Peter Lineham Overseas observers have noted that once again the Anglican Church in New Zealand has given it's own unity a higher priority that extending equal status to the glbti members of its congregation. Since the announcement on Wednesday that the church is now prepared to bless same-sex unions but not ordain non-chaste glbti people, historian and religion academic Peter Lineham of Massey University says he has noted prominent comments "that the kiwis have played the fundamentally typical Anglican game of trying to get as much as they can without causing a split" in the church. Lineham has described the concession by the church at its General Synod as choosing "their most limited option" and a "tiny" step. He says the Church's upbeat formal announcement that it "will explore ways that the blessing of same gender relationships could be part of church life" was merely "a nice gloss on it."
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Monday, 19th May 2014 - 11:38am