Bruce didn't really define a dispensation per se. He mentioned some features of premillenialism, and dispensationalism. he seemed to speak of it more in terms of chronology. But Dispensations are "administrations", not ages per se. God administers his progressive revelation to man, who is responsible to obey that revelation.
Also, Dispensationalists seek to do what Christ said "make disciples". This is not a call to reform the world, but to call people out of the world through Gospel preaching. I'm afraid he's reading more into the Great Comission than is there. Clearly, the mandate of the Church is to preach the word, and prepare for the coming kingdom. But dominiionists and others want to establish the future kingdom through the church here and now,and it's not working because that's not what God called us to do. Obey government no matter how bad they are, pay your taxes, and prepare for the Rapture. I just don't see where the apostles were going around trying to change the Roman government with the Law of Moses. They were living as strangers in the world, not as citizens of the world.
Zaphon raises the false dilemma specter and infers that I am against "making disciples."
The Biblical writers did not have the opportunity as we have to directly influence our government, but the principles of making disciples in every order of society (gvt. included) is clearly taught in scripture.
Zaphon unwittingly boxes Christianity into the four walls of the church thus castrating the Great Commission and Cultural Mandate while making the church largely irrelevant. In fact, by supporting his false dichotomy he fuels the tired liberal canard of "separation of church and state."
The gospel is God's command to repent (of not obeying God's law--thus deciding to follow/advocate it) and believe on Christ. Though I can't and shouldn't force someone to do these things, I should advocate these positions in every area of society...after all Jesus is Lord of ALL!
I'd very much like to see a program titled " The Deadening Effects of Reformed Postmillenialism". Where Amillenial/Postmillenial views thrive, there is a blind side to the Church's eschatology. The effect of this is to turn away from the imminent expectation of Christ's return, settle into the world comfortably, take up worldly political causes that detract from the Gospel, engage in ecumenical social projects that dull discernment, and not to mention the spiritualizing abandonment of literal-grammatical historical hermeneutics that leads to liberal theology.
Many of the Protestant churches have become museums of dead orthodoxy, socialistic gospel preaching, and liberal theology. This false eschatology of amil/post mil. with all it's Roman Catholic trappings also tends toward a disparaging of Israel and to Antisemetism.
Interestingly, while Bruce implies that I repeat liberal lines about separation of Chruch/State, it is he and his fellow prophecy spiritualizers that are joining the enemies of America in condemning Israel, and blaming America first for all it's problems b/c of a support of the Jewish people just to EXIST.
The idea that Dispensationalism "paralyzes" Christians is simply false and Bruce did not demonstrate this in actual fact. Just the opposite is true. Some of America's strongest conservative leaders in the last several decades have been Dispensationalists/Premillenialsts who took prophecy seriously and literally. Late Pres.Ronald Regan cannot be said to have been "paralyzed" due to his beliefs. Likewise many Disp. Christians are active in the world of politics and academics, fighting the tide of liberal evils.
This myth against Dispensationalism is constantly parroted by the likes of Gary Demar, Gary North, and other Postmill. theonomy types without any substance.
And it seems...this show is all too pleased to allow such myths to be promoted to the delight of a Reformed audience all too ignorant of the TRUE Biblical doctrine of eschatology.
If Bruce is right, then the apostles should have been doing virtually nothing else BUT bring theonomy into the Roman government. Nowhere do we see this happening in the NEW TEST. They preached the Kingdom of God and repentance based on the salvation of Jesus. There's was a futuristic hope of an actual governemnt of Jesus yet to come in God's time see. Acts 1:6
3 comments:
Bruce didn't really define a dispensation per se. He mentioned some features of premillenialism, and dispensationalism. he seemed to speak of it more in terms of chronology. But Dispensations are "administrations", not ages per se. God administers his progressive revelation to man, who is responsible to obey that revelation.
Also, Dispensationalists seek to do what Christ said "make disciples". This is not a call to reform the world, but to call people out of the world through Gospel preaching. I'm afraid he's reading more into the Great Comission than is there. Clearly, the mandate of the Church is to preach the word, and prepare for the coming kingdom. But dominiionists and others want to establish the future kingdom through the church here and now,and it's not working because that's not what God called us to do. Obey government no matter how bad they are, pay your taxes, and prepare for the Rapture. I just don't see where the apostles were going around trying to change the Roman government with the Law of Moses. They were living as strangers in the world, not as citizens of the world.
Zaphon raises the false dilemma specter and infers that I am against "making disciples."
The Biblical writers did not have the opportunity as we have to directly influence our government, but the principles of making disciples in every order of society (gvt. included) is clearly taught in scripture.
Zaphon unwittingly boxes Christianity into the four walls of the church thus castrating the Great Commission and Cultural Mandate while making the church largely irrelevant. In fact, by supporting his false dichotomy he fuels the tired liberal canard of "separation of church and state."
The gospel is God's command to repent (of not obeying God's law--thus deciding to follow/advocate it) and believe on Christ. Though I can't and shouldn't force someone to do these things, I should advocate these positions in every area of society...after all Jesus is Lord of ALL!
I'd very much like to see a program titled " The Deadening Effects of Reformed Postmillenialism". Where Amillenial/Postmillenial views thrive, there is a blind side to the Church's eschatology. The effect of this is to turn away from the imminent expectation of Christ's return, settle into the world comfortably, take up worldly political causes that detract from the Gospel, engage in ecumenical social projects that dull discernment, and not to mention the spiritualizing abandonment of literal-grammatical historical hermeneutics that leads to liberal theology.
Many of the Protestant churches have become museums of dead orthodoxy, socialistic gospel preaching, and liberal theology. This false eschatology of amil/post mil. with all it's Roman Catholic trappings also tends toward a disparaging of Israel and to Antisemetism.
Interestingly, while Bruce implies that I repeat liberal lines about separation of Chruch/State, it is he and his fellow prophecy spiritualizers that are joining the enemies of America in condemning Israel, and blaming America first for all it's problems b/c of a support of the Jewish people just to EXIST.
The idea that Dispensationalism "paralyzes" Christians is simply false and Bruce did not demonstrate this in actual fact. Just the opposite is true. Some of America's strongest conservative leaders in the last several decades have been Dispensationalists/Premillenialsts who took prophecy seriously and literally. Late Pres.Ronald Regan cannot be said to have been "paralyzed" due to his beliefs. Likewise many Disp. Christians are active in the world of politics and academics, fighting the tide of liberal evils.
This myth against Dispensationalism is constantly parroted by the likes of Gary Demar, Gary North, and other Postmill. theonomy types without any substance.
And it seems...this show is all too pleased to allow such myths to be promoted to the delight of a Reformed audience all too ignorant of the TRUE Biblical doctrine of eschatology.
If Bruce is right, then the apostles should have been doing virtually nothing else BUT bring theonomy into the Roman government. Nowhere do we see this happening in the NEW TEST. They preached the Kingdom of God and repentance based on the salvation of Jesus. There's was a futuristic hope of an actual governemnt of Jesus yet to come in God's time see. Acts 1:6
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