John McEwin of the well kknown Houghton family, was ordained as the minister of the Hindmarsh Congregational Church in 1872. In 1878 he decided to begin producing an 'undenominational religious newspaper'. The popularity of the Christian Colonist was such that in 1884 McEwin was released from his parish work to run the newspaper in a full-time capacity.

The newspaper stated that it supported 'evangelical Christianity' and the editor took a fairly broad-minded approach to religion - unlike the editors of earlier religious newspapers. McEwin obviously saw Christianity in a practical, socially responsive light.

The Christian Colonist supported many topical issues and movements of the day, including the temperance and social purity movements, Bible instruction and prayer in public schools, the working men's blocks scheme and women's suffrage. It wrote against the British opium trade and state aid to religion - the latter was resisted particularly strongly in South Australia by members of the Congregational Church.

When John McEwin died in 1894 the Christian Colonist was taken over by the national Christian newspaper, the Australian Christian World.