Edward Sidney Kiek (5 August 1883 – 24 April 1959) was a Congregationalist minister, and principal of Parkin College, that church's seminary in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. He was married to

Winifred Kiek Winifred Kiek (; 1884-1975) was the first woman to be ordained in the Christian Ministry in Australia. She was ordained on 13 June 1927 in South Australia to the Congregational Union of Australia (now part of the Uniting Church in Australia). ...

(c. 1884 – 23 May 1975) who was in 1927 the first woman to be ordained minister of a Christian church in Australia.

History

Edward Sidney Kiek, known commonly as "Kiek", was born in London, a son of Sidney Kiek, a publisher and seller of religious literature, and his wife Susannah Kiek, née Berry. He was educated at the Central Foundation School, City Road, London and

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

. He joined the Civil Service and served as clerk in the Admiralty for four years. He entered Wadham College in 1903 intent on the life of a Congregationalist missionary and was conferred BA by Oxford University in 1906 and MA in 1910.Walter Phillips, 'Kiek, Edward Sidney (1883–1959)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/kiek-edward-sidney-6950/text12069, published first in hardcopy 1983. Retrieved 20 October 2016. He undertook theological studies under Dr. Fairbairn at Mansfield College, Oxford, While at Fairbairn he wrote the ''Peace Hymn'' for the United Scholars' peace celebration. and was conferred BD in 1911 or 1912. His first charge was a Congregational church at

Newcastle-under-Lyme Newcastle-under-Lyme ( RP: , ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. The 2011 census population of the town was 75,082, whilst the wider borough had a population of 1 ...

, in Staffordshire, where he was ordained in 1910, then in 1913 was called to the Square Congregational Church,

Halifax, West Yorkshire Halifax () is a minster and market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It is the commercial, cultural and administrative centre of the borough, and the headquarters of Calderdale Council. In the 15th cen ...

. He became associated with the YMCA and under its auspices worked in France during the Great War. In 1919 he was appointed principal of Parkin Theological College, 64 North Terrace, Kent Town, South Australia, following the death of Dr. L. D. Bevan (1842–1918). He was noted for introducing Oxford-style intellectual rigour into the curriculum, a more liberal theology, and moving away from literal interpretation of Scripture. He regularly wrote thoughtful essays for the newspapers: he was critical of John Curtin's advocacy of isolationism in response to the rise of belligerent dictatorships. He demonstrated in 1938 a clear understanding of the rise of

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

in Germany in a dispassionate address and was quick to denounce Nazi anti-Semitism. He was an opponent of racial discrimination, drinking and gambling. He was a member and passionate supporter of the

Common Cause Common Cause is a watchdog group based in Washington, D.C., with chapters in 35 states. It was founded in 1970 by John W. Gardner, a Republican, who was the former Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare in the administration of President L ...

movement. He was conferred

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

by the

Melbourne College of Divinity The University of Divinity is an Australian collegiate university of specialisation in divinity. It is constituted by eleven theological colleges from eight denominations. The University of Divinity is the direct successor of the second oldest ...

in 1950. He retired in 1957. Kiek Place, in the Canberra suburb of Chisholm, is named for Kiek and his wife.

Other positions

*He conducted lectures for the Workers' Educational Association and the University of Adelaide. *He was a founder of the Round Table Christian Sociological Society and was its president for 37 years. *President of the Congregational Union (SA) in the years 1929–30 and 1950–51. *President of the South Australian Council of Churches in 1927–28. *President of the United Churches Social Reform Board in 1946–47. *President of the

Congregational Union Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

of Australia and New Zealand from 1946 to 1948. *Chairman of the SA committee of the

United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) was an international relief agency, largely dominated by the United States but representing 44 nations. Founded in November 1943, it was dissolved in September 1948. it became part o ...

from 1946 to 1948. *President of the SA committee of the

World Council of Churches The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism. Its full members today include the Assyrian Church of the East, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, most juri ...

in 1954. *Member of the libraries Board of South Australia in 1955. *He was an active Freemason and held several responsible positions in the craft.

Bibliography

*Kiek, Edward S. (c. 1918), ''Sin and Forgiveness'', booklet *Kiek, Edward S. (1926), ''The Modern Religious Situation'', (Edinburgh), a collection of his lectures *Kiek, Edward S. (1927), ''An Apostle in Australia: The life and reminiscences of Joseph C. Kirby'', Independent Press (London) *Kiek, Edward S. (1938) ''The Battle of Faith: One hundred sermon suggestions'', James Clarke & Co., London *Kiek, Edward S. (1939), ''Fundamental principles of Congregationalism'', Congregational Union of South Australia, Adelaide * *

Family

Edward Sidney Kiek married Winifred Jackson (c. 1884 – 23 May 1975) in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

on 28 August 1911. Their children were: *Margaret Lucy Kiek (14 June 1914 – ) married Oscar Carl Knauerhase (1911– ) in 1937. She was a poet; he was later a teacher at

Adelaide Technical High School Glenunga International High School (GIHS), formerly Glenunga High School (GHS), is a publicly-funded international school in Adelaide, South Australia. It is located approximately south-east of the Adelaide city centre in the suburb of Glenun ...

*S(idney) Noel Kiek (c. 1916 – ) was a geologist in Northern Territory, maths teacher in Broken Hill, later

Tully, Queensland Tully is a town and locality in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It is adjacent to the Bruce Highway, approximately south of Cairns by road and north of Townsville. At the , the population was 2,390. Tully is perhaps best kno ...

, where he was Cardwell Shire engineer to 1948. *Laurence Edward "Laurie" Kiek (1918? – 25 July 2007) married Mavis Jean Stokie ( –1995) of Port Augusta sometime after October 1940. He served with RAAF, later teacher in Como, New South Wales. :*John Rollo Kiek (22 August 1943 – ) :*son (23 June 1945 – )

Sources

*Walter Phillips, 'Kiek, Edward Sidney (1883–1959)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University
ADB
published first in hardcopy 1983. Retrieved 20 October 2016.

References