Progressive Christian Fellowship (PCF)
進思基督徒團契

Mission statement

We provides fellowship life of mutual support and exchange to liberal-minded Christians and non-Christians in Hong Kong, to enhance their spiritual development.

使命宣言

在香港向思想自由之基督徒及對基督教有興趣的非基督徒，提供交流及互相支持的團契生活，促進彼此的靈性發展。

Explanation

1  At present, majority of churches in Hong Kong are conservative; there is virtually no liberal church in Hong Kong.  The liberal Christians in Hong Kong are lonely.  This Fellowship was established to gather these lonely liberal Christians and provide fellowship life to them.  This includes friendship, exchanges regarding religious faith, and mutual emotional support.  The aim is to provide a favourable environment for spiritual exploration and growth.

2  A significant proportion of Christians in traditional churches in fact cannot tolerate the conservative position of those churches.  This position features anti-intellectualism, suppression of independent thinking, twisted science, dualistic worldview of "saved" vs "unsaved," and negation of the other religions, etc.  These traditional churches generally treat adults as pupils, which is hardly acceptable.  Christians remain in these churches only because they have nowhere to go.  Some of them think their own faith have problems, some sadly left the church through the back door, some eventually even become non-Christians.  Another mission of this Fellowship is to provide fellowship life similar to a church.  Thus, liberal-minded believers can have an alternative choice, a place to go, do not need to bear with the conservative position of traditional churches, or suspect their own faith having a problem.  Hence, their spirituality can grow healthily.  This could help reduce the loss of Christians.
 
3  This Fellowship hopes to make visible the voice of liberal Christianity in Hong Kong.  The current image of Christianity is dominated by conservative churches and organizations.  The current negative image of Christianity (such as discrimination against homosexuals, twisted science, exclusivism towards other religions, etc.) is the result of the conservative camp of Christianity.  We must tell the public that there is liberal Christianity, conservatism does not represent the whole of Christianity, Christianity does not only have the conservative mindset.  This could save the public image of Christianity.
 
4  Saving the image of Christianity indirectly helps spreading the gospel.  Many educated non-Christians cannot accept the conservative Christian mindset and lost interest in Christianity.  They hesitate to accept Christianity just because they reject the conservative type of Christians.  Our mission is to let them know that as Christians do not have to be conservative, liberal Christians can think independently, appreciate science, respect other religions, and uphold social justice.  Becoming a Christian does not have to enter the conservative church, our liberal Fellowship is an option.  It is hoped that this could remove part of the obstacles preventing modern people from accepting Christianity, thereby contributing to the gospel work.

詳細解釋

1  目前香港的教會以較保守為主；香港幾乎沒有自由派教會。香港的自由派基督徒是孤單的。本團契的成立是為了聚集孤單的自由派基督徒，為他們提供團契生活。這包括朋友式的生活層面的交流，對宗教信仰及其他範籌的意見交流，及情感層面的互相分擔及支持。目的是建立一個有利靈性探索與成長的環境。
 
2  有部分參與傳統教會的基督徒實在不能忍受傳統教會的較保守立場。這立場的特色包括反智、壓抑獨立思考、扭曲科學、持得救/未得救二元世界觀、否定其他宗教等等。加上傳統教會一般以教導小學生的方式去教導成年人會友，這實令人難以接受。那些基督徒仍留在他們的教會中，只是因為他們無處可去，因為香港沒有完全去除保守立場的教會。他們有些以為自己在信仰上有問題，有些甚至黯然離開教會，從教會後門流失，及後甚或選擇成為非基督徒。本團契另一個使命是為這些基督徒提供類似教會的團契生活。他們因此可以有另類團契選擇，有處可去，無需再忍受傳統教會的較保守信仰立場，或懷疑自己的信仰有問題，靈命得以健康成長。這樣希望有助減少信徒的流失。
 
3  本團契希望在香港社會上能成為代表自由派神學的可見聲音。目前基督教的社會形象都是被較保守的教會及基督教機構所壟斷。我們要讓公眾認識目前基督教的負面形象（如歧視同性戀、扭曲科學、排拒其他宗教等）只是由較保守之基督徒的思維引致。我們要讓公眾知道基督教也有自由派，較保守的立場並不能代表基督教的立場，基督教不就是那堆保守思維。這對挽救基督教的形象至為重要。
 
4  挽救基督教的社會形象間接幫助福音工作。相信有不少受過教育懂思考的現代非基督徒因為不能接受較保守之基督徒的思維而對基督教卻步。他們不接受基督教只是因為他們不接受較保守之基督徒。我們的使命是要讓他們知道成為基督徒不一定要成為保守的基督徒，也可以成為自由派基督徒，獨立思考、重視理性科學、尊重其他宗教、伸張社會公義等。成為基督徒不一定要進入較保守的教會，也有自由派團契可選擇。如此，便有望去除部分現代人接受基督教的阻力，從而促進基督教的福音工作。