Dublin Core
Title
Subject
Description
A newspaper advertisement for an Australian "Medievalist" religion, founded by Dr. Charles Strong.
About Charles Strong:
Charles Strong (1844-1942) was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, the third son of Reverend David Strong. After travelling in Australia, in May 1875 Strong became a pastor at Scots Church, Melbourne. At this church he came into direct conflict with a section of the Presbyterian Church who were opposed to his methods of worship and his advocacy towards the of reform of the Westminster Confession.
Due to continuing difficulties with the Presbyterians, who threatened him with a libel for heresy, Strong resigned from Scots Church. The General Assembly pursued the Presbyterian case, and by November 1883 he was stripped of his role as minister.
At the Temperance Hall, Russell Street, Strong began to minister to a congregation largely composed of religious liberals and ex-members and adherents of Scots Church. In November 1885 the Australian Church, a free religious fellowship, was founded and he was invited to be its first minister.
In 1886 he, along with other members of the Australian Church, established the Social Improvement Friendly Help and Children's Aid Society to carry out social and charitable work in Collingwood and Richmond. He also helped to open a branch of the Working Men's College in Collingwood in July 1891 and founded a Working Men's Club the same year. He formed a number of societies to discuss literature and music, but his major association was the Religious Science Club. His other legacy is The Charles Strong (Australian Church) Memorial Trust (www.charlesstrongtrust.org.au), which aims to promote the sympathetic study of all religions in Australia.
For more biographical details, see http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/strong-charles-4658