My first introduction to the world of the Vikings came from Hagar the Horrible (at the same time that Beetle Bailey was introducing me to the army and Redeye was introducing me to Indians).  Then came the Minnesota football team.  And then somewhere along the way I dipped into Viking story books.  Only the ones with cool pictures, mind you.

But eventually — if one keeps pursuing these kinds of interests long enough — one finds that reality is so much more interesting than Hagar, Beetle, or Redeye ever let on.  Consider the background of how the Vikings took up the Christian faith.

In 793 AD, after the Vikings raided a monastery, the scholar Alcuin of York wrote: “Never before has such terror appeared in Britain as we have now suffered from a pagan race.  Behold, the church of Saint Cuthbert, splattered with the blood of the priests of God, despoiled of all its ornaments; a place more venerable than all in Britain is given as a prey to pagan peoples.”

The Viking attacks on Christian churches and monasteries became so frequent that one monk wrote: “Everywhere the Christians are victims of massacres, burnings and plunderings. The Vikings conquer all in their path, and no one resists them. Oh God deliver us, deliver us from the fury of the Northmen!!” And soon all of Europe was praying this prayer with him.

Yet, it was through these very raids that God began a centuries–long process of introducing the Vikings to Christ.

It was envy and greed that motivated the Viking raids.  The Vikings were the “have not’s.” The Christians were the “have’s.” So the Vikings, reasoning that they had not because they took not, came and took.

But gradually, the Vikings began to convert to Christianity.  Sometimes such “conversions” were a bit suspect (seeing how much the Christians had, some simply began to believe that the Viking gods must not be as powerful as the Christian God), but other conversions were inspired by more genuine, noble, and humble considerations.

That’s the way it always is.  Jesus talked about this in Matthew 13.24–30.

But regardless of what was driving the original conversion, eventually whole clans and kingdoms of Vikings were calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.  At that time the whole concept of “personally accepting Jesus into your heart” was quite nonexistent.  Regions, clans, tribes, kingdoms, and empires usually converted together, or not at all.

And over time, many of the Vikings began to understand the Christian faith and life more sincerely.  By 1000 AD, “The Age of the Vikings” (an age of piracy and human sacrifice) was over.  Christ had conquered.

There are some very interesting stories of Viking Christianity that we’ll explore together in the next couple of installments under “The Story” thread.

But for today, give thanks that God can even use evil (envy, greed, piracy, etc.) to bring the wretched, the weary, and the jaded into his Kingdom.

This is also the story of the church… a story being written by a God who works all things together for good.

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…”
—Genesis 50.20