Bernt Julius Muus (March 15, 1832 – May 25, 1900) was a

Norwegian-American Norwegian Americans ( nb, Norskamerikanere, nn, Norskamerikanarar) are Americans with ancestral roots in Norway. Norwegian immigrants went to the United States primarily in the latter half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the ...

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

minister and church leader. He helped found St. Olaf College, a private liberal arts college in

Northfield, Minnesota Northfield is a city in Dakota and Rice counties in the State of Minnesota. It is mostly in Rice County, with a small portion in Dakota County. The population was 20,790 at the 2020 census. History Northfield was platted in 1856 by John W ...

Biography

Early life and education

Muus was born in the parish of Snaasen in Throndhjems Stift in

Snåsa Snåsa (; sma, Snåase) is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Innherred region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Snåsa. Other villages include Agle and Jørstad. Snåsa is one of th ...

, Nord-Trøndelag,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

, the grandson of the priest

Jens Rynning Jens Rynning (May 30, 1778 – June 11, 1857) was a Norwegian priest and public education advocate. He spent longest part of his working life as a priest in Ringsaker and Snåsa. Life Rynning was born in Kastnes in Tranøy. He was the son of Ole ...

(1778–1857) and the nephew of the emigrant author

Ole Rynning Ole Rynning (April 4, 1809 – September 1838) was a Norwegian emigrant pioneer and author. Rynning was born in Ringsaker in Hedmark county, Norway. He was the son of the priest Jens Rynning (1778–1857) and the uncle of Bernt Julius Muus (1832� ...

(1809–1838). Having graduated from the Latin school of

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

in 1849, he entered the

University of Christiania The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

where he studied theology and completed his theological training in 1854. He immigrated to the United States in 1859.

Career

Muus was the first resident pastor of Holden Lutheran Church in

Kenyon, Minnesota Kenyon is a city in southwestern Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States, located along the North Fork of the Zumbro River. It was founded in 1856 and named in honor of Kenyon College. It is known for the Boulevard of roses on main street, whi ...

. During a forty-year ministry, Muus traveled indefatigably to establish and minister to congregations in southern Minnesota. Muus also founded St. John's

Church in

, Fox Lake Lutheran Church in Rice County, Minnesota and many other churches in southern Minnesota. Muus filled the office of bishop of the Minnesota District of the

Norwegian Synod The Synod of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, commonly called the Norwegian Synod, was founded in 1853. It included churches in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. History In February 1853, several Lutheran ministers in ...

, took an active part in theological disputes, and ceaselessly urged the church to do more in the field of education. In 1874, Muus led a group of

immigrant pastors and farmers to found St. Olaf College in

. St. Olaf College is a residential, four-year private liberal arts college affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Despite his substantial achievements, Muus was considered a "fascinating, capable, but flawed leader." During the Predestination Controversy (''naadevalgsstriden''), where The Norwegian Synod experienced internal division over questions concerning predestination and conversion, Muus sided with

Anti-Missourian Brotherhood The Anti-Missourian Brotherhood was the name of a group of Lutheran pastors and churches in the United States who left the Synod of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (Norwegian Synod). In 1872, the Norwegian Synod had been a co ...

. Muus' uncompromising nature and stubbornness eventually resulted in his expulsion from his church in 1898 for failure to conform to doctrine.

Illness, return to Norway and death

In 1899, Muus resigned as a pastor after having suffered a stroke and was stricken with partial paralysis. He returned to Norway in 1899, where he died on May 25, 1900. He is buried in

, Norway at the Nidaros Cathedral cemetery.

Personal life

Muus married

Oline Pind ''Muus v. Muus'' was an 1879 court case in Holden Township, Goodhue County, Minnesota. Divorce in Minnesota's nineteenth century Norwegian-Lutheran community was a rarity. Legal separation between a leading pastor and his wife was unheard of. But ...

Fet The field-effect transistor (FET) is a type of transistor that uses an electric field to control the flow of current in a semiconductor. FETs (JFETs or MOSFETs) are devices with three terminals: ''source'', ''gate'', and ''drain''. FETs contr ...

in 1859. The two had three children, Nils (1863–1932), Jens Ingebrigt Rynning (1866–1878), and Paul Johan Elster (1872–1890). Jens died of

typhus Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposure. ...

at the age of twelve.

Divorce

After a lengthy and highly publicised legal battle, Pind was granted a limited divorce on January 20, 1883. She received $150 per year for ten years as

alimony Alimony, also called aliment (Scotland), maintenance (England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales, Canada, New Zealand), spousal support (U.S., Canada) and spouse maintenance (Australia), is a legal obligation on a person to provide financial sup ...

. Bernt was given custody of the children, who were still minors. Divorce in

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

's nineteenth century Norwegian-Lutheran community was a rarity. Legal separation between a leading pastor and his wife was unheard of. The 1879 court case in Holden Township led to both those outcomes, and triggered a public debate about married women's legal rights.

References

External links

St. Olaf CollegeValley Grove Preservation Society

Holden Lutheran ChurchSt. John's Lutheran Church
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muss, Bernt Julius 1832 births 1900 deaths People from Snåsa St. Olaf College people Norwegian emigrants to the United States 19th-century American Lutheran clergy University of Oslo alumni Burials at Nidaros Cathedral