Carl Kenney Profile Page on Nextcat.com

Truth is a powerful antidote to the rosy-colored reality that many people want to believe. Truth is potent, uncomfortable, and often bitter, but nonetheless, truth is sublime. When Carl Kenney speaks of truth, he understands the pain it conjures up and the hope that it also releases.

Carl has experienced and endured many things that have caused him to question his place in the world. More than twenty years ago, Carl dedicated his life to ministry; and with that step he learned how to examine his own life, repent for his transgressions, forgive those who betrayed his trust, and ultimately free himself from the strongholds that bound him to a life of crisis.

Affectionately known as “Kenney the voice of many”, Carl grew up in Columbia, Missouri. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He furthered his education at Duke University and attained a Master of Divinity. He was named a Fellow in Pastoral Leadership Development at the Princeton Theological Seminary on May 14, 2005. His journalism education paved the way for many opportunities in broadcasting, reporting and writing. When he’s not out “saving souls”, Carl is preparing his commentary for the News & Observer, The Independent Weekly or Tribes Magazine. Education and experience converged with the onset of his latest challenge. Carl has completed his novel entitled, “Preacha’ Man”. The sequel to this work, “Backslide”, is near completion. The story of Preacha’ Man, which is loosely based on Carl’s life, details the life of a minister that is besieged with demons from his past and conflicts of his present. It addresses the affects of how “being called by God” can make a seemingly ordinary life very complicated.

Carl’s messages to people include spirit-churning declarations that transcend race, gender, ethnicity and lifestyle. His ministry is comprised of people who want solutions, not rhetoric; people who want change, not pacification; people who want alternatives, not darkness. Carl is challenged by the often self-imposed limitations that occur when people use the word “normal”. “Who has the right to define what normal is?” says Carl. “We bind ourselves to irrational thinking when we start comparing our lives against unreasonable standards.” Founded by Carl, Compassion Ministries in Durham, North Carolina is dedicated to instilling the importance of spiritual, emotional and financial growth and enlightenment to its parishioners. Under his leadership, members minister to the community at-large by offering prayer and spiritual intervention. Carl’s own agony is the springboard to his deeply felt compassion toward others. “Not one more person needs to ever hurt again”, he says. “We have to help each other, sometimes it’s as simple as a kind word or a smile.”

Carl’s work in ministry and journalism has garnered him recognition nationally. Melissa Lacewell-Harris, Political Science Professor at the University of Chicago, featured him in her book Barbershops, Bibles and BET. Craig Keener, New Testament Professor at Eastern Baptist Seminary in Philadelphia, PA, has featured Carl in two of his books: Women, Wives and Paul and Black Man’s Religion. In 1993, he was featured in Emerge Magazine for his work to fight domestic violence. He was interviewed as part of a documentary on gangs that appeared on Court TV. The host and producer of the documentary is Al Roker. He has been interviewed as a source for stories by the press from coast to coast. His remarks have appeared on BET News, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, The Christian Science Monitor, and the national syndicated Radioscope.

The News and Observer honored him as a Tar Heel of the Week, and he received the Martin Luther King Jr. Keeper of the Dream Award during the celebration of the King Holiday in 1993. Both the City and County of Durham, NC have proclaimed days in his honor, and he was named an Honorary Sheriff by the Durham County Sheriff Department in 2000.

For more information or booking, please contact Angela Ray at: Mahoganeedime@aol.com

Preacha' Man can be purchased at: Trafford.com or on Amazon.com. Read more about Kenney and his work in Barbershops, Bibles & BET written by Melissa Lacewell-Harris, Political Science Professor at Princeton University