(in Chinese)
FORM
(INTERNET EDITION)
Abstracts
of CGST JOURNAL (Issue No.32 Jan 2002)
Perspectives on Sex, Love, and Family
Holy Intercourse: A Theological Reflection on Sexual
Union (An abstract)
Shun-kai Kevin Cheng
The Marriage and Family Ethics of Watchman Nee (An
abstract)
King-tak Ip
Female Childhood Sexual Abuse and Recovery (An abstract)
Ellie Y. L. Chan
To Resist and to Overcome: Ministers in Face of Sexual
Temptations (An abstract)
Ruth W. Chan
Islamic Civilization at the Crossroads of Modernity
and Postmodernity:
A Bird's Eye Exploratory Study (An abstract)
Wai-yip Ho
The Social Participation of Hong Kong Young Evangelicals
in the Seventies (An abstract)
Wai-luen Kwok
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Holy
Intercourse: A Theological Reflection on Sexual Union
(An abstract)
Shun-kai Kevin Cheng
Associate Professor
China Graduate School of Theology
This article is a theological reflection on sexual union. The preliminary is first laid out on the intentionality of sexual activity, explicating the pervasiveness of intentionality in sexually erotic experience, sexual seduction, sexual desire, and sexual fantasy. Sexual union is, of course, no exception. The author then explicates sexual union in terms of three dimensions: the containing of being, the encounter of being, and the care of being. These three dimensions deal with covenantal love, knowing, and relation in sexual union respectively. They correspond to relationality, epistemology, and ontology.
The containing of being in terms of sexual relationality comprises one dimension of sexual union. Covenantal love constitutes the "container" for sexual union. It is the security within which sexual union can proceed in terms of mutual valuation, total self-giving, total acceptance and overcoming of the dread. It is a holistic psycho-physical union, not merely a mating of two need-driven bodies.
The encounter of being in terms of sexual epistemology comprises another dimension of sexual union. It is experiential, a "coming to know"?instead of "to know about,"?requiring dialectical participation and resulting in cognitive union. It is a knowing that transcends labeling and self-understanding. It is a responsible knowing, a mutually dedicated knowing, and above all an intimate knowing, presupposing polar differences of both parties. It is not so much a need to be satisfied, but an infinite desire where the two embark on a journey of "nowing together."
The care of being in terms of existential sexual ontology comprises the third dimension of sexual union. Sexual union of Dasein can be framed within a threefold structure of thrownness, fallenness, and projection. Under the dynamic of care, thrownness can be the wholehearted acknowledgement that my covenantal partner is my sexual partner and vice versa. It is a creative and common remembrance of the past times, exorcising the phantom of forgetfulness. Fallenness can be reversed so as to be concerned with the everydayness of sexual union, making each sexual union a special moment, and with both parties being fully present in the union. It removes the horror of mechanicalness. Projection can be positing one's Being-ahead-of-oneself as a covenant keeper, being mindful in fostering the relationship. It is a loyalty and faithfulness that continuously draws out unlimited creativity of both persons. It generates an impetus to say NO to the plague of sexual seduction.
The Marriage and Family
Ethics of Watchman Nee
(An abstract)
King-tak Ip
Assistant Professor
Director, Centre for Applied Ethics
Hong Kong Baptist University
Among early Chinese Christian leaders known in the west, Watchman Nee is probably the best known. Nee considers himself commissioned by God to establish the "Little Flock Church",?and he believes that a good church needs the support of good families. For that reason he put much effort into building up families in his ministry. It is his idea of marriage and family ethics that we look into in this essay.
Nee is very positive about people getting married. He permits marriages between Christians and non-Christians, though not without reluctance. He accepts divorce only on the ground of adultery, and he holds no reservation in allowing widows to remarry. He gives practical advice on the choosing of mates, and on husband-wife relationship. Though his latest work dates back to the early fifties, some of his instructions are still valuable today.
It is doubtful, however, whether he can categorize sin into what he calls "administrative sin"?and "moral sin."?That distinction is problematic. Furthermore, his patriarchal outlook, understandable in his own background, has a strong influence on his theology and it makes his marriage and family ethics hard to apply today.
Female Childhood
Sexual Abuse and Recovery
(An abstract)
Ellie Y. L. Chan
Associate Professor
China Graduate School of Theology
Sexual abuse is often considered a shame to the victim and family in Chinese society despite the fact that the abuser is at fault. These cultural barriers hinder early detection and adequate treatment of childhood sexual abuse. This paper attempts to point out the definition and uniqueness of childhood sexual abuse; explore its impact on adult female survivors and examine the elements of recovery from the perspective of Christian counseling.
Two local surveys in 1996 and 1999 delineated childhood sexual abuse in terms of the extent of intimacy in sexual contacts and gave specific examples of sexual behaviors. Childhood sexual abuse is defined as coercive sexual contact with victims under seventeen years of age. Like other abuses, sexual abuse has detrimental influences on one's self-esteem, cognition, affect and relationship. More than that, sexual abuse damages the core of one's sexual being and negates one's understanding and experience of the body.
It is believed that recognising the influences of childhood sexual abuse in a comprehensive manner will lead to more appropriate help to adult female survivors in the recovery process. Awareness should be heightened in relation to the extent of shame, inferiority, depression, distrust, ambivalence and self-protective defenses. It is also helpful to be sensitive to factors that affect the extent of damage, such as, the age at which the abuse took place, the way and extent the abuse has been done, the way it has been disclosed, and the subsequent treatments. Mistreatment of the body, distorted concepts on sexuality and despair are also typical of adult female survivors of childhood sexual abuse.
Recovery has to be based on responses to the different aspects of damage. Cognitive restructuring of where the responsibility lies can help to redirect self-blame into compassionate and realistic perceptions. The stopping of self-destructive behaviors and the enhancing of a sense of security and trust are necessary conditions to prepare for grief work in dealing with losses associated with the abuse memory. Changes in the understanding of sexuality and interpersonal bonding and boundary are part of the recovery. Embracing one's body in a gentle way with the introduction of 'safe-touch'?are to heal the damages done by coercive power over the person's sexuality. Issues of confrontation and forgiveness are looked into as well. As for Christian adult female survivors, the process of recovery should be sped up by introducing them to the Biblical God, and by letting them re-experience a loving and trusting relationship with the heavenly father, and with the faith community.
To Resist and
to Overcome:
Ministers in Face of Sexual Temptations
(An abstract)
Ruth W. Chan
Former Adjunct Professor
China Graduate School of Theology
To be in the ministry is to be engaged in a people-oriented vocation, in which one becomes exposed to the snare of the Enemy, in particular, the temptation of sexual impurities. Here are just a few of the causes of our becoming easy preys: human vulnerability, the misconception that as servants of God we are immune to Satan's lure, our ignorance of the Devil's craftiness, lack of self-understanding, unfamiliarity with the human psyche, unconscious adoption of worldly standards and the excuse "everybody is doing it,"?and our carelessness or failure in staying close to the Lord, our Creator and Savior.
To protect ourselves from the many deceitful tricks of the Enemy, there are two major concerns. We must know God and cling to Him, and we must know ourselves and guard our own hearts. As there are constant changes in life, and as our human life evolves from stage to stage, we need to make sure that both kinds of knowledge continue to grow and change as well, by maintaining a good relationship with God and by constantly learning about ourselves. This "dual growth"?would guard us from being easily sucked into the Devil's system.
In connection with this, Proverbs 6:6-11 and 24:30-34 reveal three important tools which can enable us to come to grips with our basic situation. They are the power of self-awareness, of reflection, and of comprehension. Such tools are useful in helping us to know our own strengths and weaknesses, to understand our motives, to learn from others, and to stay alert in the warfare. Those who lack these tools may pray to God who bestows all wisdom.
To guard ourselves against sexual temptation we should beware also of the following:
Islamic
Civilization at the Crossroads of
Modernity and Postmodernity: A Bird's Eye Exploratory Study
(An abstract)
Wai-yip Ho
PhD Research Student
Division of Social Science
The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology
This paper attempts to lay an introductory theoretical frame of reference for researching Islamic civilization in the contemporary world. In this paper, Islamic civilization is put into the perspective under the societal context of modernity and postmodernity. Five axial themes are juxtaposed here in reference to Islamic civilization, modernity and postmodernity.
First of all, I propose that Islamic civilization shares very similar metaphysical presupposition, rationality and grand narrative of modernity but opposes the anti-foundational assumption of postmodernity. Islamic civilization stresses the importance of certainty in faith and knowledge, which constitutes the existence and legitimacy of Islamic civilization as a grand narrative. Secondly, I argue that the worldview or cultural orientation of Islamic civilization is characterized by predetermination and other-worldly asceticism, as is elucidated in Max Weber's comparative historical sociology. Consequently, Islamic civilization is unable to cultivate modern rational capitalism similar to that of the Occident. On the other hand, it is bound to reject totally the postmodern's vagabond and consumerist lifestyle. Thirdly, on the basis of Ernest Geller's oscillation theory of Muslim society, one can observe that Islamic civilization is resistant to the influence of secularization in modernity. It also strongly resists the carefree spirit of postmodernism. Interestingly enough, the assertion of certainty and fundamental practices of Islamic fundamentalism can be viewed as a reaction to the ambivalence and uncertainty in contemporary world emphasized in the age of postmodernity. Fourthly, I suggest the crisis of cultural identity is the most crucial issue that faces Muslim people who have been trying to mediate between the preservation of Islamic tradition and the acceptance of western influence ever since the colonial era up to the present age of globalization. The cultural dislocation then results in the escalating reaction and the seemingly irrational antagonism to the West. Finally, I try to assert that Islamic eschatological vision is based on the temporal dimension in eliminating the present 'ignorance' in the evil age of Jahiliyah and the historical imaginary in pursuit of utopian political order, prescribed in the blue print of Qur'anic teaching and the Hadith of Muhammad.
At the end of the paper, I reiterate the need of comprehending the predicament of the contemporary Islamic civilization. Generally speaking, the emergence and persistence of Islamic fundamentalism can be sympathetically elucidated under this theoretical perspective that Islamic civilization is in the crossroads and dilemma from both modernity and postmodernity. I close the discussion by anticipating some influential academic research done by Jewish, Catholic and Christian scholars. Their theoretical insights, experience and personal qualities appeal for the attention of Asian and Chinese Christians who want to understand and engage more deeply in Christian mission towards Islamic world.
The Social Participation
of Hong Kong
Young Evangelicals in the Seventies
(An abstract)
Wai-luen Kwok
Assistant Research Officer
Chinese Culture Research Centre
China Graduate School of Theology
In 1970's, the evangelical churches in Hong Kong gradually changed from passivity to active involvement in their attitude towards social participation. An important contributing factor to this change is the efforts made by young evangelicals. The article points out that during the fifties and the sixties, the conservative Hong Kong Protestants were fundamentalist in doctrinal outlook. They evaded socio-political involvement and limited their social action to relief works. When the need for relief works declined in the late sixties, because of the economic bloom of Hong Kong, the conservative churches were left behind as being apathetic toward social problems.
During the 1970's, an intense spirit of patriotism and anti-colonialism emerged in the society as a result of the student movement. To counter challenges from the student movement, young evangelicals advocated that the conservative Protestant churches should play a more active role in social concerns. Several campaigns were initiated by young evangelicals with the aim of promoting social participation, such as: the start of the Breakthrough Movement, the re-orientation of the campus magazine Olive, the formation of the Industrial Evangelical Fellowship, and the social action of the Fellowship of Evangelical Students. This article provides a historical account of these campaigns and affirms their contribution to the furtherance of Protestant social participation in the 1980's. The goal of such participation, however, has always remained undefined, and the tension between evangelism and social concern unsolved.
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