Swedish archbishop Nathan Söderblom (1866–1931) has been discussed in numerous works since the 1930s, most recently among which now includes a new biography by Jonas Jonson (b. 1939), Swedish bishop and scholar, also well-known for his ecumenical activities. This lively work, written for a wide readership, is especially timely in light of the upcoming centennial marking 100 years since, in autumn 1919, Söderblom first came up with the idea of building an international ecumenical council.
Söderblom was, by no means, the first visionary of Christian unity, but the results of earlier endeavors toward this goal had been meagre. Some success was met by so-called “alliance-ecumenical” organizations, such as the YMCA or the World Student Christian Federation. These organizations aimed not to achieve doctrinal consensus but rather to unite Christians by emphasizing the shared reality of personal Christian conviction.
Jonson's biography shows that Söderblom was affiliated with alliance-ecumenical organizations already early in his life and, through them, formed his earliest foreign contacts, establishing friendships with prominent persons in European ecumenical circles and even travelling to the United States to meet Dwight L. Moody and John R. Mott.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, ecumenical efforts made new strides. In the United States, the Faith and Order movement was founded, with the purpose of fostering doctrinal and organizational discussions. According to Jonson, this project remained distant from Söderblom's orbit. Instead, he was strongly drawn to the efforts of the World Alliance for International Friendship through the Churches (WA), founded in 1914. Throughout the World War I and thereafter, the WA had endeavored to help Christian churches promote peace, disarmament, universal rights for minorities, and support the work of the League of Nations. At least in part because it did not explicitly foster concrete plans for the unification of Christian churches, the WA gained Söderblom's warm support.
However, the activities of the WA would eventually prove too narrow for Söderblom's aspirations. According to Jonson, Söderblom sought wider ecumenical aims. In 1919, he came up with the ambitious idea of an organized ecumenical movement wherein different churches would be the official members. Söderblom did not live long enough to witness the formation of the World Council of Churches in 1948; he died in 1931 at the early age of sixty-five. Shortly before his death, in 1930, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of the peacemaking efforts of his inter-church activities.
Söderblom's ecumenical career is a central theme in this study, but not the only one. Some of the most interesting parts of Jonson's study are the chapters describing Söderblom's youth and his education as a theologian. A rather conservative-minded son of a pastor, his education in parish studies theology at the University of Uppsala pitted him against new and bewildering theological ideas, such as historical criticism in the field of exegetical studies and the theological and ethical views of Ritschl and Harnack. Jonson produces a many-sided analysis of an enthusiastic theologian, grounding his study in the appropriate historical and ideological context. A particular strength of Jonson's work is his illustration of what the study of theology in the Nordic countries in the 1880s and 1890s entailed.
Johnson also describes how Söderblom evolved as a theologian later in life. Themes such as ethics, social responsibility, mutual understanding, and mutual respect remained important to him throughout the course of his life. In addition, he was artistically talented and therefore saw culture as one of the relevant fields for Christianity.
The chapters describing Söderblom's authority and valuation in Sweden and within the Lutheran Church, his home church, are the most illuminating. Elected archbishop in 1914 against the will of all the Swedish bishops and perhaps even the clergy, Söderblom remained a rather lonely figure in his own church. Here, Jonson brings to light those features of Söderblom's character that often irritated even some of his friends, such as his grandiose self-confidence or his tendency toward theatricality. What emerges is a vivid picture of a stout and radiant man, at once human and touching.
In the context of Sweden, this true cosmopolite was as different from the masses as a hummingbird is from a sparrow. It is no wonder that he was alternately disapproved of and envied. Nevertheless, intellectuals and artists accepted and admired him, and he also commanded influential social and political networks which helped him secure funds for his ecumenical projects.
Many aspects of Söderblom's private life as a private person remain hidden. He and his wife, Anna, had twelve children, and the family has restricted the use of certain private archival material. Jonson briefly mentions that the father had little time to offer his own family; one of his daughters once described a certain insecurity that characterized her childhood.
Some minor faults of this biography include the lack of references and a passing account of the famous Universal Christian Conference on Life and Work of Stockholm 1925, often considered Söderblom's most significant achievement. Altogether, Jonson's book draws a profound and versatile picture of an energetic intellectual, full of ideas and optimism, though not without his flaws. For Söderblom, Christianity was a significant force of power in the world, not only in the field of religion but also in politics, cultural life, and all forms of human interaction. Accordingly, he thought that, to fulfil their mission in the world, Christian churches had to forget their differences in views and face their responsibilities together. Jonson concedes, however, that Söderblom's ecumenical program should not be seen as purely ethical or humanitarian. Even if he was not enthusiastic about doctrinal discussions, he was at heart an earnest Christian and, for instance, dreamed of intercommunion for all Christians.
