Andrew Fuller

Andrew Fuller (* 5. Februar 1754 in Wicken, Cambridgeshire, England; † 7. Mai 1815 in Kettering, Northamptonshire) war ein englischer baptistischer Theologe und erster Sekretär der Baptist Missionary Society (BMS), die 1792 gegründet wurde.

Leben

Andrew Fuller wurde als Sohn eines englischen Farmers in Wicken in der Nähe von Cambridge geboren. Im Alter von 15 Jahren hatte er ein Bekehrungserlebnis, ließ sich taufen und wurde 1770 Mitglied der Baptistenkirche in Soham. Im Selbstunterricht studierte Fuller Theologie und wurde 1775 als Pastor der baptistischen Kirche in Soham ordiniert. Im Jahr 1782 trat er eine Pastorenstelle in Kettering, Northamptonshire, an, die er bis an sein Lebensende 1815 innehatte.

Zunächst war Fuller geprägt durch die Prädestinationslehre von Johannes Calvin, die aber zunehmend durch die Pastoren John Sutcliff aus Olney, Robert Hall aus Arnesbyden, die Schriften von Jonathan Edwards und vom Methodismus des John Wesley beeinflusst wurde. Er entwickelte aufgrund seiner eigenen Geschichte eine Theologie, die den Calvinismus mit dem Bemühen um die Weltmission verknüpfte, was er 1781 in seiner Schrift The Gospel Worthy of All Acceptation darlegte.

Fuller war Vorsteher der Northamptonshire Association, wozu William Carey, Samuel Pearce, John Sutcliffe und John Ryland (Junior). Auf die Initiative von William Carey hin, den er 1787 getauft hatte, wurde am 2. Oktober 1792 die Particular Baptist Society for the Propagation of the Gospel Amongst the Heathen gegründet. Sie erhielt etwas später den gebräuchlichen Namen Baptist Missionary Society (BMS) und war maßgeblich an der weltweiten Verbreitung des Protestantismus beteiligt. Während Carey 1793 als Missionar nach Indien ging, leitete Fuller als erster Sekretär und Geschäftsführer die BMS. Er verhandelte mit der East India Company, die keine Missionare wollte in ihren Niederlassungen in Übersee, er schrieb viele Briefe und Artikel und predigte in seiner Baptistenkirche, bis er 1815 an Tuberkulose erkrankte und am 7. Mai verstarb.

Schriften (Auswahl)

• Periodical Accounts Relative to the Baptist Missionary Society, 5 Bände, J. Morris, London 1800–1815.
• The Gospel its Own Witness: Or, the Divine Harmony of the Christian Religion, Contrasted with the Immorality and Absurdity of Deism, William M. Morse, New Haven 1801.
• Apology for the Late Christian Missions to India: comprising an address to the chairman of the East India Company, in answer to Mr. Twining, and strictures on the preface of a pamphlet by Major Scott Waring, Button und Sohn, London 1808. Ed. J. Belcher, Band 2, S. 763–836.
• Memoirs of the Late Rev. Samuel Pearce, A.M. Minister of the Gospel in Birmingham; With Extracts from Some of His Most Interesting Letters, 5. Auflage, Lincoln & Edmands, Boston 1828.
• Memoirs of Rev. Samuel Pearce, A.M., Who was United with Carey and Others in Establishing Missions in India, 1793, with additions from his correspondence with Dr. Carey, &c. by his son, Rev. W.H. Pearce, missionary at Calcutta, American Tract Society, 1830.
• The Gospel of Christ Worthy of All Acceptation: or, The Duty of Sinners to Believe in Jesus Christ, American Doctrinal Tract Society, Boston 1837 (geschrieben bereits 1781).
• The last remains of the Rev. Andrew Fuller: sermons, essays, letters, and other miscellaneous papers, not included in his published works, American Baptist Publication Society, Philadelphia 1856.

Literatur

• Basil Amey: The Unfinished Story, 1991.
• Thomas Kennedy Ascol: The Doctrine of Grace: A Critical Analysis of Federalism in the Theologies of John Gill and Andrew Fuller, Ph.D. Thesis, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1989.
• Joseph Belcher, ed.: The Complete Works of Reverend Andrew Fuller, Band 1, Sprinkle Publications Harrisonburg 1988.
• William H. Brackney: Fuller, Andrew (1754–1815), in: Historical Dictionary of the Baptists, 171, Scarecrow Press, Lanham 1999.
• Paul Brewster: Andrew Fuller: Model Pastor-Theologian (Studies in Baptist Life and Thought), Broadman Press, 2010, ISBN 978-0-8054-4982-2
• Raymond Brown: The English Baptists of the Eighteenth Century, Baptist Historical Society, London 1986.
• E. F. Clipsham: Andrew Fuller and Fullerism: a study in Evangelical Calvinism, in: Baptist Quarterly, 20, 1963/64, S. 99–114, 146-54, 214-25 und 268-76.
• Francis Augustus Cox: History of the Baptist Missionary Society from 1792 to 1842, 2 Bände, T. Ward and Co., London 1842.
• Robert W. Oliver: History of the English Calvinistic Baptists 1771–1892. From John Gill to C. H. Spurgeon, Banner of Truth, 2006, ISBN 978-0-85151-920-3
• George M. Ella: Law and Gospel in the theology of Andrew Fuller, Go Publications, Durham 1996.
• T. S. H. Elwyn: The Northamptonshire Baptist Association, London 1964.
• T. S. H. Elwyn: The Complete Works of Andrew Fuller: With a Memoir of His Life, Hodder and Stoughton, London 1841 und 1882; Reprint: Banner of Truth Trust, Carlisle 2007.
• Andrew Gunton Fuller: The Complete Works of the Rev. Andrew Fuller, With a Memoir of his Life, 3 Bände, Ed. Joseph Belcher, American Baptist Publication Society, Philadelphia 1845. Reprint: Sprinkle Publications, Harrisonburg 1988.
• Andrew Gunton Fuller: Andrew Fuller, Houghton and Stoddard, London 1882.
• R. L. Greenall: The Kettering Connection: Northamptonshire Baptists and Overseas Missions, Department of Adult Education, University of Leicester, Leicester 1993.
• R. Hayden: Evangelical Calvinism Among Eighteenth Century Particular Baptists with Particular Reference to Bernard Foskett, Hugh and Caleb Evans and the Bristol Baptist Academy 1690-1791, Ph.D. Thesis, Keele University, 1991.
• R. Hayden: Kettering 1792 and Philadelphia 1814, Baptist Quarterly, 21, 1965/66, S. 3–20 und 64–72.
• Michael A. G. Haykin, Peter J. Morden, Gerald L. Priest u. a.: At the Pure Fountain of Thy Word: Andrew Fuller as an Apologist, Paternoster, Waynesboro 2004.
• Michael A. G. Haykin: Fuller, Andrew (1754-1815), in: Biographical Dictionary of Evangelicals, eds. Timothy Larsen, David Bebbington und Mark Noll, Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2003, S. 241–244.
• Michael A. G. Haykin: One heart and one soul: John Sutcliff of Olney, his friends and his times, Evangelical Press, Durham 1994.
• Michael A. G. Haykin, Thomas J. Nettles u. a.: The British Particular Baptists, 1638-1910, Particular Baptist Press, Springfield 1998 und 2000.
• Michael A. G. Haykin: The Armies of the Lamb: The spirituality of Andrew Fuller. Select letters of Fuller, Joshua Press, Dundas 2001.
• William John Henderson: Holding the Ropes, in: Centenary of the Baptist Missionary Society, 1792-1892. Ed. John Brown Myers, The Baptist Missionary Society, Holborn 1892, S. 3–39.
• Joseph Ivemy: A History of the English Baptists, 4 Bände, Burditt, Boxton, Hamilton, Baynes, London 1811–1830.
• Arthur H. Kirkby: Andrew Fuller (1754-1815), Independent Press, London 1961.
• Gilbert Laws: Andrew Fuller: Pastor, Theologian, Ropeholder, Carey Press, London 1942.
• F. Townley Lord: Achievement: A Short History 1792-1942, 1942.
• Norman H. Maring: Andrew Fuller’s Doctrine of the Church, in: Baptist Concepts of the Church, Ed. Winthrop Still Hudson, The Judson Press, Philadelphia 1959, S. 71–105.
• John C. Marshman: The Life and Times of Carey, Marshman, and Ward: Embracing the History of the Serampore Mission, 2 Bände, Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans, and Roberts, London 1859.
• Peter J. Morden: The Life and Thought of Andrew Fuller (1754–1815), in: Church History and Religious Culture, 1, 2017, S. 149–152, DOI:10.1163/18712428-09701025.
• John Webster Morris: Memoirs of the Life and Writings of the Rev. Andrew Fuller, Late Pastor of the Baptist Church at Kettering, and First Secretary to the Baptist Missionary Society, ed. Rufus Babcock, Lincoln and Edmonds, London 1816 und Boston 1830.
• John Brown Myers: The Centenary Celebration of the Baptist Missionary Society, 1792-1892, The Baptist Missionary Society, Holborn 1892.
• Thomas J. Nettles: By His Grace and For His Glory: A Historical, Theological and Practical Study of the Doctrines of Grace in Baptist Life, Founders Press, Cape Coral 2006.
• Thomas J. Nettles: The Baptists: Key People Involved in Forming a Baptist Identity, Band 1: Beginnings in Britain, Christian Focus Publications, Fearn 2005.
• Robert W. Oliver: The Emergence of a Strict and Particular Baptist Community Among the English Calvinist Baptists, 1770-1850, D.Phil Thesis, Bible College, London 1986.
• Ernest A. Payne: The First Generation: Early Leaders of the Baptist Missionary Society in England and Indian, London 1936.
• Stuart Piggin: Making Evangelical Missionaries, 1789-1858, Sutton Courtenay Press, Abingdon 1984.
• John Piper: Andrew Fuller: Holy Faith, Worthy Gospel, World Mission, 2016.
• E. Daniel Potts: British Baptist Missionaries in India, 1793-1837 Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1967.
• David Mark Rathel: Andrew Fuller and a search for a faith worthy of all acceptation, Bloomsbury Publishing, London 2024.
• Olin C. Robison: The Particular Baptists in England: 1760-1820, D.Phil. Thesis, University of Oxford, Oxford 1963.
• John Jr. Ryland: The Work of Faith, the Labour of Love, and the Patience of Hope, illustrated; In the Life and Death of the Rev. Andrew Fuller, Late Pastor of the Baptist Church at Kettering, and Secretary to the Baptist Missionary Society, From its Commencement, in 1792, Samuel Etheridge, Charlestown 1816 und 1818.
• A. Christopher Smith: William Ward, radical reform, and missions in the 1790, in: American Baptist Quarterly, 10, 1991, S. 218–244.
• Andrew M. Smith: Brief History of Evangelical Missions: with the date of commencement, and progress and present state, Robins und Smith, Hartford 1844.
• Brian Stanley: History of the Baptist Missionary Society, 1792-1992, T. & T. Clark, Edinburgh 1992.
• James E. Tull: Andrew Fuller: Theologian of Baptist Missionary Advance, in: Shapers of Baptist Thought, Judson Press, Valley Forge 1972, S. 79–100.
• A. C. Underwood: A History of the English Baptists, Kingsgate Press, London 1947.
• Andrew F. Walls: The Protestant Missionary Awakening in its European Context, in: The Cross-Cultural Process in Christian History, Orbis, Maryknoll 2002.
• Michael R. Watts: The Dissenters, Band 2: The Expansion of Evangelical Nonconformity, Clarendon Press, Oxford 1995.
• Doyle L. Young: The Place of Andrew Fuller in the Developing Modern Missions Movement, Ph.D. Thesis, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1981.

Weblinks

Commons: Andrew Fuller – Sammlung von Bildern, Videos und Audiodateien

• Travis Myers: Who Was Andrew Fuller? Some people have heard of William Carey, father of the modern missionary movement. Fewer have heard of his pastor, Website abwe.org (englisch).
• Andrew Fuller (1754–1815), Website Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (2021, englisch).
• Michael A. G. Haykin: Andrew Fuller, Website banneroftruth.org (2026, englisch).
• Andrew Fuller − British Baptist Minister, Website Baptist History Homepage (englisch).
• Andrew Fuller. In: Encyclopædia Britannica. Abgerufen am 1. März 2026 (englisch). 
• Brian Stanley: Fuller, Andrew (1754-1815). Baptist theologian and first secretary of the Baptist Missionary Society (BMS), in Biographical Dictionary of Christian Missions, ed. Gerald H. Anderson, Macmillan Reference USA, New York 1998, S. 230-231; Boston University, School of Theology, History of Missiology, Website bu.edu (englisch).
• Steve Weaver: Ten Baptists Everyone Should Know: Andrew Fuller, Website credomag.com (8. November 2019, englisch).
• Stephen Duarte: Learning from Andrew Fuller, Reformed Baptist Seminary, Website rbs.org (31. Juli 2024, englisch).

Einzelnachweise

1. ↑ Andrew Fuller. In: Encyclopædia Britannica. Abgerufen am 1. März 2026 (englisch). 
2. ↑ Steve Weaver: Ten Baptists Everyone Should Know: Andrew Fuller, Website credomag.com (8. November 2019, englisch, abgerufen am 1. März 2026)
3. ↑ J. Gordon Melton: Fuller, Andrew (1754–1815). founder of the worldwide Protestant missionary endeavor. In: Encyclopedia of World Religions. Encyclopedia of Protestantism, Nr. 6. Facts of File, New York 2005, ISBN 978-0-8160-5456-5, S. 239 (englisch). 
4. ↑ Steve Weaver: Ten Baptists Everyone Should Know: Andrew Fuller, Website credomag.com (8. November 2019, englisch, abgerufen am 1. März 2026)
5. ↑ Brian Stanley: Fuller, Andrew (1754-1815). Baptist theologian and first secretary of the Baptist Missionary Society (BMS), in Biographical Dictionary of Christian Missions, ed. Gerald H. Anderson, Macmillan Reference USA, New York 1998, S. 230-231; Boston University, School of Theology, History of Missiology, Website bu.edu (englisch, abgerufen am 1. März 2026)
6. ↑ Ryan Rindels: Review: The Life and Thought of Andrew Fuller (1754–1815), written by Peter J. Morden, Volume 40, Issue 3, Website thegospelcoalition.org (amerikanisches Englisch, abgerufen am 1. März 2026)