John Nathan Kildahl was an American Lutheran church minister, author and educator.

Background

Kildahl was born in Beitstaden parish (Namdalseidet), Nord-Trøndelag

Nord-Trøndelag

is a county constituting the northern part of Trøndelag in Norway. As of 2010, the county had 131,555 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-least populated county. The largest municipalities are Stjørdal, Steinkjer—the county seat, Levanger, Namsos and Verdal, all with between 21,000 and...

, Norway

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...

. Kildahl emigrated as a boy from Norway to rural Goodhue County, Minnesota

Goodhue County, Minnesota

Goodhue County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 46,183. Its county seat is Red Wing. Nearly all of Prairie Island Indian Community is within the county.-History:...

. He was educated at Luther College

Luther College (Iowa)

Luther College is a four-year, residential liberal arts institution of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, located in Decorah, Iowa, USA...

 in Decorah, Iowa

Decorah, Iowa

Decorah is a city in and the county seat of Winneshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 8,172 at the 2000 census. Decorah is located at the intersection of State Highway 9 and U.S...

. He graduated from Luther Seminary

Luther Seminary

Luther Seminary is the largest seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America . Located in the Saint Anthony Park neighborhood of St...

 and was ordained by Bernt Julius Muus

Bernt Julius Muus

Bernt Julius Muus was a Norwegian-American Lutheran minister and church leader. He helped found St. Olaf College.-Background:Muus was born in the parish Snaasen in Throndhjems Stift in Snåsa, Nord-Trøndelag, Norway...

 at St. John's Lutheran Church in Northfield, Minnesota

Northfield, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 17,147 people, 4,909 households, and 3,210 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,452.2 people per square mile . There were 5,119 housing units at an average density of 732.1 per square mile...

.

Career

Kildahl served as a Lutheran pastor at churches in Minnesota and Illinois. Kildahl was called first to Lutheran congregations at Vang and Urland in rural Minnesota. He served as principal and professor at Red Wing Seminary. Later Kildahl was President of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Seminary from 1885–86. In 1889, Kildahl was called to Bethlehem Church in Chicago. Kildahl served as the founding pastor of Trinity Norwegian-Danish Lutheran Church from 1891-1892. Trinity Lutheran Church in Evanston, Illinois

Evanston, Illinois

Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...

 was organized on July 29, 1891 as a member of the United Norwegian Lutheran Church.

In 1899, Kildahl was elected President of St. Olaf College, a position he would hold until 1914. At St. Olaf College, Kildahl recruited a distinguished faculty that included Ole Rolvaag in the humanities and F. Melius Christiansen

F. Melius Christiansen

F. Melius Christiansen was a Norwegian-born violinist and choral conductor in the Lutheran choral tradition.-Background:...

 in music. He also served as pastor of St. John's Church in Northfield, Minnesota from 1899 to 1903. Starting in 1914, he was a professor at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota.

Kildahl was a prolific writer principally regarding matters relating to the Lutheran faith. His original works were written in the Norwegian language. Many of his works were translated into English and published posthumously.

Selected works

• Kirkeraadet har talt ilde(Minneapolis, Augsburg Publishing House. 1904) Norwegian
• Naar Jesus Kommer ind i huset (Minneapolis, Augsburg Publishing House. 1906) Norwegian
• Synd og Naade: Praekener over tredje vaekke af kirkeaarets evengelietekster(Minneapolis, Augsburg Publishing House. 1912) Norwegian
• The doctrinal teachings of Christian Science (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House 1920)
• Dr. John Nathan Kildahl en Mindebok (Augsburg Publishing House Minneapolis. 1921)Norwegian
• Misconceptions of the word and work of the Holy Spirit (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House. 1927)

Additional Sources

• Olaf M. Norlie
  Olaf M. Norlie
  Olaf Morgan Norlie , also referred to as O. M. Norlie, was a Lutheran minister, educator and scholar. He was a prolific author who is most remembered as the translator of the Simplified New Testament.-Background:...
  
  , ed. Norsk Lutherske Menigheter i Amerika, 1843-1916 (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House. 1918) Norwegian
• Johan Arnd Aasgaard
  Johan Arnd Aasgaard
  Johan Arnd Aasgaard was an American Lutheran church leader.-Biography:Johan Arnd Aasgaard was born in Albert Lea, Minnesota. He was educated at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota . He graduated from the United Church Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota...
  
  , ed., Quarter Centennial Souvenir of St. Olaf College, 1874-1899 (Northfield, Mn. 1900)
• C. A. Mellby, St. Olaf College through Fifty Years, 1874-1924 (Northfield, Mn. 1925)
• Ingebrikt Grose
  Ingebrikt Grose
  Ingebrikt Fredrick Grose or Ingebricks F. Grose was an author, college professor and founding president of Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota.-Background:...
  
  , The Beginnings of St. Olaf College (Studies and Records, 5:110-121. Northfield, Mn. 1930)
• William C. Benson High on Manitou: A history of St. Olaf College, 1874-1949 (St. Olaf College Press. 1949)
• Joe Shaw History of St. Olaf College, 1874-1974 (St. Olaf College Press (1974)

External links

• Kildahl Hall at St. Olaf College