Christians today face a complex world, and divisive issues abound: race, abortion, migration, wealth and poverty, and gender and sexuality. Many Christians, particularly millennials and Gen Zers, are asking tough questions about the faith.
These challenges inspired Zondervan Bibles to publish the NIV Upside-Down Kingdom Bible (Sept.), a practical resource for helping readers live faithfully in the modern world. “Christianity is not about some private Jesus that we keep tucked away in our hearts, nor is it simply about one’s personal holiness and salvation, though it does include these individual dimensions,” general editor Preston Sprinkle writes in the study Bible’s introduction. “A biblically rooted Christian faith should determine how we think about all areas of life: economics, immigration, the death penalty, abortion, war, violence, power, justice, sexuality, and what it means to follow the Creator’s design for human flourishing.”
[related]Those familiar with study Bibles understand they provide additional content—notes, commentary, maps, illustrations, and so on—that helps readers better understand the biblical text. The NIV Upside-Down Kingdom Bible is unique in that it takes on some of the most challenging issues Christians face, with Bible book introductions, articles, and study notes to help readers better understand what the Bible has to say regarding these difficult issues in an honest, nuanced, and graceful way.
The NIV Upside-Down Kingdom Bible also seeks to capture the countercultural vision of the Christian faith. For example, an essay on politics discusses Jesus’s command to “normalize what is abnormal: loving our enemies, rejoicing in persecution, disavowing love of money, turning the other cheek, choosing to walk the extra mile.”
Melinda Bouma, vice president and publisher for Zondervan Bibles, says that is why the team chose the word “upside-down” for the title. “The content of the NIV Upside-Down Kingdom Bible makes clear to the reader that the wisdom of God often runs ‘upside-down’ to the wisdom of the world,” Bouma says.
“This is seen in teachings of Jesus such as: ‘Many who are first will be last’ (Mk 10:31), ‘those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted’ (Mt 23:12), and ‘whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant’ (Mt 20:26).”
She adds that Jesus declared that his “kingdom is not of this world” in John 18:36. As Preston Sprinkle writes in the Bible's introduction: “When Christians declare that ‘Jesus is Lord,’ it is a profound theological statement,” he says. “It’s also a politically subversive statement. Not only is Jesus Lord of our lives; he’s Lord over creation, and our viewpoint of this or that issue—be it political, cultural, or ethical—should flow from our allegiance to king Jesus.”
Bouma understands that some readers may be put off by topics that are often seen as polarizing, but she points out that Scripture calls on the faithful to live in a way that feels upside-down to the secular world. “Even as we live in the midst of a culture that has become exponentially polarized, we can and must look to Scripture to think deeply and love widely, especially when it comes to polarizing issues,” she says.
To that end, Dr. Sprinkle and the Zondervan Bibles team worked to bring a diverse group of Christian writers into the project. The study Bible includes writing by men and women and people of many different ethnicities, denominations, generations, and political perspectives. “No single denomination— let alone political party—holds the keys to the kingdom; likewise, our authors come from dozens of different denominations and different partisan persuasions,” Preston Sprinkle writes in the Bible’s introduction. “Through thinking deeply on these important areas of life, from diverse writers who come together for the sake of unity, we are simultaneously equipped to love widely and well.”
The Zondervan Bibles team hopes the study Bible will provide readers with a fresh, challenging experience as they engage God’s Word. And they hope it will provide church leaders and other influential people in the faith with an important tool for engaging Christians seeking biblically-based answers to tough questions.
