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The free churches in Hungary have been in a slight minority due to
their small membership, but many of their Western counterparts had considerable
influence in other countries outside of Hungary,
particularly in the USA.
Therefore, the Hungarian party-state used international relations of small
churches in the Council of Free Churches to achieve its goals in the foreign
policy during the Kádár era. It was essential for churches to follow ‘the
Rules of the Game’ set by the state in order to improve their international
relations. The detente in the international politics affected the life of the
churches. Some western denominational and interdenominational organizations
intended to improve their relations with religious communities of socialist
countries. The international importance of the Hungarian churches increased
that time because some international religious organizations regarded Hungary as a
‘bridgehead’ to other socialist countries. Billy Graham’s visit to Hungary in
1977 can be inserted into this process whose diplomatic and (church)
political background is going to be presented in this study.
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