Diakonia - Evangélikus Szemle, 1993
1993 / 4. szám - Summary, Aus dem Inhalt
75 DIAKOMA Lutheran Review Summary After the political system of the ’communal society’ failed, we felt it would be wrong to ’throw out the baby with the bath water’, i.e. that the positive content of the word ’community’ should be retained. In the current issue we are highlighting three essays from this main theme. In his essay entitled ’The Healing Power of the Community’ the renowned Hungarian psychiatrist Béla Buda reasons that individual psychological anthropology is untenable, since isolation disintegrates the personality. Namely, human beings crave for acceptance and recognition, they need attention and love for developing their personalities. Lack of community plays a decisive role in personality sicknesses (suicide, alcoholism), and therefore groups are the main therapeutic means as self-healing communities. Experiences gained in this field may prove useful in church congregational work. The worldwide conflict between individualism and collectivism, in traces recognisable even in individuals, is the premise on which pastor Sándor Cserháti Jr. bases his essay. Examining the content of the Jewish-Christian concept of communion, he finds that in it the dilemma in which each excludes the other is resolved because the community accepts individual conflicts. Though conflicting with the belief of the community, it is nevertheless possible to experience the communion of faith. In this sense the author analyses M. Buber and E. Bruner’s theology on the dialogical concept of existence and the substance of God as experienced in meeting with him. He finds that contrary to the today so fashionable efforts to seek ’union’ in mysticism, the Jewish-Christian way of thinking concentrates on this communion with God and with fellow-human beings. Publication of the Lutheran Church in Hungary Editor: D. Imre Veöreös Assistant Editor: László Bízik Editorial and Publishing Office: H—1447 Budapest P. O. B. 500 Subscriptions to the above address. Annual Subscription: 720,— Fts. Mathematician József Merza, the well- known representative of the Roman Catholic ’Bush’ base community, describes the history, the principles, the structure, and the activity of this model type formation. From the initial gathering around György Bulányi in the late 40’s, through the arrests in the 50’s, and the discrediting performed with the assistance of the church in the 70’s, the author acquaints us with the initiative, which has not been recognised to this day, though its main basic principles in the spirit of Vatican Council II. range from the civil disobedience movements, to the protection of the environment, the use of no force, the refusal of compulsory military service, and to the numerous forms of charitable activities. He outlines the process of how the 5—15 member ’branches’ finally join into the ’bush’ formation which is widely represented in our society in literary, ecumenical and political activities. While regular professor of theology András Reuss’essay does not deal with our main theme, it addresses the very timely topic of divine inspiration. His train of thought successfully finds the course between fundamental and radical criticism. After clarifying the meaning of the expression and reviewing the relevant declarations in Scripture, their theology historical interpretation, the tension between story criticism and the theory of inspiration, he comes to the work of the Holy Spirit today. Namely inspiration is not authenticated by its origin, but rather by its trustworthiness and effect in so far as it testifies to the living Jesus Christ. Besides the articles reviewed above, also a full Table of Contents is included in the English and German languages.
