Joint Endeavour in the Work For the Gospel E-Book

Bengt Hjort

• Herausgeber: Books on Demand
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 362

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

The Ethiopian Evangelical Lutheran Church (EELC) was formed in 1960 as a fruit of the mission work of Swedish Mission Bibeltrogna Vänner (SMBV), founded in 1911, its roots dating back to the evangelical revival that swept across Sweden in the 19th century. The main goal of the society was to reach the Oromo people in Ethiopia with the Gospel. In 1911 mission work began in Eritrea and in 1921 the first SMBV missionaries reached Addis Ababa, from where work was expanded into the cities of Harar and Dire-Dawa as well as into the Arsi province. When EELC was founded, members were few, estimated to around 500. Since then the church has grown and today has a membership of about 25,000. This book covers the first part of EELC:s history, describing the development from 1921 to 1935, ultimately leading up to the establishment of the church in 1960. As a background the development leading to the establishment of SMBV and the mission work of SMBV in Eritrea are described

Leseprobe

CONTENTS

Foreword

Introduction

1.1 The Ethiopian Evangelical Lutheran Church —History, Identity, and History-Writing

1.2 Background: the History-Writing Project

1.3 Sources and Source Criticism

1.4 Instructions for the Reader

Mission Revival (Sweden, Denmark) with Consequences in Eritrea & Ethiopia 1850–1911

2.1 Historical Background

2.2 Mission Interest in Sweden Awakens and Grows

2.3 Mission Work in the North—With a View to the Oromo People in the South

2.4 Conflicts Within the Swedish Evangelical Mission Lead to the Establishment of a New Mission Society: Swedish Mission BV

2.5 The Rosenian Revival in Denmark and its Consequences

A Scene That Changes: Developments in Ethiopia 1896–1935

3. 1 Introduction

3.2 The Legacy of Menelik II

3.3 A New Leader—Tafari Mekonnen

3.4 Reforms and Changes

3.5 The “Religious Scene”

3.6 Scene Change Due to Italy’s Aggression and Attack

3.7 SMBV Mission Work: Conditions 1921–1935

Looking South—Mission in Eritrea: 1911–1919

4.1 Introduction

4.2 Background and Vision

4.3 The First Missionaries

4.4 Mission Stations Are Established

4.5 Work Starts and Develops

4.6 Outreach to the South—Evangelists to Central Ethiopia

4.7 Outreach to the South—Travels and Evangelism in North Ethiopia

4.8 Optimism and Plans for the Future

4.9 The First World War’s Implications for SMBV Work in Eritrea

4.10 The Nyström Family in Adwa—Patience, Hope and Disappointment

4.11 A Local Commitment with Great Future Significance

Pioneering Work in Ethiopia 1921–1935

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Arriving in Djibouti—Then What?

5.3 Early Years in Addis Ababa: 1921–1925

5.4 Pioneering Work in Harar and Dire-Dawa 1922–1925

5.5 Consolidation of the Work in Addis Ababa: 1926–1931

5.6 Expansion and Consolidation of the Work in Harar: 1926–1930

5.7 A First Outpost Station in Dire-Dawa: 1925–1929

5.8 The Work Expands South to Oromo Pagans in Arsi: 1927–1930

5.9 Missionaries of SMBV in Ethiopia 1929–1931: Tensions, Division, and Decimation with Severe Consequences

5.10 Growing Work but Declining Human Resources: Addis Ababa 1930–1935

5.11 Recruitment Problems: Harar 1930–1935

5.12 Diseases and Difficulties in Dire-Dawa: 1930–1935

5.13 Against all Odds—Continued Work in Arsi: 1932–1935

Notes

Appendix—The Pioneers

References

Index

FOREWORD

Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you. Deut. 32:7

As Christians, we confess that God is the God of history. We confess that He acted and acts within the framework of history, especially when it comes to the salvation in Jesus Christ.

In his Word, God invites us to study history. This applies primarily to the history that meets us in the Bible, but also to the history of the Church in general.

This places responsibilities on us as Christians. Firstly, to study the history that has occurred and, secondly, to learn from the past and try not to repeat mistakes and, thirdly, to make our current history available to future generations.

The Ethiopian Evangelical Lutheran Church (EELC) and its leadership has long recognized the need to have the church’s history written down. In order to meet this need, the EELC Executive Committee, at the beginning of 2017, appointed a working group consisting of:

Rev. Mussie Alazar, President of EELC.

Rev. Dawit Tufa, General Secretary of EELC Secretary.

Rev. Mekonnen Gerremew, Principal of the Lutheran Theology Seminary.

Dr. Bengt Hjort, Senior Lecturer and former missionary in Ethiopia.

The working group quickly saw its task was to document the background, formation, and development of EELC and to publish the results in primarily Amharic and English. The need for help from a professional scholarly group was also identified. This need was met by the following persons:

Professor Finn Aasebø Rønne, Professor of Church and Mission History at the Danish Bible Institute in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Dr. Rune Imberg, Doctor of Theology in Church History, previously working at the Lutheran School of Theology, Gothenburg, Sweden.

Doctoral student Erik J Andersson, Medical Doctor and doctoral student in mission history at Turku Academy, Turku, Finland.

The work has so far mainly included fact-finding through literature studies and interviews, and writing. The interviews have been conducted in Ethiopia, Sweden, and Denmark.

The project has received financial support from the following organizations:

Evangelisk Luthersk Mission – Bibeltrogna Vänner

, Sweden

Evangelisk Luthersk Mission

, Denmark

Lunds Missionssällskap

, Sweden

Samfundet Pro Fide et Christianisimo

, Sweden

Scriptura – Evangelisk Litteraturmission

, Sweden

Svenska Lutherska Evangelieföreningen i Finland

, Finland

In March 1921, the first two missionaries of Bibeltrogna Vänner (SMBV) arrived in Addis Ababa. 2021 marked the 100th anniversary of this, an anniversary that was honored both in Ethiopia, Sweden and Denmark. In connection with this anniversary, first part of EELC’s history was published in Swedish.

To underline that this anniversary concerns Christians in Ethiopia and in Sweden and Denmark, the book is published also in Amharic and Swedish. We hope that the book will highlight and consolidate the historical friendship that exists between Christians in Ethiopia and Christians in Sweden and Denmark.

Warm thanks is extended to all those who have been involved in the history writing work so far. A warm thank you is also addressed to the above-mentioned organizations for the support they have given to the work of writing the history of the EELC.

Rev. Mussie Alazar EELC President

1. INTRODUCTION

By Qes Mekonnen Gerremew and Bengt Hjort

1.1 The Ethiopian Evangelical Lutheran Church—History, Identity, and History-Writing

The Ethiopian Evangelical Lutheran Church (EELC) was formed in 1960. At the time, it was based on congregations that had emerged as a fruit of the work of Swedish Mission Bibeltrogna Vänner (SMBV) in central, eastern, and southern Ethiopia.1 When the Church was founded, the number of members was very limited, estimated to be about 500. Over time, however, the Church has grown and the number of members is currently estimated at about 25,000. This has been achieved through the growth of several of the original congregations, but above all by extending the church’s activities to new areas in southern Ethiopia.

At the time of the formation of the Church in 1960, SMBV carried out work based in eight stations. The school work included eight schools and the healthcare work three clinics and one hospital. The number of parishes was eight.

The 1960s brought some important changes for the newly formed Church. In 1962, a literacy campaign was launched by the evangelical churches in Ethiopia. The Lutheran Church participated and established many village schools. This was carried out with financial support from SMBV.2

In 1964, a large group of Christians from the Wollaita area of southern Ethiopia joined the Church. This meant that the number of members increased very significantly. In 1966, the mission hospital in Asella was closed.3 The old hospital buildings were, after some time, used for the Lutheran Theological Seminary.

In 1975, the Church took over responsibility for the work that SMBV had started and developed. However, the Church relied on financial support and staff support, in the form of missionaries, for many years to come. This support gradually decreased over the years, particularly in the case of missionary personnel.

The above sketchy description of the historical background of EELC shows that the Church was strongly influenced from the outset by SMBV’s previous and ongoing work in Ethiopia. It concerned the ”outer” work of school activities, medical work, church work and administration, but also the ”inner” work with theological preferences and theological values.

During the 60-year period EELC has existed, Ethiopia has undergone major changes at various levels. When the Church was founded in 1960, Emperor Haile Selassie was the country’s leader. Although his position had begun to be somewhat questioned, he was the autocratic ruler.

In 1974, just before the Church took over responsibility for the work previously carried out by SMBV, the Ethiopian revolution erupted. This led to the overthrow of the emperor. Eventually, a Marxist-Leninist group took power and kept it for about 15 years. This was a very difficult time, with persecution and suffering, for many Christians in Ethiopia. The EELC also experienced this and the challenge for the Church was to carry out spiritual work within the limits set by the authorities.

In 1991, the Marxist-Leninist regime fell and was replaced by a regime that was liberal in several respects. This was the case, for example, in the religious area where religious freedom was proclaimed and where various churches were given a great opportunity to engage in outreach activities, which had often been severely restricted in the past. For the EELC, the challenge was now to take advantage of the opportunities to reach out with the gospel into new areas and new places.

The newfound religious freedom also led to Islam advancing its positions. Many mosques have been built over the last 25 years. However, the openness and freedom of religion introduced in the country have also led to many new Christian currents. In addition to this, there is a religious influence from abroad through the internet and various media. Young people, perhaps especially in urban environments, are affected by this.

In 1960, Ethiopia had 20–25 million inhabitants. As a result of strong population growth, the population is now around 110 million. This sharp increase has given Ethiopia a very young population. About 60% of all Ethiopians are younger than 25!4

It is in this environment that the Church operates and also faces the challenge of preserving its Evangelical Lutheran identity. Part of this identity is expressed through the history of the EELC. The leadership is well aware of this and has for a long time wanted the history of the Church to be put on paper. A work aimed at writing this history began in 2017. It is described in more detail in the next section.

How, then, can a recorded history help preserve the identity of a church? The following answer can be given to this important question: The history of a church can be used as an explanation of the past, as a guide in the present, as a motivating force, and as a practical tool in daily work.5

The history of a church provides an

explanation of the past

. By taking part of this history, one acquires knowledge and understanding of a church’s roots as well as of important events and development processes. It provides a better understanding of the current situation.

Church history can also be used as a

guide

. Study of past events and developments provide guidance and assistance in contemporary situations in order to avoid evil and emulate good.

Church history can also be used as a

motivating force

, that is, to motivate, to inspire, and to infuse life within a church.

Church history can be used as a

practical tool

by evangelists, pastors, and teachers to impart information about their church, its doctrine, and its teachings.

1.2 Background: the History-Writing Project

In 2017, the Executive Committee of the Ethiopian Evangelical Lutheran Church appointed a working group whose task was to write the EELC’s history. The group, which was basically given freedom as to how it would tackle the assignment, decided its task was to present the roots, the formation, and the development of the Church. It came to the conclusion that the written history should deal with the period 1921 to 2003. The first date was chosen because the first SMBV missionaries began work in Addis Ababa in 1921. The end date was chosen because 2003 was the year in which the Church received its current constitution.

The objective of presenting the Church’s roots means that a certain background description must be included. This applies to developments in Sweden and Denmark in the second half of the 19th century, when the commitment to mission in other countries grew strong within the evangelical revival. This led to several attempts to reach the inner parts of Ethiopia and to the start of mission work first in Eritrea and later in Ethiopia. These developments must be described in a general way. The same applies to the creation of SMBV and the work of this organization in Eritrea 1911–1921.

This book forms a first part of this history-writing project, and deals with developments until 1935 when the war between Ethiopia and Italy broke out. The focus is on the years 1921 to 1935. In addition to the background descriptions mentioned above, a general description of developments in Ethiopia during the period 1880 to 1935 is included.

1.3 Sources and Source Criticism

This book is based exclusively on literature studies. The literature presented in detail in the bibliography can be divided into the following categories.

1. Official publications related to SMBV. This applies mainly to SMBV’s monthly journal and annual reports.

2. Publications of persons associated with SMBV. This applies mainly to books by the missionaries Anna-Lena Jönsson/Röstin and Fride Hylander, but also to a book written by mission secretary Axel B. Svensson.

3. Two publications related the work of Swedish Evangelical Mission (SEM) in Eritrea and Ethiopia. This applies to Ut i all världen (published in 1974) and Det Stora Uppdraget (published in 2016).

4. Academic theses, essays and books. The vast majority of these are in English. Some deal specifically with evangelical missions in Ethiopia, while others deal with developments in Ethiopia from a general perspective.

The detailed description of the work of SMBV in Eritrea, 1911–1921, and in Ethiopia, 1921–1935, is based to a very large extent on articles and data in SMBV´s monthly journal and in SMBV annual reports. What emerged from these sources is naturally very much the missionaries’ personal perspectives and experiences, and SMBV’s perspective and approach. Eritrean and Ethiopian literature dealing with these periods of time and with the work described, which might confirm or contradict the image drawn by the missionaries and SMBV, have not been obtained. This is a shortcoming that unfortunately must be accepted.

No document studies, i.e. studies of minutes and unofficial correspondence etc., have been carried out. Time and resources have not been enough to do this. Thus the historiography in this book is based on official material. Deeper research that refers to unofficial sources may lead to additions or adjustments to this historiography.

1.4 Instructions for the Reader

Some important terms and concepts

In older literature, both literature about mission work and general academic literature, we find the name Abyssinia. This refers to the nation and the land that is today called Ethiopia. The name Abyssinia was widely used until the time of World War II. Since then, the recognized and official name is Ethiopia. It is, of course, also the name used in this book. However, exceptions are made for direct quotes, for example from SMBV´s monthly journal, where the name Abyssinia is used.

When thoughts and desires about mission work in East Africa emerged within the evangelical revival in Sweden and Denmark in the 1860s, the Oromo people came into focus. This ethnic group, which formed a large and important part of Ethiopia’s population, was called Galla at that time. It is a term often found in older missionary literature dealing with Ethiopia. For more than 45 years, however, it is the name Oromo that is official in Ethiopia and that must be used. The previous name is perceived as derogatory and offensive. Therefore, the term Oromo is used throughout this book. However, here too, exceptions are made for direct, literal quotations from some older SMBV publications. Oromiffa is the name given to the language of the Oromo people.

Titles

The book uses some Ethiopian titles which are explained below.6 In order not to create confusion between titles and personal names, titles are written throughout the text with a small initial letter.

Atse

Emperor

Etege

Empress

Negus

King

Ras

Literally: ”head”. The highest traditional title below negus.

Dajazmach

Literally: ”master of the gate”. Political-military title below ras.

Fitawrari

Literally: ”commander of the vanguard”. Political-military title below dajazmach.

Grazmach

Literally: ”commander of the left”. Political-military title below dajazmach.

Balambaras

Literally: ”head over amba” (natural fortress). A low-level administrative title.

Lidj

Literally: ”child”. Title generally reserved for sons of the royal/ imperial family and other high-ranking families.

Woizero Abun(a)

”Fine lady”. Title applied to a married woman. Until 1959 the highest title of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. After 1959, a higher-ranking patriarch was also appointed.

Abba

The title of an ordinary priest of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

Debtera

Title of a learned priest of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

Qes

Priest (general word, regardless of Christian denomination).

Personal names

If an Ethiopian man named Hailu Bekele marries a woman named Tsehai Aseffa, Tsehai will keep her original surname. If Hailu and Tshai have a son, they may him give the name Mesqele. If they have a daughter, she could be named Selamawit. These children’s full names will be Mesqele Hailu and Selamawit Hailu respectively. The father’s first name thus becomes their last name. This means that inherited surnames are not used in Ethiopia.7

This book repeatedly lists two-part names, such as Wolde-Mikael or Gebre-Kristos. These are typical examples of names obtained through baptism within the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The first word has a special meaning. In these cases, Wolde means ”spiritual son of ” and Gebre ”servant to”. The twopart names thus mean ”spiritual son of Michael” and ”servant of Christ” respectively.8

Abbreviations

The following abbreviations are used in the text and in footnotes.

AUPM

American United Presbyterian Mission

BCMS

Bible Churchmen’s Missionary Society

Evangelical Anglican Mission Society. Mainly based in England and Ireland.

BFBS

British and Foreign Bible Society

Established in 1804

BS

Bible Society

BVJK

Bibeltrogna Vänners Julkalender

An annual publication issued by SMBV at Christmas time during the years 1916–2000

BVMT

Bibeltrogna Vänners Missionstidning

SMBV monthly journal

BVA

Berättelse över Bibeltrogna Vänners verksamhet

SMBV annual report

CMJ

Church’s Ministry among Jewish People

International organisation.

CSM

Church of Sweden Mission

Branch of Church of Sweden responsible for activities abroad

EELC

Ethiopian Evangelical Lutheran Church

ELM

Evangelisk Luthersk Mission

Evangelical Lutheran mission organization in Denmark

GHM

German Hermannsburg Mission

Evangelical Lutheran organization. Founded in Hermannsburg in northern Germany.

LCEt

Lutheran Church in Ethiopia

The former name of the Ethiopian Evangelical Lutheran Church

LM

Luthersk Mission

Lutheran Mission organization in Denmark

SDA

Seventh Day Adventist

SEM

Swedish Evangelical Mission

SIM

Sudan Interior Mission

Large international, mainly Baptist, missionary organization based in the United States, Canada, and Australia

SMBV

Swedish Mission Bibeltrogna Vänner

SPCK

Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge

Founded in 1698 with the aim of spreading Christian literature

2. MISSION REVIVAL (SWEDEN, DENMARK): CONSEQUENCES IN ERITREA & ETHIOPIA 1850–1911

By Rune Imberg (Parts 2.3 and 2.5 written by Bengt Hjort)

2.1 Historical Background

The situation at the end of the Middle Ages, the end of the 15th century

When the 16th century began, the future of Christianity looked bright. Its development in Europe indicated that the possibilities of undertaking mission work and expanding globally were rapidly increasing.

Admittedly, many geographical areas that had been mainly Christian had, from the seventh century onwards, been conquered by Muslim princes, both in North Africa and in many parts of what we now call the Middle East. By the middle of the 15th century, the Eastern Roman Empire, Byzantium, had been defeated by the emerging Turkish/Ottoman Empire (1453). This means, among other things, that a number of Greek Orthodox Christians had been killed and that the survivors were now ruled by Moslem princes.9 But in the 15th century, the Roman Catholic Church began a geographical expansion that would last for centuries. Two of the world’s leading maritime nations worked closely with the Pope, namely Spain and Portugal, which had major effects on Africa, Asia, and Central and South America.10

Africa, Asia, and Latin America

In North Africa, from the 7th century onwards, the Christian church was more or less crushed by Moslem conquerors; only a few dioceses remained as small remnants of what had been a flourishing church. In Egypt, the Coptic Church in the 10th century lost its majority position but remained as a vibrant (and often persecuted) minority church. The Christian nation of Nubia (a kingdom along the Nile, south of Egypt) was destroyed in the 15th century, making Ethiopia the last Christian nation remaining in Africa. The Ethiopian Church, connected with the Coptic Church in Egypt, remained as a Christian island in an increasingly vast Muslim sea.11

By the end of the Middle Ages, Portuguese and Spaniards had become increasingly skilled in sailing. At the end of the 15th century, the Portuguese managed to sail around Africa. Early on, a number of African tribes were reached via the coasts, including in the areas we now call Ghana, Congo, Angola, and Kenya. In the Congo area, the Roman Catholic Church made dramatic growth. In the 1540s, two million Congolese, about half of the country’s population, were officially Christians. But these missionary efforts were often very fragile. In Congo, the Roman Catholic dioceses collapsed over time. In Mombasa (Kenya), Arab forces from Oman captured the Portuguese fort of Fort Jesus in 1631; they immediately executed all Portuguese and all indigenous Christians who did not convert to Islam—which almost no one did.12

As for Asia in general, and what we call Latin America, Spanish and Portuguese ships established ports and settlements; over time creating colonies. In Latin America, large and populous Roman Catholic dioceses were establish ed, often with lingering elements from previous religions (syncretism). In Africa, the missionary efforts were, in general, seldom permanent. However, the Portuguese military forces were to have an important impact on historical developments. By defeating, among others, the Somali conqueror Muhammed Granj in a series of battles in the middle of the 16th century, the Moslem attempts to conquer “Abyssinia” were thwarted. Thus, the Ethiopian Church was able to survive and the country avoided the kind of Islamization that afflicted Egypt as early as the seventh century. Ethiopia retained its independence, as did the Ethiopian Church. This meant that Ethiopia became a natural springboard when various Christian churches and groups, many of them influenced by Pietism and Moravianism (Herrnhut), in the 19th century, began planning for large-scale missions in the interior of Africa.13

Reformation era—why did Catholics but not Protestants conduct mission work?

When the Reformation came into existence, from 1517 onwards, it took place in different contexts and in a number of countries, but basically only within the Roman Catholic sector of Christianity. (Later on, a number of Orthodox Church leaders also became influenced by the Reformation, especially in Russia.14) The great initiator of the Reformation was the German theologian Martin Luther, but quite soon a number of other Reformation movements emerged, mainly in Central Europe. Historically, there was an Evangelical Lutheran line, a Reformed line (a smaller branch influenced by Zwinglian, the main branch by Calvin) and an Anglican line (which in itself contained many different groups). Added to this were various radical reformatory movements: Anabaptists and others.15

At an early stage, Roman Catholics in particular criticized Lutherans for being uninterested in mission and, in fact, the large-scale Lutheran missionary efforts only began to take off in the mid-19th century.16 And it is true that, in some Lutheran contexts, people were skeptical about ”pagan mission”; some even argued that the missionary efforts of the Christian church were completed once and for all, that all peoples had ”had their chance”, in the Apostolic period, to receive the gospel. But the truth is more complicated than that. The danger of a modern perspective is that one can think in anachronistic terms and forget what the actual conditions were like in the 16th and 17th centuries.17

Mission in the modern sense was, of course, unthinkable in the 16th century. Those who could carry out systematic missions were the nations—either if they were in solidarity with the Pope (Spain, Portugal, France and others) or those who had broken with the Pope (including England, Denmark-Norway, Sweden, a number of German princes, the Netherlands). And where would the mission be conducted? Virtually all peoples of Europe were already Christians!

But we should not forget: already in Gustav Vasa’s time, the king and the Swedish National Church initiated a conscious effort to reach the Sami (“Lapps”) with the gospel, through ”Lapp mission”. Even before Sweden was finally an evangelical Lutheran country (in 1593), conscious Lutheran missionary initiatives had begun.18

Contacts between Europeans and non-Christian peoples (”heathens”) were rare throughout the entire 16th century. In addition to this, the seas were dominated by the pronounced Roman Catholic nations of Spain and Portugal. But with the defeat of the Spanish Armada by the English navy in 1588, Spain’s dominance of the seas began to wane, and in the 17th century two Protestant nations, Anglican England and Calvinist Holland, evolved into naval superpowers. In due time, this would increase the opportunities for Protestant nations, including Protestant missionary societies, to reach non-Christian peoples and countries with the gospel. What, then, about Luther’s interest in mission? In a scholarly book, Luther and World Mission, written by Ingemar Öberg, a well-known Swedish expert on Luther, it is shown that in the 16th century there were no practical possibilities for Lutherans, either in Germany or in the Nordic countries, to undertake global missionary activities. (It must also be noted that it was only in the 18th century that it was practically possible for missionary societies to come into existence, being able to take over the baton from the missionary activities of nations!19) Geographical and naval conditions, for a long time, made global mission almost impossible. On the other hand, a close study of Luther’s writings reveals that pagan mission was more or less an obvious consequence of his theological thinking, once the practical conditions were in place.20

Proof of this is the strange life of Peter Heyling (1607/08–1652). He was born in Lübeck, Germany and, after studying law in the Netherlands, went, on his own initiative, as a missionary to Ethiopia. He established good contacts with the Ethiopian emperor and the country’s (monophysite) church; he taught their priests Greek and Hebrew, worked in healthcare, and also on a translation of the New Testament into Amharic. On a visit to Sudan, he was arrested by Turkish troops and executed when he refused to convert to Islam. He was one of the first Lutheran missionaries and, to top it all off, he died as a martyr.21

Tentative Lutheran missionary approaches

As we have seen, the Church of Sweden had already begun a Sami mission in northern Sweden in the 16th century. Even the next Lutheran mission initiatives, usually rather tentative, had a clear government connection. When Sweden established a colony in North America in the 17th century, Johannes Campanius, a pastor of New Sweden, began an evangelistic work aimed at the local indigenous people, the Lenape tribe (Delawere).22 Similarly, Denmark attempted to embark on some modest missions on the coast of West Africa and, from the Baltic Kurland, missionaries were sent to (today’s) Gambia and Trinidad in the 1650s and 1660s. However, all of these efforts came to nothing.23 It was not until the 18th century that the Evangelical Lutheran mission took off in earnest, and this was largely due to the influence of new impulses.

Pietism, Moravianism, and mission societies —the Lutheran mission starts

What made Lutheran mission start in earnest was a combination of factors. Technologically speaking, global shipping had expanded and developed, not least thanks to the efforts of the English and Dutch navies, but also because travelling by ship gradually became safer thanks to the European naval forces— both Protestant and Roman Catholic. (Piracy has always been a problem!). But above all, new theological impulses played an important role.

As the Pietist and Moravian movements expanded within German Lutheranism (and away from it!), the focus shifted to a large extent from the activities undertaken by the National (State) churches to the actions of individual Christians and groups of Christians. Pietism led, among other things, to Christians starting to gather in free prayer and Bible study groups, often without clerical leadership. The great leader of Pietism was the German pastor Philipp Spener (1635–1705), whose Pia Desideria (Pious Desires) is one of the most important documents in the history of theology. It served as the program document of the Pietistic movement.24 The initiator of Moravian movement was Count Nicolaus Graf von Zinzendorff (1700–1760), whose estate Herrnhut (The Lord’s Protection) for a long time constituted a geographical center for the movement.25

Pietism has had a tremendous influence on a number of especially Protestant churches in Europe: Lutheran, Reformed, and many others. The Moravians, who were not as numerous as the Pietists, were often active within the National Churches, but in some cases they organized themselves into their own dioceses with von Zinzendorff as one of the first bishops. Pietism played an enormous role in ecclesiastical development in parts of Germany, the Nordic region and England (Methodism!) and from there to the rest of the world.26 In the case of Sweden, Pietism revitalized the National Church through the agency of various revival movements. Almost all the free (non-Lutheran) churches that emerged later, during the 19th and 20th centuries, also have a Pietist background.27

Through the efforts of Pietism and the Moravian movement, Lutheran missionary efforts were no longer entirely dependent on the support or initiative of the National Church. Instead, more and more Lutheran and Protestant groups began to initiate evangelizing and missionary activities. As a result, in the 18th century, Germany suddenly became the leading missionary nation within Protestantism, thanks largely to the powerful activities of Professor August Hermann Francke (1663–1727) in Halle and von Zinzendorf ’s countless missionary projects.28 In ratio to the number of its followers, the Moravian movement has probably sent out more missionaries globally than any other Christian organization.29

In the 18th century, nations still played a role in Lutheran missionary work, but gradually their importance decreased. The first truly organized Lutheran mission, in addition to the Swedish Sami mission in the 16th century, was the Danish Tranquebar mission, which was initiated together with the Halle pietists:

The [Christian] mission’s connection, positive and negative, with royal houses and state power – cf. the Middle Ages and Spain in the 16th century – was brought to the fore with the Danish-Halle mission, the most important mission of 18th century pietism.30

But perhaps the one who, more than anyone else, was “redrawing the map” in terms of the missionary efforts of the Evangelical Lutheran churches was Count von Zinzendorf:

Zinzendorf ’s connections opened the way for mission in 1732, and he created the modern concept of mission societies, which works for purely religious reasons, without the support of colonial powers and with independent indigenous churches as the goal.31

The Protestant mission efforts gain momentum

The great break from past trends in the world mission took place in the 18th century. Dr. Bengt Sundkler, a famous Swedish mission scholar, describes the change as follows:

In the 16th and 17th centuries, both Roman Catholic and Evangelical missions were closely linked to state interest and colonial economic initiatives. Pietism and the piety movements historically related to Pietism broke this connection.32

The development in England, in particular, became to a large extent influential in other parts of Protestant Christianity. Two important Anglican organizations were formed approx. 1700: the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK) was founded in 1698 to spread Christian literature, and the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (SPG), founded in 1701, would try to reach both Britons in the diaspora and non-Christian groups in the colonies.

However, the truly dramatic development began by the turn of the next century. At that time, a number of important societies were founded in different contexts, and a new era was underway! As the 18th century drew towards its end, an important choice of path was made. Two different kinds of societies were established. Using the terminology of Dr. Sundkler, they were either interdenominational, i.e. alliance-oriented, or denominational, i.e. confessional (linked to existing Christian communities). The formation in 1792 of the Baptist Missionary Society came to be significant, as William Carey (who over time became an influential and well-known mission pioneer in India) thought that ”the most practical and effective act would be the formation of the denominational society”. In 1795, however, the London Missionary Society was created, following the alliance approach, which meant that both Anglicans and Free Church Christians could join the Society.33 Of great importance, also, was the formation in 1804 of the international (and interdenominational) British and Foreign Bible Society.

2.2 Mission Interest in Sweden Awakens and Grows

An important date in Swedish mission history is 27 March 1771, 250 years ago. On that day, the society Pro Fide et Christianismo was founded by a number of prominent pastors and senior officials within the National Church of Sweden. The activities were inspired by the abovementioned Anglican Mission Organization, SPG. The Pro Fide Society, which still exists and now mainly supports the publication of Christian literature, emerged as ”Sweden’s first missionary and tract spreading society”.34 Pro Fide was a swallow, predicting the forthcoming summer! The great expansion of both mission interest and practical mission engagement took place in the 19th century, which in turn led to Sweden being one of the world’s leading mission nations at the turn of the 20th century.35

The great expansion of mission engagement in Sweden began around 1800, and after the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815, the possibilities of spreading globally increased dramatically. (Issues such as war and peace, or the technological developments of shipping and, from the 19th century, large-scale railway constructions must not be forgotten when studying the development of the mission around the world!) This is evident in a number of ways in Sweden, but also in the other Nordic countries.

The Evangelical Society of Sweden was founded in 1808 and received substantial support from the British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS, established in 1804). From 1813 onwards, Bible societies were founded in a number of Swedish dioceses. The Swedish Bible Society was founded in 1815. The Bible societies in Sweden worked in close co-operation with BFBS. They received financial support that was economically significant. Due to pressure from the British Society, it was decided in Sweden to remove the Apocrypha from the ordinary editions of the Bible.36

Sweden was thus well prepared for an expanding mission engagement. Since at least the Epiphany holiday in 1800, the Herrnhut Society in Gothenburg celebrated an annual mission celebration. The interest in, and engagement with, mission activities was also manifested in other ways. Hymns with a Christian mission perspective were included in the official hymnbook of 1819 of the Church of Sweden. Prominent theological and cultural persons gave high-profile speeches highlighting the mission’s recent achievements. In 1818, the Evangelical Society began publishing a weekly newsletter, which became Sweden’s first mission magazine.37

The Swedish side had supported the mission of the Moravian Movement, as well as British missions, but from 1815 support was also given to the Basel Mission in Switzerland. This organization had its roots in Pietism in Germany, the so called “Württemberg-pietism”. Over time, the Basel Mission came to play a tremendous role in the world mission.38 For Sweden, it was important that Peter Fjellstedt (1802–1881) began to study there in 1828 and that the German Johann Ludwig Krapf (1810–1881) was also a Basel student. These two persons came to play an important role in the upcoming Swedish mission work in Africa: Fjellstedt acted as the great mission inspirer of the 19th century in Sweden, and Krapf as the person who helped to shape the visions of the Swedish Evangelical Mission (SEM) for its work in Africa.39

The first Swedish mission society was formed in Gothenburg on February 15, 1829, the Swenska Missions-Sällskapet i Göteborg. The founding took place in the ”Hall of the Brotherhood” belonging to the Moravian society. The importance of the Moravian movement as a mission pioneer in both Sweden and many other countries is difficult to overestimate. In this case, the main focus was on mission in Sweden, which meant work among the Sami people in northern Sweden.

It is in this context that the Scotsman George Scott (1809–74) entered into action. Officially, he was employed at the British Embassy in Stockholm as a ”religious teacher” among English citizens in Sweden. In fact he came to operate widely in Sweden and give spiritual impulses that remain today.40

In regard to confession, he was a Methodist (thus having a connection back to Pietism and Moravianism), and he started some Methodist-type activities in Sweden, but at the same time he was very ”alliance-oriented”, i.e. ecumenically inclined, and that is the reason why he came to influence Swedish Christianity to such an extent.

In the summer of 1834, the mission magazine called Missions-Tidning began to be published. The editor was, at least formally, from 1842 to 1868 the evangelical lay-preacher Carl-Olof Rosenius (1816–1868). From 1850 to 1862, Rosenius was the only owner of the magazine, and from 1862 it was published by the publishing company of the Swedish Evangelical Mission (SEM).41 Later, in 1928, the magazine went up in the SEM publication Budbäraren.42

At Epiphany in January 1835, Svenska Missionssällskapet (Swedish Mission Society) was founded. The first chairman was, at the same time, chairman of the Evangelical Society of Sweden and of the Swedish Bible Society. Among the founding fathers were high government officials, bishops from the Swedish Church, and representatives from the Methodist movement in Sweden, one of them being George Scott. This meant, on the one hand, that the society had official ecclesiastical support and, on the other hand, that it had an alliance, rather than confessional, character.43

A decade later, in 1845, another mission society was formed, later known as Lunds missionssällskap (the Mission Society of Lund). The driving forces were some well-known people with various backgrounds. Out of this context, Lunds Missions-Tidning (Lund Mission Magazine) emerged. For a number of years, it had a larger edition than the famous daily newspaper in Sweden, Aftonbladet.44 It can be noted that the society managed to gather some people who. over time. became among the most important theologians in the Church of Sweden. However, it cannot have been easy for the Board to follow a straight and consistent line in their work when dealing with these personalities. The relationship with the Swedish Mission Society was also not uncomplicated.

Scott, Rosenius, and the Swedish Evangelical Mission

On April 30, 1842, a ship was leaving Stockholm bound for England. George Scott boarded the boat, making his departure as unnoticeable as possible. He had been very active in Sweden for twelve years and given important impetus to Swedish church life, had created a personal network of contacts across large parts of Sweden, and had received discreet support from several important pastors, and even some bishops—but he had also angered Swedes, including those in the mob in Stockholm, and some newspapers, not least the daily paper Aftonbladet. What became his undoing was a newspaper article published in the United States that found its way back to Sweden. He had described the spiritual state of Sweden in negative terms, and the reaction in Sweden was strong. He himself and several of his friends realized that he had to leave Sweden more or less as a refugee. Left on the quayside on this day, stood his friend C. O. Rosenius. None other than the governor of Stockholm came to the dock to check that Scott was indeed on his way. The disaster was a fact.45

Surprisingly enough, the event became the catalyst for intensive activity. Rosenius, who had interrupted his theological studies in Uppsala to assist Scott as a “city missionary”, remained in Sweden and had to deal with the rubble of Scott’s work. He became the editor of the magazine Missions-Tidning, running the magazine until his death. Similarly, he took over the new newspaper Pietisten and ran it so successfully that, over time, he became financially independent. At the same time, he was intensively active in teaching, soul care, and committee work, becoming one of the founders of the Evangeliska Fosterlands-Stiftelsen (Swedish Evangelical Mission, 1856) and the great theologian of this organization.

Rosenius, who was already known in his youth as ”the little Reformer”, was a high-profile evangelical Lutheran preacher and writer. Basically, his foundation was the Lutheran reading from his home district in northern Sweden. He was influenced by Pietism and Moravian piety, and his ministry as a lay preacher was radically innovative. He had learned lessons from Scott’s Methodist activities: new and surprising forms of organization, a new form of soul care that reached deeply into many people’s hearts, and so on.46 Some features of his ministry have, directly or indirectly, become of great importance to people in many countries, not only in the Nordic countries, but also in parts of Africa:

To new generations, Rosenius passed on a Lutheran (and Moravian) legacy with a concentration on sin and grace, the vicarious suffering of Christ, the justification by grace alone, and Christianity as a personal life relationship, all with an individualistic interpretation. The sacraments and the earthly calling, on the other hand, came into the background. The Baptism of children was defended against the Baptists, but did not play any decisive role in the preaching. Rosenius was polemical against teachings of “the inner light” and connected the Holy Spirit to the Word of God in a Lutheran way. He was preaching to a Bible-reading congregation and his intense use of the Bible is characteristic.47

It is this Lutheran-Rosenian heritage that has been so widely conveyed to a number of other countries, particularly in Africa. Eritrea, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Kenya can be mentioned in this context, although the churches there that have their roots in Swedish (or Norwegian, Danish and partly Finnish) Rosenianism have, in their turn, administered and developed this heritage in different directions.48

The Swedish Evangelical Mission (SEM)—a society for mission in Sweden becomes a pioneering organization for mission abroad

On 7 May 1856, Evangeliska Fosterlands-Stiftelsen (EFS) (Swedish Evangelical Mission) was formed. The primary initiator was a young pastor, Hans Jacob Lundborg. Like many others, he was inspired not only by developments in England but also by the situation in Scotland. However, the one who theologically came to dominate the development was the lay preacher, Rosenius. A contributing factor was probably that, according to its bylaws, the Board had to consist of people from the capital. The Board, thus, came to have a high society profile: several Board members belonged to the higher clergy in the capital, others belonged to the nobility, or were senior civil servants.49 As the popular revival leader, the great writer, and the venerated preacher, Rosenius’ influence in the Board was powerful.

The establishment of EFS / SEM was in part a Lutheran reaction to the Evangelical Alliance of Sweden as being too alliance-oriented (today, we might say “ecumenical”), and of not maintaining the boundaries against Baptist colporteurs, among others.50 When SEM was formed as a pronounced Lutheran organization, there were clear parallels and contacts with other Protestant organizations. The historian Gustav Arén describes the formation of SEM as the Swedish equivalent of the English SPG, Society for Promoting the Gospel.51