It's the End of the World as We Know It - Don't Know Much About History

We now turn our attention toward the distinctives of Dispensationalism and what separates it from all the other views.

DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT HISTORY
The first distinction that needs be made is the relative newness of the view in theological terms and its unique history. The distinctives of the view (pre-trib rapture, Church/Israel distinction, Jewish political dominance, different economies and salvation methods, postponement theory, etc) are all relatively new ideas. Formulated in the early to mid 1800's, it is not possible to trace the distinctions to any earlier time in Church history. This comes as a shock to many sitting in the pews as the teaching is presented in such a forceful and confident manner that one would assume this view has been the part and parcel of Church history. Not only that many assume, since they have never been introduced to competing views that it is the ONLY view in Church history.

This post will deal only with a brief timeline and those names most popular who have been instumental in propigating and popularizing the view. Obviously, this is not exhaustive and only serves the purpose of trying to show where the view came from and how it became so popular. I have also tried to avoid legends and heresay but have included some sidebar stories that may prove fruitful in the discussion.

THE ROOTS
Now, many will claim that the view can trace it's roots back to the first and second century and the rise of chiliasm. But this is only true of the Premillennial distinction that they share with Classical Premillennialism. Classical Premillennialism can trace it's roots back to the earliest Church fathers (like Amill and Postmill as well) but there can be found no evidence of the other Dispensational characteristics having proponents - the Israel/Church Distinction, Old testament Salvation, Literal Hermenuetic, Pre-Tribulation Rapture, etc.

The common history thread runs through the writings and teaching of Plymouth Brethren founder, and former Anglican teacher, John Nelson Darby. Though obviously influenced by others preceding him, Darby is credited with making Dispensationalism a system of theology, especially promoting the idea of an imminent secret rapture of the Church, including a two-stage Second Coming of Christ.

Darby was convinced - against 1,800 years of Church teaching I might add - that the Kingdom of God was not, as he had been taught, the Church. The Brethren also were anti-clerical, anti-denominational and anti-creedal...forefathers to modern evangelicalism I presume!

There have been detailed accounts of what led Darby to this view that are available on line as well as in print and would take too much time to deal with here. I would recommend a quick google of Gregory Boyd and his work in dismissing the claims of Dispensationalist of the views early origins despite Mr. Boyds Dispensational view. Some scholars maintain that the new understanding of the rapture was the product of a prophetic vision given to a young Scottish girl, Margaret MacDonald, in 1830. She claimed special insight into the second coming and began to share her views with others. Her ecstatic conduct and apocalyptic teaching led to a charismatic renewal in Scotland. Impressed by the accounts of a new Pentecost, Darby visited the scene of the revival. According to his own testimony in later years he met Margaret MacDonald, but rejected her claims of a new outpouring of the Spirit. Despite his opposition to MacDonald's general approach some writers believe that he accepted her view of the rapture and worked it into his own system.

Darby's influence reached the mind of Cyrus I Scofield, author of the famous Scofield Reference Bible. Scofield was influenced by Darby, D L Moody and a prominent Dispensational pastor named James Brookes. Scofield at one time Pastored Moody's church in Massachusetts, but moved to Dallas to work full time on his reference Bible. The Scofield reference Bible was released in 1909 and quickly became a publishing juggernaut. With notes promoting the Dispensational system on the same page with the actual text of the Bible, students, pastors and lay people began merging the two together and quickly the concepts and ideology became as trusted as the text on the top of the page.

Scofield, though, would have the greatest influence on a young pastor, teacher, theologian named Lewis Sperry Chafer. Chafer worked with Scofield in Philadelphia and helped the ailing theologian found the Philadelphia School of the Bible. Like Scofield, Chafer moved to Dallas and with the aid of friends founded the Evangelical Theological College in Dallas. He was founder and professor of systematic theology at the Bible School for nearly 30 years. That school eventually changed it's name to Dallas Theological seminary and remains one of the most popular and influential seminaries in the world. Students and administration have included; Jim Rayburn, founder of Young Life (as well as many of Young Life's first staff members), Ken Taylor, author of The Living Bible translation, and numerous future Christian educators and pastors, including Howard Hendricks, J. Dwight Pentecost, Charles Ryrie, R. B. Thieme, Jr. and John Walvoord, who succeeded him as president of DTS. The list reads like a who's who of Dispensationalism.

Dispensationalism did not reach the mainstream of American and evangelical thought until the late 1960's and early 1970's with the publishing of Dallas Theological student Hal Lindsey's Late, Great Planet Earth. Other students and faculty like Charles Ryrie, Dwight Pentecost, John Walvoord, Thomas Ice and others and have continued to promote the view. Most recently, the fictionalized series of Left Behind books has been a unprecedented publishing success. All this has made the view the prominent, and in some people's minds, exclusive view of eschatology, despite it's relative youth and questionable beginnings.

Another note to consider when asking how did the view gain such a foothold in America especially is to realize it did not take place in a vacuum. It's rise coinciding with the rise of Fundamentalism in the early 20th century. With attacks by liberal theologians a group of conservative evangelical scholars and pastors responded with a call to return to a more literal approach to Biblical interpretation. This coincided with Dispensationalism's "wooden literal" approach and the two forces, though differing on many issues, seemed to gravitate toward one another. They together published a large amount of written material that was consumed by the laity as well.

One last oddity for consideration. The rise of apoctolypticism within several cults also developed at the same time. Both the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Mormons were birthed at generally the same time with some common influences. History is replete with many false predictions of the end of the world by these groups and unfortunately, Dispensationalism’s history is no different.

Though there appears to be no theological commonalities when discussing essential aspects of the faith it should be noted that they do share some common influences and results.Over the next several posts we will look at those theological underpinnings that separate Dispensationalism from the rest of Christian thought. They include; Wooden Literalism, Parenthesis Theory, Israel/Church distinction, Kingdom Distinctions, the Secret Rapture and a concept called The Second Humiliation of Christ.