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Progressive Dispensationalism

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For the past 150 years, arguably no other theological school has had more influence in the shaping of both American Evangelicalism and American Fundamentalism than Dispensational theology. In spite of the charges of modernism made by some, Dispensational scholars of previous generations managed to formulate a throroughly Evangelical, conservative theology that was reasonably argued, and thoroughly polemic. Admittedly, however, many of the claims made by earlier Dispensationalists -both Classical (from Darby to Chafer, inclusive) and Revised (the system as taught and reformulated in the '60s and '70s)- were not all coherent among themselves, and overstressed polemic points that had the only purpose of differentiating Dispensationalism from its eternal foe, Covenant theology, as if they were basic to Dispensational theology. The literature from that perspective (including the never-ending war between Allis, Ladd, Walvoord and Ryrie) is most abundant. Flaws and all, however, in the Dispensational side of it can be seen a system that is open to reformulation, while squarely grounded on the principles of Biblical inerrancy and grammatico-historical exegesis. However, advances in the field of Hermeneutics, have reshaped our definition of grammatico-historical hermeneutics, in such a way that we have come to understand it as an integrative "grammatico-historical-literary-theological" approach, rather than as mere wooden literalism, as Bock states and Poythress argues. Also, the discipline of Biblical theology and the concept of a redemptive-historical continuum came to be widely popular within Dispensational circles. Besides, after the inerrancy controversy of the '70s, Dispensational scholars began to make use of the tool of Biblical criticism more consistently as fully compatible with their commitment to Biblical inerrancy. Answering to these advances in the field of Biblical sciences, many Dispensationalists in the '80s began to rethink the theological framework of their system from these perspectives, producing what has been called "progressive dispensationalism". Officially introduced in the 1990 annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society, "progressives" have produced three major works formulating their position: "Dispensationalism, Israel and the Church" (Blaising and Bock, eds.); "The Case For Progressive Dispensationalism" (Saucy) and "Progressive Dispensationalism" (Blaising and Bock). This last one is the most recent of such works, and the least technical of them all. Not as concerned with cryptic points of Dispensational systemization, it intends to present a historical, hermeneutical and biblical-theological survey of the system as reinterpreted by "progressives". Bock's two chapters on hermeneutics are superb and straight-to-the-point, extremely helpful for those wanting to understand the hermeneutical rationale behind progressive dispensationalism. This point has been somewhat left out in the more technical discussions, though not totally ignored. Now Bock argues it with scholarly capacity and great clarity. The chapters on the covenants, and on the Kingdom of God in both the Old and New Testaments (authored by Blaising) will provide the interested reader with a full overview of the they must know about these most important issues in Dispensationalism as interpreted by progressives, within the framework of slavation history. To those to whom may sound anachronistic the use of a redemptive-historical approach in any formulation of dispensational theology, these chapters will be a delightful surprise for the relative easy flow of thought that they have and the constant taste of coherence with which Blaising writes. In a word, the book is a must-read for all those that either agree or disagree with basic postulates of Dispensational theology. To the former, it will show where have we departed from the main tradition in favor of a more intergrative, holistic approach. To the latter, it will show that old cliches about Dispensationalism are no longer valid, for progressives have resolved many of the issues upon which Dispensational theology was attacked. To both it will show that to reach a middle ground is posible without sacrificing theological convictions, or being ambivalent.

I found my picture of dispensationalism was an out-dated 25+ year old snapshot. Allen MacWhinney of Reformed Theological Seminary is quoted as saying, "This is not your fathers Oldsmobile." That is indeed true.

Progressive Dispensationalism is not the dispensationalism of the Schofield notes. Nor is it a regurgitating of Ryrie and Pentecost's definitions of dispensationalism of the 1960's and 70's. In this volume one sees the result of dispensationalism's historical foundational commitment to Biblical theology. It is that foundational dynamic that accounts for the changing face of dispensationalism as outlined by Blaising and Bock.

I personally found Blaising & Bock's discussion of the Biblical covenants one of the best I've read. Yes, dispensationalists recognize covenants just as the better Covenant theologians recognize the Bible speaks of dispensations (I Cor. 9:17, Eph. 1:10 & 3:2, Col. 1:25). Their differences go deeper then the semantics of those two words. I personally recommend this as a "must read" for serious students of eschatology wanting to understand the recent trends in dispensationalism.

I would also encourage my Covenant Theologian friends to read this book before engaging in polemics against out dated stereotypes of dispensationalism. Anyone can slay their own self made straw man. Real and honest Christian scholarship demands better things then that.

Arguably, no theological system has had greater influence in the shaping of both American Evangelicalism and American Fundamentalism over last century and a half than Dispensationalism. In spite of the eccentric charges of modernism made by some early detractors, Dispensational scholars of previous generations managed to formulate a throroughly Evangelical, conservative theology that was reasonably argued, and exactingly polemic. Admittedly, however, many of the claims made by earlier Dispensationalists -- both Classical (from Darby to Chafer, inclusive) and Revised (the system as taught and reformulated in the 1960s and 1970s) -- were not all coherent among themselves, and frequently stressed polemic points only aimed at distinguishing Dispensationalism from its eternal foe, Covenant theology, as though they were basic to the system. The literature documenting that chapter in the history of Dispensational thought (including the excruciating war of words between Allis, Ladd, Walvoord and Ryrie) is abundant. Flaws and all, however, Dispensationalism emerged from this period of creativity and polemics as a system open to reformulation, while squarely grounded on the principles of Biblical inerrancy and grammatico-historical exegesis. Advances in the field of hermeneutics, however, have reshaped our understanding of what grammatico-historical exegesis is, and we have come to view its task from the perspective of an intergrative "grammatico-historical-literary-theological" approach, rather than as mere wooden literalism, as Bock states and Poythress argues. Also, the discipline of Biblical theology and the notion of a redemptive-historical continuum came to be widely accepted within Dispensational circles, and after the inerrancy controversy of the 1970s, Dispensational scholars began to use more consistently the tools of Biblical criticism as fully compatible with their commitment to Biblical inerrancy. Owing to these advances in the field of Biblical studies, many Dispensationalists in the 1980s began to rethink the foundations of their system, producing what came to be called "Progressive Dispensationalism." Officially introduced in the 1990 annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society, "Progressives" have produced three major works formulating their position at the time of this writing (1998): "Dispensationalism, Israel and the Church" (Craig Blaising and Darrell Bock [eds.], Grand Rapids:Zondervan, 1992); "The Case For Progressive Dispensationalism" (Robert Saucy, Grand Rapids:Zondervan, 1993) and "Progressive Dispensationalism" (Craig Blaising and Darrell Bock, Wheaton:BridgePoint, 1993). This last one is the most recent of such works, and the least technical of them all. Not as concerned with the finer points of Dispensational systemization, it intends to present a historical, hermeneutical and biblico-theological survey of the system as reinterpreted by "Progressives." Bock's two chapters on hermeneutics are superb -- very helpful for those seeking to understand the hermeneutical rationale behind Progressive Dispensationalism. This point has been somewhat left out in the more technical discussions, although it has not been altogether ignored (cfr. Saucy). Now Bock argues it systematically with scholarly capacity and great clarity. The chapters on the covenants, and on the Kingdom of God in both the Old and New Testaments (authored by Blaising) will provide the interested reader with a thorough presentation of these most central issues in the Dispensational system as interpreted by Progressives, within the framework of salvation history. To those to whom the use of a redemptive-historical approach in any formulation of dispensational theology may sound oxymoronic, these chapters will be a delightful surprise, both for the easy flow of the argumentation and for the inexorable coherence with which Blaising writes. In a word, the book is a must-read for all, whether they agree or disagree with basic postulates of Dispensational theology. To the former, it will show where Progressives departed from prevous models of formulation in favor of a more integrative, holistic approach. To the latter, it will show that old cliches about Dispensationalism must be carefully revised, for Progressives have resolved many of the systemic weaknesses that left Dispensationalism vulnerable to attack. To both it will show that it is possible to reach a middle ground without sacrificing theological convictions, or being ambiguous.

Anyone who is interested in what progressive dispensationalism is, should start reading this book. Very scholarly, but easy to read. Blaising and Bock do an excellent job describing the major tenents of progressive dispensationalism. While affirming traditional dispensational distinctives (e.g., future for ethnic Israel, grammatical-historical hermeneutics, etc.), the authors rightly see the need to get over the rigid literalism of classical-revised dispensationalism and to work with extra-Biblical materials for proper hermeneutics and exegesis. Blaising's chapter on the history of dispensationalism (Chapter 1) is an excellent read and Bock's two chapters on hermeneutics (Chapters 2 and 3) are priceless. Blaising does an excellent job in Chapters 5-8 in arguing for the "already/not yet" view of the OT prophesies and promises. He gives plenty of scriptural passages to argue his points and will not leave the reader guessing on how he comes to that conclusion. Progressive dispensationalism avoids the excesses of both classical-revised dispensationalism with its "not yet" emphasis and "replacement theology" with its "already" emphasis. Blaising rightly points out that both aspects of the Kingdom are taught in the Bible. The only problem I have with the authors is that they tend to equate the Church with the present Kingdom. I dangerous idea to say the least. Also, Blaising's final chapter (Chapter 9) might turn off many conservative evangelicals because it advocates a type of social gospel.

I am not a Christian with fanciful theological degrees from one of the acclaimed seminaries. No, I'm strictly a lay believer who loves the Lord and strives to understand His ways and His will. Before coming to this book, I had studied the Bible with more than 30 commentaries and thought I knew something about God's Word. Boy, was I self-deceived.

You see, I had never ventured into the area of Biblical Theology (as opposed to Systematic Theology). I had always considered divine covenants to be nothing more than an historical footnote in the history of Israel, with little relevance for today's believer. Thanks to this book I now understand how covenants are probably the most important theme in Holy Scripture.

No, you don't need to be a dispensationalist to learn from this book (I'm not one). And don't be fooled by people who harbor strong suscipions about dispensational theology. There's nothing heretic about it's latest iteration, Progressive Dispensationalism. In fact, this book has only a relatively minor chapter on dispensations. Most of the book focuses on two important biblical themes: the covenants and the Kingdom of God.

One warning though: If you are a non-scholar like me, you'll probably find this book boring. But push your way through the pages and by the time you get to see how one covenant links to the next before finally arriving at the New Covenant, you will see the glorious redemptive plan of God. And when you get to the final chapter of the book, your soul will be overflowing with praise for the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

for quite a while i was torn between dispensationalism and covenant theology.. while i was convinced God still had a purpose for national Israel & the Kingdom hadn't as yet been fully inaugurated i couldn't square classic & revised dispensationalism's theology up to scripture - too many dichotomies and salvation plans for my liking.. i was much more impressed by the covenental theologians' holistic salvation plan but not so keen on the supercessionism that invariably seemed to be entailed by it.. this book finds the middle road between the two (to which blaising & bock admit is the case) and take the best aspects of both viewpoints.. im convinced this will challenge both reformed & dispensational thinkers to review some of their notions of God's ultimate plan of salvation.. big thumbs up..

This book is worth reading if you want a theological explanation of the tenets of progressive dispensationalism, especially concerning social and political ministries in an eschatological context. The authors explain how covenants fit in with a dispensational approach to scriptures, and the idea of God's progressive dispensations is examined. I found this latter theme to be the best part of the book. Too many scholars writing on eschatology take the view that most everything can be known about the future. In contrast, this book brings in alternate views of dispensationalism, and evaluate their pros and cons.

The downside is that it is written for seminary students or upper division university students. Many laypeople may find it a bit dry. Still, the authors avoid the sensationalism which accompanies most eschatological books, and remain faithful to their scholarly endeavor.

Readers should be aware of other views of eschatology, such as Reformed Theology based on a covenantal view of God's relationship with His people. I moved away from dispensational thinking towards a Reformed view of God's church because I conclude it provides a better explanation of prophecy in scripture than does dispensationalism. Still, I find that reading such books as Progressive Dispensationalism helps me consider other viewpoints, which I think is necessary for serious study of scripture.

This book did a good job of explaining the the Kingdom of God and heaven. Once they did this they then forced a correct understanding of the kingdom into a dispensational framework, thereby doing it an injuctice to their work on the kingdom.

I read this book as a requirement for a Dispensationalism class in Seminary. It gives you a look at what Progressive Dispensationalists believe. Since I am a classic Dispensationalist, I did not agree with much of the book. However, it helped me to understand their position. I wrote a paper on their view and subsequently received an A so the book did its job.

This is a really good book. Very thorough and well written. I recommend it for academic reading. It is not casual reading.