| 1. |
- Aggedal, Jan-Olof
(författare)
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Griftetalet mellan trostolkning och livstydning : en pastoralteologisk studie.
- 2003
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The aim of this thesis is, using a comparative approach, to examine the pastoral function of the funeral homily as a faith interpretation and a life interpretation in funeral services in the Church of Sweden and in the diocese of Porvoo in Finland. In the Church of Sweden, represented here by the diocese of Växjö, the diocese of Strängnäs, the diocese of Härnösand, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, represented here by the diocese of Porvoo. The thesis is based on empirical material consisting of questionnaires and funeral homilies that have been sent in. The complete material consists of 305 funeral homilies, 211 of which are from the Swedish dioceses and 94 from the diocese of Porvoo, and 439 questionnaires, of which 337 are from the Swedish dioceses and 102 from the diocese of Porvoo. Starting with the aim of using a comparative approach to examine the pastoral function of the funeral homily as an interpretation of faith and as a way towards an interpretation of life, the study examines how interpretation of faith and interpretation of life interact with the listeners’ existential questions and experiences. These existential questions and experiences can be assumed to affect the priest’s choice of which interpretations of faith are to be put into words. In the analysis of formal aspects the funeral homily is examined as a homiletic phenomenon, and its outline and language from a rhetorical point of view. The content analysis consists of a thematic examination through which the theme of the funeral homily – that is, what is being preached, – becomes apparent. It examines how the themes of death, immortality, resurrection, eternal life, nature, the picture of God and the view of humanity relate to the existential situation. The listeners’ existential questions/experiences are also examined, as are those interpretations of faith that are expressed in the funeral homily, that is to say, the dogmatic content of the funeral homily. The priests’ faith interpretations and orientation towards their listeners are examined also in relation to the general Christian- and the Evangelical-Lutheran faith perspectives. Finally, the pastoral theological analysis examines how the funeral homily functions as an interpretive element in the funeral service, that is, the funeral homily is examined in an integrated comprehensive perspective. To be able to see what chances the different perspectives of the funeral homily have to be able to function in a pastoral context, the study examines how some of the perspectives in the funeral homily interact with the priest’s interpretation of faith, the pre-funeral conversation, the liturgy, the hymns and quotations from the Bible.
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| 2. |
- Almer, Hans
(författare)
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Variationer av predikouppfattningar i Svenska kyrkan. En fenomenografisk undersökning om predikanter och åhörare.
- 1999
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This study describes, systematizes and analyses the variations of preachers' conceptions of their mission to preach and their listeners' conceptions of the sermon. It does so in a phenomenographic and theological perspective. The conceptions of preachers and their listeners of the mission to preach and the sermon respectively are investigated by way of interviews. The basic issues are what different conceptions of the mission to preach and the sermon can be identified in preachers and listeners. These conceptions and how they are related to various theoretical perspectives on preaching extends the possibilities of applying adequate theoretical perspectives on preaching. The investigation shows that the frame of reference of the preachers concerning the mission to preach and of their listeners concerning the sermon rests on a wide range of conceptions. The result indicates a large spread in various directions regarding needs as well as expectations. The account of the frame of reference of preachers and listeners reveals two main lines of thinking leading to different consequences for the communication of the sermon. On the one hand a rather institutional view of the church can be distinguised whereby the preacher's mission in the preaching situation is to convey a given content to the listener. Preacher and listener are in agreement on the distribution of roles: The preacher teaches while the listener listens. On the other hand a more organic view of the church is discovered whereby preacher and listener co-operate enriching each other. This leads to shared responsibility between preacher and listener concerning the realization of the context and application of the message of the sermon. In the concluding theological analysis the results of the phenomenographic examination are related to different theoretical perspectives on preaching. The investigation indicates that there is a fluctuation between different perspectives with preachers as well as with listeners. There is therefore a need for deepened reflection on the part of the preacher regarding different preaching perspectives and the varying preaching situations when they should be put into practice.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Christiansson, Elisabeth
(författare)
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Kyrklig och social reform : motiveringar till diakoni 1845-1965
- 2006
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The main purpose of this dissertation is to see how proponents of diaconia justified the establishment of three Swedish diaconal institutions: Diaconissanstalten 1851 (The Institution for Deaconesses, Stockholm, now Ersta diakonissällskap/Ersta Association for Diaconal Work), Stockholms Stadsmission 1853 (The Stockholm City Mission) and Svenska Diakonanstalten 1898 (The Swedish institution for Deacons, first in Gävle, from 1905 in Stockholm, now Stiftelsen Stora Sköndal/The Stora Sköndal Foundation). Included is also a study of how diaconal work was justified in Sweden in the post-war period, a time when religious neutrality within health care and education was high on the political agenda. An additional purpose is to discuss how these justifications are related to the modern discourse of social work. The primary source material consists of journals that voiced the opinions of the aforementioned diaconal institutions, Parliamentary records and newspaper articles. This material is culled for justificatory arguments. The set of justifications found in each setting is discussed from three angles: theology, ideology and gender roles. The dissertation shows that justifications for diaconal institutions have varied over time, but that all the initiatives have reformism in common. Diaconal institutions are vindicated as projects for social and ecclesial improvement and not merely as instruments for the material or spiritual well-being of individuals. This reformist stance contrasts with how responsibility for one's neighbour was justified in pre-industrial Sweden: as a duty performed within a static society. Reformism in diaconia is in this dissertation looked upon as an early example of modernisation. The justifications of diaconal work found in the source material are the following. In the 1850s diaconal work was justified theologically as a means of revival and evangelism. The ideological stance of its proponents was social conservative. Female diaconia was propagated because women were regarded as particularly apt for nursing and caring. Around the year 1900 diaconal work was mainly a question of reinforcing the Church of Sweden as the spiritual and moral foundation of Swedish society. Ideologically, diaconia (both male and female) was still social conservative. The justification of male diaconia was that supposedly male characteristics could be made useful in a lay ministry at the service of the Church of Sweden. In post-war Sweden the basis for justifications shifted to social liberalism and a theology of stewardship.
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| 5. |
- Dahlman, Per, 1929-
(författare)
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Kyrka och stat i 1860 års svenska religionslagstiftning
- 2009
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The 1860 Swedish legislation on religion finally brought an end to the hitherto prevailing unified view on the church and the state in Sweden. The church and the state were from now on marked out as separate units. This took place primarily through the abolition of defection from the Evangelical-Lutheran faith as a criminal offence. This faith had been prescribed in the 1686 Swedish Canon Law and in the 1734 general legislation. Anyone who abandoned the Lutheran confession should now no longer be exiled and disinherited. At the same time, the Church of Sweden lost its privileged position as the only permitted church in the country. With the permission of the King, other Christian churches would be allowed some limited scope for working in Sweden, but they were forbidden to engage in mission. Members of the Church of Sweden were accorded the right to associate and to form dissenter congregations with a confession other than that of the Church of Sweden. They were also accorded the right to transfer to another church within the country, permitted by the King. These rights only applied to those who had previously been subject to extensive warning procedures before the vicar and the diocesan chapter. Anyone who had not been admitted to another permitted church in accordance with the rules laid down continued to be considered as a member of the Church of Sweden. This also applied to those who had abandoned the Lutheran confession. The effect of all this was that the character of the Church of Sweden, as in principle a strictly confessional church, changed and the Church of Sweden thus embarked on its path towards becoming a “folk church” instead. With the 1860 legislation, the ground was prepared for the municipality reform in 1862 and for the representational reform in 1865.The ecclesiology behind the new legislation would play a significant role in later developments within the Church of Sweden and its various concepts of being a “folk-church” – a church open and available for everyone. This study traces the way in which the 1860 Swedish legislation came into being 1856-1860 and analyses its meaning and implications.
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| 6. |
- Elgvin, Lilly-Anne Østtveit, 1954-
(författare)
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Lars Levi Læstadius' spiritualitet
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The purpose of this study has been to be able to discern the core characteristics of the spirituality of Lars Levi Læstadius (1800-1861), minister of the Church of Sweden and originator of a large revival movement that carries his name. His spirituality is analysed as reflected in his mostly Finnish language sermons, out of which 466 are preserved. It is maintained that an adequate interpretation of the sermons can only be achieved through an understanding of their linguistic and rhetorical style and their principles of biblical exegesis. Accordingly, the initial focus of the study is on these three aspects, after which follows an analysis of the content. The very first chapter, however, investigates the biographical background of Læstadius’ spirituality, in particular the character of his spiritual breakthrough in 1844. The study shows that Sámi oral culture, in which Læstadius was deeply rooted, is an important factor behind the style and principals of exegesis in his sermons. The sermons are metaphorical and narrative to a large degree. The rhetoric is oriented towards “the spiritual heart” and addresses the emotional life more than the intellectual life. The principals of exegesis have their closest parallel in patristic times, not in the 1800-s. A typological interpretation of the Bible based on a mimetic strategy of reading is dominant. The study shows that the imagery of the sermons constitutes a cohesive ‘metaphorical universe’. The imagery is organised in ‘constellations of interplay’ in which the Christ figure of the gospels or a metaphor for God, and metaphorical role models for the listeners are depicted. Hermeneutical methods are employed in combination with statistical analysis to determine what constellations are central and how they are used. The four most central constellations are analyzed in detail; they are “the Saviour”, “the Heavenly Parent”, “the Shepherd” and “the Light”, designated according to their name for the triune God. However, “The Heavenly Parent” is Læstadius’ most frequent metaphor for God, and the image of God from which it springs determines his theology and spirituality. ‘Reconciliation’ with ones “Heavenly Parent” is his key concern, and this requires a humble attitude. The study shows that humility is the basic common quality of his prime role models, which means that this quality stands out as the most important ideal of his spirituality. The constellations of interplay show that a mystical experience of reconciliation and of being in God’s presence is Læstadius’ highest aim for his listeners, and thus a prominent characteristic of his spirituality. As a whole, the study shows that Sámi culture was more important for Læstadius’ spirituality than has hitherto been acknowledged, and that the imagery of his sermons is not a poetic or sentimental expression, but one in which both biblical theology and mystical experience are involved.
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| 7. |
- Evertsson, Anna
(författare)
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”Gå vi till paradis med sång” : psalmers funktion i begravningsgudstjänster
- 2002
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The purpose of this thesis is to shed light upon the function of hymns in Church of Sweden funeral services in the 1990s. The funeral service is one of the strongest links between the Swedish people and the Church of Sweden. Since this service can be seen as an essential meeting-place between people and their needs in a mourning process and the Church and its message of faith in this situation, the primary focus in this thesis is the study of the conditions necessary for meeting these needs and conveying this message in the funeral context. To achieve this purpose empirical data is used. 2,222 questionnaires from the research project Begravningsseder – studier av sociala skillnader efter döden have been analysed. The completed questionnaires cover 2,222 funeral services in the Church of Sweden during 1997. They show that some 220 hymns from Den svenska psalmboken 1986 were used for congregational singing. The most frequent hymns are traditional, well known and genuinely cherished hymns. However, in 10 % of the funerals one of the hymns of Den svenska psalmboken 1986 was replaced by another hymn or song, or by instrumental music. In order to analyse the function of hymns in funeral services, ten funerals were chosen for qualitative analyses. As a first stage in conducting a functional analysis of the funeral services, the theological and existential content of 14 hymns was analysed. The in-depth analysis of the funeral services focuses on the relation and interaction between the hymns and the other parts of the service. The analysis indicates that the hymns were often, but in diverse ways, related to other parts of the service. In addition, most of the ten funerals appear to have been well-composed services which included the opportunity for meeting people’s existential needs in a mourning process, which also provided a Christian message of faith in the funeral context. Most of these funerals met the necessary conditions for an encounter between the aspect of society and the aspect of the Church, and were able to help people in a mourning process to turn from death to life.
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| 8. |
- Fallberg Sundmark, Stina, 1977-
(författare)
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Sjukbesök och dödsberedelse : Sockenbudet i svensk medeltida och reformatorisk tradition
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The perpose of this study is to clarify how the visitation of the sick could be carried out in Swedish medieval and Reformation traditions. It aims to answer questions concerning the rituals, what their theological and pious meaning was and how medieval liturgy and custom could survive, change or be abolished in the Reformation tradition. The study shows that the visitation of the sick was a closely connected series of different events: the calling for the priest to the sickbed, the preparations for the visit, the journey to the sick, the visit itself and the return to the church. In the medieval tradition, the priest carried the consecrated Host to the sick person. The sacramentally present Christ required pious behaviour. The study shows that, when the priest in the Reformation tradition carried only bread and wine to be consecrated at the sickbed, there was no longer any opportunity for the parishioners to express their piety in their own everyday environment. In the medieval tradition, the priest’s visit could include confession, communion and anointment. This was to ensure that the sick person would receive forgiveness, eternal life, a return to health and preparation for death. According to the study, in an introductory phase of the Reformation tradition, the priest could choose between taking a consecrated Host with him and consecrating both bread and wine at the sickbed. Anointment was initially optional and would only be given to restore the sick person to health. It disappeared later from the ritual for the visitation of the sick. Thus in the Reformation tradition, certain acts of the medieval tradition changed or disappeared, while other parts were taken over and survived, albeit partly in a new form with a new meaning. Common to both periods was the importance to receive the care of the Church.
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| 9. |
- Hössjer Sundman, Boel, 1968-
(författare)
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"Herren är mitt ibland oss" – en analys av föreställningar om gudsnärvaro i Den svenska kyrkohandboken från 1986
- 2006
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This dissertation studies the ways in which conceptions of the presence of God are described in the Swedish Church Service Book that was adopted by the Church Assembly of the Church of Sweden in 1986. The author has used a systematic theological method when making a close textual analysis of the liturgical texts used at the Sunday services. This material functions both as a “living” divine service text and as a doctrinal text in the Church of Sweden. With the aid of the discussions in the works of Vincent Brümmer, Martin Buber, James M. Gustafson and Jean-Luc Marion and others the author has identified two complementary analytical categories. The personal-analysis category deals with God seen as being present in God´s relation with humankind. It is considered whether this relation is characterised by closeness or distance, and by symmetry or asymmetry, and whether it is described as being emotionally coloured. This category has also been used to study the role of humankind in this relation. In the non-personal-analysis category the presence of God is characterised as a power that may be seen as something that occurs outside humankind understood as a general process and as an event, that is not understood as an action with intent. This category includes a concept of the presence of God as a process in humankind: a union, a continuing existence, and that humankind can be changed. With both of these analysis categories the author has discussed possible notions of the absence of God. The close text analysis has revealed and problemized various levels of meaning in the liturgical texts. One and the same text can describe the presence of God as personal and non-personal. The discussion has clarified how the concepts of the presence of God are described, and what parts of the Service are emphasised. This includes people´s prayers for forgiveness and the words of forgiveness. It also includes the “word of God” in the reading of the Gospel, the Eucharist, the Blessing and the “prayer situation per se” in Divine Service. Concepts of the absence of God can mainly be interpreted in these texts on the basis of the personal-analytical category.
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| 10. |
- Ideström, Jonas, Professor, 1968-
(författare)
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Lokal kyrklig identitet : En studie av implicit ecklesiologi med exemplet Svenska kyrkan i Flemingsberg
- 2009
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Ideström, Jonas 2009. Lokal kyrklig identitet – en studie av implicit ecklesiologi med exemplet Svenska kyrkan i Flemingsberg. (Summary: Local Church Identity – a Study of Implicit Ecclesiology with the Example of the Church of Sweden in Flemingsberg) The focus of this thesis is the concrete identity of the church. The study has been conducted within the church of Sweden in a parish in a southern Stockholm suburb. The aim of the thesis is to gain knowledge of how the identity of the Church of Sweden is manifested at a local level in a suburban context and to develop an ecclesiological approach for conducting such a study. The overall ecclesiological approach of the study is defined as a theologically reflective and abductive. The church is understood as a concrete historical and social agent in the light of God’s presence and therefore both theology and social theory is needed in studying its identity. The approach is abductive in the sense that the study process can be seen as a continuing dialogue between the theoretical reflections and the establishment of empirical material. The study is conducted within an ecclesiological framework, and the concept implicit ecclesiology is central. Implicit ecclesiology is defined as an understanding of what it is to be church that is illuminated by applying a theoretical perspective on expressions of the concrete church. In the thesis the implicit ecclesiology is illuminated by using a theological understanding of the identity of the church and theories on organizational identity. To analyze the material from the ecclesiological field-study in the parish a theoretical model for analysis is developed. The purpose of the model is to make it possible to analyze and describe what kind of social body that is manifested in the material. An approach that draws on Niklas Luhmanns’ theory of organizations as social systems is used. Out of that theory two main concepts are defined: self-descriptions and identity-structures. The concepts of practice, identity-space, strategy and tactics are also added to the model to reveal concrete expressions of the social body and telos it is striving towards. The analysis of the material gives a rather complex picture of the social body and the ecclesiology implicit in its manifestations. The analysis of the self-descriptions used by the local church show that, to a large extent, a rather narrow social body is described, consisting mainly of employees and the local church council. Three identity-structures are also revealed that in a significant way form the social body: one around the employees, one in relation to worship and a third in relation to the geographical borders of the parish. Implicit in the result of the analysis is an understanding of Christ as being present in the world where a fundamental relational pattern of the incarnation liberates people to a community with one another and with God. The analysis shows how this, by the church, is understood to be embodied in a special way in the liturgy of the worship. Without this embodiment of the relational pattern of the incarnation in the social body of the church, Christ would not be present in the world. There is, then, an implicit understanding of the concrete church as being an instrument for God’s presence in the world through Christ.
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