Dispensations

Dispensation is a term that denotes a formal exemption or relaxation of a rule granted by an authority. It can also refer to the act of distributing or supplying goods, such as medicines, or to a period or arrangement in which certain commitments are suspended or altered. The word is used in secular, legal, and religious contexts, and its precise meaning depends on the governing body and the field involved.

In Christian theology, dispensationalism presents history as a sequence of dispensations—distinct eras in which God interacts with humanity in different ways. Proponents typically describe a series of seven or more periods, such as Innocence, Conscience, Human Government, Promise, Law, Grace, and the Millennium. Each dispensation is associated with a particular test, revelation, and responsibility for humans and their response.

In secular and legal settings, dispensation refers to exemptions from rules or obligations granted by authorities. Examples include tax dispensations, planning- or building-code waivers, and religious or moral exemptions. Dispensations may also be used within organizations to allow deviations from standard procedures for specific cases, provided the authority issuing the dispensation documents the justification.

In medicine, a dispensation is the act of dispensing medicines or the supply of prescribed drugs to patients, typically by a pharmacist. The term can also appear in broader pharmaceutical contexts to describe authorized distributions or allowances that differ from standard protocols.