The Upside-Down Bible: what Jesus really said about money, sex and violence

This interactive course is especially useful to people unused to reading the New Testament. As we explore Jesus’s words, your own reactions will be the starting-point. You will exchange thoughts with other readers and learn about historical contexts. You will be able to make decisions about if and how you want to apply Jesus’ teachings to life, society and politics today.

The course will be taught online over six evening sessions. There will be material available online as well as opportunities for further discussion for those who wish to engage in it. During our sessions together, we will consider selected passages of Jesus’ teachings as they appear in the gospels – looking at themes of money, sex and violence. After considering our own and each other’s responses, we will look at insights from scholars before asking if and how the teachings in question apply in our lives and contexts.

This course, which is based on Symon Hill’s book The Upside-Down Bible: What Jesus really said about money, sex and violence (Darton, Longman and Todd, 2015), is open to anyone willing to learn from others, whatever your own religious or non-religious views.