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十月三日，逾五十位来自美国的牧师、基督教领袖、信徒等，联署发表了一封名为〈给香港基督徒和香港渴望自由人士的团结声明〉（A Statement of Solidarity to Hong Kong’s Christians and to all those in Hong Kong who long for freedom）公开信。在信中，他们称对港人争取自由和民主深受感动，指会为香港和中国的基督徒祈祷，求神赐下自由并保护信徒；又表示会促请美国政府为香港人发声。

不少美国的机构和教会负责人均有参与联署，包括对华援助协会（China Aid）的创办人傅希秋牧师、美国敞开的门（Open Doors USA）负责人Ellen Grigsby、北美圣公会（Anglican Church in North America）总主教Dr. Foley Beach、美南浸信会（Southern Baptist Convention）牧师Rebecca Reynolds等；民运人士、六四学运领袖周锋锁亦有参与是次联署。

信中提及美国的信徒愿意支援香港的信徒，「当你们受压迫和迫害，我们会与你们站在一起，也会竭尽所能支持你们的自由」。他们称会以祷告记念那些追求自由的港人和中国人，包括赞成民主的异见人士、法轮功、维吾尔族人、西藏人。他们求主不让人因捍卫宗教自由和基督教而受压迫，并会力劝美国政府以强硬立场为香港人发声。

对于近日香港的反修例事件，他们在信中直言，担心共产党妨碍本港的自由，并以引渡条例打压宗教。同时，他们因港人在抗争中的一些行为深受感动，如面对警察攻击时唱Sing Hallelujah to the Lord、痛悔的向受影响的旅客道歉、示威时让车和行人经过，他们认为这些行为都是向世界作见证。

此外，香港人为纪念美国九一一事件而暂停在港示威活动，令他们感受到圣经所说的：「与喜乐的人要同乐；与哀哭的人要同哭。」（罗十二15）

本报翻译的公开信全文如下：

〈给香港基督徒和香港渴望自由人士的团结声明〉

来自美国的弟兄姊妹
二〇一九年十月三日

数月至今，我们，及你们的支持者与社会各界人士，也看见你们为了支持自由和公义站到香港的街头。

当你们寻求方法，防止中国共产党领袖透过控制香港人来摧毁香港脆弱的半独立状态，我们记念你们和祷告。我们尤其担心，中国共产党要求引渡香港巿民和外国人到中国大陆，知悉共产政权无疑会用这个方法来打压基督徒和其他宗教信徒。

当我们听到你们在面对警察和中国特工的妖魔化攻击时，仍唱Sing Hallelujah to the Lord，我们深深被感动，并提醒我们在基督中是同一个身体。你们向世界展示了对自由的渴望，因造物主把自由放在人类的灵魂中。主亦把一首简单的赞美诗放在其中，加上你们所相信的，正是美国文化中最好的部份——民主、热爱自由、国歌和我们的美国国旗。

我们对你们不断的深思熟虑、尊重港人和来港的旅客感对钦佩，例如你们在争取自由时，向受影响的旅客道歉表现出痛悔。尽管街上有成千上万的示威者，你们也会尽力地让车和行人走动。你们受苦时所拥有的自尊和高尚品德，向世界作出见证，亦与西方国家视自由为理作当然，成了鲜明的对比。

我们亦深受感动，是因你们对美国的尊重，你们停止示威而与我们一起纪念九一一事件。我们感谢你们的行动，如经文所说：「与喜乐的人要同乐；与哀哭的人要同哭。」

如今，我们要付出祷告、支持、团结和拥护。我们祈祷，并坚决勇敢地发言以拥护中国的基督徒和所有在中国的人，包括赞成民主的异见人士、法轮功、维吾尔族人、西藏人，他们都在共产政权下被压迫、迫害和关押；我们亦会对在香港的朋友和自由爱好者作同样的事，求神保护你们脆弱的自由，也求神不让捍卫宗教自由和基督教的人受损害和压迫。我们也力劝美国政府的立场更为强硬及为香港人发声，直至你们完全的自由是安全，民主得到保证。

耶稣应许那一日将要来到，「从东、从西、从南、从北将有人来，在神的国里坐席。」当那天临到，我们希望可以与香港的弟兄姊妹在神的国里坐席，当你们受压迫和迫害，我们会与你们站在一起，也会竭尽所能的支持你们的自由。

在主内，主赐完全的自由

原文如下：

A Statement of Solidarity to Hong Kong’s Christians and to all those in Hong Kong who long for freedom

By Your Christian brothers and sisters in the United States
October 3, 2019

For months now, we, your supporters from all walks of life, have watched your courageous stand for freedom and justice on the streets of Hong Kong.

You have been in our thoughts and prayers as you seek to keep the People’s Republic of China’s Communist leaders from violating Hong Kong’s fragile semi-independence with measures designed to bring the people of Hong Kong under their control. We have been particularly concerned, along with you, about the PRC’s desire to extradite Hong Kong citizens, as well as foreigners, to mainland China, knowing that this technique would certainly be used by the Communist regime against Christians and other religious believers.

When we heard you sing, “Sing Alleluia to the Lord” as Hong Kong police and Chinese agents attacked you and demonized you, our hearts were deeply touched, and we were reminded that we are one Body in Christ together. You have shown the world that the hunger for freedom springs from something in the human spirit that the Creator, God, has put there with that simple praise song, along with your love for what you believe is the best part of American culture – our democracy, our love of freedom, our National Anthem, and our American flag.

We are impressed by your continued thoughtfulness and respect for your fellow Hong Kongers and all those who travel through Hong Kong such as you have shown in your poignant signs of apology for any inconvenience caused to travelers by your own fight for freedom, and by your recent efforts to enable both autos and pedestrians to continue moving on Hong Kong’s streets in spite of the thousands and thousands of protesters lining those streets. Your dignity and nobility as you suffer for a just cause is a witness to the whole world, and is in stark contrast to those in the West who take their freedom for granted.

We were also deeply moved when, out of respect for America, you halted your protests to commemorate 9/11 with us. We thank you that, as Scripture says, you have “wept, when we are weeping, and mourn, when we are mourning.”

In turn, we pledge to you our prayers and our support, our solidarity and our advocacy. We pray and raise our voices in advocacy for Chinese Christians and for all of those in China, including pro-democracy dissidents, Falun Gong, Uyghurs, and the people of Tibet that are oppressed, persecuted, and imprisoned by the Communist regime. And we pledge to do the same for our friends and fellow freedom lovers in Hong Kong. We ask God to protect your fragile freedom and not allow this small bastion of religious liberty for Christians to be compromised and oppressed. We also urge the United States government to stand more strongly and more vocally with the people of Hong Kong until your full freedoms are safe and democracy is guaranteed.

Jesus promised that a Day is coming when “they will come from the East and the West, from the North and the South, and they will sit down in the Kingdom of God.” When that day comes, we want to be able to SIT at God’s table with our brothers and sisters from Hong Kong, knowing that we have STOOD with you in the time of oppression and persecution, and have done all that we could to support your freedom.

Yours in Him, who gives Perfect Freedom

（综合报道）