今天是小弟生日 (47歲), 與家人吃了一頓很好的晚餐. 地點是女兒建議, 點菜由太太負責, 而找數由小弟承擔. 飯後, 我跟他們說, 不如改一改傳統, 生日者請吃飯 (女兒們的生日分別是11, 12 和1月). 期間, 小女兒說 (14歲), 往麥當奴慶祝倒不錯.
今年生日禮物有鑽石手錶, 平治汽車, 旅遊世界機票 ..... (發夢或所謂 A貨).
2009年9月20日 星期日
from being the servant to serving
When I first read today passage (Mk 9:30-37), I am deeply puzzled. My discomfort is not whether what Jesus’ saying is radical or not, but whether his saying really makes the world better for living. During the cultural revolution in late 1960s, intellectuals in China were forced to become factories’ workers, farmers and labourers, while the farmers had taken the position of managers, teachers and CEO. This radical change had finally made China finally complete social disintegration and disruption. Therefore, what Jesus’ saying, ‘Whoever wants to be first must place himself last of all and be the servant of all’, should not be interpreted as that the pastor does the cleaning duties or the cleaner does the pastoral duties. It is not a matter of defending the hierarchy, but this is not a right way to understand Jesus’ saying.
There is an incident yesterday. A pupil who was injured and admitted to the casualties, but he hadn’t had a Hong Kong Identity Card (HKID) with him, and his mum was asked to send a copy of his certificate of birth to confirm his citizenship status. Otherwise, he had to pay the non-local medical fee before he could be admitted to the hospital. Since this was an urgent case, his mum did not argue with the hospital and paid the non-local medical fee. After the treatment, his mum complaint to the hospital and this incident has raised the public concern. The government quickly responded that what had been happened was absolutely unacceptable, because this incident had happened in the casualties. Casualties meant urgent and emergency, and therefore, medical treatment should be provided irrespective of whether the patient was able to pay.
This experience provides us a perspective to understand what Jesus’ saying. We are called to serve which is not necessarily related to pick up positions of servant and lower ranks. Since what matters is serving, the CEO can still be a leader but serving, and the pastor can be a leader but serving. However, serving here is not understood in the setting of customer service, but is about adopting the perspective of the option for the less advantaged in your job duties. Let us return to the case I have mentioned. The managers, the doctors and the nurses have to give weight to the perspective of the option for the less advantaged to design the hospital’s building, administration and management. The pupil was rejected from immediate treatment, because the staffs did not have the patients’ perspective in their mind. On the contrary, patients have to be fitted into the bureaucratic system. In fact, this is only the tip of the iceberg. For example, hours of visitation in hospital is set by the hospitals, and no consultation with the patients and their family. It is convenience to the hospital, not the patients. Thus, the servants are servants, but they are not serving. On the other hand, the managers are not servants, but they can be serving. Serving is about taking the perspective of the option for the less advantaged.
Apart from the saying, ‘whoever wants to be first must place himself last of all and be the servant of all’, Jesus puts his arm around a child and says, ‘Whoever welcomes in my name one of these children, welcomes me.’ This is another way of talking about serving. Why is a child chosen? The reason is not only because they are vulnerable, but because you would not receive reward from a child. For instance, a child seldom gives tips after the meal; a child seldom says thank you when you hold the door for him; a child seldom sends you a gift of appreciation. My description of a child has no intention to look down on a child, but this is the ‘is’ of a child. In this understanding, what Jesus requests us is to embrace and welcome a child whole-heartedly without any expectation of return. To show your embrace and welcome is not just about a word, but about extra time and energy. For instance, although I am not in a senior position in the University, I can’t deny that my position makes me have influence. Some years ago, I worked with a professor from the Social Work Department to support the workers in our university to fight for fair terms of service. Because of our presence, the workers felt being supported and encouraged. We had received a clap from the workers, but we might receive a ‘pig stamp’ from the University. I am not asking you to copy what I have done, but it is not enough just to fulfil the requirement of the job duties and to meet the needs of the boss. We should go beyond the terms of service, and make those who receive our service feel better.
I do hope that the interpretation above would not distract the child whom Jesus refers to is really a child. In other words, we should not ignore the needs of children. Some years ago we are very concerned about poverty of next generation (跨代貧窮). Children poverty is serious in Hong Kong. To embrace and welcome children means to have a social policy that supports them to participate into society freely and joyfully. In the coming government’s policy address, we have to ask what the government has done to combat poverty of next generation.
To be honest, what Jesus has said here is not really radical, for this is the value we find no difficulty to accept no matter whether you are Christian or not. But what this story inspires us is that we are exactly the children being embraced by God. We are the people being served (saved) by God. Once we realize that we are the recipients rather than the givers, we will be easier to identify taking a perspective of the option for the less advantaged, doing something more than duties and caring the children, for our Lord is there.
There is an incident yesterday. A pupil who was injured and admitted to the casualties, but he hadn’t had a Hong Kong Identity Card (HKID) with him, and his mum was asked to send a copy of his certificate of birth to confirm his citizenship status. Otherwise, he had to pay the non-local medical fee before he could be admitted to the hospital. Since this was an urgent case, his mum did not argue with the hospital and paid the non-local medical fee. After the treatment, his mum complaint to the hospital and this incident has raised the public concern. The government quickly responded that what had been happened was absolutely unacceptable, because this incident had happened in the casualties. Casualties meant urgent and emergency, and therefore, medical treatment should be provided irrespective of whether the patient was able to pay.
This experience provides us a perspective to understand what Jesus’ saying. We are called to serve which is not necessarily related to pick up positions of servant and lower ranks. Since what matters is serving, the CEO can still be a leader but serving, and the pastor can be a leader but serving. However, serving here is not understood in the setting of customer service, but is about adopting the perspective of the option for the less advantaged in your job duties. Let us return to the case I have mentioned. The managers, the doctors and the nurses have to give weight to the perspective of the option for the less advantaged to design the hospital’s building, administration and management. The pupil was rejected from immediate treatment, because the staffs did not have the patients’ perspective in their mind. On the contrary, patients have to be fitted into the bureaucratic system. In fact, this is only the tip of the iceberg. For example, hours of visitation in hospital is set by the hospitals, and no consultation with the patients and their family. It is convenience to the hospital, not the patients. Thus, the servants are servants, but they are not serving. On the other hand, the managers are not servants, but they can be serving. Serving is about taking the perspective of the option for the less advantaged.
Apart from the saying, ‘whoever wants to be first must place himself last of all and be the servant of all’, Jesus puts his arm around a child and says, ‘Whoever welcomes in my name one of these children, welcomes me.’ This is another way of talking about serving. Why is a child chosen? The reason is not only because they are vulnerable, but because you would not receive reward from a child. For instance, a child seldom gives tips after the meal; a child seldom says thank you when you hold the door for him; a child seldom sends you a gift of appreciation. My description of a child has no intention to look down on a child, but this is the ‘is’ of a child. In this understanding, what Jesus requests us is to embrace and welcome a child whole-heartedly without any expectation of return. To show your embrace and welcome is not just about a word, but about extra time and energy. For instance, although I am not in a senior position in the University, I can’t deny that my position makes me have influence. Some years ago, I worked with a professor from the Social Work Department to support the workers in our university to fight for fair terms of service. Because of our presence, the workers felt being supported and encouraged. We had received a clap from the workers, but we might receive a ‘pig stamp’ from the University. I am not asking you to copy what I have done, but it is not enough just to fulfil the requirement of the job duties and to meet the needs of the boss. We should go beyond the terms of service, and make those who receive our service feel better.
I do hope that the interpretation above would not distract the child whom Jesus refers to is really a child. In other words, we should not ignore the needs of children. Some years ago we are very concerned about poverty of next generation (跨代貧窮). Children poverty is serious in Hong Kong. To embrace and welcome children means to have a social policy that supports them to participate into society freely and joyfully. In the coming government’s policy address, we have to ask what the government has done to combat poverty of next generation.
To be honest, what Jesus has said here is not really radical, for this is the value we find no difficulty to accept no matter whether you are Christian or not. But what this story inspires us is that we are exactly the children being embraced by God. We are the people being served (saved) by God. Once we realize that we are the recipients rather than the givers, we will be easier to identify taking a perspective of the option for the less advantaged, doing something more than duties and caring the children, for our Lord is there.
2009年9月13日 星期日
Who is the suffering servant?
Who is the suffering servant in Isa 53? According to Christian tradition, he is Jesus Christ. But today I would like to suggest a different perspective to read this text. First of all, let us pay attention to the characteristics of the suffering person. He or she does not have dignity and not attractive (v.2). He or she is not welcome and even despised (v.3). He or she endures suffering and pain because of us (v.4-5). He or she never complaints for what has been happened to him or her, but rather he or she is satisfied of our goodness (v.7 and 11). Who will be such a person in our society? I would unreservedly say that he or she is the old people in our society.
The old people are the suffering servants, not only because the wrinkles in their faces and their physical disability make them less attractive, but also because they are suffered a lot from getting old. Some may say that the suffering of the old people is simply because they do not have a saving plan or they do not take care of their health when they were young. But the Bible reminds us that ‘because of our sins he was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did. We are healed by the punishment he suffered, made whole by the blows he received.’ (v.4) In other words, because of the laborious work, we are brought up, and our society is prosperous. I just want to tell you that our parents have given up their interests and dreams for our sake. It is our responsibility to take care the old people in society.
The government report (January 2009) said that 16 out of each $100 government spending is for the elderly services, such as, social security, medical expenditure and elderly homes. This is not a small percentage, but in reality, the old people have different experiences. For instance, the old people are often refused to receive further medical treatment, simply because the hospital argues that it is better to reserve the resource for the young. Last year the government proposed to revise the policy of the so-called ‘money of the fruit’. It proposed to change the policy from a respect to the old people to a social security. The public transport in this year had intended to abolish the concession fare for the elderly. Even today there is concession fare to the old people, but it is applied to Wednesday and public holidays. All these suggest that the old people are considered as the burden of society, and they are the people needed to be pitied, not respected.
It is not my intention today to assess whether the public money spent on the elderly service is fair or not. We have to monitor the government, but we cannot depend on the government alone. We have to call all sectors of society to consider the needs of the old people seriously. Firstly, we may consider to start a campaign for concession fare to the elderly, not just Wednesday and public holiday. When corporate social responsibility becomes a common concern among the businesses, we can push them to think about the senior policy in their businesses. Secondly, the church can consider developing the elderly ministry. If there are a lot of elderly homes around us, shall we pay a regular visit to them?
To be honest, elderly ministry is seldom in high priority among the ministry of the church. Unlike the young people, the elderly are not able to create wealth. Contrarily, they are the people to receive more than to give. Besides, if the church does not have enough young people, how can the church have the resources to serve the elderly? This is true, but this also means that the need of the elderly is always subject to the full development of others. In other words, the old people are always the last concern.
Let me share with you a story. The first church I served in 1988 was a very very small church. Sunday attendants were around 30, and half of them were old people. The deacons always wanted to develop the church, that is, more young people. Due to the location, and the demography of the church, it was hard to develop in accordance with what they expected. Till now, the number of Sunday attendants is also around 30. Although I am no longer the pastor of this church, I have to ask what the meaning of its existence is. I do not mind whether any merging movement of the churches would be taken place. My concern is what the purpose of merging is. After a serious reflection, I come to a conclusion of that the existence of this church is for the elderly, because half of the members are old people. Many of them are singles and widowers. What the church can do is to support them in their daily life as well as to accompany with them till death. This is what our society is reluctant to do, for this is very costly. In a society characterized by the mentality of growth and development, people find difficulty to accompany. Development and accompany are not in contrast, but they are different. I think when the church is aware of that development is not necessarily the goal of the church, the pastor and the deacons would be more realistic and sensitive to the people who are in the church.
There is a Chinese motto, ‘the sunset is marvellous’. If this is something we believe in, we have to support and take care of the old people in order that the old people can really feel good at being old. The suffering servants have given us life, and now it is our time to bring respect and comfort to them.
The old people are the suffering servants, not only because the wrinkles in their faces and their physical disability make them less attractive, but also because they are suffered a lot from getting old. Some may say that the suffering of the old people is simply because they do not have a saving plan or they do not take care of their health when they were young. But the Bible reminds us that ‘because of our sins he was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did. We are healed by the punishment he suffered, made whole by the blows he received.’ (v.4) In other words, because of the laborious work, we are brought up, and our society is prosperous. I just want to tell you that our parents have given up their interests and dreams for our sake. It is our responsibility to take care the old people in society.
The government report (January 2009) said that 16 out of each $100 government spending is for the elderly services, such as, social security, medical expenditure and elderly homes. This is not a small percentage, but in reality, the old people have different experiences. For instance, the old people are often refused to receive further medical treatment, simply because the hospital argues that it is better to reserve the resource for the young. Last year the government proposed to revise the policy of the so-called ‘money of the fruit’. It proposed to change the policy from a respect to the old people to a social security. The public transport in this year had intended to abolish the concession fare for the elderly. Even today there is concession fare to the old people, but it is applied to Wednesday and public holidays. All these suggest that the old people are considered as the burden of society, and they are the people needed to be pitied, not respected.
It is not my intention today to assess whether the public money spent on the elderly service is fair or not. We have to monitor the government, but we cannot depend on the government alone. We have to call all sectors of society to consider the needs of the old people seriously. Firstly, we may consider to start a campaign for concession fare to the elderly, not just Wednesday and public holiday. When corporate social responsibility becomes a common concern among the businesses, we can push them to think about the senior policy in their businesses. Secondly, the church can consider developing the elderly ministry. If there are a lot of elderly homes around us, shall we pay a regular visit to them?
To be honest, elderly ministry is seldom in high priority among the ministry of the church. Unlike the young people, the elderly are not able to create wealth. Contrarily, they are the people to receive more than to give. Besides, if the church does not have enough young people, how can the church have the resources to serve the elderly? This is true, but this also means that the need of the elderly is always subject to the full development of others. In other words, the old people are always the last concern.
Let me share with you a story. The first church I served in 1988 was a very very small church. Sunday attendants were around 30, and half of them were old people. The deacons always wanted to develop the church, that is, more young people. Due to the location, and the demography of the church, it was hard to develop in accordance with what they expected. Till now, the number of Sunday attendants is also around 30. Although I am no longer the pastor of this church, I have to ask what the meaning of its existence is. I do not mind whether any merging movement of the churches would be taken place. My concern is what the purpose of merging is. After a serious reflection, I come to a conclusion of that the existence of this church is for the elderly, because half of the members are old people. Many of them are singles and widowers. What the church can do is to support them in their daily life as well as to accompany with them till death. This is what our society is reluctant to do, for this is very costly. In a society characterized by the mentality of growth and development, people find difficulty to accompany. Development and accompany are not in contrast, but they are different. I think when the church is aware of that development is not necessarily the goal of the church, the pastor and the deacons would be more realistic and sensitive to the people who are in the church.
There is a Chinese motto, ‘the sunset is marvellous’. If this is something we believe in, we have to support and take care of the old people in order that the old people can really feel good at being old. The suffering servants have given us life, and now it is our time to bring respect and comfort to them.
2009年9月11日 星期五
新計劃
昨日跟 Prof. Richard Madsen 閒談後, 發現一個在國內很有趣的社會現象, 就是宗教已被理解為非物質文明. 這概念牽涉全球化和經濟等問題. 現正計劃是否可就此這現象做一個神學反省, 寫一篇論文.
此外, 今日剛授了第二個課程的第一課 (基督教倫理). 現正考慮是否應寫一本有關基督教倫理的書. 有別於當下基督教倫理的書 (以議題主導或申明聖經立場), 我計劃針對倫理判斷時所牽涉的矛盾. 例如, 第一個題目是目的懸掛 (teleological suspension of ethical), 第二個題目是道德彩數 (moral luck). 應該有市場, 因為坊間沒有這類型的書 (強調生活世界的含混性). 用很學術的寫法還是生活化 (大眾化)? 在掙扎中, 希望今晚可以決定
此外, 今日剛授了第二個課程的第一課 (基督教倫理). 現正考慮是否應寫一本有關基督教倫理的書. 有別於當下基督教倫理的書 (以議題主導或申明聖經立場), 我計劃針對倫理判斷時所牽涉的矛盾. 例如, 第一個題目是目的懸掛 (teleological suspension of ethical), 第二個題目是道德彩數 (moral luck). 應該有市場, 因為坊間沒有這類型的書 (強調生活世界的含混性). 用很學術的寫法還是生活化 (大眾化)? 在掙扎中, 希望今晚可以決定
2009年9月7日 星期一
生寄死歸 1
雖然當老師已有13年, 但從今年1月到8月 (安息年假), 我沒有正式授課. 所以, 對於明天的課總有點緊張和興奮. 這份心情反映出我仍可以繼續當老師. 這不是我第一次授這門課, 而是第三次了. 認識我的人都知道我絕不會翻抄, 而今次的特色就是從身體角度探討死亡. 從閱讀中, 我暫時還未接觸到這觀點. 或許, 我應考慮將這課變為書.
Death and Dying 生寄死歸
Lecture 1 Death and body
1. Death and body
A. Basic movements, such as, breathing and blood circulation, come to a stop.
B. A complete disintegration between body and soul (or material and immaterial) if one
believes there is soul.
C. A separation of social relationship, that is, no response.
D. A deteriorating process is undergone.
E. Paradoxically, the experience of that ‘I am my body’ is experienced in death and dying.
2. The implications of the death of body
A. Embodiment’s theory
- The place of the human body as the medium in and through which various kinds of experiences are acquired and come to be ‘known’.
- Existence is known through body. And this body relates to the social and cultural world, not just a material matter. The world we perceive is a world pregnant with meanings. Therefore, humans are body, mind and society. In M.Merleau-Ponty’s words, ‘the body expresses total existence, not because it is an external accompaniment to that existence, but because existence comes into its own in the body.’ (Phenomenology of Perception, p.166)
- The body is both existential and cultural
B. Peter Berger, Sacred Canopy (New York: Anchor, 1967).
- Since humans are embodiment, we construct meanings through our bodies. Hence, death is a threat to human activity and meaning of being humans.
- Death is ambiguous. On the one hand, it belongs to human experience. On the other hand, it denies human experience. The ambiguity of death challenges everyday life of human experience.
- Body is pointing to the future, and it let humans realize their potentialities. Ironically, death implies that humans are not able to integrate the future and the present. Death is the unfulfillment of life.
C. Anthony Giddens, Modernity and Self-Identity (Cambridge: Polity, 1991).
- Modernity makes humans hard to face death, for modernity has broken up tradition in which tradition is supposed to give us identity.
- Humans are more inclined to the attention of personal lifestyle, for this gives one’s identity. Lifestyle is established through the management of the body. Finally, body becomes the last protection of self. Thus, death becomes threatening.
- There is a shift of the understanding of body from a natural sphere to cultural sphere.
D. Norbert Elias, The Loneliness of the Dying (Oxford: Blackwell, 1985).
- Modernity commercializes the body, and at the same time, self-identity is more closely bounded to body.
- But this is a socialization of body that fails to notice the natural side of body, a rationalization of body that emphasizes under control (medical research), and an individualization of body that separates us from the wider community.
- Thus, we lose the means to integrate death into our experience of life.
E. Stanley Hauerwas, Suffering Presence (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989)
- Under the Enlightenment’s influence, under control and explainable become the myth of our understanding of the surrounding world.
- This affects the development of medicine deeply, that is to say, cure is more central than care.
- Death is about the relief of pain more than a matter of meaning.
F. Due to the importance of body, we are more difficult to accept death as part of life. Although the contemporary death education intends to demytheologize death, it goes to another extreme, that is, to ignore the anxiety and ex’ception of death.
3. Cemetery: an example of the presence of death in the living world
A. Heterotopia (異域) in Michael Foucault’s understanding
- Emplacement is about the relationship among places and their relationships.
- However, there are places whose relationship with other places is not in harmony, and even contradictory with the existing emplacement. It is counter-emplacement. In Foucault’s word, this is heterotopia.
- When society attempts to construct any identity and culture, it has to create heterotopia simultaneously. It is built by society, but a threat to society. Heterotopia is the other spaces of society.
B. Cemetery is a heterotopia (it is cultural more than a must), for it is a space taken place after death, but it is situated in the living world. It challenges existing human activity and value.
4. Religion and death:
A. A response to the survivors’ enquiry of the meanings of death.
B. A spiritual support to the dying.
C. A critical challenge to a kind of body’s ideology without ‘window’.
D. An attempt to articulate the meanings of the embodiment of ‘life after death’
Death and Dying 生寄死歸
Lecture 1 Death and body
1. Death and body
A. Basic movements, such as, breathing and blood circulation, come to a stop.
B. A complete disintegration between body and soul (or material and immaterial) if one
believes there is soul.
C. A separation of social relationship, that is, no response.
D. A deteriorating process is undergone.
E. Paradoxically, the experience of that ‘I am my body’ is experienced in death and dying.
2. The implications of the death of body
A. Embodiment’s theory
- The place of the human body as the medium in and through which various kinds of experiences are acquired and come to be ‘known’.
- Existence is known through body. And this body relates to the social and cultural world, not just a material matter. The world we perceive is a world pregnant with meanings. Therefore, humans are body, mind and society. In M.Merleau-Ponty’s words, ‘the body expresses total existence, not because it is an external accompaniment to that existence, but because existence comes into its own in the body.’ (Phenomenology of Perception, p.166)
- The body is both existential and cultural
B. Peter Berger, Sacred Canopy (New York: Anchor, 1967).
- Since humans are embodiment, we construct meanings through our bodies. Hence, death is a threat to human activity and meaning of being humans.
- Death is ambiguous. On the one hand, it belongs to human experience. On the other hand, it denies human experience. The ambiguity of death challenges everyday life of human experience.
- Body is pointing to the future, and it let humans realize their potentialities. Ironically, death implies that humans are not able to integrate the future and the present. Death is the unfulfillment of life.
C. Anthony Giddens, Modernity and Self-Identity (Cambridge: Polity, 1991).
- Modernity makes humans hard to face death, for modernity has broken up tradition in which tradition is supposed to give us identity.
- Humans are more inclined to the attention of personal lifestyle, for this gives one’s identity. Lifestyle is established through the management of the body. Finally, body becomes the last protection of self. Thus, death becomes threatening.
- There is a shift of the understanding of body from a natural sphere to cultural sphere.
D. Norbert Elias, The Loneliness of the Dying (Oxford: Blackwell, 1985).
- Modernity commercializes the body, and at the same time, self-identity is more closely bounded to body.
- But this is a socialization of body that fails to notice the natural side of body, a rationalization of body that emphasizes under control (medical research), and an individualization of body that separates us from the wider community.
- Thus, we lose the means to integrate death into our experience of life.
E. Stanley Hauerwas, Suffering Presence (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989)
- Under the Enlightenment’s influence, under control and explainable become the myth of our understanding of the surrounding world.
- This affects the development of medicine deeply, that is to say, cure is more central than care.
- Death is about the relief of pain more than a matter of meaning.
F. Due to the importance of body, we are more difficult to accept death as part of life. Although the contemporary death education intends to demytheologize death, it goes to another extreme, that is, to ignore the anxiety and ex’ception of death.
3. Cemetery: an example of the presence of death in the living world
A. Heterotopia (異域) in Michael Foucault’s understanding
- Emplacement is about the relationship among places and their relationships.
- However, there are places whose relationship with other places is not in harmony, and even contradictory with the existing emplacement. It is counter-emplacement. In Foucault’s word, this is heterotopia.
- When society attempts to construct any identity and culture, it has to create heterotopia simultaneously. It is built by society, but a threat to society. Heterotopia is the other spaces of society.
B. Cemetery is a heterotopia (it is cultural more than a must), for it is a space taken place after death, but it is situated in the living world. It challenges existing human activity and value.
4. Religion and death:
A. A response to the survivors’ enquiry of the meanings of death.
B. A spiritual support to the dying.
C. A critical challenge to a kind of body’s ideology without ‘window’.
D. An attempt to articulate the meanings of the embodiment of ‘life after death’
2009年9月2日 星期三
祝福
在神學院教學的日子，認識了一班緬甸同學．跟我有較深接觸的，當然是那些我要指導的同學．其中之一就是相片中的學生．可能受英國大學的影響，作為論文指導老師往往都會較照顧其指導學生．就這樣，我送她機票到馬來西亞探朋友．期間，她在彼岸結婚了．後來，我又為她安排機票到韓國探朋友，作為對她論文完全的禮物．此刻，她已以政治難民身分到了美國．為了有充足時間申請，我特意協助她申請博士課程，希望她可以在港完成辦理一切手續．在上帝恩典下，沒有動用神學院的資源，在開學前，她已踏上飛機．或許，以上所做的，就是用我可以動用的資源為一個最少的姊妹做一點事．
在美國生活不容易，但願她可以有新的生活，也記念她的同胞．
宣教的上帝與香港多元社會
今年是基督教協進會十年一次的咨詢會。我被邀請以宣教的上帝與香港多元社會為題撰寫一篇短文，作為稍後討論的基礎。短文如下：
「宣教的上帝｣（Missio Dei）對宣教學有兩個重要貢獻。第一，宣教從昔日只關心靈魂救贖和建立教會轉移到三一上帝的本身。因聖父差遣聖子和聖父藉聖子差遣聖靈，所以，教會是被三一上帝所差遣。教會沒有自己的宣教，只有在差遣的三一上帝中，才是宣教。在基督論下，聖子的道成肉身與受苦為宣教的上帝提供一個非凱旋式的宣教思維。第二，宣教的上帝不是在聖子道成肉身之後才發生，反而宣教的上帝與上帝創造分不開。沒有聖靈工作的話，受造世界就不可能繼續維持。基於此，世界歷史不只是邪惡的歷史，與上帝對抗，它也是一個被上帝所愛的歷史。藉著聖靈，上帝的國度在世界已某程度彰顯了。那麼，教會不只是向世界宣告上帝的國度，更是在人類活動中，發現和遇見三一上帝在聖靈隱密的救贖，並參與在其中。這兩個重要貢獻指出教會不是宣教的核心，三一上帝才是，但因對基督論與聖靈論有不同著重，教會對宣教的上帝有不同程度的看法。本文嘗試從互補的視野探討宣教的上帝與香港多元社會的關係。
有批評者指出多元社會代表相對主義、對邪惡和罪（特別指性道德）的寬容、淡化基督信仰的真理等等。這些指控可能會出現，但不因此，多元社會就是罪惡的溫床。我認為教會需要分別從一元社會和上帝國認識多元社會。第一，多元社會是對一元社會的絕對性說不，因為生活世界不可以只由一個價值預先決定。相反，多元社會容許和尊重人可按不同價值生活。然而，因人是關係性，所以，多元社會不可能只停留保障個人自由層面，反而它要求一個合適的社會制度來探討和回應人類關係性的需要。因此，一個真正的多元社會必然是一個民主社會、一個活躍的公民社會和一個追求合作和承擔的社會。從這角度來看，多元社會絕不違反基督信仰，反而我相信從一元社會邁向多元社會是聖靈的隱密工作，因為五旬節的經歷表達出聖靈打破猶太人對上帝恩典的唯我界限。
雖是如此，但地上秩序不等於上帝國，甚至邪惡利用地上秩序對抗上帝國。不是多元社會是邪惡，而是邪惡扭曲多元社會。第一，多元淪為極端自由主義代名詞，它不再為維護弱勢者服務，反而以尊重為由淡化對缺乏者的承擔和責任。第二，多元化約為資本主義，甚至認為沒有資本主義就沒有多元。但現實上，資本主義卻以一種經濟主義殖民化生活世界，使多元社會消失。第三，多元淪為一種共存策略，但缺乏對話，並由此而來自我轉化的機會。我相信耶穌基督對這樣社會提供一個批判的典範，就是以行動對一個無情社會、一個帝國的制度和一個自以為義的群體批判。
宣帝的上帝在當下香港社會差遣教會積極推動和維護多元社會的發展；同時，也要求教會批判多元社會的虛偽性。
「宣教的上帝｣（Missio Dei）對宣教學有兩個重要貢獻。第一，宣教從昔日只關心靈魂救贖和建立教會轉移到三一上帝的本身。因聖父差遣聖子和聖父藉聖子差遣聖靈，所以，教會是被三一上帝所差遣。教會沒有自己的宣教，只有在差遣的三一上帝中，才是宣教。在基督論下，聖子的道成肉身與受苦為宣教的上帝提供一個非凱旋式的宣教思維。第二，宣教的上帝不是在聖子道成肉身之後才發生，反而宣教的上帝與上帝創造分不開。沒有聖靈工作的話，受造世界就不可能繼續維持。基於此，世界歷史不只是邪惡的歷史，與上帝對抗，它也是一個被上帝所愛的歷史。藉著聖靈，上帝的國度在世界已某程度彰顯了。那麼，教會不只是向世界宣告上帝的國度，更是在人類活動中，發現和遇見三一上帝在聖靈隱密的救贖，並參與在其中。這兩個重要貢獻指出教會不是宣教的核心，三一上帝才是，但因對基督論與聖靈論有不同著重，教會對宣教的上帝有不同程度的看法。本文嘗試從互補的視野探討宣教的上帝與香港多元社會的關係。
有批評者指出多元社會代表相對主義、對邪惡和罪（特別指性道德）的寬容、淡化基督信仰的真理等等。這些指控可能會出現，但不因此，多元社會就是罪惡的溫床。我認為教會需要分別從一元社會和上帝國認識多元社會。第一，多元社會是對一元社會的絕對性說不，因為生活世界不可以只由一個價值預先決定。相反，多元社會容許和尊重人可按不同價值生活。然而，因人是關係性，所以，多元社會不可能只停留保障個人自由層面，反而它要求一個合適的社會制度來探討和回應人類關係性的需要。因此，一個真正的多元社會必然是一個民主社會、一個活躍的公民社會和一個追求合作和承擔的社會。從這角度來看，多元社會絕不違反基督信仰，反而我相信從一元社會邁向多元社會是聖靈的隱密工作，因為五旬節的經歷表達出聖靈打破猶太人對上帝恩典的唯我界限。
雖是如此，但地上秩序不等於上帝國，甚至邪惡利用地上秩序對抗上帝國。不是多元社會是邪惡，而是邪惡扭曲多元社會。第一，多元淪為極端自由主義代名詞，它不再為維護弱勢者服務，反而以尊重為由淡化對缺乏者的承擔和責任。第二，多元化約為資本主義，甚至認為沒有資本主義就沒有多元。但現實上，資本主義卻以一種經濟主義殖民化生活世界，使多元社會消失。第三，多元淪為一種共存策略，但缺乏對話，並由此而來自我轉化的機會。我相信耶穌基督對這樣社會提供一個批判的典範，就是以行動對一個無情社會、一個帝國的制度和一個自以為義的群體批判。
宣帝的上帝在當下香港社會差遣教會積極推動和維護多元社會的發展；同時，也要求教會批判多元社會的虛偽性。
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