Podcast Episode 2
Eric Liddell
with Professor Brian Stanley & host Nick Walters
Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple
52+ Episodes a Year.
100% Listener Supported.
We are committed to bringing you fresh historical insights every single Monday, completely ad-free. This work is only possible through the generosity of our listeners. If our weekly episodes have enriched your faith or your understanding of history, consider a gift to help us keep this mission moving forward.
This episode of This Week in Christian History features a conversation with Nick Walters, founder and director of the Center for Christian History at Mississippi College, followed by a Deep Dive focused on the life and death of Olympic champion and missionary Eric Liddell. The featured subject-matter expert for this episode is Professor Brian Stanley of the University of Edinburgh, one of the world’s most respected historians of global Christianity and Christian missions. His long scholarly career and extensive research into the history of world Christianity provide the background and context necessary to appreciate the significance of Liddell’s life, witness, and lasting legacy.
Each week, This Week in Christian History highlights the people, movements, and events that have shaped Christianity across more than two thousand years. The goal is not simply to recount interesting moments from the past but to help listeners understand how Christian history informs the present. Even when the stories are separated from us by centuries, they reveal patterns of conviction, conflict, courage, and faithfulness that continue to echo into contemporary Christian life. The Deep Dive portion, anchored by expert voices such as Professor Stanley, allows listeners to step beyond dates and biographical outlines and explore the deeper historical significance of each topic. In the case of Eric Liddell, listeners are reminded that Christian history is filled with people whose commitments extended far beyond their public achievements.
This episode also includes two historical highlights from the same week in history, drawing attention to figures whose influence—positive or negative—has shaped the Christian story over the centuries. The first highlight focuses on February 19, 1414, the date on which Thomas Arundel, Archbishop of Canterbury, died. In a recent compilation by BBC History Magazine listing the ten worst Brits of the past millennium, Arundel was placed alongside infamous names such as Jack the Ripper and King John. His reputation stems from his fierce opposition to the Lollards, the group associated with John Wycliffe and the first English translation of the Bible. Arundel resisted their theological positions and used his authority to block their work. Though he viewed himself as defending orthodoxy, his legacy now stands as a reminder of the intense resistance faced by early advocates of vernacular Scripture and reform movements. His death in 1414 closed a chapter of conflict that would help set the stage for the later Protestant Reformation.
The second highlight centers on February 17, 2001, the day Richard Wurmbrand died. Wurmbrand, the founder of Voice of the Martyrs, became known worldwide for his advocacy on behalf of persecuted Christians. Long before digital media made global communication instantaneous, radio allowed Wurmbrand and the organization he founded to reach vast audiences with news, appeals, and stories of believers who suffered for their faith. His broadcasts shaped public awareness of persecution during the twentieth century, and his influence remains visible today in the ongoing work of Voice of the Martyrs and related ministries worldwide. His legacy reflects the ways in which communication technology has shaped Christian activism and global awareness.
Together, these highlights frame the larger purpose of the podcast: to connect past and present and to help listeners see how Christian history continues to matter. By weaving together stories from medieval England, the modern missionary movement, and the global church of the twenty-first century, the episode places the Deep Dive on Eric Liddell into a broader tapestry of Christian memory. Liddell’s life stands at the intersection of athletic excellence, public witness, wartime suffering, and missionary commitment. While the conversation does not summarize the details of the interview, the presence of Professor Brian Stanley ensures that the Deep Dive is grounded in reliable scholarship and in the broader context of world Christianity, particularly the history of missions in East Asia in the early twentieth century.
Image citation for this episode:
Eric Liddell, 1924 Olympic portrait. Public domain. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eric_Liddell.jpg
