Religiously Inspired Political Activism: A Historical and Comparative Study
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Author(s)
Primary Supervisor
Alexander, Malcolm
Other Supervisors
Patapan, Haig
Year published
2009
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What underlies the increased public prominence of religiously inspired political activism, both within church politics and in secular politics in Australia in the late 20th and early 21st Centuries? This thesis draws upon concepts of religious awakenings, Creedal Politics, and ‘Cultural Wars’ that define religious political activism in the American context. It compares and contrasts the Australian situation with that of the US. It then presents case studies of the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) an evangelical Protestant vehicle for Christian political mobilization in Australia, and the smaller more conservative, Salt ...
View more >What underlies the increased public prominence of religiously inspired political activism, both within church politics and in secular politics in Australia in the late 20th and early 21st Centuries? This thesis draws upon concepts of religious awakenings, Creedal Politics, and ‘Cultural Wars’ that define religious political activism in the American context. It compares and contrasts the Australian situation with that of the US. It then presents case studies of the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) an evangelical Protestant vehicle for Christian political mobilization in Australia, and the smaller more conservative, Salt Shakers. This thesis argues that there are two factors that affect Christian political activism that are too often overlooked – these include theological ideas about beliefs and concepts of God; and responses to God and creation. These fundamental principles influence the social and political agenda of religiously inspired political organisations and structure the beliefs and values of their supporters more than traditional church affiliation. This thesis suggests that Christian ideals are not as salient in Australian political and constitutional discourse as in the US, nor do they feed into public ‘Cultural Wars’ to the extent seen in the US. Despite being encouraged by overseas movements, the context and traditions of political, cultural, and religious life in Australia directly influence, if not substantially shape, the outward forms of religiously inspired political activism in this country.
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View more >What underlies the increased public prominence of religiously inspired political activism, both within church politics and in secular politics in Australia in the late 20th and early 21st Centuries? This thesis draws upon concepts of religious awakenings, Creedal Politics, and ‘Cultural Wars’ that define religious political activism in the American context. It compares and contrasts the Australian situation with that of the US. It then presents case studies of the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) an evangelical Protestant vehicle for Christian political mobilization in Australia, and the smaller more conservative, Salt Shakers. This thesis argues that there are two factors that affect Christian political activism that are too often overlooked – these include theological ideas about beliefs and concepts of God; and responses to God and creation. These fundamental principles influence the social and political agenda of religiously inspired political organisations and structure the beliefs and values of their supporters more than traditional church affiliation. This thesis suggests that Christian ideals are not as salient in Australian political and constitutional discourse as in the US, nor do they feed into public ‘Cultural Wars’ to the extent seen in the US. Despite being encouraged by overseas movements, the context and traditions of political, cultural, and religious life in Australia directly influence, if not substantially shape, the outward forms of religiously inspired political activism in this country.
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Thesis Type
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Degree Program
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School
School of Humanities
Copyright Statement
The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise.
Item Access Status
Public
Note
The request for restricted paper and digital access for a period of 12 months has been approved, with effect from 28 October 2009.
Subject
Political activism
Australian Christian Lobby
Creedal Politics
Religious awakenings