Tuesday, February 17, 2026

It is the 17th of February 2026. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

Happy Tuesday- an unorthodox trip to the mailbag, but I am- hopefully- back home from Minnesota and today enjoying some sushi, maybe a walk on the beach as I begin my 48th trip around the sun… shout out to my Son Walter Coert, who passed his driving test but doesn’t know we’ll never let him drive.

I didn’t get to all the mailbag questions and promised a few extra hangers-on. And so Bob in Young Harris, Georgia wrote... not Bob Young in Harris as I first wrote, but Bob in Young Harris- there in the Enchanted Valley- home of Senator Zell Miller and the mighty Mountain Lions of Young Harris College. Bob wrote:

“This Sunday (1/11) in our Sunday School class, introducing a study of Covenant/Reformed Theology, I was asked, "What do denominations that don't accept Covenant Theology believe? What is the structure of what they believe?"

I didn't feel I answered satisfactorily. I asked my predecessor… His response was, "That is a good question. I don't have an answer. When I began studying Covenant Theology, I wondered the same thing.”

So Bob- this is the debate between “covenant” and “dispensational” theology. It’s largely a 20th-century inter-evangelical debate. I say that because you will find large swaths of agreement when it comes to standard Protestant and theologically conservative churches. Inside the debate, you have 4 camps- the essentialists in covenant and dispensational, and the progressives in covenant and dispensational.

The question is how we understand the unfolding of God’s plan of salvation in agreements, pacts, laws, covenants, dispensations, etc. The “essentialist” in Covenant Theology is going to stress continuity in God’s promises from Eden to Christ and the New Heavens and Earth. The essentialist in Dispensationalism is going to stress discontinuity in differing dispensations.

The progressive dispensationalists see God working in distinct dispensations, but want to see some of the “now and not yet” play in where promises are both fulfilled in and of themselves, and then AS WELL as in Christ. The Progressive Covenantal view moves towards dispensationalism in wanting to highlight distinctions sometimes papered over in essentialist Covenantal views.

The book to read is Covenantal and Dispensational Theologies: Four Views on the Continuity of Scripture, edited by Parker and Lewis.

The rubber hits the road in two places: first, end times theology and the question of an Ethnic Israel. Are the new people of God now taking the place of the old people of God? Paul speaks of a new Israel, but also of a literal Israel. Will there be a millennial kingdom? A new temple for those people of God? The standard “Left Behind” evangelical end times theology is based on the dispensational school, which emphasized a distinct plan for Israel under their dispensation.

That’s interesting stuff- but the rubber really hits the road when it comes to Baptism. How do we read the promise, or covenant, to Abraham? Ah, it’s to him and his children. Cool. Is that his literal children, the people of Israel? Or is it a covenant to those who have faith? And then what about “their” children? And now we see a practical break!

The answer seems to be somewhere on the spectrum between continuity and discontinuity, between an overarching covenant of Grace and God working out his plan in different times. It was a distinguishing mark of the old Fundamentalism, because it was supposed that one had to have a literal and verbally inspired and infallible Bible to be a dispensationalist, where “covenant” theology was seen to be bent towards liberalism.

Today, the debate you’ll see- and you can read in the aforementioned book- is largely between generally conservative American protestants- it’s good to find your place in the choir, but also to see that these are internal debates amongst people of goodwill- usually… hopefully… thanks, Bob, in Young Harris! One more mailbag tomorrow and then back into the regular swing of things….

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and- this is too perfect- it’s literally Romans 11:

11 I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”? 4 And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6 And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 17th of February 2026, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man who knows that Father Abraham has many sons, many sons has Father Abraham… Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who is one of them, and so are you, so let’s just praise the lord- I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.