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Contents
Introduction....................................................................................................................................1
Dispensationalism Defined............................................................................................................1
The Importance of Dispensationalism.........................................................................................3
Strengths.............................................................................................................................. 3
Weaknesses..........................................................................................................................4
Bibliography...................................................................................................................................5
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Introduction
During a proper analysis of Christian eschatological theories, one must consider the
importance of dispensationalism. The term, while not familiar to everyone, includes features
known and implemented by some Christians and commonly applied by conservative
evangelicals. Despite the negative connotation it may bring, dispensationalism provides a crucial
perspective on eschatology and can aid in a Christian’s confirmation of personal faith. According
to Charles Caldwell Ryrie, dispensationalism “claims to be a help in supplying the answer to the
need for biblical distinctions, in offering a satisfying philosophy of history, and in employing a
consistently normal principle of interpretation…If dispensationalism has the answers, then it is
the most helpful tool in consistent biblical interpretation. If not, it out to be minimized or
discarded.”1 The purpose of this paper is to show that dispensationalism, however inaccurate in
certain areas of belief, provides a useful perspective of Christian eschatology.
Dispensationalism Defined
Dispensationalism refers to the way God relates to people and distinguishes between the
dispensations of Scripture, but are separated from other Christians, “Dispensationalists, however,
had some distinctive views about these dispensations which differed from most other interpreters
of Scripture. Because of this, they were especially tagged with the label dispensationalism
whereas others who referred to different dispensations in Scripture were not.”2 To accurately
define what it means to be a dispensationalist, several features must be addressed. According to
Craig A. Blaising and Darrell L. Bock, there are eight significant characteristics: the authority of
Scripture, dispensations, uniqueness of the church, practical significance of the universal church,
1 Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Dispensationalism, (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2007), 22.
2 Craig A. Blaising and Darrell L. Bock, Progressive Dispensationalism, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books,
1993), 11.
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significance of biblical prophecy, futurist premillennialism, the imminent return of Christ, and a
national future for Israel.3 Within each of these factors are specific beliefs that change the way
they would normally be perceived by Christians.
While they do believe in the inerrant authority of the Bible, they offer dispensationalist
interpretations to aid in one’s understanding, and they view the Bible in dispensations of both
time and beings. Their beliefs regarding the end of the world are a center portion of their faith,
“…the close of this dispensation will be heralded by the imminent rapture, a sudden taking up
into heaven all true Christians to meet Jesus in the air. With the church removed from the earth,
God will unleash judgements for seven years as part of the plan for world redemption.”4 Their
interpretations of Scripture point towards this ending and view Revelation in a literal sense, “The
‘system’ of dispensationalism employs this literal hermeneutic and combines it with a ‘historical
grammatical’ method that strives to discover original authorial intent by reducing allegorical
readings of all biblical passages in favor of a single objective interpretation.”5 Because of their
interpretations focusing on the rapture, they seem to lose some of what makes Christianity
unique, the personal relationship with God. They do not discount it, but it is less of a priority
than understanding the passage of time and what is to come. Theologians have long debated
whether these theories are accurate and applicable to non-evangelicals, revealing the strengths
and weaknesses of dispensationalism.
The Importance of Dispensationalism
3 Blaising, Progressive Dispensationalism, 13-21.
4 Daniel G. Hummel,@The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism: How the Evangelical Battle over the End
Times Shaped a Nation, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2023), 25.
5 Ibid., 26.
3
The history of American religion was greatly influenced by the dispensationalists
as it showed a deep theological focus and moved further from American intellect and continued
on by those who truly believe in their teachings, not only from generational communicating.6
Their basic understandings of the inerrancy of Scripture are agreed upon by the majority of
Christians, but they employ a literal interpretation of biblical prophecy that is not the perspective
of all Christians. As Daniel Hummel explains, the main dividing factor is commercial viability,
“Dispensationalism has adapted to and been influenced by new consumer models, from mass
distribution of printed tracts to apocalyptic memes online, not only making it resilient but also
redirecting its historical development. Dispensationalists have straddled popular and scholastic
cultures—sometimes in cooperation, often in rivalry.”7 The importance of dispensationalism lies
in its strengths and weaknesses in their theology, specifically regarding their eschatology.
Strengths
Dispensationalism is a widespread system of beliefs and interpreting Scripture that
ultimately bring awareness to the Christian lifestyle, so it can be viewed as crucial to the spread
of Christianity over the years, and will continue to be influential. While not all the theological
beliefs are similar, they still encourage the reading of the Bible and engage in theological debate
that can help build the faith of others through their own misinterpretation. Although the
dispensationalists have differing priority in what they continual preach, they do remember the
supreme power of God. When discussing the role of Christ, the focus is again shifted to the
future. While Christians should not dismiss the current role of Christ, the dispensationalist
method of viewing Christ is beneficial to the study of eschatology, “For the Dispensationalist,
the idea of Christ at the Father’s right hand is to do more with his prominence and position as he
6 Hummel, The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism, 29.
7 Ibid.
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awaits the time of his triumphant return to establish his kingdom than any idea of his reigning
over his people now. Rather, at the throne, where he is seated right now, Jesus possesses all
authority but is not actively reigning because that is an exclusively earthly event.”8 This allows
for a dialogue to open about how the Kingdom of God operates, but they leave out the crucial
connection of mankind to Christ.
Weaknesses
One of the primary weaknesses is the separation of the Kingdom and the church, “It is
important to maintain the relationship between the kingdom and the church while understanding
that they are not synonymous terms. Dispensationalism tends to limit, or even deny, this
relationship, to the detriment of the church’s role as the bride of Christ and to the kingdom’s
position as the rule and reign of Christ over all his people.”9 This divisional view diminishes the
power of Scripture that repeatedly addresses the function of the church in the Kingdom of God,
and it also changes the emphasis towards what happens after the secret rapture of the church.
They also follow the idea that there will be an “inevitable dystopic reign of antichrist…reduces
the power of the cross.”10 The forgiveness and opportunity that is presented through the cross is
lost when the focus is not on today but on the future predominantly.
Conclusion
Dispensationalists, while an increasingly popular religious group, do not accurately
portray Scripture as a whole, but they do provide a valuable insight to the interpretation of
8 T. K. Dunn, Prophet, Priest, Prince, and the Already, Not Yet: A Theology of the Kingdom of God in
Dialogue with Dispensationalism and P.T. Forsyth. Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2023), 228.
9 Ibid., 44.
10 Ibid., 253.
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Bibliography
Blaising, Craig A. and Darrell L. Bock, Progressive Dispensationalism. Grand Rapids, MI:
Baker Books, 1993.
Dunn, T. K.@Prophet, Priest, Prince, and the Already, Not yet: A Theology of the Kingdom of
God in Dialogue with Dispensationalism and P.T. Forsyth. Eugene, OR: Pickwick
Publications, 2023.
Hummel, Daniel G.@The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism: How the Evangelical Battle over
the End Times Shaped a Nation. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans
Publishing Company, 2023
Ryrie, Charles Caldwell.@Dispensationalism. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2007.
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