Hungarian Church Press, 1968 (20. évfolyam, 2. szám)

1968-06-01 / 2. szám

HOP Yol XX Special Number - 39 - (07681;

1968 No-2

In secularised, society, the Church no longer has the role to guide society, and, in the socialist society, this is an unmasked reality consciously recognized and clearly rooted in the principles of society* This fact, however, does not lessen the responsibility of the Church for the whole of man's social life, for the life of man, far his welfare, for his moral level, for his spiritual salvation* In our society Christians are easily tempted, by the thought that, because of having been excluded fron the position of leadership in the work of building up the new societyf we have no responsibility whatsoever for anything that takes place in our country»* However, the bride requirement of the socialist order is the general communal responsibility: no one can be an irresponsible factor in our society* It was with this realiza tion that our church began to find its place in the new social order; it began to realize that it cannot look upon the social efforts, results and mistakes which mark the present social transformat ion as an outsiderj an unoonmitted spectator, but that, we, too, have our share in and responsibility for the attempt to make what is good for our society succeed.

It has been in this situation that the mission of the Church has also been re int erpret ed0 The essence and content of the Church’'s mission is the proclamation of the Gospel, There is no change in dhls: this essential mission of the Church abides amidst all changes* But our interpretation of this essential content of the Church's mission has changed* After wars, at times of revolutionary changesy people's minis are full cf fears« anxieties, the sense of insecurity, arid it seems that thoy are amenable to the Gospel* Poilowing World War II, at the beginning of the revoltiionary transformation of our social order, our churches began with great elan the servi.es of evangelizing the masses of the country* This ministry issued from the mission cf the Church and had God's blessing on it, but it was attended by a great problem; we then believed that the t;.sk of evangelism car. only be the building up of tire Church, the effort to induce the influx of the masses into the Churd: that is, an effort which ultimately had its end in itself* There can. be no doubt that these things, too, reflect certain legitimate aspects of evangelism, but true evangelism is more than these.-, Today wy have already realized that we ought to have given more attention t-o the te.aching cf Jesus* He "proclaimed the Gospel to all the people", then He called those chosen "to be with him" and to be later "his witnesses to the uttermost part of the earth",We, too, must channel the good news of the Kingdom, the good savour of Evangelical life into the life of the whole people, into our whole society, - yet, of course, we must not simultaneously neglect the work the purpose of which i; to gather disciples and build the church* The latter end is necessary so inat Christ may have his witnesses at ail times* It was in the process of the re thinking of our mission that wc have also been led by God to the recognition that we Christians have the obligation to live in our socialist society; Li..

• life of such a piety as that "has premise of the life that“now is, aril of that which is to come" (i Timothy 4;8);