NORWAY, CHURCH OF

Norwegian Norske Kirke, established, state-supported Lutheran church in Norway, which changed from the Roman Catholic faith during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. Unsuccessful attempts were made to win converts to Christianity in Norway during the 10th century, but in the 11th century Kings Olaf I Tryggvason (reigned 995c. 1000) and Olaf II Haraldsson (reigned 101530), each of whom had been baptized outside Norway before becoming king, forced many of their subjects to accept Christianity. Olaf II brought clergy from England to organize the church. After he was killed in battle, he became a national hero and was eventually canonized as Norway's patron saint (1164). The country was primarily Christian by the end of the 11th century. In 1152 the church was organized nationally, with the seat of the archbishop in Nidaros (now Trondheim). The Reformation was brought to Norway by Christian III, king of Denmark and Norway (reigned 153459), who was converted to Lutheranism as a young man. Norwegians officially accepted the new faith in 1539. Roman Catholic bishops and clergy who would not accept Lutheranism were forced out of the church, and the church's property was taken over by the government. By the end of the 16th century the church had been reorganized, and Lutheranism was accepted by most of the people and clergy. During the 17th century, Lutheran orthodoxy prevailed, but in the 18th century the church was influenced by Pietism. A work with a Pietistic emphasis, Truth Unto Godliness, an explanation of Martin Luther's Small Catechism published in 1737 by Erik Pontoppidan, a Danish-Norwegian Lutheran professor and bishop, extensively influenced Norwegian religious life for about 200 years. A Pietistic revival from 1797 to 1804 was led by Hans Hauge, a peasant's son who experienced a religious conversion when he was 25 years old. Although laymen were legally forbidden to preach, Hauge did so throughout the country and established brotherhoods that met for religious study and prayer. Despite being opposed by some of the clergy and being imprisoned several times for his activities, he and his followers remained within the Church of Norway and influenced it greatly. The work of Gisle Johnson, a theological professor from 1849 to 1873 who combined Lutheran orthodoxy and Pietism, also influenced the clergy and people and led to the establishment of mission programs. In the 20th century the church experienced theological disagreements between liberals and conservatives. During World War II the bishops and clergy led the resistance movement against the Nazis, who attempted to control the church after defeating Norway. The bishops gave up their state offices, and almost all the clergy resigned from their parishes, but they continued to work with and were supported by the people. After Germany's defeat, pastors returned to their churches, and the state church again resumed functioning. Norway is divided into dioceses, each headed by a bishop, with the bishop of Oslo as the primate of the bishops. The king and the Storting (parliament) retain power to determine church organization, practices, doctrine, and education in the church. The king has complete freedom in appointing bishops and pastors, and the government has refused to authorize changes in church organization requested by the bishops that would allow more autonomy for the church. Since 1845 a Norwegian could legally withdraw from the state church and join another or no church, but nearly 90 percent retain official membership in the state church. Cultural life Located on the outskirts of Europe and with much of its inland population almost completely isolated until the 20th century, Norway has been able to preserve much of its old folk culture. On the other hand, as seafarers and traders the Norwegians have always received fresh cultural stimuli from abroad. A number of Norwegians have made important contributions in return, notably the playwright Henrik Ibsen and the composer Edvard Grieg. The Norwegian recipients of the Nobel Prize for Literature are Bjrnstjerne Bjrnson, Knut Hamsun, and Sigrid Undset. The arts Although Norway comprises one of the world's smallest language communities, the country is among the leaders in books published per capita. The annual number of new titles is more than 6,000, of which three-fifths are of Norwegian origin. Literature is subsidized through a variety of means, including tax exemption, grants to writers, and government purchasing for libraries. In all, there are about 5,000 public or school libraries, which annually lend some 24 million books. Permanent theatres have been established in several cities, and the state traveling theatre, the Riksteatret, organizes tours throughout the country, giving as many as 1,200 performances annually. The Norwegian Opera, opened in 1959, requires state subsidies (as do most other theatres). Films in Norway are subject to censorship, primarily on grounds of violence and, to a lesser extent, erotic content. The production of Norwegian-made feature films is subsidized, but they usually number about 10 each year. In addition to its National Art Gallery, Oslo opened a special museum in 1963 to honour Edvard Munch, probably Norway's most famous painter. The Sonja HenieNiels Onstad Art Centre, opened in 1968 near Oslo, contains modern art from throughout the world. Norwegian painters of the 20th century have excelled in murals to such an extent that they are rivaled only by Mexican painters. Other artists are world-renowned for their multimedia assemblages, pictorial weaving, and nonfigurative art in sculpture as well as painting. The works of Gustav Vigeland have been assembled in Oslo's Vigeland sculpture park (Frogner Park) in a spectacular display centred around a granite monolith nearly 60 feet (18 metres) high containing 121 struggling figures.