Cambridge Seven
Encyclopedia
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, who in 1885, decided to become missionaries in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
; the seven were:
- Charles Thomas StuddCharles StuddCharles Thomas Studd, often known as C. T. Studd, was born 2 December 1860, Spratton, Northamptonshire, England, and died 16 July 1931, Ibambi, Belgian Congo....
- Montagu Harry Proctor Beauchamp
- Stanley P. Smith
- Arthur T. Polhill-TurnerArthur T. Polhill-TurnerArthur T. Polhill-Turner was an English missionary. He was one of the Cambridge Seven, seven young men from England that travelled to China in order to continue Hudson Taylor's missionary work there....
- Dixon Edward HosteDixon Edward HosteDixon Edward Hoste was a British Protestant Christian missionary to China and the longest lived of the Cambridge Seven and successor to James Hudson Taylor as General Director of the China Inland Mission, ....
- Cecil H. Polhill-Turner
- William Wharton CasselsWilliam Wharton CasselsWilliam Wharton Cassels was an Anglican missionary bishop.Cassells was born in Porto and educated at Repton School and St John's College, Cambridge. He was ordained in 1881. He became a curate at All Saints' South Lambeth until 1885 and then went to China as a missionary bishop...
Preparations in Britain
Having been accepted as missionaries by Hudson TaylorHudson Taylor
James Hudson Taylor , was a British Protestant Christian missionary to China, and founder of the China Inland Mission . Taylor spent 51 years in China...
of the China Inland Mission
China Inland Mission
OMF International is an interdenominational Protestant Christian missionary society, founded in Britain by Hudson Taylor on 25 June 1865.-Overview:...
the seven were scheduled to leave for China in early February 1885. Before leaving the seven held a farewell tour to spread the message across the country — it was during this tour that someone dubbed them "The Cambridge Seven."
For the next month, the seven toured the University campuses of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, holding meetings for the students.Queen Victoria was pleased to receive their booklet containing The Cambridge Seven's testimonies. The record of their departure is recorded in "The Evangelisation of the World: A Missionary Band". It became a national bestseller. Their influence extended to America where it led to the formation of Robert Wilder's Student Volunteer Movement
Student Volunteer Movement
The Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions was an organization founded in 1886 that sought to recruit college and university students in the United States for missionary service abroad. It also sought to publicize and encourage the missionary enterprise in general...
.
All seven had become born-again Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
s and were moved by their beliefs to go to China in 1885 to spread these beliefs and to help the local population; most remained in or connected to missionary work for the rest of their lives. They were greatly influenced by Taylor's book "China's Spiritual Need and Claims
China's Spiritual Need and Claims
China’s Spiritual Need and Claims is a book written by James Hudson Taylor, the founder of the China Inland Mission, in October, 1865. It is arguably the most significant work regarding Christian missions to China in the 19th century...
". After their acceptance into the China Inland Mission, the seven toured England and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, preaching and appealing to their listeners to follow their example and follow Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
. Charles Studd's brother Kynaston
Kynaston Studd
Sir John Edward Kynaston Studd, 1st Baronet OBE , known as "JEK", was a British cricketer, businessman and Lord Mayor of London.-Family:...
helped the seven in their preparations for departure.
Assessment
The conversion and example of the seven, was one of the grand gestures of 19th century missions — making them religious celebrities; as a result their story was published as "The Evangelisation of the World" and was distributed to every YMCAYMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
and YWCA
YWCA
The YWCA USA is the United States branch of a women's membership movement that strives to create opportunities for women's growth, leadership and power in order to attain a common vision—to eliminate racism and empower women. The YWCA is a non-profit organization, the first of which was founded in...
throughout the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
and the USA.
Though their time together was brief, they helped catapult the China Inland Mission
China Inland Mission
OMF International is an interdenominational Protestant Christian missionary society, founded in Britain by Hudson Taylor on 25 June 1865.-Overview:...
from obscurity to "almost embarrassing prominence," and their work helped to inspire many recruits for the CIM and other mission societies. In 1885, when the Seven first arrived in China, the CIM had 163 missionaries; this had doubled by 1890 and reached some 800 by 1900 — which represented one-third of the entire Protestant missionary force.
Work
- William Wharton CasselsWilliam Wharton CasselsWilliam Wharton Cassels was an Anglican missionary bishop.Cassells was born in Porto and educated at Repton School and St John's College, Cambridge. He was ordained in 1881. He became a curate at All Saints' South Lambeth until 1885 and then went to China as a missionary bishop...
worked in China for ten years and then returned to England in 1895 where he was consecrated as the new BishopBishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of a new dioceseDioceseA diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
in Western China. He then returned to Western China — he lived here until his death in 1925. - Stanley Peregrine Smith was sent to North China. Here he learned Chinese languageChinese languageThe Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
and soon became as fluent a preacher in Chinese as he was in English. He died in China on January 31, 1931. - Charles StuddCharles StuddCharles Thomas Studd, often known as C. T. Studd, was born 2 December 1860, Spratton, Northamptonshire, England, and died 16 July 1931, Ibambi, Belgian Congo....
, one of the famous Studd brothersStudd brothersThe famous Studd brothers, Sir John Edward Kynaston, George and Charles , were Victorian gentleman cricketers; they were educated at Eton and Cambridge. They all represented Eton in the Eton v Harrow annual needle match and represented Cambridge at cricket...
, who was before his missionary work well known as an England cricketer — having played in the famous Ashes series against Australia, was probably the best known of "The Cambridge Seven,". He was sent home because of ill health in 1894. Later he worked in India and Africa and was the founder of WECWEC InternationalWEC International is a mission agency which focuses on church planting, and emphasises the importance of shared life in a local church as a vital expression of Christian life...
. He died in 1931. - Arthur Polhill-Turner was ordained as a minister in 1888 and moved to the densely populated countryside to reach as many people as he could. He remained in China throughout the uprisings against foreigners at the turn of the century and did not leave there until 1928, when he retired and returned to England. He died in 1935.
- Cecil Polhill-Turner stayed in the same province with the others for a while before moving to the northwest, in the direction of TibetTibetTibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
. During a violent riot there he and his wife were both nearly killed in 1892. In 1900, his health failed and he was sent home to England where he was strongly advised against a return to China. Despite this ban, his heart remained there and throughout the rest of his life, he made seven prolonged missionary visits. In 1908 in Sunderland he became the leader of the Pentecostal Missionary Union and was greatly used in the formation of the Pentecostal Movement in Britain. He died in England in 1938. - In 1900 Montagu Harry Proctor Beauchamp was evacuated from China because of the uprisings but returned again to China in 1902. He then returned again to England in 1911 and served as a chaplain with the British ArmyBritish ArmyThe British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. His son became a second-generation missionary in China and in 1935 he went back to China; he died at his son's mission station in 1939. - Dixon HosteDixon Edward HosteDixon Edward Hoste was a British Protestant Christian missionary to China and the longest lived of the Cambridge Seven and successor to James Hudson Taylor as General Director of the China Inland Mission, ....
succeeded Hudson TaylorHudson TaylorJames Hudson Taylor , was a British Protestant Christian missionary to China, and founder of the China Inland Mission . Taylor spent 51 years in China...
as the Director of the China Inland MissionChina Inland MissionOMF International is an interdenominational Protestant Christian missionary society, founded in Britain by Hudson Taylor on 25 June 1865.-Overview:...
and for thirty years, he led the Mission. He retired in 1935 but remained in China until 1945, when he was interned by the JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese. He died in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, in May 1946 and was the last remaining member of "The Cambridge Seven" to die.
See also
- Historical Bibliography of the China Inland Mission
- Anglo-Chinese relationsAnglo-Chinese relationsBritish–Chinese relations , also known as Sino-British relations and Anglo-Chinese relations, refers to the interstate relations between China and the United Kingdom. Although on opposing sides of the Cold War, both countries were allies during World War II, and are members of the UN...
- OMF InternationalOMF InternationalOMF International is an interdenominational Protestant Christian missionary society, founded in Britain by Hudson Taylor on 25 June 1865.-Overview:...
External links
- The Cambridge Band and Shan-si
- Cecil Polhil
- The family of James Hudson Taylor — by Brian York
- The Polhill Family History — compiled by Rob Gaskell