山道期刊

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 religious pluralism 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.

1951年，浸信会的先贤领受召命，在艰苦的时代建立了「香港浸信会神学院」。蒙主保守，七十五年来「浸神」在转变中不断成长，竭力在本港履行神学教育和研究的使命，悉心培育兼具神学智慧、属灵品格及事奉实践能力的仆人领袖，栽培了一代又一代的传道牧者、宣教士、信徒领袖，与弟兄姊妹同心协力，建立教会，扩展神国，并且在社会发挥影响力，作盐作光，见证基督和平的福音。

为记念上主的深恩厚爱，本院举行了一连串院庆活动，主题为「立于基督‧迎向未来」。世界纷乱，局势万变，我们惟有站稳在耶稣基督这块坚固的房角石上，才能在俗世洪流中迎向变幻不定的未来，把基督的真道落实于这个时代。其中最重要的院庆活动，就是「七十五周年院庆感恩崇拜暨音乐颂赞会」和「七十五周年院庆感恩晚宴」，今期《院讯》选辑了这两个聚会的图片，与读者重温其中的片段。

感恩崇拜暨音乐颂赞会

今年4月19日下午，本院假九龙城浸信会举行了「七十五周年院庆感恩崇拜暨音乐颂赞会」。当日本院诗班、校友诗班，联同来自十九家浸信会堂会的诗班员组成二百五十多人的大型联合诗班，与主内众弟兄姊妹一起向主献呈感恩颂赞的祭，成为「浸神」这历史时刻主内合一事奉神的美好印记。

In 1951, our Baptist forebears, responding to a divine calling, established the Hong Kong Baptist Theological Seminary (HKBTS) during a troubled time. By God's grace, over the past seventy-five years, HKBTS has grown steadily amidst changing times, while striving to fulfill its mission of theological education and research in Hong Kong. Diligently nurturing servant-leaders who possess theological wisdom, spiritual character, and practical ministry skills, HKBTS has trained generation after generation of pastors, missionaries, and lay leaders. In unity with brothers and sisters in Christ, they have built up churches, expanded the Kingdom of God, and exerted a positive influence in society, serving as salt and light and bearing witness to Christ's Gospel of peace.

To commemorate the Lord's abundant grace and love, HKBTS has organized a series of anniversary events under the theme “Stand Firm in Christ, Advance Toward the Future.” In a world of turmoil and ever-changing circumstances, only by standing firm on the solid cornerstone of Jesus Christ can we face an uncertain future amidst the world's currents and put His truth into practice in this age. The highlights of the celebrations were the “75th Anniversary Thanksgiving Service and Concert of Praise” and the “75th Anniversary Thanksgiving Banquet.” This issue of the Newsletter features a selection of photos from these two events, inviting readers to relive the moments captured therein.

The Thanksgiving Service and Concert of Praise

On the afternoon of April 19 this year, HKBTS held a “75th Anniversary Thanksgiving Service and Concert of Praise” at the Kowloon City Baptist Church. On that day, the Seminary Choir and the Alumni Choir joined forces with choir members from 19 Baptist churches to form a single choir of over 250 singers. This choir, together with the congregation, offered a sacrifice of thanksgiving and praise to the Lord, creating a beautiful evening of unity and serving God during this historic moment for HKBTS.

「求祢……使我们在音乐和真理当中遇见祢！」

本院董事唐荣敏牧师带领会众，为神学院的教育事工、为当日的聚会同心祷告。

“We pray … that we may encounter You through music and truth!”

The Rev. Wing-mun Tong, a member of our Board of Directors, led the congregation in prayer for HKBTS's educational ministry and the events of the day.

「……一同见证神这份深恩厚爱，以及『浸神』这个历史时刻」

董事会主席钟志广牧师代表本院欢迎莅临与我们一同敬拜的各方友好，并简介学院的近况及展望。

“… to witness together God's profound grace and love, as well as this historic moment of HKBTS.”

The Rev. Chi-kwong Chung, Chairman of our Board of Directors, welcomed our friends from all quarters who joined us in worship and provided an overview of HKBTS's recent developments and plans for the future.

「主基督，房角石！……」

二百五十多人的大型联合诗班献唱〈主基督，房角石！ 〉，歌声抑扬顿挫，铿锵有力，在整个会场回荡，震撼心灵。

“Lord Jesus, the Cornerstone! …”

The joint choir of over 250 singers presented “Lord Jesus, the Cornerstone!” Their voices, melodious yet powerful, echoed throughout the venue, deeply moving the hearts of all present.

「这是我们的感恩故事」

学院诗班以默剧形式演绎同学在信仰路上的三个故事：「在教养孩童的路上看见主的恩典」、「在信主的路上成为家人的祝福」、「在神学学习的路上被上帝所爱」。

“These are our stories of gratitude.”

The Seminary Choir presented three stories about students' journeys of faith through a pantomime: ’Witnessing God's Grace in Parenting,“ ”Becoming a Blessing to Our Families on Their Faith Journeys,“ and ”Loved by God on the Seminary Journey.“

「我要以感谢为祭献给祢。」

本院董事杨宝华传道引领会众诵读启应文。

“I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving.”

Ms. Po-wah Yeung, Honorary Secretary of our Board of Directors, led the congregation in reciting the responsorial prayer.

「耶稣亲自走近他们，和他们同行……」

董事会副主席陈志强牧师恭读圣言路加福音二十四章13至35节，有关以马忤斯路上的故事。

“Jesus himself drew near and went with them …”

The Rev. Che-keung Chan, Vice Chairman of our Board of Directors, read from Luke 24:13-35, the account of the journey to Emmaus.

「深愿你们……心存盼望……立于基督，一同面对当下，迎向未来。」

「深愿你们……心存盼望……立于基督，一同面对当下，迎向未来。」
曹伟彤院长以「立于基督．迎向未来：以马忤斯路上的盼望」为题，勉励我们要常存盼望：要坚忍地等待，相信耶稣基督是我们在忧患中的拯救；相信圣经是盼望的泉源；相信以圣经为盼望泉源的实践神学，能够恰当地回应当下的挑战。

“I earnestly hope that you … will keep hope in your hearts … stand firm in Christ, face today's challenges together, and look forward to the future.”

President Joshua Cho, speaking on the theme “Stand Firm in Christ, Advance Toward the Future: Hope on the Road to Emmaus,” encouraged us to persist in hope: to wait patiently, trusting that Jesus Christ is our salvation in times of trouble; to believe that Scripture is the source of hope; and to affirm that practical theology, grounded in Scripture as the source of hope, can appropriately respond to the challenges of our time.

感恩晚宴

当天晚上本院假伦敦大酒楼举办了「七十五周年院庆感恩晚宴」，本院董事、师生、同工，与各方好友，一同数算主恩，彼此交流，互相激励，共度欢乐的团契时光。来宾包括来自浸信会及其他宗派的教牧同工、神学界的好友、基督教机构的领袖、院长参议团成员、香港浸信会联会的会长、总干事、常务委员等等，还有历届的校友、远道而来的客人，以及关心「浸神」的众弟兄姊妹。我们衷心感谢众肢体的祝福及支持！

Thanksgiving Banquet

That evening, HKBTS hosted a “75th Anniversary Thanksgiving Banquet” at the London Restaurant. Our Board members, faculty, students, staff, and friends from all quarters gathered to count God's blessings, commune with one another, share encouragement, and enjoy a joyful time of fellowship. Guests included pastors and ministers from the Baptist churches and other denominations, friends from the theological community, leaders of Christian organizations, members of our President's Council, the President, General Secretary, and Standing Committee members of the Baptist Convention of Hong Kong, as well as alumni from different years, guests coming from afar, and brothers and sisters who care deeply about HKBTS. We sincerely thank all these members of the body of Christ for their blessings and support!

「欢欣，心里感谢神……」

晚宴开始时，师生、校友、各方宾客欢聚一堂，同唱〈欢欣〉感谢神。

“Give thanks with a grateful heart …”

As the banquet began, our faculty, students, alumni, and all guests gathered together to sing “Give Thanks” as an expression of gratitude to God.

「今晚高朋满座……主内一家人互相交流，分享主的恩典。」

董事会主席钟志广牧师代表本院欢迎莅临祝贺并与我们一同感恩的各方友好，更盼望大家继续与「浸神」同行，一起为神国培育更多仆人领袖。

“Tonight, we are honored to have such a distinguished gathering … as members of the Lord's family come together to fellowship and share in His grace.”

On behalf of HKBTS, Chairman of our Board of Directors, the Rev. Chi-kwong Chong, extended a warm welcome to all who joined us to celebrate and give thanks. He also expressed his hope that they would continue to walk alongside HKBTS, working together to raise up more servant-leaders for the Kingdom of God.

「［祈愿］精兵不缺乏，真理不退缩，教会不沉睡。」

香港浸信会联会会长唐荣敏牧师代表其联会祝贺本院，并呼吁大家并各教会与「浸神」同作伙伴，为神国一起奋斗。

“May faithful soldiers never be lacking, the truth never waver, and the church never slumber.”

The Rev. Wing-mun Tong, President of the Baptist Convention of Hong Kong, extended congratulations to HKBTS on behalf of the Convention and called upon all individuals and churches to partner with HKBTS in striving together for the Kingdom of God.

「七五沧桑主恩尝，栽桃育李满城芳。

立根基督瞻前路，明日灵宫今学堂。 」

香港华人基督教联会主席钟健楷牧师（左）代表其联会，为本院送上七言绝句及纪念座，祝愿神继续使用「浸神」立于基督磐石，培育更多无愧工人，为香港、内地及普世教会燃点真理之光，荣耀天父。

“Seventy-five years of trials and grace,
Peach and plum trees cultivated,
whose scent fills the city's space.
We look ahead with Christ as our base:
Tomorrow's spiritual temple,
today's discipleship place.”

The Rev. Kin-kai Chung (left), Chairman of the Hong Kong Chinese Christian Churches Union, presented HKBTS with a poem and a keepsake on behalf of the Union, conveying their wishes that God would continue to use HKBTS so that it keeps on standing firm in Christ, the Rock, and training more faithful workers who will shine the light of truth for churches in Hong Kong, mainland China, and around the world, bringing glory to the Heavenly Father.

「牧者是盼望的传递者。」

曹伟彤院长从三位校友的分享短片说起，指出「浸神」神学教育的特色之一，是致力于培育同学「信望爱」的属灵气质，而近年则注重深化「盼望」的元素，期盼同学成为传递盼望的牧者。

“Pastors are bearers of hope.”

President Joshua Cho began his remarks by referring to a short video in which three alumni shared their stories, noting that one of the distinctive features of HKBTS's theological education is its commitment to nurturing students' spiritual character marked by ’faith, hope, and love.“ In recent years, HKBTS has placed particular emphasis on deepening the element of ”hope“ so that students may become pastors who convey hope.

「求祢继续带领神学院走前面的道路，荣耀祢的名。」

香港浸信会联会总干事李国雄牧师带领大家谢饭祷告，并为「浸神」七十五年来培育无数天国工人而献上感恩，祈求上主坚立学院继续忠于其神学教育使命。

“We pray that You continue to lead the seminary on the path ahead, to the glory of Your name.”

The Rev. Vincent Kwok-hung Lee, General Secretary of the Baptist Convention of Hong Kong, led the congregation in the table prayer, giving thanks for the countless workers for the Kingdom of Heaven that HKBTS has nurtured over the past 75 years, and praying that the Lord would strengthen HKBTS to remain faithful to its mission of theological education.

迎向7.5秒挑战！

众宾客热情投入席间游戏，紧张地按下计时器，其中三位最接近7.5秒者，更获赠礼物，现场喜气洋洋。

The 7.5-Second Challenge

Guests enthusiastically joined the party game, stopping the timer with bated breath. The three participants whose times came closest to 7.5 seconds were awarded gifts, bringing joy throughout the dining hall.

「实在很感谢神……我没有忘记香港浸信会神学院给我的栽培，叫我作无愧的工人，按着正意分解真理的道。」

当晚最年长的校友、八十一岁的梁德舜牧师，多年来在世界各地忠心事主。一年前得知母校举办院庆盛会，便计划好要特意从美国回来参加，表达对神的感谢。

“I am truly grateful to God … I have not forgotten the training I received at the Hong Kong Baptist Theological Seminary, which has enabled me to be a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”

The oldest alumnus in attendance that evening, the 81-year-old Rev. Peter Tuk-soon Leong, has faithfully served the Lord around the world for many years. Upon learning a year ago that his alma mater was organizing this anniversary celebration, he made plans to return from the United States specifically to attend and express his gratitude to God.

「浸神，加油！」

与学院建校同年（1951）出生的宾客有校友、前同工、教会肢体，他们为「浸神」送上一个个挚诚的祝福。

“Go, HKBTS!”

Among the guests born in the same year HKBTS was founded (1951) were alumni, former staff members, and church members, who offered heartfelt blessings to HKBTS.

「希望『浸神』继续坚定地实践神给我们的使命……」

校友陈克平牧师（右）多年来鼎力支持「浸神」的神学教育事工，他祝愿学院继续坚定地实践神给予我们的使命，继续为神栽培更多属神的工人。

“I hope that HKBTS will continue to steadfastly carry out the mission God has entrusted to us …”

Alumnus the Rev. Hak-ping Chan (right) has been a staunch supporter of the theological education ministry at HKBTS for many years. He expressed his hope that HKBTS will continue to carry out faithfully the mission God has entrusted to us and raise up more workers for the Lord.

我对浸神有话儿……

一张张心意卡，色彩斑斓，深情寄语，承载着嘉宾对学院的祝福和感恩，现场洋溢着温馨与欢笑，共同庆贺学院七十五周年。

Blessings for HKBTS

Colorful greeting cards, each bearing heartfelt messages, conveyed the guests' blessings and gratitude to HKBTS. The atmosphere was filled with warmth and laughter as everyone came together to celebrate HKBTS's 75th anniversary.

Please refer to the Chinese page.

下载报名表

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Please refer to the Chinese page.

网上报名

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The Political Intention of the “Oracles against the Nations” in the Book of Isaiah

CHEUNG Ming Kwong

This article explores the formation process and purpose of the section “Oracles against the Nations” (Isaiah 13-23). The section occupied a strategic position as one of the few places in the book that references Babylon. This article argues that this series of oracles comprises two earlier collections, each serving a distinct political function in its respective period during pre-exilic time. These collections later function rhetorically to support the Babylonian oracle, which was added during the exilic or post-exilic time.

Within the Babylonian oracle, the mythic Helel, son of Dawn (Is 14:12), whose image is used to portray Babylon, is examined. The analysis suggests that the oracle seeks to subvert Babylonian imperial propaganda by mocking of this image. The genre of “Oracles against the Nations” survives after the fall of Judah and assumes a new political function in exilic and post-exilic contexts.

Preaching “the Baptism of Repentance”: The Spiritual Formation and Renewal of Emerging Adults through the Service of the Word

Kit-ying LAW

The post-pandemic crisis of worship attendance and baptismal formation in Hong Kong Chinese churches reflects a profound liturgical-theological challenge concerning how the baptized are gathered and renewed by the Word, rather than a mere institutional decline or communication breakdown. Focusing on emerging adults aged 18-29, whose lives are marked by transition, fragmentation, vocational uncertainty, digital mediation, and fluid forms of belonging, this article argues that the Service of the Word provides a critical locus for spiritual formation and ecclesial reorientation. Drawing upon William H. Willimon's account of “peculiar speech” and preaching to the baptized, the argument contends that Christian proclamation must recover its baptismal grammar—namely repentance, death, and resurrection with Christ, the renunciation of false powers, incorporation into the church, and a renewed participation in God's mission.

This proposal is situated within the theological tensions generated by the New Homiletics since the 1970s. While acknowledging the pastoral value of inductive, narrative, and listener-sensitive preaching, a critique is offered against homiletical approaches that over-accommodate proclamation to human experience, therapeutic expectations, or consumer culture. In contrast, preaching baptismal repentance functions as an inherently ecclesial act within worship rather than a generic religious address to a secular audience. It speaks directly to a community already regenerated by water and the Word, thereby summoning believers repeatedly into the identity first conferred in baptism. Such preaching does not abandon pastoral sensitivity; rather, it relocates pastoral care within the church's primary act of hearing the Word of the Lord.

This argument is further developed through the resources of the liturgical movement, the lectionary tradition, and the recovery of the Psalms in worship. Within this framework, Taizé worship is understood not merely as a contemporary musical style, but also as a liturgical pattern of repetitive psalmic chant, silence, and contemplative listening that serves to support Lectio Divina and to deepen the congregation's participation in the Service of the Word. For retreatants at Taizé, the weekly rhythm from Friday to Sunday functions as a communal mini-Triduum, moving from Christ's passion and death to renewed participation in resurrection joy.

In conversation with Walter Brueggemann's movement from orientation through disorientation to new orientation, the Psalms provide emerging adults with a disciplined liturgical speech that enables them to inhabit instability without surrendering to despair. Taizé-style prayer, responsorial psalmody, intentional silence, and communal intercession serve as concrete practices that extend the Service of the Word into the ordinary rhythms of κοινωνία.

Finally, contemporary preaching is interpreted within a metamodern context, wherein hearers oscillate between suspicion and longing, irony and sincerity, critique and renewed participation. Samuel Wells's account of faithful improvisation within the drama of God's salvation offers a constructive ecclesial imagination for communities seeking to navigate the tension between baptismal identity and eschatological fulfillment. Ultimately, preaching “the baptism of repentance” restores the embodied and formative power of the Word, forming emerging adults as servants of God's Word through Scripture, fellowship, and sacramental memory.

The Construction of Chinese Rhetoric and the Legitimacy of Chinese Homiletics: A Preliminary Study Using the Concept of “Persuasion” as an Example

Ken KS LUI

Western homiletics has been shaped since Augustine by a paradigm integrating classical Greco-Roman rhetoric with Christian preaching. This article asks whether Chinese churches should follow this paradigm to construct a distinctively “Chinese Homiletics” (华人讲道学). It first establishes Chinese rhetoric as a legitimate academic discipline, independent of Western traditions, and then focuses on a comparative analysis of the concept of “persuasion” in Chinese and Western rhetoric. Western rhetoric, typified by Aristotle, is traditionally speaker-centered, emphasizing the technical means of persuasion—logos, ethos, and pathos. The Chinese rhetorical tradition, by contrast, centers on the concept of fu (服, “compliance/conviction”), privileging xinfu (心服, “heartfelt conviction”) as the ideal rhetorical outcome, governed by the principle xiuci li qi cheng (修辞立其诚, “rhetoric grounded in virtue and truth”) and yi de fu ren (以德服人, “winning hearts through virtue”). This article concludes that Chinese Homiletics should be grounded in the preacher's morality and spirituality rather than rhetorical technique.

“Story Is Argument”: The Use of Life Stories in William H. Willimon's Preaching

WONG Shun Shing

This article examines William H. Willimon's homiletical theology, which posits that narrative—especially life stories—serves not as mere illustration but as the primary argumentative structure in Christian preaching.

Amid contemporary challenges of entertainment-oriented, consumerist, and attractional preaching that often reduce the gospel to therapeutic advice, moral guidelines, or marketable spiritual products, Willimon advocates a theocentric model. Preaching, in his view, constitutes a divine theological event wherein God speaks disruptively through the peculiar and alien qualities of biblical and ecclesial narratives.

Drawing on narrative theology influenced by Karl Barth, Willimon maintains that Christian faith is fundamentally narrative, witnessing to God's historical acts culminating in Christ's incarnation, death, and resurrection. Preaching thus performs and re-presents God's story in the present, inviting hearers into its drama. Stories function generatively and performatively: they enact theological truth and create a new reality rather than passively reflecting or decorating pre-existing propositions.

This study contrasts Willimon's approach with conventional narrative practices, which typically familiarize the gospel, emphasize individual inspiration, address felt needs, instrumentally prove abstract truths, or depend on the preacher's charisma. Willimon instead employs estrangement to underscore the gospel's scandalous strangeness, prioritizes communal formation, embodies truth narratively, and relies on the Holy Spirit rather than human technique.

Central to his method are life stories—personal, congregational, and historical testimonies—that form the core of argumentation. These function as existential witnesses, embedding individual experiences within God's redemptive narrative, countering modern individualism, and cultivating the church's identity as a peculiar people shaped by divine initiative.

Applying this framework to the Chinese church context, the article critiques prevalent tendencies toward prosperity theology, pragmatic applications, and commodified personal testimonies that domesticate the gospel's cruciform oddity. It advocates defamiliarizing, Spirit-reliant, community-focused storytelling that honors failure, unresolved tension, and waiting as loci of grace.

In conclusion, Willimon reclaims preaching as a relational divine–human encounter rather than an attractional performance. By treating story as an argument, preachers participate in God's reality-creating speech, entrusting their vulnerable words to the Holy Spirit for disciple formation and immersion in the ongoing drama of salvation.

The Threefold Forms of the Word of God: Karl Barth's Shortcomings and Critical Revisions in Recent Barthian Theology

TSENG Shao Kai

This paper examines the shortcomings of Karl Barth's doctrine of Scripture in his formulation of the “threefold forms of the Word of God” and explores recent Barthian revisions to Barth's model. Barth borrowed this concept from the classical Reformed notion of the “triplex Logos,” yet he replaced the traditional verbum Dei essentiale or Logos hypostatikos with the “Word of God revealed.” Barth's emphasis is thereby shifted to the narrative dimension of the verbum Dei scriptum whilst downplaying its propositional dimension. This opened an avenue to deconstructionist exegesis and inspired the so-called “postmodern” school of Barthianism. Barth himself would not have accepted this hermeneutic, and postliberal theologians like Hans Frei and George Lindbeck began to draw upon the organic connections between Barth's notions of the Word written and the Word proclaimed to provide doctrinal-propositional norms for biblical interpretation. More recently, the postliberal Barthian theologian George Hunsinger, inspired by Frei and Lindbeck, further proposed the theory of “ecclesiastical hermeneutics,” using Barth's notion of the “Word of God proclaimed” to supplement the shortcomings in Barth's understanding of Scripture. Hunsinger's ecclesiological hermeneutics is distinctively Protestant in that it presupposes a mutually reinforcing relationship between the formation of the biblical canon and the Church's creedal orthodoxy, treating the Word proclaimed as norma normata and the written Word as the norma normans et non normata.

Reality, Interpretation, and Proclamation: The Task of Christian Semiotics according to Augustine's De Doctrina Christiana

Andrew Cheuk Kei WONG

Attention to homiletics is usually limited to the biblical exegetical task and sermon design. For Christian preaching to be true to its task, it requires, however, a lot more than this. This article investigates Augustine of Hippo's understanding of preaching by focusing on De doctrina christiana (doctr. chr.), and proposes that ancient semiotics provides an excellent starting point for elucidating his conception of a preacher's task. After demonstrating the rhetorical context of doctr. chr. and emphasizing the implicative relation between signs and things in ancient semiotics, the article presents Augustine's understanding of the task of Christian semiotics—that preaching is the overall purpose of a process composed of the three interrelated stages of Christian theology, Christian hermeneutics, and Christian rhetoric. In each of these stages, the theme of love and the use of signs, together with the utility of adopting secular learnings for Christian purpose, recurs.

The article begins with the discussion that the task of Christian theology is to speak of the ineffable God through human words, made possible by the Incarnation of the Word. The semiotic principle to be introduced here is that the realities signified by signs must have been antecedently known by the interpreter. Having adopted teleological conceptions then common in ethics to support his principle of the ordering of love, Augustine demonstrates that God must be known, through love in worship, before one can comprehend the signs of the Bible. The article then turns to Christian hermeneutics. Centered on the interpretation of the ecclesiastically established set of signs that is known as the Bible, the key semiotic observation lies in the inherent ambiguity of words. Due to fluidities in the meaning of signs and the propensity of language to be elevated in religious contexts, understanding biblical signs requires the application of not only literal but also figurative interpretation, governed by the dominical commandment of the love of God and the neighbor. This semiotic analysis of doctr. chr. is completed by investigating briefly the subject of Christian rhetoric. Semiotics is related to rhetoric, in that efficacious communication depends on the listeners' ability to comprehend the signs, their patience to remain listening, as well as their willingness to act upon what have been heard. Aided by the learning of ancient rhetoric, Augustine maintains the need of eloquence to be in the service of wisdom for Christian preaching to testify to the truth and to respond to the commandment of love. This is done by the appropriate use of rhetoric techniques to influence the listeners' affections, so as to facilitate transformations of life.

This article argues that proclamation itself presupposes theological reflection, just as theology is the result of correct interpretation and effective preaching of the Bible. It concludes by proposing the advantages of bringing to the fore the distinction between signs and signified realities. Focusing on signified realities presupposes the listeners' prior knowledge of God before they can comprehend the biblical words, while attention to verbal signs deepens our understanding of the characteristics of the verbal medium. The final analysis suggests that given Augustine's insistence of prior knowledge of God has been matched by recent works of theology while contemporary theological investigations of the verbal medium in terms of semiotics appear to remain, by and large, in short supply, it testifies to the continued relevance of patristic theology and the great promises of semiotic investigations in contemporary theological tasks.

Preaching the Strange and Inconceivable Word of God

CHIU Shung-ming

Many Christians complain that church sermons sound clichéd, lack novelty, and fail to address real-life situations and specific cultural contexts. The author of this article agrees that preaching should be practical and relevant (“down-to-earth”); however, preachers must be cautious, for making sermons too “down-to-earth” not only demonstrates our attempt to shape God according to our felt needs but also risks making preaching human-centered.

Regarding this issue, the author argues that the secularization of the church significantly influences how audiences perceive preaching. Over time, preaching may become a tool to cater to human ideas or needs. As a result, audiences may misunderstand the purpose of preaching as serving people rather than serving the Word of God.

To address this problem, the author draws on the theological insights of Karl Barth and William H. Willimon to reflect on the theology of preaching. Barth and Willimon emphasize the transcendence of God. God is the Wholly Other, and there exists an infinite ontological distinction between God and humanity. Therefore, as finite beings, we cannot rely solely on our reason and sensory experience to know or speak about God. Since there is no way for humanity to reach God on its own, knowledge of God must come from God Himself. In other words, the starting point for understanding the Divine Being must be God's self-revelation in Christ, accompanied by the Holy Spirit, who comes to us from beyond ourselves and dwells within us, and by our aided reason in faith through which we seek to understand Christ, the Word of God. Consequently, for us, this Word must be the strange and inconceivable Word from above, and what preachers proclaim can only be the strange and inconceivable Word of God. This article aims to provide theological reflection on this very point.

1951年，浸信会的先贤领受召命，在艰苦的时代建立了「香港浸信会神学院」。蒙主保守，七十五年来「浸神」在转变中不断成长，竭力在本港履行神学教育和研究的使命，悉心培育兼具神学智慧、属灵品格及事奉实践能力的仆人领袖，栽培了一代又一代的传道牧者、宣教士、信徒领袖，与弟兄姊妹同心协力，建立教会，扩展神国，并且在社会发挥影响力，作盐作光，见证基督和平的福音。

为记念上主的深恩厚爱，本院举行了一连串院庆活动，主题为「立于基督‧迎向未来」。世界纷乱，局势万变，我们惟有站稳在耶稣基督这块坚固的房角石上，才能在俗世洪流中迎向变幻不定的未来，把基督的真道落实于这个时代。其中最重要的院庆活动，就是「七十五周年院庆感恩崇拜暨音乐颂赞会」和「七十五周年院庆感恩晚宴」，今期《院讯》选辑了这两个聚会的图片，与读者重温其中的片段。

感恩崇拜暨音乐颂赞会

今年4月19日下午，本院假九龙城浸信会举行了「七十五周年院庆感恩崇拜暨音乐颂赞会」。当日本院诗班、校友诗班，联同来自十九家浸信会堂会的诗班员组成二百五十多人的大型联合诗班，与主内众弟兄姊妹一起向主献呈感恩颂赞的祭，成为「浸神」这历史时刻主内合一事奉神的美好印记。

In 1951, our Baptist forebears, responding to a divine calling, established the Hong Kong Baptist Theological Seminary (HKBTS) during a troubled time. By God's grace, over the past seventy-five years, HKBTS has grown steadily amidst changing times, while striving to fulfill its mission of theological education and research in Hong Kong. Diligently nurturing servant-leaders who possess theological wisdom, spiritual character, and practical ministry skills, HKBTS has trained generation after generation of pastors, missionaries, and lay leaders. In unity with brothers and sisters in Christ, they have built up churches, expanded the Kingdom of God, and exerted a positive influence in society, serving as salt and light and bearing witness to Christ's Gospel of peace.

To commemorate the Lord's abundant grace and love, HKBTS has organized a series of anniversary events under the theme “Stand Firm in Christ, Advance Toward the Future.” In a world of turmoil and ever-changing circumstances, only by standing firm on the solid cornerstone of Jesus Christ can we face an uncertain future amidst the world's currents and put His truth into practice in this age. The highlights of the celebrations were the “75th Anniversary Thanksgiving Service and Concert of Praise” and the “75th Anniversary Thanksgiving Banquet.” This issue of the Newsletter features a selection of photos from these two events, inviting readers to relive the moments captured therein.

The Thanksgiving Service and Concert of Praise

On the afternoon of April 19 this year, HKBTS held a “75th Anniversary Thanksgiving Service and Concert of Praise” at the Kowloon City Baptist Church. On that day, the Seminary Choir and the Alumni Choir joined forces with choir members from 19 Baptist churches to form a single choir of over 250 singers. This choir, together with the congregation, offered a sacrifice of thanksgiving and praise to the Lord, creating a beautiful evening of unity and serving God during this historic moment for HKBTS.

「求祢……使我们在音乐和真理当中遇见祢！」

本院董事唐荣敏牧师带领会众，为神学院的教育事工、为当日的聚会同心祷告。

“We pray … that we may encounter You through music and truth!”

The Rev. Wing-mun Tong, a member of our Board of Directors, led the congregation in prayer for HKBTS's educational ministry and the events of the day.

「……一同见证神这份深恩厚爱，以及『浸神』这个历史时刻」

董事会主席钟志广牧师代表本院欢迎莅临与我们一同敬拜的各方友好，并简介学院的近况及展望。

“… to witness together God's profound grace and love, as well as this historic moment of HKBTS.”

The Rev. Chi-kwong Chung, Chairman of our Board of Directors, welcomed our friends from all quarters who joined us in worship and provided an overview of HKBTS's recent developments and plans for the future.

「主基督，房角石！……」

二百五十多人的大型联合诗班献唱〈主基督，房角石！ 〉，歌声抑扬顿挫，铿锵有力，在整个会场回荡，震撼心灵。

“Lord Jesus, the Cornerstone! …”

The joint choir of over 250 singers presented “Lord Jesus, the Cornerstone!” Their voices, melodious yet powerful, echoed throughout the venue, deeply moving the hearts of all present.

「这是我们的感恩故事」

学院诗班以默剧形式演绎同学在信仰路上的三个故事：「在教养孩童的路上看见主的恩典」、「在信主的路上成为家人的祝福」、「在神学学习的路上被上帝所爱」。

“These are our stories of gratitude.”

The Seminary Choir presented three stories about students' journeys of faith through a pantomime: ’Witnessing God's Grace in Parenting,“ ”Becoming a Blessing to Our Families on Their Faith Journeys,“ and ”Loved by God on the Seminary Journey.“

「我要以感谢为祭献给祢。」

本院董事杨宝华传道引领会众诵读启应文。

“I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving.”

Ms. Po-wah Yeung, Honorary Secretary of our Board of Directors, led the congregation in reciting the responsorial prayer.

「耶稣亲自走近他们，和他们同行……」

董事会副主席陈志强牧师恭读圣言路加福音二十四章13至35节，有关以马忤斯路上的故事。

“Jesus himself drew near and went with them …”

The Rev. Che-keung Chan, Vice Chairman of our Board of Directors, read from Luke 24:13-35, the account of the journey to Emmaus.

「深愿你们……心存盼望……立于基督，一同面对当下，迎向未来。」

「深愿你们……心存盼望……立于基督，一同面对当下，迎向未来。」
曹伟彤院长以「立于基督．迎向未来：以马忤斯路上的盼望」为题，勉励我们要常存盼望：要坚忍地等待，相信耶稣基督是我们在忧患中的拯救；相信圣经是盼望的泉源；相信以圣经为盼望泉源的实践神学，能够恰当地回应当下的挑战。

“I earnestly hope that you … will keep hope in your hearts … stand firm in Christ, face today's challenges together, and look forward to the future.”

President Joshua Cho, speaking on the theme “Stand Firm in Christ, Advance Toward the Future: Hope on the Road to Emmaus,” encouraged us to persist in hope: to wait patiently, trusting that Jesus Christ is our salvation in times of trouble; to believe that Scripture is the source of hope; and to affirm that practical theology, grounded in Scripture as the source of hope, can appropriately respond to the challenges of our time.

感恩晚宴

当天晚上本院假伦敦大酒楼举办了「七十五周年院庆感恩晚宴」，本院董事、师生、同工，与各方好友，一同数算主恩，彼此交流，互相激励，共度欢乐的团契时光。来宾包括来自浸信会及其他宗派的教牧同工、神学界的好友、基督教机构的领袖、院长参议团成员、香港浸信会联会的会长、总干事、常务委员等等，还有历届的校友、远道而来的客人，以及关心「浸神」的众弟兄姊妹。我们衷心感谢众肢体的祝福及支持！

Thanksgiving Banquet

That evening, HKBTS hosted a “75th Anniversary Thanksgiving Banquet” at the London Restaurant. Our Board members, faculty, students, staff, and friends from all quarters gathered to count God's blessings, commune with one another, share encouragement, and enjoy a joyful time of fellowship. Guests included pastors and ministers from the Baptist churches and other denominations, friends from the theological community, leaders of Christian organizations, members of our President's Council, the President, General Secretary, and Standing Committee members of the Baptist Convention of Hong Kong, as well as alumni from different years, guests coming from afar, and brothers and sisters who care deeply about HKBTS. We sincerely thank all these members of the body of Christ for their blessings and support!

「欢欣，心里感谢神……」

晚宴开始时，师生、校友、各方宾客欢聚一堂，同唱〈欢欣〉感谢神。

“Give thanks with a grateful heart …”

As the banquet began, our faculty, students, alumni, and all guests gathered together to sing “Give Thanks” as an expression of gratitude to God.

「今晚高朋满座……主内一家人互相交流，分享主的恩典。」

董事会主席钟志广牧师代表本院欢迎莅临祝贺并与我们一同感恩的各方友好，更盼望大家继续与「浸神」同行，一起为神国培育更多仆人领袖。

“Tonight, we are honored to have such a distinguished gathering … as members of the Lord's family come together to fellowship and share in His grace.”

On behalf of HKBTS, Chairman of our Board of Directors, the Rev. Chi-kwong Chong, extended a warm welcome to all who joined us to celebrate and give thanks. He also expressed his hope that they would continue to walk alongside HKBTS, working together to raise up more servant-leaders for the Kingdom of God.

「［祈愿］精兵不缺乏，真理不退缩，教会不沉睡。」

香港浸信会联会会长唐荣敏牧师代表其联会祝贺本院，并呼吁大家并各教会与「浸神」同作伙伴，为神国一起奋斗。

“May faithful soldiers never be lacking, the truth never waver, and the church never slumber.”

The Rev. Wing-mun Tong, President of the Baptist Convention of Hong Kong, extended congratulations to HKBTS on behalf of the Convention and called upon all individuals and churches to partner with HKBTS in striving together for the Kingdom of God.

「七五沧桑主恩尝，栽桃育李满城芳。

立根基督瞻前路，明日灵宫今学堂。 」

香港华人基督教联会主席钟健楷牧师（左）代表其联会，为本院送上七言绝句及纪念座，祝愿神继续使用「浸神」立于基督磐石，培育更多无愧工人，为香港、内地及普世教会燃点真理之光，荣耀天父。

“Seventy-five years of trials and grace,
Peach and plum trees cultivated,
whose scent fills the city's space.
We look ahead with Christ as our base:
Tomorrow's spiritual temple,
today's discipleship place.”

The Rev. Kin-kai Chung (left), Chairman of the Hong Kong Chinese Christian Churches Union, presented HKBTS with a poem and a keepsake on behalf of the Union, conveying their wishes that God would continue to use HKBTS so that it keeps on standing firm in Christ, the Rock, and training more faithful workers who will shine the light of truth for churches in Hong Kong, mainland China, and around the world, bringing glory to the Heavenly Father.

「牧者是盼望的传递者。」

曹伟彤院长从三位校友的分享短片说起，指出「浸神」神学教育的特色之一，是致力于培育同学「信望爱」的属灵气质，而近年则注重深化「盼望」的元素，期盼同学成为传递盼望的牧者。

“Pastors are bearers of hope.”

President Joshua Cho began his remarks by referring to a short video in which three alumni shared their stories, noting that one of the distinctive features of HKBTS's theological education is its commitment to nurturing students' spiritual character marked by ’faith, hope, and love.“ In recent years, HKBTS has placed particular emphasis on deepening the element of ”hope“ so that students may become pastors who convey hope.

「求祢继续带领神学院走前面的道路，荣耀祢的名。」

香港浸信会联会总干事李国雄牧师带领大家谢饭祷告，并为「浸神」七十五年来培育无数天国工人而献上感恩，祈求上主坚立学院继续忠于其神学教育使命。

“We pray that You continue to lead the seminary on the path ahead, to the glory of Your name.”

The Rev. Vincent Kwok-hung Lee, General Secretary of the Baptist Convention of Hong Kong, led the congregation in the table prayer, giving thanks for the countless workers for the Kingdom of Heaven that HKBTS has nurtured over the past 75 years, and praying that the Lord would strengthen HKBTS to remain faithful to its mission of theological education.

迎向7.5秒挑战！

众宾客热情投入席间游戏，紧张地按下计时器，其中三位最接近7.5秒者，更获赠礼物，现场喜气洋洋。

The 7.5-Second Challenge

Guests enthusiastically joined the party game, stopping the timer with bated breath. The three participants whose times came closest to 7.5 seconds were awarded gifts, bringing joy throughout the dining hall.

「实在很感谢神……我没有忘记香港浸信会神学院给我的栽培，叫我作无愧的工人，按着正意分解真理的道。」

当晚最年长的校友、八十一岁的梁德舜牧师，多年来在世界各地忠心事主。一年前得知母校举办院庆盛会，便计划好要特意从美国回来参加，表达对神的感谢。

“I am truly grateful to God … I have not forgotten the training I received at the Hong Kong Baptist Theological Seminary, which has enabled me to be a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”

The oldest alumnus in attendance that evening, the 81-year-old Rev. Peter Tuk-soon Leong, has faithfully served the Lord around the world for many years. Upon learning a year ago that his alma mater was organizing this anniversary celebration, he made plans to return from the United States specifically to attend and express his gratitude to God.

「浸神，加油！」

与学院建校同年（1951）出生的宾客有校友、前同工、教会肢体，他们为「浸神」送上一个个挚诚的祝福。

“Go, HKBTS!”

Among the guests born in the same year HKBTS was founded (1951) were alumni, former staff members, and church members, who offered heartfelt blessings to HKBTS.

「希望『浸神』继续坚定地实践神给我们的使命……」

校友陈克平牧师（右）多年来鼎力支持「浸神」的神学教育事工，他祝愿学院继续坚定地实践神给予我们的使命，继续为神栽培更多属神的工人。

“I hope that HKBTS will continue to steadfastly carry out the mission God has entrusted to us …”

Alumnus the Rev. Hak-ping Chan (right) has been a staunch supporter of the theological education ministry at HKBTS for many years. He expressed his hope that HKBTS will continue to carry out faithfully the mission God has entrusted to us and raise up more workers for the Lord.

我对浸神有话儿……

一张张心意卡，色彩斑斓，深情寄语，承载着嘉宾对学院的祝福和感恩，现场洋溢着温馨与欢笑，共同庆贺学院七十五周年。

Blessings for HKBTS

Colorful greeting cards, each bearing heartfelt messages, conveyed the guests' blessings and gratitude to HKBTS. The atmosphere was filled with warmth and laughter as everyone came together to celebrate HKBTS's 75th anniversary.

Please refer to the Chinese page.

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The Political Intention of the “Oracles against the Nations” in the Book of Isaiah

CHEUNG Ming Kwong

This article explores the formation process and purpose of the section “Oracles against the Nations” (Isaiah 13-23). The section occupied a strategic position as one of the few places in the book that references Babylon. This article argues that this series of oracles comprises two earlier collections, each serving a distinct political function in its respective period during pre-exilic time. These collections later function rhetorically to support the Babylonian oracle, which was added during the exilic or post-exilic time.

Within the Babylonian oracle, the mythic Helel, son of Dawn (Is 14:12), whose image is used to portray Babylon, is examined. The analysis suggests that the oracle seeks to subvert Babylonian imperial propaganda by mocking of this image. The genre of “Oracles against the Nations” survives after the fall of Judah and assumes a new political function in exilic and post-exilic contexts.

Preaching “the Baptism of Repentance”: The Spiritual Formation and Renewal of Emerging Adults through the Service of the Word

Kit-ying LAW

The post-pandemic crisis of worship attendance and baptismal formation in Hong Kong Chinese churches reflects a profound liturgical-theological challenge concerning how the baptized are gathered and renewed by the Word, rather than a mere institutional decline or communication breakdown. Focusing on emerging adults aged 18-29, whose lives are marked by transition, fragmentation, vocational uncertainty, digital mediation, and fluid forms of belonging, this article argues that the Service of the Word provides a critical locus for spiritual formation and ecclesial reorientation. Drawing upon William H. Willimon's account of “peculiar speech” and preaching to the baptized, the argument contends that Christian proclamation must recover its baptismal grammar—namely repentance, death, and resurrection with Christ, the renunciation of false powers, incorporation into the church, and a renewed participation in God's mission.

This proposal is situated within the theological tensions generated by the New Homiletics since the 1970s. While acknowledging the pastoral value of inductive, narrative, and listener-sensitive preaching, a critique is offered against homiletical approaches that over-accommodate proclamation to human experience, therapeutic expectations, or consumer culture. In contrast, preaching baptismal repentance functions as an inherently ecclesial act within worship rather than a generic religious address to a secular audience. It speaks directly to a community already regenerated by water and the Word, thereby summoning believers repeatedly into the identity first conferred in baptism. Such preaching does not abandon pastoral sensitivity; rather, it relocates pastoral care within the church's primary act of hearing the Word of the Lord.

This argument is further developed through the resources of the liturgical movement, the lectionary tradition, and the recovery of the Psalms in worship. Within this framework, Taizé worship is understood not merely as a contemporary musical style, but also as a liturgical pattern of repetitive psalmic chant, silence, and contemplative listening that serves to support Lectio Divina and to deepen the congregation's participation in the Service of the Word. For retreatants at Taizé, the weekly rhythm from Friday to Sunday functions as a communal mini-Triduum, moving from Christ's passion and death to renewed participation in resurrection joy.

In conversation with Walter Brueggemann's movement from orientation through disorientation to new orientation, the Psalms provide emerging adults with a disciplined liturgical speech that enables them to inhabit instability without surrendering to despair. Taizé-style prayer, responsorial psalmody, intentional silence, and communal intercession serve as concrete practices that extend the Service of the Word into the ordinary rhythms of κοινωνία.

Finally, contemporary preaching is interpreted within a metamodern context, wherein hearers oscillate between suspicion and longing, irony and sincerity, critique and renewed participation. Samuel Wells's account of faithful improvisation within the drama of God's salvation offers a constructive ecclesial imagination for communities seeking to navigate the tension between baptismal identity and eschatological fulfillment. Ultimately, preaching “the baptism of repentance” restores the embodied and formative power of the Word, forming emerging adults as servants of God's Word through Scripture, fellowship, and sacramental memory.

The Construction of Chinese Rhetoric and the Legitimacy of Chinese Homiletics: A Preliminary Study Using the Concept of “Persuasion” as an Example

Ken KS LUI

Western homiletics has been shaped since Augustine by a paradigm integrating classical Greco-Roman rhetoric with Christian preaching. This article asks whether Chinese churches should follow this paradigm to construct a distinctively “Chinese Homiletics” (华人讲道学). It first establishes Chinese rhetoric as a legitimate academic discipline, independent of Western traditions, and then focuses on a comparative analysis of the concept of “persuasion” in Chinese and Western rhetoric. Western rhetoric, typified by Aristotle, is traditionally speaker-centered, emphasizing the technical means of persuasion—logos, ethos, and pathos. The Chinese rhetorical tradition, by contrast, centers on the concept of fu (服, “compliance/conviction”), privileging xinfu (心服, “heartfelt conviction”) as the ideal rhetorical outcome, governed by the principle xiuci li qi cheng (修辞立其诚, “rhetoric grounded in virtue and truth”) and yi de fu ren (以德服人, “winning hearts through virtue”). This article concludes that Chinese Homiletics should be grounded in the preacher's morality and spirituality rather than rhetorical technique.

“Story Is Argument”: The Use of Life Stories in William H. Willimon's Preaching

WONG Shun Shing

This article examines William H. Willimon's homiletical theology, which posits that narrative—especially life stories—serves not as mere illustration but as the primary argumentative structure in Christian preaching.

Amid contemporary challenges of entertainment-oriented, consumerist, and attractional preaching that often reduce the gospel to therapeutic advice, moral guidelines, or marketable spiritual products, Willimon advocates a theocentric model. Preaching, in his view, constitutes a divine theological event wherein God speaks disruptively through the peculiar and alien qualities of biblical and ecclesial narratives.

Drawing on narrative theology influenced by Karl Barth, Willimon maintains that Christian faith is fundamentally narrative, witnessing to God's historical acts culminating in Christ's incarnation, death, and resurrection. Preaching thus performs and re-presents God's story in the present, inviting hearers into its drama. Stories function generatively and performatively: they enact theological truth and create a new reality rather than passively reflecting or decorating pre-existing propositions.

This study contrasts Willimon's approach with conventional narrative practices, which typically familiarize the gospel, emphasize individual inspiration, address felt needs, instrumentally prove abstract truths, or depend on the preacher's charisma. Willimon instead employs estrangement to underscore the gospel's scandalous strangeness, prioritizes communal formation, embodies truth narratively, and relies on the Holy Spirit rather than human technique.

Central to his method are life stories—personal, congregational, and historical testimonies—that form the core of argumentation. These function as existential witnesses, embedding individual experiences within God's redemptive narrative, countering modern individualism, and cultivating the church's identity as a peculiar people shaped by divine initiative.

Applying this framework to the Chinese church context, the article critiques prevalent tendencies toward prosperity theology, pragmatic applications, and commodified personal testimonies that domesticate the gospel's cruciform oddity. It advocates defamiliarizing, Spirit-reliant, community-focused storytelling that honors failure, unresolved tension, and waiting as loci of grace.

In conclusion, Willimon reclaims preaching as a relational divine–human encounter rather than an attractional performance. By treating story as an argument, preachers participate in God's reality-creating speech, entrusting their vulnerable words to the Holy Spirit for disciple formation and immersion in the ongoing drama of salvation.

The Threefold Forms of the Word of God: Karl Barth's Shortcomings and Critical Revisions in Recent Barthian Theology

TSENG Shao Kai

This paper examines the shortcomings of Karl Barth's doctrine of Scripture in his formulation of the “threefold forms of the Word of God” and explores recent Barthian revisions to Barth's model. Barth borrowed this concept from the classical Reformed notion of the “triplex Logos,” yet he replaced the traditional verbum Dei essentiale or Logos hypostatikos with the “Word of God revealed.” Barth's emphasis is thereby shifted to the narrative dimension of the verbum Dei scriptum whilst downplaying its propositional dimension. This opened an avenue to deconstructionist exegesis and inspired the so-called “postmodern” school of Barthianism. Barth himself would not have accepted this hermeneutic, and postliberal theologians like Hans Frei and George Lindbeck began to draw upon the organic connections between Barth's notions of the Word written and the Word proclaimed to provide doctrinal-propositional norms for biblical interpretation. More recently, the postliberal Barthian theologian George Hunsinger, inspired by Frei and Lindbeck, further proposed the theory of “ecclesiastical hermeneutics,” using Barth's notion of the “Word of God proclaimed” to supplement the shortcomings in Barth's understanding of Scripture. Hunsinger's ecclesiological hermeneutics is distinctively Protestant in that it presupposes a mutually reinforcing relationship between the formation of the biblical canon and the Church's creedal orthodoxy, treating the Word proclaimed as norma normata and the written Word as the norma normans et non normata.

Reality, Interpretation, and Proclamation: The Task of Christian Semiotics according to Augustine's De Doctrina Christiana

Andrew Cheuk Kei WONG

Attention to homiletics is usually limited to the biblical exegetical task and sermon design. For Christian preaching to be true to its task, it requires, however, a lot more than this. This article investigates Augustine of Hippo's understanding of preaching by focusing on De doctrina christiana (doctr. chr.), and proposes that ancient semiotics provides an excellent starting point for elucidating his conception of a preacher's task. After demonstrating the rhetorical context of doctr. chr. and emphasizing the implicative relation between signs and things in ancient semiotics, the article presents Augustine's understanding of the task of Christian semiotics—that preaching is the overall purpose of a process composed of the three interrelated stages of Christian theology, Christian hermeneutics, and Christian rhetoric. In each of these stages, the theme of love and the use of signs, together with the utility of adopting secular learnings for Christian purpose, recurs.

The article begins with the discussion that the task of Christian theology is to speak of the ineffable God through human words, made possible by the Incarnation of the Word. The semiotic principle to be introduced here is that the realities signified by signs must have been antecedently known by the interpreter. Having adopted teleological conceptions then common in ethics to support his principle of the ordering of love, Augustine demonstrates that God must be known, through love in worship, before one can comprehend the signs of the Bible. The article then turns to Christian hermeneutics. Centered on the interpretation of the ecclesiastically established set of signs that is known as the Bible, the key semiotic observation lies in the inherent ambiguity of words. Due to fluidities in the meaning of signs and the propensity of language to be elevated in religious contexts, understanding biblical signs requires the application of not only literal but also figurative interpretation, governed by the dominical commandment of the love of God and the neighbor. This semiotic analysis of doctr. chr. is completed by investigating briefly the subject of Christian rhetoric. Semiotics is related to rhetoric, in that efficacious communication depends on the listeners' ability to comprehend the signs, their patience to remain listening, as well as their willingness to act upon what have been heard. Aided by the learning of ancient rhetoric, Augustine maintains the need of eloquence to be in the service of wisdom for Christian preaching to testify to the truth and to respond to the commandment of love. This is done by the appropriate use of rhetoric techniques to influence the listeners' affections, so as to facilitate transformations of life.

This article argues that proclamation itself presupposes theological reflection, just as theology is the result of correct interpretation and effective preaching of the Bible. It concludes by proposing the advantages of bringing to the fore the distinction between signs and signified realities. Focusing on signified realities presupposes the listeners' prior knowledge of God before they can comprehend the biblical words, while attention to verbal signs deepens our understanding of the characteristics of the verbal medium. The final analysis suggests that given Augustine's insistence of prior knowledge of God has been matched by recent works of theology while contemporary theological investigations of the verbal medium in terms of semiotics appear to remain, by and large, in short supply, it testifies to the continued relevance of patristic theology and the great promises of semiotic investigations in contemporary theological tasks.

Preaching the Strange and Inconceivable Word of God

CHIU Shung-ming

Many Christians complain that church sermons sound clichéd, lack novelty, and fail to address real-life situations and specific cultural contexts. The author of this article agrees that preaching should be practical and relevant (“down-to-earth”); however, preachers must be cautious, for making sermons too “down-to-earth” not only demonstrates our attempt to shape God according to our felt needs but also risks making preaching human-centered.

Regarding this issue, the author argues that the secularization of the church significantly influences how audiences perceive preaching. Over time, preaching may become a tool to cater to human ideas or needs. As a result, audiences may misunderstand the purpose of preaching as serving people rather than serving the Word of God.

To address this problem, the author draws on the theological insights of Karl Barth and William H. Willimon to reflect on the theology of preaching. Barth and Willimon emphasize the transcendence of God. God is the Wholly Other, and there exists an infinite ontological distinction between God and humanity. Therefore, as finite beings, we cannot rely solely on our reason and sensory experience to know or speak about God. Since there is no way for humanity to reach God on its own, knowledge of God must come from God Himself. In other words, the starting point for understanding the Divine Being must be God's self-revelation in Christ, accompanied by the Holy Spirit, who comes to us from beyond ourselves and dwells within us, and by our aided reason in faith through which we seek to understand Christ, the Word of God. Consequently, for us, this Word must be the strange and inconceivable Word from above, and what preachers proclaim can only be the strange and inconceivable Word of God. This article aims to provide theological reflection on this very point.