Vlady Fresh

During our three year apprenticeship / novitiate with InnerCHANGE, we’ve had a constant stream of required readings. Last night I finished what may be my favorite book thus far, The Upside-Down Kingdom by Donald Kraybill. (Incidentally, the other contender for first place is Truth and Social Reform by Vishal Mangalwadi. It’s available as a free download.)

When I enrolled in seminary, I expected 3 years of intensive bible study where we would consider the scriptures in light of their historical and cultural context. Upon graduating I had learned a bit of church history, a good deal of theology, biblical Greek and Hebrew (sorta, kinda, not really), and a few tricks of the pastoral trade. Sadly, I learned almost nothing about the world in which the events of the scriptures took place. Since that time I have been craving this knowledge but haven’t had a clue where to begin. The Upside-Down Kingdom has satisfied this craving.

Kraybill carefully constructs a picture of the traditions, economics, power structures, and religious practices around the time of Jesus. In doing so he has helped me better understand just how radically Jesus lived. Prior to reading this book, I couldn’t really understand why some people hated Jesus so much. Now I see that his actions and teachings made his death by crucifixion all but inevitable. That I’ve committed my life to following this Jesus has never been so frightening before.

The thesis of Kraybill’s book is, not surprisingly, that the Kingdom of God, in the life and teachings of Jesus, is an upside-down kingdom. A sampling of his chapter titles may give you a sense of where he’s going with this: Down is Up, Free Slaves, Luxurious Poverty, Impious Piety, and Lovable Enemies.

I highly recommend this book not because the author shares many of my core convictions (though I’m sure that helped), but because it will undoubtedly paint a clearer picture of the Jesus that all of us must choose to follow or reject.