Mytyrs of the Gospel: Remembrance Day

Image of young Adolph Wagner, source: “The Lutheran Church in Papua New Guinea – The First Hundred Years“, page 81

23rd July 2025

Today is Remembrance Day. Across Papua New Guinea, we honour the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels and Allied soldiers who sacrificed during World War II. But amid the echoes of guns and battlefields, there are other heroes we must not forget—the martyrs of the Gospel, men and women who stood firm not with weapons, but with unwavering faith.

Among them were three Lutheran missionaries:

  • Stephan Lehner
  • Johann Decker
  • Adolf Wagner

They served in dangerous times on the Huon Peninsula, in places like Finschhafen, Heldsbach, Hopoi, and Lae. When war broke out, most German missionaries were interned by Allied authorities and shipped to camps in Australia. Yet Lehner, Decker, and Wagner chose to stay behind—not for political loyalty, but out of love for the people they had served for decades. They were not willing to abandon the flock, even if it cost their lives.


👣 Two with Decades Behind Them – One with His Whole Life Ahead

Both Lehner and Decker were veteran missionaries—older men who had served faithfully for over 40 years. They had little left to lose. But Adolf Wagner was different.

He was young—only in his early 30s. He could have left. He had a life ahead of him. But he chose instead to remain committed to the Cross and to the communities he loved.

Wagner was stationed at Heldsbach, near Finschhafen. When Japanese forces advanced, he retreated into the inland mountains, especially near Zageheme, where he continued to teach and preach—clandestinely and at great personal risk.


🩸 Why He Was Killed

In September 1943, Adolf Wagner confronted Japanese soldiers who were pillaging villages and conscripting villagers as carriers. He pleaded with them to treat the locals humanely.

For that act of defiance and compassion, he was arrested.

Over the next two months, Wagner was forced to accompany Japanese troops, translating and interpreting as they moved. In December 1943, he was taken along a jungle path and, for reasons never officially recorded, was executed by his captors.

His young companion, Gahazia, escaped and later testified to what happened.


✝️ He Died Not for a Flag, But for Faith

Wagner didn’t die for Germany.
He wasn’t a soldier.
He didn’t carry a weapon.

He died because he stood up for justice, because he would not abandon his people, because he remained faithful even unto death.


🕯️ Let His Story Inspire Us Today

As Lutherans in Papua New Guinea today, we no longer face gunfire or foreign occupation—but we are still called to stand for truth in a world filled with injustice, corruption, and silent compromise. The battles we fight now are not with bullets, but with bold witness, integrity, and courage. We are called to speak against broken systems, to defend the vulnerable, and to remain faithful—even when it costs us.

Like Wagner, we may feel alone. But like Wagner, we are never truly alone when we stand with Christ.

Let his life remind us:

🕊️ To stand firm in faith, even when no one else will.
🕊️ To serve with courage, not comfort.
🕊️ To live for the Kingdom, not for applause.

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.”
1 Corinthians 16:13–14 (NIV)

We remember. We give thanks. We press on.

As we mark Remembrance Day, let us honour not only the soldiers who fought in war, but also the martyrs of peace—those like Adolf Wagner, who laid down their lives in the service of Christ and the people of Papua New Guinea. Their courage reminds us that faithfulness often looks like quiet resistance, compassionate action, and unwavering love. In remembering them, we are called to live with the same boldness in our own generation.


📚 References
  1. Lehner, Stephan
    Biographical entry on German Wikipedia
    https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephan_Lehner
  2. Decker, Johann
    Photographic records, Australian War Memorial (AWM)
    https://www.awm.gov.au/collection
  3. Wagner, AdolfLutheran Church of Australia (LCA)
    – “Murdered in New Guinea.”
    https://www.lca.org.au/blog/2014/03/10/murdered-in-new-guinea/
  4. Wagner, AdolfEMTV News (PNG)
    – “The Adolph Wagner Story.”
    https://emtv.com.pg/the-adolph-wagner-story/
  5. Winter, Christine
    Disloyalty at Sword-point: An Ongoing Conversation about Wartime New Guinea, 1939–1945.
    – University of Queensland, 2015.
    Download PDF
  6. Wagner, Adolf (ed. Thilde Wagner, 1964)
    Es kommt die Nacht… aus dem Tagebuch meines Mannes Missionar Adolf Wagner, Neuguinea, 1942–43
    – Freimund-Verlag, Neuendettelsau.
    WorldCat Record

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