SPEAKERS

​Abstract

Since the announcement of the British National (Overseas) (BNO) visa on 22 July 2020, many young Hong Kong families, aiming for a different lifestyle, education, and opportunities, moved to Britain. However, for various reasons (language barriers, cultural differences, and lack of community), the elderly parents of these young couples remained in Hong Kong. Various organisations have since released statistical analyses of increasing cases of loneliness, family disconnection, and suicide in the older adult population. Social identity and belonging to social groups provide meaning to an individual’s life (Haslam, Jetten, Postmes, and Haslam, 2009), and the identity as a parent and grandparent is an important one to older adults. How do they reconcile with this loss of social relationships, and how can their social identity as a member of a religious community support them in the midst of this transition?

Many of Hong Kong’s non-profit organisations have religious affiliations, because Hong Kong, as a British crown colony before 1997, had many Christian social welfare programs. While the Hong Kong SAR government has a well-developed social welfare department, due to historic reasons, Protestant Christian social services continue to be an integral part of Hong Kong society. The social identity as a Christian is often a central one (Cameron, 2004), and this paper explores how such self-identification of membership can be crucial to these older adults.

The aim of this paper is to determine how Christian social services and churches can facilitate the flourishing of older adults in midst of the loss they face in the migration of their adult children and grandchildren. This paper aims to answer three key questions: (1) How do left-behind elderly parents understand their relationship with God? (2) How do Hong Kong Christian organisations support these left-behind elderly parents? (3) How do left-behind elderly parents understand their social identity, and the loss of such?

This paper aims to facilitate the construction of an original framework to understand the loss of social identity elderly parents of Hong Kong BNO visa migrants face in the midst of their adult children’s migration. Capturing the experiences and struggles of their left-behind elderly parents, as well as how Christian organisations can support them through this phase, will facilitate future policy making, such as how to care for and provide support to older adults who live by themselves in Hong Kong.

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Bio

Ann Gillian Chu is an Assistant Professor at the Academy of Chinese, History, Religion and Philosophy at Hong Kong Baptist University and a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Religion and Public Life at the University of Leeds. She received her Doctor of Philosophy from the School of Divinity at the University of St Andrews. Prior to her academic career, Dr Chu worked as a Certified Public Accountant in one of the Big Four Accounting Firms and in the Hong Kong SAR Government. Her research interests are Hong Kong Christianities, practical theology, and theological ethics.

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Abstract

After the Japanese colonial period ended in 1945, Korea was divided into two parts by their economic and political supporters, the United States and the Soviet Union, respectively. In the post-colonial era, Korean reunification is one of the most significant tasks and is heavily discussed as part of communal practice within Korean Protestant churches. In Korean theological philosophy, Tong-Il (Korean unification) is viewed as the final eschatological-ecclesial goal (Un, 1988, 7-30; Park, 1997, 26), which embodies the harmony of communities and enables the Korean people to participate in the reign of God. In contrast to the theoretical and ideological discourse mentioned above, the goal of unification, while widely recognized in Korean theology, poses a practical problem—namely, the logistics of how to achieve this eschatological goal for all. Drawing from my pastoral experiences with North Korean refugees and their faith formation programs, I have observed that the treatment of North Koreans in the South is largely overlooked. Individuals born in North Korea who have settled in South Korea as refugees since the 1980s have, for the most part, faced significant difficulties integrating into South Korean society. While North Korean refugees symbolize the much-anticipated arrival of Tong-Il, they continue to face marginalization due to systemic cultural and societal barriers. Drawing on refugee narratives, I contend that religious communities must prioritize addressing these barriers, particularly the gendered experiences of North Korean refugee women, to enable their full cultural and political integration into South Korean society. I demonstrate that, for the Korean Tong-Il effort to be effective, the development of an interdependent and harmonious Tong-Il pedagogy—one that combines critical Christian religious principles and postcolonial feminist liberation philosophy—can expose the limitations within the established concept of Tong-Il as a theological discourse centered around the absorption of North Korea by South Korea. Finally, I will demonstrate that members of religious communities recognizing Korea's most tragic trauma—the division of North and South—and showing hospitality and solidarity toward North Korean defectors, who still suffer from this pain, is the only way to achieve ‘small unifications’ among us.

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Bio

Rev. Eunoo Kim

Instructor, Seoul Women’s University, Korea

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Research Focuses

Interdisciplinary Studies in Religion Cristian Education and Postcolonialism

Roles of Christianity in Postcolonial Communities

Korean Reunification in Practical Theology

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Academic Backgrounds

BA, Seoul Women’s University, Korea

M.Div, Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary, Korea

STM, Boston University, USA

Ph.D, Graduate Theological Union, USA

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Abstract

This paper delves into the intricate relationship between trauma and Christology within the framework of Filipino theology, specifically analyzing how traditional depictions of the suffering and deceased Christ have been exploited to retraumatize Filipinos enduring the impacts of colonial and neo-colonial regimes. Drawing on the Theology of Struggle—a theological perspective that arose during the oppressive Marcos dictatorship—this study scrutinizes the dual role of Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection as both an instrument of oppression and a vehicle for resistance.

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The Theology of Struggle is fundamentally grounded in the lived experiences of marginalized and exploited communities. It emphasizes the importance of solidarity with those who suffer and interprets their struggles through the perspective of Christian narratives. Historically, the powerful  have often employed the image of a meek and suffering Christ to justify and maintain their dominance, portraying Him as a symbol of passive acceptance. In contrast, the poor and progressive theologians have actively reinterpreted these representations, viewing Christ as a figure who shares in their suffering and embodies revolutionary ideals. This reinterpretation serves to cultivate a sense of identification and empowerment in their ongoing pursuit of emancipation.

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However, this paper critically examines the dangers of uncritically embracing these traditional images, which can inadvertently perpetuate cycles of trauma by promoting a passive acceptance of suffering rather than inspiring proactive resistance. In response, the study advocates for the development of a trauma-informed Christology—a reimagining of Christ’s suffering that seeks to empower individuals rather than retraumatize them. This approach places a strong emphasis on themes of solidarity, active resistance, and hope in the face of adversity.

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Moreover, the paper proposes a revival of the Christology of Struggle as a vital resource for addressing contemporary traumas wrought by globalization, systemic injustice, and cultural commodification. It envisions a transformation of traditional Christological narratives into dynamic tools for healing and liberation, enabling Filipino Christians to engage with the figure of Jesus within the context of their ongoing struggles for dignity, social justice, and life.

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In conclusion, this paper urges theologians, educators, and church leaders to engage authentically with trauma in Filipino communities. It advocates for a Christology that is indigenized and liberative, rooted in the people's struggles and aspirations for freedom. The goal is to foster a theological discourse that reflects the resilience of Filipinos in their quest for a just society.

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Bio

Dr. Victor R. Aguilan is a full-time faculty member at the Silliman University Divinity School in Dumaguete, Philippines, where he has been teaching since 1993. He specializes in Christian Ethics, Philippine Church History, and Philosophy of Religion. Dr. Aguilan holds a Master of Divinity from Silliman University, a Master of Theology in Church History, and a Doctor of Theology in Social Ethics from the Southeast Asia Graduate School of Theology. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he serves as the Coordinator of the Graduate Program at the Divinity School. Dr. Aguilan is also active in peacebuilding, labor union, and community organizing. He has published numerous works on topics such as peacebuilding, climate justice,  theology  of struggle, and the intersection of theology and science.

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