Rapture Fever

Introduction 15
traditional dispensational seminaries. First, without institutions
to train up the next generation of preachers in the received
theology, there is little likelihood that the academically qualified
Church leaders of the future will proclaim, or at least enthusiastically
defend, the traditional dispensational system. Second, the
faculties have cut off their own future. If they no longer are
willing and able to invest the money required to train up their
successors, then dispensational seminaries will soon completely
lose their faculties, if they haven’t already lost them. The demise
of dispensationalism in the seminaries testifies to the accuracy
of my prediction (not a prophecy): we are seeing the birth
of dispensationalism’s terminal generation.
There are other signs of the paradigm shift that is undermining
traditional dispensationalism. I will list them here
briefly. Understand, I am not talking about declining numbers
of those who say they are dispensationalists. Not yet. I am
talking about seemingly subtle shifts that have taken place
within the dispensational camp, especially parachurch ministries,
the ones in the front lines of confrontation with humanism.
● Those activists who still say they are dispensationalists no longer
discuss the Rapture and its anti-motivational implications.
● They continually speak of the possibility of victory, especially in
their fi.md-raising appeals.
● They recruit their followers into along-term confrontation with
humanism and rival religions.
● They speak about “the next generation” of Christian activists.
● They have adopted the phrase, “biblical principles” as a verbal
cover for “Old Testament law.”
● They have adopted the phrase, “Christian world and life view.”
● They proclaim: “The Bible has answers for all of life’s problems.”
● Then they search the Old Testament to find answers for problems
outside the local church and the family.