Eric So tells of Church and societal division in Hong Kong

Dear son,

It has been more than a year since you visited Hong Kong. Last year was the tenth year of you being away from home, to study abroad. Though we miss you, Mum and I are still glad that after graduating you have decided to settle in Vancouver. We pray that God will continue to lead you and bless you.

Though you are away from Hong Kong, the place where you were born, we know that you are always eager to know what has been happening in our churches and community. Here is a brief summary.

Hong Kong is still struggling with political disputes and challenged by controversy. The 2012 national education argument (which sparked mass protests against government plans to introduce education that protestors thought was compulsory), the 2014 Occupy Central/Umbrella movement (which saw tens of thousands protest a decision on universal suffrage procedures) and the 2016 Mong Kok riot (which was triggered by a government crackdown on illegal street food hawkers) have created serious conflicts and confrontations within Hong Kong society. Politics has split the community as well as splitting the churches. Regretfully, I have found cases where Christians have decided to leave their home churches because of differing political orientations. Furthermore, groups in Hong Kong are increasingly hostile to their counterparts. This city is bitterly divided and broken by divergent propositions. Recently, I have wondered how Christians should respond to this reality. As the salt and the light of the world, what can the churches contribute to change the current dilemma? …


Eric So is General Secretary of the Hong Kong Council of the Church of Christ in China

This is an extract from an article that was published in the February 2019 edition of  Reform