Magyar Egyház, 1959 (38. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1959-08-01 / 8-9. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 9 MAGYAR CHURCH Bishop Beky Received by President Eisenhower Leaders of denominations which make up the National Council of Churches met with President Eisenhower on September 9 to assure him that he has the backing of church people in the nation in his efforts to achieve world peace. The appointment, made following a series of conversations with White House staff begun last spring, was one of the first granted by the President following his return from Europe. Object of the visit of the churchmen was to apprise the President of the nation-wide program of peace education sponsored by the National Council’s Department of International Affairs and to present him with a progress report on the program, initiated last June. Churches and state and local councils of churches across the nation are participating in this first major study by church people of ways and means of achieving peace. In notifying the heads of member denominations of the appointment with the President, Dr. Edwin T. Dahlberg, National Council president, told them: “The purpose of this visit is to let the President know of the prayerful concern which Christian church leaders have for the heavy responsibilities he is carrying on behalf of our country and world peace. It is also to inform him that church members throughout the country will not only be praying for him but will be studying and discussing important questions confronting our nation and the world during this year of our nation-wide peace program.” At the reception at the White House Dr. Dahlberg reviewed the pronouncement of the National Council on the military, political, cultural, economic and ideological aspects of international relations. “It has stated its unalterable opposition to Communism and all forms of tyranny,” he declared, “and has gone on record as believing that exchange between different people and nations adds to knowledge and helps break down prejudice, misunderstanding and conflict.” Dr. Dahlberg warned, however, of the danger “in the illusion that an exchange of visits can eradicate easily the problems which are the continuing concern of diplomacy.” President Eisenhower in his address told the group of clergymen that he believed one of the functions of the church in promoting peace is the great service it can perform in better uniting the free peoples of the world. The Rt. Rev. Bishop Zoltán Beky was among the denominational leaders meeting with the President. The Bishop had an opportunity to present a memorandum to President Eisenhower on behalf of the Hungarian Reformed Church in America. In this memorandum our Church reaffirmed its belief that real peace will never be achieved without the liberation of the captive nations. Recalling an earlier statement of the President that “liberty is indivisible” the memorandum asked him “to remember the just cause of the captive Hungarian people while discussing the possible solutions of the present tensions at the coming meetings.” REFORMED UNITY AND THE FUTURE OF OUR CHURCHES “It was the happiest day of my life”, we heard an elder saying at the close of the Labor Day session of the Hungarian Reformed Elders’ Association conference at Ligonier, Pa. The more than 100 delegates from Hungarian Reformed congregations from all over the country and affiliated with different denominations heard two momentous addresses on the case of unity among Hungarian Reformed Churches in America by Bishop Zoltán Beky of the Hungarian Reformed Church in America and by Dr. István Szabó, President of the Magyar Synod of the Evangelical and Reformed Church. Both addresses were frank and courageous; neither spared passing judgement on the mistakes of the past but both reaffirmed their faith and hope in the possibility of unity in the future. Bishop Beky and President Dr. Szabó proved themselves both, responsible churchmen and faithful leaders of their Hungarian Reformed people. The Elders’ conference unanimously voted to make preparations for a Hungarian Reformed Congress to be held next spring in Cleveland, Ohio. Denominational leaders will bring suggestions to the congress in regard to Hungarian Reformed unity. The annual meeting of the Hungarian Reformed Ministers’ Association which followed this conference unanimously endorsed this resolution. Hard work and ardent prayers of all of us should follow these momentous decisions that the plans to which the groundwork was laid in Ligonier may become true! The reader may find the full text of Bishop Beky’s address in the Hungarian section of this issue. In the following we print a digest in English. We hope to be able to bring a similar digest of Dr. Szabo’s address in our next issue. * There is undoubtedly a desire in our hearts to unite all Hungarian Reformed Christians in one brotherly fellowship regardless of our present affiliations. We should, however, not only discuss unity, but we should rather understand it to be our sacred, God-given duty to make every effort to realize it as an effective union of all the brethren. Our present discord is due to the fact that we have neglected this duty in the past, which is nothing else than a grave, sin of disobedience. The statement made by the
