China: We Will “Never Kneel Down!”
. . . Except On the Necks of Martyrs
Today’s post is adapted from this episode of China Compass podcast from May 10, 2025.
China’s Foreign Ministry recently released a short video proudly pronouncing that they will “Never Kneel Down” to the “bully” Trump and his current tariff policies.
(Update: it seems the Commies did “kneel down” in some way during the recent trade negotiations in mid-May, but that is beside the point that I want to make here.)
China’s pride and hubris reminded me of another situation involving the Communists where someone was forced to kneel down before bullies, in this case “red”, murderous ones.
In 1934, bands of Communist rebels were roaming the Chinese countryside, looting, raping, kidnapping, and murdering their enemies. One such group entered the small city of Miaoshou in east-central China’s Anhui Province, where a young missionary family, the Stams, had been serving for a few years.
The Stams were captured and ordered into a home turned temporary barracks, where they spent the night in fear for their lives. That’s where our story picks up. . .
From Asia Harvest:
The next morning they were paraded through the town, with the whole population rallied to come out and witness the execution of the “foreign devils.” The Communists cursed and ridiculed them as they were marched through the streets. The procession wound its way up a small hill, called Eagle Hill, to a line of pine trees. Miaoshou had been visited by missionaries for a number of years, so there were a small number of believers there.
The Stams were ordered to kneel in the dust.
Their biographer recounts what followed:
A huge sword was in the hands of one of the young Communists. John spoke only a few words as he knelt on one knee. Probably only his wife understood what he was saying. Without a doubt, he was reaffirming his faith in God and thanking God for this privilege of witnessing for Him, even if it meant giving up his life.
While he was talking, he was struck to the ground, his throat having been cut so completely that the head fell beside the slain body. . .
Betty trembled, but she did not cry out. Her lips uttered a prayer as she fell over the beheaded body of her beloved husband. In this position the cruel hand struck the same blood-stained knife in at the back of her neck and she fell down dead over her husband’s body.
John and Betty were one in life and one in death, and one in a martyr’s testimony for the Lord Jesus Christ.
A Chinese evangelist named Lo arrived in Miaoshou the day following the martyrdom. He wrapped the bodies in white cotton and prepared them for burial. . . The people of Miaoshou came out in large numbers to watch the funeral. He addressed the crowd in a loud voice:
“You have seen these wounded bodies, and you pity our friends for their suffering and death. But you should know that they are children of God. Their spirits are unharmed, and are at this moment in the presence of their Heavenly Father. They came to China and to Miaoshou, not for themselves but for you, to tell you about the great love of God, that you might believe in the Lord Jesus and be eternally saved. You have heard their message. Remember, it is true. Their death proves it so. Do not forget what they told you—repent, and believe the Gospel.”
This is just a snippet of their story, and what a testimony it is! They honored Christ while alive, and became vivid, living illustrations of the truth that dying is gain, and in some mysterious way “participating in Christ’s sufferings.”
Contrast that to the pride-filled, survival-of-the-fittest mentality of most modern Communist Chinese. The Gospel compels Christians to love our enemies and pour out our lives in service to the King, in whom we have eternal life.
Love of power and money compels the Communist to fight neighbors both at home and abroad, in a helpless fight to survive in a supposed evolutionary cycle.
What Happened to Baby Stam?
Lo could not discover what had happened to little Helen Stam. Nobody was sure if she’d been killed, or if the Communists had carried her off to their next destination. Lo searched around Miaoshou before finally dan old woman pointed to an abandoned house and whispered, “The foreign baby is still alive.” Lo found the Stams’ daughter wrapped up in a blanket, completely oblivious to the events of the previous day. She had been left alone for more than 24 hours, but [seemed to be doing just fine]. He found a $10 bill hidden inside the baby’s clothing, no doubt secretly placed there by her loving parents so that milk could be bought for her.
If you’d like learn more about John and Betty Stam, I took an extended look at their testimonies in a podcast late in 2024. Also, a relatively new biography was published recently by one of their descendants: By Life or by Death: The Life and Legacy of John and Betty Stam
