Magyar Egyház, 1956 (35. évfolyam, 1-11. szám)
1956-10-01 / 10. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 15 THE NEW REFORMATION by the Rev. CHARLES A. DAROCY On October 31st we remember with pride the great act of Martin Luther who challenged Roman authority and presented anew a vision of the living Christ to the world. In our pride we often tend to forget that the great labors of Luther, Calvin, Bocskay and the other Reformers were not completed in their lifetime. Their efforts merely opened the way for the Church of our Lord to continually rededicate itself to His service. Our reliance upon the past can often lead us into the error of forgetting our obligation to the present. In our uncertainty concerning the future we tend to forget that the faith we proclaim must always be as timeless as the Gospel and as up to date as today’s newspaper. The Cruch can only be the Church when it is fully aware of its responsibilities and is ready and willing to go to any lengths to proclaim the faith it lives by. Therefore it is imperative that we look upon our role as members of the Church in the light of the Gospel. Our message must be clear to the world about us, it must bear the note of authority. Not the power of an ecclesiastical authority, but the witness of believers whose lives bear marks of the power of Christ. The New Reformation must be spiritual in nature. It must begin within the Church. Our effectiveness demands that our local congregations bear true witness. They must bear rich harvests in lives gained for the Kingdom. Any Church that does not draw people into its fellowship is doing half of its assigned task. Men and gained for Christ by those who believe. Your life is the best advertisement for your Church, and unless others see in you the hand of One who is greater, your spiritual battery needs recharging! The New Reformation must be dynamic. It calls for our very best. We cannot work hard at our daily jobs and let it go at that. Our spiritual tasks also call for great dedication. We must pray for vision so that our pastors will not always feel that they are completely alone. By dynamic planning our organizational programs must take account of changes in our parishes and communities and we must be willing to make changes where they are necessary. For if our message only appeals to our own people it is plainly one that will soon have its day come to a sad end. The New Reformation must be idealistic. Gone from our lives is the challenge of Christ. It must be returned and our people must see once again how the Galilean carpenter was able to overthrow the world’s greatest empire by the power of the Cross. Where is idealism greater than in the victory of God over the forces of evil? Where can we do the tremendous work required of us but in the spirit of idealism that gives us the moral basis for our striving? These are but the foundation stones. The New Reformation must be spiritual, dynamic and idealistic. It goes without saying that it must be Christ centered. The faith we proclaim must challenge the hearts and minds of people. We can only dare to win others when we ourselves dare to be different. By restating the simple saving truths of the Bible message we can once anew Re-Form, remold the Church. Our tradition of faith is a great one. Our heritage is in every way worthy of respect and unbounded admiration. They form the foundation. Upon this we must build. Although we may not be theological scholars or saintly persons, we can be the best people possible IF we know what we believe and IF we believe what we know to be true. May God grant us on this, the 439th anniversary of Reformation Day, to have both vision and wisdom in seeking to aid in the bringing about of the much needed New Reformation, that Biblical truth may be brought to the needy world by our efforts and through the grace of God in Jesus Christ.-------------•-------------AN OPEN LETTER TO THE BETHLEN YOUTH FEDERATION I have a number of thoughts I would like to share with you. First of all, I think the membership of the Youth Organization could be increased if the executive committee would go to each church and help the resident minister. It would mean more to the young people of that church to see that the central committee is a living organization. Who can speakb etter to a young person than another young person? Make a driving force out of the campaign. We sit in the back seat and criticize our ministers because we don’t have this or that. No organization that has been against something has ever been successful. You must get after what you want and don’t wait for it to be handed to you on a silver platter. I think this would make the organization stronger. After thinking a while about the modern means of getting religion to people, I have an idea that more of you may like. Radio. We may start with a tape recorder. We can produce many prgorams at a low cost. These tapes can be played through local radio stations, which would probably do it as a public service. A radio station in our vicinity was after our choir for months to make a recording which they played free of charge. It might be possible to find a sponsor to finance the programs. There are many stations powerful enough to broadcast hundreds of miles. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could send programs as far as Hungary? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we started a crusade that would free Hungary? Another idea would be to help our theological students. An investment in our own people would pay us a thousand times. We don’t have to hunt for issues when they are staring us in the face. The interest gain in the bank is small, very small, compared to the interest that would be gained when invested in a human being. You couldn’t glorify the Bethlen Youth Organization more if you built a million dollar monument, then if you invested a hundred dollars in one of your own young students. Very truly yours, Ernest C. Nemeth. (Bethlehem, Pa.) The picture of the National Conference of the Bethlen Youth Federation came too late, therefore it will be published in our next issue.
