Thur, Nov 20th, 2014, 12:00pm-1:20pm (Pick Hall Lounge): 
“Waking Sleeping Beauty? How Group Structures Change Faith and Tradition in Denmark.” -Lars Buur Norlev

Substantial changes in the expression and organizational structure of Christian life are altering the way the Protestant landscape of Denmark has looked for some 150 years. A driving force in these changes is the adaption of churches to facilitate, or build on, group structures which serve to draw in, mobilize and form young Christian Danes from a diverse range of denominational backgrounds.

Based on three studies within the last two years, this paper documents the groups’ existence in the broader Danish context, the attitude of the participants toward religious issues such as sin and hell, and argues that the groups are a very important part of the lives for the majority of young Christians in Denmark and will continue to be so. The paper further argues that contemporary Protestant Christianity is closing a decisive edge for the scope of the faith, and the way in which it is practiced and lived for a good many years into the future.