Church Resistance to Nazism in Norway, 1940-1945

Acknowledgments

xvii Acknowledgments In a book review published in 1945, Olav Valen-Sendstad observed that the Norwegian church struggle had already created “a huge and highly demanding task for historians (his italics).”1 He was right. In attempting to meet the challenge, I have accumulated multiple debts. To my family, I am most indebted, above all to my wife, Ruthanne, about whom I cannot say enough or thank enough; her love holds me together, her encouragement and support have never wavered, and she has been a discerning critic of the manuscript. My dedication of this book to her is but a token of my love, debt, and gratitude. My deep thanks and gratitude are also due to our daughter Kirsten (Howard) and son Erik, who never—not once—complained about the time taken from them for this project, though I live with regrets My collaborator, friend, and author of the Norwegian companion volume, Torleiv Austad, has been unfailingly supportive, generous, patient, and gracious. Over many years, our discussions have clarified my thought and directed me to overlooked aspects of the subject. We originally planned that his book, Kirkelig Motstand: Dokumenter fra den norske kirkekamp under okkupasjonen 1940–45 med innledninger og kommentarer [Church Resistance: Documents from the Norwegian Church Struggle During the Occupation, 1940–45, with Introductions and Commentary] and mine would be a complementary two-volume set. They are still complementary, but Austad’s book came out in 2005 and this one, for various reasons, did not. Austad’s book is more directed toward specific theological issues, and it provides in depth analyses of xviii · Acknowledgments many ideas that receive more cursory treatment in my book, or that I have had to omit altogether.2 Thanks, also, to friends and professional colleagues who offered suggestions and criticisms of the original and far longer manuscript: Ole Kristian Grimnes, Professor of History Emeritus, University of Oslo; Ivar Kraglund, Deputy Director, Norway’s Resistance Museum; Bernt T. Oftestad, Professor of European Cultural History Emeritus, Norwegian School of Theology; the late Tore Meistad, associate professor, University of Agder; and my friend Jerry Gaither, who provided the perspective of a non-specialist. For advice and letters of support, my thanks go to the late Fredrik A. Norwood, Professor of Church History, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary; the late Franklin D. Scott, Professor of History, Northwestern University; Karl W. Luckert, Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies, Missouri State University; and the late Nils E. Bloch-Hoell, Professor of Missiology and Ecumenics, the Theological Faculty, University of Oslo. I also have received generous support from friends, colleagues, and administrators in the Department of Comparative Cultural Studies at Northern Arizona University: the late Wayne W. “Bill” Mahan, C. T. Aufdemberge , Thomas J. Cleman, Dennis Rusché, and Jason BeDuhn. Thanks also to Henry Hooper for his grant of a laptop when I needed it the most. A special thanks to a number of people, agencies, and institutions who have helped to secure or have supported me with grants: Northern Arizona University for a leave of absence in 1980–81, two one-semester sabbaticals , and several intramural grants; the Fulbright Program for a fellowship in 1980 and an extension grant in 1981; the National Endowment for the Humanities for a fellowship in 1980–81; the Norwegian Information Service and Norwegian Research Council for travel and research grants in 1985; and finally, numerous personnel of the archives and libraries listed in the bibliography who have offered their professional advice and service. Louella Holter, editor, and Eve Paludan, associate editor, Bilby Research Center, Northern Arizona University were a joy to work with, and their thorough editing improved the text and saved me from errors. Many thanks as well to the staff of the University of Washington Press for their patience, encouragement, support, and professionalism, particu- Acknowledgments · xix larly the unfailingly helpful and understanding Tim Zimmermann and Sarah Cohen, copy editor extraordinaire. Tony De Luz, Senior Scientific Illustrator, IDEALAB, Northern Arizona University, is responsible for the diocesan map. Finally, a special thanks to Terje Leiren for encouraging me to submit this manuscript to New Directions in Scandinavian Studies, recommending it to the press, and, I am sure, being instrumental in the University of Washington’s Department of Scandinavian Studies providing a publication grant from the Scandinavian Studies Publication Fund. To the Department itself, thank you. Every effort has been made to check for errors, and those that remain are my responsibility. ...