Dispensationalism

Dispensationalism, as a system of theology, presupposes two main ideas: God works with humans in distinct ways throughout history, and God has a distinct plan for both Israel and the church (Ryrie, 2007). Popularized in the twentieth-century by Cyrus Scofield, dispensationalism is the most popular system of theology taught in North American evangelical churches today, however, and despite the popularity, dispensationalism continues to be rejected and opposed by many scholars and Christian denominations

1. Dispensationalism – A Legitimate Theological System Dispensationalism is a word that most theologians would sneer at because it is seen as a perversion of the Scriptures. These theologians would not recognize the history of dispensationalism purely because it would be seen as a relatively new system of interpreting Scripture. Dispensational theology receives a lot of criticism because it is not properly understood. Dispensationalism is mainly conservative in biblical interpretation and while there

and the entirety of the Scriptures focuses solely on the redemption of the church. Dispensationalism Dispensationalism interprets God’s redemptive history for humanity by identifying specific periods of time. These periods of time, or dispensations, are understood as having existed in the past, persisting in the present, and will continue in the future. Charles Ryrie suggests that Dispensationalism can be viewed “as a household run by God. In this household-world God is dispensing or administering

The Christ of the Covenants demonstrates the relationship between five covenants God instigated with Adam, Abraham, Noah, Moses, and David in the Old Testament, and how they are reflected in Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection in the New Testament. In answering four basic questions, I discovered this main idea to be true time and time again. Robertson exhibits his vast knowledge of the subject with a concisely structured index outlining one clear point for the entire novel. In his book, The

dispensation of the age of GRACE” which made very little sense at the time. Upon further research I came to learn more about dispensationalism which is almost two centuries old with the origins dating back to the Irish clergyman John Nelson Darby. In the journal by Mark Sweetnam Defining Dispensationalism: A Cultural Studies Perspective, he marked five distinctions of Dispensationalism 1. A commitment to Evangelical doctrine. 2. A commitment to a literal Biblical hermeneutic. 3. A recognition of distinction

The seven dispensations are not explicitly stated in the Bible. Instead they are a Biblical interpretation that divides the history of mankind into seven different categories. There are different versions or interpretations of the seven dispensations, but I will explain the general understanding that is commonly accepted. The seven dispensations are: the dispensation of innocence, the dispensation of conscience, the dispensation of human government, the dispensation of promise, the dispensation of

dispensational premillennial view interpret biblical prophecy in a purely literal form. Smith says in his book What the Bible says about the Future, “Of the two major interpretive systems, only dispensationalism subscribes to a consistently normal/literal interpretation of Scripture. In other words, dispensationalism represents a truly exegetical method of interpretation” (52). Abandonment of literal interpretative methods can lead to apostasy when studying the scriptures. Dispensational Premillennialists

Prior to reading The Christ of the Covenants, I was unaware of the emphasis placed on the covenants, likely due to my un-Reformed background. After reading this book, I feel that it fully demonstrates the relationship between five covenants God instigated with Adam, Abraham, Noah, Moses, and David in the Old Testament, and how they are reflected in Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection in the New Testament. In answering four basic questions, I discovered this main idea to be true time and time

American mythologist and writer Joseph Campbell can be quoted, “Computers are like Old Testament (gods), lots of rules and no mercy.” Sadly enough, many people, even some Biblical scholars, hold to this stereotype that the Old and New Testaments display different foundational characteristics of God: law versus grace. As will be examined here, the stories of the OT are abundant in both God’s grace and His holiness, and the histories within these books are saturated with the theological themes of covenant

What does the future hold? What will happen at the end of the age? Will the church be raptured up into Heaven or will the church remain on Earth? Are the Jews still God’s chosen people? Has the church replaced Israel? These and other questions have been asked since Jesus left Earth and ascended into Heaven. Since that day Christians have been looking and longing with eager anticipation for the return of Christ. The study of the return of Christ, or last things, is known as Eschatology, and within