Stuart Barton Babbage (4 January 1916 – 16 November 2012), often S. Barton Babbage, was an

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

priest. Babbage was educated at

Auckland Grammar School Auckland Grammar School (often simplified to Auckland Grammar, or Grammar), established in 1869, is a State school, state, Day school, day and Boarding school, boarding secondary school for Single-sex education, boys in Auckland, New Zealand. ...

, the

University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...

and

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

in 1940. His first post was as a

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' () of souls of a parish. In this sense, ''curate'' means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy who are as ...

Havering-atte-Bower Havering-atte-Bower ( ) is a village in Greater London, England, in the far north of the London Borough of Havering. The village lies northeast of Charing Cross. It was one of three former parishes whose area comprised the historic Royal Libe ...

. Then he was a chaplain in the RAF from 1942 to 1946, having been ordained 17 December 1939, in Essex. Returning to Australia he became

Dean of Sydney St Andrew's Cathedral (also known as St Andrew's Anglican Cathedral) is a cathedral church (building), church of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney in the Anglican Church of Australia. The cathedral is the seat of the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney ...

, serving from 1947 to 1953; and then

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

from 1953 until 1962. Babbage also served in theological education for which he was awarded the Order of Australia as a part of the 1995 Queen's Birthday honours list. He lectured at

Moore Theological College Moore Theological College, otherwise known simply as Moore College, is the theological training seminary of the Diocese of Sydney in the Anglican Church of Australia. The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney holds ''ex officio'' the presidency of t ...

while he was Dean of Sydney, and served as principal of

Ridley College (Melbourne) Ridley College, briefly also known as Ridley Melbourne, is a Christian theological college in the parklands of central Melbourne in the Australian state of Victoria. Established in 1910, it has an evangelical foundation and outlook and is aff ...

while he was Dean of Melbourne. He moved to the United States to become one of the founders of

Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary (GCTS) is an evangelical seminary with its main campus in Hamilton, Massachusetts, and three other campuses in Boston, Massachusetts; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Jacksonville, Florida. According to the Ass ...

before returning once more to Australia to become master of New College at the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1949. The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, master's and docto ...

. At the same time he served as Registrar of the

Australian College of Theology The Australian University of Theology (AUT), formerly known as the Australian College of Theology (ACT), is an Collegiate university, collegiate Theology, theological university based in Sydney, New South Wales. The university delivers awards i ...

, from 1973-1991. Babbage received a Doctorate of Theology from King's College, London, England.

Family

Stuart Babbage was born in Auckland, New Zealand, the eldest of six, to Gordon Swaine and Florence (née' Rutherfurd) on 4 January 1916. His family tree has been traced back to

Charles Babbage Charles Babbage (; 26 December 1791 – 18 October 1871) was an English polymath. A mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer, Babbage originated the concept of a digital programmable computer. Babbage is considered ...

(1791–1871), an English Polymath credited with inventing the first computer. Babbage's grandfather, Charles Whitmore Babbage, took the family to New Zealand where Gordon Babbage was born. His uncle, Eden Herschel Babbage (1844–1924) was considered the "father of Roseville," of which Babbage Road in Roseville is named, and served as manager of the

Bank of Australasia The Bank of Australasia was an Australian bank in operation from 1835 to 1951. Headquartered in London, the bank was incorporated by royal charter in March 1834. It had initially been planned to additionally include first South Africa and then ...

. After a troubled youth, Babbage went on to earn a master's degree by the age of 20 before traveling to London, England to pursue his PhD in theology. His thesis was on the Puritan movement and he was ordained in December 1939 in the Anglican priesthood. While serving as a chaplain in Feltwell, Norfolk with the RAF, Babbage met and married RAF flight officer Rachel Elizabeth King in 1943. Together Stuart and Elizabeth had four children, Veronica, Malcolm, Christopher, and Timothy. The family, minus Veronica, traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, in 1963 leaving Melbourne, Australia to participate in the American Civil Rights Movement, befriending Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. Babbage became a professor at Columbia Theological Seminary in Georgia at the invitation of J. McDowell Richards, then president of the college from 1932 to 1971. He served as vicar in an African-American church in Atlanta. Babbage's son, Christopher married an African-American LaNell Johnson and integrated the Episcopal Cathedral in Atlanta. Lisa Noel Babbage, granddaughter to Babbage, chronicled the interracial marriage of her parents in the biograph
''333 Miracles

Career

Babbage considered himself an Anglican evangelist, welcoming the Reverend Billy Graham to Australia for the 1959 crusade as executive chairman of the Melbourne Billy Graham Crusade. After arriving in the US, Babbage worked with Martin Luther King in Georgia. Babbage along with other clergy integrated "white only" churches and public parks in the 1960s. It was always at the heart of Babbage to create a safe place for young people to learn and achieve. He started after school clubs for young black children in low income neighborhoods while teaching at Columbia School of Theology in Decatur, Georgia. Eventually, Babbage moved to Pennsylvania and Massachusetts to help found the multi-racial Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He wrote seven books, including a biograph

Babbage lectured throughout New South Wales on controversial topics at the time, including divorce, stating "It is the simplest thing in the world to take out an order for restitution of conjugal rights, and, on this being ignored, to secure a divorce on the grounds of desertion. This encourages divorce by collusion", citing instead with biblical prescriptions for life-long fidelity. Babbage died in Sydney, New South Wales, on 16 November 2012, survived by eight grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.Melbourne Anglican
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Babbage, Stuart Barton 1916 births Religious leaders from Auckland University of New Zealand alumni Alumni of King's College London Deans of Sydney Deans of Melbourne Members of the Order of Australia 2012 deaths People educated at Auckland Grammar School Academic staff of Moore Theological College University and college founders Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary faculty Seminary presidents Royal Air Force chaplains Royal Air Force personnel of World War II World War II chaplains