Wisdom Introduction

This week on The Allender Center Podcast, Dan Allender launches a new series all about the pursuit of wisdom in a culture that is so often marked by arguments, accusations, and foolishness. Dan reflects on the state of political discourse in our country, wondering what the role of wisdom is in our cultural conversations and our day-to-day decisions.

I don’t know if there’s anything more important for any of us than simply seeking wisdom, and then being able to practice that.

Dan introduces this concept by looking at Psalm 34 and its related story in 1 Samuel 21, in which David acts in a manner that appears unwise at first glance, and then later praises God for intervening and delivering him. Dan also pulls from the writing of his friend, Dr. Tremper Longman, III to offer a framework for understanding wisdom.

“Wisdom is not a simple matter,” says Dan.“In the process of learning to become wise, we really have to step into the reality that many of us, on many levels, end up being foolish.”

This kind of wisdom is artistic, imaginative, physically active, and always working toward shaping the world into something more beautiful and glorious. At 16:00, Dan talks about the wisdom of Jesus when presented with a particular bind. The “wise” men of the culture were trying to trap Jesus, and he responded with what Dan calls “the paradigm of wisdom.”

Wisdom is the skill of being able to live well in a complicated world, in a world in which there will be constant binds.