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Dispensationalism

Dispensationalism is a theological framework for interpreting the Bible which maintains that history is divided into multiple ages called "dispensations" in which God interacts with his chosen people in different ways. It is often distinguished from covenant theology. These are two competing frameworks of Biblical Theology that attempt to explain overall continuity in the Bible. Coining of the term "dispensationalism" has been attributed to Philip Mauro, a critic of the system's teachings, in his 1928 book The Gospel of the Kingdom.

Dispensationalists use a literal interpretation of the Bible and believe that divine revelation unfolds throughout the Bible. They believe that there is a distinction between Israel and the Church, and that Christians are not bound by Mosaic law. They maintain beliefs in premillennialism, Christian Zionism, and a rapture of the Church that will happen before the Second Coming of Christ, generally seen as happening before a period of tribulation.

Dispensationalism was systematized and promoted by John Nelson Darby and the Plymouth Brethren in the mid-19th century. It began its spread in the United States during the late 19th century through the efforts of evangelists such as James Inglis, James Hall Brookes and Dwight L. Moody, the programs of the Niagara Bible Conference, and the establishment of Bible institutes. With the dawn of the 20th century, Cyrus Scofield introduced the Scofield Reference Bible, which crystalized dispensationalism in the United States.

Dispensationalism has become popular within American evangelicalism. It is commonly found in nondenominational Bible churches, as well as Baptist, Pentecostal, and Charismatic groups. Protestant denominations that embrace covenant theology tend to reject dispensationalism. According to the system's critics, most theologians acknowledge that there is no specific sequence of end-times events defined in the Bible. The Scofield Bible has been called "the most dangerous heresy currently to be found within Christian circles."

Overview
Dispensationalism is a theological framework that views history as divided into distinct periods in which God interacts with mankind in specific ways. Each of these periods is known as a dispensation. The defining characteristics of a dispensation are the distinct governing relationship in which God interacts with mankind during that period, and the resulting responsibility placed upon mankind in that period.

Evangelical Christians generally agree that there are distinct periods in God's plan for humanity. Dispensationalist theologians tend to hold "a particular view of the parallel-but-separate roles and destinies of Israel and the [Christian] church", with a "careful separation ... between what is addressed to Israel and what is addressed to the church. What is addressed to Israel is 'earthly' in character and is to be interpreted 'literally.'"

This view is distinct from covenant theology, which holds that rather than having separate plans, "God has one people, one people of God throughout redemptive history, called 'Israel' under the Old Testament, and called 'the church' under the New."

Philip Mauro, a critic of the system's teachings in his 1928 book The Gospel of the Kingdom, is considered to be the first to coin the term "dispensationalism" to describe the theological framework that had made inroads into fundamentalism, calling it "a subtle form of modernism".

Typical divisions
The number of dispensations may vary from three to eight, but the typical seven-dispensation scheme is as follows:
 * Innocence – Adam under probation prior to the Fall of Man. Ends with expulsion from the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3. Some refer to this period as the Adamic period or the dispensation of the Adamic covenant or Adamic law.
 * Conscience – From the Fall to the Great Flood. Ends with the worldwide deluge.
 * Human or Civil Government – After the Great Flood, humanity is responsible to enact the death penalty, and has the authority to govern. Ends with the dispersion at the Tower of Babel. Some use the term Noahide law in reference to this period of dispensation.
 * Promise or Patriarchal Rule – From Abraham to Moses. Ends with the refusal to enter Canaan and the 40 years of unbelief in the wilderness. Some use the terms Abrahamic law or Abrahamic covenant in reference to this period of dispensation.
 * Law – From Moses to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Ends with the scattering of Israel in AD 70. Some use the term Mosaic law in reference to this period of dispensation.
 * Grace – From the cross to the rapture of the church seen by some groups as being described in 1 Thessalonians and the Book of Revelation. The rapture is followed by the wrath of God, constituting the Great Tribulation. Some use the term Age of Grace or the Church Age for this dispensation.
 * Millennial Kingdom – A literal 1000 year reign of Christ on earth, centered in Jerusalem, ending with God's judgment on the final rebellion.

Variants

 * Classic dispensationalism
 * Ultradispensationalism (Bullingerism)
 * Hyperdispensationalism (Mid-Acts dispensationalism)
 * Revised dispensationalism
 * Progressive dispensationalism

Purpose of God in the world
According to John Walvoord, God's purpose in the world is to manifest his glory. Charles Ryrie writes that dispensational soteriology focuses on man's salvation as the means God uses to glorify himself.

Biblical literalism
A key element of dispensationalism is its use of the historical-grammatical hermeneutic to obtain a consistent, literal interpretation of the text. In this method, scripture is to be interpreted according to the normal rules of human language in its entirety. This leads dispensationalists to take eschatological passages in the Bible literally. Charles Ryrie suggests that a non-literal hermeneutic is the reason amillennialists apply Old Testament promises made to Israel "spiritually" to the church, and covenant premillennialists see some prophecies as fulfilled and others as not.

Progressive revelation
Progressive revelation is the doctrine that each successive book of the Bible provides further revelation of God and his program. Theologian Charles Hodge wrote that the progressive character of divine revelation is gradually unfolded until the fullness of truth is revealed. Charles Ryrie wrote that the Bible is not viewed as a textbook on theology, but rather as a continually unfolding revelation of God through successive ages where there are distinguishable stages in which God introduces mankind to new responsibilities.

Covenant theology and dispensationalist theology disagree regarding the meaning of revelation. Covenant theology views the New Testament as the key to interpreting the Old Testament. For dispensationalists, the Old Testament is interpreted on its own and the New Testament contains new information which can build on the Old Testament but cannot change its meaning. Each stands alone, rather than the Old Testament being reread through the lens of the New Testament.

Distinction between Israel and the Church
Dispensationalists see a historic and demographic distinction between Israel and the Christian Church. For them, Israel is an ethnic nation consisting of Hebrews (Israelites), beginning with Abraham. The Church, on the other hand, consists of all saved individuals from the "birth of the Church" in the book of Acts until the time of the rapture. Classic dispensationalists refer to this period as a "parenthesis", a temporary interlude in the progress of Israel's prophesied history when God has paused his dealing with Israel and is dealing with his Church.

There are differing views within dispensationalism as to when the church age began. Classic dispensationalism considers Pentecost in Acts 2 to be the beginning of the Church as distinct from Israel. Charles Finney wrote in 1839 that Pentecost was "the commencement of a new dispensation", emphasizing the role of the Holy Spirit as a distinction. Cyrus Scofield did not make Pentecost itself the turning point, but did emphasize its role in dividing the dispensations of "Law" and "Grace". In contrast, hyperdispensationalists suggest that the church started later in Acts ("Mid-Acts") with the ministry of Paul, identifying the start of the church as occurring between the salvation of Saul in Acts 9 and the Holy Spirit's commissioning of Paul in Acts 13. E. W. Bullinger and the ultradispensationalists taught that the church began in Acts 28. According to progressive dispensationalism, the distinction between Israel and the Church is not mutually exclusive, as there is a recognized overlap between the two. The overlap includes Jewish Christians like James, brother of Jesus, who integrated Jesus's teachings into the Jewish faith, and Christians of Jewish ethnicity who held varying opinions on compliance with Mosaic law, like Saint Peter and Paul the Apostle. Progressive dispensationalism "softens" the Church/Israel distinction by seeing some Old Testament promises as expanded by the New Testament to include the Church without replacing the promises to its original audience, Israel.

The Law
Dispensationalists believe that Christ abolished the Mosaic law, and thus it does not apply to the Christian. Instead, the Christian is under the Law of Christ, which embodies moral principles from God that are in both codes. In this view, although many commandments of the Old Testament are re-established in the New Testament, only the commandments explicitly affirmed there are to be kept; this excludes the ceremonial and civil aspects of the Mosaic law.

Eschatology
Dispensationalism teaches an eschatology that is explicitly premillennial, in that it affirms the return of Christ prior to a literal 1,000-year reign of Jesus Christ on earth as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. This millennial kingdom will be theocratic in nature, and not mainly soteriological in the way George Eldon Ladd and others with a non-dispensational form of premillennialism have viewed it. It will be distinctly Jewish, with the throne of David restored.

The majority of dispensationalists profess a pretribulation rapture. Mid-tribulation and post-tribulation rapture are minority views. Pre-tribulational rapture doctrine is what separates dispensationalism from other forms of premillennialism and other millennial views.

Dispensational eschatology was popularized in Hal Lindsey's book, The Late Great Planet Earth (1970). In Lindsey's version, the unfolding of events includes the establishment of modern Israel in 1948, Jews regaining control of Jerusalem's sacred sites in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, a rebuilding of the Temple which has yet to occur, an Antichrist who will come to power, Christians to be removed from the earth in a rapture of the Church, and seven years of tribulation (Daniel's seventieth week) culminating in a great battle of Armageddon in which Christ will triumph over evil and establish a literal 1,000 year reign of his kingdom on earth. Israel and the Church being distinct in this view, the rapture must remove the Church before remnant Israel can be gathered.

Proto-Dispensationalism
Advocates of dispensationalism have sought to find similar views of dispensations in Church history, referencing theologians or groups such as Francisco Ribera, the Taborites, Joachim of Fiore, Denis the Carthusian and others. Joachim's theory of three stages of human history has been argued to have anticipated the later dispensationalist view of organizing history into different dispensations. Joachim's stages were divided into the "Age of the Father" which was under the Law, the "Age of the Son" which was a period of tribulation, and the "Age of the Spirit" which was a period of bliss on earth. Fra Dolcino (c. 1250 – 1307) taught Fiore's theory of the stages of history, and dispensationalists Mark Hitchcock and Thomas Ice have suggested that Dolcino's teaching was of a pretribulational rapture. The relevant teaching was that when Antichrist appears, Dolcino and his followers would be taken away and preserved from Antichrist, and that following the death of Antichrist, Dolcino and his followers would return to Earth to convert those then living to the true faith. However, the source is an anonymous 1316 Latin text titled The History of Brother Dolcino, so it is uncertain whether Dolcino actually taught it.

William C. Watson has argued that multiple 17th century Puritan theologians anticipated dispensational views. In his book Dispensationalism Before Darby (2015), he argues that Ephraim Huit (1595–1644) and John Birchensa (in his book The History of Scripture published in 1660) taught that God has differing plans for Jews and Gentiles. Watson also argues that Nathaniel Holmes (1599–1678) taught a pretribulational rapture.

Christian mystic and philosopher Pierre Poiret (1646–1719) is said by some to have been the first theologian to develop a dispensationalist system, writing a book titled The Divine Economy. Poiret taught that history should be organized into multiple dispensations in which God works with humans in different ways, including the millennium as a future dispensation. Poiret's eschatology includes a belief in two resurrections, the rise of the Antichrist, and the nation of Israel being regathered, restored and converted. Poiret divided history into seven dispensations: early childhood (ended in the Flood), childhood (ended in Moses's ministry), boyhood (ended in Malachi), youth (ended in Christ), manhood (most of the Church era), old age ("human decay", meaning the last hour of the Church), and the restoration of all things (the Millennium, including a literal earthly reign of Christ with Israel restored).

Isaac Watts (1674–1748) presented a dispensational view in a forty-page essay titled The Harmony of All the Religions Which God Ever Prescribed to Men and All His Dispensations Towards Them. Charles Ryrie states that Scofield's outline of dispensationalism, with the exception of the millennium, is exactly that of Watts, and not Darby.

Edward Irving (1792–1834) in some ways anticipated dispensationalism. He used a literal approach to prophetic interpretation, he believed in a restoration of Israel as a nation, and he believed there would be a great apostasy and Christ would return to establish a literal earthly kingdom. But he also preached that Christ had a fallen nature, which led to him being defrocked by the Scots Presbyterians.

Formalization by Darby
Dispensationalism developed as a system from the teachings of John Nelson Darby (1800–1882), considered by many to be the father of dispensationalism. Darby strongly influenced the Plymouth Brethren of the 1830s in Ireland and England. The original concept came when Darby considered the implications of Isaiah 32 for Israel. He concluded that prophecy required a future fulfillment and realization of Israel's kingdom. He saw the New Testament church as a separate program not related to that kingdom. Thus arose a prophetic earthly kingdom program for Israel and a separate "mystery" heavenly program for the church. In order to not conflate the two programs, the prophetic program had to be put on hold to allow for the church to come into existence. Then the church would need to be raptured away before prophecy could resume its earthly program for Israel.

In Darby's conception, dispensations relate exclusively to the divine government of the earth. The Mosaic dispensation continues as a divine administration over Earth up until the return of Christ, and the church, being a heavenly designated assembly, is not associated with any dispensations.

Darby's Brethren ecclesiology failed to catch on in America, but his eschatological doctrine became widely popular, especially among Baptists and Old School Presbyterians.

Expansion and growth
James Inglis (1813–1872) introduced dispensationalism to North America through the monthly magazine Waymarks in the Wilderness, published intermittently between 1854 and 1872. In 1866, Inglis organized the Believers' Meeting for Bible Study, which introduced dispensationalist ideas to a small but influential circle of American evangelicals. They were disturbed by the growth of religious liberalism and saw premillennialism as an answer. Dispensationalism was introduced as a premillennial position, and it took over the evangelical movement in the course of several decades. The American church denominations rejected Darby's ecclesiology but accepted his eschatology. Many of these churches were Baptist and Old School Presbyterian; they retained Darby's Calvinistic soteriology.

After Inglis's death, James H. Brookes (1830–1898), pastor of Walnut Street Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, Missouri, organized the Niagara Bible Conference (1876–1897) to continue dissemination of dispensationalist ideas. Brookes was well known within millenarian circles, both as a prominent speaker at the Believers' Meeting for Bible Study conferences and for having written articles published in Inglis's Waymarks in the Wilderness. Brethren theologian C. H. Mackintosh (1820–1896) had a profound influence on American evangelist Dwight L. Moody (1837–1899), who reached very large audiences with his powerful preaching in the latter half of the 19th century. Moody worked with Brookes and other dispensationalists, and encouraged the spread of dispensationalism. It was during this time that dispensational doctrine became widely accepted among American evangelicals. It also marked a shift in dispensational theology under evangelists like Moody, from Darby's Calvinism and doctrinal rigor to a non-Calvinist view of human freedom in personal salvation.

Other prominent dispensationalists in this period include Reuben Archer Torrey (1856–1928), James M. Gray (1851–1925), William J. Erdman (1833–1923), A. C. Dixon (1854–1925), A. J. Gordon (1836–1895), and William Eugene Blackstone (1841–1935). These men were active evangelists who promoted a host of Bible conferences and other missionary and evangelistic efforts. They also gave the dispensationalist philosophy institutional permanence by assuming leadership of new independent Bible institutes, such as the Moody Bible Institute in 1886, the Bible Institute of Los Angeles (now Biola University) in 1908, and Philadelphia College of Bible (now Cairn University, formerly Philadelphia Biblical University) in 1913. The network of related institutes that soon developed became the nucleus for the spread of American dispensationalism. When the Bible Institute of the Chicago Evangelization Society (now Moody Bible Institute) formally opened in 1889, Torrey served as its first superintendent.

Revivalist evangelicals such as Moody and Torrey did not believe the gift of tongues continued past the Apostolic age, but their emphasis on the baptism of the Holy Spirit merged well with holiness ideas. This encouraged the spread of dispensationalism within the Pentecostal movement.

During this time, Anglican clergyman E. W. Bullinger (1837–1913) began teaching what became known as "ultradispensationalism" or "Bullingerism". Bullinger taught that the Church did not begin until Acts 28, that the Lord's Supper and water baptism were for Jewish believers, and that Paul's epistles were written to the Jews.

Scofield and his influence
A disciple of James Brookes, Cyrus Scofield (1843–1921) began attending the Niagara conferences and became an advocate of premillennialism, specifically pre-tribulationism. After several years of work, Scofield introduced dispensationalism to a wider audience in America through his Scofield Reference Bible. Published in 1909 by the Oxford University Press, the Scofield Reference Bible was the first Bible to display overtly dispensationalist notes on the same pages as the biblical text. Use of the Scofield Bible became popular among independent Evangelicals in the United States. Its premillennialism led to a pessimistic social view within evangelicalism, to "not polish the brass rails on the sinking social ship", so that evangelism came to be focused on saving the lost rather than expanding Christendom.

The Scofield Reference Bible came out at the peak of Bullinger's influence. Scofield's Bible confronted some of the ultradispensationalists' (Bullingerites') positions, including their divisions of dispensational time. As the Scofield Bible became popular among dispensationalists, it marginalized the hyperdispensationalist position in the United States.

Influenced by Scofield, evangelist and Bible teacher Lewis Sperry Chafer (1871–1952) and his brother Rollin Chafer founded Evangelical Theological College in 1924. The school would eventually become Dallas Theological Seminary, the main dispensationalist institution in America.

The Baptist Bible Seminary now located in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania became another dispensationalist school.

The Fundamentals

In the 1910s, another publication took hold within American evangelicalism. Known as The Fundamentals, its twelve volumes were published in quarterly installments between 1910 and 1915 by the Testimony Publishing Company. Funded by Union Oil co-founder Lyman Stewart (1840–1923) and managed by an executive committee of dispensationalists that included Clarence Dixon and Reuben Torrey, The Fundamentals helped solidify dispensationalist views within American Christian fundamentalism and the evangelical movement.

The Scopes trial in 1925 served to unify fundamentalists, but the movement began to decline soon after the trial. Scopes trial prosecutor and public face of the fundamentalist movement William Jennings Bryan died a week after the verdict, and journalist H. L. Mencken portrayed supporters of that anti-evolution verdict as uneducated and ignorant. The fundamentalist movement began to decentralize after it lost Bryan. Dispensationalism's fate was tied to that breakdown.

In 1928, Philip Mauro, seeking to re-invigorate the fundamentalist movement, pointed a finger at dispensationalism and in the process coined the term. Singling it out as the source of division within the larger fundamentalist movement, he wrote that the dispensationalist view was more recent than Darwinism and it eroded fundamental truths of scripture.

In 1934, Evangelical Theological College acquired the venerable theological journal Bibliotheca Sacra (first published in 1844). Lewis Chafer's first public declaration that he was a dispensationalist appeared in that journal's pages. In 1936, he published a 60-page response to criticism from Mauro and other fundamentalists, entitled Dispensationalism. That same year, Chafer renamed his school Dallas Theological Seminary.

The conflict between dispensationalists and covenantalists continued through the 1930s and 1940s, leading to permanent divisions that shaped the fundamentalist movement.

Influence of Dallas Theological Seminary
By the mid 20th century, evangelicals such as Charles Feinberg, J. Dwight Pentecost, Herman Hoyt, Charles Ryrie, and John Walvoord were promoting dispensationalism. All five of these men either studied or taught at Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS). Pentecost taught there for more than 60 years, and published an influential work on dispensational eschatology, Things to Come (1956). A decade later, Ryrie published Dispensationalism Today (1965), which has become the primary introduction to dispensational theology.

Furthering the rift with covenant theology, Ryrie wrote in Bibliotheca Sacra in 1957 that dispensationalism is "the only valid system of Biblical interpretation". In 1959, Walvoord stated that no non-dispensationalists (including Catholics and mainline Protestants) offered any defense against modernism, and that they were all under the influence of hermeneutical and theological errors.

Dallas Theological Seminary's influence grew as other schools and seminaries hired its graduates as faculty. In 1970, DTS graduate Hal Lindsey published The Late Great Planet Earth, which launched dispensationalist eschatology into pop culture. His book sold 10 million copies and made "rapture" and "the tribulation" household words.

Pop prophecy
The commercial success of The Late Great Planet Earth triggered a flood of books that featured dispensationalism's rapture theology. Lindsey published Satan is Alive and Well on Planet Earth (1972), There's a New World Coming (1973), and The Liberation of Planet Earth (1974). Other books included The Beginning of the End (1972) by Tim LaHaye, and DTS graduate Thomas McCall's Satan in the Sanctuary (1973) and Raptured (1975). In 1972, Iowa filmmakers Russell Doughten and Donald W. Thompson released A Thief in the Night, a fictional film about the aftermath of the rapture that has been seen by an estimated 300 million people. Televangelist Jack van Impe covered current events in light of Bible prophecy with a dispensational premillennialist spin.

Emergence of the Christian Right
The late 20th century marked a shift from the separatism practiced earlier in the century to more political engagement. This era saw emergence of the Christian Right, rooted in the dispensational theology that places Israel at the center of God's purpose in the world.

In 1978, dispensationalist television evangelist Jerry Falwell began making trips to Israel that were sponsored by the Israeli government. He became the first major American political figure to insist that the U.S. must support Israel for the fate of the nation. Falwell listed Feinberg, Pentecost, Hoyt, and Walvoord as his most important influences. Jerry Falwell and Tim LaHaye founded the Moral Majority in 1979, with its objective to get people saved, baptized, and registered to vote. The Moral Majority also provided a platform for political activism.

Influenced by dispensational premillennialism, the Moral Majority lobbied for pro-Israel U.S. foreign policy positions, including protection of the Jewish people in Israel and continuing U.S. aid to the state of Israel. Opposed to Jimmy Carter's affirmation of a Palestinian homeland, the Moral Majority endorsed Ronald Reagan for President in 1980. In Reagan, they found a candidate who shared their apocalypticism. Reagan had read Hal Lindsey's The Late Great Planet Earth, and it has been suggested that this eschatological view drove his Middle East policies. In an interview with televangelist Jim Bakker, Reagan said "[w]e may be the generation that sees Armageddon." Dispensational theology affected more than the Reagan administration's Middle East foreign policy. James G. Watt, a member of the Assemblies of God and Reagan's first Secretary of the Interior, told Congress that preservation of the environment was made irrelevant by the imminent return of Christ.

In 1980, Hal Lindsey wrote a follow-up to his book The Late Great Planet Earth. Lindsey had not previously drawn a connection from a Christian's personal obligations to a responsibility for social change, but this changed with his new book, The 1980s: Countdown to Armageddon. He began encouraging his readers to elect moral leaders who would reflect that morality within government, an agenda closely aligned with Ronald Reagan's administration.

Lifelong fundamentalist and dispensationalist Tim LaHaye also became a prominent figure in the Christian Right. He served as head of the Moral Majority for a time, and in the mid-eighties he created the American Coalition for Traditional Values. In 1987, he served as co-chairman of Republican Jack Kemp's presidential campaign, until it was reported that he had called Catholicism "a false religion".

The megachurch movement
The growth of suburbs through the 1960s led to the megachurch movement that began in the 1970s. DTS-trained pastors pioneered the movement, including Chuck Swindoll, Erwin Lutzer, David Jeremiah, Robert Jeffress, Tony Evans, and Andy Stanley. Other megachurches, such as John Hagee's Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas, blended teachings of dispensationalism with the prosperity gospel and New Christian Right activism. Hagee's Christians United for Israel included six Pentecostal megachurch pastors and an executive from the Christian Broadcasting Network, including Jerry Falwell. This group became an example of how megachurch dispensationalism was able to find national influence in US politics and diplomacy.

Despite success through growing megachurches, the movement revealed limits when leaders of two of America's largest megachurches, Bill Hybels and Rick Warren, disassociated from the theology of dispensationalism. The revival of reformed theology in the emergence of New Calvinism began in the 1980s. Led by pastors such as John Piper, Tim Keller, Mark Driscoll, Matt Chandler, and Albert Mohler, this spawned a megachurch movement of its own, whose leaders became outspoken critics of dispensationalism.

Peak and decline
By the 1990s, a younger generation of academics emerged as "progressive dispensationalists", opening a rift within the united front Ryrie had pushed for in Dispensationalism Today (1965). Leaders in this school of thought were Craig A. Blaising, Darrell Bock, Kenneth Barker, and Robert L. Saucy.

Dispensationalism's influence within the New Christian Right grew stronger in the 1990s. Building on the success of Hal Lindsey's The Late Great Planet Earth, the 1995 novel Left Behind pushed pop prophecy to further commercial success. Conceived by Tim LaHaye and written by Jerry B. Jenkins, the book spawned a multimedia franchise of 16 books, plus multiple movies, video games, and other spinoff works. The series brought dispensational premillennialism and its "rapture culture" into plain view.

As with Reagan in the 1980s, the New Christian Right helped elect another 'born again' president, George W. Bush. Like Reagan, Bush spoke in terms of prophecies being fulfilled in a way that had meaning to dispensationalists. He referred to Gog and Magog in the War on Terror, and said the confrontation was "willed by God, who wants to use this conflict to erase His people's enemies."

Dispensational ideas were experiencing political and commercial success, but Hal Lindsey and Tim LaHaye, who had become the public standard-bearers of dispensationalism, were different from their academic predecessors John Walvoord, Dwight Pentecost, and Charles Ryrie. By the 2010s, support for dispensational theology had peaked in academia and was largely in decline within academic settings. A 2009 survey of Southern Baptist seminaries showed that the majority view was covenantal, and flagship Southern Baptist Theological Seminary had no dispensationalists on its faculty.

Although dispensationalism had collapsed in academic areas, its cultural influence remained. Dispensationalist ideas have persisted in popular culture. A 2004 Newsweek poll indicated that 55 percent of Americans believe Christians will be taken up in the Rapture. By the turn of the 21st century, the term "dispensationalism" had become synonymous with "sectarian fundamentalism", and had come to be more of a political identity than a theological doctrine.

Dispensationalism however remains strong within theological circles which espouse Free Grace theology. The majority of those associated with the Free Grace Alliance support dispensationalism and it is taught by the Grace Evangelical Society.

Criticism
The term "dispensationalism" originated with Philip Mauro. His critique of the system is found in his 1928 book The Gospel of the Kingdom, in which he wrote that "evangelical Christianity must purge itself of this leaven of dispensationalism." He used the term to group the new premillennialism, the idea of dispensational time, and the Israel-Church distinction into a single bundled idea.

Protestant denominations and movements that embrace covenant theology tend to reject dispensationalism. For example, Presbyterian minister John Wick Bowman has called the Scofield Bible "the most dangerous heresy currently to be found within Christian circles." Dispensational theology ultimately led the Presbyterian Church of America (later the Orthodox Presbyterian Church) to split from Bible Presbyterian Synod, which taught dispensationalism. The Churches of Christ became divided in the 1930s as Robert Henry Boll (who taught a variant of dispensationalism) and Foy E. Wallace (representing the amillennial position) disputed severely over eschatology.

Soteriology
Some dispensational Christian Zionists, such as John Hagee, reject the need for Christians to pursue the conversion of the Jews. Presupposing a difference between law and grace leads to the idea that there are multiple forms of salvation.

In what is known as the Lordship salvation controversy, there are criticisms of a lack of understanding what was necessary to be "born again". John MacArthur called the problem "easy-believism", in which the basis of salvation is that one merely needs to claim to follow Jesus. MacArthur identified Dallas Theological Seminary founder Lewis Sperry Chafer as the source of the free grace error. Defense of the dispensational position was led primarily by Charles Ryrie and Zan Hodges.

Eschatology
The pessimism of premillennial eschatology led dispensationalists to see social reform as wasted effort, so that they focused on converting the lost, with no effort toward the kingdom-building social reform of postmillennialism.

Political influence
In American Theocracy (2006), political commentator Kevin Phillips wrote that dispensationalist and other fundamentalist Christians, together with the oil lobby, provided political support for the invasion of Iraq in 2003. He wrote that most theologians acknowledge there is no specific sequence of end-times events in the Bible, and that such a belief is the result of a century of "amplified Darbyism". He quoted theologian Barbara Rossing that such hyper-literalism is a "dangerous and false view."

title: Dispensationalism


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Dawson College

Dawson College is an English-language public college in Westmount and Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The college is situated near the heart of Downtown Montreal in a former nunnery on approximately 12 acres of green space. It is the largest CEGEP in the province of Quebec, with a student population of approximately 8,000 day students and 3,000 evening students enrolled in more than 30 fields of study.

History
In September 1945, McGill University established a satellite campus called Sir William Dawson College at the Royal Canadian Air Force base in St. Johns (now Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu), Quebec. This first incarnation of the college was set up to handle the overflow registration of servicemen after the Second World War. Populated mainly by engineering and science students who were required to live onsite, the college operated for five years. It was named after Sir William Dawson, a principal of McGill University from 1855 to 1893.

After the General Vocational College Act came into effect in June 1967, Dawson College became the first English-language institution in the new CEGEP network. It opened its doors in September 1969 to 1,655 students. The college was originally housed in a converted pharmaceutical factory at 350 Selby Street in Westmount. In 1970, a second campus, used mostly for Creative Arts programs, was opened on Viger Street just to the north of Old Montreal. During the next few years, additional spaces were rented across the city such as 4333 Ste. Catherine St. W. (Data Processing, Continuing Education), the Show Mart at Berri (gym), Dome Theatre on Notre Dame St., the Richelieu Building at 990 du Couvent and the La Fontaine building on Sherbrooke Street East. Finally, in 1975, the Victoria Campus was added at 485 McGill St.

In August 1982, the college signed an agreement to acquire the Mother House of the Sisters of the Congrégation de Notre-Dame in order to unify its fourteen separate locations. The campus opened in 1988, but full consolidation only happened in 1997, when the Selby Campus was finally closed. Extensive renovations transformed the century-old building into an attractive, modern and well-equipped college, occupying an entire city block between de Maisonneuve Boulevard, Sherbrooke Street, Wood Avenue in Westmount and Atwater Street in Montreal. A new theatre space was added to the historic site in 2007 and the college was truly under one dome.

In August 2010, because of an increase in CEGEP enrollments, the college was faced again with a lack of space. The fourth floor of the Pepsi Forum on Atwater Street was leased, allowing for the addition of new classrooms. The P Wing is equipped with six classrooms for regular day DEC students and one classroom and a computer laboratory for AEC students. A security office and student lounge were also added. In 2011, an additional 4 rooms were added to the 4th floor for general study. In 2018, Dawson leased additional space on the Forum 2nd floor, adding general classrooms, active learning rooms and 4 labs for the college Physiotherapy Technology Program.

In 2020, the college was awarded the gold rating for leadership in sustainability by The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS). The college's initiatives include, among other things, a pledge to carbon neutrality, rooftop gardens, certificate programs in Sustainable Happiness, and a student-led initiative to compost waste.

Programs
The CEGEP offers two types of programs: pre-university and career/technical. Pre-university programs take two years to complete and cover subject matter that roughly corresponds to the additional year of high school given elsewhere in Canada, as well as university-level introductory courses that prepare students for their chosen field in university. Technical programs take three years to complete and allow graduates to enter the workforce or to pursue their studies at a university level.

Evening courses are offered through continuing education in both credit and non-credit divisions. Corporate training is available as well. Dawson has also partnered with the Beijing Normal University to host the Confucius Institute in Quebec on its campus.

Pre-university programs

 * Creative & Applied Arts
 * Arts, Literature and Communication (ALC)
 * Arts and Culture
 * Cinema-Communications
 * Interactive Media Arts
 * Languages
 * Literature
 * Studio Arts
 * Visual Arts
 * Science, Medical Studies & Engineering
 * Science
 * Pure and Applied Science
 * Health Science
 * Enriched Science (formerly known as First Choice Science)
 * Enriched Pure and Applied Science
 * Enriched Health Science
 * Environmental Science
 * Explorations Science
 * Developmental Science
 * Social Science & Business Technologies
 * Social Science
 * General Social Science
 * Commerce
 * Child Studies
 * Environmental Studies
 * International Business Studies
 * Law, Society and Justice
 * Social Change and Solidarity (similar to former North-South Studies)
 * Psychology
 * Travel and Tourism
 * Liberal Arts

Pre-university programs usually require four semesters (two years) to complete.

Enriched Science
Formerly named First Choice Science, Dawson College's honours science program is known as Enriched Science. Enrolled students can choose between the Pure and Applied Science or the Health Science profiles.

Career/technical programs

 * Creative & Applied Arts
 * 3D Animation and Computer Generated Imagery
 * Graphic Design
 * Illustration
 * Industrial Design
 * Interior Design
 * Professional Photography
 * Professional Theatre
 * Science, Medical Studies, and Engineering
 * Biomedical Laboratory Technology
 * Civil Engineering Technology
 * Diagnostic Imaging
 * Electrical Engineering Technology
 * Laboratory Technology – Analytical Chemistry
 * Mechanical Engineering Technology
 * Nursing
 * Physiotherapy Technology
 * Radiation Oncology
 * Social Science and Business Technology
 * Accounting and Management Technology
 * Business Management (Marketing)
 * Community Recreation and Leadership Training
 * Computer Science Technology
 * Social Service

Career/technical programs usually require six semesters (three years) to complete.

Special areas of study

 * Creative and Applied Arts
 * Hellenic Studies
 * Jewish Studies
 * Peace Studies Certificate
 * Women's / Gender Studies
 * Social Science & Business Technologies
 * New School (see section below)
 * Reflections (see section below)

The time required to complete a program in the special areas of study varies.

New School
New School takes a Critical Humanistic approach to learning and allows students to do their English and Humanities courses in a smaller group setting.

Reflections
Reflections offers double-credit courses which allow students an alternative way to complete their English, French, Humanities and History course requirements. Using seminar-style settings, Reflections offers a different yet effective pedagogical approach, which include teacher-led discussions and short lectures.

General education courses
In addition to concentration courses, students are required to complete general education courses in order to graduate. These core courses include four English courses, two French courses, three humanities courses, and three physical education courses.

Most students must also pass two complementary courses outside their area of study. Students are awarded a Diploma of College Studies upon completion of their program of study and the successful writing of the Quebec English Exit Exam.

Certificate programs offered by the Sustainability Office

 * Sustainable Happiness Certification
 * Sustainable Happiness Facilitator Training Certification

Dawson Student Union
The Dawson Student Union (DSU) is the Dawson College students' union representing the approximately 7,500 full-time students and 2,500 part-time students. It funds, coordinates and regulates clubs and activities and is a resource for students to direct them to appropriate departments and services. The union also does its part to inform students of their rights and lobbies for them when necessary.

In November 2008, the Dawson Student Union contacted Montreal police after an estimated $840,000 in union funds were misappropriated. This came after much criticism towards the union for not publishing financial statements since its 2005 accreditation.

The DSU has since been a functional, autonomous, accredited student union since 2005.

Campus activities
Dawson College has a number of clubs, 825 officially funded by the DSU and eight that receive no funding. These include religious and language-themed clubs, para-academic groups, athletic clubs, program-based clubs, Pokémon club, cultural clubs and more. Dawson also has a radio station, CIXS: The Edge, as well as a student newspaper, The Plant, which publishes every month during term, with a circulation, in 2012, of about 1,350 copies. Founded in 1969, it is a member of Canadian University Press (CUP), and is the largest CEGEP newspaper in Quebec. Editors are chosen at the end of each semester (August–December, January–May) for the upcoming semester based on a democratic vote by the previous editors and the 'Writing for The Plant ' class. There is another paper published annually at Dawson College, the Dawson Research Journal of Experimental Science (colloquially known as DrJes). This journal is completely student-run and student submitted. The articles are published after being edited by a board of student editors and then undergo evaluation by referees who are experts in the field. Volume 1 of DrJes was issued in 1999 and at that time was the first journal of its kind in North America.

Most clubs can be found in the 2C wing of the college, which is in the center of the building at street-level. The athletics department is located in the 1H wing, which is at metro-level, in the south-west corner of the school. New clubs can be formed with the help of the DSU.

Campus athletics
Dawson College, known nationally as the "Blues," has one of the largest intercollegiate programs in Canada. A large number of recreational and intramural programs are offered to the student population. Although the college offers a wide variety of sports to its student body, the national governing body of college athletics, the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA), only sanctions five sports nationally (AAA). These are: basketball, soccer, golf, badminton and cross-country running. Of these five sports, Dawson College competes nationally in all but badminton.

Dawson has an Athletic therapy clinic.

Some of Dawson's highlights from its athletic history include winning the Men's and Women's Provincial Hockey Championships and having the CCAA award the Dawson College Blues a banner representing "25 Years of Basketball Supremacy".

School shooting
On September 13, 2006, a mass shooting occurred at Dawson College. Kimveer Gill, a 25-year-old resident of Laval, Quebec, approached the school and began firing at students outside of the entrance. He proceeded to shoot inside the school before committing suicide after being shot by a police officer. Eighteen-year-old student Anastasia Rebecca de Sousa died at the scene. Nineteen other people were injured, eight critically.

The college was closed until September 15, when teachers and support staff returned. Students were given access to the campus on September 18, and classes resumed the following day, on September 19.

After the shooting, Dawson College provided grief counselling to its students and staff and a research team conducted a three-year study on the psychological impact of the shooting.

Peace Garden
On September 13, 2011, the ecological Peace Garden on the campus grounds was inaugurated to become a “living memorial” for de Sousa. A CTV News report framed the garden project and the accompanying Living Campus program as a demonstration of the college community's healing and resilience. The 20,000 square-foot garden was designated an urban biodiversity site in 2014 by Espace pour la vie Montréal.

M’y dauther’s Nadia Saïdi Die in thé tu too! She thé girl live a shooting when she going outside! She study atvthis collegevtoninprove english language to speak very well. After this évent I subit a lot of violence by Mister Provencher in m’y work. This murder call my director in thé primary school to shut all of thé studen in m’y class! My director use thé PowerPoint of law for m’y réaffectation in my home! I’m live on illeness insurance in spire of this évent for thé shutgun justice!

Why thé policeman can’t speak with me for thé murder of m’y dauther’s 2008, may ?

Controversies
During the 2012–2013 academic school year, student Ahmed Al-Khabaz was working on an app to give students access to their online records from mobile devices. While developing the application, he and another student discovered a security hole in a third-party student records system.

Al-Khabaz and his colleague reported the issue to the college administration and were congratulated. They were told the problem would be fixed immediately. However, days later, when Al-Khabaz ran a web vulnerability scanner on the college's servers to see whether the problem had been resolved, Skytech company president Edward Taza called Al-Khabaz and accused him of performing a cyber attack. Taza spoke of the possibility of legal action and imprisonment and suggested Al-Khabaz sign an agreement to tell no one about the flaw, which Al-Khabaz did. After signing the non-disclosure agreement, the college expelled Al-Khabaz and his appeal to tell his side of the story was denied.

At first, the college refused to comment on the expulsion, stating that they could not discuss individual student situations. However, due to overwhelming public pressure, they said at a press conference that the student had been warned not to attempt to test the security of the system.

Alumni

 * Joel Anthony – former NBA player and 2x champion
 * Michael Applebaum - Mayor of Montreal 2012-13
 * Jeff Barnaby – writer, composer, and film director
 * Annie Briard – artist
 * Bianca Farella – Canadian Olympic medalist
 * Jeff Fuchs – explorer and author
 * Michael Greenspan – director and screenwriter, Wrecked
 * Kaniehtiio Horn – film and television actress
 * Meryam Joobeur – film director
 * Moe Khan – TSN Radio 690 host
 * Luc Lafortune – lighting designer
 * Jon Lajoie – comedian
 * Shira Lazar – Internet talk show host
 * Rachelle Lefevre – actress in movies such as Twilight
 * Michael Mando – actor
 * Seb McKinnon – freelance illustrator (known for Magic: The Gathering illustrations) and filmmaker
 * Harley Morenstein – host of the popular YouTube series Epic Meal Time
 * Steven Pinker – psychologist
 * Marie-Philip Poulin – Canadian Olympic medalist
 * Meaghan Rath – actress
 * Allison Russell – singer-songwriter
 * SeXXXy Eddy – professional wrestler; real name Eddy Dorozowsky
 * Michael Zelniker – actor and filmmaker

Faculty

 * Will Aitken — film studies, novelist, journalist and film critic
 * Frédéric Bastien — history, author, historian, and journalist
 * Jill Britton — mathematics
 * Ariel Fenster — science educator
 * Michael Harris — poet and translator
 * Keith Harrison — English, novelist
 * Ann Lambert — English, playwright and novelist
 * Susan J. Palmer — religious studies
 * Jocelyn Parr — history, novelist
 * Ross H. Paul — former Dean of Arts and Academic Dean
 * Susan Pinker — author
 * Tony Proudfoot — physical education, former CFL player
 * T. F. Rigelhof — writer
 * Francis Scarpaleggia — business administration, Member of Parliament for Lac-Saint-Louis
 * Lorraine Simms — painter
 * Ray Smith — English, author
 * David G. Sorensen — artist
 * Chaim Tannenbaum — philosophy, musician

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Dawson College


text:
Statistics Canada

Statistics Canada (StatCan; Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in Ottawa.

The agency is led by the Chief Statistician of Canada, currently André Loranger, who assumed the role on an interim basis on April 1, 2024. StatCan is accountable to Parliament through the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, currently François-Philippe Champagne.

Statistics Canada acts as the national statistical agency for Canada, and Statistics Canada produces statistics for all the provinces as well as the federal government. In addition to conducting about 350 active surveys on virtually all aspects of Canadian life, the Statistics Act mandates that Statistics Canada has a duty to conduct a country-wide census of population every five years and a census of agriculture every ten years.

It has regularly been considered the best statistical organization in the world by The Economist, such as in the 1991 and 1993 "Good Statistics" surveys. The Public Policy Forum and others have also recognized successes of the agency.

Leadership
The head of Statistics Canada is the chief statistician of Canada. The heads of Statistics Canada and the previous organization, the Dominion Bureau of Statistics, are:

 * Robert H. Coats (1918–1942)
 * Sedley A. Cudmore (1942–1945)
 * Herbert Marshall (1945–1956)
 * Walter E. Duffett (1957–1972)
 * Sylvia Ostry (1972–1975)
 * Peter G. Kirkham (1975–1980)
 * James L. Fry (1980)
 * Martin B. Wilk (1980–1985)
 * Ivan P. Fellegi (1985–2008)
 * Munir Sheikh (2008–2010)
 * Wayne Smith (interim 2010; 2011–2016)
 * Anil Arora (2016–2024)
 * André Loranger (interim 2024–)

Publications
Statistics Canada publishes numerous documents covering a range of statistical information about Canada, including census data, economic and health indicators, immigration economics, income distribution, and social and justice conditions. It also publishes a peer-reviewed statistics journal, Survey Methodology.

Statistics Canada provides free access to numerous aggregate data tables on various subjects of relevance to Canadian life. Many tables used to be published as the Canadian Socio-economic Information Management System, or CANSIM, which has since been replaced by new, more easily manipulated data tables.

The Daily is Statistics Canada's free online bulletin that provides current information from StatCan, updated daily, on current social and economic conditions.

Statistics Canada also provides the Canadian Income Survey (CIS)—a cross-sectional survey that assesses the income, income sources, and the economic status of individuals and families in Canada. Data from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) is combined with data from the CIS. The February 24, 2020 reported statistics on the poverty based on the market basket measure (MBM).

Data accessibility and licensing
"information published by Statistics Canada is automatically covered by the Open License with the exception of Statistics Canada's postal products and Public Use Microdata Files (PUMFs)." Researchers using StatCan data are required to "give full credit for any Statistics Canada data, analysis and other content material used or referred to in their studies, articles, papers and other research works." The use of Public Use Microdata Files (PUMFs) is governed by the Data Liberation Initiative (DLI) License signed by the universities and Statistics Canada. Aggregate data available through the Canadian Socio-economic Information Management System CANSIM, and the Census website is Open Data under the Statistics Canada Open License Agreement.

By 24 April 2006, electronic publications on Statistics Canada's web site were free of charge with some exceptions.

The historical time series data from CANSIM is also available via numerous third-party data vendors, including Haver Analytics, Macrobond Financial, and Thomson Reuters Datastream.

Canadian Research Data Centre Network (CRDCN)
The Canadian Research Data Centre Network (CRDCN) is a network of quantitative social sciences which includes 27 facilities across Canada that provide "access to a vast array of social, economic, and health data, primarily gathered" by Statistics Canada and disseminate "research findings to the policy community and the Canadian public."

History
Statistics Canada was formed by the Statistics Act, which came into force on May 1, 1971. It replaced the Dominion Bureau of Statistics, which was formed in 1918. Statistics Canada published a print copy of the yearly almanac entitled Canada Year Book from 1967 to 2012 when it ceased publication due to ebbing demand and deep budgetary cutbacks to StatCan by the federal government. It was a yearly compendium of statistical lore and information on the nation's social and economic past, people, events and facts. The Canada Year Book was originally edited by a volunteer from the Department of Finance and published by a private company, which offset costs with advertisement sales. This method continued until 1879, at which time the record ceases, until 1885, at which time the Department of Agriculture took up the burden. The duty of publication was transferred to the Dominion Bureau of Statistics upon its formation in 1918.

On June 18, 2005, after years of study by expert panels, discussion, debate (privacy vs the interests of genealogists and historians), Bill S-18 An Act to Amend the Statistics Act was passed which released personal census records for censuses taken between 1911 and 2001, inclusive. Debate over the census and their contents had periodically created changes in the Statistics Act such as a 2005 amendment making the privacy restrictions of the census information expire after more than a century. In addition, with Bill S-18, starting with the 2006 Census, Canadians can consent to the public release of their personal census information after 92 years. Census returns are in the custody of Statistics Canada and the records are closed until 92 years after the taking of a census, when those records may be opened for public use and transferred to Library and Archives Canada subject to individual consent where applicable.

The mandatory long census form was cancelled by the federal government in 2010 in favour of a voluntary household survey (NHS). The mandatory long form census was reinstated in time for the 2016 Census of Population.

In 2011, Statistics Canada released an audit acknowledging that from 2004 to 2011, their automated computer processes had "inadvertently made economic data available to data distributors before the official publication time." In November 2011, in response to the audit, StatCan stopped that process.

2012 layoffs
Nearly half of Statistics Canada's 5000 employees were notified in April 2012 that their jobs might be eliminated as part of austerity measures imposed by the Conservative federal government in the 2012 Canadian federal budget. The 2,300 employees underwent a process to determine which ones were not impacted, which were eliminated and which were given early retirement or put in new positions. These budget cuts reduced the amount of information Statistics Canada was able to produce during that time period.

The census
By law, every household must complete the Canada Census form. In May 2006, an Internet version of the census was made widely available for the first time. Another census was held in May 2011, again with the internet being the primary method for statistical data collection. The most recent census was held in May 2021, with the resulting data expected to be published in seven separate data sets throughout 2022. Additional data will be published at a future date which has yet to be determined.

2011 Voluntary Long Form or National Household Survey
On June 17, 2010 an Order in Council was created by the minister of industry defining the questions for the 2011 Census as including only the short-form questions; this was published in the Canada Gazette on June 26, 2010, however a news release was not issued by Minister of Industry Tony Clement until July 13, 2010. This release stated in part "The government will retain the mandatory short form that will collect basic demographic information. To meet the need for additional information, and to respect the privacy wishes of Canadians, the government has introduced the voluntary National Household Survey". On July 30, 2010 Statistics Canada published a description of the National Household Survey.

The minister of industry, Tony Clement initially indicated that these changes were being made based on consultations with Statistics Canada but was forced to admit that the change from a mandatory to voluntary form was not one of the recommendations received from StatCan after the head of the organization Munir Sheikh resigned in protest. Information has since been uncovered that indicates attempts on the part of the government to distance themselves from the decision, instructing Statistics Canada officials to delete the phrase "as per government decision" from documents which were being written to inform Statistics Canada staff of the change. The minister has since claimed that concerns over privacy and the threat of jail time are the reasons for the change and has refused to reverse his decision stating that the prime minister supports the legislation. The argument over privacy has subsequently been undermined by a privacy commissioner statement that she was "satisfied with the measures Statistics Canada had put into place to protect privacy". Other industry professionals have also come out in defence of Statistics Canada's record on privacy issues. The government has maintained its position, most recently expressed by Lynn Meahan, press secretary to the industry minister, that the new census will result in "useable (sic) and useful data that can meet the needs of many users."

During the 2010 debates, the Freedom Party of Ontario, a small group based on Ayn Rand's writings, whose 42 candidates received 12,381 votes (or 0.26% of the popular vote) in the 2014 election, opposed the long census. They also opposed bilingualism, political correctness and the inclusion of a question on race on the 1996 Canadian census. FPO claimed that Canadian and British traditions had been dishonoured by multiculturalism. They are among a minority who argue that using statistical data to analyse resource allocation is not beneficial.

Central to the debate on this issue is the effect on the quality of data which will be collected by Statistics Canada under the new system. Many groups have made the claim that a voluntary system will not provide a quality of data consistent with what Statistics Canada is known for   while others feel that politically motivated changes to StatCan methodology taints the reputation of the whole organization in the international setting. Supporters of the change have offered models of European countries who are adopting alternate systems, although in these states the census is being replaced with a database of information on each citizen rather than a voluntary poll and none of these systems are planned for the Canadian 2011 census. They also challenge the current system's ability to cope with rapid socio-demographic changes, though this would not be addressed without increasing the frequency of the survey. Some public opposition to the changes has been expressed through the social media network Facebook.

According to The Globe and Mail, by 2015 an increasing number of economists joined organizations such as the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Canadian Federation of Independent Business, Canadian Economics Association, Martin Prosperity Institute, Toronto Region Board of Trade, Restaurants Canada and the Canadian Association of Business Economics to call for a reinstatement of the mandatory long form. Edmonton's chief economist preferred the long form and argues that the National Housing Survey is only useful at the aggregate city level and leaves "a dearth of data on long-term changes at the neighbourhood level and within demographic groups... making it difficult to make decisions such as "where to build a library, where to build a fire hall" without specific demographic information. Because it was not mandatory there was a lower response rate and therefore increased risk of under-representation of some vulnerable segments of society, for example aboriginal peoples, newly arrived immigrants. This makes it more difficult to "pinpoint trends such as income inequality, immigrant outcomes in the jobs market, labour shortages and demographic shifts."

2015 reinstatement of mandatory long form
One day after his election in November 2015, the Liberal government of Justin Trudeau reinstated the mandatory Census long form and it was used in the 2016 Census.

Political reactions
Former industry minister Tony Clement recanted on his support for the elimination of the long form. He avowed that there were ways to protect both indispensable data and Canadians' privacy. Blaming his party for a "collective" decision to terminate the long form, he said, "I think I would have done it differently." He implied incorrectly that Statistics Canada head Munir Sheikh had agreed with the cancellation when it was done.

Standard geographic units
Statistics Canada divided Canada into the following standard geographic units for statistical purposes in the 2016 Census.
 * Province or territory
 * Census division
 * Census consolidated subdivision
 * Census subdivision: municipalities and municipal equivalents as defined by Statistics Canada in consultation with provincial and territorial governments including the following types:
 * Canton: townships in Quebec
 * Chartered community: present in the Northwest Territories
 * City
 * Community: present in Prince Edward Island
 * Community government: present in the Northwest Territories
 * County municipality: rural territories in Nova Scotia
 * Cree reserve land: present in Quebec
 * Cree village: present in Quebec
 * Crown colony: present in Saskatchewan
 * District municipality: rural or urban territories of British Columbia
 * Hamlet: present in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut
 * Improvement district: rural municipalities in Alberta
 * Indian government district: present in British Columbia
 * Indian reserve
 * Indian settlement
 * Inuit reserve land: present in Quebec
 * Island municipality: present in British Columbia
 * Local government district: present in Manitoba
 * Municipal district: rural municipalities in Alberta and Nova Scotia
 * Municipality: rural territories in Quebec
 * Naskapi village: present in Quebec
 * Naskapis reserve land: present in Quebec
 * Nisga'a land: present in British Columbia
 * Northern hamlet: present in Saskatchewan
 * Northern village (village nordique): present in Saskatchewan and Quebec
 * Parish: rural territories in Quebec (parish municipalities) and New Brunswick
 * Regional district electoral area: unorganized rural areas in British Columbia
 * Regional municipality: present in Nova Scotia
 * Resort village: present in Saskatchewan
 * Rural community: present in New Brunswick
 * Rural municipality: present in Manitoba and Saskatchewan
 * Self-government: present in Yukon
 * Settlement: present in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut
 * Special area: rural municipalities in Alberta
 * Specialized municipality: present in Alberta
 * Subdivision of county municipality: rural territories within Nova Scotia's county municipalities
 * Subdivision of unorganized area: unorganized rural territories of Newfoundland and Labrador
 * Summer village: present in Alberta
 * Teslin land: present in Yukon
 * Town
 * Township: present in Ontario
 * Township and royalty: rural territories in Prince Edward Island
 * United cantons: townships that have been united in Quebec
 * Unorganized area
 * Village
 * Ville: cities and towns in Quebec
 * Aggregated dissemination area (ADA)
 * Economic region
 * Designated place
 * Federal electoral district
 * Forward sortation area
 * Statistical area classifications
 * Census metropolitan area (CMA) or census agglomeration (CA): a cluster of adjacent census subdivisions where: in the case of a CMA, the cluster has a population of 100,000 or greater in which at least 50,000 live in the core; and, in the case of a CA, the cluster has a population of at least 10,000 in the core
 * Census tract (applicable to all CMAs and 15 CAs)
 * Population centre (previously "urban area")
 * Large urban
 * Medium
 * Small
 * Rural area
 * Non-CMA or non-CA (like CMAs and CAs, includes small population centres and rural areas, but excludes large urban and medium population centres)

title: Statistics Canada


text:
Saale

The Saale, also known as the Saxon Saale (Sächsische Saale ) and Thuringian Saale (Thüringische Saale), is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Franconian Saale, a right-bank tributary of the Main, or the Saale in Lower Saxony, a tributary of the Leine.

Etymology
The name Saale comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *séles 'marsh', akin to Welsh hêl, heledd 'river meadow', Cornish heyl 'estuary', Greek hélos 'marsh, meadow', Sanskrit sáras 'lake, pond', Sárasvati 'sacred river', Old Persian Harauvati 'Hārūt River; Arachosia', Avestan Haraxvatī, idem. It may also be related to the Indo-European root *sal, "salt".

The Slavic name of the Saale, Solawa, still found in Sorbian texts, comes from Old High German sol, "salt", and awa, "water".

Course
The Saale originates on the slope of the Großer Waldstein mountain near Zell in the Fichtel Mountains in Upper Franconia (Bavaria), at an elevation of 728 m. It pursues a winding course in a northern direction, and after passing the manufacturing town of Hof, enters Thuringia. It flows amid well-wooded low mountains of the Thuringian Forest until it reaches the valley of Saalfeld. After leaving Saalfeld the Saale reaches Rudolstadt. Here it receives the waters of the Schwarza, in whose valley lies the ruined castle of Schwarzburg, the ancestral seat of the formerly ruling House of Schwarzburg.

From Saalfeld, the Saale enters the limestone hill region north of the Thuringian Forest, and sweeps beneath the hills enclosing the university town of Jena. It enters Saxony-Anhalt and passes the spa of Bad Kösen and, after receiving the deep and navigable Unstrut at Naumburg, flows past Weißenfels, Merseburg, Halle, Bernburg and Calbe. It finally joins the Elbe just above Barby, after traversing a distance of 413 km —shortened 14 km by a bypass from its natural length of 427 km.

The Saale is navigable from Naumburg and is also planned connected from Leuna with the White Elster near Leipzig by an unfinished canal. The soil of the lower part of its valley is exceptionally fertile, and produces, amongst other crops, large quantities of sugar beet. Among its tributaries are the White Elster, Southern and Northern Regnitz and Orla on the right bank, and the Ilm, Unstrut, Salza, Wipper and Bode on the left. Its upper course is rapid. Its valley, down to Merseburg, contains many castles which crown the enclosing heights.

Geography
Originating in Zell, the Saale flows through – Sparneck – Weißdorf – Seulbitz – Förbau – Schwarzenbach an der Saale – Fattigau – Oberkotzau – Hof – Brunnenthal – Saalenstein – Joditz – Landesgrenze Bayern/Thüringen – Hirschberg – Sparnberg – Rudolphstein – Blankenberg – Blankenstein – Harra – Saaldorf – Saalburg – Poeritzsch – Gräfenwarth – Burgk – Walsburg – Ziegenrück – Neidenberga – Hohenwarte – Eichicht – Kaulsdorf – Fischersdorf – Weischwitz – Reschwitz – Breternitz – Saalfeld – Schwarza – Volkstedt – Rudolstadt – Catharinau – Kolkwitz – Weißen – Uhlstädt – Rückersdorf – Zeutsch – Niederkrossen – Orlamünde – Freienorla – Großeutersdorf – Kleineutersdorf – Kahla – Großpürschütz – Jägersdorf – Rothenstein – Maua – Lobeda – Jena – Zwätzen – Porstendorf – Dornburg – Dorndorf-Steudnitz – Wichmar – Camburg – Tümpling – Großheringen – Kleinheringen – Landesgrenze Thüringen/Sachsen-Anhalt – Stendorf – Saaleck – Bad Kösen – Naumburg – Schellsitz - Schönburg – Eulau – Goseck – Leißling – Lobitzsch – Uichteritz – Markweben – Weißenfels – Dehlitz – Schkortleben – Kleinkorbetha – Großkorbetha – Oebles-Schlechtewitz – Wengelsdorf – Bad Dürrenberg – Kröllwitz – Leuna – Trebnitz – Merseburg – Meuschau – Freiimfelde – Schkopau – Korbetha – Hohenweiden – Rockendorf – Holleben – Halle – Kröllwitz – Lettin – Brachwitz – Schiepzig – Salzmünde – Pfützthal – Döblitz – Zaschwitz – Wettin – Kloschwitz – Rumpin – Dobis – Friedeburg – Zickeritz – Rothenburg – Nelben – Gnölbzig – Trebnitz – Alsleben – Poplitz – Großwirschleben – Plötzkau – Gröna – Neuborna – Bernburg – Dröbel – Nienburg – Wedlitz – Damaschkeplan – Wispitz – Calbe (Saale) – Trabitz – Groß Rosenburg – Werkleitz

title: Saale


text:
Third-rate

In the rating system of the Royal Navy, a third rate was a ship of the line which from the 1720s mounted between 64 and 80 guns, typically built with two gun decks (thus the related term two-decker). Years of experience proved that the third rate ships embodied the best compromise between sailing ability (speed, handling), firepower, and cost. So, while first-rates and second-rates were both larger and more powerful, third-rate ships were the optimal configuration.

Rating
When the rating system was first established in the 1620s, the third rate was defined as those ships having at least 200 but not more than 300 men; previous to this, the type had been classified as "middling ships". By the 1660s, the means of classification had shifted from the number of men to the number of carriage-mounted guns, and third rates at that time mounted between 48 and 60 guns. By the turn of the century, the criterion boundaries had increased and third rate carried more than 60 guns, with second rates having between 90 and 98 guns, while first rates had 100 guns or more, and fourth rates between 48 and 60 guns. By the latter half of the 18th century, they carried between 500 and 720 men.

This designation became especially common because it included the seventy-four gun ship, which eventually came to be the most popular size of large ship for navies of several different nations. It was an easier ship to handle than a first- or second-rate ship, but still possessed enough firepower to potentially destroy any single opponent other than a three-decker. It was also cheaper to operate.

By the end of the 18th century, ships of the line were usually categorized directly by their number of guns, the numbers even being used as the name of the class, as in "a squadron of three 74s", but officially the rating system continued until the end of the Age of Sail, only undergoing a modification in 1817.

Note that the use of terms like "third-rate" in literature can lead to confusion: The French Navy had a different system of five rates or rangs, but some British authors use the Royal Navy's rating of "third rate" when speaking of a French 74.

title: Third-rate


text:
Taupō

Taupō, sometimes written Taupo, is a town located in the central North Island of New Zealand. It is situated on the edge of Lake Taupō, which is the largest freshwater lake in New Zealand. Taupō was constituted as a borough in 1953. It has been the seat of Taupō District Council since the council was formed in 1989.

Taupō is the largest urban area of the Taupō District, and the second-largest urban area in the Waikato region, behind Hamilton. It has a population of approximately Taupō is known for its natural beauty, with the surrounding area offering a range of outdoor recreational activities such as hiking, fishing, skiing, and water sports. Visitors can also enjoy a variety of attractions, including the Wairakei Power Station, Huka Falls, and the Tongariro National Park.

Naming
The name Taupō is from the Māori language and is a shortened version of Taupō-nui-a-Tia. The longer name was first given to the cliff at Pākā Bay, on the eastern shore of the lake, and means the "great cloak of Tia". It was named for Tia, the Māori explorer who discovered the lake. Māori later applied the name to the lake itself. In 2019 the official name of the town was changed from Taupo to Taupō.

Although the English pronunciation "tow-po" (, NZE ) is widespread, it is often regarded as incorrect, and the Māori pronunciation, "toe-paw" (, NZE ) is generally preferred in formal use.

History
In 1868, an armed constabulary post was established in Taupō in order to strengthen communication lines in the central North Island. Hot water pools around Taupō began to attract tourists to Taupō in the late 1870s and early 1880s and hotels were developed to take advantage of this. In the 1890s, rainbow trout were introduced to Lake Taupō and Taupō became a popular town to stay and fish.

A road board was established in 1922 and it was made a borough in 1953. Taupō grew quickly due to the development of the Wairakei geothermal power station, expansion of the timber industry, and farm development between 1949 and 1953. The population of Taupō was 1,358 in 1951, later increasing to 2,849 people in 1956 and 5,251 people in 1961.

Geographical features
Taupō is located on the northeastern shore of Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest lake, which is itself in the caldera of the Taupō Volcano. The Waikato River drains the lake and runs through the town, separating the CBD and the northern suburbs. The river flows over the spectacular Huka Falls, a short distance north of the town, Taupō is a centre of volcanic and geothermal activity, and hot springs suitable for bathing are located at several places in the vicinity. The volcanic Mount Tauhara lies six kilometres (4 mi) to the east.

Somewhat to the northeast are significant hot springs. These springs contain extremophile micro-organisms that live in extremely hot environments.

The small but growing satellite town of Kinloch, where there is a golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus, is 20 kilometres west along the lake.

Suburbs
Taupō suburbs include:

 * Wharewaka – has a popular swimming spot for locals and a growing new subdivision along with a large retirement village.
 * Nukuhau – lies north of the Waikato River. To the south-west lies Acacia Bay and to the south lies Taupō town centre.
 * Richmond Heights – lies to the east of Rainbow Point and south of Mountain View. It is home to the Richmond Heights shopping centre.
 * Waipahihi – lies to the north of Richmond Heights. It is home to the Waipahihi Primary School, and the Waipahihi Botanical Gardens.
 * Mount View – lies north of the Taupō CBD
 * Acacia Bay – lies west of Tapuaeharuru Bay
 * Rainbow Point – lies north of Wharewaka and west of Richmond Heights. To the west lies Lake Taupō.
 * Tauhara – lies just north of Hilltop and east of Mount View. Mount Tauhara lies just east of Tauhara. Tauhara is the location of Tauhara primary school, Tauhara College and Tauhara Golf course.
 * Hilltop – lies south of Tauhara. Hilltop is the location of Hilltop School, Taupo Intermediate School, Taupo Hospital, Taharepa shopping centre and Hilltop shopping centre.
 * Taupō CBD
 * Outer suburbs
 * Five Mile Bay – is located on the east side of Lake Taupō, south of Wharewaka and north of Waitahanui on State Highway 1 just west of Taupō Airport. It is a popular swimming/water skiing beach that is very busy in summer. Five Mile Bay is one of three similar named bays along the lake shoreline, the others being Two Mile Bay and Three Mile Bay.
 * Wairakei – is a small settlement, and geothermal area 8-kilometres north of Taupō.
 * Waitahanui – is a village on the eastern shore of Lake Taupō.

Climate
Taupō has an oceanic climate (Cfb). The town is located inland, which results in the accumulation of dry air causing severe frost during winter. However snowfall in Taupō is rare. The summer climate in Taupō is mild with maximum average temperature reaching 23 degrees and a minimum average temperature of 10 degrees.

Demographics
Taupō is defined by Statistics New Zealand as a medium urban area and covers 42.05 km2, which stretches from Acacia Bay in the west to Centennial Park in the east and to Taupō Airport in the south. The Taupō urban area had an estimated population of as of  with a population density of  people per km2. It is the 26th-largest urban area in New Zealand, and the second-largest in the Waikato Region behind Hamilton.

Before the 2023 census, the town had a larger boundary, covering 42.94 km2. Using that boundary, the Taupō urban area had a population of 23,631 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 2,508 people (11.9%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 2,937 people (14.2%) since the 2006 census. There were 9,000 households, comprising 11,520 males and 12,096 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.95 males per female, with 4,740 people (20.1%) aged under 15 years, 3,849 (16.3%) aged 15 to 29, 10,164 (43.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 4,875 (20.6%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 79.8% European/Pākehā, 24.5% Māori, 3.3% Pacific peoples, 5.7% Asian, and 2.0% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 18.5, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 51.7% had no religion, 34.9% were Christian, 2.7% had Māori religious beliefs, 1.1% were Hindu, 0.2% were Muslim, 0.6% were Buddhist and 1.9% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 2,991 (15.8%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 3,510 (18.6%) people had no formal qualifications. 2,835 people (15.0%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 9,246 (48.9%) people were employed full-time, 3,003 (15.9%) were part-time, and 507 (2.7%) were unemployed.

Economy
Taupō is a tourist centre, particularly in the summer, as it offers panoramic views over the lake and to the volcanic mountains of Tongariro National Park to the south. It offers a number of tourist activities including sky diving, jetboating, parasailing, and bungy jumping.

Taupō services a number of surrounding plantation pine forests including the large Kaingaroa Forest and related industry. A large sawmill is sited approximated 3 km to the north east of the town on Centennial Drive.

Taupō is surrounded by seven geothermal power stations including the historic Wairakei geothermal power station a few kilometres north of the town.

Taupō has a McDonald's with a decommissioned Douglas DC-3 attached to the store. The fast food outlet has seating inside the plane's structure.

Governance
The Taupō district council provides local government services for Taupō. Taupō is part of the Taupō electorate and the current member of parliament (as of 2023) is Louise Upston.

Museum
The Taupō museum is located in the centre of the town on Story Place. It has displays including about the Ngāti Tūwharetoa, a Wharenui (Māori Meeting House) which was carved locally between 1927 and 1928, a moa skeleton and a caravan filled with local memorabilia from the late 1950s and early 1960s. There are also displays about volcanos and art galleries.

Sports and recreation
Regular sporting events in Taupō include Ironman New Zealand, the Lake Taupō Cycle Challenge and the Great Lake Relay (established in 1995). The Lake Taupō Cycle Challenge has about 5,000 riders. The Oxfam Trailwalker has been held in Taupō several times. In 2006 Taupō was also the location of the off-road motorcycle event FIM International Six Day Enduro.

Mountain biking
The International Mountain Bicycling Association has designated the mountain biking trails at Bike Taupō as a silver-level IMBA Ride Center. Ride Centers are the IMBA's strongest endorsement of a trail experience.

Golf
Taupō is home to the Taupo Golf Club which has two courses: the Tauhara golf course and the Centennial course. Other golf courses located near Taupō include the Kinloch Club Golf Course and the Reporoa Golf Club.

Motorsports
Taupō is home to the Taupo International Motorsport Park. It has a full international-standard racing circuit.

Swimming pool
The AC Baths is a swimming pool complex located at 26 AC Baths Avenue. Facilities include two 25-metre lane pools, an outdoor leisure pool with two toddler areas, a sauna, two hydroslides and four private thermal mineral pools.

Education
Taupō has four high schools: Tauhara College, Taupo-nui-a-Tia College, Māori immersion Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Whakarewa i Te Reo ki Tuwharetoa and state integrated Lake Taupo Christian School. It also has Wairakei, St Patrick's, Waipahihi, Hilltop, Mount View, Taupō and Tauhara primary schools, and Taupo Intermediate School.

Transport
Taupō is served by State Highway 1 and State Highway 5, and is on the Thermal Explorer Highway touring route. All three highways run concurrently along the Eastern Taupō Arterial, which was built in 2010.

Taupō is one of the few large towns in New Zealand that have never had a link to the national rail network, although there have been proposals in the past.

Taupō Airport is located south of the township. Scheduled services to Auckland and Wellington operate from the airport.

Utilities
Taupō first received a public electricity supply in 1952, with the commissioning of the Hinemaiaia A hydroelectric power station south of the town. The town was connected to the national grid in 1958, coinciding with the commissioning of Wairakei geothermal power station north of the town. Today, Unison Networks owns and operates the electricity distribution network in Taupō.

Natural gas arrived in Taupō in 1987. First Gas operates the gas distribution network in the town.

Taupō's fresh water supply is drawn from Lake Taupō. Prior to 2013, there were two separate fresh water systems serving the town: the Lake Terrace system serving the town north of Napier Road, and the Rainbow Point system serving the southern suburbs. In 2013, the Lake Terrace treatment plant was upgraded and the two systems were amalgamated. Acacia Bay has its own dedicated fresh water system.

Media
The local newspaper Taupō Times is owned by Stuff. Digitisation of the Taupō Times from 1952 was undertaken in a partnership between The Preserving Local History and Educational Trust and Taupō Museum and Art Gallery.

Notable people

 * Patrick Bevin (born 1991), road racing cyclist
 * Bevan Docherty (born 1977), Olympic triathlete
 * Tumu Te Heuheu Tūkino VIII, Māori Paramount Chief
 * James Tito actor and musician
 * Nicole van der Kaay (born 1996) Olympic triathlete
 * Louisa Wall (born 1972), member of parliament and former national representative netball and rugby union player
 * Hayden Wilde (born 1997), Olympic triathlete

Twin cities
Taupō is twinned with:

 * Hakone, Japan
 * Kulim, Malaysia
 * Nouméa, New Caledonia
 * Suzhou, China
 * Xi'an, China

title: Taupō