Anders Holm

Areas of Research

Specializing in 19th and 20th Century church history.

Religious poetry, hymn writing, art and Christianity, homiletics, liturgy, history of theology, conceptual history, hermeneutics, archival studies, church law, and religion and politics.

Grundtvig studies: Grundtvig's writings; Grundtvig and his contemporary context; Grundtvig and Søren Kierkegaard: Grundtvig's historical sources; Grundtvig, Luther and Lutheranism; the history Grundtvig's national and international impact.

Current Research Projects

PI on the project Grundtvig's Manuscripts Online in collaboration with the Royal Danish Library. By using Transkribus, an automated handwriting recognition software, the project group creates a new research infrastructure, Grundtvig's Manuscripts Online, that will make Grundtvig's entire handwritten archive publicly available in a digitally transcribed and searchable form. Thereby the last major step for the exploration of Grundtvig's life and work will be taken: Grundtvigs Manuskripter Online

Grundtvig, Luther and Lutheranism. The project explores Grundtvig's ambivalent relationship with Luther and the Lutheran Church.

Grundtvig worldwide: The project deals with Grundtvig's impact outside Denmark. The foundation of the project is a network of members from 18 countries who collaborate on translations and conferences.

Church-State Relations in Denmark and the US: The project examines the Danish and American state constitutions and discusses their significance for society in general and for religious freedom and church life specifically.

Lead editor of the scholarly yearbook Grundtvig-Studier: Grundtvig-Studier

Education

2007              PhD, Faculty of Theology, University of Aarhus.

2002              Master of Theology, UCPH

Positions

2021 -: Associate Professor in Church History, Faculty of Theology, UCPH

2013-2021: Associate Professor in Practical Theology, Faculty of Theology, UCPH.

2011-2013 : External Associate Professor in Church History, Dogmatics and Practical Theology, Faculty of Theology, UCPH.

2008-2011: Postdoc, Section of Church History, Faculty of Theology, UCPH

Editorial Work and Membership of Scholarly Societies

2018-  Member of editing board of the publication of Grundtvig’s Works, Center for Grundtvig Research.

2014-  Member of the steering committee of the Danish Society of Church History.

2014-  Member of the steering committee of The Society for Church Law.

2010-2016: Member of the steering committee of the Danish Søren Kierkegaard Society.

2011- : Editor of Grundtvig Studies - an annual journal since 1948 . (Lead editor since 2014)

2010- : Member of the steering committee of the Danish Grundtvig Society.

2008-2015: Consultant of the Edition of Søren Kierkegaard’s Writings.

Grants

2024-2028:  PI: Grundtvigs Manuskripter online (Augustinus Foundation and Aage and Johanne Louis-Hansens Foundation).

2016: Scholarship as Visiting Fulbright Professor, Samford University, AL, USA (Fulbright)

2008-2011: Postdoc Københavns Universitet (Carlsberg Foundation).

Teaching

Since employment as External Associate Professor in 2011 at the Faculty of Theology taught full time according to the norm for associate professors. Typically, two courses per semester. During two stays as a visiting professor in the US in the spring semester of 2016 and spring semester of 2023 taught several classes and seminars on Grundtvig, Kierkegard and Luther and on the relations between religion and politics in Europe and the US.

Dissemination

Numerous presentations and public talks in Denmark and abroad and participation in podcasts. Selected international presentations from recent years:

2024: Keynote presentation: “Understanding N.F.S. Grundtvig” for the Folk Education Association of Americas hosted by Fielding Graduate University, CA, USA

2023: The Reformation Lecture, about the genesis of the Danish welfare state, at Samford University, AL, USA.

2022: Keynote presentation about Danish folk school movement and politics: Uniwersytety ludowe wobec wyzwań współczesności, Conference in the Polish parliament in Warsaw about folk schools in Poland.

2019: Public Talk: “N.F.S. Grundtvig Worldwide”, St Katharine's Church, London, UK.

2019: Keynote presentation about Grundtvig’s educational ideas. Conference “Lifelong Learning in Developing Countries” supported by UNESCO with participation of National ministers and politicians in Dhaka at the Bangladesh Institute of Lifelong Learning.

2018: Keynote: “Disseminating Grundtvig” at: Lands of the Living: An InternationalSymposium on the Influence of N.F.S. Grundtvig. University of London, England.

2017 : Plenary Address: “Enlightenment and The School for Life” Lifelong Learning in Developing Countries: Issues and Perspectives. To be presented at Kalyani University, Kalyani, West Bengal, India.

2016: Guest Talk: ”The Yodeler and the Hairsplitter. Grundtvig and Kierkegaard in Crossfire”, Danish American Center, Minneapolis, US.

 2016: Guest Lecture: ”Who was N.F.S Grundtvig – And why does he Matter” Grand View University, Iowa, USA. 

2016: The Reformation Lecture, about Church and State, at Samford University, AL, USA.

2016: Plenary Address: “N.F.S. Grundtvig in the Intellectual History”, at Samford University, AL, USA.

2016: Public talk: “The Sun now Shines in all Its Spledour”, All Saints Episcopal Church, Homewood, AL, USA.