Shifting Culture Ep. 314 Daniel Hummel - The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism
16 snips
Jun 20, 2025 Join historian Daniel Hummel, director of the Lumen Center and author, as he unpacks the fascinating rise and decline of dispensationalism in American evangelicalism. He shares his personal journey from a dispensationalist background and discusses its origins, key figures like John Darby, and the cultural impacts post-Civil War. The conversation also examines the tension between evangelism and social justice, societal anxieties shaping evangelical thought, and the evolution of beliefs about Israel. Discover how these factors continue to influence contemporary Christian life.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Hummel's Dispensationalist Roots
- Daniel Hummel shares his upbringing in a dispensationalist evangelical home as a missionary kid in Germany.
- His journey led to academic research revealing dispensationalism's evolving history and cultural impact, beyond common understanding.
Core Biblical Hermeneutic
- Dispensationalism is a hermeneutic that distinguishes Israel and the church as separate peoples with distinct roles.
- This interpretive framework results in multiple dispensations or eras in redemptive history with specific theological and eschatological consequences.
Postwar Evangelization Focus
- Dispensationalism appealed to post-Civil War Americans by emphasizing the church's focus on evangelization over political or racial reconstruction.
- This helped some evangelicals avoid engagement in divisive social and political issues of the era.
