In the past 4 years for the reason that implementation of the primary national security law, Hong Kong has experienced a seismic shift. Many residents who’ve been dedicated to this city for many years, including outstanding pro-democracy activists, journalists, opinion leaders, social employees, and politicians, have disappeared from the general public sphere. Some have been detained; others are in exile. Still others remain in Hong Kong but are forbidden to talk publicly.
Once known for its freedoms, Hong Kong has sunk to the underside of the Reporters Without Borders’ press freedom rating. A way of fear permeating civil society causes residents to self-censor. Pro-democracy newspapers and web sites have shut down as journalists have began their very own news channels on social media. The city is currently experiencing a severe brain drain, although the federal government is not going to admit it.
So what am I doing still running a Christian news platform in Hong Kong?
The Chinese-language Christian Times began in 1987 as a small weekly newspaper. Through news stories, features, opinions, and devotions, we reflect on social issues from a Christian perspective and convey discussions amongst Christians of various denominations and theological backgrounds. What differentiates Christian Times from other Christian publications in Hong Kong is its give attention to journalism.
Today we see our mission as much more vital because an authoritarian government can easily overlook the weak and the vulnerable, and since Christians need access to the reality about what is occurring around them.
As the atmosphere tightens in Hong Kong, we feel it as well. More and more writers and sources prefer to stay anonymous. It is difficult to search out Christians willing to share their heartfelt opinions with our readers due to have to self-censor.
The church can also be facing unique challenges. Many churches in Hong Kong have historical, denominational, and social ties with churches in mainland China. The stories of Christian persecution within the mainland—from the arrests and violence of the Cultural Revolution within the Sixties to the cross removals in 2014—inform the churches in Hong Kong of what the long run of non secular freedom could seem like.
Local churches are experiencing their very own brain drain as congregants and pastoral staff leave Hong Kong for the United Kingdom in addition to other countries. Churches increasingly face financial shortfalls as their congregations shrink and Hong Kong’s post-COVID economy struggles. These are essential trends and stories that Christian Times continues to cover.
While our readers proceed to support us through subscriptions and donations, our promoting revenue has fluctuated. Christian organizations, churches, and members of the local Christian community are our predominant advertisers. For a number of years after the political changes, the variety of job recruitment ads skyrocketed as many churches and organizations needed to fill the vacancies left by those that migrated overseas. In the latter half of 2023, a complete of 222 churches posted openings on our site and on denominational sites.
But in recent months, the variety of recruitment ads has been dropping. We will not be exactly sure why, regardless that the town is currently facing an economic decline as stock prices, housing prices, and exports drop.
Recruiting staff to run our media site can also be becoming harder. When we post job listings, only a number of people apply. In the past, many were willing to work for us as interns, volunteer reporters, or photojournalists. While Christian Times hasn’t seen a mass exodus like some local churches, where as much as half of the congregation has left, it continues to be difficult to search out employees capable of tackle the heavy workload we currently experience.
I don’t blame those that are leaving Hong Kong, especially now as our freedoms crumble. Leaving is a rational decision. Yet while people can go, the church cannot. There are still people here in Hong Kong who have to hear the gospel and the way it fulfills their spiritual, emotional, and material needs. The Christian community in Hong Kong still needs information to know the present reality and make clever judgments. Certainly, Christian media has work to do here.
In a society that’s becoming increasingly more authoritarian, the voices of the weak and the powerless are increasingly missed, neglected, or silenced. An independent media source like ours may give these voices a platform, even when we tackle risks ourselves. To proceed publishing, we want to be sure that that we don’t touch the federal government’s “red line,” as the outcomes can be catastrophic. Yet the federal government doesn’t state clearly where that red line is. Even for easy editorial decisions, we want to noticeably calculate whether it’s a risk price taking. Then we act in faith.
For instance, in 2021, only a yr after the implementation of the previous national security law, the Hong Kong government planned to require all residents to put in a COVID-19 contact tracing app on their phones, which they’d have to point out each time they entered a public premise. But for the poor or homeless who couldn’t afford a smartphone, such a measure could bar them from essential public facilities akin to bathrooms, hospitals, and markets.
Organizations working with that population were concerned about the results, yet they apprehensive that under the brand new law, they could possibly be punished for discussing public affairs. Would publicly criticizing a government measure touch the red line? Still, one Christian nonprofit decided to interview some individuals who can be impacted by the measure and uploaded the recordings to social media.
Christian Times and several other other local media outlets decided to cover the story despite the risks. Soon afterward, the federal government amended the measure. People without smartphones could ask social employees for letters that may permit them to register their information at the doorway to public premises by hand. The Hong Kong government didn’t mention whether or not they made the change as a result of public objections, so we are able to’t say of course if our reporting was effective. But we realize it was the best thing to do.
Our editorial desk has faced many such deliberations prior to now few years. Sometimes we decided the chance was not price taking. When we did take the chance, sometimes we saw change due to our coverage, but continuously we didn’t.
As Christian journalists in Hong Kong, we want wisdom from God for discernment in our each day lives. We want more people to care concerning the poor, the weak, the sick, the homeless, and people in prison, just as Jesus told us to do in Matthew 25:31–46. We know that we are able to’t do all of it, but we hope the Lord will use our small works on this city for his purpose.
The situation in Hong Kong continues to tighten. The government has just passed laws against treason, sedition, riot, espionage, and collaboration with external forces, which can go into effect on March 23. Yet the same proposal in 2003 ignited a peaceful demonstration by half one million people, bringing the legislative process to a halt.
This time, there aren’t any protests as a result of the heavy punishment against protesting for the reason that implementation of the national security law 4 years ago. The government now claims that 99 percent of the individuals who submitted their opinions on the brand new law agreed with it.
A recent survey found that Hong Kongers imagine that there may be above-average freedom of faith in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, freedom of speech, press, and association are a bit below average. (Freedom of demonstration was rated the bottom.) However, religious freedom isn’t independent of other freedoms. We will not be sure what’s going to occur after the proposed laws is in effect. Will religious freedom remain the identical? Will local churches still have the option to fellowship with churches overseas? Will there be space for news media to uphold journalistic values? Where will the red line be?
Please pray for Hong Kong. We also need your prayers for Christian Times in order that we are able to proceed to serve the Christian community faithfully here, providing them with truth and keeping a written history of what is occurring in our beloved city.
