Amillennialism: A belief that the Bible does not predict a period of the rule of Christ on earth before the last judgment. According to this outlook there will be a continuous development of good and evil in the world until the second coming of Christ, when the dead shall be raised and the judgment conducted. Amillennialists believe that the kingdom of God is now present in the world as the victorious Christ rules his church through the Word and the Spirit. It is held that the "millennium" in Revelation 20 describes an indefinite period of time, and occurs between the first and the second coming of Christ. It is also held that the future, glorious, and perfect kingdom refers to the new earth and life in heaven.
Apostasy: A deliberate repudiation and abandonment of the faith that one has professed (Hebrews 3:12).
Deism: In general, it refers to what can be called natural religion or the acceptance of a certain body of religious knowledge acquired solely by the use of reason as opposed to knowledge gained either through revelation or the teaching of a church. Deism is sometimes used loosely to define to particular viewpoint with regard to the relationship between God and the world. It would reduce God's function in creation to that of the first cause only. According to the classical comparison with a clock maker, God would up the clock of the world once and for all at the beginning, so that it now proceeds as would history without the need for his further involvement.
Dispensationalism: A system of biblical interpretation associated with J. N. Darby (1800-1882) and his followers and popularized through the notes of the Scofield Reference Bible. It builds on the idea of God's administration of or plan for the world describing the unfolding of that program in various dispensations, or stewardship arrangements, throughout the history of the world. The world is seen as a household administered by God in connection with several stages of revelation that mark off the different economies in the outworking of his total program.
Eschatology: The term comes from two Greek words, eschatos and logos, meaning the 'doctrine of last things.' Customarily it has been understood as referring to events which are still to happen, both in relation to the individual and the world. In modern evangelicalism, eschatology is almost exclusively concerned with questions about the millennium and the relation of the return of Christ to that period popularly known as the "great tribulation."
Modernity: With roots in teh Renaissance and Enlightenment, Modernity is the condition characterized by a marked confidence in the natural world, natural reason, natural goodness, morality, industry, and progress through technology.
Postmillennialism: Emphasizes the present aspects of God's kingdom which will reach fruition in the future. They believe that the millennium will come through Christian preaching and teaching. The new age will not be essentially different from the present, and it will come about as more people are converted to Christ. Evil will not be totally eliminated, but it will be reduced to a minimum as the moral and spiritual influence of Christians is increased. This rule is established through supernatural methods rather than gradually over a long period of time by the means of the conversion of individuals. This period precedes the return of Christ.
Postmodernity: The condition marked by a gradual distrust of rationalism, and cynicism concerning some of modernity's most cherished beliefs. Placing confidence in experience over reason, postmodernity is more interested in inner peace than social or political utopia's.
Premillennialism: The belief that the kingdom of Christ will be inaugurated in a cataclysmic way and that divine control will be exercised in a more supernatural manner than does the postmillennialist. The return of Christ will be preceded by signs including wars, famines, earthquakes, the preaching of the gospel to all nations, a great apostasy, the appearance of antichrist and the great tribulation. These events culminate in the Second Coming, which will result in a period of peace and righteousness when Christ and his saints control the world. This period follows the return of Christ.
Secularism: In general terms, secularism involves the affirmation of immanent, this-worldly realities, along with a denial or exclusion of transcendent, other worldly realities. It is a way of life and thought that is pursued without reference to God or religion.
