Andrew Fuller

Model Pastor-Theologian

Paul Brewster

• Publisher: B&H Academic
• Year: 2010
• ISBN:
  9781433672996
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religious Biographies

In his day, practicing English pastor Andrew Fuller (1754-1815) was also the most prominent Baptist theologian on either side of the Atlantic Ocean.He remained influential via his thoughtful writings up until the American Civil War. Since then, however, the emphasis on theological and doctrinal depth in Baptist preaching (and preaching generally) has been in decline.

Now scholars are looking back at Fuller to provide an example of how pastors can relate doctrine to practice. He was not content to contribute to theological debate in print only; he also showed how the theological conclusions he had arrived at could be applied to local church ministry.

This pastoral biography of Andrew Fuller, the second in B&H Publishing Group's Studies in Baptist Life & Thought series, introduces a new preaching generation to his theological method, his soteriology, and how Fuller intentionally moved from doctrine to practice among the church.

Chapter 1

Introduction

The Decline of Doctrine

in Baptist Churches

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In the last 200 years, Baptist churches have undergone a theological sea change. At the turn of the nineteenth century, theology dominated church life. Sermons were packed with doctrinal content, and theological debates between representatives of rival denominations were eagerly followed by laity and clergy alike. It was axiomatic that the spiritual health and vitality of a church was inseparably linked to the theological soundness of its pastor. A popular English Baptist periodical, The Baptist Annual Register, even devoted space to printing a detailed theological dictionary in serial form to foster theological literacy among its readership, many of whom were laity.¹ But about a century later, the celebrated evangelist Billy Sunday (1862–1935) found he could increase his stature in the eyes of most congregations when he declared, “I don’t know any more about theology than a jackrabbit does about ping pong, but I’m on the way to glory.”²

Little has changed since Sunday’s quip. If anything, the theological and doctrinal emphasis in Baptist ministry has continued to fade. The prevailing attitude in many Baptist circles seems to be that theology is an indifferent matter. Only a handful of pastors, and far less of the laity, are theologically engaged. Church health is seen much more as a function of using good management and methodology than as a hard-won prize integrally linked to sound theological preaching and teaching. The center of theological discussion has migrated away from churches and taken residence in seminaries. With that shift has come a corresponding change in the pastoral role. For the most part, “pastor” and “theologian” are now seen as separate callings.³

This state of affairs ought to be a cause for concern among Baptists. Past generations certainly were right to argue that theology and church health are inextricably linked. It is no accident that the Pauline Epistles speak first of doctrinal underpinnings and then move on to explore the outworkings of these truths in the daily life of Christians who compose the churches. When it came to advising a novice in the ministry, this same apostle stressed the role of doctrine: “Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine” (1 Tim 4:13). Doctrine and practice are hardwired together throughout the New Testament.

It would seem that many contemporary churches have all but ignored this biblical precedent. David Wells is no doubt correct when he argues that “the evangelical Church has cheerfully plunged into astounding theological illiteracy.”⁴ Baptists are no exception to this observation. For example, the call to ministry in a Baptist church usually involves a great deal of interaction between the possible candidates and a pastor search committee. Speaking as one who has been involved in that process on several occasions, it is amazing how these exchanges have little to do with doctrinal or theological matters. Typically committees want to know much about a potential pastor’s family, his leadership style, his experience as a counselor, and his plans for growing the church. If doctrine is even discussed at all, it is usually a few questions related to the potential candidate’s views of Scripture, the gift of tongues, and eternal security.⁵

One reason for the decline of doctrine among Baptists is pragmatic. A great many Baptist leaders are cognizant that a period of decline has set in among their churches. Over the last 30 years, that has resulted in a tremendous focus on seeking to help churches grow again. An intuitive perception is that doctrinal specificity tends to make growing the church more difficult. Some think that the less said about doctrine, the less offense is given and the more people will be comfortable gathering under one umbrella.⁶

Although this mind-set is still at work, a new threat to doctrinally driven ministry has also surfaced in certain segments of the Emerging Church movement. Drawing from a chastened postmodern epistemology, some emergent leaders think that the church needs to focus on the transformation of people, not theological pronouncement. For example, one well-known emergent leader has recently stated, “Along the line of the post-evangelical, the emerging movement is suspicious of systematic theology.”⁷ McKnight goes on to clarify that theology per se is not the problem for emergents. It is theological and doctrinal certainty they fear. But when theology is seen to be “flux-like” (McKnight’s phrase), it is much to be doubted that doctrinal exposition and theologically driven ministry can be maintained.

For whatever reasons, be they pragmatic or epistemological, churches have to a very large extent already made a shift away from doctrine-driven ministry. Sermon series on the attributes of God have given way to those that teach Christians how to handle stress and have a happy marriage. But surely downplaying theology has not enhanced the work of the church in proclamation. Wells has strongly challenged this modern innovation:

We now have less biblical fidelity, less interest in truth, less seriousness, less depth, and less capacity to speak the Word of God to our generation in a way that offers an alternative to what it already thinks. The older orthodoxy was driven by a passion for truth, and that was why it could express itself only in theological terms. The newer evangelicalism is not driven by the same passion for truth, and that is why it is often empty of theological interest.”⁸

Past generations of Baptists also assumed that congregational health traces back directly to the influences of pastors. For all the changes in worship services and styles that have occurred across nearly 400 years of Baptist history, the pastor’s sermon remains the focal event in the vast majority of these churches. During those moments in the pulpit, pastors set the theological tone for their congregations. James Petigru Boyce (1827–88), a towering figure in American Baptist theological education, recognized the vital connection between the theological soundness of pastors and the congregations they serve and influence. Speaking of pastors who were not well grounded in theology, Boyce said, “It is needless to say of these that the churches do not grow under their ministry; that, not having partaken strong meat, they cannot impart it.”⁹

Given that theology and church health are inseparable and that the primary theological influence in the church comes from the pastor, it is apparent that pastor-theologians are much needed today. But how will such men be formed for the Baptist ministry today? In the years before institutions for theological education were common in Baptist life, pastors almost invariably entered the ministry through an informal system of apprenticeship.¹⁰ Older men took on assistants in local church ministry and served as models of pastoral work. They also were involved in the theological formation of these men through programs of directed reading. Once these novitiates were deemed ready to serve on their own, they were presented as candidates to churches seeking pastors. Not infrequently, these apprentices would step into the role of the senior minister at their mentor’s death.

A few signs indicate that some contemporary Baptists recognize that the loss of such mentoring relationships has had a negative effect on the development of church leaders. Several mentoring efforts are on the rise again in isolated sections of Baptist life. For example, Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington, D.C., has instituted an intern program designed to expose young men entering the ministry to the pastoral and theological work of their own church leaders.¹¹ Another example of the growing awareness that something is lost in pastoral preparation when mentoring is absent is found in a recent paper by L. T. Strong, a professor at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Strong argued that the present Southern Baptist system of seminary training fails to provide adequate pastoral mentoring.¹² It is clear, however, that much more needs to be done to set good models of theologically based ministry before young ministers. Though not equivalent to a hands-on opportunity of mentorship, studying some of the great pastor-theologians of previous generations may be the next-best substitute.¹³

WHY ANDREW FULLER?

This book argues that British Baptist pastor Andrew Fuller (1754–1815) is a model pastor-theologian as demonstrated in his theological method, his leadership during a critical soteriological controversy, and his manner of relating doctrine and practice. As men can benefit from a personal mentoring relationship with older pastors, so too can they benefit from the study of some worthy examples of past Baptist leaders.

At the time of his death in 1815, Fuller was the most prominent Baptist theologian on either side of the Atlantic. His life was the subject of several popular memoirs.¹⁴ His many scattered publications were gathered and issued in a considerable number of collected editions.¹⁵ New releases of his writings were still being issued as late as the eve of the American Civil War.¹⁶ The next hundred years saw comparatively little academic interest in Fuller. In 1963, E. F. Clipsham wrote a four-part article on Fuller that appeared in The Baptist Quarterly.¹⁷ Since that time, there has been a growing awareness of the importance of Fuller and a corresponding increase in academic output related to his life and ministry.¹⁸ The bulk of scholarly attention has been directed to Fuller’s defense of evangelical Calvinism and his involvement with the Baptist Missionary Society.¹⁹ This book hopes to contribute to the ongoing rediscovery of Fuller’s significance by exploring ways in which he can be viewed as a worthwhile model of a Baptist pastor-theologian. Several things about the life and ministry of Fuller help qualify him as this kind of model.

First, Fuller’s work has endured the test of time. His numerous published works were widely read during his lifetime to the profit of many. For decades after his death, his collected works were frequently reissued. When the most common American edition of these anthologies was reprinted after over a century of being out of print, it sold out quickly.²⁰ Demand for Fuller’s works remains so high that a major new edition of his complete works is presently being prepared for the press.²¹ Dated though they must be in many points, the esteem in which Fuller’s writings are held gives evidence of his enduring usefulness as a model pastor-theologian.

Second, Fuller approached the work of theology with a balanced theological method. The fact that his method highlighted the authority of biblical revelation brings an element of timelessness to many of Fuller’s theological conclusions.

Third, Fuller instinctively practiced what R. Albert Mohler Jr. has recently labeled “theological triage.”²² That is to say, he responded to the various theological issues of his day by devoting his greatest attention to matters of primary importance. Fuller entered into the ministry at a crucial time in the history of British Particular Baptists. As a young preacher, he quickly grasped that his denomination was deeply divided in its soteriological convictions and practices. He devoted his life to advocating what he became convinced were theological conclusions that stood ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Endorsements
• Editors
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Abbreviations
• Preface
• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4
• Chapter 5
• Appendix 1
• Appendix 2
• Bibliography
• Name Index
• Subject Index