Christian Social Discourse in Postcolonial Hong Kong

This paper examines Christian social discourse in Hong Kong from 1997 to 2007, in order to reveal the changing identities of Christian communities in the post-colonial setting. I argue that the social discourses and practices of Hong Kong Christians were multivariate. Despite this, two main kinds of discourses and practices can be identified. The first is the “pragmatic model” – which lent support to the Hong Kong SAR government and implicitly accepted the authoritarian rule of the government of China. The second is the “protest model” – which supported democratic and political reform and the implementation of human rights in Hong Kong society by participating in social movement activities. The above models show that some Christians chose to cooperate with the Chinese government in order to ensure the future development of their own communities. Others challenged the authoritarian rule of the Chinese government by embracing universal values such as democracy and human rights, and took part in attempts to build a civil society. The case of the Christian communities reflects the changing identity of Hong Kong people in the post-colonial period.