author
John Arch Morrison
1893–1965
Best remembered for warm, practical religious writing, he also helped shape Anderson College through decades of leadership. His books mix storytelling, devotion, and everyday encouragement in a direct, accessible voice.
1 Audiobook
The Deacon of Dobbinsville A Story Based on Actual Happenings
by John Arch Morrison
About the author
Born in Missouri in 1893, John Arch Morrison was an American minister, educator, and author whose life was closely tied to the Church of God movement and to Anderson College in Indiana. Anderson University’s archival guide identifies him as the school’s first president, noting that he was chosen as principal of Anderson Bible Training School in 1923 and became president when it became Anderson College in 1925.
Alongside his work in education, he wrote a range of books that included devotional and biographical titles such as Triumphant Living, Learning How to Be Happy, The Ministry of Rolla Clark, and Martin Luther, the Lion-Hearted Reformer. He also wrote The Deacon of Dobbinsville, a story based on real-life events, and later published As the River Flows, his autobiography.
Morrison served Anderson College until 1958, and he died in 1965. His reputation seems to rest on both sides of his work: as a steady college leader and as a writer interested in faith, character, and practical Christian living.