This paper is a review and critique of Charles Ryrie's Dispensationalism, which is a revised and expanded version of his Dispensationalism Today, which was published in 1966. The goal of the book is to provide a "positive presentation of normative Dispensationalism." However, the author is quite disputatious, even pugnacious. In his discussions he is constantly turning aside to criticize and attack the views of all who do not agree with his interpretation of the Bible and of Dispensationalism. As a result, both he and the reader are constantly losing track of the thread of the argument, and at least fifty percent of his book is negative, not a positive exposition of the strengths and virtues of his own theological persuasion.
It is as useful an approach as any to survey the contents of the book chapter by chapter. This also allows the difficulties in his method of argumentation to be pointed out.
In his first chapter, ôDispensationalismùHelp or Heresy?ö Ryrie begins immediately by detailing the major objections to Dispensationalism offered by other Christian groups, especially ones very close to Dispensationalism in their outlook. For example, he comments about ôcovenant premillennialists who believe in a posttribulational Raptureö (Ryrie 12-13). Given beliefs that share so many assumptions, most outsiders, even among Evangelical Christians, would have to think that what is going on here is an internal debate within an overall large religious movement, not an argument between groups that have nothing in common.
He does turn next in Chapter 1 to positive arguments in favor of Dispensationalism. He makes out a case that Dispensationalism answers the need for biblical distinctions, specifically for distinguishing the different dispensations; for a philosophy of history (in the middle of this he attacks the covenant theologians again); and for consistent hermeneutics, that is, a way to explain the apparent contradicti...