Nation
linked to Lutheranism since the days of the Reformation
TERRY HOUSHOLDER
Christianity came to Norway more than 1,000 years ago and
Lutheranism has been the state church since the mid-1500s. But
religion does not play a central role in the life of Norwegians
today.
While around 87 percent of the 4.5 million residents of Norway
are members of the Church of Norway, only about 3 percent of
Norwegians attend church regularly. (That compares to 40 percent
of Americans who are active church-goers.) However, many Norwegians
attend services on special religious holidays - most notably
Christmas and Easter.
Christianity first came to the shores of Norway in the 9th century A.D. The missionaries were former Viking soldiers who converted to Christianity in the British Isles, Denmark and Germany.
Norwegian King Olav Haraldsson was the central figure in spreading
Christianity to Norway during the 11th century.
By the 12th century the Christian church was firmly established in the country.
Norway became the subject of the Danish crown in 1536. As
a result of his conversion, King Christian III of Denmark-Norway,
established the Evangelical Lutheran faith as the official reli
gion of Norway and Denmark.
The Norwegian Constitution of 1814 retained the Evangelical
Lutheran faith as the religion of the kingdom.
In recent decades, a considerable degree of autonomy has been transferred from the king to elected Church of Norway bodies.
Today, about 82 percent of Norwegian infants are baptized in the Church of Norway and around 75 percent of the young people are confirmed. Most weddings and funerals take place in the church.
There are 1,600 Church of Norway churches and chapels. Parish
work is led by a pastor and an elected parish council.
There are more than 1,200 clergy, of whom around 12 percent are
women. Ordination of woman began in 1961. The first woman bishop
of the Church of Norway was appointed in 1993.
The Church of Norway has participated in ecumenism since the
end of World War II. It is a founding member of the Lutheran
World Federation (1947) and the World Council of Churches (1948).
Work has begun on the founding of a Norwegian council of churches.
Freedom of religion does exist in Norway. Other Christian churches
have a presence. The Pentecostal movement has 44,000 members;
the Roman Catholic Church has 25,000 members; the Evangelical
Lutheran Free Church has 20,000; the United Methodist Church,
17,000; and the Baptist Union, 12,000.
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