The Foundation of the M elbourne C ollege of D ivinity

This article provides the first substantial account of the foundation of the M elbourne C ollege of D ivinity in 1910. It reveals the ecclesiastical, academic, and civic perceptions of theology in A ustralia in the first decade of the twentieth century. The article sets the establishment of the C ollege against the background of the modernisation of higher education, especially secularism and the exclusion of the teaching of divinity at the U niversity of M elbourne. It demonstrates the roles played by several churches in the formation of the C ollege, and traces its origin to early P rotestant interdenominational cooperation. Although the C ollege's architects failed in their aim of having divinity accepted within the U niversity of M elbourne, and thereby ensuring theology was in constant dialogue with the wider academy, they succeeded in establishing high academic standards in theological education and facilitating ministerial formation in an A ustralian context.