Aril Snorre Edvardsen (15 November 1938–6 September 2008) was a Norwegian

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

preacher A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who Open-air preaching, preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach com ...

and

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

. In his youth Edvardsen was active in local politics for the Workers' Youth League, the youth wing of the

Norwegian Labour Party The Labour Party (; , A or Ap; ), formerly The Norwegian Labour Party (, DNA), is a Social democracy, social democratic List of political parties in Norway, political party in Norway. It is positioned on the centre-left of the political spectru ...

, and also performed in a

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

band. He claimed to have been

born again To be born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelical Christianity, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is d ...

in 1956, an experience which led him to redirect his life towards evangelical work. Then, in 1960, he experienced what he described as a calling, instructing him to start worldwide evangelising through the use of native missionaries. In 1965 he founded the organisation '' Troens Bevis'' (Evidence of Faith), an organisation that would grow to support around 1000 native missionaries around the world. The organisation today includes a multi-media venture, with daily television broadcasts reaching as many as 200 different nations. In 2007 Aril Edvardsen's son Rune took over leadership of . Edvardsen married his classmate Kari when he was 17 years old. It was allegedly while his wife was in the hospital giving birth to the couple's first daughter that Edvardsen went along with a friend to the meeting where his conversion happened. He died on 6 September 2008, in

Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital status in 1907. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

, where he was on vacation with his wife after a missionary campaign in

Zanzibar Zanzibar is a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa. It is located in the Indian Ocean, and consists of many small Island, islands and two large ones: Unguja (the main island, referred to informally as Zanzibar) and Pemba Island. ...

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

. According to friends he had experienced

cardiac The heart is a muscular organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the tissu ...

problems for a time before his death. Edvardsen's funeral on 15 September 2008 was attended by some 1,500–2,000 people, including the Norwegian Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs, Helga Pedersen.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edvardsen, Aril 1938 births 2008 deaths Norwegian Protestant missionaries Norwegian evangelists Norwegian evangelicals People from Kvinesdal Protestant missionaries in Tanzania Norwegian expatriates in Tanzania