Jk. Neumann, COVENANTAL VERSUS DISPENSATIONAL THEOLOGY - A PILOT-STUDY CONCERNING SELF-REPORTED FAMILY EFFECTS, Journal of psychology and theology, 20(4), 1992, pp. 389-394
Dispensational and covenantal theology are two distinct systems that a
re frequently used to understand Scripture. The relationship of these
theological systems to children and family life is reviewed. A brief s
urvey was mailed to 30 covenantal churches and 30 dispensational churc
hes. Covenantal theology was associated with greater frequency of dedi
cation/baptism, family worship, larger family size, and second-generat
ion missionary families than dispensational theology, though not all d
ifferences were statistically significant. No differences were found w
ith respect to children's behavior problems or social skills. Sampling
problems, methodological limitations and further research needs are d
iscussed.