Peter James Lineham (born 1 December 1951) is a New Zealand historian specialising in religious history. His early research focused on 18th- and 19th-century British

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

sects.

Early life and education

Lineham was born at

Karamea Karamea is a town on the West Coast, New Zealand, West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the northernmost settlement of any real size on the West Coast, and is located northeast by road from Westport, New Zealand, Westport. Apart ...

on 1 December 1951, the son of Ethelwyn and Alf Lineham. He was raised in a Brethren family of five boys, initially in

, and then in

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

. Lineham was educated at

Burnside High School Burnside High School () is a state co-educational secondary school located in the suburb of Burnside in Christchurch, New Zealand. With a roll of students, it is the largest school in New Zealand outside Auckland, and is among the country's fou ...

, and went on to study at the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury (UC; ; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was founded in 1873 as Canterbur ...

, graduating with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in 1973, and a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

degree in history with first-class honours two years later. His master's thesis was titled ''The campaign to abolish imprisonment for debt in England, 1750–1840''. He was awarded a

Commonwealth Scholarship The Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) is an international programme under which Commonwealth governments offer scholarships and fellowships to citizens of other Commonwealth countries. History The plan was originally proposed ...

in 1975, and undertook doctoral studies at the

University of Sussex The University of Sussex is a public university, public research university, research university located in Falmer, East Sussex, England. It lies mostly within the city boundaries of Brighton and Hove. Its large campus site is surrounded by the ...

, supervised by

J. F. C. Harrison John Fletcher Clews Harrison (28 February 1921 – 8 January 2018), usually cited as J. F. C. Harrison, was a British academic who was Professor of History at the University of Sussex and author of books on history, particularly relating to Victor ...

. His research on the followers of the 18th-century Swedish scientist and theologian

Emanuel Swedenborg Emanuel Swedenborg (; ; born Emanuel Swedberg; (29 January 168829 March 1772) was a Swedish polymath; scientist, engineer, astronomer, anatomist, Christian theologian, philosopher, and mysticism, mystic. He became best known for his book on the ...

led to his 1978

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

thesis, ''The English Swedenborgians, 1770–1840: a study in the social dimensions of religious sectarianism''. In 1989, Lineham graduated from the

University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...

with a

Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD, DB, or BDiv; ) is an academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies. ...

degree.

Career

Lineham's early independent publication, ''There We Found Brethren'' (1977), explored the development of Brethren assemblies in New Zealand, marking a foundational contribution to the field. He has undertaken research on new religious movements, and the histories of the Brethren, Protestantism, evangelicalism, and Anglicanism in New Zealand. Lineham has been a regular media commentator on religious matters in New Zealand. He contributed numerous entries to the ''

Dictionary of New Zealand Biography The ''Dictionary of New Zealand Biography'' (DNZB) is an encyclopedia or biographical dictionary containing biographies of over 3,000 deceased New Zealanders. It was first published as a series of print volumes from 1990 to 2000, went online ...

'' and led its religion and church people working group for over a decade. He is emeritus professor of history at

Massey University Massey University () is a Public university, public research university in New Zealand that provides internal and distance education. The university has campuses in Auckland, Palmerston North, and Wellington. Data from Universities New Zealand ...

, having taught there for 40 years, retiring in 2019.

Honours and awards

In the

2019 New Year Honours The 2019 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrati ...

, Lineham was appointed a

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ...

, for services to religious history and the community.

Selected publications

Lineham has had numerous works published including the following books: *''There We Found Brethren: a history of assemblies of brethren in New Zealand'' *''Religious history of New Zealand: A bibliography'' *''Transplanted Christianity: Documents illustrating aspects of New Zealand Church History'' *''Scholarship and Fierce Sincerity'' (2006} *''Bible & society: A sesquicentennial history of the Bible Society in New Zealand'' *''Where the road runs out: research essays on the ecumenical journey and the Conference of Churches in Aotearoa New Zealand'' (2005) *''Destiny: the Life and Times of a Self-made Apostle'' (Penguin, 2013) *''Sunday Best: How the church shaped New Zealand and New Zealand shaped the church'' *''Agency of Hope: The story of the Auckland City Mission 1920–2020'' *''Weteriana Methodism: Bicentennial Reflections from Aotearoa New Zealand''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lineham, Peter 1951 births Living people People from Karamea People educated at Burnside High School University of Canterbury alumni Alumni of the University of Sussex University of Otago alumni New Zealand historians New Zealand writers Historians of religion Academic staff of Massey University Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit