The Australian Church (1884–1957) was founded by Dr. Charles Strong in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

."Australian Church - Institution" (overview)
''Reason in Revolt Project'', 2006-11-15, ''ReasoninRevolt.net.au'' Charles Strong was a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

minister who, previously, had been charged with

heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...

because of his liberal

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

. The ''Australian Church'' had a firm commitment to

social justice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals fu ...

and was active in the anti-conscription campaigns during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Australia's second Prime Minister

Alfred Deakin Alfred Deakin (3 August 1856 – 7 October 1919) was an Australian politician who served as the second Prime Minister of Australia. He was a leader of the movement for Federation, which occurred in 1901. During his three terms as prime ministe ...

was a member of this church.''Alfred Deakin - A Sketch by Walter Murdoch'' (orig.1923), p. 7; , Introduction by Frank Moorhouse (1999)

References

Presbyterianism in Australia Religious organizations established in 1884 1957 disestablishments in Australia Christian denominations established in the 19th century 1884 establishments in Australia {{Christian-denomination-stub