The Religious Origins of Democratic Pluralism focuses on explaining one of the riddles that fascinated historians and political scientists through much of the twentieth century, namely, the origin and development of Swedish social democracy. While other countries in Europe experienced dramatic swings between radical and conservative political parties, which resulted in tragic experiments with totalitarian regimes, Sweden by contrast miraculously seemed to avoid these extremes, and maintain...

Beginning in the 1830s and stretching into the first decades of the twentieth century, the Lutheran state churches of Scandinavia experienced a great spiritual awakening. At the center of this movement were devotional materials and sermons made accessible through colporteurs and booksellers throughout Scandinavia, as well as among immigrants in North America. Two of the most influential and widely-read authors of this period were the Swedish preachers, Carl Olof Rosenius (1816-1868) and Pa...

Called to Reckon offers a non-traditional history of Augustana College by centering the narratives of racially and ethnically diverse students and educators often overlooked in the institution’s past. The book traces how the college, founded by Swedish Lutherans with a mission to educate for the common good and “serve the neighbor so that all may flourish,” has been challenged to live up to these values over its 160-year history.