Hill Road Journal

From the Hebrew Bible to the New Testament: Reflecting on the True Meaning of Messiah

WONG Tin Sheung

Many people understand the Messiah mostly from the perspective of the New Testament. As a result, they often regard the Old Testament passages as typology of Jesus Christ. There are two problems with this approach: first, it ignores the contexts of the Old Testament passages; second, they understand the passages solely from the perspective of the New Testament while ignoring the theological development in the intertestamental period.

The purpose of this article is to investigate, with the perspective of the Hebrew Bible as the starting point, the development of different messianic concepts during the Second Temple period, and thereby identify those messianic concepts which were prevalent at the time of the New Testament and were revealed in Jesus Christ. The Messiah as shown by Jesus Christ becomes believers' basis of hope in any situation.

Hovering between Virtuality and Reality: A Response to Virtual Litugy from Pentecostal Perspectives

LEI Tin Kwan

This article focuses on responding to the discussion of “virtual liturgy” in online worship services from Pentecostal perspectives. First, it begins with the most frequently debated topic of “virtual communion” in the virtual liturgy, and shows how Pentecostal view of the Eucharist influences their stance on “virtual communion” and even “virtual sacrament.” This is followed by a survey of the turn of sacramentality and liturgy within the current Pentecostal theological studies, and the examination of whether there will also be a turn in the position of “virtual liturgy” within this development. Furthermore, with the studies on the experience and work of the Holy Spirit in the sacrament and throughout the worship, particularly from the understandings of mediation and embodiment, it shows that the work of the Holy Spirit is hovering between virtuality and reality, and this aspect is a unique insight in the Pentecostal view of the sacrament and liturgy. Finally, the Pentecostal view on “virtual liturgy” can lead to more attention and responses to the development of the virtual and technological world in both theory and practice, including embracing and constructing the theory of digital theology, as well as promoting more active and positive feedback on the practice of “virtual liturgy.”

The Feasibility of Online Lord's Supper: A Baptist Theological Thread

Vincent CP LAU

The outbreak of novel coronavirus in 2019 has turned into a pandemic. Governments all over the world took various measures to prevent the spread of the virus which had far-reaching effects on all aspects of human life, inevitably including religious life and activities. In February 2022, in response to the severity of the pandemic, the Hong Kong government ordered all churches to be closed for two weeks, and access to churches was banned. Due to the prohibition, all kinds of church meetings, including Sunday worship service and fellowship, were forced to cease. In order not to give up their Sunday worship services and meetings, churches in Hong Kong continued to live stream their Sunday worship services and held online fellowship through video conferencing.

According to Baptist tradition and practice, the Lord's Supper is usually held during Sunday worship service. The Baptist theology of the Lord's Supper is a theology of remembrance or memorialism, so theologically it should be possible for Baptists to practice an online Lord's Supper. remembrance without bread and wine. The discrepant practice of the Lord's Supper among Baptists might be derived from the ambiguity of the concept of online worship service and their unfamiliarity with the proper understanding of Baptist theology of the Lord's Supper.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the feasibility of online Lord's Supper in Baptist churches from a Baptist theological perspective. The conclusion is that it is biblically and theologically acceptable for Baptists to observe online Lord's Supper in Sunday worship service amid pandemic as a legitimate resolution to the dilemma. The paper consists of three parts: first, an exposition of the biblical and theological considerations of online worship; second, an analysis of the Baptist theological position on the Lord's Supper; and finally, a discussion of the feasibility of conducting the Lord's Supper online in the Baptist community.

Exploring the Concept of Virtual Sacrament: An Anglican View

LEE Fu Ho William

This paper explores the feasibility of “virtual sacraments” according to the Anglican understanding of sacraments, particularly in the context of the Eucharist and baptism, by examining the Book of Common Prayer and the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion. Anglican theology views sacraments as means of grace with active participation of the Holy Spirit. For instance, concerning baptism, the Thirty-Nine Articles state that people properly baptized become part of the church and receive forgiveness of sins. Water, the external symbol of baptism, is administered by a priest (the celebrant) in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, accompanied by prayers of thanksgiving. Water holds sacred significance in baptism, serving as the primary medium for cleansing of sins. In the Eucharist, though the bread and wine remain unchanged materially, through the Real Presence of the Holy Spirit, the recipients (the people) actually partake in Christ's body and blood. The Book of Common Prayer seems to require the celebrant priest to physically “take,” “bless,” “break,” and “give” the body and blood of Christ to the congregation. Does the practice of “virtual sacraments” align with Anglican theology, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Thirty-Nine Articles? Should “virtual sacraments” be considered valid alternatives during times of crisis, such as a pandemic? This paper aims to explore and discuss these questions.

From the Hebrew Bible to the New Testament: Reflecting on the True Meaning of Messiah

WONG Tin Sheung

Many people understand the Messiah mostly from the perspective of the New Testament. As a result, they often regard the Old Testament passages as typology of Jesus Christ. There are two problems with this approach: first, it ignores the contexts of the Old Testament passages; second, they understand the passages solely from the perspective of the New Testament while ignoring the theological development in the intertestamental period.

The purpose of this article is to investigate, with the perspective of the Hebrew Bible as the starting point, the development of different messianic concepts during the Second Temple period, and thereby identify those messianic concepts which were prevalent at the time of the New Testament and were revealed in Jesus Christ. The Messiah as shown by Jesus Christ becomes believers' basis of hope in any situation.

Hovering between Virtuality and Reality: A Response to Virtual Litugy from Pentecostal Perspectives

LEI Tin Kwan

This article focuses on responding to the discussion of “virtual liturgy” in online worship services from Pentecostal perspectives. First, it begins with the most frequently debated topic of “virtual communion” in the virtual liturgy, and shows how Pentecostal view of the Eucharist influences their stance on “virtual communion” and even “virtual sacrament.” This is followed by a survey of the turn of sacramentality and liturgy within the current Pentecostal theological studies, and the examination of whether there will also be a turn in the position of “virtual liturgy” within this development. Furthermore, with the studies on the experience and work of the Holy Spirit in the sacrament and throughout the worship, particularly from the understandings of mediation and embodiment, it shows that the work of the Holy Spirit is hovering between virtuality and reality, and this aspect is a unique insight in the Pentecostal view of the sacrament and liturgy. Finally, the Pentecostal view on “virtual liturgy” can lead to more attention and responses to the development of the virtual and technological world in both theory and practice, including embracing and constructing the theory of digital theology, as well as promoting more active and positive feedback on the practice of “virtual liturgy.”

The Feasibility of Online Lord's Supper: A Baptist Theological Thread

Vincent CP LAU

The outbreak of novel coronavirus in 2019 has turned into a pandemic. Governments all over the world took various measures to prevent the spread of the virus which had far-reaching effects on all aspects of human life, inevitably including religious life and activities. In February 2022, in response to the severity of the pandemic, the Hong Kong government ordered all churches to be closed for two weeks, and access to churches was banned. Due to the prohibition, all kinds of church meetings, including Sunday worship service and fellowship, were forced to cease. In order not to give up their Sunday worship services and meetings, churches in Hong Kong continued to live stream their Sunday worship services and held online fellowship through video conferencing.

According to Baptist tradition and practice, the Lord's Supper is usually held during Sunday worship service. The Baptist theology of the Lord's Supper is a theology of remembrance or memorialism, so theologically it should be possible for Baptists to practice an online Lord's Supper. remembrance without bread and wine. The discrepant practice of the Lord's Supper among Baptists might be derived from the ambiguity of the concept of online worship service and their unfamiliarity with the proper understanding of Baptist theology of the Lord's Supper.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the feasibility of online Lord's Supper in Baptist churches from a Baptist theological perspective. The conclusion is that it is biblically and theologically acceptable for Baptists to observe online Lord's Supper in Sunday worship service amid pandemic as a legitimate resolution to the dilemma. The paper consists of three parts: first, an exposition of the biblical and theological considerations of online worship; second, an analysis of the Baptist theological position on the Lord's Supper; and finally, a discussion of the feasibility of conducting the Lord's Supper online in the Baptist community.

Exploring the Concept of Virtual Sacrament: An Anglican View

LEE Fu Ho William

This paper explores the feasibility of “virtual sacraments” according to the Anglican understanding of sacraments, particularly in the context of the Eucharist and baptism, by examining the Book of Common Prayer and the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion. Anglican theology views sacraments as means of grace with active participation of the Holy Spirit. For instance, concerning baptism, the Thirty-Nine Articles state that people properly baptized become part of the church and receive forgiveness of sins. Water, the external symbol of baptism, is administered by a priest (the celebrant) in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, accompanied by prayers of thanksgiving. Water holds sacred significance in baptism, serving as the primary medium for cleansing of sins. In the Eucharist, though the bread and wine remain unchanged materially, through the Real Presence of the Holy Spirit, the recipients (the people) actually partake in Christ's body and blood. The Book of Common Prayer seems to require the celebrant priest to physically “take,” “bless,” “break,” and “give” the body and blood of Christ to the congregation. Does the practice of “virtual sacraments” align with Anglican theology, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Thirty-Nine Articles? Should “virtual sacraments” be considered valid alternatives during times of crisis, such as a pandemic? This paper aims to explore and discuss these questions.