Refugee Crisis and Lutheran Church in Finland

This paper/presentation will investigate Finnish Lutheran Church's response to the recent "refugee crisis". It seems that the Church has risen to the challenge by promoting universalist ideas theologically. It has also taken an active, humanitarian role pragmatically in different parishes across the country, offering refuge and the like. My aim is to understand this response in terms of political theology and think about the role of the Church in promotion of political universalism against xenophobic nationalism in Finland and Europe more generally. Is universalism exceptional or something that is essential for the political theology of the Lutheran Church?