Magyar Református Egyház

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Parliament passes new church law; 14 churches acknowledged:

After the Communist period, many religious groups of every stripe proliferated in Hungary, some arguably beneficial, some less so.

The recent law change to take effect in January 2012 will essentially turn back the clock on Hungary’s religious life in the sense that only churches existing under the Communists will be allowed to legally exist as “recognized”.

The 20-year limitation means that the churches which functioned during the period of dictatorship can continue operation but the churches that were founded in the free Hungary cannot retain their status, Socialist MP Istvan Nyako said.

Some familiar with the law believe that this will not prohibit the free practice of religion in Hungary, but will prevent unrecognized groups from receiving state subsidies and grants for providing social services.

The full ramifications of the legislation remain to be seen, of course.

Dr. Robert Gagnon has recently completed a 3 part response to a Huffington Post article on “The Bible and Gay Marriage” that purports to teach that the Bible says essentially nothing against the practice.

Dr. Gagnon begs to differ:

What does the Bible actually say about “gay marriage”? That question is the title of a a recent op-ed piece in the Huffington Post written by Lee Jefferson, a visiting assistant professor of religion at Centre College. According to Jefferson the answer is: “Nothing,” or at least “Nothing negative.”

Jefferson used the recent passage of “gay marriage” by the New York legislature as a springboard from which to denigrate appeals to the Bible against homosexual practice. I will use Jefferson’s article as a springboard from which to answer the question that he and many others have raised.

It is of relevance that, though Jefferson gives the appearance of speaking with authority on the question, he has not (to my knowledge) published any academic work on the issue of the Bible and homosexual practice. His expertise is not in the Bible but in Christian art of Late Antiquity. Jefferson also shows little or no awareness in his article of the array of strong arguments against his claims.

In addition, Jefferson exhibits an unfortunate tendentiousness in his characterizations. He speaks glowingly of the “enlightening progress in our culture concerning the LGBT community.” Those who disagree represent a “cacophonous opposition” that uses religion as “a bruising hammer” and lobs “textual grenades”-as if the homosexualist advocacy groups have not been even louder and more belligerent and strident. The fact that the media is overwhelmingly on the side of promoting homosexual unions is not enough for Jefferson. He bemoans the fact that the media reports any dissent to this party line.

It should go without saying that upholding a male-female requirement for marriage can and should be a product of a loving desire to avoid the degradation of the gendered self that comes from engaging in homosexual practice. That it does not go without saying is due in large part to today’s charged political atmosphere where hateful characterizations of persons who disapprove of homosexual unions are commonplace among proponents of such unions.

Here are links to each of the 3 parts:

Part 2

Part 3

Hungarian Reformed Minister’s Association
2011 Annual Conference
Bethlen Home, Ligonier, Pennsylvania

Dear Friends,

The 2011 Annual Conference of The Hungarian Reformed Ministers’ Association will be held at the Bethlen Communities Conference Room in Ligonier, Pennsylvania on Monday and Tuesday, 29th and 30th of August, 2011.

The Conference will start with a worship service with holy communion at 11 am on Monday.

Speakers will be:
Rev. Eric O. Springsted, seminary professor from the Princeton Theological Seminary and Rev. Laszlo Ujj from the Trenton Hungarian Reformed Church.

Rev. Ujj is finalizing the programs and agenda, and invitations will be forthcoming.

If you have any questions, please call Rev. Ujj, president at 609-396-9751

Rev. Zsolt Otvos
Secretary

As Americans celebrate the 4th of July holiday the place of Christian religion in the United States seems to be dwindling.

This work Pews, Prayers, and Participation: Religion and Civic Responsibility in America by Corwin E. Smidt, Kevin R. den Dulk, James M. Penning, Stephen V. Monsma, and Douglas L. Koopma addresses important topics worth considering this festive season:

Does the “public” experience of religion contribute anything distinctive to civic engagement? Pews, Prayers, and Participation: Religion and Civic Responsibility in America offers a fresh approach to key questions about what role religion plays in fostering civic responsibility in contemporary American society. Written by five prominent scholars of religion and politics, led by Calvin College’s Corwin Smidt, the book brilliantly articulates how religion shapes participation in a range of civic activities-from behaviors (such as membership in voluntary associations, volunteering, and charitable contributions) to capacities (e.g., civic skills and knowledge), to virtues (e.g., law-abidingness, tolerance, and work ethic).In the course of their study the authors examine whether an individual exhibits a diminished, a privatized, a public, or an integrated form of religious expression, based on the individual’s level of participation in both the public (worship) or private (prayer) dimensions of religious life. They question whether the privatization of religious life is counterproductive to engagement in public life, and they show that religion does indeed play a significant role in fostering civic responsibility across each of its particular facets.Pews, Prayers, and Participation is a bold and provocative clarion call to the continuing importance and changing nature of religion in American public life. It will be of particular interest to students and scholars of religion and politics, and culture and politics, as well as general readers with an interest in the impact of religion in the public sphere.

The book can be previewed here:

UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST SET TO REJECT GOD THE FATHER

Meeting at General Synod 28 in Tampa, Florida this weekend, the historic United Church of Christ will vote on an amendment to eliminate God the Father from Article 5,  lines 9-10 of its constitution. http://www.ucc.org/synod/pdfs/proposedconstitution.pdf The Constitution of the denomination has remained unchanged in its theological core since the United Church of Christ’s founding in 1957, and remains the covenant connection with the basic truths of Christianity that keeps many churches affiliated who are otherwise alienated by the denominations very liberal agenda.

According to renewal leader David Runnion-Bareford, “Rejecting God as Father in an age of fatherlessness is unthinkable. God acted toward us in amazing grace when He offered to be our Father through the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ who offers us life in his name. This is not something we as humans made up in some other time. Rejecting our Father is act of arrogant rebellion in the name of cultural conformity that only further alienates members, churches, but more importantly God himself. We call the delegates to reject the change for God’s sake.”

Biblical Witness Fellowship, Confessing Movement in the United Church of Christ, has been speaking the “truth with love” since 1978.  David Runnion-Bareford, Executive Director, can be contacted for comment at 207-505-0600.

The liberal UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST, the leader among protestant denominations in membership loss, is meeting at Synod 28 this weekend in Tampa, Florida using the theme of “SAND.”  According to the Synod Handbook  (page 8-9) http://www.ucc.org/synod/pdfs/general_synod_28_handbook.pdf describing the event’s worship focus, “sand remains a powerful image of an unimaginable quantity. It also reflects the rich imagery of desert, of journey, of shifting sands.” It goes on to say, “At the Twenty-eighth General Synod in 2011, the United Church of Christ finds itself in oasis and desert. Blessed with diversity of thought, vibrant life, and shifting sands, we journey through challenging times seeking possibility, engaged in thoughtful and difficult conversations.” Jesus used this image powerfully when he contrasted the wise man who built on the rock with the foolish, saying, “everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.” (Matthew 7:26)

Renewal leader David Runnion-Bareford said, “This is indeed a powerful confession by the Synod of the UCC that, having rebelled against the word of God, is on sinking sand – with our members, churches, historic witness, and identity in Christ washing away before our eyes.”

Biblical Witness Fellowship, Confessing Movement in the United Church of Christ, has been speaking the “truth with love” since 1978.  David Runnion-Bareford, Executive Director, can be contacted for comment at  207-505-0600.

Here is their announcement:

The Hungarian American Coalition was founded 20 years ago, on August 20, 1991. As part of our continuing anniversary celebration, we look back at our activities during each month of the year. During the month of June, the Coalition honored Victims of Communism and focused on protecting human rights for Hungarians living outside the borders of Hungary through a variety of initiatives. For additional details on these projects and more, please consult our webpage.

Presidential Greetings on HAC 20th Anniversary

26th Weekly Media Review of Hungarian Communities Abroad
Heti nemzetpolitikai összefoglaló (26.hét)

Microfinance was considered the tool to lift millions out of poverty.

The Grameen Bank paved the way with microloans to allow people to start small businesses. Kiva.org was touted by celebrities like Bill Clinton and Oprah Winfrey as a way westerners could fund microfinance projects around the world.

Then the area of microlending became of interest to commercial lenders like Citi Bank with it’s microfinance department.  They saw a whole new class of people to lend to, but often without the education and social support used by other non profit lending groups, especially Christian ones. When a large number of microloan recipients experienced business failure, many actually took their own lives in despair.

The Chalmers Center – a Reformed Christian anti-poverty initiative – called on Christians to respond by emphasizing the earlier Christian model of “Microfinance with Education” to put microfinance back on track:

Over the past year, a microcredit controversy has been brewing in Andhra Pradesh, India, calling into question an intervention originally designed to alleviate poverty among the rural poor. In the minds of some, what was once a development intervention meant to empower the poor has become a predatory tool that exploits the poor for financial gain. This was sadly evident with the spat of suicides by microcredit clients last fall, which not only embarrassed the government of India, but more importantly called into question the practices of some microcredit lenders. The government has since intervened and set up strict regulatory practices over microlenders.

Andhra Pradesh, India

Considering the industry’s recent turmoil, microfinance may be losing its halo in Andhra Pradesh, India and across South Asia. But the church in India presses on with a real opportunity to show how the Chalmers Center’s Microfinance With Education (MWE) model can be a beacon amidst the current turmoil. In contrast to the microlending institutions that have become so controversial, the Chalmers Center’s approach to microfinance empowers poor people to form savings and credit associations owned and operated by the poor people themselves. In addition, the MWE model adds training in Business, Home, and Health from a biblical worldview perspective, thereby augmenting microfinance with additional training that is typically absent in microlending organizations.