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Religion in Australian Public Life: Resurgence, Insurgence, Cooption?
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Religion in Australian Public Life: Resurgence, Insurgence, Cooption?

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2019) | Viewed by 39216

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Marion Maddox

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Modern History, Politics and International Relations, Macquarie University, Sydney NSW 2109, Australia
Interests: religion and politics; religion and law; religion and citizenship; religious diversity; religious freedom; democracy, difference and inclusion

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Australian censuses show steadily-declining religious adherence, with just over half the population claiming Christian affiliation in 2016 (52%), and nearly one-third (30%) choosing "no religion," an all-time high. Yet religion has not faded from Australian public life, nor retreated to the private sphere. On the contrary: increasing proportions of government spending are channeled through religious agencies (welfare, education, health, employment services…); political controversies, from the local (urban planning) to the national (marriage law) and international (border control and counter-terrorism) are often framed in religious terms; and religious factionalism remains a feature of both major and minor political parties.

The failure of religion to disappear from the public realm in the wake of secularisation has sometimes been theorised as a "religious resurgence". An alternative might see the Australian scene as "religious insurgence," in which religious movements' self-consciously-adopted oppositional status vis-a-vis a perceived secular polity becomes, in itself, a source of energy. Or does the energy come, instead (at least some of the time) from above rather than from below, with governments and business "co-opting" religious bodies to serve interests of the state or capital?

This Special Issue invites contributions examining the many ways that religion operates in current Australian politics and public life, broadly conceived. How do religious and other forms of power intersect, interact, reinforce and oppose one another? How can we expect these patterns to change in the coming decades, and what questions – for researchers and for Australian society – will these changes generate?

Prof. Dr. Marion Maddox
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • religious freedom
  • human rights
  • religious protest
  • religious diversity
  • religion and the non-human
  • religion and political parties
  • religion, gender and sexuality
  • discrimination

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 319 KiB  
Article
Media Representations of Religion, Spirituality and Non-Religion in Australia
by Enqi Weng and Anna Halafoff
Religions 2020, 11(7), 332; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rel11070332 - 03 Jul 2020
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 6171
Abstract
Despite predictions of decline, religion has featured prominently in the public sphere and the media since the events of 11 September 2001. Previous research on media and religion in Australia post-September 11 has focused largely on its negative impacts, particularly on Muslim communities. [...] Read more.
Despite predictions of decline, religion has featured prominently in the public sphere and the media since the events of 11 September 2001. Previous research on media and religion in Australia post-September 11 has focused largely on its negative impacts, particularly on Muslim communities. This article, in contrast, examines media representations of religion, spirituality and non-religion on an ‘ordinary day’, of 17 September, over a three-year period in the city of Melbourne. Its findings reveal that religion, in its myriad forms, permeates many aspects of Australian public life, but in ways which do not always reflect the actual religious composition and lived experiences of worldview diversity in Australia. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion in Australian Public Life: Resurgence, Insurgence, Cooption?)
15 pages, 609 KiB  
Article
Religious Diversity in Australia: Rethinking Social Cohesion
by Douglas Ezzy, Gary Bouma, Greg Barton, Anna Halafoff, Rebecca Banham, Robert Jackson and Lori Beaman
Religions 2020, 11(2), 92; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rel11020092 - 18 Feb 2020
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 13041
Abstract
This paper argues for a reconsideration of social cohesion as an analytical concept and a policy goal in response to increasing levels of religious diversity in contemporary Australia. In recent decades, Australian has seen a revitalization of religion, increasing numbers of those who [...] Read more.
This paper argues for a reconsideration of social cohesion as an analytical concept and a policy goal in response to increasing levels of religious diversity in contemporary Australia. In recent decades, Australian has seen a revitalization of religion, increasing numbers of those who do not identify with a religion (the “nones”), and the growth of religious minorities, including Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism. These changes are often understood as problematic for social cohesion. In this paper, we review some conceptualizations of social cohesion and religious diversity in Australia, arguing that the concept of social cohesion, despite its initial promise, is ultimately problematic, particularly when it is used to defend privilege. We survey Australian policy responses to religious diversity, noting that these are varied, often piecemeal, and that the hyperdiverse state of Victoria generally has the most sophisticated set of public policies. We conclude with a call for more nuanced and contextualized analyses of religious diversity and social cohesion in Australia. Religious diversity presents both opportunities as well as challenges to social cohesion. Both these aspects need to be considered in the formation of policy responses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion in Australian Public Life: Resurgence, Insurgence, Cooption?)
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13 pages, 206 KiB  
Article
Religion after the Royal Commission: Challenges to Religion–State Relations
by Kathleen McPhillips
Religions 2020, 11(1), 44; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rel11010044 - 15 Jan 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2913
Abstract
The findings and recommendations emanating from the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (2012–2017) have advised religious organisations that they need to undertake significant changes to legal, governance and cultural/theological practices. The reason for urgency in enacting these changes [...] Read more.
The findings and recommendations emanating from the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (2012–2017) have advised religious organisations that they need to undertake significant changes to legal, governance and cultural/theological practices. The reason for urgency in enacting these changes is that religious organisations were the least child safe institutions across all Australian organisations, with poor practices of transparency, accountability and responsibility coupled with a tendency to protect the reputation of the institution above the safety of children in their care. In Australia, new state laws have been enacted and are impacting on the internal governance systems of religious organisations, including removing the secrecy of the Catholic confessional, instituting mandatory reporting of child abuse by clerics and criminalising the failure to report child sexual abuse. Religious organisations have moved to adopt many of the recommendations regarding their troubled governance including the professionalisation of religious ministry; adoption of professional standards; and appropriate redress for survivors and changes to religious laws. However, these changes signal significant challenges to current church–state relations, which have been characterised by positioning religious organisations as special institutions that enjoy exemptions from certain human rights legislation, on the basis of protecting religious freedom. This article examines and evaluates the nexus between state and religion in Australian public life as it is emerging in a post-Royal Commission environment, and in particular contested claims around the meaning and value of religious freedom versus the necessity of institutional reform to ensure that religious organisations can demonstrate safety for children and other vulnerable groups. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion in Australian Public Life: Resurgence, Insurgence, Cooption?)
12 pages, 202 KiB  
Article
Religion in Coalition: Balancing Moderate and Progressive Politics in the Sydney Alliance
by Rosemary Hancock
Religions 2019, 10(11), 610; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rel10110610 - 04 Nov 2019
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2056
Abstract
This article examines how the engagement of diverse religious organisations and individuals in grassroots politics impacts the nature of politics and coalition building through a case study of an urban grassroots political coalition in Australia: the Sydney Alliance. Based on eight-months of exploratory [...] Read more.
This article examines how the engagement of diverse religious organisations and individuals in grassroots politics impacts the nature of politics and coalition building through a case study of an urban grassroots political coalition in Australia: the Sydney Alliance. Based on eight-months of exploratory ethnographic fieldwork in one campaign team, this article argues that whilst religious organisations bring significant symbolic and institutional resources to political coalitions, and can be flexible coalition partners, they tend to moderate both conservative and progressive political tendencies within a coalition and demand focused attention from organisers and leaders to manage the coalition dynamics. This article examines the way many religious activists understand their political action to be an inherent and necessary part of their religious practice: problematizing the characterisation common in much social science literature that religious engagement in more progressive politics primarily serves political, and not religious, ends. In doing so, it shows how political action can be directed both outward towards the work, and inward towards the ‘church’. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion in Australian Public Life: Resurgence, Insurgence, Cooption?)
16 pages, 244 KiB  
Article
‘An Unstoppable Force for Good’?: How Neoliberal Governance Facilitated the Growth of Australian Suburban-Based Pentecostal Megachurches
by Mairead Shanahan
Religions 2019, 10(11), 608; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rel10110608 - 03 Nov 2019
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3556
Abstract
Hillsong Church has received significant scholarly attention, which has observed the church’s rapid local and global growth. Several other Australian-based Pentecostal churches demonstrate a similar growth trajectory to Hillsong Church, namely: C3 Church, Citipointe Church, Planetshakers, and Influencers Church. To further scholarly understanding [...] Read more.
Hillsong Church has received significant scholarly attention, which has observed the church’s rapid local and global growth. Several other Australian-based Pentecostal churches demonstrate a similar growth trajectory to Hillsong Church, namely: C3 Church, Citipointe Church, Planetshakers, and Influencers Church. To further scholarly understanding of aspects of this rapid growth, this paper discusses the emergence of economic rationalist policies which led to the neoliberal governance context in Australia. The paper argues that the emergence of this policy context, which emphasises marketization and privatisation, provided opportunities for suburban-based Pentecostal churches to expand activities beyond conducting worship services. The paper analyses materials produced by Hillsong Church, C3 Church, Citipointe Church, Planetshakers, and Influencers Church and associated educational, charity, and financial organisations. Through this analysis, the paper finds that the emergence of a neoliberal governance context in Australia provided opportunities for these churches to expand activities beyond traditional worship ceremonies to include additional activities such as running schools, Bible colleges, community care organisations, charity ventures, and financial institutions. The paper shows how economic rationalism and neoliberalism assisted in providing a context within which Australian-based suburban Pentecostal churches were able to take opportunities to grow aspects of church organisation, which helped to develop a global megachurch status. In this way, these churches took up opportunities that changes in political circumstances in Australia provided, developing a theology of growth actualised in expanding church-branded activities around the globe. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion in Australian Public Life: Resurgence, Insurgence, Cooption?)
22 pages, 590 KiB  
Article
Social Cohesion in Australia: Comparing Church and Community
by Miriam Pepper, Ruth Powell and Gary D. Bouma
Religions 2019, 10(11), 605; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rel10110605 - 01 Nov 2019
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4520
Abstract
In a context of increasing ethnic and religious diversity, Australia’s future prosperity may depend, in part, on the ability to maintain social cohesion. Drawing on the framework developed by the Scanlon Foundation Social Cohesion Research Program, this study examines data from the 2016 [...] Read more.
In a context of increasing ethnic and religious diversity, Australia’s future prosperity may depend, in part, on the ability to maintain social cohesion. Drawing on the framework developed by the Scanlon Foundation Social Cohesion Research Program, this study examines data from the 2016 National Church Life Survey and the 2016 Australian Community Survey to compare levels of social cohesion among Australian churchgoers and among the general population. Social cohesion metrics were stronger among churchgoers than the wider population across the domains of belonging, social justice, civic participation, acceptance of others and worth. Differences were also observed between Christian denominations on most domains, but with few exceptions, social cohesion among churchgoers from each denomination was still higher than that observed for all Australians. The findings suggest that Christian groups play a positive role in the promotion of social cohesion by building both bridging and bonding social capital among those who participate, but that these groups are unlikely to be a significant source of agitation to prevent some of the greatest contemporary threats to social cohesion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion in Australian Public Life: Resurgence, Insurgence, Cooption?)
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17 pages, 417 KiB  
Article
Constructing the Problem of Religious Freedom: An Analysis of Australian Government Inquiries into Religious Freedom
by Elenie Poulos
Religions 2019, 10(10), 583; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/rel10100583 - 18 Oct 2019
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 6168
Abstract
Australia is the only western democracy without a comprehensive human rights instrument and has only limited protection for religious freedom in its constitution. It was Australia’s growing religious diversity—the result of robust political support for multiculturalism and pro-immigration policies in the post-war period—that [...] Read more.
Australia is the only western democracy without a comprehensive human rights instrument and has only limited protection for religious freedom in its constitution. It was Australia’s growing religious diversity—the result of robust political support for multiculturalism and pro-immigration policies in the post-war period—that led to the first public inquiry into religious freedom by an Australian statutory body in 1984. Responding to evidence of discrimination against Indigenous Australians and minority religious groups, the report detailed the need for stronger legal protections. By 2019, Australia’s religious freedom ‘problem’ was focused almost solely on the extent to which religious organizations should be allowed to discriminate against LGBTIQ people. Using the What’s the Problem Represented To Be? approach to policy analysis, this paper explores the changing representation of the ‘problem’ of religious freedom by examining all public, parliamentary and statutory body reports of inquiries into religious freedom from 1984 to 2019. In their framing of the problem of religious freedom, these reports have contributed to a discourse of religious freedom which marginalises the needs of both those who suffer discrimination because of their religion and those who suffer discrimination as a result of the religious beliefs of others. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion in Australian Public Life: Resurgence, Insurgence, Cooption?)
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