THE CHURCH:

SILENT PROPHETS AND LOST SHEEP

Pro-Establishment

The British brought many things to the colony of Hong Kong. One was Christianity; another was a close church-state relationship. Although unlike England where the king or queen is the head of the church and many of the bishops from the Church of England sit in the House of Lords, the two bishops in Hong Kong, nevertheless, occupy important positions. The official protocol list places the Anglican bishop and the Roman Catholic cardinal at the fourth and fifth highest positions, just behind the commander of the British armed forces, the chief secretary and the chief justice - a reflection of the tremendous influence and privileges that both churches enjoy in the colony.

Soon after the acquisition of Hong Kong by the British, many missionary societies arrived in the territory. In addition to establishing places of worship, many opened schools as well. Thirty or 40 years ago, of the 30 most famous secondary schools, 25 were operated by the missionary societies, such as the London Missionary Society, the Church Missionary Society, the Jesuits, Maryknolls and several other Roman Catholic orders (the other five were directly run by the government). Many of today's senior civil servants, successful professionals, businessmen and businesswomen went to these "elitist" schools. Consequently, the churches in Hong Kong have indirectly helped to consolidate the territory's elitist social system. As a result, the leadership of the traditional denominations and local congregations is extremely pro-establishment.

In real terms, the Christian Church in Hong Kong only began to develop in the 1950s. Before the Communists took control of mainland China, most missionary societies considered Hong Kong to be simply a stepping stone to China as their work was concentrated on the mainland. Hong Kong was treated as primarily a place of rest and recreation for their missionaries.

The change of government in China in 1949, however, altered this perception drastically. Many foreign missionary societies were forced to leave China. Part of their human as well as material resources came to Hong Kong because by the early 1950s Hong Kong had become a center for hundreds of refugees who were fleeing China daily.

In the 1960s, when Hong Kong began to develop economically, its churches shifted their focus from relief work to providing formal education to thousands of children. A pattern of partnership was formed between the government and the denominational churches. The former provided the land and money while the latter assumed full responsibility for building and managing the community's schools. Without the churches' involvement, children in Hong Kong would not have enjoyed nine years of compulsory education since 1978. Later this partnership was extended to the provision of social welfare and health care. The churches in Hong Kong, for example, have helped to initiate a number of innovative social programs and services to combat the social as well as human problems of the 1970s. Their efforts have been well-appreciated by the wider community. Today churches in Hong Kong are responsible for more than 60 percent of the social welfare work undertaken in the community, operate more than 40 percent of the city's schools and administer about 20 percent of its hospitals.

But the Christian Church in Hong Kong is a victim of its success. The management of such a big service empire has absorbed the energy of its best people. Church leaders spend much of their time attending meetings. They can hardly spare any time to read, do social analysis and reflect on what is happening theologically in the life of the community and the world.

Furthermore, since the denominational leaders have to rely heavily on the government and the wealthy to support their work, they are not free to challenge the ways in which the wealthy and government are using the masses for their own benefit. Emily Lau Wai-hing, a popular elected legislator, described this unusual relationship as "The Unholy Alliance." Consequently, because church leaders in Hong Kong are very much a part of the establishment, they are not in favor of challenging the status quo. Occasionally, however, there have been young pastors who have decided to fight for social justice or to challenge the decisions of those in authority. Eventually they were advised by their supervisors to stay away from "controversial" issues or were totally silenced. One young priest was advised by his bishop to take a study leave after he raised questions about the establishment inside and outside of the Church. He lamented later that his church actually follows 11 commandments. The 11th commandment reads: "Don't rock the boat; play it safe."

Un-Christian Christians

A Christian is a disciple of Christ. He or she should learn from and follow what Jesus Christ said and did. According to Matthew's Gospel, Jesus was constantly busy, serving not Himself but others: "He went about all the cities and villages, teaching, preaching and healing . . ." (cf. Matt. 4:23 and 9:35). Dietrich Bonhoffer summed this up neatly: "Jesus was `a man for others.'" In addition, the most famous hymn about Christ as found in Phil. 2:6-11 described Jesus in the following way: "Jesus was in the same position as God, but He gave it up and came to this world as a slave. For the sake of humankind, He gave up His life on a cross (the most humiliating way to die) and was buried." The Apostles Creed adds that "He descended into hell." Jesus's own self-understanding, according to the Synoptic Gospels, was that "the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). From the highest to the lowest, Jesus, thus, emptied Himself so that people's lives could be filled.

Today as we look around Hong Kong most Christians are only interested in having their lives filled. In fact, they are quite prepared to allow or even to ask those in need to sacrifice for them!

Oftentimes church leaders and pastors in Hong Kong have set poor examples for Christians to live a Christ-like life. They are too status- and benefits-oriented. Pastors act more like senior officials than ministers (the word minister literally means "to give service to"), for pastors today are far too busy managing schools, social centers, etc. They have little or no time to teach, to preach the Word of God, to counsel and support their parishioners. For the few pastors who take the teaching ministry more seriously, they are frequently not prepared to confront their parishioners with the harsh realities and the moral dilemmas that they face in their daily life. Few dare to challenge what their parishioners do. Most of the pastors want to be popular and, therefore, are too often too willing to only say things pleasing to their parishioners.

As a result, most of the Christians today do not find that the Christian faith really can help them face the challenges or crises that they face. This explains why the departure rate for Christians in the past decade is more than double that for the overall population in Hong Kong.

The above descriptions are primarily about the phenomena and activities of the mainline churches in Hong Kong, which have a total membership of 250,000 in the Roman Catholic Church and approximately 80,000 in the Anglican and other major Protestant denominations. Altogether they worship in about 400 parish churches and parish centers.

As for the evangelical wing of the Christian Church in Hong Kong, it has more than 130,000 members. They belong to about 800 local congregations which, in turn, support almost 200 parachurch organizations whose major functions are to evangelize the residents of Hong Kong as well as the people on the mainland and overseas Chinese.

The teachings of the evangelical churches are usually extremely conservative and inward looking. Their members are required to follow countless "thou shall nots" taken literally from the Bible. These moral precepts are so devoid of the realities of modern-day life that even pastors and teachers from time to time find them difficult to follow. Many of the older members have unconsciously fallen into living a life based on double standards, being a devout church leader on Sundays in church but between Mondays and Saturdays leading a lifestyle that is no different from most non-Christians, playing mahjong and betting on horse races, conducting business deals under the table, etc. With these kinds of examples set by older Christians, many young fundamentalist Christians have split personalities as a result.

Christianity, however, cannot be defined by a set of morals or even beliefs. The Christian faith calls people to be faithful to Jesus, who intensely lived His life within His social context, trying to help others to live a fuller life. Christians, therefore, must take their own life experiences and those of others more seriously. The dualistic way to look at this world, as the traditional churches do, is far from adequate. God so loved this world that Jesus came into this world and lived for this world, thus, so must the Church.

Undoubtedly, the teachings of the conservative and evangelical churches in Hong Kong have rendered their churches quite irrelevant to the whole social process. This contributes to the silence of the Church in Hong Kong in this crucial period of Hong Kong's history.

Religious Freedom

Christians all over the world are deeply worried about religious freedom. This is especially true for Hong Kong's Christians as they approach 1997, for the persecution of Christians in China did not take place only during the Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976 when all churches were closed and their buildings occupied: it still continues today. The possibility of such a response by the government in Hong Kong after 1997 is very real.

Whenever the question of religious freedom in Hong Kong after 1997 has been raised, Chinese officials have always replied by saying that it is guaranteed in the Basic Law, which states in Article 32: "Hong Kong residents shall have freedom of conscience. Hong Kong residents shall have freedom of religious belief and freedom to preach and to conduct and participate in religious activities in public."

This has not set the hearts of concerned Christians in the territory at rest. As is widely known, the Basic Law, as well as all other laws, are subject to interpretation. Unfortunately, China has reserved this right for the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing rather than for the Court of Final Appeal (CFA) in Hong Kong, a body that is more appropriately suited for this role given the fact that the Joint Declaration stipulates that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) will enjoy a highly autonomous status.

The enforcement of any law is also subject to the understanding of the "enforcers." Chinese officials, by and large, do not understand the meaning of religion, much less religious freedom. In Hong Kong, for example, Christian activists believe that the Church, as a prophet, should speak out on public issues which affect the livelihood of the masses. However, Chinese officials certainly do not consider it proper for the Church to criticize the government.

Denominational leaders who are concerned about the continuation of their social service empire after 1997 are quite satisfied about the guarantee given to them in the Basic Law (cf. Article 141). As a matter of fact, the Anglican bishop and several Anglican businessmen who served on the Basic Law Drafting Committee ensured that such provisions were included in the Basic Law.

However, the truth of the matter is that in a totalitarian regime everything is judged by its value. If the Christian Church in Hong Kong is useful to the government, it will be given more space to speak and to act; if it threatens or makes the government uncomfortable, it will be suppressed. This offers another reason why church leaders in Hong Kong admonish their members to remain quiet.

For those who are genuinely concerned about religious freedom, however, they must view it from a much wider perspective. Religious freedom is only possible when there is freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and especially freedom of the press. In China, many Christians have been arrested because they have conducted their religious activities in non-registered places (in China, strictly speaking, there is no freedom of assembly). Moreover, Christians in rural areas, where reporting by the press is difficult, are harassed by Public Security Bureau (PSB) officials more so than in large cities. Thus, in fighting for the preservation of religious freedom, concerned Christians and others must also not forget the importance of the safeguarding of other forms of basic human rights.

However, this is not enough, for those who are committed to upholding human rights must also be dedicated to fostering and strengthening democracy. Only a democratically responsible government is motivated to safeguard its citizens' basic freedoms. Although Hong Kong is not likely to have a fully elected government in the foreseeable future (meaning its citizens are able to elect their own chief executive and all 60 legislators by universal franchise), a more open and accountable government must be pursued.

Finally, Hong Kong will not become an independent nation in 1997 (no one in Hong Kong advocates such a vision); it will be a part of China. Consequently, Hong Kong and China will be closely linked. If Hong Kong is not doing well, it will become a huge liability to China. Likewise, if there is no genuine political reform in China, any democracy in Hong Kong will be short-lived. Thus, Hong Kong's citizens, as well as those who are concerned about Hong Kong, must try to contribute to China's development, not only economically, but politically as well.

Church Reform

The powerful, traditional and conservative Roman Catholic Church in its ecumenical council from 1962 to 1964, Vatican II, used "Aggioramento" (Updating) as its theme. The Christian Church in Hong Kong needs to adopt the same theme as it faces the challenges presented by 1997. Like the Presbyterian motto "Ecclesia Reformanda Semper Reformata" (The Church Renews, Ever Renewing), the Church in Hong Kong needs to be reformed, both in its structure as well as in its mission. First, it has to unburden itself from its enormous ecclesiastical and social institutions. The Church in Hong Kong was a social pioneer in the 1960s and 1970s. It introduced many new social services to address the tremendous social as well as human needs of those decades. Now the government and the community are ready to shoulder this social responsibility. Consequently, the Church can move on to new terrain.

For too long, the Church in Hong Kong has ignored public issues which affect the livelihood of the masses. It must be made clear that the Church exists for the poor, the powerless and those who need special care. It must be in solidarity with these people and be sensitive to their needs. In a society tipped toward one side, i.e., for and by the rich and the powerful, the Church needs to do a great deal of "balancing."

The Church in Hong Kong must relearn how to confront the rich and the powerful, for the powerful Chinese regime will assume responsibility for Hong Kong in 1997. Like any other regime, it will use "divide and rule" tactics. In 1995, for example, the New China News Agency (NCNA) organized a meeting for the heads of the seminaries in Hong Kong. Reportedly, the head of one who is considered to be "unfriendly" to the Church in China was not invited. Moreover, in 1994, the Hong Kong Women Christian Council (HKWCC) sponsored a conference for Chinese women theologians from Taiwan, China and Hong Kong. The representatives from China, who were eager to attend, could not get permission to leave the country though. According to one source in China, since HKWCC was considered a pressure group that was critical of the government on the mainland, China could not let their citizens be exposed to their views.

Certainly China is applying a great deal of both direct and indirect pressure on church leaders and Christians in Hong Kong. Many have turned their allegiance to China without careful consideration; many church leaders have intentionally isolated their own brothers and sisters. For instance, a seminary decided not to reinvite a part-time lecturer to teach in 1995 because of a telephone call from the NCNA.

The Church in Hong Kong must try to prevent what happened at the Last Supper: Jesus's prediction that one of His disciples was going to betray Him as recorded in Chapter 13 of the Gospel of John. Indeed, the Church in Hong Kong must work to ensure that what happened time and time again in Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union and China will not happen in Hong Kong now or after 1997. The churches and Christians in Hong Kong must come together. They must stop seeking benefits for themselves and their own "salvation" under Chinese rule and instead start to live for others, like Jesus. As a whole, the Church in Hong Kong must maintain a distance from the rich and the powerful. On behalf of all of Hong Kong's citizens, the Church must be a watchdog over the activities of the rich and powerful by maintaining a critical stance toward their endeavors.

In addition to this role, theological education in Hong Kong needs to be improved. The churches in Hong Kong should make theological education their highest priority. By one estimation, only about 1 percent of the total offerings received by the Church (i.e., about HK$10 million [US$1.28 million]) are budgeted to support the 18 seminaries and Bible schools in the territory, which are the product of overseas missionary societies from the West. Thus, Hong Kong's churches do not lack financial resources. Moreover, the Council for World Mission or CWM (the former London Missionary Society) sold a hospital site in 1994 for HK$1.63 billion (about US$209 million), and the American Baptists sold six properties in Kowloon Tong, an expensive residential area, for almost HK$462 million (US$59.23 million). More of these financial resources should be put into theological education; for in geographical terms, Hong Kong is a small place. It is asking far too much of the churches in Hong Kong to support the same number of seminaries as found in Australia and Aotearoa (New Zealand) combined. The 18 seminaries and Bible schools, thus, should make efforts for closer cooperation and even possible mergers. This is the only way to survive more meaningfully. This is also the only way to upgrade the quality of theological education in Hong Kong.

There are other related issues in the field of theological education in the territory that necessitate action as well. Seminaries in Hong Kong have an awesome task ahead as Christians in Hong Kong in general are extremely poorly educated theologically and their pastors are inadequately equipped. First, however, they must re-examine their curriculum, for typically, the curriculum of any seminary in Hong Kong is no different than those of the seminaries in the West 20 or 30 years ago. They are outdated and directed towards a social and cultural context which is irrelevant to Hong Kong. Consequently, the territory's seminaries must reformulate the content of theological education in Hong Kong on the local context of both today and tomorrow.

Theological education in Hong Kong also faces other challenges, for seminaries in Hong Kong, by and large, are supported by local churches, although, as noted above, in a very limited fashion. Thus, seminaries always want to build a better relationship with the local churches. Oftentimes they do this at the expense of their principles. It is not surprising that seminaries in Hong Kong produce a great many obedient "servants" for local churches. These locally educated pastors though are not equipped to discharge their role of leading their congregations to be more open and more Christ-like. God, however, prefers to be worshiped through acts of justice rather than through acts of piety. Therefore, let the following be the dictum of those who engage in theological education:

"I reject your oblations
And refuse to look at your sacrifices of fattened cattle.
Let me have no more the din of your chanting,
No more of your strumming on harps.
But let justice flow like water
And integrity like an unfailing stream." (Amos 5:22-24)