History
It is widely believed by historians that the first organized groups of people
to settle Denmark arrived in the 5th or 6th century AD. Vikings struck out
from the Danish and Norwegian lands and conquered a large part of England
they called the Danelaw in the 780s. Later, Danish kings completed the conquest
of England.
Canute II, a powerful Danish king, completed the Christianization of Denmark
several years after the conquest of England. Denmark was a powerful political
and economic force in the Baltic Sea for several centuries and played a
large part in the Thirty Years’ War during the Reformation period.
As a result, Denmark became an official Lutheran state and remains so today.
Denmark was neutral in World War I, but was invaded and conquered by the
Nazis in WWII. However, in 1943 it became one of the first European nations
to be liberated by the Allies. Danish courage and compassion during the
Nazi occupation is well known. The king of Denmark ordered that the Danish
fleet be burned rather than fall into Nazi hands. Also, the Danes evacuated
thousands of Jews to Sweden just before the Nazis could exterminate them.
After the war, Denmark was a founding nation of NATO and the United Nations.
Church
History
Denmark is one of the most secular countries in the world, but the roots
of Pentecostalism have survived. The Pentecostal message came to Denmark
in 1907 under the ministry of the Norwegian Pastor, T. B. Barrat. In 1947,
an Assemblies of God minister, V. B. Griesen, visited Denmark and preached
in several churches. Many received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. From
these events, Pentecostal churches joined together in founding a Christian
school in the city of Mariager in 1955. It eventually was named the Danish
Pentecostal Bible School.
The
Movement Today
The largest Pentecostal church in Denmark today is the Copenhagen Christian
Cultural Center located in the capital city. This church draws people in
by hosting a wide variety of cultural and educational events. The church
also actively sponsors church planting, literature distribution and gospel
television programming in the city. Though Denmark has never experienced
a major spiritual renewal, the Fellowship there has faith that it will come
soon.
The Pentecostal movement in Denmark (Pinsebevaegelsen) reports the following
statistics: 43 churches and preaching points and 5,350 members and adherents.
Additional
Facts About Denmark
Capital:
Copenhagen
Area:
16,639 square miles
Population:
Nearly 5.4 million
Religion: 90 percent Lutheran, 10 percent other religions
Urbanization: 85 percent
Agriculture:
Grains and potatoes
Industry: Food processing, machinery, textiles, furniture
and electronics |
