A rather provocative religion news story came across my screen this morning and it is something Christians should learn from. The Religion News Service reports that the first Norse temple in a 1,000 years will be built in Iceland. It seems Marvel‘s god-like Thor really does have a following.
Norse paganism is the stuff of fables and bedtime stories. If a religion that has been virtually dead for 1,000 years, how can it come back? What about it makes it so interesting? To add to the mystery, the Religion News Service reports the temple’s membership has grown to 2,400 people. The temple’s leader, Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson, high priest of ‘Asatruarfelagid’ (try to say that 10 times fast) said:
“I don’t believe anyone believes in a one-eyed man who is riding about on a horse with eight feet. We see the stories as poetic metaphors and a manifestation of the forces of nature and human psychology.”
If no one really believes in the Norse paganism story or meta-narrative is true, then why are so many Icelandic people gathering to build a new temple?
Much like the news reports of so-called “Atheist churches“, what is really going on with Asatruarfelagid is the human need for community. The existence of the church in Christianity is to be the visible presence of Jesus Christ. In other religions, the same could be said for their deities. Asatruarfelagid is providing a need for Icelandic people to have a common shared identity in their heritage, culture, and community – without the need to ascribe to any Norse god or gods.
This illustrates the need for all people, regardless of nationality or tribe, for community. As Christian churches are scratching their heads trying to figure out how to “attract” people to their church, this Icelandic temple is simply giving people what they are search for: community. Most of the growth in American churches in the last 10 years focuses so much on marketing.
If American Christian churches can stop focusing on gimmicks with catchy sounding church names, light shows, and celebrity preachers, and start focusing on intentional community building, a lot more unchurched folks would populate American churches.
Norse gods aside, Asatruarfelagid has succeeded in something that American churches are failing at: how to connect people to religion – a religion they do not even believe is true! If we American Christians can focus on a disciplining community, rather than a religious consumer community, we can grow our ranks and make the beloved community visible.
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