Magyar Egyház, 1964 (43. évfolyam, 3-9. szám)
1964-11-01 / 9. szám
16 MAGYAR EGYHÁZ at some later date. We could very well boast of our very talented leaders of the past. It would be interesting to narrate what characterized the era of Sebestyen — the first period of our church. It would make us very appreciative to learn what kind of a task God gave to us as a church in the era of Daroczy. How strict Calvinism and the visions of Dr. Vincze have colored and enriched the lives of our denomination. We could say many things about Dr. Beky’s era, when our church got its wings and in the forums of the world proclaimed that there is a Hungarian Church in America. The Hungarian sorrow would literally sob from the printed page if we were to write how Hungarian Reformed souls cried out for other Hungarian souls, — brethren for brethren, for those who chose the easier road who were often lifted up but just as often humiliated, whose most urgent task was to be melted into the great ocean so that they would no longer disturb anyone. We cannot write about these things now. On this our fortieth anniversary, we stand with hearts full of gratitude; and we revere those who, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, were witnesses, participants and molders of our church history. We mention, with great reverence the names of the Rt. Rev. Borshy Kerekes and Mr. Stephen Bodnar, who were present at the historical meeting where the founding of our denomination took place. We thank God too, for giving us such leaders, laymen and people who can well be compared with the sixteenth and seventeeth century Hungarian Reformed people. We tell to all the world that, moved by the Holy Spirit, the strong, steadfast, sacrificial, courageous faith of our people established our precious church. It was always a source of inspiration and strength to our ministers that they knew their faithful people who desired, above everything else, a free and independent Hungarian Reformed Church which they themselves could support and govern according to the 400 year old Hungarian Reformed tradition and custom. With all of our hearts, we fondly embrace all those aged ministers and all the living Hungarian Reformed Brethren who fought the good fight in defense of the golden shield. We bless a thousandfold the memory of those who were faithful unto death and have gone home to their eternal reward. We avow again on this fortieth anniversary that we will pass on the golden shield, our sacred Hungarian Reformed faith, to our children and that we will rear them so that they will never become Rehoboams who will change the golden shields of their faith to brass. Hail to all the defenders of the golden shield! Magyar Egyház wishes all its readers a blessed Christmas Season and a happy, peaceful New Year. STEPHEN SZŐKE: TRADITION OF TREASURE? On the anniversary of our denomination our first thoughts are those of thanksgiving to God. It was His providence that we were established and have been continuously growing through these forty years. If this movement were only of men, we would have been dissolved and forgotten years ago. As it is, we were directly or indirectly the cause and encouragement even for others to champion our fathers’ faith. Soli Deo Gloria! Glory be to God alone for whatever good we have served by our existence, for the service we rendered to our brethren within as well as without our walls. With gratitude and thanksgiving in our hearts toward God and the founding fathers, we look back now with humble satisfaction for the accomplishments of the years — however small or great they may be. We have grown from one church classis to three classes, forming one diocese. The number of our congregations is more than four times as many as was at the beginning. We have built several new church buildings and educational centers (at present two of our congregations are in the process of building) ; we published our official organ, the Magyar Church, without interruption. We cooperated in publishing the Hungarian Hymnal with other church groups of Hungarian background; supported the Bethlen Home in its general work as well as in its building program; we readily shared leadership in the national organizations of ministers and presbyters, and many other cooperative efforts. While we strengthened our churches numerically and both spiritually and financially, serving our members in their several needs, we went through many and constant changes: some by predetermination, some by the force of events. The work which was started as purely Hungarian church work, by now has become truly bilingual — in most congregations equally needed and desired. The ever-changing conditions demand constant reexamination and at this milestone of forty years we especially feel the need of serious self-examination in the light of the Word of God. For everything, even tradition and heritage, the form of life and work of the Church, has to come under the scrutiny of God’s revealed word and holy will. “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels,” we read in 2 Cor. 4:7, “to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us.” Tradition and heritage are two well liked and often used words, which are just as often misused or used as a decorative to otherwise empty array of words. Both may well mean the same thing depending on the user. They are good words conveying deeply rooted customs and valuable assets of faith and work. However, these are never absolute, but always relative. New customs, often borrowed, may be regarded as old traditions within a lifetime or even within a few short decades. But even if we use them in their historical setting, we cannot eternalize the historical. Everything, in life and work of the Church, in faith and order, is historically conditioned and relative. There is only one Absolute: God, as we know Him through Christ, the Head of the Church. Only through this supposition do we see clearly that at the time of this fortieth anniversary it is not enough to speak of our tradition or heritage with the assumption that everyone knows what we mean by it. First of all. do we mean Christian heritage, or American heritage or
