Trends of Piety in the Free Churches of Hungary in the 20th century
Jenő Szigeti
Institute of Hungarian Language and Literature jenogyopar@gmail.com
The name itself „free churches” is applied in Hungary to the small Protestant denominations which – on the basis of their Biblical conviction – insist on the voluntary and active membership in the congregation based on a conscious de- cision of faith and maintain their congregations as well as their national origins by the voluntary contributions of their church members.
The Hungarian free churches are the descendants of late puritan commu- nities. They keep much of the elements in practicing their faith that has consi- dered to be out-of-date according to the liberal protestant piety that turned back to pietism. These new denominations reached significant success with their mission-works, strict and old-fashioned puritan morals. They formed a modem piety that’s originated in ancient times, but responds the challenges of these days. There are communities however among them the Nazarene (Apos- tolic Christian Church) which is stuck to the stiff traditions and they are against any changes although the majority wants to accept the newer and newer chal- lenges of fast-changing life by being accustomed to those. They seem more fle- xible and succeeded than the historical churches which can hardly get used to such changes became of their vast number of members and strict adhering to traditions.
In this short survey I might to follow what challenges were accepted by the piety-practice of free churches in the complicated Hungarian society that developed from many ways. The Nazarenes started at the end of the 1830s in the last century as well as the first followers of Baptists in the middle of 1840s all came from lower middle-class citizens. Here was laid the claims that confes- sion of faith should be based on personal conviction of faith. That can be prac- ticed in democratic, violently-free, little intimate denominations. But only conscious adult membership can materialize these facts. The adult baptism is one of the most important fundamental doctrines of these movements.
These denominations link to the late puritan protestant ecclesiola which were on to be closed down by the historical churches. These churches were the way of thinking more liberally, fighting for political grounds and weakening morally. I have examined that in many of my studies. These ecclesiola found shelter among the groups of Nazarenes and Baptists where they could live their
faith enriched by new elements. That is the reason why the majority of these free churches spreaded in the villages in the last century: their piety morals, honoring the other’s possession, the purity of spoken words and the practicing of love for each other were the basis of the piety.
The area of urbanization was coming in the 19-20th century. The closed productional denominations in the villages weakened. Young people moved to the town. This process that became social tensions went through the free churches, too. The close connected, helping-each-other small denominations were fixed points in the difficulties of changed lifestyle. The old puritan morals were thought to be important however they were modified because of the lot of challenges. There was a basic dilemma drawn up in the free churches. Shall we keep the ancient lifestyle of ecclesiola or just apply and practice the puritan morals by accepting the changes of modern life. The conservative thought on the turn of the century but they were not split from the society unlike the ext- reme piety groups (like Amish). The Baptist however preferred the second op- tion.
Contrary to a few conservative groups they took on the connection with modern life. New free churches were founded by appearing of new claims. The teetotal, antialcohol programs of the 100-year old Methodist mission, the refor- med lifestyle of the same aged Adventist mission and their prophetic historical view gave answers to the men-in-the-street who embarked the way of be- coming criticized. The missions applied puritan basis in a modern from to people living in crisis. The intellectuals of simple peoples’ origin wanted to live the close connection of free and democratic denominations (Church of the Brethren etc). Jeno Henrik Schmidfs followers propagated the ideal God’s King- dom on earth. It had effect on the marxist and socialists movements at the be- ginning of the Great World War. These movements carried socially effective plans and their members were zealous and enthusiastic to make the plans real.
They published periodicals, books and they distributed them and made social services, too.
The movements of free churches became stronger and stronger after the carnage of the World War while helping hands and services based on Christian love were need in Hungary. The Methodists with the social help programs (Hu- szar akció) and the Adventists with the work of Tabitha club got high apprecia- tion from the society. The precise programs of Salvation Army had just begun at that time, too (free soup acts). But such effort of Baptist church is also sig- nificant. These small low-membered churches with an even stronger faith tried to fulfill Jesus’ love command. That only could be managed by activating the members. The basic principal of free churches’ piety was to do something for the others, to help the others, to sell books, to earn money to give food and
clothes to people in need. We can find another free church that represents a new piety between the two World War: it is the Pentecostal Church. While the members of early free churches were from people ambitioned by their puritan deligent, the Pentecostal people propagated a new charismatic feeling to men having poor emotions and experience. That was another kind of religiousness than the old puritan originated faith.
The emotional storm, the glossalia, gave a renewal of people’s feeling and gave the feeling of the „second Bless” to people with no hopes. This kind of piety different from the others produced antipathy from the free churches’ side. In the Pentecostal congregations the attention was turned from the serving com- munities to the feeling of one’s faith, from the objective act and life model to subjective charismatic gift, in one word to the miracle. That’s the reason why these communities could become denominations with great difficulty despite their success.
These trends of free churches can be followed in the practice of piety of historical churches. It is not accidental that the inside mission works in the last century affected the same strata and emphasized similar ethic principles and even applied the same methods like the free churches. That’s the reason why so many times these well-intentioned church-builder movements were condem- ned to be sectarian. Baptist or Nazarene acts. On the other side it is interesting that as the historical churches reconciled with the inside mission works their persecutive power lessened and they became more open toward the free churches, too. It is also interesting that there were groups in the Bethania movements which had some attraction to charismatic manifestation.
So what was the piety of traditional free churches like? The nearest of then were the family-athmosphered worships, the singing, the free prayers that con- nected to everyday life problems and the sermons based on practical everyday life. The whole lifetime was under the control of faith: job, free time, family. Li- ving the common faith surmounts the differences.
The charismatic service is different. In the centre of it stands the „spiritual controversy”, I mean the ecstatic prayer when our words are no more under the control of conscience. It’s associated with intuitive propheting and healing.
Furthermore it involves an enthusiastic, emotionally boiled up state of mind that is followed by relief and free-from-tension feeling that feels the Christians.
The 2nd World War brought new trials in the life of free churches. Most of them were prohibited on the 2nd of December in 1939 as they were said to threaten the national defense’s mistakes. The denominations became closer and more ultimate. At the same time by getting used to the inner struggle of war events these churches became bigger and stronger. The more active adult mem- bers of the Adventist church tripled in the 1940s, but this increase is typical of
other denominations, too. The apocalyptic trials of events (wars, holocaust, and deportations) produced a new apocalyptic piety of which basic points were to take on trials, to hold on and to be persistent.
But the series of trials did not end after the war. The hard years of personal cult came after a few free years. This kind of dictational model of the society was based on a strict, central control. That’s why they think of the close democ- ratic denominations as opponents and „agents of imperialism”.
They made great effort to have these churches be visible and controlled.
That’s the reason why they urgened to make the „community” of free churches based on religious liberty become even more closed „councils”. Policemen cont- rolled the ministers and applied spies to give information and so they could fol- low the inside events of the churches. The political power even attempted free churches to be followed by a more centralized control. To choose leaders in a democratic way became totally impossible. This fact caused incalculable damage in the denominations that constituted the basis of piety. On the other hands these outher effects and throwing in theirs lot with each other volunta- rily united the denominations of free churches. Being a Christian become a com- mon mark which made members second class citizens in the society. At the same time those churches appraised in the society’s informal public opinion. It had many reasons. The simple vital process and the upright work originated in the puritan moral became more and more popular after 1956. These persecu- ted citizens found shelters in the human communities. But that balance based on the outher pressure began to disintegrate because of the more liberalized ecclesiastical politics in the 1970s. A strange „vital feeling” strengthened in the members of different free churches as „there was used to be better earlier be- cause it was worse. There were much more love in the denominations.” The politics of small steps got the church leadership to find constant concession and be restricted. That attitude questioned the identity of leaders within the church.
That’s the reason why so many schisms weakened these denominations. The questions were the same: What does it mean to live in the world and apply the puritan heritage to everyday life?
The party illegal existence of schismatic groups and tolerance of the state weakened consciously or semi-consciously the traditional free churches. A new issue of free churches’ life started by the change of regime. A new charismatic wave developed that searched answers for questions of people living estranged in capitalizing Word. Syncretic half Christian faith, representatives of new age and missions of eastern religion appeared. Examining the strong of these new movements is the task of another study.
References
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My major publications on the topic:
SZIGETI Jenő, „A kisebb magyarországi egyházak” in A magyar protestantizmus, 1918–1948. Tanul- mányok, szerk. LENDVAI L. Ferenc, (Budapest: Kossuth, 1987) 188–262.
SZIGETI Jenő, „A protestáns kisegyházak népi vallásossága”, in Népszokás, néphit, népi vallásosság, szerk. DÖMÖTÖR Tekla, Magyar Néprajz VII, (Budapest: Akadémiai, 1990) 482–497.
Jenő SZIGETI, “Gibt es noch Freikirchen?” in Cast the net on the right side ... Seventh-day Adventists face the “Jsms”, ed. Richard LEHMANN and Jack MAHON and Borge SCHANTZ,(Bracknell: European Ins- titute of World Mission, Newbold College, 1993) 133–138.
SZIGETI Jenő, „Morális törekvések a szabadegyházakban”, Magyar Filozófiai Szemle, 38(1994) 1–2.
sz. 277–295.
RAJKI Zoltán és SZIGETI Jenő, Szabadegyházak története Magyarországon 1989-ig, (Budapest: Gondo- lat Kiadó, 2012)
