he purpose of this chapter is to place Morgan’s life, ministries and preaching within the general philosophical and theological context of his age. -- One must remember in discussing the ideological context of Morgan’s work that he was a "nomad". This word describes the length and nature of his ministries as well as the extent of the denominational and geographical boundaries of his work. Morgan worked with a number of different congregations, but only his ministries at Westminster were for five years or longer. The Westminster congregation itself was cosmopolitan and was composed of a wide cross section of English society. Even his "located" ministries were not always "located.” Morgan was always involved in itinerate work even while he was preaching for a church. In addition to his years in located ministry Morgan devoted a total of sixteen years especially to itinerate ministry. In this work, more than any other, Morgan transcended both denominational and geographical boundaries. By the end of July of 1929 Morgan had traveled over 714,000 miles, crossed the Atlantic 49 times and preached over 20,000 sermons (Wiersbe, p. 199). All in all, he crossed the Atlantic 54 times in over 60 years of preaching (Katt, p. vi). Pitts remarked that "Campbell Morgan was as much American as he was British" (p.13). And one could always find in his audiences (particularly during this itinerate work) representatives from the entire spectrum of Protestant and Catholic denominations.
hen one wishes to paint the philosophical and theological backdrop of Morgan’s preaching experiences, it is necessary to paint with large strokes. But it will prove useful to identify the world views, theological positions, and hermeneutical approaches that prevailed during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Such a project must by necessity deal in generalities and yet it can be sufficient for supplying the reader with an adequate understanding of the ideological context of Morgan’s preaching.
he purpose of this chapter is to place Morgan’s life, ministries and preaching within the general philosophical and theological context of his age. -- One must remember in discussing the ideological context of Morgan’s work that he was a "nomad". This word describes the length and nature of his ministries as well as the extent of the denominational and geographical boundaries of his work. Morgan worked with a number of different congregations, but only his ministries at Westminster were for five years or longer. The Westminster congregation itself was cosmopolitan and was composed of a wide cross section of English society. Even his "located" ministries were not always "located.” Morgan was always involved in itinerate work even while he was preaching for a church. In addition to his years in located ministry Morgan devoted a total of sixteen years especially to itinerate ministry. In this work, more than any other, Morgan transcended both denominational and geographical boundaries. By the end of July of 1929 Morgan had traveled over 714,000 miles, crossed the Atlantic 49 times and preached over 20,000 sermons (Wiersbe, p. 199). All in all, he crossed the Atlantic 54 times in over 60 years of preaching (Katt, p. vi). Pitts remarked that "Campbell Morgan was as much American as he was British" (p.13). And one could always find in his audiences (particularly during this itinerate work) representatives from the entire spectrum of Protestant and Catholic denominations.
hen one wishes to paint the philosophical and theological backdrop of Morgan’s preaching experiences, it is necessary to paint with large strokes. But it will prove useful to identify the world views, theological positions, and hermeneutical approaches that prevailed during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Such a project must by necessity deal in generalities and yet it can be sufficient for supplying the reader with an adequate understanding of the ideological context of Morgan’s preaching.