Rice Hopkins CLAYTON

CLAYTON, RICE HOPKINS (b. Melbourne, Vic, 1897; d. Melbourne, Vic, 1984). Educator, author, Open Brethren Bible teacher and administrator.

Rice Hopkins Clayton graduated MA in history from Melbourne University in 1924. He became senior history master at Scotch College in Melbourne, and taught there for 30 years, relieving as headmaster from time to time.

Grandson of Rice Thomas Hopkins (q.v.), from whom stemmed the Hopkins faction of the Plymouth Brethren between their separation from the Open Brethren in 1883 and the reunion of 1961, Clayton grew up in his grandfather's communion. A highly capable educator who carried his skills into Bible teaching from an early age, he disappointed that group by seceding to the less restrictive fellowship of the Open Brethren in 1924.

In 1958 Clayton took a leading part in the establishment of Emmaus Bible college in Epping, NSW, the training institution of the Open Brethren in Australia. He served on its board and instructed its students every year until 1980. He taught also at the Melbourne Bible Institute, now Bible College of Victoria.

Clayton authored several secondary school history text books including Britain's First and Second Empires, A School History of the United Kingdom and Colonies to Commonwealth. He wrote two works on Australian civics, Civics and Citizenship and Our Social System. His Bible teaching writings were The Church in the Scriptures (Melbourne 1934), Future History in the "Revelation" (London, 1941) and Christ's Kingdom and the Church (Bacon, Melbourne, 1970). He taught and defended the 'futurist' view of Biblical prophecy.

IAN MCDOWELL