Dispensationalism
FrontLine | November/December 2021 | VOLUME 31 | NUMBER 6
Welcome to Dispensationalism!
“Dispensationalism” is a big word, and people struggle to understand its meaning. Some people assume that if you believe in dispensations, then you must be a dispensationalist. But all Christians recognize that God has administered His plan in different ways at different times and for different persons. These differences in administration are what we call “dispensations.” If you don’t sacrifice bulls and goats to God, and if you feel free to eat shrimp and ham, then you believe in dispensations. Simply recognizing the existence of dispensations is not what makes you a dispensationalist.
Other people tie dispensationalism to theories about the end times. They assume that to be premillennial or even pretribulational is to be a dispensationalist. As a matter of fact, most premillennialists and even more pretribulationists are also dispensationalists: there is a connection. Nevertheless, other theologies have produced premillennialists, and one does encounter pretribulationists who reject certain dispensationalist tenets.
Writing during the 1960s, Charles Ryrie offered a three-part definition of dispensationalism. Each of the first three essays in this magazine deals with one aspect of Ryrie’s definition. Roy Beacham writes on the literal interpretation of Scripture. Ryan Martin deals with the difference between Israel and the Church as distinct peoples of God. Mark Snoeberger argues that the glory of God is the unifying theme of biblical history. These three essays together will tell you what a dispensationalist is and why dispensationalism matters.
The next two essays address particular questions that dispensationalists have to answer. Jeff Brown explains how dispensationalists view the kingdom of God. Greg Stiekes focuses on the Sermon on the Mount to explain how dispensationalists read and appropriate the four gospels. These are two of the most critical questions that dispensationalists must address.
The final two essays deal with more practical concerns. Michael Riley argues for a real connection between dispensationalism and theological conservatism, and he bases it on their common commitment to biblical authority. Brett Williams addresses the question of whether dispensationalism should be included in a local church’s statement of faith. In a time when a strictly reformed (as opposed to dispensational) theology is gaining traction, these are useful questions to consider.
We have included no essays dealing specifically with the end times. While that topic is certainly related to dispensationalism, we believe that it deserves separate consideration and fuller discussion. Our goal in this magazine is simply to introduce you to dispensationalism so that you can understand what it is and how it works. We do not assume that you arrive at these pages with any previous understanding, and we have tried to write simply enough that you can follow us without knowing any technical vocabulary. All the terms you need to know will be defined along the way.
One more thing. As you read, please keep your Bible in hand. Look up the passages that our authors cite. Study what God says in His Word and seek to discover for yourself whether dispensationalism is truly biblical.
— Kevin T. Bauder
Kevin T. Bauder, PhD, is research professor of Theology at Central Baptist Theological Seminary of Minneapolis.
Features
Why Biblical Predictions Must Be Fulfilled Literally
Roy Beacham
Historic dispensationalism believes that a written text can mean only what the original author intended it to mean.
Peoples of God: Has the Church Replaced Israel?
Ryan J. Martin
Dispensationalists insist that a proper perspective accounts for and gives biblical priority to the ways in which God gets glory from His dealings with peoples.
What Is God’s Ultimate Purpose? The Glory of God and the Definition of Dispensationalism
Mark A. Snoeberger
Did Charles Ryrie blunder when he listed the glory of God as a distinctive unique to the dispensational system?
Why Pray”Thy Kingdom Come”?
Jeff Brown
Jesus said that we should pray, “Thy kingdom come”; do we really know what that means?
What Do We Do with the Sermon on the Mount?
Greg Stiekes
Through the centuries the Sermon on the Mount has been interpreted in various ways, some of them controversial.
Dispensationalism and Fundamentalism
Michael P. Riley
It is virtually impossible for a dispensationalist to be a theological liberal.
Should Dispensationalism Be in Your Church’s Doctrinal Statement?
Brett Williams
A church’s statement of faith confirms what that church holds in common with the apostles, historic Christianity, and other churches.
Departments
Mail Bag & News from All Over
On the Home Front
Regional Reports
Mentors Wanted: Perfection Not Required
Julie Wilson Smith
At a Glance: “The Fulness of . . . Time”: Providences in the Coming of Christ
Layton Talbert
With the Word to the World Let Them Know
Jim Tillotson
God Has a Plan
Glenn Booth
God Uses Both Rugged and Refined Men
Jerry Sivnksty
FrontLine • November/December 2021. Click here to subscribe to the magazine.