Having left the University of Tromsø when elected to Parliament in 1973, he returned in 1975 as a lecturer. He held this position until 1985, when he was promoted to professor. However, he held this position for only one year. In 1986 he instead involved himself in Christian work. He held a number of positions: he was a member of the Church of Norway General Synod, the Diocese Council of Oslo and the Church of Norway Council on Ecumenical and International Relations. Furre became a professor of church history at the University of Oslo in 1991. He was also a board member of Church City Mission from 1992 to 2000. He was ordained a priest in 1998, 42 years after he had started his theological education. He retired in 2007, and is currently a professor emeritus.