Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2022 7:22:28 GMT -8
Six Significant Problems in Dispensational Premillennialism
Having read Dispensational Theology in the words of its founder and the other Dispensationalists themselves I've learned there is a long list of problems in the theology, and therefore plenty of reason for 1) dissent within the Church, and 2) discarding the Theology. I'm listing only six of them in this op, because most of the problems fall within these six categories.
I used to be a Dispensational Premillennialist (DP). In point of fact, I was an adherent to the DP view long before I became a Christian because I read Hal Lindsay and thought that's the way all Christians believed. I did not know any different. I came to Christ in the mid-80s when there was a bevy of best-seller books on the end times and return of Christ. I did not know any other way. Even though the denominational congregation (conservative, evangelical, charismatic Episcopal) in which I was brought to Christ was doctrinally amillennial, I didn't know it because eschatology was rarely broached and many in the congregation were Dispensationalist. I was a Christian for close to 20 years before I learned there were other perspectives and DPism was the newest, not the oldest, among them. Because of the shock to my entire belief system (if Christian teachers don't tell the truth about the end, then why should I believe anything else they teach?) I dove into the study of end times and comparative eschatology. I am not making an appeal to any theological veracity or efficacy based on personal anecdotal experience. I tell you a little about my story for the sake of empathy: those who read my threads on Dispensationalism may well feel confronted both between those of us who oppose Dispensationalism and from within because the things I am going to post cannot be denied. They are facts of history, some of them objectively observable every single day, even in modernity. Other aspects I will evidence and prove using the words of Dispensationalists, and not just any Dispensationalist; I'll use those held in authority within Dispensationalism. I bear no personal ill will toward any Christian who also happens to subscribe to Dispensational Premillennialism. Keep that in mind because the discussion content is inescapably confrontational. If everyone remembers to keep the posts about the posts and not the posters and maintains manners and respect rancor won't be a problem. I, for one, will ignore posts resorting to ad hominem and non sequitur. Other fallacious responses will be noted for their fallacy and then ignored. For this reason, I will ask everyone to be attendant to the details of the posts and make a conscious effort not to read into the posts things assumed.
It is my plan to post separate threads on each of the six problems listed above when I have the time to post them and devote some time to their discussion. This post is simply an introduction. Some of you may be familiar with this op because it has been posted elsewhere. The discussion of these posts will likely include the discussing of many specifics, and some of them will be handled in greater detail in the individual ops as participants' contributions prompt. For now, take your pick and discuss.
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Having read Dispensational Theology in the words of its founder and the other Dispensationalists themselves I've learned there is a long list of problems in the theology, and therefore plenty of reason for 1) dissent within the Church, and 2) discarding the Theology. I'm listing only six of them in this op, because most of the problems fall within these six categories.
- Dispensationalism is a new theology that is so different it contradicts 1800 years of Christianity. If Dispensationalism is correct, then the vast majority of Christianity existing prior to the invention of Dispensationalism in the mid-1800s is wrong. The two are irreconcilable in several ways.
- Dispensationalism is inconsistent with itself. The result is an inherently hypocritical theology in practice. This is observable in many ways but I'll mention only two: 1) the Dispensational hermeneutic requires a literal reading of scripture but that does not happen in practice, and 2) very few if any live as if the Dispensational view (especially the eschatology) is true.
- Dispensationalism has a long history of false teachers. From its inception Dispensationalism has been apocalyptic. One of the core differences between Dispensationalism and all other alternative is Dispensationalism's emphasis on ecclesiology and eschatology. The problem is this: over the course of its 200 years of existence not a single prognosticator has ever been correct!
- Dispensationalism lacks accountability. This is perhaps the most intriguing of the problems because this is a problem many Dispensationalists recognize but do nothing about. Noone of the false teachers are ever held to account for their errors and little is said in Dispensational systematic theology about this problem. Nothing is done within Dispensationalism and none of the non-Dispensationalist efforts to help them correct this problem is accepted.
- Dispensationalism leads to a dissociated way of living. The word here is "dissociation," not "disassociation." Dissociation is the psychological condition in which a person loses or has a lack of continuity between their beliefs and thoughts, their actions, and the reality of the world around them. Like the inconsistency mentioned in the second point above, this takes many forms but chief among them is the fact few Dispensationalists actually live as if they are going to be removed (raptured) off the planet any day now.
- Dispensationalism compromises long held and well-established core Christian doctrine. Dispensationalists claims otherwise, and their dissent can be found aplenty, but the fact remains the Christology, the soteriology, the ecclesiology, the eschatology, and often times other lesser doctrines are very different from that which the entirety of Christendom has always held. For example, Christianity has always stood firm on Jesus' statement the gates of hell will not prevail over the Church, but Dispensationalism holds the Church is corrupt and will be ineffective, not victorious, and will need to be removed from the earth. This is a fundamentally different ecclesiology than anything else in Christendom. The same is true of Dispensational soteriology. Although the two-way method of salvation is denied, the Dispensational belief Israel will be brought to Christ through the reconstitution of the nation, etc., isn't just two different paths to salvation, the views associated with the nation's reconstitution all prove to be works-based salvation.
I used to be a Dispensational Premillennialist (DP). In point of fact, I was an adherent to the DP view long before I became a Christian because I read Hal Lindsay and thought that's the way all Christians believed. I did not know any different. I came to Christ in the mid-80s when there was a bevy of best-seller books on the end times and return of Christ. I did not know any other way. Even though the denominational congregation (conservative, evangelical, charismatic Episcopal) in which I was brought to Christ was doctrinally amillennial, I didn't know it because eschatology was rarely broached and many in the congregation were Dispensationalist. I was a Christian for close to 20 years before I learned there were other perspectives and DPism was the newest, not the oldest, among them. Because of the shock to my entire belief system (if Christian teachers don't tell the truth about the end, then why should I believe anything else they teach?) I dove into the study of end times and comparative eschatology. I am not making an appeal to any theological veracity or efficacy based on personal anecdotal experience. I tell you a little about my story for the sake of empathy: those who read my threads on Dispensationalism may well feel confronted both between those of us who oppose Dispensationalism and from within because the things I am going to post cannot be denied. They are facts of history, some of them objectively observable every single day, even in modernity. Other aspects I will evidence and prove using the words of Dispensationalists, and not just any Dispensationalist; I'll use those held in authority within Dispensationalism. I bear no personal ill will toward any Christian who also happens to subscribe to Dispensational Premillennialism. Keep that in mind because the discussion content is inescapably confrontational. If everyone remembers to keep the posts about the posts and not the posters and maintains manners and respect rancor won't be a problem. I, for one, will ignore posts resorting to ad hominem and non sequitur. Other fallacious responses will be noted for their fallacy and then ignored. For this reason, I will ask everyone to be attendant to the details of the posts and make a conscious effort not to read into the posts things assumed.
It is my plan to post separate threads on each of the six problems listed above when I have the time to post them and devote some time to their discussion. This post is simply an introduction. Some of you may be familiar with this op because it has been posted elsewhere. The discussion of these posts will likely include the discussing of many specifics, and some of them will be handled in greater detail in the individual ops as participants' contributions prompt. For now, take your pick and discuss.
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