Hungarian Church Press, 1949 (1. évfolyam, 4-13. szám)

1949-07-26 / 9. szám

N o 9.-5-THE NORWEGIAN EXAMPLE

The Hungarian "Evangélikus Élet" /Lutheran Life writes:

Under the common title "News from Norway" two news items are published in the Bulletin of the Lutheran World Federation /June 1949/. There exists a deep coherence between these two items. In literal translation the one says: Norwegian missionaries evacuate China.

1. / All Norwegian missionaries working in China decided to leave territories occupied by Communists*

2. / The heading of the other item runs:

The Norwegian pastors sent word to the'Hungarian Lutherans in exile, writing: The Norwegian pastors wish to express their deep sympathy and understanding to the members of the Hungarian Lutheran Church in exile.

Let us consider the Foreign policy of the Norwegian "Lutheran Church through these news items. Let us add to the news from the field, the news repeatedly published by the Oekumenische Pressedienst released by the whole world press: "All missions of the Christian Churches are staying in China» The Ö.P.L. published also the sensational report of"Sherwood Eddy, an' American newspaperman on the Christian missionary activites in liberated China. This report was widely released throughout the world-press. The Norwegian Lutheran Church is the only to withdraw its missionary work from China.

The reason Norwegian Church is giving up missionary work was not prompted by religious or other reasons of Creed,but no doubt there must bo some political reason at the back.

In North China, just as in our country a new social and economical order is being built up, and to-day wo know already that we can find our place in this new situation and the maintenance of our work is secured. Of course it means also in our case that we have to return to the teachings and attitude of Jesus in all those things which Cod brought under judgement now, it neither goes with us without inward fights, spiritual struggles and the surrender of some comforts of civil life.

But the Norwegian Church is a Statechurch in a capitalistic country, which tries to use the Church to make capitalistic West a "Christian Colony" considering, past all imagination, to enter into community with "Profane East". That is why the recurring material for propaganda in the Norwegian churchpress is to criticise the attitude of Hungarian Protestantism* The news that the Church in Hungary found its existence and displays signs of a flourishing revival sounds like propaganda to them, since they can imagine Hungarian Christianity only as doomed to martyrdom.