Dispensationalism


Dispensationalism is a Christian theological framework for interpreting the Christian Bible which maintains that history is divided into multiple ages called dispensations in which God interacts with his chosen people in different ways. It is often distinguished from covenant theology, the traditional Reformed view of reading the Bible. These are two competing frameworks of biblical theology that attempt to explain overall continuity in the Bible. The coining of the term "dispensationalism" has been attributed to Philip Mauro, a critic of the system's teachings, in his 1928 book The Gospel of the Kingdom.
Dispensationalists use a literal interpretation of the Bible and believe that divine revelation unfolds throughout its narrative. They believe that there is a distinction between Israel and the Church, and that Christians are not bound by Mosaic law. They maintain beliefs in premillennialism, Christian Zionism, and a rapture of Christians before the expected Second Coming of Jesus, who Christians believe to be the Messiah, generally before the Great Tribulation.
Dispensationalism was systematized and promoted by John Nelson Darby and the Plymouth Brethren in the mid-19th century. It began its spread in the United States during the late 19th century through the efforts of evangelists such as James Inglis, James Hall Brookes and Dwight L. Moody, the programs of the Niagara Bible Conference, and the establishment of Bible institutes. With the dawn of the 20th century, C. I. Scofield introduced the Scofield Reference Bible, which crystallized dispensationalism in the United States.
Dispensationalism has become popular within American evangelicalism. In addition to the Plymouth Brethren, it is commonly found in nondenominational Bible churches, as well as among Baptist, Pentecostal, and Charismatic groups. Protestant denominations that embrace covenant theology, such as the Reformed churches, tend to reject dispensationalism.

Overview

Dispensationalism is a theological framework that views history as divided into distinct periods in which God interacts with mankind in specific ways. Scofield, in his Scofield Reference Bible, defined a dispensation as "a period of time during which man is tested in respect of obedience to some specific revelation of the will of God".
Charles Ryrie took issue with Scofield's definition as too simple, stating that such a definition opened the system to attack from nondispensationalists. Ryrie separates the term age from dispensation, stating that the two terms are not synonymous in meaning while defining a dispensation as "a distinguishable economy in the outworking of God's purpose". He further suggests that the defining characteristics of a dispensation are the distinct governing relationship in which God interacts with mankind during that period, and the resulting responsibility placed upon mankind in that period.
Evangelical Christians generally agree that there are distinct periods in God's plan for humanity. Dispensationalist theologians tend to hold "a particular view of the parallel-but-separate roles and destinies of Israel and the church", with a "careful separation ... between what is addressed to Israel and what is addressed to the church. What is addressed to Israel is 'earthly' in character and is to be interpreted 'literally'."
This view is distinct from covenant theology, which holds that rather than having separate plans, "God has one people, one people of God throughout redemptive history, called 'Israel' under the Old Testament, and called 'the church' under the New."
Philip Mauro, a critic of the system's teachings in his 1928 book The Gospel of the Kingdom, is considered to be the first to coin the term "dispensationalism" to describe the theological framework that had made inroads into fundamentalism, calling it "a subtle form of modernism".

Typical divisions

The number of dispensations may vary from three to eight, but the typical seven-dispensation scheme is as follows:
  • Innocence – Adam under probation prior to the Fall of Man. Ends with expulsion from the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3. Some refer to this period as the Adamic period or the dispensation of the Adamic covenant or Adamic law.
  • Conscience – From the Fall to the Great Flood. Ends with the worldwide deluge.
  • Human or Civil Government – After the Great Flood, humanity is responsible to enact the death penalty, and has the authority to govern. Ends with the dispersion at the Tower of Babel. Some use the term "Noahide law" in reference to this period of dispensation.
  • Promise or Patriarchal Rule – From Abraham to Moses. Ends with the refusal to enter Canaan and the 40 years of unbelief in the wilderness. Some use the terms "Abrahamic law" or "Abrahamic covenant" in reference to this period of dispensation.
  • Law – From Moses to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Ends with the scattering of Israel in AD 70. Some use the term "Mosaic law" in reference to this period of dispensation.
  • Grace – From the cross to the rapture of the church seen by some groups as being described in 1 Thessalonians and the Book of Revelation. The rapture is followed by the wrath of God, constituting the Great Tribulation. Some use the term "Age of Grace" or "the Church Age" for this dispensation.
  • Millennial Kingdom – A literal 1000 year reign of Christ on earth, centered in Jerusalem, ending with God's judgment on the final rebellion.

    Variants

  • Classic dispensationalism
  • Ultradispensationalism
  • Hyperdispensationalism
  • Revised dispensationalism
  • Progressive dispensationalism

    Theology

Purpose of God in the world

According to John Walvoord, God's purpose in the world is to manifest his glory. Charles Ryrie writes that dispensational soteriology focuses on man's salvation as the means God uses to glorify himself.

Biblical literalism

A key element of dispensationalism is its use of the historical-grammatical hermeneutic to obtain a consistent, literal interpretation of the text. In this method, scripture is to be interpreted according to the normal rules of human language in its entirety. This leads dispensationalists to take eschatological passages in the Bible literally. Charles Ryrie suggests that a non-literal hermeneutic is the reason amillennialists apply Old Testament promises made to Israel "spiritually" to the church, and covenant premillennialists see some prophecies as fulfilled and others as not.

Progressive revelation

Progressive revelation is the doctrine that each successive book of the Bible provides further revelation of God and his program. Theologian Charles Hodge wrote that the progressive character of divine revelation is gradually unfolded until the fullness of truth is revealed. Charles Ryrie wrote that the Bible is not viewed as a textbook on theology, but rather as a continually unfolding revelation of God through successive ages where there are distinguishable stages in which God introduces mankind to new responsibilities.
Covenant theology and dispensationalist theology disagree regarding the meaning of revelation. Covenant theology views the New Testament as the key to interpreting the Old Testament. For dispensationalists, the Old Testament is interpreted on its own and the New Testament contains new information which can build on the Old Testament but cannot change its meaning. Each stands alone, rather than the Old Testament being reread through the lens of the New Testament.

Distinction between Israel and the Church

Dispensationalists see a historic and demographic distinction between Israel and the Christian Church. For them, Israel is an ethnic nation consisting of Hebrews, beginning with Abraham. Believing that the Old Testament promises to Israel await fulfillment, dispensationists link biblical Israel to the modern state of Israel, viewing its establishment as fulfillment of biblical prophecies concerning Israel. Christian Zionism has made evangelical Christians some of the most ardent supporters of the State of Israel in American politics.
The Church, on the other hand, consists of all saved individuals from the "birth of the Church" in the book of Acts until the time of the rapture. Classic dispensationalists refer to this period as a "parenthesis", a temporary interlude in the progress of Israel's prophesied history when God has paused his dealing with Israel and is dealing with his Church.
There are differing views within dispensationalism as to when the church age began. Classic dispensationalism considers Pentecost in Acts 2 to be the beginning of the Church as distinct from Israel. Charles Finney wrote in 1839 that Pentecost was "the commencement of a new dispensation", emphasizing the role of the Holy Spirit as a distinction. Cyrus Scofield did not make Pentecost itself the turning point, but did emphasize its role in dividing the dispensations of "Law" and "Grace". In contrast, hyperdispensationalists suggest that the church started later in Acts with the ministry of Paul, identifying the start of the church as occurring between the salvation of Saul in Acts 9 and the Holy Spirit's commissioning of Paul in Acts 13. E. W. Bullinger and the ultradispensationalists taught that the church began in Acts 28. According to progressive dispensationalism, the distinction between Israel and the Church is not mutually exclusive, as there is a recognized overlap between the two. The overlap includes Jewish Christians, such as James, brother of Jesus, who likely aimed to integrate Jesus's teachings with the Second Temple Judaism practiced in Jerusalem during their historical context. Additionally, there were Christians of Jewish ethnicity, like Peter and Paul the Apostle, who had differing opinions about Jewish and gentile adherence to Mosaic law. Progressive dispensationalism "softens" the Church/Israel distinction by seeing some Old Testament promises as expanded by the New Testament to include the Church without replacing the promises to its original audience, Israel.