The 1930 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Nathan Söderblom, a Swedish Lutheran Bishop, for his efforts to involve the churches not only in work for ecumenical unity, but also for world peace. He was the first clergyman to be awarded the prize. His mission was ecumenism — unity among the Christians. He said in his acceptance speech, “Many of us in different countries and of different creeds, both in the Old World and in the New, asked ourselves this question and realized that more could be done for peace by a Christendom united at least in its most essential principle: to live according to the commandment of love.”
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes created by the Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel. Since 1901 it has been awarded annually (with some exceptions) to those who have “done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses” Over the next few months we’ll be introducing you to the past Nobel laureates, leading up to the award of the 2016 prize in October.
