Punainen eskatologia : Jumalan valtakunta ja työväenliike Sigfrid Sireniuksen teologis-aatteellisessa ajattelussa ja kristillis-yhteiskunnallisessa toiminnassa vuoteen 1924 asti

• Main Author: Ajo, Martti
• Other Authors: Huhta, Ilkka, University of Helsinki, Faculty of Theology, Helsingin yliopisto, teologinen tiedekunta, Kirkkohistoria, Helsingfors universitet, teologiska fakulteten, Talonen, Jouko, Laine, Esko M.
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: Finnish
• Published: Helsingin yliopisto 2017
• Subjects: Northern Finland; Lapland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10138/208501

Sigfrid Sirenius (1877–1961), Doctor of Theology, was a pioneer of the modern social Christian ideas and the founder of the Finnish Settlement movement. The link between God’s kingdom and the labour movement was essential both in Sirenius’ theologic-ideological thinking and in his Christian values based civic activity. Sirenius’ God’s kingdom ideology was a result of a multiphase process. It grew from the soil of both German Württembergian and Anglo-Saxon Pietism. The aiming point of Sirenius’ ideology was to strengthen the connection between the Church and the labour movement and to repress secularism. On the threshold of the General Strike (1905) Sirenius left for seamen’s mission to Antwerp and later to London. In England a cosmopolite seamen’s minister increasingly applied himself to labour question and received heavy influence from the British labour movement. While studying Anglican Church, Sirenius got familiar with the settlement movement, which drew ideas from Christian socialism. Sirenius radical Christian values based civic activity began in 1913, after F. Herbert Stead had paid a visit to Finland. The purpose of visit was to further labourizing SDP. On the factory areas Sirenius agitated on behalf of Christian socialism. He preached for the labourer about earthly God’s kingdom, which could be built by means of Social Democrats. The outbreak of the Civil War meant a setback for his endeavours to labourize the SDP. After the War he was one of the few ministers who stayed in touch with the SDP. In 1918 Sirenius found Finnish Settlement Movement. After the Civil War SDP had their suspicions about the Christian values based civic activity made by Sirenius. Due to his situation, he approached the Agrarian League and the party’s leading figure, Santeri Alkio. In the Northern Finland Sirenius teamed up with the Lapland Trio. Their goal was to spread social Christian ideology among log floaters in Lapland and to fight against materialistic Communism. The international conference of the religious socialists, ...