intersections online Volume 10, Number 1 (Winter 2009) Keith Gordon, “The End of (the Other Side of) the World: Apocalyptic Belief in the Australian Political Structure,” intersections 10, no. 1 (2009): 609-645. ABSTRACT In the United States, hundreds of thousands of Christians trust their hearts and souls to the belief that the world is on its final chapter. In their understanding, this chapter that spells out the last days is available to them in a proverbial „advance printing.‟ This notion, known as dispensationalism, is a potent force within modern American Christian circles. Dispensationalists adhere to the belief that God‟s foreordainment of the end times is available to them in the form of Biblical prophecy. Clearly such a belief deeply affects an individual‟s outlook on life on a personal level, but by extension these same beliefs have the potential to affect larger national and global spheres. Just such a thing is happening now, in the United States, where a large number dispensational Christians are looking to the political arena as a venue to exercise their beliefs. In other words, these Christians base their political actions (the votes they cast and the lobbies they endorse) upon their prophecy belief, hoping to influence and direct U.S. foreign policy to fulfill Biblical prophecy. I ask, is this happening anywhere else? Is this a distinctly American phenomenon? America, occupying the position as the (arguably) eminent superpower in the world, has a certain responsibility to uphold, and allowing extreme and fatalistic worldviews to influence decision making at the highest level of government not only raises concerns but compromises that responsibility. To answer this question we look to Australia. The similarities run deep between America and Australia, making it a logical choice to use as a test study. Both countries share deep cultural roots that begin with their conceptions from British colonialism, lending both an analogous cultural background. Both are populated with a core demographic of white Anglo-Saxon Christians, with large immigrant populations from Southern and Eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia. Both share a colorful history largely centered upon a „frontier‟ mentality. http://depts.washington.edu/chid/intersections_Winter_2009/Keith_Gordon_The_End_of_the_Other_Side_of_the_World.pdf © 2009 intersections, Keith Gordon. This article may not be reposted, reprinted, or included in any print or online publication, website, or blog, without the expressed written consent of intersections and the author 609 intersections Winter 2009 The End of (the Other Side of) the World Apocalyptic Belief in the Australian Political Structure By Keith Gordon1 University of Puget Sound, Tacoma Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come… So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. Matthew 24:42-44 Look around you! You do not know when the master of the house is coming… Do not let him come suddenly and catch you asleep. What I say to you, I say to all: Keep watch. Mark 13:35-37 t first glance these passages may seem little more than anachronistic rhetoric A or devout poetics, but the simple fact of the matter is that many people— people living in our modern and contemporary times—take these ancient imperatives to heart and, consequently, reshape the way in which they view the world around them. With these and countless other stern warnings echoing in their heads, a great number of believers anxiously anticipate the return of Jesus Christ. Beyond his mere return, there is also anticipation for all of the events that surround his Second Coming: the Rapture, the coming of the Antichrist, the Tribulation, the Battle of Armageddon, and dawn of the Millennium. To someone outside of „the know,‟ these terms have little bearing or significance, except what is disseminated through the channels of the media and popular culture. But to believers, these are more than just words and phrases: they are inevitabilities—unavoidable and necessary events that have been foreordained by God Himself and passed down to a select few in the form of Biblical prophecy. This anticipation has the potential to reorder a believer‟s entire view of the world. As a result global events are no longer random or inconsequential; they start to take on another meaning, a meaning that pertains to something greater 1 This paper was researched and written between June and August 2006. In the intervening years John Howard and his Liberal Party Coalition lost control of the Australian government to Kevin Rudd and the Labor Party, a change that is indicative of the shifting (i.e. liberalizing) mood of the Australian political climate. Likewise in America the political climate has also drastically changed since the writing of this thesis, with the new administration unlikely to seek the favor of radical Christians or to pursue the foreign policy aims of the previous administration. Nevertheless, it is certain that the dispensational beliefs and political agendas laid out herein are still very much alive and well in the United States today. 610 Keith Gordon Apocalyptic Belief in the Australian Political Structure and more divine. If the belief that God has foreordained the coming end (and listed the signs in the Bible in the form of prophecy2) is faithfully held, then the events of the world can be reread through the filter of that very belief. A war in Israel is more than just a war; it very well could be the precursor to the end of the world. And the faithful, equipped with their prophecy and armed with knowledge of all signs, attentively interpret current events in the hopes that they indicate that eternal salvation is finally at hand.3 This sort of apocalyptic thought and interpretation is of undeniable significance to the world in which we live. In the United States, hundreds of thousands of Christians trust their hearts and souls to the belief that the world is on its final chapter. In their understanding, this chapter that spells out the last days is available to them in a proverbial „advance printing‟. This notion, known as dispensationalism, is a potent force within modern American Christian circles. Dispensationalists adhere to the belief that God‟s foreordainment of the end times is available to them in the form of Biblical prophecy. Clearly such a belief deeply affects an individual‟s outlook on life on a personal level, but by extension these same beliefs have the potential to affect larger national and global spheres. Just such a thing is happening now, in the United States, where a large number dispensational Christians are looking to the political arena as a venue to exercise their beliefs. In other words, these Christians base their political actions (the votes they cast and the lobbies they endorse) upon their prophecy belief, hoping to influence and direct U.S. foreign policy to fulfill Biblical prophecy. Since the order of events that surround the end of days has long been dispensed, the various prerequisites for Jesus‟ return and ultimate salvation of the righteous are not only known, but active maneuvers can be taken to ensure their timely and efficient fulfillment. And what better vehicle to fulfill these final, preordained events than the most powerful government in the world? Acknowledging the gravity of such a situation begs many questions, but there is one which is the chief concern of this paper. Namely, the question is: Is this happening anywhere else? Is this a distinctly American phenomenon? America, 2 One need only read the Book of Revelation to understand the scope of Biblical prophecy. Thick with mythological illusions, the book essentially maps out the events of the final days. Along with other key apocalyptic passages in the Bible, such as Ezekiel 37-39, Daniel 7:13, and various passages within the synoptic Gospels, a modern believer of the coming Apocalypse has at his or her disposal a complete prophetic framework, full of signs that supposedly indicate the events surrounding the Second Coming and the end of the world. 3 Paul Boyer,When time shall be no more: prophecy belief in modern American culture, Studies in cultural history (Cambridge, Mass: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1992). This work gives an exhaustive survey of the prevalence of prophetic speculation of current events in the United States over the past 100 years. 611 intersections Winter 2009 occupying the position as the (arguably) eminent superpower in the world, has a certain responsibility to uphold, and allowing extreme and fatalistic worldviews to influence decision making at the highest level of government not only raises concerns but compromises that responsibility. To uncover whether this is an isolated phenomenon indicative of some inherent particularity to the American mindset, or a widespread feature of Protestant Christianity active in other Western nations, is of the utmost importance if we are to understand the potential contemporary apocalyptic belief has on our world. To answer this question we look to Australia. The similarities run deep between America and Australia, making it a logical choice to use as a test study. Both countries share deep cultural roots that begin with their conceptions from British colonialism, lending both an analogous cultural background. Both are populated with a core demographic of white Anglo-Saxon Christians, with large immigrant populations from Southern and Eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia. Both share a colorful history largely centered upon a „frontier‟ mentality. Though other factors would shape them into the distinct societies they are today, their similar pasts provide an immense cultural foundation upon which both societies are built. And yet, as we shall see, the cultural foundations are, in actuality, not at all as analogous as a cursory glance might reveal.