Church, College and Campus

564 Pages·2015·2.2 MB·English

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Church, College and Campus:

The Sacred and the Secular in the Foundation of
Denominational Colleges in Australian Universities,
with particular reference to certain colleges in
universities established in the period 1945 to 1975.

Ian Walker

A thesis submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
The University of New South Wales, Australia
2001
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ABSTRACT
The foundation of the University of Sydney marked the beginning of a pattern of
higher education in Australia in which sacred or religious influence and content
was to be separated from the secular character and teaching of the universities.
Denominational residential colleges were established not only to provide care
and supervision, but also to satisfy in some measure the concerns of those who
believed that a university without the teaching of religion was no university at
all. Systematic religious instruction, therefore, could be given in the colleges, but
the residents must attend classes and be examined in the secular instruction of the
university. The relationship between Church, College and Campus was a unique
compromise, and was seen as a very difficult experiment. Indeed, it was feared
that the colleges might sectarianise the secular university.
This thesis seeks to determine the nature and success of this experiment, first of
all in relation to Australia's first universities and then with particular reference to
denominational colleges established in association with universities founded in
the period 1945 to 1975. It notes that by the mid-1900s very few affiliated
colleges fulfilled the original intention of conducting systematic religious
instruction. While providing valuable opportunities for the sharing of ideas and
the common activities of community life, the colleges catered for only a small -
albeit potentially influential - proportion of students. However, rather than
sectarianise the university, if anything, the university had secularised the
colleges.
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With renewed interest of Churches in work among students after World War II,
the much increased demand for university entry and for residence, together with
a significant injection of Commonwealth funds, gave opportunity for various
denominational groups to establish colleges in the new post- war Australian
universities. This thesis - which draws particularly on interviews and archival
research -examines a range of approaches to this task: ecumenical, theologically
liberal, conservative, and, in the case of the New University Colleges Council,
evangelical. The latter and more dogmatic approaches particularly tested the
relationship between the sacred and the secular at a time of volatile student
unrest.
The very difficult experiment has succeeded only in part, and few
denominational colleges have been established since 1975. Nevertheless, the
thesis suggests that such colleges can play an important part not only in
promoting collegial association within the modern "enterprise" university, but
more especially, in reclaiming something of the distinct role originally intended
for the sacred, in a relationship of tolerant "cohabitation" between Church,
College and Campus.
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CONTENTS

ABSTRACT ii

CONTENTS iv

ABBREVIATIONS xi

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS xii

INTRODUCTION: 1
A Very Difficult Experiment: Uniting Secular Universities in
Australia with Denominational Residential Colleges.

Church, College & Campus – Background of Change & Reform 3
Newman’s Idea and the Very New Thing 9
Beyond the First Colleges & Universities – 1945 to 1975 11
Rationale, References & Sources 13

CHAPTER ONE 17
Politics, Priests and Professors: Sydney University and its
Affiliated Colleges.

Bourke & Broughton – the Sacred & the Secular in early NSW 20
The Growth of Sectarian Rivalry in the early Colony 23
Separating the Sacred from the Secular in Schooling 26
William Charles Wentworth 33
A University Proposed 37
The Affiliated Colleges Act 1854 52
St. Paul’s College & Thomas Moore’s College 54
St. John’s College 58
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CHAPTER TWO 64
Aspirations After the Divine: Further Sydney Colleges.

Presbyterian Divisions and the Issue of State Aid 65
Sectarian Competition or Secular Cohesion 67
Abolition of State Aid to Religion, and Presbyterian Union 69
John Dunmore Lang and Moves for a Presbyterian College 71
St. Andrew’s College – “So Iniquitously Originated” 74
Three Colleges – Pious Aims, Practical Constraints 78
A Wesleyan College – Beginning at the Wrong End 79
A Non-denominational College for Women 85
Catholic Women and ‘Sancta Sophia’ 92

CHAPTER THREE 95
God-fearing Benefaction: Melbourne University and its Colleges.

A University under God’s Providence 96
Bishop Perry and Trinity College 100
Ormond College 103
A Wesleyan College 105
The ‘Girton’ of Australia – providing for women 107
Other Colleges 110
Theological training 114
The Three Rulers – Leeper, MacFarland, and Sugden 116
Turning the Tide of Secularism? 119

CHAPTER FOUR 124
Supplying Spiritual Yearnings: Australia’s Other ‘First’
Universities and Colleges.

The University of Adelaide 124
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(Ch.4 contd.)

The Adelaide Colleges 128
The University of Tasmania 133
‘Christ’ and Other Colleges 136
The University of Queensland 138
Colleges and “the virtue of character” 141
The University of Western Australia 146
Colleges at Crawley 150
Strengths and Strains - College and Campus 156

CHAPTER FIVE 164
Consolidation and Challenge: The Early 1900s to the 1950s.

A Distinctly Australian Pattern 165
Richly Supportive, but Rather Exclusive 167
A ‘Seminary’ Model of Theological Instruction 170
Masters, Principals and Professors 174
The Ancient Deities – Venus and Bacchus 181
Liberalism and Modernism – The “Enemy Within” 183
A Particular Tradition of Evangelicalism 188
The Challenge of Professor John Anderson 193
The Student Christian Movement 199
The Inter-Varsity Fellowship of Evangelical Unions 202
Ecumenism, Evangelicalism, and a Decade of Missions 206
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CHAPTER SIX 214
Ecumenism, Evangelism and Freedom of Expression:
Consultation and Controversy, 1961.

A Zeal for Ecumenism 215
A Consultation on Christian Work among Students 219
Role for Denominational Colleges – “Fishers of Men”? 221
Colleges as Centres of Christian Intellectual Activity 227
A Second Consultation? 232
God’s Purpose for the Universities – Professor Baxter’s View 234
Melbourne’s Ecumenism – Sydney’s Evangelicalism 237
Soul-Destroying Philosophies 239
Archbishop Hugh Gough – Anglican Primate 241
Reactions and Responses 243
The Savour of ‘McCarthyism’ 248
The Fight between Secularism and Religion is Intense 251
A Deliberate and Calculated Attack 253

CHAPTER SEVEN 258
New Colleges – Ancient Virtues: Commonwealth Funding
and Support in the 1960s and 1970s.

Concern for Autonomy 258
Increasing Student Numbers 261
Sir Robert Menzies – Preserving the ‘Newman-type’ Traditions 264
State Aid to Church Schools 266
A New Deal for Universities and University Residence 270
Senator John Gorton 274
Something So Wonderful and Stimulating 276
The Australian Universities Commission 279
Sir Lenox Hewitt 282
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CHAPTER EIGHT 288
A Unique Opportunity for an Evangelical Diocese: The New
University Colleges Council and the foundation of New College
within the University of New South Wales and Robert Menzies
College at Macquarie University.

Anglican Colleges 289
The New University Colleges Council (NUCC) – the Founders 291
The University Halls 302
NUCC – the Desire for a College 304
Funding and Incorporation 307
The University of New South Wales 309
A College in Association with the Church of England 312
Raising the Funds 315
Plans and Designs 318
Affiliation and Lease with the University 320
The First Master 323
‘New’ College 327
Colleges at Macquarie 332
Funding 336
Terms of Affiliation 337

CHAPTER NINE 343
Bridging the Gap: Colleges at the Australian National University,
the University of New England, and Monash University.

The Development of Residential Halls 344
The Australian National University 346
The Affiliation and Funding of Colleges and Halls 350
Burgmann College – an Inter-Denominational College 355
The University of New England 362
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(Ch.9 contd.)
The “Holiest Campus in Australia” 366
Non-denominational Colleges 370
St. Albert’s 371
Denominational Influence and Involvement 372
Monash University 374
Removal of the Secular Clause 377
The Development of a ‘Religious Centre’ 380
Archbishop Woods and a ‘Churches’ Collegiate Community’ 384
Mannix College 390

CHAPTER TEN 396
More Than Just a Case of Old Testament Meets Gay Liberation:
Robert Menzies College and Jeremy Fisher, Macquarie University,
1973.
A Religious Test? 397
A Background of Tension and Unrest 399
The Master and His Motives 403
Press Release, Pink Ban, and Radical Scholars 405
A Missionary Task 407
The Common Weal and the Committee Report 411
Academic Values and Civil Liberties 414

CHAPTER ELEVEN 419
God’s Mafia: Opus Dei and the Enquiry into Warrane College.

Accusations, Protests and Demands 419
Setting-up and Enquiry 424
Cardinal Gilroy and the Coming of Opus Dei 426
The Background of Opus Dei 428
The Foundation of Warrane College 431
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(Ch.11 contd.)
Growing Opposition to Opus Dei 437
The Push and the Priest 440
The Committee of Enquiry 445
Findings of the Committee 448

CONCLUSION 454
Reclaiming the Temple: Another Very Difficult Experiment
for Church, College and Campus.

The Australian Pattern 455
A Relationship of Compromise 456
Testing the Relationship 461
Distinctive Roles 463
The Sacred Secularised? 466
A Renewed Purpose for Denominational Colleges? 467

APPENDIX A 470
Affiliated Denominational Colleges (Australian Universities, 2001)

APPENDIX B 473
A Church, A Home, A School: The Place of Women and the Nature
Of Religious Instruction in the Early Colleges of Sydney and
Melbourne.

REFERENCES & SOURCES 517