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The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism: How the Evangelical Battle over the End Times Shaped a Nation
A fascinating history of dispensationalism and its influence on popular culture, politics, and religion
In The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism , Daniel G. Hummel illuminates how dispensationalism, despite often being dismissed as a fringe end-times theory, shaped Anglo-American evangelicalism and the larger American cultural imagination.
Hummel locates dispensationalism’s origin in the writings of the nineteenth-century Protestant John Nelson Darby, who established many of the hallmarks of the movement, such as premillennialism and belief in the rapture. Though it consistently faced criticism, dispensationalism held populist, and briefly scholarly, appeal—visible in everything from turn-of-the-century revivalism to apocalyptic bestsellers of the 1970s to current internet conspiracy theories.
Measured and irenic, Hummel objectively evaluates evangelicalism’s most resilient and contentious popular theology. As the first comprehensive intellectual-cultural history of its kind, The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism is a must-read for students and scholars of American religion.
In The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism , Daniel G. Hummel illuminates how dispensationalism, despite often being dismissed as a fringe end-times theory, shaped Anglo-American evangelicalism and the larger American cultural imagination.
Hummel locates dispensationalism’s origin in the writings of the nineteenth-century Protestant John Nelson Darby, who established many of the hallmarks of the movement, such as premillennialism and belief in the rapture. Though it consistently faced criticism, dispensationalism held populist, and briefly scholarly, appeal—visible in everything from turn-of-the-century revivalism to apocalyptic bestsellers of the 1970s to current internet conspiracy theories.
Measured and irenic, Hummel objectively evaluates evangelicalism’s most resilient and contentious popular theology. As the first comprehensive intellectual-cultural history of its kind, The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism is a must-read for students and scholars of American religion.
400 pages, Hardcover
Published May 4, 2023
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July 21, 2023
Both a strength and weakness of this book is its wide-ranging treatment of conservative Protestantism during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, arranged under the (sometimes tenuous) rubric of dispensationalism. Though Hummel well understands that dispensationalist theology is more than a system of eschatology, the subtitle underscores that the cultural importance of dispensationalism arises from its apocalyptical views about End Times.
I blame the academy for Hummel’s determination to squeeze larger cultural meaning from dispensationalism than is actually there. It’s easy to imagine the author being pressed by teachers, prospective employers, and editors of scholarly presses to demonstrate how an arcane theological doctrine has relevance for secular history—the only sort of history that counts in scholarly publishing. It’s therefore unsurprising that Hummel tends to overreach in declaring relevance while ignoring, or at least playing down, puzzle pieces that don’t quite fit.
A case in point is the absence of any mention of the End Time novels written by nineteenth-century British author Sydney Watson more than 75 years before Left Behind was a glimmer in the eye of Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. I find it inconceivable that Hummel didn’t know about Watson’s trilogy, especially since these books were published in the 1910s in the United States by Biola, a bastion of dispensationalism. The problem for Hummel about mentioning them is that they demonstrate “pop dispensationalism” to be alive and well long before 1960, when Hummel makes this notion the theme of the final third of his book.
Likewise, although Bob Jones Sr. is briefly mentioned (150) (though as a South Carolinian, 33 years before he lived there), he and his university drop almost totally out of sight for the rest of the book—even though by mid-century, BJU had the largest enrollment of any “Moody movement” school. Again, the problem for Hummel in discussing the influence of BJU is that although the Joneses père et fils were dispensationalists, they were at constant odds with Dallas Theological Seminary, had other fish to fry, and devoted little energy to what Hummel pronounces to be a raging battle between evangelicals.
While I dislike nitpicking books, especially one so full of details as Hummel’s, I was early put on my guard by small inaccuracies about things of which I had personal knowledge. For instance, Hummel says that Bob Jones Sr. become an “independent Baptist” (186)—which he didn’t; he says that D. L. Moody “prayed for the Confederate dead” (122), and that Charles Fuller, “the son,” began a weekly radio broadcast in 1937 (204). Worse, these statements are just declared, not cited to sources.
Finally, I was put off by Hummel’s categorizing, sometimes borrowing labels, sometimes making them up. There’s a glossary at the end of the book, but the definitions will not necessarily illuminate readers who’ve lost their way in Hummel’s thicket of categories. For instance, his glossary definition of “fundamentalism” works until the late 1950s, when the term as he defines it no longer makes any sense. Hummel continues to separate fundamentalists from evangelicals during the last half of the 20th century but doesn’t explain on what grounds. For instance, Rousas Rushdoony and Gary North are said to have been supported by “fundamentalist Presbyterian churches,” though neither of those men would have called themselves fundamentalists, nor would they have been called fundamentalists by the Fundamentalist Baptist Fellowship, which Hummel totally ignores.
In sum, there’s good history in this book, but readers should be wary of the details, the over-categorization, and the central thesis that dispensationalism—as opposed to apocalypticism—was all that important to either conservative Christianity or to secular culture.
I blame the academy for Hummel’s determination to squeeze larger cultural meaning from dispensationalism than is actually there. It’s easy to imagine the author being pressed by teachers, prospective employers, and editors of scholarly presses to demonstrate how an arcane theological doctrine has relevance for secular history—the only sort of history that counts in scholarly publishing. It’s therefore unsurprising that Hummel tends to overreach in declaring relevance while ignoring, or at least playing down, puzzle pieces that don’t quite fit.
A case in point is the absence of any mention of the End Time novels written by nineteenth-century British author Sydney Watson more than 75 years before Left Behind was a glimmer in the eye of Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. I find it inconceivable that Hummel didn’t know about Watson’s trilogy, especially since these books were published in the 1910s in the United States by Biola, a bastion of dispensationalism. The problem for Hummel about mentioning them is that they demonstrate “pop dispensationalism” to be alive and well long before 1960, when Hummel makes this notion the theme of the final third of his book.
Likewise, although Bob Jones Sr. is briefly mentioned (150) (though as a South Carolinian, 33 years before he lived there), he and his university drop almost totally out of sight for the rest of the book—even though by mid-century, BJU had the largest enrollment of any “Moody movement” school. Again, the problem for Hummel in discussing the influence of BJU is that although the Joneses père et fils were dispensationalists, they were at constant odds with Dallas Theological Seminary, had other fish to fry, and devoted little energy to what Hummel pronounces to be a raging battle between evangelicals.
While I dislike nitpicking books, especially one so full of details as Hummel’s, I was early put on my guard by small inaccuracies about things of which I had personal knowledge. For instance, Hummel says that Bob Jones Sr. become an “independent Baptist” (186)—which he didn’t; he says that D. L. Moody “prayed for the Confederate dead” (122), and that Charles Fuller, “the son,” began a weekly radio broadcast in 1937 (204). Worse, these statements are just declared, not cited to sources.
Finally, I was put off by Hummel’s categorizing, sometimes borrowing labels, sometimes making them up. There’s a glossary at the end of the book, but the definitions will not necessarily illuminate readers who’ve lost their way in Hummel’s thicket of categories. For instance, his glossary definition of “fundamentalism” works until the late 1950s, when the term as he defines it no longer makes any sense. Hummel continues to separate fundamentalists from evangelicals during the last half of the 20th century but doesn’t explain on what grounds. For instance, Rousas Rushdoony and Gary North are said to have been supported by “fundamentalist Presbyterian churches,” though neither of those men would have called themselves fundamentalists, nor would they have been called fundamentalists by the Fundamentalist Baptist Fellowship, which Hummel totally ignores.
In sum, there’s good history in this book, but readers should be wary of the details, the over-categorization, and the central thesis that dispensationalism—as opposed to apocalypticism—was all that important to either conservative Christianity or to secular culture.
June 23, 2023
Fascinating, broad-ranging history. For being a relatively new theological movement, dispensationalism is connected to innumerable facets of American Christianity, culture, and politics, from the Left Behind series to the Trump presidency to the founding of many Christian colleges, seminaries, mega churches, or parachurch organizations. Hummel traces the storyline of the movement and its theological development from John Darby to an eventual significance in America through the ministries of D. L. Moody and many of his friends, the writings of Scofield, and the books and teaching of many prominent pastors or academics. Also making an appearance in these pages are many other personalities, including Charles Ryrie, A. W. Tozer, John R. Rice, J. Frank Norris, Bob Jones, John MacArthur, Tim LaHaye, and dozens of others.
In my opinion, there are times when the author’s bias comes out a bit too clearly, and this can occasionally be a distraction from the storyline of the book. That said, I found the wealth of research and historical detail to be both interesting and valuable. I certainly enjoyed the read.
In my opinion, there are times when the author’s bias comes out a bit too clearly, and this can occasionally be a distraction from the storyline of the book. That said, I found the wealth of research and historical detail to be both interesting and valuable. I certainly enjoyed the read.
August 17, 2024
I've done a fair amount of digging into the evolution of evangelical Christianity's relationship to politics (especially since the 1950s), but Hummel's book fills in an important missing part of the story I thought I knew. I'd been aware that evangelicals had by and large kept their distance from electoral politics until the late 1950s. The shift was a key piece in elevating Ronald Reagan to the governorship of California and later the presidency. I'd largely attributed that to the migration of Southerners to Southern California (see Darren Dochunk's excellent From Bible Belt to Sunbelt for that part of the story). But what I hadn't been aware of was the theological underpinnings of the change. The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism plades the spotlight first on battles within scholastic theology and then on the emergence of "pop dispensationalism." Hummel provides a well-researched, well-written and entirely convincing argument that ideas of "dispensationalism"--a particular approach to understanding the "end times"--played a crucial role in the change. His analysis of the difference between the roles of Israel and "the church" was fascinating. And the final section, focusing on the more or less entire collapse of theology in the face of profit-driven pop cultural versions of religion brings aspects of 21st century American culture into a somewhat distressing focus. As someone who's been interested in theology and the history of the church for a long time, I've often puzzled over what seems the absence of any coherent theological vision among many of those who attend the megachurches and commit themselves to right wing causes that seem out of synch with a common sense reading of the Bible. After reading Hummel, I have a much clearer idea of how and why that happened.
October 3, 2025
I thought that the first 2/3 of the book were better than the last part, which I thought was much less-focused and more rambly.
I'm not convinced that dispensationalism is as dead as he thinks, but I could be wrong on that.
I'm not convinced that dispensationalism is as dead as he thinks, but I could be wrong on that.
September 22, 2024
I’m giving 4/5 only because American Christians should read this to be aware of and competent about dispensationalism’s lasting influence on evangelical culture. I almost gave 3/5 due to some of the book’s weaknesses, but I think the benefits of reading this outweigh those drawbacks.
September 19, 2023
Having grown up in a dispensational context, I thought that most everyone else in Evangelical Christian Churches interpreted the Bible in the same manner. Of course, that assumption was incorrect. But during the Golden Age of dispensational teaching one would have thought that a dispensational hermeneutic was the majority position. Again, incorrect. But in circles where dispensationalism was the dominant hermeneutical approach to Scripture, one might have believed that such an interpretive approach would remain dominant in the academy and in the churches. But according to the author of this book, that assumption has proven to be incorrect. One must question the author’s conclusion here because he offers scant evidence of his claim .
Even though the author takes too much for granted without the benefit of objective evidence, I found this history fascinating. Author Daniel Hummel is a historian, and he is a gifted author. What’s more, Hummel grew up in a dispensational context, and even though he no longer subscribes to dispensationalism, he does appreciate the faithful Christians who remain committed to that interpretive construct.
Hummel makes the questionable case that dispensationalism is of relatively recent vintage, associating the nascent movement with John Nelson Darby. One must wonder if Hummel would question the truth of the steam engine or the possibility of space travel, because such things were previously undiscovered.
Hummel also describes in great detail how this theology made its way across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States. Hummel describes how this system took hold in churches, in certain corners of the academy, and then into the popular imagination, only to recede into relative obscurity from academia. Again, these claims are supported by rather thin evidence. However, this book still is an enjoyable and informative history of dispensationalism.
If you love history and theology, and if you have been interested in dispensational teaching, you will greatly enjoy this book. But with that being said, I offer a major caution. Truth is not measured by the pound, nor is it measured at the polls. As children of the Reformation, we must be ardent in our commitment to Sola Scriptura, and that should guide us as we seek to faithfully understand and rightly divide the Word of God. Happy reading!
Even though the author takes too much for granted without the benefit of objective evidence, I found this history fascinating. Author Daniel Hummel is a historian, and he is a gifted author. What’s more, Hummel grew up in a dispensational context, and even though he no longer subscribes to dispensationalism, he does appreciate the faithful Christians who remain committed to that interpretive construct.
Hummel makes the questionable case that dispensationalism is of relatively recent vintage, associating the nascent movement with John Nelson Darby. One must wonder if Hummel would question the truth of the steam engine or the possibility of space travel, because such things were previously undiscovered.
Hummel also describes in great detail how this theology made its way across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States. Hummel describes how this system took hold in churches, in certain corners of the academy, and then into the popular imagination, only to recede into relative obscurity from academia. Again, these claims are supported by rather thin evidence. However, this book still is an enjoyable and informative history of dispensationalism.
If you love history and theology, and if you have been interested in dispensational teaching, you will greatly enjoy this book. But with that being said, I offer a major caution. Truth is not measured by the pound, nor is it measured at the polls. As children of the Reformation, we must be ardent in our commitment to Sola Scriptura, and that should guide us as we seek to faithfully understand and rightly divide the Word of God. Happy reading!
March 1, 2025
Excellent! I don't think I could write a review that does this book justice. I appreciated how the author took a purely historical approach and how the book read somewhat like a story (as opposed to just a collection of facts). It was helpful for me personally to read this after "Revival and Revivalism" by Murray and "Fundamentalism and American Culture" by Marsden.
Another neat thing about this book is that the author includes a bibliographic essay for each chapter. This helped me as I look for what to read next!
Another neat thing about this book is that the author includes a bibliographic essay for each chapter. This helped me as I look for what to read next!
March 7, 2025
I started this shortly after finishing The Democratization of American Christianity and it served as a helpful sequel of sorts. Together they provide an illuminating historical survey of the peculiarly American movements within Protestant Christianity.
Bob wrote a great review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Bob wrote a great review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
June 25, 2024
Maybe it was just me but I could not put this book down. The tracing of dispensationalism from Darby to Brookes, Moody to Scofield, and Chafer to the more recent pop and scholastic movements was fascinating to me. The book is broken into 3 sections and flows really well, helping us to understand how wide of a cultural impact dispensational thought has had on the American landscape over the last 200+ years.
March 9, 2024
Read my full review at SpoiledMilks (3/8/24).
Hummel offers offers a balanced perspective on Dispensationalism, highlighting its strengths and contributions to Christian thought while also critically examining its limitations and challenges. Some reviews I have seen note Hummel’s poor use of some of the primary and secondary sources, for example that Whisenant’s pamphlet above didn’t have quite the influence Hummel implies when America had a population of 250 million. This may be true, but this book doesn’t stand on Whisenant’s pamphlet alone. Dispensational variants abounded in culture, and Whisenant’s pamphlet is one example of many such pamphlets, radio shows, and book that contained predictions of when the rapture would happen. I heard the same sort of ideas by a few teachers in my high school. This stuff was everywhere.
Hummel’s book is pretty easy to read. I am not a history buff. I enjoy a good story, but I don’t appreciate being given every fact in a swirling hurricane of details. I also don’t like when an author takes up a topic, writes about a guy on a mission, jump to a different guy with his parallel mission, and then jumps back and forth, sprinkling various, names, places, dates, and businesses all throughout. A few history books I have reviewed do this, and you have to have a good memory to recall who each person is, where he is going, what he is doing, when he did it, ad nauseum.
For the most part, Hummel does not complicate his book in this way. There are certainly details that must be given, but Hummel knows how to follow through with a theme without creating a labyrinth for the reader to tease out. He lays out some of dispensationalism’s complex ideas clearly and accessibly, making his book approachable to both scholars and laypeople. He writes straightforwardly—clearly out of deep concern for his readers’ sanity. To this we should be grateful.
Hummel isn’t out to cast shade on dispensationalism, as he also gives some of its contributions to Christian theology. I for one would be happy to keep academic dispensationalism around while getting rid of the pop stuff. Let those who study the Bible teach the Bible. Even though I differ quite a bit from dispy theology, I’m happy to have it around to help sharpen me and others in our theological views. If you have ever wondered where dispensationalism came from or how it came to be pervasive, pick up Hummel’s book. It’s quite the ride.
Hummel offers offers a balanced perspective on Dispensationalism, highlighting its strengths and contributions to Christian thought while also critically examining its limitations and challenges. Some reviews I have seen note Hummel’s poor use of some of the primary and secondary sources, for example that Whisenant’s pamphlet above didn’t have quite the influence Hummel implies when America had a population of 250 million. This may be true, but this book doesn’t stand on Whisenant’s pamphlet alone. Dispensational variants abounded in culture, and Whisenant’s pamphlet is one example of many such pamphlets, radio shows, and book that contained predictions of when the rapture would happen. I heard the same sort of ideas by a few teachers in my high school. This stuff was everywhere.
Hummel’s book is pretty easy to read. I am not a history buff. I enjoy a good story, but I don’t appreciate being given every fact in a swirling hurricane of details. I also don’t like when an author takes up a topic, writes about a guy on a mission, jump to a different guy with his parallel mission, and then jumps back and forth, sprinkling various, names, places, dates, and businesses all throughout. A few history books I have reviewed do this, and you have to have a good memory to recall who each person is, where he is going, what he is doing, when he did it, ad nauseum.
For the most part, Hummel does not complicate his book in this way. There are certainly details that must be given, but Hummel knows how to follow through with a theme without creating a labyrinth for the reader to tease out. He lays out some of dispensationalism’s complex ideas clearly and accessibly, making his book approachable to both scholars and laypeople. He writes straightforwardly—clearly out of deep concern for his readers’ sanity. To this we should be grateful.
Hummel isn’t out to cast shade on dispensationalism, as he also gives some of its contributions to Christian theology. I for one would be happy to keep academic dispensationalism around while getting rid of the pop stuff. Let those who study the Bible teach the Bible. Even though I differ quite a bit from dispy theology, I’m happy to have it around to help sharpen me and others in our theological views. If you have ever wondered where dispensationalism came from or how it came to be pervasive, pick up Hummel’s book. It’s quite the ride.
March 3, 2024
essential reading
Having co-authored a book titled Second Thoughts about the Second Coming: Understanding the End Times, Our Future, and Christian Hope I wish I had this book in front of me as we wrote our book. I know parts of this story, and lived parts of it as a teen (both as a reader of pop dispensationalists such as Hal Lindsey and listening to music that reflected this message -- eg. Larry Norman, etc.), but there is so much more to the story. Hummel has created a masterpiece of historical analysis that takes the story up to the present. We begin with nineteenth century figures, including John Nelson Darby, and then move forward through time, encountering figures such as Scofield and Moody and others who developed and popularized a new version of premillennialism that became a key part of the emergent fundamentalism. He takes us up to the present, introducing us to scholastic dispensationalists and their opponents, most of who also inhabited fundamentalist spaces. As we approach the 70s and following a pop dispensationalism eclipses scholastic dispensationalism, largely separating itself or taking a different trajectory that became highly popular in the US. Hummel helps us understand that while Darby envisioned a church separate from the rest of society, as time passed, new premillennialists (his term for dispensationalists) embraced Christian nationalism, much like their postmillennialist rivals and opponents.
This is a massive book that is both accessible and almost encyclopedic. For anyone interested in the role dispensationalism and fundamentalism plays in the contemporary American scene, this is a must-read.
Having co-authored a book titled Second Thoughts about the Second Coming: Understanding the End Times, Our Future, and Christian Hope I wish I had this book in front of me as we wrote our book. I know parts of this story, and lived parts of it as a teen (both as a reader of pop dispensationalists such as Hal Lindsey and listening to music that reflected this message -- eg. Larry Norman, etc.), but there is so much more to the story. Hummel has created a masterpiece of historical analysis that takes the story up to the present. We begin with nineteenth century figures, including John Nelson Darby, and then move forward through time, encountering figures such as Scofield and Moody and others who developed and popularized a new version of premillennialism that became a key part of the emergent fundamentalism. He takes us up to the present, introducing us to scholastic dispensationalists and their opponents, most of who also inhabited fundamentalist spaces. As we approach the 70s and following a pop dispensationalism eclipses scholastic dispensationalism, largely separating itself or taking a different trajectory that became highly popular in the US. Hummel helps us understand that while Darby envisioned a church separate from the rest of society, as time passed, new premillennialists (his term for dispensationalists) embraced Christian nationalism, much like their postmillennialist rivals and opponents.
This is a massive book that is both accessible and almost encyclopedic. For anyone interested in the role dispensationalism and fundamentalism plays in the contemporary American scene, this is a must-read.
September 2, 2024
I gave it a five for its readability and historical content. The title itself is intriguing and certainly drew me in. I also watched a 30-minute interview with the author. I thought he was humble, informative, and understood the position well.
Personally, I am doing a deep dive into my eschatological positions, turning over stones I have never touched before and asking all the right or wrong questions about the system I upheld throughout my time as a Christian.
The book itself is not a doctrinal treatise on the subject there are other books covering that area. This book covers the history of dispensationalism, covering about a 200-year history starting with Darby, the influence of Scofield, the Niagra conference, and other men and movements. He goes into great detail on its development and influence through the 20th century, including the boost it got through television, radio, print, and schools. Books like The Late Great Planet Earth, The 80's Countdown to Armageddon, and The Left Behind books and movies all contributed to the end-time hysteria.
All in all, I thought the book was an easy read. It was theological just historical which was a big draw for me.
I would highly recommend the book!
Personally, I am doing a deep dive into my eschatological positions, turning over stones I have never touched before and asking all the right or wrong questions about the system I upheld throughout my time as a Christian.
The book itself is not a doctrinal treatise on the subject there are other books covering that area. This book covers the history of dispensationalism, covering about a 200-year history starting with Darby, the influence of Scofield, the Niagra conference, and other men and movements. He goes into great detail on its development and influence through the 20th century, including the boost it got through television, radio, print, and schools. Books like The Late Great Planet Earth, The 80's Countdown to Armageddon, and The Left Behind books and movies all contributed to the end-time hysteria.
All in all, I thought the book was an easy read. It was theological just historical which was a big draw for me.
I would highly recommend the book!
February 3, 2025
A decent read. Many things here could be improved. The author is very dry, refusing to engage with the history at all, almost more of an encyclopedia of events and names than a true history. There is very little interpretation of the events from a theological perspective, an odd approach to a history of a specific theology.
One is left wondering what the author thinks about all this. Is he pro-Dispensationalism? I doubt it, but I'm not really sure.
I thought it was very telling which names he left out near the modern day retelling. He was forced to mention the reconstructionists of the 80s/90s, which is where his distaste was most palpable, but pretended as if this movement simply ceased to be in the 21st century.
It's a telling observation that the book was published in 2023 and completely ignores the persevering Postmillennialism that continues to gain influence through names like James Jordan, Doug Wilson, and Peter Leithart, among others, all of whom are inheritors of CR. Yet, he finds time to mention other, far less consequential figures even into the 2020s.
Despite all these issues, it's a good resource for research, but I would always verify everything from a second source. There were some sketchy, less than convincing sweeping characterizations at times.
One is left wondering what the author thinks about all this. Is he pro-Dispensationalism? I doubt it, but I'm not really sure.
I thought it was very telling which names he left out near the modern day retelling. He was forced to mention the reconstructionists of the 80s/90s, which is where his distaste was most palpable, but pretended as if this movement simply ceased to be in the 21st century.
It's a telling observation that the book was published in 2023 and completely ignores the persevering Postmillennialism that continues to gain influence through names like James Jordan, Doug Wilson, and Peter Leithart, among others, all of whom are inheritors of CR. Yet, he finds time to mention other, far less consequential figures even into the 2020s.
Despite all these issues, it's a good resource for research, but I would always verify everything from a second source. There were some sketchy, less than convincing sweeping characterizations at times.
June 17, 2024
Fascinating theological history that puts a lot of puzzle pieces together. Well researched and brilliantly executed analysis of dispensationalism’s early roots in the brethren movement, its multi-faceted explosion into American culture, its part in shaping the modernist-fundamentalist controversy, and its lingering effects today.
I once identified as dispensationalist, and understanding the various stories behind new and innovative teachings I once took for granted as old and obvious was quite an experience. Many “aha” moments for me in this volume.
This is a great read.
I once identified as dispensationalist, and understanding the various stories behind new and innovative teachings I once took for granted as old and obvious was quite an experience. Many “aha” moments for me in this volume.
This is a great read.
July 18, 2023
Absolutely fascinating!
I read this book right after reading American Apocalypse by Matthew Sutton. Both books are a tremendous read and together give a historic and theological overview of American Christianity over the last 150 years. Sutton deals with Evangelical influence overall while Hummel deals with the development and impact of dispensational theology. Both are worth reading!
I read this book right after reading American Apocalypse by Matthew Sutton. Both books are a tremendous read and together give a historic and theological overview of American Christianity over the last 150 years. Sutton deals with Evangelical influence overall while Hummel deals with the development and impact of dispensational theology. Both are worth reading!
March 20, 2024
I think this book is better than 3 stars. There is a wealth of history, sources, and context that is very informative and seems well researched. But, it is so packed full of details about the topic that it can be a little bit tough to get through. Although there is a small glossary, I wish most terms were more clearly defined in the text, since there can be such small differences in between them.
It was good, but I'm glad I'm done with it.
It was good, but I'm glad I'm done with it.
May 26, 2025
This was a fantastic resource. I feel like for a while now I’ve been looking for a way to get my arms around the history of dispensationalism, and its development over the years. This book was a really excellent and thorough exploration of where dispensational ideas came from and how they have morphed as they were popularized. Fascinating read!
September 14, 2025
Hummel is a wave that picks up all the debris that is christian eschatology/dispensationalism starting in the 19th century - and the multitudes of laxly defined movements therein - and pushes them through history until they wash up on the shore of the present day. It’s loosely academic and broad, but I guess by the end you’ll have a semblance of where the West’s ingrained end-times culture originated.
November 15, 2023
Incredible read. Fascinating history. Extensively researched and footnoted but never dry or boring (at least to me).
Should probably be read in along side Fitzgeralds' The Evangelicals or other histories of Christianity in our American context.
Should probably be read in along side Fitzgeralds' The Evangelicals or other histories of Christianity in our American context.
March 31, 2024
I really enjoyed this work, especially the last few chapters. Very good research on the history of Dispensationalism, much of which I did not know. I appreciated the fair explanation of Dispensational beliefs. This is not a polemic against Dispensationalism, but an analysis of why Dispensationalism rose as it did, and why it is falling now.
August 18, 2025
This book is a fascinating exploration of the development of dispensationalism and its role in shaping both fundamentalism and the political outlook of a large segment of the American populace. Coming from a background that has dispensational eschatology in its doctrine, I found this to be helpful in showing the doctrinal origins and development. It helps add historical evidence to my growing hermeneutical differences with the dispensational framework.
August 2, 2023
Excellent. Fascinating. Authors bias comes through at points, don’t let it distract you from the story.
August 11, 2023
Superb. A must read for anyone wanting to understand the evangelical landscape when it comes to eschatology. A great encouragement that the Reformation continues.
March 10, 2024
Særdeles god og interessant bok om et teologisk - og etter hvert "populærkulturelt" - fenomen som ikke har samme gjennomslag i dag, selv om mye av tankegodset fremdeles gjør seg sterkt gjeldende.
July 11, 2024
Summary: A history of Dispensationalism from Darby to pop culture.
I did not grow up in a strongly dispensationalist church. But as I reflected throughout the book, I was surprised to learn how many institutions, communities, and preachers who were important to me were influenced by dispensationalism. The strength of The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism is that it does not fall into caricature but is carefully nuanced about the various streams of Christianity influenced by dispensationalism.
As someone who was a child and teen in the late 70s and early '80s, I was aware of movies like The Thief in the Night, even if I was too young to be strongly influenced by them. I know several people who were freaked out by the scare tactics of that era of dispensationalism, but I tended toward questions or avoidance rather than direct fear. I was more attracted to “Scholastic Dispensationalism” than pop culture dispensationalism. A friend of mine’s was a pastor’s kid at a local Evangelical Free Church. I went to a lot of their youth group activities, and I can remember going to their annual “prophecy conferences” and can remember the charts and explanations of the details of the end times as a teen and preteen. That nearly gnostic idea of the secrets that you can learn if you only follow the right teachers were more of a temptation to me.
I am hesitant to simplify because the complex story is so interesting, but the overly simplified story is that from Darby to Moody to fundamentalism to the rise of the scholastic Dispensationalists to the pop culture dispensationalists, there was an almost continual simplification of the ideas of dispensationalism from a complex system of anti-institutionalist thought toward simpler and simpler premillennialism. That simplified story is too simple, but there is a thread there that as people found parts of the theological ideas to accept and parts to discard, the beloved parts by the earlier generation were usually discarded in favor of an easier-to-explain system.
A simple chart or image is more attractive than a complex multi-page chart. But the thicker theological thinking went in the opposite direction. Mark Noll’s Scandal of the Evangelical Mind is that there is not much of an Evangelical mind, but that does seem to be what is shown here. While movements tried to take the more theological seriously, the dominant streams of dispensationalism were the imagery of an imminent return of Christ, which contributed to a passion to evangelize and reach the world for Christ.
The complex picture here takes seriously the problems of race, gender, and class while not distorting the more positive intent of evangelism. I had so many highlights, including very long highlights, because the nuanced story is complex. This long quote I think, gives a good sense of the story that this book attempts to tell:
The early teachers of what became dispensationalism were dissenters, and that is a deep irony about what became a populist movement.
It was not multiple generations from original teaching to a more populist movement but an almost immediate shift.
What stuck was the premillennialism, the literal hermeneutic of bible reading, the idea of dispensations (especially the part that we were living in the most important dispensation before Christ’s return), and an adaptation of covenantal thinking that viewed American exceptionalism as a type of covenant with God. Tied with this in many cases was a supersessionism that viewed Christianity or even American Christians as a new Israel, all the while seeking for Israel to gain its own country again to make the second coming of Christ happen. Again, there is a lot of nuance here that I can’t detail, but it does make the book well worth reading.
The rise of what became dispensationalism in the US was very much tied to the context of the post-Civil War conflict. White sectional reconciliation fits well with dispensationalist teaching.
The reality of race and gender, as I have mentioned, was important to the way that dispensationalism developed, but also so were technological innovations like the development of bible concordances, radio evangelism, and the money from extractive industries which helped to fund dispensationalist institutions.
The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism is already a fairly long book, but I still wanted more at points. I think that the explanatory power of the sectional reconciliation efforts after the Civil War is important, but having read David Blight’s Race and Reunion, I was somewhat surprised about how much the two books complemented one another with so very little overlap. Race and Reunion had very little on religion, and The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism could have used more political and social history to give details on the social reasons for dispensationalism's spread.
I always want more people to know about the problematic parts of Evangelical history. I am connected with Moody Church. I have worked consulting with a non-profit started out of Moody Church for over 20 years. One of the pastors of Moody Church (A. Clarence Dixon) was Thomas Dixon's brother. Thomas Dixon was also a pastor, but he is better known as the author of The Clansman, the book on which the movie The Birth of a Nation was based. That deeply racist book and movie gave rise to the rebirth of the second generation of the KKK.
I can't easily summarize the history shared in a more than 500-page history, but I do want to skip to the end for a few small points. First, there is a difference between the "Scholastic Dispensationalism," which is taught as a system and attempts to be theologically consistent, and the pop culture dispensationalism of the Left Behind books or movies. Hummel argues (and it is hard to dispute) that the last gasp of the more theologically sophisticated dispensationalism was in the 1990s. Dallas Seminary and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School are no longer strongly dispensational. The Evangelical Free Church denomination removed requirements for dispensational premillennialism from its statement of faith. At the same time that the more theologically sophisticated dispensationalism was dying off, the more pop-culture-oriented vague premillennialism, which did not have a coherent theological system, spread but also had less theological impact.
There are many lessons to be learned here. Similar to my thoughts on Hot Protestants, we are not in as unique of a time as many think. When we attempt to change culture through media and expressions of power, we often are more changed by culture than we realize. And backlash is real. I am slowly working through a history of Prohibition, and dispensational theology that influenced that movement. There were a variety of groups that worked together for prohibition, and many had good motives. But they did not work to build wide consensus as much as use tricks to get bills passed that alienated opponents. That comes up here inside the church as well as in secular politics. Race, gender, class and other power issues need to be paid attention to. Those categories (and others) are often blind spots to the church but still impact how theology and church structures develop.
This was originally posted on my blog at https://bookwi.se/dispensationalism/
I did not grow up in a strongly dispensationalist church. But as I reflected throughout the book, I was surprised to learn how many institutions, communities, and preachers who were important to me were influenced by dispensationalism. The strength of The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism is that it does not fall into caricature but is carefully nuanced about the various streams of Christianity influenced by dispensationalism.
As someone who was a child and teen in the late 70s and early '80s, I was aware of movies like The Thief in the Night, even if I was too young to be strongly influenced by them. I know several people who were freaked out by the scare tactics of that era of dispensationalism, but I tended toward questions or avoidance rather than direct fear. I was more attracted to “Scholastic Dispensationalism” than pop culture dispensationalism. A friend of mine’s was a pastor’s kid at a local Evangelical Free Church. I went to a lot of their youth group activities, and I can remember going to their annual “prophecy conferences” and can remember the charts and explanations of the details of the end times as a teen and preteen. That nearly gnostic idea of the secrets that you can learn if you only follow the right teachers were more of a temptation to me.
I am hesitant to simplify because the complex story is so interesting, but the overly simplified story is that from Darby to Moody to fundamentalism to the rise of the scholastic Dispensationalists to the pop culture dispensationalists, there was an almost continual simplification of the ideas of dispensationalism from a complex system of anti-institutionalist thought toward simpler and simpler premillennialism. That simplified story is too simple, but there is a thread there that as people found parts of the theological ideas to accept and parts to discard, the beloved parts by the earlier generation were usually discarded in favor of an easier-to-explain system.
A simple chart or image is more attractive than a complex multi-page chart. But the thicker theological thinking went in the opposite direction. Mark Noll’s Scandal of the Evangelical Mind is that there is not much of an Evangelical mind, but that does seem to be what is shown here. While movements tried to take the more theological seriously, the dominant streams of dispensationalism were the imagery of an imminent return of Christ, which contributed to a passion to evangelize and reach the world for Christ.
The complex picture here takes seriously the problems of race, gender, and class while not distorting the more positive intent of evangelism. I had so many highlights, including very long highlights, because the nuanced story is complex. This long quote I think, gives a good sense of the story that this book attempts to tell:
A notoriously difficult group to define, evangelicals in America have been categorized as much by the tensions they manage between “head” and “heart” religion, and between populist and establishment aspirations, as by the theological commitments they profess or the sociological profile they share. And yet a history of dispensationalism, which has played a decisive role as a system of theology and a subculture, recasts our understanding of evangelicalism in at least two important ways. First, dispensationalism brings to the fore the interdependent relationship between theology and culture that has shaped American evangelicalism…Second, a focus on dispensationalism illuminates contemporary trends toward polarization that have plagued evangelicalism in recent decades. These trends, I contend, are deeply intertwined with the “rise and fall” narrative of dispensationalism. While it was never the only theological tradition among fundamentalists or evangelicals, dispensationalism supplied at least four generations of white conservative Protestants, stretching from the late nineteenth century to the late twentieth century, with a theological framework to read the Bible and understand the world. Insiders and outsiders differed over how accurate or helpful dispensationalism was, but its teachings supplied a reference point to millions of Christians all the same. With the fall of dispensationalism as a formal theological system in the 1990s, the white conservative Protestant community has deepened an ongoing crisis in theological identity, with many outside observers now questioning whether theology has much to do with evangelicalism at all. Rather than treat the current state of affairs as normative, a study of dispensationalism reveals the historical development of a theologically thin, while politically robust, popular evangelical culture. Conservative white Protestantism has always had other theological contenders, but the inherited theological tradition of dispensationalism, which now has fewer living theological proponents, played a significant role in shaping the “evangelical mind” until very recently. (p22-23)
The early teachers of what became dispensationalism were dissenters, and that is a deep irony about what became a populist movement.
The original dissenters were unique for teaching that all of history was divided into a series of dispensations that inevitably ended with the failure of humans to fulfill their obligations to God. They taught that the current dispensation was nearly complete, revealing the failure of organized Christianity, and that soon the state churches and the societies they enabled in Europe and North America, which they called Christendom, would be destroyed. These dissenters originally congregated in cities like Dublin and London, with one of their largest assemblies in the southwestern English port city of Plymouth. As a group they refused to be called anything but “Christian,” so they became known as “the brethren from Plymouth.” The name stuck, and they became known as the Plymouth Brethren. (p23)
It was not multiple generations from original teaching to a more populist movement but an almost immediate shift.
The story of dispensationalism invariably begins with Darby and his teachings, but it would be a mistake to think that dispensationalism was a simple transmission of Darby’s teachings. True, key parts of what would become dispensationalism originated in Brethren thinking, but other aspects of Brethren teachings (such as radical separation from all denominations) found almost no resonance with dispensationalists. Americans used Brethren ideas to meet their own needs. To mention some examples, Americans held their own interests in religion and revivalism, in certain conceptions of geography, economics, race, class, gender, and American power, that supplied their interpretations of “dispensational time” with unique significance.
What stuck was the premillennialism, the literal hermeneutic of bible reading, the idea of dispensations (especially the part that we were living in the most important dispensation before Christ’s return), and an adaptation of covenantal thinking that viewed American exceptionalism as a type of covenant with God. Tied with this in many cases was a supersessionism that viewed Christianity or even American Christians as a new Israel, all the while seeking for Israel to gain its own country again to make the second coming of Christ happen. Again, there is a lot of nuance here that I can’t detail, but it does make the book well worth reading.
The rise of what became dispensationalism in the US was very much tied to the context of the post-Civil War conflict. White sectional reconciliation fits well with dispensationalist teaching.
The institutional and theological structures of dispensationalism in the nineteenth century were forged by white evangelicals who privileged the goal of white reconciliation after the Civil War over the aims of Reconstruction. While the project of reconciliation achieved astounding success in creating a broad coalition of white evangelicals, it also killed a potential (if unlikely) future of a racially diverse dispensational tradition. Later generations exacerbated earlier decisions, and with few exceptions dispensationalists have never led in advocating for social or political equality. In many cases they actively supported such discriminatory measures as racial segregation. They often did so for expediency and for reasons unrelated to the specific theological commitments of dispensationalism. But sometimes they did connect social attitudes to their theology. It is in these examples, which span from responses to Reconstruction to Cold War anticommunism, that dispensationalism’s social and political location is most visible. The geographical spread of dispensationalism is tied to its demographics, too. A remarkable subplot in the story of dispensationalism is how its teachings originally gathered a regional following in the Great Lakes basin and then, over time, spread to the South and the West Coast while retreating from New England. By and large, the South slowly and only haltingly adopted dispensationalism, and then in ways that accommodated other southern-specific factors. For the most part, dispensationalists were eager to gain new adherents in the South, even if that meant accommodating white southern attitudes on race and segregation. The demographic and geographic dimensions of dispensationalism are also connected to its economic story. Who funded the expansion of dispensationalism? It is difficult to give one answer. In the nineteenth century, and stretching to the fundamentalism of the 1920s, the broader institutional complex that housed dispensational teachings was funded by industrial profits. For example, the oil money of Milton and Lyman Stewart funded the founding of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles and the publication and distribution of The Fundamentals. (p35-36)
The reality of race and gender, as I have mentioned, was important to the way that dispensationalism developed, but also so were technological innovations like the development of bible concordances, radio evangelism, and the money from extractive industries which helped to fund dispensationalist institutions.
The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism is already a fairly long book, but I still wanted more at points. I think that the explanatory power of the sectional reconciliation efforts after the Civil War is important, but having read David Blight’s Race and Reunion, I was somewhat surprised about how much the two books complemented one another with so very little overlap. Race and Reunion had very little on religion, and The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism could have used more political and social history to give details on the social reasons for dispensationalism's spread.
I always want more people to know about the problematic parts of Evangelical history. I am connected with Moody Church. I have worked consulting with a non-profit started out of Moody Church for over 20 years. One of the pastors of Moody Church (A. Clarence Dixon) was Thomas Dixon's brother. Thomas Dixon was also a pastor, but he is better known as the author of The Clansman, the book on which the movie The Birth of a Nation was based. That deeply racist book and movie gave rise to the rebirth of the second generation of the KKK.
The distinction between individual and social agency, and between spiritual and corporeal brotherhood, allowed Dixon to wax about spiritual equality while ignoring social racism in his midst. Northerners as well as Southerners inhabited cities stratified by race and material inequality, yet Dixon was muted on why such a situation existed. The “solidarity of the race” was God’s intention, Dixon preached, but sin broke it. “Now God is making a new solidarity which begins at Calvary and is based upon the new creation,” and yet the plane of transformation was narrowly spiritual. “Only the cross can make the confusion of Babel give way to the fusion of Pentecost,” he taught, referencing God’s act of dispersing humanity into separate tribes and language groups, and the latter coming of the Holy Spirit to diverse early followers. “Only in this fire of God’s love can races be molded into one family with the spirit of true brotherhood.” Clarence was no Thomas, yet the distinctions he made fueled new premillennialist views of racial difference. (p184)
I can't easily summarize the history shared in a more than 500-page history, but I do want to skip to the end for a few small points. First, there is a difference between the "Scholastic Dispensationalism," which is taught as a system and attempts to be theologically consistent, and the pop culture dispensationalism of the Left Behind books or movies. Hummel argues (and it is hard to dispute) that the last gasp of the more theologically sophisticated dispensationalism was in the 1990s. Dallas Seminary and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School are no longer strongly dispensational. The Evangelical Free Church denomination removed requirements for dispensational premillennialism from its statement of faith. At the same time that the more theologically sophisticated dispensationalism was dying off, the more pop-culture-oriented vague premillennialism, which did not have a coherent theological system, spread but also had less theological impact.
There are many lessons to be learned here. Similar to my thoughts on Hot Protestants, we are not in as unique of a time as many think. When we attempt to change culture through media and expressions of power, we often are more changed by culture than we realize. And backlash is real. I am slowly working through a history of Prohibition, and dispensational theology that influenced that movement. There were a variety of groups that worked together for prohibition, and many had good motives. But they did not work to build wide consensus as much as use tricks to get bills passed that alienated opponents. That comes up here inside the church as well as in secular politics. Race, gender, class and other power issues need to be paid attention to. Those categories (and others) are often blind spots to the church but still impact how theology and church structures develop.
This was originally posted on my blog at https://bookwi.se/dispensationalism/
April 9, 2024
maybe now I can stop having nightmares about being raptured.
December 14, 2023
An absolutely fascinating historical journey
October 4, 2023
Summary: A history of the origins, rise, and eventual decline of dispensationalism within American evangelicalism, and its impact on the wider American culture.
When all of us were talking about The Late, Great Planet Earth and prophecies of the end times during my Jesus movement days, I had no idea how this connected with a movement that began in the early 1800’s in England, spread to the United States and became the dominant way of thinking about the end times among much of Protestant fundamentalism and evangelicalism. In this work, Daniel G. Hummel sets this moment in time within the much longer history of this theological movement. What is more, he examines the influence this movement had not only on the church but our wider society.
His account begins with the premillenialism of J. N. Darby among the Exclusive Brethren of England (I wish the author had distinguished this group from Brethren churches in the U.S. that arose out of the German pietist and Anabaptist tradition who were not associated with Darby’s movement). He traces Darby’s work in the region spanning New England and the Great Lakes Basin of the country. He chronicles Darby’s influential successors, James H. Brooks and Joseph A. Seiss, and the emergence of new premillenialism out of old, with its focus on the church-Israel distinction, the idea of dispensational time, and the imminent rapture. Particularly, he elucidates the interpretive structures for studying scripture that these men developed and their appeal to those who wanted to understand the Bible.
He also explains the expansion of this movement through Moody’s revivalism, and the interlaced structures of Bible conferences, Bible institutes, mission agencies (to hasten the imminent coming of Jesus), and publications like Blackstone’s Jesus is Coming. As the movement entered the twentieth century, it expanded both its geographic boundaries to the South and to the West Coast, and also embraced pentecostalism. A key to this was the embrace of sectional reconciliation, downplaying the persistence of racism. Hummel considers the important role of the Scofield Bible in nurturing the new premillenialist movement in this period.
With World War 1, Hummel sees various factions developing between denominational fundamentalists, nationalist fundamentalists, and Philip Mauro’s dispensationalism (a term he coined). One of the most fascinating developments out of what had been a more populist movement is the rise of Lewis Sperry Chafer, scholastic dispensationalism, and Dallas Theological Seminary. In succeeding years, as fundamentalism morphs into neo-evangelicalism, the divisions multiply and harden between the Covenantalists, the Dispensationalists, and those like Harold J, Ockenga, Carl Henry, and George Eldon Ladd.
This is also the era where dispensationalism begins to forge political alliances around concerns for the nation of Israel, opposition to godless, perhaps “Beastly” atheism. Much of this reflected literalist interpretation, that in matters of science advanced young earth creationism, flood geology, and skepticism toward science. By and large, this movement left the Black church and its concerns about persisting racism behind. In light of an imminent rapture, social justice concerns could be seen as “rearranging desk chairs on the Titanic.”
Hal Lindsey and The Late, Great Planet Earth, in Hummel’s analysis represents both media success and broad influence combined with the beginnings of the decline of scholastic dispensationalism, and indeed the whole movement, even while dispensationalist and apocalyptic ideas entered the American cultural and political consciousness showing up in everything from Christian nationalism and the writings of QAnon to apocalyptic films and literature.
Hummel’s work makes the point that American religious history is simply American history. It cannot be kept in a silo to itself–the wider cultural influences are too great. He not only traces a theological genealogy of dispensationalism, he helps us understand the interlacing dynamics that explain the growth, spread, and influences of this movement. Along the way he includes figures that reproduce examples of key documents, including interpretive schemes and timelines and charts. Rather than offering us one more screed against dispensationalism, he offers an even-handed account of this theological movement and the factors that contributed to its decline. Much of American religious history has considered the early Puritan influences, the rise of frontier religion, the period of revivalism, or even the growth of pentecostalism. This work offers a similar account of dispensationalism that perhaps has received less attention. Hummel makes the case that dispensationalism deserves greater attention for both its influence upon American Christianity, and the American culture with which the church has always been entwined.
________________________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher.
When all of us were talking about The Late, Great Planet Earth and prophecies of the end times during my Jesus movement days, I had no idea how this connected with a movement that began in the early 1800’s in England, spread to the United States and became the dominant way of thinking about the end times among much of Protestant fundamentalism and evangelicalism. In this work, Daniel G. Hummel sets this moment in time within the much longer history of this theological movement. What is more, he examines the influence this movement had not only on the church but our wider society.
His account begins with the premillenialism of J. N. Darby among the Exclusive Brethren of England (I wish the author had distinguished this group from Brethren churches in the U.S. that arose out of the German pietist and Anabaptist tradition who were not associated with Darby’s movement). He traces Darby’s work in the region spanning New England and the Great Lakes Basin of the country. He chronicles Darby’s influential successors, James H. Brooks and Joseph A. Seiss, and the emergence of new premillenialism out of old, with its focus on the church-Israel distinction, the idea of dispensational time, and the imminent rapture. Particularly, he elucidates the interpretive structures for studying scripture that these men developed and their appeal to those who wanted to understand the Bible.
He also explains the expansion of this movement through Moody’s revivalism, and the interlaced structures of Bible conferences, Bible institutes, mission agencies (to hasten the imminent coming of Jesus), and publications like Blackstone’s Jesus is Coming. As the movement entered the twentieth century, it expanded both its geographic boundaries to the South and to the West Coast, and also embraced pentecostalism. A key to this was the embrace of sectional reconciliation, downplaying the persistence of racism. Hummel considers the important role of the Scofield Bible in nurturing the new premillenialist movement in this period.
With World War 1, Hummel sees various factions developing between denominational fundamentalists, nationalist fundamentalists, and Philip Mauro’s dispensationalism (a term he coined). One of the most fascinating developments out of what had been a more populist movement is the rise of Lewis Sperry Chafer, scholastic dispensationalism, and Dallas Theological Seminary. In succeeding years, as fundamentalism morphs into neo-evangelicalism, the divisions multiply and harden between the Covenantalists, the Dispensationalists, and those like Harold J, Ockenga, Carl Henry, and George Eldon Ladd.
This is also the era where dispensationalism begins to forge political alliances around concerns for the nation of Israel, opposition to godless, perhaps “Beastly” atheism. Much of this reflected literalist interpretation, that in matters of science advanced young earth creationism, flood geology, and skepticism toward science. By and large, this movement left the Black church and its concerns about persisting racism behind. In light of an imminent rapture, social justice concerns could be seen as “rearranging desk chairs on the Titanic.”
Hal Lindsey and The Late, Great Planet Earth, in Hummel’s analysis represents both media success and broad influence combined with the beginnings of the decline of scholastic dispensationalism, and indeed the whole movement, even while dispensationalist and apocalyptic ideas entered the American cultural and political consciousness showing up in everything from Christian nationalism and the writings of QAnon to apocalyptic films and literature.
Hummel’s work makes the point that American religious history is simply American history. It cannot be kept in a silo to itself–the wider cultural influences are too great. He not only traces a theological genealogy of dispensationalism, he helps us understand the interlacing dynamics that explain the growth, spread, and influences of this movement. Along the way he includes figures that reproduce examples of key documents, including interpretive schemes and timelines and charts. Rather than offering us one more screed against dispensationalism, he offers an even-handed account of this theological movement and the factors that contributed to its decline. Much of American religious history has considered the early Puritan influences, the rise of frontier religion, the period of revivalism, or even the growth of pentecostalism. This work offers a similar account of dispensationalism that perhaps has received less attention. Hummel makes the case that dispensationalism deserves greater attention for both its influence upon American Christianity, and the American culture with which the church has always been entwined.
________________________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher.
December 7, 2023
I have a confession: Growing up I read every single Left Behind book. I don’t just mean the 12 books in the original series. Or the 3 prequels and 1 sequel. Or the 40 middle grade books. I mean, I read all of the books, including the non-fiction tie-ins from Left Behind coauthor and dispensationalist Tim LaHaye. My childhood study Bible (a KJV Defender’s Study Bible) was also commentated on by a dispensationalist who interpreted the seven churches in Revelation as seven epochs of time, all culminating in the current age—the lukewarm church of Laodicea. Dispensationalism was my introduction to eschatology. It was virtually my introduction to theology that went beyond Sunday School simplicity (and this was anything but simple). In a word, with its wild predictions that took obscure symbolism and created concrete answers, dispensationalism enraptured me.
As I grew older and became more educated, I began to see some of the holes in dispensationalist eschatology. First of all, nobody agreed with one another. Tim LaHaye said “When the plain reading of Scripture makes sense, seek no other sense” and then proceeded to offer anything but a plain reading of Scripture. Eventually, for me, the system fell apart. But for many others, the belief remains. And more importantly, the implications of dispensationalism remain. Revealing those implications are at the heart of what Dr. Daniel Hummel does in The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism. With precision and aplomb, Hummel offers a comprehensive exploration of the impact of dispensationalism on both American evangelicalism and the broader national culture. He breaks dispensationalism out of obscure theological discussions and shows how it has affected not just fundamentalist and evangelical Christianity but American culture as a whole—including its impact on political positions like climate change, support for Israel, and the defense budget.
The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism is structured as a history; thus, Hummel works chronologically. John Nelson Darby is the father of dispensationalism and Part 1: The New Premillennialists 1830-1900 discusses the influence of Darby on American theology and how his thinking worked its way into the beliefs of other influential theologians and pastors such as Dwight Moody. Part 2 covers 1900-1960, when dispensationalism collided with fundamentalism. Hummel talks about the influence of the Scofield Reference Bible, Billy Graham, and others. Part 3, 1960-2020, sees the explosion of pop dispensationalism with Hal Lindsey, Pat Robertson, Tim LaHaye, and others, then sees its recession away from its height of popularity.
This is a clearly academic work. Hummel is thorough and comprehensive. I, who grew up steeped in dispensationalism, learned a lot about the movement’s history and how it affected the larger culture. The strength of the book is how it connects dispensationalism to political theology. Why do Christians often unequivocally support Israel? This is a very poignant question as Israel continues to murder Palestinian civilians in the name of destroying Hamas. The answer is dispensationalism. Why have conservative Christians downplayed the effects of climate change or humanity’s ability to influence it? Dispensationalism. Why are conservative Christians tied to nationalism? Dispensationalism. Concepts like the "world system" and the intertwining of religious and nationalistic rhetoric have remained a consistent thread in dispensationalist thinking, significantly impacting American political discourse. The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism makes sense of the political movement and involvement of conservative Christianity over the past sixty years.
Hummel’s work is exemplary. It is a thorough and engaging study of dispensationalism's profound influence on American evangelicalism and culture. The book is a crucial resource for anyone seeking to understand the historical, theological, and cultural underpinnings of this influential movement and its ongoing impact on American society. One thing I might press Hummel on, though: Has there really been a downfall? Sure, there is more pushback to it in theological circles and it is no longer part of the cultural zeitgeist like in the early 2000s in the wake of 9/11 and at the height of the Left Behind craze, but downfall seems like a very strong term to me. The effects of dispensationalism are still with us, embedded into our political and cultural systems. What this book shows us is that even if the theology goes away, we may still be left with its political and social implications.
As I grew older and became more educated, I began to see some of the holes in dispensationalist eschatology. First of all, nobody agreed with one another. Tim LaHaye said “When the plain reading of Scripture makes sense, seek no other sense” and then proceeded to offer anything but a plain reading of Scripture. Eventually, for me, the system fell apart. But for many others, the belief remains. And more importantly, the implications of dispensationalism remain. Revealing those implications are at the heart of what Dr. Daniel Hummel does in The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism. With precision and aplomb, Hummel offers a comprehensive exploration of the impact of dispensationalism on both American evangelicalism and the broader national culture. He breaks dispensationalism out of obscure theological discussions and shows how it has affected not just fundamentalist and evangelical Christianity but American culture as a whole—including its impact on political positions like climate change, support for Israel, and the defense budget.
The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism is structured as a history; thus, Hummel works chronologically. John Nelson Darby is the father of dispensationalism and Part 1: The New Premillennialists 1830-1900 discusses the influence of Darby on American theology and how his thinking worked its way into the beliefs of other influential theologians and pastors such as Dwight Moody. Part 2 covers 1900-1960, when dispensationalism collided with fundamentalism. Hummel talks about the influence of the Scofield Reference Bible, Billy Graham, and others. Part 3, 1960-2020, sees the explosion of pop dispensationalism with Hal Lindsey, Pat Robertson, Tim LaHaye, and others, then sees its recession away from its height of popularity.
This is a clearly academic work. Hummel is thorough and comprehensive. I, who grew up steeped in dispensationalism, learned a lot about the movement’s history and how it affected the larger culture. The strength of the book is how it connects dispensationalism to political theology. Why do Christians often unequivocally support Israel? This is a very poignant question as Israel continues to murder Palestinian civilians in the name of destroying Hamas. The answer is dispensationalism. Why have conservative Christians downplayed the effects of climate change or humanity’s ability to influence it? Dispensationalism. Why are conservative Christians tied to nationalism? Dispensationalism. Concepts like the "world system" and the intertwining of religious and nationalistic rhetoric have remained a consistent thread in dispensationalist thinking, significantly impacting American political discourse. The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism makes sense of the political movement and involvement of conservative Christianity over the past sixty years.
Hummel’s work is exemplary. It is a thorough and engaging study of dispensationalism's profound influence on American evangelicalism and culture. The book is a crucial resource for anyone seeking to understand the historical, theological, and cultural underpinnings of this influential movement and its ongoing impact on American society. One thing I might press Hummel on, though: Has there really been a downfall? Sure, there is more pushback to it in theological circles and it is no longer part of the cultural zeitgeist like in the early 2000s in the wake of 9/11 and at the height of the Left Behind craze, but downfall seems like a very strong term to me. The effects of dispensationalism are still with us, embedded into our political and cultural systems. What this book shows us is that even if the theology goes away, we may still be left with its political and social implications.
July 3, 2024
**4.5
This book was an excellent retelling of the short history of Dispensationalism and the sociological impact it has had on culture, politics, theology, etc. To be sure, Hummel isn’t arguing “for” or “against” (though it seems obvious he is not a Dispensational). This isn’t a theological analysis, but rather a detailed historical and sociological study of a movement that has significantly shaped American evangelicalism offering readers a nuanced understanding of its rise to prominence and subsequent decline.
One of the key takeaways is the significant impact of the Civil War on the spread of dispensationalism. The post-war era, marked by uncertainty and a yearning for divine interpretation of contemporary events, created fertile ground for the dispensationalist narrative. Basically, without the Civil War Dispensationalism would likely not have had the influence and impact it had.
Unlike other religious movements that grew primarily through established church structures, Hummel emphasizes that dispensationalism proliferated through the efforts of traveling preachers, conferences, Bible institutes, and radio broadcasts. This grassroots approach allowed the movement to bypass traditional ecclesiastical structures and reach a broader audience directly (for better or worse….). The itinerant nature of its proponents played a critical role in its rapid expansion and widespread influence. For those theological traditions that see the importance of catholicity, this novel theological system deriving itself from revivalists and individuals and not local churches is an obvious red flag.
A recurring theme in the book is the generational belief in being the "last generation." Hummel meticulously traces how each new wave of dispensationalist leaders and followers was convinced of their proximity to the end times, often setting specific dates for the anticipated apocalypse. This pattern of continual, yet unfulfilled, predictions created a cycle of expectation and disillusionment that shaped the movement's trajectory over the decades. Every generation since the rise of Dispensationalism reads geo-political events and assumes they are nearing the end (whether it be the Civil War, The Holocaust, the Cold War, or the recent attacks by Hamas)
Another interesting observation Hummel makes was the tendency to neglect any sort of social involvement. For example, Hummel makes the point that many Dispensationalists were convictional against Jim Crow and segregation, but didn’t see the need to act on such convictions due to the emphasis on the church as a “heavenly institution” removed from earthly concerns. Indeed, they weren't action-oriented people considering their theological stances on the church, as well as many of its adherences to Free Grace Theology. Basically, there was (and still is in some circles) a strong antinomian bent ingrained into their theology.
Related, the book delves into how the popularization of dispensationalism sowed the seeds for its theological decline. As the movement became increasingly consumer-oriented, with a focus on sensationalist predictions and mass-market appeal, it lost much of its doctrinal rigor and scholastic respect.
If I could offer one criticism of the book, I wish Hummel would have spent just a little longer on the political changes among Dispensationalists, particularly in the scholastic tradition. In my own observation, schools like Dallas Theological Seminary have not only moved more theological liberal (for example, their acceptance of egalitarianism), but also more political liberal. I would have liked to hear his thoughts on this trend.
My personal takeaways:
1) I find myself rolling my eyes Dispensationalists often, but despite my criticisms, they held the line on key theological issues like the Inerrancy and authority of Scripture during the fights with German Higher Criticism throughout the 20th century. It’s hard for me not to appreciate them and consider them strong allies. Indeed, I’m thankful for the Dispensational guys who mentored me in my late teens.
2) At the same time, the Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism is a warning about neglecting catholicity and the local church as the primary means of theological development. Indeed, when something completely novel arrives this should teach us to think more critically before enthusiastically accepting it as Gospel.
This book was an excellent retelling of the short history of Dispensationalism and the sociological impact it has had on culture, politics, theology, etc. To be sure, Hummel isn’t arguing “for” or “against” (though it seems obvious he is not a Dispensational). This isn’t a theological analysis, but rather a detailed historical and sociological study of a movement that has significantly shaped American evangelicalism offering readers a nuanced understanding of its rise to prominence and subsequent decline.
One of the key takeaways is the significant impact of the Civil War on the spread of dispensationalism. The post-war era, marked by uncertainty and a yearning for divine interpretation of contemporary events, created fertile ground for the dispensationalist narrative. Basically, without the Civil War Dispensationalism would likely not have had the influence and impact it had.
Unlike other religious movements that grew primarily through established church structures, Hummel emphasizes that dispensationalism proliferated through the efforts of traveling preachers, conferences, Bible institutes, and radio broadcasts. This grassroots approach allowed the movement to bypass traditional ecclesiastical structures and reach a broader audience directly (for better or worse….). The itinerant nature of its proponents played a critical role in its rapid expansion and widespread influence. For those theological traditions that see the importance of catholicity, this novel theological system deriving itself from revivalists and individuals and not local churches is an obvious red flag.
A recurring theme in the book is the generational belief in being the "last generation." Hummel meticulously traces how each new wave of dispensationalist leaders and followers was convinced of their proximity to the end times, often setting specific dates for the anticipated apocalypse. This pattern of continual, yet unfulfilled, predictions created a cycle of expectation and disillusionment that shaped the movement's trajectory over the decades. Every generation since the rise of Dispensationalism reads geo-political events and assumes they are nearing the end (whether it be the Civil War, The Holocaust, the Cold War, or the recent attacks by Hamas)
Another interesting observation Hummel makes was the tendency to neglect any sort of social involvement. For example, Hummel makes the point that many Dispensationalists were convictional against Jim Crow and segregation, but didn’t see the need to act on such convictions due to the emphasis on the church as a “heavenly institution” removed from earthly concerns. Indeed, they weren't action-oriented people considering their theological stances on the church, as well as many of its adherences to Free Grace Theology. Basically, there was (and still is in some circles) a strong antinomian bent ingrained into their theology.
Related, the book delves into how the popularization of dispensationalism sowed the seeds for its theological decline. As the movement became increasingly consumer-oriented, with a focus on sensationalist predictions and mass-market appeal, it lost much of its doctrinal rigor and scholastic respect.
If I could offer one criticism of the book, I wish Hummel would have spent just a little longer on the political changes among Dispensationalists, particularly in the scholastic tradition. In my own observation, schools like Dallas Theological Seminary have not only moved more theological liberal (for example, their acceptance of egalitarianism), but also more political liberal. I would have liked to hear his thoughts on this trend.
My personal takeaways:
1) I find myself rolling my eyes Dispensationalists often, but despite my criticisms, they held the line on key theological issues like the Inerrancy and authority of Scripture during the fights with German Higher Criticism throughout the 20th century. It’s hard for me not to appreciate them and consider them strong allies. Indeed, I’m thankful for the Dispensational guys who mentored me in my late teens.
2) At the same time, the Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism is a warning about neglecting catholicity and the local church as the primary means of theological development. Indeed, when something completely novel arrives this should teach us to think more critically before enthusiastically accepting it as Gospel.
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