This book is an admirable example of the way in which biography ought to be written. It provides a lucid account of the main features of this man’s life and then provides an insightful analysis of his parochial ministry and the nexus with social reform. This book, based on careful research, is a delight to read. Felicitously written, we are spared unnecessary trivia. We are enabled to discern developing patterns of work and of the way in which principles were progressively and consciously articulated then adopted.
Such a work as this is long overdue. Although there have been some short biographical pieces written, and Bertie Boyce’s own small books, pamphlets and other publications are available in select archives, never before has there been a detailed study of this Christian activist who promoted the welfare of the society in which he lived. But while there are several plaques in churches and a sandstone obelisk memorial to this man, few would remember Francis Bertie Boyce today. So one might therefore be entitled to ask, what reason is there for trying to revive that memory and writing this study? As we read, because it is ‘an invaluable guide to emulating a remarkably practical and effective pastor’. What is unfolded is both cautionary and exemplary. In an age where the primacy of ‘evangelism’ was being asserted, Boyce had insisted that ‘addressing the social context and needs of the people to be evangelised were essential to any wider evangelism’.
The book divides roughly into three parts. Chapter 1 covers his early years, and his early pioneering ministries mainly in western New South Wales. The second part, (chs. 2–6) is by far the most substantial and gives details of his work from when he was appointed to St Paul’s, Redfern in 1885 until 1930 when he retired to Blackheath at the age of 84.
The growing working-class character of Boyce’s Redfern parish (where he served for 46 years), which included Sydney’s railway yards and workshops, made him a vigorous social reformer. In the interests of the Church, he steadfastly withstood the inclination of the secular to drive religion out of the public square. He joined the Christian Social Union in the 1890s. In the interests of the poor, he campaigned for temperance, old age and invalid pensions, and slum clearance. He was president of the NSW Alliance for the Suppression of Intemperance from 1891 to 1915. In the interests of the nation, he fought for the ongoing involvement of the churches in public education, for the observance of Empire Day as the celebration of ‘all things which uplift an empire’s people’, and the annual observance of ‘Church History Sunday’ to give due acknowledgement of the positive role of the Church in Australia’s development. In all of this the author demonstrates how Boyce showed a shrewd grasp of the political skills needed to attract and influence public opinion and to work amidst faction and party politics.
Boyce had no distinct political creed and while a convinced Evangelical he was by no means a narrow ‘party’ man. He became a canon of St Andrew’s Cathedral in 1901 and archdeacon of West Sydney in 1910. He kept the breadth of his diocese’s traditions alive, and was a leader in the NSW Council of Churches.
The third part (chs. 7–11) provides us with some personal insights into Boyce and where Boyce speaks for himself: ‘Using History’, ‘Disappointments’, ‘Wife and Family’, ‘Blackheath’, and ‘Funerals or Obsequia’. His obituaries show how immense and wide was the esteem in which he was held. A useful timeline appears at pp. 123-26 where the major events in Boyce’s life are set alongside local, national and international incidents. There are very few minor blemishes in this work: ‘seenlistmentven’ (p. 29) needs clarification, and Queen Victoria’s birthday (p. 72) should be shown as May 24th.
As you read the book you will see how the author has brought to life the qualities of this man, and his dedicated use of them. Boyce responded to perceived needs pragmatically. For him the Gospel had implications (through the basic nature of God and his Kingdom) for social and even international relationships. For this man of God ‘Doing justice and walking humbly and wisely’ meant seeing God’s principles of equity applied, and the practice of mercy shown, in the practical social agenda of his age.
