Bortom syndakatalogen : en studie av svensk frikyrklig etik från 1930-talet till 1990-talet

Sammanfattning: The dissertation describes and characterises ethical reflection in the Swedish Free Churches during the period from the 1930s to the 1990s. It is built primarily on two sources of material. The first one is a summary of discussions and statements on marriage, divorce and remarriage from books, journals and papers, mainly from two denominations: the Swedish Covenant Church and the Örebromission. The second source consists of views on matters related to Christian life style from forty-four interviews with active Free Church members divided into three age groups. A brief introduction to the Free Church movement in Sweden is given providing a picture of the context. After a structured presentation of the source material in the second part of the disseration, a theological-ethical analysis is carried out in part three. This is the central section of the study. The chapters deal with the relation between the believer and “the world”, what values and virtues that are accepted and promoted, the relation between the individual and his/her group, and the use of authoritative sources in ethical reflection. Each chapter is concluded by a discussion in light of the presentation. In three final chapters some additional issues are treated. First a comparison is made with the ethical values in some other contemporary movements in Sweden. Secondly some possible causes for change are mentioned. Finally it is argued that the ethical reflections of the Free Churches are homogenious enough to be viewed as one tradition, with tensions, continuity and changes.