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Institute for the Study of Christianity in an Age of
Science and Technology
ISCAST BULLETIN 32
Autumn 2001
(April 2001)
OBITUARY
Ian Burnard 1933-2000
Ian Burnard passed to be with his Lord last October. He
was one of the "founding fathers" of ISCAST his name appears in our
Memorandum of Association as one of the five founders back in December
1987.
Ian grew up in Adelaide. His father was a Methodist and a
teacher while his mother was an accomplished milliner from a Free
Presbyterian Scots family. He completed a BSc, majoring in pure
mathematics and maintained a lifelong passion for science.
Ian was influential in several areas of Christian work in
Australia. For many years in the 60's and 70's he was General Secretary of
the IVF in Australia (now the AFES). In that position he influenced many
young lives, mine included. I recall being on the organising committee for
an IVF Conference at Southport, Queensland, in the mid 60's. Although I
think we had a "manual" on how to organise such events, it was always a
great comfort to have Ian in the background as a source of sound advice
and inspiration (I suspect he wrote the manual anyway!).
Prior to that Ian had been a staff worker with IVF in
Melbourne and in Sydney and was a model for students who wished to share
their faith. Another staffworker said 'Ian's intelligence looked you
straight in the eyes and it was a cheerful look, very friendly, but always
challenging, extending you...' Alan Gjisbers was a student at the time and
remembers Ian's approach to student leadership. "The key thing about Ian's
contribution was his trust of student leadership and the freedom and
initiative that gave us. That represented a trust in us and in the Holy
Spirit a bit different from other models of leadership where leadership
is synonymous with control."
Ian was also involved with the Overseas Christian
Fellowship, even from the late 50's. Dante Thι tells the story of a
cryptic message Ian received from his Lord. "Feed my sheep", the Lord
said. Wanting to make sure that he understood this clearly, Ian asked his
Master whether this included the coloured ones, the brown and spotty ones
as well. "Yes," came the answer, "They are the imported ones". "The
important ones?" Ian echoed, puzzled. "No, no," came the reply again, the
imported ones. But all are equally important the white ones as well as
the coloured ones." So Ian obeyed and did as he was instructed, and the
Lord was well pleased that Ian did the right thing.
In 1976 Ian left the AFES and started work as Joint
Executive Officer at the Alexander Mackie CAE. From there he moved to the
Sydney CAE, continuing his interest in educational research. In 1986 he
was seconded to the New South Wales Police Service where he worked as a
consultant on the Police Education Advisory Council. His work there
contributed to a Police Recruit Education Program which won world-wide
acclaim and resulted in his appointment as an Honorary Fellow of the
Police Academy. John Avery writes 'One of Ian's interesting personal facets was
his curiosity. Now we need to make a distinction here. I have observed
that those who are curious about erudite matters are researchers and those
who are curious about mundane matters are stickybeaks. Ian was
emphatically a researcher and we benefited. His enthusiasm was in spite of
his suffering at times."
A family member writes 'Yet above all this was Ian
Burnard's great faith. He lists his most exciting discovery as "...faith
as essentially associated with personal relationships, history, physical
reality, and the search for knowing and that faith in Jesus Christ is the
fulfilment of knowing". He also lists among his interests, "...issues in
faith and science".'
I recall attending one of the earliest meetings of ISCAST
in Sydney. The speaker sailed through such lofty heights of theological
philosophy that I hadn't a clue what it was about. Yet Ian was able to
engage the speaker in close questioning at the end.
Many have spoken of Ian's role as encourager. As recently
as January last year I received a letter from him offering advice about
ISCAST's search for a doctrinal statement and giving encouragement. Ken
Smith at the University of Queensland writes:
"I was one of those who returned to academic life in the
rapid expansion which took place in the mid-1960s. Most of us didn't have
PhDs in those days, so not only were we trying to juggle family life and
new lecturing commitments but were trying to find time (over a period of
seven or eight years) to do some concentrated reading and research. It
was, to put it mildly, a bit of a strain. I remember talking to Ian when
he was in Brisbane once about the problems of academic life. He suggested
that I should get involved with the EU on campus, for mutual help. I took
his advice, and found that, far from being an additional load, it was most
refreshing to be with a group of people whose faith was in some respects
naive and simple, but who were, like me, finding their feet in academic
life and trying to witness at the same time as study."
For more than ten years at the end of his life Ian
struggled with prostate cancer. During this time he wrote "The fact that
'things are not expected to get any better' is one which takes a bit of
getting used to. It is not that it is difficult to accept cognitively,
just difficult in the weariness that attends it. But there are so many
others that are worse off; the matter should never really be raised."
Ian's association with ISCAST will live on into the future
as his wife, Alison, has graciously donated his considerable library of
books on science and faith. Robert Banks has agreed to house these at the
Macquarie Christian Studies Institute so that they will be appreciated
more widely.
ISCAST is indeed fortunate to have had a person like Ian
as one of its founders and members.
Robert Stening, with acknowledgment for contributions from
the Burnard family, Tony McCarthy, John Avery and Dante Thι. |