Europe is a small continent. Central Europe is even smaller. In an area smaller than Texas several nations live not just side-by-side, but often in the same town or street. During the last year I lectured at the Reformed Theological Seminary in the city of Komarno in Slovakia. It took me 65 minutes to get there from my home in Budapest, including crossing the border with passport and customs check.

1. The geographical-historical facts are very significant. The Danube was called by the Romans aqua contradictionis, because at this river that flows right through central Europe ideas, empires, and various cultures had encounters often peacefully, but sometimes in bloody wars over the centuries. The Danube was the border of the Roman Empire, which represented the end of the civilized world over against the barbarian territories. Ever since this area has been a kind of bridge (or, as a Hungarian poet wrote, "ferry land") communicating between West and East. The inhabitants have regarded themselves part of the West, but they were forced to encounter with the East, and taking a mediatory role. Central Europe also is the area where the ethnic groups of Europe meet: the Latin nations on the southwest, the Saxons on the northwest. The Slavic nations live both north and south of the river. The Hungarians-who from the point of view of both language and race differ from the rest-divide them. For centuries they lived side by side peacefully. Trouble, war, and bloodshed were always connected with instigations from outside powers. Here has been the meeting line between eastern and western-including the churches of the Reformation. In the 16th century due to northern expansion of the Ottoman Empire, there was a direct encounter with Islam. The area often has suffered invasions from the east: Mongolians, 13th century; Turks, 16-17th; Russians, 19th and again 20th centuries. There were two invasions from the west, by Austria and Germany.

2. The Hungarians-resulting from Byzantine mission with some Christians among them-got here during the 10th century and had to fit in the well-established pattern of European Christendom. Their ruler-later canonized by the pope as St. Stephen-opted for recognition as Christian king by the pope, avoiding thereby feudal submission to the Emperor of the West or of the East. The Great Schism split the church 55 years later. Hungary was part of the Western Latin Church with a significant mediating role in the East.

3. In course of the 19th century, after much trial and tribulation one of the most viable countries of the world, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, came into existence. It was professedly multilingual with dynamic industrial, commercial, and cultural development keeping the balance of power in the center of Europe. What is being worked out in the European Union in our day-including a stable common currency-was already present there.

4. Unfortunately, the 1920 peace dictates of Paris-resulting from policies of some of the victorious powers who also used the nationalist movements of the time-destroyed the Empire and set up five so-called national states which were actually all multinational, but the "minorities" rights were threatened in most cases. Apart from the inner structural tensions of these relatively small countries, their existence proved to be a power vacuum, which invited the invasions of Hitler and later of the Soviet Union. These treaties sowed the seeds of World War II. Hungary suffered most, as two-thirds of its territory was taken away. However, due to the unsettled character of the whole situation, the others also suffered.

5. The decision of the victorious powers after World War II to deliver Central Europe into the hands of the Soviet Union brought about immense suffering, and destruction of democratic institutions, industry, and commerce. The cultural life of these lands along with the atmosphere of civil society also suffered a lot, and declined near to extinction. However, to swallow up these countries proved to be too heavy meat for the Soviet belly. It accelerated the collapse of that regime (Berlin 1953, Budapest 1956, Prague 1968, War-saw/Gdansk 1980).

6. After the collapse of the regime, these Sands so plundered were not given the financial help necessary to their recovery. The victorious powers helped the adversary (Germany) in 1945 to rebuild industry and society. The same help was not given to the victims of World War II. This fact contributed to the difficulties and sufferings they endured. The standard of life in these lands is far worse than in the party state times. The events in Romania, Albania, and Yugoslavia could have been different, too. However, recent recovery has shown promising signs.

7. Central Europe has been part of the mainstream of European thinking and culture. These lands also contributed to the development of the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Enlightenment, and the technological development of the last two centuries.

8. That was also true of theological and church life. They were an organic part of the dynamics of philosophical and theological development of the whole continent. In the critical years of Communism, these churches were able to keep in touch with the world church. After a long time, they were the first churches to live in a non-Constantinian situation without the possibility for triumphalism. In their quest for authentic theological guidance the Ebed-pais theology of the 2nd and 3rd centuries was recovered with the help of ecumenical connections. This theology was very much misused by certain individuals. However, it does serve as a biblical pattern for all churches in the post-Constantine situation.

9. Today many doors have been opened for the church to witness to Christ. In order to carry out this mission, the church must not yield to the existing temptation of building its life and mission on the good will of the government on the Constantinian pattern, or to the temptations of extreme nationalism. Today the whole people of God must carry on effective mission in a unity of word and deed.