Hill Road Journal, Taking a Detour

　　Hill Road Journal is an academic journal. This is clear. Yet, an academic journal is not necessarily “out of touch,” or impractical like a castle in the sky. This point needs to be identified. Without pure mathematics such as calculus, there cannot be developments in science, economics and industrial engineering. HRJ is not a journal dedicated purely for the sake of academic scholarship. Its ultimate purpose is to serve our church community so as to put our faith into practice more broadly and in greater depth.

　　Faith is the beginning and also the terminus of HRJ, but the relationship between the two is not linear but more like a curving railroad line, passing by the station of knowledge. We are simply putting the classical meaning of “faith seeking understanding” into practice because “knowledge without faith is blind while faith without knowledge is empty.” We greatly value the creation of the human mind by the triune God.

　　Through HRJ, HKBTS serves our churches, not only Baptist churches but also churches of other denominations. This happens in an indirect way or in ways that are a bit subtle. For example, the seminary does directly serve our churches; in fact, most of our teachers preach in Sunday Services or deliver topical lectures about the Christian faith in churches. However, the basis of this kind of service consists in research and study behind the scenes; HRJ is reflecting their efforts in this area.

　　The church community itself does not necessarily have the time or dedicated talent to understand faith in great depth. It is here that HRJ fills in the gap. This is especially true when the church community finds that its situation, whether internal or external, is constantly changing. So, there is a need to make use of the faith of the church community as a resource to understand and respond to these changes. Owing to the limitations of each of the church community, it is not necessarily possible for her to renew its faith tradition promptly. Here, HRJ seeks to take a step forward and to take the lead to think and study issues of faith arising from a certain contemporary situation in the form of a series of printed articles. We hope that our publication can be a source of knowledge and a valuable resource for the church community.

　　HRJ’s authors are not confined to HKBTS. No doubt our teachers always contribute articles. This is another detour ― going by a roundabout route ― to engage in vigorous discussion with teachers and scholars from other seminaries which include Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican or other Free / Believers’ churches. Faith learning has always been communal, because through other people’s study which is different from ours, not only can we broaden our understanding of Christian faith, but we can also understand more clearly and accurately the differences and limitations of our own faith tradition.

　　To take a detour, though indirectly, does not mean that it is unnecessary or serves no purpose and therefore we can ignore or even abandon such a service. Going by a roundabout route to serve is still a ministry service; although it seems to be hidden, but yet this is the willing service of Hill Road Journal.