Among the protesters in Hong Kong, many, such as Terence Lai, are prompted by their religious faith to take part in the demonstrations.
The 46-year-old community worker for the Hong Kong Christian Institute, a nongovernment organization, usually spends his time with low-income scavengers known as “cardboard grannies” — elderly female recyclers who sometimes run afoul of local sanitation laws.
Since June, however, Lai has worked to defuse tensions between protesters and police as Hong Kong’s pro-democracy demonstrations have become increasingly violent, at times meeting with harsh crackdowns by police.
Christians, like others in Hong Kong, are divided in their politics. But Christians in the pro-democracy movement say they hope to be a voice for peaceful change....