Elisabeth Dons Christensen (born 14 May 1944) is a Danish Lutheran theologian who served as bishop for the

Diocese of Ribe The Diocese of Ribe (Danish: ''Ribe Stift'') is a diocese within the Church of Denmark. Ribe Cathedral serves as the central cathedral within the diocese. Since 2014, the bishop has been Elof Westergaard. The former Roman Catholic Diocese of R ...

from 2003 until her retirement in 2014 at the age of 70.

Biography

Dons Christensen was one of several brothers and sisters, born and raised in the country village of Vester Ørum near

Vejle Vejle () is a city in Denmark, in the southeast of the Jutland Peninsula at the head of Vejle Fjord, where the Vejle River and Grejs River and their valleys converge. It is the site of the councils of Vejle Municipality ('' kommune'') and the R ...

in the east of

Jutland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...

. She studied history and religious studies at

Aarhus University Aarhus University ( da, Aarhus Universitet, abbreviated AU) is a public research university with its main campus located in Aarhus, Denmark. It is the second largest and second oldest university in Denmark. The university is part of the Coimbra Gr ...

, graduating in 1973. She received a doctorate in theology in 1993. From 1973, she was a high school and

theological college A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

teacher in

Esbjerg Esbjerg (, ) is a seaport town and seat of Esbjerg Municipality on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. By road, it is west of Kolding and southwest of Aarhus. With an urban population of 71,698 (1 January 2022)

and

Ribe Ribe () is a town in south-west Jutland, Denmark, with a population of 8,257 (2022). It is the seat of the Diocese of Ribe covering southwestern Jutland. Until 1 January 2007, Ribe was the seat of both a surrounding Ribe Municipality, municipali ...

. During the same period, she served as an assistant pastor in

Ribe Cathedral Ribe Cathedral or Our Lady Maria Cathedral ( da, Ribe Domkirke or ''Vor Frue Maria Domkirke'') is located in the ancient city of Ribe, on the west coast of southern Jutland, Denmark. It was founded in the Viking Era as the first Christian church in ...

. In 1997, she was appointed as pastor in the parish of

Søllerød Søllerød is a suburban district of Rudersdal Municipality in the northern outskirts of Copenhagen, Denmark. The original village, one of the oldest in the area, is perched on Søllerød Hill on the south side of Søllerød Lake. It merged with ...

just north of Copenhagen until she became the bishop for the Diocese of Ribe in 2003. Her work as a bishop has included a special interest in baptismal training, serving as chair of the episcopal baptism committee. Her publications include ''Det sårbare samliv'' (Vulnerable Cohabitation, 2005), addressing the importance of a Christian relationship as a marriage matures. In 1967, she married the director of

Ribe County Ribe Amt () is a former county (Danish: ''amt'') on the Jutland peninsula of southwest Denmark. It included Denmark's fifth largest city, Esbjerg. The county was abolished effective January 1, 2007, when it merged into Region of Southern Denmark ...

, Carl Henrik Dons Christensen, with whom she has four grown children. His uncle, Henrik Dons Christensen, who was bishop of Ribe encouraged her to enter the church. After becoming widowed in 1995, she married the lawyer Thomas Bonnor in 1999. In January 2013, Elisabeth Dons Christensen was honoured as a Commander of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known a ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dons Christensen, Elisabeth Danish Lutheran bishops Women Lutheran bishops 1944 births People from Ribe Commanders of the Order of the Dannebrog Living people 20th-century Danish Lutheran clergy 21st-century Danish Lutheran bishops