The Haugean movement or Haugeanism (Norwegian : haugianere) was a Pietistic state church reform movement intended to bring new life and vitality into the Church of Norway, which had been often characterized by formalism and lethargy. The movement emphasized personal diligence, enterprise and frugality. [1] [2]
The Haugean movement took its name from the lay evangelist Hans Nielsen Hauge (1771–1824). It played an important part in nurturing the democratic folk movement of the time, and stimulating the entrance into politics of representatives of the rural population. It increased tensions between the more privileged classes and the common people, as well as between the clergy and the laity. [3] [4] [5]
Hans Nielsen Hauge worked as a lay preacher at a time when such activity was forbidden by law. The Conventicle Act of 1741 (Konventikkelplakaten) prohibited any religious meetings (conventicles) not authorized by the state church: a response to radical Pietism within Norwegian cities. The act decreed that religious gatherings could be held only under the supervision of a state-approved minister of the Church of Norway. The pastor was thought to be the only person who could correctly interpret Christian teachings. The ministers had the sole right to administer the sacraments, and as a public official he was accountable to the state for the Christian indoctrination of his flock. [5] [6]
Hauge came to feel that he had a divine call which made it mandatory for him to break this law and proclaim the word of God directly among his fellowmen. He advocated a priesthood of all believers. He felt that people had to be awakened to a consciousness of their sins before they could begin to gain salvation through the grace of God. According to Hauge's views, the state church failed to provide parishioners with a personal religious experience. Hauge’s religious teachings were therefore viewed as attacks on the state church and its ministers. [7] [8]
Over a period of 18 years, Hauge published 33 books. Hauge traveled, mostly by foot, throughout much of Norway. Hauge was arrested several times and faced state persecution. He was imprisoned no less than fourteen times between 1794 and 1811, spending a total of nine years in prison. Upon his release from prison in 1811, he took up work as a farmer and industrialist at Bakkehaugen near Christiania (now Oslo). He later bought the Bredtvet farm (now the current site of Bredtvet Church in Oslo) where he lived out his life. [9]
In the movement's early days, Hauge's emphasis on equality between men and women was a key aspect; women such as Sara Oust served as lay preachers. [10]
The teachings of Hauge had considerable influence with Norway. Within commerce, many Haugeans launched industry initiatives, including mills, shipyards, paper mills, textile industry and printing house. Within political activities, three Haugeans – John Hansen Sørbrøden, Christopher Borgersen Hoen and Ole Rasmussen Apeness – were in attendance at the National Assembly at Eidsvoll in 1814. [13]
Within popular culture, the character Solveig in Peer Gynt (1876) by Henrik Ibsen is presented as a member of a Haugean family, and this religious affiliation is clearly related to her purity and steadfast love for the play's protagonist. Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson's work Synnøve Solbakken (1857) also presents the heroine as a Haugean with similar purity and commitment to her eventual betrothed, Thorbjørn. A vivid picture of Haugeans appears in the novels of Alexander Kielland. Adolph Tidemand portrayed Hauge and his followers in the painting Haugianerne (1852). [14] [15] [16]
In September 1817 de Zee Ploeg , a ship with 500 immigrants from Württemberg, Germany, including a number of Rappites (followers of Pietist separatist George Rapp), was forced to stop in Norway because of poor weather conditions. Staying in Bergen for about a year and provided with housing by the authorities, they were warmly accepted by the Haugeans. The two groups found much in common and held devotions together, with some of the Germans learning Norwegian during their stay. Samson Trae, a Haugean leader, noted that "It gave us extreme joy to realize that the foundation of your faith accords with the true word of God." [17] After Rapp's followers left to settle in the United States, the two groups remained in contact for at least some time. In one letter, the Rappites stated, "Our hearts have often longed for your loving and edifying company since we came to America. We have longed more for Bergen than for Germany because of the love with which you received us and re-freshed us in body and spirit." [18] [19] [20]
The influence of Hans Nielsen Hauge within Norway coincided with the years during which many Norwegians were immigrating to North America. The Haugean influence on Lutheranism in America has been considerable. For example, the first Norwegian Lutheran minister in the United States was a Haugean. [21] Lutherans in the U.S. had a Hauge Synod, Eielsen Synod, and Lutheran Free Church all indicative of that influence. He is honored and his writings are studied by American Laestadians, also called Apostolic Lutherans. (Most Laestadian denominations did not merge.) Hauge is remembered on the liturgical calendar of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America on March 29 as one of the renewers of the church. [22]
In opposition to the Haugean movement's perceived legalistic, excessive focus on works righteousness, the Strong Believers movement was formed. Its leader, lay preacher Knud Spødervold, published his book Guds nådes husholdning ('The Dispensation of God's Grace') in 1848. It was a polemic theological critique of the Haugeans, Moravian Church, Quakers, and others. [23] [23] This resulted in a "fierce bitterness" between the Haugeans and Spødervold. [24]
Hans Nielsen Hauge was a 19th-century Norwegian Lutheran lay minister, spiritual leader, business entrepreneur, social reformer and author. He led a noted Pietism revival known as the Haugean movement. Hauge is also considered to have been influential in the early industrialization of Norway.
Cleng Peerson was a Norwegian emigrant to the United States; his voyage in 1824 was the precursor for the boat load of 52 Norwegian emigrants in the following year. That boat load was a precursor for the main wave of Norwegian immigration to the United States.
Elling Eielsen was a Norwegian-American minister and Lutheran Church leader. He was the first Norwegian Lutheran minister in the United States.
The Hauge Synod was the name of a Norwegian Lutheran church body in the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century.
The Norwegian Lutheran Church in the United States is a general term to describe the Lutheran church tradition developed within the United States by immigrants from Norway.
Ole Kristian Hallesby was a conservative, Norwegian Lutheran theologian, author and educator.
Michel Nielsen Grendahl was a Norwegian farmer, shipbuilder and politician.
Andreas Hauge was a Norwegian priest, educator, editor and hymn writer. He also served as a representative in the Norwegian Parliament.
Bredtvet is a neighborhood in the borough of Bjerke in Oslo, Norway.
Arent Bjørnsen Solem was a Norwegian merchant and a prominent member of the Haugean Movement (haugianere).
Randi Andersdatter Solem, née Randi Lauvaas, was a religious organiser. She was married to Arent Bjørnsen Solem.
Berte Canutte Aarflot was a Norwegian Christian hymnwriter and author within the Haugean Movement (haugianere).
Christopher Borgersen Hoen was a Norwegian farmer and politician.
Hovel Helseth was a Norwegian industrial entrepreneur and politician. He was a pioneer in the Norwegian textile industry in the first half of the 1800s.
John Hansen Sørbrøden was a Norwegian farmer, lay preacher and politician.
Sara Oust was a Norwegian lay minister and follower of Hans Nielsen Hauge. She has been described as the country's first female Christian minister and was a leader within the Haugean movement.
Einar Amdahl was a Norwegian theologian. Einar Amdahl led the Norwegian Missionary Society for more than 30 years.
Johan Storjohann was a Norwegian priest, educator and non-fiction writer. He is most associated with the establishment of the Norwegian Seamen’s Mission.
The Conventicle Act was a decree issued 13 January 1741 by King Christian VI of Denmark and Norway and forbade lay preachers from holding religious services – conventicles – without the approval of the local Lutheran priest. The law was repealed in 1839 in Denmark and 1842 in Norway, which lay the groundwork for freedom of assembly.
The Strong Believers is a theologically conservative Norwegian Christian movement, with roots in the Lutheran Church of Norway, in opposition to the Haugean movement. They split from the Church of Norway in 1890.
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