Magyar Egyház, 1959 (38. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1959-08-01 / 8-9. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 13 WORLD ALLIANCE CALLS FOR A MODERN EXPRESSION OF REFORMED FAITH (Sao Paulo)—In what was termed one of the most important actions among Calvinist churches since the Reformation, the World Alliance of Reformed and Presbyterian Church closed its Eighteenth General Council in Sao Paulo, Brazil, with a call for a modern expression of the Reformed and Presbyterian faith. “It is high time to work on a new statement of the Reformed faith”, the delegates declared to the General Council. “Such a statement, while remaining loyal to the Holy Scriptures and the faith of our fathers, at the same time would articulate it in the language of our day and in reference to the false teachings of our age.” Nearly 300 voting delegates representing 77 different church bodies in 53 countries approved the positive action. The council also approved the continuation of meetings between representatives of the Alliance and the International Congregational Council, urging that the talks be broadened to include participation by parish ministers and lay people. The main theme of the Council’s discussion was “The Servant Lord and His His Servant People”. Dividing the main theme into four sub-themes the delegates heard papers and met in study groups on the topics “The Service of Theology”, “The Service of the Church”, “The Service of the Christian”, and “The Service of the State”. The Council issued a closing message in which it pointed out that Jesus Christ himself is the standard for the integrity of he Church. Therefore, the delegates called their own Reformed family of Churches to bear witness in ecumenical discussions to Christ as the Church’s Lord and Head. They also stated their belief in the necessity of a constant and imaginative effort to relate the reeoncilitation of Christ to human labor. The message closes with a call for renewed obedience to Christian service in every aspect of daily life and to a living portrayal of their calling as servants of a Servant-Lord. The Council elected to head the Alliance for the next five years Dr. Ralph W. Lloyd, a Presbyterian and president of Maryville College, Tennessee, USA. A candidate for the Alliance presidency was also the Czech theologian, Dr. Hromadka. Among the newly elected vice-presidents is Bishop Imre Varga from the Reformed Church of Czechoslovakia. Our Hungarian Reformed Church in America, a member Church of the Alliance, was represented by Dr. Sándor Vargha.-----------o----------British Bishop Against Church Bazaars The recently enthroned Anglican Bishop of Bristol, England, the Right Rev. Oliver Tomkins, has announced that he will not be available to open church bazaars in his diocese. In his “Diocesan Gazette” he says the traditional practice “does not carry with it fruits of personal contact and pastoral intimacy which make it worth the price”. World Church Body Discusses Pope's Ecumenical Council Leaders of the World Council of Churches’ 173 member churches of the Protestant, Anglican and Orthodox confessions have been meeting in Rhodes (August 19-27) to review progress on their cooperative work and plan future programmes. During the nine-day session the Committee: VOTED to hold the WCC’s Third Assembly in New Delhi, India, in late 1961. ADOPTED a statement reaffirming “abolition of war”, as the ultimate goal and urging indefinite suspension of all nuclear weapons tests. VOTED general approval for amendments to the WCC’s constitution which would facilitate its proposed integration with the International Missionary Council in 1961. VOTED to send a letter to the Evangelical Confederation of Colombia “assuring them of our brotherly sympathy and prayers in their steadfast witness and work for the Faith”. A report of the Executive Committee included a five-paragraph section of the Ecumenical Council called by Pope John XXIII, in which it noted that at the time the council was called, the Executive Committee had made “no formal comment on the proposal” for lack of information and that “this reserved attitude proved to be wise”. The report said that, “in the following months it became clear that the original impression given by the religious and secular press, namely that this council would deal mainly with the question of church unity and that invitations to attend the council might be addressed to other churches, was not correct”. It noted that the WCC and Roman Catholic theologians have had “informal contacts” in recent years and that the WCC will follow the plans for the council with interest because “we cannot be indifferent to an event which affects so large a number of Christians and which cannot avoid having a bearing on relations among the several churches”. The Committee also issued a call to the churches to continue support of the UN-sponsored World Refugee Year. It urged that they particularly work for national legislation which “will open doors to more refugees from a wider group of countries”. It also asked that the churches accept special responsibilities for refugees who do not come under the mandate of govenmental and inter-governmental agencies and the aged, handicapped and sick.-----------o----------WORLD REFUGEE YEAR OPENED The World Refugee Year was opened on July 1. On this occasion, the American Council of Voluntary Agencies for Foreign Service held an Opening Day Luncheon at The Plaza in New York. Speakers included Msgr. Edward Swanstrom, Director of NCWC, Dean Francis Sayre, Jr., Chairman of the United States Committee for Refugees, and Senator Hubert Humphrey. Toastmaster was Dr. Norris Wilson, Director of Church World Service. The Hungarian Reformed Church in America was represented by Dean Gábor Csordás. Dr. Ralph W. Lloyd
