2019/08/31

알라딘: 일본인의 심성과 일본 문화 by 가와이 하야오 (지은이) / 백계문



알라딘: 일본인의 심성과 일본 문화 by 가와이 하야오 (지은이) / 백계문




일본인의 심성과 일본 문화 - 융 심리학 석학의 현대 일본 깊이 읽기
가와이 하야오 (지은이),백계문 (옮긴이)한울(한울아카데미)2018-05-20






정가
18,500원
판매가
18,500원 (0%, 0원 할인)

280쪽
152*223mm (A5신)
392g
ISBN : 9788946064225
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책소개
일본인이 사랑하고 존경하는 지성, 가와이 하야오가 자아, 가족, 교육, 노동, 과학, 예술, 종교, 죽음 등을 주제로 현대 일본의 내면 풍경을 담백하게 그렸다. 세계화의 해일 앞에서 일본 문화는 어디로 나아갈 것인가? 저자는 가족, 교육, 고도 자본주의사회에서 경제와 노동 형태의 변화, 새로운 예술 활동, 삶과 죽음, 종교, 윤리의 변화 등 현대 일본 사회의 각 분야가 안고 있는 문제들을 읽어낸다.

그리고 혼란한 현대 일본 문화의 방향성을 알기 쉬운 문체로 제시한다. 문제의 표층에 머무르지 않고 개별 문제의 내부에서부터 치열하게 펼쳐나가는 분석, 그에 머무르지 않고 세계를 아울러 바라보는 보편화는 ‘융 심리학의 대가’인 가와이 하야오만이 펼칠 수 있는 독창적인 일본문화론이다.

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목차


머리말

1장 ‘나’ 찾기
‘나’의 발견|‘나’를 떠받쳐주는 것|일본인과 개성|‘나’의 이중성|‘나 찾기’의 패러독스

2장 가족의 미래
‘가족적’이라는 것|가족 여|가족의 다양성|가족의 의미

3장 학교의 향방
일본의 학교|신분에 대한 고집|‘형(型)’으로 들어가기|‘싸움’에 대한 평가|이야기가 있는 교육|개인의 발견|앞으로의 학교

4장 일 만들며 살기
‘일’의 기원|사농공상의 역전|살아가는 것과 일|일과 놀이|일 만들며 살기

5장 풍족한 소비의 추구
쇼핑 중독|소비와 만족도|욕망의 안과 밖|물(物)과 마음|풍족함이란 무엇인가

6장 과학기술의 향방
일본인과 과학|종교와 과학|과학과 신체성|인간과학|과학기술의 미래

7장 이문화 체험의 궤적
자기 내부의 이문화|문화충격|아시아의 문화|일본 국내의 문화전쟁|이문화 체험과 자기실현

8장 꿈꾸는 미래
꿈과 놀이의 과거와 현재|현실의 다층성|영혼에 이르는 통로|꿈꾸는 힘|꿈과 놀이의 미래

9장 현대인과 예술
현대인과 불안|창조하는 것과 치유하는 것|‘형(型)’의 공죄(功罪)|일본인의 창조성

10장 ‘나의 죽음’과 현대
나의 죽음|현재의 죽음|삶의 질|사후의 생명|상(喪)|죽음의 수용

11장 종교와 종교성
종교성이란 무엇인가|어린이의 종교성|기독교 내부의 새로운 움직임|일본인의 종교성

12장 애니미즘과 윤리
글머리에|일본인의 윤리상 갭|윤리와 종교|미의식|영혼과 윤리|현대 일본인의 윤리

해설
옮긴이 후기
접기

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책속에서



P. 8 머리말
내가 강조하고 싶은 점은, 근래 일어난 소년범 사건들은 ‘요즘 젊은 것들’만 관련된 것이 아니라 일본 문화 전체와 관련되어 있다는 것이다. 청소년 문제에 국한해서 생각할 것이 아니라 일본인 전체의 문제로(무엇보다 나 자신의 문제로) 생각해야 한다는 뜻이다.
진작부터 문제가 된 ‘등교 거부 현상’이나 ‘이지메’에 대해서도 나는 그것이 ‘문화의 병’임을 강조해왔다. 앞서 얘기한 소년범 사건들은 그 병이 실로 심각하다는 사실을 보여준다.
그러나 여기서 ‘병’이라는 표현을 아주 부정적인 의미로만 쓴 것이 아니라는 점을 분명히 해두고 싶다. 심리치료를 해온 나는 ‘병’이 종종 새로운 발전의 계기가 되는 것을 경험해왔다. 접기
P. 9 젊은이들만을 문제로 여기며 그 대책으로 ‘도덕교육’을 철저히 해야 한다고 주장하는 사람들은, 전쟁 전에 ‘수신’ 교육을 주입받은 일본인들이 전쟁 중에 어떤 행동들을 했는지 잘 생각해주기 바란다. 전쟁 중이기 때문에 적에게 저지른 행동은 이러쿵저러쿵 말할 일이 아니라고 생각하는 사람들이라면, 일본군 장성들이 휘하 병사들의 목숨을 태연히 버리면서 자신만 살아남고 책임도 지지 않은 사례가 수없이 많다는 것을 인식해주기 바란다.
거듭 말하지만, 지금 와서 옛날로 돌아갈 수는 없으며 설사 가능하다 하더라도 무의미한 일이다. 우리는 앞으로 나아갈 일을 생각해야 한다. 접기
P. 11 근대적 자아를 뛰어넘자고 말하기는 쉽다. 확실히 그것이 막다른 지경에 와 있는 것도 사실이다. ‘대동아공영권’을 운운하던 무렵에 ‘근대의 초극(超克)’이라는 말이 유행했고, 버블 경제가 시작되기 전 일본 경제가 잘나갈 때는 ‘일본적 경영’의 우수성이 강조되기도 했다. 그런데 그 결과는 이미 지적한 대로 통렬한 패전이었다(일본 경제의 붕괴를 ‘제2의 패전’이라고 부르는 사람도 있다). 이는 개개 일본인의 판단력과 결단력(근대적 자아의 특성)이 얼마나 약한지를 드러낸 것이었다. 접기
P. 21~22 1장 나 찾기
일본은 현재 경제성장이 멈춘 상태다. 항상 ‘우상향의 성장’을 전제로 정책 방향을 잡았던 체제가 막다른 길에 들어선 형국이다. 지금까지 일본인들이 의지해온 기업들을 더 이상 의지할 수 없다는 것이 잇단 구조조정이나 파산 등으로 분명해졌고, 그러한 폐색(閉塞) 상황은 더욱더 심각해지고 있다. 그렇다면 의지할 것은 자기 자신밖에 없다. 밖으로, 밖으로 향했던 관심이 급격히 안쪽으로 방향을 바꾸었고, ‘나 찾기’가 중요해졌다. 이럴 때 서양 근대가 확립한 개인주의가 우리의 지주(支柱)로서 유용할까? 접기
P. 38~39 ‘나 찾기’에 대해서는 무슨 말을 어떻게 하더라도 좀처럼 패러독스에서 벗어날 수 없다. ‘나 찾기’는 마치 분실물을 찾듯이 어딘가에서 발견하는 일이 아니다. 그것은 찾아가는 과정 그 자체에 큰 의미가 있는 일이다. ‘나’를 찾기 위해서는 찾아지지 않는 가운데서도 계속 찾아나가는 강인함이 필요하다.
P. 49 2장 가족의 미래
전쟁에서 승리한 미국인들은 일본의 ‘가문’이 대단히 비민주적이라고 생각하여 그 구조를 파괴하는 데 힘을 쏟았다. 새로운 사고방식을 담은 헌법은 가문에 대한 철저한 파괴를 그 내용으로 했다. 그런데 일본의 ‘가문’은 혈연을 중시하지 않는 점이 특징이었다. 바로 그러한 특징을 잘 살려 가문의 역할을 대신하기 시작한 것이 일본의 기업들이다. 따라서 ‘가족적’으로 운영하지 않으면 안 되었다. 그리고 많은 일본인들은 그 가문을 대신한 것들에 귀속됨으로써 정체성을 보증받을 수 있었다. 접기
P. 50 서양의 ‘홈’이 일본에 들어와 ‘가정’이 되자, ‘가문[家]’의 구조를 부정하면서 가족이 자유롭고 평등해진 데다가 일본인 특유의 ‘달착지근함’이 가미되면서 상당히 처치 곤란한 끈적끈적한 관계가 되어버렸다. 즉, 엄마와 자식의 관계가 일체화되어 타자가 들어갈 틈이 없게 된 것이다. 회사라는 ‘가문’에 소속되어 있던 아빠가 돌아와 ‘홈’에 들어가려 하나, 그는 이제 대형 쓰레기 이상의 무엇이 될 여지가 없는 것이다. 접기
P. 64 3장 학교의 향방
현재를 한탄하는 사람들은 옛날이 좋았다고 말하기 쉽다. “옛날 선생님들은 훌륭했다”, “옛날 학교는 정말 좋았다”라고 말한다. 그런데 정말 그렇게 좋았을까? 그중에 훌륭한 선생님도 계셨고 좋은 학교도 있었을 것이다. 하지만 냉정히 현재와 비교하여 그렇게나 좋았다고 말할 수 있을까? 이야기가 그 정도로 간단하지 않다고 나는 생각한다. 접기
P. 66 경제에서의 따라잡기·추월하기 도식에 내포된 문제점에 대해 지적했듯이, 사실 교육에서도 간단하게 모델로 삼을 수 있는 것은 없다. 한때 미국이나 구소련 등을 이상형으로 말하는 사람들이 있었으나 현실을 잘 들여다보면 그들을 모델로 삼아야 한다는 말이 나올 수 없다. 청소년 흉악 범죄라든가 마약 상용자 등을 조사해보면 미국 쪽이 일본보다 훨씬 더 많다. 미국에서 폭력이 발생한 고등학교에서는 권총을 소지한 경찰관들이 상시적으로 교내를 순찰하고 있다. 미국 중학교에서 일본식 제복 제도를 받아들이려 한 적이 있다는 것은 주지의 사실이다. 접기
P. 92 4장 일 만들며 살기
일본 이외의 동아시아 나라들에서는 혈연에 기반을 둔 ‘가족’이 개인의 정체성 준거가 되고 있다. 개인주의를 토대로 한 서양의 근대 문명을 받아들이는 과정에서 이는 하나의 방해 요인으로 작용하는 것 같다. 그에 비해 일본은 혈연을 그렇게 중시하지 않기 때문에 비교적 빨리 근대화를 이룩할 수 있었다.
일본에서 회사가 일종의 의사가족적(疑似家族的) 역할을 하게 된 것은 일본인들의 그런 사고방식에 의거한다. 일본인들은 ‘일을 좋아한다’거나 ‘지나치게 일한다’는 말을 듣는다. 그러한 면이 확실히 있고 그에 대해 숙고할 필요도 있지만, 노동시간이 긴 요인으로 ‘회사 내에서의 가족적 일체감의 유지’가 크게 작용한다는 점을 들지 않을 수 없다. 접기
더보기




저자 및 역자소개
가와이 하야오 (河合隼雄) (지은이)
저자파일
최고의 작품 투표
신간알림 신청

일본에 융 심리학을 최초로 소개한 임상심리학자로 융 심리학의 일인자로 손꼽힌다. 1928년 효고 현에서 태어나 교토 대학 이학부 수학과를 졸업하고, 전공을 바꾸어 임상심리학 연구를 시작했다. 캘리포니아 대학 로스앤젤레스 캠퍼스에서 유학한 뒤 1962년 취리히 ‘융 연구소’에 들어가 융 학파 정신분석가 자격을 얻었다. 교토 대학 명예교수, 국제일본문화연구센터 명예교수, 일본 문화청 장관 등을 역임했다.
독자적인 관점으로 일본의 문화와 사회, 일본인의 정신 구조를 꾸준히 연구했다. 특히 문화 전반에 걸친 탐구심을 바탕으로 전문 분야인 임상심리학뿐 아니라 아동문학, 그림책, 신화, 옛이야기, 나아가 음악과 악극까지 지평을 넓혀 수많은 저술과 강연을 하는 등 열정적인 삶을 살았다.
지은 책으로 『그림책의 힘』 『어린이 책을 읽는다』 『읽기의 힘, 듣기의 힘』(공저), 『왈칵 마음이 쏟아지는 날』 『콤플렉스』 『인간의 영혼은 고양이를 닮았다』 『카를 융, 인간의 이해』 『일본인의 심성과 일본 문화』 등 다수가 있다.
접기


최근작 : <민담의 심층>,<일본인의 심성과 일본 문화>,<카를 융, 인간의 이해> … 총 175종 (모두보기)

백계문 (옮긴이)
저자파일
최고의 작품 투표
신간알림 신청

서울대학교 법과대학을 졸업하고, 중앙대학교 대학원에서 교육학을 전공했다. 민주화운동가이자 정치활동가다. 저서로 『성공한 개혁가 룰라』(2011)가 있으며, 역서로 『중국 문제: 핵심어로 독해하기』(2016), 『다치바나키 도시아키가 이야기하는 행복의 경제학』(2015),『경제에서 본 리스크』(2014), 『리스크학이란 무엇인가』(2014), 『중국의 도시화와 농민공』(2014), 『루쉰』(2014), 『중국 기업의 르네상스』(2013), 『진화하는 중국의 자본주의』(2012) 등 다수가 있다.


최근작 : <성공한 개혁가 룰라 (반양장)>,<성공한 개혁가 룰라 (양장)> … 총 25종 (모두보기)


출판사 제공 책소개

융 심리학을 바탕으로
일본 문화의 심연과 일본적 마음의 결을 논한
‘일본문화론의 도달점’

‘마음 선생님’ 가와이 하야오가 들려주는 일본인 이야기

“왜 그런지 가와이 하야오 씨만은 자연스레 ‘가와이 선생님’이라고 부르게 된다. 가와이 하야오 씨에게는 ‘가와이 선생님’이라는 호칭이 딱 들어맞는다. 너무나 자연스럽게 지나치게 잘 맞는 것 같기도 하다.” _ 무라카미 하루키, 『잡문집』

‘가와이 선생님’이라고 불리며 일본인들의 사랑을 받는 ‘지적 거인’ 가와이 하야오. 융파 심리학을 일본에 처음 도입한 심리학 석학으로 유명한 그는 임상심리학에 머무르지 않고 일본 문학을 비롯해 아동문학, 그림책, 신화, 전래동화 등을 연구하고 음악과 악극에 대해 고찰하는 등 평생 문화 전반에 대한 열정적인 탐구를 이어갔다. 말년에 일본 문화청 장관을 역임한 그의 삶은 문화를 창조하고 마음을 풍요롭게 하는 것을 목표로 한 정진의 길이었다.
가와이 하야오가 남긴 수십 권의 저작은 여러 차례 복간을 거듭하며 그가 세상을 떠난 지 10년이 넘은 지금까지 일본 독자들에게 한결같이 사랑받고 있다. 문화의 씨줄과 날줄을 종횡무진 넘나드는 독창적인 사유를 쉽고 편안하며 진솔한 문장으로 풀어내는 것이 그 사랑의 비결이다.
이번에 한국에 소개되는 가와이 하야오 문화론의 대표작, 󰡔일본인의 심성과 일본 문화󰡕(원제 ‘日本文化のゆくえ’) 또한 20세기 말에 쓰고 21세기 초입에 처음 출간, 2013년에 재출간되어 오늘날까지 스테디셀러의 자리를 지키고 있다. “21세기, 뉴스에는 연일 이런저런 문제가 끊이지 않는다. 그런데 ‘가와이 선생님’이 20년 전에 쓴 글에 이미 그 답이 들어 있었다”라는 일본의 평이 거인의 지성으로 바라본 일본문화론의 보편적인 현재성을 웅변해준다.

한 편의 철학적 서사와도 같은 평론,
융 심리학 대가의 독창적인 일본문화론

다신교를 마음의 바탕으로 두고 있는 일본인이 어떻게 ‘근대적 자아’를 확립할 수 있을까?
∙서구인과 다른 마음 구조를 가진 일본인이 개인주의를 받아들이고 ‘자아 찾기’에 나서는 것은 어떤 의미일까?
∙일본인에게 ‘윤리’란 무엇일까? 그것은 서구나 다른 아시아 나라의 윤리와 어떻게 다를까?
∙‘나의 윤리관’이라는 말 대신 ‘나의 미의식’이라는 표현의 쓰는 일본인의 마음 깊은 곳은 어떤 모습일까? 그 미학적 윤리관은 어떤 개인과 사회를 낳았을까?
∙‘죽음’과 ‘예술’에 관한 일본인의 독특한 관점은 어디에서 비롯되었을까? 그리고 일본 문화를 어떤 방향으로 이끌어왔을까?


한국인에게는 비슷한 듯하면서 너무 다른, 알 듯 모를 듯한 ‘일본적 사고방식’을 융 심리학자인 가와이 하야오의 비평으로 풀어본다.
“사례 속에 들어가 고민하거나 사고해왔다”라는 그의 말 그대로, 가와이 하야오는 일본 현대 문화가 드러내는 현상에서 출발해 그 이면의 근본적 심성을 진지하게 탐사한다. 가족, 교육, 고도 자본주의사회에서 경제와 노동 형태의 변화, 새로운 예술 활동, 삶과 죽음, 종교, 윤리의 변화 등, 사회현상 전반에 관해 대단히 폭이 넓으면서도 세심함을 잃지 않는 관찰력이 돋보인다. 그의 문화론은 뜬구름을 향해 손짓하는 형이상학적 ‘썰’이 아니라, 개인이 일상에서 겪는 생생한 구체성에서 출발하는 ‘임상적 문화론’이다. 특히, 그 자신이 군국(軍國) 소년이었지만 어렸을 때부터 죽는 것이 몹시 두려워 견딜 수 없었다는, 전전 세대로서 품었던 마음의 그늘을 드러내는 노학자의 솔직함은 그의 학문적 비평에 진정성을 더하는 백미다. 그가 개인적인 체험을 사상 또는 학문으로 열매 맺어가는 과정을 이해하는 것도 이 책을 읽는 기쁨 중 하나일 것이다. 접기



공감순







가와이 하야오의 다른 맛이 느껴진다. 깊이가 있다는 건 알았는데, 이렇게 넓은 줄은 몰랐네. 테마의 구성과 배치도 정말 뛰어나다. 옮긴이 후기는 맛없는 디저트.
술래 2019-03-08 공감 (1) 댓글 (0)
Thanks to
공감





융을 기본으로 깔고 종교와 윤리, 도덕 등 구체적 사회현상에 대해 분석. 깊은 생각을 요하는 좋은 내용인데, 번역을 일본식 한자 그대로 하거나(形, 喪事) 오탈자가 있어(이응 어떻게 생각 197p ㅋㅋ) 읽기 갑갑해서 별 하나 뺌
madwife 2018-11-06 공감 (0) 댓글 (0)
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日本文化のゆくえ (岩波現代文庫) 文庫 – 2013/1/17



内容紹介

家族、教育、経済、労働形態の変動、芸術の新たな取組、生死観、宗教、倫理の変容など、現代の日本社会のかかえる問題群を臨床的に読解することで、混迷・錯綜する日本文化の方向性を、分かり易く平明な文体で提示する。ユング派心理学の第一人者である河合隼雄による日本文化論の到達点。(解説=大澤真幸)
内容(「BOOK」データベースより)

家族、教育、経済、労働形態の変動、生死観、宗教、倫理の変容など、現代日本のかかえる様々な問題群を臨床的に読解することで、混迷・錯綜する現代日本文化の方向性を、分かり易く平明な文体で提示する。問題群の表層にとどまらない個々の問題の内部からの独自の分析と普遍化が、本書を日本でのユング派心理学の第一人者ならではのユニークな日本文化論としている。商品の説明をすべて表示する

登録情報

    文庫: 336ページ
  • 出版社: 岩波書店 (2013/1/17)

爽治

5つ星のうち4.0現在でも通用する内容2017年6月9日
形式: 文庫Amazonで購入
ロングセラーだけあって、内容はしっかりしている。
20世紀末に書かれた著作だが、現在の状況でも通用する記述も多いと感じられた。

役に立ったコメント 違反を報告

藤井 一郎

5つ星のうち4.0河合隼雄さんならでわの日本文化論2013年5月14日
形式: 文庫Amazonで購入
河合さんのフアン(余り適当な表現では無いですが)ですので、一般向けに書かれた著作はほぼ読んできたのですが、今回の日本文化のゆくえは期待していたよりも中身が少し薄かったようにおもいました。

2人のお客様がこれが役に立ったと考えています
役に立ったコメント 違反を報告

smiff

5つ星のうち4.0日本文化の広い考察2004年10月20日
形式: 単行本Amazonで購入
日本文化という切口から、日本人の世界観や特性を西洋のそれと対比しながら多面的に分析している。
これまで自分のことを自我という平面的な存在としてとらえようとしていたけれど、現実の暮らしの中で感じられることと符合しない事例が少なくないので、漠然とではあるがずっと疑問符が消えずにいた。それが本書の中で新しい示唆となったのは、自我よりさらに広い「自己」と呼ぶべき「私」が存在しているという。僕自身は心理学者でもなんでもないので、このことを正しく解説するものを持ってはいないが、「私」は単層のものではないのだという点は、なんだか捜しものを見つけたような気分になれた。
他にも、魂を殺すことと引き換えに優等生という地位を獲得させている学校教育の実態や、正しいこと、よいことをやりたがる人達がまき散らすボランティア公害など、この本の中で述べられている河合氏の視点には強く共感してしまった。

7人のお客様がこれが役に立ったと考えています
役に立ったコメント 違反を報告














ProgressiveChristianity.org : How to talk to Fundamentalist Evangelicals?



ProgressiveChristianity.org : How to talk to Fundamentalist Evangelicals?





How to talk to Fundamentalist Evangelicals?
by Brian McLaren on August 15, 2019 | 1 Comment

40




Question & Answer




Q: By Lonnie
How to talk to Fundamentalist Evangelicals? I grew up as one but like to ask questions and realize you are all on the right track. I along with my wife attend an Evangelical church nearly every Sunday and wonder the best ways to talk about science, global warming, the age of the earth, evolution, biblical errors and so on, of which Evangelicals seem so terrified.

A: By Brian D. McLaren



Dear Lonnie,

Many Evangelicals are so 100% bought in to the whole package they have been given – original sin, penal substitutionary atonement, biblical inerrancy, young earth creationism, denial of climate change, unwillingness to hear the arguments for LGBTQ equality, support for Donald Trump – that if you challenge them, they’ll feel attacked and respond defensively or simply start avoiding you. When people become defensive, they tend to double down on what they’re defending and identify themselves even more closely with it, so any attempts to argue can actually cause people to become more resistant to different ways of thinking.

I think of Jesus’ words about being wise as serpents and innocent as doves, meaning that we have to be completely non-aggressive (doves) but also look for the tiniest opening (serpents) to get the seed of a new message through their defenses. Here are four suggestions:

1. You can wait for someone to say something you find false, unhelpful, or offensive. Then, rather than arguing back, just say, “Wow. I see that differently.” They’ll likely ask why, and rather than arguing (especially in public, which almost guarantees a defensive reaction), I’d recommend you say – with pleasantness and kindness, “I’d rather not go into it now. For now I just wanted you to know that I see it differently. If you’re curious sometime in the future, I’ll be glad to share why in private.” There’s great power in a non-directive, non-aggressive statement (I see that differently), and a great gift in differing without needing to convince.

2. You can share your perspectives in a way that makes it easy for others to differ, while always remaining positive, emphasizing not just what you’re against, but what you’re for. You might say, “I’m pretty sure that I hold a minority opinion on this, but I find the creation story in Genesis much richer when read as a poem that conveys meaning instead of a scientific or historical account.” You’re not asking anyone to agree with you (I hold a minority opinion), and you’re focusing not on their fault (interpreting literally) but on what you have found meaningful (reading poetically).

3. You can share books or other recommendations. Most Evangelicals won’t be ready for Jack Spong or even Marcus Borg, but they might listen to Rachel Held Evans or Pete Enns or Brian Zahnd, or perhaps even some of my books. There are some tremendous podcasts out there to recommend too, geared especially for questioning Evangelicals. Pete Enns’ “The Bible for Normal People” and Tripp Fuller’s “Homebrewed Christianity” and Jen Hatmaker’s “For the Love” are among my favorites.

4. Whenever possible, tell your story. Don’t say, “You’re a homophobic bigot” or “You’re so Islamophobic!” Instead, say, “You know, I used to see things the way you do. But then, a lifelong friend confided to me that he was gay….” Or, “I often hear the opinion of Muslims that you just expressed, but I should tell you about my friends Mustafa and Zaid. We met two years ago …” When you share your story, you’re adding data to their data bank that they can process later on their own.

Soren Kierkegaard said that “the apostle” (the person who carries a message of good news) must be like a midwife. Midwives know that no mother wants to give birth in public. Similarly, people generally prefer to give birth to a new opinion in private. So we offer what we can in public, but then withdraw so that people can process and “go through labor” on their own.

~ Brian D. McLaren

About the Author
Brian D. McLaren is an author, speaker, activist, and public theologian. A former college English teacher and pastor, he is a passionate advocate for “a new kind of Christianity” – just, generous, and working with people of all faiths for the common good. He is an Auburn Senior Fellow and a leader in the Convergence Network, through which he is developing an innovative training/mentoring program for pastors, church planters, and lay leaders called Convergence Leadership Project. He works closely with the Center for Progressive Renewal/Convergence, the Wild Goose Festival and the Fair Food Program‘s Faith Working Group. His most recent joint project is an illustrated children’s book (for all ages) called Cory and the Seventh Story. Other recent books include: The Great Spiritual Migration, We Make the Road by Walking, and Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? (Christian Identity in a Multi-Faith World).
Brian has been active in networking and mentoring church planters and pastors since the mid 1980’s, and has assisted in the development of several new churches. He is a popular conference speaker and a frequent guest lecturer for denominational and ecumenical leadership gatherings – across the US and Canada, Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. He has written for or contributed interviews to many periodicals, including Leadership, Sojourners, Tikkun, Worship Leader, and Conversations.
A frequent guest on television, radio, and news media programs, he has appeared on All Things Considered, Larry King Live, Nightline, On Being, and Religion and Ethics Newsweekly. His work has also been covered in Time, New York Times, Christianity Today, Christian Century, the Washington Post, Huffington Post, CNN.com, and many other print and online media.
Brian is married to Grace, and they have four adult children and five grandchildren. His personal interests include wildlife and ecology, fly fishing and kayaking, music and songwriting, and literature.

John Howard Yoder - Wikipedia



John Howard Yoder - Wikipedia



John Howard Yoder
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John Howard Yoder

Born December 29, 1927

Near Smithville, Ohio, US
Died December 30, 1997 (aged 70)

South Bend, Indiana, US
Residence Elkhart, Indiana, US
Spouse(s)
Anne Marie Guth (m. 1952)[1]


John Howard Yoder (1927–1997) was an American theologian and ethicist best known for his defense of Christian pacifism. His most influential book was The Politics of Jesus, which was first published in 1972. Yoder was Mennonite and wrote from an Anabaptist perspective. He spent the latter part of his career teaching at the University of Notre Dame.

In 1992, media reports emerged that Yoder had sexually abused women in preceding decades, with as many as over 50 complainants. The Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary acknowledged in a statement from 2014 that sexual abuse had taken place.[undue weight?discuss]


Contents
1Life
2Thought
3The Politics of Jesus
4Sexual abuse

6See also
7References
7.1Footnotes
7.2Bibliography
8External links


Life[edit]

Yoder was born on December 29, 1927, near Smithville, Ohio.[1] He earned his undergraduate degree from Goshen College where he studied under the Mennonitetheologian Harold S. Bender.[15] He completed his Doctor of Theology degree at the University of Basel, Switzerland, studying under Karl Barth, Oscar Cullmann, Walther Eichrodt, and Karl Jaspers.

After the Second World War, Yoder traveled to Europe to direct relief efforts for the Mennonite Central Committee. Yoder was instrumental in reviving European Mennonites following the war. Upon returning to the United States, he spent a year working at his father's greenhouse business in Wooster, Ohio.

Yoder began his teaching career at Goshen Biblical Seminary. He was Professor of Theology at Goshen Biblical Seminary and Mennonite Biblical Seminary (the two seminaries that formed what is now called Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary) from 1958 to 1961 and from 1965 to 1984. While still teaching at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, he also began teaching at the University of Notre Dame, where he became a Professor of Theology and eventually a Fellow of the Institute for International Peace Studies.

Yoder sexually abused over 100 women during the 1970s and 1980s while at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary. The abuse was widely rumored, but not acted upon even when board members became aware of the numerous accusations. The Elkhart Truth first reported on the allegations June 29, 1992.[16] The seminary has acknowledged Yoder's crimes against women and has apologized for not acting on them at the time.[17]

Yoder died on December 30, 1997. His personal papers are housed at the Mennonite Church USA Archives.


Thought[edit]


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Yoder is best remembered for his work related to Christian ethics. Rejecting the assumption that human history is driven by coercive power, Yoder argued that it was rather God – working in, with, and through the nonviolent, nonresistant community of disciples of Jesus – who has been the ultimate force in human affairs. If the Christian church in the past made alliances with political rulers, it was because it had lost confidence in this truth.

He called the arrangement whereby the state and the church each supported the goals of the other Constantinianism, and he regarded this arrangement as a dangerous and constant temptation. He argued that the early Church was a subversive community, but later after the rise of Constantine the Great the Church came to desire power and political influence. Yoder called this the Constantinian shift. He further argued that Jesus himself rejected this temptation, even to the point of dying a horrible and cruel death. Resurrecting Jesus from the dead was, in this view, God's way of vindicating Christ's unwavering obedience. Constantine Revisited: Leithart, Yoder, and the Constantinian Debate (2013), edited by John D. Roth, is a collection of essays by Christian pacifists addressing the scholarly debate between Yoder and Peter Leithart about the nature of the Emperor Constantine's impact on Christianity. In his book Constanttine Revisited,' Leithart opposed Yoder's argument that God preferred Christians to remain a powerless, defenseless minority.[18]

Likewise, Yoder argued, the primary responsibility of Christians is not to take over society and impose their convictions and values on people who don't share their faith, but to "be the church." By refusing to return evil for evil, by living in peace, sharing goods, and doing deeds of charity as opportunities arise, the church witnesses, says Yoder, to the fact that an alternative to a society based on violence or the threat of violence has been made possible by the life, death, resurrection and teachings of Jesus. Yoder claims that the church thus lives in the conviction that God calls Christians to imitate the way of Christ in his absolute obedience, even if it leads to their deaths, for they, too, will finally be vindicated in resurrection.

In bringing traditional Mennonite convictions to the attention of a wider critical audience, Yoder reenergized stale theological debates over foundational Christian ecclesiological, Christological, and ethical beliefs. Yoder rejected Enlightenment presuppositions, epitomized by Immanuel Kant, about the possibility of a universal, rational ethic. Abandoning the search for a universal ethic underlying Christian and non-Christian morality, as well as attempts to "translate" Christian convictions into a common moral parlance, he argued that what is expected of Christians, morally, need not be binding for all people. Yoder defended himself against charges of incoherence and hypocrisy by arguing for the legitimacy of moral double standards, and by pointing out that since world affairs are ultimately governed by God's providence, Christians are better off being the Church, than following compromised moral systems that try to reconcile biblical revelation with the necessities of governance.


The Politics of Jesus

Of his many books, the most widely recognized has undoubtedly been The Politics of Jesus (1972); it has been translated into at least ten languages. In it, Yoder argues against popular views of Jesus, particularly those views held by Reinhold Niebuhr, which he believed to be dominant in the day. 

Niebuhr argued for a realist philosophy, which Yoder felt failed to take seriously the call or person of Jesus Christ. After showing what he believed to be inconsistencies of Niebuhr's perspective, Yoder attempted to demonstrate by an exegesis of the Gospel of Luke and parts of Paul's letter to the Romans that, in his view, a radical Christian pacifism was the most faithful approach for the disciple of Christ. Yoder argued that being Christian is a political standpoint and that Christians ought not ignore that calling.

The Politics of Jesus was ranked by the evangelical publication Christianity Today as the fifth most important Christian book of the 20th century.[19]

Sexual abuse[edit]

According to articles in The Elkhart Truth, allegations that Yoder had sexually abused, harassed, and assaulted women circulated for decades and became known in wider Christian circles, but were never publicly acknowledged until 1992.[20][full citation needed]After repeated institutional failures to address these abuses a group of victims threatened to engage in a public protest at a Bethel College (in North Newton, Kansas) conference where Yoder was to be a speaker. The college President rescinded Yoder's invitation, the student newspaper reported the story, and one of the victims reported that Bethel was "the first institution in the church that has taken this seriously".[21][full citation needed] The Elkhart Truth articles detail extensive allegations of harassment of students and others.[20][full citation needed]

From the summer of 1992 to the summer of 1996, Yoder submitted to the discipline of the Indiana–Michigan Conference of the Mennonite Church for allegations of sexual misconduct. Yoder's writing in the unpublished 1995 book The Case for Punishment suggested he believed he was the innocent scapegoat of a conspiracy. Upon the conclusion of the process, the church urged Yoder "to use his gifts of writing and teaching."[22]

Despite the allegations of abuse, Yoder's obituary in The New York Times did not mention any improprieties.[23] Sixteen years after his death, in October 2013, The New York Timesran an article discussing the allegations, quoting one of the complainants Carolyn Heggen who claimed that more than 50 women "said that Mr. Yoder had touched them or made advances." The article also discussed the recent formation of a support group for victims.[24]

More recently, the Mennonite church and Christian peace theologians are actively trying to come to grips with the sexual abuse – and apparent institutional cover-up – which taints the legacy of John Howard Yoder.[25]

In October 2014, the governing board of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) released the following statement:


With a desire to contribute to the larger church discernment process and to own the specific responsibility of the seminary, the AMBS board in their October 23–25 meeting approved a statement acknowledging the pain suffered by women who were victimized by Yoder:


As an AMBS Board, we lament the terrible abuse many women suffered from John Howard Yoder. We also lament that there has not been transparency about how the seminary's leadership responded at that time or any institutional public acknowledgement of regret for what went so horribly wrong. We commit to an ongoing, transparent process of institutional accountability which the president along with the board chair initiated, including work with the historian who will provide a scholarly analysis of what transpired. We will respond more fully once the historical account is published. We also support the planning of an AMBS-based service of lament, acknowledgement and hope in March 2015.

Seminary leaders held an AMBS-based gathering, including a Service of Lament, Confession, and Hope on the weekend of March 21–22, 2015.[26]

The historian Rachel Waltner Goossen was commissioned by Mennonite Church USA to produce a complete report chronicling Yoder's sexual abuse and church responses to it, which was published in January 2015.[25][27

Selected works[edit]
The Christian and Capital Punishment (1961)
Christ and the Powers (translator) by Hendrik Berkhof (1962)
The Christian Pacifism of Karl Barth (1964)
The Christian Witness to the State (1964)
Discipleship as Political Responsibility (1964)
Reinhold Niebuhr and Christian Pacifism (1968)
Karl Barth and the Problem of War (1970)
The Original Revolution: Essays on Christian Pacifism (1971)
Nevertheless: The Varieties and Shortcomings of Religious Pacifism (1971)
The Politics of Jesus (1972)[28]
The Legacy of Michael Sattler, editor and translator (1973)
The Schleitheim Confession, editor and translator (1977)
Christian Attitudes to War, Peace, and Revolution: A Companion to Bainton (1983)
What Would You Do? A Serious Answer to a Standard Question (1983)
God's Revolution: The Witness of Eberhard Arnold, editor (1984)
The Priestly Kingdom: Social Ethics as Gospel (1984)
When War Is Unjust: Being Honest In Just-War Thinking (1984)
He Came Preaching Peace (1985)
The Fullness of Christ: Paul's Revolutionary Vision of Universal Ministry (1987)
The Death Penalty Debate: Two Opposing Views of Capital Punishment (1991)
A Declaration of Peace: In God's People the World's Renewal Has Begun (with Douglas Gwyn, George Hunsinger, and Eugene F. Roop) (1991)
Body Politics: Five Practices of the Christian Community Before the Watching World(1991)
The Royal Priesthood: Essays Ecclesiological and Ecumenical (1994)
Authentic Transformation: A New Vision of Christ and Culture (with Glen Stassen and Diane Yeager) (1996)
For the Nations: Essays Evangelical and Public (1997)
To Hear the Word (2001)
Preface to Theology: Christology and Theological Method (2002)
Karl Barth and the Problem of War, and Other Essays on Barth (2003)
The Jewish-Christian Schism Revisited (2003)
Anabaptism and Reformation in Switzerland: An Historical and Theological Analysis of the Dialogues Between Anabaptists and Reformers (2004)
The War of the Lamb: The Ethics of Nonviolence and Peacemaking (2009)
Christian Attitudes to War, Peace and Revolution (2009)
Nonviolence: A Brief History – The Warsaw Lectures (2010)
Theology of Mission: A Believers Church Perspective (2014)
Articles and book chapters[edit]
(1988) The Evangelical Round Table: The Sanctity of Life (Volume 3)
(1991) Declaration on Peace: In God's People the World's Renewal Has Begun
(1997) God's Revolution: Justice, Community, and the Coming Kingdom
See also[edit]

Anabaptism portal
Biography portal
Christian anarchism
Disciple (Christianity) § Radical discipleship
Liberation theology
List of peace activists
Peace and conflict studies
Peace churches
Radical Christianity
References[edit]
Footnotes[edit]

^ Jump up to:a b c Nation 2011.
^ Jump up to:a b Dorrien 2009, p. 460.
^ Nation 2006, p. 32.
^ Zimmerman 2015, p. 148.
^ Zimmerman 2015, pp. 148–149.
^ Moore 2011, p. iv; Zimmerman 2015, pp. 148–149.
^ Yoder 2013.
^ Weaver 1999, p. 638.
^ Dawn 2015, p. xi.
^ Smith 2016, p. 165.
^ Dayton 2007, p. 425.
^ Goossen 2015, p. 9.
^ Heide 2009, p. 79.
^ Chaves 2013, p. 71.
^ Nation 2003, pp. 360–363.
^ Price, Tom (June 29, 1992). "Theologian Cited in Sex Inquiry". The Elkhart Truth. Elkhart, Indiana. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
^ Sokol, Michelle (April 9, 2015). "Mennonite Seminary Apologizes to Victims of Famed Theologian". National Catholic Reporter. 51 (13). p. 5. Archived from the original on February 14, 2017. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
^ "Review of Constantine Revisited: Leithart, Yoder, and the Constantinian Debate, Edited by John D. Roth". The Christian Century. June 3, 2014. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
^ "Books of the Century". Christianity Today. April 24, 2000. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
^ Jump up to:a b Price, Tom (1992). "John Howard Yoder's Sexual Misconduct". The Elkhart (Indiana) Truth. Retrieved March 14, 2007.
^ Mennonite Weekly Review. March 12, 1992.
^ Nation 2003.
^ Steinfels, Peter (January 7, 1998). "John H. Yoder, Theologian At Notre Dame, Is Dead at 70". The New York Times. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
^ Oppenheimer, Mark (October 11, 2013). "A Theologian's Influence, and Stained Past, Live On". The New York Times. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
^ Jump up to:a b Goossen 2015.
^ Klassen, Mary E. (December 5, 2014). "AMBS Service to Acknowledge Harm from Yoder Actions". The Mennonite. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
^ Huber, Tim (January 5, 2015). "New Sources Give Clearer View of Abuse by Theologian". Mennonite World Review. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
^ Yoder 1994.
Bibliography[edit]
Chaves, João B. (2013). Evangelicals and Liberation Revisited: An Inquiry into the Possibility of an Evangelical-Liberationist Theology. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock. ISBN 978-1-62189-692-0.Dawn, Marva J. (2015). "Foreword". In Weaver, J. Denny (ed.). John Howard Yoder: Radical Theologian. Cambridge, England: Lutterworth Press. pp. xi–xiii. ISBN 978-0-7188-9394-1. JSTOR j.ctt1cgdz25.Dayton, Donald W. (2007). "An Autobiographical Response". In Collins Winn, Christian T. (ed.). From the Margins: A Celebration of the Theological Work of Donald W. Dayton. Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick Publications. pp. 383–426. ISBN 978-1-63087-832-0.Dorrien, Gary (2009). Social Ethics in the Making: Interpreting an American Tradition. Chichester, England: Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978-1-4443-0577-7.Goossen, Rachel Waltner (2015). "'Defanging the Beast': Mennonite Responses to John Howard Yoder's Sexual Abuse" (PDF). Mennonite Quarterly Review. 89 (1): 7–80. ISBN 978-0-8361-9971-0. ISSN 0025-9373. Retrieved March 12, 2019.Heide, Gale (2009). System and Story: Narrative Critique and Construction in Theology. Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick Publications. ISBN 978-1-63087-797-2.Moore, Charles E. (2011). Introduction. Jesus and the Nonviolent Revolution (PDF). By Trocmé, André. Rifton, New York: Plough Publishing House. pp. v–xi. Retrieved March 12, 2019.Nation, Mark Thiessen (2003). "John Howard Yoder: Mennonite, Evangelical, Catholic". The Mennonite Quarterly Review. 77 (3): 357–370. ISSN 0025-9373. Retrieved March 12,2019. ——— (2006). John Howard Yoder: Mennonite Patience, Evangelical Witness, Catholic Convictions. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-8028-3940-4. ——— (2011). "Yoder, John Howard (1927–1997)". Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved March 12, 2019.Smith, Graham R. (2016). The Church Militant: Spiritual Warfare in the Anglican Charismatic Renewal. Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick Publications. ISBN 978-1-4982-2944-9.Weaver, Alain Epp (1999). "After Politics: John Howard Yoder, Body Politics, and the Witnessing Church". The Review of Politics. 61 (4): 637–673. ISSN 1748-6858. JSTOR 1408403.Yoder, John Howard (1994). The Politics of Jesus (2nd ed.). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-85364-620-4. ——— (2013) [1959]. "Zofingen Disputation". Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved March 13, 2019.Zimmerman, Earl (2015). "Oscar Cullmann and Radical Discipleship". In Weaver, J. Denny (ed.). John Howard Yoder: Radical Theologian. Cambridge, England: Lutterworth Press. pp. 145–166. ISBN 978-0-7188-9394-1. JSTOR j.ctt1cgdz25.
External links[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to: John Howard Yoder

The Yoder Index. "A searchable index of the writings of John Howard Yoder" by John Nugent, Branson Parler, and Jason Vance.
A simplified summary of John H. Yoder's book: The Politics of Jesus at the Wayback Machine (archived March 18, 2008) by Nathan Hobby with James Patton
Remembering John Howard Yoder, by Stanley Hauerwas, First Things
John Howard Yoder at Find a Grave
Articles and video of John Howard Yoder, New online articles and video of Yoder, by Jesus Radicals
John H. Yoder Reading Room, Online texts by and on Yoder (Tyndale Seminary)
John Howard Yoder Digital Collection, Primarily unpublished works by Yoder, (by Goshen College Mennonite Historical Library, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, and Mennonite Church USA Archives)

The Upside-Down Kingdom: Anniversary Edition eBook: Donald B. Kraybill, Lisa Sharon Harper: Amazon.com.au: Amazon Australia Services, Inc.



The Upside-Down Kingdom: Anniversary Edition eBook: Donald B. Kraybill, Lisa Sharon Harper: Amazon.com.au: Amazon Australia Services, Inc.






In the anniversary edition of the classic book The Upside-Down Kingdom, author Donald B. Kraybill calls readers to imagine and embody the reign of God on earth as it is in heaven. Since its publication in 1978, The Upside-Down Kingdom has become the most-trusted resource on radical Christian discipleship. 


  • What does it mean to follow the Christ who traded victory and power for hanging out with the poor and forgiving his enemies? 
  • How did a man in first-century Palestine threaten the established order, and what does that mean for us today? 
  • What would happen if Christians replaced force with service, violence with love, and nationalism with allegiance to Jesus?

Product description

Review

“A remarkable achievement.”—Stanley Hauerwas


“As provocative as the disciples of Jesus.”—Tom Sine


“A sustained challenge to examine familiar realities in a completely new way. . . A wonderful tool to stimulate the sociological imagination.”—João Monteiro


“Both refreshing and provocative, as the surprises of Jesus’ kingdom ought to be.”—Mark Lau Branson


“Rich fare for self-examination.”—Mary Lynne Rapien


“Not only challenges Christians to resist cultural conformity but also urges people to practice upside-down living rooted in God’s reign.”—Young Lee Hertig


“Trends toward bigness, shininess, and power have only accelerated in the twenty-first century, making The Upside-Down Kingdom more relevant than ever.”—David R. Swartz


“Compels us to reconsider what life in the kingdom of God should look like.”—Discipleship Journal


“The kingdom is still upside down! Kraybill challenges us to translate this upside-down kingdom into our lives today.”—Reta Halteman Finger


“This book gave me great courage, a sense of the ethics of relationships that invite us to embody the love exemplified in Jesus’ life.”—John Paul Lederach

About the Author

Donald B. Kraybill is internationally recognized for his scholarship on Anabaptist groups. His books, research, and commentary have been featured in national and worldwide media, including the New York Times, Washington Post, The Guardian, NPR, CNN, and NBC. He is a distinguished college professor and senior fellow emeritus at the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College. Kraybill is the author, coauthor, or editor of many books, including Amish Grace, The Amish Way, Renegade Amish, and The Riddle of Amish Culture.


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The Upside-Down Kingdom: Anniversary Edition Kindle Edition
by Donald B. Kraybill (Author), Lisa Sharon Harper (Foreword)
4.8 out of 5 stars 27 reviews from Amazon.com


Length: 320 pages Word Wise: Enabled Enhanced Typesetting:Enabled
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Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 2440 KB
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Most helpful customer reviews on Amazon.com
Amazon.com: 4.8 out of 5 stars 27 reviews

Arthur Sido
4.0 out of 5 starsGreat book with a few cautions2 October 2011 - Published on Amazon.com
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It took me a while but I finally finished Donald Kraybill's The Upside-Down Kingdom. Kraybill is Distinguished College Professor, and Senior Fellow of Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, which is a pretty impressive title, at least for its length, and one of the foremost experts on Anabaptism and especially the Amish in the world. The Upside-Down Kingdom (UPK for short) is not a book on Anabaptism per se but rather a look at the way that Christ's Kingdom is in every respect the exact opposite of what the world values. Up is down, great is least.

UPK is a fascinating book and challenging to boot. Some of the background information that Kraybill shares is absolutely incredible and really fleshes out portions of Scripture. He does a great job of drawing out from Scripture some crucial points regarding status, power, wealth, etc. that we take for granted and showing the reader where we have strayed far from the intent of Scripture. It is a pretty devastating indictment of our traditional church culture in the West and should make any open-minded Christian ask some serious questions and take a deep introspective look. There are a few slow points but the book as a whole flows beautifully and reads easily while still be meaty.

That isn't to say that I don't have concerns. I do with every book but UPK has some issues that are especially concerning. First Kraybill seems pretty comfortable with traditional church structures. He certainly has criticisms of them but he seems to miss in places that the very traditions we cling to in many ways hamper living as citizens of the Upside-Down Kingdom. He also takes great liberties in assigning motivations and emotions, especially to Christ, that are absent from the text. What Jesus, the eternal God, is thinking in a situation is not a topic I am comfortable making definitive statements about.
My bigger concern has to do with how Christ is represented and how His cross is understood. The language about the deity of Christ and the relationship between God the Father and God the Son is a bit sloppy and imprecise. Someone could read this book and perhaps get the impression that God is the Father is God and that Jesus is something less than God. His treatment of the cross is even more troubling. Statements like this for example...

"...Jesus demolished the entire sacrificial system when he announced full forgiveness, direct from God - any time, any place without a bloody sacrifice." (The Upside-Down Kingdom, pg. 248)

Kraybill seems to be saying that the sacrificial system was overturned symbolically and finally when Jesus overturned the money changers tables in the temple and that the cross is primarily the result of the social unrest caused by a life of radical service. The problem is that this is doesn't match Scripture which tells us that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (Heb 9:22) and that Jesus brought peace between man and God by His shed blood on the cross (Col 1:20). So there are certainly some places where red flags popped up in an otherwise outstanding book.

So in summary I would absolutely recommend The Upside-Down Kingdom to most Christians but I would add a note of caution. Read with your eyes (and Scriptures!) wide open and be discerning in places where Kraybill starts to stray from orthodox teachings. I would caution a newer believer who is not solidly grounded in the Bible to be very cautious here. Perhaps read in the context of a study group UPK would work but I would be concerned that a new believer would miss some of the red flags I saw. I don't want to give the impression that this is not an outstanding book because it absolutely is and one I highly recommend. Just read with caution, which is good advice for any book!
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Willys Wrencher
4.0 out of 5 starsLiving like Jesus Christ4 May 2010 - Published on Amazon.com
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"The Upside-Down Kingdom" by Donald B. Kraybill is an excellent book challenging all Christians to radically live out the Sermon on the Mount and other teachings of Jesus Christ. Mr. Kraybill, a sociologist and Christian of Anabaptist/Mennonite background, correctly and lovingly challenges Christians to abandon the philosophies of this world in order to accurately represent the Kingdom of God on earth.

The Upside-Down Kingdom shows that the Kingdom of God really is opposed to any worldly system of thinking or government. To win, you must lose. To live, you must die. To gain, you must live. Every one of Christ's commands are the direct opposite of those taught by the leading thinkers of the world. If Christians are to impact their generation for the Kingdom of God we must start living like true ambassadors of the Kingdom.

I give this book four starts because I thought it was slightly repetitive at points and not quite as conservative in some of its views as I would have liked. The main instance of this is when the author contrasts the Greek definitions of "love" in a way that I think stretches sound exegesis. This is common in modern evangelicalism but is really not as significant as Mr. Kraybill would have us believe. However, this book is still a great, easy read and will certainly challenge those who want to live like Jesus did.
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Gabbarta
5.0 out of 5 starsThe Upside-Down Kingdom3 March 2011 - Published on Amazon.com
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In order for us to have a clear understanding the theology of Kingdom we have to know who Jesus are without any cultural, theological, spiritual, or philosophical assumptions, or what the author calls detours around Jesus. We have to know Him from his own story and words. Therefore, Kraybill's the theology of Kingdom is based on the story of Jesus Christ and centered on His ministry. He provides a biblical framework for understanding the kingdom.
The author calls the Kingdom that Jesus preached the upside down kingdom of radically different principles and values, because its realization stands in contrast to the common ways of this world. The king of this Kingdom is God (the author uses Jesus sometimes), and its principle are Jubilees, Sabbath and Shalom that were insinuated in Jesus' words and message, and their main goal is to elevate men and women from the social, political, religious monarchal, economical labels or boxes to the level of siblings in the Kingdom. However, these principles contradict with the principles of the world. He explains that the political and religious power plays had drastic effects on the economic life of the majority poor. Therefore, Jesus himself has to face the three spheres of social power: politics, economics and religion.
The author believes that Jesus teaching on kingdom is personal and realistic, and it is not to be lived aggregately but collectively. By personal, I mean that God rules in believer's heart and relationships to elevate them to a new status. By realistic I mean it could be applied to our live wherever and whenever human live. We can envision this in the church as assembly of people who are citizens of the Kingdom, and who adopt the idea and the values of the Kingdom in any culture they reside in. Because believers are, like any other human beings, social, they need a social structure to meet their needs and the needs of others. The church is the social structure that the values and culture of the Kingdom are practiced and passed on to others. Therefore, church as a "social vehicle" of the Kingdom culture uses its "servant structure" to accomplish Kingdom's mission, which is church's work. Its mission is to be the prophetic voice in the world against social discrimination, political oppression, religious scandals, and economic injustice according to God's purpose and will. In another level, the author criticizes the institutional church. He believes that Kingdom of God is above any place, nation, and culture. However, as the author get to the end of this point, he ultimately realized that we need to periodically evaluate the rule and purpose of its activities.
Being from an Anabaptists background, the author articulates very well the Kingdom children's respond to the violent. Responding to violent with violent will naturally produce greater loss for both parties. A quick peak to the history, we will find that violent never solved problems. When we do not respond violently, we might think it is weakness, but according to Jesus Teaching it is power. Responding to violent with love serves many purposes. Firstly, we do not give the perpetrator what he or she intended by acting violently. Secondly, we teach the aggressor a lesson that some of them might not be familiar with. Thirdly, we are showing our ultimate obedience to our Master who commanded us to love our enemy. The author bases his argument on the principle of non-reciprocal love (agape). Agape is a love that does not expect something in return. It is like God's love for us.
What Kraybill makes it clear is that the kingdom is not compromising to culture, powers or convenience; rather, its main goal is to transform them. The only way to that is through what he calls them the triple symbols, basin, cross, and tomb. The symbol of basin represents what is known recently by the servanthood leadership. Serving others without any regards to sex, nation, religion, and ethnicity is the core of the Kraybill's Kingdom Theology. This is not an easy task, because it will lead to the cross. But because we trust God, and we are accomplishing Kingdom's mission, the final word is for God. When the church adopts the triple symbol concept, its journey toward accomplishing its mission is not going to be a comfortable one.
Looking at the political climate during the time, we will realize that the Jewish people were in desperately waiting for a king to liberate them from Romans. In the wilderness, Jesus had faced that temptation. He did not accept political authority that was offered to Him by the tempter. Instead, He chose to be a revolutionary. He was a revolutionary not in the Zealous type of rebel that used violence, but in violating Pharisees' laws and regulations that were above God's law, criticizing the false political tranquility of the Romans, and condemning the right-wing Sadducees lucrative temple operation. Serving others out of love was His policy. The second sphere that Jesus faced was religious power. The religious practice grew stale, empty, and lucrative. Jesus was tempted to reveal His Messianic secret to influence people to make a new movement or create a new religion. He might have struggled with this thought during His mission. Instead, again He preferred the role of the servant Savior. The third sphere was the economic power. Again and again Jesus preached against economic injustice that trampled the poor to benefit the rich. Jesus was tempted to use His power to feed the hunger and end the economic unjust. Instead, He chose to be the bread of life for all nations. His life, His way, and His teaching will form a new foundation of living.
I read the book entirely, and I, without any doubt, can say that it is one of the most transforming books that I have read in English. It presents a universal theology of the Kingdom that could be applied to different contexts and understood in any given situation. The strengths of the Kraybill's theology of Kingdom is that it is a biblical theology, which could be applied to any church in any place in the world within their current context. Just as he provides context for the reader, he allows for contextual interpretation for those that wish to apply what they have learned from the text. And this might be the genius of this book. It never imposes context but rather exposes it. Moreover, the author incorporates his sociological education to bring to life in a very articulated and easy to understand language the historical, political, and social culture of the New Testament.
My criticism of this book is that Kraybill seems to be ambivalent in his argument about the church. In one hand, he sees it as a servant structure for the Kingdom's mission. In the other hand, he does not seem happy with concept of the church. I believe that all human being's effort will fall short in living the faith. However, I also believe, that the church with all its shortcomings will remain the beloved bride of Christ. We cannot disvalue the rich meanings of the symbols of the church. At the same time, I agree with the author that we have to evaluate the meaning and purpose of these symbols periodically. The author also seems to accommodating from time to time for those who may yearn for personalized version of the Gospel of the kingdom and find this kind of interpretation repelling.
The author theology fits best into the Anabaptist perspective of Church, State, and Public Justice. By taking Jesus words to heart, the church can become the prophetic voice in the community. Jesus called his disciples light and the salt of the world. Its mission is to add Kingdom's value and speak God's truth by loving the other and caring the community. The church already has a great deal of influence on people and communities' values. It is not expecting to benefit from this task financially, nor try to gain power over people whom she is serving. Rather to transform them to the image of Jesus. It is not going to be an accomplishable task. However, it is going to be an earthly time process. The test will show how faithful she will remain to her Master, "but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved."
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