Interfaith dialogue is hard, but intrafaith dialogue can be harder.

Every Christian claims Jesus as Savior and Lord, so essential questions of how we understand Jesus, his earthly ministry, the meaning of the crucifixion, and the nature of his call upon our lives become the grounds of our essential debate and, literally, a matter of life and death. When we encounter a Christian who thinks and believes differently, we often experience that difference as an attack on the principles upon which we have built our lives and as a betrayal to the faith. These battles are not new—Christians have disagreed since the days of the early church. However, it is possible for Christians to retain their differences and yet unite in respect for each other. It is possible to love one another and at the same time retain our individual beliefs.

Christian Civility in an Uncivil World is a collection of essays from across a wide range of theological and political perspectives that demonstrates that we can talk together, listen to each other, change the Christian dialogue, and thus change our world.

Contributors include: Jimmy R. Allen, Wade Burleson, Mitch Carnell, Sally Dyck, John Gehring and Alexia Kelley, Thomas R. McKibbens, Richard J. Mouw, Paul Raushenbush, Stacy F. Sauls

Mitch Carnell was president and CEO of the Charleston (SC) Speech and Hearing Center for thirty-five years. He is a fellow of the American Speech Language and Hearing Association and was awarded the honors of the South Carolina Association. He was awarded South Carolina’s highest citizenship award, the Order of the Palmetto. He has written for Reflections, the daily devotional guide published by Smyth & Helwys and is the author of Development, Management and Evaluation of the Community Speech and Hearing Center, Speaking in Church Made Simple, and Say Something Nice; Be a Lifter. He wrote a column for fourteen years, “Speaking Frankly,” for Business Review published by the Charleston (SC) Post and Courier. He holds degrees from Mars Hill College, Furman University, the University of Alabama, and Louisiana State University. Carol, his wife, retired as a business education teacher from Charleston County Schools.