A Comparison

The author compares the two dominant theological systems and what they teach. Whether it is realized or not, every person has a system of theology. It may be a highly developed one, or it may be a very simplistic one. It may be well formulated with a careful and purposeful consistency, or it may be just a few convictions about several individual doctrines with no overall relationship to one another or concern for a harmony of the whole

Two of the strongest systems of our day are know as Dispensationalism and Covenant Theology. Throughout this century they have been challenging one another for consideration in the minds of Christians.

In this present work Richard P. Belcher seeks in the first two chapters to state in an objective manner the convictions of both systems. In the final chapter he compares the two in important areas of thinking. In the conclusion he gives instructions for a Christian to consider when building a system of theology, as one tries to understand which system of theology is really more Scriptural. 

Eschatology is a study of future events people believe the Bible teaches. This is an important topic because people will base the work they do today based on how they perceive the future will occur. There are basically two views that are derived from the study of eschatology called futurism and preterism. Futurism believes the events described in Revelation have yet to be fulfilled in the future. This is the view commonly found in dispensationalism. On the other hand, those who believe the events in Revelation have occurred in the past with the fall of Jerusalem to the Romans is commonly found in preterists. 

What ever one believes about Revelation and future events, it is critical that we don't use our views as a justification to not fulfill the Great Commission and disciple the nations of the world according to the last command Jesus gave to us as his church. Taking either view to an extreme will result in the abandonment of the Great Commission. The end-result will be what we see happening in America today where we have a nation that is super-saturated with the Gospel and yet it has no influence on the direction of the nation's culture. In spite of the fact that American Christians have more access to the Gospel than any where else on earth - it is having no moral influence on the people. Much of this impotency is a result of a church that has taken a fatalistic position of withdrawal from discipleship and cultural transformation due to its view of the future.  The following video clip by Gary Demar explains this dilemma.   

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https://www.facebook.com/americanvision/videos/273902941782264