OSLO, Norway — In the following interview with the Prime Minister of Norway, the place of the Bible in the life of a man of politics becomes clear.

September 15, 1997 was the final day of national elections in Norway. The Labour party, which had previously been in government, realised that it had an insufficient portion of the voting to form a new government.

King Harald of Norway asked Kjell-Magne Bondevik, leader of the largest Christian party in Norway (KrF), to put together a coalition government. On October 17, Mr Bondevik was chosen as Prime Minister; he is an ordained pastor in the Lutheran Church of Norway, and along with other members of his cabinet, is a good friend of the Bible Society of Norway.

“The Bible is a message for time and eternity; it should rank above the many and various political documents, and as an expression – a revelation – of God’s message to us human beings; nobody should ignore it. 

“The Bible is a fantastic book. With its variety of literary forms and details, it still conveys the clear message of God’s salvation. I try to read a passage from the Bible every day following the Bible-reading plan produced by the Bible Society of Norway. Sometimes I feel I do not get enough time with the Bible. But my wife and I also attend a Bible group which meets twice every month, and this offers us the chance to go deeper into the biblical texts in a more systematic way.

“I rely on my Christian faith. It is a source of confidence and calm, offering strength also in my daily work. I have never found a direct solution to a political problem through the Bible, and I believe one should be careful not to look for such solutions. However, the Bible offers ethical principles of major importance to politics.

“The Christian understanding of human dignity, and our responsibilities as house- holders, these are based upon the place held by human beings in creation. And the Ten Commandments, summarised in the Great Commandment, is a basis for political work.” (The Great Commandment is given in Matthew 22:37: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”)

Did he ever face conflicts in which the world’s solutions seemed to contradict the Bible?

“Yes, that happens. We see the respect for life being trampled on every day, at home and abroad, in the form of poverty and, for example, in the increasing number of abortions. However, our calling is to be in this world with all its pain and suffering. We are challenged to strive to bring the world in the direction indicated by the Word of God. 

“My Christian faith encourages me to reach out to fellow human beings; the Christian faith and ethics are a perspective through which I see my political task. The Bible contains a message inspired by God and brought to us by human beings, by different human beings. It is more than a collection of stories and verses: it is God’s revelation to us.”

Does he see prayer having a role in his political life?

“Yes, it does. Jesus encourages us to pray, and there are promises linked to prayer. Personally I have seen what this means. But my time is limited, and my prayer during the day is often just a thought or a sigh rather than formulated sentences.

Is there a particular passage in the Bible that he found challenging?

“I keep coming back to the story of the woman who had been caught in adultery and condemned to death by the Pharisees. Jesus’s response is a fantastic expression of his love and care: let the one who is without sin throw the first stone. This especially applies to those who are weak or those who have fallen. Jesus disarms those who condemn, he receives the one who has been cast out, while at the same time holding up the ideal: ‘Go, and sin no more!’ I often ponder this combination of forgiveness and guidance. It is an attitude we should try to copy whenever we can.

“The Bible is a book I can comfortably recommend to everyone, not only those who voted for me. With all due respect to political programs and declarations, they are still of limited value, both in content and in duration. But we should all relate to the biblical message of Jesus Christ, a message of importance for time and eternity.” (WR 329/2 - 3.98)