() is a term for a branch of revivalist

Protestant Christianity Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to ...

which emerged in

Norrland Norrland (, "Northland", originally ''Norrlanden'' or "the Northlands") is the northernmost, largest and least populated of the three traditional lands of Sweden, consisting of nine provinces. Although Norrland does not serve any administ ...

, Sweden, at the beginning of the 19th century. The term, in opposition to Old

Pietism Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christian life, including a social concern for the needy an ...

(), has been in use since the 1850s.

History

arose within 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 ...

Church of Sweden The Church of Sweden ( sv, Svenska kyrkan) is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.6 million members at year end 2021, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sw ...

but was not limited to it: a

free church A free church is a Christian denomination that is intrinsically separate from government (as opposed to a state church). A free church does not define government policy, and a free church does not accept church theology or policy definitions fr ...

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...

-influenced strand also existed. Danish scholar Finn Rønne notes different views on the movement's origin: it has been argued that it can be traced back to the teachings of strongly Moravian-influenced priest , while others posit it is an outgrowth of

Carl Olof Rosenius Carl Olof Rosenius (February 3, 1816 – February 24, 1868) was a Swedish lay preacher, author and editor of the monthly ''Pietisten'' (The Pietist) from 1842 to 1868.''Twice-Born Hymns'' by J. Irving Erickson, (Chicago: Covenant Press, 1976 ...

' beliefs. The movement's beliefs can be somewhat difficult to define precisely. It was often congregationalist in governance with low church aspects where personal commitment is important. It was characterized by independent preachers who traveled from place to place, often preaching somewhat emotionally tinged sermons. The movement's foremost representative was Carl Olof Rosenius, who, in contrast to Enlightenment moralism and the emphasis on subjective conditions for

salvation Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its ...

of Pietism and Schartauanism, placed 's emphasis on the work of atonement accomplished through Christ. Here represented a return to the tenets of

Luther Luther may refer to: People * Martin Luther (1483–1546), German monk credited with initiating the Protestant Reformation * Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), American minister and leader in the American civil rights movement * Luther (give ...

; sometimes it was taken further, however, so that not only atonement but also justification was considered to have taken place with the death of Christ.

Paul Petter Waldenström Paul Petter Waldenström (alternately spelled "Paul Peter") (20 July 1838 – 14 July 1917) was a Swedish theologian who became the most prominent leader of the free church movement in late 19th century Sweden. Waldenström was born in Luleå in ...

's new, more subjective doctrine of the atonement came as a reaction against this preaching of the gospel. Nevertheless, the term ''new evangelism'' came to be used also within the

Mission Covenant Church of Sweden The Mission Covenant Church of Sweden ( sv, Svenska Missionskyrkan), founded in 1878, was a Swedish evangelical free church. It was the second-largest Protestant denomination in Sweden, after the national church, the Church of Sweden. In 2011, t ...

, founded in 1878 as the when Waldenström's followers split off from the movement. "Come as you are" was a commonly used phrase in . The movement existed throughout Sweden; however, it found less ground where other revivals had made an impact. Others associated with in Sweden include ,

Lars Vilhelm Henschen Lars Vilhelm Henschen (1 June 1805 – 27 January 1885) was a Swedish jurist and politician and involved in the free church movement. He was the father of doctor Salomon Eberhard Henschen, educator Maria Henschen (von Bergen), and publicist , an ...

, and Adolphe Stackelberg. It reached Norway, Denmark, and Finland as well. It came to Norway in 1870, with some aspects adopted by revival movements such as Haugeanism; preachers such as Paul Gerhard Sand and Johannes Jørgensen were associated with the movement. Excerpts from Rosenius' and George Scott's periodical ''

Pietisten ("The Pietist") was a Swedish Christian monthly publication "for religious revival and edification", founded in January 1842 by the Scottish Methodist minister George Scott, who had immigrated to Sweden, and edited by preacher Carl Olof Roseniu ...

'' were circulated in the country. In Denmark, Bornholm became the center of . In Finland, early Baptist founders such as Anna Heikel were also influenced by it.

References

{{Authority control 19th-century Protestantism Protestantism in Sweden Protestantism in Norway Protestantism in Denmark Christian theological movements Pietism Radical Pietism

History

See also

References