William Athol Gill (1937–1992) was an influential Australian

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

and one of the leaders of the

radical discipleship movement In Christianity, a disciple is a dedicated follower of Jesus. This term is found in the New Testament only in the Gospels and Acts. Originating in the ancient Near East, the concept of a disciple is an adherent of a teacher. Discipleship is no ...

in Australia.

Education

Gill attended the

NSW Baptist Theological College Morling College is a Baptist college in Macquarie Park, New South Wales. It is affiliated with the Australian Baptist Ministries. It is an approved teaching institution of the Australian University of Theology, and is a member of the South Pacif ...

, Spurgeon's College, and the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

, obtaining a

Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD, DB, or BDiv; ) is an academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies. ...

degree with Honours in 1965; and thereafter he attended Rüschlikon International Baptist Seminary and the

University of Zürich The University of Zurich (UZH, ) is a public university, public research university in Zurich, Switzerland. It is the largest university in Switzerland, with its 28,000 enrolled students. It was founded in 1833 from the existing colleges of the ...

, obtaining a master's degree in 1967 and a D.Theol. degree in 1971.

Professional career

Gill served as a lecturer at the Baptist Theological College of Queensland in 1971-2; with the Methodist Training College in Brisbane in 1973–1974; and with

Whitley College Whitley College is a Baptist theological institute in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The college is associated with the Baptist Union of Victoria (Australian Baptist Ministries) and is one of the theological schools of the University of Divinity ...

within the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

, initially as dean of studies from 1975 to 1979, and then as professor of New Testament from 1979 until his death in 1992.

Intentional community

Gill was founder of two intentional Christian communities, the House of Freedom in Brisbane and the House of the Gentle Bunyip in Melbourne, both of which were linked informally with the House of the New World in Sydney.

Recognition

Gill's significance is commemorated in the naming of the Athol Gill Centre, within Whitley College and opened in 2001; in a collection of scholarly essays in honour of Gill, published in 2002; in a biography by fellow theologian Harold Pidwell, published in 2007; and in a commemorative screen by artist David Wong, completed in 2012.History of Whitley College: http://whitley.unimelb.edu.au/sites/whitley.unimelb.edu.au/files/download/Complete%20PG%20Hbk%20PDF.pdf , accessed 18 July 2017; Neville, Prophecy and Passion: Essays in Honour of Athol Gill; Pidwell, A Gentle Bunyip: The Athol Gill Story; and The Athol Gill Commemorative Screen. 2012. http://atholgillscreen.weebly.com/index.html, accessed 18 July 2017

Publications

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References

{{authority control Australian Christian theologians 1937 births Australian biblical scholars People from Sydney Alumni of the University of London 1992 deaths