Debatten bakom Jesusdebatten. Om svenskars tro i dagens Sverige

Abstract

This article summarizes and analyses some of the unpublished material that was sent to Svenska Dagbladet during the intense debate about Jesus in the newspaper in the beginning of 2003. The most outstanding theme in this material was a discussion about faith and knowledge. Other topics that were brought up both in the unpublished material and in the published articles were how one should interpret the narratives in the Bible, and the more profound question of the nature of religious language. The unpublished material though contained some themes that was lacking in the published material; the search for unity among Christians together with personal testimonies and interpretations of the meaning of Christian faith in everyday life. In the article I argue that the debate, both in the published and unpublished articles, primarily shows an interest in what one believes but does not focus on how the belief is embraced. The article concludes that even though fresh theological ideas do not characterise the debate, it is a sign of public acceptance of theological issues.