Understanding Dispensationalism; An Overview
Of all the chasms that divide Christianity, none runs deeper than when one believes the church began. Some believe the church began with Abraham, some believe it began with Moses, others believe it began with John the Baptist and most believe it began with Jesus Christ. There is a group called "dispensationalists" who believe the church began on the Day of Pentecost. Those of us of this belief are at best frowned upon by the other belief systems and downright despised by many.
Dispensationalists are the new kid on the block. Most agree that this system of belief started in the late 1800's and came into its own in the early 1900's when most of Christianity was moving rapidly toward liberalism. Dispensationalists are of necessity fundamentalist in thinking because of taking the Word of God literally.
Most of Reformed and Covenant theology views dispensationalism as heretical and devilish because it diminishes either the Old Testament or the Gospels in their view. No one of the Reformed or Covenant belief system places the starting point of the church at the Day of Pentecost. Thus, we come back to the critical issue that causes the chasm.
Dispensationalism looks at the Bible and history as progressive. In other words, the Bible is broken down into dispensations or administrations. This is somewhat equivalent to the Presidential administrations in the United States. We had the Reagan administration, then the Bush, then the Clinton and now another Bush administration. Each administration placed their emphasis on different matters and dealt with situations unique to their time in office. What might have been extremely important in one administration could be totally irrelevant in the next.
There is no universal doctrine for dispensationalists, but there is a general consensus that the breakdown of dispensations is roughly as follows:
1. Innocence - Adam
2. Conscience - After man sinned, up to the flood
3. Government - After the flood, man allowed to eat meat, death penalty instituted
4. Promise - Abraham up to Moses and the giving of the Law
5. Law - Moses to the cross
6. Grace - Pentecost to the Millennial Kingdom
7. Millennial Kingdom - A 1000 year reign of Christ on earth centered in Jerusalem
There is another breakdown which I personally prefer which would be as follows:
1. Original or Paradise-Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden
2. Patriarchal-Unwritten law
3. Law-Given go Moses
4. Christ-Messiah sent to the lost sheep of Israel
5. Grace or Church-Day of Pentecost was the start
6. Millennial Kingdom
7. Final or Paradise-Third Heaven and Earth
Regardless of the structural breakdown, the point of dispensationalism is to divide the Bible into historical eras whereby it can be determined "to whom" certain sections of the scripture are addressed. Critics of the Bible have for centuries pointed out apparent contradictions in the Bible which would be true if there are no dispensations.
In the early 1900's, the "church" started being heavily influenced by men who sought to destroy the very foundation of the Bible as being the ultimate resource for truth. This extremely liberal theology quickly resulted in major theological shifts in many denominations. The original dispensationalists were equal to the original fundamentalists. They were one and the same. In the past century there are now great divisions among the two groups where it can no longer be said that they are one.
Generally speaking, the major points being fought for by the original dispensationalists were as follows: The inspiration of the Scriptures; the virgin birth of Christ; the bodily resurrection of Christ; the miracle of Christ; and the substitutionary atonement. These were the first five areas of doctrine the liberals attacked a hundred years ago. Their attack was based on doing away with the literal interpretation of scripture and making things metaphorical and analogical.
Obviously huge problems immediately arise if things such as the bodily resurrection of Christ are doubted, yet there are many Christian denominations which vehemently deny such a thing ever took place. There are many groups which deny that Jesus was our atoning sacrifice for sin. What started with an attack on these "pillars of the faith" spread to many others over the years. The end result is a chasm far wider than the Grand Canyon between liberal Christianity and fundamentalist Christianity.
Further complicating matters is the chasm between certain fundamentalists groups over dispensationalism. A classic example of this lies in the vast difference of opinion between Southern Baptists and Pentecostals. Whereas there is great common ground of belief regarding the literal interpretation of the Bible and living a moral and upright life, there is absolutely NOT any common ground on dispensationalism. Thus, the best way to describe both groups is-conservative (which they both definitely are).
Dispensationalists are of necessity fundamentalist in their theology but not all fundamentalist are dispensationalists. Again, the main trigger point for the difference comes back to establishing when the church began. What separates dispensationalists from all others is the firm belief the church began on the Day of Pentecost with the giving of the Holy Spirit and will end when we are gathered together in the clouds BEFORE the great and terrible "Day of the Lord".
Of necessity, if the belief is that the church is represented by the time period between Pentecost and the Rapture; then the section of scripture specifically addressed TO US AS THE CHURCH are the New Testament epistles written by Paul and Peter and John along with Jesus' discussion with the disciples starting in John 12. Placing the emphasis on Paul's writings automatically drives a wedge between dispensationalists and every other branch of Christian theology.
Who is right and who is wrong is not the issue for few are willing to ever change their mind. But, unless those of the Covenant and Reformed belief are willing to honestly look at WHY dispensationalists believe as they do, the chasm not only gets wider and wider but results in bitter arguments and many disagreements that are neither profitable nor loving. We must seek to understand each other's positions instead of just firing rockets at them.
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Author: blessings2you
Location: Warrenton Missouri USA
Gender: Male
Age: 57
Blog Entries: 827 (archive)
Blog Comments: 1357
god called me to serve him when i was 16 years old while on a church work trip in new mexico in 1969. in the 40 years since; i attended bible school/leadership training, been ordained to the christian ministry and worked full time for a non-denominational ministry for nearly ten...
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in 1969 god stepped in and transformed my life as a sixteen year old teenager. after a couple of years of intense emotional ups and downs, i decided i needed a firm foundation in my life that went beyond emotional experiences. it was the decision to become involved with a...
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