Dr Marion Maddox has taught at the Universities of Adelaide and South Australia and is now Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand. Her book traces the growing and, for Maddox, disturbing influence of conservative, right-wing Christianity within Federal politics and, in particular, within the administration of John Howard.
Maddox is non-conservative and left-wing, which quickly becomes apparent as you read God Under Howard, described by her as "an opinionated book'. It certainly is, though many of its concerns are likely to be shared by people of differing political and theological persuasion.
Maddox argues that Howard is increasingly identifying himself and his government with conservative and right-leaning elements within Australian Christianity, including emergent Pentecostalism, and that this suits the Howard government's social, political and economic agendas, which are alarmingly similar to those of George Bush.
Maddox traces various possible lines of influence from the American religious right, with influence being exerted and/or imbibed by way of various think tanks, forums and parliamentary prayer breakfasts, some closely linked to American prototypes.
Maddox exaggerates the influence of the religious right and is more alarmist than she needs to be. However, vigilance is important. For me, the most disturbing and disappointing thing about the American religious right is its relative neglect of issues of social morality.
It is a matter of justifiable concern that here in Australia the Howard government has courted the favour of churches that speak out on issues of personal morality, while attempting to silence and marginalise churches or church leaders who raise broader issues of justice and compassion.
Maddox's book contains much to ponder and is definitely worth a read. In places, it stirred me to anger and sadness. But it also, contrary I am sure to the intention of the book, gave me reason to be mildly hopeful. The fact that there is a significantly higher proportion of professing Christians (on all sides of politics) within Federal parliament than in the general population is cause for some hope. As I read the book, I found myself cheering for Danna Vale, the Member for Hughes, for almost crossing the floor on the issue of mandatory sentencing, and for helping to free up that debate from her (Liberal) side of Parliament. There are Christians in parliament (again on all sides) who have been deeply troubled by our treatment of asylum seekers, by the use of race and fear to win elections, by the slowness of progress towards reconciliation with indigenous Australians, by the fact that we went so quickly to war in Iraq, and by the unwillingness of politicians to admit wrong. I finished more determined than ever to pray for Christians in parliament that they would be even more obviously Christian in standing up for justice, truth and compassion, and in applying Christian principles to all aspects of policy.
The Rev Dr Keith Mascord is minister of St James', Beaconsfield (Green Square Community Church).
