Ep. 417 Steven Garber - Making Peace with the Proximate

About this episode

Steven Garber discusses the concept of 'the proximate' and how to make peace with the current state of the world in relation to justice and faith.

What do you do when the world refuses to become what you know it should be? In this conversation, Steven Garber introduces the concept of "the proximate" - learning to make peace with what is nearly, but not yet, true - in our marriages, our work for justice, and our longing for God's kingdom to come. Drawing on Tolkien, Augustine, the Clapham Society, and the surprising cry of a postmodern novelist, Steven helps us understand the difference between hope and optimism, what it means to carry o...

People in this episode

Host: Joshua Johnson

Guest: Steven Garber

Topics covered

• peace
• justice
• hope
• optimism
• Christianity
• culture

Keywords

• peace
• justice
• hope
• optimism
• Christianity
• Tolkien
• Augustine
• Clapham Society

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Clapham Society

Books & works: Tolkien

More episodes of Shifting Culture

• Ep. 434 Aaron Cline Hanbury - When Machines Can Do More, What Does it Mean to be Alive? · June 12, 2026 · 54 min
• Ep. 433 Brant Hansen - Living Unoffended in an Age of Outrage · June 9, 2026 · 56 min
• Ep. 432 Zachary Wagner - Is Virtue Formation the Answer to the Crises Men and Boys are Facing Right Now? · June 5, 2026 · 56 min
• Ep. 431 Fr. John Dear - Surrendering to the God of Peace and Following the Nonviolent Jesus · June 2, 2026 · 1h 5m
• Ep. 430 Jennifer Garcia Bashaw & Aaron Higashi - Interpreting the Bible in a World Fighting Over What It Means · June 1, 2026 · 52 min
• Ep. 429 K.J. Ramsey - Finding Joy in the Place Between Our Pains · May 29, 2026 · 53 min