Mtsogolo mwa Chipembedzo M’chiyang’aniro cha Nthaŵi Yake ya Kumbuyo

Gawo 17:1530 kupita mtsogolo—Chiprotesitanti Kodi Chinali Kukonzanso?

“Kusintha sikuli kukonzanso.”—Edmund Burke, chiŵalo cha zaka za zana la 18 cha Nyumba Yamalamulo ya Britain

AKATSWIRI a mbiri yakale Achiprotesitanti amawona Kukonzanso Kwachiprotesitanti kukhala kunabwezeretsa Chikristu chenicheni. Akatswiri Achikatolika, kumbali ina, amanena kuti chinatuluka m’kuphophonya kwa maphunziro a zaumulungu. Komabe, kodi nchiyani chimene mbiri yakale yakumbuyo ya chipembedzo imavumbula? Kodi Kukonzanso Kwachiprotesitanti kunalidi kukonzanso, kapena kodi kunali kokha kusintha, kuloŵetsa m’malo mtundu umodzi wolephera wa kulambira ndi wina?

Mawu a Mulungu Anapatsidwa Malo Apadera

Okonzanso Achiprotesitanti anagogomera kufunika kwa Malemba. Iwo anakana miyambo, ngakhale kuti Martin Marty, mkonzi wamkulu wa magazini yakuti The Christian Century, akunena kuti mkati mwa zana lapita, “Aprotesitanti owonjezereka akhala ofunitsitsa kuwona unansi pakati pa Baibulo ndi mwambo.” Komabe, ichi sichinali chowona ponena za “makolo [awo] m’chikhulupiriro.” Kwa iwo “Baibulo linali ndi malo apadera, ndipo mwambo kapena zolembera zaupapa sizikanalingana nalo.”

Mkhalidwe umenewu unakulitsa chikondwerero m’kutembenuza, kugaŵira, ndi kuphunzira Baibulo. Mkati mwa zana la 15—loposa theka la zana Kukonzanso kusanayambike—mnzake wa Luther yemwe anali m’Jeremani Johannes Gutenberg anapereka chida chothandiza ku chiphunzitso Chachiprotesitanti chomwe chinali kudzacho. Pokhala atayambitsa njira yosindikizira kuchokera ku chiwiya chokhoza kuyendetsedwa, Gutenberg anatulutsa Baibulo losindikizidwa loyamba. Luther anawona m’kupangidwa kumeneku kuthekera kokulira, ndipo anatcha kusindikizako kukhala “ntchito yatsopano ndi yabwino koposa ya Mulungu yoti ifalitse chipembedzo chowona pa dziko lonse.”

Anthu ambiri tsopano akakhala ndi Baibulo lawolawo, chochitika chimene Tchalitchi Chachikatolika sichinavomereze. Mu 1559 Papa Paul IV analamula kuti palibe Baibulo lomwe likasindikizidwa m’chinenero cha anthu wamba popanda chivomerezo cha tchalitchi, ndipo tchalitchi chinakana kuchipereka. M’chenicheni, mu 1564 Papa Pius IV ananena kuti: “Chokumana nacho chasonyeza kuti ngati kuŵerenga kwa Baibulo m’zinenero wamba kukuvomerezedwa mosasamala, . . . chivulazo chokulira chingabukepo kuposa ubwino.”

Kukonzanso kunatulutsa mtundu watsopano wa “Chikristu.” Icho chinaloŵetsa m’malo ulamuliro waupapa ndi chosankha chaumwini chaufulu. Misa Yachikatolika inaloŵedwa m’malo ndi mpambo wa mawu a kulambira Wachiprotesitanti ndi macathedral otchuka Achikatolika ndi matchalitchi osatchuka kwenikweni Achiprotesitanti.

Zotulukapo Zosayembekezeredwa

Mbiri imatiphunzitsa kuti mabungwe omwe poyambirira anali achipembedzo kaŵirikaŵiri amasinthira kukhala amayanjano ndi ndale zadziko. Ichi chinatsimikizira kukhala chowona ponena za Kukonzanso Kwachiprotesitanti. Profesa Eugene F. Rice, Jr., wa mbiri yakale wa ku Columbia Yunivesiti akulongosola kuti: “M’nyengo Zapakati tchalitchi cha Kumadzulo chinali gulu logwirizanitsidwa la ku Yuropu. Mkati mwa theka loyambirira la zaka za zana la khumi mphambu zisanu ndi chimodzi chinasweka pakati kukhala unyinji wokulira wa matchalitchi a kumaloko a magawo . . . [pa amene] olamulira akudziko anachita ulamuliro wamphamvu.” Ichi chinatulukapo “kukula kwa kulimbana kwa nyengo yaitali pakati pa olamulira akudziko ndi achipembedzo. . . . Kulinganiza kwa mphamvu kunasintha mowonekeratu ndipo pomalizira pake kuchoka ku tchalitchi kupita ku boma ndipo kuchoka pa wansembe kupita ku munthu wamba.”

Kwa munthu payekha ichi chinatanthauza ufulu wokulira, ponse paŵiri wachipembedzo ndi wa boma. Mosiyana ndi chiphunzitso Chachikatolika, chiphunzitso Chachiprotesitanti chinalibe bungwe lapakati loyang’anira chiphunzitso kapena kachitidwe, mwakutero kulola mpata waukulu wa kulingalira kwa chipembedzo. Ichi, m’kupita kwa nthaŵi, pang’onopang’ono chinapititsa patsogolo kulekerera kwa chipembedzo ndi mkhalidwe wa ufulu umene pa nthaŵi ya Kukonzanso unali usanazindikiridwebe.

Ufulu wokulira unamasula nyonga zomwe kalelo sizinagwiritsiridwe ntchito. Ena amanena kuti, unali chisonkhezero, chimene chinali chofunikira kuyambitsa zochitika za mayanjano, ndale zadziko, ndi zopangapanga zomwe zatibweretsa m’nyengo yamakono. Chikhoterero cha mwambo Chachiprotesitanti m’kugwira ntchito “chinasinthidwa ponse paŵiri m’boma ndi moyo wa tsiku ndi tsiku,” akulemba tero mkonziyo malemu Theodore White. Iye analongosola ichi kukhala “chikhulupiriro chakuti munthu ali ndi thayo mwachindunji pamaso pa Mulungu kaamba ka chikumbumtima chake ndi machitidwe ake, popanda kuloŵereramo kapena kuthandizira kwa ansembe. . . . Ngati munthu anagwira ntchito zolimba, kulima mozama, mopanda kulefuka kapena kuchedwa, ndipo anasamalira bwino mkazi wake ndi ana, chotero mwaŵi kapena Mulungu akafupa zoyesayesa zake.”

Kodi mbali zowonekera kukhala zabwino zimenezi za chiphunzitso Chachiprotesitanti ziyenera kutichititsa khungu ku zophophonya zake? Kukonzanso Kwachiprotesitanti kunalinso “nthaŵi ya zoipa zazikulu,” ikutero Encyclopœdia of Religion and Ethics, ikumawonjezera kuti: “Nyengo ya Ajesuit ndi Kupereka Chilango inabweretsedwa kumapeto . . . ndi kungotsatiridwa ndi chinachake chotsikabe. Ngati panali kusadziŵa kowona mtima kokulira mu Nyengo Zapakati, pali chinyengo cholinganizidwa chokulira tsopano.”

“Chinyengo Cholinganizidwa”—Mwa Njira Yotani?

Chinali “chinyengo cholinganizidwa” chifukwa chiphunzitso Chachiprotesitanti chinalonjeza kukonzanso chiphunzitso koma chinalephera kuchipereka. Kaŵirikaŵiri, linali lamulo la tchalitchi, osati kusawona kwa chiphunzitso, lomwe linadzutsa mkangano wa okonzanso. Kwa mbali yaikulu, chiphunzitso Chachiprotesitanti chinasungirira malingaliro ndi machitachita a chipembedzo a chiphunzitso Chachikatolika osakanizikana ndi chikunja. Motani? Chitsanzo chodziŵika chiri chiphunzitso cha Utatu, chomwe kwenikweni chiri maziko kaamba ka umembala mu Protestant World Council of Churches. Kumamatira ku chiphunzitso chimenechi kuli kwamphamvu kwenikweni, ngakhale kuti The Encyclopedia of Religion ikuvomereza kuti ‘otanthauzira ndi akatswiri a maphunziro a zaumulungu lerolino amavomereza kuti kulibe kulikonse m’Baibulo kumene chiphunzitsocho chimaphunzitsidwa momvekera.’

Kodi chiphunzitso Chachiprotesitanti chinakonzanso mtundu woipa wa boma la tchalitchi? Ayi. M’malomwake, icho “chinapitiriza mitundu ya kulamulira kuchokera ku chiphunzitso Chachikatolika cha nthaŵi zakale,” akutero Martin Marty, ndipo “chinangopatuka kuchoka ku makhazikitsidwe a Roma Katolika ndi kupanga osiyanako Achiprotesitanti.”

Chiphunzitso Chachiprotesitanti chinalonjezanso kubwezeretsa “umodzi mu chikhulupiriro.” Komabe, lonjezo Labaibulo limeneli linapita losakwaniritsidwa ndi kuyambika kwa mipatuko yambiri yosiyanasiyana Yachiprotesitanti.—Aefeso 4:13.

Chisokonezo Cholinganizidwa—Nchifukwa Ninji?

Lerolino, mu 1989, chiphunzitso Chachiprotesitanti chagawanikana m’mipatuko ndi mipingo yambiri kotero kuti chikakhala chosatheka kugamulapo chiwonkhetso chonse. Munthu asanamalize kuŵerenga, magulu atsopano angakhale atapangika kapena ena angakhale atazimiririka.

Mosasamala kanthu za izi, World Christian Encyclopedia ikuchita “chosatheka” mwa kugawa Dziko Lachikristu (monga mmene chinaliri mu 1980) mu “magulu a mipingo Yachikristu yodziŵika 20,780,” unyinji wokulira wa imene iri ya Chiprotesitanti.a Iwo amaphatikizapo magulu Achiprotesitanti chenicheni 7,889, unyinji wa zipembedzo zosakhala zachiyera zakumaloko Zachiprotesitanti 10,065, mipingo ya Anglikani 225, ndi magulu Achiprotesitanti opatuka 1,345.

M’kulongosola mmene kusiyanasiyana kosokoneza kumeneku, kotchedwa ponse paŵiri “chizindikiro chaumoyo ndi cha matenda,” kunabwerera, bukhu lakuti Protestant Christianity likutchula kuti “chingakhale chifukwa cha luso la munthu la kulinganiza zinthu ndi kusakhalitsa kwa munthu; ndipo moposerapo chingakhale chifukwa cha anthu onyada omwe amadzilingalira mokwezeka ponena za kawonedwe ka moyo.”

Nzowona motani nanga! Popanda kupereka lingaliro lokwanira ku chowonadi chaumulungu, amuna onyada amapereka njira zosiyanako zatsopano zopezera chipulumutso, chimasuko, kapena chikhutiritso. Kuchulukitsa kwachipembedzo sikumapeza chirikizo m’Baibulo.

M’kuchirikiza kuchulukitsa kwachipembedzo, chiphunzitso Chachiprotesitanti chikuwoneka kukhala chikunena kuti Mulungu alibe zitsogozo zokhazikitsidwa za mmene ayenera kulambiridwa. Kodi chisokonezo cholinganizidwa choterocho chimagwirizana ndi Mulungu wa chowonadi, amene Baibulo limanena za iye kuti “sali Mulungu wa chisokonezo koma wa mtendere”? Kodi kalingaliridwe komvedwa kaŵirikaŵiri Kachiprotesitanti kakuti pita ku tchalitchi chosankha wekha kali kosiyana konse ndi kulingalira kodziimira paokha komwe kunatsogolera Adamu ndi Hava m’chikhulupiriro cholakwa ndi vuto lotulukapo?—1 Akorinto 14:33; onani Genesis 2:9; 3:17-19.

Kunyalanyaza Malo Apadera a Baibulo

Mosasamala kanthu za malo apadera omwe Baibulo linaikidwapo ndi okonzanso oyambirira, akatswiri a maphunziro a zaumulungu Achiprotesitanti pambuyo pake anachirikiza kusuliza kwapamwamba ndipo “mwakutero kuchitira malemba abaibulo,” akutero Marty, “monga mmene akanachitira ndi malemba aliwonse a mabukhu akale.” Iwo “sanapereke malo apadera ku kuwuziridwa kwa olemba baibulo.”

Chotero, mwa kukaikira kuwuziridwa kwaumulungu kwa Baibulo, akatswiri a maphunziro a zaumulungu Achiprotesitanti anawononga chikhulupiriro m’chimene Okonzanso analingalira kukhala maziko enieni a chiphunzitso Chachiprotesitanti. Ichi chinapereka mpata ku kukaikira, kulingalira kwaufulu, ndi kukhulupirira m’nzeru za kuganiza. Sichiri popanda chifukwa, kuti akatswiri ambiri amawona Kukonzanso kukhala chochititsa chachikulu cha udziko wamakono.

Kugwidwa m’Ndale Zadziko

Chotulukapo chotchulidwa pamwambapo chiri umboni wachimwemwe wakuti mosasamala kanthu za kuthekera kwa malingaliro abwino a okonzanso aliyense payekha ndi atsatiri awo, chiphunzitso Chachiprotesitanti sichinabwezeretse Chikristu chowona. M’malo mochirikiza mtendere kupyolera mwa uchete Wachikristu, icho chinakhala chodziloŵetsa mu utundu.

Ichi chinali chowonekeratu mwamsanga pamene kugawanikana kwa Dziko Lachikristu mu Katolika ndi Protesitanti kunakhala kwenikweni. Magulu ankhondo Achikatolika ndi Achiprotesitanti anakhetsa mwazi pa kontinenti yonse ya Yuropu mu nkhondo za unyinji wochulukira. The New Encyclopœdia Britannica imazitcha izo “Nkhondo za Chipembedzo zoyambitsidwa ndi Kukonzanso Kwachijeremani ndi Chiswiss kwa ma 1520.” Yodziŵika koposa ya zimenezi inali Nkhondo Ya Zaka Makumi Atatu (1618-48), imene inalowetsamo ponse paŵiri mkangano wa ndale zadziko ndi wachipembedzo pakati pa Aprotesitanti ndi Akatolika Achijeremani.

Mwazi unasefukiranso mu Ingalande. Pakati pa 1642 ndi 1649, Mfumu Charles I anayambitsa nkhondo molimbana ndi Nyumba Yamalamulo. Popeza kuti ambiri a atsutsi a Mfumuyo anali a gulu la Puritani la Tchalitchi cha Ingalande, nthaŵi zina nkhondoyo imatchedwa Puritan Revolution. Iyo inatha ndi kuphedwa kwa Mfumu ndi kukhazikitsidwa kwa kulamulira kwa anthu onse kwa Puritani pansi pa Oliver Cromwell. Ngakhale kuti Nkhondo ya Chiweniweni Yachingelezi imeneyi sinali kwenikweni kulimbana kwachipembedzo, akatswiri a mbiri yakale amavomereza kuti chipembedzo chinali nsonga yogamulapo m’kusankha mbalizo.

Mkati mwa nkhondo imeneyi, gulu lachipembedzo lodziŵika monga Afriend, kapena Aquaker, linakhalako. Gululo linakumana ndi chitsutso champhamvu kuchokera kwa “abale” ake Achiprotesitanti. Ziŵalo mazana angapo zinafera m’ndende, ndipo zikwi zikwi zinavutika. Koma gululo linafalikiradi, ku maiko olamulidwa ndi Briteni mu Amerika, kumene mu 1681 Charles II anapereka tchatala kwa William Penn kupeza dziko la Quaker, lomwe pambuyo pake linadzakhala boma la Pennsylvania.

Aquaker sanali apadera m’kufunafuna otembenuza kunjako, popeza zipembedzo zina zinachita tero kalelo. Tsopano, komabe, pambuyo pa “Kusintha” Kwachiprotesitanti, Akatolika, pamodzi ndi gulu lalikulu la magulu Achiprotesitanti, anayamba kuwonjezera zoyesayesa zawo kubweretsa uthenga wa Kristu wa chowonadi ndi mtendere kwa “osakhulupirira.” Koma chinali chopanda pake chotani nanga! Pakuti monga “akhulupiri,” Akatolika ndi Aprotesitanti sanali okhoza kuvomerezana pa kalongosoledwe komvana ka chowonadi chaumulungu. Ndipo iwo ndithudi analephera kusonyeza mtendere ndi umodzi waubale. Chifukwa cha mkhalidwe umenewu, kodi nchiyani chomwe chikanayembekezeredwa “Pamene ‘Akristu’ ndi ‘Akunja’ Anakumana”? Ŵerengani nkhani ya 18 m’kope lathu lotsatira.

[Mawu a M’munsi]

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Ana Oyambirira a Kukonzanso

ANGLIKANI COMMUNION: Chigwirizano cha matchalitchi odzilamulira 25 ndi magulu ena 6 ogawana chikhulupiriro, ulamuliro wa ndale zadziko, ndi mpambo wa mawu a chipembedzo wa Tchalitchi cha Ingalande ndi kuzindikira ulamuliro wa dzina wa Arkibishopu wa ku Canterbury. The Encyclopedia of Religion ikunena kuti Chianglikani “chasunga chikhulupiriro m’kuloŵa m’malo kwa utumwi kwa mabishopu ndipo chasungirira machitachita ambiri a nthaŵi ya Kukonzanso isanakhale.” Chokulira ku kulambira kwake liri The Book of Common Prayer, “mpambo wokha wa mawu a chipembedzo wokhala m’chinenero cha kumaloko a m’nyengo ya Kukonzanso womwe adakagwiritsiridwa ntchito.” Aanglikani mu United States, omwe anapatukana ndi Tchalitchi cha Ingalande ndi kupanga Chalitchi Chachiprotesitanti cha Episcopal mu 1789, kachiŵirinso anapatukana ndi mwambo mu February 1989 mwa kukhazikitsa bishopu wamkazi woyambirira m’mbiri ya Anglikani.

MATCHALITCHI A BAPTISTI: Zipembedzo 369 (1970) zoyambitsidwa ndi Anabaptist a m’zana la 16, omwe anagogomezera ubatizo wa achikulire mwa kumizidwa. The Encyclopedia of Religion ikunena kuti Abaptist “achipeza kukhala chovuta kusungirira umodzi wa gulu kapena wa maphunziro aumulungu,” ikuwonjezera kuti “banja la Baptist mu United States liri lalikulu, . . . koma, mofanana ndi m’mabanja ena aakulu, ziŵalo zina sizimalankhula ku ziŵalo zinzawo.”

MATCHALITCHI A LUTHERAN: Zipembedzo 240 (1970), yonyadira chiŵerengero chachikulu koposa cha ziŵalo za gulu lirilonse Lachiprotesitanti. Iwo “adakali ogawanikana m’mafuko (Chijeremani, Chiswedi, ndi zina zotero),” ikutero The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1988, komabe, ikumawonjezera, kuti “magawano enieni ali pakati pa omamatira ku chikhulupiriro ndi omasuka maganizo.” Kugawanikana kwa Alutheran m’magawo a utundu kunakhala kowonekera mkati mwa Nkhondo ya Dziko ya II, pamene, monga mmene E. W. Gritsch wa Lutheran Theological Seminary, U.S.A., akunenera kuti, “gulu lochepera la apasitala a Chilutheran ndi mipingo [mu Jeremani] anatsutsa Hitler, koma gulu lokulira la Alutheran linakhala chete kapena mokangalika linagwirizana ndi ulamuliro wa Chinazi.”

MATCHALITCHI A METHODIST: Zipembedzo 188 (1970) zomabuka kuchokera ku gulu mkati mwa Tchalitchi cha Ingalande chomwe chinayambitsidwa mu 1738 ndi John Wesley. Pambuyo pa imfa yake linapatuka monga gulu lapadera; Wesley analongosola m’Methodist kukhala “winawake yemwe amakhala ndi moyo mogwirizana ndi njira yokhazikitsidwa m’Baibulo.”

MATCHALITCHI A REFORMED NDI PRESBYTERIAN: Matchalitchi a Reformed (zipembedzo 354 mu 1970) m’chiphunzitso ali Achicalvinistic, osati Achilutheran, ndipo amadziwona iwo eni kukhala “Tchalitchi Chachikatolika, chokonzedwanso.” “Presbyterian” imasonyeza boma la tchalitchi lotsogozedwa ndi akulu (presbyters); matchalitchi onse a Presbyterian ali matchalitchi a Reformed, koma simatchalitchi onse a Reformed amene ali ndi mtundu wa boma wa presbyterian.

[Chithunzi patsamba 25]

Tsamba lolinganizidwa mokongola la Baibulo la Gutenberg m’Chilatin

[Mawu a Chithunzi]

By permission of The British Library

[Zithunzi patsamba 26]

Gutenberg ndi makina ake osindikizira onyamulika

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John Wesley, myambitsi wa Tchalitchi cha Methodist (1738)