Dawn mist in the Jamison Valley, Echo Point, 1935. Photo: Harry Phillips. Blue Mountains City Library. Rod Benson To arrive at Echo Point, Katoomba, for the first time is to discover that photographs have concealed the scale of the place. You approach through an ordinary mountain town, walk toward the edge of the plateau, and …
Constructing the theology of G. H. Morling
Summary of the argument of my PhD thesis (University of Divinity, Melbourne, 2022) The term “mystic” is seldom associated with the principals of Baptist theological colleges. Australian-born George Henry Morling (1891-1974) is an exception. Described in 1922 as “small and spare with the face of a mystic,” Morling taught at the Baptist Theological College of …
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“The vital breath of the church”: Prayer, personalism and spiritual power in the thought of G. H. Morling
Prayer, worship and intimacy with God feature strongly in George Henry Morling’s evangelical approach to spirituality. In a diary entry dated 19 August 1928, Morling famously states, “There must be a very strong stand taken for doctrinal-experimental truth.”[1] His commitment to this principle prompted him to seek a balance between what he viewed as rival extremes …
The quest for serenity and union with Christ (part 2)
A paper presented to the Baptist Historical Society by Rev Rod Benson (part 2 of 2) Click here for Part 1 Despite his protestations to the contrary in the introduction,[1] G. H. Morling's book, The Quest for Serenity, is tightly and logically structured. Chapters 1-5 set the scene for the resolution of the quest in chapters 6 …
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The quest for serenity and union with Christ (part 1)
A paper presented to the Baptist Historical Society by Rev Rod Benson (part 1 of 2) Although in frequent demand as a public speaker and Bible teacher for more than half a century, the Australian Baptist theologian and biblical scholar George Henry Morling formally published only two slim works. The first, titled The Quest for …
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All Told 