Jun
4
Written by:
Felicia Fox
6/4/2009 10:55 AM
Twenty years ago today, I was having my seventh birthday party. I don’t remember what presents I got or what type of party I had. I do remember what I was watching on TV as I ate cake. It was the “Tank Man” of the Tiananmen Square protest.
A protest against the communist Chinese government had been raging for days in Tiananmen Square. The protesters wanted a democratic China. The government replied by sending troops and tanks. A huge number of protesters were killed. No one really knows the exact number of those who lost their lives during the protest in Tiananmen Square. Some estimate as many as 2,600 (Chinese Red Cross).
In an effort to stop tanks from reaching the square an unknown man stepped in front of a long line of tanks. He stood there for a long time. He even climbed on top of a tank. He stayed there until he was forcibly moved out of the way. Twenty years later, we still don’t know who the man was.
This blog is about Christianity, God, and the Church. You may be wondering why I decided to write about Tiananmen Square today. China is still not free. In fact, the government even restricts information about the Tiananmen Square protests. They have removed mention of it from literature and have restricted access to internet sites that mention it. This blog would be illegal in China.
Christians in China are persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ. They practice their faith under the threat of prison. We are blessed to live in a country where we can be Christians without fear. Yet, it seems that we don’t take our faith seriously in America. We place everything else in front of coming to church or reading our Bibles. People in other countries are dying because they go to church or confess Jesus as their Savoir. Shame on us for not taking our faith seriously.