Hungarian Church Press, 1950 (2. évfolyam, 4-13. szám)

1950-07-15 / 12-13. szám

of the Church, it is only the praying Church that receives a smaller or greater measure of this commission, if the Lord is willing to give us this commission. But no commission is given to the disobedient church, a church that has net learned the prayer that is in the 9tli chapter of Daniel and is not fulfilling her "first" obligation, according to her heart, towards the worldly authority, "Well, here come again humans 13 and I Timothy 2:1-3!" Yos, again and again these words qnd the clear and unequivocal teaching of the whole Scriptu'ro! Moreover, the very words of the high priestly prayer of our Lord which not only states that the disciples are "net of this world", but also assorts that they are in this world, and intercedes for them thus: "I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil".

But duos it follow from all this that we should say yos to the truth of Socialism?

I could answer simply that it dees because we live in this world and this world is here the world of Socialism.Socialism is with us a fact and not a problem. I often tell the story of the German professor who was so devoid of all sense of reality that, when his students teld them that his theory does not jibe with the facts, ho answered, in a sovereign fashion: Then tho facts are wrong. But the facts are seldom wrong: only blind people do not see them or the colourblind cannot soe them right.

But - "facts are one thing and truth is another". This is certainly truo. The world in which we live is in labour and she carries in hor womb the truth which is justice. It is a severe sentence over us, the church, that we are nc longer trusted by the world which it seeking a better future. It dees not believe that God-fearing people really long after that just and human order which is seeks to realize and that they would really, after their heart, and with all their might, cooperate with the world in all its good efforts. If we succeed in proving tho contrary, than we shall be able to discharge our earthly service, on our ground, in cur manner with tho humble attitude and confession of our faith, for the good W-f our people and the world.

Do not let us look for escapes or excuses. Lot no one say that the "ideological differences" nvd so great that they would "anyhow" obviate any cooperation since cur partner would in "no oase" trust us. This "anyhow" and "no case" is God-less talk. It is not up to us how cur partner reacts to our offer of cooperation. What is up to us is that the church should take an unmistakably positive attitude towards the new Hungarian state which is working for Socialism. At any rate, we have no reason to complain: when the Hungarian Protestant churches said yes, at tho proper time, to the cause of "work" and "peace", this yos had a veiy favourable echo, both in words and in deeds, Ify making an Agreement with the new Hungarian state, in 1948, we laid a good foundation for tho free work of the church, amidst a revolutionary transformation of gigantic dimensions, - and we even succeeded in soduring a lomg period of transition to the status of tho selfsupporting church, which is the only G.apel-liko status for tho church.-3-Hungarian Church Press