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Contextualization in the New Testament: Patterns for Theology and Mission, by Dean Flemming
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Winner of a 2006 Christianity Today Book Award! Honored as one of the "Fifteen Outstanding Books of 2005 for Mission Studies" by International Bulletin of Missionary Research From Cairo to Calcutta, from Cochabamba to Columbus, Christians are engaged in a conversation about how to speak and live the gospel in today's traditional, modern and emergent cultures. 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.
- Sales Rank: #639576 in Books
- Brand: InterVarsity Press
- Published on: 2005-11-12
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.00" h x .70" w x 6.00" l, 1.15 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 344 pages
Review
Active mission practitioners, missiologists, and theologians will benefit from and enjoy this excellent volume. (Bruce Campbell Moyer, Seminary Studies, Autumn 2009)
. . . a fresh, timely and much needed resource. . . . a must-read for those who desire to reach persons--in their own contexts--with the gospel. (Michael Halcomb for Stone Campbell Journal, Fall 2007)
Flemming has provided an excellent resource which will prove useful to both those preparing to work in other cultures and those engaged in gospel work in today's "postmodern" and increasingly globalized societies. (Douglas N. Campbell, Dumisani Theological Institute, South Africa, Themelios 32/3)
"Contextualization in the New Testament is a welcome addition to New Testament and missiological scholarship for several reasons. First, Dr. Flemming has brought current New Testament scholarship into an effective dialogue with missiological and cultural specialists. Second, in a balanced way he has rightly taken contextualization as a New Testament missional concept for Paul and his first-century colleagues beyond the neutral sense of communication of the gospel into the realm of proclamation as an intentional engagement with cultural and political discourses. Third, this move promises some very fruitful rethinking of what, in the context of conflicting cultural and religious 'stories,' doing mission meant then and indeed what it should mean now. Finally, Dr. Flemming's lucid style allows easy access to a profound discussion that will impact our understanding of the church's gospel task both ancient and present." (Philip H. Towner, Director of Translation Services, United Bible Societies)
"The past generation of biblical scholarship has served us well in providing an abundance of volumes rooting the source of the theological convictions of the various New Testament writers in the Old Testament and Second Temple Judaism. In the process, however, many have neglected to grapple with how the New Testament writers shaped their messages in a sensitive and relevant way to their specific cultural contexts. Dean Flemming has taken up this question and has produced an exceedingly helpful and convincing volume. This book is a must read for anyone who teaches the Bible." (Clinton E. Arnold, Chairman, Department of New Testament, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University)
"This is the mature work of a careful and caring teacher who has worked in the Philippines as well as in Europe and is well-qualified to handle the questions of how to set the Bible free to speak to different audiences and how we can follow the example of the first missionaries in the settings in which we find ourselves. This is a fine example of biblical scholarship serving the church in its task of holding fast to the apostolic gospel while presenting it in a sensitive, contextualized manner to our contemporaries." (I. Howard Marshall, Honorary Research Professor of New Testament, University of Aberdeen)
"An outstanding and needed book in which Flemming wrestles with New Testament contextualization from the position of deep engagement with New Testament scholarship. He brings to the table the right instinct for missiological issues together with the depth of New Testament study that missiologists are often lacking. This is a must read!" (Scott Moreau, Editor, Evangelical Missions Quarterly, Chair, Intercultural Studies, Wheaton College, and Managing Editor, Network for Strategic Missions KnowledgeBase)
From the Publisher
Features & Benefits
* Helps us speak and live the gospel in today's varied cultural settings
* Examines how the early church contextualized the gospel
* In-depth study
* First book of its kind
* Applies contemporary New Testament scholarship to a contemporary missiological task
About the Author
Dean Flemming (Ph.D., University of Aberdeen) is professor of New Testament and missions at MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, Kansas. A missionary educator for more than twenty years, he formerly taught at Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary in the Philippines and European Nazarene College in Buesingen, Germany. He has written extensively on the subject of contextualization, as well as the New Beacon Bible Commentary on Philippians. He is an ordained minister in the Church of the Nazarene and has pastored churches in Ohio and Japan.
Most helpful customer reviews
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful.
A Valuable Contribution to the Missional conversation
By Rhys McFadden
SUMMARY
Flemming (2005, 19) asserts that contextualisation is a hermeneutical, theological, cultural and missiological quest, arguing that there is no consensus as to whether the Gospel or the Cultural context should play the lead role in the shaping of the contextualization process. He draws on a breadth of biblical, historical, geographical, socio/political and cultural, narrative, literary and grammatical disciplines to establish his thesis that "the New Testament informs and mentors a contextual application of the Gospel" according to the following outline:
Chapter one identifies patterns of incarnating the gospel overviewing the book of Acts to establish precedents for how the gospel addresses new situations and cultural groups in fresh ways.
Chapter two reviews Paul's missionary sermons as exemplars of evangelistic contextualisation in a variety of settings.
Chapters three through seven interact as a conversation with Paul to identify:
* his non-negotiables (chapter three),
* the role of culture in informing the gospel (chapter four),
* his role as interpreter (chapter five).
Case studies follow in Chapters six and seven demonstrating Paul's contextual theology:
* How the gospel reshapes Corinthian lifestyles and basic world view assumptions (Chapter six)
* How Paul addresses the issue of religious pluralism and syncretism in Colossians (Chapter seven)
Chapter eight identifies the gospels as four telling's of the stories of Jesus for different target audiences. Flemming includes a theoretical discussion on how the missionaries and theologians of the New Testament contextualize the gospel for their own worlds.
Chapter nine concludes New Testament reflections. Here Flemming considers John's apocalypse as a theological response to churches living in a world dominated by the oppressive power and Idolatry of Rome.
In each case Flemming attempts to articulate a context-sensitive theology.
The final chapter reflects on patterns of contextualization identified in the New Testament to assist the churches incarnational engagement in a postmodern, global and pluralistic world.
THE AUTHORS INTENT
Flemming writes to establish authentic contextualisation looking through the lens of the New Testament (2005, 14). He seeks to bridge the gap between the normal interests of biblical study with missional contextual application (2005, 23).
Rather than engaging a conversation drawn from the field of linguistics, anthropology, cross cultural communication studies or contextual theology, Flemming probes Scripture to offer a more adequate approach to reappropriating the Gospel. He asks of the Scripture that it interpret the Gospel and mentor development of context-sensitive theologies for various settings.
CRITICAL EVALUATION OF THE MAIN THESIS
Flemming offers strong, consistent biblical arguments to establish his thesis. The New Testament is more than capable of interpreting itself. Flemming brings forward principles of contextual theology in ways strategies dismissive of socio/politico/cultural considerations miss.
Whilst he develops excellent theory from the New Testament, an inconsistency between theory and practice exists concerning the theory of cultural confrontation (2005, 139) and the practice of transformational engagement (2005,149). This is key to the application of the principles Flemming articulates.
Stating that creation and culture are "not simply neutral conduits for the gospel" Flemming (2005, 139) asserts, "The world (kosmos) in which culture operates is enemy-occupied territory". His attendant theological construct effectively demonises creation and culture and this is disappointing.
The Serpent's seduction of Adam and Eve and their subsequent disregard of God (Gen 3:1-7) introduce decay into creation (Gen 3:14-19). However, the bible's resounding anthem is that "The glory of God covers the whole earth as waters cover the seas" (Ps 19:1; 29:3; Ps 139:7-10) revealing an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God who affirms the sacredness of creation and culture (Gen 1:10,12,18,21,25,31). Genesis 3 states nothing to repudiate all that God declares good! Mission is about reminding Creation and culture (including people) of the presence of God's ultimate reign (Isa 52:7).
Creation groans for God's sons tasked with establishing His Kingdom to be revealed (Matt 28:19-20; Rom 8:19; 1 Cor 8:19). If Creation and all cultures were totally depraved, this would not be so. Sin shrinks from God (Gen 3:8), it doesn't yearn "with eager expectation" for God or anything godly.
Jesus incarnationally engages Creation and her cultures to call God's Kingdom forward (Mk 1:14; John 1:14). God convinced Peter that culture was clean (Acts 11:5-9). Paul readily engaged Athenian culture as a conduit to articulate God's Kingdom (Acts 17:28). Jesus sends the church to the world to awaken it to God's reign (Matt 28:19-20).
To say that creation and culture is anything other than a neutral conduit for the gospel is to represent a theological bias of total depravity. This is problematic in that it reinforces and validates violent, confrontational, adversarial missional paradigms rather than assisting the cultivation of a loving, merciful, compassionate and just incarnational approach to mission.
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
a. Strengths
A major strength of Flemming's approach is that he identifies the dynamic and comprehensive process by which the gospel is incarnated within a historico/socio/politico/cultural/grammatico context, rather than a dualistic historico/grammatico context. Herein the gospel comes to an authentic expression in a local context in such a way as to redeem and transform that context. As Flemming states (2005, 19) "Contextualisation seeks to enable the people of God to live out the gospel in obedience to Christ within their own cultures and circumstances."
b. Weaknesses
Flemming himself is an academic whose mission experience is lecturing and teaching pastors in international settings (2005, 13). He has little to no `grass roots' mission experience. So whilst his theoretical findings are mostly meritorious, the praxis aspects of his writing require development.
The impatient, careless or na�ve who lack biblical/theological depth utilising Flemming's approach risk a political reading of the text. Consequently, the meaning derived may diverge from the meaning intended. Flemming (2005,14) speaks to the fear of watering down the gospel, but as with any fresh approach, some will consider his contextual practices with suspicion, concerned it will compromise biblical truth.
CONCLUSION
Contextualization as described and defined by Flemming means there are many more shades of grey theologically than many Christians are comfortable living with. However, as Flemming states, "The gospel cannot exist apart from a concrete historical and cultural home" (2005, 31). It is much simpler and easier to retreat into a literal fundamentalism and pietistic approach to scripture and faith. This means Christians do not have to live `on the edge'. Despite the shortcomings identified, this is one of the better texts I have read to assist the appropriation of the Gospel in today's postmodern, post Christian world.
11 of 14 people found the following review helpful.
Biblical Insight for a Complex Challenge
By Dr. David Frisbie
As the emergent village dialogs to frame new paradigms, more orthodox churches and movements struggle to maintain their theological integrity while contextualizing their message.
Dean Flemming, with teaching experience in southeast Asia and western Europe, contributes usefully to this discussion. Flemming, whose orientation is Wesleyan-Arminian, provides a careful and thorough study of the contextual ministry of New Testament authors, whom Flemming contends were highly aware of the cultural settings they addressed, framing their messages accordingly.
Moving with an articulate grace through many Pauline passages, Flemming devotes the core of his book to Paul's efforts to contextualize both the transitional and cultural aspects of Christ's life --- e.g. his Jewish birth and heritage --- as well as the universal and transcultural realities of Christ's atoning death and subsequent resurrection. Flemming proposes that, among its other relevant characteristics, authentic contextualization is compellingly incarnational.
Rich in theological and Biblical insight, this volume approaches an essentially missiological task from the broader framework of cross-cultural apologetics, informed by a scholar's passion for first-century Christian thought and experience. Greatly useful for those doing missiology today, this volume is also a first-rank contemporary study of key New Testament issues.
(--- Together with wife Lisa, Dr. David Frisbie is co-Executive Director of The Center for Marriage and Family Studies in Del Mar, California. He is the author of four books and numerous articles on marriage and family life.)
9 of 14 people found the following review helpful.
Important Contribution for Contextualization
By J. D. Wilson
In this book, Flemming not only provides insight into issues of contextualization and expositions of the contextualization methodology of the NT writers; he has also given us a handbook to help in reading the NT reflectively with regard to re-contextualization of the NT for historically Christian cultures, as well as to assist others in contextualization of the gospel in their cultures.
The reader will realize that the NT provides us with a rich compendium of case studies in theological contextualization in a variety of cross- and inter-cultural contexts, in each of which a particular worldview (with its beliefs, values, ethics and consequent behavior) is challenged, and where an alternative, biblical and gospel-centered worldview (with its own beliefs, values, ethics and consequent behavior) is presented in a variety of possible ways. There is no "one size fits all" approach. Each context is treated with sensitivity to the specific issues faced. What is crucial in this process is firstly a clear grasp of the bible narrative and its theology of redemption, and secondly, a sensitive but critical understanding of the culture with the ability to apprehend and build on the common ground, while at the same time, to challenge what does not align with the Bible's theological perspective.
This is a wonderful contribution to the literature on contextualization. In my experience, missionaries do not appreciate the resource they have in Scripture for contextualization, or that good contextualization starts with good exegesis. Flemming's book is a great guide and rich resource. He has done a lot of spade work in grappling with a number of significant texts, and shown that the NT writers were already doing contextualization and how they did it!
I am the Asia Training Coordinator in an international mission agency and am recommending this to my colleagues.
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