Religion Bulletin: Inspiration for ‘Chariots of Fire’ makes evangelical debut
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RELIGIOUS EVENTS IN HISTORY
On April 6, 1932, Olympic athlete and subject of the 1981 Oscar-winning film “Chariots of Fire,” Eric Liddell makes his evangelical debut by speaking to a group of men in Armdale, Scotland, on behalf of the Glasgow Students’ Evangelistic Union. Liddell, a devout Christian, became famous at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris for not only setting world records, but also for refusing to participate in any events held on a Sunday. Hoping to capitalize on Liddell’s notoriety, the GSEU hoped he would draw large crowds to hear the Gospel. Liddell later returned to China, where he was born and previously had done missionary work, to promote Christian values to wealthy Chinese students. In 1943 Liddell was interned at the Weihsien Internment Camp by the Japanese where he became a leader and minister.