August 2019

In today’s passage, Luke presents a Jesus with threats and condemnations. His advice is even strange—strive to enter through the narrow gate!
 
In Luke’s communities, laxity, fatigue, presumption of being right with God, arrogance, the belief that good intentions are sufficient and that salvation can be obtained cheaply have infiltrated. Luke realises that the risk of being excluded from the kingdom looms over many Christians. 
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HONG KONG (SE): After nearly two million people flooding the streets of Hong Kong in peaceful protest yet again, the territory’s chief executive, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, emerged on the morning of August 20 to tell the press that she is willing to create a platform for dialogue but was not inclined to start an independent inquiry into police actions during a political crisis now entering its 12th week.
 
The South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported Lam as...

HONG KONG (SE): A total of 13 teargas rounds were fired by accident into the Caritas Jockey Club Tsuen Wan Social Service Building on August 5 while the police were attempting to disperse protesters. No one was hurt.
 
Kenneth Pang Che-chung, senior social work supervisor of Caritas Community Centre, Tuen Wan, told the Kung Kao Po that he could see from the balcony that many tear gas canisters fell into the building.  
 
He explained that...

MELBOURNE (SE): On August 16, young Hong Kong people living in Australia took the call of their compatriots at home into the streets, holding simultaneous rallies in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide calling for support among the local community for the 11-week long summer of discontent in the special administrative region.
 
While the Adelaide and Sydney turnouts mostly passed without incident, Melbourne saw clashes with students from mainland China who tried to disrupt...