Australian Christian Book of the Year

For the Love of God: How the Church is Better and Worse Than You Ever Imagined, published by the Centre for Public Christianity (CPX), is the 2020 Australian Christian Book of the Year. The winning book is an honest and unflinching response to the question: “Would the world be better off without Christianity?”

Written by Dr Natasha Moore with contributors John Dickson, Simon Smart and Justine Toh, this book accompanies a series of documentary films released in 2019. The CPX team has also produced a 90-minute cinema adaptation and resources for small group discussion.

The judges chose For the Love of God from a short list of ten books. “This bold yet balanced appraisal of the impact of Christianity examines both the best and worst of what Christians have done over two millennia. Natasha Moore and her collaborators confront the failure of those who claimed to follow Christ but were responsible for the Crusades, the Inquisition and the abuse of children. The ease with which Christians through the ages have ignored both the teaching of Jesus and the dissenting voices of contemporary prophets is a caution. The authors also show how—when they obey Jesus—Christians have contributed to what is beautiful and beneficial in culture and society. In a time of social media echo chambers, fact-free opinion bubbles and divisive culture wars, this sort of fair and generous commentary is invaluable.”

In this superb sequel to the 2019 Australian Christian Book of the Year, the authors continue their landmark account of the profound yet unrecognised influence of evangelicals in shaping modern Australia. It begins with the legacy of Mary Bennett, a determined and outspoken campaigner for the rights of women and Indigenous people. This volume is replete with stories of long-forgotten Christians and their response to the challenges posed by world wars, the decline of the British empire, secularism and their expanding missionary ambitions. A fluent work of national and international importance.

Did Jesus really live? Does it matter? The cheeky title sets the tone and thesis of the book. The author employs the same archaeological and literary methods used for the recovery of other historical figures to demonstrate that believing in the historical Jesus and the biblical record of what he said and did is reasonable. He examines both Christian and contemporary sources and builds his case logically and gently. As always, Dickson is absorbing and accessible. Edifying for curious believers and perfect for doubters and enquirers.

An angry and determined freedom fighter discovers freedom where she least expects it. After taking up arms in the Irish uprising at Vinegar Hill in 1798, Maggie Flannery is brutalised by British soldiers and authorities and transported to New South Wales. When Irish convicts rebel at Castle Hill in Sydney, Maggie is a servant in the house of Mrs Elizabeth MacArthur. This gripping yarn is based on meticulous research and honours the Irish contribution to Australian life. It deals thoughtfully with violence, suffering, revenge, justice, love and forgiveness, and the nature of God’s providence during a period of which most Australians are ignorant.

An accomplished and respected leader explores what it means to be a Christian in contemporary Australia. Tim Costello traces his journey from a personal evangelical piety to his advocacy for the oppressed and leadership of World Vision. Many readers will be familiar with his upbringing in a Christian home in Melbourne’s Bible belt and his work as a lawyer and Baptist pastor. However, this book is also an illuminating snapshot of a divided nation and the portrait of a family that embraces debate and difference. Costello’s style is transparent and easy. There is much to admire and emulate.

In this brave and beautiful book, an actor and play­wright tells of her destructive experience with anorexia, drugs, bisexuality, promiscuity, cults, fame and disappointment until her meeting with Jesus and her change of heart. Anna McGahan’s transformation is miraculous yet her struggles are not over. The confession of her stumbling and wrestling with behaviour and understanding is encouraging. So too is her founding of The Fireplace, a fellowship for Christians in the performing arts, a group neglected by mainstream churches. McGahan’s story is as personal and painful as it is unique. This is a powerful testimony to God’s infinite mercy.

Theology matters. This timely book overturns erroneous and sentimental views of our eternal home that erode both our future hope and present stewardship of the earth. The author reminds Christians that our hope is in the resurrection and the new heaven and earth, not in becoming disembodied spirits. Smith expounds the profound and practical implications of God’s mission to restore and redeem all things. Because God has not abandoned creation, neither must we disparage or abuse it. We can make no distinction between the sacred and secular; Jesus is Lord of all.

An excellent introduction to one of the most critical and pervasive misunderstandings of our time ardently peddled by militant secularists: that there is an inevitable clash between science and religion. Chris Mulherin shows that this has never been true and cannot be true. In this illustrated textbook he explores the interplay between the role of science in revealing the wonders of our universe and the role of Christianity as a worldview that answers questions about the meaning and purpose of life. Mulherin engages with controversial figures (Galileo, Darwin, Dawkins) and divisive issues (evolution, genetics, climate change) with clarity and grace.

In his own lifetime and throughout the history of the Church, the Apostle Paul has been misinterpreted, misunderstood and vilified. In this succinct biography Paul Barnett both demolishes myths and presents what we can reasonably conclude about the Apostle, his milieu, thought and influence. Paul emerges as a warm-hearted man who loved his friends (both men and women) and the clusters of new believers across five Roman provinces. By demonstrating that atonement theology predates Paul’s conversion, Barnett shows that instead of derailing the teaching of Jesus, Paul was a faithful and devoted servant of his Lord.

Start by listening. What do our Muslim neighbours, shopkeepers and friends believe about Jesus, the cross, salvation, the Bible and history? What common beliefs can we build upon? What fruitless discussions should we avoid? Drawing on decades of experience talking with Muslims about Jesus, Samuel Green sets out clear and effective ways of communicating the gospel. He addresses common objections about the Trinity and the reliability of the Bible, and assumptions about Muhammad, Islamic history and the Crusades. Hints on how to read the Bible with Muslims are especially valuable. This is a practical and timely book.

The Fountain of Public Prosperity: Evangelical Christians in Australian History 1740–1914 by Stuart Piggin and Robert Linder is the 2019 Australian Christian Book of the Year.

It is a challenge for the historian to make visible that which has long been invisible. The contribution Evangelicals have made to Australia has not so much been lost as never found. Understanding the fountain from which our present prosperity flows is the first step in reimagining a future for Australia. Professors Piggin and Linder have devoted decades to unearthing the story of ‘Christlike citizenship’ in Australia. The result is a  gripping, deeply insightful and impressively researched contribution to Australian Christian history covering the eighteenth century through to World War I. The Fountain of Public Prosperity is a seminal work of national and international importance.

In The Bible in Australia: A Cultural History, Meredith Lake gives an arresting and comprehensive account of how preachers, suffragists, unionists, politicians, writers, painters, musicians, immigrants and Indigenous peoples have used the Bible to shape Australian history and culture. Scripture arrived tattooed on the bodies of convicts aboard the First Fleet and, in the hands of Indigenous Christians, has nourished movements for justice, for land rights, and for recognition and reconciliation. Lake shows that Australia has been neither a secular society nor a Christian nation. At every level the Bible has been held to be everything from a resented imposition to the word of God. However, even while Bible reading and biblical literacy decline, the Bible is an indelible part of our story. This is a history of national importance and an insight into Australian culture.

In Our Mob, God’s Story, sixty-six Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists from the city and the bush tell the story of the wonderful things God has done for their people. They paint in a dazzling variety of styles and write with uncommon wisdom and generosity. These artists share their vision of Jesus in order to bring us together as brothers and sisters. This inspiring book demonstrates what the recent census recorded: that Christian faith is more evident and alive in indigenous communities than in the dominant settler society. It is time for quiet appreciation and deep listening. Beautiful, confident and irresistible.