As I believe is the case for many of my fellow Christians, I am particularly fond of this movie due to its wonderful portrayal of the Scottish runner Eric Liddell. Liddell was born in China to missionary parents (another reason to show the movie to Chinese students—it has a connection with China!). He was a talented athlete, excelling in rugby and running. Most famously, as is depicted in the movie (although the event has been somewhat fictionalized), he refused to run in a particular race during the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris because it was to be held on a Sunday—in violation of Liddell’s belief that “the Sabbath” should be a day for worshipping God, not athletic activities. Consequently, Liddell participated in another race and easily won the gold medal. Then, he turned his back on athletic glory and returned to China to serve as a missionary. There, as the movie notes at the end, Liddell died, in a Japanese concentration camp, just before the war ended.
On the whole, I cannot claim to be much like Liddell. After all, he was a gifted athlete, while I lack any athletic talent at all. He was British; I am an American. He went to China as a missionary; I came to China as an English teacher. He became world-famous; I am certainly not! However, in a sense, I suppose I could say we do have something in common—both of us are among the many Westerners who have come to China over the centuries in an effort to have an impact on the people of this great nation. Liddell came to proclaim the Gospel directly as a missionary. I came to China primarily as an English teacher, but as a Christian as well it has always been my hope—within the limits placed upon me in a public university in an officially atheistic country—to help my students have a better understanding of what Christians believe, and to have a more positive view of the Christian faith. In other words, in a sense, I have been trying to engage in pre-evangelistic work Thus, in a way, I have also been seeking to serve the Lord in China as did Liddell (although on a much smaller scale!).
Finally, I just discovered today another link between Eric Liddell and me. My wife (who is Chinese) has been reading a Chinese translation of an English biography of Liddell. She showed me a photograph in the book, a picture of Eric Liddell’s parents on their wedding day in Shanghai—October 23, 1899. Exactly one hundred years later—on October 23, 1999—my wife and I were married in the U.S.!
Image of Eric Liddell from Wikipedia.org