Illuminated Norwegian Church Crosses Controversy, Evangelical Focus
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A recent controversy in the Norwegian town of Skien may highlight a trend towards increasing secularization, as some people seem to have low tolerance for Christian symbols in public.
The newly built Skauen Church, owned by the Telemark branch of the Evangelical Lutheran Church Society (DELK), was consecrated in August. The congregation was not aware of the problems to come when they decided to light up the interior of the cross atop the church steeple.
Some neighbors in the suburb initially complained that the light was too bright, but they did not object to the cross. the the brightness has been lowered twice to accommodate those who live nearby. But it was not over yet.
Later in the fall, another neighbor complained, not to the church, but to city officials, saying the illuminated cross was inappropriate because people in the area had different religious or non-religious views. Many seeing the cross might be offended, said this citizen.
âThe illuminated cross is annoying because we live in a residential area with a diversity of perspectives on life. It’s provocative because it towers over and lights up the neighborhood 24 hours a day, “the complainant told the local newspaper. Telemarksavisa, who first wrote about the conflict.
Fred arve fahre, the pastor of the church in Skauen, which has cost the congregation some 8 million euros to build, says they are in dialogue with the authorities. He points out that the neighbor who complains to the authorities underlines his dissatisfaction with the cross as a Christian symbol.
“It is the cross itself that is the problem”, Fahre said to Christian News Agency (KPK). âWe think it’s a great crossover. It’s not very flashy or big, âhe adds.
The pastor also informs KPK that the the complainant lives some 300 meters away. Between his house and the church there are several other houses as well as a football field with four huge spotlights.
At Facebook many commented on the case. An unofficial tally shows that most people have no problem with an illuminated cross on a church tower. This also matches the impression of Pastor Fahre.
But the case is not over. Just recently, the local building authority decided that the church should request special permission be allowed to keep the light inside the cross on, as the light was not pre-approved prior to the construction of the church. The congregation has not yet decided whether or not to apply.
The Skien case is not unique. In the Norwegian capital, Oslo, another church had problems a few years ago after installing light inside their cross, provoking violent protests from some neighbors.
Bjølsen Methodist Church was built in the mid-1950s, with a cross on the roof of the flat tower. After several decades, the base of the cross was rotten, so it had to be taken apart. Then in 2017 it was put back in place, and that’s when the problems started. When the cross was reinstalled, it was illuminated, which was not originally the case.
In the densely populated apartment building district of Bjølsen, many have reacted against this. Some just found the light annoying, others reacted against the cross as such and also against its size.
“I totally reject the idea of ââsuch a huge publicity for an ideology belonging to the past â, declared a complainant according to the daily Christian Land of VÃ¥rt.
The newspaper also quoted another person’s explosion: “It has been a long time since I moved away from the tragic influence of religions on people’s lives, and this is kind of publicity that I would not like. not have around. We have religious freedom in Norway, and that means bright signs in the form of an iron age torture tool shouldn’t be forced on meâ.
The authorities looked into the matter and the church had to remove the lights inside the cross, but the Christian community was allowed to have spotlights to illuminate it.
Pastor Steinar Hjerpseth told KPK that there was less reaction thereafter, but that they heard negative and positive feedback from the inhabitants of the region.
Electrically lit Christian signs are nothing new in Norwegian urban areas. In fact, such a sign is one of the very first illuminated signs ever installed in the countryside.
 The light sign Jesus verdens lys (Jesus the light of the world) by Breiavannet in Stavanger has become an icon in city and is actively protected. / Photo: Dreyer Boks Fotosamling.
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It happened in Stavanger, in the middle of Norway’s biblical belt, where an apostolic church has installed a sign on its roof in the 1920s. The sign says Jesus the light of the world, and was hosted by Pastor Olaf Kostøl who had been to Portland, Oregon and took the idea with him on his return from the United States.
In Stavanger, the light panel is not only accepted by the general public, but actively protected by local authorities as a artefact of high cultural value, symbolizing the Christian house of prayer and the culture of the church in the city and region.
Posted in: Evangelical focus – europe
– Controversy over illuminated Norwegian church crosses
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