Clifford Harris NASH

NASH, CLIFFORD HARRIS (b. Brixton, London, England, 16 Dec 1866; d. Royal Park, Melbourne, Vic, 27 Sept 1958). Anglican clergyman and influential leader of evangelicalism in Melbourne.

Nash was educated at Oundle School. From there he won a classical scholarship to Corpus Christi College Cambridge (BA 1888, MA 1900). His time at Cambridge (1885-9) was crucial in the development of his evangelicalism. J B Lightfoot and B F Westcott, under whom Nash studied, though neither were evangelicals established a tradition of careful scholarship and reasoned conservatism that provided a viable alternative to scepticism or dogmatic assertion. That English evangelicalism did not suffer the distress and divisions that American fundamentalism did over biblical criticism was due in no small part to them. In later life Nash said that he believed that the Cambridge scholars were critical in keeping Anglican evangelicals on track. He often referred to the influence that Westcott had on him.

Corpus Christi College had by the 1880s become a stronghold of the evangelical movement. This ethos also had its impact on Nash. His study there of the classics for his BA laid a foundation for Nash's later facility with the Greek text of the NT. Nash then studied for a year at Ridley Hall, which had been founded by evangelicals under the leadership of Bp Charles Perry (q.v.) to counter the growing influence of tractarianism. The principal was then H C G Moule. Whether or not Nash consciously modelled himself on him, Moule influenced Nash in at least four areas: in scholarship—Nash's later teaching and preaching from the Greek text were reminiscent of Moule's daily expositions at Ridley; holiness—as Moule was closely associated with Keswick so was Nash with the Upwey (later Belgrave Heights) Conventions; in the influence he had through pastoral counselling; and in being a very Anglican evangelical.

After Cambridge Nash taught at Loretto School in Musselburgh near Edinburgh for 18 months. He was ordained deacon in 1890 by Bp Westcott at Durham and went to a curacy at St Peter's, Huddersfield, in Yorkshire. His curacy was interrupted by a world tour with a Cambridge friend, Robin Barclay of the Barclay's Bank family. On his return he was priested by Bp William Walsham How in Wakefield Cathedral 26 Feb 1893 and settled down to a promising career. This was cut short in 1895 by allegations that he made improper advances to his vicar's daughter.

As a result Nash resigned and sailed to Tasmania to begin a new life. There he became superintendent of a settlement for unemployed men in Southport. He was there until Feb 1897 when Bp William Saumarez Smith (q.v.) of Sydney invited him to resume his career. This invitation might well have come at the initiative of two Sydney clergymen, Arthur Edwin Bellingham and William Martin, friends from Cambridge days. Nash responded immediately, and was appointed curate at St Phillip's, Church Hill, under Rev J D Langley (q.v.). He was soon made curate-in-charge of the mission church at Ultimo. In Jan 1899 he became locum tenens at St Paul's, Redfern, while the rector, Canon Francis Bertie Boyce (q.v.) was on leave. In the same month he married Louise Mary Maude Pearse, a niece of J D Langley.

Nash's ability quickly drew attention and at the end of 1899 he was offered the incumbency of St Columb's, Hawthorn, one of Melbourne's leading parishes. During Nash's time at St Columb's (1900-1906) the parish continued to flourish and he built up a reputation as a preacher and leading evangelical. He also engaged in a number of extraparochial activities. He began church planting work in the Dandenongs; he was involved in the founding of St Hilda's, a training home for deaconesses and female missionary candidates for the CIM, he was appointed a lecturer in the diocesan St John's Theological College, he was a founding member of the Parker Union, a society of evangelical clergy with scholarly interests, he was elected a member of General Synod of the Church of England in Australia; and was made a canon of St Paul's Cathedral Melbourne.

In Sept 1906 he became vicar of Christ Church, Geelong. A year later allegations were brought against Nash by Mrs A H Molesworth, widow of the prominent Judge Hickman Molesworth, and Nash's successor at St Columb's, Rev H F Mercer. These concerned his infatuation with a serving girl, and rumours about his association with Jennifer Neil, a sister of his close friend Edwin Lee Neil (q.v.). Instead of allowing the allegations to be dealt with before a Committee for the Trial of Ecclesiastical Offences, as laid down in the Trustees and Vestries Act, Abp Henry Lowther Clarke suggested that the Cathedral Chapter act as a tribunal. Nash, foolishly, agreed to this and it met under Clarke's chairmanship. He outlined the charges against Nash of his time at Hawthorn; but he also referred to the Huddersfield incident, alleged that Nash was dismissed from Loretto School for misconduct with some of the boys, and had been guilty of misconduct with a choirboy at Huddersfield. Nash was denied the opportunity to challenge or cross examine Clarke's assertions that a proper court would have provided.

In a split vote the Chapter found him guilty of indiscretion and asked him to resign, which he did, though protesting his innocence. There followed great opposition from clergy and laity against the archbishop with petitions being taken up and Christ Church renominating Nash a number of times in spite of Clarke's veto. E Lee Neil also obtained, and published in the daily newspapers, a statutory declaration by both the girl and her mother that Nash had at all times acted with complete propriety. While in England for the Lambeth Conference Clarke tried to uncover details about Nash's supposed previous indiscretions. This further exacerbated opposition against him; and in any case he had to cable Melbourne that there was no substance to any of the allegations. Nash was completely exonerated but, while Clarke was prepared to give him a general license, he refused to license him to Christ Church. His actions were motivated by his personal animus against Nash and by his dislike of evangelicals. Moreover, they were not only improper pastorally but also legally: he deliberately bypassed proper procedures. The Nash affair was part of the context which led to the founding of Ridley College in 1910 as protest by evangelicals against an archbishop and a diocese from whom they felt alienated.

In 1908 the evangelical Bp Arthur Wellesly Pain (q.v.) of Gippsland invited Nash to become rector of Sale and archdeacon of Gippsland. He accepted and again picked up the threads of his career. Very soon he became the outstanding clergyman in Gippsland, being elected or appointed to many committees, and had a fruitful ministry. Then on 16 Oct 1909 John Norton, editor of Truth newspaper, published a defamatory article against Clarke over the Nash affair. Clarke sued for libel, and the case came to court in 1912. The whole business of Nash's alleged improprieties was ventilated once more, this time in the daily newspapers. However the matter was settled out of court after Clarke was examined by his own QC but before he was examined by Norton's QC, and before Nash was put on the stand. Thus again Nash was denied the opportunity to challenge the assertions made by others in the case. Once again he resigned his appointment and license. He moved back to Melbourne and in 1913 began a boys preparatory school, 'Ashwick', in Kew. This was not a success. Nash was an outstanding teacher but he was not a good administrator. Then the Congregational Church in Prahran invited him to become its pastor. He served as such for six successful years (1915-20): he was glad to be back in the pastoral ministry; though he never felt completely at home in the Congregational Church.

At the end of 1919 the Council of CIM, of which he was a member, invited him to begin a bible institute for the training of missionaries. Up to this point female CIM missionaries trained at St Hilda's; however the CIM council thought that St Hilda's was becoming too Anglican, and they wished to have another, more suitable, place. Thus the Melbourne Bible Institute (MBI) began in 1920 while Nash was still pastor of the Prahran Congregational Church. Numbers grew quickly and Nash resigned from the church to devote himself fully to the fledgling institute.

He was to remain as founding principal of MBI until he retired in 1942. This was his life's work: there is a sense in which everything before had been a preparation for this. He brought to the task a mature and tested leadership, remarkable teaching and preaching gifts, and qualities of personal holiness; all of which made a profound personal impact on his students. Nash, and MBI, dominated and determined the nature of evangelicalism in Melbourne: he provided a focal point of leadership and unity.

Nash also exercised a far reaching influence through other evangelical enterprises. Upon the initiative of Len Buck (q.v.) and George Hall (q.v.) he began the City Business Men's Bible Class in Griffiths Brothers' Tea Rooms in Elizabeth Street in 1929. This was held every week for the remainder of his career with an average attendance of 140-150. All of the evangelical lay leadership in Melbourne for a generation came out of this bible class. Campaigners For Christ was also a product of the class, with Nash being a mentor to those who ran it. He was deeply involved with, and a frequent speaker at, the Upwey Convention. He was a member and first president of the Bible Union.

Nash was vitally interested in missions. He was a member of the Council of CIM 1916-43; and after 1926, when Abp Harrington Clare Lees (q.v.) relicensed him, a kind of elder statesman to CMS. He helped found the CMS League of Youth in Melbourne and had a great impact through his Bible studies. But, especially, the story of conservative Protestant missions cannot be told apart from the profound influence that Nash and MBI had on them. Over 1000 students went through MBI under Nash, and most of them went on to serve on the overseas mission field. Additionally, a number of missionary organisations, such as the Borneo Evangelical Mission, were founded at MBI or by MBI people.

After being relicensed Nash was happy to assist in a number of parishes round Melbourne, and was frequently invited up to Sydney by Abp Mowll (q.v.) to lead ordination retreats. Nash died at Royal Park in 1958. He was given a funeral service in St Paul's Cathedral and buried at Dromana.

Under normal circumstances Nash would have been marked out for high office in the Anglican Church. He had outstanding gifts of leadership and communication. His educational credentials were good and he had the knack of cultivating friendships with important people. He always thought of himself as a loyal son of the Church of England. But because he was forced to resign from the Anglican church he was able to exercise a much greater influence through his leadership in the wider non-Anglican evangelicalism. His leadership was promoted by his voice, personality and presence; his Cambridge education gave him a certain status and authority; his outstanding preaching and teaching gifts; his pastoral gifts; his personal experiences before he began MBI; personal holiness which was an important element in his make up. Though Nash's friends and supporters deferred to him he did not dominate them. Rather he should be understood as a facilitator who enabled each of them to work and develop their own gifts, and to exercise their initiative. It was in large part because of this that Melbourne evangelicalism was largely lay led rather than clergy led, as in Sydney. Evangelical ranks have, not infrequently, been rent asunder, usually over issues of doctrine. But in Melbourne it was the nature of Nash's personality and leadership which determined that the evangelical movement in Melbourne did not suffer the fights and divisions that America and, to a lesser degree, Sydney experienced.

ADB 10; D Chambers, 'Tempest Tost' The Life and Teaching of the Rev C.H. Nash, M.A. Founder and First Principal of the Melbourne Bible Institute (Melbourne, 1959); D N Paproth, 'C H Nash and His Influence' (Deakin University 1993) and for detailed refs

D N PAPROTH