| 1. |
- Hansson, Klas, 1944-
(author)
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Svenska kyrkans primas : Ärkebiskopsämbetet i förändring 1914–1990
- 2014
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- When Nathan Söderblom became archbishop in 1914 he substantially altered and extended the office of archbishop. This study deals with how and why the office of archbishop has changed from Söderblom’s incumbency down to the introduction of an assistant bishop in the archdiocese in 1990. Is the archbishop mainly a diocesan bishop with some duties on the national level or is the archbishop mainly the primate with minor tasks in the diocese? The latter view has prevailed and the archbishop’s business as primate has come to be regarded as the most important.During the period studied seven archbishops have served in Uppsala. Their ex officio positions, their archiepiscopal arenas, are examined to find out how they shaped their office. Different leadership styles are uncovered and the archbishops’ differing performance and characteristics are examined. These ranged from expansion and renewal (Nathan Söderblom), cautiousness and withdrawal (Erling Eidem), restoration and consolidation (Yngve Brilioth), uniting and dividing (Gunnar Hultgren), institutionalisation and internationalization (Ruben Josefson), ecumenism and peace work (Olof Sundby), and expansion and clarification (Bertil Werkström). In this way the study also gives a comprehensive view of the 20th century Church of Sweden debates and conflicts.The study also covers formal changes that have been introduced to the office of archbishop. The concepts of fields, capital and habitus are used to analyse the patterns and structures of the office during the decades studied. The social position of the archbishop became stronger during the period while the formal position became weaker. The archbishop of Uppsala is since the Reformation the foremost representative and spokesperson of the Church of Sweden.
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| 2. |
- Evertsson, Jakob, 1975-
(author)
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"En damm mot tidens ström" : kritiken mot biskoparna i det svenska stånds- och enhetssamhället vid mitten av 1800-talet
- 2002
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Ända sedan medeltiden och in på 1800-talet var biskoparna i Sverige självskrivna ledamöter av riksdagen. Under förra hälften av 1800-talet började politiska liberaler och företrädare för religiösa väckelser framföra krav på att avskaffa denna rätt. Samtidigt diskuterades en förändring av riksdagens ståndsrepresentation. Biskoparna var huvudsakligen konservativa försvarare av status quo och motsatte sig förändringar. Detta ledde till en allt starkare kritik. Biskoparna ansågs vara mer intresserade av politik än av kyrkligt arbete. Biskopsämbetet började av somliga betraktas som en onödig statslyx som borde avskaffas, då biskoparna hade blivit en "damm mot tidens ström". Jakob Evertsson visar i denna avhandling hur diskussionen om biskopsämbetet vid mitten av 1800-talet egentligen var ett led i ståndssamhällets upplösning. På basen av källstudier avslöjar han hur man i kritiken mot biskoparna inte drog sig för att använda falska argument. Han visar också hur representationsreformen, som genomfördes 1866, tystade kraven på att avskaffa biskopsämbetet.
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| 3. |
- Aronson, Torbjörn, 1963-
(author)
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Den unge Manfred Björkquist : Hur en vision av kristendomens möte med kultur och samhälle växer fram
- 2008
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This thesis is a biographical study of Manfred Björkquist’s early life and addresses questions concerning the development of his vision of Christianity, culture and soci-ety. A comparison is also made between Björkquist’s vision and the classical typol-ogy of H. Richard Niebuhr. The investigation is motivated by the pivotal role Man-fred Björkquist (1884-1985) played in Swedish church life in the 20th century. He was born in northern Sweden to a country vicar and follower of confessional Luther-anism and Pietism. In 1902-09 Björkquist studied at the University of Uppsala with the goal of becoming a Lutheran priest and missionary. Parallell to his studies, Björkquist was active in Christian work which was characterized by Lutheran Pie-tism, openness to Anglo-Saxon revivalism and a belief in the relevance of the na-tional church. A spiritual awakening in the Christian Student Association in Uppsala in the spring of 1908 and a new church-centered Lutheran theology provided the immediate context of Björkquist’s vision. He expressed it with the catchword »The people of Sweden – a people of God through Jesus Christ» and connected it to his concept of the national church, folkkyrkan (the folk church), as a vehicle for re-christianizing the nation. This re-christianization was meant to take place through voluntary conversion of individuals to personal faith in Jesus Christ and an active cultural and social involvement of the church in the contemporary life of the nation. In accordance with the social component of his concept of the national church, Björkquist used his vision to attempt to bring about a consensus between rival social groups and contending ideologies through dialogue. By adopting the organizational methods and patterns of activities that characterized the new social movements, Björkquist at the same time strengthened the forces of change in civil society.
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| 4. |
- Dahlman, Per, 1929-
(author)
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Kyrka och stat i 1860 års svenska religionslagstiftning
- 2009
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)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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| 5. |
- Elgvin, Lilly-Anne Østtveit, 1954-
(author)
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Lars Levi Læstadius' spiritualitet
- 2010
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)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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| 6. |
- Halldorf, Joel, 1980-
(author)
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Av denna världen? : Emil Gustafson, moderniteten och den evangelikala väckelsen
- 2012
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The aim of this thesis is to investigate the relationship between evangelicalism and modernity with the Swedish holiness preacher Emil Gustafson (1862–1900) as a case. This is achieved by comparing Gustafson’s spirituality with Charles Taylor’s characterization of modernity. The investigation identifies five central themes in Gustafson’s spirituality: conversion, calling, suffering, sanctification, and spiritual experience. With regard to these themes paral-lels with modernity are noted. For example, the analysis shows that modern individualism influenced Gustafson’s view of conversion, and that instrumental rationality informed his evaluations of his own work as a preacher. But there are also instances where he distanced himself from modernity. He did not embrace a modern optimistic anthropology, or the view of suffering as purely negative. It is concluded that Gustafson is neither anti-modern, nor identical to Taylor’s depiction of modernity. He represents one kind of modernity. One that is theocentric rather than anthropo-centric. In order to uphold this theocentric character Gustafson’s opposition to the basic struc-ture of modernity had to be grounded in social practices. For instance, his negative anthropol-ogy was grounded in the revival-meeting where outsiders were called to repent and rely on God rather than themselves. Based on the results from this study it is suggested that evangelicalism should be inter-preted as neither in conflict with modernity, nor in continuity with it, but rather as a kind of modernity. There are multiple modernities, and evangelicalism is one of them.
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| 7. |
- Larspers, Torbjörn, 1967-
(author)
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Konfessionalitet och medbestämmande : Evangeliska Fosterlands-Stiftelsens struktur och den nyevangeliska väckelserörelsens regionala nivå fram till 1922
- 2012
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- In May 1856 the EFS (the Swedish Evangelical Mission Society), influenced by the new evangelism-movement, was established as an “internal mission” within the Church of Sweden.During the same period the “new evangelism” revival movement established regional organizations in order to coordinate the movement in different parts of the country. These regional organizations consisted of the movement’s local mission societies in a province or part of a province of Sweden. This study will focus on democracy and theological identity in the EFS through an analysis of how the regional organizations acted, what role they played, how the EFS was influenced by them and how the EFS decided to establish its own regional organization. One result of the earlier tensions between the regional mission organizations and the EFS was the establishment of the independent organizations Mission Covenant Church of Sweden (Svenska Missionsförbundet) (1878-) and Mission Society of Bible faithful Friends (Missionssällskapet Bibeltrogna Vänner) (1911-). This investigation looks into 17 of 36 regional mission organizations that existed. The time frame of the investigation is from the establishment of the EFS in 1856 to the establishment of the regional structure of the EFS in 1922.The EFS changed over time. The change of society and wishes from the movement’s local mission societies and regional mission organizations were agents in this transformation. An important result of this research is that this transformation of the EFS proceeded at a slow pace and with the preservation of the EFS’s theological identity.
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| 8. |
- Larsson, Mats, 1960-
(author)
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"Vi kristna unga qvinnor" : Askers Jungfruförening 1865–1903 – identitet och intersektionalitet
- 2015
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The Maiden Association in Asker was founded in 1865 20 kilometers southwest of Örebro in the county of Närke. A group of unmarried women closely connected to the Asker Baptist congregation met for prayer, bible reading and conversations with early democratic overtones. They gathered in a time of change in a variety of areas, both social as well as church-related. The surviving material from these women – in the form of protocols, membership registers, etc. – provides an insight into their reflexive process. The local Maiden Association in Asker becomes a window, a vantage point into something that would otherwise be hard to access: in other words, the situation and thinking of "ordinary" women.The overall aim of this study has been to contribute to the understanding of how continuity and changes during the latter part of the 19th century, mainly in the realm of church history, could influence the thinking and life ideals of nonconformist Christian women. Based on my meeting with the source material, two central questions have been formulated: 1. How did the Maiden Association in Asker, during the time period 1865–1903 and in its context, formulate and shape the identities as Christian, woman and young? 2. Why were they formulated and shaped in this way? The method selected may be described as church historical and hermeneutic, with an inductive approach. The source material is derived from two distinct periods in the life of the association, 1865–1880 and 1888–1903, which has given the opportunity to identify changes over time. Two theoretical perspectives have been established – one based on identity and one based on intersectionality.The investigation shows the clear influence of the holiness movements at the local level in the shape of the Holiness Union and the Örebro Mission Association. But the study also shows that the lives and thinking of women were not only characterized by change, but also by continuity. The church historical changes that the nonconformist religious women in Asker took part in were not a clean-cut break with previous lutheran traditions and conventions.
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| 9. |
- Santell, Fredrik, 1973-
(author)
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Svenska kyrkans diakonistyrelse : Tillflöden och tillkomst, organisation och verksamhet intill 1938
- 2016
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This study is focused on the way in which the Church of Sweden emerged as an overall national unit in support of the pastoral activities in the dioceses and parishes through the work of the Church of Sweden National Board for Parish Life (Svenska kyrkans diakonistyrelse). This Board was established in 1910 as one of three Central Boards of the Church of Sweden. The incentives and origin of this Board as well as its organisation and activities are investigated for the period from its inception up until 1938.The Board was shaped by the Swedish Practical and Pastoral Theologian Olof Holmström (1854–1921) on the basis of his National Church Programme (folkkyrkoprogram). The establishment of the General Swedish Corporation of Priests (Allmänna svenska prästföreningen) in 1903 was the first limited outflow of Holmström’s programme. The interpretation of the Youth Church Movement (ungkyrkorörelsen) as the primary revitalising factor in the Church of Sweden during the first two decades of the 20th century has been rejected as one of the organisational myths identified in this thesis. The establishment of the National Board for Parish Life was the result of an informal collaboration between representatives for the Parish Movement (församlingsrörelsen) and formal initiatives, primarily taken by Archbishop J A Ekman (1845–1913) and the Minister of Ecclesiastical Affairs, Hugo Hammarskjöld (1845–1937).The work of the Board was extensive with many branches carried out alongside the parish work line (församlingsvårdslinjen) and the social ethics line (socialetiska linjen). The work was adapted over time, due to changing theological as well as general organisational patterns in the Swedish state and society, such as changing ideas of Sweden as a ’National Home’ (folkhem).Different operational levels of the organisation are investigated, such as the Governing Body, a number of Committees for the ongoing work in limited areas and the corporation of diocesan representatives (stiftsombud). The high-ranking First Secretaries’ influence on the daily work was important.The Church of Sweden National Board for Parish Life is one of the roots of the current Church of Sweden administrative headquarters at Uppsala.
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