December 9, 1863 • Bible-Teacher G. Campbell Morgan

eorge Campbell Morgan demonstrated that God can raise up a great Bible teacher from a man with little formal Bible training. Born on this day, December 9, 1863 in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, England, George Campbell Morgan admired his godly father. "While my father could not compel me to be a Christian, I had no choice because of what he did for me and what I saw in him."

Sickly as a child, he was unable to attend school and had to be tutored at home. The result was a solid grounding in scholarship which he took with him all his life.

Impressed by Dwight L. Moody's evangelistic outreach in England, Morgan began to preach himself; he was just thirteen. At fifteen, he filled a number of country pulpits. But then at the age of 19, his mind became ensnared by materialistic theories.

He read philosophy and the more he read, the more troubled he became. He left his Bible shut for two years in what he called the "eclipse" of his faith. Finally, when he was 21, he had had enough doubt. He locked his philosophical books in a cupboard, bought himself a new Bible and read it through.

The philosophy books stayed under lock and key for seven years while he studied the Bible and taught school. Then, without formal seminary training, he became a Congregational minister. The Congregationalists wanted a stronger presence in London where Westminster Congregational Church was in decline. They asked Morgan to pastor it. Through his superb teaching, masterful fundraising and active social programs, the congregation returned to a flourishing condition.

Because he was able to explain the scriptures clearly, G. Campbell Morgan was widely sought as a speaker. He showed his listeners God's purpose and man's significance. "Man is created that God may have a medium through which He can manifest the things in His own mind. Man is fashioned in His likeness, in His image, that those who cannot see the essential and eternal Spirit may yet see the things of the essential and eternal Spirit in man."

Morgan's method was to pray, usually briefly, and then study the Scripture itself--taking it in its full context--before turning to commentaries. This gave his work a freshness that many others lacked. His sixty books and eleven pamphlets sold well, especially The Crises of the Christ. Although he died in 1945, many of his writings are still in print.

Bibliography:

1. Demaray, Donald E. Pulpit Giants; what made them great. Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press, 1973.
2. "George Campbell Morgan." The Christian Hall of Fame. http://www.cantonbaptist.org/halloffame/morgan.htm
3. "George Campbell Morgan." The Church in Cleveland. http://www.clevelandonline.org/English/ biographies/morgan/gcm1lvprt.htm
4. McGraw, James. The Evangelical Preachers of Yesteryear. Nashville: Abingdon, 1966

Last updated July, 2007