Dispensationalists Practice Inconsistently

Dispensationalists Inconsistently Practice Christianity and Their Own Dispensational Premillennialism Positions

The result of this inconsistency ends up manifesting itself as a practice of holding to beliefs to which one does not conform. This is observable in many ways, but I'll mention only two for now: 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 eschatology is true.

The three basic tenets of Dispensational hermeneutic are 1) a distinction between Israel and the Church, 2) a strict literal reading of scripture, and 3) the separation of the rapture from Christ's coming, wherein Christians will be removed from the planet prior to Christ physically living on earth for a literal 1000 years. In addition, While Dispensational Premillennialism does teach God has revealed Himself in the Bible in a progressive manner, Dispensationalism teaches the dispensations are discontinuous, not continuous. 

One of the core tenets of Dispensationalism is the belief scripture should be read literally. Sometimes this is qualified to say prophecy, not all scripture, is to be read literally. The problems arising from this position are that the rules of correct biblical exegesis have been long-held and well-established and are practiced by nearly everyone in Christendom no matter their respective theology or eschatology or other doctrinal views. Dispensationalism changes the rules. This led the Dispensationalists to ignore centuries of Christian thought, doctrine, and practice.

In practice, Dispensationalists do not actually read all scripture literally with much consistency, others who practice literal reading are criticized for doing so, and there is enormous inconsistency between the imminent prognostications constantly being asserted, but rarely do any Dispensationalists act is if their own claims are actually true! They say the world is coming to an end any day now, but they do not actually act as if that is true.

The Dispensational Hermeneutic (pdf file) states a word should be “given the same meaning it would have in normal usage.” This is applied to OT prophecy but not NT prophecy. Neither is it applied to NT renderings of the OT. For example, Dispensationalists take literally the promise of a Davidic throne found in 2 Samuel 7 but they do not take literally Peter’s statements in Acts 2 about that promise. In everyday teaching they use the word “near” to mean near when they nowadays say, “The building of the temple is near,” but they do not give God’s use of the word “near,” in Revelation the same meaning it has in normal usage. The word “near,” literally mean near in time or space, not "more than 2000 years from now." 

Understand what I just said: no matter what a person's eschatological point of view may or may not be any person claiming to read scripture literally must read the word "near" to mean "close in time or space." 

That does not happen in Dispensationalism.

No Christian should do that which they report either should not be done or that which they report to disdain.

Then there is the problem of living in a manner consistent with the belief the world is going to go to hell and the Church can do nothing about it. Dispensationalism grew out of the restoration movement of the 19th century, and the Plymouth Brethren, and John Darby in particular. One of the common beliefs shared by the restoration movement sects was the belief the Chruch is corrupt and therefore in need of restoration. Hence the name, "restoration movement." This was huge Protestant movement in Europe (mostly England) and America. As such, Catholicism was the chief culprit of the Church's corruption. The Roman Catholic Church (RCC) was considered the antichrist, but the corruption was not limited to the RCC; it had spread to all of the denominational structures within Protestantism, as well. Hence the need for a new, a restored Church, a Church that emulated the Church of the New Testament. The Seventh Day Adventists believed they were the true Church, The Plymouth Brethren believed they were the true Church (until Darby them of corruption, was cast out and formed his own sect he called the Exclusive Brethren), the Campbellites (Church of Christ) believed they were the true Church, the Jehovah's Witnesses believed likewise, as did the Latter-Day Saints. This combined view the Church was corrupt, and the sect was building a New Testament kind of restored Church were common views among these sects.

A common belief among the restoration movement sects was the belief Jesus was going to return soon. It was important the Church be restored because Jesus was coming soon. All these sects were also apocalyptic in nature and that has remained the case for most of them to some degree. It is among the most defining features of Dispensational Premillennialism. The problem is very few Dispensationalists live as if Jesus is coming back to rapture them off the planet any day now.

Robert Fitzpatrick was a man who spent over $140,000 on billboards and other advertisements to proclaim the gospel leading up to the return of Jesus on May 21, 2011 according to the predictions made by Harold Camping. No matter what anyone here thinks of Camping, Mr. Fitzpatrick acted with integrity; he acted in a manner consistent with his Dispensationalist beliefs. He genuinely believed he was not going to be around to spend his wealth, so he spent it on that which was important to him: the gospel. Scores of people have behaved in like manner due to the Dispensational Premillennialist eschatology they were taught. Hundreds of thousands do not behave with that kind of consistency. If a person truly believes they will be raptured off of the planet next week, next month, next year, within the next decade or two then there is little sense in paying a mortgage, saving money for retirement, or investing in profitability of future stocks. That person will not be around to spend that wealth if what they believe to be true is in fact true. So every single Dispensationalist who believes in a soon-occurring rapture but acts in a manner inconsistent with that belief is acting with hypocrisy. One recent Dispensationalist poster recently told me it would be nice if what he believed did come true.... but we just don't know. Despite 200 years of predictions - the predictions of the leaders - never comes true. Everyone then goes on living as if the teachings are NOT actually true.

The paradox of these first two problems, the inconsistency of teaching adherent to read scripture literally and then not doing so, and the inconsistency of teaching an imminent apocalypse but living as if that is the case leads to an enormous irony given these views came out of the restoration movement. There is the added inconsistency prevalent in teaching a restored Church that isn't any better than it ever has been. The inconsistencies of doing nothing about 200 years of false teachings, doing nothing to effect proper change, allowing false teachers to profit enormously off of the false teachings, and causing an explosion of sectarianism that makes the Reformation look sophomoric all go unaddressed. I'll address other inconsistencies as the thread prompts. The problem of doing nothing about false teachers will be the subject of another op on problems within Dispensational Premillennialism. 

No other theological position has these problems. These are unique to Dispensational Premillennialism. These problems can be seen in every single Christian discussion forum in existence. BAM is new so there aren't that many threads in the prophecy and eschatology boards but that will prove to make the inconsistency of which this op speaks easy to find. These inconsistencies have been practiced by the Dispensationalists in this Dispensational Controversy board where there are now, currently, only six threads. Every single thread shows the kind of inconsistencies mentioned here. Anyone who is a Dispensationalist wanting to respond to this op with dissent had better use scripture literally, live in a manner consistent with his belief he's not going to be around long, live an impeccable life in an impeccable congregation in an impeccable sect or denomination, and actively speak out against the problems of inconsistency with Dispensational Premillennialism. 

Otherwise, you are part of the problem to be solved.