Lutheranism

====Scandinavia====
[[File:Ärkebiskopsvigning.jpg|thumb|[[Nathan Söderblom]] is ordained as archbishop of the Church of Sweden in 1914. Although Swedish Lutherans boast of an unbroken line of ordinations going back prior to the Reformation, the [[Pope#Official list of titles|bishops of Rome]] do not recognize such ordinations as valid.]]
To the north in Scandinavia, the population was more insulated from the influence and politics of the Reformation and thus the Church of Sweden (which at the time included Finland) retained the [[Apostolic succession#Lutheran claims to apostolic succession|Apostolic succession]],<ref>{{cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=SLlKBAAAQBAJ&q=%22Church+of+Iceland%22+%22Apostolic+Succession%22&pg=PA140 | title = Historical Dictionary of Lutheranism | last1 = Gassman | first1 = Günther | last2 = Larson | first2 = Duane H. | last3 = Olderburg | first3 = Mark W. | edition = 2nd | year = 2011 | publisher = The Scarecrow Press, Inc.| isbn = 9780810874824 }}</ref> although they did not consider it essential for valid sacraments as the [[Donatists]] did in the fourth and fifth centuries and the Roman Catholics do today. Recently, the Swedish succession was introduced into all of the [[Porvoo Communion]] churches, all of which have an episcopal polity. Although the Lutheran churches did not require this or change their doctrine, this was important in order for more strictly high church Anglican individuals to feel comfortable recognizing their sacraments as valid. The occasional ordination of a bishop by a priest was not necessarily considered an invalid ordination in the Middle Ages, so the alleged break in the line of succession in the other Nordic Churches would have been considered a violation of canon law rather than an invalid ordination at the time. Moreover, there are no consistent records detailing pre-Reformation ordinations prior to the 12th century.<ref>''Das kirchliche Amt in apostolischer Nachfolge''. In: Dorothea Sattler, Gunther Wenz: ''Das kirchliche Amt in apostolischer Nachfolge. Volume 3: Verständigungen und Differenzen''. Herder/ Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Freiburg and Göttingen 2008. {{ISBN|3-451-29943-7}}, p. 167–267, and p. 266.</ref>

In the far north of the Scandinavian peninsula are the [[Sámi people#Laestadius|Sámi people]], some of which practice a form of Lutheranism called Apostolic Lutheranism, or [[Laestadianism]] due to the efforts of [[Lars Levi Laestadius]]. However, others are [[Sámi people#Religion|Orthodox in religion]]. Some Apostolic Lutherans consider their movement as part of an [[Laestadianism#"Unbroken line of living Christianity"|unbroken line down from the Apostles]]. In areas where Apostolic Lutherans have their own bishops apart from other Lutheran church organizations, the bishops wield more practical authority than Lutheran clergy typically do. In Russia, Laestadians of Lutheran background cooperate with the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria|Ingrian]] church, but since Laestadianism is an interdenominational movement, some are Eastern Orthodox. Eastern Orthodox Laestadians are known as [[:ru:Ушковайзет|Ushkovayzet]] (article is in Russian).<ref>[http://uralistica.com/profiles/blogs/karelskoe-religioznoe Karelian religious movement Uskhovayzet]</ref>