The Christian Israelite Church in Australia and its relationship to the Visitation Movement

This thesis explores the history of the religious groups collectively referred to as The Visitation Movement, with a particular focus on the history of this Movement in Australia. It records, chronologically, the history of this religious millennial Movement and seeks to illustrate the proposition that the study of religious movements illuminates social and cultural, as well as religious, history.

Although summarising the overall history of the Visitation Movement, the particular focus of this thesis is the history of The Visitation Movement in Australia, a subject which to date has attracted very little academic investigation. One of the religious groups in the Visitation Movement, the Christian Israelite Church, has had a continuing presence in Australia since 1839. Its presence has made contributions to Australian Christian history, most of which, prior to this thesis, have not been studied in any significant depth.

Academics, predominantly in the United Kingdom, have studied the Visitation Movement especially in the United Kingdom, but this is the first study into the Movement in Australia where there was substantial support.

This thesis seeks to show that the Visitation Movement, particularly through the Christian Israelite Church, has made, and still continues to make, significant, sometimes valuable but frequently interesting, contributions to Australian Christian history.