And the 2018 Australian Christian Book of the Year Is:

It's been announced:We have a winner for the 2018 Australian Christian Book of the Year.With no shortage of strong competitors, the other judges and I chose a book that's engaging, well researched, and nicely presented.More importantly,  we chose a book that meets a key need for Australian Christianity. Namely, it (successfully) challenges some of the more popular – and damaging – secular narratives about Christianity in Australia.The book is The Bible in Australia: A Cultural History, by historian Meredith Lake.(You can listen to an interview Lake did with the ABC's Radio National here.)

Challenging the Popular Secular Narratives

The Bible in Australia does a sterling job of challenging 3 popular secular narratives. These are as follows: 

1) ‘Australia has Always been a Secular Nation, with Little Biblical Influence’

On the contrary, the Bible has exerted a massive influence on Australian culture.

Lake writes:

[My book] invites us to reconsider some competing myths. One is that Australia, since the convicts, has been a doggedly secular society and culture. Another is that Australia is (or was, or should be) a straightforwardly Christian nation. The often surprising history of the Bible here disrupts both assumptions. It enables a richer, more interesting and expansive story.’ (p3)

Even a left-leaning intellectual like Clive Hamilton would agree that the Bible has profoundly influenced Australian culture. He is quoted in the book as saying:

‘I am not a Christian, but I believe that the cultural legacy of Christianity runs deep and should not be discarded wholesale’. (p8)

The cultural legacy runs deep. Lake does a superb job of going through Australia’s history, and showing the rich, (and sometimes complex) influence of the Bible on Australian life: from trade unionists to newspaper magnates; from working class people to politicians. If you want to understand Australian history and Australian identity, then you need to understand the influence of the Bible on our country.

2) ‘The Bible has been a Negative Influence on Australia’

Far from it: The Bible has made Australia more humane.

Lake writes:

But one reason why the Bible mattered - and continues to matter - is its role in fostering active concern for the common good. In modernising Australia, when more people were influenced by Christianity than any other tradition of moral or religious thinking, Christian teaching encouraged a self-giving spirit of social service. This has had lasting consequences, apparent in emerging institutions from charities to newspapers to the education system.' (p140)

And yet, Lake doesn't shy away from criticising Christians where criticism is due:

Many Australian Christians and their churches fell well short of the ideals of love, humility and self-sacrifice. At their worst, their behaviour could be profoundly destructive. This has been painfully apparent in recent decades, with the failures of the institutional church to protect children from abuse at the hands of its leaders and clergy.' (p139-140)

But when Christians and Churches took the teaching of the Bible seriously, it led them to care for others – especially the most vulnerable:

The Bible nourished a posture of concern towards the needy...various efforts to address poverty were shaped by biblical ideas. [Samuel] Marsden mentioned one such idea at the opening of [his] orphanage. As his sermon explained, the biblical God himself took up the orphan, the poor, the distressed and needy.' (p145)

Moreover, many institutions that are still around today – such as financial giant AMP – began as institutions heavily influenced by the Biblical worldview:

Established in 1849, [AMP's] initial rationale was to enable working people to band together to provide themselves with life insurance. At a time when there was no state welfare system, this was an early and important Australian expression of an evolving British model for labouring families. The AMP's early directors and chairmen included...newspaper proprietor John Fairfax and the merchant David Jones - all regular and devout readers of the Bible, who held positions of responsibility in Sydney's churches.' (p143)’

And other institutions – like the venerable Sydney Morning Herald – changed its tune once it was taken over by Christians:

The Sydney Morning Herald reflected the view of most settlers in…describing Aboriginal people as a ‘whole gang of black animals’. But in 1841, after it was purchased by [Christians] Kemp and Fairfax, and the Reverend William B Clarke engaged as features editor, it adopted a contrary, humanitarian editorial line on Aboriginal matters.’ (p151).

3) ‘The Bible Has Been Bad for Indigenous Australians’

The truth is more complex, and surprising.

Lake reveals some surprising truths that have been lost to most Australians: in the midst of the injustice suffered by the indigenous population during the first 100 years of white settlement, it was the Christians – driven by an overtly Biblical worldview – who advocated for the rights (including land rights) of  Indigenous Australians:

[T]he biblical notion of [one humanity] nevertheless constrained the development of alternative European theories of race. In colonial Australia, it provided the deepest and most important basis for condemning settler rapacity and upholding the rights of Indigenous people. With the authority of God's own word, 'one blood' was the primary foundation of humanitarian thought and action.' (p96)’

However, Churches and Christians, even at their best, didn’t always live up to the Bible’s ideals about all races have equal dignity before God. Lake writes:

European missionaries rarely treated Aboriginal Christians as true partners in ministry, usually designating them as perennial 'assistants' instead. Few mission organisations acknowledged the value of their work with formal support, let alone equal pay.' (p134)’

It can be argued that white settlement as a whole has been bad for indigenous peoples. But the unexpected truth that shines from this dark period is that devout Christians often stood up for indigenous people, not in spite of their Christian beliefs, but because of them.Here are some other reasons why I liked this book:

1) It’s a Gripping Read, With Lots of Stories

It's no dry academic thesis.

Lakes book is well researched and comprehensive (and at over 400 pages it’s not a short read). But she keeps it interesting.  Lake was able to draw out some fascinating stories of the Bible’s impact on all sorts of Australians over the last 200+ years.

2)  It helps us Understand Modern Australia.

It’s very hard to make sense of our present, not to mention of our identity as a nation, if we don’t understand our past.As historian John Dickson points out:

If you don't know what came before, you neither understand what is, nor what could or should be. #HistoryShouldBeCompulsory

— John Dickson (@johnpauldickson) August 16, 2018

Lake argues we need to understand our history – particularly our Christian heritage – if we’re to grapple with current issues well:

An intelligent pluralism requires good historical memory - a substantial and nuanced understanding fo the past as the background to the conversation which present generations are joining and continuing. As such, a degree of biblical literacy - along with critical skill in evaluating how the Bible has been taken up and interpreted in our history - can only help Australians grapple well with the choices that society faces.' (p366)

3) Lake advocates for a Plural Public Square

Where all voices are welcome, including the Christian voice.

I like the way Lake advocates for a civil and plural public square, where all views are free to be expressed, whether overtly religious or otherwise:

To restrict or exclude religious voices, or to treat religious texts as illegitimate reference points in public conversation, runs counter to the ideal of a plural but inclusive polity and society. This does not mean that the Bible, or perspectives informed by it, is entitled to any particular privilege. Nor should it be immune from rigorous public critique.

She continues:

But a confident, robust pluralism requires tolerance of religious voices, including Christian ones in all their diversity. It requires a willingness to hear and even engage with arguments nourished by Scripture. As Gordon Ramsay, a former Uniting Church minister turned ACT Attorney General has put it: 'Good politics comes from good listening, good conversations'. (p365)

A Book For All Australians

Whether you're Religious or Non-Religious

Whether you’re a Christian who believes the Bible is the Word of God, or an Atheist who doesn’t even believe in God, you should read this book. The Bible makes up a large part of our history and heritage - and ignoring or minimising that won't make us any more intelligent. On the contrary, when we understand the Bible's impact on our history and culture, we'll better appreciate who we are as a nation, and the Bible's role in transforming society and individuals alike, for the better.