Aril Edvardsen
Encyclopedia
Aril Snorre Edvardsen was a Norwegian
evangelical
preacher
and missionary
, considered one of the most influential Christian figures of all time from Scandinavia.
In his youth Edvardsen was active in local politics for the Workers' Youth League
, the youth wing of the Norwegian Labour Party
, and also performed in a country music
band. He claimed to have been born again in 1956, an experience which led him to redirect his life towards evangelical work. Then, in 1960, he experienced what he described as a calling, instructing him to start worldwide evangelising through the use of native missionaries.
In 1965 he founded the organisation Troens Bevis, an organisation that would grow to support around 1000 native missionaries around the world. The organisation today includes a multi-media venture, with daily television broadcasts reaching as many as 200 different nations. In 2007 Aril Edvardsen's son Rune took over leadership of Troens Bevis.
Aril Edvardsen was a proponent of reconciliation between Christians and Muslims
, and in 2004 directed heavy criticism against Carl I. Hagen
, then leader of the Progress Party
, for Hagen's derisive comments against the prophet Muhammad
.
Edvardsen married his classmate Kari when he was 17 years old. It was allegedly while his wife was in the hospital giving birth to the couple's first daughter that Edvardsen went along with a friend to the meeting where his conversion happened.
He died 6 September, 2008, in Mombasa
, Kenya
, where he was vacationing with his wife after a missionary campaign in Zanzibar
, Tanzania
. According to friends he had experienced cardiac
problems in a period before his death. Edvardsen's funeral on 15 September 2008 was attended by some 1,500–2,000 people, including among others the Norwegian Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs, Helga Pedersen
.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
evangelical
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
preacher
Preacher
Preacher is a term for someone who preaches sermons or gives homilies. A preacher is distinct from a theologian by focusing on the communication rather than the development of doctrine. Others see preaching and theology as being intertwined...
and missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
, considered one of the most influential Christian figures of all time from Scandinavia.
In his youth Edvardsen was active in local politics for the Workers' Youth League
Workers' Youth League (Norway)
The Workers' Youth League is Norways biggest political youth organization, and is affiliated with the Norwegian Labour Party.AUF took its current form in April 1927, following the merger of Left Communist Youth League and Socialist Youth League of Norway corresponding with the merger of its...
, the youth wing of the Norwegian Labour Party
Norwegian Labour Party
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in Norway. It is the senior partner in the current Norwegian government as part of the Red-Green Coalition, and its leader, Jens Stoltenberg, is the current Prime Minister of Norway....
, and also performed in a country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
band. He claimed to have been born again in 1956, an experience which led him to redirect his life towards evangelical work. Then, in 1960, he experienced what he described as a calling, instructing him to start worldwide evangelising through the use of native missionaries.
In 1965 he founded the organisation Troens Bevis, an organisation that would grow to support around 1000 native missionaries around the world. The organisation today includes a multi-media venture, with daily television broadcasts reaching as many as 200 different nations. In 2007 Aril Edvardsen's son Rune took over leadership of Troens Bevis.
Aril Edvardsen was a proponent of reconciliation between Christians and Muslims
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, and in 2004 directed heavy criticism against Carl I. Hagen
Carl I. Hagen
Carl Ivar Hagen is a Norwegian politician and former Vice President of the Norwegian Parliament. He was the chairman of the Progress Party from 1978 until 2006, when Siv Jensen replaced him as chairman of the party...
, then leader of the Progress Party
Progress Party (Norway)
The Progress Party is a political party in Norway which identifies as conservative liberal and libertarian. The media has described it as conservative and right-wing populist...
, for Hagen's derisive comments against the prophet Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
.
Edvardsen married his classmate Kari when he was 17 years old. It was allegedly while his wife was in the hospital giving birth to the couple's first daughter that Edvardsen went along with a friend to the meeting where his conversion happened.
He died 6 September, 2008, in Mombasa
Mombasa
Mombasa is the second-largest city in Kenya. Lying next to the Indian Ocean, it has a major port and an international airport. The city also serves as the centre of the coastal tourism industry....
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, where he was vacationing with his wife after a missionary campaign in Zanzibar
Zanzibar
Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
, Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
. According to friends he had experienced cardiac
Heart
The heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...
problems in a period before his death. Edvardsen's funeral on 15 September 2008 was attended by some 1,500–2,000 people, including among others the Norwegian Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs, Helga Pedersen
Helga Pedersen (Norway)
Helga Pedersen is the deputy leader for the Norwegian Labour Party.From April to October 2001, during the first cabinet Stoltenberg, she was appointed political advisor in the Ministry of Industry and Trade. In 2005, during the second cabinet Stoltenberg, she was appointed Minister of Fisheries...
.