Why coercive religious politics undermine Christianity and democracy

WICHITA FALLS, Texas (ABP) — Landrum Leavell, who led New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary for nearly three decades, died after an extended illness Sept. 26. He was 81. Leavell was elected the seminary’s president in January 1975, and helmed the…

HOUSTON (ABP) — Associated Baptist Press has paid homage to moderate Baptist pioneer Cecil Sherman even as the veteran of Baptist internal fighting faces a different sort of battle. ABP board member Marv Knox presented Sherman with the news agency’s…

ATLANTA (ABP) — A peaceful night’s sleep for a refugee whose run from violence and danger has ended, the sound of fellowship as a Christian connects with a lonely international student and the joy of a congregation that rediscovers its…

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (ABP) — Korean preschoolers and children now will learn about Baptist mission efforts around the world thanks to an agreement between national Woman’s Missionary Union and its Texas affiliate. Leaders of the two WMU organizations signed a three-year…

Students on a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship-sponsored tour of projects associated with the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals work alongside local villagers to drill a well that will provide clean water for a village in Ethiopia. (Photo courtesy CBF)ATLANTA (ABP) —…

ATLANTA (ABP) — Thirteen students, six countries, eight goals and one underlying motivation — to see the gospel in action. This summer, 13 undergraduate and graduate students took a 50-day journey to experience how Cooperative Baptist Fellowship efforts intersect with…

FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP) — David Wong, former president of the Baptist World Alliance, died Sept. 16 in Alhambra, Calif. He was 97. Born in Wuzhou, China, Wong moved to Hong Kong in 1949. He was the first layman and…

ATLANTA (ABP) — The Southern Baptist Convention’s International Mission Board will reorganize over the next year to focus more on local churches’ involvement in missions and provide flexibility to reach people groups across geographical lines. At their Sept. 8-10 meeting…

WASHINGTON (ABP) — A new survey by Baylor University researchers suggests that megachurches are more intimate, believers less gullible and atheism less prevalent than popular stereotypes would suggest. Results of the 2008 Baylor Religion Survey were released in a Sept….

WACO, Texas (ABP) — “Red-letter” Christians committed to taking Christ’s teachings seriously have the potential to transform society in a way that moves beyond partisan politics, author and educator Tony Campolo told a recent ethics conference at Baylor University’s George…