The G. Campbell Morgan Archive

DR. CAMPBELL MORGAN AS A TEACHER OF THE BIBLE.
BY THE REV. PROFESSOR M. RYERSON TURNBULL,
General Assembly's Training School, Richmond, Va.
composite picture of Dr. G. Campbell Morgan taken by the students of the Assembly's Training School for Lay Workers! And here is how it happened.
t was their privilege to hear him twice a day during the ten days that he was in Richmond delivering the James Sprunt Lectures to the students of the Union Theological Seminary. Dr. Morgan spoke in the Seminary Chapel each morning and in the City Auditorium in the evenings. This gave the students a splendid opportunity of coming to know the man and his methods. As a teacher of English Bible in the Training School I was exceedingly anxious for the students to get the very most from this unusual opportunity. My fear was that Dr. Morgan might come and go and our students be no better students or teachers of the Bible than before he came; that they might be so absorbed in the enjoyment of the lectures as not to take time to ask themselves, "How does he do it?" "What are the secrets of his power?" And in hopes of overcoming this danger I asked each student to hand in to me the five things that impressed her most about Dr. Morgan and his methods. This was to be done after she had taken the time to really ponder over it.
hen these papers were handed in I went over each one very carefully and made a list of each separate and distinct impression, omitting of course the duplicates, of which there were many. Then I organized all of the impressions into three natural groups. And here is the result. Let me say th.1 these are the verbatim expressions as they were handed in. In two or three instances similar impressions have been grouped into one, but even then the expressions of the students have been kept. In one, or possibly two cases the expressions have been abbreviated. But this is practically the verbatim report of the impression that Dr. Morgan made upon our students.
I. As a Student of the Bible:
1. His knowledge of the Bible as a whole, and the relation of each part to the other parts.
2. He studies a passage in its immediate and in its larger connections.
3. His power of observation. He notes and carefully studies every little detail of the narrative.
4. His imaginative power and his sympathetic spirit.

Because of his wonderful knowledge of human nature he is able to put himself in the place of his characters and imagine their sensations under all conditions.
5. His unprejudiced approach to and examination of every Scripture passage. He comes to it with an open mind.
6. Thinking out the details for himself first, before using helps. And then only using the helps to prove to himself the soundness of his own thinking.
7. "The many years of patient toil" back of his teaching.
8. His dependence on the Holy Spirit as his Teacher.

II. As a Teacher of the Bible:
1. The authority with which he spoke, due to his wonderful knowledge of the Bible.
2. His fidelity to the Scriptures:
(a) His power to present the truths as they are found in the Bible. He does not try to teach anything new; but illuminates the Bible just as it is found.
(b) He confines himself wholly to the passage with which he is dealing. He does not go abroad for information.

3. The soberness with which he studies the Bible; not over-emphasizing any one thing; not going off on a tangent.
4. His dramatic powers. He lives with the Bible characters whom he has under consideration, and back to Bible times and see everything as it appeared to the people of that time.
5. He magnified Christ.
6. Simplicity in outline and speech.
7. Logical presentation; main outline given before details are mentioned; outline kept before mind of the audience.
8. He continually repeats the study of any particular line of thought.
9. His very pointed illustrations; few but apt
10. He studies his audiences and makes his messages personal and practical.
11. He leaves plenty of room for thought.
12. Expectancy—he keeps you wondering, "what next ?" thus gripping and holding the attention until the end.
13. His mastery of the English language; his use of humor and striking expressions.
14. He gave to the hearers each time they heard him a more earnest desire to search the Scriptures for themselves.

III. The Spirit of the Man as a Student and as a Teacher of the Bible.
1. His eagerness to know what the Bible teaches.
2. His deep earnestness. Complete devotion to his work, giving his whole self to it.
3. His humility. Gave the glory to God.
4. His surrender and obedience to the light that he sees. He knows its power in his own life. Sincerity—his words ring true, speaks from experence of the truth.
5. The boldness with which he spoke. He was not afraid to state anything because of the crowd or public opinion.
6. Thoroughly human, as shown in his sympathy, humility and compassion. His big heart.
7. His great passion for sinning men.
hinking that Dr. Morgan might be interested in this composite picture, and being anxious to know whether he would recognize himself, I took the liberty of sending him a copy of the above. Here is his reply. His humility is just as much in evidence in his letter as it was in his lectures:
ROCHESTER, K Y., November 30, 1919.
PROF. M. RYERSON TURNBULL,
Union Theological Seminary,
Richmond, Va.
My Dear Mr. Turnbull:
I received your kind and most interesting letter, under date November 24th, in due course. I think you will gather how very interested I am in the paper which you have been so good as to send me.
I am thankful for the impressions made up your students. I do not flatter myself that they are all accurate; but I am quite free to say that they do describe a method which I should desire to be my own, and a man such as I should wish to be.
With all kindest regards, I am Very sincerely yours,
(Signed) G. CAMPBELL MORGAN.