Baptist Union of Denmark
Encyclopedia
The Baptist Union of Denmark is a national organization of Baptists in Denmark
for promoting cooperation in missions, benevolence, and education.
The first work in Denmark generally considered "Baptist" began in 1839 when Julius Köbner, a Danish Jew, visited Denmark and met some individuals holding baptistic views. Köbner was an associate of and co-worker with Johann Gerhard Oncken
(1800–1884), often considered the "father" of European Baptists. Oncken baptized these believers and established a church in Copenhagen in that year. Until 1849, when religious liberty was granted through the Constitution of 1849, Baptists were fined, imprisoned, and their infants baptized by compulsion. The Baptists were instrumental in the obtaining of religious freedom in Denmark.
The Baptist Union was formed in 1849, and remained a part of the German Baptist Union until 1888. In that year, it was reorganized, influenced by the emigration of Danish Baptists to the United States
, and the returning influence of American Baptists on the Danish. The New Hampshire Confession of Faith was adopted in place of the German Confession of 1847. A number of Danish pastors studied at Morgan Park Seminary in Chicago, Illinois. In 1918, they established their own theological seminary.
Doctrinally, the Danish Baptists have evolved from a generally Calvinistic
closed Baptist tradition to a more Arminian ecumenical body. Open communion has been practiced since the 1930s, and today they occasionally accept members from pedobaptist traditions. These Baptists have also changed from a membership of mostly farmers and laborers to an upper middle class membership.
The Baptist Union of Denmark is a member of the European Baptist Federation
, the Baptist World Alliance
, and the World Council of Churches
. According to the Union, membership in 2008 included 5260 members in 50 congregations. Headquarters of the Union are maintained in Copenhagen
. The theological seminary is located in Tølløse
. Baptists make up only a small representation of Christianity
in Denmark, which is predominantly Evangelical Lutheran (the state religion).
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
for promoting cooperation in missions, benevolence, and education.
The first work in Denmark generally considered "Baptist" began in 1839 when Julius Köbner, a Danish Jew, visited Denmark and met some individuals holding baptistic views. Köbner was an associate of and co-worker with Johann Gerhard Oncken
Johann Gerhard Oncken
Johann Gerhard Oncken was a pioneer German Baptist preacher, variously referred to as the "Father of Continental Baptists", the "Father of German Baptists" and the "Apostle of European Baptists". Oncken, Gottfried Wilhelm Lehmann , and Julius Wilhelm Köbner were known as the Baptist cloverleaf ....
(1800–1884), often considered the "father" of European Baptists. Oncken baptized these believers and established a church in Copenhagen in that year. Until 1849, when religious liberty was granted through the Constitution of 1849, Baptists were fined, imprisoned, and their infants baptized by compulsion. The Baptists were instrumental in the obtaining of religious freedom in Denmark.
The Baptist Union was formed in 1849, and remained a part of the German Baptist Union until 1888. In that year, it was reorganized, influenced by the emigration of Danish Baptists to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and the returning influence of American Baptists on the Danish. The New Hampshire Confession of Faith was adopted in place of the German Confession of 1847. A number of Danish pastors studied at Morgan Park Seminary in Chicago, Illinois. In 1918, they established their own theological seminary.
Doctrinally, the Danish Baptists have evolved from a generally Calvinistic
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
closed Baptist tradition to a more Arminian ecumenical body. Open communion has been practiced since the 1930s, and today they occasionally accept members from pedobaptist traditions. These Baptists have also changed from a membership of mostly farmers and laborers to an upper middle class membership.
The Baptist Union of Denmark is a member of the European Baptist Federation
European Baptist Federation
The European Baptist Federation is a federation of 51 Baptist associations and is one of six regional fellowships in the Baptist World Alliance. The EBF was founded in Ruschlikon, Switzerland, in 1949. It lays a great deal of emphasis on human rights, religious liberty and aid programs. The...
, the Baptist World Alliance
Baptist World Alliance
The Baptist World Alliance is a worldwide alliance of Baptist churches and organizations, formed in 1905 at Exeter Hall in London during the first Baptist World Congress.-History:...
, and the World Council of Churches
World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches is a worldwide fellowship of 349 global, regional and sub-regional, national and local churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service. It is a Christian ecumenical organization that is based in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland...
. According to the Union, membership in 2008 included 5260 members in 50 congregations. Headquarters of the Union are maintained in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
. The theological seminary is located in Tølløse
Tølløse
Tølløse is a railroad town, with a population of 3,797 , at the railroad between Roskilde and Holbæk and the railroad from Tølløse to Slagelse operated by Vestsjællands Lokalbaner....
. Baptists make up only a small representation of Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
in Denmark, which is predominantly Evangelical Lutheran (the state religion).