COVENANTAL VERSUS DISPENSATIONAL THEOLOGY - A PILOT-STUDY CONCERNING SELF-REPORTED FAMILY EFFECTS

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.