the people that we often call "the Vikings" began to become Christians around the year 1000. Before we get started in exploring this, however, we ought to note that we don't really use the word viking correctly. Viking isn't really a person; it was something a person did. It was a profession. Viking is a verb that means something to the effect of "raiding." Particular groups of Scandinavian men (Norsemen) would pool their resources and "go out viking." In other words, they would "band together to man ships for the purpose of sailing along the coasts to raid ill-defended coastal settlements." You did not want to see a group of ships filled with viking men (and sometimes women) show up on your shores. You were dead meat. Anyway, people who went out viking were really just one profession within the larger tribe-based Scandinavian society. All Scandinavians (Norse people), regardless of whether they went out viking or stayed home farming, worshiped the pantheon of Norse gods. Mixed up with all of these gods was a very violent warring and hedonistic mentality. But something started to shift around 1000, not so much the warring/hedonistic mentality (that stuck around a lot longer) but the religion the Norsemen used to justify that mentality.
It appears that a shift that preceded the conversion of the Norse people was that small chieftains were trying to take over enough of their competitors' lands that they might build themselves a kingdom. They had ambition. They didn't want to be chieftains (earls) anymore; they wanted to be kings. They had come in contact with many large kingdoms in continental Europe with very powerful kings, very strong economies, and massive armies. "Now that's a real kingdom! That's what I want to be like! So I just need to build up a big enough army, get rid of all my challengers, and I'll be a real king like the kings in Europe. Oh yeah, one more thing: those kings are all Christians, so if I want to be a real king then I'll have to give up my ancestral gods. Oh well." That's a big price to pay, but in the mind of many chieftains of the time, it was worth it for power, fame, glory, riches, land, and lots and lots of casual sex. People still give up their faith to gain those things all the time. Just like the folks who do it now, the Norse kings never noticed that the Christ they would profess was against all of those things. Christianity was just a tool they used to get what they wanted. Eventually there were surely some "true believers," but probably not at first.
Let me just give you one brief example of how this seemed to work. Olaf Trygvesson was a Norseman poster boy. When you think of a Norseman, you think of Olaf. Olaf loved to go out viking and he was really, really good at it. He once put together a fleet of 90 ships that burned, slaughtered, raped, and pillaged all over northern Europe. He became very, very rich and very, very powerful. Finally, he decided he was ready for the big-time so he headed for what we call England. That's where the real money was! Eventually, Ethelred, one of the kings of the several kingdoms that modern day England was broken into, offered Olaf a massive amount of money to go away. Later on, though, through an interesting story that involves a prophet, a vision, a mutiny, and a baptism, Olaf becomes a Christian (not necessarily in faith, but in practice). He didn't go forward at church camp to give his life to Jesus. Nothing like that. No, he decided that he needed to be baptized so he could move from the "minor leagues" (a pagan chieftain among pagan chieftains) to the majors (a real European king!) An old issue of Christian History Magazine says, Olaf's "new faith conferred upon him a dignity and stature among kings that he had lacked." Both being Christians now, Olaf and Ethelred made a pact not to slaughter each other any more. They'd just slaughter other people now instead. Really gives you the warm and fuzzies doesn't it? I'm not sure that's what the writer of "Blest be the Tie that Binds" had in mind.
People have been claiming to be disciples of Jesus for the wrong reasons ever since the beginning. People still do it--to gain influence, to get elected, because that's what is expected of them, to make money. Time and time again people come to the church claiming to be Christian brothers or sisters in need of just a little help. Numerous times it has turned out that they were lying to get money for drugs. We usually think of using the Lord's name in vain as using God's name as a cuss word. That is just one way of misusing God's name, however. A much more sinister way is to use it to manipulate people to get what we want. The Norse people and the early English were just a few among millions or billions of so-called Christians that have done this. It is important for us to examine our own hearts to make sure that we call ourselves Christians for one reason: because that is what we are.
People have been claiming to be disciples of Jesus for the wrong reasons ever since the beginning. People still do it--to gain influence, to get elected, because that's what is expected of them, to make money. Time and time again people come to the church claiming to be Christian brothers or sisters in need of just a little help. Numerous times it has turned out that they were lying to get money for drugs. We usually think of using the Lord's name in vain as using God's name as a cuss word. That is just one way of misusing God's name, however. A much more sinister way is to use it to manipulate people to get what we want. The Norse people and the early English were just a few among millions or billions of so-called Christians that have done this. It is important for us to examine our own hearts to make sure that we call ourselves Christians for one reason: because that is what we are.
