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2018
AI
This paper explores the vital role that migrant churches play in the integration of immigrants into Danish society, particularly focusing on African Christian women. Historical context regarding Denmark's religious identity is provided, outlining the journey from a state church system to a constitution that allows for religious freedom. Interviews reveal that these churches foster community and cultural hybridization among immigrants, challenging the notion that religious differences hinder integration.
2020
In this chapter, we investigate the interactions between the "theologizing jurist" A.S. Ørsted and the "historicizing theologian" N.F.S. Grundtvig. Taking our point of departure in their initial conflicts in the 1810s, we show their mutual rapprochement in 1826, and follow in detail their distinctive positions at the 1848-49 constitutional assembly. Ørsted and Grundtvig were among the most active speakers at the assembly that formulated the Danish Constitution of 1849. Both argued for freedom of religion but whereas Ørsted wanted this freedom to be given by law by the legislative decisions to come, Grundtvig wanted the freedom of religion to be given a prominent place in the Constitution. Regarding the People's church, they agreed on the identification of the People's Church as a confessionally defined Evangelical-Lutheran church, though Grundtvig worked for a high degree of freedom for members as well as pastors within the church. We argue that Ørsted and Grundtvig reversed their roles over time. Grundtvig began as a conservative but ended up promoting the most liberal ecclesiastical legislation. Ørsted began as a liberal administrator of church affairs but ended up as a conservative voice in the parliament. Not because he had changed his views, but because the society had changed-from the age of an open-minded absolutism to the age of democracy.
Journal of Church and State
State and Church in the European Union, 2019
Churches as essential components of European culture have major significance for European integration. A Europe, bound by common constitutional traditions, cultures and traditions of its Member States, their national identity and the principle of subsidiarity, will have to respect the deep-rooted systems of State and Church relationships in its Member States. The volume presents in its third edition a broad comparison of different systems of State and Church relationships in the Member States of the European Union. It includes the new Member States and gives an account of the new developments throughout Europe. The volume shows the implications of European integration on the position of the Churches. It is of interest to all working in the field of State-Church relationship as well as to public and church institutions. For Denmark, membership of the Church of Denmark is decreasing due to immigration, increasing religious diversity and growth in atheist sentiments. At the same time, there is a small increase in new baptisms. This reflects an increasingly polarised attitude towards religion, in general, and the Church of Denmark, in particular. With increasing immigration in the second half of the twentieth century and the first decades of the twenty-first, Denmark has a growing number of different religious denominations and faith communities. While it is illegal to register information on religious conviction or affiliation, demographers of religion estimate that about 5.3 % of the population, or about 300,000, are Muslim, either nominally or practising. The second significant religious minority is the Catholic Church in Denmark, which had 47,600 members as of 2017, up more than 25% since 2008. This is mainly due to immigration, most significantly from Poland and other European countries.
2017
The Problem: There appears to be an inconsistency between Luther’s position on temporal (civil) and spiritual (ecclesiastical) authority, and how he advised civil authorities to deal with the peasants, and with later Lutheran dissidents (the re-baptizers). The Purpose: My purpose is to discover how Luther’s “two kingdom theology” and his sacramental view of infant baptism, informed his subsequent writings on the role of civil authorities in ecclesiastical matters, and the implications of this for the relationship between Church and State in Denmark. Presented in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements For the Course THST 656: Seminar in Historical Theology (Authority in the Church) @ The SDA Theological Seminary at Andrews University, 2017. Grade: A. Professor: Darius Jankiewicz.
2007
'Denmark proper' to refer to Denmark without including Norway), or the term 'Oldenburg state' when discussing the entire conglomerate state. For place names, I have generally employed common English-language equivalents where they exist-e.g. Copenhagen instead of København-with the single exception of Helsingør, which for various reasons I prefer to the English 'Elsinore'. The same holds true for titles of Danish and Norwegian political offices, except for rigshofmester, simply because it does not translate well into English. See the Glossary for brief explications of such terms. For the spellings of personal names, I have relied on the standard versions employed in Povl Engelstoft and Svend Dahl (eds.), Dansk biografisk leksikon, 23 vols. (Copenhagen: Gad, 1933-44). Since Denmark did not adopt the Gregorian calendar until 1700, I have kept all dates in the Old Style, in accordance with the Julian calendar. The basic monetary unit used in this text is the Danish rigsdaler, closely equivalent both to the Swedish riksdaler and the German Reichsthaler; four Danish rigsdaler were the rough equivalent of one English pound. Scandinavian orthography can cause some problems for those not familiar with the language, especially since Nordic characters have changed over time. 'Å' is a modern convention for 'aa' (pronounced much like a long 'o' in English); 'ø' is close to the German 'ö'; and the 'ae' ligature is very similar to the German 'ä'. In Icelandic names and terms, I have retained both the 'eth', or soft 'd' ('ð'), and the 'thorn' ('þ', instead of the transliteration 'th'). I would like to express my gratitude to the many individuals who have made this work possible, through gifts of time, advice, and encouragement. My friends in Denmark have been the most important source of counsel for me over the twenty years in which I have pursued the study of Danish history. I cannot possibly name all of them here, but I should extend special thanks to:
Networks and Neighbours, 2014
From the late tenth century the external activities of Danish kings and magnates were focused on England. In the course of the following decades significant and wide-ranging contacts were forged. This paper will examine the role Anglo-Danish connections may have played in the formation of the Danish Church in the first half of the eleventh century. It considers the historical evidence of English presence on the ecclesiastical scene in Denmark from the late tenth century into the eleventh and suggests that the picture of English influence on early Danish church organisation is more complex than previously supposed.
Social Compass, 2013
The author presents an analysis of the political decision making process regarding the teaching of religion in Denmark from 1900 until 2007. The author uses Norbert Elias's concept of the survival unit as the analytical framework of the study. Instead of a classic secularization narrative in which the secular and religious spheres of society are differentiated into separate realms as the process of modernization unfolds, a different narrative emerges in which the State has used the teaching of religion as an instrument to further its vital interests, especially with regard to its international relations. Keywords religious change, secularization, State and religion, teaching of religion Résumé L'auteur analyse le processus d'élaboration de la décision politique concernant l'enseignement de la religion au Danemark de 1900 à 2007 en utilisant le concept de l'unité de survie de Norbert Elias comme cadre analytique de l'étude. Contrairement à la version classique de la sécularisation qui postule que le processus de modernisation se traduit par une séparation des sphères séculière et religieuse, une autre version émerge de cette étude : celle dans laquelle l'État utilise l'enseignement de la religion comme un instrument servant ses intérêts vitaux, particulièrement pour ce qui concerne ses relations internationales.
Balogh Elemér (ed.): Centenaria : Ende des langen 19. Jahrhunderts. The End of the Long 19th Century, 2020
THE DANISH CONSTITUTIONAL CHARTER OF 29 JULY 1282, 2023
In 1282, the kingdom of Denmark received its first constitutional charter. The charter laid down the boundaries of the king’s power, and established the governmental role for the ‘best men’ in the kingdom: i.e., the most prominent members of the elite, secular as well as ecclesiastical. The charter was the culmination of a long period of political conflicts between the king’s and the magnates, about the king’s right to legislate, judge and levy taxes and dues. In the charter, the king promised to rule together with the parliament, and that their consent was needed to new legislation, taxes and dues. The freedom of the church was secured, and a number of legal guaranties were given, for instance against arbitrary imprisonment and sentences.
Perichoresis, 2015
As the main religion of Finland, but also of entire Scandinavia, Lutheranism has a centuries-long history. Until 1809 Finland formed the eastern part of the Swedish Kingdom, from 1809 to 1917 it was a Grand Duchy within the Russian Empire, and in 1917 Finland gained independence. In the 1520s the Lutheran Reformation reached the Swedish realm and gradually Lutheranism was made the state religion in Sweden. In the 19th century the Emperor in Russia recognized the official Lutheran confession and the status of the Lutheran Church as a state church in Finland. In the 20th century Lutheran church leaders preferred to use the concept people’s church. The Lutheran Church is still the majority church. In the beginning of 2015, some 74 percent of all Finns were members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. In this issue of Perichoresis, Finnish historians interested in the role of church and Christian faith in society look at the religious history of Finland and Scandinavia. The ar...
Northern Reformations (Nordlit 43), 2019
In most Protestant countries, the Reformation was closely connected to the development of vernacular languages and literatures. In Norway under Danish rule, this was not the case. Only in the 19th century, during the nation-building period of independent Norway, a Norwegian ecclesiastical language was developed. Some authors claim that this completed the Reformation in Norway – a protracted Reformation indeed. Particularly important were the hymns of Magnus Brostrup Landstad and Elias Blix. This study examines the role of Luther in the Norwegian 19th century national discourse, suggesting a three-phase development: Luther as text, as inspiration, and as argument. The full-blown use of Luther as argument was taken up by proponents of a nynorsk ecclesiastical language only during the final years of the Swedish-Norwegian union, just before its dissolution in 1905.
2019
Paper given at the LERU Theology and Religious Studies Doctoral Seminar at Cambridge, September 11-14
Jogtörténeti Szemle, 2021
National Identities, 2009
This article provides a review of the debate among Danish historians on the emergence of the Danish nation. It places this debate in the context of the distinction between patriotism and nationalism, much discussed by many scholars of nationalism.
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