#41: Angela Zautcke - Was the early church communist?

What do we know about the life of the early Christians in the first few generations after the death of Jesus? While there's a lot of debate about such topics as leadership roles and gender equality, Acts is pretty explicit about a few details: The very first Christians held all things in common. When people joined the community of believers, they would sell their possessions and distribute the proceeds. They made sure everyone's needs were met.  Some people reading these passages have concluded that the first Christians practiced an early form of communism. While this notion aligns with other ideas in the Bible, especially Jesus' teachings about giving up one's possessions, it's still a controversial claim—especially since many conservative Christians view communism and socialism as completely antithetical to Christian values. So which is it? Is communism an evil, atheistic ideology? Or is it the best possible way to live out the gospel?  On this episode of Glad You Asked, the hosts talk to guest Angela Zautcke about the communal life and values of the early church, how to interpret those Bible passages, and whether we can call the practices of the early church a variety of communism. Zautcke is an advanced doctoral student at the University of Notre Dame. Her fields of scholarship include the gospels, narratology, Second Temple Judaism, and apocalyptic literature. Read more about this topic in these links: "Is social justice the same as socialism?" by Kathy McGourty https://uscatholic.org/articles/201008/is-social-justice-the-same-as-socialism/ "Catholics should learn from Marx, not fear him," by Sam Rocha https://uscatholic.org/articles/202305/catholics-should-learn-from-marx-not-fear-him/ "Do we need more liberation theology?" by Abby Rampone https://uscatholic.org/articles/202401/do-we-need-more-liberation-theology/ "Can Catholics and socialists build a better future together?" by Fran Quigley https://uscatholic.org/articles/202010/can-catholics-and-socialists-build-a-better-future-together/ Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries. https://www.claretians.org/