Denise A. Austin is an Australian Pentecostal historian, particularly focused on Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.[1]

Denise A. Austin
NationalityAustralian
Alma materUniversity of Queensland
Occupation(s)Theologian, historian
Websitehttps://www.deniseaaustin.com/

Austin was the Deputy Vice President of Research and Standards, and Professor of History at Alphacrucis College.[2] She was also the Director of the Australasian Pentecostal Studies Centre.[3]

Early life and education

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Denise A. Austin was born in Brisbane in 1969 to Alan and Merle Anderson.[4] She met and married her husband Garry while studying at Rhema Bible College in Townsville. Together, they worked as Assemblies of God missionaries in Hong Kong before returning to Australia for further study.[citation needed]

Austin received her PhD from the University of Queensland.[2] Her 2004 dissertation and subsequent book (published 2011) is entitled Kingdom-Minded People: Christian Identity and the Contributions of Chinese Business Christians.[5]

Career

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In 2006, Austin became the Academic Dean of Garden City College and began lecturing on Church History and Missions.[6] In 2009, she started working at Southern Cross College which changed its name to Alphacrucis College later that same year. She is actively working with TEQSA to help Alphacrucis College become the first Pentecostal training college in Australia to achieve university status.[7] She is an ordained minister with Australian Christian Churches.[1]

Austin has secured over $100,000 in grants to fund the research of Pentecostal history.[2] Austin has also written the biographies of several key figures in Australian history including Andrew Evans,[8] founder of the Family First political party, as well as the biography of bass player George McArdle from the Little River Band.[9]

An article by Austin about the Prime Minister of Australia, Scott Morrison's personal faith and its influence on his response to women's rights and workplace sexual harassment, was published in the Sydney Morning Herald on 19 April 2021.[10] Seven letters in response were published the following day, with several suggesting that the Prime Minister's faith was not the problem, but rather his actions in response to these issues.[11]

Selected publications

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Books

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  • Austin, Denise A. (2009). The Man from Little River: The Story of George McArdle, Former Bass Player for the Little River Band. Ark House Press. ISBN 9781921589034.
  • Austin, Denise A. (2011). 'Kingdom-Minded' People: Christian Identity and the Contributions of Chinese Business Christians. Brill. ISBN 978-9004204027.
  • Austin, Denise A. (2017). Jesus First: The Life and Leadership of Andrew Evans. Love of Books. ISBN 9780648033493.
  • Austin, Denise A.; Jacqueline Grey; Paul W. Lewis, eds. (2019). Asia Pacific Pentecostalism. Brill. ISBN 9789004396708.

Chapters

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Articles

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References

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  1. ^ a b Hill, Graham Joseph; Barker, Jen (13 December 2019). "160+ Australian and New Zealander Women in Theology You Should Know About". The Global Church Project. Archived from the original on 12 June 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Rev. Professor Denise Austin". Alphacrucis College. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  3. ^ Bricknell, Kerryn; November, 14th of; News, 2016 | General Alphacrucis. "Australasian Pentecostal Studies Centre Wins Two Community Heritage Grants". Alphacrucis College. Retrieved 18 January 2021. {{cite web}}: |last3= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ "Ministerial Retirements and Memorial Minutes" (PDF). 34th Queensland Synod. The Uniting Church in Australia: 33–34. May 2019.
  5. ^ Austin, Denise (20 September 2011). "Kingdom-Minded" People: Christian Identity and the Contributions of Chinese Business Christians. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-22267-0.
  6. ^ "The Christian Mission in the Public Square" (DOC). The 2008 AAMS & PACT Conference. Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture: 28. October 2008
  7. ^ "Rev. Professor Denise Austin". Alphacrucis College. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  8. ^ Austin, Denise A. (14 May 1917). Jesus First: The Life and Leadership of Andrew Evans. Love of Books. ISBN 978-0-6480334-9-3.
  9. ^ Austin, Denise A.; McArdle, George (2009). The man from little river: the story of George McArdle, former bass player for the Little River Band. North Sydney, N.S.W: Ark House Press. ISBN 978-1-921589-03-4. OCLC 301525844.
  10. ^ Austin, Denise (18 April 2021). "Morrison's faith paves way to justice for women". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  11. ^ "PM's faith is not the target, but hypocrisy is fair game". The Sydney Morning Herald. 19 April 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2021.