Changing Church and State Relations in Hong Kong, 1950-2000

Contents

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pp. v-vi

Series Foreword

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pp. vii-viii

Most past research on Hong Kong has been generally aimed to inform a diverse audience about the place and its people. Beginning in the 1950s, the aim of scholars and journalists who came to Hong Kong was to study China, which had not yet opened its doors to field work by outsiders. Accordingly, the relevance of ...

Foreword Faith, Citizenship and Colonialism in Hong Kong

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pp. ix-xvi

Christians are supposed to be distinguished from the rest of society by their moral commitment and, above all, to be inspired by concern for the well being of others. Both the Old and New Testament impose on the believer an unlimited duty of care for the dispossessed, the deprived and the underprivileged.' In assessing the record of Christianity in any community, it seems entirely fair...

Acknowledgements

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pp. xvii-xviii

There are many we wish to thank for helping us write this book. Our research began in late 1996, when Beatrice Leung received a direct allocation grant from Lingnan University to study Church-State relations of Hong Kong in the transition to 1997. The project has later expanded to include Church-State...

1. Introduction

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pp. 1-10

The impact of Church-State relations on the history of Europe and the United States has been enormous and remains an important issue of debate today. For centuries, Christianity has influenced the cultural and political development of Europe. As a result, it is closely associated with the West. In general terms, ...

2. Church-State Relations Models

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pp. 11-22

The study of Church-State relations emerged in the West, in countries where Christianity was the traditional religion. In the United States for example, the Church-State separation model was not only enshrined in the constitution, but was also regarded as resulting from the advanced development of political ...

3. Traditional Relations Between the Hong Kong Government and Christian Churches

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pp. 23-46

The Hong Kong government and Christian churches established a working relationship from the start. The churches were given land for buildings and financial subsidies to run a wide variety of social services. It was recognized that the churches were able to offer a higher quality of service than the...

4. Hong Kong Christian Churches Defend Religious Freedom and Choose Representation on the Selection Committee During the Transitional Period (1984-1997)

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pp. 47-72

At the beginning of the 1980s Church-State relations in Hong Kong were stable. However, the issuing of the Sino-British Joint Declaration in 1984 cast a shadow on this relationship. For Hong Kong Christians the preservation of religious freedom was the main concern. Religious 'freedom' includes the...

5. Non-traditional Relations Between the Hong Kong Government and Christian Churches

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pp. 73-106

The Second Vatican Council, or Vatican II, was a watershed in the development of the universal Catholic Church. The Council Fathers advocated the integration of the Church into the modern, secular world and new methods in theological teaching. In 1967, Pope Paul VI established the Pontifical Commission of...

6. The Hong Kong SAR Government and the Catholic Church

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pp. 107-124

At the time of the reversion of Hong Kong to Chinese rule, the Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee-hwa, presented his vision for the future of Hong Kong in the context of the 'one country, two systems' policy. He formulated it as follows: 'a society proud of its national identity and cultural heritage; a stable, equitable, ...

7. The Hong Kong SAR Government and Protestant Churches

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pp. 125-144

In the mid-1990s, Hong Kong was in the final stages of transition from a British colony to an integrated part of China. Faced with the political reality that the Chinese Government would rule Hong Kong after 1997, a group of church leaders attempted to find a third form of Church-State relations; a middle line...

8. Summary and Conclusions

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pp. 145-156

Church-State relations in Hong Kong, compared to those in some Western and socialist countries, are unique in terms of complexity and variety. The territory's colonial history and political structure have significantly helped to shape the form and development of Church-State relations. This study has sought to show how the Catholic and Protestant churches were influenced by the wider sociopolitical...

Appendixes

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pp. 154-178

Notes

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pp. 179-196

Bibliography

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pp. 197-212

Glossary

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pp. 213-220

Index

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pp. 221-230