John Moyes (bishop)

John Stoward Moyes CMG^[1] (25 July 1884 – 29 January 1972) was an Australian Anglican^[2] bishop^[3] and author.^[4]

Moyes was born in Koolunga and educated at St Peter's College, Adelaide and the University of Adelaide.^[5] Ordained in 1908 ^[6] he began his career with curacies at St Paul’s, Port Pirie and St Mary’s, Lewisham.^[7] Next he held incumbencies at St Cuthbert’s Prospect and St Bartholomew’s Norwood during which time he became Archdeacon of Adelaide. In 1929 he was appointed Bishop of Armidale,^[8] a post he held for 35 years.^[9]

Social issues

Moyes was a proponent of the social gospel, having been influenced by his observation of extremes of wealth and poverty during his tenure at Lewisham.^[10]

Moyes was a prominent opponent of the 1950 Act of Parliament and the 1951 referendum to ban the Communist Party of Australia..^[11] Advocating for the "no" case, Moyes said:

For the Australian government to develop an order that is even a faint resemblance to the police state of totalitarian countries, with its hunting for victims, is to give communism its first victory, for we shall be adopting its methods, and using Satan to cast out Satan.^[12]

Moyes was also a prominent opponent of the Vietnam War.

References

1. State Library of NSW
2. Australian Anglican
3. National Archives
4. Amongst others he wrote "Marriage and Sex; The Church and The Hour; Australia, the Church and the Future", 1941; "American Journey", 1944; "The Communist Way of Life and The Christian’s Answer", 1951; and "Third Time of Asking" > British Library website accessed 13:01 GMT 17 May 2010.
5. ADB on-line
6. The Clergy List London, Kelly’s, 1913
7. Who was Who 1897-1990 London, A & C Black, 1991 ISBN 0-7136-3457-X
8. The Times, 15 May 1929, p. 19, "Ecclesiastical News".
9. Awarded freedom of City
10. "Bishop John Moyes vs Robert Menzies on Banning Communism & the Vietnam War". The Sydney Institute. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
11. Paul Terracini. "Bishop J S Moyes and the attempt to ban the Communist Party". Retrieved 26 October 2012.
12. "Making History – Middle Secondary Units Investigating People and Issues in Australia after World War II" (PDF). Retrieved 26 October 2012.