Anglo-Catholicism's Impact on Anglican-Presbyterian Relations in Dunedin, New Zealand, 1871-1919.

This article provides the first sustained scholarly analysis of the souring of Anglican-Presbyterian relations in Dunedin from 1871 to 1919. Existing research highlights that from the 1840s to the 1860s Presbyterians and Anglicans interacted relatively amicably in Dunedin. After this point relations deteriorated, although no study until now has adequately explained why. This article argues that the growth of Anglo-Catholicism explains this phenomenon. From 1848 to 1871, Anglicans in the city tended to be Low Church, which made possible various overtures with the Presbyterians. However, in 1871 the Anglican Diocese of Dunedin was founded. Samuel Tarratt Nevill became its first bishop, and his assertive Anglo-Catholic beliefs dramatically disrupted inter-church relations. By attributing this phenomenon primarily to theological differences, this article supports historian John Stenhouse's argument that the strength of religious identities in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century New Zealand suggests that this society was more fractious than many secular historians assume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]