The Doctrine of the Bible’s Truthfulness
way of his hyper-Calvinism. According to Paul Brewster’s account of this incident, “As he remembered the processes that led to his change of sentiment, Fuller gave pride of place to the role of the Bible, as presented through Abraham Taylor’s pamphlet.”5 Thus, any account of Fuller’s remarkable change from his former High Calvinist views must take notice of the role of Scripture in his thinking, since, even for the young Fuller, Scripture was to receive a prominent place in the theologian’s work. But is there more that can be said about Fuller’s bibliology? What, in particular, did Fuller believe about the nature and character of Scripture? The following study will examine Fuller’s understanding of the Bible by noting in particular what he had to say about its inspiration and truthfulness. This article will argue that Fuller maintained a high view of Scripture6 during his theological ministry, anchored in what he perceived to be the work of God in giving his people an authoritative and inerrant Word. Before directly examining Fuller writings on these issues, however, it will first be beneficial, for purposes of further clarifying both this essay’s thesis as well as Fuller’s historical background, to look at the evangelical context of Fuller’s life and ministry. A Brief Sketch of Fuller’s Evangelical Context Andrew Fuller was an evangelical theologian,7 and this article will assume as much in its exposition of his doctrine of the Bible. 8 The history of evangelicalism assumes a
5
Ibid., 77. See Brewster, Andrew Fuller, 47. 7 See Keith S. Grant, Andrew Fuller and the Evangelical Renewal of Pastoral Theology, Studies in Baptist History and Thought 36 (Milton Keyes, UK: Paternoster, 2013); Peter J. Morden, Offering Christ to the World: Andrew Fuller (1754–1815) and the Revival of Eighteenth Century Particular Baptist Life, Studies in Baptist History and Thought 8 (Carlisle, UK: Paternoster, 2003), esp. 151; and Brewster, Andrew Fuller, 69–70, 106. 8 Peter Morden notes, in regard to Fuller’s famous book The Gospel Worthy of All Acceptation, that this work “shows that Fuller was able to submit his theological system to a rigorous biblical critique 6
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