Book Description

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 clarify and define the ambiguous concept of human possession especially in relation to God s divine ownership and to discern 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. All who found in Luke Johnson s treatment of possessions as part of the mystery of human existence a deeper and more fruitful approach to the problems of wealth and poverty will find in this new edition continued critical reflection and fresh insight. Those for whom this is a first encounter will find out what made it worth reissuing after thirty years. Sondra Ely Wheeler Wesley Theological Seminary