It’s rare enough for people to interact regularly with people of different political persuasions or socioeconomic backgrounds. Why would you choose to live in the same house with them? I asked members of a variety of intentional communities – from cohousing arrangements with a formal commitment and common project to neighbors who simply want to be more involved in each other’s lives – how they manage to live and work so intimately with people who differ from them in fundamental ways.

People in five different intentional Christian communities tell what they’ve learned.