Book Review: The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism
Daniel G. Hummel
William B. Eerdmans, 2024
ISBN 978-0-8028-7922-6
This is going to be more of an interaction than a review. That seems a more beneficial approach to such a work. And the conclusion first, if that’s ok: It’s an excellent work with a lot to say. My quibbles are all minor and most of what I add here is by way of qualifications rather than recommended corrections. These are thus directed to the reader, for the greater part.
To begin, I find this work to be thorough and accurate, with great attention to the massive amount of detail assembled. That said, I believe it should rather have been entitled “The Rise and Fall of Apocalyptic Dispensationalism” as concerns about the rapture teaching stands out as a clear subtext throughout.
I’m emphasizing “apocalyptic” for other reasons. The 19th century was filled with many more apocalyptic concerns than the rise of dispensationalism. The Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Mormons, and the postmillennial theological system, all these looked toward the imminent. Even the secular progressives borrowed their “hope” (dare I add “joy” via having a chicken in every pot) borrowed its structures from postmillennial ideations. A good synopsis of this can be found in John Gray’s “Black Mass, Apocalyptic Religion and the Death of Utopia.”
As you read through the book you will note some identification of social changes that affected the movement of the dispensational system through history. There’s a lot of good detail here. I’m not exactly sure, though, how to take his views on Darby. He seems to be treating Darby as the originator of this system. Some reference to William Watson’s “Dispensationalism Before Darby” would show Darby more as locus than as the seed.
As you read there will stand out hints of the culture of the times when dispensationalism was coming to life. Among these was mistrust of denominations and seminaries of the day, preferring to leave interpretation to the individual and local church pastor. If you wonder about how this arose in the US, check out “The Democratization of American Christianity” by Nathan Hatch. The conclusions of Hatch’s work dovetails nicely with Hummel’s descriptions of 19th century culture.
As you read Mr. Hummel’s style, you’ll note toward the beginning of the book the language seems rather hostile toward dispensationalists. That tone is shortly diluted as you go further into the work.
There’s also a hint of a modern dialectical perspective. There’s some use of gender language and discussions around “race” rather than “culture.” Such framing is common these days but does need to be noted. A work that might help both Mr. Hummel perhaps temper some of his language, and the reader to understand better past attitudes, is to see Robert Wenger’s dissertation, “Social Thought in American Fundamentalism, 1918-1933.”
Me? I’m a dispensationalist who long ago observed that many have become, what I call, “rapture weary.” Yes, the hermeneutic needs some work. But the idea that God is working without a plan, that Revelation is history and not prophecy, those things are bothersome. Some studies in this area is one of my retirement goal.