ANDREW FULLER AND THE BIRTH OF ‘FULLERISM’

Abstract

This article considers the applied, evangelical Calvinism of Andrew Fuller, one of the foremost Calvinistic Baptist ministers of his generation, and is published to coincide with the bicentenary of his death. It analyses Fuller's thought and practice during the period 1783–85. His confession of faith, theological principles, and the ways he approached ministry and mission are all examined. It is argued that, although there was much continuity with the past, the eighteenth-century Evangelical Revival and, especially, his reading of Jonathan Edwards, decisively shaped both his theology and praxis. What came to be known as ‘Fullerism’ had far-reaching consequences, not only in England but around the globe.