Come-To-Jesus Moment in Gilmore Election
by Cat Holloway /
Mixing religion and politics is dangerous, right?
Not to Reverend John Brentnall, of Berry Uniting Church, who says it's inevitable and natural for church to influence culture and expects generational change will lead to people more courageously speaking out to impact policy.
"If you get involved in any sort of social justice issue, you're going to bump up against politics because that's where decisions are made," Reverend Brentnall said.
"I would love to see more courageous and vocal advocacy from regional church groups especially on the environment and climate change.
While much mainstream media focus is on the religious right's secretive influence on politics, little is mentioned of openly left and green religious endorsements.
Despite disagreements on policy, advocacy groups Muslim Votes Matter and The Muslim Vote are supporting Independents and have preferenced Greens 2nd and above Labor in key seats, including Gilmore, with religious freedom and a pro-Palestinian stance the most obvious reasons. However, many Jewish Greens members have angrily left the party but rejected the Liberal National Party coalition for "using the Jewish community as a political cudgel".
Rev. Brentnall said he considered an environmental position on politics "absolutely natural" for people with a strong moral code and belief in the planet as God's creation.
"I have grandkids and I'm petrified about what the future looks like for the planet if things don't change drastically and soon."
"In Gilmore especially - do you have to hit people over the head after the fires and floods we've had in the last five years?
"But it doesn't matter where you go, you will find climate change deniers - even among our members - some areas here are still quite conservative.
Brentnall said the Uniting church's very first statement in 1977 included a focus on caring for creation. He also noted the late Pope Francis' strong legacy of advocating for environmental protection and addressing the climate crisis.
"It's unavoidable, if you go back thousands of years to the scriptures, even back to Genesis that talks about humans' responsibility to steward the Earth.
"For anybody involved with the Judeo-Christian faith, it's there in black and white that we have a responsibility to care for it."
Brentnall's small "third-age" congregation at Berry Uniting Church might appear unlikely activists, but they are supported nationally by the Australian Religious Response t0 Climate Change (ARRCC).
ARRCC is a multi-faith, grass roots, member-based organisation of people and organisations from around Australia committed to taking action on climate change.
The body recognises that climate change is "not only a scientific, environmental, economic and political issue – it is also a profoundly moral and spiritual one".
"The Earth's ecosystems are intrinsically precious and beautiful and deserve protection; the wellbeing of human beings is dependent on ecological flourishing; and it is the vulnerable people of the world who are most impacted by climate change."
About a dozen churches along the NSW South Coast have joined the progressive multi-denominational movement which mainly includes Uniting and Catholic Churches in Gilmore, as well as one Anglican Church and a Buddhist leader.
Berry Uniting Church started a refugee action group in 2016 and the local ARRCC group held protest vigils outside National Australia Bank branches in Nowra and Kiama over the company's (previous) financing of Whitehaven Coal.
Brentnall does not publicly endorse a specific political party, but he is unequivocal about the anti-nuclear, pro-renewables policies his church favours saying "nuclear is not the answer".
"We had high hopes when Labor was elected last time, but they've been a bit disappointing because they got close to doing some good things then back-tracked," Brentnall said.
"Labor are still approving new coal and gas projects which is extremely disappointing because they have such devastating effects with the amount of carbon they emit."
The reverend decorated his church property with policy banners and signs to make the church's mission clear for this election.
But not everyone in the small congregation agreed to display environmental campaign signs in their yards.
In Batemans Bay and Moruya, similar church banners were vandalised and pulled down.
"We've been lucky in Berry this time. We did have banners vandalised in the lead up to the Voice referendum, but the environment ones have survived.
"I expected the environment signs to by pulled down from our fence within a day or two, but they are still there. Considering the number of people who walk through our yard, that's amazing.
"Our group are older - in their 70s, 80s even 90s - they come from that generation that had the attitude of 'what I think is personal and I don't try to persuade other people'.
Part of it is being worried about being attacked or creating conflict," Brentnall said.
"People will say they support environmental causes. But when it comes to the crunch of turning up at a rally or writing a letter or signing a petition, its hard to get people to move from lip service to practical action."
Faith-based politics is common in Australia, especially on the conservative side of the divide. Gilmore's Family First candidate, Graham Brown, "born again to Jesus Christ", has a small following. But Tony Abbot's Catholicism and Scott Morrison's Pentecostal connections loomed large in Liberal political culture during their leadership.
This week's major headlines alerted the public to long-term connections between big business, the Liberal Party and the Exclusive Brethren (or Plymouth Brethren Christian Church), an insular and deeply conservative Anglican breakaway sect, sometimes accused of being a cult.
Social media reels from an ex-Brethren sect member, cast out for being homosexual, called out "hypocrisy" of Brethren, who shun social connections and often refuse to vote, out on the streets and in shopping centres (including in Gilmore) wearing Liberal shirts and delivering campaign brochures and rhetoric, sometimes aggressively.
Ironically, what doesn't get mentioned during election campaigns are Bible teachings about religious and political power conspiring to kill Jesus for speaking out against the elite establishment.
Reverend Brentnall has faith that younger generations will vote for the policies of The Greens and perhaps Labor or Independents.
"Kids are keenly aware of what's happening with the environment and how to take action to influence power."
"Any people who are passionate have just got to keep on going and just hope because hope's about all we've got really."
