CONTENTS

EXPLANATION

In March 1973 the candidate submitted to Macquarie University an M. A. thesis on the history of Churches of Christ in Australia. This thesis sought to demonstrate the growth of the movement from a sect to a denomination. One aspect of this development related to changes in the traditional theology. What was referred to briefly in the MA thesis has been developed into the focus of this thesis.

Several handicaps were encountered in this work. First, apart from the candidate's M. A. thesis, there is little published material on the history of Churches of Christ in Australia. This has meant that from time to time summaries of material from the M. A. thesis have been used in this thesis to provide the necessary background. Second, apart from a few exceptions, there has been little systematic exposition of the theology of the Australian Churches of Christ and much that is available is in the form of periodical articles and small pamphlets. If more substantial sources were available, the conclusions reached here could require some modification. Third, as there is little in the way of secondary material tracing theological developments in Australian Protestant churches, it has been difficult to place the analysis within the total Australian context.

In preparing this thesis I was deeply indebted to Dr. Keith Bowes for his perceptive comments and suggestions. I would also like to thank Mrs. Christine Hearn, Mrs. Pam Steele and Mrs. Freda Morris for their help with typing and to Mr. Stewart Raymond for helping with proofreading. [3]

BRIEF SUMMARY

This thesis seeks to trace developments in the distinctive theology of the Australian Churches of Christ. Central to their approach has been the belief that they were called into existence to return the Church to the unity the early Christians enjoyed. They considered this unity needs to be based on a universal acceptance of the simple beliefs and practices of the New Testament Church.

The first chapter is concerned with tracing the theological origins of the Australian Churches of Christ. However, while the theology of the American Disciples and the British Churches of Christ, the parent bodies of the Australian Churches of Christ, is investigated, the emphasis in this chapter is on the doctrines and practices of the embryonic Australian movement. The second chapter is concerned with theological developments within the Australian Churches of Christ from 1864 to 1914. The theology of the movement was perhaps at its most fluid during these years. This fluidity necessitated a clarification in cohesive form of the movement's theology. This clarification is the subject of chapter three. The final chapter, which covers the years 1939-1980, highlights a growing theological sophistication. This was influenced by an increasing ecumenical concern within the movement that tested the ability of Churches of Christ to accommodate divergent opinion.

The material is similarly ordered in each of the chapters. The epistemology of the movement, centring on an acceptance of the Scriptures as the word of God is dealt with first. This is followed by analyses of the central emphasis of the movement, unity through restoration. The basic presuppositions of the movement, associated with its central emphasis, are treated next. Each of the chapters concludes with an investigation of shifts in the distinctive doctrines of the movement. These include the doctrines of salvation, the church, the ministry and worship. [4]

ABBREVIATIONS

The bulk of this thesis was based on periodical literature. The following list of abbreviations will help the reader identify periodicals listed in the footnotes:

[OLFB i-v]