Subject: Christianity, Spiritualism
Kingsley
Ridgway:
Pioneer with a Passion
This compilation of 3 books traces the life of the founder of the Methodist
Church in Australia, Kingsley Ridgway. The book provides an overview of
his life and ministry. It includes a reprint of his own story of working
in Papua New Guinea together with a personal account of his search for God
and how this changed the direction of his life.
The compiling author, Glen O'Brien, is an ordained minister of the Wesleyan
Methodist church of Australia, and a member of the faculty of Kingsley College.
Author: Glen O'Brien
ISBN: 0 646 30846 7
Publisher: The Wesleyan Methodist Church in Australia
Address: C/- Kingsley College, 21 South Street, Glenroy Vic 3046
The White Flower of Blameless Life
Author: Eric Eriksen
ISBN: 0 646 23923 6
Publisher: Eric Eriksen
Address: PO Box 828, Wollongong East, NSW, 2520
A synoptic biography of the Reverend J.E. Tenison Woods, this book chronicles
the extraordinary achievements of this priest who was to make such a profound
contribution to the work of the Roman Catholic Church and to science last
century in Australia.
It will serve as a valuable resource for anyone undertaking research in
the development of the Roman Catholic Church, teaching in Australia or who
might be interested in his contribution to geology in this country.
As a synoptic biography, I found it frustrating in its brevity and yearned
for the information that of course cannot be contained in anything that
sets its parameters as synopsis. For example, while it was fascinating to
read the chronology of events that led to the founding of the Sisters of
Saint Joseph in Adelaide, Australia's first teaching order of nuns, it was
disappointing that no reference was made to Sister Mary MacKillop, whose
contribution to its success as a teaching order is now widely known.
The breadth of Tennison Woods' publications is humbling, his erudition beyond
question, his energy almost incredible. Australia is fortunate this man
was not only a dedicated priest but a brilliant naturalist and geologist.
One can only wonder how many in the mining industry today know that a Roman
Catholic priest was working hard in the 1870s and 1880s to make known the
mineral wealth of Australia with works such as the "The Coal Resources
of Queensland" and public lectures such as "The Gympie Goldfield
and Copper Mines of Queensland".
His travels around Australia resulted in an enormous output of scientific
papers as did his travels through China, Japan and Indonesia and his work
as the naturalist on HMS Flying Fish.
From coal to volcanoes to "The Anatomy and Life History of Australian
Molluscs" his output continued to the end of his life. It is hardly
surprising that a man who dedicated his life so completely to his work as
a missionary priest and as a scientist was to ignore his health and die
at the relatively young age of 56.
He managed to make a happy conjunction between geology and history and his
missionary vocation and leave an invaluable legacy to Australia.
The Location of the Crucifixion
Author: Wal Dower
ISBN: 0 646 27550 X
Publisher: W&J Dower
Address: PO Box 16, Olinda, Vic, 3788
The author, a professional engineer, applies his scientific analytical
skills to determining, through examination of the text of the Old and New
Testaments, the exact location of the Crucifixion site.
As the author says in his introduction, this is not a book for those with
closed minds. For some it will be heresy, for others it will be nonsense.
For those with open minds, it will be, if not convincing, an original approach
to problem solving.
To quote the author: "Too often we blindly accept traditional ideas,
naively believing them to be substantially proven. All around is unexplored
space. It is only as we explore that we find. . . Even if we never find
the treasure we seek, the ultimate experience is to find an even greater
treasure in the scenery we pass."
This work offers evidence drawn from the Testaments, sets out the background
to the drawing of that evidence and offers that evidence is support of its
ultimate conclusion. It is clear that evidence in this book is not confused
with proof.
The author posits that for every claim the probability of its validity can
be mathematically calculated from the data on which it is based.
And it is this approach that has been applied here.
The Bible has been studied by theologians, historians, archaelologists,
etymologists and many many other professionals. Maybe the author is right
and it is time for the contribution of engineers.
Divine Magik
Author: Koksal Akbaba
ISBN: 0 646 28357 X
Publisher: Koksal Akbaba
Address: 17A Corsair Crescent, Mt Pleasant, NSW, 2749
"Divine Magik" posits that the highest order of achievement is
that of Divine Magician and that Divine Magicians today are part of a long
history of magicians who have been feared through the centuries from the
time of the Aztecs and the Celts. "God Magicians," the author
says, "created the many planets that exist about our planet and the
many psychological archetypes in our minds."
To quote the author again: "Not every one is imaginative enough to
be able to believe that the whole planet belongs to them in order to attain
the whole planet for themselves. Some people prefer rather to work in a
factory or on a chicken farm, well if that's for you then by my guest .
. . "
This slender book sets out some teachings intended to assist the uninitiated
to make it through "the unimaginable helix cosmic wormhole".
The Waratah, Vol. 1, No. 1
Author: Ordo Templi Orientis
ISSN: 1322-9389
Publisher: Ordo Templi Orientis
Address: PO Box 731, Newtown, NSW, 2042
The inaurgural edition of the Official Journal of the Ordo Templi Orientis
in Australia.
Although officially founded in 1902, the Order Templi Orientis (OTO) represents
the surfacing and confluence of the divergent streams of esoteric wisdom
and knowledge which were originally divided and driven underground by political
and religious intolerance during the dark ages. Its traditional lineage
extends through the Freemasonic, Rosicrucian and Illuminist movements of
the 18th and 19th centuries, through the crusading Knights Templar of the
middle ages and into early Christian Gnosticism and the Pagan Mystery Schools.
The efforts of Karl Kellner and Theordor Reuss resulted in their obtaining
charters to operate two systems of high-grade Freemasonry. These rites,
along with the Swedenborgian Rite, included a version of the craft degrees,
and the Cernau Scottish Rite and the Rites of Memphis and Mizraim provided
a selection of workable higher grades as nearly complete as had ever existed.
Together, they provided a complete system of Masonic initiation. With the
incorporation of these rites, the Order was able to operate as a completely
independent Masonic system and the OTO was offically proclaimed in 1902.
The most widely known involved in the Order is, of course, Aleister Crowley.
It was his discomfort with the Masonic Charter of the OTO that led to the
radical changes around 1920 and to his succeeding Reuss as head of the OTO
in 1922. After his death, and in accord with his wishes, he was succeeded
by Karl Germer.
When Germer died without nominating a successor a degree of chaos ensued
culminating in the legal battles of the eighties. It was McMurtry's efforts
to ensure the legal recognition of the OTO that finally led to the current
period of harmony with Hymenaeus Beta as Caliph.
Not surprisingly, this first edition is a collection of erudite essays including
an explanation of the title of the journal - The Waratah.
It derives from Crowley's attribution. Crowley called his Chapter to Our
Lady BABALON in "The Book of Lies" "Waratah-Blossoms".
For Crowley there was an obvious correspondence between "the voluptuous
scarlet flower" of Australia and the Scarlet Woman. But it is for greater
reasons than this attribution alone that the journal has been so titled.
The OTO notes that, "unknown to Crowley, the waratah also has a rich
and sacred symbolism in the aboriginal myths of South-Eastern Australia.
Whilst the absorption of Christian myth into the syncretic theogonies of
Oceania has now been widely recognised and studied, as it turns out Crowley
is actually the first European to introduce indigenous Australian spiritual
symbols into western spirituality."
There are further pieces on the waratah including "Waratah Blossoms"
by Crowley.
Other papers include "The Mythology of the Eucharist" by Soro
Shalmar, "Liber Resh vel Helios (A Short Study)" and "Liber
Resh (Arranged for Practical Use)" by Frater AShr.
The edition includes a history of the OTO and concludes with a section devoted
to book reviews.
The Word in Writing
Author: Kevin Nolan
ISBN: 0 646 24905 3
Publisher: Kevin Nolan
Address: PO Box 525, Potts Point, NSW, 2011
Four essays in discovering the method and message of Christian Scripture
first published in 1977 and now revised primarily for reasons of increasing
clarity and accessibility.
Nolan's intention with this publication is two fold. Firstly, to introduce
students of religion to a methodology for studying Christian Scripture,
and secondly, to help students or interested readers to gain a deeper insight
into the meaning of what Christians believe.
The first two essays are concerned with thematic inquiry, while the other
two are examples of Composition and Redaction criticism.
It is Nolan's hope that the notes will contribute to encouraging students
to study the great interpretors as guides to the Sacred Writers of the Word.
"Messianism in Jeremiah" is the first essay of the collection.
It is uncertain as to the exact time Israel began to believe in the coming
of a personal Messiah, but it is beyond doubt that such a belief obtained
after the year 587 BC. It is the purpose of this essay to demonstrate that
the first written reference to a personal Messiah is found in the prophet
Jeremiah.
The second essay is entitled "Christ the Telos of History: An Inquiry
into First Corinthians 15:24-28 and Ephesians 1:9-23". Its intention
is to study these two Pauline texts to inquire into St Paul's teaching on
the role of Christ in the universe and in the history of man. It approaches
this intention by examining the texts in the light of Paul's Hebrew background,
Paul's experience of Christ, the milieu in which he lived and the people
to whom he wrote.
Nolan concludes (with reference to Johannes B. Metz "Theology of the
World") as follows: "Thus in these texts the world is seen by
St Paul as being wholly related to man, through Christ. The world can be
understood only in its "Formal Anthropocentricity". The world
is not a finished whole, but a milieu of human activity in which the future
world is always coming into being through history. And so the believer not
only acts within the world but he also changes it, he transforms it. This
transformation must continue until the world ceases to reject God who is
present in it, and accepts Him as its free uncontrolled future."
The third essay, entitled "Composition Criticism of Chapters 19-22
In Preparation for Chapters 23-25 in Mathew's Gospel", concurs with
the widely held view that Mathew's Gospel is a highly structured composition
by a skilled author who drew upon a variety of sources to convey his own
message to a particular audience. Thus he poses that the fundamental questions
are as Professor Peter F. Ellis has pointed out: "What particular message
did the evangelist wish to communicate; and how did he compose his gospel
to put across this particular message?"
This essay include a diagramatic representation of the Chiastic structure
of Mathew's Gospel.
The final essay is entitled "Redaction Criticism of Chapter 10 of the
Johannine Book of Signs". Nolan posits that the aim of gospel was to
confront Judaism with the full claims of Christianity, and to present those
who were wavering with the challenge of making a decision. This essay looks
at the position of Chapter 10 in relation to the central theme and movement
of the book, examines the theological message of Chapter 10 and explores
the literary techniques by which the message is conveyed.
Desires
Author: Elsie Winter
ISBN: 0 646 25659 9
Publisher: Elsie Winter
Address: 48A George Street, Mudgee, NSW, 2850
A personal account of the forces that structured and affected the life
of the author and the way in which she reached an understanding of God's
path.
Her account is accompanied by the writings of other contributors that have
influenced the author's life, principally those who have served as evangelists
in India.
The collection concludes with a message for each day of the month drawn
in the main from the Psalms and the Gospels.
Uniting Church Studies August 1995
Editors: Dr S Emilsen, Dr W Emilsen
ISBN: 1323-6377
Publisher: United Theological College
Address: 16 Masons Drive, North Parramatta, NSW, 2151
Uniting Church Studies reflects the value placed on scholarship by the
Church and its capacity to tackle hard questions for the church and society.
This volume is the second and it is to be published biannually each March
and August.
The editors solicit articles which are scholarly, provocative, witty and
wise - a tall order by their own admission. However, their success in attracting
such contributions is evidenced in this publication.
Loraine MacKenzie Shepherd, a Minister of the United Church of Canada, provides
a window into the way in which another United Church has encountered and
weathered the issue of homosexuality and ordination. Renate Howe and Shurlee
Swain's scholarly appraisal of a Melbourne city parish reveals a maturity
and honesty in the writing of parish history. Roland Boer's kaleidoscopic
application of cultural criticism to a New South Wales country parish breaks
new ground in congregational studies. Stephen Reid's article on the authority
of the Basis of Union is indicative of an emerging generation of Uniting
Church theologians confronting fundamental questions about the Church. Reid
argues that the Basis of Union is not an abiding presence of truth in linguistic
form; rather it is a vision by which the Church can continue to be nourished
and to which it can give adherence.
Future issues inquire into the existence of a Uniting Church theology, deconstruct
consensus decision-making in the Uniting Church, critique major reports
on sexual abuse in the church and seek to uncover the Anabaptist Ghost in
the Uniting Church.
A publication of interest to those members of the Uniting Church, it will
find interest amongst anyone interested in developments in theology or interested
in different and thoughtful perspectives on some of the major social issues
of our times.
Annual subscription: $25.00 (includes postage within Australia)
Surface mail (for places outside Australia);
New Zealand and South East Asia $3.60 extra;
United Kingdom, Europe, United States and
Canada, $4.80 extra.
Airmail postage (for places outside Australia):
New Zealand $6.00
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Subscription requests and enquiries should be addressed to Dr Roland Boer
at the above address.
Contributions and books for review should be sent to the Editors at the
above address. Manuscripts submitted for consideration should be of 3,000
words or less, typed double-spaced on sturdy paper in 12 point font and
preferably on a floppy disc. A style sheet is available.
Uniting Church Studies is indexed in the Australasian Religion Index.
New Testament Textual Research Update Vol 3
Editor: Stuart Pickering
ISSN: 1320-3037
Publisher: Textual Research Publications
Address: 38 Tintern Road, Ashfield, NSW, 2131
An interesting article looks at the controversy surrounding the Fragments
of the Gospel of Matthew at Magdalen College, Oxford. Debate centres not
so much on the fresh transcription and text-critical evaluation provided
by CP Thiede but on the proposition that the fragments could date to the
first century, about a hundred years earlier than previously supposed. Although
it is too early to say what scholarly consensus will emerge, there has already
been strong criticism with some quarters arguing that scholars are too sceptical
to accept that a New Testament text could have been penned within a generation
or two of the Crucifixion.
New Testament Textual Research Update Vol 2
Annual subscription rates: Bi-monthly (6 issues from Jan/Feb to Nov/Dec):
$A30 within Australia/$A40 overseas
Annual volume (collects invidual issues, includes Indexes): $A40 Aust./$A50
overseas
Rates for Vol. 1 (1993) are half the rates shown above
Prices include postage by surface/airmail in Australia or economy airmail
overseas.
Reflections of Akhmakhan
An Anthology of Inspirations
Author: Jacqui Birsa
ISBN: 0 646 25210 0
Address: 12 Morley Way, Kalgoorlie, WA, 6430
A collection of contemplations. Akhmakhan is the writer's spiritual
guide, mentor and counsellor. According to Jacqui Birsa, Akhmakhan has identified
himself to her as a member of the Council of Elders in Atlantis, prior to
the final upheaval and submergence.
Many of Akhmakhan's reflections are easily recognised, having as they do
currency in many religions and philosophies. Many are contradictory but
that does not necessarily demean their value, rather it highlights the contradictions
of existence and the need for diversity and divergence of thought, for only
through accepting contradiction, posits Birsa, might individual truth be
sought.
As with verses from the Old Testament, the sayings of Confucious and the
writings of Kahil Gibran, much of what is presented in this volume will
strike chords with the reader irrespective of racial, religious or cultural
upbringing or reference points.
"Why not still yourself and take time to listen For in the silence
there is much to be heard."
"Each heartbeat joins the endless echo of time, uniting with all others
that have gone before - to continue for all eternity."
"In the beginning was God And God created man. Then came reasoning
and man created God."
"One day at a time - Is enough."
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