Saturday, September 09, 2006

Contextualization in the New Testament

In Contextualization in the New Testament Dean Flemming offers a well-ordered and thoughtful study of the methods New Testament authors used to communicate the gospel in varying contexts and cultures. Flemming attempts to isolate the non-negotiable elements of the message of the gospel from the negotiable elements of cultures, which are necessary mediums for any real communication to take place. A happy by-product of his study is that he provides a framework for integrating disparate elements of the biblical witness that have puzzled careful readers (especially in the Enlightenment). In the end, Flemming shows that "the New Testament writings …model for us a process of doing theology in context, of engaging their cultures and offering their audiences a fresh and fitting articulation of the good news. (296)"

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