What does Christian spirituality have to do with geography, specifically with where we actually live? In a society in which neighbourhoods have changed, what does it mean to 'love your neighbour as yourself? What does it mean for my relationship with the people next door and with those slightly odd tenants two doors down? When it comes to being neighbourly, is it a case of dutifully cleaning up after my dog and making sure that I keep the stereo down, or does God expect more? For someone who has recently relocated, Australian author Simon Holt's thoughtful, theological reflection on 'one of the most ancient, common and formative contexts of daily life' (p. 19) was timely.

Holt's interest in such questions was sparked when he was caught up in the tragedy of a drive-by shooting. He was living in Los Angeles at the time, and three young boys from his street were killed. "They are events I'll never forget; he writes, 'however, it's what happened just two days later that left an even deeper impression' (p. vii).

As evening fell, a spontaneous gathering of people from the neighbourhood filled our street. The police responded quickly by closing the area to traffic. Some two hundred locals met just outside our kitchen window, gathering around a makeshift memorial of flowers, candles, pictures and handwritten tributes. They came to be together... (p. vii).

Thus began a long journey of listening and reflection in which Holt brings a range of stories and experiences into conversation with cultural and biblical perspectives on residential life. God Next Door is written with the conviction that the neighbourhood is a neglected context for spirituality and mission, and with the hope that we might take a closer look at our local neighbourhoods and rethink our place and roles within them.

Part One of the book describes the cultural landscape of contemporary neighbourhoods, focusing on three issues that impact significantly on our sense of local community - urbanisation, suburbia and mobility. In contrast to the pre-industrial village, where daily life was self-contained and highly connected, the experience for today's urban and suburban resident is vastly different. As a place of social interface, the local neighbourhood has become increasingly optional.

Today, community is frequently found in scattered networks of relationships rather than in any particular place. Most of us shop, work, worship and play in different locations; 'in truth, we spend as much time leaving the local neighbourhood as we do living in it' (p. 29). Advances in communication make it easier to connect with someone interstate or overseas than with the person next door. For most of us, the local neighbourhood has become an in-between space, a neglected transitional zone between the increasingly private world of home and the more distant public spheres where we spend the rest of our time.

The impact of suburban planning policy and modern house design together with high levels of population mobility and the general busyness of life all militate against meaningful neighbourly interaction. These days, if we are home, then mostly we are cocooned away from all but our immediate family. Faced with this reality, the great commandment to love our neighbour is more of a great omission. Despite these challenges, the local neighbourhood remains 'a human place full of real people with real possibilities for community; says Holt (p. 43).

In Part Two, Holt articulates a biblical vision of neighbourliness. Starting with the great commandment (Lev 19:18), he notes that Hebrew law was more concerned with fostering neighbourhoods of respect and compassion than with nurturing intimate friendships. For Jesus and the early church, the practicalities of loving one's neighbour took centre stage when it came to 'encapsulating the essence of Christian ministry' (p. 72). In contrast, in the contemporary scene, ministry tends to be something we do elsewhere.

For Holt, the call for Christians and churches to re-engage with their neighbourhoods as places of divine presence and concern is a theological imperative. It is the 'localness of the Incarnation that makes this profound act of God so confronting, and ultimately so comprehensively saving; he  asserts (p. 87). Our call to mission is a call to 'discern, embody and proclaim the presence of God where we are. It's a call to neighbourhood' (p. 84).

In Part Three, Holt explores possibilities for neighbourhood mission through the practice of neighbourhood disciplines. In contrast to spiritual habits of withdrawal (prayer, Bible reading, solitude and so on), these are disciplines of engagement. Using the discipline of naming, we learn to exegete our neighbourhoods. We are looking for signs 'of life, hope, despair, community, alienation, beauty and neglect' (p. 103). If God is present, then we are living on holy ground, which, for Holt, means that 'new assumptions pave the way for new possibilities' (p.i24).

Naming leads naturally to celebrating and nurturing. Using a range of events and liturgies, we can acknowledge what is good in our neighbourhoods; by nurturing good traditions, connections and activities, local communities can flourish. To highlight the aspects of discipleship needed in this context. Holt proposes the image of disciple as farmer. This image is less exciting than other New Testament images (e.g., soldier), but it encompasses what neighbourhood spirituality is about - presence, stability, prayerfulness, persistence and so on. Finally, there is the discipline of inviting, we invite 'the Spirit of God to do a particular work of grace in the lives of those who live around us' and offer a 'gentle but persistent invitation to those same people to an encounter with the God of grace' (p. 142).

In an era of neighbourhood dislocation and neglect, Holt's invitation to take our locality seriously is a challenge. While I would have appreciated a more thorough engagement of the cultural factors of Part One with the biblical and theological reflections of Part Two, I was inspired by Holt's exploration of neighbourhood disciplines. His book, which won the 2008 Australian Christian Book of the Year, is well worth reading, perhaps even more so in the context of a small group where a few thoughtful discussion questions at the end of each chapter would enhance its possibilities.

I am grateful for Holt's reminder that a commitment to love my neighbour implies a commitment to my neighbourhood, which, in turn, requires a commitment to being 'at home' in a certain kind of way.