A book charting the role evangelical Christians have played in the history of Australia has won the Australian Christian Book of the Year for 2019.
The work of historians Stuart Piggin, conjoint associate professor of history at Australia’s Macquarie University and a former director of the university’s Centre for the History of Christian Thought and Experience, and Robert D Linder, the Distinguished Professor of History at Kansas State University in the US, The Fountain of Public Prosperity: Evangelical Christians in Australian History 1740-1914 was announced as the winner of the award – which comes with a $A3,000 prize – at a dinner held in Melbourne last week.
Award winner.
The judges, who included historian Meredith Lake, Baptist pastor Darren Cronshaw and Judith Nicholls, women’s ministry co-ordinator at Dalkeith Anglican Church in Perth, described the book in published remarks as a “seminal and epic contribution to Australian Christian history, thoroughly researched, deeply insightful and a pleasure to read”.
They made note of the book’s role in shedding light on the influence of evangelical Christians in the development of Australia.
“It is a challenge for the historian to make visible that which has long been invisible,” they said. “Australia’s Christian heritage has not so much been lost as never found. Evangelicals’ prescription for a Christian civilisation promoted policies where justice, compassion and prosperity for all flourished, and made a major contribution to the development of the Australia we know today.”
The award is presented by SparkLit (The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge Australia Incorporated and the Australian Christian Literature Society) with the aim of recognising and encouraging excellence in Australian Christian writing.
Others on the short-list of 10 books nominated for the award include journalist Greg Sheridan’s God Is Good for You: A Defence of Christianity in Troubled Times, anti-trafficking activist Christine Caine’s Unexpected: Leave Fear Behind, Move Forward in Faith, Embrace the Adventure, and Ben Meyer’s The Apostle’s Creed: A Guide to the Ancient Catechism.
Other awards presented on the night included the 2019 Australian Christian Teen Writer Award – presented to Kristen Koon for Spread Your Wings, Songbird, and the 2019 Young Australian Christian Writer Award – presented to Eden Annesley for Tom and Eva.