Australia's Hillsong Church Has Been a Big Influence in Bringing Moral Issues to Bear on Nation's Next Election
"...the Christian vote could be a deciding factor.''
(Australia)—Australian Jim Wallace, a former Special Air Service soldier and managing director of the Australian Christian Lobby says, "We've heard about climate change, the economy and work laws. It's time to get religion back on the agenda."
According to a Bloomberg News report, Prime Minister John Howard and main opposition Labor leader Kevin Rudd are paying attention. At a Christian rally in Canberra this week they reportedly outlined their religious views and policies, with their comments broadcast live over the Internet to 1,400 churches around the country.
"I don't know of any lobby that could gather these two leaders in the same place,'' said John Warhurst, a professor specializing in political-interest groups at Australian National University in Canberra. "It's a sign religion is back in the political arena, and the Christian vote could be a deciding factor.''
Hillsong Church, which has seen a 10-fold increase in its 30,000-strong congregation in the past five years, has been a huge influence in Australia, notes reporter Gemma Daley.
