| This dissertation studies the social participation of the Hong Kong churches from 1966 to 1997 in order to refute the accusations brought against the Hong Kong churches by Christian activists since the late 1980s. The activists accused the churches of becoming instruments of the colonial government and having blunted their prophetic role, claiming that since the churches received government subsidies in their undertaking of social services, they were not free to criticize the government's injustice.; This study researches the interplay of government policies and the Hong Kong churches' responses, with reference to social needs, from 1966 to 1997. It shows that the social participation of the Hong Kong churches was fundamentally based on the churches' understanding of the mission of the Church and the contemporary socio-political situation in Hong Kong. For the Hong Kong churches, social responsibility was part of the Christian task. The evangelical churches saw evangelism as primary, while the mainline churches saw both evangelism and social responsibility as being of equal importance. Christian principles acted as a guiding factor for their participation, and also as a regulating factor for their under- or over-engagement. Social services were not an indispensable Christian task and social concerns could be undertaken in various ways. In particular, the colonial government's financial resources and the Chinese government's political policies influenced decisions regarding the scope and form of social participation.; This study also shows that the Church-state relationship should not be disregarded in view of the partnership in the area of social services, nor in view of the churches' non-participation in social action. It gives several reasons, including, but not limited to, the following: (1) The colonial government increased in its financial involvement in social services to order to gain support from society. Any link regarding the interplay of government funding and the churches' prophetic role is missing. (2) The Hong Kong churches began to monitor government policies ever since they became more involved in social services in the 1970s. (3) In the 1980s, the mainline churches adopted a cautious attitude in political affairs when China was involved. (4) The churches would only play the role of prophet by speaking up regarding Christian ethical ideals. |
