French L. and Frances T. Arrington collection

French L. Arrington was born on July 5, 1931, in Emanuel County in a rural area near Wadley, Georgia, to Henry E. and Robbie Mae (French) Arrington. Henry was a farmer. He died of what was later believed to have been leukemia when French was only three years old. His mother was then left with three sons—Henry Robbie (Bob), French, and Breedlove (Chico)—to raise. Bob, the oldest son, was injured at birth and was physically and mentally challenged. Rising to the challenge of raising three boys without her husband, Robbie studied to be a practical nurse and, with the help of her mother and step-father, was able to feed and clothe her sons. Bob died at the age of eighteen when French was sixteen.

As a very young boy, French assisted his grandfather with the farm work and plowed the fields, even though he could barely reach the plow handles. In order to help with supporting the family, French dropped out of school in the ninth grade. As soon as he was old enough, he joined the army, was soon promoted to the rank of Field First Sergeant, and became an instructor in Okinawa during the Korean War. Most of his paycheck went home to assist the family.

In 1953 French was discharged from the army. When he returned home, he discovered that his mother had received the baptism in the Holy Spirit and was a charter member of the Milledgeville (Georgia) Church of God. At that time, Reverend Casey Monsees was conducting a revival in a storefront church building, and Robbie invited French to go to church with her. In that revival French was saved, baptized in the Holy Spirit, and called to the ministry.

In order to train for his calling, French enrolled in the Religious Education Division of Lee College and studied there for the 1953–54 term. That summer he took the GED examination, and in the fall of 1954 enrolled in the Junior College Division at Lee. Then in the fall of 1955 he transferred to the University of Chattanooga (now The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga). In 1957 he received a B.A. from UC with a major in Psychology and a minor in classical languages (Greek and Latin).

During his first year as a student at Lee College, French met a young faculty member named Frances Lee Treadaway, the daughter of James Arthur and Minnie May (Rush) Treadaway from Alabama. Frances was teaching mathematics and English in the Academy and Junior College. Their first meeting was on the way to a jail service conducted by Pioneers for Christ. French was a member of PFC and was the driver of the car. Because the group was composed of both men and women, Frances went along as the faculty chaperone—a requirement in those days.

On December 18, 1954, French and Frances were married. After French graduated from UC they moved to Decatur, Georgia, where French attended Columbia Theological Seminary and Frances was a cataloging librarian at Atlanta Public Library. In 1960 French received the Bachelor of Divinity degree from Columbia. Later this degree was converted to the Master of Divinity and in 1969 French received a Master of Theology from Columbia Seminary.

Because he was unable to find employment in the church after graduation and he and Frances were expecting their first child, in 1960 they went to live with Frances’s parents. French worked on the farm until he secured a position teaching at Ider High School. Their daughter Athena Ann was born during that time.

In 1961 French accepted a position teaching at Southeastern Bible College in Lakeland, Florida, and taught there for three years. While there they were blessed with a son, French Lee Arrington. In 1964 French and Frances returned to Lee College to serve on the faculty. The family continued to reside in Cleveland except for two years in the St. Louis, Missouri area. French became an ordained minister in the Church of God in 1968. That same year he was appointed as chairman of the Bible and Theology Department and remained in that position until he moved to the Church of God Graduate School (now Pentecostal Theological Seminary) in 1981.

In 1968 while serving on the faculty at Lee College, French experienced another tragic loss of a family member. His younger brother Breedlove died of acute leukemia at the age of 32. This experience had a profound impact on French’s future life and ministry, prompting him to approach ministry with more compassion toward those who suffer and are terminally ill and to explore the meaning of present and future life in Christ. As a result, he wrote his Th.M. thesis on 2 Corinthians 5:1-10—The Evidence of Immortality in This Present Mortal Condition. (Church BS 2675.2 A77)

In 1971, French was awarded a two-year sabbatical by Lee College to pursue a doctorate at St. Louis University. As with his other degree programs and writings, Frances worked closely with French using her library expertise to assist him with research. He completed the requirements for this degree, and in 1975 he received the Ph.D. in Biblical Languages and Literature. His dissertation was titled Paul’s Aeon Theology in 1 Corinthians. (Church BS 2655 E7 A77 1975)

In addition to his life’s work of teaching, French has worked in several other ministry capacities. While studying for the Bachelor of Divinity degree, he was assistant pastor of the Grant Park (later East Atlanta) Church of God. During his studies in St. Louis he filled in as pastor of the Tower Grove Church of God for about a year. The remainder of his professional career has been spent as an educator and a writer. In addition to his teaching at Lee University and Pentecostal Theological Seminary, he taught classes and preached in many states of the United States and in fifteen countries outside the U.S. He authored thirteen books, was joint editor for the Full Life Bible Commentary on the New Testament (later titled Life in the Spirit New Testament Commentary) and wrote the Luke/Acts exposition in the commentary. He contributed to numerous other works, and published articles in various periodicals. He served on committees and boards for the Church of God and on the General Board of Education from 1974 to 1984.

As of the summer of 2007, French is Professor Emeritus of New Testament Greek and Exegesis at the Church of God Theological Seminary.

French and Frances are the parents of Athena Hicks and Lee Arrington and grandparents of Travis and Trent Arrington.

Sources:

Materials in the collection

French and Frances Arrington