Earlier this month, people in China were heartbroken by the tragic news of an 8-month-old baby boy who was killed in the course of a car theft. CNN reported on the story on March 6:
A car theft in China that spiraled into a manhunt and a baby's killing has left the country grieving and sparked outrage on social media.The body of the infant, whose name was Haobo, was found buried in the snow Wednesday. His father, Xu Jialin, said he and his wife identified their two-month-old son, according to state-run news agency Xinhua.Thousands gathered in a square Tuesday night in Changchun, the capital of Jilin Province, to mourn the baby, killed by "a thief who found the missing boy sleeping in a car he had stolen," Xinhua reported.The 48-year-old man, identified as Zhou Xijun, turned himself in to police Tuesday and confessed that he had killed the baby and buried him in the snow, Xinhua reported, citing local police.Xu, the father, had parked his car Monday in front of the supermarket he runs in Changchun and entered the store to turn on a stove, leaving his son in the back seat with the car's engine still running, according to state-run news reports.Xu returned minutes later to find his car was missing. He called police immediately.
On March 9, the Mainland website Kuanye posted an article written by an evangelist in response to the killing. The article is titled "Another Baby Slaughtered; Where is God?" It is an example of how Christians are taking to the internet to comment on (and in this case, speak out) on social issues. Most surprisingly is the author's bold condemnation of the country's One-child Policy, and the prevalence of abortion in China. This article should also be read within the context of a report released by the Chinese government this week that there have been 300 million abortions performed in China since 1971.
Translated article:
Over the last couple of days many people have been caught up with the sad news regarding a baby boy who went missing when the car he was in was stolen. After a 5-day search, police in Changchun, Jilin Province announced that the two-month-old baby boy had been found dead. That night at 8PM the mother of the dead child fainted when she was notified and was taken to the hospital. It was reported that the suspect, Zhou Xijun, turned himself in. When he discovered there was a child in the back of the car he had stolen, he drove to Gongzhuling city in Huaide township on the Yongfa village highway. There he strangled the baby and buried him in the snow.
Who killed this completely helpless baby? We all know it was the 48 year old suspect. But when this innocent baby was killed, where was Gods justice?
Every Christmas Eve, many churches use drama to retell the story the story in Matthews Gospel of the wise men who came to worship the Baby Jesus. Shortly thereafter, Jesus parents escaped to Egypt, and King Herod [the Great] killed all male babies in Bethlehem who were under two years of age. I am often asked: How can God silently tolerate the killing of all these babies?
But consider this: havent millions of children died because of abortion, war, disease, malnourishment, and all other kinds of abnormal death? Can we say that God, when he doesnt respond to these events, allows invisible evil to slaughter babies over and over again?
The evil slaughtering of babies stems from the diabolic root of greed and corruption!
Controlled by his insatiable greed, Zhou Xijun stole a car. Deprived of the least bit of compassion, when he discovered a baby in the car he cruelly strangled the baby, and in order to cover up his crime he buried him in the snow. At first he was simply greedy for more stuff, but now he is guilty of a more heinous crime. Through this awful situation God wants to show mans sinfulness and the dreadfulness of sin, especially in China where these kinds of rogues run wild, exposing their unscrupulous cruelty.
Where is God?
According to an article published by the New York Post, one month ago a young American couple was in a shop buying something when a thief stole their car with their eight-month old daughter in it. Forty minutes after reporting the case to the police, the police call center received another call saying the baby girl had been found in a Jeep. After identifying the location of the car the call was dropped. Police were immediately dispatched to rescue the girl and recover the car. The police guessed the car thief probably didnt have the heart to continue the theft, so he called the police and abandoned the car.
Has God died in China?
One day in 1972, after millions who had taken the name Christian prior to the [Communist] liberation of China had all disappeared, Jiang Qing [wife of Mao Zedong] boldly declared that Chinese Christianity could only be found in historical museums. The front page of European newspapers responded with the headline God is dead in China! Soon afterwards, more than 140,000 Europeans and Americans from all walks of life tried to come to China. Since many of them could not enter the Mainland, they went to Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan to study Chinese. Seven years later China opened her doors and most of these foreign guests and experts from all walks of life were welcomed in with no difficulty. They were the first wave that lit the fire of revival in China, and thus millions have become Christians today.
Of course, the fact that Christians in China today have emerged from being underground is thanks to the blood shed by earlier saints, and this too is a part of Gods plan. God has answered, in his own sovereign way, the question of his supposed silence between 1949 and 1979.
Why did the American thief abandon the car and spare the life of the baby while the Chinese thief did not? This is the result of mounting contradictions in Chinese society today. China has been moving so fast that most people cannot keep up. As a result, these kinds of crimes are happening more and more. The state advocates painless abortions and forced abortions have become commonplace. If their firstborn is a girl, some parents who are afraid of violating the family planning policy, will consciously strangle the baby. They act as if this is a normal occurrence. So we shouldnt be surprised that Zhou Xijun would consciously kill a baby. His thinking makes perfect sense because the Family Planning Department can legally slaughter unborn children. In a political and economic environment where abortion is a reasonable solution, he merely slaughtered a baby that had been out of the womb for more than 60 days. When we heard about the death of this baby and wept for him, we should have also wept for the millions of babies aborted every year!
Our country encourages us to criticize traditional ethics handed down to us from generation to generation: Having no male heir is the greatest of the three offenses against filial piety. [quotation from The Mengzi] Of course we can discard this, saying: A moral man doesnt drink from the Spring of Thief; an upright man doesnt accept alms. [a proverb gathered from various sources in Chinese historical literature] The situation in China today is similar to the time of the Weeping Prophet, Jeremiah, who said: The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it! (Jer. 17:6, ESV)
God is not silent.
The Bible says: Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength (Psalm 8:2, ESV). Jesus escaped the hand of King Herod to grow up to be a mature man; he healed the sick and preached the gospel; he died and rose from the dead. The glory that he manifested has answered the question of parents who have lost their children. The blood of the children rises from the ground to plead with God, and God is not silent. He answered the question of death with eternal life . All sadness will be replaced in the New Heaven and New Earth.
God has never been silent, even in China.
In June of 2012, we heard about a woman in Zhenping County who was forced to undergo a late-stage abortion. In 2010, we heard about Professor Yang Zhizhu losing his teaching position after having a second child. And now we hear of Zhou Xijun slaughtering this 8-month-old baby. These events should serve as reminders to Chinese people that we have to stand against the evil one and say No! Those who do not walk in the counsel of the wicked, do not walk in the footsteps of sinners, and do not collude with those who insult God will be counted as blessed.
Though Herod the Great, the butcher of Bethlehem babies, disappeared from history without a trace, the consequence of his infamy was passed down to his son, King Herod. On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. And the people were shouting, The voice of a god, and not of a man! Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last (Acts 12:21-23, ESV).
Evildoers are doomed to suffer consequences. King Herod could not escape, and neither can Zhou Xijun. The law and his own conscience will judge him. Likewise, no one will be able to escape the Judgment Day.
Jesus preached the Good News, saying, Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! (Matthew 4:17) Now is the time to listen to his words! He who has ears to hear, listen!
Original article: 又见屠婴，上帝在哪里？
Image credit: Policeman in Shanghai, by Fred Filliat, via Flickr
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