Magyar Egyház, 1972 (51. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1972-04-01 / 4. szám
8 MAGYAR EGYHÁZ the result of lack of discipline. Today children are allowed to do as they please. There is nothing in the world that they cannot have. Do not be surprised then, if the spoiled, undisciplined child later causes much grief and sorrow to the parents and breaks the heart of his mother. As the rearing of the future generations is the most important task of a nation, so it is important that our children should get the proper Christian training in the home and church. If we are lacking something, if there are troubles in the family and the nation, we must turn back to Almighty God, we must return to the Holy Scriptures, the foundation of our faith, and to our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the beginning and the end, in whom our families can be regenerated, and purified, with whom God-fearing men can be victorious. D. A. THIRTEENTH ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF CHURCH WOMEN UNITED of the Hungarian Reformed Church in America Eastern Area DATE: Sunday, May 7, 1972 — 2:00 P.M. PLACE: Free Hungarian Reformed Church of New York, 229 East 82nd Street. The theme of the conference will be: “SEEKING and SEARCHING” Guest speaker will be Dr. Maria Nagy Rerky, In Hungarian: “HOL A FELELET” Guest speaker will be Dr. George Szőnyi. All women of the New York and Eastern Classes are cordially invited to attend. Please reserve this date now and plan to come and to share an enjoyable afternoon in Christian fellowship with each other and the Lord and learn more about Jesus Christ. REGISTRATION starts in Church at 2:00 P.M. Fee: $2.50. 6:00 P.M. Fellowship Supper—Entertainment. OFFICERS — President, Miss Elza Petro; Vice President, Mrs. Helen Nemish; English Secretary, Mrs. Helen Cutler; Hungarian Secretary, Mrs. Mary Ivan; Treasurer, Mrs. Helen Nagy; Chaplain, Mrs. Margaret Szilagyi. WAS JESUS FOR REAL? For many centuries scholars have sought to determine the authenticity of the biblical accounts of Christ’s life and ministry. And, although most Christians have accepted the Bible as a valid document, the skeptical academics have often held that our belief is superstition compounded by ignorance. Professor Shlomo Pines of Hebrew University in Jerusalem dropped a bombshell this past February when he claimed that the first century writer, Flavius Josephus, mentioned the life and works of Jesus and the disciples belief in te resurrection. It had long been thought that Josephus words were altered by Christian apologists who tried to use his writings as evidence of Christ’s existance. Far more important is the claim of the Rev. Jose O’Callaghan, a Spanish expert on papyrus scrolls. He dates a passage from St. Mark (6:53, 53) as being from about 50 A.D. or about twenty years after the resurrection. Since the earliest extant document is from 130 A.D., this discovery places the Gospel record in a time when the disciples were still alive and active in propagating the Gospel. There is little doubt that more evidence will be found to strengthen our claim that Jesus was the person the Bible claims he was and that his followers received the power of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost and set out to convert the world. The Christian faith is founded on fact. We have nothing to fear from scholarly investigations, indeed the past century alone has shown us that our faith is based on historical facts. Too often people have assumed that the biblical record must be accepted on the basis of “faith”, usually a misnomer for ignorance. To imagine that the Christian church has survived nearly twenty centuries of opposition because it was based on nothing more than pious hope is a fallacy. And, although our Christianity calls for more than the acceptance of a historic event, it also demands of us personal involvement and renewal. It is good to know that we can believe in a Savior who was all he said he was, it is even better to know that it is our loving acceptance of his freely given grace that truly makes us the sons and daughters of the King of kings. Charles A. Darocy