• Theologians, ethicists and legal scholars offer insight into ‘religious freedom in Australia’ in light of recent public debate and the upcoming 2019 federal election
• Special issue offers a ‘good-faith’ discussion on religious freedom for the common good of all Australians
• Includes scholarly discussion of the history of the socio-political-legal precedents set in Australia, particularly in relation to religious schools and the need to balance human rights of religious freedom and anti-discrimination

A special issue of St Mark’s Review on ‘Religious freedom in Australia’ was prompted by the 2017-18 Ruddock Review into religious freedom and its attendant controversies, but it is all the more relevant today.

St Mark’s National Theological Centre is a partner in the Charles Sturt University School of Theology and shares its site with the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture in Canberra.

Dr Michael Gladwin (pictured left), the editor of St Mark’s Review: a journal of Christian thought and opinion, said, “Since 1955 St Mark’s has produced a quarterly, peer-reviewed academic journal, and this latest issue focusses on religious freedom in Australia.

“In light of the upcoming 2019 federal election, the idea of the issue was to offer a ‘good-faith’ discussion on religious freedom for the common good.

“This special issue on religious freedom includes the background and history of the legal precedents set in Australia, and encompasses broad topics such as challenges to religious freedom in Australia, including in Australian schools, and in a post-secular society.”

The article ‘Freedoms religious and social: an Australian stock-take’ by the Director of St Mark’s National Theological Centre, Reverend Dr Andrew Cameron, leads the discussion in this edition.

His stock-take begins by referencing the recent case of rugby player Israel Folau’s social media posts condemning a range of sin categories.

The article by Dr Cameron (pictured left) provides both an historical overview of religious freedom in Australia and an insightful critique of the various contributions in the Review, and concludes:

“Whatever the upshot of our most recent difficulties, Australia can continue to be the kind of place where competing accounts of peace are negotiated in good faith and despite the anxieties we all feel along the way.

“This issue of St Mark’s Review is offered to that end.”

St Mark’s Review:  a journal of Christian thought and opinion, Number 247, March/April 2019 (1) is available for online purchase as an ebook for $10 until Sunday 19 May: https://stmarks.edu.au/product/religious-freedom-in-australia-ebook/