Hungarian Church Press, 1957 (9. évfolyam, 14-15. szám)
1957-11-30 / 14. szám
ECHP XIc50.1957, VoI.fk/14 164 thou savourest not the things that be of Goo., hut those that he of men". Now, this motive of loving our people is, in part, very deep, pure and inspired hy God, hut is alscy in part, fully exposed to temptations., Now, I may sum up, as follows, the inner decisions of this love. It was and is the will of God that this transformation take place in our country. It was God's Judgment that made old Hungary fell, and it has been His grace that has given us a new lease on life. This transformation inevitably involves much suffering -■ also the suffering of innocent people« .That is the task of the church in such a situation as this? Firstr that it by no means intensify; by its actions, hut rather lessen, as far as possible, the inevitable sufferings wliich go together with this process. On the other naad- it has the even more important task to secure, during the years of revolutionary ci mnge, vhe p eace of the congregations * life, the proclamation of fcho Gospel's aovi'jrt.u.g strengthening message, therhy preserving to the congregations every:.more; the energising home from which the people of Cod living in this land may always start out- to oontinue their Journey with renewed strength. It is this basic attitude which comprises everything that has happened in our church, either well or wrongly done, either to heal or to wound, either justly or unjustly, in the course of the last eight years. The basic condition of the churches life, "its inner freedom and evangelical liberty" lias been clearly and purely formulated, yet it was exactly this inner freedom and evangelical liberty that collided with the temptations or even failures of our love's efforts to shield men and ourselves« I could draw now the curve the deviations of which, to the right and to the left, from the straight line, problems of pea>sons and causes, called for remedy, while time was dangerously trickling out cf our hand, ami the wide public of our church was unable or often unwilling to see the honest motives, the serious Intentions and the positive indications of correction and healing, 1 am net referring to those who, from the beginning to pej>haps this vsry day, have kept or passing cold-blooded judgments on the struggle which a sect Lon of our church leaders have carried on, indeed for the church and indeed for cur whole people* All lessons are lost on these people for they have been unwilling to bow themselves under the mighty arm cf God and to ask humbly: ’’Lord, what wilt thou ’nave me to do?" That was especially painful - and probably contributed to the almost catastrophic series of events between November, 1956, and February, 1957 -• was the reluctance of believing men, the patented men of evangelisation aid mission, to undertake that tortuously difficult theological effort which aimed at understanding, in the light of God's Word, our new (of course compared wxth the "aw heaven and new earth", only relatively new) situation,and to accept that situation also in. the light of God's Word, as coming from the hand of God, and so disclosing not coaly His judgment but also His mercy toward us0 Alas, it was even this — as one may call it ~ missionary circle, in which I was also bort:, that caused, after inany struggles (which I, supported by the late Sándor Makkal of bl issed memory, liad with them) an estrangement in me and a cooling-off of my relationship with them« I wholeheartedly regret tills,. A man, incomparably greater than I- and after experiences of more serious nature than I had, was able to say even of the activity of those who, lacking in sincerity, preached Christ "of envy and strife", tiiat he "rejoiced" even in their work, It was this magnanimity that began to evaporate from the service, ’being replaced, in many respects, by a lack of confidence and the serious concern th their ministrations in order to awaken people did not build up God's Reformed Con; negation in Hungary, to the cause of which, above all. we are all, as bond - serv- lit s of C’rrLst, lovingly dedicated- Alas, this is a vitally topi cal concern even toda^. The reproach was and has been often voiced that re ought have given a better infer,nation, to a larger circle of our brethren, about our difficulties,
