Ronald M. Henzel, Darby, Dualism, and the Decline of Dispensationalism

Fenestra Books, 2003.

Summary: The author argues that Darby’s development of Dispensational theology was due to his assuming an absolute dualism between heaven and earth. The presupposition of dualism then became his hermeneutical key for understanding the Scriptures and led to his development of an earthly people, the Jews, and a heavenly people, the church. It also enforced an absolute distinction between law (earthly) and grace (heavenly), New Testament/Old etc.

As Darby developed a theological system around this duality, he created a rubric for interpreting prophecy: prophecy must be interpreted dualistically (heavenly/earthly); prophecy only concerns the earth; the church is never mentioned in prophecy; the prophetic clock does not run while the church is on earth. Henzel notes the logical contradictions between the first statement and the second.

The rubric was flexible enough to allow Darby to harmonize a large amount of Scripture within his dualistic scheme. However in the opinion of Henzel, this dualism and his rubric cannot cope with the use of Jeremiah 31 on the New Covenant in Hebrews 8.

Henzel also argues that neither Irving or Lacunza had much influence on Darby, though they are representative of the theological currents of the day.

Benefits/Detriments: This book is the most careful consideration of Darby’s theological writings that I am aware of. (I personally have failed to penetrate his opaque style.) Henzel highlights the differences between Darby’s stringent dualism and the simplified church/Israel division of his theological heirs. The literalism found in Scofield and other more modern Dispensationalists is secondary in Darby’s writing to his dualism.