Calvinism and its impact upon Baptist and other free-church traditions is an issue of perennial importance. Indeed, much ink has been employed throughout the years for the purpose of considering just this topic. Obviously Calvinism is a complete doctrinal system, and it bears upon many other areas of theological concern beyond the doctrine of salvation. While many Baptists have had a long and historic association with Calvinistic soteriology, Calvinism's approach to ecclesiology and missiology should leave most self conscious Baptists dissatisfied at best. This book provides a missiological comparison of Fullerism and Calvinism. Andrew Fuller or Fullerism (while admittedly a form of Calvinism) is shown in this book to be an exciting and vibrant alternative to historic Reformed theology-particularly for Baptists and other free-church traditions. Fuller made a tremendous theological contribution in his day; through his writings he established the doctrinal rationale for indiscriminate gospel proclamation (a concept that was heavily under attack in eighteenth-century Baptist life). Consequently, this book hopes to encourage its readers to contemplate the lack of precision in the term ""Calvinism"" when used as a Baptistic nomenclature and to promote ""Fullerism"" (with its acute missiological emphasis) as a more helpful theological descriptor for the Baptist. ""With this important book, a young and rising scholar, Chadwick Mauldin, enters the intense conversation about Baptists and Calvinism with a novel yet stunningly accurate thesis. Andrew Fuller is the theological giant who led the Baptists to inaugurate the modern missions movement and it is his theological principles that define contemporary Baptists more adequately than the undeniable yet mitigated principles of the Genevan Reformer, John Calvin. This book will set the debates regarding Baptist identity on a new and proper track."" --Malcolm B. Yarnell III Associate Professor of Systematic Theology Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary ""A. Chadwick Mauldin has reexamined the highly influential work of Andrew Fuller, famous Baptist pastor, theologian, and preacher of missions. In this critically important book, Mauldin focuses on the growing differences that came to exist between Fuller and his followers on the one hand and stronger Calvinists on the other. Mauldin shows this development to be not only a result of Fuller's interest in missions but also the result of his grappling with the text of Scripture. Anyone interested in the history of missions in general or Baptist ecclesiology and theology in particular needs to read this book."" --Paige Patterson President Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary A. Chadwick Mauldin is the Director of Ministry and Theology at Happy Hill Farm Academy in Granbury, Texas. He has completed two degrees at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and is currently conducting further postgraduate research-focusing on a systematic study of Andrew Fuller's theology and its place within eighteenth-century Baptist history.
