Henry Clay Morrison
Encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Henry Clay Morrison (b. May 30, 1842), a Methodist bishop from Tennessee.
Henry Clay Morrison (March 10, 1857 - March 24, 1942) was a Methodist evangelist, editor, and president of Asbury College.
Morrison was in Barren County, Kentucky
. His parents died when he was very young, and he was reared by his paternal grandfather. Morrison was converted at the age of 11 in a Methodist revival at the Boyd's Creek Meetinghouse near Glasgow, Kentucky
. Soon after he felt a call to the ministry. He was licensed to preach at the age of 19 and began his work as circuit rider and station pastor.
In 1890 Morrison left the pastorate and moved into evangelism. He also began editing a religious publication called The Old Methodist, which later became the widely-read Pentecostal Herald. Morrison's reputation as a Methodist evangelist grew rapidly from his home state of Kentucky to most other states and many foreign countries. The camp meeting became one of his favorite evangelistic venues, and throughout the rest of his life Morrison gave much time and effective leadership to this religious movement. William Jennings Bryan
regarded Morrison to be "the greatest pulpit orator on the American continent."
In 1910 Asbury College, a holiness school founded by John Wesley Hughes
in Wilmore, Kentucky
hired Morrison as its president. With the help of Morrison's Pentecostal Herald readers and his nationwide reputation as a holiness preacher, Morrison was able to pay off large debts owed by the college, saving it from financial ruin and increasing its reputation and student body in the process. Morrison was instrumental in founding Asbury Theological Seminary
in 1923. (The Seminary, originally part of Asbury College, became a separate institution in 1940.) After stepping down as president of Asbury University in 1925, Morrison was asked once again to assume the presidency in 1933 during another financial crisis, serving until 1940.
Morrison published 25 books, all directed toward laymen. Morrison died in the home of a pastor for whom he was conducting revival meetings in Elizabethton, Tennessee
.
Henry Clay Morrison (March 10, 1857 - March 24, 1942) was a Methodist evangelist, editor, and president of Asbury College.
Morrison was in Barren County, Kentucky
Barren County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 38,033 people, 15,346 households, and 10,941 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 17,095 housing units at an average density of...
. His parents died when he was very young, and he was reared by his paternal grandfather. Morrison was converted at the age of 11 in a Methodist revival at the Boyd's Creek Meetinghouse near Glasgow, Kentucky
Glasgow, Kentucky
Glasgow is a city in and the county seat of Barren County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 14,200 at the 2000 census. The city is well-known for its annual Scottish Highland Games. In 2007, Barren County was named the number one rural place to live by Progressive Farmer magazine...
. Soon after he felt a call to the ministry. He was licensed to preach at the age of 19 and began his work as circuit rider and station pastor.
In 1890 Morrison left the pastorate and moved into evangelism. He also began editing a religious publication called The Old Methodist, which later became the widely-read Pentecostal Herald. Morrison's reputation as a Methodist evangelist grew rapidly from his home state of Kentucky to most other states and many foreign countries. The camp meeting became one of his favorite evangelistic venues, and throughout the rest of his life Morrison gave much time and effective leadership to this religious movement. William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan was an American politician in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. He was a dominant force in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, standing three times as its candidate for President of the United States...
regarded Morrison to be "the greatest pulpit orator on the American continent."
In 1910 Asbury College, a holiness school founded by John Wesley Hughes
John Wesley Hughes
John Wesley Hughes was born May 16, 1852, in Owen County, Kentucky. He was converted at the age of sixteen in a Methodist revival meeting in an old schoolhouse...
in Wilmore, Kentucky
Wilmore, Kentucky
Wilmore is a city in Jessamine County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 6,134 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Lexington–Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area...
hired Morrison as its president. With the help of Morrison's Pentecostal Herald readers and his nationwide reputation as a holiness preacher, Morrison was able to pay off large debts owed by the college, saving it from financial ruin and increasing its reputation and student body in the process. Morrison was instrumental in founding Asbury Theological Seminary
Asbury Theological Seminary
Asbury Theological Seminary is a multi-denominational, graduate institution that offers a variety of master degree and postgraduate degree programs through the schools of Biblical Interpretation and Proclamation, Theology and Formation, Practical Theology, World Missions and Evangelism, and...
in 1923. (The Seminary, originally part of Asbury College, became a separate institution in 1940.) After stepping down as president of Asbury University in 1925, Morrison was asked once again to assume the presidency in 1933 during another financial crisis, serving until 1940.
Morrison published 25 books, all directed toward laymen. Morrison died in the home of a pastor for whom he was conducting revival meetings in Elizabethton, Tennessee
Elizabethton, Tennessee
Elizabethton is the county seat of Carter County, Tennessee, United States. Elizabethton is also the historical site both of the first independent American government located west of both the Eastern Continental Divide and the original thirteen British American colonies.Elizabethton is also the...
.
See also
- Asbury University
- Asbury Theological SeminaryAsbury Theological SeminaryAsbury Theological Seminary is a multi-denominational, graduate institution that offers a variety of master degree and postgraduate degree programs through the schools of Biblical Interpretation and Proclamation, Theology and Formation, Practical Theology, World Missions and Evangelism, and...
- Wesleyan theology
- Holiness movementHoliness movementThe holiness movement refers to a set of beliefs and practices emerging from the Methodist Christian church in the mid 19th century. The movement is distinguished by its emphasis on John Wesley's doctrine of "Christian perfection" - the belief that it is possible to live free of voluntary sin - and...
- Camp meetingCamp meetingThe camp meeting is a form of Protestant Christian religious service originating in Britain and once common in some parts of the United States, wherein people would travel from a large area to a particular site to camp out, listen to itinerant preachers, and pray...
Sources
- Some Chapters of My Life Story, by Henry Clay Morrison (Pentecostal Publishing Co., 1941)
- Asbury College: Vision and Miracle, by Joseph A. Thacker, Jr. (Evangel Press, 1990)
- "Henry Clay Morrison", http://www.believersweb.org/view.cfm?ID=97
- "Dr. H.C. Morrison's Last Moments", by Rev. Solon McNeese