Scott Morrison, No True Christian?
On belief, piety and practice, especially for politics
A virtuous faith?
Scott Morrison has always sought to make a virtue of his faith. This includes inviting reporters to church with him, so everyone could see his faith. This is unusual in Australian politics. In the last 50 or so years, Scott Morrison, and Kevin Rudd have been the only two prime ministers who have have done this.
Tim Costello and others have written important reflections on Morrison's Christianity.1 This is not a piece which wonders if the former prime minister is a Christian. Generally, the best approach is to assume people who say they are Christian; are in fact Christian.
Bulldozer
What has intrigued me recently are excerpts from Nikka Savva's new book "Bulldozed." She describes Scott Morrison reciting Bible passages which encouraged him at Cabinet Meetings. He also would lay hands on people and pray for them.2
For people who've experienced evangelical, Pentecostal or charismatic churches, these are familiar practices. Most preachers in these churches will encourage members to read their Bible. They encourage members to have a personal quiet time. This will usually involve reading the Bible, and reflecting on it, and prayer time.3
And laying on off hands and praying for people is a normative practice in these circles. And to be honest, I have no problem with Scott Morrison engaging in either of these practices. For hundreds of thousands of Christians in Australia these are normative practices. And one of the people Morrison prayed for, Ken Wyatt, seemed to have no issue with this. It is common, and accepted, though, that the person laying hands should seek consent first. In general you're not meant to pop your hands on someone and start praying for them.
But I understand why these seem like odd practices to many Australians. Especially to our media, who are by and large, religiously illiterate. I'm especially interested in the seeming mismatch between his private piety and practice. He is a noted adventurer with the truth. His government lacked concern for the environment. He had an allergy to responsibility.
More seriously (I know!) next week he appears before the commission into Robodebt: That automated system, initiated under Morrison as minister, promoted by him as treasurer and defended by him as prime minister, ruined lives and cut off those with no power at all.
A significant gap
Between his private beliefs, and outward practice, there seems to be significant gap. I've been listening to James Cone's "God of the Oppressed" recently. He noted that this type of mismatch seems to happen when we ignore the historical Jesus. When we forget Jesus was a real person, we can form "subjective beliefs". His example is the slave master who who justifies slavery, and the slave who knows Jesus as a liberator. But if Jesus is real in history, and was a liberator, the subjective belief of the slave master cannot be true.
I will not judge Scott Morrison here. And in case you think I'm being partisan here: Kevin Rudd also seemed to display a mismatch. He wrote movingly about Bonhoeffer, but also seemed to be terrible to his staff, and authored the Pacific Solution.
But for all people who claim to be Christian, it's not enough to practice personal piety. Our public actions must match our beliefs. Whether we are a prime minister, a stay at home parent, or a school teacher. It is not enough to be someone who reads their Bible, and lays hands on to pray for friends.
This is a good thing! This means how we act as parents, friends, and workers, is part of our faith. Our faith is not confined to Sundays, or quiet times, or prayer between friends. Our faith is enacted in all our actions. Large and small.
It is always easy to judge politicians who claim to be Christians. But I wanted to reflect on what it might mean for us. If as Christians we practice Bible reading, it cannot be only for motivation. Personal Bible reading and prayer should drive us to love for Jesus, discontent with injustice and hope for the future.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/nov/22/if-scott-morrison-acted-on-his-strong-christian-faith-he-would-phase-out-coal
https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/scott-morrison-has-a-god-complex-and-recited-the-bible-in-meetings/news-story/bf131311c60467afdfcc2de7ffe96398
I do think sometimes the media’s religious illiteracy has led to unfair criticism of politician’s of faith.
This journal is a good example of the type of product aimed at encouraging this. And in all honesty, I think it is helpful for Christians to work to build a personal practice of prayer and reflection on God’s word. https://www.koorong.com/product/reap-journal-adult-edition-growing-faith_9781925041538