Complete Journal

Abstract

Koinonia has generally been interpreted as something solely subjective and affective. However, this model of human relations—present in early Christianity—constitutes a concrete form of community life that, as a counterculture, challenges dominant power structures, consumerism, individualism, and social exclusion. Koinonia thus emerges as an alternative paradigm for the development of faith communities in complex contexts: sexual diversity, theological education, vulnerability and social exclusion, deprivation of liberty, alternative healthcare, and migration.