Unge evangelikale i Norge

Abstract

Norwegian free churches and prayer houses have a historical connection to transnational revival movements, which also underlie the evangelical movement. The term "evangelical" is increasingly used in the Norwegian public sphere, making it relevant to examine movements in Norway associated with it. The overarching research question for the dissertation is: What is characterizing young evangelicals in Norway? I have particularly examined three characteristics from David Bebbingtons quadrilateral, in three articles. Then I conduct an integrated discussion of the characteristics, incorporating theories related to a softer Christianity, or Moralistic Therapeutic Deism (MTD).

The first article is titled "I've Kind of Always Been There" - The Meaning of Personal Conversion Among Youth Low Church Movements in Norway. For those who have made a personal choice related to worldview, it is primarily a result of religious socialization, as they have been brought to the prayer house or free church by their parents, and the decision becomes their own over time. In this article, I argue that conversion holds a different meaning for today's youth than the evangelical trait of life-transforming change. When young Christians describe conversion themselves, they use much milder language, describing it as a continuation of faith rather than a crisis and upheaval.

In the second article, Why Are Conservative Young Evangelicals in Norway Avoiding Right-Wing Politics? societal attitudes among young people in low-church environments are discussed. This article shows that the perceived importance of the Bible significantly influences attitudes towards ethical issues in relationships, such as abortion, cohabitation, and same-sex relations. The more important they consider the Bible to be, the more restrictive or conservative they are on relationship issues. Faith does not influence attitudes towards environmental conservation, but young people have a pronounced liberal stance on immigration, much more liberal than the general population. The article also discusses the strong support for the Christian Democratic Party. I argue that young people avoid left-wing parties because they desire a more restrictive abortion policy and right-wing parties because they want a liberal immigration policy.

In the third article, The Contribution of Bible Reading Habits to Finding Meaning in Life: A Study of Young Evangelicals in Norway, I argue that young low-church Christians can be divided into three groups based on the importance of the Bible in their lives and how often they read it. The dedicated read the Bible often and believe it is crucial to their way of life. This group is primarily concerned with understanding what this means for how they should live their lives. The dedicated have a higher frequency of participation in Christian activities, both services and small groups. The second group also believes that the Bible is crucial to their way of life, but they read it less frequently than the first group. These young people are more frustrated and do not find the Bible as meaningful; they are disappointed that they do not read as much as they would like or that Bible reading is more boring/difficult than they expected. The last group, who do not read the Bible as often, also do not find the Bible important for their lives and behavior. They do not experience the Bible as either meaningful or frustrating. They have a more distant relationship with the Bible and shape their Christian life primarily through community participation and worship. They believe the Bible is the word of God, or at least inspired by God, but it does not mean much to them personally. The distant group also has lower participation in Christian activities than the other groups.

I argue that these groups are helpful for understanding different ways of being young evangelicals in Norway. The majority, to some extent, maintains classical evangelical characteristics, though not entirely, while a minority is influenced by Moralistic Therapeutic Deism (MTD). I contend that the most important factor for understanding young evangelicals in Norway is related to how they view the authority of the Bible and their Bible reading practices.