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

1968-06-01 / 2. szám

HUP Vol XX Speoial Number

1968 No 2- 42

(07684)

er Joy in the context of the message that, by his resurrection, Jesus Christ conquered all the forces rebelling against God and hence his sovereignty is over the whole cosmos: He is Lord, without any .limitations, over the universe, over the whole world of creation, and this places the Church under the obligation to make the gift of new life evident in her struggle for the good order of the whole cosmos.-. This insight is consummated and emphasized by the message of the Pentecost which always addresses the question to the Church whether or not she...lives in tie world as a sign of God's victory over the divisions of the wer Id«,

This reinterpretation of our relation to the -world, of course, entails a new estimate--of roan« If the low of God encompasses the whole world, then the Christian is not entitled, to discriminate between men and men when he loci'3 upon the world (Cf^_ Galatians 5:26)0 But we notice another expansion of our view? since God took upon himself all the cares and concerns of man, this includes the misery of the hungry masses Just as the yearning end legitimate demand of peoples and men ’still under oppression far freedom (Cf© % John 6:1-15)5

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All this hears out what we have already mentioned: our preaching stresses, with increasing clarity, that the Church must give up "the attitude of a Judge and side with those who are encompassed by the compassionate love of Jesus Christo This context may also progressively enforce in our preaching the criticism against the false stance of ecclesiastical self «complacency.? Our preachers have tried to make clear that the distinction between the Church and the world Christians and non-Christians, can by no means establish the church as Judge over the world, neither the effected superiority cf Christians in their dealings with non-ghristians» Jesus Christ entered into a relationship of solidarity with the sinners, and. so his disciplesv. too.must do so (Cf0 Jolin 8j 1; .Luke 7x36)«

The. second significant point at which our preaching clearly shows the new insight, leading our church away from the self-defeating idea of die church's life being an end in itself to the selfless service in the world is the progressive rejection and condemnation of the idea cf the ruling church in favour of the idea of the serving churchy Our preaching emphatically witnesses to the servant Jesus Christ as the Lord of the Church, and draws from this the consequence that the Life cf the Christian, too. must be nothing else but service, and that this service is participation in the service of Jesus Christ, the manifestation cf His life as service in usc The tasks &iven to us by God are not for our own enrichment but for the good of ethers, for serving others (Cf,; Matthew 20:25, -28)© This requirement makes our preaching increasingly specific« We notice a growing emphasis on the exhortation that Christian service in concreto means the Christian involvement in the realization of the Just and right ends of the new social order in which we live3 It is in this context that our preaching offers a new teaching about the meaning cf work, again tailing the original meaning of the. Bible, in connection with the teaching about the church’s place and task end. the limits of its service with reference to