RECONSIDERING PUBLIC THEOLOGY Involvement of Hong Kong Protestant Christianity in the Occupy Central Movement

In the Occupy Central Movement in Hong Kong, from its very beginning, the influence of Protestant Christianity was obvious. The initiators launched the Movement in a church, and claimed that it is not only a political but also a spiritual quest. The initiators attempted to theologize their actions, and quickly engendered hot debates within the Church and society. More interestingly, even non-Christians have entered these discussions to articulate their versions of public theology. The paper introduces these discourses and analyzes their theological implications. I argue that the case of the Occupy Central Movement shows that public theology in Hong Kong needs to move away from focusing on political mobilisation and counter mobilisation. Rather, pursuing theological reflection on the concepts of justice, peace and welfare of the society can help Hong Kong Protestant Christians regain a sense of public shared values to meet the challenge of coming political crisis.