Elaine Storkey (conversation)

Charles Strohmer talks about public communication and gender with the widely listened-to British Christian Elaine Storkey, author and BBC broadcaster on current affairs. Read the interview here

John Peck (conversation)

Charles Strohmer talks with John Peck, British theologian and philosopher, about how dramatically his life – as a Christian – changed with the discovery that God’s wisdom was for all of life. Read the interview here

Wisdom Tradition – See with New Eyes

To help those who may be new to this way of thinking, I am pleased to say that there is now a fairly comprehensive introduction to the historic wisdom tradition up on the site as a new page, and you may start some discussion about it here. Even if you are not new to this, I think you may find some surprises.

The wisdom tradition offers us an alternative way of reasoning about life, and that is what I have tried to show how in this introductory article, which is titled “The Historic Wisdom Tradition and Its Literature: A Summary Review in Two Parts.”

Images of Wisdom in Cairo

One of the prominent features of wisdom is that, to use an image from the book of Proverbs, she cries to be heard in the streets. In other words, Lady Wisdom is not some disinterested spectator. You will find her in the public square, resolutely engaged. And her aim? It is to be a reasonable […]

Taliban Neighbors

How do you serve as a Christian in a hostile region, where violence has become a norm, where the news for you is rarely encouraging, where you’re held down economically, socially, and politically, and where traveling just from one place to another may make you the subject of a kidnapping? Bishop Rumalshah of the Church of Pakistan has had to find a way.

A slightly shorter version of this essay was published in The Christian Century, Jan. 13, 2009.

Wisdom Actors, part 1

This article looks into the political careers of several prominent classes of domestic and international government advisors and officials in the royal courts old-world Middle East, with illustrations from several individuals who held high-level positions in those offices.

Wisdom Actors, part 2

In the fascinatingly instructive Book of Daniel, we see many of the ideas and norms of the wisdom tradition applied by its main actor during his long and distinguished political career. There are more clues concentrated in this one book about a wisdom-based praxis in politics and government than in any other piece of ancient wisdom literature that I know about. And these can be surprising finds when considered through the lens of wisdom. The features covered in this article explore Daniel’s education in wisdom and his religion, as well as his politics, sticking points, and style of communication in his relationships with kings and top government officials.

Is There a Gospel in the Stars?

Although this article was originally published in 2000 (Christian Research Journal, vol. 22, no. 4), it remains a seminal piece about a controversial topic that still draws discussion on the Web. Unlike many public Christians, I have am critical of the theory. See what you think.