PMT 2016-063 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.
Postmillennialism does not arise among Christians as a natural reflex — though it should if they pray the Lord’s Prayer believingly (“Your kingdom come / Your will be done, / On earth as it is heaven,” Matt. 6:10) and understand the Great Commission rightly (“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations . . . and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:19, 20).
Our age is one of simplistic Christianity and social collapse. Neither of these problems is helpful for suggesting postmillennialism as an eschatological option. (But remember: postmillennialism does not hold that by the year 2016 we will see the fullness of Christian influence throughout the world. Until the Lord returns we cannot discount the postmillennial hope on the basis of current world conditions.) The simple Bible-thumping of rampant dispensationalism and the disorientation that comes with social chaos lead many believers to eschatologies of despair.
Greatness of the Great Commission (by Ken Gentry)
An insightful analysis of the full implications of the great commission. Impacts postmillennialism as well as the whole Christian worldview.
See more study materials at: www.KennethGentry.com
The shallowness of modern preaching and the desire for church fun rather than Bible study are hindrances to a hope rooted in Scripture. I know, because I was converted from within a dispensational environment having understood all of Scripture from that confused perspective.
Until . . . . Until I was taught in depth by someone who was strongly committed to Reformed, covenantal, Bible-based postmillennialism: Dr. Greg L. Bahnsen (at Reformed Theological Seminary). When I first entered his class on “History and Eschatology,” my long-ingrained dispensational despair led me to resist his teaching, deeming it absurd. However, he relentlessly expounded the Scriptures in such a way that I eventually was overwhelmed with the evidence. I set aside my populist theology and committed to the eschatology of hope, postmillennialism.
I am making these opening observations in order to encourage you, my reader, to consider joining with me in promoting the postmillennial faith. Christians are not going to reflexively adopt our worldview. They need a challenging presentation of the deep things of God in order to do so. I write this blog to minister to postmillennialists and to challenge non-postmillennialists. And I would like to invite you to contribute original articles and to send in helpful news links that encourage a postmillennial orientation.
The more of us who are sounding off, the more of us who are producing studies, the better. The modern Christian market is not flooded with postmillennial studies as it is with dispensational superficialities. I want to encourage more postmillennialists to begin publishing materials so that we can reach the broader church. If you submit an article that I can publish, you could then direct your Christian friends to this site to read it. Your testimony might be just what grabs their attention.
He Shall Have Dominion
(paperback by Kenneth Gentry)
A classic, thorough explanation and defense of postmillennialism (600+ pages). Complete with several chapters answering specific objections.
See more study materials at: www.KennethGentry.com
So I am asking my readers to consider producing some studies and submitting them to me for publication (without remuneration, unfortunately). These could be testimonies regarding how you came to adopt postmillennialism. Or they could be key texts that have helped firm up your postmillennialism. Or they could point to books and publications that you believe are important for advancing the postmillennial hope.
In addition, I would welcome any news links that might be encouraging to postmillennialism. For instance, I have published several news items showing how Christianity is growing in Muslim lands, despite the enormous persecution of the church in those area. Sometimes Christians are discouraged by their reading only bad news. Bad news sells. But good news lifts! And we need to uncover those news items that might encourage the faith of Christians.
If you would like to send me some items, I would love to hear from you. If you have never written anything for publication, you might want to take my correspondence course on writing to help you along (see ad below). We do need more Christians writing and exercising an influence by the written word.
You can contact me through this website, or directly at: KennethGentry@cs.com. I hope to hear form you!
Tagged: invitation to write
Postmillennial Worldview 
Thanks. Been on my mind & in prayers for many moons.
I think most people who are committed to a postmillennial eschatology (and I would number myself among that group) have come to realize that a true grasp of the system requires one to embrace Covenant Theology. Not that non-covenantal systems are necessarily logically incompatible with postmillennial thought, but to me, postmillennialism flows naturally and logically out of the framework of Covenant Theology. So, I think in most cases it’s helpful to start with Covenant Theology by showing the person how all of Scripture, both Old and New Testaments, are centered around God’s gracious promise to redeem fallen mankind, whether it’s through the use of types, foreshadows, anticipation, and promise in the OT that look ahead to the person and work of Jesus, or the fulfillment and realization of that promise in the NT. I tend to avoid the use of religious labels (e.g. postmillennialism, Calvinism, etc.) and simply let the Word of God speak. Scripture memorization is invaluable in this regard, as well.
To me, it’s gratifying to discuss the central point of Covenant Theology, the Covenant of Grace, which is God’s plan to redeem fallen mankind through the person and work of Jesus Christ. This applies as much to discussions with Jews and Muslims as it does to dispensationalists, because I can take them straight to Moses and ask some very basic questions, such as ‘why did God require Moses to institute the sacrificial system?’ This, of course, speaks to the very heart of the gospel and illustrates that God has always had a glorious plan that He implemented with perfect precision going all the way back to Adam.
The follow up to this, of course, is to show that God also orchestrates His plan in history to manifest his own glory in the course of redemptive history, where great evil in all of its various forms, will ultimately be defeated by the glorious gospel and the foolishness of preaching – that gospel that is the power of God unto salvation. And, if God wants to save a man, He will certainly do it, and nothing can thwart His plan. And, too, if God could save a wretched sinner like me or you, what would keep him from doing the same with countless others, if He so chooses? Most of the time, the rejection of postmillennialism is simply a form of subtle unbelief – a subconscious unwillingness to believe that God’s power could actually defeat all of this evil that has manifested itself over the course of history.
I wouldn’t go as far as to say that “a true grasp of the system requires one to embrace Covenant Theology” as Mr. Newton comments. Though I am not a student of Covenant Theology, I am still learning postmillennialism–haven’t achieved a full grasp of it yet, but I comprehend the basic idea. I too was converted into my Christian faith under premillennial teachers and that was the prism through which I viewed the world from the 70s all the way up until almost 15 years ago when I started “falling away” from premillenialism. It was through a young officer in the US Air Force who introduced and expounded partial Preterism to me around eight years ago, that opened the door of postmillennialism to me. Preterism was my entrée into postmillennialism. I am still learning and Dr. Gentry’s web site has been invaluable for this. My kudos to him and his efforts in spreading Biblical eschatology!
I’m happy to be on board, and pray for many more to join!
Hello Ken!
Thanks for your invitation! I’m greatly challenged, as I consider that I’ve written nothing, prepared nothing, that I could contribute.
I’m wondering though, whether after such a long hiatus, you would allow me to pick up and continue with the Righteous Writing course?
Also, I’ll be in Florida for a few days with a business colleague, at the beginning of November (prior to NAR convention in Orland the weekend before the election). Might it be feasible to visit you during that time?
God bless you in your ministry!
Michael Whitrow rethink@internode.on.net
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