Finnish theologian Dr Minna Hietamäki. Photo: LWF
Ecumenical scholar Dr Minna Hietamäki reflects on some cultural and religious trends in her country
(LWI) – For Finnish theologian Dr Minna Hietamäki, the search for reconciliation and unity among Christians is a crucial part of the church’s identity and witness. In a country which continues to identify strongly in terms of Lutheran faith and culture, she asks, “how can we be a credible voice in society if we remain divided?”
As a young theology student in the 1990s and 2000s, Hietamäki specialized in the history of 20th century ecumenical relations, writing a PhD on the bilateral dialogues between Lutherans, Anglicans and the Roman Catholic Church. Not long after that, she served as a member of the World Council of Churches’ Faith and Order Commission and later took part in the Lutheran dialogue with Methodists in Finland which reached a significant agreement.
After working for many years as a senior lecturer in theology at the University of Helsinki, she now serves as theological advisor to Archbishop Tapio Luoma, head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. A former member of The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Council and current advisor to its Committee for Ecumenical Relations, she continues to see the wider international and ecumenical dimensions as key to the future of the church in Finnish society.
Tell me something about your family background?
We were not really a churchgoing family, but we were a typical Finnish cultural Christian family, so we celebrated Christmas and Easter. My grandmother was from a more pietistic background, so she had a kind of private piety, but she did not go to church either. The culture at school was also very Lutheran, in the sense that we would start our morning singing a psalm and we would pray before meals.
Remember that before it gained independence in 1917, Finland had been an autonomous part of Orthodox Russia, so the identity of this geographical region was based on the language and faith of the Lutheran church. For us, it is often difficult to identify the religious part of our life because Lutheranism is so culturally infused in us.
When did you first become interested in ecumenism?
As a teenager, at the same time that I became active in the church because my local parish in Helsinki, where I still live, was very ecumenically oriented. I began teaching confirmation classes and our youth pastor liked to take groups to Taizé, so I went there every Easter when I finished high school.
I also went there to contemplate what I wanted to do with my life, and I chose theology. Taizé is a profound experience of the idea that the church is present with its different traditions and outlooks, its variety of cultures and languages. Finland was a very monocultural place in the 1990s, but Taizé reminded me that we are only a part of the picture, and it became self-evident to me that we should not be fragmented.
How much has Finnish society changed since those days?
On the surface it has not changed too much, with statistics showing that close to 70 percent of the population still belongs to the Lutheran church. Over the past three decades, the number of Muslims has increased significantly. Our largest historical minority was the Finnish Orthodox Church, but Pentecostals are growing, and many Lutherans also identify as Pentecostal, so it is hard to tell the exact numbers.
We are receiving a lot of refugees from Ukraine with an Orthodox background but culturally we are still a very Lutheran country. We are seeing a decline in the number of kids being baptized, with parents not so much opposed to the church, but rather wanting their children to have a choice.
So it is becoming a more secular society?
It is still compulsory to take some religious education or ethics at school, according to one's own religious belonging. Baptisms are down, but confirmation school is still a very popular element of our youth culture, even for those who are not baptized. I think it speaks to the popularity and cultural significance of our confirmation school that the Humanist Association has created a very similar summer camp format for those who are not members of any faith community.
At the same time, we are seeing a resurfacing of spiritual seeking which draws people to religious communities, but I guess the main change is that religion has become a life choice. Still, many people are making that choice, with the latest surveys showing that religious questions are particularly interesting for younger men, possibly connected to a rise in conservative values.
You have spent a great part of your career teaching theology - how easy is it to find up-and-coming young ecumenists?
If you look at how students of theology are specializing, it is usually the men doing systematics and the women doing practical theology, although in general students now are choosing more practical applications, which worries me as a systematics theologian. The number of applicants to study theology remains high and ecumenism among young people is doing well, although I think interest specifically in the doctrinal dialogues is declining, possibly as relations improve and formal barriers seem irrelevant, so maybe this is a product of the success of the ecumenical movement.
You have been involved in planning the upcoming sixth phase of dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church - what can you tell us about that?
I think we may be approaching a similar phase to the early 1990s, when the LWF took the conscious decision to harvest the fruits of regional and national dialogues. This resulted in the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, which is today recognized as one of the main ecumenical agreements, with which other traditions have associated.
Maybe we are approaching a time of similar questions concerning the nature of the church which is especially important for the Catholics. For Lutherans, justification is key to what it is to be church, but we would also like a more extensive discussion which includes ministry and sacraments. Of course, the length of each dialogue phase is never prescribed, but I think we have done a lot of good theological work in the past 30 years and if we can lean on that and trust each other, then I think this is possible.
Alongside your ecumenical commitments you now work as advisor to the archbishop - what does this entail?
The archbishop has three theological advisors, including one working on media relations and another working on international ecumenical affairs. My role is mainly focused on advocacy and relations to the wider society, meaning that I am involved if he wants to make a statement on some issues regarding our government policies, for example.
I am also involved in the ethics seminars that our church organizes for people in leadership positions. We take about 30 people for eight days over the course of one year and we have a similar format of seminars for younger people aged under 35 years old. We also organize similar meetings in Belgium, for Finnish people working within the European Union and the wider European region, so I work on these and anything else that the archbishop needs in terms of theological questions.
What does it mean for you to be a part of the global communion of churches?
For me it is really crucial, because, as I mentioned, my entry into active parish life began through this kind of international involvement. When you are a member of a local congregation, you are concerned with very local questions. At regional and national level, Lutheran churches can have a very strong national identity which is not so appealing to me, it feels somehow like standing in stagnant water.
But I find it completely meaningful to look at my own church from the viewpoint of the experiences of others in very different contexts. It inspires me and gives me a lot of hope that this kind of established church can also provide inspiration and be meaningful in other people’s lives too.
