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    The Love of God Holds Creation Together: Andrew Fuller’s Theology of Virtue
    The Love of God Holds Creation Together: Andrew Fuller’s Theology of Virtue
    The Love of God Holds Creation Together: Andrew Fuller’s Theology of Virtue
    Ebook229 pages2 hours

    The Love of God Holds Creation Together: Andrew Fuller’s Theology of Virtue

    By Ryan P. Hoselton and Michael A. G. Haykin

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    The English Baptist Andrew Fuller (1754-1815) is well-known today for his nuanced Evangelical answer to the "Modern Question" against hyper-Calvinism, founding and leading the Baptist Missionary Society, and his exemplary pastoral ministry. In his day, however, he was also esteemed as a formidable apologist for Christian orthodoxy, especially in the area of moral reasoning. Following in the footsteps of his theological mentor, Jonathan Edwards, Fuller labored to defend the moral goodness and salutary nature of Christian doctrine against the new moral philosophy of the Enlightenment. As optimism in the moral potential of human nature waxed, reliance on God for truth and virtue waned. Echoing a long tradition of classical theologians, Fuller wished to declare afresh that the love of God, as manifested in the gospel, furnished humankind's only hope for virtue, excellence, and happiness. In this concise study, Hoselton looks to recover the importance of ethical reasoning in Fuller's theology and ministry and reflect on its merit for today.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPickwick Publications
    Release dateFeb 26, 2018
    ISBN9781498244275
    The Love of God Holds Creation Together: Andrew Fuller’s Theology of Virtue
    Author

    Ryan P. Hoselton

    Ryan P. Hoselton is an instructor and doctoral candidate in church history at Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg in Germany, and a Junior Fellow of The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies.

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      Book preview

      The Love of God Holds Creation Together - Ryan P. Hoselton

      9781532618581.kindle.jpg

      The Love of God Holds Creation Together

      Andrew Fuller’s Theology of Virtue

      Ryan P. Hoselton

      foreword by Michael A. G. Haykin

      15151.png

      THE LOVE OF GOD HOLDS CREATION TOGETHER

      Andrew Fuller’s Theology of Virtue

      Monographs in Baptist History 7

      Copyright ©

      2018

      Ryan P. Hoselton. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers,

      199

      W.

      8

      th Ave., Suite

      3

      , Eugene, OR

      97401

      .

      Pickwick Publications

      An Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers

      199

      W.

      8

      th Ave., Suite

      3

      Eugene, OR

      97401

      www.wipfandstock.com

      paperback isbn: 978-1-5326-1858-1

      hardcover isbn: 978-1-4982-4428-2

      ebook isbn: 978-1-4982-4427-5

      Cataloguing-in-Publication data:

      Names: Hoselton, Ryan P.

      Title: The love of God holds creation together : Andrew Fuller’s theology of virtue / by Ryan P. Hoselton; foreword by Micahel A. G. Haykin.

      Description: Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications,

      2018

      | Monographs in Baptist History

      7

      | Includes bibliographical references and index.

      Identifiers:

      isbn 978-1-5326-1858-1 (

      paperback

      ) | isbn 978-1-4982-4428-2 (

      hardcover

      ) | isbn 978-1-4982-4427-5 (

      ebook

      )

      Subjects: LCSH: Fuller, Andrew,

      1754–1815

      . | Virtue. | God (Christianity)—Love. | Baptists—Doctrines.

      Classification:

      bx6495.f75 h67 2018 (

      print

      ) | bx6495.f75 (

      ebook

      )

      Manufactured in the U.S.A.

      02/05/18

      Table of Contents

      Title Page

      Foreword

      Preface

      Abbreviations

      Chapter 1: Introduction

      Chapter 2: The Power of Sinful Men: Fuller and Moral Inability

      Chapter 3: Religion that Inspires the Love of God: Fuller’s Aretegenic Orthodoxy

      Chapter 4: A System of Holiness: Fuller’s Evangelical Calvinistic Theology of Virtue

      Chapter 5: Abide in the Vine: The Source and Motivation of Virtue

      Chapter 6: Conclusion

      Bibliography

      Monographs in Baptist History

      volume 7

      Series editor

      Michael A. G. Haykin, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

      Editorial board

      Matthew Barrett, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

      Peter Beck, Charleston Southern University

      Anthony L. Chute, California Baptist University

      Jason G. Duesing, Midwest Baptist Theological Seminary

      Nathan A. Finn, Union University

      Crawford Gribben, Queen’s University, Belfast

      Gordon L. Heath, McMaster Divinity College

      Barry Howson, Heritage Theological Seminary

      Jason K. Lee, Cedarville University

      Thomas J. Nettles, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, retired

      James A. Patterson, Union University

      James M. Renihan, Institute of Reformed Baptist Studies

      Jeffrey P. Straub, Central Seminary

      Brian R. Talbot, Broughty Ferry Baptist Church, Scotland

      Malcolm B. Yarnell III, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

      Ours is a day in which not only the gaze of western culture but also increasingly that of Evangelicals is riveted to the present. The past seems to be nowhere in view and hence it is disparagingly dismissed as being of little value for our rapidly changing world. Such historical amnesia is fatal for any culture, but particularly so for Christian communities whose identity is profoundly bound up with their history. The goal of this new series of monographs, Studies in Baptist History, seeks to provide one of these Christian communities, that of evangelical Baptists, with reasons and resources for remembering the past. The editors are deeply convinced that Baptist history contains rich resources of theological reflection, praxis and spirituality that can help Baptists, as well as other Christians, live more Christianly in the present. The monographs in this series will therefore aim at illuminating various aspects of the Baptist tradition and in the process provide Baptists with a usable past.

      For Jaclyn.

      May the love of God hold us together always.

      Foreword

      It never ceases to amaze me that even good historians can all too frequently ask questions of historical documents and eras that reflect more their own concerns and context than the people and periods that they are studying. The theology of Andrew Fuller, the remarkable eighteenth-century pastor-theologian, is an excellent case in point. In the past fifty years or so, the questions posed by historians of his published corpus have centered around issues primarily related to soteriology, and especially the whole matter of the free offer of the gospel and cross-cultural mission, matters of concern to contemporary Christianity. To be sure, these areas were central to the world of Fuller and his circle of friends, and he wrote a ground-breaking work about them, namely, The Gospel Worthy of All Acceptation. But what has not been recognized by scholarly discussion of Fuller and his thought, for instance, is his great interest in ethics, and especially the whole matter of virtue, an area of thought that has languished to some degree in the world of Evangelical academe. In this regard, then, this small work by Ryan Hoselton, which originated as a master’s thesis, truly does what we hope all post-baccalaureate theses will do, and that is break new ground.

      Hoselton shows how vital the whole concept of love was for Fuller’s thinking and action. And in this Fuller is showing his deep indebtedness to his main theological mentor after the Bible, namely Jonathan Edwards. Of course, once the centrality of love for Fuller is demonstrated, as it is in this essay, students of Fuller will recall how this theme was there all along. What was it, for example, that so struck Fuller about his close friend Samuel Pearce, the seraphic preacher of industrial Birmingham—was it not his holy love?

      It is a delight to introduce this fine study of a truly vital area of Fuller’s thinking, and pray that it will be the launching point for more studies of the concept of virtue in the most important Baptist author of the transatlantic world in the latter decades of the long eighteenth century.

      Michael A. G. Haykin

      Dundas, Ontario

      March

      29

      ,

      2017

      Preface

      I wish to express my deep appreciation to Professor Michael A. G. Haykin, not only for giving me the opportunity to write this book, which began as a master’s thesis at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, but also for his constructive feedback, encouragement, and patience throughout the process. I was immediately interested in this project when he mentioned that so little has been done on Baptist ethical thought. Professors Gregory Wills and Paul Helm served on my committee and offered invaluable insight and support, for which I’m sincerely grateful. Roy Paul also deserves credit and my hearty appreciation for assisting with the indexes. About eleven years ago, Thomas Dollahite, a close friend from New Mexico, had introduced me not only to Baptist history and theology, but also to my Savior. My ambition and prayer is to bless others in the same way that he has blessed me. My wife Jaclyn gave birth to our first daughter, Madrid Idelette, between chapters 1 and 2. A decent portion of this book was written with one hand while the other was fixing her pacifier or clenched by her superhuman grip. I thank Jaclyn for her care and support, lovingly bearing with me on the evenings that I transitioned straight from work to my study. I look forward to many years of growing our family in the knowledge and love of God.

      Ryan P. Hoselton

      Heidelberg, Germany

      March

      2017

      Abbreviations

      WAF The Complete Works of the Rev. Andrew Fuller with a Memoir of His Life by Andrew Gunton Fuller

      WJE The Works of Jonathan Edwards

      1

      Introduction

      The rise in attention to Andrew Fuller (1754–1815) is long overdue. In the early nineteenth century, the historian Joseph Ivimey (1773–1834) envisioned that Fuller would be remembered with esteem and veneration by all who feel an interest for the salvation of the heathen and the prosperity of the denomination.¹ Recent scholarly and ministerial initiatives have labored to bring Ivimey’s desire to fruition. According to Michael Haykin, the Director of the Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies, interest in Fuller’s life and thought is currently undergoing a small renaissance.² Historians and theologians alike are rediscovering Fuller’s role in shaping not only Baptist identity³ but also transatlantic Evangelicalism,⁴ while many pastors are commending Fuller as an example for ministers today.⁵

      Most treatments of Fuller’s life and thought have underlined his Evangelical Calvinist soteriology and missiology.⁶ Fuller’s articulation of Evangelical Calvinism perceived a direct relationship between God’s sovereignty and evangelistic tenacity, laying the ideological framework for the modern missionary movement. Without question, Fuller’s advocacy of Evangelical Calvinist thought and practice—which eventually became known as Fullerism—remains his greatest contribution to the early Evangelical movement. Peter Morden’s intellectual biography of Fuller represents how most historians and pastors have perceived him: the quintessential Evangelical.⁷ Morden presents Fuller through the grid of David Bebbington’s well-known quadrilateral of Evangelical identity: conversionism, activism, biblicism, and crucicentrism.⁸ According to Bebbington, Fuller based his Evangelical Calvinism on Jonathan Edwards’s Enlightenment reinterpretation of the relationship between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility as an expression of the law of cause and effect.⁹ Therefore, deduces Bebbington, Fuller’s reliance on Edwards was sufficient to ensure that the Evangelical movement was built on Enlightenment foundations.¹⁰

      This book focuses on an area of Fuller’s thought that directly undermined Enlightenment foundations: ethics. Fuller countered the verdict of many Enlightenment thinkers that traditional Christian belief was deleterious to moral excellence. He defended the veracity of censured orthodox doctrines—such as the Trinity, the atonement, human depravity, and the truth of Scripture—on the basis that they were conducive to virtue, human flourishing, and happiness. His apologetic method perpetuated a treasured idea of pre-modern theologians like Augustine of Hippo (354–430) and John Calvin (1509–1564)—that the truth and essence of orthodoxy consists not merely in its factuality but also its goodness. Like many of the classic theologians, Fuller rooted morality in right Christian doctrine. A right knowledge of God and human nature grounded a correct knowledge of virtue, and a vital love of God and neighbor facilitated a love of virtue. Thus, Fuller’s Evangelical Calvinism shaped more than his zealous conversionism; it provided the foundation and motivation of virtue and determined humanity’s moral telos.

      Extremely helpful in examining Fuller’s theology of virtue is a work by Ellen Charry on virtue and theology. Her interpretation of the motive behind classic theologians through the centuries, who guarded and promoted Christian orthodoxy because it facilitated virtue and human excellence, applies aptly to Andrew Fuller. Charry offers the neologism aretegenic to capture the virtue-shaping function of the divine pedagogy of theological treatises.¹¹ The adjective aretegenic (aretology in its nominal form) is a compound of the Greek terms, aretē, denoting virtue, and gennaō, to beget. The classic theologians believed that an accurate knowledge of God was aretegenic—it fostered virtue and excellence in the lives of believers. Examining theological texts spanning from the New Testament to the Reformation, Charry’s project aims at reclaiming a genuine pastoral Christian psychology that grounds human excellence in knowing and loving God.¹² This book seeks to contribute to this objective by studying the aretegenic theology of Andrew Fuller’s Evangelical Calvinism.

      Fuller developed his theology of goodness most extensively in his polemical works against Socinianism, The Calvinistic and Socinian Systems Examined and Compared, as to Their Moral Tendency (1793, 1802), and Deism, The Gospel Its Own Witness (1800). Thus, the material from these treatises will furnish most of the body of this book. He composed these works in response to the writings of Joseph Priestley (1733–1804) and Thomas Paine (1737–1809), two of the most widely known eighteenth-century critics of orthodox belief. Although Priestley and Paine were very different figures in many respects, they both rested a substantial portion of their diatribe against orthodoxy on the basis of its inherent proclivity to immorality—a contention that Fuller deemed unfounded.

      Chapter 2 focuses on the formation of Fuller’s Evangelical Calvinist thought early in his ministry career and the role it played in establishing his theology of virtue. Also, while a thorough treatment of Fuller’s Enlightenment context is not within the bounds of this book, a brief analysis of its moral philosophy, as well as the views of Priestley and Paine, is necessary in order to understand Fuller’s attempt to challenge its moral foundations. His understanding of humanity’s moral inability contrasted sharply with the modernist anthropology, necessitating Evangelical truth to return men and women from their moral rebellion against God. Chapter 3 introduces the background and design of his polemical works against Socinianism and Deism. This chapter shows how Fuller’s understanding of Christian orthodoxy as aretegenic grounded his apology in both debates. Chapter 4 presents a systematic analysis of how Fuller’s Evangelical Calvinist doctrine provided the framework for his

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