Thomas Chatterton Hammond (born in
Cork
Cork or CORK may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
***Wine cork
Places Ireland
* Cork (city)
** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
on 20 February 1877 and died in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
on 16 November 1961) was an Irish Anglican cleric whose work on reformed theology and Protestant apologetics has been influential among evangelicals, especially in Ireland, Australia and South Africa. He was also Grand Master of the
Grand Orange Lodge of New South Wales.
Biography
Born in Cork to Colman Mark Hammond a farmer and his second wife, Elizabeth (née Sergeant). After his father died in 1883 he lived for some time with a Roman Catholic aunt. He was educated at Cork Model School and at age 13 he went to work as a railway clerk. He became a member of the
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second ...
in 1892. He also joined the newly formed YMCA in Cork and studied with John McNay (his future brother in law) the YMCA librarian.
At the age of 18 he entered the Irish Church Missions Training School in Dublin. Hammond was ordained as a deacon in the Church of Ireland in 1903 and priest in 1905. He was appointed curate of
St. Kevin's Church, Camden Row, Dublin
There was a St. Kevin's Church ( ga, Eaglais Naomh Caoimhín) in what is now St. Kevin's Park, Camden Row, Dublin, Ireland at least as far as the 13th century. After the Reformation, it became an Anglican church. The original church was replace ...
, and the Hammond family lived on nearby Synge Street. He received a BA in 1903 and subsequently an MA from Trinity College Dublin. Later in life he was awarded a Th.D. from the
Australian College of Theology
The Australian College of Theology (ACT) is an Australian higher education provider based in Sydney, New South Wales. The college delivers awards in ministry and theology and was one of the first Australian non-university providers to offer an a ...
(ACT). He married Margaret McNay from Cork (of Scottish extraction but born in County Tipperary) in 1906, they had three sons; John Colman, Thomas Chatterton ('Chat'), Charles Kimble ('Carl') and a daughter, Doris.
He was superintendent of the
Irish Church Missions to the Roman Catholics from 1919 to 1936, where he engaged in evangelistic missions in Dublin and often in controversies with
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
apologists
Apologetics (from Greek , "speaking in defense") is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse. Early Christian writers (c. 120–220) who defended their beliefs against critics and ...
. A lively intellectual, his expertise in doctrinal difficulty was often sought by the bishops of the Church of Ireland, but not always publicly acknowledged. Hammond also helped draw up the constitution of the
Anglican Church of Australia
The Anglican Church of Australia, formerly known as the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania, is a Christian church in Australia and an autonomous church of the Anglican Communion. It is the second largest church in Australia after the R ...
(at that time called the Church of England in Australia) and safe-guarded the independence of the Diocese of Sydney. He was also helpful in drawing up a constitution for the Church of England in South Africa, a denomination which was created separately from the largely Anglo-Catholicism dominated Church of the Province of South Africa.
In 1936, Hammond left Ireland to take up position as Principal of
Moore Theological College
Moore Theological College, otherwise known simply as Moore College, is the theological training seminary of the Diocese of Sydney in the Anglican Church of Australia. The president of the Moore Theological College Council is ''ex officio'' t ...
,
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
. In addition, he was made the rector of
St Philip's, York Street. He was made an
archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denominations, above that o ...
in 1949. His best-known books are ''In Understanding be Men'' (a handbook of Christian doctrine) and ''The One Hundred Texts'', with Bible verses explaining Reformed teaching. He continued to debate Catholics, with his program on radio
2CH competing with that of the Catholic apologist
Dr Rumble on
2SM
2SM is an Australian radio station, licensed to and serving Sydney, broadcasting on 1269 kilohertz on the AM band. It is owned and operated by Broadcast Operations Group.
The SM call sign is taken from the initials of Saint Mary's.
2SM's progra ...
Hammond was a controversial figure both in Ireland and Australia as a member of the
Orange Order
The Loyal Orange Institution, commonly known as the Orange Order, is an international Protestant fraternal order based in Northern Ireland and primarily associated with Ulster Protestants, particularly those of Ulster Scots heritage. It also ...
in Dublin and Sydney, eventually rising to the position of Grand Master of the Orange Institution of New South Wales in 1961. In recent times, his involvement in the establishment and running of the
Bethany Home
Bethany Home (sometimes called Bethany House or Bethany Mother and Child Home) was a residential home in Dublin, Ireland, mainly for women of the Protestant faith, who were convicted of petty theft, prostitution, infanticide, as well as women who ...
, a home for orphans, unmarried mothers and their children, and petty criminals, has also been raised for questioning, particularly due to the high mortality rate. The home is subject to ongoing calls to be added to the State redress scheme for victims of child, neglect, sexual and physical abuse. Hammond sat on the board of trustees of the Bethany Home from 1922 until 1935, as other members of the
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second ...
clergy did throughout its existence.
Hammond died on 16 November 1961. A biography, ''T C Hammond - Irish Christian'', by Rev. Warren Nelson (founder of the
Irish Bible Institute
The Irish Bible Institute (IBI) is an evangelical Bible institute located in Dublin, Ireland. Although it is unaccredited by the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland, it's Honors Bachelors and Masters level courses in Applied Theology an ...
) was published in 1994.
Publications
*''The Evangelical Revival and the Oxford Movement'', MA(TCD), London.
*''Authority in the church: Being an examination into the position and jurisdiction of bishops in the Anglican Communion'', Figgis & Co, Dublin, 1921.
*''In Understanding Be Men'', Inter-Varsity Press, 1936
*''Perfect Freedom'', 1939
*''Fading Light, The Tragedy of Spiritual Decline in Germany'', Marshall, Morgan & Scott, 1942
*''Age-Long Questions'', Marshall, 1942
*''Reasoning Faith: An Introduction to Christian Apologetics'', Inter-Varsity Fellowship, 1943
*''The One Hundred Texts - A Manual of Theology'', 1952
*''The New Creation'', B.A.(Dublin), M.A.(Dublin), Th.D.(A.C.T.), Marshall, Morgan & Scott, London, 1953.
References
Further reading
*
External links
Irish Church MissionsCaleb in the Antipodes: The Quest of the Historical Hammond by Peter JensenBiography at Australian Dictionary of Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hammond, T.C.
1877 births
1961 deaths
People from County Cork
Evangelical Anglican clergy
Australian Anglicans
20th-century Irish Anglican priests
Alumni of Trinity College Dublin
Moore Theological College faculty