The idea of mission in Finnish clerical Lutheranism during the Continuation War 1941-1944

What is it about?

The article discusses how the war between Finland and the Soviet Union could be justified publicly in relation Christianity. The analysis shows how Finnish Lutheran priests drew upon two versions of missionary thought, the national mission and the world-historical one in order to legitimate an offensive war. The empirical material consists of articles, speeches, sermons and public statements.

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Why is it important?

The article is important for all those who want to examine how religion has been used to justify war - by priests from a democratic country. As such, the topic, i.e. religious rhetoric and war, has relevance today perhaps even more than during WWII.