Research Paper on Eric Liddell

Research Paper on Eric Liddell When most people hear the name Eric Liddell, the things that come to mind would be ideas of his athletic prowess and record breaking career. Some people may even remember that it was him who refused to run in the Olympics on a Sunday in order to honor the Lord. The famous movie Chariots of Fire has done much to preserve and fantasize these events. Even fewer still will remember that Eric Liddell was a missionary for many years of his life. (“10 Famous Christian Missionaries”) On January the 16th in 1902, Rev. and Mrs. James Dunlop Liddell were given a second son whom they named Eric Henry Liddell. The Liddells were members of the London Missionary Society and were serving as missionaries in Tienstin in North China. However, Eric returned to Ethlam College with his older brother Rob from 1908 until 1920. Ethlam College was essentially a boarding school for the sons of missionaries. Their family however returned to China to continue their work as missionaries and would visit the boys during furloughs at their permanent home in Edinburgh, Scotland. In 1920, Eric followed in the footsteps of his brother Rob and attended Edinburgh University. Eric pursued a degree in Pure Science and his athletic prowess began to shine through while at the university. Eric was an excellent sprinter for the track team and ran in the one-hundred and two-hundred and twenty yard events. Eric also was a member of the school’s rugby team and even took part in several matches as a member of the Scottish National team before deciding to focus his talents on running. (Eric Liddell Centre) The most well-known event concerning the life of Eric Liddell took place during the Olympic events of 1924 held in Paris, France. Eric’s best event, as well as the one he trained for the most, was the one-hundred meter race. When the announcement that this particular race would take place on a Sunday, Liddell refused to run the race on a Sunday because he wished to honor

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