Sven Oftedal
- For the Norwegian politician by the same name see Sven Oftedal (Norwegian politician).
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Sven Oftedal (March 22, 1844 – March 30, 1911) was a Norwegian American Lutheran minister who helped found the Lutheran Free Church.
Oftedal was born in Stavanger, Norway and studied at the University of Oslo. He came to Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1873 to serve as a professor of the New Testament at Augsburg Seminary, predecessor to Augsburg College. Augsburg was the first seminary founded by Norwegian Lutherans in America. August Weenaas, Augsburg’s first president, had recruited both Sven Oftedal and Georg Sverdrup from Norway to join the faculty. Sven Oftedal and Georg Sverdrup were scholars from prominent Haugean families in Norway who came to Augsburg College, bringing with them a genuinely radical view of Christian education, centered on Scripture and the simple doctrines of Christianity. In time, both Oftedal and Sverdrup would serve as presidents of Augsburg College. Additionally, Oftedal was chairman of the board of regents at Augsburg College for 36 years.[1][2]
It was at Augsburg College that Oftedal, along with Georg Sverdrup, founded the Lutheran Free Church. Sverdrup, Oftedal and others felt their beliefs were being compromised and broke away from the United Norwegian Lutheran Church of America, forming the Lutheran Free Church in 1897. The denomination would exist as a separate synod until 1963.[3][4]
In 1877, Sven Oftedal organized the Folkebladet Publishing Company which would merge in 1922 with the Free Church Book Concern. That company would in turn merge with Augsburg Publishing in 1963. Oftedal was also elected to the Minneapolis School Board and was appointed to the Minneapolis Library Board. Additionally, Oftedal served as pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Minneapolis for five years. Trinity Lutheran Church, which was founded in 1868, was originally a Norwegian immigrant Lutheran church, which would have roots in the Lutheran Free Church.[5]
References
- ^ Standing Fast in Freedom (The Association of Free Lutheran Congregations)
- ^ Georg Sverdrup and the Augsburg Plan of Education (James S. Hamre. Norwegian-American Historical Association. Volume 26: Page 160)
- ^ Norwegian Emigrants with University Training 1830-1880 (Oystein Ore. Norwegian-American Historical Association. Volume 19: Page 160)
- ^ The Years of Our Church (Carlsen, Clarence J. The Lutheran Free Church Publishing Company. Minneapolis, Minnesota. 1941)
- ^ Christian Cyclopedia: Lutheran Publication Houses
Sources
- Chrislock, Carl H., From Fjord to Freeway: 100 Years, Augsburg College (Minneapolis: Augsburg College, 1969)
- Dyrud, Loiell O., The Quest for Freedom: The Lutheran Free Church to The Association of Free Lutheran Congregations (Minneapolis: Ambassador Publications. 2000)
- Fevold, Eugene L., The Lutheran Free Church: A Fellowship of American Lutheran Congregations 1897-1963 (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House. 1969)
- Nichol, Todd W., All These Lutherans (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House. 1986)
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