Journal: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Volume: JETS 68:4 (Dec 2025)
Article: Israel And The Gentiles In God’s Plan: An Analysis Of Donald Robinson’s Biblical Theology Of Israel And The Gentiles In Redemption History
Author: Nathaniel Parker

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Israel And The Gentiles In God’s Plan: An Analysis Of Donald Robinson’s Biblical Theology Of Israel And The Gentiles In Redemption History

Nathaniel Parker

Nathaniel Parker is the President/CEO and Chief Consultant at DNP Solutions, LLC. The publication of his PhD dissertation, So All Israel Shall be Saved: Donald Robinson and Biblical Theology at Moore Theological College (Wipf & Stock, 2025) further elaborates on Robinson’s position. He can be reached at [email protected] or https://parkernathan.com.

Abstract: The biblical theology program at Moore Theological College can be traced back to the tenure of Donald Robinson. One of Robinson’s contributions that was largely ignored by his students and successors but has seen a recent revival of interest is his unique position concerning the role of Israel and the Gentiles in redemption history. This article surveys Robinson’s ecclesiological “distinction theology” concerning Jews and Gentiles in the New Testament church, their reciprocal roles in each other’s salvation, and the eschatological elimination of their ethnic distinctions in one “new man.” It also analyzes these positions in comparison with dispensationalism, supersessionism, progressive dispenstionalism, and Christian Zionism.

Key words: Israel, Jew, Gentile, Donald Robinson, Moore Theological College, church, dispensationalism, supersessionism

The debate concerning Israel, the Gentiles, and the church’s role in redemption history has occupied theological discussion since the beginning of the New Testament church.1 Two competing stances especially prevalent in the last few centuries are supersessionism, which views the New Testament church as the replacement of Israel, and dispensationalism, which retains a positive theological interest concerning Israel and a distinction between Israel and the New Testament church in redemption history.2 There have been attempts in recent years to provide medi-

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ating positions or alternatives between supersessionism and dispensationalism. One notable twenty-first century attempt is presented in Peter Gentry and Stephen Wellum’s work Kingdom Through Covenant.3 The Australian Anglican scholar Donald Robinson (1922–2018), who served on the faculty at Moore Theological College, also provided his own unique alternative to supersessionism and dispensationalism in the twentieth century.

Moore Theological College is an Australian theological education training colleg...