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Things That Differ: The Fundamentals of Dispensationalism
Book by Stam, Cornelius R.
292 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 1951
About the author
Cornelius R. Stam
37 books1 followerCornelius R. Stam was brought up in a home where the Bible was read before every meal and at bedtime. His father, Peter Stam, Sr., was the founder of the Star of Hope Mission, in Paterson, N.J., a widely-known gospel and Bible teaching center, which brought to Patterson some of the greatest Bible teachers of the past generation. As a youth he was often in the company of outstanding Bible teachers, listening to their discussions about the Bible and observing their differences of opinion. In his twenties and thirties he labored, first as a volunteer, and then as a full time employee, with his father at the Star of Hope.
Mr. Stam served for thirteen years as pastor of a Bible Church in New Jersey and for a time occupied the pulpit of the well-known North Shore Church in Chicago made famous by J. C. O'Hair.
Besides traveling the United States widely as a popular Bible conference speaker, C. R. Stam is appreciated for his work in helping, with Charles F. Baker, to establish what is now known as the Grace Bible College, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he served for years as a professor and as dean.
He is the founder of the Berean Bible Society whose ministries today reach millions weekly through literature, radio, tapes, and a weekly newspaper column.
Mr. Stam served for thirteen years as pastor of a Bible Church in New Jersey and for a time occupied the pulpit of the well-known North Shore Church in Chicago made famous by J. C. O'Hair.
Besides traveling the United States widely as a popular Bible conference speaker, C. R. Stam is appreciated for his work in helping, with Charles F. Baker, to establish what is now known as the Grace Bible College, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he served for years as a professor and as dean.
He is the founder of the Berean Bible Society whose ministries today reach millions weekly through literature, radio, tapes, and a weekly newspaper column.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 1, 2024
So many thoughts and emotions came to me while I read this book that I regret the limitations of a short review.
I read this book to better understand a millennial eschatology. While eschatology is not the primary topic of this book, the arguments made and their subsequent implications help me make sense of the emphases and language of the millennialist.
Some observations:
1. This book feels blindly hermeneutical. Most of the arguments were made based on textual analysis of the English text. There was little recognition of the text in its original language and only once regarding the Latin texts. (The rapture is obviously biblical, so believe it !?! ) This oversight winds up radically changing the very theological moorings that the texts itself is inherently rooted within.
2. A dichotomy was made between the prophetic program of the Israelites (prophecy) and the temporary program of grace (mystery) for the Gentiles through Christ. While Christ is central in both, God works in different ways for each ethnicity. So rather than the Abrahamic covenant being delightfully expanded through Christ, it is put on hold while God dispenses grace to the Gentiles for an undetermined amount of time.
My biggest takeaway from this idea is the dangerous theological implications dispensationalism has when understanding the sufficiency of Christ. Is the work of Christ through his ministry, death, and resurrection unable to fulfill the Abrahamic covenant?
Regarding dispensationalists subsequent emphasis on the nation state of Israel (particularly important in a millennialist eschatology), I think we ought to consider the political implications the resurrection. The power of death is held by all nations, but the power of life eludes all polities. My mind goes to king David’s various pleas for rescue from Sheol (the place of the dead). He and the prophets looked for a redeemer who, beyond their expectations, accomplished just that. This is our hope. So, rather than creating a dichotomy in Christ’s work, we ought to rightly divide the kingdoms of this world from the Kingdom of God.
I’m now looking for good book suggestions that discuss the political implications of the resurrection. Actually, now that I think about it, Revelation may be just that.
I read this book to better understand a millennial eschatology. While eschatology is not the primary topic of this book, the arguments made and their subsequent implications help me make sense of the emphases and language of the millennialist.
Some observations:
1. This book feels blindly hermeneutical. Most of the arguments were made based on textual analysis of the English text. There was little recognition of the text in its original language and only once regarding the Latin texts. (The rapture is obviously biblical, so believe it !?! ) This oversight winds up radically changing the very theological moorings that the texts itself is inherently rooted within.
2. A dichotomy was made between the prophetic program of the Israelites (prophecy) and the temporary program of grace (mystery) for the Gentiles through Christ. While Christ is central in both, God works in different ways for each ethnicity. So rather than the Abrahamic covenant being delightfully expanded through Christ, it is put on hold while God dispenses grace to the Gentiles for an undetermined amount of time.
My biggest takeaway from this idea is the dangerous theological implications dispensationalism has when understanding the sufficiency of Christ. Is the work of Christ through his ministry, death, and resurrection unable to fulfill the Abrahamic covenant?
Regarding dispensationalists subsequent emphasis on the nation state of Israel (particularly important in a millennialist eschatology), I think we ought to consider the political implications the resurrection. The power of death is held by all nations, but the power of life eludes all polities. My mind goes to king David’s various pleas for rescue from Sheol (the place of the dead). He and the prophets looked for a redeemer who, beyond their expectations, accomplished just that. This is our hope. So, rather than creating a dichotomy in Christ’s work, we ought to rightly divide the kingdoms of this world from the Kingdom of God.
I’m now looking for good book suggestions that discuss the political implications of the resurrection. Actually, now that I think about it, Revelation may be just that.
January 20, 2013
Some good insights, and I learned some things, but the book also had what I thought were some dangerous implications.
I think a major danger is not seeing that God has always saved his people by grace and through faith. As a timely quote from Pastor Colin Smith says,
"God promised a redeemer on the very day that sin entered the world. The whole Bible is a book of grace. God has one plan from beginning to end, and it all fits together. God has always saved his people by grace and through faith.
The law is specifically given to people who have experienced the grace of God and have become his people, and for this reason it still speaks to us today." - Pastor Colin Smith
I think a major danger is not seeing that God has always saved his people by grace and through faith. As a timely quote from Pastor Colin Smith says,
"God promised a redeemer on the very day that sin entered the world. The whole Bible is a book of grace. God has one plan from beginning to end, and it all fits together. God has always saved his people by grace and through faith.
The law is specifically given to people who have experienced the grace of God and have become his people, and for this reason it still speaks to us today." - Pastor Colin Smith
May 3, 2011
note: I'm reading the English version, just couldn't find it. :)
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews