Chan Sze Chi
Chan Sze Chi is a Hong Kong religious scholar and one of the founders of the League of Social Democrats.
Biography
Born in 1957, Chan took up Christianity as a boy following the early death of a sister. He attended Queen's College, Hong Kong and obtained his Bachelor of Divinity at the University of Aberdeen in 1985. After returning to Hong Kong in 1992, he taught in the Department of Religion and Philosophy at Hong Kong Baptist University and earned his PhD in Systematic theology from King's College London in 1997. In 2001, along with Leung Man-tao and Chan Koonchung, he co-founded the Niupeng Academy, an independent publisher of free works on philosophical and artistic topics, which also acted as a community college within the Niupeng Arts Village in To Kwa Wan.Chan is one of the founders of League of Social Democrats although he withdrew after disagreements with Wong Yuk-man. As an activist, he has published numerous research articles on LGBT and sociology, and claims to have been the first Christian theologian in Hong Kong advocating for LGBT rights. He participated in multiple public debates on Christianity in Hong Kong in the 1990s and 2000s, and in 2007 published two critiques of the religious right that led to his characterisation as "one of the most prominent intellectuals within the Christian church opposing the religious right." Chan has advocated for Christians to use the influence of the church to engage in dialogue with the government, including through confrontation. He has also participated as a lecturer in public convocations called "Raising the Bar", where academics give free lectures to the public in bars, with the goal of bringing education into normal social life and inviting the general public into the conversation on academic topics.
During a 26-year career at Hong Kong Baptist University, where he was a popular instructor, Chan often came into conflict with management over university policies, especially language requirements and cash cow General Studies courses. The university opted not to renew his contract after the 2014–15 academic year, and he left their employ in 2018. In the interim, his profile increased as a vocal supporter of students opposed to unpopular university policies, including participation in student protests, where he was the only faculty member joining in. His presence in a 2018 "Occupy HKBU" student protest led to an open letter signed by 150 other faculty members, which accused Chan of betrayal, and alleged that faculty present at the occupied Language Center were subject to harassment.