Missionaries, Madness and Miracles: The Beginnings of Hermannsburg-Ntaria, 1875-1894

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Robert J. Kempe Victor C. Pfitzner

Missionaries, Madness and Miracles

The Beginnings of Hermannsburg-Ntaria, 1875-1894

Robert J. Kempe, Victor C. Pfitzner

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English

Wakefield Press
08 October 2025

Australasian & Pacific history; Christian mission & evangelism

'Missionaries, Madness and Miracles tells the intriguing but often tragic tale of the first missionaries - Hermann Kempe, Wilhelm Schwarz and Louis Schulze - who established the Hermannsburg mission (now called Ntaria), in Central Australia. The 20-month journey from the Barossa to the Finke River by Kempe and Schwarz and their companions is the stuff of legend. But Kempe's great grandson, Bob Kempe, assisted by the marvellous translation work of Dr Vic Pfitzner, takes that initial story much further. He shares the letters and reports which link the missionaries with the mission superintendent Georg Heidenreich in the Barossa and the mission directors in Hermannsburg, Germany. The documents are introduced and explained by Kempe's balanced and informative commentary. This is much more than a story of the missionaries. Kempe refers to several ""interweaving stories"": the Arrarnta people whom they served, the long-suffering wives who followed their husbands to this unknown land, the early Lutherans of South Australia and the notorious policemen Wurmbrand and Willshire. And, yes, there is madness in this enterprise, but just as prominent is their incredible courage, endurance and faithfulness.' - Ev Leske, retired history teacher and researcher at Australian Lutheran Archives

By: Robert J. Kempe
Translated by: Victor C. Pfitzner
Imprint: Wakefield Press
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm, Spine: 29mm
Weight: 500g
ISBN: 9781923388475
ISBN 10: 1923388479
Pages: 468
Publication Date: 08 October 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Robert J. Kempe is an emeritus pastor of the Lutheran Church of Australia and New Zealand, and an emeritus lecturer in pastoral theology at Australian Lutheran College, Adelaide. He is also an education Consultant within Clinical Pastoral Education. Victor C. Pfitzner is an emeritus pastor of the Lutheran Church of Australia and New Zealand (65 years), a lecturer in New Testament theology (38 years), and has been the Principal of the Australian Lutheran College, Adelaide, for nine years.

Reviews for Missionaries, Madness and Miracles: The Beginnings of Hermannsburg-Ntaria, 1875-1894

""This work is not to be quickly read,"" it says at the end of the Preface. Good advice, but time spent reading Missionaries, Madness and Miracles is time well spent. In bringing to light the written reports and correspondence of Adolf Hermann Kempe, pioneer missionary at Hermannsburg-Ntaria, great-grandson Bob Kempe has made a remarkable contribution to the history of mission in Australia. His comprehensive introduction enables readers to appreciate the absolute courage and commitment of Kempe and his fellow Hermannsburg missionaries in bringing the Christian gospel to Aboriginal people in the Red Centre. The correspondence reveals much about the complexity of the deeply human relationship between Kempe, WF Schwarz, LG Schulze, mission superintendent GA Heidenreich, their long-suffering wives, and the people they were serving. In his commentary Bob Kempe does not flinch in truth-telling about both achievements and failings in the establishment of a mission that continues even today. Also to be commended is the painstaking translation work of Vic Pfitzner, who found the right voice in English for the unique form of 19th century German used by the missionaries.' - Dr Dean Zweck, Emeritus Church History Lecturer, Australian Lutheran College, Adelaide