Dispensationalism?

[ajpirc]

What is dispensationalism? Is it another Christian denomination?

 

[ByzCat3]

Sounds like a mindset that gives a dispensation from pretty much everything… But I have no idea, actually.

 

[surfinpure]

It’s a Protestant doctrine created by John Nelson Darby in the nineteenth century. Here’s a good article:

ignatiusinsight.com/features2006/colson_eschatology_jun06.asp

According to dispensationalism, God is pursuing two purposes in history: one involving an earthly people (Israel) and the other, a heavenly people (the Church). [3] Dispensationalists believe that when Jesus Christ came, He offered the earthly people, Israel, a physical, earthly kingdom, but that they rejected Him as their Messiah. Consequently, Jesus formed a heavenly people, the Church, who are not meant to reign here on earth, but will reign with Him in heaven.

However, God will still fulfill the many Old Testament promises to Israel, His earthly people, because, dispensationalists insist, those promises were unconditional. When Christ founded the Church, all of those promises were “put on hold” until the heavenly people were removed from the earth in the Rapture. Since Israel has now been re-established as a nation, most dispensationalists believe that the removal of the Church via the Rapture can occur at any moment.

 

[cooterhein]

What is dispensationalism? Is it another Christian denomination?

It’s not a denomination. According to theopedia.com/Dispensationalism, “Dispensationalism is a theological system that teaches biblical history is best understood in light of a number of successive administrations of God’s dealings with mankind, which it calls “dispensations.” It maintains fundamental distinctions between God’s plans for national Israel and for the New Testament Church, and emphasizes prophecy of the end-times and a pre-tribulation rapture of the church prior to Christ’s Second Coming. Its beginnings are usually associated with the Plymouth Brethren movement in the UK and the teachings of John Nelson Darby.”

It’s associated with some denominations but not others. Generally speaking, it’s more popular with Protestants that are theologically conservative. And politically conservative. And more likely to be anti-Catholic. (At the very least, anti-denominational and anti-clerical, though there does tend to be a special place in their hearts for Catholics). Moody and Scofield put it on the map in America, and support from Moody Bible Institute has been pretty important throughout.