Is God Really Dead in Sweden?

Very interesting article in the Wall Street Journal this weekend on faith and the status of the church in Europe – subtitled: Christian groups are growing, faith is more public. Is supply-side economics the explanation?

I had actually never even considered the concept of supply-side economics as applying to faith – at all. And while I must admit this notion seems to be stereotypical of the WSJ’s blind focus upon economics and the free market, the story provided a very interesting perspective on faith and the church. Add to it the reality of the power of God, and I think we might actually have stumbled upon something good.

The report centers in Sweden, where an angry hotel guest complained to the country’s largest hotel chain about the presence of Bibles in the rooms. They were promptly removed from every room in the chain, causing a rather unexpected outcry from evangelical Christians in Sweden. (who knew there was such a thing)

This one incident reflects a larger growing movement of lively faith in this very secular nation, and the author points to a free market mentality as the reason why. The Church of Sweden is a state-sponsored organization, and as with almost all European state churches recieves a vast majority of its support directly from the state. Therefore the need for competition is non-existent, and the incentives for expanding in the community are few and far between.

The author points to a specific, and rather depressing, case in point: Hedvig Eleonara Church in Stockholm – a parish of the Church of Sweden. This church employs three full-time salaried priests and receives over $2 million annually from the Swedish government – yet on a normal Sunday the sanctuary (built to seat 1,000) sees around 40 elderly parishioners. The head of the church’s governing board “says she doesn’t believe in God, and took the post ‘on the one condition that no one expects me to go each Sunday.’”

Hedvig Eleonara is contrasted with the thriving non-denominational, non-state funded church down the street. Growing at a steady pace, the church has had to move locations to accomodate the crowds. Programs and outreach to the city of Stockholm have increased their numbers, and drawn interest from a wide array of the community.

The article’s author, Andrew Higgins, makes the assumption that churches, like any other enterprise, turn to free market methods of attracting and keeping a congregation when not controlled and funded by the state. He points to America’s religious strength as being a result of our “religious competition”, and freedom of religion as a catalyst for the growth of spirituality.

Very interesting perspective. You can check the article out at www.wsj.com.

Welcome!

Welcome to the new Roebuck Report!  I’ve decided to revamp the website and hopefully add a few new features – all while providing that famous commentary that you all know you can’t live without … or something like that.

I hope you’ll come back regularly, as I will be posting often about a wide variety of topics facing Michigan and the nation.  Also, I’m bringing on a few friends whom you’ll be hearing more from in the near future.

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