The New Modern Public

March 07, 2013 by Eric Bodenstab in Reflection

The central move of Modernity was to separate facts and values. Facts, which we can all agree on because they are provable, measurable, and repeatable, are fair game for public conversation. Values, which we cannot prove, should be kept for private moments. With this turn, events like the Thirty Years War and the Hundred Years War found ends through renegotiating the grounds for conversation.

Lent Schment

February 13, 2013 by Eric Bodenstab in Reflection

As we begin Lent, it seems appropriate to mention spiritual discipline, but not the one you decided to do this Lenten season. Chances are that unless you picked an actual spiritual discipline, what you do probably won't amount to much. And if you did pick a spiritual discipline, its probably a reflection of your desire to withdraw from the world to avoid its harsh realities. Its amazing how the old person in us distorts what would otherwise be reasonable to a self-serving goal.