by Mitch Carnell | Nov 27, 2019 | Opinion
My mother, dad and I had driven the 17 miles from our home to Spartanburg, South Carolina, for my appointment with the ophthalmologist to have my eyes examined and possibly get new glasses. As we were walking from the parking lot to his office, I heard my mother say...
by Mitch Carnell | Sep 3, 2019 | Opinion
Susan Sparks reflects on humor that is joyful and therapeutic in her book, “Preaching Punchlines.” She is not speaking of humor that is scornful, rude, hateful or judgmental, but humor that lifts us up and honors. She quickly banishes any thoughts that she is...
by Mitch Carnell | May 30, 2019 | Opinion
Words matter. That was the topic of 40 essays I read recently written by middle school and high school students from a private Christian school. Every one of these privileged students wrote from a negative viewpoint. One or two did contrast positive speech and...
by Mitch Carnell | Apr 15, 2019 | Opinion
“God Will Take Care of You” was a very popular hymn when I was growing up. Serene Jones, president of Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, makes it clear this is not the case in her new book, “Call It Grace: Finding Meaning in a Fractured World.” God...
by Mitch Carnell | Feb 8, 2019 | Opinion
I have a renewed interest in the concept of the priesthood of the believer as embodied by lay leadership in the local church. This unexpected perspective emerged from a focus on Baptist beliefs and distinctives in the Sunday school class I attended for Baptist History...
