新傳與神學的距離

警察總部外，一群記者在等待時任警務處長現身接受訪問，其中一人手持咪高峰的同時，捧著神學書低頭細看。埋首閱讀的是葉菁華，這幕當時在電視台新聞時段播出，前行家早前把截圖傳給他留念。儘管現在已是神學院院長，他憶述新傳畢業後的記者生涯，仍然語帶興奮，笑言做記者很活潑，「現在還很感興趣」。

興趣源於對社會的關注。葉菁華高中常參加辯論比賽，辯題大多圍繞社會議題，大學選科時，因為「很活」、「能夠緊扣於社會」，就此入了新傳、成為記者，直至回應上帝呼召。

對基督徒來說，神會託付人去完成特定的事，回應呼召意指跟隨上帝心意而行。葉菁華自小是基督徒，一直求問如何更好地侍奉上帝。他亦覺得，記者並非最適合自己的崗位，他謙稱自己轉數慢，而且性格內向，不易獲得獨家新聞材料。

那強項是什麼？看他回憶本科片段，提到畢業論文指導教授陳韜文介紹學術概念「範式」和各種社會理論等，分享得津津有味時，答案呼之欲出，「既然具備學術興趣和能力，又觀察到香港教會不貼地、不太關心社會，就覺得要投身神學教育，透過影響將來的牧者，從而影響教會。」

「我當時心想：『主若願意，就繼續走神學教育的路。』」結果，葉菁華深造後回港教學，2020年更成為神學院院長。他對社會的關心不減當年，作為少數讀神學的新傳人，他說在本科學會重視受眾。新傳與神學的距離沒想像中遙遠。

「教會作為傳播機構，教會和牧者的話，能令會眾明白嗎？覺得回應到自身處境嗎？這點很重要。傳播並非單向，不能硬餵對方進食，你要了解會眾的狀況，他是身處在某個社會文化處境當中的。神學教育不應脫離這個社會處境，教會才能更好地傳福音、服侍社會。」

簡介：
葉菁華，1989年於香港中文大學新聞與傳播本科畢業，95年神道學碩士畢業後深造，2004年美國哈佛大學神學院神學博士畢業，其後於中大崇基學院神學院擔任教職，並於2020年出任院長。

The Bridge Between Journalism and Theology

Outside the Police Headquarters, a group of reporters waited for the Commissioner of Police to appear for an interview. Among them, one stood out─microphone in hand while deeply engrossed in a theology book. This was Francis Ching-Wah Yip. The scene was captured during a television news broadcast, and a former colleague sent him the screenshot as a memento. Though now serving as Dean of the Divinity School, Yip still speaks with excitement when recalling his journalism career. “Being a reporter was so dynamic,” he says with a smile. “I’m still very interested in it.”

His passion was rooted in social engagement. During high school, Yip regularly participated in debate competitions, most centered around social issues. When choosing his university path, journalism appealed to him precisely because it was “vibrant” and “directly connected to society.” This led him to the School of Journalism and Communication, and eventually to a reporting career─until he responded to what he describes as God’s calling.

For Christians, responding to a calling means following God’s will to fulfill a specific purpose. Though Yip had been a Christian since childhood and always sought ways to better serve God, he came to believe that journalism wasn’t his ideal path. He humbly admits to being “slow to process information” and notes that his introverted nature made obtaining exclusive stories challenging.

So where did his true strengths lie? As he reminisces about his undergraduate years, particularly how his thesis advisor Professor Joseph Chan introduced him to academic concepts like “paradigms” and various social theories, his enthusiasm reveals the answer. “Having discovered my academic interests and abilities, while also observing how disconnected Hong Kong churches were from social realities, I felt called to theological education. I wanted to influence future pastors who would, in turn, influence their churches.”

“I thought to myself, ‘If this is the Lord’s will, I’ll continue on the path of theological education,’” he reflects. This led Yip to pursue advanced studies and eventually return to Hong Kong as an educator. In 2020, he became Dean of the Divinity School. His commitment to social engagement remains as strong as ever. As one of the few journalists who transitioned to theology, he notes that his communications background taught him to value audience perspective─a principle that bridges his two fields.

“Churches are fundamentally communication institutions,” he explains. “Can congregations truly understand what churches and pastors are saying? Do people feel the message addresses their lived reality? This is crucial. Communication isn’t one-directional─you can’t force-feed information. You must understand that your audience exists within specific social and cultural contexts. Theological education shouldn’t be detached from these realities if churches hope to effectively share the gospel and serve society.”

Profile:
Francis Ching-Wah Yip graduated from The Chinese University of Hong Kong with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Communication in 1989. After completing his Master of Divinity in 1995, he pursued doctoral studies at Harvard Divinity School, earning his Doctor of Theology in 2004. He subsequently joined the faculty at the Divinity School of Chung Chi College, CUHK, and became the Dean in 2020.