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The Nordic Churches and the Ecumenical Movement

Ecumenical Review, The, April, 2000 by Peter Lodberg

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Perhaps in the long run the situation will change, and living within the framework of common ecumenical institutions will create a new ecumenical identity among the churches. But if that were to happen, and if the new ecclesial structure were indeed able to act as a single unit, this would imply not that the WCC had superseded the confessional church, but that it had itself turned into a church on a grander scale -- a development unlikely to be brought about even by confrontation with a common enemy. In this respect the WCC shares a similar fate as such international political institutions as the European Union and the United Nations.(2)

Norden as context for the ecumenical movement

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The North, Norden, consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. It is common to speak of the Lutheran churches in these countries as national churches, folk churches or state churches. Especially since 1945, the Baptist, Covenant, Methodist and Orthodox churches have challenged the Lutheran churches to enter into ecumenical dialogue and cooperation -- often as a result of international ecumenical cooperation: if the churches can work together internationally, why not also on the national scene? The ecumenical movement and its theological reflections have thus brought to the Nordic churches the importance of doing theology in a contextual manner. In the process of formulating ecumenical theology (or theologies), concepts like "contextualization" and "inculturation" have become important points of no return. Bonhoeffer's question "Who is Christ for us today?" helped us to seek the fundamental insights of Christian faith and theology in our present-day situation. At the same time, Bonhoeffer's question points towards a more fundamental faith claim that cuts across all confessional or historical traditions. Thus, when ecumenical theologies speak of the importance of contextualization, it is not to be trapped in old historical answers, but to ask for the fundamental theological descriptions of faith claims that all Christians hold in common -- both in and in spite of their particular context. This means that theologians, pastors and laypeople are free -- and indeed obliged -- to bring in the Nordic context as a frame of reference for ecumenical theological reflection. They should not hold back on the ground that the Nordic experience is different from experiences and faith claims elsewhere. In the North we have to ask ourselves: What is important for Nordic Christians when we participate in the ecumenical movement? What is our manifestation of universally lived Christianity?

Here it is important to see how the history of the Nordic churches explains their theological self-understanding. From the 16th century to the 19th century, the Nordic Lutheran churches were basically territorial churches, since both Sweden and Denmark-Norway were multi-nation states. The Lutheran churches were an integral part of the governing of the state. For both religious and political reasons, confession and church order made up an important part of legislation. Confession demarcated the territory of a state and people from other states. For this reason, contacts among the Nordic Lutheran churches were sporadic. There are few traces of consciousness of religious unity in the Nordic region. The feeling of unity went far beyond the Nordic countries and encompassed evangelical churches in many different places.

The Nordic Churches and the Ecumenical Movement

Ecumenical Review, The, April, 2000 by Peter Lodberg

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