1967 - Pastor Tian

1967

Zibo, Shandong

On a trip to China in 2001, the author had the privilege of meeting a house church Christian from Shandong Province whose father, Pastor Tian, had been gloriously martyred for Christ during the Cultural Revolution. As he told the story of his father’s experiences, tears rolled down his cheeks. Here we present Pastor Tian’s story in the words of his son….

“In 1967, in the coalmining city of Zibo in northern Shandong, my father was arrested for being a preacher of the gospel. The Red Guards beat him almost to death. He was covered in blood and many of his bones were broken. The tortures they gave him were indescribable. My skin stands up even today when I think back to that day. The guards forced me and my son (his grandson) to witness the torture.

After the beatings my dad’s barely-alive body was placed on a trolley with wheels. My son and I were required to push my father around the city streets so that the people could see the terrible fate that would come upon all those who preach the gospel. The mobs hurled insults and missiles at us as we struggled to protect our beloved father’s body from the taunts and fury of the crowds. My dad, who had served the Lord for many years, was labelled a ‘counter revolutionary’, and an ‘enemy of the state’. But I knew that nobody loved China more than my father. He had wept in prayer many times for the salvation of the Mother Land.

The guards forced us to enter a cemetery, where they had erected a platform for a mock trial. Hundreds of people gathered to watch. They propped my dad up and told him he had one last chance to be forgiven of his crimes. If he would only renounce Christianity and his belief in Christ, he would be set free. If not, the guards threatened, he would regret his decision. “We offer you this precious chance for life. Choose wisely,” they snarled.

Waiting for the crowd to fall silent, my father began to speak in a clear, loud voice. This was a miracle in itself because he was in such terrible shape after the beatings he had endured. To the crowd of shocked onlookers and Red Guards, he boldly declared, ‘You can cut my head off, and you can spill my blood, but I will NEVER forsake Jesus Christ! He has been faithful to me and has blessed me for many years, and nothing you do can ever make me renounce my loving friend and Saviour.’

As soon as these words had come out of his mouth, a mob of enraged guards leapt onto the stage, thrashing him with their fists and boots. They flung his body off the stage and continued to beat him as he lay in the mud. Many people in the crowd wept loudly but they could do nothing to stop the carnage. My father was beaten to death in front of my own eyes. His faith and courage left a deep impression on my life. I decided to be fully committed to the Lord for the rest of my life. Many other Christians in the crowd were also strengthened by my father’s example.

Because of the example of my father, who was willing to endure to the very end, great fruit has resulted. I, his son, still follow Christ, as does my own son, and my grandson. Three generations have followed the Lord, and we hope many more generations to come will do so as well!”[1]

1. Personal interview with Pastor Tian’s son, China, September 2001; also published in Paul Hattaway, China’s Unreached Cities: Volume Two (Chiang Mai, Thailand: Asia Harvest, 2003), 52-53; and The Commission (June 2002), 29.