As Charles Strobel, beloved Nashville priest and champion of the unhoused, reached the end of his life in 2023, he began to contemplate the last message he wanted to leave his family, friends, and community. With the help of his niece, Katie Seigenthaler, and his colleague, Amy Frogge, Strobel began to dictate
The Kingdom of the Poor. He wrote, “Mark Twain, the great American folk hero and writer, has said, ‘The two most important days of your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.’ The following pages help to explain why I was born.”
The “why” of Charlie Strobel’s life, which was devoted to helping those without support systems and homes to call their own, was a simple belief that we are all poor and we are all worthy of love.
The Kingdom of the Poor is the story of the people and experiences that led him to this understanding and inspired him to live his life accordingly.
قائمة المحتويات
Foreword by Ann Patchett
How The Kingdom of the Poor Came to Be
A Note from the Editors
The Beatitudes
Prologue: Why I Was Born
Part I: How Much Is Enough?
Chapter 1: Mutt
Chapter 2: Sadie and Tony
Chapter 3: Horace Tidwell
Chapter 4: Clayton
Chapter 5: Mr. Orskiborsky
Part II: Worthless Servants
Chapter 6: Aunt Mollie and Aunt Kate
Chapter 7: Mr. Albert
Chapter 8: Mama
Part III: Change Your World
Chapter 9: Father Dan
Chapter 10: Prof Al
Chapter 11: The Anawim
Chapter 12: Ol’ Grange
Chapter 13: Larry Munson
Chapter 14: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Chapter 15: Myles Horton
Part IV: Room In The Inn
Chapter 16: Mrs. Hopwood
Chapter 17: Lulabelle
Chapter 18: Michael “Bear” Hodges
Chapter 19: Madeleine De Moss
Chapter 20: Gwen Benford
Chapter 21: Melvin Scates
Chapter 22: Rachel Hester
Part V: The Miracle of Forgiveness
Chapter 23: Billy Denton
Chapter 24: Antony and Cleopatra
Chapter 25: The Murderer
Chapter 26: The Japanese
Part VI: Getting Ready to Die
Chapter 27: The Pastor
Chapter 28: Vince
Chapter 29: The Man in the Morgue
Chapter 30: The Chaplain
Epilogue: Pick Up the Burden
Acknowledgments
Appendixes
Appendix A: Charles Strobel’s Eulogy for His Mother, Mary Catherine Strobel
Appendix B: Strobel Family Statement after the Murder of Mary Catherine Strobel
Appendix C: Charles Strobel’s Statement in Opposition to the Death Penalty for William Scott Day
Appendix D: Room In The Inn Rights and Responsibilities
Appendix E: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Principles of Nonviolence
عن المؤلف
Katie Seigenthaler, the niece of Charles Strobel, is the co-author with Dr. Alex Jahangir of Hot Spot: A Doctor’s Diary from the Pandemic, published in 2022 by Vanderbilt University Press. She is a managing partner with FINN Partners and a former journalist with the Chicago Tribune.