- Intellectual History, History of Christianity, Early Modern Intellectual History, Modern History, History of Christian Thought, Philosophy of History, and 10 moreHistorical Methodology, History of Political Thought, Political Philosophy, Legal History, Legal Theory and History, Political Theology, History of Ideas, Reformed Theology and Ethics, Religious History, and Technologyedit
- Simon a Research Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH), a Senior Research Fellow at t... moreSimon a Research Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH), a Senior Research Fellow at the T. C. Beirne School of Law, and a Fellow at the Centre for Public, International and Comparative Law, all at the University of Queensland. He is also a Non-Resident Fellow at the Danube Institute in Budapest. He teaches history, religion, politics, and philosophy at a range of institutions. His current research focuses on early Protestant conceptions of natural law and the origins of political life, uses of the fifth commandment in political thought, and the family in political thought. He is also writing a book on Christian education. His broader research interests include early modern intellectual history, legal history, historical methodology, and the history of Christian thought.edit
Attached are uncorrected page proofs from the front matter.
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Book forthcoming with Lexham Press
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Co-authored with Ben Saunders The historiography of the political concept of virtue has been dominated by examinations of western European and North American sources. This article aims to widen the historical scope for our... more
Co-authored with Ben Saunders
The historiography of the political concept of virtue has been dominated by examinations of western European and North American sources. This article aims to widen the historical scope for our understanding of the influence of the concept of political virtue by examining how Anglophone conceptions of virtue were employed by the framers of the Australian Constitution during the Federation debates and the impact of those conceptions on the Constitution itself. It examines the strands of thought that provided the backdrop for the colonial adoption of the Victorian-era British conception of political virtue, subsequently showing how the Australian constitutional framers adopted these languages and concepts in their own writings and speeches. The Australian framers were concerned with the virtue of both the people and their political leaders, applying this concern in their contributions to legal and political discourse in the latter part of the nineteenth century. However, rather than a direct transfer of the more typical languages of republican virtue, the colonial context examined here offers evidence of a shift of emphasis from virtue into the concept of “character”. The framers demonstrated an interest in the question of character as they wrote and deliberated around the constitutional problems of political parties, bicameralism, and responsible government. So, too, they showed an acute concern for the importance of character in their institutional designs for a future federal commonwealth. This article demonstrates that the framers existed within the tradition of thought which held virtue, or character, to be central to the vitality of the polity, and that the framers adapted that language in their deliberations and the institutional design of the Constitution.
The historiography of the political concept of virtue has been dominated by examinations of western European and North American sources. This article aims to widen the historical scope for our understanding of the influence of the concept of political virtue by examining how Anglophone conceptions of virtue were employed by the framers of the Australian Constitution during the Federation debates and the impact of those conceptions on the Constitution itself. It examines the strands of thought that provided the backdrop for the colonial adoption of the Victorian-era British conception of political virtue, subsequently showing how the Australian constitutional framers adopted these languages and concepts in their own writings and speeches. The Australian framers were concerned with the virtue of both the people and their political leaders, applying this concern in their contributions to legal and political discourse in the latter part of the nineteenth century. However, rather than a direct transfer of the more typical languages of republican virtue, the colonial context examined here offers evidence of a shift of emphasis from virtue into the concept of “character”. The framers demonstrated an interest in the question of character as they wrote and deliberated around the constitutional problems of political parties, bicameralism, and responsible government. So, too, they showed an acute concern for the importance of character in their institutional designs for a future federal commonwealth. This article demonstrates that the framers existed within the tradition of thought which held virtue, or character, to be central to the vitality of the polity, and that the framers adapted that language in their deliberations and the institutional design of the Constitution.
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Writing in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Herman Bavinck’s theology emerged in an environment drenched in philosophies of history. This consciousness of history as a vital philosophical locus filtered its way into... more
Writing in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Herman Bavinck’s theology emerged in an environment drenched in philosophies of history. This consciousness of history as a vital philosophical locus filtered its way into Bavinck’s writings in several ways. This paper seeks to fill a gap in Bavinck studies by providing an overview of his philosophy of history. Section I on Bavinck’s view of history as a science (wetenschap), deals with his understanding of the historian, periodization, and the role of judgment in history. Section II will address Bavinck’s treatment of the relationship between God, God’s providence, and history. Section III will investigate his view of the telos of history, and the essential role of Christ in giving shape to history. Bavinck’s historical thought offers an example of the way that conservative Reformed theologians could adapt idealist philosophies of history to address challenges to the confessional theological task.
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This article examines three leading representatives of magisterial Protestantism who based their doctrines of political obligation on the fifth commandment of the Decalogue (the Ten Commandments, found in Exodus 20:1–17 and Deuteronomy... more
This article examines three leading representatives of magisterial Protestantism who based their doctrines of political obligation on the fifth commandment of the Decalogue (the Ten Commandments, found in Exodus 20:1–17 and Deuteronomy 5:6–29). These expositions and applications of the fifth commandment exemplify the early magisterial Protestant interpretation of the command to “honor your father and mother.” In each case, the content and context of these texts paint a picture where these theological theories of obligation were handmaids to the practical centralisation of coercive power in the state during the early modern period. This centralisation of power occurred through what Gerhard Oestreich called Sozialdisziplinierung, or social discipline. We will sample one leading thinker from each of the Lutheran (Martin Luther (1483–1546)), English Reformed (William Tyndale (1494–1536)), and continental Reformed (John Calvin (1509–1564)) traditions to demonstrate broad consistency across the magisterial Protestant movement during its early decades. This article will further show that it was not simply theories of resistance that set up the foundations for the modern western conception of political authority. Theological theories of obedience also made a substantial contribution and are not as archaic or irrelevant to the story of modern politics as might be imagined.
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Access here: https://academic.oup.com/ojls/article/40/3/591/5909123?guestAccessKey=e2167b3f-d600-44f9-83c5-1d876552fc37 (Co-authored with Benjamin B Saunders) Constitutions are products of an alien culture. Constitutions are also... more
Access here: https://academic.oup.com/ojls/article/40/3/591/5909123?guestAccessKey=e2167b3f-d600-44f9-83c5-1d876552fc37
(Co-authored with Benjamin B Saunders)
Constitutions are products of an alien culture. Constitutions are also ‘instruments of government’ and must be relevant to serve the needs of modern society. How ought we to reconcile the competing pressures that arise from the nature of a document that is at one and the same time a historical artefact and an instrument of contemporary government? We propose an answer modelled on the ‘Cambridge method’ of textual interpretation, whereby a constitution must first be considered as a historical text, on its own terms, without regard to today’s controversies. We argue that the best way of understanding a constitution is to take account of its historical context, and that meaning derived in this way ought to be the starting point when considering the provisions of the constitution. However, we consider that the historical context need not be determinative of the contemporary meaning of the constitution, and so departures from that meaning may be appropriate in some situations.
(Co-authored with Benjamin B Saunders)
Constitutions are products of an alien culture. Constitutions are also ‘instruments of government’ and must be relevant to serve the needs of modern society. How ought we to reconcile the competing pressures that arise from the nature of a document that is at one and the same time a historical artefact and an instrument of contemporary government? We propose an answer modelled on the ‘Cambridge method’ of textual interpretation, whereby a constitution must first be considered as a historical text, on its own terms, without regard to today’s controversies. We argue that the best way of understanding a constitution is to take account of its historical context, and that meaning derived in this way ought to be the starting point when considering the provisions of the constitution. However, we consider that the historical context need not be determinative of the contemporary meaning of the constitution, and so departures from that meaning may be appropriate in some situations.
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One of the key terms in the enormous "Politica Methodice Digesta, Atque Exemplis Sacris et Profanis Illustrata" of Johannes Althusius (1557–1638) is consociatio. This word has been translated into English a number of different ways by... more
One of the key terms in the enormous "Politica Methodice Digesta, Atque Exemplis
Sacris et Profanis Illustrata" of Johannes Althusius (1557–1638) is consociatio.
This word has been translated into English a number of different ways by Althusius
interpreters. This article contends that these renderings have proven confusing
and unhelpful and that a better approach to this key concept is needed. It offers a
brief appraisal of the received translations of consociatio in Althusius scholarship
before providing a fresh interpretation which, it is hoped, will go some way to
alleviating the extant confusion about Althusius’s political ideas.
Sacris et Profanis Illustrata" of Johannes Althusius (1557–1638) is consociatio.
This word has been translated into English a number of different ways by Althusius
interpreters. This article contends that these renderings have proven confusing
and unhelpful and that a better approach to this key concept is needed. It offers a
brief appraisal of the received translations of consociatio in Althusius scholarship
before providing a fresh interpretation which, it is hoped, will go some way to
alleviating the extant confusion about Althusius’s political ideas.
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Co-authored with Benjamin B. Saunders
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Richard Hooker's understanding of political society has engendered significant debate. Does he hold that society is natural, in keeping with his commitment to aspects of Aristotelianism? Or does he believe that society is conventional,... more
Richard Hooker's understanding of political society has engendered significant debate. Does he hold that society is natural, in keeping with his commitment to aspects of Aristotelianism? Or does he believe that society is conventional, leading somehow to a social contractarian conception of society? My contention is that he is a political naturalist, though his naturalism is tempered by his Augustinian theological anthropology. Hooker emphasizes human sin in his account of the nature and purpose of civil government, and gives humankind agency in the establishment of society. But, ultimately, he considers political life to be natural to the human condition. In this way, Hooker navigates a via media between Aristotelian naturalism and conventionalism.
View article here: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/historical-journal/article/richard-hooker-as-political-naturalist/3690717C0C09D6BD85A51CC93B59E715/share/c2c46c839a50f3c15949050c9f8785c96a3beb1e
View article here: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/historical-journal/article/richard-hooker-as-political-naturalist/3690717C0C09D6BD85A51CC93B59E715/share/c2c46c839a50f3c15949050c9f8785c96a3beb1e
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Article on two kingdoms theology, reviewing Matthew Tuininga "Calvin's Political Theology and the Public Engagement of the Church" (CUP, 2017) and W. Bradford Littlejohn's "The Peril and Promise of Christian Liberty" (Eerdmans, 2017).... more
Article on two kingdoms theology, reviewing Matthew Tuininga "Calvin's Political Theology and the Public Engagement of the Church" (CUP, 2017) and W. Bradford Littlejohn's "The Peril and Promise of Christian Liberty" (Eerdmans, 2017). Co-authored with Benjamin B. Saunders.
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The figure of Abraham Kuyper looms large over the political and social landscape of nineteenth and twentieth century Holland. He held significant posts in government, education, and the church. His social theory impacted Dutch society for... more
The figure of Abraham Kuyper looms large over the political and social landscape of nineteenth and twentieth century Holland. He held significant posts in government, education, and the church. His social theory impacted Dutch society for much of the twentieth century. His influence on both continental and American Christian political thought is substantial. And yet, Kuyper’s legacy is largely understated, and his political thought unknown in many corners of the scholarly world. This paper seeks to address this by surveying some of the major aspects of Kuyper’s political thought while placing him in his historical setting. By doing so, it will be shown that Abraham Kuyper is a transitory figure in political history, occupying an important place in the development of the relationship between religion and the modern state.
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Dutch theologian, journalist, and statesman Abraham Kuyper is commonly cited as an authoritative figure with regard to Christianity and politics. His example as a theologically sophisticated and politically active Christian is widely... more
Dutch theologian, journalist, and statesman Abraham Kuyper is commonly cited as an authoritative figure with regard to Christianity and politics. His example as a theologically sophisticated and politically active Christian is widely lauded and celebrated. However, his thought and impact have been rarely considered from the perspective of political theory, and his contribution to the field has largely been overlooked. There are notable exceptions to this, and some of these will be cited in this paper. None the less, due to this lack of theoretical clarity in political studies on Kuyper himself, this paper aims to provide a clearer vision of the theoretical basis of Kuyper's political thought. It will be shown that his political thought can be located in the broad streams of pluralism and Calvinism. We will first survey pluralist political thought, and then survey Calvinist political thought, focusing on John Calvin and Johannes Althusius. These surveys will lead to Dutch Calvinism and Abraham Kuyper's doctrine of sphere sovereignty. This core Kuyperian doctrine will be expounded, and will be shown to be an expression of Calvinist pluralism, thereby locating Abraham Kuyper's political theory within that stream.
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This chapter argues that Johannes Althusius had access to a number different renderings of cosmopolitanism, including Christian a neo-Stoic varieties. However, despite his political theory dealing with supranational political bodies,... more
This chapter argues that Johannes Althusius had access to a number different renderings of cosmopolitanism, including Christian a neo-Stoic varieties. However, despite his political theory dealing with supranational political bodies, Althusius highlights the priority of local political fellowships.
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A review article on Yoram Hazony's 'Conservatism: A Rediscovery"
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A review article of Ferenc Hörcher, "The Political Philosophy of the European City".
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Republished version of my ABC Religion & Ethics article
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Carl R. Trueman, in his book “The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self,” looks at the ideas which lie at the foundation of the drive for self-expression and authenticity, and the concepts which undergird the militant defence of the... more
Carl R. Trueman, in his book “The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self,” looks at the ideas which lie at the foundation of the drive for self-expression and authenticity, and the concepts which undergird the militant defence of the plethora of sexual and gender identities.
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Speccie article on the future of the humanities in Australian higher education
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I propose that we ought to consider this wrestle between different approaches to reality as fundamental to the Western approach to the human condition. The revealed, the knowable, is not the sum of everything. It is important, but not... more
I propose that we ought to consider this wrestle between different approaches to reality as fundamental to the Western approach to the human condition. The revealed, the knowable, is not the sum of everything. It is important, but not ultimate. What we can see is not the final answer. What we can rationally define is not the conclusion. The Western examination of human life is marked by both a reasonable and accessible reality. It is also shrouded in mystery and darkness.
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https://thenewpolis.com/2020/08/11/liberalism-revolution-and-unbelief/ We are living in the most interesting of times. The world is being ravaged by a deadly virus. Economic ruin seems to be descending on much of the world after... more
https://thenewpolis.com/2020/08/11/liberalism-revolution-and-unbelief/
We are living in the most interesting of times. The world is being ravaged by a deadly virus. Economic ruin seems to be descending on much of the world after government responses to COVID-19. Racial tensions have spilt over into what appears to be the end of a stable regime of law and order in the United States. The international political order is shifting before our very eyes. China is rattling its military sabre at India and Taiwan while the United States rapidly transforms into, at best, a declining and distracted superpower. It is undeniable that we are living through conditions that could spawn dramatic political change. Weakened state and government actors leave power vacuums, whilst hostile civic discourse leads to the collapse of shared political culture. Economic uncertainty, demographic shifts driven by migration and aging populations, and declining confidence in social, legal and political institutions, point to a deeply unstable situation across much of the Western world. Revolutionary rhetoric is being touted, and revolution is a distinct possibility ...
We are living in the most interesting of times. The world is being ravaged by a deadly virus. Economic ruin seems to be descending on much of the world after government responses to COVID-19. Racial tensions have spilt over into what appears to be the end of a stable regime of law and order in the United States. The international political order is shifting before our very eyes. China is rattling its military sabre at India and Taiwan while the United States rapidly transforms into, at best, a declining and distracted superpower. It is undeniable that we are living through conditions that could spawn dramatic political change. Weakened state and government actors leave power vacuums, whilst hostile civic discourse leads to the collapse of shared political culture. Economic uncertainty, demographic shifts driven by migration and aging populations, and declining confidence in social, legal and political institutions, point to a deeply unstable situation across much of the Western world. Revolutionary rhetoric is being touted, and revolution is a distinct possibility ...
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In a liberal polity, with a hostile civil authority, what is the Christian duty in relation to the civil magistrate? Should the church accommodate itself to its new conditions, or fight back? One historical answer to these questions —... more
In a liberal polity, with a hostile civil authority, what is the Christian duty in relation to the civil magistrate? Should the church accommodate itself to its new conditions, or fight back? One historical answer to these questions — offered by early Protestant political theologians — centred on the fifth commandment (sometimes held to be the fourth): “Honour your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12).
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https://www.spectator.com.au/2019/10/great-books-liberal-arts-the-ramsay-centre-and-why-they-matter/
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The history that we write, argues former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, should not simply "mirror … our own preferences and assumptions." History should speak to us and change us through its very strangeness. (Matthew Lloyd /... more
The history that we write, argues former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, should not simply "mirror … our own preferences and assumptions." History should speak to us and change us through its very strangeness. (Matthew Lloyd / Getty Images) You are not your past. That is, probably, not an uncommon utterance in counselling sessions. People should not be identified purely with their past failures, triumphs, hardships and joys. But this is only partly true. The past is, in important respects, formative of our identity. In that case, we need to wrestle with what the connection between history and identity actually looks like.
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The current saga involving Australian rugby star, Israel Folau, is a high-profile incubator case for civil liberties in Australia. Folau, like others for him, is facing a threat to his livelihood because of publicly expressing his... more
The current saga involving Australian rugby star, Israel Folau, is a high-profile incubator case for civil liberties in Australia. Folau, like others for him, is facing a threat to his livelihood because of publicly expressing his religious beliefs.
However, unlike similar scenarios in the past decades and centuries where the one hunting the heretic is the state, or the church backed in by the state, Folau is being threatened by his employer. This kind of scenario opens up a gamut of new issues concerning religious liberty. For Christians it particularly raises the question of obligations to employers.
However, unlike similar scenarios in the past decades and centuries where the one hunting the heretic is the state, or the church backed in by the state, Folau is being threatened by his employer. This kind of scenario opens up a gamut of new issues concerning religious liberty. For Christians it particularly raises the question of obligations to employers.
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The church needs to ensure it is offering the true account of reality, rather than the account that the world is offering. That account, expressed through liturgy and worship, will form the Christian political imagination…
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Co-authored with Ben Saunders The church in the West is facing a significant cultural crisis. Aggressive secularisation and rapidly declining religious influence combine to bring a sense of despair in the Christian's relationship with... more
Co-authored with Ben Saunders
The church in the West is facing a significant cultural crisis. Aggressive secularisation and rapidly declining religious influence combine to bring a sense of despair in the Christian's relationship with society. In the United States, where the great liberal experiment is seemingly crumbling under its own internal contradictions ... Indeed, what we diagnose as a problem is also exemplified in other positions, such as Kuyperian political theology, Reformed branches of "Radical Orthodoxy", and the functional Anabaptists within the Reformed camp. Thus, what we diagnose here is not merely "another critique of 2K", but a critique of prevalent trends in political theology as exemplified by recent articulations of the two kingdoms paradigm.
The church in the West is facing a significant cultural crisis. Aggressive secularisation and rapidly declining religious influence combine to bring a sense of despair in the Christian's relationship with society. In the United States, where the great liberal experiment is seemingly crumbling under its own internal contradictions ... Indeed, what we diagnose as a problem is also exemplified in other positions, such as Kuyperian political theology, Reformed branches of "Radical Orthodoxy", and the functional Anabaptists within the Reformed camp. Thus, what we diagnose here is not merely "another critique of 2K", but a critique of prevalent trends in political theology as exemplified by recent articulations of the two kingdoms paradigm.
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Writing in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Herman Bavinck’s theology emerged in an environment drenched in philosophies of history. This consciousness of history as a vital philosophical loci filtered its way into... more
Writing in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Herman Bavinck’s theology emerged in an environment drenched in philosophies of history. This consciousness of history as a vital philosophical loci filtered its way into Bavinck’s writings in a number of ways. This paper seeks to provide an overview of this aspect of Bavinck’s thought, focusing on his Gereformeerde dogmatiek (Reformed Dogmatics, 1895 1901), Christelijke wereldbeschouwing (Christian Worldview, 1904), and Philosophy of Revelation (1908). Section I of the paper will address Bavinck’s treatment of the relationship between God, God’s providence, and history. Section II will investigate his view of the telos of history, and the essential role of Christ in giving shape to history. Section III will address Bavinck’s view of history as a science (wetenschap), dealing with his understanding of the historian, periodization, and the role of judgment in history. The conclusion will posit some ways in which Bavinck’s ideas about history both adopted and challenged the prevailing intellectual milieu of his own day. It will also explore why Bavinck’s consciousness of the importance of history for dogmatics and ethics opens up some avenues for enriching Christian thought today.
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This paper will explore the origins of two different emergences of the Christian worldview movement, and their relationship to understandings of cultural conflict. It will offer an analysis of the historical, cultural and theological... more
This paper will explore the origins of two different emergences of the Christian worldview movement, and their relationship to understandings of cultural conflict. It will offer an analysis of the historical, cultural and theological context for each major emergence. The first section of the paper will offer an overview of the origins of Christian worldview thinking in the late nineteenth century through the thought of James Orr (1844-1913) and Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920). The second section will deal with the second major emergence of Christian worldview thinking in the 1970s, with figures like Francis Schaeffer (1912-1984), Chuck Colson (1931-2012) and Carl F. Henry (1913-2003). I contend that, in both historical cases, the worldview concept was what Ian Hunter has termed a ‘combat concept’. Both contexts exhibited increased cultural and religious pluralism, and conservative Christians displayed heightened sense of ideological conflict. Worldview became a tool for differentiation from, and contention with, the ‘other’ as well as a tool of discipleship.
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Paper examining the ethical and political imperative to obey the civil magistrate embedded in the interpretations of the fifth commandment. Focuses on Luther, Tyndale and Calvin. Presented at seminar on Christian Political Theology at... more
Paper examining the ethical and political imperative to obey the civil magistrate embedded in the interpretations of the fifth commandment. Focuses on Luther, Tyndale and Calvin.
Presented at seminar on Christian Political Theology at the Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity, Melbourne.
Presented at seminar on Christian Political Theology at the Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity, Melbourne.
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Paper given at the 2019 meeting of the International Society for Intellectual History
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Conference paper at the 2017 Southern Political Science Association meeting. Part of a panel on the political legacy of the Reformation.
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E print here: https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/22PFQ2BJTHGUXHKMASW2/full?target=10.1080/1474225X.2021.1909364
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Review: Calvin and the Whigs: A Study in Historical Political Theology. Pantocrator, Aalten, 2017. 186 pages. isbn 978-90-76660-47-9.
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Reviewed in Political Theology vol. 18, iss. 2
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What can we learn from the intellectual history of the European City?
