WinnerofaChristianityTodayBookAwardHonoredasoneofthe“FifteenOutstandingBooksforMissionStudies“byInternationalBulletinofMissionaryResearchFromCairotoCalcutta,fromCochabambatoColumbus,Christiansareengagedinaconversationabouthowtospeakandlivethegospelintoday’straditional,modernandemergentcultures.Thetechnicaltermfortheireffortsiscontextualization.Missionarytheoristshaveponderedandwrittenonitatlength.Moreandmore,thosewhodotheologyintheWestarealsotryingtodiscovernewwaysofcommunicatingandembodyingthegospelforanemergingpostmodernculture.Butfewhaveconsideredindepthhowtheearlychurchcontextualizedthegospel.AndyettheNewTestamentprovidesnumerousexamples.AsbothacrossculturalmissionaryandaNewTestamentscholar,DeanFlemmingiswellequippedtoexaminehowtheearlychurchcontextualizedthegospelandtodrawoutlessonsfortoday.BycarefullysiftingtheNewTestamentevidence,FlemminguncoversthepatternsandparametersofaPaulorMarkorJohnastheyspoketheWordontarget,andhebringsthesetobearonourcontemporarymissiologicaltask.Richininsightsandconversantwithfrontlinethinking,thisisabookthatwillrevitalizetheconversationandrefreshourspeakingandlivingthegospelintoday’scultures,whetherintraditional,modernoremergentcontexts.
