Lumen is an interdisciplinary network funded by Aarhus University’s Committee for Research and External Cooperation.

Scientific scope

The LUMEN-network operates with the thesis that current theories of Protestantism, especially Lutheranism, do not grasp relevant aspects regarding the relation between religion and the individual, society, and state.

The Nordic Countries offer a unique field of study for these aspects, since they share a history that is thoroughly shaped by the mono-confessional status Lutheranism gained in post-reformation period and is still holding, even if challenged, in present times.

Aim of the network

The network aims to provide an interdisciplinary method to understand the influence from religion on the development of society, and a large-scale theory addressing the more specific question of the influence from Lutheranism on the development of the distinct Nordic societies. Therefore it raises a platform for the study of confessional and cultural characteristics of the Lutheran reformation and the influence of Lutheran mentality upon the societal development in the Nordic Countries.

Lutheranism as confessional culture

Thomas Kaufmann’s notion of confessional culture seems to be suitable for interdisciplinary research, since it combines a broad concept of culture with the specific concept of confession. In contrast to the confessionalization paradigm does it not focus on the general but on the particular. In addition the notion of confessional culture allows for meaningful variations and is therefore able to include divergent tendencies, too.

The new theology of the Lutheran reformers, Luther himself and Melanchthon, refigured the God-human-relationship in a fundamental way with immediate consequences for the individual’s place in the world.

This new understanding finds its expression, among others, in the social metaphors that are used to phrase the Reformation’s core concerns. Therefore the Reformation contains a series of “social imaginaries” (cf. Charles Taylor) that influenced everyday life and social development.

Lutheranism represents a particular form of Protestantism, with a spirit different from that of Calvinism (cf. Max Weber). Because currently dominant theories of Protestantism are based on Weber and Taylor, is there a need for a collective that takes into account the Lutheran specificities.

Nordic Countries as mono-religious investigation area

The Nordic Countries represent very distinct types of states and societies marked by a social welfare, widespread gender equality, a low level of corruption and a high level of trust, an astonishing homogenity, a special understanding of the relation between state and individual, secularization, and strong support of the main churches.

Contemporary challenges

Societal transition, where new ways of political government coming from non-Lutheran cultures become dominant, and new agendas for the relation between religion and politics require a timely illumination of major changes in contemporary society, which the LUMEN-network intends to provide. In this context the understanding of the Lutheran heritage in the Nordic model for democracy, gender equality and social welfare is crucial for a dialogue about these issues with the wider world, but also in the current debate about the welfare state.