ACADEMIC WORK FOR A SPIRITUAL END

By Professor Leslie Allen, Sr. Professor of Old Testament, Fuller Legacy Circle Member

I came to Fuller Theological Seminary in 1983 as a visiting professor for one quarter and stayed for the rest of my teaching career. Fuller gave me opportunities to pursue my passion for teaching the Old Testament, to engage with students, to write, and to speak at international conferences about the Bible's relevance to our modern society. The Seminary is very important because future theologians and Christian leaders are taught and prepared here. There is a great divide between seminaries and universities. There is a different attitude to the Scriptures in secular education. At Fuller, we are doing academic work but for a spiritual end. I have taught the Old Testament in its own terms, exploring basic questions like Why was the Bible written? What is it this book preaching to its own community? and Why and how does this concerns us, in our culture now? I've had the privilege of teaching countless students, many of whom were going to end up preaching in different ways and communicating God's Word to the contemporary world. They come back expressing their appreciation for being taught at Fuller. Time and again, I have heard testimonies from the former students about how their experience at Fuller has benefited them. Here they learned to examine serious questions and to give biblically grounded answers to the wider world.

I am grateful for this institution and so I decided to make a legacy gift of a charitable remainder trust. I hope my story inspires anyone interested in preserving the future of world-class theological education at Fuller Seminary.