Fifteen years ago the Hong Kong Christian Institute (HKCI) and the Hong Kong Women Christian Council (HKWCC) were formed in the midst of Hong Kong's transition from British to Chinese sovereignty to provide Christian leadership and to raise a prophetic voice in the community at a time of political uncertainty. This book, a collection of articles and speeches by Rose Wu, a founding member of both organisations, is presented to commemorate this important event in the life of both organisations.

At its heart, A Dissenting Church highlights the tensions between an institutional Church seeking survival and a prophetic Church confronting society's injustices. A series of articles about Hong Kong's political and socio-economic concerns, particularly the 1997 handover, clearly define these two very different Churches.

This prophetic stance is also evident in the book's advocacy for women's rights as it addresses the discriminatory experiences of women, especially survivors of sexual violence, sex workers and other people marginalised in society, such as sexual minorities. Instead of being condemned and excluded, Wu calls for the Church and society to repair these broken relationships with justice and love.

The author extends her thoughts beyond Hong Kong to the exploitation of globalisation, the inhumanity of human rights violations, the violence of the "war on terrorism" and the need for ecumenical partnership and interfaith cooperation to respond to today's life-denying realities.

Rose Wu has been an active participant in the women's movement and other social and political movements in Hong Kong since the 1980s. Her education includes theological studies at Chung Chi College at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and a doctor of ministry degree at the Episcopal Divinity School in Boston. She is the author of Liberating the Church from Fear: The Story of Hong Kong's Sexual Minorities.