JourneyOnline
The Radical Kingdom
By Bill Adams
Privately published by Bill Adams
Retired Uniting Church Minister Rev Dr Bill Adams provides a fresh and inspiring look into the sayings and parables of Jesus in his latest book The Radical Kingdom.
The book is designed to provoke and excite readers with the counter cultural impact of Jesus’ message about the ever in-breaking reign of God into human society.
Dr Adams claims that Christians and the church have all too often buried the raw edge of Jesus’ teachings, “They have been put to bed by a sleepy church that simply wanted things to stay as they were, they have been passed over by gung-ho evangelicals who didn’t understand how evangelical they are.
"They have been hidden by ecclesial revisionists and they have been buried by people like me. It’s time to open them up again.”
And open them up he does! In 13 short chapters Dr Adams dives straight into many of the familiar teachings and stories of Jesus but usually with an insightful twist or a personal confession that gives the well known words an added poignancy and challenge.
“Radical” is an apt descriptor because the book goes straight to the jugular; tapping the very roots of Jesus’ teachings about God’s rule in everyday human affairs. Loaded with personal anecdotes The Radical Kingdom expresses how Jesus’ parables provide meaning, focus and power for living beyond our personal comfort and safety zones.
Challenging in content, and grounded in solid biblical scholarship, The Radical Kingdom is nevertheless an easy read, conversational in tone.
In 86 self published pages, Dr Adams has provided a great resource for group discussion or personal reflection. Each chapter concludes with a set of questions that makes it very leader-friendly for small groups.
With a fresh approach that challenges traditional assumptions The Radical Kingdom will also be valuable for use in groups that include agnostics, spiritual seekers or people of other faiths as well as Christian believers.
Graham Beattie is a mission consultant with the Queensland Synod.
To contact Bill Adams email bpadams@optusnet.com.au
