The battle for Australia’s hearts and minds is on. Southern Cross talks to two very different leaders – one a conservative economist, the other a former rock star – who talk openly about their faith in election time.
peter costello
How can a Christian interact with politics in a way which puts God in his proper place and Government in its place?
The Bible tells us that government is ordained by God, it is given for the order of society. Rulers are given responsibilities to protect life and to protect order and we’re told to respect these rulers.
We’re also told, and I’m very conscious of this, that government is not the answer to every sphere of life. It can’t answer the great spiritual questions. I think a big mistake that people make in the modern age is a tendency to think that all answers can be found from government. If there’s a problem in society, why can’t the government fix it? There are some problems in our society that can only be fixed by faith, and changed behaviour that comes from faith.
Can the government fix a broken marriage? I don’t think so. Can the government fix the breakdown of a family? It can soften the impact but I don’t think government can fix relationships. Relationships rely on people and it’s important to remember the limits to government. That’s of course where I believe spiritual values and religious faith have such a big role to play.
A number of politicians have been very open about their faith over the past 12 months. What effect do you think this has had on the Australian public?
I can only talk from my own experience. I gave a speech recently on the National Day of Thanksgiving – I’ve had more response to that single speech than to practically any other speech I’ve given, including budget speeches.
I think there is a real interest in the public in hearing from our elected leaders on their views on matters of faith and values. I can tell from [the] overwhelming response that people really want to hear you talk about these things and they want to engage you in discussion about them.
Some commentators are saying this election is about a ‘return to religion’. Is this a fair analysis? Do politicians have a duty to the public to disclose their faith?
I don’t think the election will swing on religious views. I think the election will swing on the issues that generally swing elections – economic issues, jobs, foreign policy, national security.
Do politicians have a duty to disclose their faith? I don’t know that they should be forced to if they don’t want to, but I don’t think they should be ashamed to do so.
I think there is a tendency to be reticent about it because if you do disclose your faith you can generally expect to take a bit of shellacking from the secular press. The secular press is very suspicious of people who talk about faith or religion.
How does the Bible help you in your work? Do you implement policies with God in mind?
I think that people of Christian faith can legitimately come to different political conclusions. And so I am not one of those people who says that from reading the Bible you can figure out which party to vote for or which economic policy to implement.
But I think that from my understanding of the Christian faith there are certain important values that I try to reflect on in my decision making – values like the importance of life, the centrality of the family to a healthy society, the importance of helping those in need, the importance of order to curb wilful behaviour.
How important is it for you to be part of a Christian community? Are you able to attend a church regularly with your family?
I try and go each Sunday. I don’t make each Sunday because we are working a lot on Sunday with media commitments. If I’m not engaged in media or unavoidable election business, I attend a local Anglican church with my wife and children, which is very important. It’s a great opportunity to take time out to reflect on spiritual things.
Peter Costello spoke to Tracy Gordon. Read the full interview at [url=http://www.anglicanmedia.com.au]http://www.anglicanmedia.com.au[/url]
