Attempts to read Jesus’ teachings with an open mind can be hampered by years of being told the ‘right’ interpretation in church. Christians familiar with the texts can gain fresh insights by listening to people coming to it for the first time, who may find the traditional readings far from obvious.

Symon Hill has led many Bible study groups with largely non-Christian groups and has discovered surprising and helpful insights that are less likely to be found among Christians used to reading the Bible. For example, these readers will often relate to different characters and find meanings that may surprise us.

In The Upside-down Bible, Hill presents alternative readings of some of Jesus’ best-known parables – focusing on topical themes of money, power, sex and violence – which will help us to consider the teaching of the Bible with a fresh perspective and gain a deeper spiritual and cultural understanding of the Bible texts. Each chapter includes questions, prompts and reflection points making it useful for group and individual Bible study.