Published Work - Author of Transformative Christian Books

Foretaste of the Future: Reading Revelation in Light of God’s Mission.

For many Christians, the Book of Revelation inspires confusion and fear. In this thematic approach to Revelation, I read the Apocalypse, not as a play-by-play script for the future, but as a call for God's people to live as a foretaste of God's future here and now. I'm convinced that Revelation is one of the richest texts in the Bible for understanding both God's mission to make everything new and how the church is caught up in that mission. I explore not only Revelation's message for its first audience but also how John's Apocalypse continues to shape and transform Christian communities today. I’ve included many visual images and study questions, with the hope the book will prove useful to local church study groups, as well as academic classrooms.

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Contextualization in the New Testament: Patterns for Theology and Mission

From Manila to Minneapolis, Christians are engaged to a conversation about how to speak and live the gospel in ways that make sense to people in a given context without watering down the gospel itself. This book contributes to that conversation by exploring the precendents for contextualization in the New Testament itself. Discovering how Luke, Paul, or John enabled the gospel to speak in context-sensitive ways can offer patterns for the church in mission today, whatever our culture or setting.

Winner of a Christianity Today book award

Named one of “Fifteen Outstanding Books for Missions Studies” by International Bulletin of Missionary Research

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Self-Giving Love: The Book of Philippians

As part of Lexham’s Transformative Word series, this book is a concise travel guide to Philippians. It is designed to introduce the letter’s key themes, especially through the lens of the V-shaped story of Jesus’ costly, self-giving love (Phil 2:6-11). I pray that God might use it as a resource for God’s people in their personal or small group Bible study, Sunday School teaching, or preaching from this joyful gem of a letter.

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Recovering the Full Mission of God: A Biblical Perspective on Being, Doing and Telling

In this book, I explore the relationship between being, doing and telling in Christian mission. Too often we try to divide the mission of God's people into categories like words and deeds, evangelism and social witness. By surveying the Old Testament and looking closely at the New Testament, I argue that the church’s mission is anchored in the multi-dimensional mission of God. Scripture seamlessly connects the church’s words, deeds and missional identity. Understanding this biblical perspective, I believe, can help to shape and rebalance the church’s participation in the mission of God.

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Philippians: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition –New Beacon Bible Commentary

This is a theological reading of Paul's Letter to the Philippians, which highlights its missional message. For each passage, I look Behind the Text for background and literary structure; In the Text for a verse-by-verse explanation of its meaning; and From the Text for its theology and application today.

The book was honored to receive a 2012 Smith/Wynkoop Book Award from the Wesleyan Theological Society.

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Why Mission?

What does it mean to read the New Testament from a missional perspective? In Why Mission?, I try to address that question by exploring how different NT books bear witness to the mission of God and how they energize the church to faithfully participate in that mission. I hope to show that reading the NT missionally can shape what it means to be the church in mission today.

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Reader Testimonials

"The book is characterized by what we have come to expect from Flemming—careful scholarship that yields rich, contemporary pastoral and missional insight..." Foretaste of the Future

Michael Goheen

Professor of Missional Theology, Director of Theological Education, Missional Training Center, Phoenix, AZ

"Flemming approaches this theology of Revelation with clarity, humility, wisdom, and hope. If you have ever put Revelation at a distance because of its oddness, Flemming just might turn this into one of your favorite biblical books after all.” Foretaste of the Future

Nijay Gupta

Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary

"Flemming's writing is clear and compelling. His insights are deeply theological and immensely practical..." Foretaste of the Future

Jeannine Brown

Professor of New Testament at Bethel Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota

"Pastors, missions pastors and committees, mission boards and executives--please read this book! Preach through it. Work through it with your people. It will revitalize and rebalance your understanding and practice of mission." Recovering the Full Mission of God

Christopher J. H. Wright

Langham Partnership, author of The Mission of God

Dean Flemming

Contact Dean

Books

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Reader Testimonials

Michael Goheen

Nijay Gupta

Jeannine Brown

Christopher J. H. Wright