Becoming Neighbors (Paperback)

Amar D. Peterman

ISBN 10: 0802884121 / ISBN 13: 9780802884121

Published by William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2026

About this Item

Paperback. The work of cultivating the common good starts in your own neighborhood.In Becoming Neighbors, Amar D. Peterman explores how the common good can be cultivated through the practice of neighbor love. And he encourages Christians to join their neighbors at what he calls "the shared table"--a space where communities gather across differences to work towards the flourishing of the whole.Within every neighborhood, people have daily opportunities to show up for each other and share the best of their traditions, cultures, and beliefs. But too often, Christians keep to themselves--and when they do show up, many spend more time talking than listening. Peterman encourages Christians to adopt a different posture: to sit side by side with their neighbors at the community table, share a meal, engage in mutual listening and learning, and actively commit to each other's flourishing.Peterman illuminates the faith-based insights that Christians can bring to the table, such as the biblical call to love others, to seek goodness, and to build communities of belonging. And he offers tangible practices of neighbor love--including compassion, resonance, lamentation, and accompaniment--that translate across diverse populations. Peterman also demonstrates how Christ's example as prophet, priest, and king serves as a guide for how Christians might live faithfully in their communities today.At the heart of this book is a simple but critical question: How will we live? Amid our differences and disagreements, through the strife and terror of our world, through the reality of death and the hope of resurrection, the answer for Christians is clear: We live as neighbors. "The author explores how communities can be transformed through the Christian practice of neighbor love and a theologically informed understanding of the common good"-- Provided by publisher. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780802884121

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Becoming Neighbors (Paperback)
• Publisher: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0802884121
• ISBN 13: 9780802884121
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

The work of cultivating the common good starts in your own neighborhood.

In Becoming Neighbors, Amar D. Peterman explores how the common good can be cultivated through the practice of neighbor love. And he encourages Christians to join their neighbors at what he calls "the shared table"--a space where communities gather across differences to work towards the flourishing of the whole.

Within every neighborhood, people have daily opportunities to show up for each other and share the best of their traditions, cultures, and beliefs. But too often, Christians keep to themselves--and when they do show up, many spend more time talking than listening. Peterman encourages Christians to adopt a different posture: to sit side by side with their neighbors at the community table, share a meal, engage in mutual listening and learning, and actively commit to each other's flourishing.

Peterman illuminates the faith-based insights that Christians can bring to the table, such as the biblical call to love others, to seek goodness, and to build communities of belonging. And he offers tangible practices of neighbor love--including compassion, resonance, lamentation, and accompaniment--that translate across diverse populations. Peterman also demonstrates how Christ's example as prophet, priest, and king serves as a guide for how Christians might live faithfully in their communities today.

At the heart of this book is a simple but critical question: How will we live? Amid our differences and disagreements, through the strife and terror of our world, through the reality of death and the hope of resurrection, the answer for Christians is clear: We live as neighbors.

About the Authors

Amar D. Peterman is a constructive theologian working at the intersection of faith and public life. He is the founder of Scholarship for Religion and Society LLC and the assistant director of civic networks at Interfaith America. Peterman holds an MDiv from Princeton Theological Seminary and is an incoming PhD student at the University of Chicago's Divinity School. His writing and research have been featured in Sojourners, Christianity Today, The Christian Century, The Fetzer Institute, TheBerkley Forum, and The Anxious Bench. He also publishes regularly on his Substack, This Common Life. Becoming Neighbors: The Common Good Made Local is his first book.

James K. A. Smith is professor of philosophy at Calvin University, where he also holds the Byker Chair in Applied Reformed Theology and Worldview. His previous books include How (Not) to Be Secular and You Are What You Love.