Magyar Egyház, 1969 (48. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1969-05-01 / 5. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 13 REVISION OF THE CHURCH CONSTITUTION The Constitution and By-Laws revision committee of the Eastern area churches of the Hungarian Reformed Church in America met on February 23 in Carteret to draw up recommendations concerning changes in the Constitution and By-Laws. The meeting was convened by John Nemish, President of the Elders’ Association, who also chaired the meeting, in compliance with the instruction of the Elders’ Conference of last fall in Trenton, N. J. Twelve elders and officers from the area churches prepared some 24 recommendations which were sent out to all church councils for discussion and review. The recommendations will he submitted to the next Elders’ Conference to be held in Perth Amboy Sunday, October 5, 1969. In a recent letter to all church councils, Bishop Dezső Ábrahám asked all “leaders of our churches to carefully study the By-Laws” and to send to his office any suggestions concerning their revision. In connection with this Magyar Egyház would welcome any suggestion in the form of a brief article which Magyar Egyház would print and thus start an open discussion over the various suggested changes in our Constitution and By-Laws. ROMAN CATHOLIC “IMPRIMATUR” ON NEW BIBLE TRANSLATION Richard Cardinal Cushing, Archbishop of Boston, has granted his official approval, or imprimatur, to Today’s English Version of the New Testament, published by the American Bible Society and popularly known by the title “Good News for Modern Man.” The TEV New Testament, which soared to popular and critical success upon publication and still leads annual book sales in the U.S., has been widely used by persons in Christian education at all levels, including Roman Catholic teachers and priests. A total of more than 14.9 million copies have been put into circulation since it first made its appearance in September, 1966. The new translation uses English words and forms which are accepted as standard throughout the world just as the “koine” Greek was the world language of its time. The translation is largely the work of the Rev. Dr. Robert G. Bratcher of the American Bible Society’s translations department and is based on a Greek text prepared by an international committee of scholars under the auspices of the United Bible Societies. Dr. Bratcher heads the committee now translating the Old Testament into Today’s English Version. This project is scheduled for completion in 1973. Reformed - Presbyterian merger in the U.S.A. rejected— The proposed union of the Reformed Church in America and the Presbyterian Church in the United States was rejected when the merger plan failed to receive the approval of two-thirds of the Reformed Church’s regional classes. The Presbyterian Church had voted in favor of the merger. THE SECOND HELVETIC CONFESSION In Questions and Answers SECTION XXII The Holy and Ecclesiastical Assemblies 1. For what purposes does God command his believing children to come together as a holy congregation or assembly? Although everybody is allowed to read the Bible at home, alone, yet for the following purposes God commands his children to come together as a congregation: a. ) To proclaim his Word to the people regularly and to hold public prayers and supplications, b. ) To administer the sacraments, c. ) To make collections for the needs of the church and for the poor. 2. Is it a sin to stay away from the congregations of the believers? Yes, because those who do so reject the true religion. They should be warned and encouraged by the pastors and the God-fearing authorities that they may no longer stay away stubbornly from the congregations. 3. What should be the nature of the congregational meetings? They should not be secret or hidden, but public and frequent, unless the enemies of Christ make this impossible. 4. Where should the gatherings of believers be held? They should be held in churches or in any other buildings which are properly equipped with all the necessary things needed for a true worship. 5. Why should we regard the places of ivorship holy places? Because they are consecrated to the worship of God and to the preaching of his Word. Therefore, in these places we should behave decently and respectfully as in the presence of God. ( 6. What is the true beauty of a place of worship? Not ivory, gold or jewels but the simple piety and virtues of those who come together in it. 7. What are the main requirements of all gatherings of the believers? In the gatherings of the believers everything must be done for the edification of those who are present. Let everything be conducted in good order and no language be used which is not understood by all. Stephen Kovács
