Book Review – ‘Dispensationalism Revisited,’ edited by Bauder & Compton (Part 1)
A review of Dispensationalism Revisited: A Twenty-First Century Restatement,* edited by Kevin T. Bauder & R. Bruce Compton, Plymouth, MN, Central Seminary Press, 2023, 294 pages, paperback.
This book was written to commemorate the life and teaching of Charles A. Hauser, Jr, a man who did not have a high profile ministry but who had a big impact through his faithful service to the Lord, and the tributes at the back of the book are not to be missed.
Discussion
Is Dispensationalism Dying? (Part 2)
Read Part 1.
Continuing my personal assessment of the state of Dispensationalism, here are four more factors:
6. Lack of grounded, holistic Dispensationalist Systematics
I referred to this above but it bears a little more investigation. Dispensational Systematic Theologies don’t exactly grow on trees. And this is unusual amid the general popularity of Systematic Theology in evangelical circles. Here are the major Dispensational works that I am aware of:
Discussion
Is Dispensationalism Dying? (Part 1)
Daniel Hummel has written a book that has got a attention recently. The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism: How the Evangelical Battle over the End Times Shaped a Nation has made a splash because it is an irenic study of the movement. Hummel has written an essay at the Gospel Coalition called “4 Snapshots of Dispensationalism Today.” He makes four points in his essay:
Discussion
4 Snapshots of Dispensationalism Today
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“the spread of a thin, undertheologized pop-dispensationalism and the decline of scholarly dispensationalism—are the essence of what I mean by the ‘fall’ of this doctrine in the last half century.” - Daniel Hummel
Discussion
Does 1 John 3:9 Refer to Living Out Our “Born” Identity?
For more context on this question, see the article and discussion at “Does 1 John 3:9 Actually Say a Christian Can’t Sin?”
The basic interpretive problem in 1 John 3:9 is that John seems to say Christians do not sin. We know this can’t really be what he’s saying, because he says pretty much the opposite in 1 John 1:8 and 10.
Discussion
Seated Upright, Fully Clothed, and in My Right Mind: Musing About Hermeneutics
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“please allow the normal, everyday use of literature (like my appeal to the story of the maniac) to take a central place in biblical hermeneutics before grasping at secret readings….That’s how God intends language to work.” - Mark Snoeberger
Discussion
Five Difficulties for Progressive Dispensationalism
There are at least five reasons that progressive dispensational (PD) represents a departure from a normative hermeneutic (literal grammatical historical) and reading of the Bible. The first two pertain to methodology in arriving at conclusions, and the latter three have to do with theological conclusions which are not exegetically derived.
Discussion
Facing Replacement Theology (Part 2)
Read Part 1.
What’s Going on Around the Globe?
Fazio sees a cyclical aspect to this type of philosophical swing and believes that a commitment to literal interpretation might also move to another point on the globe, such as African nations or other developing countries.
Discussion