Why is dispensationalism not a congregation, but a thology? Or to put it another way, how come there is no "church of jesus christs dispensation" or something like that. Ive noticed most dispensationalists are non-denominational.... why is there not a specific church where everyone admits to only a dispensational view?
I just find it strange, the whole dispensational thing is new to me.... i hope i will not be viewed as a moron.
You have excellent questions, so you certainly aren't a moron.
Dispensationalism became coherent through John Darby, whose church was a part of the Plymouth Brethren. So the Plymouth Brethren today is one dispensational denomination.
In the 1800s, the writings of Darby and other Plymouth Brethren were very influential on American Christians. The popularity of these writings gave rise to the Bible Conference Movement. In Bible conferences, many like-minded folks came together to study and share notes. This included large numbers of Presbyterians, Baptists, and Congregationalists. But dispensational beliefs weren't limited to these denominations. This largely laity-led Bible Conference Movement is the reason why dispensationalism as a whole cuts across denominational lines.
When the modernist-fundamentalist controversy broke open, dispensationalists were always on the fundamentalist side. Dispensationalists in fact provided leadership and unity to the fundamentalist movement. Many new groups were formed as a result of the controversy. Some of these were were largely dispensational when founded, and most continue to be dispensational in their doctrinal views to this day.
Here are a number of dispensational groups, with a bit of its origin info and estimated US membership:
General Association of Regular Baptist Churches - broke away from the American Baptist Convention in 1932. Has about 90,000 members.
Conservative Baptist Association - organization consisting of independent Baptist churches, founded in 1947 and has about 200,000 members.
Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches - founded in 1939 with about 30,000 members.
Independent Fundamentalist Churches of America - founded in 1930 and has about 60,000 members.
Grace Gospel Fellowship - founded in 1944, this is a "Pauline" or Mid-acts dispensationalist organization with about 60,000 members.
Baptist Bible Fellowship International - began in 1950, consists of independent Baptist churches and has about 1 million members. A group who split from this is the
Global Independent Baptist Fellowship, a KJV only dispensationalist organization.
Baptist Missionary Association of America - began in 1950 (but changed the name to the present BMA in 1968). They are Landmark Baptists and many are dispensationalist, with about 230,000 members.
Berean Fundamental Church - 1947 is the official beginning of the organization, with about 8,000 members.
Bible Fellowship Church - a Mennonite group, it separated from the main group in 1858. Today it has about 7,000 members.
Now there are Holiness/Wesleyan/Pentecostal organizations (i.e. Christian and Missionary Alliance, Assemblies of God, etc.) which are premillennial, but not dispensational. Its not that they exclude dispensationalism, in fact a number of members are dispensational - its just the official organization's position allows for a variety of premil views than just dispensationalism.
I'm sure there are others groups not mentioned here, maybe someone would be willing to contribute any additional ones they know about.
But arent the different creeds due to lack of proper interpretation? Or wouldnt interpretation define creed?
Do dispensationalists not agree?
Dispensationalism is not a centralized movement - that is, dispensationalism doesn't center around a specific official creed or person. The Presbyterian church for example, is centralized because it centers beliefs around specific creeds. Even though splits are common, the different Presbyterian groups share common theological views and ecclesiology structure with each other.
Dispensationalists on the other hand are found in a wide variety of denominations. Positions in theology, practices and beliefs vary widely. There are Arminian disps, Calvinist disps, KJV only disps, etc. What dispensationalists do share with one another is a specific approach to Scripture built on certain concepts - inerrancy of Scripture, that Israel is distinct from the church, that progressive revelation is very important, etc.
That is why I agree with TheScottsMen when he says the emphasis is on interpretation rather than any specific creed. But because of the wide diversity of dispensationalists, the details of these interpretations vary widely.
Lamorak Des Galis
