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Sharing Possessions: What Faith Demands, Second Edition

Challenges Christians to change the way they regard their worldly goods"This book is written as an exercise in theological reflection on one of the knottiest questions imaginable: the connection between being a Christian and the way we own and use things. . . . When we turn to thinking about money and possessions, we find ourselves in murky waters. The things we own and use, like our sexuality, lie close to the bone of our individual and collective sense of identity." So writes respected scholar Luke Timothy Johnson in his introduction to Sharing Possessions: What Faith Demands. Stepping purposefully into the "murky waters" of owning and sharing, Johnson endeavors to define the slippery concept of human possession -- especially in relation to God's divine ownership -- and to unpack the Bible's teaching on the mystery of human possessing and possessiveness.  This second edition, reflecting thirty years of Johnson's further thinking on the subject, features chapters expanded with fresh insights, helpful new study questions for each chapter, and a substantial epilogue updating the work.

File Size: 1656 KB

Print Length: 192 pages

Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing; 2 edition (January 24, 2011)

Publication Date: January 24, 2011

Sold by:  Digital Services LLC

Language: English

ASIN: B006MEJUUO

Text-to-Speech: Enabled

X-Ray: Not Enabled

Word Wise: Enabled

Lending: Not Enabled

Enhanced Typesetting: Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #584,369 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store) #137 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Religion & Spirituality > Christian Books & Bibles > Christian Living > Stewardship #367 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Christian Living > Stewardship #186172 in Books > Religion & Spirituality

While he tended to be a bit more academic in his approach, I found this book fascinating and extremely helpful in navigating this issue.Much of the beginning part of the book spends time discussing in intricate detail the issues of "being" and "having" as part of beinghuman. Some, perhaps obvious, but nevertheless important points he made were that having is a necessary condition of being and subsequent to that, having is not the problem, rather how we use our possessions is the key.He also placed a lot of emphasis on discernment rather than a strictly defined system or "community of goods." He also went to great lengths to emphasize that selling all our possessions and giving them to the poor or having a community pool of all our goods is not the standard that scripture puts forth.In a nutshell he argues that possessions are necessary as a part of being human and there is nothing wrong with that. Discernment based on a thoughtful approach to each situation guided by the Holy Spirit is what is needed in correctly using our possessions. Overall, a wonderful book and highly recommended.

This is a classic on understanding stewardship of God's world. How do we understand our possessions in relation to God. A must read.

Although one of his earliest books, I found this a very thoughtful look at one of the basic tenents of early Christianity, though as Johnson points out, what we know for certain about early Christian practice is very sketchy, so there is the need for this kind of book from a man so well versed in the scriptures and with such a wide=ranging mind.

This book goes much deeper than its title suggests. It's central point is to show what idolatry is. Once we understand the reality of idolatry we can then understand that the utopian idea of possessions in common does not exclude idolatrous adaptations. So we are left with what we had to face all along: we must discern the proper use of self and possessions in response to life as it unfolds.

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