The Liddell Family of Missionaries

Eric Liddell gave up a life of athletic prestige to serve the Lord as a missionary, joining others in his family who had committed their lives to advancing the gospel. On this episode of 5 Minutes in Church History, Dr. Stephen Nichols introduces the Liddells.

Welcome back to another episode of 5 Minutes in Church History. On this episode, we are talking about Eric Liddell and the missionary family that he came from and that he had. We, of course, know him from his feat in the Paris Olympics of 1924, where he won the gold medal in the 400-meter race. Not only did he win the gold medal, but he also set an Olympic record; and also, it was not the event that was indeed his specialty. His specialty was the 100-meter; but we all know the story. The early heats for that race were on a Sunday, the Sabbath, and his Scottish sensibilities kept him from running on the Sabbath. So, he switched events, ran in the 400, and ran right into fame with winning the gold medal.

Well, it was a year later, 1925, that he went to China as a missionary. When he went to China, he was actually going back to China. He was born there in 1902. He was the son of missionaries. His father was James Dunlop Liddell, and he married Mary Reddin on October 23, 1899. He was a medical doctor. She was a nurse. They were both serving as missionaries, and they got married, and within months of their marriage, the Boxer Rebellion broke out in China. This was a rebellion against foreign influence and foreign presence, and it definitely took aim at missionaries. Here they are, newlyweds, and having to deal with the Boxer Rebellion. And during the Boxer Rebellion, they have their first child, Eric's older brother, Robert Liddell. Then in 1902, as we mentioned, Eric was born. There were two more born to that family. They were Eric's sisters. One was Jenny. If you've seen the movie, she plays a role in the movie.

Well, he was sent off to boarding school. Then he went to the University of Edinburgh. Then, as we mentioned, there's the Paris Olympics, and then he is back in China. He did what was basically a medical degree at the University of Edinburgh. So, his missionary work involved serving as a doctor. It involved, of course, teaching, and of course he's going to be an athletic director and spend plenty of time teaching these young charges of his how to run and being involved in foot races.

Well, on March 27, 1934, Eric Liddell married. He married Florence Jean Mackenzie. She was the daughter of Canadian-born missionaries, and she herself was a missionary in China, and like his mother, she was also a nurse. They were married and served in Tiangen, China. In 1935, they had their first daughter, Patricia. In 1937, they had another daughter, Heather. And then in 1941, right in World War II, Japan invaded China.

Well, Eric Liddell decided that he would stay there in China, that his gifts would be of use, and so he stayed. He sent his wife and their two daughters, and at the time his wife was pregnant. He took them to the dock, he put them on a boat, and he sent them back, and she went back to her family in Canada. His third daughter, Nancy, was born later in 1941, and Eric never saw her. He was sent into an internment camp, and while he was there, he used his gifts to care for his fellow prisoners of war. He also recognized that the conditions were important in this camp, and so he would get up early before anyone else would get up, and he would clean out the bathrooms and the latrines so that he could keep the camp as clean as he possibly could, because he knew how important that would be for the health of those he was in the camp with.

He has gone a long way from standing at the top of that pedestal in Paris, with all of the world watching and the flash bulbs popping, as he has his quiet service there in China. Well, he recognized that something wasn't quite right, and it turned out to be a brain tumor, and his health deteriorated. Eventually, Eric Liddell died February 21st, 1945. Well, just before he died, they gathered outside his window, and they sang “Be Still My Soul.” Well, that is Eric Liddell, and the Liddell family of missionaries. I'm Steve Nichols, and thanks for joining us for 5 Minutes in Church History.