Benjamin Broomhall

Early Years and Friendship

Benjamin Broomhall (Chinese name Hai Banming, 海班明) was born on August 15, 1829, in Bradley, Staffordshire, England, the eldest son of his family. From his youth he was a close friend of James Hudson Taylor, who would later found the China Inland Mission, and this deep friendship later became the bond of a lifetime of shared work.

Joined by Marriage to the Mission

In 1859 Broomhall married Hudson Taylor's sister, Amelia Hudson Taylor, becoming not only Taylor's close friend but also his brother-in-law and a member of the family. The couple had 10 children and kept a devout home; 5 of the children later went to China one after another to serve as missionaries. Before devoting himself to the China Inland Mission, he served as secretary of the Anti-Slavery Society, showing early on his concern for social justice.

Directing the Mission's Affairs

In 1878 Broomhall became general secretary of the China Inland Mission, serving until 1895. He did not live in China but was based in Britain, where he was Hudson Taylor's representative and right-hand man. In this role he directed fundraising, mobilized the churches, and selected and sent missionaries to China. He also personally edited the mission's magazine, China's Millions, using the printed word to carry the call of China's vast harvest field to the English-speaking world. His book A Missionary Band, which recounted the dedication of the mission's missionary candidates, drew royal attention and helped spur the missionary enthusiasm in Britain at that time.

Fighter Against Opium

Besides promoting missions, Broomhall devoted his life to opposing the opium trade, which he regarded as a national sin. He wrote The Truth about Opium-Smoking and The Chinese Opium Smoker to expose the harm done by opium. In 1888 he founded the Christian Union for the Severance of the Connection of the British Empire with the Opium Traffic and served as its secretary, editing its journal, National Righteousness. For many years he lobbied the British Parliament, and together with James Laidlaw Maxwell he appealed to the missionary conferences in London in 1888 and in Edinburgh in 1910 to condemn the trade.

At Rest in London

On May 29, 1911, Broomhall died in London at the age of 81, and was later buried with his wife in Abney Park Cemetery. As he lay dying, his son Marshall Broomhall (Chinese name Hai Enbo, 海恩波) read to him the news from The Times: an agreement had been signed, and the opium trade would end within 2 years. The great hope against opium that he had carried all his life was dawning even as he lay on his deathbed.

Faith and Conscience

Although Broomhall never lived long in China, his persevering service in Britain upheld the foundations of the China Inland Mission's work of sending missionaries to China, and his tireless fight against the opium trade sought justice for the Chinese people, leaving a lasting witness in which faith and conscience were joined.