When Icelanders emigrated to North America 150 years ago they reflected and revisited what it meant to be Christian and the role of the Church in their lives. Some wanted the Icelandic Evangelical Lutheran Synod to simply be the Christian Church, preferring what they considered to be a more broad and inclusive name and also similar in simplicity to Þjóðkirkjan – the National Church in Iceland. Also, a large contingent insisted that women should be entitled to vote and hold office in the new synod. They lost on both counts and a rift formed among Icelanders some remained Lutheran and others were drawn to Unitarianism.

This presentation is by Rev. Stefan Jonasson on these and other matters pertaining to how being in the new world reshaped religion for Western Icelanders.

Stefan Jonasson is editor of LögbergHeimskringla, an Englishlanguage newspaper serving the Icelandic community in North America. Founded in 1886 in the Icelandic language, it is the oldest continuously published ethnic periodical in Canada. An ordained Unitarian minister, Rev. Stefan was a denominational executive for 24 years before switching careers to become a journalist. He is also pastpresident of the Icelandic National League of North America. A graduate of the University of Winnipeg, he earned the Governor General of Canada’s Gold Medal for the highest standing in a master’s degree, and he has previously served as Chair of the University’s Board of Regents. He received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013 and was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Icelandic Order of the Falcon in 2019.