However, given belief shapes values and actions, it is appropriate to examine Mr Morrison’s belief structure, with the reasonable assumption this will play a part in shaping his social and economic choices. 

Mr Morrison is our first Prime Minister to be an active member of a Pentecostal church. Horizon Church is part of Australian Christian Churches (formerly Assemblies of God), a movement of more than 1000 churches in voluntary co-operation.

The Australian Christian Lobby, which has had considerable influence on conservative politics, is open to all Christians, but is specifically an arm of the Pentecostal churches. Its emphasis on gender and sexuality are well known. While no assumption can be made as to the extent to which Mr Morrison personally adopts these generic values (he voted against marriage equality), we do know a little of the values that shape Mr Morrison’s life, because he spoke of them in his maiden speech to parliament in 2008:

“From my faith I derive the values of loving-kindness, justice and righteousness … to fight for a fair go for everyone to fulfil their human potential and to remove whatever unjust obstacles stand in their way, including diminishing their personal responsibility for their own wellbeing; and to do what is right, to respect the rule of law, the sanctity of human life and the moral integrity of marriage and the family.

“Desmond Tutu put it this way: ... we expect Christians ... to be those who stand up for the truth, to stand up for justice, to stand on the side of the poor and the hungry, the homeless and the naked, and when that happens, then Christians will be trustworthy believable witnesses.”

Given these are clues to the values that Mr Morrison holds dear, we have the right to be somewhat surprised by the stand he has taken on several issues, the first and most obvious being refugees and asylum seekers.

On the matter of “strangers and aliens” the Bible is unequivocally clear – we are to welcome and embrace them. Australia cannot receive the approximately 68 million displaced people in the world, 25 million of whom are recognised as refugees. But it is a matter of national shame that we have mistreated so terribly those who have come to our shores. Those still incarcerated on Manus and Nauru are prisoners of a political ideology that has very little to do with the ongoing security of Australian borders.

Given what we know about the suffering of these people, and given Mr Morrison claims to hold the values he does, an almost unbridgeable gap is left between the words spoken and the action taken as one of the government’s most influential politicians.

Secondly, he says Christians are expected to stand up for truth. The world is facing climatic change on an unprecedented scale. For three decades we have known the link between industrial activity and climate change/global warming. That the government has abjectly failed to produce a policy to address this truth is quite shocking. To make it worse, those in the energy generating business have made it clear the high cost of electricity is not related to new forms of generation, but the lack of policy necessary for confident investment.

To blame renewable energy sources for the high cost of electricity is shamefully untrue. Until now Mr Morrison has shown no sign he will support truth in this debate, truth that would address cost and emissions.

Thirdly, in quoting Tutu, Mr Morrison nails his colours to the mast of a bias towards the poor and needy. This is of course is the bias of Jesus himself. Is this bias demonstrated in budgets over which Mr Morrison has had the responsibility of shaping? It is hard to see it. Pressure to make the Newstart allowance a more liveable safety net has been resisted. Generous provisions made to the already well-off by the Howard/Costello government, like negative gearing, have been left intact. Penalty rates for the poorest paid have been lost. 

How are we to make sense of this apparent credibility gap? Is it that deep down he is a devotee of the “prosperity gospel”?

It appears so. This gospel assumes health and prosperity is a sign of blessing and sickness or poverty a sign of divine disapproval – even punishment. The social and political implication is that those who are poor only have themselves to blame: turn to God and your fortunes will turn around. This gospel does not give space for generosity to the poor, for this only encourages their laziness, or lack of personal responsibility.

The prosperity gospel also seeks to remove any impediment to personal gain. The goal of government is therefore not to regulate for the common good, but for the prosperity of the individual. The attitude of the government on environmental issues is evidence enough of this stance.

Australians should feel obligated to wish Mr Morrison well as our newest PM. On the other hand he should expect Christians to vocalise their distress if the values he has espoused, and which they support, are being ignored – which they appear to be so far.

Dr George Browning is a former bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn. The full piece first appeared in The Melbourne Anglican.