Az előadások hanganyaga itt található:
http://www.gazdagret.naplopok.hu/berekfurdo-2009/eloadasok/
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Welcome in Berekfürdő!
Are you joining us for the camp? Do you remember the camp of last year? During the last few weeks the Gazdagrét Reformed Church was bubbling with enthusiasm and preparation. This year even more people than last year would join the congregational camp in Berekfürdő, a small village 185 km east of Budapest: in total 160 people, 110 adults and no less than 50 children. The capacity of the conference center was not enough, therefore additional bed and breakfasts had to be rented.
For one week we will be together for a retreat, to hear talks in the morning on Spiritual Growth by Pastor András Lovas, followed by a time of solitude and small prayer groups.
The afternoons are set aside to enjoy the famous local spa and swimming pool opposite the street from the conference center. It is a time of relaxation, of informal conversations and getting to know each other better, and off course: to swim or to for those who are afraid of water: join an excursion in the neighbourhood. I decided to take the advise of one of my doctors serious and use the opportunity to go daily for a good swim. This afternoon I made a good start. I was wonderful!!
In the evenings Rev. Eszter Dani will teach us about Listening prayer.
Pray for Eszter and András and for the small group leaders.
To get an impression of the beautiful village of Berekfürdő take a look at www.berekfurdo.hu.
For one week we will be together for a retreat, to hear talks in the morning on Spiritual Growth by Pastor András Lovas, followed by a time of solitude and small prayer groups.
The afternoons are set aside to enjoy the famous local spa and swimming pool opposite the street from the conference center. It is a time of relaxation, of informal conversations and getting to know each other better, and off course: to swim or to for those who are afraid of water: join an excursion in the neighbourhood. I decided to take the advise of one of my doctors serious and use the opportunity to go daily for a good swim. This afternoon I made a good start. I was wonderful!!
In the evenings Rev. Eszter Dani will teach us about Listening prayer.
Pray for Eszter and András and for the small group leaders.
To get an impression of the beautiful village of Berekfürdő take a look at www.berekfurdo.hu.
Monday, July 6, 2009
1989 Het jaar van de omwentelingen -- NRC
Hoe verliepen de "veranderingen" in Midden- en Oosteuropa ook al weer? Een uitstekend overzicht geeft het NRC! Aanbevolen!
http://www.nrc.nl/redactie/flash/valvandemuur/1989/
http://www.nrc.nl/redactie/flash/valvandemuur/1989/
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Interview with Mogi Tsetse -- Cindy Ippel
C: Tell me your background.
M: I was born in Mongolia. I was 12 years old when my family moved to Hungary. We moved because my parents wanted their children to grow up in a European country. They saw that there was the possibility of a good life, good standard of living in Hungary. In Mongolia life was very hard. I don’t know exactly why Hungary is where they ended up except that there was the opportunity to come to Hungary. They came with a Mongolian group to a small village not far from Budapest. There was work there for both my dad and mother in a factory.
C: Do you remember Mongolia?
M: A little bit. My grandmother still lives there and my mother’s and father’s brothers and sisters still live there. But I have never been back.
C: When your family came to Hungary were they Christians?
M: No. When we came to Hungary our family was Buddhist. My mother’s parents were Buddhist and my mother was Buddhist but dmy father he didn’t really follow Buddha. Then when we came to Hungary by little sister was 9 years old and she met a girl who was a Christian. That little girl shared the gospel with my sister and she became a Christian. She started visiting a Christian church and began participating and accepted Jesus Christ as her personal savior. At that time I was 14 years old. We saw the difference this made in my sister’s life. She was very happy. We asked her why she was so happy, always smiling and so joyful and she said that it was because she believed in Jesus Christ and was with others that loved Jesus. She was always praying and reading a black book-The Bible. My older brother and I were always laughing at her and telling her “What are you doing? You are Buddhist. You are not allowed to believe in a foreign God.” Then she would cry. But then some time later, I became really curious as to what my sister was doing in that church. She was always coming home from that Baptist church so happy. So out of curiosity, I started going to the meetings with her. It took me one year to really understand what Christianity is and why many people believe and what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. So when I was 16 years old I became a Christian. My sister and I then began praying for my parents and whenever we had an opportunity we shared the Gospel with them. My parents said it was OK for us to go to church but they told us not to speak about Jesus Christ because they didn’t want a religious war in the family. We had many idols on our walls because when you are Buddhist, you don’t have to go to temple you can just worship in your own house.
Then our whole church started praying for my parents. They prayed for three years for my parents. During that time my parents went back to Mongolia to visit and they asked us what gifts we would like them to bring back for them. My sister and I told them that we wanted no gifts only that they would go to a Mongolian Christian church and listen to the Gospel in Mongolian while they were there; that’s the only gift we wanted. So when they went to Mongolia they did what we asked and heard the Gospel in their own language and their hearts were ready and they understood and they started believing in Jesus Christ. When they came back to Hungary, they threw all their idols away and began following Jesus. After that Janet D. began discipling my parents.
C: How did they come to know Janet D.?
M: I had met Janet D. at the Baptist church I was going to and we became very good friends. I asked her to teach me English and she agreed. She also taught me many things from the Bible about God. I told her about my parents becoming Christians but that they knew nothing about Christianity, she agreed to meet with them and teach them. They didn’t even have a Mongolian Bible. So my pastor at the Baptist church got them a Mongolian Bible. Janet would teach them in Hungarian and then I would translate into Mongolian. My parents then began sharing their faith with their friends. They really felt that this was the real living God-very different from Buddhism. My parents invited their friends to a Bible study meeting. We had this Bible study group for one year, and then my parents prayed for a pastor to come from Mongolia to start a Mongolian church. We invited a Mongolian pastor to come who was a gifted evangelist. Many Mongolians came to believe in Jesus Christ through his preaching. But then the pastor needed to go back to Mongolia because he had his own church there. So then my father after being a Christian for only two years accepted the calling from God to be the pastor of our church. God told him that he had to lead this small Hungarian Baptist church. At first he worked in the factory and as a pastor. But God blessed us so now he doesn’t have to work in the factory but just as the pastor. Now both my parents are working together in the church. They are serving God and the Mongolians in Budapest. Our church is made up of all Mongolians and all the preaching and teaching is in Mongolian.
C: Tell me more about yourself. Why did you come to KRE? How did you get to know Anne-Marie?
M: I got to KRE through Janet D. and Anne-Marie. They both suggested that I take the course on climate change in the church but I don’t attend this university. I am at another technical and economic university here in Budapest. This is my last year in getting my bachelors degree in international communications. When I complete this degree, I would like to continue my studies and get my masters degree in international development. Eventually I would like to work with a non-profit corporation like Baptist Love Inc. They have 3 or 4 offices here in Budapest doing humanitarian work. This kind of work really interests me so that’s why I want to get a further degree in international development. But I need to reach a certain level in my exams so that I can qualify for a scholarship.
C: Tell me about the courses you took with AMK.
M: I really liked the course on climate change in the church because of the interaction within the class. It was more than just the normal lecture by a professor. There were about 20 people in the class. We had very interesting topics that were very practical for life. We visited the Chinese church and the Korean church and then discussed what our experience taught us and how it affected us.
C: How can others find out about the courses that we offer? Do you have any ideas about how we can advertise?
M: I think in many universities there are many Bible study groups. You could visit these groups and tell them about the courses or seminars. When I told my friends about the climate change course, they were very interested because the course was very useful to me. In that course I met a guy who had a stereotype about Chinese people until he went to the Chinese church and interacted with the other Christians there. There were Chinese brothers who were really kind and they invited the class to have dinner with them. Then this guy gained a better understanding of Chinese people. Before that he only saw Chinese people from the market or restaurant so his stereotype was based on that. But now he knew them personally and it changed his impression.
C: We are thinking of having a coffee shop. Do you have any ideas about this?
M: The first thing is that there are many foreign students coming to Budapest that are very alone and would look for a place to meet and have conversation with other students. I once saw a sign that said “You have opportunity to practice your English”. If you would advertise like this and open up an area where students could practice their English for free, I think there would be students interested in this. It would be good to have a nice comfortable atmosphere with coffee and a person to talk with; a place where students could feel at home.
C: What is your hope for the future of the church and for the future of Hungary?
M: My hope for the Mongolian church is that it reaches more Mongolian people here for God. There is a lot of movement between Mongolia and here. We have a dream that there will be Mongolians here in Budapest that will grow in their faith and that God will call them to go back to Mongolia as missionaries. My parents are open to God’s leading in their own lives in this direction. As for my future, I feel called to stay here in Hungary. I don’t know yet what will happen in my life. I have a Hungarian boyfriend who is not Mongolian. He is studying to be a pastor and we planned to get married. He comes from a Christian family and he is going to a Baptist seminary.
C: How did you meet?
M: This summer, I went to a Christian camp and he was a leader of a group. We had an opportunity to share our testimonies and I observed in him a wisdom and spiritual maturity. We met and we talked and I really saw his love for Jesus Christ. This attracted me to him. Then this past November we met again and he said “Mogi, I have been praying and fasting for 3 months and God has shown me that you will be my wife.” I was really surprised and said how do you know this? He said that he was 100% sure and that when we met he observed how I served the Lord and he was attracted to me but he wanted to be sure so he fasted and prayed for God to show him if I was the one to be his wife. God gave him some scripture and prophesy that showed that I would be his wife. He said that he wanted to give me time to pray about it but he was sure that God would lead me to him. So I agreed to pray about this but God had already been preparing me for this because a month before this my girlfriends and I had begun a prayer group to pray for our future husbands. I prayed for real peace about this and God has given me peace. Previously, I had written the attributes that I would want in a husband and my boyfriend has all these attributes. So God showed me that he should be my husband. So I called him and said what God has shown me, but first I need to get to know him better before we move on to marriage. So we see each other one day each week and talk to each other on the phone each night and email each day to get to know each other not just based on physical attraction but on who we really are. We are able to be much more objective and not just base it on our emotions.
C: Is there a traditional Mongolian way of finding a husband leading to marriage?
M: Traditionally parents choose for their children. My parents were chosen for each other; but now in Mongolia many children choose for themselves. It’s very important to me to have my parent’s approval. So right away I told my parents about what my boyfriend had said and I asked them for their prayers. My father and mother said that they have peace about my decision and when they met him they saw with their spiritual eyes that he would be a good husband for me.
C: Thank you for taking this time to let me interview you. Do you have anything else to say?
M: I would like to ask you if you hear of any non-profit corporation that I might get in contact with that you would let me know.
M: I was born in Mongolia. I was 12 years old when my family moved to Hungary. We moved because my parents wanted their children to grow up in a European country. They saw that there was the possibility of a good life, good standard of living in Hungary. In Mongolia life was very hard. I don’t know exactly why Hungary is where they ended up except that there was the opportunity to come to Hungary. They came with a Mongolian group to a small village not far from Budapest. There was work there for both my dad and mother in a factory.
C: Do you remember Mongolia?
M: A little bit. My grandmother still lives there and my mother’s and father’s brothers and sisters still live there. But I have never been back.
C: When your family came to Hungary were they Christians?
M: No. When we came to Hungary our family was Buddhist. My mother’s parents were Buddhist and my mother was Buddhist but dmy father he didn’t really follow Buddha. Then when we came to Hungary by little sister was 9 years old and she met a girl who was a Christian. That little girl shared the gospel with my sister and she became a Christian. She started visiting a Christian church and began participating and accepted Jesus Christ as her personal savior. At that time I was 14 years old. We saw the difference this made in my sister’s life. She was very happy. We asked her why she was so happy, always smiling and so joyful and she said that it was because she believed in Jesus Christ and was with others that loved Jesus. She was always praying and reading a black book-The Bible. My older brother and I were always laughing at her and telling her “What are you doing? You are Buddhist. You are not allowed to believe in a foreign God.” Then she would cry. But then some time later, I became really curious as to what my sister was doing in that church. She was always coming home from that Baptist church so happy. So out of curiosity, I started going to the meetings with her. It took me one year to really understand what Christianity is and why many people believe and what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. So when I was 16 years old I became a Christian. My sister and I then began praying for my parents and whenever we had an opportunity we shared the Gospel with them. My parents said it was OK for us to go to church but they told us not to speak about Jesus Christ because they didn’t want a religious war in the family. We had many idols on our walls because when you are Buddhist, you don’t have to go to temple you can just worship in your own house.
Then our whole church started praying for my parents. They prayed for three years for my parents. During that time my parents went back to Mongolia to visit and they asked us what gifts we would like them to bring back for them. My sister and I told them that we wanted no gifts only that they would go to a Mongolian Christian church and listen to the Gospel in Mongolian while they were there; that’s the only gift we wanted. So when they went to Mongolia they did what we asked and heard the Gospel in their own language and their hearts were ready and they understood and they started believing in Jesus Christ. When they came back to Hungary, they threw all their idols away and began following Jesus. After that Janet D. began discipling my parents.
C: How did they come to know Janet D.?
M: I had met Janet D. at the Baptist church I was going to and we became very good friends. I asked her to teach me English and she agreed. She also taught me many things from the Bible about God. I told her about my parents becoming Christians but that they knew nothing about Christianity, she agreed to meet with them and teach them. They didn’t even have a Mongolian Bible. So my pastor at the Baptist church got them a Mongolian Bible. Janet would teach them in Hungarian and then I would translate into Mongolian. My parents then began sharing their faith with their friends. They really felt that this was the real living God-very different from Buddhism. My parents invited their friends to a Bible study meeting. We had this Bible study group for one year, and then my parents prayed for a pastor to come from Mongolia to start a Mongolian church. We invited a Mongolian pastor to come who was a gifted evangelist. Many Mongolians came to believe in Jesus Christ through his preaching. But then the pastor needed to go back to Mongolia because he had his own church there. So then my father after being a Christian for only two years accepted the calling from God to be the pastor of our church. God told him that he had to lead this small Hungarian Baptist church. At first he worked in the factory and as a pastor. But God blessed us so now he doesn’t have to work in the factory but just as the pastor. Now both my parents are working together in the church. They are serving God and the Mongolians in Budapest. Our church is made up of all Mongolians and all the preaching and teaching is in Mongolian.
C: Tell me more about yourself. Why did you come to KRE? How did you get to know Anne-Marie?
M: I got to KRE through Janet D. and Anne-Marie. They both suggested that I take the course on climate change in the church but I don’t attend this university. I am at another technical and economic university here in Budapest. This is my last year in getting my bachelors degree in international communications. When I complete this degree, I would like to continue my studies and get my masters degree in international development. Eventually I would like to work with a non-profit corporation like Baptist Love Inc. They have 3 or 4 offices here in Budapest doing humanitarian work. This kind of work really interests me so that’s why I want to get a further degree in international development. But I need to reach a certain level in my exams so that I can qualify for a scholarship.
C: Tell me about the courses you took with AMK.
M: I really liked the course on climate change in the church because of the interaction within the class. It was more than just the normal lecture by a professor. There were about 20 people in the class. We had very interesting topics that were very practical for life. We visited the Chinese church and the Korean church and then discussed what our experience taught us and how it affected us.
C: How can others find out about the courses that we offer? Do you have any ideas about how we can advertise?
M: I think in many universities there are many Bible study groups. You could visit these groups and tell them about the courses or seminars. When I told my friends about the climate change course, they were very interested because the course was very useful to me. In that course I met a guy who had a stereotype about Chinese people until he went to the Chinese church and interacted with the other Christians there. There were Chinese brothers who were really kind and they invited the class to have dinner with them. Then this guy gained a better understanding of Chinese people. Before that he only saw Chinese people from the market or restaurant so his stereotype was based on that. But now he knew them personally and it changed his impression.
C: We are thinking of having a coffee shop. Do you have any ideas about this?
M: The first thing is that there are many foreign students coming to Budapest that are very alone and would look for a place to meet and have conversation with other students. I once saw a sign that said “You have opportunity to practice your English”. If you would advertise like this and open up an area where students could practice their English for free, I think there would be students interested in this. It would be good to have a nice comfortable atmosphere with coffee and a person to talk with; a place where students could feel at home.
C: What is your hope for the future of the church and for the future of Hungary?
M: My hope for the Mongolian church is that it reaches more Mongolian people here for God. There is a lot of movement between Mongolia and here. We have a dream that there will be Mongolians here in Budapest that will grow in their faith and that God will call them to go back to Mongolia as missionaries. My parents are open to God’s leading in their own lives in this direction. As for my future, I feel called to stay here in Hungary. I don’t know yet what will happen in my life. I have a Hungarian boyfriend who is not Mongolian. He is studying to be a pastor and we planned to get married. He comes from a Christian family and he is going to a Baptist seminary.
C: How did you meet?
M: This summer, I went to a Christian camp and he was a leader of a group. We had an opportunity to share our testimonies and I observed in him a wisdom and spiritual maturity. We met and we talked and I really saw his love for Jesus Christ. This attracted me to him. Then this past November we met again and he said “Mogi, I have been praying and fasting for 3 months and God has shown me that you will be my wife.” I was really surprised and said how do you know this? He said that he was 100% sure and that when we met he observed how I served the Lord and he was attracted to me but he wanted to be sure so he fasted and prayed for God to show him if I was the one to be his wife. God gave him some scripture and prophesy that showed that I would be his wife. He said that he wanted to give me time to pray about it but he was sure that God would lead me to him. So I agreed to pray about this but God had already been preparing me for this because a month before this my girlfriends and I had begun a prayer group to pray for our future husbands. I prayed for real peace about this and God has given me peace. Previously, I had written the attributes that I would want in a husband and my boyfriend has all these attributes. So God showed me that he should be my husband. So I called him and said what God has shown me, but first I need to get to know him better before we move on to marriage. So we see each other one day each week and talk to each other on the phone each night and email each day to get to know each other not just based on physical attraction but on who we really are. We are able to be much more objective and not just base it on our emotions.
C: Is there a traditional Mongolian way of finding a husband leading to marriage?
M: Traditionally parents choose for their children. My parents were chosen for each other; but now in Mongolia many children choose for themselves. It’s very important to me to have my parent’s approval. So right away I told my parents about what my boyfriend had said and I asked them for their prayers. My father and mother said that they have peace about my decision and when they met him they saw with their spiritual eyes that he would be a good husband for me.
C: Thank you for taking this time to let me interview you. Do you have anything else to say?
M: I would like to ask you if you hear of any non-profit corporation that I might get in contact with that you would let me know.
Interview with Adalbert Biró -- Cindy Ippel
Interview with Biro Adalbert
C: Tell me about yourself.
A: Right now I’m attending two schools. One is Karoli and the other is ELTE. I started my B.A. in English this year. I decided to immerse myself in English. I enjoy talking and practicing the language. I enjoy talking because written language is a sort of dead language.
C: What do you hope to do with this degree?
A: I chose this degree to reach a proficiency level in English and I am also getting my masters this year at the faculty of theology. I’m going to parallel universities. Once I get my degree, I don’t want to start my pastoral career; not really a career but a calling from God. I’m not really sure that I want to be a pastor, that’s one of the reasons I started this other degree in English. I don’t really fit into the context of the traditional reformed church pastor.
C: Can you tell me about your background?
A: I was born in another region so I’m not really a Hungarian citizen but my ancestry is 100% Hungarian and I am really proud of it. Basically I was raised in the western region of Ukraine. It was settled by many different minorities, one of them being Hungarian. 160,000 Hungarians are there surrounded by Russians and Ukrainians. So we were a minority. But the place where I was born was 100% Hungarian so I grew up speaking Hungarian. Our village was a village of 3,000 people. I lived there all my growing up years until I was 18, until I graduated from high school. Then I came to Budapest to go to the university. I had two choices to make. I could have started my studies in the Ukraine but it is a corrupt system. Once you get in you have to pay a kind of bribe for each exam. It doesn’t matter what you know. There is a rate and if you pay it, you pass. It depends on how valuable the exam is how much you have to pay. You can study but what really matters is if you paid the amount needed to get a passing mark. So I didn’t want my parents to have to pay into this corrupt system so instead I applied for a scholarship. There are 25 scholarships available to students in the Trans Carpathian area provided by the Hungarian government. I was chosen to receive this scholarship based on my points on the entrance exam. So that is why I am studying here. This is now my sixth year studying here and I will graduate this year in theology. But I plan to study English at the other university and I hope to be able to go to the U.S. to really learn English and become a proficient English speaker.
C: Tell me about your family background.
A: I was born in a traditional Hungarian Reformed family. My parents and grandparents would take me to church since the age of three. I found it really boring and I really didn’t understand what it was all about. As I grew up, I gained knowledge and I began to question things in church. Why do we baptize children? Why do we have confirmation? I was trying to get at the root of these things in the Bible. Then when I was in high school I went to a Reformed high school; one of four in the Trans Carpathian region. It was the best of all the Hungarian schools. 98% of those that graduated went on to a university.
Before I went to high school, when I was 14 years old, we had a week of camp as a part of confirmation. At the camp there were other Christian children and we learned about God and the Bible. I sensed something transcendent. That was a point when I really felt that I met Jesus. After that I went home and I sensed that the way I was living my life was not the way God wanted me to live. That was a kind of turning point where I thought about moving forward toward high school and then university.
Then in high school, I received even more knowledge through my church education. We had to learn the catechism by heart. I recognized that before this that I was just repeating these things without really having any real knowledge. Then in high school it started to make sense to me. I began to pray to find out what God wanted me to do. I found the passage in Isaiah 49:6 “I will make you a light unto the Gentiles”. Through this verse I felt God calling me to be a missionary.
Before I started my theological studies, I felt God calling me to be a missionary and maybe that is still what God is calling me to do. I’m not sure what and where God wants me to do ministry. I’m not sure if he wants me to be a pastor. That’s why I’m not going to start my ministry right now. When I graduate I should start my ministry but it doesn’t feel right for me right now.
C: So what are your plans now?
A: I know that I am a Christian and that God has used several things to have an impact in the direction my life is taking. There was a new rule that every student had to have an intermediate language certification by your 7th semester before you were allowed to go on. So I went to the U.S. for three months and that really broadened my perspective on life. When I came back I started working for a multinational Dutch company here in Budapest for several months. I found many people there that would confide in me about their spiritual lives. I was doing a bit of spiritual counseling there. I found that I am interested in much more that theology and Greek and Hebrew and Latin. I want more of the real life.
C: Can you tell me about the courses that you took with Anne-Marie?
A: I took the “Climate Change in the Church” course and a course on Missiology. What I gained from those courses: AMK teaches her courses in a different way than the western education system. She requires a lot of reading and response. She requires response not only to her questions but also to what you have learned and how you will apply it. It’s much more practical that theoretical. It was much more challenging that the other theology courses where you aren’t required to do much research but just go to class and listen. What’s really good about the AMK courses is the amount of dialogue between students. She is more of a coordinator. It’s not just a conversation between her and the students but with all of us from different faculties in the university dialoguing together with her moderating. These dialogues really caused us to challenge our world views. I found it very engaging. Dr John Brouwer’s course is more interactive in the same way. These courses allow us to share our own opinions and then to form conclusions together. I would really recommend these courses. AMK really makes me think. She pays more attention to her student’s questions. The way she teaches and the way she treats her students is very different. It’s a completely different type of teacher –student relationship.
C: What courses would you recommend to be taught again?
A: Reconciliation is a topic that is worth repeating over and over again.
My thesis will be about foreign conditions in Hungary. It’s important for Hungarians to realize that our world is really diverse. The phenomenon of racism is very much prevalent here. Even though I am Hungarian, but because I was born in the Ukraine, Hungarians are not very welcoming. I’m discriminated against. It makes me feel like a stranger everywhere. In Hungary, I’m Ukrainian: In Ukraine, I’m Hungarian. So reconciliation is an important topic for everyone.
C: Are there other courses that should be offered by KMTI?
A: Missiology
C: How would you recommend that we advertise KMTI and the courses we offer?
A: Use the Neptune system. Have links on other websites like Gazdagret. The university has a website and so does our faculty. It would be good to have a link from there. Also put posters up. Create eye catching posters and get them to me, I will see to it that they get put up in appropriate places.
C: Any other thoughts?
A: AMK courses are about real life. They are more demanding but worth it. Many students are afraid of AMK courses because she requires so much. But at ELTA the courses are even more demanding. At KRE students just don’t expect such demanding courses. Many students are critical of her grading system but I have learned not to go to courses for grades but for the real life value.
C: Tell me about yourself.
A: Right now I’m attending two schools. One is Karoli and the other is ELTE. I started my B.A. in English this year. I decided to immerse myself in English. I enjoy talking and practicing the language. I enjoy talking because written language is a sort of dead language.
C: What do you hope to do with this degree?
A: I chose this degree to reach a proficiency level in English and I am also getting my masters this year at the faculty of theology. I’m going to parallel universities. Once I get my degree, I don’t want to start my pastoral career; not really a career but a calling from God. I’m not really sure that I want to be a pastor, that’s one of the reasons I started this other degree in English. I don’t really fit into the context of the traditional reformed church pastor.
C: Can you tell me about your background?
A: I was born in another region so I’m not really a Hungarian citizen but my ancestry is 100% Hungarian and I am really proud of it. Basically I was raised in the western region of Ukraine. It was settled by many different minorities, one of them being Hungarian. 160,000 Hungarians are there surrounded by Russians and Ukrainians. So we were a minority. But the place where I was born was 100% Hungarian so I grew up speaking Hungarian. Our village was a village of 3,000 people. I lived there all my growing up years until I was 18, until I graduated from high school. Then I came to Budapest to go to the university. I had two choices to make. I could have started my studies in the Ukraine but it is a corrupt system. Once you get in you have to pay a kind of bribe for each exam. It doesn’t matter what you know. There is a rate and if you pay it, you pass. It depends on how valuable the exam is how much you have to pay. You can study but what really matters is if you paid the amount needed to get a passing mark. So I didn’t want my parents to have to pay into this corrupt system so instead I applied for a scholarship. There are 25 scholarships available to students in the Trans Carpathian area provided by the Hungarian government. I was chosen to receive this scholarship based on my points on the entrance exam. So that is why I am studying here. This is now my sixth year studying here and I will graduate this year in theology. But I plan to study English at the other university and I hope to be able to go to the U.S. to really learn English and become a proficient English speaker.
C: Tell me about your family background.
A: I was born in a traditional Hungarian Reformed family. My parents and grandparents would take me to church since the age of three. I found it really boring and I really didn’t understand what it was all about. As I grew up, I gained knowledge and I began to question things in church. Why do we baptize children? Why do we have confirmation? I was trying to get at the root of these things in the Bible. Then when I was in high school I went to a Reformed high school; one of four in the Trans Carpathian region. It was the best of all the Hungarian schools. 98% of those that graduated went on to a university.
Before I went to high school, when I was 14 years old, we had a week of camp as a part of confirmation. At the camp there were other Christian children and we learned about God and the Bible. I sensed something transcendent. That was a point when I really felt that I met Jesus. After that I went home and I sensed that the way I was living my life was not the way God wanted me to live. That was a kind of turning point where I thought about moving forward toward high school and then university.
Then in high school, I received even more knowledge through my church education. We had to learn the catechism by heart. I recognized that before this that I was just repeating these things without really having any real knowledge. Then in high school it started to make sense to me. I began to pray to find out what God wanted me to do. I found the passage in Isaiah 49:6 “I will make you a light unto the Gentiles”. Through this verse I felt God calling me to be a missionary.
Before I started my theological studies, I felt God calling me to be a missionary and maybe that is still what God is calling me to do. I’m not sure what and where God wants me to do ministry. I’m not sure if he wants me to be a pastor. That’s why I’m not going to start my ministry right now. When I graduate I should start my ministry but it doesn’t feel right for me right now.
C: So what are your plans now?
A: I know that I am a Christian and that God has used several things to have an impact in the direction my life is taking. There was a new rule that every student had to have an intermediate language certification by your 7th semester before you were allowed to go on. So I went to the U.S. for three months and that really broadened my perspective on life. When I came back I started working for a multinational Dutch company here in Budapest for several months. I found many people there that would confide in me about their spiritual lives. I was doing a bit of spiritual counseling there. I found that I am interested in much more that theology and Greek and Hebrew and Latin. I want more of the real life.
C: Can you tell me about the courses that you took with Anne-Marie?
A: I took the “Climate Change in the Church” course and a course on Missiology. What I gained from those courses: AMK teaches her courses in a different way than the western education system. She requires a lot of reading and response. She requires response not only to her questions but also to what you have learned and how you will apply it. It’s much more practical that theoretical. It was much more challenging that the other theology courses where you aren’t required to do much research but just go to class and listen. What’s really good about the AMK courses is the amount of dialogue between students. She is more of a coordinator. It’s not just a conversation between her and the students but with all of us from different faculties in the university dialoguing together with her moderating. These dialogues really caused us to challenge our world views. I found it very engaging. Dr John Brouwer’s course is more interactive in the same way. These courses allow us to share our own opinions and then to form conclusions together. I would really recommend these courses. AMK really makes me think. She pays more attention to her student’s questions. The way she teaches and the way she treats her students is very different. It’s a completely different type of teacher –student relationship.
C: What courses would you recommend to be taught again?
A: Reconciliation is a topic that is worth repeating over and over again.
My thesis will be about foreign conditions in Hungary. It’s important for Hungarians to realize that our world is really diverse. The phenomenon of racism is very much prevalent here. Even though I am Hungarian, but because I was born in the Ukraine, Hungarians are not very welcoming. I’m discriminated against. It makes me feel like a stranger everywhere. In Hungary, I’m Ukrainian: In Ukraine, I’m Hungarian. So reconciliation is an important topic for everyone.
C: Are there other courses that should be offered by KMTI?
A: Missiology
C: How would you recommend that we advertise KMTI and the courses we offer?
A: Use the Neptune system. Have links on other websites like Gazdagret. The university has a website and so does our faculty. It would be good to have a link from there. Also put posters up. Create eye catching posters and get them to me, I will see to it that they get put up in appropriate places.
C: Any other thoughts?
A: AMK courses are about real life. They are more demanding but worth it. Many students are afraid of AMK courses because she requires so much. But at ELTA the courses are even more demanding. At KRE students just don’t expect such demanding courses. Many students are critical of her grading system but I have learned not to go to courses for grades but for the real life value.
Interview with Krisztina Deme
Krisztina Deme Interview:
Cindy: Can you give me some background about yourself, your family?
Krisztina: I was born on Cseppel in Budapest. After I was 5 we moved to Városliget. My father is Catholic but non-practicing. He was born in Budpaest but my mother was born in a village with a Reformed background and attended church. She did this mostly because she would be looked down on by others in the village if she didn’t go to church, so it didn’t have real meaning for her. After her secondary education, she moved to Budapest where she met my father. They got married in a Reformed Church in 1985 during the Socialist government time. I was born in 1986 and was baptised in the Reformed church as a baby but my parents never spoke to me of God. They taught me a little prayer that I said at bedtime, but otherwise we never spoke of God or prayed. When I was in the 4th grade in elementary school, one of my schoolmates invited me to a kind of Sunday school that met during the week at her church. So I went and I loved it and my parents said that it was fine that I go. I just went but I didn’t really understand the doctrines. I just learned the Bible stories and felt that everybody loved me there. It felt really great. I didn’t know much about how to connect with God, but it was something that I really wanted-to connect with God. After that, when I was twelve, I decide to go to church. My teacher said that those who believe go to church. So I went to church. I went by myself. I thought it was kind of boring and then I found out about the Sunday School that met for children that I could go to instead of church. So I went to that and made a new friend and then I went to confirmation classes. My teacher recommended that I go to a new school that was a Reformed School. So went to Lonyai Reformed High School. I chose friends at this school that were also believers.
Cindy: How do your parents respond to you being a Christian?
Krisztina: They respond with frustration. Because my friends go to Christian conferences and other things that I go to with them. I always want to know more about God and my parents don’t understand why I want to go to all of these things. They want to know why I’m not just content going to church on Sunday. Why do I need to go to youth group and to camps. They complain that I am never home.
Cindy: Do you still go to the same church as when you were younger?
Krisztina: Yes. Now I teach Sunday School.
Cindy: Tell me about your going to KRE.
Krisztina: I would like to be a religious teacher. I don’t have enough points to graduate. I need to improve my English proficiency level. I have been at KRE for three years. My degree will be in History. I hope to be a highschool history teacher.
Cindy: How did you get connected with Anne-Marie?
Krisztina: I have friends in the theology department and they recommended that I get in touch with her, because now I am studying Dutch.
Cindy: Do you have plans to take any of Anne-Marie’s courses?
Krisztina: I don’t know her courses, but Anne-Marie has told me that I could take a course from the Mission Institute. Now I’m in my third year and I need to write my thesis and I want to do something on Dutch history. So I’m meeting with Anne-Marie to discuss ideas for my thesis. I think I will do my thesis on the Hungarian-Dutch Reformed connection during the World War. I hope to finish my thesis in this next semester.
Cindy: What are your hopes in using Dutch in the future?
Krisztina: Well, I’m not completely fluent in Dutch. I hope to improve in that and I would like to go to the Netherlands to teach and to study there maybe for one or two years.
Cindy: Do you live at home or in the dormitory?
Krisztina: No, I live at home. I feel I must live at home to bring my Christian witness there. It must start there-it’s my mission field now. But, unfortunately I am so busy that I don’t have very much time for my family, so that causes some conflict. My mother would like to go hiking with me and spend more time with me. At least in the summertime we take a two week holiday with my family. I have a sister and she is a Christian as well. She came to Sunday School with me and became a Christian too. But my parents don’t have any desire to be Christians. They don’t talk about these things. They never express an interest in what we believe. They just accept whatever anyone wants to believe. You can chose to believe whatever you want. Just take what’s nice from each religion.
Then in February, my grandmother died, my father’s mother. He reacted with no emotion. The church we go to has a mausoleum and our pastor said that my father could bury my grandmother there. So after that, my father has been coming with me to church every Sunday. So since February my whole family has been going to church services on Sunday and my mother is even going to services during the week. So now my mother has many questions about religion and about the church. So I have hope for my family.
Cindy: What is the best way to advertise our courses?
Krisztina: Speak with Ferency Zoli. Have him send a message to all the KRE students about our courses. I know that he is a believer and I think he would want to help you advertise in this way.
Cindy: Can you give me some background about yourself, your family?
Krisztina: I was born on Cseppel in Budapest. After I was 5 we moved to Városliget. My father is Catholic but non-practicing. He was born in Budpaest but my mother was born in a village with a Reformed background and attended church. She did this mostly because she would be looked down on by others in the village if she didn’t go to church, so it didn’t have real meaning for her. After her secondary education, she moved to Budapest where she met my father. They got married in a Reformed Church in 1985 during the Socialist government time. I was born in 1986 and was baptised in the Reformed church as a baby but my parents never spoke to me of God. They taught me a little prayer that I said at bedtime, but otherwise we never spoke of God or prayed. When I was in the 4th grade in elementary school, one of my schoolmates invited me to a kind of Sunday school that met during the week at her church. So I went and I loved it and my parents said that it was fine that I go. I just went but I didn’t really understand the doctrines. I just learned the Bible stories and felt that everybody loved me there. It felt really great. I didn’t know much about how to connect with God, but it was something that I really wanted-to connect with God. After that, when I was twelve, I decide to go to church. My teacher said that those who believe go to church. So I went to church. I went by myself. I thought it was kind of boring and then I found out about the Sunday School that met for children that I could go to instead of church. So I went to that and made a new friend and then I went to confirmation classes. My teacher recommended that I go to a new school that was a Reformed School. So went to Lonyai Reformed High School. I chose friends at this school that were also believers.
Cindy: How do your parents respond to you being a Christian?
Krisztina: They respond with frustration. Because my friends go to Christian conferences and other things that I go to with them. I always want to know more about God and my parents don’t understand why I want to go to all of these things. They want to know why I’m not just content going to church on Sunday. Why do I need to go to youth group and to camps. They complain that I am never home.
Cindy: Do you still go to the same church as when you were younger?
Krisztina: Yes. Now I teach Sunday School.
Cindy: Tell me about your going to KRE.
Krisztina: I would like to be a religious teacher. I don’t have enough points to graduate. I need to improve my English proficiency level. I have been at KRE for three years. My degree will be in History. I hope to be a highschool history teacher.
Cindy: How did you get connected with Anne-Marie?
Krisztina: I have friends in the theology department and they recommended that I get in touch with her, because now I am studying Dutch.
Cindy: Do you have plans to take any of Anne-Marie’s courses?
Krisztina: I don’t know her courses, but Anne-Marie has told me that I could take a course from the Mission Institute. Now I’m in my third year and I need to write my thesis and I want to do something on Dutch history. So I’m meeting with Anne-Marie to discuss ideas for my thesis. I think I will do my thesis on the Hungarian-Dutch Reformed connection during the World War. I hope to finish my thesis in this next semester.
Cindy: What are your hopes in using Dutch in the future?
Krisztina: Well, I’m not completely fluent in Dutch. I hope to improve in that and I would like to go to the Netherlands to teach and to study there maybe for one or two years.
Cindy: Do you live at home or in the dormitory?
Krisztina: No, I live at home. I feel I must live at home to bring my Christian witness there. It must start there-it’s my mission field now. But, unfortunately I am so busy that I don’t have very much time for my family, so that causes some conflict. My mother would like to go hiking with me and spend more time with me. At least in the summertime we take a two week holiday with my family. I have a sister and she is a Christian as well. She came to Sunday School with me and became a Christian too. But my parents don’t have any desire to be Christians. They don’t talk about these things. They never express an interest in what we believe. They just accept whatever anyone wants to believe. You can chose to believe whatever you want. Just take what’s nice from each religion.
Then in February, my grandmother died, my father’s mother. He reacted with no emotion. The church we go to has a mausoleum and our pastor said that my father could bury my grandmother there. So after that, my father has been coming with me to church every Sunday. So since February my whole family has been going to church services on Sunday and my mother is even going to services during the week. So now my mother has many questions about religion and about the church. So I have hope for my family.
Cindy: What is the best way to advertise our courses?
Krisztina: Speak with Ferency Zoli. Have him send a message to all the KRE students about our courses. I know that he is a believer and I think he would want to help you advertise in this way.
Student Interviews -- Cindy Ippel (CIMS)
Angéla Papp
Cindy: Please, tell me about yourself.
Angéla: I’m currently studying English language and litterature at Károli Gáspár Reformed University and would like to become an English teacher/translator in the future. My mother is Polish and my father is Hungarian, I have three younger brothers. My parents became (charismatic) Christians when I was little, for my mother it wasn’t an easy decision due to her strict Catholic family background. We had to change congregations several times because of the many conflicts between various charismatic denominations. I got baptized at the age of 18 when I was sure of my faith. I’ve been married for almost one year. My father-in-law is a Pentecostal pastor, my husband and I are very active in the Hungarian Ellel movement. I have experience living and studying abroad, in the UK.
Cindy: Why did you chose this university and courses offered by CIMS?
Angéla: I chose the reformed university since most of its teachers have a living faith in God, I’m also very thankful there is such a thing as CIMS. The Institute’s courses are addressed to both Christians and non-Christians and aren’t only strictly academic but also help young people find or deepen their faith.
Cindy: What courses did you like best, what other topics do you think should be included?
Angéla: I enjoyed the Veritas Forum course very much. It was good to have Christians and non-believers discuss topics related to faith. I would suggest the nowadays popular topic of evolution vs. creation, the problem of global warming and how we Christians should address it, I would be also interested in a course on how communism affected Hungarian families’ lives. To my mind, CIMS courses should get more publicity and be advertised better. I keep encouraging my friends to attend as many of them as possible, so they can at last learn something truly Christian.
Cindy: What are your hopes for the future of your church and country?
Angéla: I hope we will be able keep training new ministers, maybe build a new church building for our congregation. My father-in-law is hoping that one day our whole village will be saved. The sociopolitical situation in Hungary is very depressing. I’m worried about the impact communism had on Hungarian mentality, the rampant alcoholism and materialism. I hope there will be more and more big, strong families, that will set an example of how people should live.
Ágnes Koszter
Cindy: Tell me a few words about yourself.
Ágnes: I have a very nice family but my parents never went church. As a child I was looking for a meaning in my life, something more than just material stability. After the transition in 1990, I started reading religious books and came to faith. At first, it was pretty difficult for my parents to accept the fact that me and my sister became Christians, but they got used to it. Now they approve of how our faith changed our „messed-up” lives for the better. When I was 20, I went to the UK to study English, then I worked in Israel for one year and on a cruise ship in the Caribbean for 3 years. At present I’m studying English language and litterature at Károli Gáspár Reformed University.
Cindy: What made you chose this particular university and participate in courses offered by CIMS?
Ágnes: I definitely wanted to study at a „religious” university. I especially enjoyed the CIMS courses, because I had a chance to listen to how real-life people speak about their experiences. The coursework was very much practice-oriented. After the course I heard some of my friends state: ˝ What a shame, we chose the wrong major…we should have chosen to major in theology instead...so we can study in this Institute.˝
I think such courses should be advertised, so that more people can take part in them. Perhaps Anne-Marie could speak to Christian teachers from other faculties to make sure they know what courses are on offer at CIMS.
Cindy: What hopes for the future do you have?
Ágnes: I’d like to graduate and find a job where I won’t have to do much talking, because I’m a rather quiet person. I hope my church will become more open and start new ministries, especially for children and teenagers. My boyfriend and I are involved in this kind of church work. In my country many people are depressed and lack living faith. Fortunately, I can see a gradual change in mentality among the members of my church. There are more and more families with 3, 4 or sometimes even 6,7 children. I think it’s a good sign, it means people started believing that, no matter what happens, God will provide for them and their children.
Annamária Gyurkovics
Annamária from the Baptist Theological Academy in Budapest is grateful for having had Anne-Marie Kool as her thesis supervisor, she explains why:
● At first I was very unsure of myself, nervous about having to co-operate with „professor Kool”, someone much more educated and experienced than me. However, I knew God had led me to her and already after our first meeting I realized, that Anne-Marie is not only a scholar but also, or maybe – first of all a devout Christian.
● I’m sure God guided both of us as we decided that my thesis would be on the Dalit caste in India. I was stunned when I got to know, that Anne-Marie had been hoping one day someone would finally do research on this topic. To me the subject was completely knew, but from the beginning I was convinced that it was the right choice.
● I’m thankful for Anne-Marie’s „strictness” and how she made me do my very best when I was working on my thesis. In the end she also did her best: read it word by word and corrected every single mistake. Such work in itself can serve as a precious testimony.
● Last but not least I’m sincerely thankful for Anne-Marie’s prayers, I realized their power on the day of my thesis defense. Despite the stress, I could feel God’s presence to the extent that it will remain an unforgotten experience for the rest of my life. As I wrote in the preface to my thesis, if God wills, one day I will go and live among the Dalits and spend my life ministering to them.
I would like to express my gratitude to Károli Gáspár Református Egyetem for letting me learn under their precious professor, Anne-Marie Kool. I do hope God will use the gifts He bestowed on her to teach and nourish many other students.
Cindy: Please, tell me about yourself.
Angéla: I’m currently studying English language and litterature at Károli Gáspár Reformed University and would like to become an English teacher/translator in the future. My mother is Polish and my father is Hungarian, I have three younger brothers. My parents became (charismatic) Christians when I was little, for my mother it wasn’t an easy decision due to her strict Catholic family background. We had to change congregations several times because of the many conflicts between various charismatic denominations. I got baptized at the age of 18 when I was sure of my faith. I’ve been married for almost one year. My father-in-law is a Pentecostal pastor, my husband and I are very active in the Hungarian Ellel movement. I have experience living and studying abroad, in the UK.
Cindy: Why did you chose this university and courses offered by CIMS?
Angéla: I chose the reformed university since most of its teachers have a living faith in God, I’m also very thankful there is such a thing as CIMS. The Institute’s courses are addressed to both Christians and non-Christians and aren’t only strictly academic but also help young people find or deepen their faith.
Cindy: What courses did you like best, what other topics do you think should be included?
Angéla: I enjoyed the Veritas Forum course very much. It was good to have Christians and non-believers discuss topics related to faith. I would suggest the nowadays popular topic of evolution vs. creation, the problem of global warming and how we Christians should address it, I would be also interested in a course on how communism affected Hungarian families’ lives. To my mind, CIMS courses should get more publicity and be advertised better. I keep encouraging my friends to attend as many of them as possible, so they can at last learn something truly Christian.
Cindy: What are your hopes for the future of your church and country?
Angéla: I hope we will be able keep training new ministers, maybe build a new church building for our congregation. My father-in-law is hoping that one day our whole village will be saved. The sociopolitical situation in Hungary is very depressing. I’m worried about the impact communism had on Hungarian mentality, the rampant alcoholism and materialism. I hope there will be more and more big, strong families, that will set an example of how people should live.
Ágnes Koszter
Cindy: Tell me a few words about yourself.
Ágnes: I have a very nice family but my parents never went church. As a child I was looking for a meaning in my life, something more than just material stability. After the transition in 1990, I started reading religious books and came to faith. At first, it was pretty difficult for my parents to accept the fact that me and my sister became Christians, but they got used to it. Now they approve of how our faith changed our „messed-up” lives for the better. When I was 20, I went to the UK to study English, then I worked in Israel for one year and on a cruise ship in the Caribbean for 3 years. At present I’m studying English language and litterature at Károli Gáspár Reformed University.
Cindy: What made you chose this particular university and participate in courses offered by CIMS?
Ágnes: I definitely wanted to study at a „religious” university. I especially enjoyed the CIMS courses, because I had a chance to listen to how real-life people speak about their experiences. The coursework was very much practice-oriented. After the course I heard some of my friends state: ˝ What a shame, we chose the wrong major…we should have chosen to major in theology instead...so we can study in this Institute.˝
I think such courses should be advertised, so that more people can take part in them. Perhaps Anne-Marie could speak to Christian teachers from other faculties to make sure they know what courses are on offer at CIMS.
Cindy: What hopes for the future do you have?
Ágnes: I’d like to graduate and find a job where I won’t have to do much talking, because I’m a rather quiet person. I hope my church will become more open and start new ministries, especially for children and teenagers. My boyfriend and I are involved in this kind of church work. In my country many people are depressed and lack living faith. Fortunately, I can see a gradual change in mentality among the members of my church. There are more and more families with 3, 4 or sometimes even 6,7 children. I think it’s a good sign, it means people started believing that, no matter what happens, God will provide for them and their children.
Annamária Gyurkovics
Annamária from the Baptist Theological Academy in Budapest is grateful for having had Anne-Marie Kool as her thesis supervisor, she explains why:
● At first I was very unsure of myself, nervous about having to co-operate with „professor Kool”, someone much more educated and experienced than me. However, I knew God had led me to her and already after our first meeting I realized, that Anne-Marie is not only a scholar but also, or maybe – first of all a devout Christian.
● I’m sure God guided both of us as we decided that my thesis would be on the Dalit caste in India. I was stunned when I got to know, that Anne-Marie had been hoping one day someone would finally do research on this topic. To me the subject was completely knew, but from the beginning I was convinced that it was the right choice.
● I’m thankful for Anne-Marie’s „strictness” and how she made me do my very best when I was working on my thesis. In the end she also did her best: read it word by word and corrected every single mistake. Such work in itself can serve as a precious testimony.
● Last but not least I’m sincerely thankful for Anne-Marie’s prayers, I realized their power on the day of my thesis defense. Despite the stress, I could feel God’s presence to the extent that it will remain an unforgotten experience for the rest of my life. As I wrote in the preface to my thesis, if God wills, one day I will go and live among the Dalits and spend my life ministering to them.
I would like to express my gratitude to Károli Gáspár Református Egyetem for letting me learn under their precious professor, Anne-Marie Kool. I do hope God will use the gifts He bestowed on her to teach and nourish many other students.
Course evaluation 2007_2008
„ It drew my attention to many things, among others, that I should try to accept the other in the best possible way and perceive him/her not as an enemy but as one, who needs salvation, as my brother/sister in Christ.”, stated one of the students after having participated in a course organized by the Protestant Institute for Mission Studies of the Károli Gáspár Reformed University in Budapest.
To some such utterance might seem trivial, or even somewhat worrying: is it only at university level that young people come to conclusions as obvious as this one? Isn’t it a bit late? If we take into consideration the fact, that the above opinion was voiced by one, who like many Hungarian theological students, was probably brought up in a fairly conservative religious community and largely mono-cultural society, we have no choice but to admit that it isn’t. On the contrary, it should be perceived as the beginning of an important learning process. A process described by numerous students as „broadening of their horizons” or „reshaping of perspectives” in the field of both missiology and applied theology. Such and similar statements appear all but twenty times in the evaluation forms in reference to various missiology courses.
The second group of key expressions repeated over and over again includes the problem of cultural differences, (cultural) context and the role of inculturation in mission. „The course helped us to see beyond the Hungarian reformed context.”, „I developed an openness to other cultures” – such were the most typical manifestations of the students’ interest in cultural diversity. Again, one could dismiss them as concepts too vague to be taken seriously. After all, aren’t similar clichés about tolerance repeated worldwide time and again?
What is remarkable about such and similar assertions is how course participants managed to adjust the indeed somewhat foggy term „openness to others” to their own, Hungarian church context. While preparing for class and during class discussions many realized, that the term „other” does not necessarily have to refer only to African Muslims living in London and that they themselves are surrounded by „otherness”.
One of the students decided to share his apprehension: „It’s crucial to take cultural differences into consideration, even within our country there are huge differences [between people, communities].” Let us see, what „others” were identified by the participants? One of them argues, that all „newly arrived” members of a given local community should be treated in a special way and surrounded with care. Some expressed an interest in the non-Hungarian churches and missionaries active in their country and vice versa: Hungarian missionary activity abroad. Finally, many emphasized the importance of Roma mission and signaled their willingness to take part in courses related to the topic. The latter evolution of attitude is of great importance given the size of the Roma community in Hungary and the scale of ethnic conflict between its members and other Hungarian citizens.
Surprisingly enough, a considerable amount of students acknowledged, that they had learnt a lot about other denominations during the course. Clearly, this was not the main objective, nevertheless it can be treated as a positive „side effect” of class discussions.
The above examples might create the false impression that course participants have shown interest exclusively in matters somehow related to their own country. It is not so. The majority of students was excited to have gained insight into the situation of Christians from other continents, captivated by the lectures of an African visiting professor and a Hungarian missionary couple. Apparently, some of them ceased to perceive Christians from remote countries as completely different and their situation as irrelevant to their own experiences. They discovered how surprisingly analogical certain processes happening in Africa might be to the ones they witness in Central Europe. If a very traditional and conservative reformed church in Ghana has experienced a great awakening, why couldn’t something similar occur in Hungary?
Last but not least, it is impossible not to mention the purely „technical” side of the courses organized by the Institute, which constitutes, to my mind, their extremely important added value.
In contrast to the old school teaching methods of the university’s Faculty of Theology, missiology courses are structured according to the generally accepted „Western” model of instruction: reading > discussion > lecture/presentation > discussion. Students were encouraged to critically reflect on the topics, engage in class discussions, prepare presentations and express their opinions in term papers . To many participants this came as positive shock: they loved the atmosphere of the classes, enjoyed being treated like „partners” and were somewhat surprised that someone was at all interested in what they had to say. For some it was the very first opportunity to prepare a power point presentation, others were happy to discover that issues related to spirituality were also part of the curriculum.
To a small yet conspicuous minority this „new” teaching paradigm proved quite a challenge: they protested against having to prepare for class (readings) and were reluctant to read articles in English.
One cannot help but smile.
„What I gained from the course is a great amount of questions that emerge each time we try to define the basics of mission studies. […]”, one of the students wrote. We can only hope and pray that more and more young Hungarian theologians have the temerity to pose questions, even the most difficult ones, ones the answers to which are yet to be found
To some such utterance might seem trivial, or even somewhat worrying: is it only at university level that young people come to conclusions as obvious as this one? Isn’t it a bit late? If we take into consideration the fact, that the above opinion was voiced by one, who like many Hungarian theological students, was probably brought up in a fairly conservative religious community and largely mono-cultural society, we have no choice but to admit that it isn’t. On the contrary, it should be perceived as the beginning of an important learning process. A process described by numerous students as „broadening of their horizons” or „reshaping of perspectives” in the field of both missiology and applied theology. Such and similar statements appear all but twenty times in the evaluation forms in reference to various missiology courses.
The second group of key expressions repeated over and over again includes the problem of cultural differences, (cultural) context and the role of inculturation in mission. „The course helped us to see beyond the Hungarian reformed context.”, „I developed an openness to other cultures” – such were the most typical manifestations of the students’ interest in cultural diversity. Again, one could dismiss them as concepts too vague to be taken seriously. After all, aren’t similar clichés about tolerance repeated worldwide time and again?
What is remarkable about such and similar assertions is how course participants managed to adjust the indeed somewhat foggy term „openness to others” to their own, Hungarian church context. While preparing for class and during class discussions many realized, that the term „other” does not necessarily have to refer only to African Muslims living in London and that they themselves are surrounded by „otherness”.
One of the students decided to share his apprehension: „It’s crucial to take cultural differences into consideration, even within our country there are huge differences [between people, communities].” Let us see, what „others” were identified by the participants? One of them argues, that all „newly arrived” members of a given local community should be treated in a special way and surrounded with care. Some expressed an interest in the non-Hungarian churches and missionaries active in their country and vice versa: Hungarian missionary activity abroad. Finally, many emphasized the importance of Roma mission and signaled their willingness to take part in courses related to the topic. The latter evolution of attitude is of great importance given the size of the Roma community in Hungary and the scale of ethnic conflict between its members and other Hungarian citizens.
Surprisingly enough, a considerable amount of students acknowledged, that they had learnt a lot about other denominations during the course. Clearly, this was not the main objective, nevertheless it can be treated as a positive „side effect” of class discussions.
The above examples might create the false impression that course participants have shown interest exclusively in matters somehow related to their own country. It is not so. The majority of students was excited to have gained insight into the situation of Christians from other continents, captivated by the lectures of an African visiting professor and a Hungarian missionary couple. Apparently, some of them ceased to perceive Christians from remote countries as completely different and their situation as irrelevant to their own experiences. They discovered how surprisingly analogical certain processes happening in Africa might be to the ones they witness in Central Europe. If a very traditional and conservative reformed church in Ghana has experienced a great awakening, why couldn’t something similar occur in Hungary?
Last but not least, it is impossible not to mention the purely „technical” side of the courses organized by the Institute, which constitutes, to my mind, their extremely important added value.
In contrast to the old school teaching methods of the university’s Faculty of Theology, missiology courses are structured according to the generally accepted „Western” model of instruction: reading > discussion > lecture/presentation > discussion. Students were encouraged to critically reflect on the topics, engage in class discussions, prepare presentations and express their opinions in term papers . To many participants this came as positive shock: they loved the atmosphere of the classes, enjoyed being treated like „partners” and were somewhat surprised that someone was at all interested in what they had to say. For some it was the very first opportunity to prepare a power point presentation, others were happy to discover that issues related to spirituality were also part of the curriculum.
To a small yet conspicuous minority this „new” teaching paradigm proved quite a challenge: they protested against having to prepare for class (readings) and were reluctant to read articles in English.
One cannot help but smile.
„What I gained from the course is a great amount of questions that emerge each time we try to define the basics of mission studies. […]”, one of the students wrote. We can only hope and pray that more and more young Hungarian theologians have the temerity to pose questions, even the most difficult ones, ones the answers to which are yet to be found
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