Morrison’s trades dorky Aussie dad routine for baseball analogies | Peter Goers

Scott Morrison knows God loves him and has direct quotes to prove it in his new book, writes Peter Goers.

Scott Morrison’s memoir of his Christian faith is no worse than a bad cold. I prayed for it to end.

I confess to an unholy fascination with ScoMo. His rise and fall is very telling of our nation. Many were once enamoured of this “boofy dad”, “the Prime Minister of Bunnings” as he was dubbed, and then just as many relished his downfall.

In the book, he feels he shares this fate with his beloved Jesus Christ.

I want to know more about this man (ScoMo not Jesus) and I learned little from this memoir other than its vindication of his faith, that he seems pleased with himself and that he is preaching to the choir.

It’s a chatty, readable, inoffensive book, but very odd.

The book’s cover reads “Plans For Your Good: A Prime Minister’s Testimony of God’s Faithfulness by Scott Morrison 30th Prime Minister Of Australia. Foreword by Mike Pence”. The latter was Trump’s Vice President and Morrison’s “prayer partner”.

The book is published in Nashville, in the US Bible Belt, and it’s written for an American readership.

Australian terms are painstakingly explained and baseball analogies are used.

It’s a chatty book and often mawkish.

“Jen doesn’t love me because I was the prime minister and took her to meet the Queen (although that was pretty cool)”.

Bizarrely, he implores us “to make ourselves a more faithful bride to our Bridegroom, Jesus”. What?

God loves ScoMo and ScoMo loves God.

Former PM Scott Morrison. Picture: Digitally altered

The religious rapture he received outside a tent at a Christian boys’ camp in Nunawading on January 11, 1981, has continued to inspire his life.

God tells Morrison “I love you” and Jesus talks to Morrison and is widely quoted, “Scott, I get it. I’ve been there and worse, and you know what? I did it all for you, because I really love you”.

That’s nice.

PM Morrison read his Bible daily and the book is chockers with Biblical references, especially from the Old Testament.

If you’re curious about what Australia’s former PM thinks of Zerubbabel’s son Hananiah, Meshach and Shadrach, Beleshazzar, Habakkuk, Ur, Hezekiah and the Amalekites, this is your book.

Sadly there is no mention of why “Moab is my washpot” and I’m desperate for an explanation of that.

Morrison’s analysis of the Bible is naturally subjective and there’s no mention of the genocide, smiting, recommendation of slavery, racism, or that women should keep silent, and that the disabled cannot approach God.

Morrison loves his family, “Jen and the girls” and their dog Buddy and their cat Charlie.

But The Bible tells us that we should love God before family. (Matthew 10:37)

Ah, well.

Scott and Jen and the girls. Picture: Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images)

Scott and Jen were very candid in public life about their difficulties conceiving through IVF and the miracle of Jen’s subsequent natural pregnancy, and Jen’s uterus and bowel are described in the book.

Incredibly, Morrison reports that he snuck prints of Jen’s ultrasound images of their baby in utero into the Christmas crackers.

Morrison merrily defends the “kindness and tolerance” of Pentecostal churches but doesn’t mention his and his fellow Pentecostal Christian’s opposition to same-sex marriage.

If you seek explanation of Morrison’s controversial actions and words in government, you’ll be disappointed.

If you seek resolution as to why this avid, obedient, public Christian was described by colleagues Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, Barnaby Joyce and Gladys Berejiklian as “hypocritical”, “a liar” and “absolutely without moral compass” there are no answers.

The former PM claims to respect the dignity of all humans but how does this resile with his proudly ruthless treatment of refugees and those persecuted by the Robodebt scandal?

The book doesn’t address this.

You either have religious faith or you don’t. Scott Morrison does and good on him. “Scotty from marketing” is marketing his faith in this book.

He’d doubtless disagree with Clive James who said “Religion is an advertising campaign for a product that doesn’t exist”.

Originally published as Morrison’s trades dorky Aussie dad routine for baseball analogies | Peter Goers