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Hill Road Journal
Issue 9 (Jun 2002)
| Contents: |
The Church in the Pluralistic Religious Context There are 5 articles and 7 book reviews |
| No. of Pages: | 139 |
| Price: | HK$100 |
| Thematic Articles | ||
| Fook-kong Wong | Religious Commitment in a Pluralistic Society: An Old Testament Perspective | Abstract |
| Poling J. SUN | The Challenge of Religious Pluralism: The Book of Acts as a Test Case | Abstract |
| Nathan Ng | The Church and Pluralism in the Patristic Period: A Reconsideration of the Progress of Christianization of the Roman Empire during the Time of Constantine | Abstract |
| Joshua Cho | Dialogue on Religion: A Postliberal Perspective | Abstract |
| Chun-wah KWONG | Religious Freedom in Hong Kong's Religiously Pluralistic Situation: A Review of Several Cases Concerning Religious Freedom during the Transitional Period of 1997 and a Discussion of the Responsibility of Hong Kong Churches | Abstract |
Religious Commitment in a Pluralistic Society: An Old Testament Perspective
WONG Fook Kong
This essay begins with Brueggemann's observation about the “amazing pluralism” both within and without the Church. I agree with this statement with the qualification that this has been the experience of Asian churches all along. Pluralism both within and without its ranks is not new to Asian churches. When we look at the Old Testament against the background of the ancient Near East, it is evident that ancient Israel also lived in a pluralistic society. Different gods competed for loyalty among the nations. Within Israel too there were different views about YHWH . It is against these competing ideologies that the authors of the Bible affirmed their commitment to worship YHWH as the one and only God. Thus pluralism should not be a reason for abandoning one's commitment to worship YHWH as the one and only God. Rather, it is exactly in face of alternatives and competing claims that one needs to make a firm commitment to worship YHWH.
The Challenge of Religious Pluralism: The Book of Acts as a Test Case
Poling J. Sun
Since the 80s of the last century the issue of plural religiousism has become a challenge to Christian communities. Granted the highly developed connections among nations in this electronic age resulting in conversations and mutual influences, a plurality of cultural and religious phenomena seems inevitable. This is similar to the situation in which the early Christian communities found themselves, addressing and being addressed by a world characterized by cultural inter-penetration. With this in view, this article offers a study of several passages in the Book of Acts, attempting to explore how the early Christian communities encountered their surrounding culture in the course of finding their identity and appropriating their mission.
The Church and Pluralism in the Patristic Period: A Reconsideration of the Progress of Christianization of the Roman Empire during the Time of Constantine
Nathan K. Ng
The reason for the conversion of Constantine has long been a matter of scholarly debate. Traditionally, the emperor is believed to have been converted religiously by the power of Christ. Modern scholarship, however, tends to attribute the conversion to political reason. This article intends to reevaluate the controversial conversion through a reexamination of the progress of christianization of the Roman Empire.
The first section tries to show that the political stature of paganism was actually at that time much higher than the church. It would be very difficult to explain why Constantine chose to become a Christian if, as many modern scholars suggest, political stability was his sole concern. On this foundation, the second section argues that the emperor's bias towards Christianity was at least partially religious. Putting all evidences into consideration, a proposal of the spiritual journey of Constantine is tentatively reconstructed at the end of the discussion.
2025 Holy Music Spiritual Retreat
[Apocalypse Vision: The Victorious Lamb]
Sincerely invite you to attend our 2025 Holy Music Spiritual Retreat
Date: April 27, 2025 (Sunday)
Time: 4:30 p.m.
Location: Kowloon City Baptist Church
No seat reservation, free admission
Welcome to donate support or sponsorship
- If you wish to sponsor a congratulatory message, please submit it before March 28, 2025 (Friday).
- The names of the donors will be published in the program brochure or the hospital newsletter.
- All donations will be issued with receipts and can be used for tax deduction in Hong Kong.
Query:
Tel: 2768 5179
Email: concert@hkbts.edu.hk
The Meaning of the Church's Being in the World: Re-reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Ethics
April Nok-Yan LAM
The objective of this article is to provide a way of reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Ethics and shed light on his understanding of the church's role in the world. Rather than solely examining the book, this article will take into consideration his earlier writings, such as his Sanctorum Communio and Discipleship, in order to provide a more comprehensive perspective.
The discussion comprises three main parts. The first part delves into Bonhoeffer's interpretation of Jesus Christ, which serves as the foundation of his entire theological thinking. From Sanctorum Communio to Ethics, Bonhoeffer stressed the significance of Jesus Christ's incarnation, as He is the real and active vicarious representative of humanity. As the vicarious representative, Jesus Christ is being-for-us: He bears our fallen humanity and creation on His flesh, standing before God and being crucified on the cross on our behalf, and renewing humanity and creation through His resurrection. Therefore, Bonhoeffer argued that there is only one reality, which is Christ-reality, and in that reality, God is present in the world, and the The world is accepted by and united with God.
The second part discusses Bonhoeffer's interpretation of the church, in which he stressed that it is closely related to the being and the act of Jesus Christ. In Sanctorum Communio, Bonhoeffer argued that the church has a two-fold nature: on the one hand, the church-community, as the new humanity realized and actualized through Jesus Christ's vicarious representative action, is a divine reality; on the other hand, the church is also a human community, an empirical church that is actualized by God through the Holy Spirit and the word of Christ. Therefore, in essence, the church-community is created through Christ and in Christ, with Christ as its center; and it is Christ's body in the world, which means that it is a visible community in the world. This view of the church is present in both Bonhoeffer's Discipleship and Ethics.
The final part of this article focuses on Bonhoeffer's view on the church's relationship to the world. In his Ethics, Bonhoeffer stressed that the church, as the body of Christ, is conformed to the form of Jesus Christ. It is for the sake of the world. Hence, in Christ, the church is the vicarious representative to the world—it is being- for-the-world and act-for-the-world so that the world may know the will of God in Christ-reality. Although Bonhoeffer emphasized the church's being-for-the-world, it doesn't mean that he rejected the view of the church as he expressed in Discipleship, that is, being the church-community in Christ and through Christ. Rather, as he did in Sanctorum Communio, he still maintained the two-fold nature of the church, which stressed that the church is both the goal and the tool of God in the world.
Theories and Practical Models of Spiritual Formation in Theological Education
Mei-Chuan CHU and Elijah LIANG Yi Li Yah
In theological education, spiritual formation is regarded as an indispensable aspect of nurturing future church pastors and leaders. However, as of now, the literature discussing the theoretical concepts and practical models of spiritual formation remains limited. There are variations in the understanding and implementation of spiritual formation among different theological institutions, and disagreements exist even among leaders within the same institution. This paper aims to investigate the existing understanding and practical models of spiritual formation in theological education. Our findings will serve as a reference for theological education institutions, and it is hoped that this will inspire more Chinese-speaking theological educators to engage in dialogue and research on this topic.
This paper identifies two approaches to spiritual formation in theological education in the current research. One starts with the unique background of each theological institution and takes into consideration the lives and calling of disciples as described in the Bible. It emphasizes that spiritual formation is the work of the Holy Spirit, and transformation is brought about through God's word. This approach features designing spiritual formation programs tailored to the institution's student community. The other approach focuses on one's personal relationship with God, considering and incorporating biblical theology and social sciences to explore the factors and processes of individual spiritual formation. Both approaches have their advantages, but a lack of in-depth dialogue between practitioners who adopt different approaches may cause tensions.
In this paper, we also discover that the practical models of spiritual formation used in various theological institutions usually consist of two parts: learning within the classroom and learning outside the classroom. Spiritual formation within the classroom can be further categorized into three types: integrated courses , specific spiritual formation courses, and incorporating spiritual formation elements into existing courses. Spiritual formation outside the classroom generally includes personal spiritual formation, group spiritual formation, and spiritual guidance.
This paper concludes with a discussion of our findings and offers recommendations for future research and development on spiritual formation in theological education.
-
2025 Holy Music Spiritual Retreat
[Apocalypse Vision: The Victorious Lamb]
Sincerely invite you to attend our 2025 Holy Music Spiritual Retreat
Date: April 27, 2025 (Sunday)
Time: 4:30 p.m.
Location: Kowloon City Baptist Church
No seat reservation, free admission
Welcome to donate support or sponsorship
- If you wish to sponsor a congratulatory message, please submit it before March 28, 2025 (Friday).
- The names of the donors will be published in the program brochure or the hospital newsletter.
- All donations will be issued with receipts and can be used for tax deduction in Hong Kong.
Query:
Tel: 2768 5179
Email: concert@hkbts.edu.hk
The Meaning of the Church's Being in the World: Re-reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Ethics
April Nok-Yan LAM
The objective of this article is to provide a way of reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Ethics and shed light on his understanding of the church's role in the world. Rather than solely examining the book, this article will take into consideration his earlier writings, such as his Sanctorum Communio and Discipleship, in order to provide a more comprehensive perspective.
The discussion comprises three main parts. The first part delves into Bonhoeffer's interpretation of Jesus Christ, which serves as the foundation of his entire theological thinking. From Sanctorum Communio to Ethics, Bonhoeffer stressed the significance of Jesus Christ's incarnation, as He is the real and active vicarious representative of humanity. As the vicarious representative, Jesus Christ is being-for-us: He bears our fallen humanity and creation on His flesh, standing before God and being crucified on the cross on our behalf, and renewing humanity and creation through His resurrection. Therefore, Bonhoeffer argued that there is only one reality, which is Christ-reality, and in that reality, God is present in the world, and the The world is accepted by and united with God.
The second part discusses Bonhoeffer's interpretation of the church, in which he stressed that it is closely related to the being and the act of Jesus Christ. In Sanctorum Communio, Bonhoeffer argued that the church has a two-fold nature: on the one hand, the church-community, as the new humanity realized and actualized through Jesus Christ's vicarious representative action, is a divine reality; on the other hand, the church is also a human community, an empirical church that is actualized by God through the Holy Spirit and the word of Christ. Therefore, in essence, the church-community is created through Christ and in Christ, with Christ as its center; and it is Christ's body in the world, which means that it is a visible community in the world. This view of the church is present in both Bonhoeffer's Discipleship and Ethics.
The final part of this article focuses on Bonhoeffer's view on the church's relationship to the world. In his Ethics, Bonhoeffer stressed that the church, as the body of Christ, is conformed to the form of Jesus Christ. It is for the sake of the world. Hence, in Christ, the church is the vicarious representative to the world—it is being- for-the-world and act-for-the-world so that the world may know the will of God in Christ-reality. Although Bonhoeffer emphasized the church's being-for-the-world, it doesn't mean that he rejected the view of the church as he expressed in Discipleship, that is, being the church-community in Christ and through Christ. Rather, as he did in Sanctorum Communio, he still maintained the two-fold nature of the church, which stressed that the church is both the goal and the tool of God in the world.
Theories and Practical Models of Spiritual Formation in Theological Education
Mei-Chuan CHU and Elijah LIANG Yi Li Yah
In theological education, spiritual formation is regarded as an indispensable aspect of nurturing future church pastors and leaders. However, as of now, the literature discussing the theoretical concepts and practical models of spiritual formation remains limited. There are variations in the understanding and implementation of spiritual formation among different theological institutions, and disagreements exist even among leaders within the same institution. This paper aims to investigate the existing understanding and practical models of spiritual formation in theological education. Our findings will serve as a reference for theological education institutions, and it is hoped that this will inspire more Chinese-speaking theological educators to engage in dialogue and research on this topic.
This paper identifies two approaches to spiritual formation in theological education in the current research. One starts with the unique background of each theological institution and takes into consideration the lives and calling of disciples as described in the Bible. It emphasizes that spiritual formation is the work of the Holy Spirit, and transformation is brought about through God's word. This approach features designing spiritual formation programs tailored to the institution's student community. The other approach focuses on one's personal relationship with God, considering and incorporating biblical theology and social sciences to explore the factors and processes of individual spiritual formation. Both approaches have their advantages, but a lack of in-depth dialogue between practitioners who adopt different approaches may cause tensions.
In this paper, we also discover that the practical models of spiritual formation used in various theological institutions usually consist of two parts: learning within the classroom and learning outside the classroom. Spiritual formation within the classroom can be further categorized into three types: integrated courses , specific spiritual formation courses, and incorporating spiritual formation elements into existing courses. Spiritual formation outside the classroom generally includes personal spiritual formation, group spiritual formation, and spiritual guidance.
This paper concludes with a discussion of our findings and offers recommendations for future research and development on spiritual formation in theological education.
