Harald Bredesen
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Harald Bredesen (August 18, 1918 – December 29, 2006) was an American
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 ...
pastor who was influential in the early days of the American charismatic movement.


Background

Elmer Harald Bredesen was born in Rugby, North Dakota to Alfred Bredesen and Dagny (Knutson) Bredesen. His father was the pastor of the Lutheran Church. He attended Luther College in
Decorah, Iowa Decorah is a city in and the county seat of Winneshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 7,587 at the time of the 2020 census. Decorah is located at the intersection of State Highway 9 and U.S. Route 52, and is the largest commun ...
and was ordained into the ministry during 1945.


Biography

He had professional success immediately out of seminary, having worked for the
World Council of Churches The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism. Its full members today include the Assyrian Church of the East, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, most ju ...
as the Public Relations Secretary for the World Council of Christian Education. However, Harald felt something missing in his life. In 1946, he went to a
Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement
camp meeting where he received the
baptism of the Holy Spirit In Christian theology, baptism with the Holy Spirit, also called baptism in the Holy Spirit or baptism in the Holy Ghost, has been interpreted by different Christian denominations and traditions in a variety of ways due to differences in the doctr ...
. He was
ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...
in 1944, and in 1946 he received what Pentecostals refer to as the
baptism of the Holy Spirit In Christian theology, baptism with the Holy Spirit, also called baptism in the Holy Spirit or baptism in the Holy Ghost, has been interpreted by different Christian denominations and traditions in a variety of ways due to differences in the doctr ...
, a
religious experience A religious experience (sometimes known as a spiritual experience, sacred experience, or mystical experience) is a subjective experience which is interpreted within a religious framework. The concept originated in the 19th century, as a defense ...
accompanied by
speaking in tongues Speaking in tongues, also known as glossolalia, is a practice in which people utter words or speech-like sounds, often thought by believers to be languages unknown to the speaker. One definition used by linguists is the fluid vocalizing of sp ...
. Many other charismatic Christians have credited him with leading them into the same experience, including
Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer and actor. He was a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He sold more than 45 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and appeared in mo ...
and
Pat Robertson Marion Gordon "Pat" Robertson (born March 22, 1930) is an American media mogul, religious broadcaster, political commentator, former presidential candidate, and former Southern Baptist minister. Robertson advocates a conservative Christian ...
. Bredesen became friends with evangelist Robertson while they both lived in New York in the late 1950s. Robertson called his ministry to world leaders "legendary." In his introduction to Bredesen's book, ''Yes, Lord'', entertainer
Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer and actor. He was a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He sold more than 45 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and appeared in mo ...
wrote, "Abraham... Moses... Gideon... Elijah... I think I've known a man like these. His name is Harald Bredesen. Miracles trail him wherever he goes." Bredesen was the founder of the Prince of Peace Prize, given to
Egyptian President The president of Egypt is the executive head of state of Egypt and the de facto appointer of the official head of government under the Egyptian Constitution of 2014. Under the various iterations of the Constitution of Egypt following the Egy ...
Anwar Sadat Muhammad Anwar el-Sadat, (25 December 1918 – 6 October 1981) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the third president of Egypt, from 15 October 1970 until his assassination by fundamentalist army officers on 6 ...
in 1980,
Mother Teresa Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, MC (; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa ( sq, Nënë Tereza), was an Indian-Albanian Catholic nun who, in 1950, founded the Missionaries of Charity. Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu () was ...
in 1989, posthumously to King
Hussein of Jordan Hussein bin Talal ( ar, الحسين بن طلال, ''Al-Ḥusayn ibn Ṭalāl''; 14 November 1935 – 7 February 1999) was King of Jordan from 11 August 1952 until his death in 1999. As a member of the Hashemite dynasty, the royal family of ...
(with King Abdullah receiving in his father's stead) in 1999, and to
Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American evangelist and an ordained Southern Baptist minister who became well known internationally in the late 1940s. He was a prominent evangelical Christi ...
in 2004. Sadat called the occasion he received the award "the high point of my entire life, more important to me even than the
Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Chemistry, Physics, Physiolog ...
. That was in the political arena. This was spiritual." A Lutheran minister, Bredesen became the first ordained clergyman from a mainline denomination to receive the Pentecostal experience of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, openly tell of his experience, and keep his ordination and credentials in a mainline denomination. He did, however, abandon the ministerial practice of a backward collar in the early 70's in favor of a simple business suit. In a letter to the editor of ''Eternity Magazine'', Harald Bredesen and Jean Stone Willans coined the term "Charismatic Renewal." In the late-1950s, he introduced
Pat Robertson Marion Gordon "Pat" Robertson (born March 22, 1930) is an American media mogul, religious broadcaster, political commentator, former presidential candidate, and former Southern Baptist minister. Robertson advocates a conservative Christian ...
to the experience. Robertson went on to found the
Christian Broadcasting Network The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) is an American Christian media production and distribution organization. Founded in 1960 by Pat Robertson, it produces the long-running TV series '' The 700 Club'', co-produces the ongoing ''Superbook'' ...
where Harald was a founding board member. In ''Pat Robertson: A Personal, Political, and Religious Portrait'', historian David Harrell wrote, "In the long run it was a chance encounter with Harald Bredesen that had the most far-reaching effect on the life and career of Pat Robertson." In his book ''Reagan Inside/Out'', Bob Slosser called Bredesen "minister to world leaders." In that role he touched the lives of many of the most influential figures of his time. A call to prayer that Harald wrote and proposed to his friend Anwar Sadat was cabled by Sadat,
Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1 ...
and Menachem Begin to leaders around the world on the eve of the Camp David summit. According to pundits at the time, few summits began with so little going for them. Thirteen days later, President
Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1 ...
announced the breakthrough by saying, "We began this summit with a call to prayer. The results have exceeded the expectations of any reasonable person. I am a Christian. Jesus said, 'Blessed are the peacemakers.'" He met and married Genevieve Corrick in 1954. In 1957, he was called to pastor the historic First Reformed Church of Mount Vernon, New York and soon invited Robertson to join him as assistant pastor. Together with others who had received the
Baptism in the Holy Spirit In Christian theology, baptism with the Holy Spirit, also called baptism in the Holy Spirit or baptism in the Holy Ghost, has been interpreted by different Christian denominations and traditions in a variety of ways due to differences in the doctr ...
, Harald and Pat hosted Pentecostal style meetings in the old church during off hours. In the late 60's and early 70's these meetings, known to start regularly at 4 p.m. called simply "Vespers" and held in the sanctuary, became the focus of what many felt was the only true 'body ministry' gathering anywhere on the east coast, and while Bredesen always moderated at these meetings, which often went two and three hours, he always preferred to encourage those gathered to understand and exercise their giftings in the meeting. A favorite song always concluded those late Sunday afternoon meetings, when characteristically, all those gathered would hold hands in a wide circle that encompassed frequently the entire sanctuary of the First Reformed Church. "I'm living on the mountain underneath a cloudless sky; I drinking from the fountain that never shall run dry; oh yes, I feasting on the manna from a bountiful supply; I'm living in Beaulah Land!" It was during this time that Bredesen met and became close friends with George Otis, founder of Bible Voice, and early in 1970 relocated from his home in Mount Vernon to Otis' house in southern California, and prior to leaving he and a visiting brother who had also been markedly affected by Bredesen, Scott Ross, ordained three local brothers to continue what had become an independent but non-institutionalized house church. The spirit by which he had demonstrated his wholehearted dedication to a Spirit-led gathering of the saints was not only felt, but strongly maintained for years after his departure. David Gregory, one of those whose lives was dramatically changed by the whole Mount Vernon experience said that Bredesen's way of praying, walking around boldly praising God, often lapsing into tongues, had a permanent effect upon his whole understanding of prayer. Bredesen was often called the father of the charismatic movement whose adherents now number in the hundreds of millions. Bredesen hosted the long-running
Christian Broadcasting Network The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) is an American Christian media production and distribution organization. Founded in 1960 by Pat Robertson, it produces the long-running TV series '' The 700 Club'', co-produces the ongoing ''Superbook'' ...
television program ''Charisma''. He authored the books ''Yes, Lord'' and ''Need A Miracle?'', the CD ''Toolkit for Eternity: A Walk with Harald Bredesen'' and the video ''How to Receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit''.


Accident and death

On December 26, 2006, Bredesen fell down the stairs in his home, fracturing his skull and causing major bleeding in his brain. He died at Palomar Hospital from complications from the fall three days later on December 29. According to his assistant Tom Gilbreath, he died peacefully. He was survived by his wife, Genevieve; his children, Dagni, Margaret, Christopher, and David; and five grandchildren.


References

* Hocken, P.D., "Harald Bredesen" in Stanley M. Burgess & Eduard van der Maas, '' The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements'', revised edition, (Zondervan, 2002) * Sherrill, John L. ''They Speak with Other Tongues'', (McGraw-Hill, 1964) * Personal experiences of David E. Gregory Sr, one of the three elders left in Mount Vernon upon Bredesen's relocation to California in 1970


External links


Harald Bredesen Endowed Chair of Leadership Formation and Renewal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bredesen, Harald 1918 births 2006 deaths 20th-century American Lutheran clergy American Charismatics Accidental deaths in California Accidental deaths from falls People from Rugby, North Dakota American people of Norwegian descent