Sermon:
“I hear America singing,” wrote Walt Whitman. “I, Too, Hear America I missed the Transylvania Journey. I must confess that when I realized I couldn’t go I felt like the kid in the movie, “Home Alone,” when he realized that his family had gone on vacation without him. It just wasn’t fair.
But the circumstances were a bit different. I wasn’t able to travel beyond my bedroom, much less to Eastern Europe. The night before I was to leave, with my bags packed and ready to go, I had a severe reaction to an anti-biotic I was taking for an infection. I ended up losing almost 10 pounds. My only consolation was the realization that if I had become sick on the flight over or when I was in Romania – not known for an excellent health care system – I would have been in real trouble.
So, now I have this problem of having planned to share my experiences on this amazing journey to Romania and Hungary – except I wasn’t there. Actually, I was there, only it was 12 years ago. In the summer of 1992, my wife, Terry, and I led a group of 31 people from our church in Cleveland on a memorable two week tour of Czechoslovakia, Vienna, Transylvania, and Budapest.
We kidded that our goal was to discover if Dracula was really a Unitarian. Many people ask that question when they find out that Unitarianism began in the region of Transylvania, so we thought the question needed an answer. And we were just the ones to find it.
I was relieved to discover that though Dracula was a real tyrannical Transylvanian prince, he lived a full century before the advent of Unitarianism. So there are no tyrants or vampires in our theological closet. Since our partner church of Segesvar is supposedly the birthplace of Dracula, I hope the participants of this journey can verify that fact.
Our true mission on the tour was to explore the genesis of Unitarianism which took place in the sixteenth century in East Europe. Transylvania is the northern region of the nation of Romania, and when we crossed the border it was almost like going back four hundred years to the age when Unitarianism first began. Everywhere we went people were out in the fields harvesting wheat with scythes, stacking it with pitchforks, and carrying it to town in ancient wagons pulled by horses or oxen. What we think of as many of the necessities of life were seldom seen.
The countryside of Romania was beautiful: rolling hills covered with lush forests, waving fields of wheat, and checker-board garden plots. One of the most impressive sights were the vast fields of tall, golden sunflowers being grown for their oil. And I'll never forget the rugged Carpathian Mountains standing as a backdrop to the small, rural villages.
It’s difficult for us to imagine the violent history of Transylvania. It suffered repeated invasions throughout its past, resulting in a variety of ethnic groups living together in a small territory. For many years Romania and Hungary quarreled over Transylvania, and then the Ottoman Empire took control of the region from 1526 to 1699, only to have the Hungarians claim it once again.
During World War I, Romania joined the Allies and was given Transylvania for their effort. But at the beginning of World War II, Germany and Italy forced Romania to give northern Transylvania back to their ally, Hungary. After the war this regional football was once again returned to Romania. But many of the people in Transylvania are from Hungarian descent, and many of them are Unitarian.
For forty years Romania was a member of the Communist Block, denying their people the most basic of freedoms. When Nicolae Ceausescu came to power in 1965 the repression intensified, especially for Hungarians. The government initiated a program of forcing the Hungarians out of Transylvania by taking away many of their political and religious rights. The Communists either closed down or took over most of the Unitarian schools and took away much of their property.
It was the Hungarians of Transylvania who were at the forefront of the revolution that overthrew Ceausescu, but unfortunately much of the oppression continued. The Unitarians of Transylvania have suffered and survived four-and-a-half centuries of persecution, and I believe, with our help, they will survive long into the future.
But there was a time when life was much better for Unitarians, when Unitarians actually ruled the nation of Transylvania and brought peace to the people. So let's get into our time machine, buckle up, and travel to that distant era.
The year is 1510, the place is the town of Kolosvar – or Cluj as it is called by the Romanians. And the event is the birth of Francis David. His father, Hertel David, is a Saxon shoemaker, and his mother is a Hungarian homemaker.
This was not the birth of the Messiah, but for Unitarians Francis David was the next best thing. David entered the priesthood as a young man and then was sent to Wittenberg for his education. Upon his return home he was given the position as director of a school in Kolasvar.
Francis David soon became disenchanted with the blatant corruption of the Roman Church and enthralled by the vital spirit of Reformation that was sweeping across Europe. David saw in the Reformation a God-given direction for those looking for a new heaven and a new earth.
David soon became the superintendent – the equivalent of a bishop – of the Lutheran Church of Transylvania and helped to make it the dominant church in the nation. But as his beliefs evolved he became dissatisfied with the Lutherans and joined the Calvinist Church where he quickly became their superintendent. David led the Calvinists into dominance during his leadership, but as his theology continued to change he again became dissatisfied with the limitations imposed upon him.
David finally came to the conclusion that the Calvinists, the Lutherans, and the Catholics were all using as the foundation of their theology the erroneous belief in the trinity of God and the divinity of Christ. At that point, David left the Calvinist church and began to preach and debate eloquently for the Arians.
The Arians were followers of the priest, Arius, who at the Council of Nicea in 325 C.E. proclaimed that Jesus was more human than divine. In Transylvania the name "Unitarian" was first used as a derogatory term to describe those liberal Christians who believed that God was a singular unity and not a trio.
Transylvania had the most exciting religious climate in Europe during the late 16th century. The common form of entertainment and education were the highly intellectual and emotional debates that continually took place all over the region. Francis David became known, even by his enemies, as the most eloquent and successful of all the religious orators, convincing an increasing number of people of the rationality of Unitarian theology.
Faith in humanity was David's most basic belief. For him everything was for humanity's sake. Religion's purpose was to serve human beings and our purpose was to become as perfect as possible.
David also preached religious toleration and freedom of conscience. These beliefs were not indifferent platitudes but an affirmation of the human spirit and the love of God. "There is no greater mindlessness and absurdity," he said, "than to force conscience and the spirit with external power, when only their creator has authority for them."
For him the work of the reformation had been only partially accomplished. What Christianity needed was an ongoing reformation that would continually challenge the religious beliefs of its followers.
David wanted to go back to the Holy Scripture and restore Christianity to its original gospel form. He examined every tenet of religion and accepted and maintained only those that were supported in the gospel and by reason. He found the Sermon on the Mount to be at the heart of Christianity, and he urged his followers to live the ethical life Jesus had proclaimed.
David also believed that the confusing dogma of Trinitarianism was not taught by Jesus, but was framed by theologians for their own vain purposes. He taught the doctrine of the indivisible unity of God, that God was one being uniting all people.
Francis David was so convincing in his arguments that he converted the King of Transylvania, John Sigismund, to Unitarianism – the one and only Unitarian king in history – and he was appointed minister to the royal court. In January of 1568 King Sigismund called for a Diet to meet at Torda to consider whether a decree of toleration should be enacted that would protect the right of all Christian churches to co-exist in peace. Francis David spoke eloquently in favor of the decree, convincing the majority of participants and the king himself of the necessity of freedom in matters of religious belief.
King Sigismund issued the Edict of Toleration, which was the first time in the history of Europe a sovereign had declared that all Christian churches were free to practice their religion as they wished. The Edict of Toleration was truly a monumental accomplishment in achieving the right of conscience for all people. It read in part:
“... (the) preachers shall be allowed to preach the Gospel everywhere, each according to his own understanding of it. If the community wish to accept such preaching, well and good; if not they shall not be compelled... No one shall be made to suffer on account of his religion, since faith is the gift of God.”
I was deeply moved when I stood in the church where the king and religious leaders of the day met to debate the Edict of Toleration, and I’m sure that our members were also awed when they visited the church in Torda. Though it is now a Catholic church, I could almost hear the vehement speeches, the passionate debates, the reasoned arguments, that did so much to give life to Unitarianism.
The Edict of Torda essentially legalized Unitarianism for the first time in history. When Francis David returned to Kolasvar he was proclaimed a hero of the people. The story goes that he mounted a large boulder at the street corner and proclaimed the simple unity of God with such persuasive eloquence that they took him on their shoulders and bore him to the great church in the square to continue the theme, and the whole city accepted the Unitarian faith then and there.
The boulder David supposedly stood on is now at the Unitarian Church in Kolasvar, and it took all of my willpower to keep from jumping up on that stone and imitating the preaching of one of my greatest heroes. Francis David became the first superintendent of the Unitarian church in Transylvania, and the church grew rapidly under his leadership, soon becoming the most popular church in all of Transylvania.
But when King Sigismund died in 1571 trouble began to brew. The Catholic, King Stephen, took power, reaffirming the Decree of Religious Toleration but warning against any innovation of doctrine. He was afraid that any new ideas -- especially liberal ideas -- would upset the delicate balance of power between the churches.
David however was not a man who would accept limitations upon the truth, even though his theology was going beyond the accepted Unitarian beliefs of the day. When David began to preach against the invocation of Christ in prayers, he was brought to trial and convicted of preaching new innovations and sentenced to life imprisonment. Five months later he died in a cold dungeon.
David's death was a tragic blow for Unitarians. What followed was a succession of oppressive Kings who nibbled away at the power of the Unitarian Church, and a series of invasions by armies that forced their own religion onto the conquered Transylvanians, and in the process brutally put down any remnants of Unitarianism.
In spite of four hundred years of persecution you may be surprised to hear that there are around 80,000 Unitarians in Transylvania. Many of them live in small villages and attend country churches, some of which we were able to visit on our trip in 1992. At each church the minister would come in from the fields where he farmed during the day and warmly welcome us.
As you might expect, Unitarian theology is more conservative and Christian in Transylvania than it is here. But the commitment to freedom, tolerance and truth is the same. I have great admiration for our fellow Unitarians of Transylvania. They have courageously endured many hardships as they continue to worship now as they did in the 1500s.
Francis David once said: "Neither the sword of popes, nor the cross, nor the image of death -- nothing will halt the march of truth." With his life David showed that truth will live on in spite of all attempts to kill it. With our lives let us do all that we can to keep truth marching on.
By Doug Gage:
We're back! Well, most of us are back from our two weeks in Romania and Hungary -- four of our group are enjoying a few more weeks in Central and Eastern Europe.
30 of us flew into the capital of Romania, Bucharest, and after a day seeing some sights and giving our first choir concert, we embarked on our bus trip through Transylvania. Our first major stop was the city of Brasov (Brasso) where we sang a concert in the Unitarian church and I was able to renew my personal relationship with Reverend Mathe Sandor and the Kilyen family with whom I stayed in 1995. Our visit to Brasov was bracketed by sightseeing at two castles, Peles and Bran.
We spent a full weekend in Sighisoara (Segesvar), where most of us stayed with members of our partner church. Here we gave a concert in the Lutheran church, and participated in the Sunday service. And of course we toured the Citadel of this medieval walled town, including lunch in the house where Dracula is supposed to have been born. We left our friends in Sighisoara on Monday morning, and spent a full day -- lunch at a very picturesque Orthodox monastery, a visit to Turda, where the Edict of Toleration was proclaimed, and a concert in a village, together with the village chorus. Tuesday we spent in Cluj (Kolozsvar), highlighted by a visit to the headquarters of the Transylvanian Unitarian Church and an extended meeting with Unitarian Bishop Arpad Szabo. Wednesday we made the long drive to Budapest, and spent two days in this wonderful Central European capital before flying home last Saturday.
We were accompanied for the whole trip by Transylvanian Unitarian Minister Levente Lazar, who provided commentary and perspective, and by Carolyn Litchfield, who made the travel arrangements in Transylvania. The arrangements all worked. And I don't think the rest of the group really understands how blessed we were by the cool weather!
Besides our choir concerts, the trip was of course focused on our visit to our Partner Church in Sighisoara. We presented the church with a gift of money, much of which will be used to create a reasonable kitchen in the basement of the parish house next to the church. I was pleased that the emeritus minister, Nagy Ferenc, who visited Arlington in the late 1990s, was able to participate fully in our visit.
Jakab Benedek formally presented us with a gift of this wooden plate, which will be at our table after the service. And informally he presented us with these two sticks for making kurtuskalacs -- Transylvanian sugar-coated roasted bread -- we will show you how they are used sometime this fall!
Most important was the opportunity for us to stay in the homes of families in the congregation, developing one-on-one personal ties. I hope that we will be able to maintain and grow these individual ties for many years, in order to provide a substantive basis for the continuing partnership between the two congregations.
Where do we go from here at the congregational level? First, we need to broaden the participation of this congregation in the partnership. Second, we need to identify the most appropriate ways to partner with and to help the congregation in Sighisoara. There are many subtleties that must be dealt with, and it is important to remember the Physicians' imperative "first, do no harm". I hope that the Economic Fairness study headed by Denny Davidoff for the PCC will provide insight and guidance on many of these issues.
We welcome your interest, support, and participation in this work!
By Bill Reilly:
My name is Bill Reilly. I've been a member here since 1988.
I love to sing. Singing makes me happy, it gets me out of myself, connects me with other people. I also love to travel. The more exotic the better. A choir trip is that rare opportunity to do both of these at the same time.
On our trip to Romania, our 20-member choir performed 16 short pieces in a program called "Simple Gifts." We sang in two Lutheran Churches and three simple, beautifully decorated Unitarian churches, including our Partner Church in Sighisoara. In every case but one, there was a full house. The highlight was the Sunday service at Sighisoara.
One portion of the concert included works by African-American composers. These were the clear favorites. I had heard that Europeans were taken with gospel music - here was proof.
Thomas Dorsey's classic Precious Lord; Ev'ry Time I Feel the Spirit, a rousing a cappella piece from the Tuskegee Choir Series; and Worthy To Be Praised, a shouter with a rollicking chorus. Also, I Will Sing Praises, a bittersweet jazz composition inspired by a struggle with terminal illness.
Several of these allowed Bob to show off his keyboard skills - in at least two, as I told him on the trip, he could easily have been mistaken for Ray Charles.
The gospel music often prompted the rhythmic applause that, in Romania, means "Do it again!" This was very satisfying to me. We were reaching across a great divide of geography and history - not to mention language - and our audience was captivated.
There was one comical aspect of our experience. It's a standard joke in the choir that we can't do the "sway," the distinctive rhythmic movement that accompanies African-American gospel music. I've found that it's mostly in the shoulders (you turn in one, then the other). There's also a very slight up-and-down motion. Like gospel music itself, it's fluid and buoyant.
Every January, when we join the choirs of Mt. Zion Baptist and Our Lady Queen of Peace, we try to copy our counterparts. Now I can sway, and I can sing, but the trick is to sway - and sing - at the same time! And that's not all! Let's assume all 20 of us were swaying and singing individually. The question is: Were we all in sync with each other?
You can probably guess the answer. But give us credit for trying. I was proud to share this part of our heritage and grateful to connect with our Transylvanian cousins through music.
What did our visit mean to them? Our music was a gift, which they gratefully accepted. We gave more than money because money is not enough. The Partner Church program - the umbrella for this exchange - will never succeed solely as a financial endeavor. I hope our partnership gave them another window on the world as they continue to emerge from so many years of enforced isolation.
Arlington, Va.
July 25, 2004
Bob Griffith's "Transylvania Report", Sunday, July 25, 2004
Some of you will remember Reader's Digest, "Most Unforgettable Character" series. (Do they still do that?) On our trip to Romania, we all met a number of "Unforgettable Characters". For me, one was a young man named Vlad. Organist at the Lutheran church in Bucharest, Romania. The site of our first concert.
Now the name--Vlad--struck me as curious, because Vlad was the name of the guy in Transylvania on which the famous Dracula legend was based‹Count Vlad Dracul.
So......, I thought.... Let's hope that, for our first concert, this won't suggest a serious loss of blood. Those fears were unfounded, because Vlad didn't turn out to be a vampire at all. In fact, this Vlad was a very cooperative host.
There were some anxious moments at that church, however. For example, Vlad told me before the concert that, in his church, local musicians performed only 17th and 18th century German music. Well..... that was a concern for me because, our choir had prepared a lot of music--but only ONE piece of 18th century music--and it was in Latin, not German.
Uh-oh, I thought. Hope they don't throw us out on the street after hearing our first gospel song--and we had planned to sing several. Plus jazz. Plus some contemporary music.
Well, at that historic Lutheran church, with the strict tradition of 18th century German music, we moved ahead and presented our concert of mostly American music, by Russell Woollen, John Rutter, and others. Happy to report we weren't booted out of that church. In fact, our music was well received. And organist Vlad's response at the end of the concert? Very enthusiastic in praise of the choir and its less-than-German musical gifts.
I will tell you that the enthusiasm shown by Vlad was even surpassed in the Unitarian churches, where we performed later on. In fact, as our tour moved northward to Unitarian churches in Transylvania, many people there were moved as much by our presence--and by our personal contact--as by our music.
And this leads me to identify my second Most Unforgettable Character--all the ethnic Hungarian people in we met at Unitarian churches. Their response to our performing in their churches was magnificent. Rhythmic clapping, ear-to-ear smiles, requests for encores, proposals of marriage (well, maybe not that!)
Yes, the response to our presence in Unitarian churches in Transylvania was unforgettable to all of us in our tour group--choir and non-choir folk alike. Indeed, our Most Unforgettable Character was the entire collection of Unitarians we met there--and in some cases, even lived with for a few days.
To me, that's what the trip was really about--making significant personal contact with the people--many of whom still feel isolated by geography and by recent political history.
The message we took to these Unitarians was that, we care about them, partly because we share deep historical and religious connections with them. Our music was the medium of contact. However, our message, as ambassadors representing you, was caring, personal contact, both one-on-one and as a group.
Oh, one more unforgettable character The Unitarian Bishop in Transylvania.
He told the tour group that personal contact from the U.S. makes folks there feel a much needed kinship with the "outside world".... and that our efforts to connect with our Unitarian roots also help Transylvanian Unitarians draw strength from our vitality.
And in that regard, you can be assured that we represented you, this vibrant faith community, quite well..... and that all the Unforgettable Characters in our tour group most certainly accomplished our mission.
