eorge Campbell Morgan was born on December 9, 1863 at No. 12 Cutwell Street in the little village of Tetbury, Gloucester. The family moved to Cardiff in South Wales just four months later.
organ's father was the Rev. George Morgan who had come to Tetbury from Herefordshire. He had been a Baptist minister. Jill Morgan describes him as a "man of his own conscience" who was not afraid to "cut denominational ties" (p. 23). He later joined the Plymouth Brethren (he was greatly influenced by George Muller) and hired a hall in Tetbury to preach according to his own conscience. George Morgan had a contempt for materialism, a love for the simple life, and was committed to the Bible which was his entire library. Morgan received a letter upon the death of his father in 1907 which described him as "no ordinary man" but one of "high principles and a willingness to make sacrifices for which if need had arisen, he would have faced stake and prison" (J. Morgan, p. 192).
organ's mother was the former Elizabeth Fawn Brittan. She was the counterpart of her husband in religious fervor and integrity. She survived her husband by four years during which Morgan cared for her (J. Morgan, p. 192).
he influence of his parents on Morgan's life was naturally very great. He inherited or learned the independent spirit of his father and throughout the years would demonstrate a commitment to his own ideas. Morgan referred to his father as "my first Bible teacher" (J. Morgan, p. 192) and due to the fact that he received his early education at home, Morgan felt the religious influence of his home longer than most. Morgan once said in a sermon:
ou cannot compel your child to an act of faith in Jesus Christ, but you can make it almost impossible for a child not to exercise that act of faith. My father and my mother could not compel me to be a Christian, but as God is my witness, I had no choice because of what they did for me and what I saw in them (J. Morgan, p. 192-93).
hatever his father's particular doctrinal leanings may have been, Morgan was reared as a Wesleyan Methodist and this association influenced him more than previous denominational ties (Pitts, p. 13). In 1876, at the age of thirteen, as Morgan himself put it, he "yielded" to God, "hardly knowing when" (Crisis of the Christ, p. 7) and "consummated his natural and undramatic conversion in the act of Christian baptism, administered by his father" who gave him a text (Proverbs 3:6, "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths") to use as a motto for his life (Katt, p. 10).
organ experienced a secluded childhood and was not allowed to have friends outside the home. The effect of this was twofold: an early maturity and a natural shyness. Jill Morgan described him as "introspective beyond his years" (p. 31). Later in his life and career many people thought Morgan to be "unapproachable" or "uncordial". Arthur Katt, in his doctoral dissertation, points out: "Morgan acknowledged this Feeling of restraint, and said his 'natural indisposition' to talk to strangers stemmed partly From the circumstances of his childhood" (p.2).
nother childhood experience that would forever leave its mark on Morgan was the death of his sister Lizzie, Four years his elder, when he was eight years old (1871). The two had been inseparable and the young boy went through an acute grieving process. One night, when he could not be found in the house, he was found lying unconscious across the grave of his dead sister. His parents later learned that he had acquired a severe case of pneumonia. He had little will to survive. His family had given up hope for his life, but when all seemed lost Morgan experienced a recovery (Katt, p. 7). The death of his sister had at least two effects on his life. One was the place which sorrow held in it. Hudson Baggett noted, !fIn his sermons and expositions he always had a tender word for those who were grief stricken" (p. 38). The other was the converse: a joy of anticipation regarding a reunion in heaven which would both comfort Morgan during Future tragic losses and find a key note in his preaching (Katt, p. 8).
eorge Campbell Morgan was born on December 9, 1863 at No. 12 Cutwell Street in the little village of Tetbury, Gloucester. The family moved to Cardiff in South Wales just four months later.
organ's father was the Rev. George Morgan who had come to Tetbury from Herefordshire. He had been a Baptist minister. Jill Morgan describes him as a "man of his own conscience" who was not afraid to "cut denominational ties" (p. 23). He later joined the Plymouth Brethren (he was greatly influenced by George Muller) and hired a hall in Tetbury to preach according to his own conscience. George Morgan had a contempt for materialism, a love for the simple life, and was committed to the Bible which was his entire library. Morgan received a letter upon the death of his father in 1907 which described him as "no ordinary man" but one of "high principles and a willingness to make sacrifices for which if need had arisen, he would have faced stake and prison" (J. Morgan, p. 192).
he influence of his parents on Morgan's life was naturally very great. He inherited or learned the independent spirit of his father and throughout the years would demonstrate a commitment to his own ideas. Morgan referred to his father as "my first Bible teacher" (J. Morgan, p. 192) and due to the fact that he received his early education at home, Morgan felt the religious influence of his home longer than most. Morgan once said in a sermon:
ou cannot compel your child to an act of faith in Jesus Christ, but you can make it almost impossible for a child not to exercise that act of faith. My father and my mother could not compel me to be a Christian, but as God is my witness, I had no choice because of what they did for me and what I saw in them (J. Morgan, p. 192-93).
hatever his father's particular doctrinal leanings may have been, Morgan was reared as a Wesleyan Methodist and this association influenced him more than previous denominational ties (Pitts, p. 13). In 1876, at the age of thirteen, as Morgan himself put it, he "yielded" to God, "hardly knowing when" (Crisis of the Christ, p. 7) and "consummated his natural and undramatic conversion in the act of Christian baptism, administered by his father" who gave him a text (Proverbs 3:6, "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths") to use as a motto for his life (Katt, p. 10).
nother childhood experience that would forever leave its mark on Morgan was the death of his sister Lizzie, Four years his elder, when he was eight years old (1871). The two had been inseparable and the young boy went through an acute grieving process. One night, when he could not be found in the house, he was found lying unconscious across the grave of his dead sister. His parents later learned that he had acquired a severe case of pneumonia. He had little will to survive. His family had given up hope for his life, but when all seemed lost Morgan experienced a recovery (Katt, p. 7). The death of his sister had at least two effects on his life. One was the place which sorrow held in it. Hudson Baggett noted, !fIn his sermons and expositions he always had a tender word for those who were grief stricken" (p. 38). The other was the converse: a joy of anticipation regarding a reunion in heaven which would both comfort Morgan during Future tragic losses and find a key note in his preaching (Katt, p. 8).