Dispensationalism and the rapture, Part II

As promised, I'm following up on my earlier post about the structure of Premillenial Dispensationalism, the theology behind "the rapture" and the "Left Behind" series. Still citing the good work of socially concerned evangelist Tony Campolo, here are some of the dangerous implications of believing in dispensations and the rapture.

1) It's bad for churches. First, it marginalizes the church by making it just a historical "parenthesis" before the end times, rather than the dynamic body of Christ moving through history. By marginalizing the church, it also makes Christianity only a private phenomenon -- are you ready for the rapture? Also, it teaches that most churches -- especially the Roman Catholic Church -- are apostate churches of the "Laodicean variety" (get an explanation of that from my earlier post). Considering its view that only a view true churches oppose the apostate ones, it also fosters division, sectarianism, and schism.

2) Dispensationalism is apathetic toward social action at best and destructive at worst. Consider the logic: Why work for peace and justice if the world is about to end anyway? Since the end is near (and Christians have been saying that for 2000 years), shouldn't we spend all our energy doing work that counts, i.e., saving souls? Finally, dispensationalism believes that the end-times involves a steady escalation of conflict that will crescendo at the decisive battle of Armageddon. When dispensationalist have access to our leaders, as they currrently do, this is not harmless. Campolo points out that Jerry Falwell advised both Reagan and Bush I that America was God's instrument against the "evil empire." Bush's rhetoric clearly shows that he's accepted a similar view, that America is God's instrument against the "axis of evil." By assuming that conflict is God's will, and that we are God's instrument, dispensationalist leaders create an idol of our own power, confuse our will with God's, and create a self-fulfilling prophecy of rising violence.

3) Dispensationalism promotes a very negative view of government. It's not just big government. It's evil government. Governments work only in the temporal realm, which will soon be wiped away. And big governments -- like the U.N. -- may be seen as "instruments" of the Antichrist, who willl use them to create an illusory world peace while persecuting Christians. The book of Revelation has a lot to do with some evangelicals' negative attitude toward the U.N.

4) Dispensationalism fosters conflict in the Middle East. Many dispensationalists believe that, according to prophecy, the Jews must reclaim parts of the "Promised Land" currently held by Palestinians before the rapture can occur. Also, dispensationalists believe that the rapture awaits the rebuilding of Solomon's Temple on Mount Zion. Unfortunately, that location is currently occupied by the Dome of the Rock, where Islam's third holiest site. For these reasons, it is not surprising that ministers like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson push for a very pro-Israel policy. A peace plan, in short, cannot be God's plan.

5) Dispensationalism disparages the environment. Why protect what is about to pass away? James Watt, Secretary of the Interior under Reagan, advocated oil exploration even in places like Yellowstone National Park. He thought the "signs" showed the end was quite near, so there was no need to save the environment for the future.

6) Dispensationalism marginalizes the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus's most important collection of teachings. Here is where Jesus lists who are "blessed": the poor, the peacemakers, those who suffer, the merciful. These teachings, dispensationalists contend, apply not to this age but to the coming Millenium. Therefore, they may discount the truly radical part of Jesus's message: peace, justice, and hope for the marginalized.

Dispensationalism, it is fair to say, has immense destructive possibilities. But do all evangelicals believe in it?

No. Most importantly, charismatic groups like Pentecostals depart from the dispensationalist worldview. In large part, this is because dispensationalists believe that the spiritual gifts that charimatics hold dear -- speaking in tongues, for example -- belonged to an earlier dispensation, not ours. I must admit that I am uncomfortable with such forms of worship, but that's just who I am. At any rate, Pentecostalism is sweeping the world, especially the third world, and it brings a message that is basically more loving, more hopeful, and less hateful than fundamentalism.

Also, in a random point, Pentecostalism began as a wildly diverse movement in 1906, at the Azusa Street Revivals in Los Angeles. The movement eventually fractured along racial lines, with whites going to denominations like the Assemblies of God and blacks going to denominations like the Church of God in Christ (COGIC). I'd also wager that Pentecostal churches tend to be more diverse today than any other denomination.

And, hey, that matters if the world isn't ending tomorrow.