About five years ago, my Christian worldview underwent a massive change after reading Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw. Since then, I have naturally gravitated towards books on this topic so that I can understand Jesus’ favorite topic better and better. That being said, when I saw that Sigurd Grindheim—a New Testament professor from Norway—had written a book called, Living in the Kingdom of God, I couldn’t help but buy it and jump in.
My copy is filled with highlights. Time and time again the author illuminates the Scriptures in a light that can’t help but catch your attention. Grindheim covers the topic beautifully and makes it come alive with illustrations from his own life and comparisons with the modern day world. He also brings the ancient Scriptures to life by detailing the meaning of them within the culture in which they were written, giving them fresh meaning that we couldn’t otherwise discern just by reading the Scriptures.
I was also pleasantly surprised to see Grindheim cover the topic on such a wide scale that he took it all the way into the book of Revelation. This shouldn’t be surprising since Revelation is about the full coming of the Kingdom, but unlike other authors, he takes an entire chapter to explain the importance of many confusing things in Revelation and how they relate to the Kingdom, painting the Bible in a light that many don’t hear it in because of all of the confusion and conspiracies revolving around Revelation. That is a well-needed chapter for many.
Whether you are new to the conversation of the Kingdom of God/Kingdom of Heaven or you’re quite acquainted with it, this book is well-worth a read. It’s written on a level that everyone can understand, but it’s also not dumbed down as to not be beneficial to the academic. Even if it just ends up being review for you, it’s a well-needed review.
If anyone comes to me down the road looking to grow in their understanding of the Kingdom of God (again, one of Jesus’ favorite themes and therefore a crucial theme for us to understand), this will be one of my constant suggestions.
Jamin Bradley 