Religious Right Groups
National Alliance of Christian Leaders
| Leadership: | Dr Graham McLennan, Chairman and President; however, John Heininger, currently the Vice-President and Secretary, is the most significant personality in this organisation. |
| Date formed: | March 1986 (rather than March 1985 as stated on the NACL website). |
| Area of operation: | Based in Canberra, but draws its membership from all over Australia. |
| Estimated membership: | As NACL’s title suggests, one qualifies for membership by being a ‘Christian leader’, although ‘theological liberals’ and ‘modernists’ need not apply. Several dozen people generally attend its annual meetings e.g. about 100 guests attended its 2001 Centenary of Federation dinner (’New Life’, 27 Sept., 2001) |
| Finances: | Seems to run on a shoestring. Essentially a labour of love by Heininger and, to a lesser extent, McLennan. |
| Main objectives: | Officially, ‘to provide Christians with leadership training and skills, and encourage Christians to use leadership skills to serve the Christian community and the nation at every level’; and ‘to facilitate the coming together of Christian organisational leaders, to work together towards shared objectives’ (NACL website). |
| Main activities: | NACL’s most important function is to stage the annual National Assembly of Christian Leaders, where, as Peter Stokes of Salt Shakers says, the leaders ’share what they are doing and discuss strategies’ (’Salt Shakers Newsletter’, Nov. 1995, 2). Speakers at the November 2003 meeting included Rev. Gordon Moyes of the Christian Democratic Party, Bill Muehlenberg of the Australian Family Association and Warwick Marsh of the Fatherhood Foundation. Apart from this meeting, NACL provides a limited but expanding range of resources on its website. Very occasionally the group engages in direct political lobbying e.g. during the ‘Australia Card’ controversy. |
| Links with other groups: | By definition, NACL attempts to establish ties with as many conservative evangelical Protestant (and some conservative Catholic) groups as possible, both here and overseas (see the ‘Links’ section of its website). In addition to the organisations mentioned above, past speakers at NACL Assemblies have represented the Australian Christian Lobby, the Australian Festival of Light, Endeavour Forum, Focus on the Family Australia and many other Christian ministries, including educational and media groups. In addition, Heininger is strongly sympathetic to the creationist cause. |
| Publications: | A few booklets and magazines, accessible via the website. |
| Sample quotes: | Following a disclosure that the anti-creationist lobby in Australia was being marshalled primarily by groups connected with Humanist, Atheist and Socialist-spawned parent bodies in the United States and elsewhere, [NACL] resolved to take a closer look at issues surrounding the creation/evolution debate … A two-year in-depth investigation has caused NACL to conclude that the creation/evolution issue … has far-reaching religious, social and political implications not only in regard to the future wellbeing of the Christian faith, but also in regard to basic democratic and academic freedoms. (NACL website: ‘Major Involvements and Activities’) |
| When Margaret Court addressed the National Prayer Breakfast … she reminded those present that God’s word declares homosexuality to be ‘an abomination’. It seems God’s affirmations on the matter ‘offended’ some ‘Christian’ Parliamentarians. One Senator walked out in protest. Perhaps they are just party politicians, first and last. (Graham McLennan, ‘Chairman’s Comment’, NACL website) | |
| Assessment: | Not a very effective grouping, although NACL has the potential to become more than an annual Religious Right gab-fest. Dominionist tendencies are very strong here, with work by Francis Schaeffer appearing on the website, and leading Reconstructionists Howard Carter and Ian Hodge participating in the original NACL Steering Committee (New Life, 21 August 1986) |
| Contact details: | GPO Box 1633, Canberra, ACT 2601 users.netconnect.com.au/~nacl |
