Contextualization in the New Testament Patterns for Theology And Mission

How can the gospel authentically come to life in widely differing cultural settings? This is a question gospel communicators and theologians have asked in Cairo, Calcutta, Cochabamba and now even Chicago. The technical term for their efforts is contextualization. Missionary theorists have pondered and written on it at length. More and more, those who do theology in the West are also trying to discover new ways of communicating and embodying the gospel for an emerging postmodern culture. But few have considered in depth how the early church contextualized the gospel. And yet the New Testament provides numerous examples.As both a crosscultural missionary and a New Testament scholar, Dean Flemming is well equipped to examine how the early church contextualized the gospel and to draw out lessons for today. By carefully sifting the New Testament evidence, Flemming uncovers the patterns and parameters of a Paul or Mark or John as they spoke the Word on target, and he brings these to bear on our contemporary missiological task.Rich in insights and conversant with frontline thinking, this is a book that will revitalize the conversation and refresh our speaking and living the gospel in today's cultures, whether in traditional, modern or emergent contexts.Flemming, Dean E. is the author of 'Contextualization in the New Testament Patterns for Theology And Mission', published 2005 under ISBN 9780830828319 and ISBN 0830828311.