Magyar Egyház, 1966 (45. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1966-02-01 / 2. szám
8 MAGYAR EGYHÁZ McCord, president of Princeton Theological Seminary continues to serve as North American secretary. In the life of our denomination this meeting was a significant one. Bishop Louis Nagy attended the area meeting for the first time as our delegate and our new bishop. It is not customary to single out any of the official delegates when the roll call is taken at the opening session, yet Dr. McCord made an exception and asked our bishop to stand introducing him to the entire Area Council. To many delegates he did not need any introduction: the president of Pittsburgh Seminary and a few of his colleagues refered to him as “our son.” Bishop Nagy did his graduate work in that seminary and now they proudly consider him as one of their most prominent alumni. Dr. Eugene C. Blake greeted him as “an old friend” — the day proir to the area meeting they both participated in the Annual Service of Intersession and Holy Communion Service in the National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. at the opening of the U. S. Congress. It was good to see that our bishop immediately became known by all and by the end of the meeting he knew practically everybody! I had the privilege to be witness of the exceedingly charming manner how Bishop Nagy participates in ecumenical discussions. Dr. McCord asked him for a visit during the Conference. About two hours they talked as brethren about matters very close to the heart of every Hungarian Reformed Christian. One of the significant fruits of his endeavors will be the publication of the new English translation of the Second Helvetic Confession by our Church. You will hear more about this in the future, but being somewhat aware of its historical significance, I am happy to report that our bishop initiated the necessary steps to secure the needed permissions and rights at this Area Council meeting. Next year’s meeting will be held in Memphis, Tennessee. We hope that our Book of Hungarian Reformed Creeds will be published and our great confessional books will become sources of renewal and spiritual strength for the life of our Churches, but also for the entire Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, who — “from the beginning to the end of the world, and from among the whole human race, by his Spirit and his Word, —- gathers, protects, and preserves for himself, in the unity of the true faith, a congregation chosen for eternal life.” (Heidelberg Catechism, Question 54.) Louis Nagy: ECUMENICAL UNITY AMONG HUNGARIAN REFORMED CHRISTIANS IN AMERICA (The first part of this article appeared in the January issue of Magyar Egyház.) We Believe in Hungarian Reformed Unity in America We say it again: we believe in Hungarian Reformed Unity in America! We dare to believe in the organic unity, even though a good portion of us cannot live the free life of the Hungarian Reformed Church in America. Until unity of organization can become a reality we can still believe in spiritual unity. We believe in the Hungarian Reformed ecumenity in America! We are giving our blessing to those brethren who want to remain on the way they chose many decades ago, but we are asking them, wih their talents and goodwill, to help those who want to gain fame and reputation for the Hungarian Reformed name in America before the American public and before all the Protestants of the world. Both the present president of the Calvin Synod and the present bishop of the Hungarian Reformed Church in America were students in Sárospatak. Their former professors engraved upon the flesh tablets of their hearts the same ideals. Their people are the Hungarian Reformed people of the Cistibiscan District, they were taught sober thinking in villages not far from each other, they received their Reformed belief, traditions and customs from the same hand. The Word of God called them to guard-posts that are different only at first sight. They both have to do the same things at their posts: to keep their faith, and pass it on to the next generation. I believe that Árpád György, the president feels the same as I do, that life ebbs away so swiftly and we who are the responsible leaders today have to find the answer to the question: can here still be unity among the Hungarian Reformed in America? What are we doing to heal the wounds caused by our brethren and to tear down the fences so that brotherly hearts can get closer to each other? I am sure that not one of us wants to enter the pages of the history of the Hungarian Reformed Church in America as the person who widened the chasm and who made hearts colder toward each other. The Spirit of Cooperation Must Grow We confess with the Elders’ Federation of the Hungarian Reformed Churches in America that “the organic unity of the Hungarian Reformed Churches is necessary so as to preserve our heritage, and to fulfill even greater tasks.” Furthermore we believe with all our heart that “the spirit of cooperation and contact between churches with Hungarian Reformed background and origin will grow!” We also know that those who wanted organic unity in the past committed a grave error right from the beginning. We have to consider the fact that there are brothers who could not work on this unity, even if they wanted to. Only the Calvin Synod and the Hungarian Reformed Church in America can talk about unity, others can talk only as individuals with the leaders of the existing unity. This unity of organization is the final aim. Those who came from the undivided Reformed Church of Hungary, or their descendants, have to create this unity. This is the final aim. The road to accomplishing this is very long and difficult! First let us create the spiritual unity of the Hungarian Reformed in America. Every church can have a part in this, no matter to which group it belongs. For awhile the work on Faith and Order in the life of the Hungarian Reformed Church in America must be very diplomatic while we try to change the invisible unity to a visible one. The emphasis has to be on Life and Work in the Hungarian Reformed Community in America while we combine to achieve our common goal. This common goal is the task of turning over our Hungarian Reformed faith, heritage, tradition and piety to our posterity. There Is No Dogmatic Handicap What a great gift of this generation is the fact that there is no dogmatic hindrance between us. However there could become one if we do not join hands now. Our most urgent task is to find an English order of worship. Let our baptism, communion, marriage ceremonies, funerals, and other special services be uniform. Let us compile together a good catechism, let us publish an English Hymnal. Let us write down the traditions which we brought with us across the sea, and those which we have used and approved throughout the 75 years. Let us have a common liturgy. Let also the ideals of the Hungarian Reformed minister, elder, and church-member in America be the same and let us work together in our
