September 9th
Millionaire Borden of Yale Gave All for Christ
William Whiting Borden was a millionaire at 21 and ordained
at twenty five on this day, September 9, 1912. Many young men have
been ordained; few began as rich Borden or used their wealth as generously for
the sake of Christ.
It was Borden's wealth which showed him the need for
Evangelization of the world. Few sixteen year olds can afford a world tour.
Borden could. It was while making this tour that he woke to the desperate need
of the world's people for the gospel. He determined to carry the message to the
most difficult clientele he could imagine, Chinese Muslims.
Spiritually precocious, Borden was a director of Moody Bible
Institute, National Bible Institute, and the China Inland Mission in his early
twenties. Among the leaders of the Christian world movement who influenced him
were Samuel Zwemer, Apostle to Islam, and John R. Mott of Student Evangelism
Movement fame.
He trained at Yale University (accordingly, he is often called Borden of
Yale) and at Princeton . Many do not avail
themselves of the opportunities that are at hand. Borden, however, did not wait
to reach China
to begin his missionary work. He funded the Yale Hope Mission while still
training. It was while he was at Princeton
that he was ordained.
In 1912 Borden offered himself for the China Inland Mission.
Upon his acceptance, he sailed for Cairo , Egypt , proposing to study Arabic in North Africa
before going on to his work among China 's Muslims. But in Egypt he
contracted cerebrospinal meningitis and died in 1913. He was only 26.
This loss of a rich young ruler who had given up all for
Christ galvanized many Christians into action. Mrs. Howard Taylor wrote a
biography of him which inspired a multitude of recruits for mission service.
Even his wealth effectively advanced his purposes after he was gone, for in his
will he left almost a million dollars to Christian causes.
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