The History of Dispensationalism in the United States
1831
John Nelson Darby (1800-1882) of Westminster, London establishes the Plymouth Brethren as a reaction against the Church of England and presumed "authority" of the church (ecclesiology) over the Scriptures. In 1831, 1500 members were present in Plymouth, England (thus the title they received). Plymouth Brethren were also known as the Assembly Movement or Darbyites. Visit the Works of J.N.Darby.
1866
August 19: Cyrus I. Scofield is born in Lenawee County, Michigan. He would go on to serve as a private in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War earning a Cross of Honor for his service. Scofield studied law in St. Louis and was admitted to the bar in 1869 eventually earning an appointment to United States district attorney for Kansas under the administration of President Grant. In St.Louis, Scofield would eventually find instruction in the Scripture under the leadership of James Brookes (1830-1898).
1848
The Plymouth Brethren splits into an Exclusive Group (led by Darby) and an Open Group. Distinguished for being isolated from most evangelical fellowship, Darby's Exclusive Group generally only accept new members by "letters of commendation" from another Brethren assembly. (Believe it or not, this is still very true today as I myself have been present in fellowship with Brethren who did not consider me acceptable to share in communion because I lacked one such letter.)
1854
James Inglis (1813-1872) first introduced dispensationalism to North America through the publishing of a monthly magazine entitled, Waymarks in the Wilderness. This publication continued "intermittently" between 1854 and 1872.
1866
Inglis organizes the Believers' Meeting for Bible Study where he taught dispensationalist ideas to a group of American evangelicals.
Dwight L. Moody hears about dispensationalism through the Plymouth Brethren. Moody developed a close tie with James H. Brookes who would later go on to organize the Niagara Bible Conference (1883). Moody would go on to very much encourage the spread of dispensationalism.
After the death of James Inglis, James H. Brookes of St. Louis (1830-1898) organized the Niagara Bible Conference for members of the Believers' Meeting for Bible Study (1866)to establish principles of Christian fundamentalism. Among those present were W.E.Blackstone, Charles Erdman, William Moorehead, A.J.Gordon, A.C.Dixon, C.I.Scofield, and J.Hudson Taylor. The Niagara Conference went on to inspire the furtherance of Biblical education and scholarship in the United States. Debated among these men were matters of doctrine, role of the Holy Spirit, the Bible, missions, prophecy (with premillenialism being foremost among the majority) with their conclusions being laid out in the Niagara Creed.
1886
Moody Bible Institute is established giving "institutional permanence" to the dispensational movement.
1895
Sir Robert Anderson (1841-1918) publishes his most well known theological work, The Coming Prince.
The Bible Institute of Los Angeles (Better known to many today as B.I.O.L.A.) is established giving "institutional permanence" to the dispensational movement under the founding of T.C.Horton and Lyman Stewart.
Lewis Chafer publishes Elementary Outline Studies in the Science of Music.
1909
Cyrus I. Scofield (1843-1921) bestowed a "level of respectability" to dispensationalism through the publication of his Scofield Reference Bible by Oxford University Press.
Philadelphia Biblical University is established giving "institutional permanence" to the dispensational movement under the co-founding of C.I.Scofield, Dr. William L. Pettingill, and W.W.Rugh.
1915
Lewis Chafer publishes The Kingdom in History and Prophecy.
1917
Lewis Chafer publishes Salvation.
1918
Lewis Chafer publishes He That is Spiritual.
Clarence Larken (1850-1924) publishes The Greatest Book on Dispensational Truth in the World. Some of the charts from that text are available here.
1919
Lewis Chafer publishes Seven Major Biblical Signs of the Times.
1921
Lewis Chafer publishes Must We Dismiss the Millenium?.
1922
Lewis Chafer publishes Grace.
1924
Dallas Theological Seminary is established giving "institutional permanence" to the dispensational movement under Lewis Sperry Chafer (1871-1952). DTS would go on to become a "flagship" for dispensational theology in the United States.
1926
Lewis Chafer publishes Major Bible Themes.
1934
The Biblegram begins to be published under the direction of Charles F. Baker.
From 1934 to 1939, the term "Grace Movement" becomes the distinctive separation of Pauline Dispensationalism by comparison to Traditional Dispensationalism (Dallas Theological Seminary). All those associating themselves with such a movement thus began calling themselves "Grace Believers."
1939
Worldwide Grace Testimony is established as a foreign mission board in service to Zaire and the Belgian Congo. Included on that board were Charles F. Baker, John C. O'Hair, and T.R. Huston.
1943
Grace Gospel Fellowship is conceived through the men who had established the Worldwide Grace Testimony
1944
Board of Directors for Grace Gospel Fellowship establish the Milwaukee Bible Institute under Charles R. Baker (President) and Cornelius R. Stam (Dean). Pastor John C. O'Hair became a prominent advocate for MBI and T.R. Houston provided for much of the early financial needs.
A constitution was adopted for Grace Gospel Fellowship during a convention in Evansville, Indiana for the furtherance of Pauline truth.
1945
September 15: Milwaukee Bible Institute classes begin. With the start of teaching, pastors from the Grace Gospel Fellowship decide that MBI should be the "educational arm" of the fellowship.
1946
Grace Youth Camp begins in Spencer, Indiana under the direction of Jack Sonneveldt.
Grace Gospel News begins publication with John LaVier as editor. During this period, J.C.O'Hair had been publishing Bible Study for Bereans.
1948
Lewis Chafer publishes Systematic Theology (8 Volumes).
1950
Truth Magazine debuts under the editing of Charles F. Baker and Glen L. Hesselgrave. Truth was a joint publication of Milwaukee Bible Institute and Worldwide Grace Testimony.
1951
C.R.Stam publishes Things That Differ: The Fundamentals of Dispensationalism. Things that Differ would go on to transform the Biblical understanding of many faithful Bereans (Acts 17:11) who seek to understand the Word of God more clearly.
1953
The Berean Bible Society moves from Milwaukee to Chicago.
Milwaukee Bible Institute becomes a four-year college and its name is changed to Milwaukee Bible College.
1955
Things To Come Mission was founded by H. Palmer with its earliest missionaries being Vernon & Darlene Anderson and Joe & Pauline Watkins.
1958
The Berean Bible Society outgrows the 1953 facility and had to expand.
1960
Milwaukee Bible College moves to Grand Rapids, Michigan and assumes the name, Grace Bible College.
1964
Miles J. Stanford (1914-1999) publishes The Green Letters as a treatise on spiritual growth from the perspective of a Pauline dispensationalist.
1965
Miles J. Stanford publishes The Red Letters.
1966
Miles J. Stanford publishes The Reckoning that Counts.
1967
The Berean Bible Society once again outgrew its facility and had to expand.
Dr. Jack Dean succeeds Charles Baker as president of Berean Bible Society. At the present time, it is a bit unclear to modern "grace believers" as to what happened during this period. Grace Gospel Fellowship refers to 1967 as a "year of upheaval resulting in the formation of the Berean Bible Fellowship."
Thus, a rather unclear division now separates the BBF and the GGF. (Input to clear this up is more than welcome.)
Miles J. Stanford publishes The Principle of Position.
1970
Miles J. Stanford publishes Abide Above.
1971
Grace Publications was incorporated as an arm of Grace Mission. Grace Line Lessons is incorporated into this new organization.
Charles O'Connor becomes the first president of Grace Gospel Fellowship
Miles J. Stanford publishes The Ground of Growth.
Charles F. Baker publishes A Dispensational Theology. This would essentially lay out all Biblical viewpoints from a dispensational perspective.
Bible Doctrines to Live By begins under the direction of Lee Homoki as a means to conduct evangelistic crusades and promote Bible study through literature and tapes.
1984
Grace Mission and Bethesda Mission merge to form Grace Ministries International with Wayne Schoonover as the director.
1985
Dr. Sam Vinton, Jr. is elected as the third president of Grace Bible College.
1987
Paul Sadler replaces C.R. Stam as President of the Berean Bible Society.
1991
Dr. Sam Vinton became executive director of Grace Ministries International.
Grace Bible College received accreditation from the North Central Association.
Pastor Bruce Kemper of Port Orchard, Washington, was elected as the fourth president of the college.
Pastor Roger Anderson of Prunedale, California, became the second president of Grace Gospel Fellowship. A graduate of Grace Bible College and pastor for 32 years he also brought pastoral background to this position.
1992
Grace Gospel Fellowship, Grace Ministries International, and Grace Publications are finally housed under one roof, beginning each day in prayer together.
1993
The Berean Bible Society is once again relocated to a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After 50 years in Chicago, the Board of Directors at BBS agree unanimously to establish themselves in Germantown, Wisconsin.
Roger Anderson retired and Pastor Ken Parker of Spokane, Washington became the third president of Grace Gospel Fellowship. (During my travels across the United States from 1999-2002, my paths crossed with Pastor Anderson allowing me the privilege of sharing lunch and fellowship with he and his gracious wife during the summer of 2000. His gentle spirit had a tremendous impact on my early need for grace and patience over dogmatic insistence. We met and discussed the "grace movement" on three separate occasions.)
