The Bible in Australia reissued

Dr Meredith Lake’s award-winning The Bible in Australia: A cultural history has been re-released in time for Christmas.

The book’s new edition comes with an extended preface titled ‘Political Bibles’ and ‘Personal Bibles’, which covers everything from ‘Trump’s stunt during the Black Lives Matter protests, to hymn-singing Hong Kong demonstrators, to the unusual optics of a Pentecostal PM …”

“Politics is not the only lens for considering the Bible or its uptake in society,” Dr Lake said.

“One of the pleasures of writing this book was telling the story of people with a creative connection to the Bible – such as rocker Nick Cave, author Helen Garner, painter Grace Cossington Smith and songwriter Paul Kelly. I was especially fascinated by the sceptics and agnostics who maintained an existential dialogue with the Bible – from provocateur Germaine Greer to legendary bush outfitter RM Williams.”

First released in 2018, The Bible in Australia offers a comprehensive history of the Bible in Australia, with Dr Lake exploring how the Bible has been wrestled with, preached and tattooed, and believed to be everything from a resented imposition to the literal Word of God.

As well as being a historian, Dr Meredith Lake is an experienced speaker and broadcaster, and is the current host of ABC Radio National’s Soul Search program. She will deliver the 2021 May MacLeod lecture on 22 April at United Theological College in Sydney.