Hungarian Church Press, 1950 (2. évfolyam, 4-13. szám)
1950-07-15 / 12-13. szám
-11-Kungarian Church Press temptation, during the Horthy regime, to which they seem to be suocombing now when they lend themselves as instruments of a so-called crusade which is being most irresponsibly proclaimed, and desert, in their* declarations, the way of Christian love and confession, as far as the countries and peoples living in the Eastern part of the world are concerned. We, obeying the command of Jesus Christ, most sincerely desire the unity of world Christianity. The Hungarian Lutheran Church has also given her sincere assent and willing helpfulness to the idea that the Lutheran churches of the world should express their spiritual unity and mutual helpfulness within the framework of the Lutheran World federation. We are indebted to the Lutheran World federation for the help which it gave to our church after the destruction of the war. We regarded this help as ecclesiastical help motivated by the faith in Chrisiian brotherhood. There are, however, several things which have set us thinking, first, that this help from the Lutheran World federation was stopped in the very moment when cur church openly declared that she is not willing to start resistance against the state of her own people. This significant date of withdrawing help would make us cautious oven if such help would bo over again of±ered to us. It seems that tho Lutheran World federation expected, in the oase of the offerings of simple, believing Western men, tho effect of rallying us to the defence cr service of Western ideas. Secondly, we see with anxiety that the Lutheran World federation is ceasing to speak of us in an ecclesiastical manner and on a theological basis, and is assuming the role of a superior or a condeming judge, instead of acting as a brother giving us counsel. Whether we have an understanding relation to constructive Socialism or we deny it: - this is the teat applied to u3 by the Lutheran World federation in order to judge cur Scriptural and confessional loyalty and our churchcharacter. In this way, the provocation by the press of the federation has brought it about that our church relations are now marked by the same tension which prevails, in the political sphere, between East and West. If certain leaders of the Lutheran World federation and certain. Lutheran churches abroad could look upon us with the mind and love of Jesus Christ, then they would have refrained from bringing about this situation. They regarded us, after the war, as a lame man in need of alms at tho Beautiful Gate of world Christendom. But, at fiiat, they wanted to help us with silver and gold. Now they arc sending the message of political excommunication to us. We are willing to listen also to Western Christianity, provided that they approach us in the name of Jesus Christ. We expect of tho Lutheran World federation the word of Péter, according to the Book of Acta, and not tho echo of the voice of the so-called auooessor of Péter who resides in the.Vatican. It has now come to pass that the Hungarian Lutheran Church ^aa no other ohoice than to get mixed up in the struggle or world politics and to tnko sido therein against our own country and own p^oplo in order- to win tho ncknowlodgemont in Gunova or in Now York that we are here really a ’ church, or else to boar the mark of betrayal wherewith wo arc branded inasmuch wo remain loyal to our country and to our people. What they have shown us hero lately in tho Western press we regard as poorly* oonoeivod church politics; and we cannot be resignod into losing, for such a primitive reason, our spiritual independence.
