agnawstick

Does anybody know good resources on this theology. I, who grew up in the Episcopal Church, had never heard of this concept until recently. It frightens me. These people are voters. Are all of the YEC crowd part of the Dispensationalism crowd? Do the people at the mega churches all know that their preachers trained at the Dallas Theological Seminary and this is what they believe?

Now, anybody with knowledge correct me if I am wrong, but the gist is that there are 7 ages. We are in the 6th age, the church age. The 4 gospels, James, and 1,2 Peter only apply to Jews, not to Gentiles, so you don't have to pay attention to the social gospel if you aren't Jewish.

If this is true, it makes sense to me all of a sudden. I don't believe in the divinity of Christ, but I have been baffled as to how these people, these smug self righteous people, can proclaim they are biblical literalist, but in heart, word, and deed basically ignore the Sermon on the Mount. It doesn't apply to them. I am new at this, so please forgive my ignorance. This just happens to floor me completely.

I have my own revelation. These people are dangerous. Any books, webpages, anybody has that discusses/demolishes this theology, please share as it will be much appreciated.

Steve K

When I was a fundy, I was somewhat of a dispensationalist, but not to the degree you reference. Dispensationalism, to me, simply meant that god made a covenant, people broke it, then god made a new one, etc.

I did a search on google and came up with dispensationalism.com. They state:
"Dispensationalism is distinguished by three key principles.
1 - A clear distinction between God's program for Israel and God's program for the Church.
2 - A consistent and regular use of a literal principle of interpretation
3 - The understanding of the purpose of God as His own glory rather than the salvation of mankind."

They also list the seven dispensations:

"Innocence - Adam
Conscience - After man sinned, up to the flood
Government - After the flood, man allowed to eat meat, death penalty instituted
Promise - Abraham up to Moses and the giving of the Law
Law - Moses to the cross
Grace - The cross to the Millennial Kingdom
Millennial Kingdom - A 1000 year reign of Christ on earth centered in Jerusalem"

I've never (in my limited experience) heard any Christian claim that the sermon on the mount did not apply to them. Maybe there are different kinds of dispensationalists?

- Steve

agnawstick

I was talking to a dispensationalist at work. He studies with Chuck Swindoll who is famous in these circles. The gist I got from him is that different biblical rules applied to different biblical ages.

Jesus was speaking to the jews, and those rules applied to them.
The "evil jews" killed him, and basically God/Jesus as well as Peter and James cut a deal with Paul that allowed gentiles in, if they only had faith, but they weren't required to do good works.
It makes sense to me now. If Jesus said to do good works, how can the fundies say they don't have to, unless it doesn't apply to them. Basically, we don't have to get circumsized, avoid pork, etc.

It does contain it's own internal logic in a sense. If Jesus says to get rid of your wealth and your clothes because robbers will steal your money, and moths will eat your clothes, why other than dispensationalism would "gentile christians" not be obliged to do that. It does not apply. Correct me here if I am wrong, but I can see no other explanation. This teaching of dispensationalism I got from a co-worker makes sense in how these people act. They absolutely ignore the social gospel of good works.

agnawstick

For the first time in nearly two thousand years of study and discussion of revealed truth, the statement has recently been made that the Sermon on the Mount is not Law. The times are noisy with novelties of every description, and especially in the sphere of Bible truth. If this particular novelty stood alone, it might, more safely than any others, be left to break itself against the very phrasing of that great declaration."

Needless to say I had never stated or implied that "the Sermon on the Mount is not law. The question I had raised in my book above referred to was stated thus:


"The question is, to whom are those words (the Sermon on the Mount) spoken? Are they spoken directly to, and to be heeded by, the people of God of this dispensation? Or are they spoken to Jews of some past or future era, with possibly an indirect 'moral application' to us?"'

Cyrus Scofield's words. He was the pioneer of the Dispensationalism in the U.S., creating the Scofield Bible which is still in widespread usage today in the fundy world.

The Sermon on the Mount is possibly indirect moral application to these folks. Doesn't apply.

Opera Nut

Sounds like yet another justification of Calvinism and "faith alone". Hmmm, creative theory but scary.