The Fuller community mourns the passing of Colin Brown, professor emeritus of systematic theology at Fuller Seminary, who passed away on the morning of May 4, 2019. He was at home, surrounded by his children and loved ones, when he died. We are thankful for the life of Dr. Brown, and his significant scholarship, which he pursued with curiosity and vigor, as well as his influence as a professor known for his generosity.
“Colin Brown was a distinguished scholar and teacher whose contributions shaped Fuller for over three decades,” said Richard J. Mouw, president emeritus of Fuller. “Dr. Brown dialogued passionately with the voices of history to understand the nuances of the Western church’s Christology, and he strove unceasingly to enhance the intellectual life of the seminary and the church at large.”
Brown joined the faculty of the seminary in 1978 after several years as an instructor at other American, British, and German institutions. Primarily teaching courses on systematic theology, Brown was especially interested in Christology and also led advanced seminars on Jesus in contemporary Western thought, the politics of Jesus, miracles, and theological method. But Brown’s influence went far beyond the territory of theological thought.
“Colin and Olive were mentors for both Olga and myself,” said Juan F. Martínez, professor of Hispanic studies and pastoral leadership. “Colin opened doors for me at Fuller, specifically by inviting me to guest lecture on Latino and Latin American theological trends in one of his theology courses every year. Even though we had very different understandings of the theological task, he encouraged his students to be attentive to the contributions of those who decentered the European/American theological narrative.”
Along with scores of articles, Brown is known for his books Karl Barth and the Christian Message (1967), Philosophy and the Christian Faith: A Historical Sketch from the Middle Ages to the Present Day (1969), and Christianity and Western Thought: A History of Philosophers, Ideas, and Movements, Vol. 1: From the Ancient World to the Age of Enlightenment (1990). His book Jesus in European Protestant Thought (1985) was a finalist for the Philip Scaff Prize of the American Society of Church History, awarded to the best published work on church history originating in North America, and Miracles and the Critical Mind (1984) received numerous honors, including the Evangelical Christian Publishers’ Association Gold Medallion Award in the Doctrine and Theology category, first place on the Critics’ Commended List of Books in the Los Angeles Times, and a Logos Book Award. He also edited the four-volume New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology (1986).
“He was passionate about his own research and methodology, but always generous to those of us who came at the subject matter with a different slant,” said Robert K. Johnston, professor of theology and culture. “Here is Fuller at our best.”
Etc. May he rest in peace.
Zwinglius Redivivus 