Hungarian Church Press, 1968 (20. évfolyam, 2. szám)

1968-06-01 / 2. szám

HCP Vol XX Special Number ~ 28 - (07670)

1968 No 2

the State, clearly defining the respective realm and task of each; let not the State become Church, and let not the Church become State-, "With Luther we, too, believe - says a Hungarian investigation of the problem of the State - that, also behind the state power, God himself is at work, and so the state power is the "mask" of God (larva Dei) 0 Hence state paver is the instrument of God7s providence in this world"6 38)

The critical arguments directedtagainst Luther1s teaching about the Two Realms are generally known* The first point of this criticism is that the separation of life into two spheres and hence the autonomy of the scato'3s function has led to an ethical dualism and laid the foundations of a conception cf the State wholly emancipated from God?s laws0

We are not going to discuss here the critical arguments since in Hungary the consequences of the Lutheran teaching have never assumed those extreme forms which could have had disturbed the social teaching and ministry of the church. In recent Lutheran theology, this piece cf the confessional heritage, Lutherba teaching of the Two Realms and two regiment; 3 cf God; has, in view of modem social development and the emergence of the malern state, progressively become a theologoumenon which, instead of tryir .pto explain the origin of the State, centres the attention upon the actual existence the objectives, and accomplishments of the State* "In making our Judgment on a state, the decisive question is not how the state in question seized power hut rather the question how and to what end it uses the power acquired, "39)

o

In the Galvin i stic teaching concerning the universal rei.gr. cf Christ the secular authority, the State, we discern the strains of three basic theological trends* It still reflects the influence, as the heritage of the scholastic theology of the Middle Ages, of the theologia naturális, In his Institutes, Calvin writes about the,State as follows; "We may discern in the souls of all men the disposi tion to civil honesty and order" (Institutio religionis Christianae. Und hook, chapter II, point 12), -When people submit themselves to the authorities, "they certainly do this because they have a divine impulse and instinct to do so; this is a divine suggestion generating fear without which they would never subject themselves to anybody" (Corpus Reformatorum, Vol XXIX, p0 660)o According to Calvin, every man possesses in himself the general outlines of a respectable civilian order the main purpose of which is the service of the common good* The main viewpoint is that of the humanitás, and, according to Calvin, what is to bo served by the State .-.s "the humanitás revealed and founded in Christ" (lnst0 IV/20/2)o ’ Within the sphere of the universal grace, the State is the ordinance of Cod. in view of human sin: "Whenever somebody speaks of the earthly order cf the community, let us recognize that this is the mirror of our. corruption;, Let us admit that it was not without reason that God established the order of earthly Justice; He did this in view of ahe corruptness which is in us* Thereby He warns us to humble ourselves considering that our sins call for sudi a medioino" (Corpus Ref ómat orum, vol XXVII, pe 409)* The straine-ef the tneol_ogqa_ naturális, of the providentia naturális as well as of the providentia speciális are visible in Calvings teaching about the State0