Reformátusok Lapja, 1971 (71. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1971-05-01 / 5. szám
REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA 13 NEWS ITEMS On April 11, Easter Sunday, in the city of of Worms, West Germany, where Luther was excommunicated, a nine page letter was composed and distributed by Roman Catholics addressed to Pope Paul VI to review the condemnation of Luther. * In the Hungarian Reformed Church of Manville, N.J., a Friendship Dinner was held on May 16th at the occasion of their return to Calvin Synod. * Two new books written by Rev. László Kecskemethy are available for sale; 1. City Built for Survival and 2. Az áldott orvos (prayerbook). Books may be secured from: Rev. L. Kecskemethy, 6845 Louise Avenue, Van Nuys, California 91406. DRAFT PROPOSAL SOON FOR LUTHERAN REFORMED INTERCOMMUNION Cartigny, Geneva—Closer Lutheran- Reformed relations in Europe are expected to be worked out at a meeting, April 20 - 24, at which representatives from Lutheran and Reformed Churches will draft the text of a Common Declaration, expressing agreement on three issues previously highlighted at the “Leuenberg Consultations”, 1969- 70. The document will include: 1. a declaration expressing agreement about the essential content of the Gospel; on this basis a mutual recognition of the confessions of the participating churches would be possible. 2. a revoking of the doctrinal condemnations contained in sixteenth- century confessional writings; these are no longer felt to be relevant today. 3. a declaration giving a guarantee of pulpit and table fellowship between the participating churches; this would constitute church fellowship in the full sense. A Common Declaration will be submitted to what is described as a preassembly, scheduled for September 20 - 24 at Leuenberg near Basle. Provided agreement is reached, a large European Lutheran-Reformed Assembly is thought to be possible at the end of 1972, when the churches involved would declare full intercommunion between them. RPPS DUTCH CHURCH RE-PHRASES CONFIRMATION QUESTIONS The Hague -— The recent decision by the Netherlands Reformed Church Synod to adopt alternative questions for confirmation candidates comes just in time for Palm Sunday, the traditional date on which all over the Netherlands young people are received into church membership. Instead of the existing three questions, which used to be sounded in confirmation services, one single question can now be put to the candidates: In the case of those not yet baptized: Do you desire through baptism to be received into the Church of Christ? In the case of those who have already received baptism: To confirm your baptism, through which in earlier years you were received into the Church of Christ, will you now indicate by saying yes that you belong consciously to the fellowship of the Church? The proposal to introduce these alternatives arose from young people’s discussion groups in different parts of the country, notably from the students’ parish at Groningen university and its chaplain, the Rev. M. A. Krop who introduced the issue at the meeting of the Synod. RPPS WARC STUDY PROJECTS UNDER WAY Geneva — Three theological study projects, adopted by the Nairobi Assembly of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches last August, have been launched by the Department of Theology. Starter papers for discussion and comment have been sent out to a cross representation of theologians in Alliance member churches all over the world. Project I, How to do Theology, is introduced in a paper written by Professor David Willis of San Anselmo and Berkeley, California, USA, who describes theology as a process of Christian freedom, which has to do with “helping men and women . . . still with the world on their hands . . . to decide what values they are willing to die for, and which ones are secondary.” Author of study paper II is Professor Jurgen Moltmann of Tübingen, Germany, who has written on the Theological Basis of Human Rights and a Theology of Liberation. The document deals with such questions as: how can man be free? God liberating or oppressing? Can the church be a liberating church? What does freedom mean when applied to institutions? Professor Daniel Jenkins of Sussex University, England, has written the introduction to the third project, the Involvement of the Laos — the Whole People of God-in Society and Politics: “It would be of value to the whole ecumenical movement, and not least to the churches of emerging nations, if the rationale of the notion ‘a free church in a free state’ could be spelt out in some detail”. The project raises specific questions in relation to the training of “lay theologians” whose witness to freedom would be must significantly expressed in terms of state and society. First reactions to the project documents will be discussed in the Department of Theology at the WARC Executive Committee meeting, August 25-31. (Those interested in these study papers can obtain them by applying to the Department of Theology, WARC, 150 route de Ferney, 1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland.) RPPS THE WOMEN S CAUCUS MASS. CONFERENCE, THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST The Women’s Caucus of the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ is joining with an ad hoc group of U.C.C. women in New York City calling for the creation of a Women’s Caucus for the Eighth General Synod of the United Church of Christ, to be held in Grand Rapids, Michigan June 25-29. In a letter to all women delegates to that meeting, the Caucus states that they “believe that serious questions must be raised at this time about the U.C.C.’s failure to include women at key points, about the dominant male-oriented theology, about sex-role stereotyping in our church school curriculum, and the validity of a policy which ordains women but does not hire us.” TOWARDS A COMMON SYNOD IN FRANCE? Paris—Twenty churchleaders representing the so-called “quatre bureaux” of the four autonomous Lutheran and Reformed Churches in France met here on February 21 to study a proposal for the establishment of a “Common Synod”, which would meet triennially. If the churches agree, the “4 Bureaux” would be replaced by a
