The Dispensational Berean

Judy Thiessen is looking for fellow grace Mid-Acts believers in eastern Montana, especially in the Sidney Montana area. Would be wonderful to have a teacher!!!

Contact Judy at jandjthiessen@hotmail.com

A DB reader wrote to me this past month inquiring about dispensational resources available in Spanish and it hit me that we don’t currently offer anything here that isn’t already written in English. The one outlet I was aware of, however, is from Middletown Bible Church. If you know of any additional resources in Spanish (or other languages, for that matter), please pass those along to either Ben or myself through email. New resources will be posted here at the news page for future reference and after enough are gathered, I’ll work to create a new page for non-English studies that might assist others in learning about the grace message.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

During the last couple of weeks that I’ve been redesigning the DB, I began to really ponder the use of KJO Tags that were in use next to each and every ‘King James Only’ church and ministry. While I personally have an aversion to the KJO position, I no longer believe it is reasonable or fair to put a ‘label’ on someone’s ministry that operates like a stigma. Originally, when the green KJO tags were used, the goal was to ensure that any visitors to these sites or ministries would know what they were walking into. And while, yes, there are some ministries who enjoyed having that tag next to their name, their ministries speak for themselves and don’t need the KJO message repeated here at the DB. There were far more people who disliked the tag than those who preferred it.

Since the purpose of the DB is to signify ‘dispensational’ teaching more than anything else, an emphasis on KJO-affiliated groups no longer seems appropriate to the goals of unified diversity that we seek to display. If you are a King James Only ministry, then visitors will know or not know that when they visit your sites if you choose to make that known and visible.

To those who originally felt shunned by the tags in recent years, please accept my apology and know that this ministry is here to support dispensational teaching above all else.

- Jeremy D. Lucas

P.S. - This original KJO tag we were using will no longer be used at the Dispensational Berean:

So it didn’t take weeks.

Your new site for The Dispensational Berean is now complete. If you visit most of the old pages, the previous site will redirect you here. So if you’re reading this, then you’ve found us!

Enjoy!

- Jeremy D. Lucas

The Dispensational Berean has been around for almost five years and in celebration of this accomplishment, I’ve decided to give the site a new look and feel. For a few weeks, much of the content will be split between this new location and the old one, but gradually all pages will make their way here. Enjoy!

Jeremy D. Lucas

Some days ago, I received an email from a friend regarding a new church development in the area of Phoenix, Arizona called West Valley Grace Fellowship under the direction of Pastor Mark Dilley. He closed his email by saying this: “We expect to have about 30-40 people from the start. Hopefully more as we get the word out… That is my hope and prayer.” Services will begin this Sunday, November 1, 2009 at 9:30am for Sunday School and 10:45am for the morning worship service. For any others who are in the area and might be looking for fellowship, this is a great opportunity to get involved and play a part in the first stages of a new church. If you are local, I encourage you to participate.

West Valley Grace Fellowship is now listed under the Mid-Acts portion of our links page.

Jeremy D. Lucas

As I have written elsewhere, there are certain essentials in the Christian faith, including the Deity of Christ; Blood atonement; inerrancy of scripture; virgin birth; and bodily resurrection. The various dispensational and non-dispensational viewpoints, while important, should always be considered non-essential doctrines. Yet I am often troubled by the number of sincere but overzealous believers that condemn others who fail to endorse a particular non-essential doctrine. In an attempt to remedy this problem, I recently participated in a book project that focuses on the unity of the Body of Christ. This book, edited by my friend Michael Meiring, contains position papers by various Christian authors who hold diverse theological viewpoints that are still perfectly acceptable within Christianity. For my part, I entered into a debate with Dr. Adrio König, professor of Systematic Theology with the University of South Africa since the late 1960s. The title of this book is Preserving Evangelical Unity. My friend Michael Meiring, editor of the book, informs me that the book was published on the 1st of October. Please see HERE for the book description, reviews, and the internet price.

Ben Webb

In view of recent inquiries and e-mail traffic concerning my study entitled The Basics of Mid-Acts Dispensationalism (see here), I would like to add some additional information: Back in the summer of 1999, I had broken this study up into individual sections, for slower internet connections. (Remember dialup?) The internet archive (affectionately known as the Wayback Machine, from The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show), shows the initial archive of the table of contents on August 29, 1999. Section 3 of this study, which concerns Isaiah 53, first shows up in the archives on December 15, 1999. A more recent version of this section on Isaiah 53 (located here), can be found almost word-for-word on pages 40-42 of Brother McLean’s booklet. Please notice how the wording in Brother McLean’s book more closely matches the wording in the later archive. (The additional sentence that references 1 Cor. 2:7-8 first shows up in the January 2004 version, archived here). Likewise, the main portion of part 5 can be found almost word-for-word on pages 43-44 of Brother McLean’s study. This page was first archived on December 15, 1999; the archive can be viewed here. Again, a later version of this section can be viewed here (And again, notice how the wording in Brother McLean’s book more closely matches the wording in the later archive). Later versions of the entire study are archived here. See also May 19, 2003.

Ben Webb

Some time ago, I came across one or two Facebook groups that were promoting discussions on the subject of right division, but it recently dawned on me that several more had emerged and none of them had not been listed individually at The DB. While I won’t pretend to be a fan of the Facebook setup or what it often promotes among today’s youth, there are some incredibly beneficial grace groups who seek to use Facebook in a far more productive manner. You are encouraged to visit our section on Dispensational Forums and survey the six Facebook forums that currently exist. As a side note, there is talk of a merger between some of them, so perhaps you’ll see some changes in the near future.

Jeremy D. Lucas

For the benefit of all those who continue to watch this ministry closely, Yahoo recently announced that it will soon close all geocities sites. Please see this page from Yahoo for details. However, The DB will continue to be in operation. Until then, those who prefer to use this original site are welcome to do so. Those who find the new site more preferable are welcome to go there as well. While both sites have very different designs, they currently both have the same material and content. It’s your preference to use the one that is more comfortable. We continue to be encouraged by the number of people who come in from day to day in the hopes of understanding God’s Word more clearly.

Thanks again to Jeremy Lucas, from The Advancement of Grace and The Segregated Hour, for all of the hard work he has done in transferring all of the material, and giving the Dispensational Berean Site a truly professional look.

Ben Webb

In the interest of supporting unity and providing information about venues where such efforts are being made, The DB would like to provide its readers with information regarding a Grace Unity Conference scheduled for December of 2009 in Orlando, FL. All necessary information has been made available in our newly added section on upcoming conferences. Those interested in attending are encouraged to do so.

While we applaud the efforts of those who have organized such an event, The DB must note, as it does on all websites, that this is a King James Only conference. For this reason, we do not fully endorse the Grace Unity Conference as there are thousands upon thousands of sound Bible-believing dispensationalists who use other translations and would not be at peace knowing that their version excludes them from studying with those who testify that they are seeking unity. This is not to discount the sincerity of such an event, but to provide a legitimate caution to those who may be unsure about our position at The DB.

Although it seems like forever since Ben or I added anything to the News page, we’ve continued to make regular updates and adjustments to The DB over the past year. Just this past week, a fellow grace believer asked about our conference page and I realized that we simply didn’t have one yet. So rather than making a severe change to the website, I adjusted the People Page to account for individuals and conferences that various believers have contacted us about promoting. If you have an upcoming conference that you’d like to see posted, please let us know. Right now, while I am personally aware of several conferences going on throughout the United States in 2009, I’ve only posted the one that follows. Any others that you wish to see here will need to be sent through an email.

Great Smoky Mountains GRACE Bible Conference
“Where There’s Something for Everyone!”
March 20-27, 2009
Pigeon Forge, TN
Theme: Rescue the Perishing 1 Cor. 1:21
Phone 1-800-782-3119 for reservations at Holiday Inn
Room rate $61.65 (includes sales tax already!)
For more information, visit Magnified Word

In an effort to establish the most comprehensive directory of grace fellowship around the world, the DB is proud to join hands with the ministry of Mark McGee. Over the past few years, many of you across the globe have asked about where you might find a church or get into contact with someone of like mind. The GMAF is a testimony that you are not alone.

For quite a number of years, Mark has served a vast number of grace believers throughout the world in providing the most complete list of emails and churches for those who “rightly divide the Word of Truth” (II Timothy 2:15). His ministry has put brothers in touch with brothers and allowed the lonely to find fellowship. Ministries such as Grace Gospel Fellowship and Grace Online continue to provide similar directories, but we invite you to explore the GMAF website by visiting our new GMAF Page. If you or your fellowship would like to be included with the GMAF, please contact Mark McGee.

For the benefit of all those who continue to watch this ministry closely, both sites (The DB and the Berean Dispensational) will continue to be in operation. Those who prefer to use this original site are welcome to do so. Those who find the new site more preferable are welcome to stay here as well. While both sites have very different designs, they currently both have the same material and content. It’s your preference to use the one that is more comfortable. We continue to be encouraged by the number of people who come in from day to day in the hopes of understanding God’s Word more clearly.

After a long lull of silence, this evening has finally given me the opportunity to add quite a number of audios, articles, videos, charts, and studies to our Teaching page. There is much more to do, but for those who have been waiting to see empty holes get filled, this should give you a pretty strong idea of where we’re going and how the organization will look in the long run. Over the years, many have asked me questions like, “Where can I go to download mp3 and video recordings of those who teach right division?” Hopefully as this site continues to grow and develop, that question will become much easier to answer. Instead of tossing readers from here to there in a scattered manner, this should help guide curious students and Bereans in the right direction of finding all necessary teaching resources from the men and women who so faithfully give themselves to the teaching of God’s Word. In the end, Ben and I hope that this can truly become your “resource in the age of grace.”

For those who get a chance and happen to be involved with Historical/Biblical research, I have now made the Timeline of Biblical Text available for your input and correction. The “Early Edition” was completed last summer so that it could be turned over to others more studied and knowledgeable than myself. My goal was to see it become a collaborative timeline project among those who are willing to contribute. If you have the time to look through it or know of someone who might offer some helpful editing and additions, please email me at History and Grace.

May you all continue to be strenghtened in the grace of Christ Jesus this fall

- Jeremy

To accompany Ben’s announcement at the geocities site, there is now an official projection date for full transition to the new location on May 8, 2007. Essentially, by that time, all the components that you’re familiar with from the original website (articles and links) will be available here through a much more navigational presentation. Nothing will be lost and many new things will be added. Last week, Ben mentioned to me that there are quite a few sites that need to be added, so I also look forward to seeing what he has.

Look forward to May 8! - Jeremy

With the permission of Ben Webb and his original Berean Dispensational website, all content from the yahoo geocities link will progressively shift over to what you’re viewing now. So many beloved grace believers have expressed appreciation, both personally and to each other, for the efforts and years of faithful work that Brother Webb has invested into this ministry. Thus, it is my great pleasure to have provided him this new venue in hopes that it will reach a wider audience and be a furtherance of the gospel as understood through the principles of right division.

May you be encouraged and blessed as you continue viewing what we believe can and should be a key resource in understanding “The Dispensational Berean.” — Jeremy Lucas, Founder and Administrator of G.R.A.C.E. Ministries

Here’s a really strange coincidence. Back in 1999, I first placed my study entitled The Basics of Mid-Acts Dispensationalism on the Internet. I first put this study together in 1992. Recently, portions of this study have shown up almost verbatim in Terry McLean’s booklet by the title “Basics of Mid-Acts Dispensationalism”, as advertised at Discerning the Times. I have found over seven pages in Brother McLean’s booklet that read practically the same as my study, almost word-for-word. I’m certain that my study was not based on any of Brother McLean’s material, because when I first wrote it in 1992-1993, I had never heard him teach on dispensationalism.

In response to recent e-mail correspondence as to which portions are similar, I had previously posted the main ones I found here. (All I can say is that great minds think alike!)

Please Note: I had previously posted the following notice before going offline for a short time. I’m back now, but still on a limited basis. I can again answer an occasional e-mail; however, my correspondence is still going to be rather sporadic. But when I get more information on this book project, I’ll try to post it here.