Religion and Spans of Ambiguity on a Danish Island

Abstract

Over the past hall century, northem Europe has seen a striking &cl/ne of be.lief in Ood and the supematural. Yet the churches there have not died, and in some c.ases they remain strong and active. Whence does the vitality of these churches derive, ir belief has eroded? This paper examines one such church, an independent Lutheran congregation in northwestem Denmark. h suggests that the church's importance stems from its "span of ambiguity," the broad range of meanings which ir expresses in its local context, hs ability to integrate meanings from a variety of social arenas ~ves ir a powerful role in a rapidly chan~ng society. The paper argues that reli,~ous systems generally have an unusual capacity for such expression and integration, his the extent to which they can maintain their spans of ambiguity, rather than the extent to which they can maintain belief, which accounts for their persistence of decline.