CENTER NEWS
August 16, 2008
Junior Year Abroad Network Completes its Third Year
March 23, 2009
Interview with Thomas Getman of World Vision
April 20, 2009
New Michael Kessler Blog on Law and Religion
April 28, 2009
Center Releases Recommendations on Religious Freedom Policy
July 6, 2009
New Video Interview with Richard Cizik: Evangelical America's Future
June 12, 2009
Interview: Saad Eddin Ibrahim on Development in the Muslim World
August 6, 2009
Post by Tom Farr Examines Obama's Religious Freedom Comments
September 1, 2009
"Journey into America" Film Screening and Dinner
August 31, 2009
Welcome Week Student Open House at the Berkley Center
August 20, 2009
New Blog Post by Michael Kessler: Sarah Palin's "Death Panel" Lies
September 3, 2009
Faith-based Socially Responsible Investing and the Economic Crisis
August 17, 2009
New Blog Post by Katherine Marshall: Interfaith Health-Care Reform
September 3, 2009
New blog Post by Katherine Marshall: Need Plus Greed
August 14, 2012
Niwano Peace Prize Winner Rosalina Tuyuc Velasquez Celebrated in Guatamala
August 13, 2012
Seminar with Chinese Scholars
Trond Bakkevig
Rev. Canon & Dr Trond Bakkevig is a pastor of the (Lutheran) Church of Norway. Born in 1948, Bakkevig has a doctorate in theology from the University of Oslo (1979). From 1987-88, he was personal adviser to the Norwegian state minister of foreign affairs, and from 1984-93 general secretary of the Church of Norway Council on Foreign Relations. From 1993 to 2000, he served as pastor of the Röa parish in Oslo; he is currently dean of Vestre Aker, a grouping of eleven Oslo city parishes. Since 1996, Bakkevig has facilitated dialogue between Christians, Muslims and Jewish religious leaders in Palestine/Israel. This has also involved extensive contacts with political and religious leaders in that area and in other parts of the Middle East. He is currently the convenor of the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land – which is composed of the main religious institutions of Israel and the Palestinian Areas: The Chief Rabbinate of Israel, Bishops and Bishoprics of Jerusalem, and Muslims appointed by the President of the Palestinian Authority.
Bakkevig was appointed by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Moderator of the board of the Norwegian Resource Center for Peace Building. He also heads a church appointed working group to prepare a new relationship between church and state in Norway. In 1995 Bakkevig was appointed honorary canon of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Gabarone, Botswana for his efforts in the struggle against the apartheid system. From 1997 to 2006, he was a member of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches and chaired its Public Issues Committe. He has served on various other ecumenical commissions. He also has served an advisor to the general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation.
In Norway, he has been moderator or vice-moderator of a variety of other bodies, including the Norwegian Human Rights Institute at Oslo University, Oslo University Centre for Development and Environment, the Norwegian Refugee Council, and the Norwegian chapter of the Council of Christian Approaches to Disarmament and Defence, Norwegian Church Aid and the Oslo Inner-City Mission.
From 1998-2002, he was appointed by the Church of Norway to moderate a commission on Church-State relationships. The report of this commission opened up for further work in other commissions and seems to lead to a new relationship. In 2008 he moderated a government commission which gave a report on “Increased Democracy in the Church of Norway.” In that same year he participated in the Madrid forum of the Alliance of Civilizations.
Bakkevig has published several books, and scientific and popular articles. Among these, his dissertation dealt with theology and nuclear arms. He has also written a book with the title The Church of Norway and the Struggle against Apartheid, which also dealt with his own involvement in that struggle.
