Book Review: Andrew Fuller and the Search for a Faith Worthy of All Acceptation (Banner of Truth)

This book review was prepared for The Banner of Truth Magazine.

Andrew Fuller and the Search for a Faith Worthy of All Acceptation: Exploring Fuller’s Soteriology in Its Historical Context

David Mark Rathel

T&T Clark, 2024

179pp., hdbk, £76.61

The Gospel Worthy of All Acceptation is one of the most important works in church history. In it, the eighteenth-century Baptist, Andrew Fuller, defends Evangelical Calvinism and the theological impetus behind the modern missionary movement. While it could be assumed that such an influential book needs little introduction, Rathel shows how grasping Fuller’s theological context reveals its true significance. Fuller wrote against Hyper Calvinism, which is often said to have taken hold of non-conformist churches through the ministry of men like John Gill and Joseph Hussey. And yet, there have been few attempts to study this theological system. Rathel undertook this crucial task for his PhD at the University of St Andrews. He demonstrates Hyper Calvinism was a complex movement, developing in different forms during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Under the influence of Tobias Crisp, Rathel shows John Gill and Joseph Hussey reformulated the eternal covenant, embraced eternal justification, and therefore rejected a form of evangelism known as ‘the free offer’. However, the movement developed in a different direction during the eighteenth century, with its main argument becoming that of human inability. This is evidenced by Lewis Wayman, John Brine, and John Johnson during the Modern Question controversy. It was this later group that Fuller primarily wrote against. Rathel’s more nuanced understanding of Hyper Calvinism highlights the many different heads of this theological hydra. It also lays the groundwork for a proper appreciation of Gill’s ministry, identifying the exact nature of his error and explaining why Fuller can repeatedly cite him against other Hyper Calvinists. Rathel is essential reading for anyone interested in eighteenth century theology or Baptist history. Although expensive, a paperback will be released in March 2026. If you want to understand Evangelical Calvinism, read Andrew Fuller. If you want to understand Andrew Fuller, read this!