Paul's Idea of Community: Spirit and Culture in Early House Churches

This highly readable investigation of the early church explores the revolutionary nature, dynamics, and effects of the earliest Christian communities. It introduces readers to the cultural setting of the house churches of biblical times, examines the apostle Paul's vision of life in the Christian church, and explores how the New Testament model of community applies to Christian practice today. Updated and revised throughout, this 40th-anniversary edition incorporates recent research, updates the bibliography, and adds a new fictional narrative that depicts the life and times of the early church.

• Contents
• Preface to the Third Edition
• Preface to the Second Edition
• Preface to the First Edition
• Introduction
• 1. The Sociocultural and Religious Settings
• 2. The Gospel of Other-Directed Freedom
• 3. Church in Family Business Residences
• 4. Church as Present Heavenly Reality
• 5. The Community as a Loving Household
• 6. The Community as an Organic Harmony
• 7. Mutual Learning and Testing of Faith
• 8. Common Meals and Signs of Fellowship
• 9. The Sharing of Gifts and Ministry
• 10. The Interplay of Grace and Order
• 11. Unity and Diversity among the Members
• 12. The Contribution of Women in Church
• 13. Abolishing Religious Distinctions between Members
• 14. Defining Leadership by Function, Not Position
• 15. The Role of Visiting Missioners
• 16. The Link between Mission and Church
• 17. The Nature of Paul's Authority
• 18. The Exercise of Paul's Influence
• Conclusion
• Appendix 1: The Drift of the Pastorals
• Appendix 2: Going to Church in the First Century
• Glossary
• Indexes