Alienation, Friendship & the Rise of Christian Communities | Interview with John Kloppenborg

In this wide-ranging conversation, John Kloppenborg explores why people in the Roman Empire joined small groups — including the earliest Christian communities. He explains how urban alienation, diversity, and the scale of ancient cities created a deep need for belonging, and how associations used shared meals, rituals, and “technologies of belonging” to create identity. Kloppenborg also discusses how love, mutual recognition, and group cohesion shaped early Christian practice more than formal doctrine. A rich sociological and historical look into why Christian groups grew and endured. ——— 🎥 More from us: Check out our other (German) channel:    / @ecclesiaeprojekt   Project website: https://www.earlychristiancenters.com 📚 Handbook series: https://www.earlychristiancenters.com... 📸 Instagram:   / early_christian_centers   ——— ℹ️ About the project: This series of videos is part of the ECCLESIAE Project, a collaboration between the University of Bern (https://www.theol.unibe.ch/index_eng....) and the University of Bonn (https://www.etf.uni-bonn.de/en/facult.... Produced by Schwarzfalter (https://schwarzfalter.com). #JohnKloppenborg #EarlyChristianity #Associations #GrecoRomanWorld #Belonging #SocialIdentity #MealsRituals #ChristianOrigins #NTStudies #AncientCities #GroupFormation”