Dean Flemming – författare

Is our gospel witness too small? Should the gospel be proclaimed in words only? Or should we preach the gospel in deeds-and when necessary use words? Or are we missing something in playing the witness of words against deeds? If you are concerned about evangelizing the post-Christian West or the world beyond, you have probably debated this issue. And evangelical instincts drive us to Scripture. In Recovering the Full Mission of God, Dean Flemming joins biblical scholarship with missionary experience as he surveys the Old Testament and then looks closely at the New Testament and the early church. Flemming shows how the three strands of telling, doing and being relate in the mission of God and his people.Here is a book in touch with the missional realities of our time and grounded in the missional vision of biblical revelation. It gives us a clear vision of the rich and multifaceted nature of "gospeling" the kingdom of God.

Recent years have seen heightened interest in how to read scripturefrom a missional perspective. This book addresses that question byexploring both how the New Testament bears witness to the mission of Godand how it energizes the church to participate in that mission. It alsomakes a distinctive contribution by applying a missional reading to avariety of New Testament books, offering insights into New Testamenttheology and serving today’s discussions about mission and the church.“Dean Flemming has written a game-changing book on the interpretationof scripture for the mission of the church. This relatively slim butrich volume is absolutely mandatory reading for all serious students ofthe New Testament and for all who wish to understand the church''sparticipation in the mission of God. It should be on the syllabus ofevery ecclesially focused course on the New Testament and everybiblically attuned course in ecclesiology and in missiology.” —Michael J. Gorman, Raymond E. Brown Professor of Biblical Studies and Theology, St. Mary''s Seminary and University, Baltimore, MD“I am always grateful when another book by Dean Flemming appears. Hiswriting arises out of his significant cross-cultural experience, hisoutstanding scholarship, and his careful listening to the Spirit in thetext. This book is written clearly and is full of nourishing insight.” —Michael W. Goheen, Professor of Missiology, CalvinTheological Seminary, Grand Rapids, MI; former Geneva Chair of WorldviewStudies, Trinity Western University, Langley, BC; and Teaching Fellowin Mission Studies, Regent College, Vancouver, BC “‘Why mission?’ is a critical question, one not asked or understoodoften enough. Here is a stirring reading of the New Testament thatdemonstrates a living triune God on mission, bringing redemption to theworld through a living apostolic church. So much rich theologicalinterpretation packed into a small book!” —Nijay K. Gupta, assistant professor of New Testament, George Fox Evangelical Seminary, Portland, OR“Since writing The Mission of God, I have felt guilty thatit paid so much more attention to a missional reading of the Old than ofthe New Testament. This fine book relieves me of that guilt. This is anoutstandingly clear and faithful exposition of what it means to readthe New Testament from the perspective of, and with the intention ofparticipating in, the mission of God as revealed in the whole Bible.” —Christopher J. H. Wright, International Ministries Director, Langham Partnership

For many Christians, the book of Revelation inspires confusion and fear. It's seen as a coded screenplay for the end times, or it's just too strange to understand. The problem, Dean Flemming contends, is that when we read Revelation as focused on the future, we miss what it says about what God is doing in the world now.

Revelation is one of the richest texts in Scripture for understanding both God's mission to make everything new and how the church is caught up in that mission. In Foretaste of the Future, Flemming mines this largely untapped resource by introducing a missional reading of Revelation. Drawing from a variety of cultural perspectives, Flemming explores Revelation's original context, key themes, and transformational message that rings out for each new generation.

By reading Revelation in light of God's mission, we gain a renewed vision of God's great purpose to redeem and restore all creation through the work of the slain Lamb. We also see how God's people are called to help offer a foretaste of salvation and healing now, along with insight on how to contextualize this mission in particular settings. A missional reading not only invites us to imagine the future; it teaches us to let the future cast its light into the present to guide our way.