Ken Anderson

Ken Anderson (December 23, 1917 – March 12, 2006) was an American Evangelical Free Church minister, screenwriter, director and producer of Christian films. He founded Gospel Films and directed Pilgrim's Progress, a 1978 adaptation of The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan, which marked the first screen appearance for actor Liam Neeson. Anderson wrote 77 fiction and non-fiction books over six decades, including the best-seller Where to Find It in the Bible. He was the first editor for Youth for Christ magazine, which came to be known as Ignite Your Faith.

Early life and education Anderson was born in Rembrandt, Iowa. His mother died during childbirth, and Anderson was raised by his father and paternal grandmother. He studied at Wheaton College and Trinity International University in Illinois, later joining the Evangelical Free Church as a pastor. He preached in churches in Isle, Minnesota, and later in Newman Grove, Nebraska. In 1944, he became the first full-time editor for Ignite Your Faith magazine, then known as Youth For Christ, through which he met Robert Pierce. In 1948, under Pierce's guidance, he traveled through China as a missionary, and was influenced by the 1948 documentary China Challenge made by Pierce and producer/director Dick Ross.

Career Through overseas ministry work in China in the late 1940s, Anderson gained experience in scriptwriting and film production and produced the short documentary This Way to the Harvest. After relocating to the Youth Haven Boys’ Home in Muskegon, Michigan, he wrote a book inspired by the lives of residents there, which became the basis for his first feature film, That Kid Buck in 1949. After the film's success, Anderson proposed forming a nonprofit Christian film company. Gospel Films was founded in 1949.

Gospel Films was initially governed by a small board of evangelical leaders and businesspeople, many of whom had ties to Youth for Christ. During the organization's early years, Anderson wrote, directed, and produced several low-budget films. The company developed a nationwide rental-based distribution network through Gospel Film Libraries, which allowed churches and youth groups to rent films rather than purchase them.

Ken Anderson Films was a not-for-profit company that eventually released over 200 titles. He also produced biographical films about Hudson Taylor and Fanny Crosby.

According to Terry Lindvall and Andrew Quicke, Anderson was a pioneer in Christian filmmaking who influenced the creation of other nonprofit Christian film companies. 1972: The Gospel According to Most People 1978: Pilgrim's Progress 1979: Christiana 1981: Hudson Taylor 1982: The Answer 1984: Fanny Crosby 1984: Mud, Sweat and Cheers 1986: Mark of the Red Hand 1986: Second Step

Producer 1972: The Gospel According to Most People 1973: My Son, My Son 1981: Hudson Taylor 1984: Fanny Crosby

Writer 1964: In His Steps 1974: Apache Fire 1978: Pilgrim's Progress 1979: Christiana 1981: Hudson Taylor