Calvin Synod Herald, 1986 (86. évfolyam, 1-6. szám)
1986-06-01 / 3. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD — 9 — REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA The Hungarian Reformed Ecumene Historically, the Hungarian Reformed Church has always had a life-sharing closeness with the people she serves. This closeness explains the rapid expansion of the Reformed Calvinist faith in the Carpathian Basin during the unfortunate 16th century. Our reformation, using the ideas of John Calvin, resulted in a national renewal. Our Church bravely prayed and worked (orlando et laborando) for the betterment and freedom of her constituents. Our ancestors viewed history in general and Hungarian history in particular in the light of the Bible, especially the Old Testament. The historiography of the Old Testament perceived historical events in the life of the “choosen people” as God’s self-revealing acts. Our Church has always shared this idea. The Lord of history per the preceding view has altered and influenced the history of the Hungarians, too, according to His higher purpose. Our Church, therefore, has the duty to understand and interpret through concrete historical events the will of God for His people. As in the past if believers sin and turn toward idols, punishment warns them, and if believers return to the Lord then God’s grace restores the Covenant relationship between Himself and His choosen ones. This clearly indicates that both our individual and collective lifes are under the constant judgement and grace of the Lord of history. The prophetic mission of the Church includes a permanent vigilance to interpret these historic acts and find appropriate responses to Scripture. In the confused 20th Century, the Lord has a lot to say to us Hungarian Reformed Christians. As the result of tragic historical events, we are now living in dispersion (diaspora), in some 20 countries of the world. We have become the “salt of the earth” in all four corners of the globe. We are now a world Church, — unintentionally fulfilling Christ’s original design for His Church. We are as we are because our Church followed its people wherever they wandered, sharing the age-old model of living together with her people. It is also true that this world Church, today resembles more the broken body of Jesus on Good Friday than his victorious appearance on Easter Sunday. We live great distances from each other. We are divided by political, economic, social, linguistic and geographic boundaries. Yet we are still members of one Body tied together by our common confession, tradition, historical heritage, the fact that we are children of the same common Mother Church. This represents an additional responsibility in our individual and collective lives We are obliged to seek and find each other’s fellowship, to nurture each other, to enlarge our sense of community. We need not to accept artificial separation but, need to do everything we can to overcome it. Apostle Paul in Galatians 6:2 and 10 advises as follows: “Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ... So then as opportunity offers, let us practice what is beneficial for everyone, but particularly toward the members of the family of faith.” Let us now see, geographically, where can we find opportunity to practice what is beneficial to our family of faith. We can find three concentric locations of spiritual relatives on this earth. First, the Mother Church in Hungary; second, those who are living in the immediate vicinity but who are separated by political borders in such areas as Rumania, Slovakia, Yugoslavia, the Soviet Union and Austria. They have preserved common characteristics of living under organized bishops and deans on the spot where they evolved at the time of the Reformation. They have unbroken history and geographic continuity. The third sphere is that of the dispersed, diaspora, Church. In the words of our colleague, the Rev. Dr. Aladar Komjáthy, these people “staggered” out of Hungary and today can be found in Western Europe, North and South America, Australia and South Africa. We, in the United States are among them. This is our present given historic situation. What might be the message of the Lord to us in this condition? The answer to this profound question is within the realm of the Hungarian Reformed Ecumene. “Ecumene” is a Greek word, often used and abused in modern times. It means “the inhabited Word” but specifically indicates the fact that the inhabitants of the world should seek and find what binds them together and not what separates them. The ecumenical movement is a theological answer to the call of the Lord that His people should seek togetherness with the purpose of unity rather than uniformity. This unity among Christians, the “imitation of Christ,” can be so thorough as to overcome divisiveness. In our case, in the Hungarian Reformed Ecumene this means that we were raised from the common Mother with confession, tradition, and heritage roots the same, though we may be separated by distance and difference yet our spiritual bond is so strong that it motivates us toward mutual acceptance and active caring. In the past, and even in the present, political opinion has often disrupted and even negated the spiritual oneness which could be ours. Differing political opinions proved to be taller dividing walls that the appeal of the open door of togetherness. This is the major reason that we have not yet achieved a worldwide Hungarian Reformed Ecumenical Community. We know that the idea of such a movement is not new. There were many attempts made in the past, particularly under the leadership of the Rt. Rev. Dr. John Butosi, who since the Nairobi, Africa, meeting of the World Council of Churches built up and maintained invaluable relationships among many diaspora churches. There are many benefits to be gained from the revival of such a movement. The Old Testament choosen people used well the diaspora experience. If we follow Christ in this endeavor with a mature and wise faith, our effort will be blessed. 1. We would be enjoying an act of obedience to Christ’s calling to unity. 2. We would see mission in a new light by enlarging the self perception of our congregations as they would expand koinonia beyond themselves (I. John 1:3). 3. It would teach us to serve each other with Christlike diakonia. 4. In such a movement our particular theological and historical heritage can be maintained by protecting us from rootlessness. Such an ecumenical movement could be so significant that it is hard to imagine a healthy congregational or denominational life without it. Therefore, last Fall it was proposed that we establish an Hungarian Reformed Ecumenical World Council. Our diaspora existence forces us to band together. What could be the immediate task of such a Council? 1. To work out the theological underpinning of the four benefits listed above. 2. To organize ecumenical Sundays in local congregations. 3. To establish a fund for emergency and mission help for any of our churches. 4. To exchange news and publications. 5. To visit each other even by means of organizing conferences of common concerns. 6. To provide active participation in other world organizations. 7. To develop an English, German, Hungarian news service and a compendium of the life and ministry of our Churches. In the present world situation, it is our opinion that such a World Council could
