2.1 Courses and Seminars

One of the functions of the Hong Kong Christian Institute (HKCI) is to encourage Christians to reflect on their faith and to act upon it in accordance with the local context and to widen the vision of society and their faith through reflection and practice. With regard to Hong Kong’s social context, HKCI has organized a variety of seminars and education courses which have addressed different social issues in the past year. HKCI has also tried to stimulate the reflection of readers through its publications.

In the past year, issues affecting Hong Kong have included the second Legislative Council (Legco) election since the handover, the public’s call to revise sections of the Public Order Ordinance concerning the freedom to assemble and express oneself, pressure on the Falun Gong, efforts to reform health care and promotion of the Chinese government’s Go West development campaign.

Seminars and education courses were organized to address the above issues. Through these programs, HKCI sought to enhance a general understanding of the issues concerned and to encourage action to respond to them through seminars and talks while an in-depth understanding and reflection of these issues was promoted through education courses. The call for revision of the Public Order Ordinance by HKCI and other groups, for instance, was discussed from different perspectives. In addition, a course entitled Freedom of Speech and Civil Disobedience, jointly organized by the Justice and Peace Commission of the Hong Kong Catholic Diocese and HKCI, provided an in-depth discussion about freedom of speech and expression and its relation to civil disobedience. Other seminars included the following programs: The Immoral Election? How Christians Renew Political Culture; The Consultation Document on Health Care Reform; Social Space in the Wake of the Falun Gong Saga; Good or Evil Cult? The Anti-Cult Law and Religious Freedom; and Exploit the Great West: How Should Hong Kong People Respond?

Similarly, a series of classes grouped together under the title of the Family Pastoral and Counseling Program, co-organized with the Practical Education Program of the Theology Division of Chung Chi College, was created for pastors and received a tremendous response.

To enhance the understanding of the underprivileged, HKCI and other Christian groups conducted a seminar about sex workers that aroused rigorous discussion; and to expand and cultivate a space for dialogue and conversation, HKCI has planned a series of gatherings entitled Dialogue with Compassion. The response to these gatherings has been overwhelming, and all of the seats were occupied for one of the discussions. The conversations were not only between the guest speakers but also between the participants. Presently, the Dialogue with Compassion series has involved these guest speakers: Bishop Joseph Zen Ze-kiu, Szeto Wah and Man Si-wai (the 12th anniversary of June 4), Chan Shun-hing and Sze Pang-cheung (the fourth anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China) and Wong Lai-cheung and Kung Lap-yan (Dancing with Death).

As part of the ecumenical movement, HKCI joined hands with the Hong Kong Christian Council to host the Ecumenical Movement in the 21st Century seminar at which representatives from the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) and the Asia Alliance of YMCAs and local congregations shared their views on the challenges of the ecumenical movement in the new century.

2.2 Publications

The literary ministry is a crucial and significant part of HKCI’s education program, which includes publications by HKCI and other authors in newspapers and magazines.

HKCI’s regular publications include the Chinese and English monthly newsletters and a bimonthly Chinese journal, Reflection. Messages and religious reflections from the director and members of the management committee were shared in these newsletters. HKCI members and staff members also expressed their views on current issues in a critical manner.

Reflection, a bimonthly theological journal, is regarded as a Christian witness of Hong Kong society in print form. It also records Christian reflections on Hong Kong’s issues. The themes in the past year included “Environmental Protection and Ecological Balance” (No. 69), “Transnational Corporations and the Third World” (No.70), “Rethinking the Ecumenical Movement” (No.71), “Rethinking Nationalism” (No.72), “Health Care Finance and Reform” (No. 73) and “Sex Work” (No.74).

During the past year, the Rev. Lee Ching-chee’s My Memoirs, Dr. Chan Shun-hing’s Diagnosing Our Time: The Gospel and the Marginalized in Hong Kong Society, Dr. Wong Wai-ching’s Gender Consciousness and Biblical Interpretation, Pandora Khor’s Teresa Avila’s and Women’s Spirituality (translated by Grace Liu) and Dr. Kwok Hung-biu’s Survey on Christian Spiritual Traditions were published. Among these, the Rev. Lee’s book was printed twice within one month. Readers’ gatherings were held to enhance the dialogue between readers and authors. Although HKCI has published just a few titles, we always encourage the authors to write for Hong Kong’s readers. Title by title, our publications have become resources for the formation of Christians.

2.3 Seminarian Education

To promote local contextual theological reflection, lecturers are invited to speak from a contextual perspective. Furthermore, seminarians are encouraged to understand and make use of the methodology and perspective of contextual theology, which is the primary purpose of the annual educational series the Christian Faith and the Development of Hong Kong Society, a three-credit course recognized by six seminaries in Hong Kong. For the past nine years, seminarians have appreciated this series as a way to broaden their understanding about Hong Kong society and to stimulate their theological reflection.

HKCI is also an organization that welcomes interns. We were happy to have Lennon Chung, a master of divinity student from the Theology Division of Chung Chi College at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, work as an intern with us during the summer.

2.4 Writers Group

In addition to its regular publications, HKCI channels voices through articles and columns. Among the contributors in our writers group, there are insightful and well-informed HKCI members and supporters. Articles on different issues were published in newspapers and the columns of journals (the Christian Times and the Hong Kong Globe). Moreover, our members contributed to a column that focused on the issue of poverty in the Christian Times for three months.

Quantity and productivity have become the most important criteria for evaluating success in Hong Kong. Nevertheless, the aim of education is to stress quality and the process involved. Hence, HKCI will not impose a standard mode of thinking and specific answers to issues in the community but, by all means, will seek to discover with the participants ways to resolve the problems facing society based on our Christian faith.

TOO Kin Wai