Calvin Synod Herald, 1999 (99. évfolyam, 2-4. szám - 100. évfolyam, 9-12. szám)
1999-07-01 / 4. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD- 4 -AMERIKAI MAGYAR REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA BISHOP'S PEPORT 1999 Continued from Page 3 sponsibilities become a “heart issue’’ among the membership, then, perhaps, we would not have to struggle to pay for maintenance and upkeep or provide a decent living salary and wage to our pastors and church staff. God’s economy dictates that more is expected of him who receives in abundance. I encourage our pastors to preach about stewardship to enhance to work and mission of the church. EVANGELISM The connotation and meaning of evangelism differs for the Hungarian Reformed believer from others. Perhaps, because the word Evangelical is used as a noun to describe the Lutheran church versus the verb form to evangelize, i.e. to actively promote and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to the unregenerate. I raise the issue for a specific reason and out of great concern. Almost every congregation is straining to attract new members. As we go down the roster and list of our sister churches, it is rather obvious that on the surface their viability for survival is based upon membership and finances. But survival, the bunker mentality, is not the calling and purpose of any Christian church. It is only a prescription for those who have a different agenda, interest or gospel to protect. Our ancestral churches were locked into the homogenous societies of nineteenth century Europe where they carved out a niche of comfortable coexistence with other church denominations. Evangelism was done in foreign lands and among tribes who never heard the gospel story. Hungarian Christians even worked out a genderspecific system where like child followed the faith and practice of his father or mother. Not so in other parts of Europe and much less in the United States. Once again, our religious and cultural tradition colored our understanding about evangelism and the lack of focus on this all-important practice. As we look around ourselves, we see the growth of non-denominational church fellowships attracting a lot of people. Why? Obviously they are evangelizing and accepting people into their fold without fearing a take-over. They promote and utilize methods for attracting the non-churchgoer in contemporary services that addresses their immediate need for understanding God’s word in “real world” experiences. They look upon their efforts as a new reformation without hierarchical structures and accountabilities. But regardless how we feel about them, we can learn something useful from their practice, namely that evangelism matters and it is the only way to ensure church growth when we open up our doors and welcome the sojourner, the stranger, the outcast and marginalized of society. We must always be ready to accept the contrite sinner, the wayward brother and sister in Christ, and give people an opportunity to prove themselves and utilize their gift and talent for the glory of God and the benefit of man. IDENTITY No other topic grips our attention and polarizes churches into separate camps than this singular issue of who we are and how best to preserve our Hungarian ethnic language, culture and traditions. And no other issue demands so much attention and diverts so much time from the gospel work than the question of our cultural heritage and identity. As there are two sides to every story and two sides to every coin, there is a dichotomy of opinion for the future direction of the Calvin Synod and its member churches. In fact, without exception, all of our congregations were founded by Hungarian Reformed immigrants to worship and praise the Lord in their native tongue. The original immigrants and their children held only one service, in Hungarian. In time, as our men and women returned home after WWII, separate English services were instituted to meet the growing demands of the non-Hungarians among us. Slowly, the accepted language at Consistory and Synod meetings was changed to English. And ever slowly but surely, the immigrant populations has dwindled to the point that only a few pockets of pure Hungarian enclaves are left. The English-speaking believe that the Hungarian brethren should accommodate them by learning English, and in some cases, the reverse is true where the Hungarians want the English to learn Hungarian. What are we to do? Should the Hungarian minority be relegated to obscurity or asked to leave the house of the Lord that they had built? Is it realistic to demand people to learn a foreign tongue and forget their accustomed style of worshipping and praising God? We swoon over all kinds of foreign preachers, teachers, missionaries with accents thick as molasses, but we will not tolerate a heavy-accented Hungarian Reformed minister in our pulpit?! Are we not judging the messenger and throwing out the message of God’s Word at the same time? On the other hand, is it realistic for the Hungarian membership to split their congregation over the issue of language preference by placing an inordinate demand on native-born Americans? Are Christians of the world called by Jesus to focus on preserving the culture and tradition to the detriment of spreading the good news? Let us get our priorities straight! We are not called to preach Hungarianism, but the crucified and risen Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 2:1- 4). Indeed, this situation is an issue of our own making. What are we going to say at the judgement seat of Christ, what excuse shall we give for failing to carry through the great commission in Matthew 28? Our relationship with the United Church of Christ continues to be another identity issue based upon the denomination’s position and practice of ordaining homosexuals to the ministry along with stances on pro-choice abortion and the use of inclusive language in the liturgy and hymnal. Because of these, some of our churches are ready to follow the example of the Columbus, Ohio congregation that decided to pull out of the UCC but remain part of the Calvin Synod. That decision was made in 1992 but was never implemented. It is time for us to deal with the topic on the Synod level and offer a rationale and guidance for our churches to follow. I would recommend we tackle the issue Continued on Page 5
