In God They Trust?

A thoroughly readable and thoroughly researched survey of the influence of Christianity on the lives and careers of each of Australia's Prime Ministers. The author's love of politics, history and theology permeates the book. The author's basic thesis is that "Christianity has played a positive role in shaping Australia's broadly egalitarian ethos"...Read MoreRead more about A thoroughly readable and thoroughly

and that this has largely occurred through its influence on a majority of our Prime Ministers. Most interesting are his eight broad categories of Prime Ministers, such as the Ardent Seekers, the Righteous Straighteners, the More-Than-Tribal Catholics, the Enigmatic Presbyterians and the Fellow Travellers. Also interesting, and somewhat surprising, is his conclusion about who were the best Christian Prime Ministers.\r\nI particularly enjoyed the chapters on our recent PMs, including the nicely balanced chapters on two overtly Christian, yet very different PMs who granted the author interviews, Rudd and Howard. But I was also very interested in the chapters on our post war PMs, whose lives and careers are sketched out and placed in historical context. The book is also a good historical account for those, like me, who knew very little about our early political history. This includes not only the PMs themselves, but some of the great political issues, such as conscription, immigration, war, and the funding of private Catholic schools.\r\nOverall highly recommended for anyone with an interest in Australian politics. Read LessRead less about A thoroughly readable and thoroughly