glen O'Brien explores the arrival of Holiness denominations in Australia that arose out of American Methodist and Pentecostal heritage in the twentieth century. He provides a much-needed overview of four groups in particular: the Wesleyan Methodist Church, the Church of the Nazarene, the Church of God (Anderson), and the Church of God (Cleveland). O'Brien's historical summary feeds into analytical and philosophical discussions about the groups' distinctives and practices. The writing style is easy-reading, while the conclusions are meaningful and thought-provoking.There has been a noticeable lack of Methodist historical publications emanating from Australia, New Zealand, and the island-nations of the South Pacific since the early twentieth century, with only a handful of publications specifically addressing the reasons for mainline Methodism's declining vitality. O'Brien's work as co-editor and contributor to Methodism in Australia: A History (2015) and this more recent publication, Wesleyan-Holiness Churches in Australia (2018), has been a real service to both academic and private readership. The material covered in this current volume has been largely available within the specific denominational circles, but not easily accessible to wider readership. O'Brien's research draws these records together in a format that will aid the broader Holiness-Methodist-Pentecostal readership to understand each other better and to discover a shared history. An example of these ‘missing links’ can be seen in O'Brien's reference to Doug and Maysie Pinch (index, 241). Pinch's ministry in the Wesleyan Methodist Church from 1964 to 1978 has been covered in other sources, but O'Brien references his ministry with the Nazarenes from 1946 to 1963 (84) and with the Church of God (Anderson) for many years (167).1 This topic of movement between the Wesleyan-Holiness denominations is not often explored, though it has been a fairly common phenomenon.While these historical details are of special interest to denominational readers, O'Brien's broader commentary and discussion of social and church growth dynamics render his book useful to a global audience. His discussion of the interface between Holiness and Pentecostal denominations is tantalizing and his reference to anti-American sentiment in post–Second World War Australia delves into a topic that other nations may have similarly encountered. I was personally drawn to O'Brien's conclusion that if the American Holiness denominations had come to Australia in the 1920s rather than the post-War 1940s, they ‘may have been able to capitalize on what was left of the Methodist interest in holiness and of the Keswick Convention movement’ (75). Of course, as O'Brien has noted, there were some attempts in these earlier decades (chapter 3). Perhaps the outcome of A. B. Carson's ministry (68–71) might suggest that, while Australia may have been open to holiness teaching in the 1920s, the cultural legalism of American teaching still overshadowed the holiness message and was not appealing to the Australian market. It would be interesting to further explore this thesis in light of the impact of Howard Guinness's visits in the 1920s and 1930s with Inter-Varsity Fellowship and the Evangelical Union. Guinness promoted a strong holiness message, and his ministry created a lasting impact, for better or for worse.In summary, I have found O'Brien's work, Wesleyan-Holiness Churches in Australia, thoughtful, informative, and credible. I recommend it to other students of church history and to any who would seek to better understand the differences and commonalities within the Methodist-Holiness-Pentecostal families. I congratulate Glen O'Brien for his efforts in producing such a useful publication.

The Roots of Resurgence: Evangelical Parish Ministry in the mid-Twentieth Century

Historical analyses of twentieth-century evangelicalism have rarely focused on the experience of the parish. In many respects this is unsurprising. The renaissance in the historiography of evangelicalism since the 1970s has concentrated primarily on the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, leaving the twentieth – and especially the period after the Second World War – relatively unexplored. Where work has been done, it has tended to focus on ecclesiastical politics, activity in universities, and biographies of major leaders. Nor are more general histories particularly illuminating in this respect. Roger Lloyd, for example, concentrates on Anglo-Catholics and modernists rather than evangelicals and Paul Welsby, whose work devotes considerable space to pastoral ministry, is more concerned with its organization than with its practice. The consequence of this historiographical gap has not been so much to create a vacuum in relation to mid-twentieth century Anglican evangelicalism as to leave an impression of a rather elitist movement, dominated by the products of Public Schools and the Inter-Varsity Fellowship (IVF) and therefore almost irremediably middle class. Ironically, this impression has been reinforced by the one substantial study of mid-twentieth century parish evangelicalism so far in print – Alister Chapman’s study of the ministry of John Stott at All Souls, Langham Place: ‘Evangelical Anglicans,’ he notes, just as much if not more than other Anglicans, continued to be associated with the middle classes, and they had significant difficulties reaching people lower down the social scale.’

On the Reliability of the Old Testament (review)

Hebrew Studies 46 (2005) 395 Reviews ON THE RELIABILITY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. By K. A. Kitchen. Pp xxii + 662. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2003. Cloth, $45.00. Kenneth Kitchen appears to fancy himself in this work as a heroic scholarly warrior. He “attacks” the minimalists whom he sees as having done much to undermine the interpretation of the Old Testament as having historical value. He does this by his ad hominem advances, which are legion in this work. For Kitchen, historical reliability is defined as that which is authentic and has significant historical content and value. He is a well-known scholar who has been a prolific writer in both Egyptology and in biblical studies. The book apparently originated as an Old Testament counterpart to F. F. Bruce’s The New Testament Documents: Are they Reliable? (London: Inter-varsity Fellowship of Evangelical Unions, 1943), published over sixty years ago. However, Kitchen’s work is much larger in scope and purpose than the New Testament counterpart. As stated, one will be immediately aware of the polemic nature of Kitchen’s work, as he uses a barrage of adjectives to describe the minimalists and their positions (lunacy, immense ignorance, agenda-driven drivel, factually disadvantaged, dumb-cluck socio-anthropologists, ignoranti, and fantasizing sociologists). He is utterly unsympathetic to what he calls “sloppy thinking” and to those whom he believes base their theories on unproved assumptions. A few quotes may suffice: “The basic reason for endless shilly-shallying and lack of real result [concerning the historicity of Moses] is the massive failure to seek and use external, independent controls such as have been applied here and throughout” (p. 299). “This kind of speculative theorizing is all very well as a mode of experimentation in the abstract, or as a ‘flavor of the month’ fashion, or even just as simple indulgence in academic ego massage (‘Look how clever I can be!’)” (p. 390). “To expose in full the sloppy scholarship, immense ignorance, special pleading, irrelevant postmodernist-agenda-driven drivel would need another (and very boring) book as long as Thompson’s pair combined. It is sad to see real ability wasted in this way” (pp. 457–458). Perhaps Kitchen’s book would have contributed more to the scholarly debate over the historicity and historical reliability of the Old Testament if he had written in a more dispassionate manner. This is unfortunate because Kitchen is very thorough in his argumentation and documentation, and thus his work would have been an excellent resource for biblical scholars. Curiously, Kitchen uniquely organizes his book by surveying Old Testament material in a roughly chronologically backwards mode, presumably to begin with what is better known, and to proceed to the lesserknown material. He begins with the period of the divided monarchy, and continues with the exile and return, united monarchy, settlement in Canaan, Egypt and the Exodus, the Patriarchs, and lastly, primeval history. Kitchen Hebrew Studies 46 (2005) 396 Reviews provides an enormous amount of comparative evidence from the ancient Near East that relates to the biblical narrative in question, although he arguably places an inordinate value on these comparisons. Kitchen’s goal in the second chapter is to scan Kings and Chronicles for Israelite and foreign rulers mentioned there in comparison to external sources. He concludes that of the twenty foreign rulers mentioned in Kings-Chronicles, only a few have not been found in external sources, primarily because of poor source material during the period in question. From 853 B.C.E. on, the rate of mention of Israelite and Judahite kings in outside sources is proportionally higher than early periods. He concludes, from what he calls his “factual” examination, that this argues for the historicity of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah during the early first millennium. Kitchen argues in the third chapter that the reason that there is sparse (or no) textual information about the United Monarchy in outside sources is that the Assyrians had no interest or direct contact with Palestine until 853 B.C.E. Moreover, there are no Egyptian historical inscriptions concerning the area in this period either. He does claim that the Tel Dan inscription, as well as the Moabite Stone, mention the...

Towards a Definition of the Term “Spiritual”

This article appeared in the very first issue of the Journal of Christian Education (vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 29–44) in June 1958. At that time, Prof. Harold Fallding, U.A., B.Sc. (Sydney), Dip.Ed.(Sydney), Ph.D. (A.N.U.), F.R.S.C., was the Senior Research Fellow (Rural Sociology) in the Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Sydney, Australia. He subsequently held other academic positions in universities in Australia, U.S.A. and Canada; and he is presently Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Sociology, University of Waterloo, Canada. He is an associate editor of this journal. The article was a revision of a paper presented to, and discussed with, members of the New South Wales Graduate Fellowship of the Inter Varsity Fellowship. The paper made a considerable impact on thinking at that time; and the enduring relevance of the exercise undertaken by Prof. Fallding in this article is reflected in the two contemporary publications reviewed in Round Table in this issue which ask how spiritual development can be effectively promoted within schools when definition of the terms “spiritual” and “spirituality” is often vague.

Finding a Space for Evangelicalism: Evangelical Youth Movements in New Zealand

Voluntary religious societies may be viewed either as powerful instruments for mobilising the Christian community, or as bodies which divert its energies from their proper function. They tend to be enclaves where distinctive values and activities are encouraged and confirmed. They have been marked by a greater degree of internationalism than the broader church, no doubt because their narrowness and specificity make their transfer outside their home context less problematic. Evangelical voluntary organisations provide good illustrations of these features. It is the intention of this paper to examine the establishment of two evangelical movements which appeared in the distinctive environment of New Zealand. One of them, the Inter-Varsity Fellowship, is a well-known force in twentieth-century voluntarism in the western world. The other ultimately became a branch of the Children’s Special Service Mission, now known as Scripture Union, but it began as a movement unique to New Zealand, as its original name, the Crusader Movement, suggests. The origins of these two evangelical voluntary societies in New Zealand give some indication of the potential and problems of new evangelical movements.

Old Testament Times. By R. K. Harrison. (London: Inter-Varsity Fellowship. 1971. xvi, 357 pp. £2.25.)

Old Testament Times. By R. K. Harrison. (London: Inter-Varsity Fellowship. 1971. xvi, 357 pp. £2.25.)

New Testament Times. By Merrill C. Tenney. (London: Inter-Varsity Fellowship. 1965. xv, 396 pp. 25s.)

New Testament Times. By Merrill C. Tenney. (London: Inter-Varsity Fellowship. 1965. xv, 396 pp. 25s.)

Book Review: God Still Speaks: The Basis of Christian Education. By Gabriel Moran. Bums and Oates, 1967, 180 pp. 25s.; 11–16: A Complete Course for Religious Education at Secondary School Level. By Derek Lance. Darton, Longman and Todd, 1967. 278 pp. 12s. 6d.; Six Brave Men. By Mother M. K. Richardson. Geoffrey Chapman, 1967. 175 pp. 16s.; The Good News.

Book Review: <scp>God Still Speaks:</scp> The Basis of Christian Education. By Gabriel Moran. Bums and Oates, 1967, 180 pp. 25s.; 11–16: A Complete Course for Religious Education at Secondary School Level. By Derek Lance. Darton, Longman and Todd, 1967. 278 pp. 12s. 6d.; Six Brave Men. By Mother M. K. Richardson. Geoffrey Chapman, 1967. 175 pp. 16s.; <scp>The Good News.</scp>

Faith on Trial. By D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. (London: Inter-Varsity Fellowship. 1965. 125 pp. 12s 6d.)

Faith on Trial. By D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. (London: Inter-Varsity Fellowship. 1965. 125 pp. 12s 6d.)

REVIEWS

REVIEWS Get access LEON MORRIS, The New Testament and the Jewish Lectionaries. 1964. Pp. vii+77. ( The Inter-Varsity Fellowship, London. Price: 6s.) P. WERNBERG-MØLLER P. WERNBERG-MØLLER Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Journal of Semitic Studies, Volume 10, Issue 2, AUTUMN 1965, Pages 286–288, https://doi.org/10.1093/jss/10.2.286 Published: 01 October 1965

Ministers of God. By Leon Morris. (London: Inter-Varsity Fellowship. 1964. 128 pp. 4s.)

Ministers of God. By Leon Morris. (London: Inter-Varsity Fellowship. 1964. 128 pp. 4s.)

The Life of God in the Soul of Man. By Henry Scougal. (London: Inter-Varsity Fellowship. 1961. 80 pp. 2s.)

The Life of God in the Soul of Man. By Henry Scougal. (London: Inter-Varsity Fellowship. 1961. 80 pp. 2s.)

The New Bible Dictionary. Organizing Editor: J. D. Douglas. Consulting. Editors: F. F . Bruce, J. I. Packer, R. V. G. Tasker and D. J. Wiseman (London: The Inter-Varsity Fellowship. 1962. xvi, 1376 pp., with 16 pp of photogravure plates and 16 pp. of coloured maps. £2 5s.)

The New Bible Dictionary. Organizing Editor: J. D. Douglas. Consulting. Editors: F. F . Bruce, J. I. Packer, R. V. G. Tasker and D. J. Wiseman (London: The Inter-Varsity Fellowship. 1962. xvi, 1376 pp., with 16 pp of photogravure plates and 16 pp. of coloured maps. £2 5s.)

New Testament Survey. By Merrill C. Tenney, Dean of the Graduate School, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois. (London: The Inter-Varsity Fellowship. 1961. xx, 464 pp. 25s.)

New Testament Survey. By Merrill C. Tenney, Dean of the Graduate School, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois. (London: The Inter-Varsity Fellowship. 1961. xx, 464 pp. 25s.)

Book Review: Jeremiah. By H. Cunliffe-Jones. Torch Bible Commentaries. S.C.M. Press. 15s.; 1 and 2 Peter and Jude. By C. E. B. Cranfield. Torch Bible Commentaries. S.C.M. Press. 12s. 6d.; The Christian and his Bible. By Douglas Johnson. Inter-Varsity Fellowship. Second edition, 1960. 4s

Book Review: <scp>Jeremiah</scp>. By H. Cunliffe-Jones. Torch Bible Commentaries. S.C.M. Press. 15s.; 1 <scp>and</scp> 2 <scp>Peter and Jude</scp>. By C. E. B. Cranfield. Torch Bible Commentaries. S.C.M. Press. 12s. 6d.; <scp>The Christian and his Bible</scp>. By Douglas Johnson. Inter-Varsity Fellowship. Second edition, 1960. 4s

Book Review: The Social Pattern of the Christian Groups in the First Century. By E. A. Judge. Tyndale Press, 1960. 5s.; The Living World of the New Testament. By Howard Clark Kee and Franklin W. Young. Darton, Longman and Todd. 1960. 25s.; The Apostolic Defence of the Gospel. By F. F. Bruce. Inter-Varsity Fellowship. 1959. 3s. 6d.; Son and Saviour.

Book Review: <scp>The Social Pattern of the Christian Groups in the First Century</scp>. By E. A. Judge. Tyndale Press, 1960. 5s.; <scp>The Living World of the New Testament</scp>. By Howard Clark Kee and Franklin W. Young. Darton, Longman and Todd. 1960. 25s.; <scp>The Apostolic Defence of the Gospel</scp>. By F. F. Bruce. Inter-Varsity Fellowship. 1959. 3s. 6d.; <scp>Son and Saviour</scp>.

Book Review: No Escape from Love. By Fr Hugh, S.S.F. Faith Press. 1959. 6s; The Mystery of Suffering. By Hugh Evan Hopkins. Inter-Varsity Fellowship. 1959. 3s. 6d; Silent Bedes. By S. G. A. Luff. Longmans. 1959. 8s. 6d

Book Review: <scp>No Escape from Love</scp>. By Fr Hugh, S.S.F. Faith Press. 1959. 6s; <scp>The Mystery of Suffering</scp>. By Hugh Evan Hopkins. Inter-Varsity Fellowship. 1959. 3s. 6d; <scp>Silent Bedes</scp>. By S. G. A. Luff. Longmans. 1959. 8s. 6d

Book Review: Holy Writ or Holy Church. By George H. Tavard. Burns and Oates. 30s; The Religion of Israel. By Albert Gélin. A Faith and Fact Book. Burns and Oates. 7s. 6d; The Two-Edged Sword. By John L. McKenzie, S.J. Geoffrey Chapman. 24s; God's Church. By Alan Stibbs. Inter-Varsity Fellowship. 4s; Scripture and the Word of God. By Raymond F.

Book Review: <scp>Holy Writ or Holy Church</scp>. By George H. Tavard. Burns and Oates. 30s; <scp>The Religion of Israel</scp>. By Albert Gélin. A Faith and Fact Book. Burns and Oates. 7s. 6d; <scp>The Two-Edged Sword</scp>. By John L. McKenzie, S.J. Geoffrey Chapman. 24s; <scp>God's Church</scp>. By Alan Stibbs. Inter-Varsity Fellowship. 4s; <scp>Scripture and the Word of God</scp>. By Raymond F.

The Christian and his Bible. By Douglas Johnson. (London: Inter-Varsity Fellowship. 1953. 144 pp. 6s. ; in paper covers, 3s. 6d.)

The Christian and his Bible. By Douglas Johnson. (London: Inter-Varsity Fellowship. 1953. 144 pp. 6s. ; in paper covers, 3s. 6d.)

From Fear to Faith. Studies in the Book of Habakkuk. By D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, M.D., M.R.C.P. (London: Inter-Varsity Fellowship. 1953. 76 pp. 2s. 6d.)

From Fear to Faith. Studies in the Book of Habakkuk. By D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, M.D., M.R.C.P. (London: Inter-Varsity Fellowship. 1953. 76 pp. 2s. 6d.)