Truth Magazine

By Evan Casey

As I looked back over the past 15 months my family and I have lived in Hungary and worked with the Christians here, it occurred to me that a lot has happened in just over a year. This is a very exciting time for the work in Hungary, with positive steps being taken and, Lord willing, more to come. I am over here with my wife, the former Lydia Humphries, and our two-year-old daughter, Rachel Olivia. Since my monthly reports furnish a pretty good overview of progress made and challenges faced, I thought I would begin each section of this article with an excerpt from a report, as a way of introducing the topic.

This is my first report from Hungary. We have already been here nearly one month and, as promised, I will keep everyone updated about our progress here. There are two churches in Hungary, which are one hour apart by train, for whom Janos (a member of the Budapest church who preaches sometimes) and myself will have to preach (October 1999).

The congregation in Budapest is the larger of the two Hungarian groups, with 20 members. There are presently no elders, nor does it seem as though that will be a possibility in the near future. The second congregation is in the small city of Székesfehérvár, located to the northwest of Budapest. This congregation was started when a member of the Budapest church, Klara Vathi, caused her sister, Margit, to become interested in the gospel. In turn, Margit led her daughter, Krisztina, to the truth. Concerning the salvation of those who are lost, these two women illustrate the point that is just as true in Hungary as it is everywhere else in the world: The work of an individual Christian in talking to those in the world is much more effective than we may realize. In our experience here, the Christians who reach out to their friends and family bring more souls to Christ than ten years’ worth of correspondence courses and like efforts, although those are certainly important, also. A relatively new convert to Christianity, Julia Hiller, lives in a nearby village and sometimes is able to join Margit and Krisztina for worship service on Sunday.  You’ll find more about Julia below.
Janos Duszka is a mature Christian in his 60s who, by the time of this writing, has taken on much of the preaching responsibilities for the Budapest church. His lessons have gotten progressively more complex and reflect much study on his part in the past year. The Hungarian Christians are very blessed to have such a dedicated and humble worker among them. 
 
To summarize our work here, we are presently studying the Bible with many in this country, either through personal studies or the Bible correspondence course which is doing well. Since we have begun advertising the course, the list of active students has increased from one to roughly 84. We have several on-going, individual studies taking place each week, with both Christians and non-Christians. One interesting thing that has come to light since the correspondence course has gotten into full swing again is the fact that many Hungarians are what we would call “deep thinkers.” Often when our students send in their lessons to be graded, they will include a page or two of questions that they would like to have answered. These questions sometimes reflect the wide range of religious influences that individual has had in his life: “What is illness?”, or “Please tell me about the book of Revelation,” or “Did Jesus ever go to India?” are a representative few questions that come to mind. I answer each question as thoroughly as time will allow, and a translator will then put the answer into Hungarian, and we’ll send it on out to the student with the next lesson. Sometimes this leads to a personal study as I’ll explain later in this article.

After much time was invested with research and going to look at possible meeting places, the Budapest church has found a new place for worship and Bible study. After the church had the chance to look at the flat and decided that this is the place that we wanted, we laid down the deposit for the church’s new meeting place this past week. This flat is exactly what we had been looking for . . . (December 2000).

On Wednesday evening, December 27, the church in Budapest met in its new home for the first time. For the past year, the church here has been working on purchasing a new meeting place. It can be a challenge for small groups outside the United States, in a country where the church is not legally recognized by the government, to attain stability in terms of a meeting place. Rising rent costs, problems with testy neighbors who are suspicious of the Christians, and paranoid landlords worried about renting to an “illegal” religious group can create difficulties for congregations with no permanent “home.” In the case of the Budapest church, we are too large to meet in the typical small apartment’s living room, and as most church members are part of a non-Christian family, we cannot meet regularly in someone’s home. The time was right for the Budapest church to try to secure a permanent meeting place, and with Hungary’s imminent entrance in the European Union, time was also short. The price of real estate jumped up 50% during the year 1999, so we had to try to move quickly. The church put its resources together with help from individual Christians in other parts of the world who desired to help, and with the Lord’s help, it was accomplished. 

As you can imagine, attaining our own, permanent meeting place has been a shot in the arm for the congregation, giving us a sense of stability and security that, Lord willing, will last for many years to come. The members of the congregation are excited and interested in being involved in a variety of ways with fixing up the flat so that it will be a functional meeting place for the church. We are able to bring together in one place study materials and church equipment that had been scattered in different members’ homes, due to lack of storage space. Now there is centrally located place in the city for personal Bible studies, a place to hold gospel meetings when visiting preachers come, and for the womens’ class to meet, without the church being burdened with extra rent costs. We are indeed very thankful to God for this new development for the church in Budapest.

There is a woman who lives near Fehérvár with whom I have been studying on a regular basis through correspondence. Julia Hiller has now indicated her desire to be baptized. Janos, and the translator, and I are going to meet with her on June 13. Julia lives in the countryside and she has no phone (June 2000).

Evangelists working overseas are usually very excited by the possibility of enlarging the area of their work, and it is no different here in Hungary. In this case, Julia Hiller, a recent convert who lives in the village of Kincsesbánya is proving to be an enthusiastic participant in the spreading of the gospel. She often studies with her friends, can gather a small group in her home to study the Bible, and is always eager for someone to come and lead the study. Meeting requests like Julia’s are probably the area of greatest need right now in Hungary. Because I live in Budapest and have a full workload here, my biggest problem is getting to these towns to teach those who have indicated an interest in personal study. Most preachers who have labored alone in an area can perhaps identify with the frustration of not being able to be two or more places at once and get more accomplished. I believe that there are areas of Hungary that are about to explode with converts because of the great interest that has already been shown there. 

József Nagy, another correspondence student, lives in a village called Böhönye, located about four hours by bus from Budapest. Like Julia, József is an enthusiastic Bible student with many questions, and he requested a personal Bible study. So, Janos (the Hungarian preacher), David Bunting (a preacher who formerly lived and worked in Hungary and was visiting for a couple of weeks), and I made the trip to the village. The study went well and Janos and I hope to return for additional study with József soon. 

After having studied the Bible for about six months, Edit Serfözö was baptized on October 13. There is a photograph of the baptism on my Web site at http://www. Evan.Casey.net. She continues her weekly studies with me here at our home (November 2000).

American preachers working overseas these days may be making more and more use of the Internet, from the improved ability to keep in touch with those back home through e-mail to Web pages they can build that focus on the work of the church where they are. My Web site has been a work-in-progress since our arrival here, and it has been a thrill to be able to share up-to-the-minute details about new developments with stateside Christians interested enough to look up the site after reading a report. Technology allows us to quickly share, as well, uploaded pictures of the Hungarian Christians and special moments, such as the baptism mentioned above, that help Christians in the U.S. better understand what is happening concerning the church in Hungary.

In conclusion, cultural differences certainly prove challenging at times, and we miss home, family, and friends, but it is a great privilege and pleasure to be working here in Hungary. Although there is a great need for workers here, particularly in Székesfehérvár, where there is a small congregation and interested Bible students who have not yet been converted living close by, at this time there are no preachers with a firm interest in locating here for an extended period of time. 

EvanBCasey@aol.com

By Steve Wallace

In many countries, a sign of an important state event is the presence of the elite guard. If we find that the doctor treating us is among the “elite” in his field it gives us great comfort. It is an honor for a student to be considered among the elite in his field of study. However, the word “elite” also has negative connotations. This is seen in the form of the word we consider herein.

“Elitism” is defined by Webster: “consciousness of being or belonging to an elite” (404). “Elitist” is not found in either of the Webster dictionaries in this writer’s possession. Roget’s Thesaurus (II) defines it, “Characteristic of or resembling a snob” (adj.) and “One who despises people or things he regards as inferior, esp. because of social or intellectual pretension” (315). As we reflect on these definitions we can see that elitism would be a problem to most people. We consider herein some problems it can cause God’s people.

1. It can lead one to trust in himself. Certainly the Pharisees were elitists among the Jews. In his parable in Luke 18:9-14, Jesus chose a Pharisee as an example of one who “trusted in themselves that they were righteous” (Luke 18:9). Today, one can be tempted to this by thinking about how long he has been preaching, how many crises he has come through, how many meetings he holds, etc. When one starts trusting in himself he is cutting himself off from God and falling into a state about which all preachers have tried to warn denominationalists (Prov. 16:25; Jer. 10:23).

2. It can cause one to look down on others. In the above mentioned parable Jesus says the Pharisee therein “despised others” (v. 9). The Pharisee in the parable looked down on “the rest of men” as “extortioners, unjust, adulterers” and especially on the just publican (Luke 18:11). This can lead to other symptoms of elitism.

3. It can lead one to make harsh judgments of others. We see this in the Pharisees (John 7:49; Luke 18:11). If a group of men stand together for the truth of the Gospel elitism could lead one to call them a party. When it comes to handling given situations, the elitist can sit back and judge others as being “too harsh,” “too soft,” or generally not being able to conduct themselves on the high plain he has constructed in his own mind. Elitism can lead one to fail to allow for differences of opinion, personality, and ways of handling various matters. It can lead to a person rendering judgments while exempting himself from his own chosen standard of judgment (Matt. 23:2-4).  Other manifestations of elitism can follow after this. 

4. It can cause one to believe the best about unworthy men and the worst about worthy men. Again, the Pharisees provide an example of this, upholding their own and looking down others (John 7:48-49; Luke 18:11). In the current discussion on unity with error, men who are clearly leading others to commit adultery are being lauded while those who would warn of such men are being falsely accused and demonized. 

5. It can cause one to think his own way is always best. The Pharisees exemplify this (John 7:48-49). They even reproved our Lord! (Matt. 12:2; 15:1). It is a sign of wisdom to hearken to counsel and of foolishness to despise instruction (Prov. 12:15; 15:22; 1:7). The elitist has no time for those whom he views as being “beneath” him, which can tend to another manifestation of elitism.

6. It can lead to stifling discussion. When the Pharisees heard views at variance with their own, they blew them off (John 7:45-52). It can be impossible to discuss differences with one who looks down on others, makes harsh judgments of them and/or is convinced his own way is above theirs. Those who offer discussion are simply not worth the elitist’s time. (Brethren today who are refusing discussion of their views on the current issues need to hear this.) Thus, the elitist fails to learn from others and hears only from those with whom he agrees. This has consequences.

7. It can affect one’s doctrinal position. The Pharisees made “void the word of God by [their] tradition” (Mark 7:12), appealing not to the word of God but to opinions of learned men among them (Matt. 15:2; 19:3; John 7:48). Today, elitism can lead brethren to appeal to what “the church has always done” or the convictions of some well known brother in place of clear teaching from the word of God. Some are doing this.

8. It can cause one to fail to do what he knows is right (John 12:42-43). Who cannot but fear similar occurrences among God’s people today? Some brethren protest their “soundness” on a given issue (like MDR) — and then justify one whom they believe to be teaching error (e.g., by saying they are not false teachers). We will let them and the Lord decide if they are elitists. 

Conclusion
Elitism can be fostered by any number of things. It may come when brethren see themselves as members of an elite group (Isa. 65:5) or think of themselves “more highly than they ought to think” (Rom. 12:3). It may arise when we use others as a standard for measuring ourselves, rather than using Christ (2 Cor. 10:12) or ascend too far too fast (1 Tim. 3:6). However, all of us can see that it does not come from God and his word. Hence, we should not be surprised at the fruits of elitism. 

2103 Rexford Rd., Montgomery, AL 36116

By Terrell Bunting

After living and laboring in Norway for 15 years, I am no less convinced that this is a land in great need of spiritual enlightenment which only a study of God’s word can provide. I would like to open your minds and hearts to the great need for evangelism in this land. For those who may not know Norway is part of Northern Europe and one of five Scandinavian countries, the others being: Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland. As far as land mass, Norway is about the size of the states of Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama. Norway has a population of 4.5 million.

Historical and Religious Information

Prior to the 11th century Norwegians were believers of various idols, the Viking gods. During the 11th century the King of Norway, King Olav, was converted to Catholicism on a visit to France. Upon his return the people had to choose Christ or be beheaded so Norway became a “Christian country” rather quickly. Catholicism was the state religion until the Reformation. During the reformation times, the majority of the priests in Norway sympathized with Luther so Norway rather peacefully converted to Lutheranism. The Lutheran church is the state church and is funded and governed by the state and with state money (taxes). The majority of “known” denominations exist in Norway today but only make up 4% of the population while 93% of the population are Lutheran. The typical Norwegian usually says God exists, but there is little acceptance for the concept that the Bible is God’s word, a book for man to pattern his life after today and adhere to. Religious modernism and liberality are key words in the religious arena today. Tolerance is the prevalent concept in all aspects of Norwegian society including religion.

Church History

When I mention church history, I use this term in reference to things directly related to the New Testament Church. To my knowledge there is historical evidence that a restoration movement concept was present in sections of Eastern Norway around 1870. Norwegian religious historians connect this movement with Alexander Campbell and the restoration movement in the USA. They write that this movement was noticed in the Halden district in Norway, but in the early 1900s many of these groups disappeared or went in a more Pentecostal direction.

In the mid-1950s various preachers from the USA focused their attention on Norway. The cities of Oslo and Bergen were primary targets and local congregations were established.  Work was done in these two cities as well as Stavanger until about 1970. However, due to the lack of leadership, relatively few faithful converts, some internal church troubles, and lack of interest for long-term commitment, these works were abandoned by American preachers around 1970.

In the early 1980s my parents, Thomas and Shirley Bunting, came to Bergen to try to establish the Lord’s church in Bergen. During the first two years of their labor there were no Christians here and no converts. I joined them in January of 1986. The work in Norway can be described as very difficult. It demands workers who are enduring, patient, willing to adapt and put off national pride and arrogance. One might say the work requires those that are willing to “empty themselves” in the service of Christ. Why is the work in Norway so difficult? There are several factors which I feel cause this: a long history of State Church dominance, strong traditional ties, little mixing of race and culture, material wealth, socialism, skeptical to foreigners and “foreign” faiths, a rejection of the Bible as the inspired word of God, and religious modernism. Norwegians are a very proud people which also makes true Christianity difficult for them. They are content, have a false hope, and are economically well off. 

Accomplishments Over the Past Fifteen Years

Thanks to the help and guidance of our Almighty God, let me tell you about what has been done and accomplished thus far. Today there is a congregation of the Lord’s people in Bergen. There are eleven members and eleven children, with an attendance of 22 when all are present. We are the largest group of Christians in the country. In 1990 the congregation bought a store-front building which we have converted into our meeting place. The building has an assembly room, three classrooms, and a baptistry. This is very unusual for congregations in Europe. Our main purpose for being here is to reach the Norwegian population. Therefore, the thrust of our work is in Norwegian despite the fact we are a rather international group. My family and I speak the language fluently and we have tried to become as “Norwegian” as we can in order to be more affective in our work. We have made a Norwegian songbook with over 200 songs, written and composed six different Bible correspondence courses for home study, and have written and composed several young children’s Bible class series from both the Old and New Testament.

The local congregation also has an interest for other places in Norway. We strive to advertise nationally at least twice a year to reach people in others areas of Norway. As a result of such efforts three have been converted to Christ. This past year a young man in Kristians contacted the congregation in Bergen after finding us through electronic mail. This resulted in his studying the Bible through correspondence, and then he flew to Bergen in May to be baptized. We often have one to two gospel meetings a year to give non-Christians an extra opportunity to come hear the gospel, the chance for the local Christians to hear other teachers, and the chance for Christians in other places of Norway to come. We have also been involved in planning and arranging summer lectureships where all the Christians in Norway are invited to come together to study and encourage each other. We have a 24-hour telephone Bible message program which people can call and, if interested, leave their name and address to have more information sent to them. We have also, on various occasions, handed out several thousand tracts, correspondence courses and other teaching materials in mailboxes throughout the city of Bergen. Some years we have distributed up to 12,000 pieces of literature. We see our work as “getting the message out” or sowing the seed. We have learned that a lot of seed must be sown!

There is a group of Christians that meet outside of Oslo in Skedsmokorset, six members and six children. As far as Christians in other cities: there is one Christian family of six in Stavanger, a Christian family of four in Sandefjord, and one Christian man in Kristiansand. There may be other New Testaments Christians in Norway but these are all I know of. 

Closing Appeal

You might wonder: “Why do you stay in Norway?” “Why should we support any one there?” or “Why go to such a difficult place?” First of all there is a great need to save the lost irrelevant of how hard or easy it may be! Christ died for all! There is a great need to restore simple New Testament Christianity here. We need more “lights” shining! I am the only evangelist in Norway who is striving to encourage the few Christians here to remain faithful and to reach out to the lost! How many gospel preachers are supported in Tennessee to reach the four million there? Sad to say but I am the only evangelist supported in all of Scandinavia with a population of about 22 million people! My wife and I would love to have some fellow workers here in Norway. If interested in this part of the world, please contact us. Norway is a beautiful country with many positive things. It is just in spiritual darkness with a great need for many more workers.

Brønndalen 89, 5178 Loddefjord, Bergen, Norway bunting@online.no

By Bill Reeves

The beginning of the gospel in Spanish in our Southwest (Texas) and Mexico dates from the 1930s. In the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas an Anglo-American brother converted a laborer, Rosendo Cantú, who then began to preach in Spanish, making converts. About 1939 brother John Wolfe was instrumental in getting brother Pedro Rivas of Mexico to begin preaching in Mexico. Congregations began to be established in the northern half of Mexico and on both sides of the Texas-Mexico border. Brothers Harris Goodwin, Wayne Partain, and I first went into Mexico to preach in 1945, cooperating with brother Rivas and with another brother, Francisco Avila. In 1949 brother Partain and I began preaching in Spanish in South Texas, on both sides of the border with Mexico.

Converts from south Texas, following the harvests northward as the crops matured, were instrumental in converting Hispanics in the interior of our country. Some of these migrant workers remained in the interior and north to raise their families in their localities, and thus Spanish-speaking churches were established. (About 1970 I conducted a wedding in Spanish, of all places, in Ohio, and held a gospel meeting in Spanish in Chicago!)

By 1950 there were beginnings and churches also in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Miami, and Tampa, as well as along the West Coast, in the Los Angeles area. After World War II was concluded, many dedicated Anglo-American brethren began to take the gospel into foreign lands, including Spanish-speaking nations. By the middle and the second half of the 50s, the institutional-centralization issue crystallized, and now there were “liberal” and “anti” churches among the Hispanics. By invitation of brethren in Latin-America, brothers Wayne Partain, Joe Soto, Ruben Amador, and I began to enter and preach in Central America and in the Caribbean, and many churches came out of liberalism.

Royce Chandler and Wayne Partain first went to Colombia, South America in August 1977, then Wayne and his wife, Faye, were there the first part of 1978 to help start the church in Bogotá. Since then several of us have made trips into the country (Royce more than anyone else). At the present time, our preaching brethren (especially Néstor Bermudez, Jaime Restrepo, and Carlos Mantilla) are in great danger since the FARC (main guerrilla group) has marked “evangelical” preachers for extermination (35 were killed last year).
In about 1980 a brother in Chiapas (southern-most state of Mexico, bordering Guatemala) saw a tract in Spanish that I had written on the “issues”and requested that someone come teach them the truth. From that event the truth spread into the Yucatan Peninsula and into Central America. Gospel meetings  are constantly being conducted throughout Latin-America and Spain by a number of preachers, such as Valente Rodríguez, Mark Reeves, and others.

Brother Efraín Pérez was instrumental in establishing congregations in Chile and in Spain. Brother Carlos Capelli, of Buenos Aires, Argentina, came out of institutionalism and has established congregations and preached in several South American countries and elsewhere. Brother Gardner Hall and brother Tom Holley worked in Argentina, and now for years Gardner has worked in the New York City area. From New Jersey brother Jerry Falk went into Spain and has been there for years now, preaching principally in Barcelona and Seville. In a city near Seville, Dos Hermanas, some brethren wrote brother Partain, after seeing some of our writings in Spanish, and so we went to visit them, and there is now a strong congregation in that city.

Time and space fail me to mention all the able, devout, gospel preachers in Latin-America, whose work I know personally and commend. A few are: Vicente Ramírez, Pedro Molina, and Francisco Rodríguez in Mexico; Nino Estévez and Greg Roark in Venezuela; Santiago Soto and Fernando Castaño in Costa Rica; Eliseo Mirón in El Salvador; Moisés Abarca, Emilio Acevedo, Juan Canelo, Ralph Michell, and others, in Chile. There are conservative congregations throughout Mexico, and in all of the Central American countries, and in nearly all of those of South America.

Brother Partain and I presently have full-length (verse-by-verse) commentaries in Spanish on every book of the New Testament (except Mark and Luke), and also on Leviticus and Daniel. Twenty-five years ago I translated brother Homer Hailey’s syllabus on the Minor Prophets. Wayne has several volumes in Spanish on Sermons And Articles. I have over 5000 questions and answers covering the New Testament books, chapter by chapter, as also debates’ notes, and over 500 Queries & Answers on Bible subjects. Brother Gardner Hall publishes a fine paper, Creced, which has been instrumental in opening many doors in such places as Cuba. Mark Reeves has done works in Spanish on Proverbs and Nehemiah.

Brother Gardner Hall’s publication, Creced, and the literature that brother Partain and I have prepared, currently are opening many doors of opportunity in Cuba, as brethren there learn of the errors of centralization and institutionalism. Brother Ruben Amador is making several trips per year into Cuba to follow up on contacts.

Brethren are urged to stay in close touch with the evangelists that they support, asking them questions about certain issues, because some of those in the Spanish field do not have convictions. Brethren either need to visit them or have them come to visit the churches in the States, so that they can know them well. This is necessary for an avoidance of fellowship with men who are not worthy of the support they receive. (In some cases, brethren should investigate even the men who recommend preachers for support.)

Hispanics have migrated into many, many countries. I have preached in Spanish, of all places, in Geneva, Switzerland and in Montreal, Canada. Who would have thought it? While preaching in two different cities in Alaska, I met Hispanic brethren I had known in Texas and Mexico. We mail Spanish literature even to Australia. Now, throughout the United States, in places where until recently Hispanics and Spanish were relatively unknown, there are growing Hispanic populations! What a wonderful opportunity to preach the gospel to these people who have ties and roots throughout Spanish-speaking countries. In every opportunity that presents itself to me to conduct gospel meetings in English, I encourage young men to learn Spanish in high school, with the view in mind of giving themselves to preaching in Spanish. Parents and preachers: help me stimulate a desire in these young people to study Spanish (making straight A’s!) that they might capacitate themselves to be instrumental in reaching the growing Hispanic population in our country. Requests are multiplying recently for help in reaching such Hispanics. (As I write, I have just received an e-mail with such a request.) Here is a “foreign” field in which to preach without one’s leaving his own country! As the apostle Paul desired to preach in Spain (Rom. 15:28), let many of us desire to preach in Spanish!
    
blaitch@apex.net