 | Bibliographic Entry Poythress, Vern. Understanding Dispensationalists. 2nd ed. Phillipsburg N.J.: P&R Pub., 1994. |
Miscellaneous Notes
- "In the dispute between dispensationalism and covenant theology, both sides cannot be right." (7)
- Terminology. Dispensationalism is a poor term for this group, since "virtually all ages & branches of the church see distinctive dispensations in God's government of the world." (9)
- D. distinctive. What sets dispensationalists apart is not that they see separate dispensations over time, but it is the distinctive content & meaning that is given to the particular dispensations. (11)
- D. distinctive. The primary content that sets dispensationalism apart, is the relatively recent idea that Israel and the Church have parallel-but-separate roles and destinies. (11)
- PG. 19
Practical Application of Views
(DRH: I think he is overstating things here, but it's something worth evaluating.) Within dispensationalists, Poythress defines some as applicatory (read most biblical passages as if they have some application to today) and hardline (most passages of the Bible only have application to the dispensation to which they refer), recognizing that there are many degrees in between. In the final practical effect on the church, he states that non-dispensationalists and applicatory dispensationalists are much closer together than either one is to hardline dispensationalists. He makes the following points
- applicatory dispensationalists and non-dispensationalists cannot both be right in all details of eschatology.
- errors held by one of the camps are bound to affect the lives lived to some extent, however
- "Many of the details are just details sitting on the shelf, without much effect one way or the other on our lives." If proved wrong, there is no great loss. (32)
On the other hand:
- if (so-called) hardline dispensationalists are wrong, Poythress states that "the damage they are doing is very serious."
- they are not getting the "nourishment" and daily sustenance from the Word that Christians should be getting
- they may damage others in the same manner from erroneous teachings
- they are keeping God's word from applying to people's lives in the way it should
Poythress' summary point is that the difference in practice between non-dispensationalists and many dispensationalists is far less than might be thought, so he calls for some moderation in response from non-dispensationalists.
Social Forces
Poythress cautions about three primary social forces that a dispensational system (with good intentions, and partly based upon solid principles) yields which cause problems in their practical outworking:
- Seeing biblical truths with excessive scientific precision. He says this has arisen largely as a reaction against the "destructive forces associated with Darwinism." Problem: tendency to interpret passages with more scientific precision than was intended by God and the human biblical authors.
- The fear of subjectivity. Reaction against cultists and modern subjective tendencies. Problem: can lead to a rejection of an explicit review of one's hermeneutics.
- Over-reliance on the "plain meaning of the text." Problem: can encourage interpretation based on a purely modern view of the text (rather than accounting for historical and cultural differences from the author's standpoint). He says this is based upon a good principle, that of the perspicuity of Scripture (those things necessary for salvation are said often enough and clearly enough in the biblical text that knowledge and education are not required in order to come to a right understanding of them). Yet, it is a distortion of this principle to say that all Scripture is equally clear.
- Influence of tradition on interpretation is bad. Here he is addressing the "bible only" movement, which completely disregards any need for historical reflection on interpretation, considering it harmful. (DRH: This seems to be largely dying or dead today, outside of some lingering fundamentalist movements, although the influence is probably still there, e.g. Calvary Chapel).
- Exclusive emphasis on salvation by grace and unconditional promises. Poythress notes up front that the truth held here is "obvious and important" - that salvation is truly by grace alone and that there is a sense in which Jesus Christ has fulfilled all conditions, which rests our salvation upon unconditional promises. However, he also points to the need for obedience and discipleship on the part of Christians, and that true faith is not dead faith, "but faith that works by love" (pg. 63).