A softer God and a more positive anthropology: Changes in a religiously strict region in Norway

This is a report from an on-going project. Based mainly at the University of Agder, Norway, this research project involves over 20 full- and part-time researchers in studying religious change in the Sørlandet or Agder region in Norway. This article, written by the project director, aims mainly to summarize some of the main empirical results. In sum, the empirical studies show that in the last few decades the strict Christian movements in the region have moved in a more liberal direction, especially concerning life-style issues. Towards the end the article also presents some reflections on the dynamics of change in religious organizations with a conservative self-understanding, as well as on the interplay between such a project and the regional discourse on religion.