What is The Upside-Down Kingdom Bible?
Note: Got Questions Ministries cannot review each of the hundreds of books, videos, and websites suggested to us each month; however, The Upside-Down Kingdom Bible generated a tremendous number of requests. Due to connections with political and social questions related to the Bible, it seemed reasonable to offer the following review. This assessment was written by Jeff Laird, Managing Editor of BibleRef.com. The views expressed are his own. This review does not constitute either an endorsement or rejection of The Upside-Down Bible. All quotations are from Sprinkle, P. (ed.), The Upside-Down Kingdom Bible, Zondervan, 2024.
Got Questions Ministries has been repeatedly asked to comment on The Upside-Down Kingdom Bible, published by Zondervan. This 2024 printing is a version of the popular NIV translation, with added notes and articles. These additional resources insist that biblical Christianity is not inherently private. Rather, Christianity is a radical commitment to God that transforms how we interact with the world. A believer’s behavior and thinking are often drastically opposed to the surrounding culture. The Bible features marginal notes under headings such as “ Social Justice,” “Race and Ethnicity,” and “Abortion and Reproduction,” as well as an appendix of articles. It’s those words and phrases that seem to spark the most controversy.
Other ministries have published their own articles on Zondervan’s publication. Some of their conclusions are cited in comments directed to our ministry. Among these is that the text is “re-translating” the Bible, teaching heretical doctrines, or replacing faith with politics. Some describe The Upside-Down Kingdom Bible as “woke,” implying it promotes a progressive approach to race, gender, sexuality, and social issues. Many criticisms are driven by an assumption that any hot-topic word appearing in Zondervan’s notes must share the same definition as a word used by woke influencers. While the study notes lean a certain way, most notably on immigration, they are by no means heretical.
For this review, I read everything printed under the headings “Abortion and Reproduction,” “Migration,” “Politics,” “Sexuality and Gender,” “Slavery,” and “Social Justice.” Any politically charged material would surely fall within those subjects. I also sampled most of the texts about “Creation Care,” “Divorce,” “Leadership and Power,” “Mental Health,” and “Race and Ethnicity.” I read all nine articles in the appendix.
The worst I could say about the added materials in The Upside-Down Kingdom Bible is, “This does not sufficiently condemn conclusions I disagree with.” The added notes emphasize areas where the contributors feel Scripture has something useful to say about hot social topics of the 2020s. And there’s plenty of material to work with. The Bible says a lot about caring for the poor, striving for justice, treating foreigners and travelers well, and so forth. It also gives clear indications about personhood beginning at conception, the restriction of sex to monogamous, opposite-sex marriage, the importance of gender differences, and the binary of male and female. The Upside-Down Kingdom Bible notes how related passages deeply offend certain segments of modern Western culture.
Having read the materials, I can see how some of it would grate against certain political views, both conservative and progressive. But the study notes and articles aren’t beyond a nuanced understanding. Not every marginal note will suit every reader, but we’re not expected to hold such notes on par with Scripture (1 John 4:1; Acts 17:11). Were I the editor, I would have chosen different phrases or words on occasion. Some of the notes raise an eyebrow enough to warrant further exploration.
For example, a few “social justice” and “slavery” notes could be interpreted to support the social gospel. The paragraphs in question tie words like salvation and gospel to Christians addressing earthly injustices, noting that
The hope of the Gospel is that God will deal with both the problem of individual sinners and with the ways in which sin and sinful social structures heap misery upon God’s creatures. (p. 1,201, under “Social Justice; Zephaniah 3”)
As God used each of these figures, he can also use us in the salvific process of restoring dignity and respect to people created in his image—a process that will continue [until the final judgment]. (p. 85, under “Slavery; Exodus 6:1–12”)
A note in the Gospel of Luke demonstrates how context is important in interpreting some of the added remarks. One blurb states,As God used each of these figures, he can also use us in the salvific process of restoring dignity and respect to people created in his image—a process that will continue [until the final judgment]. (p. 85, under “Slavery; Exodus 6:1–12”)
The gospel has a holistic vision of salvation . . . rescuing the poor, the oppressed, the blind, and the captive. If the gospel is to be Good News, then it must have a good message for everyone: [the rich, poor, powerful, oppressed, etc.] (p. 1,320, under “Politics; Luke 4:16–30”)
The next paragraph, however, says,
This perspective does not reduce the gospel to secular social justice projects with a light sprinkling of Bible verses. Rather, the Biblical gospel is a justice-bringing, sin-forgiving, slavery-crushing, illness-healing, debt-remitting, low-status-reversing, outsider-including, and truthing-to-power gospel. (p. 1,320, under “Politics; Luke 4:16–30”)
A few statements hint at hot-button political or social stances that may rile politically conservative readers:
Christians too can call out the gods of the nations—gods of greed and capitalism, status and prestige—for their inability to protect those who live on the margins of society. (p. 725, under “Social Justice; Psalm 82”)
In Racial Reconciliation, there are some who emphasize only one side of truth: that God’s mercy limits most of the effect of the sins of one’s ancestors. While this idea is taught in the Bible, this does not imply that it is wrong or un-necessary for children to take up the responsibility of naming and confessing the sins of their ancestors. The two ideas are in tension, so how can we reconcile them? We can act as if both ideas are valid by: (1) shouldering the responsibility of negative actions of our ancestors and (2) acknowledging God’s mercy for forgiveness of sins by marching forward lightly, joyfully, and energetically, as Christ has taken the sins of the past. (p. 581, under “Race and Ethnicity; Nehemiah 1:6”)
The Upside-Down Kingdom Bible clearly leans toward certain left-of-center views on social topics. But what it states seems to stay within the bounds of Christian orthodoxy. Scripture does not demand precise political stances on immigration or racial reconciliation. Notes regarding immigration lean toward what some would call a “liberal” view. Notes about abortion and homosexuality are guaranteed to offend secular progressive sensibilities. If someone wants a book advocating critical race theory and woke ideology, this would not be a good choice. Neither would it be a good choice for those who insist that Christians have zero obligation to address racial tensions or the plight of disadvantaged people.In Racial Reconciliation, there are some who emphasize only one side of truth: that God’s mercy limits most of the effect of the sins of one’s ancestors. While this idea is taught in the Bible, this does not imply that it is wrong or un-necessary for children to take up the responsibility of naming and confessing the sins of their ancestors. The two ideas are in tension, so how can we reconcile them? We can act as if both ideas are valid by: (1) shouldering the responsibility of negative actions of our ancestors and (2) acknowledging God’s mercy for forgiveness of sins by marching forward lightly, joyfully, and energetically, as Christ has taken the sins of the past. (p. 581, under “Race and Ethnicity; Nehemiah 1:6”)
Overall, The Upside-Down Kingdom Bible presents a rarely heard perspective on social justice issues. Christians aren’t obligated to reject every hint of left-leaning complaints about the state of the world. Neither are we required to accept secular solutions to those problems. But we cannot do literally nothing; we are indeed called to act. The Upside-Down Kingdom Bible presents the topic of social justice with that idea in mind. It is not going to agree with everyone’s politics, and some of its phrasing is theologically uncomfortable. In conclusion, while I cannot endorse or recommend The Upside-Down Kingdom Bible, neither do I find it to be heretical.
S. Michael Houdmann (with Jeff Laird)
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What is The Upside-Down Kingdom Bible?