Hungarian Church Press, 1950 (2. évfolyam, 4-13. szám)
1950-07-15 / 12-13. szám
and it is only tSae reaction which is trying to set then against each other. To ^fight for peace, to become a church of the people»- this is-the true vocation, and future programme of the church". t Then Bishop Dezséry' preached his installation sermon, talcing his text from v. 1~11 of the 3rd chapter of the Acts* ^'irst., He described the present condition of the church. What the church needs is not silver and gold but the renewing power of-Jesus Christ* The church is in need of an inner renewal, - he said. This inner renewal-can only be brought about by the ministry of those who know what the Church really is and have the boldness to act in Jesus' name, being sure that Jesus Christ in with His Church until the end of the world. We must realize that we are launching something which is new, or at least seems to be a novel thing in the life of our church.'We must set out to prepare a wonder, in having no trust in ourselves, but trusting the lord of the Church, Who will come to our help if we, putting all our trust in Kim, call on Him. Thon the new Bishop described the outward circumstances in which the church performs her service among the Hungarian peoplo. Speaking of the Agreement between the Lutheran Church and the Hungarian State, ha made the follov/ing statements:’ Standing on the basis of "the Agreement between our church and the People’s Democracy, the church is free to discharge her function in people 's democracy, in the spirit of religious freedom and freedom of conscience. On the other hand, our church has obliged herself to support, in the spirit of good relations, that constructive activity which is being oarried on the Hungarian State in order to establish our Socialistic fatherland. The separation or the church from the state does not moan the invidious parting of two hostile bodies. Tho believing people of tho church belong to the people of the Hungarian state and are not bent on obstructing, but are rather anxious to promote the social development of the Hungarian people. As to the relation of the Hungarian Lutheran Church to the.Lutheran World federation, the new bishop made the following statements Hungarian Protestantism takes part as an unit in tho fight for the peace of the world. The fact that the Soviet Union and the People's Democracies have adapted the aims of the peace movement serves not to the disadvantage but rather to the advantage of this movemento We sincerely desire the participation of Western Christianity in the same peace movement« We confess we regard it qs hypocrisy that Western Christieity, - while speaking of peaoe as the natural life pattern of Christians, - anxiously avoids dissociating itself from that political propaganda which manifests itself, in the Y/ost, in- acts of warmongering against those countries which are devoted to the cause of establishing Socialism. We were exposed tb, and even succombod to the same-10-Hungnrinn Church Press
