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Ridley College (University of Melbourne)
Encyclopedia
Ridley Melbourne—Mission & Ministry College is a Christian
theological college in the parklands of central Melbourne, Australia. Established in 1910, it has an evangelical
foundation and outlook and is affiliated with the Australian College of Theology
and the Anglican Church of Australia
. The college offers on-campus and distance learning and provides training for various Christian ministries in a range of contexts.
Named after the 16th century English Reformation
martyr, Nicholas Ridley
, Ridley Melbourne was established on 1 March 1910 to provide residential theological training. Its founders were evangelical
Anglican clergy and laypeople from throughout Victoria. Ridley Melbourne's eight principals have included the prominent New Testament scholar Leon Morris
(1914–2006; principal 1964–1979), known for his studies of the atonement.
For much of its past, a main feature of Ridley Melbourne was its residential college, with students accommodated mainly in the Aiken and Baker buildings. Like other residential colleges in the area, it provided its students with a range of academic, social and religious programs. Between 1965 and 2005, Ridley was an affiliated residential ccllege of the University of Melbourne
and, in 1972, it became the first of the university's colleges open to both men and women. In 2005, the residential college was closed due to rising costs. The following year, it was reopened to provide accommodation specifically for international students from the surrounding universities, the University of Melbourne
, RMIT University
and Monash University
. This residential college was closed at the end of 2007. Ridley Melbourne retains a small residential theological community in the renamed Baker building (formerly Bearham).
and ethics
) and biblical studies (including Greek and Hebrew languages). While the college teaches from an evangelical
theological perspective, it is open to Christians of all backgrounds. Its stated aims are to equip its students for Christian ministries in a variety of settings, including a range of church denominations and cross-cultural
contexts. The college actively supports parachurch work as well as ordained and local church
roles. Along with Trinity College Theological School, Ridley Melbourne also trains ordinands for ministry in the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne
and other Anglican dioceses.
Ridley Melbourne's academic resources include its library and bookshop. The Leon Morris
Library has a collection of 46,000 volumes and 150 journal subscriptions and contains significant resources on biblical studies. The Ridley Melbourne Bookshop provides a range of theological titles from various publishers, with emphases on biblical studies, ethics and ministry and is also open to the public.
Ridley Melbourne is a government-recognised tertiary institution and a CRICOS provider, offering education to international students. This means that domestic students have access to government support for tuition fees
. The college offers undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate programs and courses from the Australian College of Theology
, the education provider for 20 Christian colleges in Australia. Its programs include the Master of Divinity
, the Graduate Diploma of Divinity and the Bachelor of Theology
.
There have been a number of recent developments at the college. In 2008, Ridley Melbourne completed a new vision for development and began restructuring its education around six learning communities. These include the college's distance learning program, eRidley, which was established in 2007. eRidley is particularly designed to provide training for Australians in remote areas, in collaboration with the Bush Church Aid Society. In June 2008, Ridley Melbourne sold the southern half of its property to residential developers, including the Alckin, Baker, Cumnock and Larcombe buildings and the octagonal chapel designed by James Stahle. The Bearham building was subsequently renamed Baker to preserve naming according to the college's principals. In May 2009, Ridley announced the establishment of a Jonathan Edwards Centre affiliated with the Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University
. Kenneth Minkema, executive director of the Jonathan Edwards Center, commented, “The establishment of the Jonathan Edwards Center-Australia at Ridley Melbourne is a significant expansion of Edwards scholarship and will serve widely both academia and the church.”
Ridley Melbourne is located in Parkville
, a residential parkland suburb roughly three kilometres from the centre of Melbourne, Victoria. The campus is situated between Royal Park
to the west and Princes Park
to the east. The campus buildings surround two main courtyards and are used as follows:
Campus life centres around lunches and chapel gatherings. The college community eats lunch together on Tuesdays and Thursdays and dinner is provided for evening students on Wednesdays. Chapel gatherings occur on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and alternate between Anglican and open styles of worship. The chapel services are organised by the Theological Students Association along with prayer groups, student newsletters, social events and the annual Launch Camp.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
theological college in the parklands of central Melbourne, Australia. Established in 1910, it has an evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
foundation and outlook and is affiliated with the Australian College of Theology
Australian College of Theology
The Australian College of Theology is an Australian theological education provider. The college was one of the first Australian non-university providers to offer an accredited bachelor's degree and a research doctorate. Over 15,000 people have graduated since the foundation of the college,...
and the Anglican Church of Australia
Anglican Church of Australia
The Anglican Church of Australia is a member church of the Anglican Communion. It was previously officially known as the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania...
. The college offers on-campus and distance learning and provides training for various Christian ministries in a range of contexts.
History
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
martyr, Nicholas Ridley
Nicholas Ridley (martyr)
Nicholas Ridley was an English Bishop of London. Ridley was burned at the stake, as one of the Oxford Martyrs, during the Marian Persecutions, for his teachings and his support of Lady Jane Grey...
, Ridley Melbourne was established on 1 March 1910 to provide residential theological training. Its founders were evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
Anglican clergy and laypeople from throughout Victoria. Ridley Melbourne's eight principals have included the prominent New Testament scholar Leon Morris
Leon Morris
Leon Lamb Morris was an Australian New Testament scholar.Born in Lithgow, New South Wales, Morris was ordained to the Anglican ministry in 1938. He received his Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge in England on the subject which became his first major book, The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross...
(1914–2006; principal 1964–1979), known for his studies of the atonement.
For much of its past, a main feature of Ridley Melbourne was its residential college, with students accommodated mainly in the Aiken and Baker buildings. Like other residential colleges in the area, it provided its students with a range of academic, social and religious programs. Between 1965 and 2005, Ridley was an affiliated residential ccllege of the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
and, in 1972, it became the first of the university's colleges open to both men and women. In 2005, the residential college was closed due to rising costs. The following year, it was reopened to provide accommodation specifically for international students from the surrounding universities, the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
, RMIT University
RMIT University
RMIT University is an Australian public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. It has two branches, referred to as RMIT University in Australia and RMIT International University in Vietnam....
and Monash University
Monash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
. This residential college was closed at the end of 2007. Ridley Melbourne retains a small residential theological community in the renamed Baker building (formerly Bearham).
Principals
The Principals of Ridley Melbourne have been—- George Aicken, 1910–1917
- Eustace Wade, 1918–1938
- Bishop Donald Baker, 1938–1952
- Stuart Barton Babbage, 1953–1963
- Leon MorrisLeon MorrisLeon Lamb Morris was an Australian New Testament scholar.Born in Lithgow, New South Wales, Morris was ordained to the Anglican ministry in 1938. He received his Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge in England on the subject which became his first major book, The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross...
, 1964–1979 - Maurice Betteridge, 1979–1992
- Graham Cole, 1992–2001
Education and training
Ridley Melbourne aims to provide Christian theological formation with a balance across three domains: ministry practice, Christian thought (theologyTheology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and ethics
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
) and biblical studies (including Greek and Hebrew languages). While the college teaches from an evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
theological perspective, it is open to Christians of all backgrounds. Its stated aims are to equip its students for Christian ministries in a variety of settings, including a range of church denominations and cross-cultural
Cross-cultural
cross-cultural may refer to*cross-cultural studies, a comparative tendency in various fields of cultural analysis*cross-cultural communication, a field of study that looks at how people from differing cultural backgrounds communicate...
contexts. The college actively supports parachurch work as well as ordained and local church
Local church
A local church is a Christian congregation of members and clergy.Local church may also refer to:* Local churches , a Christian group based on the teachings of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, and associated with the Living Stream Ministry publishing house.* Parish church, a local church united with...
roles. Along with Trinity College Theological School, Ridley Melbourne also trains ordinands for ministry in the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne
Anglican Diocese of Melbourne
The Anglican Diocese of Melbourne is the metropolitan diocese of the Province of Victoria in the Anglican Church of Australia. The diocese includes the urban cities of Melbourne and Geelong and also some more rural areas. The cathedral church is St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne...
and other Anglican dioceses.
Leon Morris
Leon Lamb Morris was an Australian New Testament scholar.Born in Lithgow, New South Wales, Morris was ordained to the Anglican ministry in 1938. He received his Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge in England on the subject which became his first major book, The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross...
Library has a collection of 46,000 volumes and 150 journal subscriptions and contains significant resources on biblical studies. The Ridley Melbourne Bookshop provides a range of theological titles from various publishers, with emphases on biblical studies, ethics and ministry and is also open to the public.
Ridley Melbourne is a government-recognised tertiary institution and a CRICOS provider, offering education to international students. This means that domestic students have access to government support for tuition fees
Tertiary education fees in Australia
As a general rule, all students who attend Australian tertiary education institutions are charged higher education fees. However, several measures are in place to relieve the costs of tertiary education in Australia....
. The college offers undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate programs and courses from the Australian College of Theology
Australian College of Theology
The Australian College of Theology is an Australian theological education provider. The college was one of the first Australian non-university providers to offer an accredited bachelor's degree and a research doctorate. Over 15,000 people have graduated since the foundation of the college,...
, the education provider for 20 Christian colleges in Australia. Its programs include the Master of Divinity
Master of Divinity
In the academic study of theology, the Master of Divinity is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America...
, the Graduate Diploma of Divinity and the Bachelor of Theology
Bachelor of Theology
The Bachelor of Theology is a three to five year undergraduate degree in theological disciplines. Candidates for this degree typically must complete course work in Greek or Hebrew, as well as systematic theology, biblical theology, ethics, homiletics and Christian ministry...
.
There have been a number of recent developments at the college. In 2008, Ridley Melbourne completed a new vision for development and began restructuring its education around six learning communities. These include the college's distance learning program, eRidley, which was established in 2007. eRidley is particularly designed to provide training for Australians in remote areas, in collaboration with the Bush Church Aid Society. In June 2008, Ridley Melbourne sold the southern half of its property to residential developers, including the Alckin, Baker, Cumnock and Larcombe buildings and the octagonal chapel designed by James Stahle. The Bearham building was subsequently renamed Baker to preserve naming according to the college's principals. In May 2009, Ridley announced the establishment of a Jonathan Edwards Centre affiliated with the Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. Kenneth Minkema, executive director of the Jonathan Edwards Center, commented, “The establishment of the Jonathan Edwards Center-Australia at Ridley Melbourne is a significant expansion of Edwards scholarship and will serve widely both academia and the church.”
Campus and community
Parkville, Victoria
Parkville is an inner city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Melbourne. At the 2006 Census, the population was 4,980....
, a residential parkland suburb roughly three kilometres from the centre of Melbourne, Victoria. The campus is situated between Royal Park
Royal Park, Melbourne
Royal Park is the largest of Melbourne's inner city parks . It is located north of the Melbourne Central Business District, Victoria, Australia, in the suburb of Parkville....
to the west and Princes Park
Princes Park, Carlton
Princes Park is a 38.6 hectare park in the inner-Melbourne suburb of Carlton North, Victoria. It is located directly north of the University of Melbourne and bounded on its eastern and western sides by Melbourne General Cemetery and Royal Parade respectively...
to the east. The campus buildings surround two main courtyards and are used as follows:
- Babbage—chapel; faculty offices
- Baker—faculty offices; student recreation block; residential theological apartments
- Stanway—classrooms and bookshop (ground); Leon MorrisLeon MorrisLeon Lamb Morris was an Australian New Testament scholar.Born in Lithgow, New South Wales, Morris was ordained to the Anglican ministry in 1938. He received his Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge in England on the subject which became his first major book, The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross...
Library (above) - Wade—reception; staff offices
- Dining room with adjacent kitchen and meeting rooms
Campus life centres around lunches and chapel gatherings. The college community eats lunch together on Tuesdays and Thursdays and dinner is provided for evening students on Wednesdays. Chapel gatherings occur on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and alternate between Anglican and open styles of worship. The chapel services are organised by the Theological Students Association along with prayer groups, student newsletters, social events and the annual Launch Camp.
Faculty
Apart from visiting lecturers, the college's faculty members are—- The Revd Canon Peter Adam—Principal; theology; preaching
- The Revd Tim Foster—Director of Theological Education and Formation
- The Revd Lindsay Wilson—Academic Dean; Old Testament
- The Revd Douglas McComiskey—New Testament
- The Revd Rhys Bezzant—Dean of Missional Leadership; church history
- Lisa Brown—youth ministry
- The Revd Dave Fuller—educational chaplaincy
- The Revd Adrian Lane—ministry skills
- Andrew Malone—Dean of eRidley; Greek; New Testament
- The Revd Anthea McCall—New Testament
- The Revd Andrew Reid—Hebrew; Old Testament; hermeneutics
- The Revd Richard Trist—Dean of Anglican Institute; Supervised Field Education
- Charlie Fletcher—Dean of Global Mission
See also
- Trinity Theological School, MelbourneTrinity Theological School, MelbourneTrinity College Theological School is part of Trinity College, the oldest college of the University of Melbourne. The school was founded in 1877 by Bishop James Moorhouse for the purpose of training a "learned and dedicated clergy"...
- Anglican Diocese of MelbourneAnglican Diocese of MelbourneThe Anglican Diocese of Melbourne is the metropolitan diocese of the Province of Victoria in the Anglican Church of Australia. The diocese includes the urban cities of Melbourne and Geelong and also some more rural areas. The cathedral church is St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne...
- Presbyterian Theological CollegePresbyterian Theological CollegeThe Presbyterian Theological College is the theological college of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria. It provides theological education for candidates for the ministry of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, as well as for members of all Christian churches...
- Bible College of Victoria
- Yale UniversityYale UniversityYale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...