William Athol Gill (1937–1992), often known as Athol Gill or Dr. Athol Gill, was an influential Australian theologian and one of the leaders of the Australian radical discipleship movement.[1]

Education

Gill attended the NSW Baptist Theological College, Spurgeon's College, and the University of London, obtaining a Bachelor of Divinity degree with Honours in 1965; and thereafter he attended Rüschlikon International Baptist Seminary and the University of Zürich, obtaining a master's degree in 1967 and a D.Theol. degree in 1971.[2]

Professional career

Gill served as a lecturer at the Baptist Theological College of Queensland in 1971-2; with the Methodist Training College in Brisbane in 1973–1974; and with Whitley College within the University of Melbourne, initially as dean of studies from 1975 to 1979, and then as professor of New Testament from 1979 until his death in 1992.[3]

Intentional community

Gill was founder of two intentional Christian communities, the House of Freedom in Brisbane and the House of the Gentle Bunyip in Melbourne, both of which were linked informally with the House of the New World in Sydney.[4]

Publications and writings

Recognition

Gill's significance is commemorated in the naming of the Athol Gill Centre, within Whitley College and opened in 2001; in a collection of scholarly essays in honour of Gill, published in 2002; in a biography by fellow theologian Harold Pidwell, published in 2007; and in a commemorative screen by artist David Wong, completed in 2012.[5]

References

  1. ^ Batstone, D. 1991. From Conquest to Struggle: Jesus of Nazareth in Latin America. Albany: State University of New York Press. p.xiii; Brackney, W. 1999. Gill, William Athol (1937-1992). Historical Dictionary of the Baptists. Lanham: Scarecrow Press. pp.251-2; Munro, M. 2002. A History of the Gentle Bunyip (1975-1990): A Challenge to Australian Church Life. MA History Thesis, University of Melbourne. p.45; D. Neville (Ed.)2002. Prophecy and Passion: Essays in Honour of Athol Gill. (300-325). Adelaide: Australian Theological Forum; Pidwell, H. 2007. A Gentle Bunyip: The Athol Gill Story. West Lakes: Seaview Press; Page, J.S. 2008. Review of A Gentle Bunyip: The Athol Gill Story. Journey. 20 April 2008. p.13, https://eprints.qut.edu.au/13395/, accessed 18 July 2017; Dekar, P. 2008. Community of Transfiguration: The Journey of a New Monastic Community. Cambridge: Lutterworth Press. p.38; Hughes, P.J. and D. Cronshaw. 2013. Baptists in Australia: A church with a heritage and a future. Melbourne: Christian Research Association. p.29; Emerson Teusner, P. 2014. Online religious advertising: the case of Australian Christian youth festivals. In: J.D. James (Ed.) The Internet and the Google Age: Prospects and Perils. (63-80). Dublin: Research Publishing. p. 76.
  2. ^ Pidwell, A Gentle Bunyip, pp.13-41; and Brackney, W. 1999. Gill, William Athol (1937-1992). Historical Dictionary of the Baptists. Lanham: Scarecrow Press. pp.251-2.
  3. ^ Pidwell, A Gentle Bunyip, pp.43-109; and Brackney, W. 1999. Gill, William Athol (1937-1992). Historical Dictionary of the Baptists. Lanham: Scarecrow Press. pp.251-2.
  4. ^ Pidwell, A Gentle Bunyip, pp.43-109; Brackney, W. 1999. Gill, William Athol (1937-1992). Historical Dictionary of the Baptists. Lanham: Scarecrow Press. pp.251-2; and Munro, A History of the Gentle Bunyip.
  5. ^ History of Whitley College: http://whitley.unimelb.edu.au/sites/whitley.unimelb.edu.au/files/download/Complete%20PG%20Hbk%20PDF.pdf Archived 2011-10-05 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 18 July 2017; Neville, Prophecy and Passion: Essays in Honour of Athol Gill; Pidwell, A Gentle Bunyip: The Athol Gill Story; and The Athol Gill Commemorative Screen. 2012. http://atholgillscreen.weebly.com/index.html, accessed 18 July 2017
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