Inge Johan Lønning (20 February 1938 – 24 March 2013) was a Norwegian Lutheran theologian and politician for the

Conservative Party of Norway The Conservative Party or The Right ( nb, Høyre, nn, Høgre, , H; se, Olgešbellodat) is a liberal-conservative political party in Norway. It is the major party of the Norwegian centre-right, and was the leading party in government as part o ...

. As an academic, he was Professor of Theology and Rector of the

University of Oslo 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 univers ...

during the term 1985–1992. As a politician, he served as President of the European Movement in Norway, as a Member of Parliament, as Vice President of the Parliament, as Vice President of the Conservative Party, and as President of the

Nordic Council The Nordic Council is the official body for formal inter-parliamentary Nordic cooperation among the Nordic countries. Formed in 1952, it has 87 representatives from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden as well as from the autonomo ...

Biography

Lønning was born in Fana,

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...

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 t ...

. He was the son of Per Lønning (1898–1974) and Anna Gurine Strømø (1895–1966). His older brother was Bishop Per Lønning (1928-2016). He earned his

cand. theol. Candidate (Latin ''candidatus'' or ''candidata'') is the name of various academic degrees, chiefly in Scandinavia, the Soviet Union, the Netherlands and Belgium. In Scandinavia, it is a higher professional-level degree usually corresponding to 5–7 ...

degree from the

in 1962 and finished the practical-theological seminar in 1963. He continued his academic career with a fellowship from 1963 to 1971, with a year's interruption for military service as a chaplain in the Norwegian Navy. He earned his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' ...

in theology at the University of Oslo in 1971 and was appointed professor in systematic theology at the University of Oslo the same year. In 1985 he was elected

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of the University of Oslo, serving until 1992, while maintaining his chair as professor of theology until his retirement in 2008. In 1971, Lønning also started his political career, when he was elected into the

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

city council for one term and also the city's board of education for eight years. Lønning was elected as a member of Norwegian parliament for three terms, from 1997 through 2009. He was (at the time of his death) the president of Lagtinget, was vice president of Stortinget from 2001 to 2005, and also served as a member of several parliamentary committees. He was president of the

in 2003, and was awarded honorary doctorates from Luther College and Åbo Akademi University. He was a member of the

Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters ( no, Det Norske Videnskaps-Akademi, DNVA) is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway. Its purpose is to support the advancement of science and scholarship in Norway. History The Royal Frederick Unive ...

. He died on 24 March 2013, after he fell ill while

cross country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreat ...

at Beitostølen.

Selected works

* ''Frihet til tro. En bok om Bibel og bekjennelse'' (Oslo: Gyldendal. 1980) *''Fellesskap og frihet. Tid for idépolitikk'' (Oslo: Genesis.1997)

References

External links

*
Nordic Council website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loenning, Inge 1938 births 2013 deaths University of Oslo alumni Academic staff of the University of Oslo Rectors of the University of Oslo Norwegian theologians Members of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters Norwegian military chaplains Conservative Party (Norway) politicians Members of the Storting Politicians from Oslo Royal Norwegian Navy chaplains 20th-century Protestant theologians Vice Presidents of the Storting Grand Crosses 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany 21st-century Norwegian politicians 20th-century Norwegian politicians 20th-century Lutherans