Dispensationalism describes a way of reading the Bible and a system of theology the nearest roots of which are in the 19th century. There have been premillennial (traditionally known as “chiliastic) movements, including some Reformed theologians, since the early church but most of them have been what is known as “historic premillennialists” since their system lacked the distinctive features of Dispensational premillennialism. It can be a surprise for Dispensationalists to discover that 1) that they are part of a tradition; 2) that their tradition is quite modern. Most Dispensationalists are part of the so-called Bible Church movement, which has not typically emphasized the history of the church. The blessing of Dispensationalism is that it gives a great lot of attention to the Bible, which can mean that when presented with strong arguments from Scripture that Dispensationalists are willing to hear them. The curse of Dispensationalism has been that they are so certain that their system is that of Scripture that they see no need to investigate their place in history or their relation to other traditions or even to consider whether some or all of what they believe may be incorrect.
The resources below contain a variety of materials. Some of them address Dispensationalism directly and others address it indirectly. Some of them provide an introduction to Reformed alternatives to Dispensationalist views and methods. Some of them address how Scripture is read among Dispensationalists and offer alternatives. Some of the materials are biographical, stories of ex-Dispensationalists who discovered historic Reformation (specifically Reformed) theology, piety, and practice. Some of the materials address contemporary intra-Dispensational arguments (e.g., the so-called Lordship Controversy) and its consequences and others sketch the Reformed alternative.
Resources On Dispensationalism
Resources
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R. Scott Clark
R.Scott Clark is the President of the Heidelberg Reformation Association, the author and editor of, and contributor to several books and the author of many articles. He has taught church history and historical theology since 1997 at Westminster Seminary California. He has also taught at Wheaton College, Reformed Theological Seminary, and Concordia University. He has hosted the Heidelblog since 2007.
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Amazing resource list. I’ve read Riddlebarger’s book three times. Vern Poythress’ Understanding Dispensationalism is a good, short read. I’m gonna check out a lot of those audio files. Now you just need to get Reformed Post-Mills to become Amills!
correction: Understanding Dispensationalists
I always find it puzzling that in spite Jesus clear statement in John 14: 6 that He is the exclusive way to the Father, anyone would read the Bible in a way that would suggest that God has any other way of relating to His people, as though God has other ways for other people. John Calvin has such a wonderful commentary on John 14: 1-7. You can just google it. Jesus Christ the same, yesterday, today and always. Hebrews 13: 8
This is a good list of resources for those who want to find the arguments that are used to oppose dispensationalism. While I didn’t look at each one, a quick look at the titles suggest they are almost all anti-dispensational. For a valid list of resources I would think that you would want at least some articles that present dispensationalism in a positive light. That way people can make informed decisions.
I very much appreciate what you post here in the Heidelblog, especially the criticism of neonomism, which is a grave error affecting various reformed groups like Federal Vision.
Hi Ken,
There are many places where folk can read affirmations of Dispensationalism or explanations of Dispensationalism from Dispensationalists. The stated purpose of the HB is to help people recover and discover the Reformed theology, piety, and practice. My purpose in gathering these materials is to give Dispensationalists an opportunity to reconsider their tradition from a Reformed perspective. I’m unabashedly hoping to win Dispensationalists away from what I regard as a serious detour away from historic Christianity and back to the Reformation and to Reformed theology specifically.
To say that these are critiques, however, isnt’ to say that they are unfair. That would not serve my purpose nor would it be honoring to the Lord of truth.