Everything in Common?

Possessions and how believers handle them are key topics in the NT. In this book, Fiona Gregson examines the practice and theology of sharing possessions in community in the NT by examining six diverse NT examples of sharing. Each example is considered in its historical and cultural context before being compared to one or more non-Christian examples to identify similarities and differences. Gregson identifies common characteristics across the NT examples and consistent distinctives in how the early church shared possessions compared to the surrounding cultures. Gregson's findings demonstrate that Christians subverted Roman patronage expectations; Christian groups were more diverse in their membership and exhibited more flexible, less structured examples of sharing; Christians placed greater emphasis on the free choice of individuals to contribute to sharing; and Christians more frequently participated in eating together and had a greater focus on relational bonds than was common in Graeco-Roman society/culture. ""This is an important book. People often raise but then abandon the question of what it meant for the early Church to share good in common. They raise it because it appears to be important but then abandon it because it feels too difficult to find an answer. This book provides a very helpful exploration of the theme that both pays due importance to the question and, by careful exploration of a variety of New Testament passages, begins to provide an answer as to what it meant in practice for them to share. It is clear, well written, thoughtful, and very helpful. I highly recommend it."" --Paula Gooder, author of Body: Biblical Spirituality for the Whole Person ""This is a fascinating and detailed examination of biblical texts that illuminate not only how the various early Christian churches lived and shared their lives together, but also how these were distinctive when set against their Greco-Roman and Jewish comparators. A book that should be studied and learned from by those who wish to see a church marked by mutual care and generosity."" --Nicholas Baines, Bishop of Leeds, United Kingdom Fiona Gregson is an ordained Anglican whose UK ministry has been mainly in areas of multiple deprivation. She has lived and worked in several African countries. These experiences motivate her concern for Christian engagement with poverty and possessions. She holds a BA (Oxford) and a PhD (London School of Theology). She is based in the Diocese of Birmingham and splits her time between the church, teaching, and caring for her young daughter.