Church Heritage
Journal of the NSW UC Historical Society (published 1977 – 2019)
(1989) The Search for a Structure for the Uniting Church: Vol. 6, No. 2. (The consideration of episcopacy in the union negotiations 1957 – 1972)
(1994) Silence is Golden: The Representation of Religion in Australian Films 1900 – 1929: Vol. 8, No. 4.
(1995) Ninety Two and still going: A statistical note about moderators in the Uniting Church 1977 – 1994: Vol. 9, No. 1.
(1995) Book Review: Religion in Australia: A history by Roger C. Thompson: Vol. 9, No. 2.
(1996) The Magnificent Seven: A statistical note on presidents of the Assembly of the Uniting Church: Vol. 9, No. 3.
(1997) 100 NOT OUT: A further Statistical Note about Moderators in the Uniting Church
(1997) White Australia 1901: The Moral Debate: Vol. 10, No. 1.
(1988) Women Ministers before 1977, Vol. 10. No. 3 [Women ordained in the antecedent denominations of the Uniting Church 1927 – 1977].
(2005) Where is West Kingston? From West Kingston Methodist Church in 1905 to Camperdown Stanmore Community Church in 2005: Vol. 14, No. 2. Journal Cover.
Note the following four documents are related Historical material for West Kingston (only published on this archival site)
West Kingston and Camperdown Fellowship Weekend of Thanksgiving and Celebration January 2023. (PDF 24 Pages of the speaker messages from the weekend)
West Kingston Camperdown Stanmore Cardigan Street Pictorial Building Record 2023 (PDF 27 pages)
The Final Service Booklet. Order of service and presentations from the service held on 25 June 2023. PDF 13 pages.
Listing of Memorial Plaques for West Kingston Methodist Uniting Church, Cardigan Street Camperdown. PDF 2 Pages. Updated June 2023
(2006) Liberalism, Sexuality and the Future of the Uniting Church in Australia: Vol. 14, No. 3.
(2014) Book Review: in ‘Two Reviews’ of Marion Maddox’s Taking God to School: The end of Australia’s egalitarian education? Vol. 18, No. 4.
(2017) Forty Years on, through four hundred years of heritage: Church Union in Australia. (40th anniversary of the Uniting Church in Australia): Vol. 20, No. 2.
(2018) Book Review of Paul Cooper & David Burke (eds), Burning or Bushed: The Presbyterian Church of Australia 40 Years On. Vol. 20, No. 3.
(2019) Note about the next article: This is a slightly updated version of the article (9/4/2025). The original published in Church Heritage Vol. 21. No. 1
Women Ministers ordained prior to 1977: an update. Women ordained to the antecedent churches of the Uniting Church in Australia: Vol. 21, No. 1.
Other Uniting Church Publications
Looking at our Community: West Kingston Uniting Church, Inner Metropolitan Urban Ministry Newsletter, Vol. 3, N0. 2, April 1990.
(1991) Small is beautiful? [new ministry possibilities], Journey (Queensland Synod UCA), February 1991.
(1991) What in the world is a World Methodist? [The 16th World Methodist Conference], Journey (Queensland Synod UCA), September 1991.
(1991) 3200 attend World Methodist Conference, Insights (NSW Synod UCA), October 1991.
(1993) Establishing New Congregations, (Report and Booklet edited by Peter Bentley and John Mavor), including Paper ‘Summary and Conclusions, National Mission and Evangelism Conference, UCA, Sydney, 1993.
(1995) Involvement in the Ecumenical Movement, Chapter 15 in John Mavor Ed. Growing as Disciples, The Joint Board of Christian Education for NMW, Collingwood, 1995.
The Uniting Church’s View [Divorce] in Splitting Up: A vital handbook by Judy Hogg, Angus and Robertson, Sydney, 1996.
(1996) Peter Bentley & Philip J. Hughes. The Uniting Church in Australia, Melbourne: Bureau of Immigration. Multicultural and Population Research (Part of the Religious Community Profiles Series)
(1997) A Summary of the Interim Responses to the Report on Sexuality. An analysis of the responses to the 1996 Interim Report on Sexuality prepared for the Assembly Standing Committee. February 1997.
(1997) The Practice of Homosexuality – ‘Comment on the Attitudes of Uniting Church affiliates’, Uniting Church Studies, August 1997.
(1998) Overview of the Uniting Church Today and Issues for Tomorrow, Travelling EMU, No. 7, Spring 1998.
(2001) Seachange paints a foibulous picture, [the ABC TV programme Seachange and spirituality], Insights June 2001.
(2005) Report to the Sydney Region Aged Care Board (Uniting Church) on a Regional Care Fund.
(2006) Report on the NSW Synod (ELM) Education for Lay Ministries (with Peter Thompson and Philip J. Hughes)
(2006) The Clayton’s Novel [Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code], Insights (NSW Synod UCA), February 2006.
(2006) JC – Just Celebrity, Insights (NSW Synod UCA), November 2006.
(2011) The Assembly of Confessing Congregations: a renewed community with a rich heritage, Cross Purposes: a forum for theological dialogue, Number 25, September 2011.
The Final Service CSCC Cardigan Street 25 June 2023
Reforming Alliance Papers
(2004) RA Conference Paper: Liberalism, Sexuality and the Future of the Uniting Church Part I, and Part II.
(2005) Paper presented to the Mid-North-Coast Presbytery special meeting: The Poverty of Resolution 84.
(2005) Paper presented to RA Meeting during the 2005 Victorian UCA Synod: The Assembly Can and Must Make a Decision.
(2005) Political Church Speak Combined Numbers 1 – 12: Reforming Alliance Newsletters 2005.
(2006) Presbyteries Not Quite Dead, but many on life support [Analysis of the prime governance model of the UCA in 2006 published on the then RA website]. 36 pages.
References in media, books and research publications
(1990) Discipleship Education Resources Joint Project Report, with David Merritt and John Mavor, Board of Christian Education and the Committee for National Mission and Evangelism, Sydney, 1990.
(1992) Code of Ethics [Australian Business Study – research assistant for Bruce Kaye, New College Institute.
(1997) Book Reference in formulation of Symposium Marking Twenty Years (UCA).
(2004) Reference in Editorial Insights, November 2004.
(2005) Presbytery of Sydney Minute.
(2006) Spirit of Generation Y [Youth Spirituality Study]: Project interview assistant.
References in the two volume Evangelical History of Australia by Stuart Piggin and Bob Linder (Fountain of Public Prosperity: Evangelical Christians in Australian History 1740–1914 (2018) and Attending to the National Soul: Evangelical Christians 1914 – 2014 ( 2019)
ACCatalyst Magazine: Archival Copy Listing
March – June 2020 (Final edition)
Personal Reference
1974 State Library Competition News and Photo
Sunrise Program – end section January 2006
Reflections on Walking the Camino de Sydney in 2021.
Part 1: PDF; Posted online 20 January 2022
Part 2: PDF; Posted online 25 February 2022
Part 3: PDF; Tips for Walking; Posted online 31 March 2022
The Good Confession Newsletter
2021 – 2023
TGC Number 10 (Final Edition) Autumn 2023
ACCatalyst
Magazine of the Assembly of Confessing Congregations (2007 – 2020)
Note: for a complete archival list of magazines see the ACC website or the Listing on this website (as added and available)
(2007) The Future is evangelical (What’s ahead for the Uniting Church?), September 2007.
(2007) These statistics don’t lie – church members have left in droves, December 2007.
(2008) What a ‘Bonanza’ [Christian Moral Code], March 2008.
(2008) Where do more young people go – liberal or evangelical? March 2008.
(2010), Marriage in the Uniting Church, October 2010.
(2011) It’s official: ‘No right or wrong answers’. February 2011.
(2011) Preamble and Uniting Church Constitution – Processes and Decision-making, February 2011.
(2012) Worshipping at the Altar, April 2012. Gold Award at the 2013 Australasian Religious Press Association awards for Best Humorous Article.
(2012) Adelaide scoreboard: Uniting Church’s 13th Assembly, August 2012.
(2013) God Only Knows [The life and times of Denis Rader], September 2013.
(2013) Helping Marriages, September 2013.
(2014) Marriage, Political Church Speak: The Bentley Report, June 2014.
(2014) The Road to the 14th Assembly: The Bentley Report, September 2014.
(2015) The year of visiting: The Bentley Report, March 2015.
(2015) In the beginning (of the debate) The Bentley Report, June 2015.
(2015) Idolatry and the Uniting Church, December 2015.
(2015) When is the news not the news? The Bentley Report, December 2015. And a report on the 14th Assembly.
(2016) Living in a Sexualised Culture, March 2016.
(2016) The Real Wesleyan Quadrilateral, September 2016.
(2016) Gruen and the question of religion, December 2016.
(2017) Uniting without Care? The Bentley Report, March 2017.
(2017) The DNA of the UCA: The Bentley Report, June 2017.
(2017) The National Census & the Uniting Church: a basic overview, September 2017.
(2017) Retrospective: The Bentley Report, [UCA 40th Anniversary Conference], September 2017.
(2017) A Yes Era? December 2017.
(2017) A Brave New World? The Bentley Report, December 2017.
(2018) Signs of the Times: The Bentley Report, March 2018.
(2018) The (2018) Standing Committee Report: The Bentley Report, June 2018.
(2018) The Assembly [an overview], June 2018.
(2018) Game of Churches [15th Assembly], The Bentley Report, September 2018.
(2018) Public Policy Fail: The Bentley Report, December 2018.
(2019) Liberal Theology: The Bentley Report, March 2019 [Factors in liberal development]
(2019) What’s happening in the UCA ?: The Bentley Report, March 2019.
(2019) Two of anything: The Bentley Report, December 2019. [VAD and Abortion]
(2020) Only Waving: The Bentley Report, June 2020.
Book Reviews
(2008) Book Review: Princesses, Pornstars – by Emily Maguire: A book that shows why humanism isn’t enough, June 2008.
(2011) Book Review: Big Porn Inc. by Melinda Tankard Reist, December 2011.
2012) Book Review: The Integrity of Anglicanism, April 2012.
(2012) Book Review: Teen Sex, by Patricia Weerakoon, December 2012.
(2012) Book Review: Forgetting how to Blush: United Methodism’s compromise with the sexual revolution, March 2014.
(2018) Review of Faith in a time of Crisis by Vaughan Roberts with Peter Jensen, June 2018.
(2018 Book Review When Harry became Sally written by Ryan T Anderson, June 2018.
(2019) Review: The Way Back: How Christians blew out credibility and how we get it back. by Phil Cooke and Jonathan Bock, March 2019.
(2019) Review of The Bible in Australia by Meredith Lake, March 2019.
(2019) Review of The Leadership of Jesus by Peter McGuigan, December 2019.
ACC Website
(2008) Bill Henson and Humble Children, Posted 5 December 2008.
Other Publications
Christian Book Newsletter: Published Reviews 1988.
Book Review Essay: All are not historians, are they? An analysis of Mal Garvin’s Us Aussies: The Fascinating History They Didn’t Tell us About at School, Lucas: An Evangelical History Review, March 1988.
Other Book Reviews published in Lucas.
Mapping the Landscape. Theological Libraries: New Fields in a changing landscape [Keynote address to the 1988 ANZTLA Conference], ANZTLA Newsletter, No. 35, 1988.
Face to face with Jim Longley [NSW MP], Southern Cross, February 1990.
Developing Resources for Discipleship, Adult Education News, May 1990.
Worshipping the Box [satire on TV and church culture], On Being, December 1997-January 1998.
National Catholic Research Council
Religious Research in Christian Churches and Institutions: A survey 1977 – 1987, National Catholic Research Council, March 1987.
(1988) Editor: Australian Religious Studies: A Bibliography of Post- Graduate Theses 1922 – 1986. Sydney. National Catholic Research Council. [NCRA Newsletter reference to book and final edition December 1998)
Australian Religion Studies Review [now called the Journal for the Academic Study of Religion]
Australian Religion Studies Review: Book Reviews Published: Patterns of Faith (1990)
Dingo Girl: Ten Years On. Review article – Evil Angels/People: Writing about the Film. Australian Religion Studies Review, Vol. 3, No. 1, September 1990.
Seventh-day Adventists according to the Sydney Morning Herald, Australian Religion Studies Review, Vol. 5, No.2, Spring 1992.
Peter Carey and the new/old (clergy) man, Australian Religion Studies Review, Vol. 6, No.1, Autumn 1993.
Religious Community Profiles [an essay review of the series], Vol. 10. No. 1, 1997.
National Outlook
National Outlook was an independent Australian Christian monthly magazine published 1979 – 2001.
Responding to the male violence of our visual culture, National Outlook, April 1988.
The State of the Australian Film Art [AFI Awards 1988], September 1988.
Understanding Australia’s Christian history, October 1988.
Contemporary issues in Australian churches (A review and analysis of internal issues), March 1989.
Churches resist NSW moves on Aboriginal affairs, June-July 1989.
Coping with TV violence: Our growing obsession, July-August 1989.
Romero [film] and reviewing the reviewers of Romero, November-December 1989.
The End for Women Ministers in the Presbyterian Church? March 1990.
Blowing hot and cold on Bishops [Episcopacy in the Uniting Church], July 1990.
Religion: faithful attraction for Australian film makers, September 1990.
Impressions of an Assembly [World Council of Churches Assembly held in Canberra], March 1991.
Sampling the Methodists in Singapore [1991 World Methodist Conference], September 1991.
Church and Media at a film festival [1991 Sydney Film Festival], September 1991.
How can a woman be saved? [PCA General Assembly 1991], October 1991.
Bums on Seats: number crunching in the church, [church statistics] April 1993.
God on our Side [Christianity and ‘just war’], August 1993.
Violence in our midst. [a contemporary reflection on Judges 19-21], September 1993.
True Believers [Fundamentalism v evangelicalism], December 1993.
A Christian Country? [The context of Christian in Australia], June 1994.
The violent verb (the relationship between violence and obscene language in the media), August 1994.
Church/Christian Speak (definitions – Humour), 1999.
Sexual (church) Politics [Uniting Church Eighth Assembly], September 1997.
The Future of the Australian Church (Edited address to the Sydney College of Divinity, July 1999)
Where in the World were the Baptists? [World Baptist Congress, Melbourne] March 2000.
Uniting Church: still seeking consensus by agreement [Uniting Church Assembly Ninth Assembly], September 2000.
Christian Research Association
A selection of links; for CRA information see CRA.
BOOKS
(1990 – 1994) Bentley, P. (ed) & Blombery, T. & Hughes, P. A Yearbook for Australian Churches 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995. Hawthorn, Vic. Christian Research Association.
(1991) Hughes, P. and Bentley, P. 1991. Lay Adult Christian Education: Principles and Possibilities. Hawthorn, Vic. Christian Research Association.
(1992) Bentley, P. & Blombery, T. & Hughes, P. Faith Without the Church, Nominalism in Australian Christianity. Hawthorn, Vic. Christian Research Association.
(1995-1996) Bentley, P. (ed) & Hughes, A Yearbook of Australian Religious Organisations 1996 – 1997. Hawthorn, Vic. Christian Research Association.
(1999) Bentley, P. (ed) & Hughes, P. A Directory of Australian Religious Organisations 1999. Hawthorn, Vic. Christian Research Association
(1999) Bentley, P. & Hughes, P. (Editors), Australian Life and the Christian Faith: Facts and Figures, 1999. Hawthorn, Vic. Christian Research Association.
(2016) Chapter 11: ‘The Christian Research Association in the Media’ in Charting the Faith of Australians: Thirty Years in the CRA, Contributing Editor Philip J. Hughes, Christian Research Association, Nunawading, Melbourne.
Articles in Pointers: the Bulletin of the Christian Research Association
Churches and Clergy in Australia: Some comments on interpreting statistics in the Yearbook. Volume 2, Number 1, December 1991.
Book Review Essay: Making Australia: Exploring Our National Conversation. (Peter Bentley enters the conversation on John Thornhill’s book on Australian culture). Volume 2, Number 3, July 1992.
Changing Patterns of Alcohol Use and Abuse (in Australia). Volume 3, Number 1, December 1992. (with Philip J. Hughes)
Religion in the Media – 1991 Review. Volume 2, Number 2, March 1992.
Religious Periodicals in Australia. Volume 2, Number 2, March 1992.
Theological and Bible College Education in Australia. Volume 3. Number 1, December 1992. and Review of D Kirkaldy General Synod Paper on Changing Theological Education (1993).
Book Review Essay: Hugh Mackay’s Reinventing Australia. Volume 3. Number 3, June 1993.
Essay Review of a working paper Christianity in Public: A Profile of Religious Media by Malcolm Anderson [Institute of Applied Economics and Social Research, Melbourne University, IAESR Working Paper 2193]. Volume 3, Number 5, December 1993.
Book Review Essay of Edward C Lehman Jr Women in Ministry. Receptivity and Resistance. Volume 4, Number 3, September 1994.
The Celebration of Marriage. [Review and history of marriage celebration in Australia]. Volume 5, Number 1, March 1995.
Celebration of Marriage in Australia: Some Further Notes. Volume 5, Number 3, September 1995.
Women in employed/institutional ministry in Australian churches. Volume 5, Number 2, June 1995.
Celebration of Marriage in Australia – 1994 statistics update. Volume 6, Number 3, September 1996.
Post-Modernism [A report on the visit of Dr Martin Robinson and Bible Society seminars in Australia in 1995]. Volume 6, Number 2, June 1996.
Euthanasia and the Influence of Religion [1993 NSSS]. Volume 7, Number 2, June 1997.
Non-Government Schooling in Australia. [Analysis and overall development of the sector]. Volume 7, Number 3, September 1997.
Marriage in Australia 1997 and 1998 Review. Volume 9, Number 4, December 1999.
The Sex Industry [in Australia and the Church and related support ministries], (A PG rated article). Volume 9, Number 2, June 1999.
A World of Baptists [Baptist World Alliance Congress held in Melbourne). Volume 10, Number 1, March 2000.
Ministry at the Sydney Olympics. [Christian outreach and support at the 2000 Olympics]. Volume 10, Number 3, September 2000.
The Spirituality of SeaChange [An analysis of the ABC TV Programme]. Volume 10, Number 4, December 2000.
Celebration of Marriage in the 21st Century. Volume 11, Number 4, December 2001.
Book Review Essay of Bruce Kaye’s Anglicanism in Australia: A History. Volume 12, Number 4, December 2002.
Essay Review of The Mediated Spirit – CD-Rom by Peter Horsfield. Volume 12, Number 3, September 2002.
Contemplating Ethical Issues in the Churches. Volume 13, Number 2, June 2003.
Civil Celebrations Continue to Increase. Volume 14, Number 4, December 2004.
American Heaven? [An analysis and review of the USA TV programme 7th Heaven]. Volume 14, Number 3, September 2004.
Marriages celebrated by religious rite in Australia: Over 30 Years of Decline. Volume 15, Number 3, September 2005.
Essay Review of Mixed Marriages: Catholic/Non-Catholic Marriages in Australia (2005) by Dr A Abe. Volume 15, Number 4, December 2005.
Essay Review with Philip J. Hughes of Living Life to the Full: spirituality for today’s baby boomers by Christopher Walker. Volume 16, Number 1, March 2006.
Faith and Media – a reflection. Volume 17, Number 2, June 2007.
World Youth Day 2008. [A report and overview]. Volume. 18, Number 3, September 2008.
Marriage in Australia: Changes and Challenges. [Edited version of a paper presented at the Lausanne Researchers’ Conference in Geelong, April 2008, looking at the changes to marriage: status, place and wedding arrangements]. Volume 18, Number 4, December 2008.
De Facto Relationships. [An analysis of the increase in de facto relationships and the role of religion]. Volume 19, Number 2, June 2009.
The Civil Wedding Option. Volume 19, Number 3, September 2009.
Is the End Nigh? Print based religious periodicals in Australia. Volume 20, Number 2, June 2010.
Faith and film in visual age – a reflection. Volume 21 , Number 4. December 2011.
Faith at the Olympics. Volume 22, Number 2, June 2012.
The City is My Parish: Understanding the Hillsong Model. [Review and analysis of the development of Hillsong as a world church]. Volume 22, Number 3. September 2012.
Media Matters. [Interview with Phil Cooke about his work and Christian media]. Volume 23, Number 4, December 2013.
ARPA and Christian press in Australia. [A brief history of the Australasian Religious Press Association]. Volume 24, Number 2, June 2014.
The search for a Public Christianity? [A review and outline of a number of public Christianity think tanks in Australia and other countries]. Volume 25, Number 4, December 2015
CRA Papers (A Series of academic topic based papers)
A Brief Review of Church-Related Research in Australia 1975-2005; co-authored with Philip Hughes. This was an extensive overview of the sociological research by institutions and church researchers in Australia. (An earlier paper by Peter Bentley for the National Catholic Research Council looked at the period 1977 – 1987)
Archival Website for Peter Bentley 