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Movie-Based Discussion Guide – Leader’s Guide

CHARIOTS OF FIRE

A real-life drama about the character, motives, and challenges of two men running for gold in the 1924 Olympics.

Chariots of Fire is a compelling tale of two athletes who run for Great Britain in the 1924 Olympics in Paris. Both seek a gold medal, but each has his own motives. Harold Abrahams is a Jew and Cambridge man who strives to overcome anti-Semitism by proving his worth. Eric Liddell is a Scottish Christian bound for China as a missionary, but he also wants to glorify God by using his God-given speed to the best of his ability.

This study guide will help you discuss some of the major themes of Chariots of Fire. How can people glorify God by using their abilities? How does God honor those who honor him? How does the movie convey the metaphor of faith as a race?

Based on:

Chariots of Fire (Warner Bros., 1981), directed by Hugh Hudson, screenplay by Colin Welland, rated PG for some mild language.

Movie Summary

Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross) is the son of a Lithuanian, born and raised in England but “semi-deprived” as a Jew in a nominally Christian land. In 1919, just after the Great War, Abrahams goes to Cambridge to study law, but he also possesses a great compulsion to run. Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson) is the son of a Christian missionary, born and raised in China but of Scottish heritage. He is in Edinburgh preparing to join the mission work in China, but God has given him great skill and notoriety as a runner.

Abrahams and Liddell train to compete for Britain in the 1924 Summer Olympiad in Paris, France. Both run for king and country, but for each there is a greater cause. Abrahams wishes to prove himself as a bona fide Englishman, to break down the barriers of prejudice and class that hinder him. Liddell believes he ought to use his God-given ability to run in God’s name and bring him glory.

Obstacles stand in the way of each man. The masters of Trinity and Caius Colleges (Sir John Gielgud and Lindsay Anderson) are chagrined that Abrahams has forsaken the way of the amateur and hired a foreign coach, Sam Mussabini (Ian Holm). They chide Abrahams for behavior unbefitting a Cambridge man. Meanwhile, Liddell is shocked to learn that the heats for the 100-meter race, in which he is to run, are scheduled for Sunday. His refusal to run on the Sabbath creates a stir within the British Olympic Committee, which questions his patriotism. In the end, Abrahams and Liddell each need to vindicate their actions the only way they can—by winning.

Rated PG

This film is entirely inoffensive apart from a few instances of mild profanity.

Discussing the Scenes

Select one or more of these themes to discuss:

Glorifying God With Your Abilities

God Honors Those Who Honor Him

Faith Is Like Running a Race

1. Glorifying God With Your Abilities

(Romans 12:1–8; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:17)

Early in the film, Eric Liddell is torn between two worlds: running and the mission in China. His sister, Jenny, thinks he ought to abandon running and focus only on the mission.

[Q] Do you agree with Jenny? Is Eric’s running an inconsequential diversion from more important work? Why or why not?

[Q] Is being a preacher or missionary more important than being a runner, a chef, an accountant, or anything else? Should all Christians abandon their secular jobs and work in full-time ministry? Why or why not?

[Q] If God made you the fastest person in the country, what would you do? Would you try for the Olympics, or do what your family wanted you to do and focus only on the mission? Why?

Scene to Watch:

Eric reveals his plans to Jenny: to join the mission in China, but to run first

(Elapsed time: 00:58:40–01:00:22)

Eric says, “I believe that God made me for a purpose—for China. But he also made me fast. And when I run, I feel his pleasure…. To give it up would be to hold him in contempt.”

[Q] Do you agree with what Eric says? Can you bring glory to God by running in a race? If so, how?

[Q] If God has given you an ability to do something, like run or play the piano, would you hold God in contempt if you did not use that gift? Why or why not?

[Q] Do Eric’s words convict you about the use of your abilities? If so, how?

Read Romans 12:1–8.

[Q] Think of the abilities God has given you. Do you think your gifts are unique, just as Eric’s gift of running was?

[Q] For what special purpose do you believe God has gifted you?

[Q] What is your daily occupation? How can you use your gifts to the glory of God in the situation he has put you into right now?

In an earlier scene, Eric’s father encourages him to use his many gifts without compromise. He says, “You can praise the Lord by peeling a spud if you peel it to perfection” (00:24:00–00:24:53).

[Q] What do you think of what Eric’s father says? Can you really praise God by doing something as mundane as peeling a potato? How?

Read 1 Corinthians 10:31 and Colossians 3:17.

[Q] Think of your daily routine, with all its typical activities. How can you glorify God by “whatever you do”?

[Q] Do you take comfort from the thought that your daily activities can glorify God? How?

2. God Honors Those Who Honor Him

(1 Samuel 2:30; Matthew 10:32–33; Luke 9:23–24; 1 Peter 1:3–9)

Before Eric Liddell runs the 400-meter race, American runner Jackson Scholz hands him a note that reads, “It says in the Old Book, ‘He that honors me, I will honor’” [from 1 Samuel 2:30] (01:53:35–01:53:55).

[Q] How had Eric Liddell honored God? How does God honor Eric?

Leader’s Note: Participants will likely reply that God honored Eric with Olympic victory, but God further honored him with a popular, award-winning film of his story, 57 years later (36 years after his death)!

Read Matthew 10:32–33. Jesus tells us that if we acknowledge him, he will acknowledge us before God (by declaring us righteous). However, to follow Jesus involves denying ourselves. Read Luke 9:23–24.

[Q] Was it easy for Eric to follow Christ and honor God, or did he have to deny himself to do so? How did he deny himself?

[Q] Were Eric’s sacrifices easy for him to make? What potential repercussions did Eric face as a result of his sacrifices?

Leader’s Note: Eric trained for the 100- and 200-meter races. His victory in the 400-meter was exceptional because it was double the length, thus more of a long-distance run than a sprint. Running the race had been a risk. To lose could have meant upsetting millions of Britons who would have failed to understand the convictions that caused him to drop out of the 100-meter, which he could have won. His reputation was on the line. Of course, the sacrifices he made to his other work while training to run may have seemed an unnecessary sacrifice had he lost.

[Q] In what ways and in what circumstances have you made sacrifices to honor God, and how have you seen God honor you in return?

[Q] What if Eric had not won a gold medal at the Olympics? Would that mean that God did not honor him? Why or why not?

[Q] Can we be certain that if we do God’s will that he will honor us in this life? Can each of us expect the sort of earthly recognition that Eric received? Why or why not?

Read 1 Peter 1:3–9.

[Q] Even if God never honors you with a gold medal, a promotion at work, or some other accolade, how does he honor every Christian?

[Q] How often do you think about being a child of God with an inheritance in heaven? How can thinking about that help you through life?

[Q] How has Eric Liddell’s example convicted you of the need to deny yourself and follow Christ in faith?

3. Faith Is Like Running a Race

(John 13:34, 14:23; 1 John 3:16; Hebrews 12:1–12; 1 Corinthians 9:24–27)

Scene to Watch:

After winning a race, Eric Liddell speaks about faith being like a race

(Elapsed time: 00:25:54–00:27:45)

[Q] How does Eric say faith is like running a race?

[Q] If faith is simply believing in what Christ has done for you, why is it hard? Why does it take “concentration of will and energy of soul”?

Read John 13:34, 14:23 and 1 John 3:16.

[Q] Is faith in Christ a one-time thing or a life-long commitment? What must you do or not do to live a life of faith—to “run the race”?

[Q] Where does the power come from to run the race? What has the Lord given us to maintain our concentration and energy, to live a life devoted to the love of Christ?

Leader’s Note: Answers include Scripture, the fellowship of believers, prayer, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus dwelling within you.

Read Hebrews 12:1–12.

Olympic runners must be very disciplined and endure strenuous exercise to become fit and remain fit. This passage says that the rigor that makes us fit for a life of faith is hardship.

[Q] Do you have hardships in your life? Do you see them simply as nuisances, or as training opportunities for spiritual fitness?

[Q] How can you endure hardship in a way that strengthens your faith? How can you regard trials as discipline from God and use them to draw closer to him?

[Q] Can you think of times of personal hardship that served to draw you closer to God? How did those times of discipline from the Lord produce a “harvest of righteousness and peace” in you?

Read 1 Corinthians 9:24–27.

[Q] What is our “prize” for persevering in faith? Is it something in this world or the next? (Or both?)

[Q] How do you “run in such a way as to get the prize”? Apart from enduring hardships, how do you train for a life of faith? What exercises or drills can you do to sharpen your faith?

Eric says, “If you commit yourself to the love of Christ, then that is how you run a straight race.”

[Q] What are some ways that you can “fix your eyes on Jesus”? How can you commit yourself to the love of Christ each day, as you go about your daily routine?

[Q] Are you running the race? Are you training to run for the prize? If not, why? What can you do to get in the race?

As the Credits Roll

[Q] As a Christian, how did Eric Liddell resemble Christ in the movie? What things did he do that displayed Christ-like character? How were his actions as much a witness as his words?

[Q] Think about the ways Abrahams and Liddell responded to their Olympic victories. How did their reactions differ? Why do you think each reacted the way he did? What relation do you think their reactions had to their motives for running?

[Q] Eric Liddell believes Sunday to be the Christian’s Sabbath—the one day per week that God ordained as a day of rest from work (the Fourth Commandment, Exodus 20:8–11). What is your view of the Sunday Sabbath? (Is Sunday the Sabbath for Christians? Or is Saturday the Sabbath, as it is for the Jews? Or is there no day of Sabbath at all for Christians?) Is it wrong for Christians to work on Sunday? How did watching this film confirm or conflict with your convictions on the matter?

[Q] What characters in the film could you relate to? What made them real-to-life? What about them appealed to you or inspired you?

[Q] What other major themes or messages did you see in the movie?

[Q] Why do you think this film has inspired and appealed to so many people, regardless of their faith, nationality, or background?

[Q] How did watching the movie encourage your faith, teach you something, or convict you in a new way?

—Study by Keith Howland[pic]

Movie-Based Discussion Guide – Participant’s Guide

CHARIOTS OF FIRE

A real-life drama about the character, motives and challenges of two men running for gold in the 1924 Olympics.

Chariots of Fire is a compelling tale of two athletes who run for Great Britain in the 1924 Olympics in Paris. Both seek a gold medal, but each has his own motives. Harold Abrahams is a Jew and Cambridge man who strives to overcome anti-Semitism by proving his worth. Eric Liddell is a Scottish Christian bound for China as a missionary, but he also wants to glorify God by using his God-given speed to the best of his ability.

This study guide will help you discuss some of the major themes of Chariots of Fire. How can people glorify God by using their abilities? How does God honor those who honor him? How does the movie convey the metaphor of faith as a race?

Based on:

Chariots of Fire (Warner Bros., 1981), directed by Hugh Hudson, screenplay by Colin Welland, rated PG for some mild language.

Movie Summary

Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross) is the son of a Lithuanian, born and raised in England but “semi-deprived” as a Jew in a nominally Christian land. In 1919, just after the Great War, Abrahams goes to Cambridge to study law, but he also possesses a great compulsion to run. Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson) is the son of a Christian missionary, born and raised in China but of Scottish heritage. He is in Edinburgh preparing to join the mission work in China, but God has given him great skill and notoriety as a runner.

Abrahams and Liddell train to compete for Britain in the 1924 Summer Olympiad in Paris, France. Both run for king and country, but for each there is a greater cause. Abrahams wishes to prove himself as a bona fide Englishman, to break down the barriers of prejudice and class that hinder him. Liddell believes he ought to use his God-given ability to run in God’s name and bring him glory.

Obstacles stand in the way of each man. The masters of Trinity and Caius Colleges (Sir John Gielgud and Lindsay Anderson) are chagrined that Abrahams has forsaken the way of the amateur and hired a foreign coach, Sam Mussabini (Ian Holm). They chide Abrahams for behavior unbefitting a Cambridge man. Meanwhile, Liddell is shocked to learn that the heats for the 100-meter race, in which he is to run, are scheduled for Sunday. His refusal to run on the Sabbath creates a stir within the British Olympic Committee, which questions his patriotism. In the end, Abrahams and Liddell each need to vindicate their actions the only way they can—by winning.

Rated PG

This film is entirely inoffensive apart from a few instances of mild profanity.

Discussing the Scenes

Select one or more of these themes to discuss:

Glorifying God With Your Abilities

God Honors Those Who Honor Him

Faith Is Like Running a Race

—Study by Keith Howland

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