Sweden is the area where we have to prove the future of Christianity in Europe

Regular visitors to this site may have decided that I am making too much of the dire state of religion and the church's waning influence on Sweden's culture and society in general. A clear reading and understanding of the crisis The Salvation Army and all religious groups in Sweden face should serve as a red flag warning of what will follow. Two decades ago Father Peter Hornung, one of the great Jesuits in Sweden said, "Sweden is the area where we have to prove the future of Christianity in Europe. “If we can remain a living church in Sweden, then we can do it in all of Europe. If not, then in 5, 10 or 20 years, all of the traditionally Catholic parts of Europe will be without the Catholic religion, too.” No doubt this alarming impending doom, and its impact elsewhere, is what caused almost a doubling in the number of daily blog visitors and the unusually high retention rate.

Today the Catholic Church is the biggest free church of Sweden with nearly 100,000 Catholics, and if you add in the immigrants who were never entered into the registries, the number perhaps doubles that. Nearly every year we are building new parishes and churches.

During their first three or five years in Sweden, immigrants (the group that represents the largest growth factor) feel at home in the Catholic Church; but then, when they are established and know the language, two-thirds of these Catholics disappear into the normal Swedish population.

What do you mean by “disappear”?

"In Sweden, we have a very small number of active Christians. The latest European Value Studies report says about 9 percent of the population can be called Christians—that is, they believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, life after death, the triune God—traditional dogma. About 3 percent of the population participates in services every Sunday.

In Swedish society, religion is viewed as superstitious, old-fashioned, uninteresting, nonscientific, and fanatical. The Catholic Church has the stamp of being fanatical and fundamentalist because of its stances on abortion, homosexuality, homosexual marriage and the role of women in the church. The evangelical churches are thought too small, too controlling and also too fundamentalist—they quote the Bible all the time, and they do not take on philosophical or theological arguments. The Church of Sweden has a wonderful framework, but the content is uninteresting.

They’re not interested in religion and they’re not interested in God, either. You ask them and they’ll say they don’t need it. They’re not aggressive, they don’t debate, they don’t want to have conflicts. They just tell you they don’t feel the need."

Does Christianity have a future in Sweden?

The European Value Study showed Sweden on the top in the development toward individualism. Each person has his or her own patchwork of individual convictions in theological and ethical questions. Every new generation, then, must be won for God and for the church one by one. And we have to inform our Catholics again and again that you have to swim against the stream at every point.

On the other hand, even besides the refugees, the number of Catholics is steadily increasing. Every year about 100 Swedes convert to the church; the Jesuit review Signum is the most respected national religious newspaper; and our Bishop Anders Arborelius is perhaps the best accepted Christian leader in Sweden. Therefore we look with confidence and optimism to the future.

(Klaus Dietz, S.J. a German who is one of 17 Jesuits working there, has been serving in parish ministry in Sweden for 37 years. Jim McDermott, S.J. an associate editor of America, spoke to Father Dietz in December 2007, about Christianity and secularization in Sweden.)

Thirty years ago there were approximately 5,000 practicing Catholics in Sweden. Today they have increased by twenty fold. SA statistics were shared in an earlier post)

As shared in an earlier article, the church’s’ voice was becoming silent: “the traditional free churches have lost their voice. Missing entirely are the colorful and influential leaders in the Missionary Church, The Salvation Army, the Evangelical Free Church, the Alliance Mission, and Baptist Union… We've been silent, marginalized, unknown in the wider society…And is that not the term for the traditional Free Church collapsing?”

“The list of the ten people who influenced Swedish Christian unity (the last decade) includes 4 Pentecostalists, 3 members of the Swedish Lutheran church, an atheist, Ulf Ekman and Bishop Arborelius. (Catholic)” We've been silent, marginalized, unknown in the wider society…And is that not the term for the traditional Free Church collapsing?

Where was our voice?

Anyone who has taken the time to observe how the army ‘moved’ its leadership in Sweden during the 20 year period 1986 -2006 might well ask why so many and so often? Clearly all were well groomed for leadership roles, with two eventually nominated to be the army’s international leader, and four serving at IHQ as IS, Europe. General John Larsson, born in Sweden, was well known on the army’s stage as a skillful communicator and inspiring and creative corporate executive. Few doubt that had he remained in Sweden for an extended period his voice would have been one of those speaking for all free churches, but he like others was summoned to London!

During the period when TSA experienced its greatest loss in the number of Officers and soldiers, Evangelistic efficiency saw a change of territorial commanders no less than 7 times in that two decade span, and that translates as a new Commissioner every 3 years with some serving less than 2 years and one a mere 14 months before being appointed abroad

Effective leadership in global organizations, according to several Harvard Business School professors, requires a collaborate management style across international borders with English the mandated common language, this to ensure minimum miscommunication and to aid in avoiding culture clash:the costs and benefits of homogeneity.

Of the most recent seven Commissioners, one was from the other side of the army world, and one from a neighboring country. One Commissioner and spouse spoke no Swedish. Communication was further hampered in that their immediate THQ assistant was less than fluent in English. For three TCs and there was the adapting to a new culture. Although Swedish by birth, two had not worked in or been a part of the Swedish SA or country’s culture for several decades.

Each leader contributed positively, but one wonders how much can be achieved in the space of only a year or two with diminishing resources. And, there must have been the question too on which programs needed prioritizing and the cost to sustain them? And with each leader comes initiatives; "which of my initiatives should be prioritized asnd will they be supported and maintained if I move in 12, 18 or 24 months? These are the common concerns faced by every visionary, motivated and fully committed officer.

With the promotion of the CS, American educated and trained Commissioner Birgitta K. Nilsson there was a period of streamlining administrative directives and also adopting creative corps leadership initiatives. Many suggest however, that it was too little to late. The time had come when the limited financial and personnel began to impact negatively causing an ever-smaller band of faithful officers, soldiers and supporters. Much 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generation Salvationist felt excluded and uninformed. Not only was the army’s voice not heard by the country’s political leaders and the general public, those loyal to the army and its mission witnessed a consolidation of leadership strength and saw it as a ‘drawing down of the troops,’ retrenchment rather than rearming.

Sven Ljungholm
Former
Exeter Temple Corps UK