EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN PEOPLE'S CHURCH OF DENMARK

Danish Evangelisk-Luthereske Folkekirke I Danmark the established, state-supported church in Denmark. Lutheranism was established in Denmark during the Protestant Reformation. Christianity was introduced to Denmark in the 9th century by St. Ansgar, bishop of Hamburg. In the 10th century, King Harald Bluetooth became a Christian and began organizing the church, and by the 11th century, Christianity was gradually becoming accepted throughout the country. In the late Middle Ages the church had become worldly and offered little spiritual leadership. King Christian II (reigned 151323) attempted to reform the church, but the Reformation was brought to Denmark by King Christian III (reigned 153659), who had known Martin Luther and had become a Lutheran. After winning a civil war, Christian III decreed in 1536 that Denmark would be Lutheran. Roman Catholic bishops and clergy who objected were imprisoned or deposed, and the church's property was confiscated by the government. Johannes Bugenhagen, Lutheran Reformer and theologian at Wittenberg, Ger., came to Copenhagen in 1537 to help organize the Lutheran Church of Denmark. German Lutheran orthodoxy influenced Danish Lutheranism in the 16th and 17th centuries. In the 18th century the church was influenced by Pietism, the Lutheran movement that began in Germany and encouraged personal religious experience and reform. As a result, missions, orphanages, and schools were established in Denmark. In the 19th century the outstanding figure in the renewal of Danish church life was N.F.S. Grundtvig (q.v.). During World War II the Danish clergy resisted the Germans who occupied their land. After the war the Danish Church continued as a state church. Although the king and Parliament have legal control over the Danish Church, in practice the church enjoys considerable independence. It is divided into dioceses, each headed by a bishop. The bishop of Copenhagen also supervises the Lutheran churches in Greenland, which is part of the Danish kingdom. As in all Scandinavian countries, the church's official membership includes most of the population, although active participation involves only a small percentage of the people.