The book The Upside Down Kingdom by Donald B. Kraybill does an analysis of the bible in a different approach taken by readers. The main point of the book is to help readers understand Gods kingdom in a world that is turned upside down. Kraybill shows how upside down and radical the kingdom was in the first century Palestine and how it is the same in today’s society. In other words Kraybill illustrated the image that people who are at the top of the pyramids, the wealthy and the powerful, will be at the bottom of the pyramid in Gods kingdom if they are not humbled towards the poor and hungry. The book also clarifies the importance of practicing religious principle through the teachings of Christ in relation to the poor and suffering. In more detail one is not to seek the kingdom of heaven from above but rather find salvation of Christ through active compassion and empathy for those who are in need.
In addition, chapter one supports the main theme by elaborating on Gods kingdom. The main focus that Kraybill puts into this chapter is the concept that down is up. For instance, those who are at the top of the food chain such as powerful wealthy people will be at the bottom when entering Gods kingdom. The individuals who are at the bottom such as the poor and the homeless will be ranked at the top of the food chain next to God where their suffering and needs come to an end. “We can capture the idea of inversion by thinking of two ladders side by side-one representing the kingdom of God, the other the kingdoms of this world” (Kraybill, 2011, p. 141-142). Kraybill representation of Gods kingdom is of people who have brought forth their beliefs to embrace and serve Gods intentions, authority, and ruling power.
Furthermore, chapter six s...
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...ncepts presented in the dangers of wealth and if he believes all American are subjected to falling in the dangers of wealth. Another question that was brought was regarding celebrities and God’s kingdom. It is known for celebrities to donate a mass amount of money to different charitable programs throughout their life time. However, most of them do this in the premise of wanting to pay fewer taxes at the end of each fiscal year. I wonder what Kraybill thoughts are on these celebrities and their chances of entering Gods kingdom. Would they be saved in the eyes of God for their donations that are essentially for those in need, even if the root of the donation was for personal gain? Moreover, Kraybill did a wonderful job in writing The Upside Down Kingdom and I would recommend this reading to any person looking for deeper information on interpretations of the bible.
Robert A. Krieg uses modern English to explain the Bible that make easier for people to understand the contents of the Bible. The first chapter, Creation and salvation is really good for beginners who does not understand or does not have any background or concept of Christianity, and it is interesting to read the stories, although some descriptions are not logic or have several inconsistencies. Krieg uses creation for beginning that opens up the mystery of the world, which make more sense for human’s daily life and people who wonder how everything happened. God is the creator of this world, and he/she used six days to create, and the seventh day is resting day, which is our Sunday now. The seven days a week is God’s creation, and also the human, men and woman.
Donald Kraybill’s The Upside-Down Kingdom does a wonderful job explaining the realities of Jesus’ life and teachings. Kraybill examines the literary text of bible and adds the historical and religious facts of that time to further show the true context behind the life of Jesus. Kraybill takes the teachings of Jesus and brings to light the importance of the political and social climate. Kraybill reveals that Jesus’ teachings directly correlated to the social conditions of his time. He addresses how the teachings of Jesus were directly influenced by the economic, political, and religious struggles that the people of Jesus’ time faced. Throughout the book Kraybill explores the ideas of Jesus, and examines the facts that Jesus’
Our readings from Luke’s Gospel portray those in poverty as the people who will inherit the earth and be by Christ’s side in the kingdom of heaven. In the Gospel of Luke, it states, “Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours” (6:20). Our readings from scripture paint a picture that suggests that those who are suffering in the world during their lifetime, will be
The Upside-Down Kingdom by Donald B. Kraybill has become an interpretation tool in helping one unravel the Bible. The way in which Kraybill develops his book is to give those who may be first time biblical connoisseurs an insightful interpretation of the seemingly difficult text. In other words, Kraybill focuses on the elements of the Kingdom of Heaven, and how it is truly an upside-down place of euphoria. The Upside-down Kingdom told through Kraybill’s text, accommodates all cultures with a surprising new outlook on how one may have viewed Jesus. One of his main goals is for the reader to understand that the Kingdom of God announced by Jesus was a new order of things that looked upside-down in the midst of Palestine culture in the first century. Kraybill gives his readers a relatable
The King James Bible has been the focus of the moral compass of the world since its creation. Being that it was the English translated Bible, Christianity spread rapidly as more people began to know and study God about Jesus Christ. The language in the Bible holds better understanding in which why it became so well-known so fast. In study for the beginnings of the book, the revising of it turned people on to its stories like the Sermon on the Mount and Psalm 23. Translation of the King James Bible came directly from Tyndale’s writings of the New Testament written in 1524. The King James Bible is an adaptation of Tyndale’s writings.(1) Language in the King James Bible shows direct writings from Tyndale’s New Testament and poetic, literary wisdom,
1. Carter’s book focuses on the diverse ways the Early Christians dealt with their world, where imperial politics, economics, culture, and religion were mixed together (x). Furthermore, the author organized his book around important imperial realities that New Testament writings negotiate (x). The audience for Carter’s book includes high school or college students, Bible study groups, Sunday school students, clergy, and scholars interested in insights about passages in the New Testament to study.
In observation throughout history society seems to have a common denominator, Psalm 49 addresses the common denominator, our misplaced trust in wealth and how our choices regarding wealth impact our relationship with God. Throughout our humankind history our preoccupation with wealth has become our nemesis. Our preoccupation with greed and wealth is established in how we sustain and account for our breaking our covenant and commandment to not have other Gods before our God, in our embracing other idols, and in our covetousness in seeking what our neighbor possesses. Our misplaced trust in wealth is the basis for the problems and choices we encounter within our lifetime in our observations as it plays out daily within society while undoing the moral constructs present within our daily existence. It is the slow unraveling and undermining of a society who chooses to misplace trust in wealth.
“The King James Bible was 400 years old in 2011, and it remains one of the most favored translation used today” (“At 400, King James Bible still No. 1”). “Some statistics from a newspaper said, that out of the people polled thirty-one percent said the King James language was beautiful, and twenty-three percent said it was easy to remember” (“At 400, King James Bible still No. 1”). When the King James Bible was published in 1611 there were many ways it could have been improved. The King James Bible has had a huge impact on the world of today. The King James Bible was published by scholars that King James I gathered from 1604 to 1611. King James did this in order to create a
In the previous chapter, Ellen G. White discusses the rise of the first king of Israel, the fall of divine leadership, and the lessons that can be learned from them. Chapter 60 shows just how wrong humans can be.
Every Christians today knows the story of Jesus birth. The story of how Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem for a censes declared by the Roman Empire. While not being able to find an inn to stay in and Mary getting ready to give birth, they stow away in the cave where the animals were kept. While there Mary gave birth to a son and called him Jesus. While Jesus was in a manger a heavenly host of angles came down and also Shepard’s from the field came and rejoiced the savior was born. This is where the typical nativity scene comes from. Unless you have a Doctorate and teach a History of the New testament class and go into fine detail about the story, then story this is what people hear. Well this is for History of the New Testament so the fine details are what we are looking for. Most people do not realize that the story they tell every Christmas is actually a combination of two stories. The birth story is told in the Gospels of Luke and the Gospels of Mathew but each tell a very different version of what actually happened and that is what leads to people questioning the accuracy of the bible today.
“Americans are harder working and more productive than ever, yet the rewards of that productivity flow into the pockets of fewer and fewer people (Ketteler, 2006).” This relates to the previous articles in that the wealth are becoming wealthier, while the poor are becoming poorer, and this is something that goes against everything the common good stands for and the teachings of the church for so many years. As we can see over and over again, people become greedy and selfish and only do what is in their best interest, and this goes against the teachings and the actions of Jesus Christ. Father Ketteler writes that Jesus chose the poverty life, to be close to those who are in need most. “Jesus lived out a preferential option in standing on the side of those most in need, physically and spiritually (Ketteler, 2006).” Father Ketteler finishes with saying that when we love one another, nobody is a burden and everything that is produced is shared equally among all men and women, “civilizations of love abandons a mentality in which the poor as individuals and as peoples are considered a burden, as irksome intruders trying to consume what others have produced (Ketteler,
The, political, cultural, social and religious circumstances the Bible was written in is unfamiliar to today’s society. Therefore, it would make sense to interpret the Bible in today’s perspective without going astray to the core of Christianity.
Throughout time, readers have learned many different lessons from their favourite books. In The Chrysalids, John Wyndam used his story to teach his readers valuable, lifelong lessons. He makes it evident to his readers that prejudging certain people is not right. Also, he relates how change is possible, but hard to achieve. More specifically, religion often influences one’s point of view. John Wyndam’s, The Chrysalids was written with a purpose that teaches his readers about discrimination, about how change is possible, and how religion often influences one’s point of view.
In the days of Christ’s life on this earth, believers did not have access to the Bible in its entirety as we know and are familiar with today. Believers in this ancient time period only had access to the Old Testament. However, through their access to the Old Testament, believers were provided a foundation for New Testament times. This foundation provided New Testament believers with the Lord’s established principles of right and wrong they were expected to follow. In addition, the Old Testament is overflowing with accounts of people whose lives exemplified the future life of Christ on this earth. These pictures allowed the Israelite nation to begin to have an understanding of why Christ needed to come as their Messiah and the work He needed to do on earth. Finally, there are common themes that are interwoven throughout the entire Old Testament. Three of these themes: transgression, redemption, and consummation point to the purpose of Christ’s atoning death on the cross. These themes portray God’s work both in the lives of Old Testament believers, but they also foreshadow God’s desire and plan for believers in New Testament times and beyond.
New Testament. Vol. 2. Edited by Gerhard Kittel. Translated by Geoffrey W. Bromiley. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1964.