CT Studd - From Cricket to Christ

Charles Thomas Studd was one of three cricketing brothers: Charles (known as C.T.); Kynaston; and George. C.T. was captain of Eton College and Cambridge, and played for England.

His father, Edward, was converted to Christ through the ministry and witness of D.L. Moody. Edward Studd invited an evangelist by the name of Mr Weatherby to the family home one weekend. This led to the conversion of Kynaston, C.T. and George, although they kept their new found faith in Christ secret from each other to begin with.

C.T. recalled, “Instead of going and telling others of the love of Christ, I was selfish and kept the knowledge to myself. The result was that gradually my love began to grow cold, and the love of the world began to come in. I spent six years in that unhappy backslidden state.”

Cricket filled his life. By 1882 he was deemed the best all-round cricketer England had ever produced.

It was news of the severe illness of his brother, George, which caused C.T. to re-evaluate the priorities of his life. “What is all the popularity in the world worth compared to George?” he wondered, as he sat at his sick brother’s bedside. “What is all the fame and flattery worth? What is it worth to possess all the riches in the world, when a man comes to face Eternity?”

His love for Christ was reawakened in him. Another D.L. Moody mission in England cemented his desire to surrender completely every aspect of his life to the service of the Lord Jesus until his dying breath. Soon after, C.T. was for the mission field with the China Inland Mission.

Along with Stanley Smith, the stroke oar of the Cambridge eight rowing team, Sir Montagu Beauchamp and others, the Cambridge Seven was formed. They were the most prominent group of young men to leave England for the mission field at that time. Before travelling to China, the Seven held many crowded meetings throughout Britain, which started a revival in the universities up and down the country.

C.T. spent ten years in China. As well as helping many people who suffered from opioid addiction, C.T. and his wife Priscilla raised a family of four girls there. But in 1894, C.T. was invalided back home.

It wasn’t the end of his service for the Lord Jesus though. C.T. made an evangelistic tour of colleges in America in 1896. Then came the call to India in 1900. The Studds spent six years in India, at Union Church in Ootacamund. It had a wonderful reputation as “The place to be avoided unless a man means to get converted.” What gospel centred church wouldn’t want a reputation like that?!

It was during a trip to Liverpool in 1908 that C.T. was captivated by a sign outside a meeting hall which read, ‘Cannibals want missionaries’. Intrigued, he entered the hall to hear a message that would change the remainder of his life. A fearless explorer called Dr Karl Kumm, was giving a vivid report  of his travels across the continent of Africa. Dr Kumm explained that many tribes were being exploited by game hunters, slave traders, European officials and scientists. But sadly, no Christian had set foot there to share the gospel of Christ with the locals.

“Why have no Christians gone?” C.T. wondered. It was shameful in his opinion that Christians seemed scared to go. Despite his frailties, C.T. would not be deterred to step up to the mark for his Master.

Towards the end of 1910, C.T. went on an exploratory trip to the Southern Sudan. The first night on board the ship, he wrote to his wife, Priscilla, declaring that the Lord set his heart ablaze not just for the Sudan, but “For the whole evangelised world! God speaks to me of a New Crusade…It burns in my brain and heart. It must be.”

When he returned to England, C.T. challenged every Christian he met with the needs of the unevangelised world. He wrote stirring appeals, such as The Chocolate Soldier in 1912: “Every true Christian is a soldier of Christ – a hero par excellence!” he wrote. “Braver than the bravest – scorning soft seductions of peace and her oft-repeated warnings against hardship, disease, danger, and death, whom he counts among his bosom friends. THE OTHERWISE CHRISTIAN IS A CHOCOLATE SOLDIER! Dissolving in water and melting at the smell of fire. ‘Sweeties’ they are! Bonbons, lollipops! Living their lives on a glass dish or in a cardboard box, each clad in his soft clothing, a little frilled white paper to preserve his dear little delicate constitution.”

In 1913 C.T. outlined his principles of this New Crusade in his book called Christ’s Etceteras. There were three undeniable facts in his exhortation to the body of Christ: “1. The evangelization of the whole world has not been accomplished; 2. It ought to be done; and 3. It can be done…there can be No Excuse for further delay. We have talked loud and long enough about making Jesus King. Now, then, let us DO IT”. 

Always one to lead by example, C.T. began his work in the Belgian Congo in 1914. He was accompanied by Alfred Buxton who had dropped out of medical college to engage in the African mission with C.T.. The mission was called, The Heart of Africa Mission. Later it became known as the Worldwide Evangelisation Crusade.

Priscilla Studd took charge of the mission from their home in London. The Studd’s carried on the work between them until Priscilla’s death in 1928, when she was visiting in Spain. C.T. only survived her by three years. He died in 1931. At that time, the New Crusade had established twelve mission centres, thirty five workers and thousands of African Christians.

Alfred Buxton described C.T. Studd as a ‘Calvary leader’, who had led many charges for the gospel of Christ in Africa. His resolve to push beyond the fringe of expectations earned C.T. Studd a place among the missionary giants of Church history. For Alfred Buxton, the life of C.T. Studd stood as, “A sign to all the succeeding generations that it is worthwhile to lose all this world can offer and stake everything on the world to come. His life will be an eternal rebuke to easy-going Christianity. He has demonstrated what it means to follow Christ without counting the cost and without looking back.”

What motivated C.T. Studd was the unshakable belief that, “If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for him.” This became W.E.C.’s motto.

The name of the mission changed in 1982 to “W.E.C. International”, which stands for Worldwide Evangelization for Christ. Today, W.E.C. International has over 1900 workers serving in 90 countries around the world.

“Whatever you’ve got use it for God,” wrote C.T.,  “and don’t wait for what you’ve not got! If you’ve only a donkey’s jawbone, bray for all you’re worth! A braying ass has been known to talk more sense than a prophet!”