Charles Edward Fuller (April 25, 1887 – March 18, 1968) was an American

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...

minister and a

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...

evangelist Evangelist may refer to: Religion * Four Evangelists, the authors of the canonical Christian Gospels * Evangelism, publicly preaching the Gospel with the intention of spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ * Evangelist (Anglican Church), a c ...

Biography

He was born in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

to a prosperous southern California orange grove owner in 1887. Although raised by devout Methodists, he displayed little interest in religious matters as a youth. Fuller graduated from

Pomona College Pomona College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalists who wanted to recreate a "college of the New England type" in Southern California. In 1925, it became t ...

in 1910 as a chemist and worked in his father's citrus-packing business in southern California until 1918. Fuller married his high school sweetheart, Grace Payton, in 1910. Fuller was converted under the preaching of

Paul Rader Paul Alexander Rader (born March 14, 1934), is an American religious leader, who was the 15th General of the Salvation Army from 1994 to 1999, and was the President of Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, from 2000 to 2006. Biography Born in N ...

, pastor of Chicago's

Moody Church The Moody Church (often referred to as Moody Memorial Church, after a sign hung on the North Avenue side of the building) is a historic evangelical Christian (Nondenominational Christianity) church in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illi ...

in 1916.

Ministry

After his conversion in 1916, Fuller began to teach the adult Sunday school class at Placentia Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles, and later entered the Bible Institute of Los Angeles (now

Biola University Biola University () is a private, nondenominational, evangelical Christian university in La Mirada, California. It was founded in 1908 as the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. It has over 150 programs of study in nine schools offering bachelor's ...

), eventually becoming chairman of the board. states, "Under the tutelage of Biola's dean, Reuben A. Torrey, Fuller developed a religious perspective that was strongly weighted toward

fundamentalism Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that is characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguish ...

and

dispensationalism Dispensationalism is a system that was formalized in its entirety by John Nelson Darby. Dispensationalism maintains that history is divided into multiple ages or "dispensations" in which God acts with humanity in different ways. Dispensationali ...

. Fuller then dabbled in volunteer religious work in the Los Angeles area for several years until his fundamentalist views forced him and many of his Sunday school class to split from Placentia Presbyterian in 1925." Initially a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

, he became a

minister in 1925. After his ordination as a Baptist minister, he pastored a group that named itself the Calvary Church. Fuller held revival meetings down the West Coast of the United States, and soon began using radio as a method to get his message out. By 1930, he was regularly broadcasting Calvary's Sunday school services as well as Bible study programs in the local area. Eventually, the time he spent on the radio broadcast conflicted with the time he spent pastoring his church, so he either resigned his pastorship or was fired in 1933 and formed the nonprofit Gospel Broadcasting Association to support his radio efforts. He gained renown as the host and speaker of ''The Old Fashioned Revival Hour'', a weekly Sunday radio broadcast that aired from 1937 to 1968. The first nationwide broadcast occurred on October 3, 1937, on the

Mutual Broadcasting System The Mutual Broadcasting System (commonly referred to simply as Mutual; sometimes referred to as MBS, Mutual Radio or the Mutual Radio Network) was an American commercial radio network in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the Old-time radio, golden ...

. Beginning in 1951, the program was carried on the

ABC Radio Network Cumulus Media Networks was an American radio network owned and operated by Cumulus Media. From 2011 until its merger with Westwood One, it controlled many of the radio assets formerly belonging to the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), which ...

, heard on more than 650 radio stations. The ''Old Fashioned Revival Hour'' broadcast was originally recorded in a Hollywood studio. In 1941, it was moved to the

Long Beach Municipal Auditorium The Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center is a convention center located in Long Beach, California. Built on the former site of the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, the venue is composed of the Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach Ar ...

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

. From 1941 through 1958, audiences attended services that were broadcast live on the radio from the Auditorium. After January 12, 1958, the program was again produced in a studio. The broadcasts were noted for their music, featuring the ''Old Fashioned Revival Hour Choir'' and quartet, accompanied by organist George Broadbent and pianist

Rudy Atwood Rudolph Atwood (December 16, 1912 – October 16, 1992) was an American Christian music pianist, known primarily for his years as accompanist on the long-running ''Old Fashioned Revival Hour'' radio program led by Charles E. Fuller from 1937 to ...

. The choir made several popular recordings in the 1940s and 1950s. Aided by his wife, Grace, the ''Old Fashioned Revival Hour'' program created a family-like atmosphere, and by 1942 it had attracted an audience of over 10 million listeners worldwide. Fuller founded

Fuller Theological Seminary Fuller Theological Seminary is an interdenominational Evangelical Christian seminary in Pasadena, California, with regional campuses in the western United States. It is egalitarian in nature. Fuller consistently has a student body that compr ...

in Pasadena, California, in 1947. His son,

Daniel Fuller Daniel Payton Fuller (born August 28, 1925) is an American theologian and Professor Emeritus of hermeneutics. Fuller is the son of radio evangelist Charles E. Fuller, co-founder of the Fuller Theological Seminary. Life and career Fuller was born i ...

, served the seminary as Dean and professor of

hermeneutics Hermeneutics () is the theory and methodology of interpretation, especially the interpretation of biblical texts, wisdom literature, and philosophical texts. Hermeneutics is more than interpretative principles or methods used when immediate ...

. In 2005 Daniel Fuller was honored at an awards convocation for 50 years of service to the seminary. Charles Fuller died in 1968, shortly after his final broadcast of the ''Old Fashioned Revival Hour''. He is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. The Long Beach Municipal Auditorium was demolished in the 1960s, but a plaque marks the site of Fuller's broadcasts. Co-authors Kraphol and Lippy write the following about his legacy: "When Fuller died in 1968, his important role as a major figure in the development of post-World War II neoevangelicalism was not fully appreciated. Yet, his organizational skill, his masterful use of the radio medium, his vision for Christian higher education, and his willingness to moderate the more divisive aspects of his own fundamentalism background made him a significant force in the development of modern American evangelical ethos." The book ''Pagan Christianity'' by

George Barna George Barna (born 1954) is the founder of The Barna Group, a market research firm specializing in studying the religious beliefs and behavior of Americans, and the intersection of faith and culture. From 2013 - 2018 he served as the executive ...

and

Frank Viola Frank John Viola Jr. (born April 19, 1960) is an American former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Minnesota Twins (1982–1989), New York Mets (1989–1991), Boston Red Sox (1992–1994), Cincinnati Reds (1995), and To ...

notes Fuller's popularization of the use of the terminology "personal savior" when speaking of Jesus. re-broadcasts of the ''Old Fashioned Revival Hour'' stream weekly on the Internet.

References

External links

''Old Fashioned Revival Hour'' website

*
Old Fashioned Revival Hour Collection (ARS.0026), Stanford Archive of Recorded Sound
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fuller, Charles E. 1887 births 1968 deaths 20th-century Baptist ministers from the United States American evangelicals American radio personalities Radio evangelists Pomona College alumni Biola University alumni Christians from California Clergy from Los Angeles Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)