Preaching With Endurance in the Land of Ice and Fire

ICELAND is located in the North Atlantic about midway between North America and Europe. Though it lies just below the Arctic Circle, its climate is milder than might be expected, thanks to the warming effects of the Gulf Stream. Iceland has been called the land of ice and fire because it has Europe’s biggest glacier and is also one of the most active volcanic areas in the world. Well-known are its many hot springs and solfataras, volcanic areas that give off hot vapors and sulfurous gases.

The 260,000 inhabitants of this second-largest island of Europe are descendants of the Vikings, who settled here more than 1,100 years ago. Icelandic is essentially the same as Old Norse, the Scandinavian language of the Viking age. It has remained nearly unchanged because Icelanders were fond of reading their old sagas, which were written mostly in the 13th century.

By the 16th century, the Bible began to be translated into Icelandic. A “New Testament” appeared in 1540 and a complete Bible by 1584. Over 90 percent of the people belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the official State religion. Though the Bible is found in almost every home, few believe that it is God’s Word. Most Icelanders have liberal views about religion and, generally, are independent thinkers.

Iceland is about 200 miles [320 km] from north to south and some 300 miles [500 km] from east to west. The coastline, including fjords and inlets, is about 4,000 miles [6,400 km] long.