Swedish Missiological Themes, 100, 1 (2012)
Missional Folk Church? A Discussion of Hans Raun Iversen’s Understanding of the Danish Folk Church as a Missional Church1 Jeppe Bach Nikolajsen Abstract: Missiologists have often stated that the church lost sight of mission in the era of Christendom. In response, Hans Raun Iversen has proposed that the Danish folk church, which grew out of medieval Danish Christendom, should be understood as a missional church. In this article, I present and discuss Iversen’s proposal and suggest some aspects that might be developed further. Key words: Hans Raun Iversen – Christendom – mission – ecclesiology – folk church – missional church
1. Introduction: The Collapse of Christendom During the past three centuries, the church has gradually lost its central and LQÀXHQWLDOUROHLQ:HVWHUQVRFLHW\GXHWRVLJQL¿FDQWFXOWXUDODQGUHOLJLRXV changes in the Western world. Therefore, an increasing number of theo- logians believe that the Western world has moved from, or is in transition from, an era of Christendom to an era of post-Christendom. In the old Christendom, church and society fused together as a single cultural, political and religious entity.2 Accordingly, the state was often viewed as the protector of the church. A clear expression of this can be seen during the Reformation in the German regions where the German princes, who
,SUHVHQWHGWKH¿UVWRIWZRWULDOOHFWXUHVIRUWKHSXEOLFGHIHQVHRIDGRFWRUDOGHJUHHDWWKH 0)1RUZHJLDQ6FKRRORI7KHRORJ\LQ2VORRQWKHDVVLJQHGWRSLFµ0LVVLRQDO)RON&KXUFK" A Discussion of Hans Raun Iversen’s Understanding of the Danish Folk Church as a Mis- sional Church’ on 10 December 2010. This article is an edited version of this paper. The ¿UVWVHFWLRQRIWKLVDUWLFOHEXLOGVRQWKH¿UVWFKDSWHURIP\GLVVHUWDWLRQDQGVRPHLGHQWLFDO formulations may be found here. See Jeppe B. Nikolajsen, 5HGH¿QLQJWKH,GHQWLW\RIWKH Church: A Constructive Study of the Post-Christendom Theologies of Lesslie Newbigin and John Howard Yoder (MF Norwegian School of Theology, Oslo, 2010). 2 Judith Herrin, The Formation of Christendom (London: Fontana Press, 1989), 4. 1
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in many cases were also bishops, protected the German national church.3 Hence, Swedish theologian Arne Rasmusson refers to the medieval Christian world as the paradigmatic example of Christendom.4 However, the concept of Christendom not only refers to the medieval Christian world, but also µUHIHUVWRODWHUIRUPVRISROLWLFDOO\DQGFXOWXUDOO\HVWDEOLVKHG&KULVWLDQLW\¶5 6LQFH WKH (QOLJKWHQPHQW WKH :HVWHUQ ZRUOG KDV XQGHUJRQH VLJQL¿FDQW cultural and religious changes and, therefore, an increasing number of theologians assert that Christianity is no longer the ideological foundation for contemporary Western society. Thus, English theologian Stuart Murray GH¿QHV WKH WHUP post-Christendom DV IROORZV µ3RVW&KULVWHQGRP LV WKH culture that emerges as the Christian faith loses coherence within a society WKDWKDVEHHQGH¿QLWLYHO\VKDSHGE\WKH&KULVWLDQVWRU\DQGDVWKHLQVWLWX- tions that have been developed to express Christian convictions decline in LQÀXHQFH¶6 Therefore, when theologians refer to Western culture’s transition from Christendom to post-Christendom, they mean that the larger societal institutions, the most important cultural, political and educational institu- tions, no longer have a Christian foundation. Thus, the formerly homoge- neous West is now a highly diverse society and the formerly Christian West is today to a large extent multi-religious. This development in the relationship between church and society applies to many Western countries, even though the transition from Christendom to post-Christendom has developed differently in various geographical areas in the Western world.7 A clear example of Christendom can also be found during the Reformation in my own country, Denmark, when Lutheranism became the state religion. In 1536, the Danish king took over the bishops’ property and became the supreme guarantor of the Evangelical Lutheran Leif Grane, Evangeliet for folket. Drøm og virkelighed i Martin Luthers liv (Copenhagen: Gad, 1983), 91. 4 $UQH 5DVPXVVRQ µ&KULVWHQGRP¶ LQ Cambridge Dictionary of Christian Theology, ed. David Fergusson, Karen Kilby, Iain Torrance and Ian A. McFarland (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011), 97. 5 5DVPXVVRQµ&KULVWHQGRP¶ 6 Stuart Murray, Post-Christendom: Church and Mission in a Strange New World (Carlisle: Paternoster, 2004), 19. 7 0DQ\ KHOSIXO DQG FODULI\LQJ FRQWULEXWLRQV WR WKLV VSHFL¿F GHEDWH KDYH EHHQ SUHVHQWHG +RZHYHULQP\PLQGFXUUHQWUHVHDUFKVWLOOODFNVTXDOL¿FDWLRQRIFHQWUDOFRQFHSWVPRUH KLVWRULFDO UHVHDUFK DQG FODUL¿FDWLRQ RI YDULRXV V\VWHPDWLF WKHRORJLFDO SRVLWLRQV ,W ZRXOG also be helpful to clarify how the transition from Christendom to post-Christendom has developed differently in various geographical areas in the Western world;; some articles with reference to Ireland, England, the Netherlands, Germany and France have, however, been presented. See The Decline of Christendom in Western Europe, 1750-2000, ed. Hugh McLeod and Werner Ustorf (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003). 3
Missional Folk Church? A Discussion of Hans Raun Iversen’s Understanding of the Danish Folk Church as a Missional Church
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Church of Denmark. Until 1849, all citizens in Denmark were obliged to be members of the Lutheran Church of Denmark and they were forced to be baptized and to attend services.8 In many ways, the close relationship between church and state still exists in Denmark. Today, the Danish king or queen is considered the head of the Danish folk church according to Danish law and, consequently, the regent authorizes the liturgy, rituals, Bible translation and hymnals of the church.9 Also, Danish politicians to a great extent impact the policies of the church;; in fact, the Danish folk church does not have a General Synod and therefore the Danish Parliament, which includes Muslims, Atheists and Agnostics, essentially functions as the General Synod of the Danish folk church. I believe it is accurate to say that the current situation in Denmark is that Danish society can be regarded as a post-Christendom society, whereas the Danish folk church to a large extent can be considered reminiscent of the old Christendom. This creates strong tensions within the church. On the one hand, some argue that Denmark is still a Christian country and the Danish IRON FKXUFK WKHUHIRUH ¿WV SHUIHFWO\ ZLWKLQ 'HQPDUN 2Q WKH RWKHU KDQG others argue that we cannot act as though nothing has happened since the foundation of the folk church in 1849;; Denmark is increasingly multi-cultural and multi-religious and, consequently, the Danish folk church must loosen LWVWLHWRWKHVWDWHDQG¿QGDQHZUROHLQ'DQLVKVRFLHW\10 In this article, I want to present and discuss an interpretation of the Danish folk church as a missional church, as proposed by the Danish theologian Hans Raun Iversen. Missiologists have often stated that the church lost sight of mission in the era of Christendom. For example, Wilbert R. Shenk KDV VDLG µ&KULVWHQGRP LV &KULVWLDQLW\ ZLWKRXW PLVVLRQ¶11 Now, Iversen proposes that the Danish folk church, which grew out of medieval Danish Christendom, must be understood as a missional church. In this article, we shall see if Iversen succeeds in this. Martin Schwarz Lausten, Danmarks kirkehistorie (Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 2004), 175, 239. However, in the 1680s, the few Jews, Baptists and Reformed Christians in the country were allowed not to have their infants baptized. 9 .DUVWHQ1LVVHQµ0LVVLRQDONLUNH(QNLUNHVHQGWWLOGHWGDQVNHIRON¶Dansk Tidsskrift for Teologi og Kirke 36.1 (2009), 98. 10 ,KDYHDUJXHGIRUWKHODWWHUSRVLWLRQ6HHIRUH[DPSOHP\IHDWXUHµ.LUNHQVNDO¿QGHVLQ rolle i et pluralistisk samfund,’ Christian Daily -XQHDQGP\DUWLFOHµ'HQOXWKHUVNH ekklesiologi og det multikulturelle samfund,’ Dansk Tidsskrift for Teologi og Kirke 38.3 (2011). 11 6HH'DUUHOO/*XGHUµ:DONLQJ:RUWKLO\0LVVLRQDO/HDGHUVKLSDIWHU&KULVWHQGRP¶The Princeton Seminary Bulletin 28.3 (2007), 252. 8
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2. Presentation: Missional Folk Church 2.1 Hans Raun Iversen Let me begin by giving a brief introduction to Hans Raun Iversen. For two years prior to graduating from Aarhus University in 1976, Iversen was employed as research fellow at the Faculty of Theology. He was research fellow at the faculty from 1974 to 1982, spending two years in the Northern part of Tanzania during that period.12 In 1982, he became employed as an associate professor at the Faculty of Theology at the University of Copenhagen, a position he still holds today. Iversen is a highly productive theologian and he often appears in the media in Denmark.13 While he has been the primary author of comparatively few ERRNVKHKDVZULWWHQQXPHURXVDUWLFOHVDQGLVDSUROL¿FHGLWRU+LVZULWLQJV consist mainly of three genres: historical, sociological and systematic WKHRORJLFDOUHÀHFWLRQV7KHKLVWRULFDODQGVRFLRORJLFDODQDO\VHVFRQVWLWXWHWKH PDMRULW\RIKLVZULWLQJVFRPSDUHGWRWKHV\VWHPDWLFWKHRORJLFDOUHÀHFWLRQV14 (YHQWKRXJK,YHUVHQLVDPDQRIPDQ\FOHDUFRQYLFWLRQVLWLVRIWHQGLI¿FXOW to discover his own position. For example, his surveys of the historical background of the Danish folk church’s liturgy of baptism or the Eucharist often do not clearly demonstrate what he thinks we ought to believe about the topic.15 Typically, he only provides a general Danish opinion about a topic that relates to Christian faith or the Danish folk church, without giving
Iversen was in Tanzania in 1977 and 1978. Later, he published a book about his experiences in Tanzania. See Hans Raun Iversen, Tanzania tur/retur. Syv tekster om socialisme og mission (Aarhus: FK-tryk, 1981). 13 Iversen kindly forwarded me a long list of his publications which shows that he had produced around 450 publications from 1971 until 2010. Moreover, he might be the most quoted Danish theologian of the past decade. 14 In the massive primer, Praktisk teologi, which he wrote together with another Danish theologian, Eberhard Harbsmeier, the proportion between historical, sociological and theological analyses is, however, more evenly represented. See Eberhard Harbsmeier and Hans Raun Iversen, Praktisk teologi (Frederiksberg: Anis, 1995). 15 6HH +DQV 5DXQ ,YHUVHQ µ)RONHNLUNHQV QDGYHUSUDNVLV KLVWRULVN EHO\VW¶ LQ Nadver og folkekirke HG .LUVWHQ %XVFK 1LHOVHQ )UHGHULNVEHUJ $QLV DQG µ'nEVSUDNVLV RJ GnEVULWXDOLIRONHNLUNHQLGDJ¶LQDåb og medlemskab i folkekirken, ed. Hans Raun Iversen (Frederiksberg: Anis, 2000). 12
Missional Folk Church? A Discussion of Hans Raun Iversen’s Understanding of the Danish Folk Church as a Missional Church
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clear account of what he himself believes.16 Another fact which makes it GLI¿FXOWWRSUHVHQWDV\VWHPDWLFDQDO\VLVRIKLVZULWLQJVLVWKDWKHHQJDJHV so many different topics. Besides the fact that he often repeats himself in various articles, his writings are not clearly interconnected and they do not give account of a clear theological project as such. However, in this article, I wish to demonstrate how I believe Iversen works with and attempts to integrate two ecclesiological models which are often UHJDUGHGDVYHU\GLIIHUHQW7KH¿UVWHFFOHVLRORJLFDOPRGHOLVZKDW,FDOOD Folk Church Ecclesiology, whereas the other ecclesiological model can be designated as a Missional Church Ecclesiology.17 We shall now see how these two ecclesiologies are present in the writings of Iversen.18 2.2 Folk Church Ecclesiology My brief exposition of Iversen’s perception of the Danish folk church will EHSUHVHQWHGLQWHUPVRIWHUPLQRORJLFDOKLVWRULFDODQGVRFLRORJLFDOUHÀHF- WLRQVDQG¿QDOO\ZHZLOOEULHÀ\ORRNDWKLVUHVSRQVHWRWKHFXUUHQWVWDWHRI the folk church. Terminologically, it is important to notice an ambiguity of the concept µIRON FKXUFK¶ LQ ,YHUVHQ¶V ZULWLQJV 0DLQO\ WZR GLIIHUHQW XQGHUVWDQGLQJV RIWKHFRQFHSWµIRONFKXUFK¶XQGHUOLHKLVXQGHUVWDQGLQJRIWKH'DQLVKIRON church. First, according to Iversen, the Danish folk church is a folk church in the sense that the folk church is a church of the Danish people, that is, he views the folk church and the Danish people as largely equivalent. Second, inspired by the Danish theologian N. F. S. Grundtvig, Iversen proposes another understanding of the folk church concept, namely that the Danish 6HHIRUH[DPSOH+DQV5DXQ,YHUVHQµ) QRPHQHWGHQGDQVNHIRONHNLUNH¶LQGør danerne kristne, ed. Søren Roulund-Nørgaard (Lemvig: Forlaget salt, 1992), 84-87. 17 Norwegian theologian Harald Hegstad operates with two similar ecclesiological models in his article, µ0LVMRQHUHQGH IRONHNLUNH 6HOYPRWVLJHOVH HOOHU PXOLJKHW"¶ Norwegian Journal of Missiology 58.4 (2004). 18 For the purposes of this article, three of Iversen’s articles are of special importance, QDPHO\µ)RON&KXUFKDV0LVVLRQWR&XOWXUH&KULVWLDQV¶Swedish Missiological Themes 85.3- µ.XOWXUNULVWQHNLUNHNULVWQHRJNDULVPDWLVNHNULVWQH¶Fønix DQGµ+RZ Can a Folk Church be Missional Church?,’ in Mission to the World: Communicating the Gospel in the 21st Century: Essays in Honour of Knud Jørgensen, ed. Tormod Engelsviken et. al. (Oxford: Regnum, 2008). I will, however, also draw on his other publications and will not only make use of his strictly academic writings, but also refer to newspaper articles, etc. 16
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folk church should exist for the Danish people.197KH¿UVWFRQFHSWLVHVVHQWLDO for what I call a Folk Church Ecclesiology, whereas the second concept is essential for a Missional Church Ecclesiology. Iversen states that historically, from 1539 to 1849, all citizens in Denmark were obliged to be members of the Lutheran state church just as they were forced to be baptized and to attend services. In 1849, the state church became a folk church and the law began enforcing freedom of religion. However, most Danes remained members of the church. The folk church was supposed to have a constitution and a General Synod, but they were never formed. Therefore, during the past two centuries, while various constitutional proposals have been presented, the folk church still does not have a constitution.20 As a result, especially in the past years, Iversen has argued that the folk church should loosen its ties to the state, adopt a constitution and establish a General Synod.21 Sociologically, Iversen pays much attention to the fact that around eighty percent of the Danish population are members of the Danish folk church even though less than two percent of the population attend church services on a given Sunday.22 Due to this low church service attendance, Iversen claims that no country in the world has a weaker church service attendance than Denmark.23 This leads him to designate the Danish folk church as the weakest monopoly church in the world.24 Christianity in Denmark is church- See Iversen and Harbsmeier, Praktisk teologi, 61-63. However, here Iversen and +DUEVPHLHUPHQWLRQVHYHUDORWKHUXQGHUVWDQGLQJVRIWKHFRQFHSWRIµIRONFKXUFK¶,WKLQN LW LV IDLU WR VD\ WKDW WKH ¿UVW FRQFHSWLRQ RI WKH IRON FKXUFK LV particularly evident in his sociological analyses, whereas the second conception is evident in his more systematic theological writings. 20 6HH ,YHUVHQ µ)RONHNLUNHRUGQLQJHQV XGYLNOLQJ¶ LQ Kirkens mund og Mæle, ed. Margrete Auken et. al. (Copenhagen: Selskab for kirkeret, 1992), 174-177. See also Iversen and Harbsmeier, Praktisk teologi, 31-46. 21 6HHIRUH[DPSOH+DQV5DXQ,YHUVHQµ(WGHPRNUDWLVNVDPIXQGWDOHUIRUHQGHPRNUDWLVN kirke,’ in Christian Daily 2FWREHU6HHDOVR+DQV5DXQ,YHUVHQµ/XWKHUGRPPHQ I OGHUVWDWVNLUNHQL'DQPDUN¶LQChristian Daily 22 June 2011. 22 Here I refer to the most recent statistics, but these percentages have of course changed over the past decades. 23 ,YHUVHQµ)RONHNLUNHRUGQLQJHQVXGYLNOLQJ¶ 24 +DQV5DXQ,YHUVHQµ/HDYLQJWKH'LVWDQW&KXUFK¶LQChurch, Society and Mission: Twelve Danish Contributions to International Discussions, ed. Hans Raun Iversen (Copenhagen: University of Copenhagen, 2010), 9, 13. 6HH DOVR ,YHUVHQ µ)RONHNLUNHRUGQLQJHQV XGYLNOLQJ¶+DQV5DXQ,YHUVHQµ'HQNLUNHO¡VHNULVWHQGRPL'DQPDUN'HQVEDJJUXQG 19
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less, and Danes want it that way, according to Iversen.25 They want to be members of the folk church, but they do not want to attend the services. As Iversen puts it, the Danes use the church as they use a hospital: They use it only when it is absolutely necessary!26 Iversen refers to the Danish church historian, Hal Koch, who has said that it is impossible to force Danes into the church, while at the same time it is impossible to force them to leave the church.27 However, this is beginning to change, as the number of members seems to continue to decrease. In the two biggest cities in Denmark, Aarhus and Copenhagen, in some parishes only 25-30% of the citizens are now members of the folk church. Therefore, some theologians now question if it still makes sense to even talk about the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark as a folk church.28 So, how does Iversen then regard the current state of the folk church? Iversen is clearly quite critical of the Danish folk church. In some articles, he bluntly questions to what extent the Danish folk church can be regarded as a church at all.29 Sometimes, he even contrasts the Danes’ understanding of the Danish folk church with the New Testament concept of ecclesia.30 2WKHUWLPHVKHVWDWHVWKDWWKH'DQLVKIRONFKXUFK¿QGVLWVHOILQDVRUWRI Babylonian captivity.31 However, Iversen’s response to the critical situation for the church is clear: the Danish folk church must be renewed. And as we shall now see, developing the Danish folk church as a missional church plays DVLJQL¿FDQWUROHLQKLVSURSRVDOIRUDUHQHZDORIWKH'DQLVKIRONFKXUFK
...og konsekvenser,’ in Vinduer til Guds Rige. Seksten forelæsninger om kirken, ed. Hans Raun ,YHUVHQ)UHGHULNVEHUJ$QLV ,YHUVHQµ) QRPHQHWGHQGDQVNHIRONHNLUNH¶ 25 ,YHUVHQµ'HQNLUNHO¡VHNULVWHQGRPL'DQPDUN¶16. 26 +DQV 5DXQ ,YHUVHQ µ)OXNWXHUHQGH PHQLJKHGHU ± Q\H DUEHMGVYLONnU IRU NLUNHQ¶ Dansk Tidsskrift for Teologi og Kirke 36.2 (2009), 48. 27 ,YHUVHQ µ'HQ NLUNHO¡VH NULVWHQGRP L 'DQPDUN¶ ,YHUVHQ µ) QRPHQHW GHQ GDQVNH folkekirke,’ 78. 28 Here the folk church is clearly understood as a church of the Danish people (cf. 2.2 above). This is the most common and widespread understanding of the folk church concept in Denmark. 29 6HHIRUH[DPSOH,YHUVHQµ) QRPHQHWGHQGDQVNHIRONHNLUNH¶VHHDOVRIQEHORZ 30 ,YHUVHQµ'HQNLUNHO¡VHNULVWHQGRPL'DQPDUN¶ 31 ,YHUVHQµ+RZ&DQD)RON&KXUFKEH0LVVLRQDO&KXUFK"¶$ORQJWKHVDPHOLQHVVHH ,YHUVHQµ) QRPHQHWGHQGDQVNHIRONHNLUNH¶
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2.3 Missional Church Ecclesiology Iversen’s preoccupation with missional ecclesiology goes back to his time at Aarhus University. As mentioned, already two years before his graduation he was employed at the university where he worked closely together with the Danish missiologist Johannes Aagaard.32 Iversen says, I was educated as a missiologist during the 1970s in the wave after the study program on The Missionary Structure of the Congregation, launched by the World Council of Churches after the merger between the WCC and the International Missionary Council in New Delhi in 1961. The relationship between Church and mission has therefore always been a key issue for me. Basically I am convinced that congregations must be missional, just as mission must be congregational. Mission and Church belong together as two interwoven dimensions of the same reality.33
Something that probably also has impacted Iversen is his study in Tanzania, where he experienced a vital and growing Lutheran church. Moreover, from 1996 to 2002, together with the Danish theologian Jørn Henrik Olsen, he organized several courses on missiology at the University of Copenhagen. Here he lectured together with such missiologists as Charles H. Kraft, Charles E. Van Engen and Wilbert R. Shenk, just to mention a few. Hence, his preoccupation with missiology has played a major role throughout his career. Iversen points out that the Danish folk church, according to a report from WKH 0LQLVWU\ RI (FFOHVLDVWLFDO$IIDLUV LQ 'HQPDUN LV LQ IDFW GH¿QHG LQ missiological terms.34 According to this report, the fundamental task of the Danish folk church is to proclaim Christ as savior of the world.35 Similar to WKLV,YHUVHQVWDWHVµ,IWKHFKXUFKLVQRWPDNLQJ&KULVWNQRZQDQGEHOLHYHG as a basic dimension of whatever it is, the Church is no longer a Christian Church.’36 Therefore, he argues that evangelization must be incorporated in the missional understanding of congregations, which he believes is See 2.1 above. ,YHUVHQµ+RZ&DQD)RON&KXUFKEH0LVVLRQDO&KXUFK"¶ 34 Hans Raun Iversen, µ.LUNHQVSULP UHRSJDYHPnLNNHEOLYHY N¶LQChristian Daily, 2 October 2009. 35 Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs, Betænkning 1477. Opgaver i sogn, provsti og stift. Betænkning fra Arbejdsgruppen om ændring af den kirkelige struktur (Copenhagen: Minis- try of Ecclesiastical Affairs, 2006), 12, 17, 63. 36 ,YHUVHQµ+RZ&DQD)RON&KXUFKEH0LVVLRQDO&KXUFK"¶ 32 33
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developing in the folk church these days.37 He presents concrete suggestions as to how this is to happen: the churches must be open and must be ready to receive new people, the pastors and the congregations must be trained as evangelists, and the folk church must also begin to employ evangelists.38 These constructive suggestions are clear examples of how he envisions the folk church becoming a missional folk church. However, Iversen is well aware that this is not uncomplicated. As he puts it, A Folk Church like any other church does have its anti-missional sides. It is, for example, very much an established, even bureaucratic, Church. The Danish Folk Church is in fact a state-governed Church – with a secular state as its legal subject at the national level. It is a church in a Babylonian captivity;; to a far extent run by other criteria than those of the Gospel.39
Yet Iversen is not ready to give up on the folk church, mainly because he still believes that the folk church has a considerable potential for mission.40 $VKHVD\Vµ,WKDVJRRGUHODWLRQVKLSVZLWKDQGHDV\DFFHVVWRWKHJUHDW majority of the Danish people, most of whom are in fact members paying their Church tax.’41 Consequently, Iversen in fact believes that the folk church as it exists right now can be understood as a missional folk church. Essential to Iversen’s understanding of the folk church as a missional church is his differentiation between, Culture Christians (who very rarely attend church services, even though they are members of the church) on the one hand, and Church Christians and Charismatic Christians (who attend the church services regularly).42 Iversen’s characterization of Church Christians is rather weak, but the main difference between Church Christians and Charismatic Christians seems to be that Charismatic Christians are more enthusiastic than Church Christians.43 +DQV 5DXQ ,YHUVHQ µ(YDQJHOLVHULQJ VRP NULVWHQGRPPHQV µHVVH¶ ± VQDUW RJVn L folkekirken,’ in Evangelisering – missionens fokus, ed. Mogens S. Mogensen (Copenhagen: Unitas forlag, 2008), 122. 38 ,YHUVHQµ(YDQJHOLVHULQJVRPNULVWHQGRPPHQVµHVVH¶±VQDUWRJVnLIRONHNLUNHQ¶ 39 ,YHUVHQµ+RZ&DQD)RON&KXUFKEH0LVVLRQDO&KXUFK"¶ 40 Iversen has been a member of the Danish folk church his whole life and as he states there exists no real alternative to the folk church for him or for most Danes. See ,YHUVHQµ'HQ kirkeløse kristendom i Danmark,’ 22. 41 ,YHUVHQµ+RZ&DQD)RON&KXUFKEH0LVVLRQDO&KXUFK"¶ 42 Sometimes Iversen uses the term µ&XOWXUH&KULVWLDQV¶DQGRWKHUWLPHVµ&XOWXUDO&KULVWLDQV¶ See Iversen’s articles, µ+RZ&DQD)RON&KXUFKEH0LVVLRQDO&KXUFK"¶DQGµ)RON&KXUFK as Mission to Culture Christians.’+HUH,XVHWKHSKUDVHµ&XOWXUH&KULVWLDQV¶ 43 Iversen, µ.XOWXUNULVWQHNLUNHNULVWQHRJNDULVPDWLVNNULVWQH¶ 37
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As is well known, the problem of members not attending church services is a problem not only for the Danish folk church. Most churches, including free churches, have members who rarely show up to the church services. The problem is, however, rather extreme in the case of the folk church in Denmark. Iversen claims that all three the previously mentioned groups embody Christianity in Denmark. However, the presumed faith of the Culture Christians should be valued, but at the same, challenged;; that is, they should be invited to participate in church services together with the Church Christians and the Charismatic Christians.44 Therefore, Iversen believes that the folk church, as it exists today, provides a model for mission in Danish society. The decisive question is if Iversen’s proposal presents a comprehensive understanding of the Danish folk church as a missional model in Danish society and a convincing theological envi- sioning of how it could be a missional church. Many aspects could certainly be discussed in relation to such a question. I will limit myself to evaluating and discussing two important aspects of his ecclesiological proposal, namely his understanding of the missional identity and the distinctive identity of a missional folk church.
3. Discussion: Missional Folk Church? 3.1 The Missional Identity of the Missional Folk Church $VZHKDYHVHHQ,YHUVHQGH¿QHVWKHIXQGDPHQWDOSXUSRVHRIWKH'DQLVKIRON church in missiological terms.45 He states that mission should be regarded as the very nature of the folk church and that the basic task of the church should be the proclaiming of Christ as savior of the world. $V , KDYH VWDWHG HDUOLHU ,YHUVHQ LV QRW ¿UVW DQG IRUHPRVW D V\VWHPDWLF theologian, but a practical theologian.46 Thus, when he proposes that the Danish folk church should be understood as functioning missionally in Danish society, it is more a pragmatic interpretation of the current situation than a constructive theological vision of how the folk church should develop. Accordingly, Iversen never presents a coherent and well-developed missional ecclesiology. ,YHUVHQµ)RON&KXUFKDV0LVVLRQWR&XOWXUH&KULVWLDQV¶ See 2.3 above. 46 See 2.1 above. 44 45
Missional Folk Church? A Discussion of Hans Raun Iversen’s Understanding of the Danish Folk Church as a Missional Church
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Yet, in my opinion, Iversen’s proposal points to a promising development for missional ecclesiology which can help the folk church, as it now stands LQWKHWZHQW\¿UVWFHQWXU\UHVSRQGEHWWHUWRWKHFKDOOHQJHVDQGWKHRSSRU- tunities with which it is being confronted. Consequently, below I further develop some theological and practical aspects of his proposal. )LUVWKHFRXOGKDYHPDGHSUR¿WDEOHXVHRIWKHWKHRORJLFDOLQVLJKWVJDLQHG from the ecumenical movement in the twentieth century. He could have accentuated the inner-Trinitarian sendings: that the Father sends the Son, that the Father and the Son send the Holy Spirit, and that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit send the church to the world. Following this, the missio Dei is the starting point from which the missio Christi and the missio ecclesiae derive. The missio Dei leads to the sending of Jesus, and with the sending of the Holy Spirit, a missio continuata is set in motion. If one is to develop a constructive proposal of a missional ecclesiology, it would, in my opinion, be necessary to develop a Trinitarian theological framework for such a missional ecclesiology.47 Second, Iversen could also more clearly have substantiated his understanding of the mission of a missional folk church through Christological analyses and better demonstrating the interwovenness of Christology, ecclesiology and missiology. Christ passed on his mission to the disciples and the church’s task is to continue Christ’s mission on earth. Thus, the mission of Christ must also be the mission of the church. Thus, the church must learn from Christ as it discerns how to exist in the world. For example, it must understand its mission in light of the mission of Christ.48 Third, if a constructive missional ecclesiology is to be developed for the Danish folk church, this calls for an integration of missional ecclesiology and Lutheran ecclesiology. Missional ecclesiology is ecumenical by nature. Yet, the question arises whether or not a missional ecclesiology might appear in a particular way if determined by Lutheran theology. Iversen’s ecclesiological SURSRVDOFRXOGEHGHYHORSHGIXUWKHULQWRDPLVVLRQDOHFFOHVLRORJ\GH¿QHG E\/XWKHUDQWKHRORJ\FRQVHTXHQWO\ZLWKDVWURQJIRFXVRQMXVWL¿FDWLRQE\ faith, the sacraments, the common priesthood, etc.
Nikolajsen, 5HGH¿QLQJWKH,GHQWLW\RIWKH&KXUFK, 53, 55-60. Nikolajsen, 5HGH¿QLQJWKH,GHQWLW\RIWKH&KXUFK, 50, 59-60, 67-68, 93.
47 48
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Finally, some practical aspects of Iversen’s proposal could also be developed further. If the Danish folk church is to be understood and developed as a mission model in Danish society, this implies, in my opinion, that the folk church must continually develop contemporary liturgies. When Culture Christians chose to attend a church service, they should be able to understand and relate to the hymns and the liturgy. Moreover, the folk church should DOVRGHYHORSPRUHÀH[LEOHFKXUFKVWUXFWXUHV'DQLVKVRFLHW\LVEHFRPLQJ increasingly diverse and, therefore, the folk church must develop new, ÀH[LEOHVWUXFWXUHVVRWKDW&KXUFK&KULVWLDQVDQG&KDULVPDWLF&KULVWLDQVPD\ become present in various segments of Danish society in order to participate locally in church services together with Culture Christians. The archbishop of WKH$QJOLFDQ&KXUFK5RZDQ:LOOLDPVKDVLQWURGXFHGWKHH[SUHVVLRQµPL[HG HFRQRPLHV¶ZKLFKUHIHUVWRWKHVWUDWHJ\RIPDNLQJ¿QDQFLDOLQYHVWPHQWV in both established churches with roots in the Christendom era and in so- FDOOHGµIUHVK¶H[SUHVVLRQVRIWKHFKXUFK,IWKHIRONFKXUFKLVWREHFRPH present in various segments of Danish society, this calls for new forms of congregational life. Therefore, according to English theologian Lesslie 1HZELJLQµWKHTXHVWLRQWKDWKDVWREHDVNHG±DQGUHSHDWHGO\DVNHG±LV whether the traditional forms of ministry which have been inherited from WKH³&KULVWHQGRP´SHULRGDUHIXOO\FRPSDWLEOHZLWKWKHIDLWKWKDWWKH&KXUFK is called to be a missionary community.’49 For Newbigin, this implies that WKHFKXUFKPXVWGHYHORSQHZÀH[LEOHVWUXFWXUHVQHFHVVDU\IRUHPERGLHG witness in various areas of diverse, modern societies.50 3.2 The Distinctive Identity of the Missional Folk Church If the Danish folk church is to be developed as a missional church, a very important task for the church is, in my mind, to re-appropriate a more clear sense of its own distinctiveness. If this task is not engaged, then developing QHZ OLWXUJLHV DQG PRUH ÀH[LEOH VWUXFWXUHV ZLOO QRW EH DQ\WKLQJ HOVH EXW WUHDWLQJWKHV\PSWRPV$W¿UVWJODQFH,YHUVHQVHHPVWREHDZDUHRIWKLV +HVWDWHVWKDWWKHFKXUFK¿QGVLWVHOILQD%DE\ORQLDQFDSWLYLW\DQGPXVWEH freed from the state.51 My contention is that he engages a problem that is far more profound than he gives account of. Centuries of captivity certainly demand a more profound engagement with this problem. Since Iversen does -(/HVVOLH1HZELJLQµ'HYHORSPHQWV'XULQJ$Q(GLWRULDO6XUYH\¶International Review of Mission 52.1 (1963), 7. 50 Cf. Nikolajsen, 5HGH¿QLQJWKH,GHQWLW\RIWKH&KXUFK, 96-98. 51 See fn. 31 and 39 above. 49
Missional Folk Church? A Discussion of Hans Raun Iversen’s Understanding of the Danish Folk Church as a Missional Church
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not seem to have a deep awareness of this problem, oftentimes I disagree with his understanding of the relationship between the Danish folk church and Danish society. For example, Iversen asserts that the folk church is a normal part of Danish society without actually clarifying in what sense this may be true.52 Furthermore, he seems to appreciate that the folk church has FRQWULEXWHGWRµWKHFXOWXUDODQGSROLWLFDOFRKHUHQFH¶RIWKH'DQLVKSHRSOH DQGWRWKHµFRPPRQHWKLFDODQGFXOWXUDOEDOODVWLQ'HQPDUN¶53 Moreover, he states that the Danish folk church generally speaking is non-controversial without actually questioning the legitimacy of this claim.54 Contrary to Iversen, I would argue there are two reasons that the Danish folk church should recapture a more clear sense of being a distinct community of faith. First, if the era of Christendom is over the church must now come to terms with new societal parameters. If not everybody is Christian, it can reasonably be questioned if the church is supposed to create a social cohesion within Danish society or to be responsible for sustaining a common national identity, as Iversen insinuates.55 Second, it is also important for the folk church to recapture a more clear sense of being a distinct community of faith, because the non-conformity of the Danish folk church to Danish society and the mission of the Danish folk church depend on each other. Without a difference between church and society, the church cannot make a difference in society. Hence, without a difference between church and society, the mission of the church will ultimately be undermined.56
Hans Raun Iversen, µDer bør forskes i folkekirken,’ in Christian Daily 2 September 2010. ,YHUVHQµ+RZ&DQD)RON&KXUFKEH0LVVLRQDO&KXUFK"¶ 54 ,YHUVHQµ+RZ&DQD)RON&KXUFKEH0LVVLRQDO&KXUFK"¶ 55 Cf. fn. 52, 53 and 54 above. On the notion of creating social cohesion in society, see also :LOOLDP7&DYDQDXJKµ6HSDUDWLRQDQG:KROHQHVV1RWHVRQWKH8QVHWWOLQJ3ROLWLFDO3UHV- ence of the Body of Christ,’ in For the Sake of the World: Swedish Ecclesiology in Dialogue with William T. Cavanaugh, ed. Jonas Ideström (Eugene: Pickwick Publications, 2009), 25-26. On the notion of sustaining a common national identity, see also Peter Lodberg and %M|UQ5\PDQµ&KXUFKDQG6RFLHW\¶LQNordic Folk Churches: A Contemporary Church History, ed. Gunnar Heiene, Aila Lauha, Peter Lodberg and Björn Ryman (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005), 99-100. 56 See Nikolajsen, 5HGH¿QLQJ WKH ,GHQWLW\ RI WKH &KXUFK, 11. An important argument in my dissertation is that an inescapable distinctiveness is an integral part of ecclesiology, missiology, eschatology, social ethics and epistemology, which is rooted in the church. See fn. 1 above. 52 53
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4. Conclusion: Toward a Scandinavian Missional Ecclesiology? In conclusion, Iversen’s proposal is, in my mind, important and promising. However, I argue it calls for: a Trinitarian framework and a Christological substantiation of the mission of a missional folk church;; an integration of missional ecclesiology and Lutheran ecclesiology;; and, a development RI FRQWH[WXDO OLWXUJLHV DQG PRUH ÀH[LEOH VWUXFWXUHV IRU WKH IRON FKXUFK Also, in my opinion, Iversen’s proposal lacks a profound perception of the importance and relevance of the church as a distinct community of faith. Thus, Iversen’s ecclesiological proposal could be developed further in cooperation with theologians in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. In North America, the Gospel and Our Culture Network has developed a so-called vision for the sending of the church in North America.57 Similarly, Iversen’s ecclesiological proposal could be developed further into a Scandinavian missional ecclesiology. Such an ecclesiological project is, in my mind, of very high relevance for the Scandinavian folk churches, which now exist in multi-cultural and increasingly multi-religious countries.58
Cf. the title of the following book: Darrell L. Guder, Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998). 58 Cf. fn. 10 above. 57