Journal: Journal of Ministry and Theology
Volume: JMAT 20:1 (Spring 2016)
Article: Evaluation Of Perspectives On Israel And The Church: 4 Views
Author: Joseph Parle

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Evaluation Of Perspectives On Israel And The Church: 4 Views

Joseph Parle

Academic Dean
College of Biblical Studies
Houston, Texas

Introduction

Perspectives on Israel and the Church: 4 Views, edited by Chad O. Brand, provides four common positions in evangelical Christianity on the relationship of Israel and the church: the covenantal position, the traditional dispensational position, the progressive dispensational position, and the progressive covenantal view.1 This book features excellent scholars who are committed to their positions and can biblically defend their positions. The tone is irenic and the format of allowing each writer to defend his position and the other writers to respond to the specific statements provides a helpful perspective to the reader. This review will focus on the ways in which traditional dispensationalism was misunderstood or misrepresented in the book.2 The authors who presented views outside of

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dispensationalism seemed to misunderstand several key aspects of dispensationalism. The key areas of misunderstanding among the non-dispensational writers that will be reviewed in this paper are the doxological purpose of God, a traditional dispensational soteriology, a traditional dispensational understanding of true Israel,3 and a literal hermeneutic. A better understanding of these areas will address some of the concerns raised by the advocates of other positions.

The Doxological Purpose Of God

Brand makes a statement that indicates that he does not fully understand a traditional dispensational view of the doxological purpose of God when he writes, “As to the other principle, the glory of God, covenant theology is every bit as committed to the principle as dispensationalism is, as is readily obvious in any standard work of covenant theology.”4 Ryrie contrasts a traditional dispensational view with the covenantal perspective when he writes,

The covenant theologian, in practice, believes the purpose to be salvation (although covenant theologians strongly emphasize the glory of God in their theology), and the dispensationalist says the purpose is broader than that, namely the glory of God [emphasis his].… To the normative dispensationalist, the soteriological, or

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saving, program of God is not the only program but one of the means God is using in the total program of glorifying Himself. Scrip...

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