Desire for Wholeness : the Swedish Church in-between Patrimony and Innovation

An issue of central interest today is the aspiration for wholeness, on the one hand referring to the concept of “healing” (swed: helande), on the other hand to being “whole” (swed: hel); body, mind, soul, spirit and relations. The need and desire to offer a more holistic experience is becoming prominent also within the Swedish Church. This paper addressed some events within the Swedish Church that cater to experiences of wholeness, with the aim of exploring how this is done in practise and how it’s rooted in Christian thought. Events were experienced by participant observation as far as possible and theoretical/theological issues addressed in interviews with initiators, as well as extracted from some current literature. The material was analysed from a hermeneutically inspired stance, addressing different possibilities of interpretation. The study found that the material could be roughly divided into two groups; one turning back toward patrimony and lost traditions for renewed nourishment and enhanced experience, the other turning toward foreign or newer religious/spiritual traditions and movements, applying new practices and concepts. It was noted that current theological discussion of innovation was lagging far behind what was actually being performed in various parishes. Theological debate also seemed to neglect the concept of “healing”, while this aspect came across as being of major importance in most observed events. Theory and practise seemed to live in separate realities. Although lacking in clarity, in common grounds and common values, the Swedish Church was seen to offer a broad and interesting range of holistic experiences, with or without Christian connections