The Social Democrats Want to Abolish the Church’s Traditional View of Marriage – “Risks Splitting the Church”

The Social Democrats want the Church of Sweden to abandon its traditional Christian view of marriage and recognize only the gender-neutral one. Researcher Per Ewert warns that the proposal could have far-reaching consequences and in the worst case lead to a split in the church.

Since 2009, the Church of Sweden has accepted two parallel views on marriage. Alongside the traditional Christian view of marriage as a covenant between a man and a woman, there is the gender-neutral view of marriage, which was introduced after the Swedish parliament amended the marriage laws that same year.

The Social Democrats now want to scrap that compromise. In a motion to the Church Assembly, “Wedding and Marriage,” the party, together with three other nomination groups, proposes that the Church of Sweden from now on should have only one view of marriage – the gender-neutral one.

Per Ewert, Ph.D. and researcher on internal secularization within Protestant communities, strongly criticizes the initiative in an opinion piece in Svenska Dagbladet. He describes the motion as a “church political atom bomb” and warns that the consequence could be a church split.

Wants to Abolish the 2009 Compromise

Ewert’s main objection is that the Social Democrats are no longer satisfied with the gender-neutral view of marriage merely being accommodated within the Church of Sweden. If the motion succeeds, the traditional view would no longer be recognized as an equal position in the community.

According to Ewert, this would represent a much larger change in principle than the 2009 decision. He emphasizes that marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman is not a recent conservative interpretation but has been the prevailing Christian view since the beginnings of the church and still predominates in much of global Christianity.

“Marriage as an exclusive, lifelong relationship between a woman and a man is a consistent red thread throughout the entire Bible,” writes Ewert.

He also points out how, in his view, the Church of Sweden has gradually adapted its theology to changes in secular society. When parliament made the marriage law gender-neutral in 2009, the church soon followed. The difference now, according to the researcher, is that even the space for priests and groups holding on to the traditional Christian view of marriage may disappear.

Warns of International Experiences

Ewert also refers to developments within other Protestant churches. In recent years, the issue of same-sex relationships and marriage has caused deep conflicts within, among others, the Methodist and Anglican churches.

The tensions have been especially pronounced between liberal churches in the West and more theologically conservative, fast-growing churches, particularly in Africa. In several places, these conflicts have led to formal splits within denominations.

The Church of Sweden today. Image: Västerås Diocese / Facebook.

Ewert argues that, up until now, the Church of Sweden has been able to hold together both progressive groups and Christians who want to maintain traditional biblical interpretation through the 2009 compromise. According to him, the Social Democrats’ motion threatens to make such coexistence impossible.

“Marriage has such a central role in Christian faith and tradition that it cannot be negotiated away or compromised,” he writes.

“Church split” if the proposal passes

Ewert also criticizes the Church of Sweden’s party-political structure. He describes the system, where political parties and other nomination groups compete for power in the Church Assembly, as unique internationally and argues that the Social Democrats’ motion illustrates how secular party politics can have a direct impact on theological issues.

He notes that groups within the Church of Sweden holding a traditional Lutheran and biblically-based view of marriage have so far accepted the arrangement where two views coexist. However, demanding only the gender-neutral view be accepted, according to Ewert, would fundamentally change the conditions.

He describes a situation where a church forbids its historic view of marriage in favor of what currently holds in secular society as exceptional in church history. The consequences, he warns, may therefore be much greater than the Social Democrats anticipate.

“If the Church Assembly really were to vote through the Social Democrats’ proposal […] one must also be aware that this would effectively force a church split.”

The Doctrine Board Gets a Central Role

The motion now lies with the Church of Sweden’s Doctrine Board, which is to assess proposals based on the church’s faith, confession, and teaching before the Church Assembly makes a decision. The Doctrine Board has previously opposed attempts to totally abolish the traditional view of marriage and instead supported the arrangement where both views can be represented within the Church of Sweden.

Ewert therefore believes the board is now facing a decisive choice. If the Social Democrats, despite previous objections, manage to push through their proposal, he doubts that the theologically conservative groups will simply accept the change.

In light of the splits already seen in international Protestantism, he goes so far as to say that a similar development in the Church of Sweden is almost inevitable if the motion becomes reality.

Thus, according to Ewert, the fight is no longer just about whether the Church of Sweden should allow gender-neutral marriages. It is about whether the view of marriage the church itself has maintained throughout virtually its entire history will continue to exist within the community.