Cover letter
- Robert C. Jones
- Bob@2ndBook.org
- 2 April 2025
- Dr. David Emmanuel Goatley
- President and CEO
- Fuller Theological Seminary
- 135 N. Oakland Ave.
- Pasadena, CA 91101
Re: Proposal for a New Chair in Hermeneutics of Sensus Plenior
Dear Dr. Goatley,
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I am writing to present a proposal that I believe aligns deeply with Fuller Seminary’s legacy of thoughtful, Spirit-led scholarship and could significantly contribute to its future: the establishment of a Chair in Hermeneutics of Sensus Plenior. This Chair would offer a visionary approach to biblical interpretation that is both academically rigorous and spiritually transformative—centered on the rule-based, Christ-revealing hermeneutic grounded in the sensus plenior of Scripture.
As you know, theological education today faces numerous challenges: a crisis of confidence in Scripture, disengagement from traditional models of interpretation, and a rising generation of students and pastors seeking answers that are spiritually alive and intellectually satisfying. This Chair responds directly to those needs.
Rather than merely offering a Christocentric lens, the sensus plenior method reveals how every word, name, structure, and symbol in Scripture testifies of Christ—especially His death and resurrection. This approach includes:
- The symbolic meaning of Hebrew letters and their structural role in revealing divine truth,
- Word formations and gates that open prophetic understanding,
- Identification of cross-symbols and death-resurrection patterns in all genres of Scripture,
- A reproducible, verifiable framework for teaching others to hear the voice of God in the Word.
This proposal includes a fully developed curriculum for both MDiv and PhD students, with electives in areas such as AI-assisted interpretation, database development of symbolic meaning, evangelistic preaching, doctrinal reconciliation, and detecting false teaching patterns rooted in Balaamism or legalism. These courses are designed to restore both confidence in the authority of Scripture and wonder in the Spirit’s authorship.
Fuller is uniquely positioned to lead in this renewal. The seminary’s historic commitment to Christ-centered, Spirit-empowered scholarship provides fertile ground for a method that recovers the apostolic approach Jesus taught on the road to Emmaus—one that unveils Him in all the Scriptures and sets hearts ablaze.
I would be honored to review with you the attached proposal and course syllabi at your convenience. Thank you for your continued leadership and for stewarding Fuller’s mission with grace and courage in these times.
May the Lord bless you and keep you,
Robert C. Jones
