Impressions of the Church of Sweden: liberal and catholic with nuances of Lutheranism

Brodd, Sven-Erik

doi:10.1080/1474225x.2017.1413069

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 3 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…'The opinion of the church was heard in the state laws and the influence of the king, or later the government, on structural and moral issues, was also formed in laws, binding church and society together […] The church was always part of the political system and the representative democratic or political structure is not understandable if that is not taken into consideration.' 74 Thus, the long-standing hegemony of the national Lutheran Church of Sweden combined with its cosmopolitan and ecumenical orientation signals its exceptional position in the country's religious landscape even after losing its status as a state church, i.e. it has a 'semi-official' position confirming the historical link between Sweden as a nation state and Christianity as a world religion.…”

Section: A Lutheran Church In a Secular Societymentioning

confidence: 99%

Between Securitization and Counter-Securitization: Church of Sweden Opposing the Turn of Swedish Government Migration Policy

Fridolfsson

Eländer

2021

Politics, Religion & Ideology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Taking our point of departure in securitization theory the aim is to analyze how the Lutheran Church of Sweden responded when the Swedish Government in late autumn 2015 made a sudden halt to a previously generous posture towards refugees. Applying the concept of counter-securitization we demonstrate how the Archbishop, and other Church leaders, strongly contested this official policy shift, legitimating their standpoint by referring to a radical, cosmopolitan reading of the gospel. Employees and lay members were mobilized to support immigrants through protest, everyday service, consultation and lobbying. Articulating a view that securitization should not be reserved for cases of a perceived existential military threat is highly relevant for the debate about the role of religion and secularism. Securitization and countersecuritization appear as two complementary approaches, where the Church may stand up as a bulwark defending immigration rights in contradistinction to retrotopian and xenophobic interpretations of the gospel. We contribute to this field by illustrating how research should not be caught in a onedimensional reading of 'security' and 'securitization', but has to be interpreted within a non-linear, non-binary framework, with a sensitive ear to different political, cultural, social and religious contexts, not forgetting the time dimension.

show abstract

Section: A Lutheran Church In a Secular Societymentioning

confidence: 99%