Børre Knudsen

Børre Arnold Knudsen (1937–2014) was a Norwegian Lutheran priest noted for his anti-abortion activism. Together with Ludvig Nessa, he staged protests at abortion clinics starting in the late 1980s, and he spent time in jail for refusing to pay fines received for his protests.

Dismissed as parish priest of Balsfjord Municipality in 1983 due to his refusal to perform his official state duties in protest against new abortion laws, he helped establish the Deanery of Strandebarm in 1991, also known as the "Church of Norway in Exile". He was ordained as bishop by the church in 1997 until retiring in 2008 due to failing health. He was defrocked from the Church of Norway in 2001.

Knudsen was also noted as a prolific hymnist, and two of his hymns were later included in the Norwegian hymnal, as well as the hymnals of other churches.

Early life Knudsen was born on 24 September 1937 in Vennesla Municipality in Vest-Agder county, to priest Rolf Godwin Knudsen (1907–56) and Nina Lydersen (1913–95). He grew up in Langesund where his father was the local parish priest. His father was arrested and defrocked during the German occupation of Norway in the Second World War, causing a lasting impression on Knudsen. His mother also did resistance work, and the family was forced to move to neutral Sweden for a time during the war. They moved to Bergen in 1952, and Knudsen started studying theology in 1956.

Activism In 1979, when the Norwegian parliament finalized legislation allowing abortion on demand in the first trimester, Knudsen protested by refusing to perform any duties on behalf of the Norwegian state. He claimed he was modeling his actions on the Norwegian bishops' and majority of priests' opposition to the Nazi-friendly regime in Norway during the occupation in the Second World War. He continued his duties as a minister of the church and pastor for his congregation, but would not report statistics to the state, issue birth certificates or open mail addressed to him as a civil servant. Neither would he accept his salary from the state.

Minister of Church and Education Einar Førde dismissed Knudsen from his post for neglecting his duties, but Knudsen refused to abandon his pastoral duties. His active congregation insisted that he was still their pastor and urged him not to leave. Knudsen was sued by the state, but won the first round. He eventually lost the case on appeal to the Supreme Court of Norway in 1983. The Supreme Court decision held that the state part of the church office could not be separated from the ecclesial or spiritual part of it within a State Church. Knudsen was replaced as parish priest in Balsfjord, but most of his active congregation followed him in establishing an independent local elect congregation in the tradition of the Norwegian Lutheran church.

Hymn poet Knudsen was a noted hymn poet, and wrote hymn poetry in the traditions of Petter Dass, Thomas Kingo and Grundtvig. Some of his hymns were included in the official hymnals of other churches, and although he initially refused to have them admitted in the official Norwegian hymnal, two were later included. Considered a generally somewhat more respected figure among the Norwegian anti-abortionists, Knudsen was praised after his death by some long-time critics of Knudsen who voiced their respect for his dedication and for his hymn poetry .

He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2004, and spent his last winters in Altea, Spain. Knudsen died on 17 August 2014 at his home in Mestervik in Balsfjord Municipality, Troms county.