Between Criticism and Loyalty. The Laestadian Lyngen Group's Relation to the Church of Norway

Abstract

Since the Laestadian movement reached northern Norway in the 1850s, it has developed as an autonomous group within the state church. In some periods the relationship has been harmonious, while in other periods it has been a relation of tension and conflict. In 2009 the tension between the Lyngen group and the church leadership once again became visible. The actual occasion was the proposals for new liturgies for the church presented by the Church National Council in 2008. The Laestadians sent two declarations to the diocese in Tromsø, stating that the church had betrayed the Evangelic-Lutheran confession. They threatened to leave the church if the conditions for Lutheran ecclesiastical practise became unacceptable. The critical event of changes in liturgies could drive the Lyngen group to grow more independent from the church, following the example of other lay groups. Since the 1990s several groups inside the church organization have developed their own separate liturgical practises. Analysis of the situation reveals that the relationship between the Lyngen group and the church leadership was renewed and confirmed by the statements given in 2009, and by active Laestadian participation in the local church councils.

Key Words:

• Laestadianism
• Schism
• Church of Norway
• Liturgy

Notes

¹ “Im System erscheint dann die Umwelt als das Andere, als Nicht-Ich oder Nicht-Wir” (Luhmann 1982:28).

² The Laestadian movement emerged in a nineteenth century context in which a number of religious and political revivals and organizations arose. Seen in this perspective, the movement became part of the development of modern society (Thorkildsen 1998). The Laestadian movement differentiated itself from the State Church. Laestadian groups have developed by criticizing aspects of modernism. In the material analyzed in this article, gender is the main issue of protest.

³ The meeting consisted of 950 delegates and took place in Oslo at a congregational hall on Calmeyer Street. The leading preacher Erik Johnsen and his companion Nils Larsen met with clergymen and representatives from the conservative lay movements and conservative clergymen (Andreassen and Berglund 2000). The meeting agreed to defend the apostolic symbol of confession and to resist co-operation with liberal theologians.

⁴ The Laestadian efforts to secure an acceptable practice, and the church reaction to the requests from the Laestadians, are exposed in correspondence with the bishop in Tromsø in 2008. The correspondence starts with a letter from the Liberal faction, requesting at least two more services be arranged according to the 1920 liturgy in Tromsø Cathedral, and that these should be given by a male minister (Bishop’s Archive, De liberale 2008a). In 2008 the Conservative faction also wrote to the diocese arguing that the church should not employ female clergy in the northern parts of Troms County, the main area of the Lyngen group (Bishop’s Archive, De konservative 2008a,b). A copy of the letter was sent to the Liberals, who confirmed their support in a letter to the diocese (Bishop’s Archive, De liberale 2008b). A year later, in a letter to the Liberal faction, the bishop commented on the requests, clearly stating that the church has an established practise which has to be followed. However, the bishop also added that the diocese would, as far as possible, listen to the local church councils in matters of employment (Bishop’s Archive, Nord-Hålogaland biskop 2008, Domprosten i Tromsø 2008).

⁵ The proposition declared that homosexual partners should be given the right to be considered as adoptive parents, equal to heterosexual partners. Lesbian partners, living in marriage, should be offered the right to assisted fertilization. The government said that it was desirable that the church and other religious groups should offer ceremonies for same sexes, but that this issue was for the religious societies to decide on (Regjeringen 2007-2008. Ot. prp. nr. 33 (2007-2008).

⁶ Both Laestadian groups argued that the concept of marriage should be limited to the marriage between a man and a woman. A new law in accordance with the proposition was said to weaken marriage as God´s fundamental concept for families, people and society.

⁷ KM – abbreviation for accounts by the Church General Synod.

⁸ The Church General Synod was established in 1984 and was given the authority to make decisions in matters of internal church concern. This was on delegation from the King (cf Kirkeloven § 24).

⁹ Torjer A. Olsen's survey of the Lyngen group shows very small movements on issues of gender (Olsen 2008, 139, 157). Olsen related the issue of gender to patriarchy and found that the group's patriarchal structure stood firm.