Magyar Egyház, 1971 (50. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1971-06-01 / 6-7. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ iS BISHOFS REPORT GENERAL SYNOD MEETING Fathers and Brethren! Since the last meeting of our General Synod, time seemed to pass by on wings. Events came one after another, and people who live in our age can see as much in a few years, as those who lived long ago saw for centuries. Think about the atomic inventions and the travels of our astronauts around the globe, and later on, as they landed on the Moon. It is living almost like in a new era, when new possibilities are open before mankind; either we may live in unprecedented peace and goodwill with one another all around the globe, or we may destroy civilization completely. In our gradually shrinking world, we must learn the biblical truth, that we are all children of our Father, and we have one purpose to know truly our Creator, Almighty God and to glorify His name. In our rapidly changing world, when everything speaks to us about the “nety dimension and new horizons”, people who consider the church, with its thousands of years of history, imagine that it is too old, outdated and with the various institutions, it needs to be renewed and rejuvenated, Truly, the church treasures customs, laws and values which cannot change, and must be preserved, but there are possibilities where new life, methods and modem ideas must find their way into the life of individual Christians, congregations and churches. The desire for renewal can be seen all around us if we consider the activities of the youth. Demonstrations, marches and all kinds of movements are marking the way towards the future of our society. Therefore, we must devote more time and energy for the Christian education of our children, for the proper guidance of our youth, and the training of our future church leaders. Our Hungarian Reformed Church in America was organized after the 1st World War by the efforts of pioneer pastors and people who had faith in God. This humble beginning of our denomination in Duquesne, Pa. in 1924 was blest by the Lord, in that we now have churches from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean and from Canada down to sunny Florida. The new church and the renewing life in the activities of our congregations will depend upon the children of our forefathers. We hope and trust, that God will bless our forthcoming generations and enable the sons and daughters to continue building our churches with sacrificial love. The Vietnamese War. During the last few years, more and more people were touched with the problem of the war in Indo-China. Out of almost every church, we have young men who either were or are now in Vietnam. It is, therefore, our duty to look into the problem of this Vietnamese war and declare our stand on the issue. Many are demanding the end of this war, telling everywhere, that America is committing a great crime by continuing this war and to practice civil disobedience against the war in Vietnam and very often this is being taken very lightly. People seem to forget, that this war was not started by Americans and our involvement there was designed to stop the agressive pressure of communism and our aim was and still is to see, that the people of Vietnam will he able to live freely and peacefully. Is it not the duty of the big nations to defend the small ones, especially, when others try to force their godless-atheist system on them? I would like to appeal to the members of the General Synod to consider the submitted declaration on the war in Vietnam and discuss it, and accept it according to the desire of the majority. Let us pray, that peace may come soon not only to the people of Vietnam, but to everyone, and the freedom and independence of all nations may be sure all around the globe. Return to the foundation. God’s people lived under difficult circumstances. Let no one think, that the life of the first Christians was a march among roses. The blood of martyrs sanctified the first centuries of Christendom. During the Middle Ages, the life of the church became corrupted and so distrusted, that the cry for reform was universal. What was it that renewed the religious life which became dull and polluted? What gave new power to Christianity? What kept the church in the various countries amid the dangers? The Word of God, which was and still is the foundation of the church. This was the source of power, where she gained her strength — this was the recourse for the Reformers — and this was upheld by the confessors who died during the centuries for their faith. I am convinced, that there is no other source for the renewal of the Church of Christ, than the Holy Bible. This was the guideline for our ancestors. If we need renewal, in prayer, in our hymn singing and all, let us turn back to God’s Holy Word, where we can find power and strength for each day. Our church should be the Church of the Word of God; this Holy Writ of the Almighty should be the center of the congregation. Members, elders and pastors and all must study the Word of God, teach it, and preach it and show forth its influence upon us in
