Host Andrew Camp welcomes Amar Peterman, a constructive/public theologian, to discuss Peterman’s forthcoming book, "Becoming Neighbors: the Common Good Made Local" (Eerdmans), releasing March 12. Amar argues the common good must be built locally by actually knowing and loving the people across the street, rather than assuming a universal or national common good. Using the potluck table as the book’s guiding metaphor, Peterman contrasts potluck with the “melting pot,” emphasizing that people bring distinct “dishes” (stories, beliefs, traditions) that can be appreciated alongside one another in a shared, community-owned space where everyone is both host and guest. They address why interfaith engagement matters, warning that a “common good” good only for one group becomes tyranny, Christian nationalism, or authoritarianism. Drawing on Augustine’s “use and enjoyment,” Peterman cautions against using neighbors or the table instrumentally and argues neighbors are to be enjoyed as ends in themselves in God; he critiques control and domination as things wrongly treated as ends. Peterman outlines practices of neighbor love—compassion, humility, translation, resonance (via Hartmut Rosa), lament, and accompaniment (via Paul Farmer, Partners in Health, and Gustavo Gutiérrez), presenting accompaniment as long-term, dignifying companionship rather than short-term charity. They discuss joy as intertwined with hope and resurrection while rejecting shallow “happy” platitudes that avoid lament, and they reflect on compost and gardening as slow, local work that can yield surprising “new life” beyond one’s control.

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 former assistant director of civic networks at Interfaith America. Peterman holds an MDiv from Princeton Theological Seminary and is currently a PhD student at the University of Chicago’s Divinity School. He is the author of Becoming Neighbors: The Common Good Made Local (published by Eerdmans). His writing and research have been featured in Sojourners, Christianity Today, The Christian Century, The Fetzer Institute, The Berkley Forum, and The Anxious Bench. He also publishes regularly on his Substack, This Common Life.

Follow Amar Peterman:

• Instagram: @amarpeterman
• Facebook: @amarpeterman
• Substack: This Common Life

This episode of the Biggest Table is brought to you in part of Wild Goose Coffee. Since 2008, Wild Goose has sought to build better communities through coffee. For our listeners, Wild Goose is offering a special promotion of 20% off a one time order using the code TABLE at checkout. To learn more and to order coffee, please visit wildgoosecoffee.com.

In this episode of The Biggest Table, host Andrew Camp delves into the intersections of food, theology, and the psychological theory of disgust with Paul and Billie Hoard, who co-authored the book Eucontamination. Paul, a licensed counselor and psychoanalytic psychotherapist, and Billie, a trans woman and writer, discuss how concepts of disgust operate at both individual and sociological levels, impacting relationships within the church and society. They explore the theological implications of disgust, the transformative power of love, and how practices like the Eucharist and foot washing can help Christians move past disgust reactions to foster intimacy and community. They also share personal anecdotes, discuss their fondest and least favorite foods, and emphasize the critical importance of sharing meals to experience God's love and grow in fellowship.

Paul Hoard, PhD, LMHC, is a licensed counselor, psychoanalytic psychotherapist, and associate professor of counseling psychology at The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology. His scholarship focuses on Lacanian psychoanalytic theory, sexuality, white-body supremacy, perpetration-induced traumatic stress, and the theological logic of disgust. He has spoken and published internationally on topics including purity culture, trauma, eucontamination, and the intersections of theology and psychoanalysis. In addition to his academic work, Dr. Hoard maintains a private counseling practice and provides clinical supervision and consultation. He is the co-author, with his sister Billie Hoard, of the book Eucontamination: Disgust Theology and the Christian Life.

Paul's Substack

Billie Hoard is a trans woman, teacher, writer, and something of an Anabaptist radical. Together with her brother Paul, she is the author of "Eucontamination". Billie holds an MA in liberal arts from St. John's College & she writes about queerness, fairy tales, C. S. Lewis, theology & philosophy.

Billie's Substack

This episode of the Biggest Table is brought to you in part by Wild Goose Coffee. Since 2008, Wild Goose has sought to build better communities through coffee. For our listeners, Wild Goose is offering a special promotion of 20% off a one time order using the code TABLE at checkout. To learn more and to order coffee, please visit wildgoosecoffee.com.

In this episode of The Biggest Table, host Andrew Camp talks with Dr. John Anthony Dunne, an associate professor of New Testament at Bethel Seminary. Dr. Dunne shares his journey from a fundamentalist Baptist background in Las Vegas, Nevada, to becoming an aficionado of fine beverages and an expert on the biblical theology of alcohol. The conversation covers the best craft beers shared at academic receptions, the significance of wine, beer, and spirits in both his personal life and biblical texts, and the profound impact of these elements on Christian worship and spirituality. Dr. Dunne also discusses his latest book, 'The Mountain Shall Drip Sweet Wine: A Biblical Theology of Alcohol,' which explores the nuanced themes of alcohol in the Bible and its implications for modern believers.

Dr. John Anthony Dunne earned his PhD in NT at the University of St Andrews (in Scotland) under the supervision of Prof. N. T. Wright. He is an associate professor of NT at Bethel Seminary (in Saint Paul, MN), where he has taught since 2017, and he's the author or editor of ten books, including, most recently, The Mountains Shall Drip Sweet Wine: A Biblical Theology of Alcohol (published by Zondervan Academic). Born and raised in Las Vegas, NV, John enjoys hosting cocktail parties, tasting events, and the annual SBLAAR reception at AAR/SBL each year, which is an international craft beer bottle share event.

Connect with John Anthony Dunne

• Two Cities Podcast
• Instagram: @johnnypepper2
• Facebook: @johnnypepper2

This episode of the Biggest Table is brought to you in part by Wild Goose Coffee. Since 2008, Wild Goose has sought to build better communities through coffee. For our listeners, Wild Goose is offering a special promotion of 20% off a one time order using the code TABLE at checkout. To learn more and to order coffee, please visit wildgoosecoffee.com.