On 10th April 2018, TTC held a public lecture by Professor John M. G. Barclay. Professor Barclay is the Lightfoot Professor of Divinity at Durham University in the United Kingdom. Renowned for his work on the history of the early church, he spoke on the topic, “Early Christianity and the Survival of the Poor.” He observed that most early believers who lived in poverty survived through a network of support and care not unlike what was practiced among the poor.

The principle of reciprocity, where offering material help gained the favor of those who would return the favor when their benefactors needed assistance, helped to explain the social ethics of the poor then. But New Testament teaching pushes the boundaries of kinship and the nature of material help. Early Christianity defined kinship in a way that transcended biological and ethnic boundaries. Good reciprocity was extended to this new spiritual family where some are strangers whom others barely knew or perhaps trust. Motivation to offer help among the Christian poor comes not from tradition, principle, obligation, or even the hope of a future reward, but from the divine command to love as modelled by Jesus.

The lecture not only helped to clarify the context of the New Testament writings, but also challeged those present that the practice of Christian generosity fulfils our role as creatures made in the image of our God who gave generously in the person of Christ to the undeserving. Christians ought to go beyond our comfort zones and practice a risky generosity that remembers the poor in our communities.

Caleb Chua (MDiv, 1st Year)