Defining Dispensationalism: A Cultural Studies Perspective

This article begins by noting the recent development of scholarly interest in the cultural importance of Dispensationalism. It suggests that this work has been complicated and hindered by our lack of a suitable definition of Dispensationalism. After tracing the difficulties of definition, and considering and rejecting Charles Ryrie's attempt to define Dispensationalism by appeal to three “sine qua non,” an alternative strategy is suggested by considering David Bebbington's very influential definition of Evangelicalism. Following this model, the article posits a five‐point definition of Dispensationalism, highlighting its Evangelicalism, its insistence on the literal interpretation of Scripture, its recognition of stages in God's dealings with humanity, its expectation of the imminent return of Christ to rapture His saints, and its focus on both apocalypticism and millennialism.