Virtue Online - Charismatic Leader Dies - Omitted: How the Holy Spirit Works Through the Word

Rev. Terry Fullam Episcopal Charismatic Figure Dies

By David W. Virtue DD
www.virtueonline.org 
March 15, 2014

One of the most important figures of the Charismatic Movement of the late Twentieth Century died today. The Rev. Terry Fullam was the former rector of St. Paul's Church, Darien, Connecticut where he served for 17 years, ministering renewal to clergy and laity. He was 84.

The Charismatic movement in The Episcopal Church began with the Rev. Dennis Bennett's experience of the Holy Spirit while he was rector of St. Mark's Church in Van Nuys, California. In 1960 the second most important figure in the late Twentieth Century was unquestionably Terry Fullam.

In an interview I conducted with Fullam in 2004, he said Dennis Bennett opened him up to the work of the Holy Spirit in a more personal way and that was experientially wonderful. "I had been a believer, but through his ministry, I found a deeper, richer life. The other person was my mother. She was the world's finest Bible teacher, and it was through her ministry that I was grounded in Holy Scripture."

For over 30 years he influenced a whole generation of Episcopalians. In 1972, he accepted a call to become rector of St. Paul's parish in Darien, CT. Under his leadership, St. Paul's became one of the most active and fastest growing churches in the United States. At St Paul's Fullam placed special emphasis on renewal for clergy and laity through Charismatic renewal.

His reputation as a dynamic renewal leader resulted in his receiving and accepting numerous invitations to teach around the nation and the world.

In 1980, author Bob Slosser wrote a book about Fullam and the St. Paul's parish ministry titled Miracle in Darien. The book was reprinted and revised in 1997 and is recognized today as a leading text on church renewal.

Fullam was born in Montpelier, Vermont, to Rex Fullam and Mary Fullam (nee: Mary Frances Tewsksbury). After graduating from high school in Barre, VT, in 1948, he began his college studies at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. During his time there, he was also choirmaster at a nearby Methodist church, whose pastor gave Fullam a copy of the book Deeper Experiences of Famous Christians by James Gilchrist Lawson. Fullam credits the book with helping him to change the direction of his life. He withdrew from Eastman and enrolled at Gordon College in Wenham, MA, where he graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in philosophy. He later did graduate work at both Harvard University and Boston University, subsequently obtaining a Master of Arts in philosophy from Harvard in 1955.

For the next 16 years, Fullam held various teaching positions in a number of universities and colleges. He concluded his academic career as a professor at Barrington College in 1972.

Fullam never attended seminary, but he was ordained in 1967 as an Episcopal priest by the Bishop of Rhode Island and was appointed Rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Darien, Connecticut in 1972.

In 1984, Fullam received a Doctorate of Divinity from Barrington College. In 1990, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Gordon College.

In 1989, Fullam resigned his position as rector at St. Paul's to allow him to better focus on ministering around the world. He conducted missions in more than 25 countries, including more than 50 travel and teaching missions to Israel and the Middle East. In 1998, Fullam suffered a stroke and had to discontinue his teaching missions.

He wrote seven books: Living the Lord's Prayer (Ballantine Books); Fit for God's Presence (Chosen Books); Facets of Faith (Episcopal Radio/TV Foundation); Riding the Wind - Your Life in the Holy Spirit (Creation House); How to Walk with God (Thomas Nelson); Thirsting - A Study on the Presence of God (Thomas Nelson); and Your Body God's Temple (Chosen Books). He also authored an audio teaching library, "Life on Wings", which contains more than 750 titles.

Alongside that Charismatic renewal, Evangelicals in the Episcopal Church, which had long been a small and beleaguered minority, began to find new life and strength, along with a sense of their own identity. They were aided in their self-discovery by Evangelicals from the UK, Australia, and elsewhere. There were organizations dedicated to promoting renewal in the Episcopal Church, but there were numerous, seemingly spontaneous examples of spiritual renewal popping up all over the Church as well. Several entire dioceses began to take on the character of the renewal movement. Those who had been touched by the Charismatic renewal and the Evangelical resurgence came to grips with the realization that no existing Episcopal seminary was capable of training biblically faithful, Spirit-filled clergy to serve and lead parishes. This realization led to the founding of Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry. 

Over time, as the Episcopal Church became polarized over faith and morals, those affected by spiritual renewal and those being led in the direction of theological heterodoxy began to diverge. In large part, this divergence occurred as theological liberals in the Episcopal Church became even more radical and began to act in ways contrary to the biblical and historic faith and order of the Church. The Rt. Rev. Thad Barnum chronicles the liberal trajectory of the Episcopal Church and the orthodox response in his marvelous book, Never Silent.

The Rev. Christopher Leighton current rector of St. Paul's, Darien said Fullam was a prince and a great man.

"St. Paul's was his only rectorship, and he served here from 1972 to 1989. Equally important was his service to other churches and denominations. He led the way in renewal, which meant personal evangelism of those in the church, a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit, and a restructuring of parishes to go forward with Jesus Christ as the Head of His Church. He loved to preach and teach the Scriptures, and he did so with conviction and clarity. My wife Janet and I would come here in the '70s and '80s to see what the Lord was doing in evangelism, lay leadership, worship, and koinonia - fellowship. In those days, teams from St. Paul's came to us and to so many others to initiate changes that would lead to lasting fruit to the Father's glory.

"We are saddened by the death of this great leader for Christ. We remember that God moved mightily in him and through him and those who served with him. We pray for the comfort of the Holy Spirit upon his family and friends and the many who were touched through his ministry. Along with our sadness, we have a much greater joy: Terry has fought the good fight, he has won the victory, and he is now with his Lord Jesus Christ."

On hearing of his death, the Rt. Rev. Gregory Brewer (Central Florida) a charismatic evangelical wrote, "Terry Fullam had a profound impact on a generation of Episcopalians as a widely travelled and deeply respected teacher of the Scriptures, and also as an ambassador at large for charismatic renewal. In the 1970's and '80's literally thousands of people made their way to St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Darien Connecticut where he served as Rector, hungry to discover the power of the Holy Spirit which they so eagerly proclaimed and lived."

Former Dean of Nashotah House, the Rev. Dr. Robert Munday wrote, "Terry Fullam was, in many ways, the personification of the renewal movement in the Episcopal Church. Through his prophetic leadership and powerful biblical teaching, he impacted countless thousands in the Episcopal Church and beyond."

Fullam was a supporter of VOL. He grew deeply disillusioned at the downward moral and theological spiral of the Episcopal Church.

I asked if he was still a believer in the local church as the placed of spiritual growth and nurture, Fullam replied, "Yes, I believe in the local church warts and all. The tragedy is that thousands of Episcopal churches are not offering a real closer walk with Christ with sound Bible teaching. A Christian without a church is a dying Christian."

During the 2004 interview, I asked him what he thought were the key themes of his ministry. He replied, "The transforming work of the Holy Spirit in a persons' life, when believers learn to cooperate with the Holy Spirit instead of fighting the Spirit. It takes a while after conversion before you learn to follow the urgings and voice of the Holy Spirit.

Asked at the time if he thought the Episcopal Church was finished as a major Christian denomination in America, he replied, "I think ECUSA is finished."

Asked on whom he put the blame, he replied, "I blame the seminaries, because they do not give proper instruction. The process has been a gradual breakdown but it has accelerated over time, and so I don't believe The Episcopal Church can be reclaimed. I would like to be proven wrong, but I see little sign of hope. I think Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry and Nashotah House hold out the best hope for any kind of renewal if there is going to be one."

Details of his burial were not available at this time of writing.

END

Meet the DP-in-Waiting, Anything Goes District - WELS

Joel Zank, Mequon 1987 - the class was
a treasure trove of Shrinkers.

Update from NWD 1st VP Joel Zank:

Dear Brothers,

I have just returned from visiting Doug Engelbrecht. He is doing amazingly well given the severity of his heart attack. He was sitting up in a chair and had hopes of being released from ICU to a regular room within the hour. I had a devotion with him and Gayle as well as their two children. We encouraged each other with the Lord’s love and promises. The family is so grateful for the ministry they are receiving from Pastor McKenzie and their church family at Trinity.

The course of Doug’s recovery will depend, in part, on what an ultrasound test reveals this afternoon. It’s my understanding that the surgeon’s first order of business was to restore blood flow to Doug’s heart. That was done by repairing one artery at this time. The other arteries remain blocked and will, most likely, be the target of future treatments. We should know more relatively soon.

I assured our dear brother that prayers on his behalf are being offered throughout the district and across the synod. He and His family send their thanks for those prayers!

As you might imagine, between his congregation and all of us, there could be a steady stream of visitors to his hospital room. Doctors are advising against that at this time. They want our brother to rest and regain his strength. I told Doug that I would pass along the doctors’ concerns and he reluctantly agreed that such a thing would seem best. He knows that you are thinking of Him and would want to visit Him if it was at all advisable.

In the meantime, if you have district business for Doug, please direct that to me or to one of the other members of the presidium. We will do our best to help you in any way that we can.

Please share this note with the men in your circuit. I tried sending a district-wide e-mail yesterday, but Google threatened to disable my account. I’m working to remedy that, but for now, your help is greatly appreciated!

I join all of you in thanking our gracious God for sparing Doug’s earthly life. We commend His Holiness to the care of Him who has plans to bless us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future – here and hereafter.

Yours in Christ Jesus,
Joel

The other Joel, Joel Lillo, thinks ill of my posts - but he had no problem with the Glende staff, with Tim in the lead, suing a church member for telling the truth, or St. Peter in Freedom excommunicating another one for identifying Tim's plagiarism and lies.

All this underhanded slander and abuse goes unreported, because no one wants to step on the third rail, WELS infallibility. Thus an incompetent and unworthy DP has been allowed to promote clergy who make him feel good about his limited skills. 

Why did no one resign from the praesidium when Doug forced the CRM status of Ski and had a call waiting for him seconds later?

Reminiscere Sunday, The Second Sunday in Lent, 2014.Matthew 15:21-28. The Canaanite Woman

Reminiscere Sunday, The Second Sunday in Lent, 2014

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Time

The Hymn #652   I Lay My Sins on Jesus              1:24

The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual       

The Gospel              

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn # 454            Prayer Is the Soul's Sincere Desire     1:41

God's Grace Is Concealed at Times

The Hymn # 281                 The Savior Calls               1:29

The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn # 374                 Grace Tis a Charming Sound 1:91

KJV 1 Thessalonians 4:1 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. 2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God,even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: 4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; 5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: 6 That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. 7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.

KJV Matthew 15:21 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. 23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. 24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. 26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. 27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. 28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

Second Sunday In Lent

Lord God, heavenly Father, grant us, we beseech Thee, by Thy Holy Spirit, that He may strengthen our hearts and confirm our faith and hope in Thy grace and mercy, so that, although we have reason to fear because of our conscience, our sin, and our unworthiness, we may nevertheless, with the woman of Canaan, hold fast to Thy grace, and in every trial and temptation find Thee a very present help and refuge, through Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

God's Grace Is Concealed at Times

KJV Matthew 15:21 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. 

The questions we ask of a text will shape the answer. Often the wrong questions are asked. Normally this text is used to ask, "Why was Jesus being so difficult with this woman?" A better question is, "Did Jesus ever turn down a request for healing?"

The answer to the better question is, "No, He never did." That shapes the other question, which becomes, "What are we supposed to learn from this?"

The ELCA published a book called The Bible - Texts of Terror, which was designed to help people realize how oppressive the Bible is. But the Bible is a book of comfort, written for our benefit  and preserved with miraculous accuracy.

I have a book Alias Shakespeare because they are still debating who wrote Shakespeare's plays. We know who wrote the Bible, and we know even the most minor details are confirmed (when available) by archaeological finds.

So this Canaanite woman's desperate plea should make us long to find the comfort offered in this miracle. Jesus healed in various ways and conducted Himself differently in those miracles that are preserved for us - there were many others. Since groups of miracles were summarized, why are certain miracles offered in such detail? Answer - because each miracle has a different teaching emphasis.

This malady is heart-wrenching, because this is a mother pleading for her daughter. She has a daughter but does not - the vexation takes her daughter away from her and causes them both enormous suffering.

23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.

The response seems cold and even worse - the disciples say - "Dismiss her! Heal her daughter and make her go away." They are annoyed and not friendly. We know that only friendly churches grow. I would not let the disciples be greeters or ushers.

At the point where people want to twist this the wrong way, we are to find the comparison with our own lives.

If no one has experienced this, then I am surprised. We face a difficult situation, especially concerning someone we love. We pray about it - and we see no results. In fact, we continue to pray about it, and it seems no better. In fact, people are scornful that this difficult malady or problem (of another sort) has been laid on our shoulders with no relief. They are gleeful and make matters worse - and still it continues. People even wonder out loud why believers suffer especially.

False teachers say, "You must pray our way, to get good results." They will even offer their techniques, which always work for them. As one person said, "I will send our healing team over to impose our healing oil."

Because of these experiences, the Canaanite woman's plight is noteworthy.

24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. 

Although there is pressure on Jesus from the woman and the disciples, He answers by saying - "You do not belong to the right synod." Some will think I am mocking the text, but Jesus did bring up something irrelevant. But this a good parallel to the synodical franchise system of today. Each one says that the others are not worthy, not kosher. That cannot even be questioned, even though the label is completely off the mark. No one asks, "Does this person trust the Word of God? Does this person have faith in Christ?" Instead they ask, "Is this person certified by our synod, a sect controlled by false teachers and an insurance company?" 

When the woman hears the challenge, she responds with faith - she worshiped Him and said again, "Lord help me."

Luther often made this point - that God exercises our faith to make it grow. When people are left unchallenged or run from the challenge, their faith shrinks to nothing. That is the fate of the clergy and laity who crave the approval of others. 

So one part of the lesson is to continue to have faith, even if we seem to be getting no answers. Patience in abiding in Christ (John 15) will bear fruit, and bear fruit abundantly. 

26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. 27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.

Here is the question of worthiness. When we meet with silence after earnestly praying, we feel our unworthiness. Others seem to do much better. They seem to be beloved while we feel like outcasts. 

In hearing the worst kind of rebuke, the woman answers with faith. Is Jesus calling her a dog? He is making a rhetorical statement. I might say to a class, "Maybe we should have your parents write a big check and print out a diploma. Then you will not have to study any more."

The bluntness of the term "dogs" is met by the optimism of faith - even the little dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the master's table. The least little bit of favor would suit her. 

28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

Jesus praised her faith, which is another lesson to be learned. When people attack a word for a long time, the term accumulates a bad reputation regardless of its real meaning. For example, a considerable number of people react against such things as BBQs, gasoline engines, and wood fireplaces. So much propaganda has been unleashed about global warming that they think those things are inherently evil. 

A faction among Lutherans have done the same with "faith." But this woman is an example of faith. And there is nothing bad about faith in the Bible - only in the imaginations of false teachers. 

Faith is trust in God, in His love and mercy. Faith does not emphasize the person but God. Faith is not a work, except it is a work of God, Who creates and sustains faith in us.