The Upside-down Bible What Jesus really said about money, power, sex and violence

Attempts to read the Bible with an open mind are often hampered by years of being told the ‘right’ interpretation in church. Christians familiar with the text have a lot to learn from people coming to it for the first time, who may find the traditional readings far from obvious. This book presents the text of many
well-known Bible passages and the surprising and helpful insights that they prompt when non-Christian groups read them for the first time.

Core Synopsis includes:
•The text of the passage, making it easier to read the book without having a Bible to hand.

•Some initial questions about the readers’ reactions, which they can reflect on alone or in a group. This will encourage them to think about how far their attitude has been shaped by hearing common interpretations.

•Quotes particularly from non-Christians coming to the text for the first time, followed by a discussion of the questions raised by the passage and a description of traditional interpretations as well as others offered by biblical scholars in recent years.

•Final questions for reflection focusing on the relevance of the passage to life and society today.

Symon Hill is an associate of Ekklesia, a Christian political thinktank, has written two previous books and blogs regularly at symonhill.wordpress.com, as well as for Third Way and The Guardian.