Dispensation vs Dispensationalism? I'm trying to understand the difference between these two terms.  Are they the same, or are they different? (see definitions below) The Easton Bible dictionary appears to define "dispensation" as an "age" of sorts, whereas the IVP pocket dictionary appears to conflate "dispensationalism"  with some eschatological beliefs. Are they two separate things, would it be true that you could use the word "dispensation" and not have people assume your talking about "dispensationalism"

So are they different words, is my summarised understanding above correct?

Dispensation (Easton)


  (Gr. oikonomia, “management,” “economy”).
  The method or scheme according to which God carries out his purposes towards men is called a dispensation. There are usually reckoned three dispensations, the Patriarchal, the Mosaic or Jewish, and the Christian. (See COVENANT, Administration of.) These were so many stages in God’s unfolding of his purpose of grace toward men. The word is not found with this meaning in Scripture.


dispensationalism (IVP pocket dictionary)


  A system of theology popularized mainly in twentieth-century North America, especially through the influence of the Scofield Reference Bible. The dispensationalism delineated by Scofield suggested that God works with humans in distinct ways (dispensations) through history; that God has a [Theological Terms, p. 40] distinct plan for Israel over against the church; that the Bible, especially predictive prophecy, needs to be interpreted literally; that the church will be secretly raptured from earth seven years prior to Christ’s second coming; and that Christ will rule with Israel during a literal thousand-year earthly reign. Contemporary, or progressive, dispensationalism remains thoroughly premillennial but rejects the ontological distinction between Israel and the church as two peoples of God, seeing them instead as two salvation-historical embodiments of a single people. (Pocket dictionary)
Dispensationalism is a framework based on dispensations, just as Covenant Theology is a framework based on covenants. But both dispensations and covenants can be considered in their own right, and both can be discussed by people who don't accept the frameworks based on them.