|
Charles Thomas Studd, often known as C. T. Studd (2 December 1860– 16 July 1931, in Ibambi, Belgian Congo), was a British cricketer and missionary. In 1888, he married Priscilla Stewart, and their marriage produced four daughters, and two sons (who died in infancy). As a cricketer he played for England in the 1882 match won by Australia which was the origins of The Ashes. As a British Protestant Christian missionary to China he was part of the Cambridge Seven, and later was responsible for setting up the Heart of Africa Mission which became the Worldwide Evangelisation Crusade (now WEC International). A poem he wrote, "Only One Life, 'Twill Soon Be Past", has become famous to many who are unaware of its author. ==Faith== Born 2 December 1860, Spratton, Northamptonshire, England, Studd's wealthy father Edward Studd became a Christian during a Moody and Sankey campaign in England, and a visiting preacher to the Studd household converted C.T. and his three brothers to the faith while they were students at Eton. According to his conversion narrative, the preacher asked him if he believed God's promises, and as Charles' answer was not convincing enough, the guest pressed the point. Charles later recalled the moment: :"I got down on my knees and I did say 'thank you' to God. And right then and there joy and peace came into my soul. I knew then what it was to be 'born again,' and the Bible which had been so dry to me before, became everything." Studd continued from Eton to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated in 1883. In 1884 after his brother George was taken seriously ill Charles was confronted by the question, "What is all the fame and flattery worth ... when a man comes to face eternity?" He had to admit that since his conversion six years earlier he had been in "an unhappy backslidden state". As a result of the experience he said, "I know that cricket would not last, and honour would not last, and nothing in this world would last, but it was worthwhile living for the world to come." Studd emphasised the life of faith, believing that God would provide for a Christian's needs. His father died while he was in China, and he gave away his inheritance of £29,000, specifying £5,000 to be used for the Moody Bible Institute, £5,000 for George Müller mission work and his orphans, £5,000 for George Holland's work with England's poor in Whitechapel, and £5,000 to Commissioner Booth Tucker for the Salvation Army in India. Studd believed that God's purposes could be confirmed through providential coincidences, such as a sum of money being donated spontaneously at just the right moment. He encouraged Christians to take risks in planning missionary ventures, trusting in God to provide. His spirituality was intense, and he mostly read only the Bible. Another work that influenced him was The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life. Although he believed that God sometimes healed physical illnesses through prayer and the anointing of oil, he also accepted that some ailments were chronic, and in his last years he regularly took morphine, causing some controversy. Studd also believed in plain speaking and muscular Christianity, and his call for Christians to embrace a "Don't Care a Damn" (DCD) attitude to worldly things caused some scandal. He believed that missionary work was urgent, and that those who were unevangelised would be condemned to hell. Studd wrote several books, including ''The Chocolate Soldier, or, Heroism: The Lost Chord of Christianity'' (1912)〔(Worldmissionbooks.com ''The Chocolate Soldier'' )〕 and ''Christ's Etceteras'' (1915).〔(Worldmissionbooks.com ''Christ's Etceteras'' )〕 Studd continues to be best remembered by many for the poem, "Only One Life, 'Twill Soon Be Past". Its memorable verse states: ::Only one life 'twill soon be past. ::Only what's done for Christ will last. This poem inspired the song "Only One Life" written by Lanny Wolfe in 1973. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Charles Studd」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|