[1] He headed the Norwegian School of Theology's governing board and stood on the conservative side in the church struggle between liberals and the so-called positive theologians in the early 1900s.

As the bishop of Oslo, he adopted a firmer attitude, and in 1919 he took the initiative to hold a church gathering to settle the controversy.

[2] Tandberg was sharply attacked by Ole Hallesby, a professor at the school, who accused him of being liberal.

[2] This created the background for the large meeting held at the Calmeyer Street Mission House (Calmeyergatens Misjonshus) in 1920, where the conservative (i.e., positive) side consolidated around a position known as the Calmeyer Street Policy (Calmeyergatelinjen).

It held that conservative laity and clergy should not have any kind of relations with liberal theologians.