Contextualization is a popular word in missiology (though neither word is very popular with my spell checker).  This is rightly so.  Contextualization in the context of missiology is the process of taking the gospel message from the context of the Hebrew and first century New Testament world and relaying it in terms that is understandable to present day cultures, especially as it relates to cultures foreign to our own.

Now how does this relate to the terms Allah ( الله‎ ) and Elohim (אֱלהִים)? Read the rest of this entry »

For myself and everyone else who might have got an Amazon Kindle for Christmas, here is the KJV formated for the Kindle. There is a table of contents to jump to each book and a table for the chapters at the beginning of each book. I hope you find this useful.  Here is the link to download the Bible.  Bible KJV.prc Just place it in your Documents folder on your Kindle.

Adam awakened to life with a powerful innate sense of his Creator near. He takes a deep breath of gratitude for the life he now possesses. He looks around and begins to explore his new world. He caches a glimpse of a brightly plumed bird and calls out “parrot”, as if it could not be named anything else. He walks over to a pool of water and bends down. Seeing his reflection he studies himself, smiling as he does, pleased at what he sees. He playfully dips his hand into the pool to catch a “fish”, as he so declares it to be. No sooner has he done so, than he forgets his intentions and with elation Read the rest of this entry »

In a couple of weeks I will begin to teach an Introduction to Systematic Theology. I added the word “introduction”, because I dare not think that in a two week span I can purport to teach anything comprehensive about theology. But one could go further. How dare we purport to know anything about God? Isn’t it the ultimate pride to study God? As if He is susceptible to man’s peering eyes of curiosity? But isn’t that very thing, “the study of God”, the very definition of theology? Isn’t this in and of itself the very audacity of theology? Read the rest of this entry »

Not long ago someone brought up the theory that UFOs are mentioned in the Bible. As is often the case with various theories, it was stated with a degree of certainty bordering on Gospel truth. It also seems as though there has been a rash of movies exploring the UFO themes as in Indiana Jones 4. It is certainly not a new theory for I remember as a small kid hearing such theories. It is interesting reading the description of the “whirling wheels” in Ezekiel chapter one, written around 600 B.C. Read the rest of this entry »

For this  Christmas 2008, I have posted a Christmas message at FlemingsFive.com/podcast.  I hope to add some more in the coming weeks of December.  In the first message, I tie a rather interesting passage, Revelation 12:1-6, to the Christmas story.

UPDATE (March 5, 2009)  Obviously, I did not post any more sermons.  So I will move on.

Hello, I am Thomas Fleming.  I am a Evangelical Christian.  Being named Thomas, it should come as no surprise that I would have an affinity to the disciple of Jesus called “Thomas”.  Often this disciple is referred to as “Doubting Thomas”.  Though he did doubt, it would be in error to attribute continual doubt to this apostle.  Instead from his lips, we have some of the greatest assertions of faith, “My Lord and my God!”  Thomas is no longer doubting but believing.  Thus, he is more aptly called “Believing Thomas”.  Thomas represents all those who want to know the truth and have an honest faith.