Sydney's One Special Evangelist: John C. Chapman and the Shaping of Anglican Evangelicalism and Australian Religious Life, 1968-2001

by Baden P. Stace

This landmark work is the first academic study of a figure who played a defining role in the Australian evangelical movement of the late twentieth century—the inimitable preacher, evangelist, and churchman John C. Chapman. The study situates Chapman’s career within the secularizing Western cultures of the post-1960s—a period bringing momentous changes to the social and religious fabric of Western society. At the same time, global Evangelicalism was reviving, bringing vitality to large swathes in the Global South and a re-balancing in Western societies as conservative religious movements experienced growth and even renewal amidst wider secularizing trends. Against this backdrop the study explores the way in which, across a wide array of domestic and international fora, Chapman contended for the soteriological priority of the gospel in Christian life, mission, and thought. Accomplished via an absorbing blend of personal wit, impassioned oratory, innovative missiological strategy, and striking theological perception, the result was a stimulating history of public advocacy that sought a revival of confidence in Evangelicalism’s message, and a constantly reforming vision of Evangelicalism’s method. Such a legacy marks Chapman as a central figure within the generation of postwar leaders whose work has given Australian Evangelicalism its contemporary shape and dynamism.

542 pages, Paperback

Published August 4, 2022

Reviews

[Benjamin Razey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sydney’s One Special Evangelist is a brilliantly written book analysing the life and impact of John Chapman. The book offers intriguing insights into Sydney Anglicanism, with particular emphasis on Chapman’s influence and involvement in its formation and reformation over decades, the impact of which still lives on. The author’s careful research into each focus area (including preaching and homiletics, the necessity and place of evangelism amidst differing ecclesiologies, and the impact of the rise of modern Pentecostalism on the Sydney Anglican diocese) was remarkably detailed and incredibly well-presented.

For anyone interested in a recent history of Sydney Anglicanism, for anyone fascinated by the specifics of Sydney Anglican theology and how they came about, or for anyone eager to learn more about one of Australia’s most influential theological minds, Baden Stace’s Sydney’s One Special Evangelist is an absolute must read! This book is also particularly helpful for anyone interested in getting ordained in Sydney, or exploring what ministry looks like in the Sydney Anglican context.