Hungarian Church Press, 1968 (20. évfolyam, 2. szám)
1968-06-01 / 2. szám
HOP Vol XX Special Number 1968 No 2 ~ 16 (07658) ''Real ethic comes only into being where the situation addresses questions to the principles"^) Now, the situation is a revolution on a worldscale, while the "principle" for us is "the good and perfect will of God",Hence our question is; what is the criterion of the relative convergence of the general trend of the revolutionary transformation and of God’s humanizing activity? (There is emphasis on the word "relative"» Without this, we would suggest that social progress is identical with the coming of the Kingdom *) The concrete nature_of ouf obedience is in the fact that we give our support to those farces, prooesses and efforts in which we have recognized in faith their relative convergence with the humanizing activity of God»16) The most difficult problem the solution of which is the "specific missionary task of our gene ration1* may be formulated as follows; "What is the role of the Christian in a revolutionary situation"?!?) The reply is to be given in ethical categories, "And this ethic must be normative and, at the • same time, situational, that is, not simply an ethic which is the product of the situation but one that makes the requirements of the Gospel agree wi+h those of the situation". As to the criterion, Richard Shaull makes a \ery important negative and an equally important positive qualification, Our criterion cannot issue either from a philosophy of history or from a political ideology» It is ‘to be found within the Christian koinonia, says Shaull, thereby dissociating himself fran individualism. The plaoe' wherein we are to find the criterion is the congregation led by the revelation of Godc^Sj • • o) The Righteousness of the Kingdom of God and Earthly Justice Service far the good of man appears in the Holy Scriptures as Gospel (Titus 3;4) and Law (Matthew 6;33)e Thus the service of the Christian is motivated not only by the Gospel but also by the Lav/, Law is revealed to the man who serves as the righteousness of God« In our ethical investigation so far we have put the main emphasis on the love of God that promts oux“ service« However, the teaching of the Bible lays a similar emphasis on the following truth; the righteousness of the Kingdom Í3 the kind of .justice that serves man«, It is in the unity of the Cospel and the Law, the love and the justice of God that we are now to consider the theological foundations of our socaal thinking, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness" (Matthew 6|33). The two cannot be separated; we are to seek the Kingdom and, at the same time, the righteousness of God, Christ links the two, fbr it is only together with the righteousness of God that the Kingdom of God is really God’s Kingdom, One cannot serve the Kingdom without serving the righteousness of God,
