許多信徒對「政治」敬而遠之，因為政治似乎牽涉許多關於世上權力、個人利益、妥協和腐化的事情——一切都與基督教相違。諷刺的是，正是在這樣的情況下才最需要上帝的正義和公義——不是要宣判懲罰的信息，而是要在黑暗裡成為光。怎樣才能化解這種矛盾？信徒如何可以在黑暗中成為光，但不被黑暗所吞沒？這樣的情況好像有點熟悉，因為基督道成肉身正正就是為了解決這個難題。
讓我們首先從舊約一句很有力的經文說起：「你當為啞巴開口，為一切孤獨的伸冤。」（箴卅一8）《新普及譯本》的語氣更強：「你要為不能自辯的人發聲，要為受壓迫的人伸張正義。」這句和其他經文清楚指明，我們對神恩典的回應，不單要有憐憫的行動，還需要有上帝「給孤兒和受欺壓的人伸冤，使強橫的人不再威嚇他們」（詩十18）的心腸。這呼召很清晰，要為不公義的受害者伸冤。神學家潘霍華更精警地說：「我們不應該只為不公義巨輪下的受害者包紮傷口，我們更應該阻止這種不公義的巨輪繼續滾下去。」
現實是，這「不公義的巨輪」不單成為了惡人、貪污的生意和犯罪集團的車輪，甚至還已植根在我們政府的經濟和政治體系當中。這樣，黑暗與光明之間、善與惡之間的分野變得模糊不清，政府政策和政黨的宣言之間成為了灰色地帶，難為正邪定分界。難怪我們會對波普（Alexander Pope）在一七一一年所寫的警告引以為鑑：「智者不為的事，愚人卻搶著做。」（fools rush in where angels fear to tread）。我們當然需要小心，但這個世界仍迫切地需要智慧、理性和公義之聲。
這跟舊約時候橫跨八個世紀的以色列和猶大國先知所遇到的情況一樣。當時以色列人也面對著一個公然地違反上帝的約、沒有以公義和正義來統治人民的政府（神藉著這政權向其他異教邦國展示祂的公義）。舊約時期的以色列政府並沒有政教分離的觀念，是屬於神權統治的。神呼召先知起來，要持續地提醒統治者，不論他們花多少精神時間來獻祭、禁食、禱告、敬拜和自潔，都不能抵銷他們忽略貧窮、攀附權貴、扭曲公義和政權腐敗的罪過。神說：「我所揀選的禁食不是要鬆開凶惡的繩，解下軛上的索，使被欺壓的得自由，折斷一切的軛嗎？」（賽五十八6）許多先知都因著向權貴說出真理、成為先知式公義的代理者、為貧窮弱勢發聲，而身心受苦。他們被視為叛徒、被控叛國，下在監裡。以色列因著道德和靈性的敗壞，國力也漸見衰弱，這是無可避免的悲劇結局。要不是因著上帝的信實和悲愛，他們早就在歷史中被塗抹掉了。
立法會議員郭榮鏗當了十年的律師後，開始對商業法律的日常工作感到沉悶，又認為工作未能對普遍大眾的生活有貢獻。他開始在公共屋邨為巿民提供免費法律諮詢，並很享受可以用自己的專業知識服務普通巿民。於是他決定受訓成為大律師，並於二○○六年獲得此專業資格。同時，他開始對政治產生興趣，在二○一二年透過功能組別選舉成為法律界立法會議員。郭榮鏗於二○○六年信主，漸漸體會到基督對貧窮弱勢的關愛，並開始關注香港體制上的不公義，以其立法會議員的身份為弱勢發聲。他特別留意到政府政策將難民和尋求庇護者推到社會邊緣，使他們無法工作養活自己，同時，即使他們成功申請庇護，還是無法享有香港巿民的一般權利。作為法律的專業人士，他還很熱心於堵塞有關人口販賣的法律漏洞，阻止有些人落入類近奴隸的陷阱。他如今致力提高公眾意識，讓人知道人口販賣有多可怕，要求各界正視這個問題，並要求將人口販賣定義為刑事罪行，而不只是民事罪行。他也關注特殊教育需要兒童的權利，留意著一些未能找到適切幫助的學童案例。
雖然你不需要成為立法會議員才能為弱勢發聲，但若有熟悉規則和程序的人幫忙就能事半功倍。然而，這方面的工作不但不能帶來名利，有時還會令人甚為氣餒。郭榮鏗曾經收過公眾（甚至來自朋友）的譴責和批評——因為他為弱勢發聲。這樣的公義工作確實會將你放到敵人的陣地。當上帝決意要去除那潛入人性核心、破壞了他平安（Shalom）計劃的黑暗，代價是高昂的。耶穌來到世間，帶來了公義，也承受了不公義。作為耶穌的跟隨者，正如郭榮鏗所經歷的一樣，在追求公義的路上是要付出代價的。
（聶東尼牧師負責在灣仔葡萄藤教會促進公義事工，是今年十月二十至廿一日亞洲公義特會的主持。特會詳情請瀏覽www.thejusticeconferenceasia.com。本文資料和意念搜集自以下文章，謹此致謝：Just Politics［Ron Sider］、God in Public［Tom Wright］，以及跟立法會法律界功能組別議員郭榮鏗的個人訪談。）（系列完）
Politics and prophetic justice
by Tony Read
Many christians want to stay as far away from ‘politics’ as possible because it is most often driven by worldly power, self interest, compromise and corruption - the very opposite of what christianity stands for. And yet ironically it is in this very situation that the righteousness and justice of God is most needed - not to preach judgment and condemnation but to be a light shining in the darkness. So how do we resolve this paradox? How can christians be an influence for good without getting overwhelmed by the very thing it is trying to influence? If this issue sounds familiar to us then we should recall that this is the very same issue that the incarnation of Christ came to resolve.
But we don't start here. We start with a short but compelling verse in the Old Testament “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute” (Prov 31:8). The NLT puts it even stronger “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed”. This and other passages makes it clear that our response to God’s grace is not limited to acts of mercy and compassion but must also encompass a reflection of God’s heart in “defending the fatherless and oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more” (Psalm 10:18). There is a clear call to action on behalf of those who are victims of injustice. The theologian Bonhoeffer expresses these thoughts concisely by saying “We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself”
The reality of life today is that many of these ‘wheels of injustice’ are not just providing momentum for the vehicles of evil men, corrupt businesses and criminal gangs but are also embedded in the economics and political structures of our governments. In these circumstances the contrast be-tween darkness and light, good and evil, becomes much more dimmed into the greys and complex nuances of government policies and political party manifesto’s. It is not surprising then that we might take to heart the warning of the writer Alexander Pope who in 1711 said that ‘fools rush in where angels fear to tread’. There is certainly need for caution but there is also a desperate need for voices of wisdom, reason and justice.
This was exactly the situation that the 8th century prophets of Israel and Judah faced when con-fronted with a government (intended by God to demonstrate his righteousness to the surrounding heathen nations) that was blatantly ignoring God’s covenant requirement to rule its own people with justice and righteousness. There was no separation of religion and state in Israel’s OT system of government. It was a theocracy. The prophets were called to constantly remind their rulers that no amount of sacrifice, fasting, earnest prayer, temple worship or self-righteousness could com-pensate for their disregard of the poor, enrichment of the powerful, perversion of legal justice, and corruption in government. God spelled it out in words of two syllables. “No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people” (Isaiah 58:6). Many of the prophets suffered personally as a result of this burning passion to speak truth to power, to be agents of prophetic justice, to advocate for the poor and weak . They were treated as traitors, charged with treason and imprisoned. As a result of the moral and spiritual disintegration of the nation Israel had become weak and debilitated. The outcome was inevitable and devastating. They were all-but wiped off the face of history except for the mercy of their faithful and compassionate God.
Ten years after qualifying as a lawyer, legislator Dennis Kwok became bored under the routine of commercial law and the lack of direct involvement with the majority of society. He did some pro-bono work in Hong Kong public housing estates and relished the connection and value which his expertise could bring to the everyday lives of ordinary people. He decided to train as a barrister and was called to the Bar in 2006. At the same time he started to take an interest in the political arena and became elected as the legal sector representative in 2012 as one of the thirty Functional Constituency members of the Legislative body in Hong Kong. In 2006 he became a christian and began to understand for himself the impact of Christ’s ministry to the poor and disempowered members of society and began to take a personal interest in issues in Hong Kong where systemic injustice was a significant factor and where his role as a legislator enabled him to be a voice for the voiceless. One particular area of interest is refugees and asylum seekers where he sees that gov-ernment policy has pushed this group to the margins of society, disempowering them from being able to make a living and at the same time offering no hope of ever enjoying rights as citizens in Hong Kong even if they are successful in pursuing their claim for asylum. As a legal expert he is also passionate about tightening-up the laws surrounding the various forms of trafficking in persons where people become trapped in situations of near slavery. He is currently working to have the devastatingly traumatic effect which these offences have on their unfortunate victims recognised by increasing public awareness and by campaigning to have its seriousness registered as a criminal offence not merely a violation of civil law. He is also concerned for the educational rights of children who have special education needs (SEN) keeping a watchful eye on cases where citizens are experiencing difficulty in obtaining appropriate help for their children.
While you don't have to be a legislator in order to advocate for the needs of others it certainly helps to have someone who is engaged enough to be able to know how to be most effective. But working is this area is certainly not glamorous and can become a bruising experience. Dennis recalled some of the condemnation and vitriol he has received from members of the public (and some of his friends) - just for being a voice for the voiceless. Justice work of this type certainly takes you right into enemy territory. When God acted to bring a solution to the darkness that had crept in the hearts of humanity and violated his plan for Shalom’ (peace and harmony) it was a costly solution. Jesus came to be both a bringer of justice and a bearer of injustice. As his followers we should expect to find that there is a cost to pay when we work for justice just as Dennis has found.
Tony Read is the Justice Advocate for The Vine Church in Wanchai, the host of The Justice Con-ference Asia on October 20-21 this year. We sincerely hope that you will join us in the conference this year. For more, please visit www.thejusticeconferenceasia.com. This article is based on ideas and information gratefully gleaned from ‘Just Politics’ by Ron Sider, and ‘God in Public’ by Tom Wright and a personal interview with Dennis Kwok. Legislative Council representative for the Legal Sector. (End of the series)
