Sweden, the largest Scandinavian country in Northern Europe, has prospered from its political neutrality and prides itself on being a nation of equality. It has not been at war since 1814 and is one of the world leaders in gender equality. Described as “folkhemmet”, meaning the people’s home, Swedes take care of their own and place family first. Sweden is known for the safest food in the world and also boasts the lowest rate of traffic deaths. It is governed by a parliamentary democracy and is ruled by a monarch.Stockholm, the capital, serves as the biggest port city in Sweden, and the majority of the Swedish population lives here. Sweden is home to the largest number of refugees in the world, and they are given full access to welfare, can vote, and can become Swedish citizens in a span of five years. The nation is a highly developed, post-industrial society and has one of the best standards of living in the world. Education is free for all and is paid for by tax dollars. Taxes in Sweden are extremely high, and the average worker pays about 30 percent of their income and another 30 percent in hidden taxes.

The Church of Sweden (Lutheran) originated as a state church during the Protestant Reformation and continued being so until 2000, when the church and state were separated. As the nation has become increasingly liberal and secularized, the Church has endorsed same-sex marriage, universalism, and has questioned the divine authority of the Bible. Despite constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion, Christians are encountering more opposition by other religions for publicly acknowledging God. The current generation is growing up believing that the Church and God are not relevant to life, and it is pursuing materialism, hedonism, and individualism instead. Pray that the church will reawaken out of its spiritual slumber and shine brightly for God once more in a secular world.