Conversation & Discussion

Welcome to a quiet space for thinking and engaging in conversation. You can do this in two ways. One way is to participate in the blog posts themselves. These are indicated by the words “Read more” in the list below. The other way is by commenting on Charles’s published writings (articles, essays, interviews, reviews, etc.). These are indicated in the list below by the words “Read this article [or whatever] here.” Just click that link to read the piece or find the “Comments” area for it.

By linking Charles’s published writings to the blog, we’re trying something of an experiment – a way for you to comment not just on blog posts but on any of his writings on the spot. This immediate interaction with that work was not available before. We we hope you will find it useful. Do call by. We would love to hear from you.

Please note: when you comment on a topic, don’t forget to tick the tiny box next to: “Notify me of followup comments via e-mail.” Doing so lets you know automatically when Charles or someone else replies to your comment. But it’s easy to miss seeing that little box. (You can be confident that we will never disclose your email to a third party.) Thanks for stopping by.

Smart Power or Wise Power?

Time magazine’s recent cover story on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and “smart power” joins a growing consensus, at home and abroad, that U.S. foreign policy has softened considerably in recent years, therefore the world really ought to once again accept American leadership. But is this shift directed toward increased cooperation for the international common good? Or is it a just kinder, gentler way for America to have its own way in the world?

Read this editorial here

American Political Witchcraft

Apparently, the politics of fear is no longer a strong enough brew for my country. From sea to shining seas, spells are now being spun over the presidential primaries and the up-coming 2012 presidential race that resemble a form of political witchcraft. The hard-hitting divisive rhetoric of recent years that reflected legitimate fundamental differences between Democrats and Republicans has yielded to a pernicious manipulation that craves control of the American presidency. How could this happen?

Read the article here

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

Ten Years After 9/11

What Are We Remembering?

by Charles Strohmer

The 10th anniversary of 9/11 is upon us. But what will we be remembering? Will it be humble remembering of our days of personal and collective grief, suffering, tears, and loss? Or will it be faux remembering?

Read this short opinion piece here

Is a UN Imposed Palestinian State Wise?

Is a UN Imposed Palestinian State Wise?
by Charles Strohmer

In September, the United Nations will vote on whether to grant statehood to Palestine. Unless something profoundly changes in Israel or Palestine before that day, almost certainly the vote in the General Assembly will be overwhelmingly “Yes.” This will seem like imposing a bridge too far for Israel to cross. What will occur afterwards is anyone’s guess. Read more

The Blast is Back

Like everyone else lately, I’ve been thinking about radiation, ever since the calamitous earthquake and tsunami struck Japan in March, killing thousands and unrepairingly damaging its Fukushima nuclear plant. Actually, I’ve been thinking about radiation again, because its horrors inspired an essay I wrote years ago, a kind of meditation, if you will, about a great childhood fear that affected me in ways the adults seemed oblivious to. Are we adults today, I wondered, failing our children by not understanding the fear that they may have about nuclear power. Then I read Hanna Beech’s article in Time (April 4, 2011), about why it took a nuclear crisis to energize many of Japan’s young people as a catalyst for changing Japan’s ossified establishment. Although my essay has nothing directly to with the young of Japan, maybe it does. Maybe will resonate.

Read this essay here

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 and responsible, and civil, voice for establishing more cooperative arrangements among people who are different. Read more