Hong Kong Protestant Theologies in the 1980s and 1990s Responding to the Handover of Hong Kong to China

Abstract

By closely studying primary theological works in Hong Kong during the 1980s and 1990s, this article argues that a uniquely local Hong Kong theology emerged during that period. This local theology developed in response to an unprecedented fear and an ambiguously hybrid identity in face of the imminent transition from British colonial rule to the Communist Chinese administration. Moreover, it was stamped by three distinct marks: first, the negotiation between two competing theological visions, the “prophetic” and the “priestly” voices; second, the shadow of liberation theology and its Asian progeny; and third, the seeds of postcolonial theory, which commanded increasing influence toward the turn of the century.