Reverend Lo Hing-choi, the leader of the Baptist Convention in Hong Kong, has left the region with his wife to start a new life in the United Kingdom. Rev. Lo, who led a congregation of more than 80,000, expressed his sadness about the decision. but feared for his life amid the "shrinking freedom" he experienced in Hong Kong.
According to the International Christian Concern, the 70 year-old pastor resigned from the Baptist Convention just 10 days before his term expired. Despite making him feel regretful and sad, Rev. Lo felt that he had to leave for fear of the CCP law and the repercussions from the authoritarian Hong Kong government that is controlled by China.
Asia News reported that Rev. Lo led the Baptist Convention to publicly campaign against the Hong Kong government's extradition law. The Baptist Convention leader also personally criticized the national security law imposed by the CCP, arguing that the new legislation ends the principle of "one country, two systems," deprives Hong Kong citizens of the right to speak, and abolishes the city's judicial system.
Rev. Lo was also publicly criticized by pro-Beijing newspapers such as Ta Kung Pao, which observers believe is a precursor for heavier punishments from the Hong Kong authorities. In a letter published in the Christian Times, the Baptist Convention pastor, who led the congregation as President between May 2018 until April 2021, first thought that Hong Kong authorities would not see him as a threat. Referring to himself as a "little potato," Rev. Lo wrote, "No one would notice this little man."
Rev. Lo also mused about "the most turbulent period in Hong Kong in recent years" and how "difficult problems, huge challenges" lie before Hong Kong as a nation. He called upon Christians in Hong Kong to see "opportunities to preach the gospel message," which will "not only appear on peaceful days" but also on the days "when the disciples are drawn into the government and tortured."
"When the disciples faced the interrogation of the princes and kings, they had to know that this was the golden opportunity to 'bear witness' for Christ," Rev. Lo wrote.
The reverend wrote this in reference to Matthew 10: 18, wherein the Lord Jesus says to His disciples, "You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles."
Following the implementation of the new national security law, several Christian leaders who were opposed to the system have left Hong Kong. Others who have fled for safety are evangelical pastors Wong Siu-yung and Yeung Kin-keung, who signed the "Evangelical Declaration," in which they called upon their followers to continue denouncing the and resisting CCP's totalitarian regime.
In December, the Los Angeles Times reported that CCP law enforcers were cracking down on Christian church leaders, going so far as to freeze the account of Pastor Roy Chan, who led Good Neighbor North District Church volunteers to participate in pro-democracy demonstrations. Safely tucked away in Great Britain, the pastor later found out that his Hong Kong bank accounts, as well as his wife and his congregation's, were all frozen.
Victor Shih, a UC San Diego expert on China's financial policies, explained that the CCP law's newfound power is being exercised in a "wide-ranging way," targeting innocent pastor leaders and cracking down on Christian churches.
