David Otis Fuller
Encyclopedia
David Otis Fuller was a graduate of Wheaton College
in Wheaton, Illinois
and Princeton Theological Seminary
. He pastored Chelsea Baptist Church in Atlantic City, New Jersey
, and the well known Wealthy Street Baptist Church
in Grand Rapids, Michigan
.
and Charles Alexander
) revival meeting in North Carolina
and was baptized
in the First Baptist Church of New York City by Dr. I. M. Haldeman. The title of the sermon he heard that day was "What Wilt Thou Say When He Shall Punish Thee."
Dr. Fuller served as a United States Navy chaplain
in World War II
, then for the next 45 years he was a pastor in a civilian capacity. He served as the editor of the General Association of Regular Baptists' "Baptist Bulletin" for 50 years.
He was the founder of Cornerstone University
in Grand Rapids (at the time named Baptist Bible Institute), serving as president from 1941 to 1944. and the founder and president of the "Which Bible?" Society.
He helped establish the Children's Bible Hour
in 1942, and was the chairman of this large ministry [it is on nearly 600 radio stations] for 33 years. He also cared deeply for world missions and was for 52 years on the board of the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism
.
A great love for the Bible was one of the distinguishing features of Fuller’s life and ministry. By the time he retired from 40 years as pastor of the Wealthy Street Baptist Church in 1974, he had read the Bible through 75 times.
Fuller dedicated much of his life to the defense of the Byzantine text-type
as embodied in the Textus Receptus
and, largely, the King James Version.
In February 1988, Fuller died at Blodgett Memorial Medical Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan
.
. Others include John Burgon
, Herman C. Hoskier
, Philip Mauro, Joseph Philpot, Samuel Zwemer
, and George Sayles Bishop, as well as the works of a number of contemporary writers, including Edward Hills, Terence Brown, and Wilbur Pickering.
The Baptist researcher Doug Kutilek in his article The Unlearned Men has traced some of what Fuller wrote in his book, Which Bible? to what Seventh-day Adventist
scholar Benjamin G. Wilkinson
wrote in his own book concerning the textual debate, Our Authorized Bible Vindicated
.
Wheaton College (Illinois)
Wheaton College is a private, evangelical Protestant liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago in the United States...
in Wheaton, Illinois
Wheaton, Illinois
Wheaton is an affluent community located in DuPage County, Illinois, approximately west of Chicago and Lake Michigan. Wheaton is the county seat of DuPage County...
and Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary is a theological seminary of the Presbyterian Church located in the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey in the United States...
. He pastored Chelsea Baptist Church in Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
, and the well known Wealthy Street Baptist Church
Wealthy Street Baptist Church
Wealthy Park Baptist Church is an American church, located in Grand Rapids, Michigan.-History:Originally known as the Wealthy Avenue Baptist Church, the congregation called Oliver Willis Van Osdel to become its pastor in 1909...
in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
.
Biography
Thirteen-year-old Fuller committed to the Christian faith in April 1916 at a Chapman-Alexander (John Wilbur ChapmanJohn Wilbur Chapman
John Wilbur Chapman was a Presbyterian evangelist in the late 19th Century, generally traveling with gospel singer Charles Alexander. His parents were Alexander H. and Lorinda Chapman.-Faith & Education:Chapman grew up attending Quaker Day School and Methodist Sunday School...
and Charles Alexander
Charles McCallon Alexander
Charles McCallon Alexander , a native of East Tennessee, was a popular 19th Century gospel singer who worked the evangelistic circuit for many years. Over the course of his ministry, he toured with R. A. Torrey and John Wilbur Chapman, most notably. In 1904, Alexander married Helen Cadbury,...
) revival meeting in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
and was baptized
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
in the First Baptist Church of New York City by Dr. I. M. Haldeman. The title of the sermon he heard that day was "What Wilt Thou Say When He Shall Punish Thee."
Dr. Fuller served as a United States Navy chaplain
United States Navy Chaplain Corps
The Chaplain Corps of the United States Navy consists of ordained clergy who are commissioned naval officers. Their principal purpose is to "promote the spiritual, religious, moral, and personal well-being of the members of the Department of the Navy," which includes the Navy and the United States...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, then for the next 45 years he was a pastor in a civilian capacity. He served as the editor of the General Association of Regular Baptists' "Baptist Bulletin" for 50 years.
He was the founder of Cornerstone University
Cornerstone University
Cornerstone University is an independent, non-denominational Christian university in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The university emphasises the trinitarian belief in the triune God and the literal interpretation of the Bible...
in Grand Rapids (at the time named Baptist Bible Institute), serving as president from 1941 to 1944. and the founder and president of the "Which Bible?" Society.
He helped establish the Children's Bible Hour
Children's Bible Hour
Children's Bible Hour, also known as CBH Ministries, is an international Christian media ministry organization that produces radio programs , and formerly Children's Bible Hour, print materials, and web-based media for evangelism to children, targeting ages 6 to 12 with Bible-based materials.-...
in 1942, and was the chairman of this large ministry [it is on nearly 600 radio stations] for 33 years. He also cared deeply for world missions and was for 52 years on the board of the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism
Abwe
An abwe or chekeré is a musical ensemble of Cuba that uses gourds. It is a product of cabildos, historical congregations of African slaves brought to Cuba....
.
A great love for the Bible was one of the distinguishing features of Fuller’s life and ministry. By the time he retired from 40 years as pastor of the Wealthy Street Baptist Church in 1974, he had read the Bible through 75 times.
Fuller dedicated much of his life to the defense of the Byzantine text-type
Byzantine text-type
The Byzantine text-type is one of several text-types used in textual criticism to describe the textual character of Greek New Testament manuscripts. It is the form found in the largest number of surviving manuscripts, though not in the oldest...
as embodied in the Textus Receptus
Textus Receptus
Textus Receptus is the name subsequently given to the succession of printed Greek texts of the New Testament which constituted the translation base for the original German Luther Bible, the translation of the New Testament into English by William Tyndale, the King James Version, and for most other...
and, largely, the King James Version.
In February 1988, Fuller died at Blodgett Memorial Medical Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
.
Published works
Fuller’s three volumes on the subject of texts and versions contain the full or summarized works of many older authorities on the textual issue. The most notable influence being Benjamin G. WilkinsonBenjamin G. Wilkinson
Dr. Benjamin George Wilkinson was a Seventh-day Adventist missionary, educator, theologian and the Dean of Theology at the Seventh-day Adventist Washington Missionary College which is located in Takoma Park, Maryland, near Washington, D.C.-Biography:Wilkinson is an obscure figure today, and is...
. Others include John Burgon
John William Burgon
John William Burgon was an English Anglican divine who became the Dean of Chichester Cathedral in 1876. He is remembered for his passionate defence of the historicity and Mosaic authorship of Genesis and of Biblical inerrancy in general.-Biography:Burgon was born at Smyrna, the son of an English...
, Herman C. Hoskier
Herman C. Hoskier
Herman Charles Hoskier , was a biblical scholar, British textual critic, and son of a merchant banker, Herman Hoskier .Hoskier, as textual critic, supported the Byzantine text-type against the Alexandrian text-type...
, Philip Mauro, Joseph Philpot, Samuel Zwemer
Samuel Marinus Zwemer
Samuel Marinus Zwemer , nicknamed The Apostle to Islam, was an American missionary, traveler, and scholar. He was born at Vriesland, Michigan. In 1887 he received an A.B. from Hope College, Holland, Mich., and in 1890, he received an M.A. from New Brunswick Theological Seminary, New Brunswick, N....
, and George Sayles Bishop, as well as the works of a number of contemporary writers, including Edward Hills, Terence Brown, and Wilbur Pickering.
The Baptist researcher Doug Kutilek in his article The Unlearned Men has traced some of what Fuller wrote in his book, Which Bible? to what Seventh-day Adventist
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
scholar Benjamin G. Wilkinson
Benjamin G. Wilkinson
Dr. Benjamin George Wilkinson was a Seventh-day Adventist missionary, educator, theologian and the Dean of Theology at the Seventh-day Adventist Washington Missionary College which is located in Takoma Park, Maryland, near Washington, D.C.-Biography:Wilkinson is an obscure figure today, and is...
wrote in his own book concerning the textual debate, Our Authorized Bible Vindicated
Our Authorized Bible Vindicated
Our Authorized Bible Vindicated is a book written by Seventh-day Adventist scholar Dr. Benjamin G. Wilkinson advocating the King James Only position, published in 1930...
.
Books
- Which Bible? Grand Rapids: Grand Rapids International Publications, 1970. 3rd ed. 1972. ISBN 0-944355-24-2
- True or False? The Westcott-Hort Textual Theory Examined Grand Rapids: Grand Rapids International Publications, 1973. ISBN 0-944355-12-9
- Counterfeit or Genuine? Grand Rapids: Grand Rapids International Publications, 1978. ISBN 0-8254-2615-4
External links
- Which Bible Is Preserved Of God? Article by David Otis Fuller