Lars Ulstadius
Lars Ulstadius (c. 1650–1732) was a Finnish Pietist who helped begin Radical Pietism in Finland. He was a Lutheran pastor and a schoolteacher who, after reading early Pietist writings, began to doubt and feel anxious about his faith.
In the early 1680s he caused a stir in Oulu by destroying his philosophical works with gunpowder. He then gave up his priesthood and his teaching job. He fell ill and for about two years he stopped washing and let his hair and beard grow. He asked the local priest for public absolution, but the vicar said these scruples were the work of the devil.
On 22 July 1688, Ulstadius appeared in Turku Cathedral in rags, with long hair and a large beard, and interrupted the service. He read aloud radical ideas he had written, claiming that Lutheran doctrine was doomed, that prayer books were lies, and that the ministers did not have the Holy Spirit. When two men tried to drag him out, his clothes fell off and he ran naked down the aisle, shouting that the disgrace of Finnish clergymen would be revealed.
Ulstadius and two followers were sentenced to death, but the sentence was changed to life in prison. He was sent to Smedjegården, a hard prison in Stockholm, where he spent the rest of his life. In old age he was offered freedom, but only if it meant leaving his conviction behind; he chose to stay in prison.
From his cell, he held meetings with other radical Pietists in Stockholm. He died in 1732 after 44 years in prison and is remembered as a forerunner of the Pietist revival and other free religious revivals.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 20:10 (CET).