Waging Wisdom

While the world wages war, Christians are called to wage wisdom.

Quickly, without really thinking about it, call up a mental image of someone who embodies the word "smart." Got it? Now, just as spontaneously, get a mental picture of someone who fleshes out the word "wisdom." Hold it.

Now I'm willing to bet your mind's eye didn't bring up two identical images to fit with those two different words. When we tried this little exercise, the "smart" person wore large glasses and was attired in an expensive but conservatively styled business suit. This "smart" person had all the most traditional earmarks of power -- white, male, fortyish, tall, slender. Because he was "smart," this guy also exuded an aura of "successful" -- he had money, a good job, a nice car, sharp clothes. The "smart"-image man looked both impressive and intimidating.

(An alternative image also appeared unbidden. This was of a classic "geek" -- scrawny, glasses, pocket-protector, the whole works. However, that image itself has been transformed by the age of the microprocessor. Bill...