Haugean movement

Haugean was the name of a pietistic state church reform movement intended to bring new life and vitality into a Norwegian State Church which was often characterized by formalism and lethargy. It took its name from the lay evangelist Hans Nielsen Hauge. 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.

Hans Nielsen Hauge worked as a lay preacher at a time when such activity was forbidden by law. The Conventicle Act of 1741 prohibited any religious meetings 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. The pastor was thought to be the only person who could correctly interpret the teachings of the Norwegian State Church. 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.

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.

Because the preaching of Hans Nielsen Hauge coincided with the years during which many Norwegians were immigrating to America, the Haugean influence on Lutheranism in America has been considerable. Within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, both the Hauge Synod and the Eielsen Synod were indications of that influence.

Other Sources

• Gjerde, S.S & Ljostveit, P. The Hauge Movement In America (Published by The Hauge Inner Mission Federation. 1941)
• Eielsen, Sigrid. A Haugean woman in America : the Autobiography of Sigrid Eielsen (Norwegian-American Historical Association. Northfield, Minn., vol. 35. 2000),
• Amundsen, Arne Bugge The Haugean Heritage – a Symbol of National History, (In Search of Symbols. An Explorative Study, Jens Braarvig/Thomas Krogh ,editors, Department of Cultural Studies, University of Oslo, 1997, pp. 214–233)

External links

• Luther Seminary: Hauge Synod
• “Report of the Annual Meeting of the Haugean Churches Held at Lisbon, Illinois, in June, 1854” (translated and edited by J. Magnus Rohne. Norwegian American Historic Association. Volume IV: Page 15