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 (, , , H; ) is a liberal-conservative List of political parties in Norway, political party in Norway. It is the major party of the Norwegian centre-right, and was the leading party in government as part of the ...

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

University of Oslo The University of Oslo (; ) is a public university, public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation#Europe, oldest university in Norway. Originally named the Royal Frederick Univ ...

during the term 1985–1992. As a politician, he served as President of the

European Movement The European Movement International is a lobbying association that coordinates the efforts of associations and national councils with the goal of promoting European integration, and disseminating information about it. History Initially the Euro ...

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 Fana or fanaa most commonly refers to: * Fana, Bergen, a borough of the city of Bergen, Norway * Fana (Sufism), the Sufi term for "annihilation of the self" People * Fanã (born 1960), Portuguese football manager * Saint Fana (c. 354–395), Eg ...

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

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

Per Lønning Per Lønning (24 February 1928 – 21 August 2016) was a Norwegian Lutheran bishop and politician. Lønning received a Doctor of Theology degree from the University of Oslo in 1955 and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1958. Lønning began his ...

(1928–2016). He earned his cand. theol. 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 The Royal Norwegian Navy () is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for naval operations of Norway, including those of the Norwegian Coast Guard. , the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 in mob ...

. He earned his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

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 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 ; ) 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 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

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 The Storting ( ; ) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years based on party-list proportional represe ...

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 Åbo Akademi University ( , ) is the only exclusively Swedish language multi-faculty university in Finland (or anywhere outside Sweden). It is located mainly in Turku (Åbo is the Swedish name of the city) but has also activities in Vaasa. Å ...

. He was a member of the

Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters (, 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 University in Christiania was establis ...

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

cross country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...

Beitostølen Beitostølen is a village in Øystre Slidre Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located at an elevation of about above mean sea level on the southern edge of the Valdresflye mountain plateau. The villages of Skammestein an ...

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 Politicians from Oslo Royal Norwegian Navy chaplains 20th-century Lutheran theologians Vice presidents of the Storting Grand Crosses 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Members of the Storting 2001–2005 Members of the Storting 1997–2001 Members of the Storting 2005–2009