dispensationalism

English

A chart of history under dispensationalism

Etymology

c. 1928, dispensational +‎ -ism

Noun

dispensationalism (uncountable)

1. (religion) A Protestant evangelical theology dividing history into dispensations (rooted in the writings of John Nelson Darby).
   • 1928, Philip Mauro, “Twentieth Century Dispensationalism: What and Whence?”, in The Gospel of the Kingdom, with an Examination of Modern Dispensationalism‎^[1] (Religion), Boston: Hamilton Brothers, →OCLC, page 23:

     Have we not therefore, good reason to fear disastrous consequences from the fact that the teachers of the new dispensationalism say the Jewish rabbis were right in their interpretation of the prophecies, that the kingdom foretold by the prophets is an earthly kingdom of Jewish character, and that in fact Christ’s mission at that very time was to restore again the earthly Kingdom to Israel? And why then did He not do it?

   • 1957, Jesse Wilson Hodges, “The Term Dispensation”, in Christ's Kingdom and Coming with an Analysis of Dispensationalism‎^[2] (Religion), Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., →OCLC, pages 52-53:

     In considering dispensationalism, it is important to know exactly what we are talking about. The Dispensationalists themselves define a dispensation as a period of time, a concept found nowhere in the Scriptures.
     One of the earliest American writers on dispensationalism, after Darby, Miller, and their immediate associates, was a Landmark Baptist leader in Arkansas and Texas, Dr. J. R. Graves. In the year 1883 he published a book entitled The Work of Christ Consummated in Seven Dispensations. […]
     By far the most influential work on dispensationalism in modern times is the Scofield Reference Bible, published early in the present century.

   • 1999, Herbert W. Bateman IV, “Dispensationalism Yesterday and Today”, in Herbert W. Bateman IV, editor, Three Central Issues in Contemporary Dispensationalism: A Comparison of Traditional and Progressive Views‎^[3] (Biblical Reference / Theology), Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 35:

     The most notable contribution was Ryrie’s description of the sine qua non of dispensationalism— one that I memorized on more than one occasion for Dr. John Cawood while a student at Philadelphia College of Bible. Ryrie’s sine qua non of dispensationalism is threefold.
     1. Dispensationalism keeps Israel and the Church distinct.
     2. The distinction between Israel and the Church emerges from a hermeneutical system that is usually called literal interpretation, namely the employment of a normal or plain interpretation.
     3. Dispensationalism understands that the basic purpose of God in all of His dealings with people is to bring glory to Himself through salvation and other purposes.

   • 2005 October 16, Michael Luo, “Doomsday: The Latest Word if Not the Last”, in The New York Times‎^[4], →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 29 May 2015, The World: Prophecies‎^[5]:

     Dispensationalism offers believers a road map to deal with uncertainty in the world at large. "When somebody says there's a pattern here, and let me tell you what the pattern means, this is what gets a lot of people's attention," said Mr. Weber, the church historian. At this point, dispensationalism's tenets have become so popular that many evangelicals who are in denominations or churches that might not necessarily adhere to dispensationalism have, nevertheless, adopted bits and pieces of it.

   • 2015 December 14, Sarah Pulliam Bailey, “How some evangelicals are challenging a decades-long stance of blanket support for Israel’s government”, in The Washington Post‎^[6], →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 16 December 2015, Acts of Faith‎^[7]:

     Evangelicals have long been influenced by dispensationalism, a theology that promotes a literal reading of biblical prophecy. Many dispensationalists believe Israelites’ return to the Holy Lands is a requirement for the Second Coming of Jesus. When Israeli troops captured the Old City of Jerusalem in June 1967, some saw it as a sign that Jesus was coming. However, dispensational teaching has been waning in mainstream evangelical circles, even as support for a state of Israel has remained strong.

   • 2016 July 25, Rachel Zoll, “Tim LaHaye, author of 'Left Behind' end-times novels, dies”, in USA Today‎^[8], →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 08 October 2023‎^[9]:

     After 1981, he devoted himself to writing, promoting his view of Bible prophecy, family life seminars and political activism.
     Some fellow conservative Christians pushed back against LaHaye's end-times views, known as premillennial dispensationalism, emphasizing that the books were fictional and should not be read as an exact theological interpretation of the Bible. Still, his books strongly shaped evangelical views of Jesus' Second Coming and popularized the ideas to the broader public. Jenkins called LaHaye a "spiritual giant."

   • 2022, R. B. Thieme, Jr., “dispensationalism”, in Thieme's Bible Doctrine Dictionary‎^[10], First edition (Religion), Houston, TX: R. B. Thieme, Jr., Bible Ministries, →ISBN, archived from the original on 14 January 2023, page 64, column 1:

     Today, the tenets of dispensationalism are upheld across various portions of conservative evangelical Christianity, though debates linger over the precise division, nomenclature, and number of dispensations.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:dispensationalism.

Derived terms

• dispensationalist

Translations

theological framework

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 時代論／时代论, 時代主義／时代主义

Further reading

• “dispensationalism”, in Collins English Dictionary.
• dispensationalism at Google Ngram Viewer
• “dispensationalism, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “dispensationalism”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “dispensationalism”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “dispensationalism” in TheFreeDictionary.com, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.: Farlex, Inc., 2003–2024.