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Category: Back to the Bible

Viewing the Issue of Poverty through the Book of Nehemiah

Written by Ben Cheung They said to me, ‘Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.’ Nehemiah 1:3 From the process of returning to Jerusalem and rebuilding the city walls in the book of Nehemiah, we see that poor people often face humiliation, oppression, and insecurity. Although Nehemiah was in a high position (cupbearer) in the Persian empire’s palace, he did not forget that his fellow countrymen were still suffering far away. Although the Israelites had already returned to Jerusalem more than a hundred years, and the temple had been rebuilt for many years,

Poor Countries Suffer the Worst Consequences of Climate Crisis

Written by Samuel Chiu “If you, Israel, will return, then return to me,”declares the Lord.“If you put your detestable idols out of my sight and no longer go astray, and if in a truthful, just and righteous way you swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’then the nations will invoke blessings by him and in him they will boast.” This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem:“Break up your unplowed ground and do not sow among thorns. Jeremiah 4:1-3 Among the environmental news from 2019 to 2020, the forest fires in the United States, Australia and Europe were the most striking. The scope of the fires was unprecedentedly widespread. The frightening scenes had been widely covered by the media. Severe forest fires in

The Poor and The Church

Written by: Dr Mok Chan Wing Yan Scripture: Matthew 25:31-46 This is a familiar story about the Last Judgment. The criteria Lord Jesus based on to separate the righteous from the wicked are whether they cared for the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the strangers and the imprisoned. Those who serve the disadvantaged are deemed righteous; those who sit back and ignore the poor are condemned as the wicked. This story is an important lesson for churches today. CEDAR partners and community members pray together. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we should never stand idly by when surrounded by the poor and the oppressed. We must try to alleviate the suffering around us. The poor can be kept

Good Deeds out of Goodwill

Author: Alex Ip But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favour you do would not seem forced but would be voluntary. Philemon 14 Paul specifically mentioned in Philemon 14 that he did not want Philemon to do what he deemed suitable but to do what was out of Philemon’s wish. An enslaver should be able to spot Paul’s underlying value: ‘not to force others but respect their freedom’. In a society where you could control a slave’s life or death, Philemon, as an owner of slaves, might have gotten used to exercising his power and forgotten the humanity of slaves. He was used to an owner’s identity and forgot that slaves were

Response to Climate Change Victims

Written by Wendy Fung (Church pastor) 5Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?14What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?15Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food.16If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. James 2:5, 14-17

Fortunate, Unfortunate, or Called? – Children in God’s Eyes

Written by Dr. Sarah Shea (Assistant Professor of Hong Kong Baptist Theological Seminary, Vice President of Asia Academy of Practical Theology) No one can choose their mother; we are accustomed to calling children of wealthy families lucky and those born amidst poverty, war, disasters, or disability unlucky. Is this interpretation of children precise and comprehensive? We suggest the contrary, that children are the called ones. Based on the Scripture, children are not arbitrarily manipulated by destiny, instead, they are the actors endowed with different missions in families and communities (Bunge 2001). In the Bible, the vocations of children can be varied, spanning from respecting their parents, loving the Lord, studying and practising the Word, and even teaching adults

The Righteous will Live by Faith

Written by Dr. Kwok Wai Luen (Associate Professor of the Department of Religion and Philosophy at Hong Kong Baptist University) For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’ Romans 1:17 When I was a relatively new believer, I would sometimes come across this saying in Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11: “The righteous will live by faith”. Seeing that Paul taught the relationship between the law and God’s grace, I always thought this particular verse was quite obviously about being saved by grace through faith. However, I later came to realise that Paul’s words were actually an

READING THE BIBLE FROM THE MARGINS

Written by Winnie Fung (Board Member of CEDAR Fund, Academic Head of Lumina College) Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy… Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work… Deuteronomy 5:12-14 When you read this passage, what jumps out? Many of us may answer: the seventh day is meant for rest. However, for the impoverished, it may be the opposite. Justo L. González, in his book Santa Biblia: The Bible Through Hispanic Eyes, shares about a pastor who, when preaching this passage, asked his poor and urban congregation: How many of you were able to work

Reconciliation towards an Authentic Community

Written by: Bernard Wong (Assistant Professor (Theological Studies) and Associate Dean of China Graduate School of Theology, Board Member of CEDAR Fund) Scripture reading: Revelation 7:9-12 Genesis described the diverse and rich world God created, and the future will be even more abundant. The apostle John was shown a vision concerning Christ’s second coming, “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb…” (Revelation 7:9) From the beginning of the world, God commanded human beings to be fruitful and increase in number, giving rise to different nationalities and languages. The eschatological vision brings us several

The Real Meaning Behind ‘Seventy-Seven Times’

Written by: Bernard Wong (Assistant Professor (Theological Studies) and Associate Dean of China Graduate School of Theology, Board Member of CEDAR Fund) If a Christian has been wronged, other believers often encourage her to offer forgiveness immediately, for Jesus teaches us to “forgive a brother seventy-seven times.” We may think that a good Christian should endure unfair treatment, and ought to be forgiving under all circumstances. Did Jesus really mean that? “Seventy-seven times” is Jesus’ response to Peter’s question – “How many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me?”(Matt 18:21-22) However, in the previous passage, Jesus had just discussed the situation of “if your brother sins against you”. Therefore, “seventy-seven times” must be