History

Enraptured with Order

How fundamentalists strove mightily to make sense of history.

Clarence Larkin believed the biblical interpreter "cannot intelligently do his work without a plan. He must have drawings and specifications." To that end, the mechanical-engineer-turned-preacher wrote and illustrated Dispensational Truth, or God's Plan and Purpose in the Ages (1919), a 180-page book that contains 90 charts.

These charts, he wrote, must be tested against the Bible itself, yet to properly interpret and understand the Bible, "The charts are indispensable." The above, according to Larkin, is "the main chart" of his book.

Diagramming Bible books and salvation history is characteristic of dispensationalism—a method of interpreting the Bible that divides history into different "dispensations" or spiritual eras. In each dispensation, God reveals a new aspect of his will, and according to C. I. Scofield, each dispensation is "a new test of the natural man, and each ends in judgment—marking his utter failure in every dispensation."

Though others have divided history into spiritual eras, John Nelson Darby (1800-1882), an early leader of the Plymouth Brethren in England, was the first to create a full-blown dispensational system. He promoted his ideas in America during a preaching tour in the 1870s. Scofield, one of many pastors and teachers taken with his ideas, eventually published a Bible with dispensationalist notes (in 1909) that became the standard Bible for fundamentalists.

Dispensationalists are known for their premillennialism: because the world is corrupt, Christ must return before the millennial kingdom is established. This view directly challenged the postmillennialism of liberals (and evangelicals like Charles Finney), who believed human effort would eventually create the kingdom of God on earth. Interpretive disagreements (such as whether believers would be raptured by Christ before or after the Tribulation) have split dispensationalists into warring factions at times.

Copyright © 1997 by the author or Christianity Today/Christian History magazine. Click here for reprint information on Christian History.

Also in this series

Our Latest

The Black women missing from our pews

America’s most churched demographic is slipping from religious life. We must go after them.

The Still Small Voice in the Deer Stand

Since childhood, each hunting season out in God’s creation has healed wounds and deepened my faith.

Play Those Chocolate Sprinkles, Rend Collective!

The Irish band’s new album “FOLK!” proclaims joy after suffering.

News

Wall Street’s Most Famous Evangelical Sentenced in Unprecedented Fraud Case

Judge gives former billionaire Bill Hwang 18 years in prison for crimes that outweigh his “lifetime” of “charitable works.”

Public Theology Project

How a Dark Sense of Humor Can Save You from Cynicism

A bit of gallows humor can remind us that death does not have the final word.

News

Died: Rina Seixas, Iconic Surfer Pastor Who Faced Domestic Violence Charges

The Brazilian founder of Bola de Neve Church, which attracted celebrities and catalyzed 500 congregations on six continents, faced accusations from family members and a former colleague.

Review

The Quiet Faith Behind Little House on the Prairie

How a sincere but reserved Christianity influenced the life and literature of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

‘Bonhoeffer’ Bears Little Resemblance to Reality

The new biopic from Angel Studios twists the theologian’s life and thought to make a political point.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube