Deakin University
Browse

File(s) under permanent embargo

A Little Outpost: The Ballarat Spiritualist Fellowship and the Spiritualist Church Movement in Australia

Version 2 2024-05-31, 00:28
Version 1 2022-12-09, 00:16
journal contribution
posted on 2024-05-31, 00:28 authored by Andrew SingletonAndrew Singleton
This article explores the short life of the Ballarat Spiritualist Fellowship and the Spiritualist history of its founder, Lorraine Culross (b. 1952), to offer both a “wide-angle” and “up-close” account of Australian Spiritualism and the fortunes of its churches, especially in the postwar era. Spiritualism first came to Australia in the nineteenth century, in the form of public lectures, stage demonstrations, and private séances. A church movement quickly appeared, and dozens of congregations opened in the first few decades of the twentieth century. Today, only a handful of these “legacy” churches still run, fortunate to own a dedicated building. Beyond that, many other tiny churches, like the Ballarat Spiritualist Fellowship, have come and gone across many decades. These churches could open easily because of the commitment of enthusiastic Spiritualists, an absence of a rigid ecclesiastical hierarchy, and charismatic forms of social organization. However, as the case of Ballarat shows, these same characteristics mean that most churches have a precarious existence. This mutability characterizes Spiritualism’s story as one of Australia’s longest lasting and most durable alternative spiritual movements. Australian Spiritualism has evolved, changed, and survives, despite the travails of many church closures.

History

Journal

Nova Religio: journal of alternative and emergent religions

Volume

26

Pagination

71-92

Location

Oakland, Calif.

ISSN

1092-6690

eISSN

1541-8480

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Issue

2

Publisher

University of California Press

Usage metrics

    Research Publications

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC